Not Now in Theaters: A Retro and Cult Film Podcast

Cemetery Man (1994): Italian Horror Comedy Sexy and Surreal

Cemetery Man sounds like a few films crammed into one but is balanced so well it glides as one film expanding into many directions. Directed by Michele Soavi, many consi

Every John Carpenter Movie Ranked — Part Two

Five films to go and what a fab five they are. It’s time for part two of my look at and ranking of every John Carpenter film. And I also hand out a couple of bonus awar

Every John Carpenter Movie Ranked -- Part One

It wouldn't be Halloween season without a John Carpenter film -- or all 18 of them. Despite loving many John Carpenter movies, there were a few I had never gotten a

Ghosts of Mars (2001): John Carpenter Runs out of Gas

Ghosts of Mars lost money, and it didn't win too many critical fans when it was released.  Still, its Wikipedia page claims it "garnered a cult following."  So is

House II: The Second Story (1987): New House, New Silly Horror Problems

I covered House a few weeks ago and had so much fun I was back in for the sequel. But does House II live up to the fun of the original? Well, I'll be annoying and

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987): Is this Hong Kong's Princess Bride?

A Chinese Ghost Story is said to be a beloved Hong Kong film, one that's lasted generations, especially for those born in the 1980s. And as a romantic adventure fan

Johnny Guitar (1954): The Cult Operatic Western that Confused Audiences

I don't normally dip back into 1950s movies on Not Now in Theaters, but for the so-called "Beauty and the Beast of westerns," I was intrigued. Johnny Guitar looks l

Ride in the Whirlwind (1966): Jack Nicholson's Anti-Western

Ride in the Whirlwind is a Criterion Classic film directed by Monte Hellman and written by Jack Nicholson. Filmed side-by-side with fellow low-budget Criterion Classic w

A Better Tomorrow II (1987): Unreal End Shootout, Bizarre Scenes

A Better Tomorrow II is best-known for its epic, stylish, bonkers end shootout. Ranked by many as one of the best ever shot, it lives up to the hype as among the very bes

Excalibur (1981): Epic Dark Fantasy

John Boorman's Excalibur is still many film fans' go-to story of King Arthur. And it's a movie I love to stare at because it is simply gorgeous. A dark fa

Nemesis (1992): Lo-Fi Cyberpunk, Really Big Guns

Nemesis is a low-budget 1990s cyberpunk action film that, if you missed in its day, you got to check out now. With effects wizards from Terminator 2 and cult movie vets

American Yakuza (1993): Even Aragorn Couldn’t Rescue This [Side Reels]

American Yakuza is a straight-to-video film that may catch your eye because it stars the legendary Viggo Mortensen. In this episode, I explain that, even though I didn&a

John Dies at the End (2012): Slackers Saving the Universe

Is John Dies at the End a modern cult film? Director Don Coscarelli pulled magic from modest budgets with Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep. And in adapting David Wong's co

Prospect (2018): More Sci-fi Fans Should See This

Prospect is a bit of a space western and a definite science-fiction thriller. The film started as a crowdfunded short and, when it attracted attention, got expanded into

The Death of Stalin (2017): the British Mockery that Angered Russia

The Death of Stalin is Armando Ianucci's satire of the true paranoia of life under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The controversial film has won plenty of fans in som

Top Five Films I Wish Got Made [Side Reels]

The film industry is full of unrealized promising projects that, for whatever reason, fail to launch. In this episode of side reels, I'm discussing my top five film

House (1985): Horror Comedy Mansion Hijinks

Why do Cult Film Fans Love the Horror Comedy blend of House? House started out as a straight horror film but was molded into a comedy. A bonkers movie that worries less

Drive (1997): Where Has this Action Film Been All My Life?

Drive (1997) blends Hong Kong action inspired sequences with American "buddy" humor. Drive (1997) wasn't a movie you could go see at the box office, unless you live

Bone Tomahawk (2015): The Horror Rescue Western Nightmare

How does Bone Tomahawk blend the western and horror genres together? S. Craig Zahler's Bone Tomahawk is, like a throwback cult classic, a low-budget film that has c

Dark Star (1974): John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon's Science Fiction Comedy

Why was Dark Star so important to science-fiction films to come? Dark Star began as a student film project by then-USC Students John Carpenter (Halloween) and Dan O&apos