Bravo for the B-side Podcast

We do love a thriller, but it has to thrill. Unfortunately The Invitation does not provide any thrills. Good direction by Karyn Kusama, good cinematography, decent performances, but things fall apart with the writing. …

Someone reached out, and we watched their film. The Rogue Barrens is a no-budget, short feature that delivers. Exemplifying everything about Indie film – economy of locations, making the best of available equipment, …

Sometimes a movie hits some deep personal beats. The film Evergreen does just that, and a lot more. This excellent indie film has some rock-solid …

We swing into Almost Adults, a great film about best friends evolving into being full-on grown-ups. There is a lot of great stuff here, thematically …

We give tribute to the great Danny Trejo, an actor that we simply adore and who deserves a tribute for more reasons than just being in movies. We have friend Miles Trout from the Discdump Podcast joining us to pay …

Deciding it was time for a horror film, we jumped in to Doctor Carver. Disappointment comes in all forms, and this film managed to pretty much deliver on all of them. We knew what we were getting into, as director …

This week we dive into Blush. There are some differing opinions on the film’s theme, but the long and short of it is that this is unfortunately an ambitious effort that did not cross the finish line. Lessons gleaned …

Not only is The Party’s Just Beginning, written and directed by Karen Gillan, is a must see on all levels. The main character copes with the suicide of her best friend, and never before has the reality and raw truth of …

We dive into Sensitivity Training, a light-hearted comedy that has some serious lessons in writing, directing, acting, overall production value. A callous woman is forced into sensitivity training sessions in order to …

This week it’s another film that launched some great conversation. Runoff takes us deep into the quandary of the American farmer. Female lead Joanne Kelly runs us through some very tough moral dilemmas facing the truth …

Take This Waltz is a fantastic character-driven film. Directed and written by Sarah Polley and starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogan, Sarah …

For the third time friend Hilton Ariel Ruiz is on the show. We talk about the ramping up of production for Zombie With A Shotgun 2. We chat about indie filmmaking post-COVID, how it has affected all levels from actors …

A long-time favorite of Jim’s, Frankenhooker is the Citizen Kane of the Tromaverse. Straight from 1990 this comedy, billed as a horror comedy, exemplifies everything that the 80’s stood for in b-movies. Hardly a horror, …

This episode is the first time we’ve had to bail on a film. Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn’t Die unfortunately crossed our tolerance line …

We talk with the wonderful Jennifer Hill, who played the mythical Beowulf in the great indie movie Bae Wolf. An excellent conversation about trials …

It’s the second half of our talk with the cast and crew of Bae Wolf. Amazing talents of David Axe, Stephan Jensen, Brendan Thompson, Morgan Shaley …

We talk with the cast and crew of Bae Wolf. Amazing talents of David Axe, Stephan Jensen, Brendan Thompson, Morgan Shaley Renew, and Cleve Langdale. …

We dive into Bae Wolf. Sent to us as a screener, this tongue-in-cheek take on the classic Beowulf tale is fun from start to finish. David Axe …

Coyote Lake is no fun-in-the-sun film. This thought-provoking, unique thriller by Sara Seligman stirs up some deep thoughts. The lessons are …

In Zero Charisma we have some great lessons, if not a couple of them being cautionary. A power-hungry, immature Game Master loses a longtime player and reluctantly brings on a new player. This player doesn’t understand …

We dissect a deep, majestically artistic and emotional film, I’m Not Here. Starring JK Simmons, and directed by Michelle Schumacher, this is a blazing fire of lessons for everyone. We consider this to be JK Simmon’s …

After sitting on the list for a while we finally break into Psycho Goreman. This film is full of lessons, not the least of which is if you are going …

We end the year by focusing on a woman who we embarrassingly never heard of; Alice Guy-Blaché. This woman was the first female filmmaker. The first filmmaker to create narrative stories, not just stock footage. She was …

It’s that time of year for a Santa slasher! Dive into the holiday with us as we dissect Slay Belles. This Santa slasher doubles as a bonus Krampus …

For the third time we have David Ryan Keith on the show, this time joined by the fantastic actor Paul Flannery, who played Johnathan Blazer in Ghosts …

From David Ryan Keith we have another excellent movie. Ghosts of Darkness is a wonderful horror movie that calls back to the classic horror films. A …

From the early 80s we have a South African indie-comedy, The Gods Must Be Crazy. It’s a complete nonsense, buffoonery level fun film that takes a clean, simple approach to humor. We talk about this highs of the movie …

The Vicious Kind is another movie where the story is not quite up-front on its intent or purpose. We surmise some theories, but ultimately it will be …

An adaptation of the William S. Burroughs book, David Cronenberg brings us a muddled, uninviting film with Naked Lunch. Names like Peter Weller, Judy …

We really wish we could tell you what Astro Loco is about. We do tell you what happens in the movie, but the point of it eludes us. It took some time …

A nuclear war, a fleet of DeLoreans, and Billy Zane. Unfortunately these excellent features do not help mend the fractured plot and storytelling of Blue World Order. Certainly an ambitious film, and technically sound, …

It’s a bushwhacking ride this week as we dive into Hunt for the Wilderpeople. This Taika Waititi film is not just a magnificent family watch, it’s a …

Paul Giamatti. What else needs to be said? We plunge into Cold Souls, the 2009 film from Sophie Barthes where Mr. Giamatti plays a fictionalized …

Hearkening from the early 90s, Arcade gives us the very worst of genre exploitation. More frustrating than frightening, Arcade takes us into a …

A sci-fi horror thriller, The Mind’s Eye is a solid work on all levels. We dive into this salute to the old 80’s film Scanners set in the 90s and …

We deep-dive into The Tall Guy. This wonderful film with Jeff Goldblum and Emma Thompson is a riotous ride out of the ‘80s into a new era. A UK movie …

This one comes from Dani’s vault. We cut deep into Repo: The Genetic Opera. This rock-opera has it all. Gore, out of this world performances, dark …

For our 100th episode we bring in our daughter Lily and we all talk about films that moved us and shaped us through our lives. We celebrate this milestone by talking about the films that got us to where we are, why they …

Another long-time in the vault choice, we dive into John Carpenter’s Dark Star. This 1974 gem is another favorite that has so many wonderful stories …

Another first for the show. We dive into a subtitled movie, R100, and we are not sorry for it. We watched this movie for pure entertainment, and …

We have David Howard Thornton on the show! You know him as Art the Clown from Terrifier, and the Joker on Nightwing. Unlike either of those …

This is a first for the show. We found This World Won’t Break and thought its story of artistic struggle would reach all creatives. We could not …

We dive into The Station Agent. This 2003 piece of brilliance stars Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, and is directed by Tom McCarthy. McCarthy’s first foray into directing shows the born talent of …

David Hyde Pierce gives us a dinner party like no other. This movie, with a brilliantly misleading trailer, gives surprises, humor, and a lot of WTF moments. Dive into this weird as hell dinner party with us as we talk …

Who doesn’t love crazy clowns that kill? Terrifier gives us the return of Art the Clown, a silent but thoroughly enjoyable psychopath. Terrifier breaks conventions with some surprising moves, all of which elevate this …

After a lot of packing and unpacking, Kyle Hester returns to the show to talk about his projects, pandemic, state of indie film, and future YouTube projects. Listen and catch up on the status of Preacher 6, Zombie with …

Released in 2016, 2018 in the US, this UK version of The Lighthouse is spectacularly subtle and soul-wrenching. Sticking to old-school storytelling, …

We talk once again with Hilton Ariel Ruiz. Creator of Zombie with a Shotgun, Klanz Rules, director of several excellent documentaries, this man is an …

Returning to the show are Pete Marcy, Joe Marcy, Chris Marcy, and Adam Anderson of Failureboys Productions. We talk about the re-release of Firefly and some excellent behind the scenes stories. Talented filmmakers and …

We dive into the UK film Eat Locals. Jam packed with big names, this vampire horror/comedy delivers on a great many levels. We had a lot of fun watching it the first time, and just as much fun watching it for the …

It’s a new release of an older film. Firefly hails from 2005, from our friends at Failureboys Productions. This version has been remastered in 5.1 …

It’s been a long time on the list, but we finally get to The Toxic Avenger. A foundation cult-classic with a loyal following, this movie birthed the …

It’s another random find in the sea of films, but a well-liked find. It’s Absentia, a film written and directed by Mike Flanagan, who you may know as the director of Doctor Sleep. There are a lot of great things in here …

Another long-time on the list favorite, Rubber proves that the most ridiculous, obscure hook can work and work well. Years ago we thought this would …

We have for the first time a script doctor on the show. Terry McFadden is a long-working script doctor who has worked as a script analyst for …

A Norwegian film that has long been on our list, Trollhunter is a great movie with surprising special effects. The recent release of the English …

How can you pass up something called Bunnyman Grindhouse Edition? We couldn’t. A re-release of Bunnyman, this indie horror has had a Grindhouse …

Folks! This is a wonderful, jam-packed episode. We have Eric Schumacher, Nathan Campbell, Bradford Trojan, Marty Ketola, Clif Campbell, and Geoff …

Revenge of Zoe is a micro-budget film from 2018 that is a must see. A self-proclaimed “Nerd Comedy” that pays tribute to the 80s nerd films, this movie takes us on a fun ride through the lives of two comic store owners, …

With Dani not fully recovered, Jim speaks with director/producer Michael Matteo Rossi, who’s film Chase we covered last week. Jim and Michael talk …

Chase was brought to our attention by its director, Michael Matteo Rossi. We’re glad for it. Starring Damien Puckler, yes indeed, we follow a hit man …

Our daughter Lily sits in for Dani, who is out sick, to talk about Space Captain: Captain of Space. This sci-fi comedy is a wonderful salute to the …

One of Jim’s all-time favorites, Lost in Translation. Filmmaker Sophia Coppola blows the lid off of traditional filmmaking with this brilliant movie. …

We all know it, and we finally made it down the list to Chopping Mall. This standard 80’s horror film has some mixed lessons, to-do’s and not-to-do’s. We have rampant Casio music, character naming issues, but it’s all …

This movie is ridiculous in a fantastic way. Zombeavers gives us an old-fashioned animals gone wild situation mixed with our favorite genre; Zombies. …

Another Cult Classic, the 1978 Piranha. It can be fun under the right circumstances, but the lessons from this film are based on its failure to …

Another random find, and a fun/funny one at that. Save Yourselves is a great indie film that places a ‘modern’ couple, who spend their time buried in their phones and laptops, in an end-of-world scenario. An indictment …

We talk with Alisdair Cook, who wrote the book that one of the main characters from Redwood Massacre: Annihilation wrote. Sounds strange, but it’s …

It was fun then, and it’s still fun now. The 1988 Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a cult classic. For good reason. This horror-comedy brings clowns …

It’s not an interview, it’s a great discussion between four cinephiles. Join us as we talk with two fantastic women, Julia Marchese and Teri Gamble. …

We found this excellent gem from 2010 and had to talk about it. Uncle Brian, written and directed by Nick McAnulty, is a gritty look at real life …

We visit Mystery Alaska, one of only two films by television producer and writer David E. Kelley. Set with an A-film budget, Mystery Alaska fell sharply into B-movie treatment, and fell even lower. This fun, feel good …

This was a great find. Scare Me, released in October of 2020, directed and written by Josh Ruben, was a delightful watch. The movie itself hits on so …

When we first covered Redwood Massacre: Annihilation it was a pre-release screener. We could only do a light surface analysis, but now we do a full …

We end the year covering the works of an amazing B-movie director and producer. The works of William Castle are overshadowed only by his outrageous PR stunts. Castle set the bar for marketing B horror films, had a …

What better way to celebrate the holiday than a Christmas Slasher film? All Through the House is a wonderful little Santa-slasher that gives us some …

Gentlemen Broncos is a marvelous, heavily underrated film by Jared Hess that we’ve mentioned several times on previous episodes. Now we finally give it the dissection it deserves. This incredible soft-spoken film has so …

It’s not a great movie, but it is an important one. We dissect Dolemite, a Rudy Ray Moore film that has earnest heart and a fixed place in history. …

We get to talk to director Sylas Dall and star Mary Madaline Roe of They Reach. Another fantastic and fun interview. We get into some great talk about filmmaking, the artistry behind giving the audience a visual feel, …

They Reach is a fantastic first feature by Sylas Dall. A retro horror in the vein of E.T., Goonies, Monster Squad, this movie hits all the marks. …

We finally get to Cockneys vs Zombies, a wonderfully fun film by Matthias Hoene. Aside from all of the fun of joining some East Enders dealing with a …

Story is everything, and Invasion Planet Earth is deeply lacking in that department. From a misleading logline to a rambling, almost indecipherable plot, this ambitious indie film falls flat on so many levels. But, with …

Set in the Afghanistan versus Russia war in the early 80’s, The Beast is a fast-moving film about a Russian tank on the run from Afghan rebels. Starring Jason Patric, it delivers some compelling food for thought as well …

We’ve talked to Ryan Kruger, and now we do a spoiler-free dissection of his amazing film Fried Barry. This thing has been killing it at festivals …

We are graced with returning guest Tucky Williams as we talk about Dagger Kiss: Enchanted Forest, her latest venture to make it to Amazon. Even though she was sick and chose to go through with the interview, Tucky …

Join us as we cover Dagger Kiss: Enchanted Forest, the film conclusion to the Dagger Kiss series by Tucky Williams. A clever combination of fantasy and modern settings, this film takes us on a very human journey of the …

BURLAP LIVES! A masterful sequel, Redwood Massacre: Annihilation brings back Burlap, the best slasher-killer to hit the scene in a good long while. …

We have David Ryan Keith returning to the show to talk to us about the upcoming Redwood Massacre: Annihilation, which hits VOD/DVD on October 20. It is our best talk yet. David confirmed that the killer in the film was …

For the first time we have some disagreement on the merits of a film. Manborg is an ambitious effort that has a lot of plusses, but for Jim there are some heavy minuses. Dubbed a “green screen” movie, where the …

A delightful find, Muse is a horror thriller that has a lot going for it. We talk about the straightforward story, writing, beautifully composed …

It’s fun and a lot of people have not seen it, and they need to. Ahhhhh! Zombies is a horror comedy that delivers a magnificent take on zombie films. We talk about quite a few great lessons to take away from this film. …

We’ve waited long enough. We are finally covering Clerks, the cornerstone film by Kevin Smith that launched the View Askew universe, and a 26 year …

We tackle Blood Hunters in this episode. A low-budget horror that unfortunately falls short on horror, story, plot, and sensibility. We dissect this mess of missed opportunities and dive into some important lessons. …

We talk with South African director/writer Ryan Kruger. Known for his kick-ass music videos over the past ten years, Ryan talks a little with us about Fried Barry, his first feature film. Currently making its rounds at …

It’s our first coverage of an The Asylum Films movie for the podcast. Dead 7 is a post-apocalyptic zombie western, filled with aging Boy Band members. Written by Nick Carter, we see why The Asylum has done so well with …

This love letter to Schlock Sci-Fi is a treat for everyone. Attack of the Moon Zombies is a throwback salute to those sci-fi films of the 50’s that launched the genre. It excels as a throwback homage movie as well as a …

This movie from New Zealand saw a very limited release in the U.S. Guns Akimbo is a wild, fun, and loud ride. The plot is ridiculous which makes it …

This Australian film never saw a release in the US, but it should have. Danger Close tells the story of the Battle of Long Tan in Viet Nam. A true …

We are so lucky to have Liam Matheson returning to speak with us, and he is joined by Steven Worsley, both starring in Attack of the Herbals. It was another great chat as we talked about the movie, voice acting, …

An early film by David Ryan Keith and Liam Matheson, Attack of the Herbals is a horror comedy that delivers on many levels. Very low budget but fun and technically proficient, this movie sets a standard for indie film …

We have the honor of speaking Barney Burman, Oscar Winner for Best Cinematic Makeup for Star Trek in 2009, writer/director/producer of Wild Boar, and make-up effects master for decades’ worth of television and movies. …

In this episode we embrace Wild Boar. Given to us as a screener prior to its release, this film by Oscar Winner Barney Burman, legendary make-up effects master, is a fast and fun ride in horror. Needless to say the …

Join us for a fantastic talk with Tucky Williams. Actor/Director/Writer/Producer, creator and star of Girl/Girl Scene, victorious online troll …

We start Pride Month talking about this great 80’s homage movie, Girl/Girl Scene, spawned from a successful web series of the same name. Following a …

We were fortunate to be able to speak to David Ryan Keith, writer/director of The Redwood Massacre, and Liam Matheson, actor/producer. These two …

We were looking forward to this movie for a while. However, Killer Sofa left us flat. A premise that looked so fun and wacky was buried beneath some terrible writing and bad direction choices. We talk about these poor …

He was Doc Holiday in Tombstone Rashomon, but Eric Schumacher is more than an actor. Director and producer, Eric has a lot of credits and some very …

When you cross ancient malevolent spirits with a creepy as hell scarecrow mask, you get The Redwood Massacre. We talk about this fantastic low-budget …

Writer and director of Tombstone Rashomon, the legendary Alex Cox talks about this fantastic film with us. With many, many credits to his name such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, and so …

It’s The Ninth Configuration, a film adapted from the 1966 novel Twinkle Twinkle Killer Kane, that took fourteen years to get made. Listen as we talk …

Released today! We were sent a screener and we can finally talk about it! Tombstone Rashomon is a magnificent take on mockumentary filmmaking. We …

It was a surprise find. We cover Tragedy Girls, a fun horror comedy that delighted on every level. Two high school girls run a murder fascination …

The man behind WolfCop and Another WolfCop sits down with us to talk about the movies, the actors, and filmmaking. We also talk about his comic …

We finally get around to covering Another WolfCop, the sequel to the excellent WolfCop. Spoiler - it’s at least as good as the first one. Join us as …

It has been the staple of midnight movies for over 40 years. It has one of the largest followings. It has audience participation. Yes, it’s The Rocky …

Talk about gritty, this film does honor to the word. This week we talk about The Chair (2017), a horror film set on death row that has a lot of excellent cinematic elements. Plus, it’s creepy as hell and that’s just …

funny. It has a LOT of stars in it. Join us this week for our coverage of Madness in the Method, the directorial debut of Jason Mewes. Jason wants to shed the personae of Jay the Stoner and be taken seriously as an …

With Dani being sick Jim is on his own this week as he covers Fractured, a 2016 UK film. The trailer looked promising. While technically a very sound film, the story was less than adequate. It’s one of those occasions …

A rare find this week - a Family movie. We cover a fun little family film called Spit: The Story of a Caveman and a Chicken. It’s fun, good for the …

We loved the movie, so we spoke with the team behind making it. Join us for our talk with Failureboys Productions - Pete Marcy, Chris Marcy, Joe Marcy, and Adam Anderson. We talk about the movie, indie filmmaking …

Another great discovery in the bowels of Amazon Prime Video. A 100% slasher fest that hits all of the notes. It was a delightful watch and it’s a …

What’s the last thing you expect when visiting a national park? Orcs! Yes, we cover this wonderful film about a lackadaisical park ranger and his …

We were excited by the title, but were left wanting during and after this film. VelociPastor, sadly, has some lessons on what not to do, and more …

We talk with actor and producer Kyle Hester. He plays bounty hunter Hank Ray in Zombie with a Shotgun, Bowen in The Chair, and Father Josh in the …

It’s time to give short films some attention. Falling squarely into the b-movie realm we cover four excellent films; Cargo, Zombies v The CWA, Not …

We talk to the force behind Zombie with a Shotgun, creator and director Hilton Ariel Ruiz. There is so much great information and inspiration coming from him you need to click Play right now! Also, check out the links …

Dubbed the Worst Director of All Time, Ed Wood’s movies have a lot of things to teach us. Join us for our end of the year episodeTake weekend …

We delve into Zombie with a Shotgun. A wonderful and very original zombie genre film that shows just how well an indie film can be. We also talk …

The great-granddaddy of Zombie genre films - Night of the Living Dead. Learn how this film has been in the public domain since 1968, the techniques usedThere are some unwanted effects observed throughout the intake of …

Local Hero is a magnificent example of straight, simple storytelling. We dive into this fantastic slice-of-life movie and talk about how this kind of …

This episode, Jim unloads on this film. We both have strong feelings about this terrible movie, and we hope that when you listen you will have …

A demonic turkey. Four trope college students. And a hermit. This week we dive into Thankskilling for your Thanksgiving pleasure. This film by Jordan …

Bruce Campbell as an old Elvis. An ancient mummy. A nursing home. Put those all together and you have Bubba Ho-Tep, a high-end B-movie that does not …

Join us for our interview with Anton Doiron, creator of Space Trucker Bruce, and Karl Sears who plays Bruce. This amazing little film is made even better by these two amazing men shedding some light on making the film. …

This week we talk about one of the most delightful finds in the caverns of Amazon Prime Video, Space Trucker Bruce. A magnificent example of B-movie …

In this episode of the podcast we take on what we consider the zenith of B-movies, The Room. A film written and directed by Tommy Wiseau, shot with his friend Greg Sestero, who went on to write the book The Disaster …

This week we’re talking about one of our favorite B films, WolfCop. This more than earnest effort is a wonderful addition to werewolf mythology. …

Our inaugural episode! We review the film Bad Taste, by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fame. It’s a terrific B-movie from early on in his career. Afterwards we talk about how his limited budget …