The Night Crew Podcast » Podcast

Icon Peter Jackson and West Memphis Three Member Damien Echols Speak!

seansmithson — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:52:20 +0000

We are very honored here on The Night Crew to bring you a raw, unedited round table discussion with cinematic icon Peter Jackson (Dead Alive, Lord Of The Rings), and Damien Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, who were jailed for nearly two decades after being wrongly accused of murder. Jackson has produced a new documentary based on the case, West Of Memphis, and was personally involved in the case through his funding of investigative work that helped lead to the release of these young men victimized by a politicized judicial system. This interview is brought to you by Night Crew staffer/Fangoria writer Heather Buckley. Strap in, it’s an emotional ride and broaches some very important issues in America as to discrimination, and legal corruption.

THE WEST MEMPHIS THREE -
The West Memphis Three are three men who were tried and convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. was sentenced to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin was sentenced to life imprisonment. During the trial, the prosecution asserted that the children were killed as part of a satanic ritual.A number of documentaries have been based on the case, and celebrities and musicians have held fund raisers in the belief that they are innocent.

In July 2007, new forensic evidence was presented in the case and a status report jointly issued by the State and the Defense team stated, “Although most of the genetic material recovered from the scene was attributable to the victims of the offenses, some of it cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants.” On October 29, 2007, the defense filed a Second Amended Writ of Habeas Corpus, outlining the new evidence.

Following a successful decision in 2010 by the Arkansas Supreme Court regarding newly produced DNA evidence,[5] the West Memphis Three reached a deal with prosecutors. On August 19, 2011, they entered Alford pleas, which allow them to assert their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them. Judge David Laser accepted the pleas and sentenced the three to time served. They were released with ten-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years and 78 days in prison.

WEST OF MEMPHIS -
West of Memphis is an examination of a failure of justice in Arkansas. The documentary tells the hitherto unknown story behind an extraordinary and desperate fight to bring the truth to light. Told and made by those who lived it, the filmmakers’ unprecedented access to the inner workings of the defense, allows the film to show the investigation, research and appeals process in a way that has never been seen before; revealing shocking and disturbing new information about a case that still haunts the American South.

IN CONVERSATION – with Heather Buckley, featuring guests Peter Jackson and Damien Echols
Intro
Trailer for West Of Memphis
Interview w/ Jackson and Echols
Outro
Song excerpt – “Freedom” by Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton

YAMATOcast Episode Zero

seansmithson — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 23:11:21 +0000

What can two goofy cartoon geeks do but worship at the altar of what is possibly the single greatest animated sci-fi adventure of all time? And what better way to do it than with a podcast? Sean Smithson and Kris Kudla host the new YAMATOcast, dedicated primarily to the adventures of the brave crew of the Space Battleship Yamato!

Listen here for the first time as the lads introduce themselves, and wax nostalgic about their beloved Yamato aka Star Blazers. You can expect guests both from fandom and from the professional world of cartoons, as well as soundtrack clips, neat-o sound fx, and geeky banter. In future installments they’ll also be breaking the show down episode by episode, comparing the original Japanese version with the US version, pointing out the marked differences in content and tone. Get your geek on!

Welcome to Episode Zero of YAMATOcast!

Maestro WILLIAM FRIEDKIN Is On The Night Crew!

seansmithson — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:51:05 +0000

That’s right Night Crew listeners, we are back from hiatus, and we return with a doozy of a guest. Twitchfilm’s Jason Gorber joins up with The Crew to deliver an extended interview with the man behind such uber-classics as The French Connection, The Exorcist, Cruisin’, and the recent breakout film of 2012 Killer Joe, which is flooring fans and critics alike across the boards.

The audio is a wee bit rough around the edges due to circumstance, but still highly audible. When Friedkin wants to talk, you can bet we hit the *RECORD button no matter what the circumstances.

Get ready for on of the greatest segments in TNC history. I personally saw THE EXORCIST as a wee lad on first release, and hundreds of times since, and call it my “favorite film of all time” when pushed to pick one out of the thousands I love. I can die a happy man now.

Enjoy the collection of trailers from some of Mr. Friedkins incredible body of work below, and click over and get a slice of heaven with the interview. We are The Genre Magazine For Your Ears…it is the return of THE NIGHT CREW!

Special thanks to Twitchfilm.com, Todd Brown, and Jason Gorber for bringing this to our table.

PISTOLS AND PASTA – An Italian Crime Film Primer ep1

seansmithson — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 04:56:31 +0000

Please welcome new Night Crew contributor Nate Allen to the fold. Like the rest of us sickos here, Nate grew up obsessed with film, hiding from the light as he watched thousands of hours of every piece of gold and trash he could scrounge up.
The man knows his stuff, and is here to impart his love of Italian cinema to you lucky listeners. if you like extreme action, senseless violence, sweaty gunmen, and out-of-control cops, you’ve come to the right place.

You will want to keep a pen and paper handy, the titles will comes fast and furious in this first installment, as Nate brings a general overview of things this time around, but will meticulously make us all experts in the poliziatteschi sub genre by the time he’s through bashing our heads into all these film canisters of Italian crime flicks laying around. Be sure to watch the trailers below as well, and get a taste of the bloody marinara that slathers the films mentioned this installment.

Only on THE NIGHT CREW…The Genre Magazine For Your ears!

BANDITS IN MILAN

MILANO CALIBRO 9

THE ITALIAN CONNECTION

THE BOSS

STREET LAW

THE BIG RACKET

LIVE LIKE A COP…DIE LIKE A MAN

ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH

TORINA VIOLENTA

BEAST WITH A GUN

DISSECTING FLESH – Examining The Cinema Of David Cronenberg Ep3 – THE BROOD

seansmithson — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 09:30:21 +0000

Sean “The Butcher” Smithson and Anthony Mativier ponder the strangeness of monstrous pajama-clad children, born of the id and self-help therapy gone all kinds of wrong. It’s David Cronenberg’s THE BROOD, starring Art Hindle (who can be heard HERE on a past episode), Samantha Eggar, and the late but absolutely great Oliver Reed.
As a bonus, Sean and Anthony rev this epsiodes engine up with a brief discussion of Cronenberg’s brief diversion into gearhead porn, the race-car flick FAST COMPANY with William Smith and John Saxon!

Put on your coveralls, there’s plenty of axle grease and mutant afterbirth on this episode of DISSECTING FLESH – Examining The Cinema Of David Cronenberg.

THE BROOD

FAST COMPANY

UP FROM THE DEPTHS: Creepy Crawly Terrors!

seansmithson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:50:49 +0000

FANGORIA and TWITCHFILM’s Sean “The Butcher” Smithson, and archivist/’zine guru Paul “Dormarth” Malleck rake the muck once again, looking for gems lurking in the sub-sub genre’s of cinema. This time out the boys decide to play around with bugs and creepy crawlies.
They’ll prime the pump with some title suggestions, then focus on the single directorial effort from the design maestro, and cinema title master Saul Bass, an amazing film of insectoid terror from 1974, PHASE IV.
This is an audio show, so we’ll let the audio devices do the talking. All you need to do dear listeners, is pour a cold one, light ‘em if ya got ‘em, and lay back for a nice skin crawling discussion of massively geeky proportions. These guys love what they do, and hopefully so will you…now put on that bug repellent, click in, and listen to this arachnified installment UP FROM THE DEPTHS: Exploring Sub-Sub-Genre Cinema!!!

Saul Bass’ PHASE IV
Check these out for more Creepy Crawly terrors!

Do You Have THE ARGENTO SYNDROME?

seansmithson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 05:04:40 +0000

Do you have The Argento Syndrome? Well, author Derek Botelho sure does, and he wants to share it with you, all the other Italian horror loving fans out there. Derek has an incredible new book on the iconic director Dario Argento coming out on Bear Manor Media in the fall. You can check out an excerpt at Derek’s blog The Blood Looks A Little Pink right HERE

Listen in as Sean The Butcher and Mr. Botelho discuss some of Argento’s films, including hopefully adding a little insight to a couple of the least loved, as well as the sexuality in the m,aestro’s work, and Derek tells us what it was like to actually visit Argento on set abit, back when he travelled aboriad to pay a visit while NON HO SANNO was in production.Good stuff. Be sure to pick up THE ARGENTO SYNDROM when it hits!

Making Stedhal Syndrome

It Burns! THE EXORCIST Gets Remade…Twice

seansmithson — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 04:34:51 +0000

Arrrrgh! Sean The Butcher comes with detailed news of the ultimate in blasphemy…they are remaking THE EXORCIST! Not once mind you, but twice. Now we have a mini-series coming, and even sooner, a stage play.
Stick around, because he brings in his best buddy, Anti-Chris, to wax prophetic on how these versions will indeed turn out. Warm up a bowl of split pea soup, and click play for more!

Actress JENNY WRIGHT Is On The Night Crew!

seansmithson — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:01:12 +0000

From roles like the over-sexed girl-next door Cushie in THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP with Robin Williams, to the street smart Darlene in OUT OF BOUNDS, actress Jenny Wright has entertained many a movie hound. She entered into genre-film icon status with her role as Mae, the reluctant vampire in the classic Katheryn Bigelow film NEAR DARK, which is still the bar for modern vampire films to this day.
Factor in other great work like SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM with Michael Caine, and TWISTER with Harry Dean Stanton, and it becomes clear that this lady can hold her own with the strongest of screen legends.
Never one for the public eye, we feel absolutely honored to have her here on The Night Crew for an extended interview. Find out about Jenny’s start in NYC, when she was a CBGB’s-going punk rocker with a burning desire and talent for acting, and was spending time rubbing shoulders up against some of the giants of that era. We also talk about the craft of acting itself, reminisce about how hairy Robin Williams is, and generally have a good ole’ time just gabbing it up.

Check out the trailers to some of Jenny Wright’s films below, and fire up those video accounts after listening!

BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE MONSTER KIDS Looks Back At Harryhausen

seansmithson — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 04:16:51 +0000

Fangoria magazine/Twitch Film scribe Sean “The Butcher” Smithson, and author/radio host David Del Valle delve into the classic era of horror and sci-fi, when double-feature matinee’s ruled weekend screens, and sneaking out to the drive-in was a way of life.

This time out they discuss Sean’s upcoming book, about growing up in theaters seeing films he probably shouldn’t have been, and how that environment ended up saving his life. Then the discussion shifts to the legacy of Ray Harryhausen. Does the work define the man? Is his legacy 100% deserved? Is there an heir to the throne of the master of Dynamation? Listen victim, and find out for yourself! Just…walk through these curtains…and let us take you down…Beneath The Valley Of The Monster Kids.