Films at First Sight

How do you like your coffee? Black as midnight on a moonless night? A bit sweet, with a dollop of cream? Well you're in luck, we're sitting down to discuss that wonderful elixer of life with our latest entry of Short Ends — the industrial film "This is Coffee!" written and directed by the not one and not only Alan Smithee.

This week we find ourselves in the jungles of Columbia thanks to the action/adventure film Let's Get Harry as our journey into the filmography of Alan Smithee marches on. Will the star-studded cast be enough to convince us to join this ragtag band of wannabe mercenaries or will things fall apart before the action even gets going?

We have a brand new theme for the month and are kicking things off with a bang! Our dive into the filmography of the ever-notorious Alan Smithee starts at the very beginning with the Richard Widmark led western, Death of a Gunfighter. Will this tense and dusty standoff mark the beginning of a new era or will it serve as a warning to all who see the name Smithee etched across the screen?

We are wrapping up our month of power and control with Boots Riley's feature debut, Sorry to Bother You, a wildly imaginative comedy about telemarketing, labor rights, and finding one's place in the world. Will the maximalist satire woo us with its wicked sense of humor or will it all just fall on deaf horses' ears?

In this episode of Short Ends, we chat about Nancy Savoca's student film, "Bad Timing", a story of two adolescents with dreams of bigger and better lives, that learn some tough lessons while trying to make it on their own. Tune in to find out if Graham and Joe buy into their Hollywood aspirations or if it was all a bust from the start!

The sounds of power and control are still being broadcast to the masses as we dive into the world of exploitative dance marathons with Sydney Pollack's They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. Will Joe & Graham have enough stamina to make it to the final round or will they collapse under the weight of stiff competition that has nothing to lose?

Join Joe and Anya in the real back room where they talk about the grief & kink symposium that is J-P Valkeapää's Dogs Don't Wear Pants. Will the Finnish black comedy stand up on its own two feet in the corridors of power & control or will it all just be a kinky facade?

This week we are joined by director, David Dylan Thomas to discuss Maya Annik Bedward's new documentary Black Zombie, a formative look at how Haitian Vodou as well as the Haitian Revolution helped create one of the most iconic monsters in cinema history, the zombie. So, tune in as we discuss the documentary at large, the importance of understanding and recontextualizing the past, and we check in on David's work-in-progress feature film, White Meat.

Joe is joined by Steve and new guest to the show, Sarah Beck from the West Chester Film Festival, to kick off a series of four films intertwined in various themes of power & control. First up is Elio Petri's masterful blend of suspense and black comedy, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. Will the gang fall under the spell of Gian Maria Volonté's self-assured police inspector, or will the rampant corruption just hit too close to home?

Joe is joined by Steve to go on one last journey in our trek through post-apocalyptic cinema with La Jetée, a French experimental short film that tells the tale of a man sent back through time to help find a solution to the end of mankind as we know it, all through a singularly narrated series of still-frame images. Will the fellas survive the experimental exploration of time?

Joe is joined by Rachel and Tillie from the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network to discuss the explicit joy that is the slapstick comedy of the year, Lady Champagne. It's a night of big hair and bigger euphemisms with the latest adventures of Champagne Horowitz Jones Dickerson White (It's none of your f***ing business!). Will the silly onslaught be too much for the gang or will they live on see what other disasters await San Francisco's most fabulous exotic dancer?

It may not be the end of the world as we know it, but it is the end of our monthlong look at post-apocalyptic cinema. Wit from Another '80s Podcast joins us to chat about Ranald MacDougall's The World, the Flesh and the Devil. Will this late '50s sci-fi flick hit all the right notes or will the crew wish it were still trapped in a small mine in Pennsylvania?

Deke from Sidetrackd16 enters the post-apocalyptic fray as we discuss a film that is an audacious blend of Mad Max, Escape from New York, and Planet of the Apes. That's right! It's Sergio Martino's 2019: After the Fall of New York from 1983. So, grab a seat as we dive into the singular thing that is Italian Cinema, pay a small tribute to the legend that is George Eastman, and try to get out with our minds and bodies intact.

What's a film festival without friends and off-beat cinema? Find out as we recap this year's Chattanooga Film Festival with a gaggle of some of the most excellent folks that we know! Podcast pals Rachel (Bloody Good Horror and the More Deadly podcast), Allison (Who's There?), and Jody & Mando (Dads from the Crypt) join Joe to breakdown all of their highlights, surprising lowlights, "Red Eyes", and short films from the best damn genre festival out there. 

The fellas are heading to another planet in a far-off galaxy as they continue to explore post-apocalyptic cinema. Luckily, they have proper representation as they are joined by Space Lawyer Adam while they discuss the Soviet dystopian sci-fi comedy Kin-dza-dza!. Will the gang make it back home and regale the world with far-out stories or will the entire experience make them wanna Pluke?

Levi from the Well-Adjusted Horror Podcast, joins us to kick off a new theme for the month as we dive into the speculative world of post-apocalyptic cinema. First up is the French/Canadian sci-fi romance/drama The Beast AKA La Bête from 2023. Will the fellas fall head over heels for Léa Seydoux's Gabrielle, or will they wish the twisted journey could be scrubbed from their DNA?

We are wrapping up our "Star Search" month with a woman responsible for one of the most intense stares in cinema history, Meiko Kaji. Thanks to Graham, we are talking Teruo Ishii's ballad of erotic violence, Blind Woman's Curse. Will the fellas survive this feline onslaught of revenge, or will this early piece of Japanese cinema miss its mark?

Our "Star Search" is still shining bright as we dive into Graham's star selection, Harry Dean Stanton. Unfortunately for him, Joe is at the reins and is taking them into the Deep South with Monte Hellman's Cockfighter AKA Born to Kill. Will their journey into the violent sporting world of cockfighting tear the show apart?

It's summertime and that must mean one thing, we are headed down South to visit that special "Summer Camp for Cinephiles" that sits along a bend of the Tennessee River, the Chattanooga Film Festival!! Joe and Rachel kick things off with a special look at Anthony Cousins's Frogman Returns. That's right, the green guy is back! And so is Dallas, Amy, the Children of Frogman, and some new unfortunate souls that are set to witness the horrors that lie in wait. Will the crew survive another journey to Loveland, OH or will they wish they turned around when they s...

Caitlin from the Plug It Up! podcast joins us to chat about Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes' historical melodrama, Far from Heaven. Will the crew be swept away by the lush technicolor musings on life in America circa the 1950's or will the dive into the interstitial space of gender, race, class, and sexuality be too much?

Jody and Mando from the Dads from the Crypt podcast join Joe to talk about Sam Fox's funny and colorful short film, "The Blue Diamond". Throw on your best ski goggles and see if this farcical funeral will indoctrinate the fellas or will the slopes be a bit too slippery for their taste? 

Deke from Sidetrackd16 joins us for our "Star Search" month which kicks off with Robert Mitchum! Oh, and we're throwing in Elizabeth Taylor and Mia Farrow as well in Joseph Losey's Secret Ceremony! So, join us for an escapade in questionable relationships and even more questionable facial hair. Will Deke discover a thrilling masterpiece, or will some secrets just be too much?

We're celebrating the start of summer with friends and intimate stories from the South Jersey Shore. Rachel and Tillie join Joe to discuss AGFA's recent release of Carol Weaks Cassidy and Ruth Leitman's documentary Wildwood, NJ, a wild and captivating look at the lives of various women in Wildwood, New Jersey in 1994. So, grab a seat and soak in the Super 8 vibes with us as we dive into our own childhood seaside experiences while marveling at the authentic snapshot of Americana that was captured over a sizzling New Jersey summer!

We celebrate the end of our insanely vain dive into Craig Denney's The Astrologer with good friend of the show Steve, who has more than a few questions for us about the movie. Will the tables be turned on us or will Steve realize there is no point in fighting the cosmic current that has swept us all out to sea?

We are at our penultimate episode where we invite people to be interviewed after watching/experiencing Craig Denney's The Astrologer. Ariel from the More Deadly Podcast had a feeling she was in for something weird, but certainly didn't anticipate so much random murder. Will the film leave a lasting impression or will it be just another Tuesday afternoon for her?

Short Ends is back, and we have a brand-new guest to help us celebrate the short film format. Tillie from the Zombie Grrlz Podcast Network joins Joe to chat about Nana Duffuor's "Rainbow Girls", a tale of finding community through the transgressive action of shoplifting, which is based on real-life events that occurred in the Bay Area. Will we connect with the colorful trio or will things fall apart before they ever had a chance to truly be free?

"The art of our necessities is strange. That can make vile things precious." The end of our weird and awesome dive into Craig Denney's The Astrologer is nigh, so who better to turn to than the well-behaved Norse God, Thor? Actually, he is really the host of the podcast Thor's Hour of Thunder. Will lightning strike with this outrageous epic or will the rise and fall of an everyday conman just be too much?

We've escaped the cosmic insanity of The Astrologer and somehow things have gotten even more strange and awesome. William Kroll, the designer and craftsman behind Tender Co.'s designs and wares, joins us to talk about Boots Riley's latest film, I Love Boosters. Will the maximalist heist film bring the crew together in solidarity or will they wish they brought in some scab-ass busters to do the dirty work?

Our globetrotting adventures continue thanks to Craig Denney's The Astrologer. And much like our hero/villain, we circle back around and find ourselves on the California coast to check in with Whitney Lynn, creator of the Oh My Horror Movie Challenge. Will the cosmic mirror bring her the fortune she seeks or she find a new philosophy of nihilism and proclaim that God is Dead, Shit on Life, Hell is Earth?

There are crimes and there are legal crimes. Luckily, we have Adam Space Lawyer on retainer and he's here to help sort out Craig Denney's The Astrologer for us. Will he provide the answers that we seek, or will it just be an emotional meeting that lacks any clear dialogue?

The carnival lights are still bright but our dreams are even brighter. And yet, our guest's hair outshines them all. Rachel Shatto from the More Deadly Podcast as well as Bloody Good Horror, joins us to be asked a series of questions inspired by Craig Denney's The Astrologer. Will she wistfully sail the high seas or will she get stuck in a questionable bit of quicksand?

It's another SPECTACULAR! THRILLING! DIFFERENT! episode of Films at First Sight as our journey with Craig Denney's The Astrologer sails on. And what would an epic be without an appearance from somebody from the past? Brian McKenzie returns, but will he make it out of the Kenyan jungle alive?

Masterpiece to some, disasterpiece to others. Lots of others. Move over Taylor Swift, it's Craig Denney's The Astrologer Era. To celebrate, we are inviting 8 guests back to the show to watch the lost voyage of a man who wanted a sign too much and learned(?) that Jesters do oft prove prophets. First up, is Casey from the Bloody Good Horror podcast. Will he see all the riches that lay ahead or will he have sorrow around his eyes?

We are wrapping up our coverage of the West Chester Film Festival with some highlights from the 3rd and final day of the celebration of the short film format. And what better way to kick things off than with some brunch and animation as we hit up the pop-up event at BierHaul - TownHouse, which included an inspiring morning routine courtesy of "Dance Into the Day", the comedic musings of a bucket list in "Retirement Plan", the tough lessons of "Forevergreen", and a delivery driver committed to fast service in "Rush Order | Drive! CalGal Drive!". We then caught one...

Our recap of the West Chester Film Festival marches on with Day Two starting with a handful of documentaries, including one about a giant, both real and imaginary in  "N.C. Wyeth: The Giant", another about the coalition and community that made Pride possible in Phoenixville, PA in "See Me - LGBT Equality Alliance", and a rereading of a document most Americans THINK they know in "Dare to Declare". And of course the shorts continued with an Irish examination of grief through produce in "Cabbage", a tense and heartbreaking prison break in "Run Rabbit", a beautiful and heart-wrenching tale o...

Join us as we recap the wonderful West Chester Film Festival, a celebration of cinema that is bursting at the seams with short film goodness. Day one included Atlanta dance culture with "If Cities Could Dance: J-Setting Atlanta", a coming of age tale with "Leaf", the animated adventure "Éiru", medicine, a mermaid, and murder in "The Pearl Comb", an animated tale involving the "Black Paintings" with "The Quinta's Ghost", a comedic zombie attack with "White Meat: Appetizer", and the fantastically disturbing claymation "Playing God". Check it out and stay tuned for our coverage of Day 2 and Day 3!!

We're winding down our month of "Cream of the Crop" films with Hal Ashby's comedic gem, Being There, a film about cinema's first TV casualty played by the indelible Peter Sellers. We touch on his career, as well as Hal Ashby's filmography, while on a cinematic journey to discover if the white man really does have a God complex. 

This week we are climbing the European social ladder with Stanley Kubrick's epic Barry Lyndon. Rosalie Kicks and Benjamin Leonard from MovieJawn give us the lowdown on Philly's BEST 'zine while we discuss duels, kissing cousins, the casting of this sweeping tale, and ponder the art that we would surround ourselves with. Will this lauded film lead us to a better and more fulfilled life or will fate intercede in the worst way?

This week we are looking at a film about the filmmaking process with the help of Ariel and Rachel from the More Deadly podcast as we discuss Olivier Assayas' Irma Vep from 1996. That's right, it's French cinema, Maggie Cheung, and a whole lotta questions! Will this meta-flick about a remake of Les Vampires be a success or will the gang feel like they've been robbed of their most precious commodity, time?

Levi from the Well-Adjusted Horror Podcast joins us for an episode of Short Ends that is a bit silly and odd. We're talking De Düva from 1968, an Oscar nominated black & white short film that parodies the work of Ingmar Bergman. Will it turn out to be a hit with the fellas or will it just be a pungent avian turd of a film?