PODCAST: Silent Horror

I'm very happy to announce that I've been asked to guest host on a new horror movie podcast run by my friend Jason Pyles from the "Considering the Sequels" podcast. "Horror Metropolis" is a new bi-weekly horror movie podcast featuring in-depth reviews of two horror films with at least one theme in common. It's hosted by Jason (Jay of the Dead) and features an all-star assembly of horror podcast co-hosts from the gargantuan Horror Palace network including the legendary Bill Chete, Dr. Shock (Dave from DVDInfatuation.com), and Terror Tovey. Happy to join their ranks and discuss something even more alienating to audiences than documentaries: Silent horror films. And one of them is a documentary! All right! Actually, I'm in my zone here and I had a great time discussing one of my all time favorite films, Nosferatu. Plus, I was given an awesomely cheesy horror podcasting name: "Wolfman Josh."  Stoked! Hope you enjoy it. And if you like it, also check out my previous foray into horror podcasting when Jason and I discussed all three versions of The Thing on his "Considering the Sequels" podcast.

Jay of the Dead » 5.25.12 »

Wolfman Josh Ligairi, a documentary filmmaker, joins us to talk about vampires and witches from the creepy era of Silent Horror.

The first hour of Episode 003 is dedicated to an in-depth discussion of “Nosferatu” (1922), the vampire film that defined the onscreen portrayal of the legendary blood-sucker. And during the remaining 47 minutes, we review a bizarre Swedish documentary about witchcraft called “Häxan” (1922).

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Original post, show notes, credits, links and more at HorrorMetropolis.com.

PODCAST: Cleanflix and Mormon Culture

As an avid listener of the Mormon Matters Podcast, it was a lot of fun to actually appear on the show this week. Now, if I could have the same honor over at my favorite film podcasts like The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith, Filmspotting, or The /Filmcast. Someday.

Other upcoming Mormon-themed podcast appearances where Andrew and I will be talking about Cleanflix include the much more mainstream podcast, The Cultural Hall, and the much more controversial podcast, Mormon Expression. Be sure to check those out if you enjoy some deep dissection of LDS culture. But first, here is the even-handed Dan Wotherspoon guiding us through some of the themes of our film, along with panelists (filmmaker) Richard Dutcher and (Mormon in the Cheap Seats) Brent D. Beal.

Dan Wotherspoon » 4.13.11 »

The documentary film Cleanflix tells the story of the dramatic rise and fall of businesses (based primarily in Utah) that rented and sold versions of Hollywood movies in which they had edited out bad language, nudity, sex scenes, gore, graphic violence, and anything else that they considered not a match for community standards. In telling the story from its origins to the court case that declared the practices as in violation of copyright agreements to the continuing saga of stores that refused to shut down even after the businesses were declared illegal, the film highlights deeply embedded attitudes in Mormon culture. What are the peculiar aspects of Mormonism that helped give rise to an industry that seemed fully intent on exploiting moral gray areas: letter versus spirit of gospel teachings, trying to eliminate guilt for wanting to be “part of” the world rather than fully “apart from” it, judging ones views of the value of certain art forms and messages as superior to that of the persons who created the art in the first place?

In this episode, Cleanflix filmmakers Joshua Ligairi and Andrew James, join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Richard Dutcher and Brent Beal for a lively discussion of these and many other aspects of this story. Could this industry have arisen and grown to be as huge as it became anywhere other than in Utah? Why do so many Latter-day Saints seem incapable of contextualizing artistic choices, failing to see that sometimes a swear word does not simply reveal a lack of linguistic imagination or that nudity is not always presented in order to excite libido? What doctrinal or cultural messages make it hard for many Mormons to want to really explore the human condition–including its dark and difficult aspects–in ways that film is ideally suited to?

We look forward to you listening and then sharing below your ideas on these and the many other areas explored in this fascinating film and discussion.

Moderator's Note » Stream the Mormon Matters podcast now at MormonMatters.org or download and subscribe at iTunes. Both options are completely free, but you should also consider a donation to the podcast if you value constructive, critical thinking on LDS topics.

PODCAST: The Thing

Just in time for my trip to Alaska, an arctic tale of terror. As if seeing The Grey last week wasn't bad enough. We actually recorded this episode back in December, but it is just posting now. Despite the infrequency, I love this podcast. And I especially enjoyed discussing the three films we talked about here. One of them is among my favorite horror films of all time. But, you'll have to listen to the podcast to figure out which one. Or maybe not. Either way, have a listen. I think you'll enjoy it.

Jason Pyles » 3.03.12 »

Considering the Sequels is supposed to be a monthly film podcast that examines the merits and weaknesses of movie franchises. Jason apologizes for the gross delays in episode posting. This episode was supposed to post on January 1. We’ll be posting a total of three episodes this month, and we’re going to make up for all the slacking with a big surprise in April.

In Episode 19 we consider the three “Thing” movies, and our featured guest is director Joshua Ligairi, a co-director of “Cleanflix” ( DVD / VOD / iTunes – April 1, 2012). Joshua Ligairi’s Web site: http://www.icarusae.com. Follow Josh on Twitter. Josh is also a crucial part of a wonderful site called The Documentary Blog.

Your hosts are Andy Howell, Karl Huddleston and Jason Pyles. The CTS Podcast’s new episodes are supposed to be posted on the first day of every month (though, again, Jason is very sorry this one is more than 2 months late).


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Original post, complete show notes, credits, and more at CTSPodcast.com.

NEWS: Cleanflix Filmmakers on RadioActive

Joshua Ligairi » 08.11.10 »

Cleanflix Co-Directors Joshua Ligairi and Andrew James appeared on KRCL's RadioActive this evening for a live radio interview with Flora Bernard as part of RadioActive's preview of the Salt Lake City Film Festival.

You can listen to a podcast of the radio show here or download it from iTunes.

NEWS: Adam(n) podcast appearance

Joshua Ligairi » 09.03.09 »

Two guys named Adam from Salt Lake City run a cool little film podcast where the movies of yesterday and today are jovially discussed in a low-key atmosphere that feels more like hanging out with old friends than a cineaste dissection of cinema. That's not to say that these guys can't drop science. The Adams are true film fans and can speak knowledgeably about anything from the work of Alfred Hitchcock to that of David Cronenberg. I've often enjoyed their rants on everything from Apocolypse Now and Blade Runner to Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Howard the Duck. These guys don't discriminate.

I first heard about A Damn Movie Podcast on Filmspotting (you may remember from a previous post that I am sickeningly addicted to several movie podcasts, Filmspotting ranking high on the junkie list) when one of those Adams, Adam Palcher, dropped in to talk about his favorite films of 2009 so far. Hearing a local on one of my favorite national podcasts, I did a spit take all over my Mac and then jumped on iTunes to look these guys up and see what I was missing out on. And I'm glad I did because it soon paid off in more than just cheap entertainment.

Last night I had the honor of being a guest on the show, recorded at Adam Sherlock's amazing house at a super-secret location in Salt Lake City. How amazingly super-secret? The guy has his own road. But I digress. Sherlock and Palcher invited myself and Andrew James, co-director of the Cleanflix documentary, on the show to discuss our film and the ideas behind it. What ensued was an interesting (to us) if incomprehensible (to everyone but us) conversation about Mormon culture, sanitized movies, the making-of our film, and the upcoming premiere of Cleanflix at the Toronto International Film Festival. I hope that what was said could be considered insightful commentary, but either way I had a great time and it was cool to see that the Adams are actually even more likebale in person than they are on the air.

You can download the podcast on iTunes for free. Just search "A Damn Movie Podcast." Our interview is halfway into Episode 71, the censorship episode, which also features a review of Private Parts and a top five list where the guys discuss movies that they would like to edit just to improve the quality of the film (the Phantom Edit anyone?). It is all worth a listen, but if you have a short attention span, our interview comes in at right about the 30 minute mark.

Another great thing is that the podcast happens to feature music from two of my favorite local bands, arguably two of the best indie/alt country bands in the world right now, Cub Country and Band of Annuals. You can find music from both of these bands online, and I would recommend that you do. I especially like the Cub Country album "High Uinta High" which is largely about singer/songwriter Jeremy Chatelain's (Jets to Brazil, Iceburn) love for the great state of Utah.

I should also probably mention, for those with sensitive ears, that these damn podcasters swear like sailors and the entire interview is riddled with colorful language. If you don't have access to iTunes, you can download the episode directly from their blog. The photos that I've posted of the Adams are by Renee Lee at BellaOra Studios and Francisco Kjolseth at In This Week.