Third Eye Cinema / Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine podcast

Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 1/21/16 - Kiss the Ring: Italian crime cinema

This week on Weird Scenes - we're setting sails for sunny Italy! Among the many subgenres of cult film the Italians co-opted and proceeded to perfect was one of the wildest, most consistently entertaining and grim of the bunch: the poliziotteschi. Marked by extreme violence, gorgeous women, corrupt politicians and police and stylish if dangerous mobsters with a code of ethics all their own, the Italian crime film surpassed its Stateside, UK and French forebears by amping up the action, the body count, the speed and explosiveness of it all.  Packed to the gills with wild car chases, stunt-filled shootouts on crowded streets and abandoned industrial complexes and backroom double dealings, there is quite literally nothing else like them in cinema! With directors (Lenzi, Damiani, DiLeo, Massi, Castellari, Sollima) and stars specializing in and rising to fame mainly based on their efforts herein (Maurizio Merli, Thomas Milian, Gian Maria Volante, Luc Merenda, Fabio Testi) and others establishing deep roots in the genre (Martin Balsam, Adolfo Celi, John Saxon, Telly Savalas, Henry Silva), the Italian crime film has finally achieved reappraisal late in the DVD era, with many of its key efforts only now making their way to domestic shores. Join us as we try to cozy up to the right people and pay proper respect to the people who matter, to get things done (if you know what I'm saying, capisce?) Week 20 Kiss the Ring - Italian poliziotteschi and crime cinema   Your hosts "Doc" Savage and Louis Paul www.facebook.com/WeirdScenes1

Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 1/7/16 - Fight the Power!

Tonight, we're gettin' down and taking on The Man! One of the most consistently entertaining of genres, the blaxploitation film was an ersatz lovechild of the civil rights movement, often helmed and produced by established white directors (Jack Hill, Greydon Clark) but tailored to inner city urban audiences.   Simultaneously "realist" in their gritty, no holds barred depiction of ghetto life and utterly fantastic (crazed kung fu, often unrealistic scenarios), these pictures offered the promise of empowerment and more importantly, pride to a community emerging from the shadows to take a more equal place in American society throughout the late 60's and 70's.   Packed to the gills with soulful, funky soundtracks (often quite essential in and of themselves), no holds barred action, crime and ersatz appropriations from the concurrent kung fu craze, these films feature stylish fashions of the era, sports heroes, martial arts stars, sex and most importantly, tales of the victory of one man...or a united community, against corruption in high places - cops, government, mobsters, you name it.  And to quote a much later film, they do it with style... Join us as we talk flying fists, funky 'fro's and flashy fashion, only here on Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine! Week 19 Fight the Power!    Your hosts "Doc" Savage and Louis Paul www.facebook.com/WeirdScenes1

Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 12/10/15 - Keeping the British End Up

This week on Weird Scenes, we take on the two most important directors in 70's British cinema! Think about it: outside of Hammer, Tigon and Amicus (and perhaps short lived wunderkind Michael Reeves), how many British "new look" cult directors of the era can you name?  And yet, Pete Walker and Norman J. Warren have managed to carve themselves something of a conjoined niche unto themselves, outside the larger studios.   With their efforts gracing grindhouse theatres and syndicated programming alike throughout the 70's and 80's, their names have become synonymous with concurrent sidelines in sex and horror, often featuring some very well established names in the business! Join us as we speak to the dark and gritty (or saucy and bouncy) boundary pushing efforts of Norman J. Warren and Pete Walker! Week 18 Keeping the British End Up - a friendly pint with Norm and Pete   Your hosts "Doc" Savage and Louis Paul www.facebook.com/WeirdScenes1

Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 12/3/15 - Ciao, Mario

This week, we're talking the undisputed king of classic Italian horror! From his roots as a cinematographer for forgettable neo-realist dramas and sword and sandal pepla, Mario Bava rose from uncredited co-direction to full fledged auteurism on many of the all time classics of the horror genre! Nearly singlehandedly creating the Italian Gothic, the Giallo and the 80's slasher film well before these subgenres would flourish, Bava languished without any real critical approval for decades, only coming to appreciation long after his death in the DVD era.  A genius at staging (it's said he could take a few potted plants and a column or two and turn them into at least four completely different sets), he was a man noted for his sense of humor and dismissiveness about his own work...and yet, he crafted some of the most morbid, dark and for the time, extreme visions in cinema. Join us as we talk one of the true greats in Italian cult cinema, and obvious inspiration for so many even more famed auteurs (and genres) to follow somewhat slavishly in his footsteps - the inimitable Mario Bava! Week 17 Ciao, Mario   Your hosts "Doc" Savage and Louis Paul www.facebook.com/WeirdScenes1

Weird Scenes Inside the Goldmine 11/19/15 - Dear Brigitte

This week, we discuss the life, filmography and singing career of one of the world's great beauties, the incomparable Brigitte Bardot! Kicking off her filmography at the tender age of 17, the woman who would become both international sex symbol and model for Marianne, the symbol of France would embark on a career encompassing more than 40 films in nearly 20 years, including work for such highly regarded auteurs as Louis Malle, Jean Luc Godard, Edward Dmytrk and Jean Cocteau.  With first husband and regular collaborator Roger Vadim, she starred in a film that singlehandedly kicked off the sexual revolution, much to the distress of censors and the forces of puritanism around the world.  While their relationship and Vadim's rather Sadean influence led to a tumultuous personal life and involvement with any number of costars and jetsetters of the era, Bardot would emerge as a confident and outspoken presence who cut her career short to pursue a very public role in animal activism. And yet, the lady is best known for and truly excels in the role of comedienne, of which she has left us several enjoyable celluloid examples...and did we mention her sideline as a pop singer, in regular collaboration with the legendary Serge Gainsbourg? Join us as we delve in to the life and career(s) of the legendary Mme. BB! Week 16 Dear Brigitte   Your hosts "Doc" Savage and Louis Paul www.facebook.com/WeirdScenes1