Category Archives: Podcasts

Franchise Detours Episode 9: ‘Cult of Chucky’ (feat. film critic Angie Aguayo)

Playtime is just about over. After seven wild films, 2017’s Cult of Chucky brings our inaugural mega-series to a close. And writer-director Don Mancini takes an appropriately go-for-broke approach with (so far) Chucky’s final cinematic outing.

In the final episode of our Child’s Play/Chucky mega-series, film critic Angie Aguayo joins us to talk Cult of Chucky. We’ll discuss how the film revolutionizes the franchise, the many returning characters who come to play, and how the movie sets up Chucky’s future.

Of course, USA/Syfy’s Chucky is already building on what Cult of Chucky sets up. Angie and I delve into what we hope to see there as well. Perhaps when season 1 concludes, we’ll reconvene for a review of Chucky. But for now, listen in as Angie and I, however briefly, join the Cult of Chucky.

SYNOPSIS
In writer-director Don Mancini’s follow-up to 2013’s Curse of Chucky, the killer doll (voiced by Brad Dourif) returns to terrorize survivor Nica Pierce. This time around, Nica is confined to an asylum for the criminally insane after taking the fall for Chucky’s crimes. Meanwhile, Chucky has some scores to settle with his old nemesis, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent).

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Close Watch Episode 5: ‘The First Wives Club’ (feat. Phoenix Clouden of the Film Code Podcast)

Considering The First Wives Club earned $100 million in 1996, it’s remarkable how little people seem to discuss it. This episode, Phoenix Clouden of the Film Code Podcast helps us fix that. As the movie celebrates its 25th anniversary, now is the perfect time to celebrate the iconic performances from Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton.

Even as a child, Phoenix found himself drawn into the story of three women of a certain age contending with their duplicitous ex-husbands. We’ll discuss why The First Wives Club is so much deeper than it seems, which of the three leading ladies we relate to the most, and whether we’d want to see a sequel reuniting Hawn, Midler, and Keaton even now.

Join us as we officially call this meeting of The First Wives Club to order.

SYNOPSIS
Despondent over her ex-husband’s marriage to a younger woman, a middle-aged divorcĂ©e (Stockard Channing) plunges to her death. At her funeral, her former college friends (Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton) reunite. When they discover the reason for their friend’s suicide, they realize their ex-husbands have taken them for granted. Deciding it’s time for revenge, they make a pact to get back at their exes.

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Franchise Detours Episode 8: ‘Curse of Chucky’ (feat. Sandro Falce of Oldie But a Goodie)

It’s not uncommon for a horror film franchise to eventually find its way into direct-to-DVD or on-demand territory. But what makes 2013’s Curse of Chucky is how it not only endures but thrives from that point on. Nearly a decade after Seed of Chucky fell short of most fans’ expectations, writer-director Don Mancini reinvented his signature character yet again.

In the penultimate episode of our Child’s Play/Chucky mega-series, Sandro Falce of Oldie But a Goodie joins the show. This entry introduces another new protagonist in Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif). We’ll discuss how Dourif’s addition makes the series a family affair, why Curse of Chucky needed to step back to move forward, and where the story is heading.

Listen in as the Child’s Play franchise hits its third incarnation. It’s the haunted house movie of the series this episode. But if Curse of Chucky seems subdued for good ol’ Charles Lee Ray, just wait to see what he’s up to next.

SYNOPSIS
Twenty-five years after Brad Dourif first voiced Chucky, he’s back for the sixth Child’s Play film. Set nearly a decade after Seed of Chucky, the killer doll (Dourif) re-emerges at the home of a grieving family. However, following the death of her mother, Nica begins to suspect Chucky may be the key to recent bloodshed and chaos.

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