Deathlok Comic Book Cover Gallery

I still hold out hope for a Deathlok film.

 

The Bloody Pit #223 - Planet of the Apes TV Series (1974)

After avoiding podcasting about the Planet of the Apes franchise for years it is finally time to talk about one of the weakest parts of the classic run. The 1974 television series lasted only fourteen episodes and was one of the most expensive shows produced up to that time. Author Mark Clark joins me to discuss the entire run and we go on for far too long. Bear with us for the full running time as we dig out the interesting elements and lament the missed opportunities of this nearly forgotten show. Is this truncated series of adventures with two time-displaced astronauts and an ape companion worth discovering or revisiting? We make our case.

Seen as part of the ongoing 1970’s journey of the science fiction story from the four sequel films, the POTA TV series is clearly a Cul-de-sac branching away from the established road. The first episode both negates a connection to the previous stories and tries to link it to the original film with an earlier astronaut landing spoken of by the leaders of Ape society. Mark makes a strong argument for how the show could take place in one of the two timelines set up in the films already but I am skeptical. We go through each episode pointing out the usually hackneyed plots and overused clichés that litter the stories being told. Often the scripts could easily have been written as installments of a 1960’s western show and simply repurposed for the world of the apes. But the few times the show leans on its science fiction premise are more interesting even if it inevitably leads to very little.

If you’ve never watched this series, I hope our spoiler filled podcast won’t put you off at least a partial exploration of our favorite episodes. We can’t claim it’s our most loved part of the franchise but it has its points of interest and entertainment.

If you have any comments about the Planet of the Apes TV series or our plans to talk about the sequel films thebloodypit@gmail.com is the address to send them. And if you are interested in the projects Mark speaks about near the end of the show there are links below. Thanks for listening! 

SCREEM Magazine

Jack Hill book 

THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962) Poster Art and Lobby Cards

We really need a Blu-Ray of this classic.

 

The Bloody Pit #215 - DAMNATION ALLEY (1977)

The show returns to the science fiction films of the 1970’s with author Randy Fox! This time out we tackle DAMNATION ALLEY (1977) and make a sad discovery – neither of us like the film. Generally, I don’t enjoy podcasting about films I’m not enthusiastic about but we explain how this episode came to be. Word to the wise – communication is key!

 

Anyway. We dig into the production of the film and go back to the source story from Roger Zelazny to compare page to screen. Spoiler alert – page wins. But we take note of the various films that seem directly inspired by Zelazny’s tale and relate ways that this movie could have benefited from sticking closer to the story as written. We discuss the slashing of the budget and the commensurate drop in special effects quality. Neither Randy or I like one of the lead actors which is always a problem for entertainment value. Couple this with excellent character actors dying far too soon, as well as the female lead being given nothing to do and the printed version of this tale looks better all the time. No matter that the producers thought, a futuristic Convoy was not what the public wanted.

 

If you like DAMNATION ALLEY, by all means, let us know why at thebloodypit@gmail.com – we are curious. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

What I Watched in June 2024

I love all five of the Mad Max films and I find that I am one of the apparent few that thinks BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985) is one of the best of the series. In fact, until FURY ROAD (2015) that third film was my favorite of the run. I feel that the original three films became better and more impressive as they went along with BT bringing all the best elements of the first two movies together to create an emotional and bruising action juggernaut that perfectly summed up the Max world and capped it too.

 

And then thirty years later the director returns and shows he still has some stories and some new tricks up his sleeve. FURIOSA (2024) is another brilliant vision of his wasteland and I only wish it might not be the last. That the film failed at the box office disgusts me. It shows once again that often the best movies have to be found years after their release to be evaluated properly, leaving people to lament the missed opportunities. Pathetic.

 

One day we’ll get the ‘looking back’ pieces written that praise FURIOSA as the masterwork it so obviously is but just let me briefly say a few things. George Miller does one thing better than any film director currently working - he puts the motion in motion pictures using action to define and reveal character’s natures. He makes every scene come to pulsing life with some of the most fluid, frenzied action I’ve ever seen onscreen. And this movie’s scale is huge, with tons of big action scenes and wild, colorful locations. In fact, the colors become part of the storytelling with certain hues coded to specific characters and used to key things in the viewer’s perceptions. I’ll be watching and rewatching this movie for years just to soak up the incredible visual craft of ever single scene. Dammit! We need another Mad Max World film. Hell – in this benighted universe we deserve it, just for the two hours of mouth-agape joy it would provide. 

The List 

TARANTULAS: THE DEADLY CARGO (1977) – 6 (well done TV movie) 

ANGEL ON THE AMAZON (1948) – 6 (interesting adventure/melodrama with a strong cast)

DAUGHTER OF THE JUNGLE (1949) – 7 (fun jungle girl variation) 

THE WATCHERS (2024) – 5 (it ain’t good but it ain’t bad either) 

PHENOMENAL AND THE TREASURE OF TUTANKAMEN (1968) – 4 

PEARL (2022) – 8 

FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (2024) – 8 

TORMENTED (1960) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

A NIGHT OF ADVENTURE (1944) – 6 (Tom Conway in a strange crime tale) 

DARK HARVEST (2023) – 6 (not bad adaptation of the fine book but something is missing) 

MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985) – 9 (rewatch) 

SOUND OF HORROR (1966) – 5 (not bad but too long Spanish invisible monster tale) 

FIND A PLACE TO DIE (1968) – 6 (Jeffery Hunter spaghetti western – remake of GARDEN OF EVIL) 

THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES (1955) – 4 (rewatch on Blu) 

NIGHT OF FEAR (1973) – 6 (short Australian backwoods slasher) 

THE VAMPIRE EFFECT (2003) – 5 (silly, comedic action with some Jackie Chan)

A BLADE IN THE DARK (1983) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) – 4 (rewatch on Blu)

FAIR WIND TO JAVA (1953) – 6 (South Seas adventure) 

ONCE A THIEF (1911) – 6 (good John Woo action but it’s a little too silly) 

INN OF THE DAMNED (1975) – 6 (overlong but solid Australian western horror film) 

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE (2024) - 8 

THE BELLE STAR STORY (1968) – 7 (well done spaghetti western directed by a woman) 

 

The Bloody Pit #197 - A BOY AND HIS DOG (1975)

Writer Randy Fox returns to discuss a classic science fiction film from the 1970’s. A BOY AND HIS DOG (1975) was a box office flop initially but became a beloved cult movie pretty quickly. It is one of the very few adaptations of a Harlan Ellison story that got the author’s 95% approval and we dig into the reasons for that in our discussion.

Hugely influential, the film stands as a still relevant template for post-apocalyptic cinema all the way up to the recent TV series FALLOUT. Made for less than half a million dollars it is the rare low budget science fiction film that doesn’t show its financial constraints and manages to turn some detriments into positives. Featuring a fine central performance from Don Johnson and excellent supporting work from his canine companion (voiced by actor/musician Tim McIntire) the movie brings the original story to life brilliantly. We discuss the differences from the novella and the reasons for them as well as the few smart improvements the script weaves into the tale. Randy and I share our histories with the film and our own encounters with the legendary Ellison over the years. We dig into the charges of misogyny and misanthropy that are often leveled at the movie pulling apart the details to search for defenses. We find a few. We are, of course, amused that the film takes place in 2024.    

If you have any comments about A BOY AND HIS DOG or other 1970’s science fiction films thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening! 

The Bloody Pit #196 - SONS OF STEEL (1988)

John Hudson and Bobby Hazzard join me for a raucous discussion of this bizarre Australian oddity. Are we able to figure out the story? What do we think of the main character? Do we maintain our sanity before the invisible chimp rears his furry head to fling poop everywhere? Thank goodness for the laughing audience in the room to keep us on track and aware of how silly we can be.

SONS OF STEEL (1988) is a film built out of bits & pieces of earlier movies but without the budget necessary to pull it off. It seems to be assembled from random parts of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Blade Runner, Back to the Future, Max Headroom and a little barbarian imagery for texture. The film follows Black Alice, a pompous singer strutting around a dystopian near-future momentarily mourning his dead girlfriend and trying to become a rock star. Strangely, he is also somehow an environmental peace activist – or at least we are told this by agents of the Oceana government. (Did I mention that 1984 is ripped off as well?) The movie is a series of music videos struggling to tell a tale of revolution, love and violence but the most memorable moments are the very 80’s songs scattered across the soundtrack. In Spiritus Wank’em!

If you have any thoughts on Black Alice, SONS OF STEEL or the sequel novels penning by the writer/director, thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening to the show!

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 5 Episode 13 - Ranking the Pastapocalypse!

 

We've reached the end of the irradiated road, so join us one last time in the apocalypse, as we rank the ten films viewed in this season. Also, as a bonus, we discuss the Italian-adjacent post-apocalypse masterpiece that is WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD (1983). Often the story of how a film gets made is more interesting than what ends up on the screen.

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite post-apocalypse films, or if you want to rank these films too. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Also, please remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

Wild, Wild Podcast S5 E12 - THE FINAL EXECUTIONER (1984)

It's time for our epic journey across the irradiated wastelands to come to an end, so what better film to bring things to a satisfying conclusion than THE FINAL EXECUTIONER? Join Adrian and I as we struggle to find anything positive to say about this late entry in the pastapocalypse cycle while still remaining upbeat. Some would say that we are scraping the bottom of the barrel but sometimes there are tasty bits left behind. Is that the case here? Or is this a film that even its mother would have left out in the desert to fend for itself? Luckily there is violence, sexytime and the occasional bit of funky synth music so it's not all bad.

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite post-apocalypse films. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please also remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

Video - THE FINAL EXECUTIONER (1984)

YouTube is making things a little easier if you want to follow along with the films we cover on the Wild, Wild Podcast. Our next episode focuses on this example of the post-apocalyptic genre that neither Adrian or I had ever seen before. Check it out!

Poster Art and Lobby Cards for RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR (1984)

 

The Bloody Pit #178 - RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR (1984)

**Word of warning – the first fifty minutes of the show has less than great audio. For some reason a buzzing was on the track and the only way I could eliminate it was to crush some of the less loud portions of the sound out. Sadly, this dropped most of the laughter from the amused ladies in the room and causes the softer ends of some words to be lost as well. I’m sorry about this – I’ll work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.**

I am joined once again by Bobby Hazzard and John Hudson to roll around in Italian sleaze! This time I chose the film and, since I was in a post-apocalypse frame of mind, we end up talking about our first Bruno Mattei film. RATS NIGHT OF TERROR (1984) is probably my favorite of Mattei’s efforts, which some will claim is damning it with faint praise – I can’t disagree. 

We talk about how we first encountered this mad movie and its regular video companion HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980). Tied into that, Hudson notes the strong similarities of this film’s plot to the classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) siege scenario. Other post-apocalypse exploitation movies are used for comparison with this one coming in as a lesser effort in some way but not in others. The portentous ‘Star Wars’ inspired opening voiceover has us trying to square the supposed 225 years ‘After the Bomb’ timeline it provides, but we do have a lot of fun noting that the world ended in 2015. Actress Geretta Geretta has talked about this film on several occasions and we relate a few of her more interesting tales of working in Italian cinema without speaking the language. Other topics include dodging iguanas, buckets of rats and well-done fire stunts complete with some unfortunate animal cruelty. We do eventually end up spoiling the excellent ending, so you have been warned. 

If you have any comments about this film or any other we’ve covered on the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. We thank you for listening and we will do our best to avoid audio problems in the future. 

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 5 Episode 11 - A MAN CALLED RAGE (1984)

This film is about a man called Rage. His name is on the poster and everything! But is he actually full of rage? Or is he just a bit annoyed at being mildly inconvenienced by the post-apocalypse? There may have been nuclear war, but it hasn't stopped him being able to get a really good haircut or from going to the gym. It's hard to see what's got him so cross. Let's see if we can find out. Join Adrian and I for this latest episode as we get ripped with Rage and slashed with Slash – not the famous one, though. Yes, we head out once more into the forbidden lands in search of whatever it is they need this time, with only a gun and a girl in hot pants for company. Standard military issue denim hot pants, of course!

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite post-apocalypse films that we haven’t covered yet. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please also remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

Video - A MAN CALLED RAGE (1984)

For those following along at home, here is the next film that Adrian and I will be covering on the Wild, Wild Podcast. It's a another in the long line of Italian post-apocalyptic epics produced on a tiny budget. It is exactly what you would expect but I found it to be pretty darned entertain. Can't understand how I missed seeing this one until now!

Wild, Wild Podcast S5: E10 - WARRIORS OF THE YEAR 2072 (1984)

Strap your motorcycle helmet on, rev your engines, grab your weapons and head into Rome's New Colosseum where violent death is just seconds away! Yes, Adrian and I are once again dressing up in leather to face the nightmarish futures of Italian cinema, and in this episode it's a future brought to you by none other than the Godfather of Gore himself, Lucio Fulci. Many aspects of the film are discussed, including when is a post-apocalypse not a post-apocalypse, and Adrian gets sidetracked by the brief pop career of its female lead and Playmen cover model, Eleonora Brigliadori. Once you've heard Balla Il Tip Tap you may find yourself wishing for the apocalypse or wanting to compete in Kill Bike.

We would love to hear what your favorite post-apocalypse films are even if they're ones we haven't touched on in this series. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please also remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 5 Episode 8 - EXTERMINATORS OF THE YEAR 3000 (1983)

Adrian and I return with a Road Warrior rip-off that really doesn’t try very hard to hide its swipes. Shifting the focus of the post-apocalypse survivors from fuel to good old H2O is the biggest change if you put aside the obvious budget differences. But with characters named Alien and Trash you just know that things are going to be interesting! The film’s fast and furious car action scenes are discussed as well as western influences that go beyond merely filming in the same Spanish locations that hundreds of spaghetti westerns were made. This one is a lot of fun!

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite post-apocalypse films. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please also remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 5: Episode 6 - ENDGAME (1983)

It's time to pull your leather trousers on, apply some Ziggy Stardust-style make-up and grab a shotgun as we bravely head into the Endgame arena for the reality show battle of our lives! Along the way we'll have some psychic alone time with Laura Gemser and go toe-to-toe once again with Joe D’Amato's lucky mascot, George Eastman.

We talk about how impressive the poster art is for this film and how it seriously oversells things the movies does not contain. We also find time to discuss the fact that we are living in a golden age if you are a fan of cult Italian cinema, which of course you are, and Rod makes a surprising revelation!

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite post-apocalypse films. You can contact the show on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please also remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice! And thanks for listening. 

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 5: Episode 4 - 2019: After the Fall of New York (2019 - Dopo la caduta di New York, Sergio Martino, 1983)

 

Join us and Michael Sopkiw as we hit the road in our not-ripping-off-Mad-Max hotrod for some not-ripping-off-Death-Race car-smashing action in the deserts of Utah and a quarry just outside Rome. And that's just the prologue to the real story, which is not-ripping-off-Escape-From-New-York at all. Yes, 2019: After the Fall of New York is the fruit salad of Italian post-apocalypse films, throwing in a bit of everything and then pouring the synth stylings of the De Angelis brothers over the top in the hope that you won't notice the joins or the obvious miniature work. But we love it! Along the way we discuss the ubiquity of George Eastman, ponder the difficulty of finding the last fertile woman on Earth if no one has told you her name or what she looks like, and reminisce about Dogtanian and the Three Muskerhounds.

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite post-apocalypse films. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please also remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (1983) Poster Art

Researching a future Wild, Wild Podcast episode, of course!

Wild, Wild Podcast Season 5: Episode 3 - 2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS (1983)

In this episode Adrian somehow had the wrong mic recording so everything on his end sounds like he's down a well. Perhaps a good place to survive the apocalypse?

Yes, we're still in a dystopian future world, and this time we're in the safe hands of uncle Joe D'Amato and George Eastman. 2020 Texas Gladiators can be found on YouTube if you want to play along at home, and this is one film you won't want to miss!

We would love to hear from you if you have any favorite post-apocalypse films. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice and thank you for listening!