Cinema Oblivia

Episode 38: Never Too Young To Die

Gene Simmons is a genderfluid drag performer/terrorist who wants to poison Los Angeles with radioactive waste. Only George Lazenby's son, John Stamos, and his partner Vanity can stop him.
It's a hell of a cast for a hell of a movie, 1987's Never Too Young To Die.
Matt Kucick returns to discuss this amazing gem of 80s cheese, and we also discuss our dream cast for a sequel/remake that damn well should happen!
 
Content Notice: This film uses some very outdated terminology to discuss intersex people, and we bring it up quite a bit.

Episode 37:Dead or Alive (1999)

Takashi Miike broke through big in 1999 with Audition, but for me, his best movie of that year (he made, like, six) is Dead or Alive, a gonzo bonkers crime drama with one of the craziest beginnings in film history, which is then completely trampled by one of the most apeshit endings of all time. Diamon Feit agrees with me, and he joins me to talk about this underrated work in Miike's insane and impressive oeuvre.
Content Warning: Like, literally everything you can think of and some stuff that you probably can't even imagine.
 

Episode 36: The Principal

Jim Belushi beats up inner city youths with a baseball bat because he wants them to study algebra in this problematic classic.
Norm from A Question of Character returns to discuss Belushi's unlikely run as an action star, the film's questionable racial politics, and the movie's dope as hell rap song, "Set It Off."

Episode 35: Coonskin

Coonskin was animator Ralph Bakshi's first real bomb, attracting far more controversy for its racially charged content than box office. Emmett Watkins Jr. bravely joins me today to talk about this controversial cult classic that's problematic with a capital P, but absolutely fascinating.
Content warning: Lots of discussion on racial issues and homophobia, with descriptions and clips of scenes that some might find disturbing.

Episode 34: Race With The Devil

Warren Oates and Peter Fonda just wanted to hop in their RV and take their wives on a ski trip. But a group of murderous Texan satanists had other ideas in Race With The Devil, the nearly forgotten horror/car chase hybrid flick!
Certified Texan Anthony Abatte joins me to talk about this (literal) cult classic, and if Texas really has bands of roving satanists who hunt down tourists in RVs.
He said no, but I'm still not sure.

Episode 33: The Visitor

*cue Visitor theme music*
Joe Odber returns to Cinema Oblivia to delve once again into ancient aliens, albeit in a slightly roundabout way.
The Visitor is a film made by madmen that makes no sense. It's kind of brilliant. It's kind of stupid. It's all kinds of indescribable. John Huston is in it though! And Shelley Winters! What the hell!
We try to parse it out as much as possible. I think we failed though.
*cue Visitor theme music again and again and again*
 

Episode 32: Manhunter

Making a return appearance on Cinema Oblivia, Brian Ashcraft joins me to talk about Michael Mann's masterpiece (a Mannterpiece, if you will), Manhunter.
It's the least known Hannibal Lector film, but it's probably the best, thanks to amazing performances, stunning direction and cinematography, amazing music, and truly, a showstopping career-making performance by Chris Elliot.
Okay, he has one line in one scene, but still.

Episode 31: Trick or Treat (1986)

Nothing says Halloween like...a Satanic Panic movie starring Skippy from Family Ties and featuring cameos by Gene Simmons and Ozzy?!?
Trick or Treat is an odd little slasher that's more charming than scary, and a great time capsule of the early 80s. Matt Kucick dug this one out of obscurity and he's here to talk about it and this film's shocking connection to Flogging Molly?!?!

Episode 30: Action Jackson

HELLO, I'M MR. EDD.
Goddamn I love Action Jackson. And Rich Nelson from the podcast Don't You Want Me also loves Action Jackson, so we spend a lot of time talking about how great this movie is. We also go into it's rapid production, muted reception, and the damn shame that a sequel never got made.

Episode 29: Urgh! A Music War, and Copyright Woes

Urgh! A Music War is a 1982 concert film featuring performances by some of the biggest and most influential bands of the era, including The Police, The Go Gos, Oingo Boingo, Joan Jett, and Gary Numan.
It also nearly got me banned for life from YouTube.
Nextlander's Alex Navarro joins me to talk about both of these things!