I Dig Crazy Flicks with CatBusRuss

CatBusRuss has returned to the Gateway City with ThePoeticCritic in tow for GalaxyCon St. Louis 2: Electric Boogaloo (Per TPC). The two came down to Eastern Missouri to offer up the "1986: RAD Movies or Bad Movies", but with only one panel to present, what else did they get up to to make the weekend worthwhile?

For them, the big event will be a "Muppet Treasure Island" screening featuring live commentary from Kermit's performer, Steve Whitmire. The older sibling of the two has probably got her Saturday figured out until the screening while Russ is playing things by ear...

It is not another convention panel, but CatBusRuss and "Blood Orange" comic book writer, Tim Avers are collaborating once again to celebrate another film's 20th anniversary. Claustrophobia, psychopathic friends, and hungry cave dwellers...Is there a scarier horror concept than Neil Marshall's "The Descent".

These two content creators met at Tim's "Knives in My Eyes: 20 Years of 'Brick'" panel at ATL Comic Convention. It was a panel that lacked an audience, so the two were left to bounce off of each other instead of amusing fans. They were able to established chemistry quickly. As long as Tim...

Thanks to Kelly Hargrave and Outsider Pictures, CatBusRuss received an opportunity to contribute to Hispanic Heritage Month by reviewing Bolivia's submission to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science for next year's Oscars presentation, Alvaro Olmos Torrico's "The Condor Daughter".

Per Ms. Hargrave:

It is a 109-minute Bolivian coming-of-age story about a teenage midwife's daughter torn between ancient tradition and big-city dreams, filmed in the Quechua-speaking Andes with non-professional actors.

The performances provided by leads María Magdalena Sanizo & Marisol Vallejos Montaño left Russ surprised by the amateur status of the ac...

CatBusRuss came off the bench again to make sure the visitors of the Indiana Comic Convention's 2026 edition would at least get a show from the 40th anniversary panel for James Cameron's "Aliens". Chris Martinez of the "Big Dumb Monsters Podcast" was short of fellow panelists. Thankfully, our podcast host's "Chuck Norris Was a Sith Lord" sign also listed idigcrazyflicks.com on it. It was like having his resume, but better.

Were acrylic markers and canvas the best investments I Dig Crazy Flicks, LLC made this year?

Russ fears he may have dominated the conversation since...

CatBusRuss went back to the "Ninety For Chill dot Com: The Podcast" archives to find some horror movie reviews. This brought him to an addition of the "Ally Accessories Shop on Etsy Trash Feature Revue". The triple-feature he found is not all horror, but they are all solid films.

This edition of the Revue covers letters T-V from 2022. Despite his disappointment (that he predicted) with Dark Castle's "Gothika", "Thir13en Ghosts" was crazy enough with its cast, gore effects, and outlandish premise to not amuse.

"VFW" is an ultra-violent film with all the action movie...

Before we get into spooky month (Despite what the misguided Zach Cregger suggested with his misguided horror from this month), CatBusRuss goes back to Memorial Day Weekend and Quad City Comic Con to discuss copycat cinema from 1986 with ThePoeticCritic. Which movies were RAD? Which movies were BAD?

This is the third time our host has presented this panel, but the first time with his big sister. He debuted the panel with frequent contributor Andrew Tiede back at UI-Con in January. Those two boys have similar taste in cinema (Andrew helped inspire the name of the podcast.), but...

With all the tentacles coming from body parts that Zach Cregger uses in his ""Resident Evil"" (Notice the double quotes.), CatBusRuss would rather Neill Blomkamp take on this video game franchise. We know he would actually recognize the source material with his "Alien V" concept art.

As a "zombie" film, Cregger's picture shows off his directorial flourishes, offers some humor that our host enjoyed from "The Whitest Kids U'Know", and may serve as a bridge between George A. Romero and Danny Boyle when it comes to the bipedal dead (walkers and runners) genre. As an adaptation to...

To keep himself hyped for Zach Cregger's horror video game adaptation, CatBusRuss revisits a conversation with unofficial associate producer of "Ninety For Chill: The Podcast", Ally Higgins, to discuss the Paul W.S. Anderson "Resident Evil" adaptations and the "Underworld" vampire v. werewolf series of films. Both series were distributed by Sony's Screen Gems.

These two series were introduced to Ally during their four-relationship. The two broke up just before the pandemic, so this should be a stamp of approval about the podcaster since she purchased 20 sub 100-minute movies to be discussed on the show. Do the...

CatBusRuss is excited about the third horror feature from acclaimed director Zach Cregger ("Weapons" and "Barbarian"), but is a bit skeptical about the subject matter. The former "Whitest Kid You Know" is taking on the cinematically divisive franchise of "Resident Evil".

To this point, none of the live-action adaptations of the Capcom video game series have been "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes (or nearly fresh with the least rotten being 39%, 21% from critical acclaim). Cregger has made it clear that his film will not be centered around any of the video games' protagonists. Russ was a fan of...

Lets hope that video game writer Cory Lanham was impressed by the last minute panelist replacement CatBusRuss for this 40th anniversary panel of "The Transformers - The Movie". The Autobots and Decepticons were his first toy line of choice while his co-panelist favored Kenner's "Star Wars" line and Mattel's "Masters of the Universe". Optimus Prime's demise in this film was traumatic enough. Russ can be clumsy. Was salt poured in any wounds?

Indiana Comic Convention 2026 became the comic con where Russ may have come into his own as a panelist and promoter. The connections that he made...

CatBusRuss presents the 1986 RAD Movies or BAD Movies as a TEDTalk to Missouri Comic Con 2026.

The punch and pie helped draw in a fair-sized crowd of dedicated movie nuts who were very patient and involved with Russ's conversation about 1986 movies that may have been green lit to either counter program another studio's release or just capitalize on what was going to be hot. In a time before the dominance of home video, movie studios were doing their best to beat each other to the punch when it came to a film premise. Our host is not interested...

CatBusRuss was considering keeping this conversation behind the Patreon paywall. This was a chat where nothing seemed to workout as planned.

The Wheel of Horror podcast suggested covering the first American leading role for Karl Urban as he was billed beneath The Rock in the video game adaptation for the legendary first-person shooter "Doom". In the better times of Twitter, Kolin from Trashpanda Podcast and video game movie enthusiast Andras from Ta2squid Podcast (Check it out his return to "Ninety For Chill", a conversation about the first "Super Mario Bros" movie.) wanted to get in on...

It has been a rough month for CatBusRuss. His new warehouse job is expecting 11-hour days starting at 6 pm, and with every other weekend being mandatory Saturdays, he considers himself lucky to have the strength to check out the last day of Fan Expo Chicago. Then the convention organizers kicked him between the legs.

Was it a worthwhile trip? Yes. Our podcast host got to hang out with ThePoeticCritic, gave out of all his "I Dig Crazy Flicks" promotional buttons and pins, and got to ask "The Horror Master" John Carpenter a question at the "Halloween" panel...

CatBusRuss once again presented a TEDTalk about what might be the greatest year in action movies, 1985. Sylvester Stallone had "Rambo: First Blood - Part II", Arnold Schwarzenegger had "Commando", and the Cannon Group threw everything at them. But as this panel evolves, could Sho Kosugi, Taimak, or perhaps Julius "Sho'nuff" Carry walk out as the king of violence?

It was a smaller audience, but they were more than happy to participate in determining the champion. By the end of his time, Russ got to sell his ideas to a crowd of aspiring cosplayers. They were a crowd...

And CatBusRuss's reactions to coming attractions.

With our host's new job, it is tough to find time to visit his family back in the Heart of Illinois. So ThePoeticCritic jumped at the chance to talk about the state of cinema currently and the near future. #Filmsky is not big enough enough to contain all her thoughts about the world of movies.

Russ does like to offer opinions on fun films, so he needed to come up with a theme for a pair of movie reviews to sandwich the conversation with his big sister. Being a...

CatBusRuss really needs to focus on coming up with clever names for episodes. If he is pulling one from the original "Ninety For Chill: The Podcast" (available on the "I Dig Crazy Flicks" Patreon), going off the movie titles, he may forget what the conversations were about. Chatting about holiday cinema with ThePoeticCritic seems a bit off when it is placed between reviews for relationship/sex dramas.

Or he needs to research the discontinued feed via his laptop instead of Apple Podcasts. Was this episode still going to feature reviews about the relationship/obsession problems that Mark...

Stating that Robin Hardy's original "The Wicker Man" from 1973 is the great version of this tale suggests that the 2006 remake may be good. Thankfully Luna Gray from iHorror.com makes sure that CatBusRuss knows that this feature is a case of being the one and only film deserving of this title. But with how singular this foundational work of folk horror is, society's car crash mentality may have left our podcast host open to chatting about Nicolas Cage's take on the subject matter.

Being from states bordering the Bible Belt and never being too far from Amish...

CatBusRuss has a fun episode lined up next week in regards to a feature that has a musical status that is debatable. It has plenty of musical numbers, but its themes may overshadow the brilliant use of song and dance. To get you warmed up for that discussion with Luna Gray from iHorror.com, our host went back in the archives for more movies that do not scream musical, but song is a critical part of them.

Next weeks conversation (Visit Russ's Letterboxd if you want a clue.) will be about a classic horror feature while the...

For the first time in nearly two years, CatBusRuss & ThePoeticCritic present the concept of Ninety For Chill to a comic convention. They opened up the fan panels at the first Quad Cities Comic Con. Russ has found that being the first panel of a convention usually guarantees an audience. This was the case, but were they prepared to amuse the Kirkwood Community College Anime Club?

These kids and chauffeurs had the same drive time from Cedar Rapids and the two sibling had from Peoria. Dubby Energy (use promo code CatBusRuss at checkout for 10% off your order) and...

CatBusRuss is worn out. He thought it was going to be a chore attending the panel-lacking Planet Funk Con & QC Fright Con for Sunday, but he has to put in the time to promote "I Dig Crazy Flicks", even if he has to wake up at 4:10 am to impress at his new full-time job for the next couple of weeks. Attending the last day allowed him to get his steps in and check out a James Pax panel. If only they had turned up the mics loud enough for him to get the attention OG Raiden deserved over the...

CatBusRuss is starting a new job this Monday, so regardless if he was asked to host his "I Dig Crazy Flicks" panels, he is getting one more convention out of the way. This has led him to a chill pair of conventions in Davenport with movie stars that get him hyped for a film. Welcome to QC Fright Con & Planet Funk Con.

Our host was made aware of Planet Funk Con from watching Cinema Snob videos in 2025 to promote his appearance there. By the time Brad Jones was advertising it, it was too late to apply as...

What makes a horror movie try to do to much? Attractive French college girls not enough to keep a slasher's attention? If we do not do something outlandish and borderline offensive, is our summer camp movie unique?

CatBusRuss is joined by Rae of the "B3 Podcast" to determine if tacked on twist endings make "High Tension" and "Sleepaway Camp" more endearing. Or do these not appropriate for Pride Month decisions just kneecap fun, simple, blood-soaked tales?

If you want more cinematic limping, our podcast host decided that it was Morbin' Time. With under 100 minutes of...

Vern from "Cinema Recall" asked CatBusRuss, "Is "Daisies" was the most "off-the-wall" feature he has ever discussed on "I Dig Crazy Flicks"?". The answer will be provided by the end of the episode.

Vera Chytilova's "Daisies" is an experience and may be suitable for the "How Did This Get Made?" podcast. Not because it is a bad film. (With the exception of "Kpop Demon Hunters", The Criterion Collection does not put subpar features into their library.) It is amazing that this film got made in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, 25 years before the Iron Curtain fell. We are...

Indiana Comic Convention 2026 may not have been the most fun CatBusRuss has had at a nerdfest, but this was probably the most productive. He was able to put himself out there enough to vastly reduce his promotional material, and his efforts allowed him to demonstrate that he is a personable and authoritative voice in nerd culture.

If he was not a strong convention visitor, could he have talked his way onto another panel?

After visiting some really cool artists and catching up with hot sauce vendors, the rest of his day was dedicated to checking...

CatBusRuss is out of promotional buttons. This in itself would suggest that it was a successful trip to Indiana Comic Convention 2026, but its the friendships that count. Friendships that allowed him to be a substitute panelist because some people just volunteer for everything.

His sign stating that "Chuck Norris was a Sith Lord" did help him get some extra attention.

The first panel of the day was celebrating the 40th anniversary of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns". Like most panels at FanX events, rarely is a moderator assigned. Novelist Darby Harn was made to...

CatBusRuss concluded his first day at the Indiana Comic Convention with 20 3-Mile Island Wings at Hooters, so all would seem to be a success after a comedy of errors resulted in a late arrival to Indianapolis, failing to be in the right panel rooms at the right times, and enduring the original "Deathstalker". The crew from the Ray Bradbury Center at Indiana University Indianapolis and some pushing from a new friend made it all worthwhile.

Our host was late to the con because he chose to try and see if he could make it "Deathstalker" week. He...

CatBusRuss's friend, coworker, and Patreon backer Tim Bates brought up watching "The Dungeonmaster" from 1984 and how wild that film was. The immediate reaction from the "I Dig Crazy Flicks with CatBusRuss's" host was to comeback the next day with a potentially crazier flick to discuss. This was the push to get him to watch the remake/reimagining of "Deathstalker" that is currently on Shudder, the streaming service that past guest Gregory Carl turned to for films to bring up on the podcast.

Russ is getting ready for a social networking excursion to Indiana Comic Convention 2026, so it...

CatBusRuss and ThePoeticCritic have made it back to the Heart of Illinois and Chambana respectively from Quad Cities Comic Con. It was a pretty successful trip to deliver a trio of "I Dig Crazy Flicks" panels despite the growing pains VXV Events has in their expansion. If the cosplayers are not gathering by the backdrops, how are they going to find the panel rooms?

The two siblings ended up getting a small crowd for the "1985 Action Movie Triple-Threat Match", but these members of Generation X may have realized that the convention goers are generally 20 years younger than...

CatBusRuss and ThePoeticCritic received the honor of being the first fan panel at the first Quad Cities Comic Con. How did "Ninety For Chill: The Panel" and the "1986: RAD Movies or BAD Movies" go over? Thank the gods for Generation X chaperones.

It is usually a great spot to be the first fan panel. They set the tone for the rest of the panels to come. Russ wanted to catch the Mick Foley panel, so he did not get to see if offering punch and pie really makes a difference in convincing an audience to stick around...

CatBusRuss & ThePoeticCritic will be heading up to East Moline for Quad Cities Comic Con (May 23 & 24), so it is about time that they gave the audiences from Missouri Comic Con their proper respect. The first and most attended panel was "Ninety For Chill: Because Movies Are Now Too Long". It will be the first panel this weekend that "I Dig Crazy Flicks" will be presenting (Saturday, 11:30 am, Panel Room 2), but they are going up against Mick Foley. Thus, this episode of "Ninety For Chill: The Panel" may be the best the podcast can offer.

It is going to...

This is a bonus episode born out of CatBusRuss's nostalgia. 33 years ago, the arcade ports of "Mortal Kombat" were released on Mortal Monday. Our host was invited out to the AMC in Champaign last Tuesday, so it only makes sense to review "Mortal Kombat II" while it is still early in its box office run.

But Russ still has panels from Missouri Comic Con to release on this podcast feed. On top of that, ThePoeticCritic and her little brother will be hosting three panels at Quad Cities Comic Con on May 23 and May 24. There is too much...

Jess McCord, a mind behind the tabletop role-playing game "Skies of Fortune" might be CatBusRuss's go to anime expert. The last time our host was up to speed with the animation genre were the days of ADV Films, Central Park Media, and Manga Entertainment.

When it came to the distributor with the best full-length films, Manga was the company to turn to for timeless, possibly perfect offerings. One of those features being Satoshi Kon's "Perfect Blue".

Russ still has panels from Missouri Comic Con to post on the I Dig Crazy Flicks podcast feed, but...

CatBusRuss and ThePoeticCritic are going to be hosting panels at Quad Cities Comic Convention, so they are going back to the vault to offer up a sample of their rapport. Our host also wants to celebrate Ani-May, but the two siblings have not focused on any anime from their past conversations on the podcast. But they can honor the Land of the Rising Sun with the big sister's love for the Queen and King of the Monsters. This episode is dedicated to their first tussle in 1964, "Mothra vs. Godzilla".

Good on Japan for giving the lass top...

Reality may be getting the best of CatBusRuss. The search for full-time employment has sprouted some leads, but it left our podcast host so exhausted, he may have lost a week. He was doing his best to have the energy to check out the final Ebertfest. Unfortunately, the focus of regaining that power led him to think Champaign's film festival was a week later.

Thankfully, parking was free the Friday when Russ arrived at the Virginia Theater to see the Academy Award Winning feature "Get Out". So it was not that much of a gut punch when...

1985 action cinema may have provided the most powerful heroes in fiction. Who would be the last man standing if they were to all enter a melee? It would be a better battle than anything involving Super Saiyans, Nameks, and weird earthlings. "I Dig Crazy Flicks Presents: The 1985 Action Movie Triple-Threat Match".

Could Goku defeat Chuck Norris? If Vegeta could get up to a power level of 9000, what the hell was Sylvester Stallone's level when he beat the Vietcong and Ivan Drago in the same year? Androids with numbers in the teens cannot take out Arnold "T-800" Schwarzenegger.<...

CatBusRuss has made it back from Springfield, MO. How did the "1985 Action Movie Triple-Threat Match" hold up to the power of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Brent Spiner & Jonathan Frakes's panel? Spoiler: Riker is still "Number One".

But, there was an audience for Russ's final panel at Missouri Comic Con 2026. This includes a mother who let her son in Eric Cartman cosplay check it out solely for the punch and pie. It was a lesson for our host to realize how old he really is. After the mother and her kid left, he was the oldest...

CatBusRuss had arrived in Springfield, MO for his second panelist spot of 2026, the Missouri Comic Con. It was originally intended to just be the "1986: RAD Movies or BAD Movies" for Saturday and the "1985: Action Movie Triple-Threat Match" on Sunday, but he was given a chance to deliver "Ninety For Chill" as a last minute insertion to the schedule.

If there is anything to be frustrated about, it maybe Russ⁠ having to miss the "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil" reunion. Is he more upset about not getting to attend, or that it took away from his second Saturday panel's au...

It is another #RewindWednesday on "I Dig Crazy Flicks". CatBusRuss is getting prepared to host three panels at the Missouri Comic Convention 2026 (April 11 & 12), so he thought it best to bring a classic conversation back to the main feed. He is joined by frequent contributor to the podcast, Andrew Tiede, for a tangent-filled climb to the pinnacle of Steven Seagal's career, "Under Siege".

It took a lot of time for our host to edit this episode because when he pulled up the original podcast art with Skimbleshanks the One-Eared Angel (At that time Skimble the Bastard Cat, R...

CatBusRuss & ThePoeticCritic survived another Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. Perhaps this was achieved by effectively staying out of each other's hair. Maybe it was getting the convention's celebrity sound bite from Geena Davis on DAY ONE. After that, could he really be let down?

Well, the White Castle on Cermak and Wabash tried to put a damper on that, but when you have your big sis giving you the time to chat about their convention experiences, the Stevens siblings are unstoppable.

ThePoeticCritic seemed to be up in Chicago to focus on making sure her boyfriend had...

Thanks to ⁠ThePoeticCritic⁠'s beau, CatBusRuss managed to actually get a pass to all three days of C2E2 2026, so he got to plan on how to approach the convention and get the right amount of sleep. There were not many celebrity panels that he was interested in for the first day, but Geena Davis made the struggle to find the new main stage worth it. Our host is so on the ball that he even got to get a question answered from her.

For the sound bite, the con may have been made for him. But I Di...