Bill speaks to author and film historian Imogen Sara Smith about her various endeavors, from writing books like BUSTER KEATON: THE PERSISTENCE OF COMEDY and IN LONELY PLACES: FILM NOIR BEYOND THE CITY to contributing audio commentaries, booklet essays and on-camera interviews to home video releases from The Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, Eureka!, Imprint, Flicker Alley, Arrow and Indicator. Topics include: John Bengtson’s SILENT ECHOES, Eddie Muller, writing techniques, The Criterion Channel...
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 42 min
Bill remembers his friend, writer/film programmer Travis Crawford.
Aug 28, 2022•9 min
Bill talks to writer/editor/podcaster/programmer Katie Rife about her many endeavors, from co-founding Everything Is Terrible, inventing puns for Mr. Skin and presenting films at Facets Night School to writing/podcasting for The A.V. Club, programming for The Music Box Theatre and freelancing for outlets like Rolling Stone, Vulture and Roger Ebert.com. Topics include: Mike McPadden, Daily Grindhouse, gatekeepers, Odd Obsession Movies, her book IF YOU LIKE QUENTIN TARANTINO…, William Morris, Film...
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 48 min
Bill speaks to Animus Magazine founder/editor and film critic Elena Lazic. Topics include: Stéphane Delorme, PETRA, having a responsibility to cinema, The Prince Charles Cinema, STRAW DOGS, filmmaker intentionality, Another Gaze, The Relentless Picnic, the Oscars, Cahiers du Cinéma, the solitary nature of writing, TITANE, Reverse Shot, Vincent D'Onofrio and developing critical faculties through disappointment with INSPECTOR GADGET. Read Animus Magazine: https://animusmagazine.com Subscribe/Read ...
Jul 05, 2022•2 hr 46 min
Bill speaks to author and film critic Brad Stevens about his film cultural endeavors, from contributing to publications like The Dark Side, Sight & Sound and Video Watchdog to writing books like MONTE HELLMAN: HIS LIFE AND FILMS and ABEL FERRARA: A MORAL VISION. Topics include: Auteurism, Robin Wood, BBC’s “The Great American Picture Show” season, alternate versions of films, Sight & Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time poll, SCHINDLER’S LIST, Nicole Brenez, writing the novel THE HUNT, war...
Jun 08, 2022•2 hr 2 min
Bill speaks to film programmer, broadcaster, writer, podcaster and festival director Anna Bogutskaya about her many endeavors in film culture, from co-founding The Final Girls collective and programming for BFI Southbank to serving as director of Underwire Festival, producing podcasts and recording Blu-Ray audio commentaries. Topics include: THE WIZARD OF OZ and tiny philistines, The Hot Fuzztival at the Prince Charles Cinema, TROUBLE EVERY DAY and arthouse horror, Yhara Zayd, Russian dubbing pr...
May 11, 2022•3 hr 23 min
Bill speaks to novelist and film critic/historian Kim Newman about some of his many endeavors. Topics include: NIGHTMARE MOVIES, originality in horror, SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT, audio commentaries, Carlos Clarens’ ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE HORROR FILM, gatekeepers, toxic fandom, LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH and how a unique series of quirks in the British education system helped to prepare him for a freelance writing career. Visit The Kim Newman website: https://johnnyalucard.com Buy Kim Newma...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Bill speaks to author and magazine publisher/editor Michael J. Weldon about his many endeavors, from drumming with Cleveland proto-punk act Mirrors and reviewing movies for Cle, to Psychotronic, his photocopied, hand-written fanzine that lead to books like the influential PSYCHOTRONIC ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FILM, the long-running PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO magazine, calendars, film festivals and the Psychotronic store he manages today. Other topics include Ghoulardi, Roger Corman, hypnotism, Diane Keaton’s HEA...
Mar 07, 2022•2 hr 43 min
Bill talks to writer and film historian Chris Poggiali about his many endeavors in film culture, from co-creating the Temple Of Schlock fanzine and founding the long-running blog of the same name, to contributing to various magazines and video releases, distributing BLACK SAMURAI and working on books with Grady Hendrix, Michael Gingold and Sam Sherman. Topics include: Jack Starrett, the impact of crack on 42nd Street theatres, Steve Puchalski’s SLIMETIME and horror fanzines, The Journal of Inter...
Dec 04, 2020•4 hr 3 min
Bill speaks to filmmaker, author, podcaster, film programmer and home video label founder Justin Decloux about his many endeavors in film culture, including the Laser Blast Film Society, The Important Cinema Club podcast, the Gold Ninja Video label, the feature films TEDDY BOMB and IMPOSSIBLE HORROR and the book RADIOACTIVE DREAMS: THE CINEMA OF ALBERT PYUN. Topics include: Will Sloan, ARMY OF DARKNESS, the importance of good collaborators, the films of Charles Roxburgh and Matt Farley, RADIOACT...
Oct 26, 2020•2 hr 44 min
Bill speaks to novelist, screenwriter and film historian Andrew J. Rausch about his various endeavors, from early experiences in journalism, hip-hop and microbudget horror movies to a writing career that has yielded over 40 books to date. Topics include Quentin Tarantino and MY BEST FRIEND’S BIRTHDAY, Rod Lurie, interview techniques, Jack Hill, identifying homophobic aspects in the work of Edward D. Wood Jr., freestyling with The Roots, writing crime fiction and the challenges of adapting CARNIV...
Oct 12, 2020•2 hr 1 min
Bill speaks actress and singer Mink Stole about her life and career. Topics include the rehearsal process on John Waters movies, Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable show, taking friends from The Cockettes to see PINK FLAMINGOS (and their reactions), her “Think Mink” advice column, LOST HIGHWAY, Peaches Christ, learning new skills in public, Prescott Townsend, Peggy Gravel’s opening rant in DESPERATE LIVING, the pleasures of voting in person, THE BROWNIE STORY, Dreamland fashions and what ...
Sep 28, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Bill speaks to Gary Tooze about his home video review site, DVDBeaver, now in its 18th year. They discuss his experiences with film, from encountering Charlie Chaplin on television and renting 35mm Basil Rathbone movies with his father to creating the Listserv discussion group that evolved into his website. Topics discussed include audio commentaries, the 4K UHD format, David Cronenberg, nostalgia, Jonathan Rosenbaum, content warnings, Jesús Franco, Tim Lucas, contemporary pop culture in James B...
Sep 21, 2020•2 hr 21 min
Bill talks to Kino Lorber’s Director of Repertory Sales and Acquisitions, Jonathan Hertzberg, about his many film cultural endeavors, from creating the Obscure One Sheet Blog and programming for the Chicago International Film Festival to developing his DIRTY OLD NEW YORK video essays and launching the new Fun City Editions home video label. Topics include THE WANDERERS, virtual cinemas, Michael Ferrari, Montclair in the 90s, THE SWIMMER, Milestone Films, the Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Comm...
Sep 07, 2020•2 hr 56 min
Bill speaks to lecturer, editor and film programmer Abraham Castillo Flores about his path in film, from directing short films and cutting promos for the Independent Film Channel to programming for Mexico’s Mórbido Film Fest and hosting The Morbido Crypt's Guide to Mexican Fantasy and Horror Cinema events. Topics include: Luz María Rojas, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Luchador films, Liliana V. Blum, the documentaries of Paulina del Paso, contextualizing extreme films at festivals, Lucio A. Rojas’ TRAUM...
Aug 24, 2020•2 hr 55 min
Bill speaks to film programmer Nellie Killian about her pursuits in film, from attending Orson Welles and Fritz Lang retrospectives as a child to co-founding the Migrating Forms Film Festival and teaching film courses at the Pratt Institute. They discuss her career in programming, from her work with venues like Brooklyn Academy Of Music to such recent efforts as the acclaimed TELL ME: WOMEN FILMMAKERS, WOMEN’S STORIES, now streaming on The Criterion Channel. Topics include: The Cinema Worker Sol...
Aug 10, 2020•1 hr 53 min
Bill speaks to writer, producer/screenwriter and professor Ashlee Blackwell about her various endeavors, from organizing events like Philly Loves Women In Horror and developing the Graveyard Shift Sisters website to teaching film at St. Joseph’s University and co-writing, co-producing and appearing in the documentary HORROR NOIRE: A HISTORY OF BLACK HORROR. Topics include: James Bond III, the value in narrowing one’s focus, R. Shanea Williams, THE EXORCIST, Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, unwinding ...
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 43 min
Bill speaks to film historian, preservationist and filmmaker E. Purchell about their various endeavors, from programming and creating pre-screening short films for the Florida Avalon microcinema to the development of ASK ANY BUDDY, their Artforum 'Best of 2018' Instagram feed and acclaimed collage film companion. Topics include: Gregg Araki, Man Parrish, the Don’t Look In The Closet podcast, the film programming of Jazmyne Moreno, Everything Is Terrible!, Dark Entries Records, Instagram and Vime...
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 52 min
Bill speaks to author, broadcaster and film historian Emma Westwood about her many creative endeavors, from co-founding film societies and writing freelance criticism to hosting Triple R’s Plato’s Cave and developing her recent monograph on David Cronenberg’s THE FLY. Topics include: Fatal Visions, Lee Gambin, the differing approaches of American and Australian film schools in the early 1990s, ALIEN, John Frankenheimer, Bert Deling's DALMAS, writing about standup comedy, HOUSEBOAT HORROR, the re...
Jun 03, 2019•3 hr 23 min
Bill speaks to writer/director, Trailers From Hell guru and podcaster Josh Olson about his many endeavors, from writing screenplays like the Oscar-nominated A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and the audio drama BRONZEVILLE to co-hosting shows like The Movies That Made Me and The West Wing Thing. Topics include: Harlan Ellison, Werner Herzog and the German New Wave, NIGHT WATCH, Randy Frakes, landing professional opportunities through mistaken identity, MAD Magazine, Anthony Bourdain, screening UNFORGIVEN fo...
Apr 29, 2019•2 hr 16 min
Bill speaks to author, screenwriter and fanzine publisher Mike “McBeardo” McPadden about his various endeavors, from creating the fanzine Happyland in 1991 to developing books like HEAVY METAL MOVIES and TEEN MOVIE HELL. Topics include: Rick Sullivan’s Gore Gazette, approaching 1980s teen sex comedies in the #MeToo era, writing as Selwyn Harris for Screw and Hustler, Danny Peary, 1990s fanzine culture, authoring screenplays for Gregory Dark films like THE DEVIL IN MISS JONES 5 and ANIMAL INSTINC...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr 57 min
Bill speaks to writer, filmmaker, and New York Film Festival director Kent Jones. They discuss his path from writing film reviews as a teenager to directing the new film DIANE. Topics include: William Wyler, collaborating with Martin Scorsese on documentaries like MY VOYAGE TO ITALY and A LETTER TO ELIA, programming at venues like Film Forum and Film Society Of Lincoln Center, moderating Q & As, Jean-Luc Godard, Netflix, John Ford, Elia Kazan, Manny Farber, ZODIAC, New Video, Monte Hellman a...
Mar 21, 2019•2 hr 32 min
Bill talks to filmmaker and film programmer Chris O’Neill. They discuss his experiences in film culture, from childhood movie rental rituals to directing short films, working in distribution and programming for theatres like Kino Cinema and Triskel Christchurch. Topics include Irish cinema, tape trading, STRAW DOGS, Brad Stevens, the changes William Friedkin made to CRUISING and the impact of parenthood on work/life balance. Visit the official site of Triskel Christ Church: https://triskelartsce...
Nov 26, 2018•2 hr 21 min
Bill talks to film critic Manuela Lazic. They discuss her experiences in film culture, from reading Cahiers du Cinema with her sister in middle school to writing for publications like Little White Lies, The Ringer, Vague Visages, RogerEbert.com and Birth.Movies.Death. Topics include: Erotic thrillers, influential teachers, Christopher Nolan, writing about performance, podcasts, BLOW UP, drawing Freudian inspiration from Sasha Alexander's performance on NCIS, positivity and branding on social med...
Nov 12, 2018•1 hr 17 min
Bill talks to film programmer and historian Sergio Mims about some of his many pursuits in film culture, from working on the set of films like PENITENTIARY to co-founding the website Shadow And Act and festivals like Blacklight and Black Harvest Film Festival. Other topics include: influential books, classical music, tips for conducting celebrity interviews, J. Lee Thompson, the L.A. Rebellion film movement, Films And Filming, working in radio and having the good sense to turn down work on a fil...
Nov 05, 2018•1 hr 41 min
Bill speaks to author and musician Stephen Thrower about some of his contributions to film culture, from his earliest film criticism for Shock Xpress and his film journal Eyeball to the development of books like BEYOND TERROR: THE FILMS OF LUCIO FULCI, NIGHTMARE USA: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE EXPLOITATION INDEPENDENTS and MURDEROUS PASSIONS: THE DELIRIOUS CINEMA OF JESS FRANCO. Other topics include: Dr. Who, Roxy Music, POSSESSION, David Lynch, Ramsey Campbell, THE BROOD, Derek Jarman, DUFFER, Thr...
Oct 31, 2018•2 hr 29 min
Bill speaks to artist and exploitation film preservationist Lisa Petrucci about her experiences in film culture, from childhood encounters with horror movies at the drive-in to running Something Weird Video. Topics discussed include: Mike Vraney, working at Michael Weldon’s original Psychotronic Store in the East Village, early 90s exploitation film fan culture, Reel Wild Cinema, the evolution of Something Weird’s customer base, screening sexploitation films for today’s audiences and how her dad...
Oct 22, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Bill speaks to Peter Biskind about his various endeavors in film culture, from editing for publications like American Film and Premiere to writing books like THE SKY IS FALLING, DOWN AND DIRTY PICTURES and EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS: HOW THE SEX-DRUGS-AND-ROCK-‘N’_ROLL GENERATION SAVED HOLLYWOOD. Topics discussed include: Biskind’s work as a documentarian, Brandon Films, getting reprimanded by Francis Coppola, the development and reception of EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS, comic book movies and extre...
Oct 08, 2018•1 hr 23 min
Bill speaks to author and film critic Adrian Martin about how a childhood interest in science fiction fanzines lead him towards a rich and varied life in film culture, from teaching film at age 19 and working as a freelance film/arts critic to writing books, co-editing online journals like Rouge and collaborating with fellow critic Cristina Álvarez López on audiovisual essays. Topics include: writing techniques and outfoxing subeditors, progressive rock, specializing in certain films/filmmakers,...
Aug 20, 2018•2 hr 36 min
Bill speaks to writer Rachael Nisbet about her creative endeavors, from developing the website Hypnotic Crescendos to writing booklet essays for Dario Argento and Sergio Martino home video releases. Topics discussed include: Umberto Lenzi, Edinburgh film culture, research practices, erotic thrillers, Kat Ellinger, DON’T LOOK NOW, Scalarama and how to apply the aesthetic of an Italian giallo to one’s wedding reception. Visit Rachael Nisbet’s website, Hypnotic Crecendos: http://hypnoticcrescendos....
Aug 08, 2018•1 hr 32 min
