Shocktober 2025 spirals into demonic delirium with Juan López Moctezuma's Alucarda (1977). This feverish blast of Mexican Gothic horror follows Justine (Susana Kamini), a sheltered orphan who finds herself drawn to the wild, otherworldly Alucarda (Tina Romero) within the stone walls of a convent that’s anything but holy. What begins as innocent friendship erupts into a blood-soaked storm of possession, blasphemy, and ecstatic madness.
Ryan Luis Rodriguez and Mark Begley join Mike to dissect Moctezuma’s infernal masterpiece — its ties to Jodorowsky’s surrealism, its place in the “nunsploitation” subgenre, and its bold feminist undercurrents that still scorch the screen nearly fifty years later.
Special Guest: Bennett Yellin Guest Co-Hosts: Ryan Luis Rodriguez, John Walker
Mike is joined by co-hosts Ryan Luis Rodriguez and John Walker to revisit Dumb and Dumber (1994), the oddball road movie that redefined gross-out comedy and became a surprise cultural touchstone. The trio unpacks the film’s absurdist tone, its unexpected structural tightness, and how it helped catapult the Farrenlly Brothers and Jim Carrey into the Hollywood mainstream.
Screenwriter Bennett Yellin stops by to reflect on the film’s long development process, the writing collaboration with the Farrenlly Brothers, and what it was like shaping one of the most quotable comedies of the decade.
Guest Co-Hosts: Jedidiah Ayres, Ryan Luis Rodriguez
The Projection Booth’s Patreon Picks series charges ahead with Blood and Diamonds (1977), a gritty crime saga from Fernando Di Leo. Claudio Cassinelli stars as Guido Mauri, a man fresh out of prison and ready to settle old scores in a world where loyalty is a fleeting illusion. As Guido cuts a ruthless path through former allies, betrayal and bloodshed go hand in hand.
Host Mike White is joined by crime fiction aficionado Jedidiah Ayres and podcast favorite Ryan Luis Rodriguez to dissect this pulpy revenge tale, discussing Di Leo’s signature style, the film’s place in the Eurocrime pantheon, and why Blood and Diamonds deserves a closer look.
We dive into Red Lights (2012), a psychological thriller that blends skepticism, belief, and the enigmatic world of psychic phenomena. Written and directed by Rodrigo Cortés (Buried), the film stars Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver as a pair of investigators determined to expose fraudulent psychics. Their sights are set on Simon Silver (Robert De Niro), a legendary blind performer whose mysterious powers defy explanation—or do they?
Co-hosts Rod Lott and Ryan Luis Rodriguez team up to discuss this layered tale of science versus the supernatural, unraveling its twists and themes. Along the way, they explore if this overlooked gem from James Brummel's Patreon request deserves a closer look. Is Red Lights a misunderstood thriller or a missed opportunity?
Special Guest: Sam Goff Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Stachiw, Ryan Luis Rodriguez
Ryan Luis Rodriguez and Chris Stachiw join Mike to look at the Conscience (or Sovist) from 1968. Directed by Vladimir Denisenko, the film is set in a small village during the German occupation of Ukraine. When one of the German officers is slain, his fellow soldiers demand that the partisan responsible be turned over, lest the entire village be wiped off the earth. The film was banned and didn't see the light of day until the post-Perestroika thaw.
Sam Goff of Klassiki discusses Ukranian and Soviet cinema of the time.
Special Guests: Neal Israel, Gabriel Jarret, Jon Gries Guest Co-Hosts: Chris Bricklemyer, Ryan Luis Rodriguez
Chris Bricklemyer (Outside the Cinema) and Ryan Luis Rodriguez (The Coolness Chronicles) join Mike to discuss the 1985 film from Martha Coolidge, Real Genius.
Written by Pat Proft and Neal Israel, the film stars Gabe Jarret as Mitch Taylor, a 15 year old who is recruited into a top engineering college by Professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton). Hathaway has been secretly contracted by the US military to create a new weapon -- a space laser -- which can vaporize a target from the upper atmosphere. Mitch is paired with the hottest of hot shots at the school, Chris Knight (Val Kilmer) in a real career kick-starter role.
Interviews on this episode include Gabe Jarret, Neal Israel, and the one-and-only Jon Gries.
Over the last few months I've been a guest on a wide array of other peoples' podcasts.
The Kulturecast
It's "Begleyary" at The Kulturecast where Wake Up Heavy's Mark Begley has chosen several films with Ed Begley Jr. in them to discuss including Now You See Him, Now You Don't and Citizens Band.
You can hear why I'm not invited on more comedy podcasts as I totally tank in the "taking down" of Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints.
The Coolness Chronicles
Meanwhile, on Ryan Luis Rodriguez's The Coolness Chronicles, I was on to discuss The Naked Gun 33 1/3 in an episode he called Hey, It's Enrico Pallazo!.
Cinema Beef
On Cinema Beef I joined a discussion of a double feature of crime films, A Simple Plan and No Country for Old Men that they called Take the Money and Blood.
Mystic & Severe Radio
You can see my ugly mug on the Mystic & Severe Radio episode about Five Fingers of Death.
Robert Bellissimo At The Movies
Last but not least I was on Robert Bellissimo At The Movies to talk about Carol Reed's Odd Man Out.
Guest Co-Hosts: Mark Begley, Ryan Luis Rodriguez
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Over the last few months I've been a guest on a wide array of other peoples' podcasts.