Village Video Store: Staff Selects

Today’s episode features director and writer Brandon Bassham (The Slashening, Bring On The Damned!). Brandon and I talk about working with Lloyd Kaufman and the legendary Troma Films in New Jersey as well as our mutual love of the Exhumed Films Horrorthon.

Brandon’s Staff Selects harken back to his own days of working in a video store and have a particularly spooky feel to them, making them perfect for this year’s Halloween season. We talk about jump scares, committed acting performances in horror, genre satires and parody, grime, filth, and the magic of Paul Willia...

Today’s guest is voice actor Billy Bob Thompson (Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!). Billy Bob is a long-time friend of mine from Philadelphia who shares my love of movie marathons and was one of the creators of our extremely brief movie marathon show, Day Wasters.

Billy Bob’s Staff Selects got us talking about screwball comedy and its intersection with horror, serious acting performances in insane movies, great theatrical experiences, 90s action sleaze, shot-on-video gold, and puppets.

Follow Billy Bob’s new 16mm exhibition project CINEMILITIA.

This is big: The Village Video Store podcast now has a theme song! And that theme song was created by this week’s guest, Joe Moore. Joe and I became friends doing comedy in Philadelphia over a decade ago and have bonded over our love of movie marathons and special theatrical experiences.

Joe’s Staff Selects are all in celebration of the Halloween season and got us talking about horror auteurs, blue-collar characters, movies to fall asleep to, destroying the bourgeoisie, little freaky monsters, and the existential questions that come from zombie movies over… and over… and over aga...

This episode features my long-time Philadelphia friend, comedian and television producer Rob Baniewicz. We talk all about our love of the movie marathon and try to calculate how many hours we’ve actually spent sitting next to each other in a movie theater.

Rob’s Staff Selects got us talking about existential dread, state violence against its own citizens, effective documentary techniques, shot-on-video masterpieces, still getting surprised by twists in movies, and the unexplored world of Tubi originals.

Please consider subscribing to The Village Video Store substack and rating/reviewing the podcast on Apple podcasts. Than...

This episode brings back former guest and my spookiest of friends Kait Thompson. We officially kick off the spooky season (starts the day after Labor Day) and reminisce about Halloween childhood memories and our favorite things about fall.

We then do a rundown of the Letterboxd horror movie challenge called Hooptober and offer up over SIXTY horror movie recommendations to help fill the challenge’s many different categories. You can find a full list of all the movies that we recommended on this Letterboxd list.

Stay spooky always!

This episode features actress, comedian, and host of Dirty Laundry on Dropout, Lily Du. Lily and I spent many a month together in airports while traveling for UCB’s Touring Company.

Her Staff Selects got us chatting about all the BIG topics: memory, forgiveness, aging, the inevitability of death, artistic collaboration, and power dynamics in relationships. Also, do we have the podcast’s first (good-natured) disagreement?! You’ll have to listen to find out!

You can subscribe to Dropout to watch Dirty Laundry. Do it!

This episode features writer and comedian Tao Yang of CollegeHumor and Dropout fame. We reminisce about performing improv together in New York City and then discuss his Staff Selects, which cover topics such as movie spectacles, cross-cultural comedy, disturbing anti-erotic horror, watching inappropriate movies on airplanes, and the most powerful martial art known to man: gun kata.

Please consider rating and reviewing the podcast on Apple Podcasts. It’s the simplest way to support the ultimate dream of opening a brick and mortar video store!

Today’s episode features writer, actor, and wholesome pornographer Ryan Creamer, one of the architects of Dropout’s popular game show Game Changer.

Ryan’s film selection for his Staff Selects shelf live up to his wholesome reputation and get us talking about epic sports movie moments, the line between film fiction and real life events, connecting with comedians as a teenager, the friendship of young men dealing with toxic masculinity, sneaky non-rom-coms, and quaint UK villages.

Check out Game Changer on Dropout here.

Today’s episode of the podcast features improviser and dungeon master extraordinaire, Andrew Stanton. He increases the “meaty muscle quotient” of this podcast by 500% with his staff selects, leading to an in-depth conversation of the greatest action movie star to ever exist.

Please like, rate, and review The Village Video Store Podcast on Apple Podcasts and consider subscribing to the Substack. Any money I make from the Substack goes directly to opening a brick and mortar video store.

Thank you for coming to the village.

Today’s episode features television writer, improviser, and Shaun T enthusiast Corin Wells. Make sure to check out the most recent show she worked on, Kevin, on Amazon. Corin’s Staff Selects got us chatting about brutal martial arts violence, the cultural power of music in film, childhood fantasies and magical realism, beautiful billowing fabrics, religious horror, and how falling in love with a movie character when you are young can dictate your entire love life. Don’t do this, listeners.

You can follow Corin on Instagram @charity_corin.

Today’s episode is comedian, writer, and filmmaker Rekha Shankar. Oh, she’s also my dog’s auntie (and our former roommate)! Rekha wrote and starred in Vidhya’s Guide to the Afterlife, her first feature film which is currently in post production.

Rekha’s selection of films got is talking about the power of sisterhood, childhood memories and how they change as we grow older, competition in creative work, feelings of failure, the immigrant experience, unresolved narratives, identifying with film characters, and the “confused girl” sub-genre.

You can learn more about Rekha’s film here: https://ww...

Today’s guest is filmmaker Lindsay Calleran, a long-time friend of mine from the New York improv world whose debut feature film, Caity, recently premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival. We discuss the long journey of completing the film and the struggles of making independent film in today’s entertainment industry. Their staff selects brought up a number of topics: childhood isolation, the reconstruction of one’s relationship with parents, magical realism, realistic fantasy, the trials and tribulations of artistic collaboration, queer romance and heartbreak, and the wonder and beauty shared equally between actors Tony Leung and Steve Zahn. Spoile...

This episode features writer, actor, and social media queen Jordan Myrick. Jordan and I are big-time movie buds who connect a lot on over-the-top horror and action absurdities. Their shelf choices got us talking about nostalgia, fairy tales, big feelings, big twists, movie theme songs, and the all-important question, “Whatever happened to capital-F fun movies?!”

You can follow Jordan on any of your local neighborhood social media sites, and listen to her podcast Happy Wife, Happy Life with her actual wife, Kendall Landreth.

Jordan’s Instagram

Jordan’s YouTube

Jordan’s TikTok

This episode features just me, your host, recapping the 30+ movies I watched in celebration of Junesploitation. I also include a brief review of my experiences at Exhumed Film’s 12-hour movie marathon Ex-Fest, held on June 13th at the Colonial Theater in Phoenxville, PA.

Celebrate filth.

This episode features improviser, filmmaker, and my road trip buddy Patrick Keene. You can regularly see him performing improv all around New York City with his team Duchovny. Watch his debut film Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill (on the biggest screen possible). Patrick’s selections for his shelf got us talking about meta-textual horror, self-annihilation, New York City weirdos, the social constructs of disability, the mundane evils of capitalism, and the need for revolution.

In addition to subscribing to this substack, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing on Apple Podcasts also. And if you are able, please consider fi...

This episode features actor, writer, and fellow Philadelphian Betsy Kenney. Betsy is TikTok famous for her Philadelphia ASMR series, as well as her excellent podcast Done with Dara Katz. Her film selections got us chatting about depression, father-daughter dynamics, dangerous drag stars, local theater, childhood memories, and little freaks.

In addition to subscribing to this substack, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing on Apple Podcasts also. And if you are able, please consider financially contributing to the substack. All proceeds will go directly to opening a brick and mortar video store.

Here’s a link wh...

What’s this?! No guest?!?!

Yes, it’s just me this episode because I wanted to talk about Junesploitation: a yearly Internet movie challenge where you watch one movie a day each from a specific exploitation sub-genre. I’m fascinated with exploitation film from throughout history so when given the opportunity to explore it, you better believe I’m explorin’.

Here’s a link to this year’s Junesploitation challenge, courtesy of F This Movie blog.

Here’s a link to my (subject to change) Junesploitation list on Letterboxd. Make your own list and play along a...

This episode features actor, writer, and fellow physical media addict, Ben Stanton. Ben is the leader of the Commonwealth Film Club, a group of friends we brought together to watch movies from our extensive physical media collections. He selected five films for his Staff Selects shelf that got us chatting about the power of music, memories on film, toxic lovers, early aughts nostalgia, lady plumbers, capitalist influence in East Asia, and Pixar.

In addition to subscribing to this Substack, please consider financially subscribing, as all of the proceeds I earn from it will be used to open...

This episode features my improv soulmate, Jess Ross. We have been writing and performing together since 2010 and we both share a devout love of movies. Jess picked out five movies for her Staff Selects that got us talking about thrills, chills, sills, and good gay fun.

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or listen to it here through the Substack. Please consider financially subscribing, as all of the proceeds I earn from it will be used to open the Village Video Store. I had some interesting developments recently that are starting to make it...

This episode of the Village Video Podcast features artist, writer, and actor Kait Thompson, one of my oldest and dearest friends that I’ve made through the Philadelphia improv community. Kait selects five films for her Staff Selects that got us talking about lesbians, sex in film, the joys of music as a teenager, the cost of independent film, the destructive nature of capitalism, reality television, environmental racism, 90s hacking, and fish with lips. Please listen and enjoy.

You can now subscribe to both the Village Video Store podcast on Apple Podcasts app. If you do, please ra...

On this episode of The Village Video podcast, I talk with actor and singer Melanie Field. You may have seen her on A League of Her Own, You, Killing It, The Alienist, Florida Girls, and Heathers, just to name a few. She’s one of the stars of the upcoming film Home Delivery which will be in theaters on March 27th. She is also my sister.

Melanie and I talk about her Staff Selects, a collection of five films which cover things like true crime, depictions of violence, the history of movie musicals, murder mysteries, family illness an...

Oh look, another clown with a podcast.

In an effort to celebrate the video store culture of yesteryear, the plan for this podcast is to bring on friends and have them construct their own “Staff Picks” shelf. A mainstay of the independent video store, Staff Picks were a way for customers to get a recommendation for a movie right when they walk through the door. Each employee’s Staff Picks was an opportunity for them to express themselves, what movies they love, or even what movies they just saw and think you should watch too.

This f...