The second episode of our new podcast is up! This episode we talk about killer cop movies, explicitly the Maniac Cop trilogy and it's contribution to the 90s corporate-rap phenomenon.
Listen through Podiant below, or subscribe through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Deezer. (Or if you have a preferred podcast listening app, let us know and we'll try to get it up there too!)
And if you're interested in any of the films we mention, but can't remember the title exactly... check out the handy show notes our co-host Gregg puts together!
Hope you enjoy this week's episode, and we'll see you next Monday!
We've talked about it, people have requested we do it, and it only took a pandemic to finally move us into action: Tape Freaks has released our first podcast, VIDEO KILLERS! Co-hosted by us (Tim Holly, & Colette Ricci) and our friend Gregg Kapsalis, VIDEO KILLERS will be a place where we discuss what we've been watching recently, we deep dive into oddball subgenres, unpack the filmography of various filmmakers, highlight our favorite current films, there'll also be interviews, guests and much more!
The best part is, VIDEO KILLERS is live, starting today! There's a mini episode (where we overview what the podcast will be like) as well as our first full episode (where we discuss fun stuff we've been watching recently and movies that speak to our range in tastes). We're still a little rough around the edges, but check us out now so you can tell your friends you were listening before they were cool!
Find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Deezer, or let us know what podcast service you prefer and we'll upload there! We hope you enjoy it, and stay well out there friends 😷❤️📼❤️😷
We realize everyone is binging all sorts of content right now to stay sane during these strange times, so why not add more things to your cue? Maybe you're looking for more recommendations? Unable to decide with too many options? We hunted around and found a selection of movies screened at past Tape Freaks that are available for free on various platforms right now. Whether you missed out on some of these or want to relive the weirdness, we hope they bring some fun to your sheltering at home.
If you are a fan of horror and are not already signed up, Shudder has a really well curated collection of titles and exclusives. Some of our favorite recent foreign horror movies have made their way to this platform exclusively! They're still offering a free month if you sign up now.
DEMON WIND: This extremely entertaining knock-off of Evil Dead has some wild practical effects and a magician kicking a beer can that you will never forget.
HELLO MARY LOU: PROM NIGHT 2: We screened this during the re-model of the Trylon a few summers ago, so you may have missed it. Less of a sequel to the original Prom Night (and arguably better for it) this is more of a riff on A Nightmare on Elm street featuring some impressive in-camera effects and the ever wonderful Micheal Ironside.
THE LIFT: An 80's horror film from the Netherlands about a killer elevator featuring fun kills, absurd dubbing, and a heroic elevator repairman! From the Director Dick Maas who also made the amazing Amsterdamned and Sint.
If you've got Prime, these are all included. If not you can rent them here and likely on your preferred platform (don't give the evil emperor any more money than he's already made during this pandemic).
NEVER TOO YOUNG TO DIE: The very first official Tape Freaks title we screened years ago! John Stamos is Stargrove, a young gymnast who's father (George Lazenby) has been killed by the evil "hermaphroditic" gang leader (Gene Simmons), and now Stargrove must team up with Vanity to stop the gang from poisoning the water supply. Trust us it's every bit as enjoyable and wild as that sounds. [The Gene Simmons character is also exactly as problematic as it sounds...]
NINJA III: THE DOMINATION: An evil ninja possesses a telephone repair woman/aerobics instructor. Part ninja movie, part Flashdance, part Exorcist and all amazing. Trust us, you don't need to see the first films in this series to enjoy this one, but you will never look at V-8 the same way again.
THE SEVENTH CURSE: From the same Director as The Cat (1992), and Riki-Oh, his movie features wild kung-fu, monsters, cults, and also stars a young Chow Yun Fat! The copy available on Prime is subtitled, and that might help the film make more sense, but you'll miss out on the hilarious dub job from the version we screened.
Tubi is a free streaming service you can watch on your computer and ROKU that does have occasional ad breaks but also has a surprising selection of movies!
THE STUFF: Larry Coen's fantastic horror film about killer yogurt featuring Garrett Morris and a Michael Moriarty in full "Michael Moriarty" mode.
HOUSEBOUND: What better film to watch at a time like this? If you have not seen this one, don't watch the trailer or read anything about it, just watch it. It's really fun and takes you on a wild ride!
BLOODY BIRTHDAY: If you like 80's films about killer kids, this underrated gem is a blast and features some seriously great performances by the three lead kids.
The best free platform for bad movies is always YouTube, but with the questionable legality of these films being on here, you have to watch 'em before they're pulled. A lot of the films you find up there haven't made it past VHS, so enjoy these gems while you can!
DEMONWARP: This gem features a killer Bigfoot, George Kennedy, fun John Carl Buechler effects, and so much more weirdness we couldn't possibly list it all here. This is a late 80's Vidmark film that feels like it belongs in the Empire/Full Moon catalog, partially due to Buechler's imprint on it. (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIdGxqgseAo)
THUNDER OF GIGANTIC SERPENT: This Godfrey- Ho film is part coming-of-age kids film, part violent-crime drug movie held together with a Kaiju-snake movie. The only known copy is a VHS rip that's dubbed in english and has Greek subtitles. Enjoy! (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg7eBNLkJNc)
RAIDERS OF ATLANTIS: An Italian rip off that takes from so many things it turns out to be a unique bit of insanity. It's a little Bermuda Triangle movie, Mad Max and Raiders of the Lost Ark rip-off, but it's also so much more... (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9QRPcNa808)
Movies that star cats run the gamut of genres, proving yet again that cats are the great unifier!
Pet Semetery: A classic in the horror genre featuring Church, the cat who comes back. Imagery of Church was used heavily in the advertising for both the book and movie though he doesn't have a ton of screen time. His presence must have made an intense impact on audiences none the less seeing as I personally know at least five cats named Church!
The Black Cat (1981): This movie was a series of amazing cat performances and kills strung together with boring, dialogue-less walking scenes. But man were there some excellent cat performances!
Alien/s: Jonesy is the star of these two movies and nothing you can say will ever change that.
The Cat From Outer Space: This is such a strange, strange movie. Clearly aimed at kids because it's filled with jokes in topics kids are always talking about like gambling, military bureaucracy, physics and dating... But the cat in this movie is outrageously cute, and kind of makes this should-be-funny snooze fest worth watching.
The Long Goodbye: The only non-horror and non-sci-fi on this list, The Long Goodbye is a hardboiled detective movie staring Elliott Gould as the character Humphrey Bogart made infamous, Philip Marlowe. Does Gould's interpretation of Marlowe stand up to Bogart's? Yes. But only with the help of his hungry cat sidekick.
Hausu: An anual Trylon tradition that's so packed with weirdness that you'd be forgiven if you forgot there's a four-legged fluffy white co-star that inevitably adds to the unrelenting weirdness.
BONUS VIDEO: We use any excuse to expose people to Cryak, enjoy.
Thanks to Gregg for contributing a guest piece for this month's theme! Gregg Kapsalis is a local genre fan who loves watching, reading about and discussing all things related to genre movies, check out his horror group "Twin Cities Genre Group" on Facebook and join the conversation!
A Talking Cat!?! is a fantasy movie for “all ages”! It's a fun tale of a cat endowed with magical powers and a gift of gab who’s able to talk and influences those humans who need guidance with their lives and boy, oh boy, does this cast of crazy characters need guidance. There’s Phil, a man with all the money in the world, who sells his company in an effort to bond with his teenage son, Chris. Chris who's trying to overcome his fear of talking to girls and win the fair hand of Frannie. On the other side of the forest, there’s Susan who’s struggling with her catering company and teenage twins Tina and Trent. Tina just wants to go to school to learn computer programming, and Trent is lost in an existential crisis. (Side note: Trent and Chris also have more chemistry with each other than anyone else in the film.) Duffy (the cat) helps Phil and Susan find each other, helps the twins stop fighting, and even teaches Chris to swim! But (huge plot twist coming up) after saving our troupe of characters, Duffy is hit by a careless driver! Things aren’t looking good for Duffy, so everyone races to his bedside to share some final words before he shuffles off this mortal coil and makes his way to Kitty Heaven. But, by the good grace of god, the cat recovers and everyone is happy! Fin.
Ok.. there is a lot more to unpack here. Let me break all this down into easily digestible segments:
THE FILMMAKER: Director David DeCoteau is a wildly prolific filmmaker, with IMDB listing 159 directing credits to his name. He worked under both Roger Corman and Charles Band before striking out on his own and starting the production company Rapid Heart Pictures. David started his career in the early 80’s making X-Rated homoerotic films (like Boys Just Wanna Have Sex), but not to be pigeon-holed, he also made a name for himself as a horror director in the straight-to-video market. He’s responsible for classics like Creepozoids and Sorority Babesin the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (both starring Linnea Quigley). All the while he’s never stopped making films in what seems to be his favorite genre: erotic horror.
The diversity in his portfolio only seems to be rivaled by the diversity in the aliases he uses: Julian Breen, Ellen Cabot, Richard Chasen, Mary Crawford (moniker used for his family films, such as A Talking Cat!?!), 'Disco' Dave DeCoteau, Marc Denne, David Doe, Kathy Logan, Eric Mancini, Dave McCabe, David McCabe, David Mcabe, Jack Reed, Wilma Rubble (my personal favorite), Victoria Sloan, Victoria Sloane, Martin Tate, and Joseph Tennent.
David continues to make movies at a relentless pace. In recent years he's made countless movies for the Lifetime Channel, and has already one air in 2020 (The Wrong House Sitter). But summing up and making sense of DeCoteau’s career is almost impossible, so I will leave you with a quote from the man himself that not only speaks volumes to his own career but, is just really good creative advice:
“I make movies for myself. I've got to like what I do and I've got to do it as well as I can. If other people like what I like, then, great. If you try and make a cult film, it won't be a cult film. If you try to make a critically acclaimed film, it won't be a critically acclaimed film. Just make the film that you like to make, and make it as well as you can.”
THE CAST: There are a few notable cast members in A Talking Cat!?!. Eric Roberts is the voice of Duffy (the talking cat), child star Johnny Whitaker plays Phil (the single, newly retired father who after years of “coding and sitting in a windowless office” just wants to bond with his teenage son), and Kristine Debell is Susan (the would-be caterer who’s specialty is cheese puffs (just ask her) and single mother of troubled teenage twins).
THE MUSIC: This is a movie filled to the brim with poorly used public domain music (even though Harry Manfredini has a music credit). A prime example would be a scene between Phil and Susan where we are meant to feel the sparks between the two as they get to know each other and, presumably, fall in love. What sort of music would you expect in this scene? Whatever you guessed, I am willing to bet it was not an elevator-music rendition of “La Cucaracha”. (Also worth mentioning, the song chosen to play over the credits of this movie about a talking cat: “Itsy Bitsy Spider”.)
EVERYTHING ELSE: (I am going to do A LOT of speculating here, so feel free to call me out in the comments.) This movie was obviously made in a rush and for no money. The mansion used as Phil’s house is in poor shape, the interior of the house (and the pool) are visibly dirty, and I have a feeling that once Roberts recorded the cat dialogue, the movie was put on fast-track. Legend has it that Roberts recorded his lines in 15 minutes from his living room, and I totally believe it as he mutters and slurs much of the dialogue. (To be fair, who could deliver lines like “Hi, I’m a talking cat.” or “Paws don’t fail me now!” with much enthusiasm?) I would also believe that Robert’s dialogue was recorded on a smartphone that was sitting on a table 5 feet away... However, Eric got off easy, compared to what screen veterans, Johnny Whitaker (Sigmund the Sea Monster, Family Affair, Tom Sawyer and loads more 70s Disney stuff) and Kristine DeBell (Meatballs, Samurai Cop 2, and the x-rated Alice in Wonderland) were stuck with. Whitaker comes off likable enough (despite his silly goatee) and DeBell seems to be having fun, but there just isn’t much for either of them to work with. (Though they both must have enjoyed the experience because Whitaker appeared in two more of DeCoteau’s movies and DeBell is something of a DeCoteau stable actor.) This movie is also advertised as a family movie, but I honestly can’t see any child finding this movie interesting. And, the eponymous cat isn’t even in the movie that much!
A Talking Cat!?! is unquestionably a mess, and is a movie best suited for stoners and/or fans of so-bad-it’s-good cinema. However, everyone should watch the trailer:
Clue #1: This month's movie is a genre-mashing, mind-melting movie that stars a cat, and is also our very first english subtitled movie! (Our first subtitled movie was subtitled in Greek, and dubbed in English.)
Clue #3: One of the stars of this month's movie agreed to appear in it's sequel in order to finance a romantic-drama. (That rom-drom was directed by someone who's primarily an actor and has only directed a handful of films, including another successful 90s romantic-drama.)
There are so many good movies and shows out right now, here's a list of things I want more people to see, in no particular order.
The Good Place: This is easily my favorite show of recent years. Not only is it incredibly funny and good spirited, it also examines philosophical and moral questions from many different perspectives in every episode. Skip Intro explains best why this show is singularly amazing, so if you want more (spoiler free) reasons to watch this one, give their video here a watch.
Parasite: This movie has so much buzz around it right now it's tempting to write it off, but please don't give into that temptation. I have yet to talk to anyone who didn't love this movie, even people who've only watched it recently as part of their Oscar movie binges! The less you know about this one the better, so watch it while you can still go in with a blank slate.
Knives Out: As I mentioned in my Murder, She Wrote post, I really love this movie. On it's surface it's an excellently crafted who-done-it. One layer down it's a commentary about the current power shift happening in western society. One more layer deep it's about the reactions of western society to that power shift. (It's also easily read as a commentary on the various reactions to Rian Johnson's Star Wars installment, but if you only read it that way, you're missing out.) As a person who loves who-done-its, this one now tops my list of favorites in this genre (second to Clue if you're wondering), as it's honestly a masterpiece on many levels.
VHYES: This one's hard to explain, but if weird-heartwarming stories told through non-linear narratives are your bag, find a way to see this one!
Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse: This has been out a while, but we recently re-watched it and it's so damn good. If you've not seen it, fix that. If you've already seen it, watch it again because it's so damn good!!
Things I still need to watch but I'm certain I will enjoy: Jojo Rabbit, the final season of Mr. Robot, and all of BoJack Horseman.
After watching Knives Out (which we highly recommend), I was struck with the understandable desire to re-watch one of my favorite shows from my childhood: Murder, She Wrote. And although I've gotten through almost 4 seasons, I haven't been giving each episode my full attention, but my love for this weird little show is fully reignited. There are numerous reasons to watch this campy classic; it's cheesy, demands you suspend a significant amount of disbelief, is packed with wild late 80s early 90s fashion, there's a cross over with Magnum PI, and the ever-strange reasons for Mrs Fletcher to get involved in each episode's murder case (never mind that she's also always within arm's length of a murder...). But the best reason to watch this show is by far the guest stars. Because of the show's who-done-it structure, each episode revolves around a sizable ensemble cast, allowing each episode to be filled by actors at the beginnings and ends of their careers (which also makes for some especially fun scenery-chewing moments). Here is just a sample of some of the guest-star combos that I've come across in just the first four seasons:
LeVar Burton was one of my favorite finds while re-watching so far. The episode he's in ("Death Takes a Dive") features John Amos (Coming to America),Ernest Borgnine and Adam West. (It's also one of the six episodes featuring Jerry Orbach as the character Harry McGraw, but more about that further down the list.)
William Atherton appears in multiple episodes, the first of which was just after he appears in Ghostbusters, the next one just before he appears in Die Hard, and the last is just after Die Hard 2 came out. I've only been lucky enough to see two of his appearances so far, but each are wonderfully cheesy in their own unique way.
Rue McClanahan only appeared in one episode (likely because Golden Girls got picked up the very next year), but her episode is among the best of that season featuring Tom Bosley's reoccurring sheriff character, along with Larry Linville (M*A*S*H*) and Linda Blair (The Exorcist).
Adrienne Barbeau is in two episodes, and although both are good, "Jessica Behind Bars" is one of the more entertaining episodes of the second season and it's LOADED with guest stars: Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), Barbara Baxley (The Exorcist III), Eve Plumb (The Brady Bunch), Mary Woronov (Death Race: 2000), Diana Bellamy (Critters 3), Yvonne De Carlo (The Munsters), and Vera Miles (Psycho), just to name a few.
Jessica Walter appears in four episodes, but the best so far is the two-part crossover episode with Magnum P.I.! (Each series got an episode, but you can watch the Murder, She Wrote episode without watching the Magnum P.I. episode.)
Bryan Cranston and Linda Hamilton star in "Menace, Anyone?" along with Kelli Maroney (Chopping Mall). This episode might have the most over the top performances of any episode so far...
Courteney Cox appears in a two part episode that starts and ends with her character's high-society wedding, but the main plot revolves around a traveling circus featuring Ronny Cox (Robocop) and Greg Evian (My Two Dads).
Leslie Nielsen appeared in two episodes, one of which takes place on a cruse ship and features Lynda Day George, Vicki Lawrence, and Jo Anne Worley [see below]. The murder plot in that one asks you to suspend an incredible amount of disbelief, and that's saying something for this show.
Vicki Lawrence and Jo Anne Worley are particularly fabulous in their episode "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean", as was their wardrobe!
Kate Mulgrew was in three episodes before taking the role of Capt. Janeway, one of which also features Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) and Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), and another Mary Jo Catlett (Serial Mom) and David Hemmings (Deep Red).
Glynn Turman shows up in three episodes, one of which also features Cameron Mitchell (Raw Force and 242 other things), Garrett Morris (SNL, The Stuff), and Stan Shaw (Monster Squad, and Fried Green Tomatoes). You'd think an episode with Morris and Mitchell would be a fun-filled hamfest, but this one is much more somber than it is zany.
And lastly, as I mentioned at the start, Jerry Orbach appeared in six episodes as an oddly cartoonish private detective character, Harry McGraw. After his third appearance, that character got a short lived spin-off show, The Law and Harry McGraw. After it was off the air, Harry returned to Murder, She Wrote as a re-occurring character.
Of course, those are only the guest stars I've come across so far. Here are a just a handful of the ones I'm still looking forward to:
Jerry Stiller apparently shows up in an episode with the director of the movie Popcorn.
I need re-watch the episode "We're Off to Kill the Wizard" because Kim Darby (Better Off Dead), Richard Sanders (WKRP in Cincinnati) and Joaquin Phoenix are in this one, and I did not notice!
In season five, Megan Mullally shows up along with Hoyt Axton (Gremlins), Jared Rushton (Honey I Shrunk the Kids), Cliff De Young (Flight of the Navigator), William R. Moses (Alien from L.A.).
A very young Billy Zane appears in an episode with Kristian Alfonso (Hope Brady from Days of Our Lives), John Saxon (who appears in three other episodes of this show), and Eli Wallach
(The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly).
Richard Roundtree's only episode also features Clifton James (Live and Let Die), so that one will hopefully be fun!
