Caliber 9 From Outer Space

We're full throttle into Noirvember now - and time for a film from the Master himself (with perhaps a slight detour into Italian poliziotteschi - because we can't help ourselves). First up, we have Welles' noirsterpiece (and widely regarded to be the last American film of its genre), Touch of Evil (1958). We follow that up with the pulse-pounding action of Tony Arzenta (1973), directed by Duccio Tessari.

Touch of Evil is a film which has been discussed, written about and pored over so much that Spoiler Territory hardly feels necessary, but we do announce one for Tony Arzenta. Skip ahead to 2:28:05 to avoid spoilers for that one.

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Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

"Revenge" by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

We're just about to dive into Noirvember but before we do... we've decided to kick off a new series of audio commentaries for the Rambo franchise, starting at the obvious place: Ted Kotcheff's initial instalment, First Blood (1982). Joining us this time (and for the rest of the films in this franchise as we get to them over the next 6 months or so), Sammy from The Gentlemen's Guide to Midnite Cinema podcast.

Join our Patreon to access the full audiocommentary! As a member of our Mario Adorf Allstars tier you get access to hours of extra content including two audiocommentaries every month and other bonus episodes! Find it here.

Sammy suggests that this film is possibly one of the most influential films of the last 40 years, and when you consider the sheer volume of one-man-army style action films since the 80's - in fact, the whole "action hero" phenomenon that Stallone and Arnie pioneered and which continues today with the likes of Jason Statham - that's a lot of cinema which can probably be traced directly back to this film. Having said that, First Blood is arguably incompatible with the rest of its own franchise. John Rambo became a symbol of America fighting back, of the American political entity exerting its will within the wider geopolitical environment - a right wing fantasy of moral superiority as somehow exemplified by violence. But in this first film, America itself is the problem - John Rambo is instead a post-traumatic powderkeg thrown into a society with little compassion for those it sacrifices in the name of American imperialism. Although a first rate action flick, First Blood has a lot on its mind, is what we're trying to say.

Our classic audiocommentary for Creepy Spooky Month is Scanners (1981), directed by David Cronenberg, with special guest, Dr Ethan Lyon!

We've been having a very Cronenberg October this year, and to go along with our review of The Fly on the main feed, we're excited to present this audiocommentary for Cronenberg's first commercial breakthrough. Scanners explores a lot of themes common to the great Canadian auteur's work: concepts of bodily autonomy, the mind's psychological effect on the flesh, notions of human evolution and the role of technology on that. Get ready for stark forbidding brutalist architecture, bleak frostbitten landscapes and, of course, that epic exploding head. What a way for Michael Ironside to kick his career off. 

Join our Patreon to access the full audiocommentary! As a member of our Mario Adorf Allstars tier you get access to hours of extra content including two audiocommentaries every month and other bonus episodes! Find it here.

It's Noirvember and this week we kick off a series of episodes where we'll pair a classic film noir (pre-1960) with a neo-noir (1960's onwards). Film-maker Tim Auld joins us to discuss a double feature which demonstrates the evil that powerful men do. First up: Sweet Smell of Success (1957), directed by Alexander Mackendrick, a study in fame, power and the manipulative effects of exploitative media figures. And if that's not bullet-riddled enough for you, we follow it up with Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), directed by Sam Peckinpah - a cinematic poem of darkness and despair from one of Hollywood's great iconoclasts.

We will be announcing a Spoiler Territory section for both films, so if you haven't seen them before you listen, you can nevertheless avoid spoilers for Sweet Smell of Success by skipping ahead to the 1:10:11 mark, and for Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia by skipping ahead to 2:03:02.

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on caliber9fromouterspace@gmail.com

Join our Patreon! As a member of our Mario Adorf Allstars tier you get access to hours of extra content including two audiocommentaries every month and other bonus episodes! Find it here.

Tim's YouTube channel is Nothing is Written

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

"Bullets and Rocks" by Calexico

Happy Halloween! It's the end of Creepy Spooky Month - AND it's our 150th episode! - so we figured it was time to line up a big one. Dr Ethan Lyon is back on the pod (not in the pod, and there's definitely no flies on him) to discuss The Fly (1986), directed by David Cronenberg. And we close the month out with another Ed Wood joint, Bride of the Monster (1955). That's right, it's wall to wall mad science this week - from the sublime to the ridiculous, perhaps, but the delights of horror cinema were ever thus.

We don't think these films are really spoilable so we don't bother with Spoiler Territory this week, although we do go into detail concerning the plots so, as always, if you're concerned about spoilers, do watch the films beforehand.

Join our Patreon! As a member of our Mario Adorf Allstars tier you get access to hours of extra content including two audiocommentaries every month and other bonus episodes! Find it here. Continuing the Cronenberg theme, we've added an audiocommentary for Scanners this month, along with all the other bonus content available to our Allstars tier!

Want to get in touch? You can reach us on caliber9fromouterspace@gmail.com

Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp

"Meet Ze Monsta" by PJ Harvey