MPW Blog: Remembering Rowdy Roddy Piper – by Jason Pyles

Piper Cartoon

I’m sure it’s no consolation to the people who knew him as Roderick George Toombs, or “Dad,” but 61 is actually a fairly long life for a professional wrestler. I knew him best as Rowdy Roddy Piper. He died from a heart attack two days ago on July 31, 2015.

As a young wrestling fan, I remember Rowdy Roddy Piper most as a villain who played Hulk Hogan’s arch nemesis at the time. That dates me back to the days of Saturday morning cartoons and “Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling,” which ran from 1985 to 1986 — not too long after the era as other animated brain children like The Dukes of Hazzard cartoon, “The Dukes” (1983), and the “Rubik, the Amazing Cube” cartoon! Continue reading

MPW Blog: Alfred Hitchcock on the Difference Between Surprise and Suspense – by Jason Pyles

Hitchcock Blog

Prelude
Welcome to the resurrection of the Movie Podcast Weekly blog articles. This will probably only last for one or two articles, so enjoy it.

The Disappearance of Suspense
Lately I’ve been lamenting the absence of genuine suspense in our present-day cinema, especially in the Horror genre. I’m worried that it’s getting to be a lost art, or at least, a lost portion from the cinematic form.

The cynical side of me suspects that the recent generations of filmmakers have stopped spending time learning from “the great ones,” the pioneering filmmakers of the 20th century. I’m worried that black and white film has scared them away.

But I have a more likely theory: I believe we’ve lost genuine suspense with the advent of computer-generated imagery (CGI). Because we’re now able to conjure any being or environs out of thin air, I think the erroneous but pervasive belief must be that we don’t need to spend time “building up” to something; we can just make it happen right now.

Hence, the death of suspense. Continue reading

THE GEEK

Ryan

Movie Podcast Weekly co-host Ryan Elliott was discovered by Jason Pyles and a Canadian lawyer. Jason and the attorney invited Ryan and his Geek Cast company to appear as guests on a now defunct pop culture podcast to talk about geekdom at large. Ryan and company were instant stars who launched the Geek Cast Live Podcast soon thereafter.

Ryan is the actual town mascot of a place called Fowler — Americana incarnate — nestled snugly in the fields of Benton County, Indiana. Ryan had a hangin’ tree in his former front yard, and his Great Aunt Tilly famously contributed her false teeth and brassiere to the Fowler Centenniel time capsule (a real thing). Not many people speak of it anymore, but the truth is that Ryan did a 12-year stint on the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm for accidentally killing a man down in Biloxi in an unfortunate mishap involving a can-opener.

But he’s humble: Ryan knows about four times more about movies than his co-host, Andy. Ryan also knows an embarrassing amount about geek culture, but one of his truest passions is the Harry Potter book series and its filmic counterparts.

Those who know Geek Cast Ry personally know about his playable, electronic, rock guitar T-shirt and his propensity to wear Necomimi Brainwave Cat Ears to “Canasta Night” every other Tuesday. And for the record, the legend is true: Ryan actually did win a Radiant Farms Unicorn Meat-eating contest, two consecutive years in a row. It is also factual that Ryan’s family bathroom features a periodic table shower curtain. (His favorite element is Tungsten, whose symbol is simply “W.” And the science geeks out there will now understand why Ryan’s moniker is “Wolfram.”)

Ryan is a charitable man who still volunteers monthly in his community, where he chaperones the middle school dances while wearing an honest-to-goodness, scrolling, LED belt buckle and 8-bit Mario Brothers sunglasses — or, on special occasions — Death Wish Coffee shades.

Geek Cast Ry appeared as a guest on Movie Podcast Weekly during several episodes, and the other hosts loved him every damn time. Therefore, it was on MPW Episode 140 that Ryan became an official co-host in June of 2015, and he has been with us ever since. Praise the Lord for Ryan Elliott and his greasy bacon wallet!

By the way, Ryan’s all-time favorite movie is “Flowers for Algernon” (2000).

Help Us Improve Movie Podcast Weekly

We are making some significant changes to improve Movie Podcast Weekly. For instance, our No. 1 priority is going to be releasing ON TIME, every time. Therefore, to help us accomplish this goal, we are going to start releasing on Wednesdays, as of Episode 134 on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

(In case you missed it, we finally released Episode 133.)

Please cast your vote below to let us know your preference for how long you’d like Movie Podcast Weekly episodes to be. We truly want to hear your opinions on the show length (or anything else), and you won’t hurt our feelings.

For example, let us know if you’re not fond of the recommendation segments. Or perhaps you’d like us to discuss more Movie News. Let us hear your preferences.

If you have sensitive concerns that would be better if shared privately, feel free to e-mail Jason at MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com.

Thanks for helping us through your participation.
Jason

polls

Continue reading

MPW Ep. 130 Will Be Posted Tonight!

Re Episode 130

Hi Everybody,
It looks like another Friday release for MPW… Episode 130 will be released sometime tonight (Friday, March 27). It’s a two-hander with Jason and a Guy Named Andy discussing “The Gunman.”

Over on our sister show, Horror Movie Podcast, I have finally figured out a way to release on a specific day and time — even down to the minute. (I know that remains to be seen, but on Friday, April 3, when HMP Ep. 048 goes live at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time, HMP fans will be dazzled.)

To accomplish this, I had to sacrifice a little bit of our timeliness edge (reviewing films a day after their theater release). But I think it will ultimately be a very good change.

I’m still trying to figure out what to do about MPW. But don’t worry … I will figure it out. As always, thanks for the patience and support!

Jay