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Supporting Characters

Host Bill Ackerman talks to writers, bloggers, podcasters, fanzine publishers, programmers, preservationists and more about their creative endeavors and today’s film culture.
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Now displaying: 2022
Aug 29, 2022

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, Courtney Stephens’ TERRA FEMME,  her Phantom Light column for Film Comment, THE WELL, film lists/ranking and stumbling upon old W.C. Fields locations.

Read Sinners’ Holiday: An Ode to Pre-Code”
https://brightlightsfilm.com/sinners-holiday-an-ode-to-pre-code/#.Ylfx8i2ZOqA

Read Imogen Sara Smith on SWING TIME:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6424-swing-time-heaven-can-t-wait

Read Ghost Town: Nights on Bunker Hill:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7734-ghost-town-nights-on-bunker-hill

Buy the Kino Lorber 4K UHD for KILLER’S KISS:
https://www.kinolorber.com/product/killers-kiss-4kuhd-blu-ray

Read Imogen Sara Smith on the Criterion Current site:
https://www.criterion.com/current/author/572-imogen-sara-smith

Register for Imogen Sara Smith's online course, French Cinema: The Language of Light 1895-1960 
https://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/item/french-film-history-online/

Register for Imogen Sara Smith’s online course, French Cinema: Breaking Rules & Boundaries 1960-2022 https://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/item/french-cinema-breaking-rules-boundaries-1960-2022-online/

Pre-order El vampiro negro (The Black Vampire):
https://www.flickeralley.com/classic-movies-2/#!/El-vampiro-negro-The-Black-Vampire/p/478619443/category=0

Buy The Guilty / High Tide from Flicker Alley:
https://www.flickeralley.com/classic-movies-2/#!/The-Guilty-High-Tide/p/442246038

Visit the Film Noir Foundation site:
http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org

Aug 28, 2022

Bill remembers his friend, writer/film programmer Travis Crawford.

Jul 18, 2022

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 Club, Fantastic Fest 2017, online harassment, Elizabeth Purchell, ironically working for Jerry Springer and getting judged for renting THE WIRE.

Follow Katie Rife on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/rifewithkatie

Keep up with the latest articles by Katie Rife on Muck Rack:
https://muckrack.com/rifewithkatie/articles

Read Katie Rife on GHOST WORLD:
https://www.avclub.com/20-years-on-a-self-proclaimed-enid-looks-back-at-ghost-1848132541

Watch Everything Is Terrible: “Flirting With Magic”
https://vimeo.com/34270515

Watch Everything Is Terrible: “Moms On The Net!”https://vimeo.com/34523789

Watch Everything Is Terrible: “Rock Music And The Occult”
http://everythingisterrible.blogspot.com/2009/06/rock-music-and-occult.html

Read Katie Rife on TAKE IT OUT IN TRADE’s controversial screening at Fantastic Fest 2017:
https://www.avclub.com/an-unseen-ed-wood-movie-ignites-a-firestorm-of-controve-1818767773

Read Katie Rife’s 4-part series on CARMILLA:
https://www.fangoria.com/what-girls-do-when-theyre-left-alone-150-years-of-carmilla/

Buy Katie Rife’s book IF YOU LIKE QUENTIN TARANTINO… https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/author/KATHERINE-RIFE

Watch Katie Rife talk about LADY SNOWBLOOD on The Brandon Peters Show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQxBWuiG2a0&t=1400s

Watch the Film Club Podcast with Katie Rife and A.A. Dowd:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLslxeOGneMPsb4FjarRN8DByJi_xxYYni

Read Katie Rife on her time working for THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW:
https://www.avclub.com/trash-class-and-free-cigarettes-my-life-with-the-jer-1828530477

Listen to Katie Rife on Drinks On Monday with The Strike Team:
https://drinksonmonday.libsyn.com/whats-high-in-the-middle-and-round-on-both-ends

Read Katie Rife on The A.V. Club:
https://www.avclub.com/author/katierife

Jul 5, 2022

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 Animus on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/animus_mag/posts

Visit Elena Lazic’s website:
https://elenalazic.wordpress.com

Read Elena Lazic’s interview with Abel Ferrara:
https://elenalazic.wordpress.com/2020/07/19/abel-ferrara-on-the-driller-killer/

Read Elena Lazic on WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED - A HISTORY OF FOLK HORROR:
https://animusmagazine.com/2021/08/23/a-man-who-would-come-here-of-his-own-free-will/

Read Elena Lazic on ONIBABA for The Criterion Collection:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7556-onibaba-masks-and-faces

Hear Manuela and Elena Lazic discuss THE PARENT TRAP on Blank Check:

https://soundcloud.com/griffin-and-david-present/the-parent-trap-with-elena-lazic-and-mani-lazic

Hear Elena Lazic on The Evolution Of Horror:
https://www.evolutionofhorror.com/elenalazic

Watch Manuela and Elena Lazic discuss the films of Robert Pattinson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu2STc_wQ7k

Watch Manuela and Elena Lazic discuss iconic cinema serial killers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_ZnIt58bic&t=1009s

Buy Indicator’s limited edition Blu-Ray for Don Siegel’s MADIGAN, with a new booklet essay by Elena Lazic:

https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/madigan-le-indicator-uk-blu-ray-region-b/

Visit Another Gaze:
https://www.anothergaze.com

Read Daniel Bird on POSSESSION for Animus:

https://animusmagazine.com/2021/12/31/everything-old-is-new-again-or-how-we-grew-to-stop-hating-and-love-possession/

Jun 8, 2022

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, warming up to the films of Steven Soderbergh, physical media versus streaming and Abel Ferrara.

Read Brad Stevens’ “Bradlands” articles for Sight & Sound:
https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/comment/bradlands

Visit Brad Stevens’ Amazon author page:
https://www.amazon.com/Brad-Stevens/e/B001KHCUEQ?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1654470806&sr=1-3

Buy Arrow Video edition of THE DRILLER KILLER, with commentary by Abel Ferrara moderated by Brad Stevens
https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/driller-killer-arrow-us-dvd-blu-ray-combo/

Buy MONTE HELLMAN: HIS LIFE AND FILMS:
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/monte-hellman/

May 11, 2022

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 practices, “The B word” programming controversy, The Filmcast and parasocial relationships, the WE ARE THE WEIRDOS touring program and reediting a Pedro Almodóvar movie to discourage internet piracy. 

Visit Anna Bogutskaya’s official site:
https://www.annabogutskaya.com

Visit The Final Girls site:
https://www.thefinalgirls.co.uk/home

Hear The Final Girls podcast:
https://thefinalgirlspodcast.transistor.fm

Learn about Underwire Festival:
https://filmfreeway.com/UnderwireFestival

Buy the Second Sight 4k UHD / Blu-Ray:
https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/the-witch-le-second-sight-uk-4k-uhd-blu-ray-see-note-preorder/

Read about Cruel Flesh: Films of the New French Extremity:
https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=newfrenchextremity

Watch Anna Bogutskaya discuss Pedro Almodóvar’s ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWHrRxRrlxA

Follow Anna Bogutskaya on Twitter:
@annabdemented

Apr 11, 2022

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 Newman’s novel SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT:
https://johnnyalucard.com/2021/04/20/cover-reveal-something-more-than-night/

Read about Sheep Worrying:
https://www.sheepworrying.co.uk

Watch MISSING GIRL:
https://johnnyalucard.com/fiction/screen-audio/missing-girl/

Listen to Kim Newman on The Evolution Of Horror podcast:
https://www.evolutionofhorror.com/what-is-horror

Watch Kim Newman introduce a Mario Bava double feature on BBC2 in 1990:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfmXZvOn68Y&t=37s

Mar 7, 2022

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 HEAVEN, Club 57, Johnny Ramone, cattle call auditions for GHETTO FREAKS, childhood filmmaking efforts, Alfred Sole, research methods, 42nd Street theatres, THE HYPNOTIC EYE and being killed over and over by Dr. Butcher, M.D.

Visit Psychotronic.com:
http://psychotronic.com

Read old issues of Psychotronic Video Magazine:
https://archive.org/details/psychotronic

Watch a Psychotronic tour of 42nd Street:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNAE82werw

Kurt Loder plugs Psychotronic on MTV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M--jNfflu8M

Hear Michael Weldon’s band Mirrors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENw6co2BUc4

Buy THESE FISTS BREAK BRICKS:
https://mondoshop.com/products/these-fists-break-bricks

Buy: DO YOU BELIEVE IN SWEDISH SIN? SWEDISH EXPLOITATION FILM POSTERS 1951-1984:

https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Swedish-Exploitation-Posters-1951-1984/dp/9198677209

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