The Gargyle Podcast - 60 Days of Halloween: Documentary Week

If you’ve listened to just about any of my podcasts, you know that one of the things that I love most about movies is analyzing them, especially when it comes to horror movies.  Horror movies reveal so much about humanity that just isn’t found in most other movies.  What terrifies us?  How do we overcome diversity?  Who are we when things are at their worst?  What are the horrors of humanity?  What are the horrors within ourselves?  Is the supernatural real?  These are topics that might be addressed in other styles of movies, but I feel like the horror genre allows these ideas to be discussed more fully because horror movies push boundaries and push us past mere entertainment.  So, with my love of horror movies and studying the human condition, it should be no surprise that I especially love horror documentaries.  Whether they be historical (looking more at some of the technical aspects of how a movie was made), analytical (looking more at the “why” of a movie), or human interest (focusing on people rather than film)...horror documentaries fascinate me on so many levels.

So join me as I discuss Monster Madness:  The Golden Age of the Horror Film, the Scream Queens episode of 100 Year of Horror, Best Worst Movie, Birth of the Living Dead, Vampira and Me, Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue, and The American Scream for Documentary Week!!

If you enjoy this episode, check back soon for more Halloween movie coverage in my 60 Days of Halloween.  Next up will be IFC Midnight Week!



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: David Lynch - The Art Life

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria!  I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers!  To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually.  Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is:  David Lynch - The Art Life



I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available.  The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for David Lynch - The Art Life was:

When CFF opened its pop-up art house theater Cine-Rama in 2016, we were proud to offer a screening of cult legend David Lynch's Eraserhead.  Years after that film's release, its raw power still hypnotized a room full of Lynch fans, a magical site for us to behold.  That's one of the many reasons, along with the other incredible films about the medium of film in our lineup this year - S is for Stanley and SCORE: A Film Music Documentary to name just two - this is a rare documentary that fans or newcomers can walk away from with equal appreciation.  David Lynch:  The Art Life did something that we hardly thought was possible - it made us love David Lynch and his body of work, as an artist and filmmaker, even more.  Seldom has a film been so aptly titled.  "Hearing about Lynch's life, we discover how his art and films have become colored by it," director Jon Nguyen said, "reflecting ideas and moods that have originated from his personal experiences."




I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival!  So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage!  And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: Kedi

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria!  I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers!  To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually.  Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is:  Kedi

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available.  The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for Kedi was:

Before watching Kedi, we wouldn't necessarily have considered ourselves "cat people."  Sure we'd petted a few cats in our day, but we never really understood what all the fuss was about.  Dogs were our pets of choice.  After watching Ceyda Torun's glorious and unique Kedi, we're seeing cats in a whole new light.  Following the lives of seven cats in Istanbul - where multitudes of strays roam the streets and have been part of the city's culture for thousands of years - the filmmakers pull of a rare feat and craft a heartwarming and endlessly watchable film in which these brave, resourceful felines are hustlers, lovers and fighters.  Kedi is one of the coolest and unique docs we've seen this year.  If you've ever spent even 30 seconds going down a YouTube rabbit hole of cute cat videos, Kedi is - if you'll pardon the pun - pure catnip.  



I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival!  So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage!  And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2017: 24x36 - A Movie about Movie Posters

Once again, I was able to return to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria!  I love cinema in all of its forms, so the Chattanooga Film Festival is one of my favorite times of year because I spend four days being surrounded by movies and fellow film lovers!  To get a sense of why I love the Chattanooga Film Festival so much, read my post from the start of my coverage of the 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival (found here)...every word of it still holds true!

We already did an overview episode on Mass Listeria (found at masslisteriapodcast.com), but for the next several episodes of The Gargyle Podcast, I'll be providing reviews of each of the films that I saw individually.  Up next in my coverage of the 2017 Chattanooga Film Festival is:  24x36 - A Movie about Movie Posters




I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available.  The descriptions and trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for 24x36 - A Movie about Movie Posters was:

Among our most prized possessions in the CFF office is a limited edition poster of one of our all-time favorite films, Repo Man.  That alone could explain why we wanted to show this documentary that explores the birth, death and resurrection of illustrated movie poster art.  But there's a better reason:  24x36 is as entertaining as it is informative, the hallmarks of any good documentary.  Through interviews with a number of key art personalities from the last four decades, 24x36 aims to answer the question:  What happened to the illustrated movie poster?  Where did it disappear to, and why?  In the mid 2000s, filling the void left behind by Hollywood's abandonment of illustrated movie posters, independent artists and galleries began selling limited-edition, screen-printed posters, a movement that quickly exploded into a booming industry with prints selling out online in seconds, inspiring Hollywood studios to take notice of illustration in movie posters once more.



I saw 21 feature films, short films, partial films, or live shows during the Chattanooga Film Festival!  So, be sure to check back soon for more of my CFF coverage!  And if you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to keep coming back for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and be sure to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play for more geek coverage!

music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2016: The Sad and Beautiful World of Sparklehorse

The Sad & Beautiful World of Sparklehorse (2016)
Chattanooga Film Festival 2016

Back at the beginning of April, I was able to go to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria (thanks again, Daniel and Tim, for bringing me on board...puns and all).  For four days, the Majestic Theater in Chattanooga was filled with movie lovers of all shapes and sizes.  Comedy, horror, drama, documentaries, short films, animated films, independent films...the festival had movies for everyone, regardless of tastes.  Over the next several posts, I will be posting my reviews of the movies that I saw there (in the order that I saw them).  Next up - The Sad & Beautiful World of Sparklehorse.

I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available.  The descriptions and the trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for The Sad & Beautiful World of Sparklehorse was:  A profile of Mark Linkous, singer-songwriter and founder of the alternative rock band Sparklehorse, who was a cult and influential figure in the alternative music scene before his suicide in 2010.  Introduction and post-film Q&A with co-directors Alex Crowton and Bobby Dass and writer/narrator Angela Faye Martin.



If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Chattanooga Film Festival 2016: It Was a Colossal Teenage Movie Machine!: The AIP Story

It was a Colossal Teenage Movie Machine!:  The American International Pictures Story (2015)
Chattanooga Film Festival 2016

Back at the beginning of April, I was able to go to the Chattanooga Film Festival with Mass Listeria (thanks again, Daniel and Tim, for bringing me on board...puns and all).  For four days, the Majestic Theater in Chattanooga was filled with movie lovers of all shapes and sizes.  Comedy, horror, drama, documentaries, short films, animated films, independent films...the festival had movies for everyone, regardless of tastes.  Over the next several posts, I will be posting my reviews of the movies that I saw there (in the order that I saw them).  Next up - It was a Colossal Teenage Movie Machine!:  The American International Pictures Story.



I'll be providing the description of the films provided in the Chattanooga Film Festival program and trailers via YouTube, when available.  The descriptions and the trailers of the movies might let you know what they are about, but if you want to know what I thought of them...well, you are just going to have to give the podcast a listen.

The CFF program description for It was a Colossal Teenage Movie Machine!:  The American International Pictures Story was:  Bug-eyed aliens!  Towering monsters!  Swinging surfers!  Tripping hippies!  Rowdy bikers!  The 1950s and 1960s wouldn't have been the same without American-International Pictures.  While major studios were bankrolling "prestige" films for adults, this atomic-age movie company produced low-budget, exploitation fare for the drive-in audience.

If you enjoy movies, conventions, comics, games, cartoons, Star Wars, horror, or just about anything geeky...be sure to check back soon for all things geekery!!  In the meantime, follow me here, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 




Music for The Gargyle Podcast by Bensound

Halloween Movie Month - 2014: Final Post

2nd place costume competition

Another October has come and gone, and with it, Halloween has now passed.  If you've been following me for the past few weeks, you know that I've been trying to post a review of a Halloween movie every night for the month of October.  Even though I wasn't actually able to post every night, I did pretty well with posting about every other night for most of the month.  But, as Halloween drew closer and closer, I started finding myself being busier and busier working on costumes, prepping my beard for the beard competition at work, and getting ready for CONjuration Con with New Monster Project.

1st place beard competition

Hagrid at CONjuration Con

I had plans to end out the month with something a little bigger - maybe 5 movies that I give a rating of at least a 4.5.  Two of the movies that I watched and started reviews for were Night of the Living Dead and The Shining.  Along with those two movies, I was also going to review corresponding documentaries.  With Night of the Living Dead was Birth of the Living Dead and with The Shining was Room 237.

I know it is a little late to watch them now to watch them in preparation for Halloween.  But, there is no reason why you can't watch them to help close out the Halloween season on a horror high note before prepping for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Rather than providing a full review right now, let me just say that Night of the Living Dead and The Shining are absolutely must-see!  In fact, I'm going to go ahead and say that they are a buy.  Birth of the Living Dead was incredibly interesting and I highly recommend adding it to your Netflix queue.  Room 237 was interesting, but it was just other people's speculations about The Shining - none of the people involved in the movie were actually a part of the documentary.  Room 237 was interesting enough to see, but I would put it much lower on the queue.  I will post full reviews at a later date (possibly a much later date), but for now, go watch The Shining and Night of the Living Dead!  If you have extra time, watch the corresponding documentaries.

Until next year, I hope you've had an amazing October and enjoyed Halloween Movie Month!!


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) post, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review!



- The Gargyle

Halloween Movie Month: Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue

Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue:  The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)
Netflix instant

This documentary is exactly what the title says - the evolution of the American horror film.  Starting with Thomas Edison's adaptation of Frankenstein and going all the way up to modern (as of when the documentary was made) horror, Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue discusses the implications of horror and how it mirrors the fears of society.

I really enjoyed this documentary. It pretty much encapsulates why I love horror. Not for the blood and the gore, but for the societal and psychological commentaries. Sure, there are plenty of people out there who love horror movies for just the sex and gore. And there are people out there who love horror because of twisted pleasures. But, there are also plenty of people out there like me. They enjoy the message. Some people might argue “well, if it's just the message you like, then why do you have to watch horror?” And I think that it's because horror films let you get away with showing more of the gritty side of humanity. There are some dramas that get into the dark side of humanity, but when it comes to movies that are marketed for more of a mainstream audience, they are not able to go as deep into the concepts and into the meanings. There are plenty of other independent films (not horror) that accomplish this as well. But, still, there is just something about horror movies. They play on the Jungian archetypes and collective nightmares. Since my background is in psychology, I am continually fascinated by what it means to be human - the good and the bad.

I recently had a conversation about the difference between horror, gore, and startle.  Some people will talk about how scary a movie was, but all that really means is that there were some startling scenes.  Other people will talk about how scary a movie was, but it really just means that there was a lot of blood and gore.  But when it comes to horror (true horror) - that is something that will stay with you for a while.  True horror plays on real fears.  It shines a light on the horrors of mankind.  One of the quotes from the documentary talks about these horrors, saying "ordinary men (are) turned outwardly monstrous by cruel fate and turned inwardly monstrous by the cruelty of men."  The concept was described another way as two different types of ghost stories told around a fire:  one where the warning is about the evil "out there" and the other is where the warning is about the evil within yourself.   I think that when it comes to horror versus gore and startle, it is the evil within that has the biggest impact on creating true horror.  While it might not always be easy to kill the monsters in horror movies, it is even more difficult to confront and slay our own internal struggles.

Even though the conversations themselves are clean (I do not remember much, if any, swearing), there is a lot of footage shown from various horror movies - and that footage does not shy away from the nudity and gore that is found in many horror movies.  So, even though the discussions are appropriate for people who might not be fans of horror, the footage that is shown might still be upsetting to them.

The biggest complaint that I have is that this documentary does give away some of the endings of some of the movies. While there are some movies that knowing the end will not spoil the experience of watching the film, there are some movies where the ending is the most important part.  That being said...the majority of endings that are discussed are from movies that are at least a decade old.  So, yes, there are some spoilers.  But, they are on movies that you most likely already have some level of familiarity, or movies that you have already decided that you will never watch.

Rating/Recommendation:  4/5.  Definitely add this one to your Netflix queue.  This documentary was intellectual, educational, entertaining, and thought provoking.  If you watch it with anyone who is a fan of movies, or anyone who enjoys philosophical conversations about the nature of humanity, you are almost guaranteed to have an engaging conversation after the movie.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I love talking about movies. And when it comes to horror movies, the conversations that I enjoy having are the ones about the meanings. I generally do not enjoy conversations about “did you see all that blood???” because I have found that those conversations generally do not go anywhere and get really boring really quick. So, as we go through the rest of Halloween Movie Month, share with me how the movies I review play on your fears and societal views. Or, just enjoy them for a good scream.

Be sure to check back soon for more reviews in Halloween Movie Month!  In the meantime, leave comments on this (or any other) review, follow me here and on twitter (@GargyleReviews), and let me know what movies you'd like for me to review for Halloween Movie Month!

-The Gargyle