We're baaaack. After quite a hiatus, we are back with some (admittedly quite drunken) thoughts on Stranger Things, Season 4. Included also are the songs that will save us from Vecna's claws, the songs to call his dragonbats, an attempt to gain sponsors by shit-talking their products, and a rousing fake DnD campaign that for some inexplicable reason includes Isaacs both Chris and Oscar. For the first time in franchise history, the show was recorded with all hosts in the same room. Sadly, we still aren't good at mixing audio levels. 
For extra credit, this playlist accompanies the show:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1hEltC5UkZ3Ow7U4ybKEFg?si=d669c65d42bd4694

Ep. 42 - Stranger Things, S4 aka the Vecna Effectna

After a ridiculously long sabbatical, we're back, baby! We're older and more decrepit than before, but still the lovable, tipsy idiots of yore. 
This time we're cracking open the sarcophagus on Mike Flanagan's "The Fall of the House of Usher" in all its Poe-y glory. Pop a Ligadone and join us. And ignore those sounds coming from the basement. It's probably nothing.

Ep. 43 - Fall of the House of Usher

Treat: our episode on having a howlin' good Halloween party. Trick: It's from this time last year. Back before the world itself was the real horror. Step back in time and come party with us for ever and ever and ever

Monster Party - Halloween

Ep 6 - Kids that KILL!

Join us for a belated Mother's Day show as we chat about the best, worst, and scariest mamas on film. Mostly we quote the prank call scenes from Serial Mom and apologize to our own mom for being vulgar. 

Ep 9 - Word to your Mother

More than most anything else, the LSB crew loves Halloween. This episode we're discussing what our favorite movies and TV specials are to watch while carving pumpkins, hosting a party, or otherwise enjoying the most wonderful time of the year. Happy spooking!

Ep 13 - Happy happy Halloween, Sil-ver Shamrock!

Powered by blue milk (sourced from only the finest local banthas), the sibs return to discuss a lil indie film called Rogue One. Truthfully, it's mostly a Mikkelsen/Tudyk lovefest, but we also make a lot of inaccurate droid noises, generally butcher the Star Wars canon/timeline, and manage as always to shoehorn the Aliens universe into the conversation. Jump into the garbage chute with us as we share thoughts on "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Where Everybody Dies". Also, spoilers.

Ep. 15 - We are Rogue One with the force

(Note: this starts cold with us bantering. Sorry, no fancy intros this week)
We were all captivated this week by the first trailer for the new version of IT. We all read this as (apparently unsupervised) children, and fondly remember the Tim Curry miniseries from the 1990s. The trailer looks nice and horrifying, so we have to chat about it. 
Also included: Ira offering to fight over if KONG: SKULL ISLAND is movie worthy of love, the presence or absence of cartoon character buttholes, and general crashing on the Justice League trailer.

Ep. 16 - The "IT" trailer, and various musings

Appropriate to the season, we're discussing the sometimes scary but  mostly terrible, sexist, and pointlessly pointy horror sub-genre of SLASHER MOVIES. 
So grab your gallon o' fake blood and an impossibly shiny kitchen knife and join us as we unmask Jason, out Batman, and analyze the (possibly totally made-up) Giallo films "Four Wigs in a Chevrolet" and "Cat's Butthole Rubbed Gently on a Dell".

Ep. 18 - Slicing & dicing our way through the slashers

Romance! 
The Soviets!
Sex with sexy fishmen sexily!
Lots of Awards Because It Gives Us A Collective Break from the Horrors of Reality!
We've been throughly charmed and mesmerized by Guillermo Del Toro's modern-day fairy tale "The Shape of Water". 
Anchored by a spectacular cast, full of those practical effects we love so much, and with enough interspecies humpin' to let us make a lot of immature jokes, this is a gorgeous movie that's a needed respite from real life. This podcast is also spoilers, end-to-end. Be ye warned.

Music used:
Dave Edmunds - Creature from the Black Lagoon 
Alexandre Desplat - The Shape Of Water
Drunk Siblings Ruining Ween - Ocean Man

Ep. 18 - Making the Beast with One Back, aka The Shape of Water

You know when you're in a weird social situation and you feel like you should leave, but the rules of society dictate you should stay or commit the sin of Rudeness? Yeah, that's how people die in horror movies. Trust that gut and GTFO before it's too late.

Who are we kidding? You're totally going to stay and get knifed up. To do anything else would be rude. 

Music used:
Michael Abels - Sikiliza Kwa Wahenga
Run Rabbit Run - Flanagan & Allen
Josef - Peachfuzz song

Ep. 19 - Social Horror aka Get Out-cast

Do we crave our own obliteration? Or do we just crave cosmic horror and fractals?
Our minds were blown this weekend by Alex Garland's follow-up to Ex Machina, "Annihilation", which is about ... uhh ... life and cells and relationships and all kinds of heady shit. 

Obviously spoilers are plentiful, so go see the movie before we confuse you further with our rambling, Shimmertime review.

We're all damaged goods here, so join us inside the shimmer. The way out is through, so let's see what emerges. 
See ya later, mutant gator.

Music used:
Crosby, Stills, & Nash - Helplessly Hoping
(Note from Leila: I'd forgotten how much I love this song and almost cried in the theater at how beautifully it was used)
Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow - "The Alien" - Annihilation OST

Book/Graphic Novel References:
Uzumaki - Junji Ito
The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell
Colour Out of Space - H.P. Lovecraft

Movie References:
The Thing, Under the Skin, Arrival, The Ruins, Stalker, 2001, Lawnmower Man, Aliens, The Girl With All the Gifts, Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Batman, UHF

Ep. 21 -Annihilation aka The Shimmerbear Out of Space

Of course we have to weigh in on the phenomenon - "Black Panther: The one superhero movie even Geoff liked". This is a hopeful, fun, beautiful, cool as hell, kick-ass movie with a message. It's hard to get all that into one film. Spoilers, maybe? Is there anyone on earth who hasn't seen this movie yet?

Music used:
Ludwig Göransson - Black Panther Original Score
Kendrick Lamar, SZA - All The Stars

Ep. 22 - Black Panther

We know next to nothing about professional wrestling, but we know we love the Netflix show GLOW. Comedy, drama, engaging characters, and backflips off the turnbuckle - we're there for it all. 
Put on your favorite Shitpope album, bake some pies of rage, and join us as we return from summer hiatus and tag team about the sleeper hit.

This is a great video by Super Eyepatch Wolf that explains the draw of pro wrestling. Start at 19:45ish for the touching story of the Golden Lovers. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQCPj-bGYro&t=1s

Episode 23: GLOW is A-Okayfabe

Come, join us as we squelch into movies and games about the undead. Can paper straws cause the zombie apolcalypse? Will Joan Cusack be there to call the ghouls assholes? Are zombies a prepper's wet dream?
Does Ira still hate Pontypool? Did we ever find Johnny?
Give it a listen for all the answers, from A to Zed.  

And find out why "Train to Busan" punched our hearts in the guts.

Ep. 24 - Shufflin' and Shartin': ZombieCast

The horror movies of Sam Raimi... The Dutch Angle. The Voice of Legion. The Delta 88. The maniacally possessed animal. The staggering amounts of gore. The Housewares of S-Mart. And of course the practical effects. All so groovy. 

JOIN US!

Ep. 25 -Cabin in the Wouldn't, aka Evil Dead-cast

Grab your crucifix to fend off the children of the night in this episode, devoted to bloodsuckers. What are the rules? The characteristics? The Archetypes? We span the positive and negative types, from relentlessly arty to gleeful splattery, quoting (mostly Bill Paxton) as we go.
You might even learn something about Romanian history. 

Discussion Topics:
Bram Stoker's Dracula, Salem's Lot, Only Lovers Left Alive, Near Dark, Lost Boys, Thirst, Blade, I Am Legend, Let the Right One In, What We Do in the Shadows, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Castlevania, The Passage, Adventure Time

Ep. 26 - All the damn vampires

Jordan Peele's follow-up to Get Out, Us examines the tethered, shadow selves of everyday Americans. 
We discuss themes and talk about other movies with doppelgangers. We may not be who we say we are, but how would you prove it?*

*Our one criticism is that despite being set in the 80s at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, there is a noted lack of sexy sax man in this film.

Ep. 27 -Doppelgangers on the boardwalk: Jordan Peele's US

Horror scores and soundtracks can make a movie. In this episode we break down some of our favorites.

Ep. 28 - Horror Scores and Soundtracks

Get out your s'mores and join us by the campfire. In the woods. Away from civilization. What was that? Did you hear a noise? I'm sure it's nothing. Have another brewski.
On this episode we're discussing our favorite hot, sweaty, bloody summer flicks. From Camp Crystal Lake to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, if it's a muggy, mosquito-and-psychopath-filled night where drunk teenagers are making dumbassed decisions, we're there for it.

We also take a detour into Batman lore, but it's mostly just to get Ira to do his best Joker.

Ep. 29 - SummerScream

Let’s talk about lycanthropy! The howliest, hairiest denizens of the horror pantheon, werewolves are generally relegated to ensemble roles where they back up other, suaver monsters, but we’re shining some Halloween moonlight on these shapeshifters of the night. So grab your silver bullets, pull on your red flannel shirt, and come with us into the forest under the full moon as we search for tales of the cursed, infected, and bitten. Pray you make it out unaltered.

Ep. 31 - Red Plaid Flannel Howl-o-ween aka The Werewolf

Note: This episode was recorded last summer after a beach trip and filming-location pilgrimage, but shelved due to technical problems with Leila's mic. She sounds weirder than normal! 

But we love this movie so much, we had to unearth this, our Aster-cast. Ari holds us, and feels like home to us. And not just because his name is Ira's name backwards. 
So we’re just going to ignore the bear and get on with it.

Ep. 32: Maximum Midsommar aka Have a Cuppa Attestupa

In this podcast series I sit down with uber fans of music I also enjoy to see what deeper meaning it has for them and why they love it so. In this episode I interview Jess about her love of singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens, and how/why his music has influenced her. 

Tracks (title-album):
1. Mercury -  Planetarium 
2.  Mystery of Love - Call Me By Your Name sdtk
3. Visions of Gideon - Call Me By Your Name sdtk
4. I Want to Be Well - The Age of Adz
5. Seven Swans - Seven Swans
6. John Wayne Gacy Jr - Illinoise
7. No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross - Carrie and Lowell
8. The Transfiguration - Seven Swans
9. Get Real Get Right - The Age of Adz
10. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing - Songs for Christmas
11. Memories - The National/Sufjan Stevens cover of Leonard Cohen
12. Boy With a Coin (Iron & Wine) - The Shepherd's Dog
13. Casimir Pulaski Day -Illinoise
14. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us - Illinoise

My Friends Love Music - Sufjan Stevens

In this episode we explore movies about isolation, quarantine, and the way our tenuous understand of "society" breaks down under pressure. We use 10 Cloverfield Lane as a jumping off point, moving on to The MIst, Night of the Living Dead, Cabin in the Woods, Alien, and other films about people trapped together, making increasingly wacky decisions. Leila communes with snot otters and Bears McCreary, Ira "well, actually"s himself silly, and Geoff pulls us further into the Twilight Zone than covid already has. Phish is somehow also involved. 
Join us in the bunker.

Ep. 35 - Isolation, aka Broadcasting from the Bunker

If you were in a movie and lost an arm or a butt, what would you replace it with? Do you wonder how we, drunken idiots, would answer that question? If yes, click play. 
Spoiler: might be sharks or ceiling fans.

Ep. 36 - Amputation as plot device, aka A Farewell to Arms

Love em or hate em, clowns are a part of the horror landscape. From Pennywise to Sweet Tooth, you just can't escape the funhouse. Celebrate Halloween with us as we poke around in the cotton candy-filled abdomen of the scary clown genre in this autopsy. 
Ira also introduces Chuckles, the Murder Clown. Your carnival experience may never be the same.

Ep. 37 - Creepy Clowns

The Thing. The Fly. Slither. The horrific onscreen transformations we gleefully chat about in our only episode to feature a content warning due to general grossness. NSF(N)L, which is obviously "Not Safe for Naked Lunch".  It's a long one - we have a lot of thoughts, most of them truly disgusting.

Ep. 38 - Slithery slimy and squicky, aka Body Horror

It's oh so satisfying when the antagonist gets theirs. Sometimes we sit through entire movies, novels, or presidential administrations waiting for the sweet sweet schadenfreude.
Come for the intro by Chuckles the Murder Clown (a throwback to the Clowns episode), stay for the noble kickstarter effort to hire Bonnie Bedelia to punch Trump in the face. Or tase him. Her choice.
And you'll never think of Olaf the snowman quite the same way.

Ep. 39 - Comeuppance aka Wub Nub time

Where do you get those wonderful toys?
This time around we're all about scrapyard inventors and their crazy creations. From Back to the Future to Fury Road to for some reason Cinderella (I don't remember why exactly; we were drinking), it's all here. Also, Geoff seems to think Reepicheep is a strain of weed, so cannabis breeders, have at it.

Ep. 40 - Junkyard Inventions and Rodent Tinkerers

For Valentine's Day, this episode is all about love on the screen. It's a little off the regular path for us, but we dive into it anyway. 
This one includes a related playlist of our favorite love songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4kHvBhWjZUj8r3s7G6jxCc?si=-H70AamhT5y8wdb9bcQ4wg

Ep. 41 - Romance and Love

A trio of siblings wax poetic about movies while drinking. 

LockShock&Barrel

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