Alcohollywood

Happy holidays, you reprobates! To ring in the Christmas season, we invited Sean Price from the Life is Like a Movie Podcast to talk about yet another unconventional holiday classic – so unconventional even the characters don’t know why it takes place on Christmas: Rocky IV! With Creed getting praise left and right, it’s weird to think that so much of the plot of that Oscar-caliber drama is dependent on this splendiferous piece of ’80s cheese, in which the Italian Stallion (Sly Stallone, also writing and directing) travels to Mother Russia on Christmas Day to fight roided-up Russian cyborg Ivan Drago (Dolph “You Gave That Guy Lines?” Lundgren) to avenge the death of his friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Full of freeze frames, training montages, and ostentatious displays of American spirit, Rocky IV isn’t quite the inspirational classic of its first and latest films in the series. Still, at least it’s got Stallone giving Paulie a….robot?….for his birthday, Rocky climbing mountains and hauling logs to train

Harry Connickuh, everybody! This week, Mark Soloff of Blastropodcast and Our Fair City flies in from his home planet to celebrate the week before Christmas, where we sample another entry in the oeuvre of Renaissance man Harry Connick Jr.! This year, we’re melding Connickuh and Christmas a bit with 2013’s made-for-TV movie Angels Sing, in which cynical rad-dad Michael Walker (Connick Jr.) learns the true meaning of Christmas after getting a house at a steal from Weed Santa (Willie Nelson). That meaning, of course, being that you’re not a complete and whole person unless you put up Christmas decorations. SERIOUSLY. Enjoy the madness along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules!* *Oh, and be sure to hit up the Salt Lick BBQ. Yee-hah! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

This week, Chicago geek titan Aaron J. Amendola (of VStheUNIVERSE and Panels on Channels) graces our microphones to help us talk about the charming 90s comic book flick The Rocketeer! Based on the comic book, The Rocketeer follows stunt pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), who stumbles upon a rocket pack invented by Howard Hughes (Terry O'Quinn) and - who else - the Nazis! Joe Johnston's audition tape for Captain America: The First Avenger is a fun celebration of the Golden Age of Hollywood which stops just short of accusing Errol Flynn of being a Nazi spy. We talk about Jennifer Connelly, the film's rough production, and more, along with our custom cocktail and drinking rule

This week on the podcast, guest Nick Ostrem joins us to talk about the little-seen but widely under-valued 1997 Canadian comedy The Wrong Guy! Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio) co-wrote and stars in this cult caper about an oblivious, melodramatic account executive (Foley) who wrongly presumes he’s being wrongfully accused of his boss’s murder. Check the whole thing in full on Youtube, and join us as we discuss Nelson’s cowardice, the cultural power of the Barenaked Ladies, the dark implications of Fuller House, and whether JFK’s head just did that. We’ve also got our custom cocktail and de

As we all wind down from our Thanksgiving food comas, Grant from Chip & Ironicus joins us as we sink our teeth into 1999's cannibal-vampire-Western-dark-comedy Ravenous! When cowardly Sgt. Boyd (Guy Pearce) is transferred to an American Army outpost in the middle of nowhere after the Mexican-American War, he finds himself at odds with a sadistic wendigo (Robert Carlyle) who preys on him and the rest of the men in his camp. Check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules as we ask the big questions: Do wendigos eat the dick? Is it a myth that carrots give you better eyesight? What's David Arquette doing here? (Thanks to our sponsor Basecamp as a proud member of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

This week on Alcohollywood, improv-esario Pat Niday joins us to talk 1994’s strangely modern reboot of The Little Rascals! Directed by Wayne’s World’s Penelope Spheeris, The Little Rascals takes place in a bizarre world where the idiosyncratic group of 30s delinquents somehow also grew up and were socialized in modern-day Los Angeles, and cause all manner of mayhem while also sort-of having parents? It’s all a bit confusing, and the terrible kid actors do little to help the matter; still, we’ve got a custom cocktail and drinking rules to help you navigate this very strange beast! (Thanks to our sponsor Iron Galaxy as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

NOTE: Technical difficulties meant that this episode ended up being recorded on laptop sound as opposed to our fancy equipment. It’s still listenable, but not up to our usual high standards. Thanks for your patience, and everything will be kosher next episode! This week, Dusty Wilson of Mercy Street Theatre Company joins us in our much-needed respite from critically-acclaimed dramas and spooky foreign films to kick back with the schlocky Arnold Schwarzenegger flick The Running Man! The Running Man beats Battle Royale and The Hunger Games to the "game shows are like bloodsports, and we're obsessed with the media!" dystopic yarn, as Arnie's Ben Richards must navigate a hellish game show where harsh traps and over-the-top 'stalkers' seek to kill him with all manner of kitschy weapons. A silly, campy mish-mash that feels like Total Recall slammed in a blender with some Zubas, a copy of Buns of Steel, and some old episodes of Family Feud, this movie is as straight-out dumb as it is charming. Check it out along wit

This week on Alcohollywood, guest Ele Matelan of WildClaw Theatre (and our friend from Our Fair City) grabs a milkshake and sits down with us to talk about listener request and 2007 arthouse darling There Will Be Blood! Among one of the more contemplative films in Paul Thomas Anderson’s repertoire, TWWB tells the story of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis, in an oft-admired and long-impersonated performance), an unscrupulous oil man who seeks to start and expand his oil empire from nothing. Full of gorgeous shots, fascinating performances, and a fair share of psychologically complex characters, this one gave us plenty to talk about. Give us a listen and check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Cards Against Humanity, a proud member of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

(Thanks to our sponsor Emporium Arcade Bar, as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) We’re finishing up HORROR OCTORBOR FOUR-BOR, our exploration of foreign horror films, with Guillermo Del Toro’s 2001 historical supernatural drama The Devil’s Backbone! Justin Gerber of Consequence of Sound joins us to talk about Del Toro’s spiritual sibling to his later film Pan’s Labyrinth, in which a group of orphans deal with the ghost of their deceased friend while the staff of the orphanage tries to navigate the precarious sociopolitical climate of post-Civil War Spain in the 1930s. It’s a great, atmospheric horror film, perhaps one of Del Toro’s finest works, and it’s well worth watching. Check it out along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules below!

HORROR OCTORBOR FOUR-BOR continues this week, as we (along with ten-time guest Derek Jarvis) take a look at one of the most extreme foreign horror films around – 2008’s Martyrs! A shining, bloody example of the French New Extremity movement, Martyrs deals with a young victim of trauma (Mylene Jampanoi) and her supportive friend (Morjana Alaoui) as they confront the presence of a cult that seeks to find transcendence through extreme pain. The results are grossifying and not for the weak-stomached, but we’ve got a custom cocktail and drinking rules to help you survive this insane film! Is it torture porn? Is it art? Can it be both? Find out below! (Special thanks to our sponsor Iron Galaxy - and their upcoming game Capsule Force - as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

Greetings mortals! HORROR OCTORBOR FOURBOR continues as we take on foreign horror films all month! New guest/filmmaker Jimmy Moore joins us this round to talk 1977's Italian horror flick Suspiria! Directed by horror icon Dario Argento, Suspiria is considered the poster child for the giallo film. Argento's classic stuns with bold, colorful cinematography and subtle eroticism, along with gory kills. Check out our episode as we talk witches, baby Udo Kier, and Blind Andy Samberg getting killed by a gargoyle along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Makespace, as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related Links: Our guest spot on Nina’s Arena, where we talked about Phantom of the Paradise (also starri

We’re continuing our HORROR OCTORBOR FOUR-BOR world tour of foreign-language horror films this week with returning guest Julia and the 2004 Asian horror anthology Three…Extremes! A triple feature of spooky shorts from Hong Kong (Dumplings, directed by Fruit Chan), South Korea (Cut, directed by Oldboy's Chan-wook Park) and Japan (Box, directed by Ichi the Killer’s Takashi Miike) feature a delightfully unsettling mix of scares. From an aging actress turning to a disgusting alternative remedy to keep her vitality, to a disgruntled extra torturing his neglectful director, to a young woman looking for her long-lost sister, this is a fantastic sampler pack to an entire continent’s worth of horror. Check it out along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! NOTE: If Jared sounds a little tinny for the first few minutes, it clears up at about minute 8. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it gets fixed quickly! (Thanks to our sponsor Basecamp as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related Links: Trish’s fantastic fan

It’s that time of year again, listeners – HORROR OCTORBOR! For our fourth installment of our annual dive into the depths of hell, we’re taking on all foreign-language horror, starting with 2008’s Swedish vampire masterpiece Let the Right One In! Matt K of fellow Chicago film podcast CinemaJaw joins us to talk about a smartly directed tale of a young outcast boy making the most unusual of friends in vampire Eli in 1980s Sweden. Check it out on Netflix and give our recap a listen, along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Field Notes, as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

Ka-STANG! This week, fellow A Talking Cast!?!/The ‘Cast Next Door podcastress Shannon Campe joins us for another expedition into 90s/2000s kid cinema with Frankie Muniz’s Big Fat Liar! Muniz plays Jason Shepherd, a pathological liar whose short story assignment for class is stolen from unscrupulous, half-goatee-d Hollywood producer Paul Giamatti to make into his next hit film. With the help of Vaguely Funny Girl Character Amanda Bynes, Jason flies off to Hollywood to plan his revenge. Take a listen as we ask the big questions: Is this Paul Giamatti’s superhero origin story? Why does Jason not want any money for credit for his story? How do you pronounce Muniz? Find the answers to these questions and more, along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to our sponsor Jackbox Games as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

This week, Theo joins us once more to talk Lisztomania, the off-the-wall glam rock biopic of famed German composer Franz Liszt, played by The Who's Roger Daltrey! Lisztomania plays up the pseudohistorical tale of "history's first rock star" in typical 70s camp fashion. Get ready for giant fake dicks, robes made of piano keys, and Richard Wagner as Zombie Rock Hitler being defeated by the power of love; we sure weren't. Take a listen and check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (Thanks to this episode’s sponsor Emporium Arcade Bar as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

This week on Alcohollywood, we invite returning guest David Rheinstrom (of Twenty Questions Tuesday and Our Fair City fame) for one last job before he departs Chicago for the wide world of San Francisco – the “Recobbled Cut” of the infamous animated labor of love The Thief and the Cobbler! Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s Oscar-winning animator Richard Williams’ magnum opus is an elegantly drawn piece of cinema that follows the titular double-act as they attempt to retrieve the Three Golden Balls from the evil Vizier (Vincent Price), while winning the heart of Princess Yum-Yum in the process. Its thirty-year production history led Williams’ vision to be ultimately unfinished, but the Recobbled Cut by fan and animator Garret Gilchrist (link to the full film below) is an admirable effort to get as much of William’s intended film up on the screen. Check out our reaction to the film, along with our custom cocktail and drinking game! Related Links: The Recobbled Cut on Youtube Persistence of Vision, the Documentary on th

This week on Alcohollywood, Jared and I fly solo (along with sentient Maillbot J4R.3D) as we check out the 2005 flop Stealth! In this notorious cross between Top Gun, 2001, and an Incubus music video, Stealth follows hotshot pilots Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx (fresh off his Oscar for Ray) as they contend with an experimental AI fighter (voiced by Prison Break's Wentworth Miller) who goes rogue after...getting hit by lightning? This two-hour epic is full of director Rob Cohen's particular tics, porting the zooming-though-vehicle-mechanics CG shots from The Fast & the Furious and the obnoxious nu-rock soundtrack of xXx, but those are just the beginning of what promises to be a very bizarre, baffled post-film discussion. Check out our episode, along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (This episode is sponsored by Cards Against Humanity as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related Links: The 'Cast Next Door - Clint's co-hosting duties covering another Rob Cohen movie! OFC Fringe Show -

This week on Alcohollywood, Clayton Faits of Our Fair City joins us to talk about the chintzy 1970s giant animal flick Food of the Gods! Adapted from a “portion” of the novel by HG Wells, Food of the Gods stars Starcrash alum (and walking LL Bean ad) Marjoe Gortner as a football player/survivalist who finds himself in the midst of an invasion of giant animals on a secluded island. With a little pluck and determination, Marjoe and the cast of mumbly supporting players must fight off giant rats, mealworms, maggots and shadowy wasps – all rendered with adorably flimsy care and attention. Check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules below! (Thanks to our sponsor Lodge Management Group, as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related Links: Our Fair City Fringe Show! The ‘Cast Next Door! The full movie on Youtube, TV edited to take out all those devilish swears

This week on Alcohollywood, Julia Rohed of Mercy Street Theatre Company joins us to talk the Karl Urban 2012 comic book movie/reboot Dredd! Fulfilling a mission he’s had (perhaps to an irritating degree) for the past 3 years, Clint finally gets Jared to watch Dredd, the most recent adaptation of the British comic strip after the 1995 Sylvester Stallone disaster. Does it hold up to the cult hype? Did it deserve the sequel fans never got? And how does a population that’s 96% unemployed buy all those drugs anyway? Find out all these answers and more, along with our custom cocktail and drinking rules! (This episode is sponsored by Utter Nonsense! as part of the Chicago Podcast Coop!)

This week, returning guest Nick Freed joins us to talk 1988’s A Fish Called Wanda, the caper-comedy written by and starring John Cleese! When a group of thieves (Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin, Kevin Kline and Thomas Georgeson) successfully steal a buttload of diamonds, the four quickly begin turning on each other, eventually wrapping a sheltered, middle-aged barrister (Cleese) into the larcenous fold. Check out our custom cocktail and drinking rules as we talk Curtis’ femme fatale, Palin’s stammer, and whether or not Kline deserved to win the Oscar for his hammy role as Otto. (Thanks to our sponsor Jackbox Games, a proud member of the Chicago Podcast Coop!) Related Links: Our episode on Felony (the origin of 'double-crossed'!) Trailer for our upcoming 200th episode special, Indiana Jones and the Monkey King!