The Last Bangers n' Mash Episode

Well, the time has finally come. JD and I have made the decision to end regular production on the Bangers n' Mash Show. There's a lot of reasons for this. Most boil down to burn-out and general feeling that the show has never been and will never be as popular as I wanted it to be. JD and I have been struggling with getting regular episodes out for most of the last year. Our heart really hasn't been in it recently. Thus, the decision to call it quits.

For the most part. In the episode, we explain that we'll continue to produce the occasional on-off special, like the Phantom Awards - which are coming soon! - and convention reports. Maybe a Nerd Vomit every once and a while.

As for the last episode, we mostly spend it talking about the various things we wanted to get to but didn't, the origins and history of the show, our experience making it, and thanking the fans. Really, that last part is essential.

To any Bangers n' Mash listeners here, thank you from the most sincere corner of my heart for the years of support. 

Catching Up with the Bangers n' Mash Show Again

Once again, I've fallen behind with posting episodes of the Bangers n' Mash Show, by a margin of several months. It's not too big of a deal. Since the summer, I've only managed to get about six episodes out. In case anyone is still listening to the show through the blog, here's the playlist including the most recent episodes.

In order: JD and I chat about the "Planet of the Apes" movies. We did an episode discussing the contentious film work of Mr. Rob Zombie. We reflected on this year's Monster-Mania. Our Halloween episode looked back at a bunch of evil clown movies. Our most recent Nerd Vomit was primarily focused on "Justice League." The newest episode features Guy Vollen from Medleyana talking some Gamera with me.

Yet More Bangers n' Mash Episodes

I know I've been chronically forgetting to post the new Bangers n' Mash episodes as they come out. Truthfully, I often forget, as my focus here at Film Thoughts is more on my writing than my podcasting. Luckily or not, depending on how you look at things, JD and I haven't put out many episodes in the last two months.

There are Reasons for this. JD doesn't have as much to watch stuff for the show anymore and, now, I'm at the point where I'm straight-up just inviting other people onto the podcast to make up for this.

Anyway, here's a Nerd Vomit episode from May, where we talk about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and some other stuff that seemed relevant at the time.



Here's the more recent episode. I invited Brandon Ledet from Swampflix to discuss the RoboCop franchise. It's actually a good episode. Expect more guest hosts in the coming months.

More Bangers n' Mash Episodes

I know I've gotten real bad about posting the podcast episodes to this here blog. Sorry about that. Here's all the new episodes from the previous months.

Here's the episode where JD and I did something a little different and talked about Greek mythology for a while.:



Here's a commentary we did for "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare." Like all our commentaries, it's both A) a blatant filler episode and B) terrible. Though maybe slightly less terrible than our previous commentaries.



Here's our most recent episode which was suppose to come out around the same time as "Kong; Skull Island" but instead came out two weeks later. Anyway, we talked about the King Kong movies.:

Bangers n' Mash 103: The World of Harry Potter

This one was JD's idea. Regular readers may recall the retrospective of the Harry Potter films I did a few months back. At the time, this was done as the lead-up to a podcast episode about this same topic. But, the production of the Bangers n' Mash Show being what it is, the episode kept getting pushed back. So now that "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is just a distant memory, here's an episode concerning the cinematic Potter-verse.

Through no extra planning, this might be one of our more entertaining episodes. Over not-quite-an-hour of audio, JD and I wander down some... Interesting conversational pathways. Such as the syntax of the phrase "big ass fucking snake," the correct pronunciation of the name "Dobby," British accents, the practical applications of an invisibility cloak, and what it means to be invested in a franchise. And along the way, I probably alienate both fans and non-fans of the "Harry Potter" series!



So now time for a tedious Film Thoughts update. As I'm sure you know, the Oscars are Sunday night. I had planned on posting four more reviews before the ceremony, including the reviews of the short films. The truth is this entire past week, I've had maybe the worst cold I have experienced in my entire life. This seriously cut into my productivity but I'm happy to say I'm finally getting better. I am unhappy to say there won't be any more Oscar reviews before my annual live-blog. I'll try and do better next year, you guys.

Bangers n' Mash 102: The 2016 Phantom Awards

After a long delay, the Bangers n' Mash Show is finally back. Since it's January, and the first episode of the new year, it's time for the Phantom Awards! It's our annual award show for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, looking back at some of our favorite films of the year.

We did something a little different this year. Though the audio is a bit jarring, I think the result is the best Phantom Awards we've ever done. Since JD hates doing these - he doesn't see nearly as many movies as I do - I decided to recruit some friends from the Dissolve Facebook group as "audio presenters," helping to round out the show. It's was so great to have some serious film fans on the show, sharing their thoughts and busting the quality of the episode.
 


Anyway, hopefully the podcast will be back on track from here on, with more frequent episodes. And since February begins tomorrow, my month-long Oscar movie marathon will begin as well. Stay tuned.

Catching Up with the Bangers n' Mash Show

You've probably noticed that Film Thoughts hasn't been updated very much here in January 2017. I have a reason for this. I'm sure you know that the last four months of the year - in-between the Halloween Horrorfest Blog-a-thon, the Christmas movie marathon, and my year-end rush to catch up with everything in the year I haven't seen yet - are a very busy year for me. I guessed that, combined with 2016 being a shit year for me, left me very burned out. I had big plans for this month but they just haven't happened yet.

I'm hoping to change that this week by beginning a new Director Report Card project tomorrow. Until then, hey, how about I post the last three Bangers n' Mash episodes that I haven't gotten around to posting?

Back in October, JD and I crossed one hundred episodes which would normally be a big deal. However, we lost episode 99 following my laptop crashing. (My laptop starting to die was another stressful thing that happened last year.) Since we planned on premiering episode 100 around Halloween, JD and I decided to skip ahead. But I ended up missing that release date, kind of negating the whole point. More episodes were recorded but some mounting insanity put the show on a temporary hiatus for about two months. This was not planned. During this off-period, JD and I even considered just ending the show. Eventually, we decided to go on for a little while longer. I don't know.

Anyway, here's the episode.

The original episode 99 with JD and I is lost forever, probably. My co-host wasn't interested in re-recording. While we considered just trashing it altogether, I decided to re-record the episode with Marcus Jones, of Crushed Celluloid and the Jean-Pod Van Damme. (Which I have appeared on, it must be said.) The topic? Horror films revolving around rednecks and hillbillies. I call it the Savage South.




The one hundredth episode is devoted the Chucky franchise. We picked this topic for our landmark episode because the original Child's Play movie freaked out so much as a kid.




After that, we returned to classic horror with an episode devoted to sci-fi/monster movies from the fifties, usually featuring radiation or aliens as a plot point. Give it a listen.



Hopefully, 2017 will be a more consistent year for the Bangers n' Mash Show. Until then, I'll be writing more. Hopefully. Can't make any promises.

Obligatory Podcast Catch-Up Post

Christ, have I really not posted the last THREE Bangers n' Mash episodes to the blog? That should give you an idea of how busy I've been the last two months. During the Halloween Horror-Fest Blog-a-Thon, I was working up to the end of the day during most of the six weeks. Throughout all of this, I've been forgetting to post these. I have, if you also haven't noticed, not updated the series in a while. That shit is forthcoming, I assure you. Anyway, here's the episodes.

Episode 96 was about many of the films adapted from the work of Stephen King. There's a hilarious lightning round.




In the later half of September, JD and I made a loose episode about why we love Halloween. This was my attempt to emulate the Purple Stuff Podcast and... I don't know how successful I was. Anyway, listen to it.



Lastly, here's our audio con report for Monster-Mania 35, which includes the Kristy Swanson panel in full if you care about that kind of thing.




Anyway, there's a new single review coming tomorrow and a new Director Report Card coming sometime next week. As you'd expect, I'll be taking a little time off throughout this month because of the post-Halloween hangover.

Bangers n' Mash 95: The Hellraiser Series

It's the end of the month, which means it's time for another episode of the Bangers n' Mash Show.



This time, JD and I turn our eyes towards Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" and its many sequels, the majority of them misbegotten. I've got to tell you, this was one of the harder Bangers n' Mash episode to prepare for. I would not reccommend marathoning the "Hellraiser" franchise. Boy, do those movies drop off wildly in quality so very quickly.

Anyway, by the time the majority of you read this, it'll be September. The clock is ticking before we hit the happiest time of the year. As always, the Six Weeks of Halloween will begin on September 18th. Mark your calendars! Before then, I have some stuff prepared to fill in the days and weeks before the Halloween season officially starts, including a new, brief Director Report Card. Stay tuned!

Bangers n' Mash 94: Texas Chainsaw Massacres

Did you really think I'd wade through that Tobe Hooper retrospective last month and not get a podcast out of it? Yes, Mr. Mash and I finally covered the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" franchise, one of the few major horror series we haven't gotten to yet. In this fine hour of audio stimulation, we try to answer some of the mysteries of the series: Is the Cook a brother or a father? When exactly does "Texas Chainsaw 3D" take place? What was Kim Henkle smoking when he made "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation?" Will "All American Massacre" and "Leatherface" ever come out? Why is human flesh so delicious? Naturally, some of these quarries are more easily solved then others.



That'll be it for Film Thoughts tonight. The Sylvester Semester Part II will continue tomorrow. I promise.

Bangers n' Mash 93: Hammer Horror

Told you this would go up on the 31st, which it still is in certain parts of the globe.

The latest episode of the Bangers n' Mash Show has Zack and JD returning to a former topic. We're discussing the films of Britain's most iconic horror studio: Hammer! While we've discussed some of the studio's biggest franchises before (or will some day), this episode is devoted to some of Hammer's one-offs and oddball flicks.



If I'm being totally honest, this episode is a compromised affair. Once again, my co-host let me down and only bothered to watch a third of the films we had agreed to discuss. In order to make up for this, I solo recorded some thoughts on the other movies we intended to talk about. However, this month has been exhausting and extremely hectic. Time was running out and I made the decision to cut out my thoughts on "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde" and "Demons of the Mind." I'm sure the twenty people who regularly listen to the show will be really broken up about this. I'm really sorry this episode sucks. I worked hard to get out what I could in the time I had.

FURTHER UPDATES: So remember how I said there would be another Memories article this month? This too is a casualty of how insane my life has been. If you want to know the truth, my grandmother had a heart attack two weeks ago. She's slowly been dying and these family details have been taking over my life. In other words, July has been a bit of a mess.

However, I sincerely hope August will be better. I don't know when but I promise that the new Memories essay, as well as another stand-alone review, will be up at some point this week. A new actor's retrospective will begin on the 8th. That is set in stone, I promise you. To anybody reading this: I'm sorry I let you down and promise I'll do better this month. See you soon.

Bangers n' Mash 92: Ghostbusters!

Hey, July is nearly over! Shouldn't you put out a podcast episode or two this month?

I'm glad you ask, hypothetical reader! Of course, I'll be rushing out two episodes of the Bangers n' Mash Show this month. Don't you know my method by now, which is to procrastinate until the last minute and then rush everything out in a mad daze?

Anyway, JD and I recorded an episode recently. This actually went up, like, four days ago. It's about the Ghostbusters movies, including the new one. Also, we talk about the cartoon shows and toys too. Another one of these is in the editing bay and should be out in a few days. Probably on the 31st because, let's face it, that's my technique.



If you can't get enough of me talking aimlessly about movies and/or TV on the internet, I also talk on The So Weird Podcast and the Jean-Pod Van Damme. My Tobe Hooper Director's Report Card will conclude later today, after I get roughly six to eight hours sleep and work enough to justify receiving a paycheck. Thank you and good night.

Bangers n' Mash 91: The Scariest Movies

For the ninety-first episode of the Bangers n' Mash Show, JD and I had originally planned a topic that we should've gotten to a long time ago, a discussion about a major hallmark in horror history. However, he crapped out on me and didn't watch the movies he said he was going to. Which is why we had to throw this thing together instead.

It's an episode pointed towards settling the debate about what the scariest movie of all time is. In order to do this, we read a whole bunch of internet list. Some of these - such as the one assembled by the fine folks at They Shoot Zombies, Don't They? - are meticulously detailed, researched, and put together. Others, I'm certain, where tossed together in a few others. (One, weirdly, comes from Reader's Digest.) We don't come to any conclusions by the end but several titles constantly reoccur throughout these many lists. It's not a great episode but I did my best to turn a negative into a positive. The next episode, I assure you, will be better.



IN OTHER NEWS: A new Director's Report Card will start tomorrow! As with the previous one I undertook, it's another fairly large project. Because I'm insane! Stay tuned or whatever the internet blog equivalent of tuning is.

Bangers n' Mash 90: The Omen Pentalogy

Man, I had originally hoped to get this episode out on the 6th! You know, then it would've been released on 06/06/16. Then if figured I could've made the 16, which still would've fit. Almost made that one but then some last minute shit came up. Oh well.

Anyway, did you really expect me to watch and review all of the "The Omen" movies and not get a podcast episode out of it? I'm a big fan of that first one, as you probably already know, while JD just kind of sits back and lets me ramble. Normal episode, in other words.



Anyway, the Richard Donner Director Report Card will continue tomorrow/today. I'm going to wash these dishes and go to bed. Thank you and goodnight.

Bangers n' Mash 89: Adventures of Indiana Jones

Hey, here's a new episode of the Bangers n' Mash Show! It's devoted to the Indiana Jones franchise, a relatively short but still beloved, hugely influential series of cornerstone films.

The reason we picked this topic, besides enjoy the films, is we figured this would be a fairly easy episode to record and edit. Ha ha, how naive! The last two weeks have been very hectic for me, which meant it was a struggle to get this episode out before the end of the month. I was off from work today and spent most of today cutting and editing this episode, in hopes of getting it out before June 1st. The episode wound up going up literally within minutes of midnight. But I did it, so hoo-ray for me.



That same hectic schedule has kept the blog updates from being as busy I was hoping. I try to get a Memories and No Encores feature up once a month. I'll miss that goal, this May. So here's the plan: A new Memories essay will go up tomorrow, on the 1st. A No Encore essay will go up on the 2nd. A new Director Report Card - a fairly large one, too - will being on Friday. Hopefully I can stick with that schedule. In other words, STAY TUNED.

Bangers n' Mash 88: Bride of Universal Horror

It's surprising it hasn't happened sooner. For eighty-seven episodes of the Bangers n' Mash Show, JD and I have always been to able to align our schedules twice a month to record. I guess that's a good record. For the first time this month, I had to go solo on a show. Mr. Bangers is going it alone this time.

The truth is JD got sick suddenly. I didn't want to move ahead with one of our planned episodes without him. I had to think of a new topic I could throw together quickly and easily. Over at my Letterboxd account, since March, I've been re-posting my old reviews of the Universal Monsters series, when I ran through as many of them as possible a few years back. With these relatively recent in my mind, I decided that would be the topic for this episode.

Instead of repeating things we said way back in our first episode, I decided to talk about some of the more overlooked Universal horror classics. Because of his ridiculous prejudice against silent films, it's not like JD will ever watch "Phantom of the Opera" or "The Man Who Laughs" anyway. And who the hell knows when I'll get around to making him watch some Rondo Hatton movies.



Considering about seventy percent of all Bangers n' Mash episodes are composed of me rambling on anyway, this episode honestly isn't that different then our usual stuff. But JD will definitely be back next time. We've already recorded the next episode and it should be out sometime next week.

Bangers n' Mash 87: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Part 2

Hey, the Bangers n' Mash Show is back with the second half of our Buffy the Vampire Slayer retrospective! This episode is devoted to the last three seasons of the series. (Plus a few other things.) Since those seasons are far more divisive then the four that proceeded, this episode of the podcast is full of far more bickering and yelling then usual. JD and I can't agree on anything! Anyway, listen to it. Happy end of April.

Bangers n' Mash 86: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Part 1

I was going to open this entry with a small rant apologizing for why this latest episode of the Bangers n' Mash Show took so long to release but, you know, it's 2:17AM on the East Coast I don't feel like it.

A few thousand years ago, a fan asked us to do an episode about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." We're finally fulfilling that wish. Because this is seven seasons of television, we're covering the topic over the course of two episodes. In the first episode, we discuss the original movie and seasons one through four. Hopefully the second part won't take as long to edit and release.

Bangers n' Mash 54: Invasions of the Body Snatchers

Hey, Bangers n' Mash fans! Feels like it's been a while, doesn't it? To be totally honest, my personal life has been very hectic here of late. This why the month is nearly over and I'm only now getting a podcast episode out. Don't worry, we still intend to release another one by the end of the month.

So what is the topic of today's episode? "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is a classic sci-fi/horror film, one of the best, and has been remade a bunch. Surprisingly, at least two of the remakes are pretty interesting. Sounds like a good podcast episode, doesn't it? I thought so! In addition to the four proper adaptations of the story that have been made, my podcast co-host and I briefly discuss some of the rip-offs and homage that have popped out over the years. Give it a listen and more coming soon.

Bangers n' Mash 83: Monsters 101

The latest episode of the Bangers n' Mash Show - and the last for February of 2016 - actually went up early today but I didn't want to interfere with my Oscar live-blog thing. Now that award season is totally and thankfully behind us, you can enjoy some horror nerd goodness from Mr. Mash and I.

Yep, this podcast is both devoted to and inspired by my co-host and I arguing about the nerdy details concerning various monsters. For the sake of brevity, we've narrow down to four major classic monster archetypes: Vampires, werewolves, zombies, and ghosts. We discuss their weakness, their different attributes, and the many variations of the associated myths. I'm actually fairly pleased with how this one turned out. Give it a listen, if you're so inclined!