Wednesday, November 5, 2025

The "Best of the Best" Eric Roberts's Love Letters & 19th Century Tales of Vengeance

I Dig Crazy Flicks with @CatBusRuss

Episode 238: 'Best of the Best' with Atlanta Film Chat's Chuck Thomas

After the small audience at the Indiana Comic Convention "⁠Ninety For Chill: The Panel⁠", circumstances prevented screenwriter ⁠Chuck Thomas⁠ from "⁠Atlanta Film Chat⁠" meeting with ⁠CatBusRuss⁠ for a panel at ⁠ATL Comic Convention⁠.Russ still wanted a chance to chat with one of Atlanta's best movie podcasters. So, it is only fitting for Chuck's cinematic wisdom to select a feature that fits the "⁠Ninety For Chill⁠" parameters and star an actor with quite the outrageous career, ⁠Eric Roberts⁠. Throw in ⁠James Earl Jones⁠ and ⁠Chris Penn⁠, and you have to call this a crazy flick. This film is Taekwondo's answer to Karate's box office dominance, 1989's "⁠Best of the Best⁠".

These two podcasters had a ball to start since ⁠Chuck⁠ wanted to find out about what he may have missed from the convention, and ⁠Russ⁠ was fascinated by his guest's PROPER football scarf selection. It serves as a preview of what will become of this year's Devil's Night's podcast with the cast and creator of "⁠The Crow⁠". With so many similar interests, the language is a lot looser than usual, so ear muffs for the kids, please.

Despite the similarities of these talking heads, CatBus was not impressed by this feature. It may have brought up past trauma from "⁠Over the Top⁠". But again, Chuck has a great mind for movies, and like our host, raised on "⁠Mystery Science Theater 3000⁠". Thus, it may not be too challenging to turn Russ's opinion around on the first chapter of ⁠Phillip Rhee⁠'s franchise.

Episode 239 - Josh Nealis's 19th Century Vengeance Double Feature: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) & Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter (2012)

Poster for -The Count of Monte Cristo 2002-

Comic book writer and novelist ⁠Josh Nealis⁠ is on a virtual promotional tour for his latest book, "Cocaine-Stripper Stronghold: Issue 2", so a podcast called "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks⁠" seems an obvious production to reach out to. His project's wild premise makes him seem like the ideal guest for ⁠CatBusRuss⁠, but can these two demented minds talk about films that can reach the lofty expectations they carry with themselves?

Josh is obviously a passionate man, and that took priority when he offered the podcast's host one of his favorite films, 2002's "⁠The Count of Monte Cristo⁠", ⁠Alexandre Dumas⁠'s tale of long-gestating revenge in post Napoleonic France. The film has many supporters, but it is a half hour too long for "⁠Ninety For Chill⁠" and is pretty grounded in the historic environment. Director ⁠Kevin Reynolds⁠ may have given us "⁠Waterworld⁠", but this podcast needs some insane idea(s) like that Kevin Costner flick to work.

⁠Russ⁠ still has his skills that will allow anyone to talk about any movie they want on the podcast, so he decided to offer up a movie with similar themes, but with monsters and a manageable runtime. Someday, he would love to discuss ⁠Timur Bekmambetov⁠'s Russian action-monster movie hybrids that got him to the Stateside attention, but "⁠Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter⁠" may be a great jumping off point to this director's filmography.

CatBusRuss met the founder of ⁠Cutthroat Comics & Publishing⁠ at ⁠Capital City Comic Con 2025⁠ in Lansing, Michigan. Josh's table on artist alley featured comic books and novels with titles that will grab your attention like "Pedoman and Kid Friendly" and "Stuffed Squirrels & Porcelain Angels", so our host could not resist talking shop with this talent. Comics were bought and information was exchanged. And now its Russ's turn to make something from this new friendship.

Follow me on Bluesky @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

No comments:

The Undrafted and Wrongfully Drafted

"Bull Durham" was not drafted on the Baseball Draft (A film that can only be drafted at #1)
"No Fear of a Black Hat" on the Fictional Band Mini-Mega Draft
The entire George Lucas Draft
"The Birdcage" instead of "La Cage Aux Folles" on the Drag Draft
"Road Trip" was not even mentioned during the Road Trip Draft
"Major League" instead of "Drop Zone" on the Wesley Snipes Draft
"Black Swan" instead of "Mermaids" on the Wynona Ryder Draft
"Akira" instead of "Ghost World" on the Comic Book Movie (Non-Super Hero) Draft. Tetsuo is a Supe.
"Now You See Me" instead of "Diggstown" on the Con Artist Movie Draft
"The Onion Movie" instead of "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask" on the Sketch Comedy Anthologies Draft
"The Big Lebowski" not being marked eight on the Coen Bros. Draft
"Labrynth" or "Dark Crystal" not receiving the number 1 or 2 spot in the Jim Henson Draft
"Stage Fright" on the Giallo Draft. It is a slasher despite the presentation.
"Assault of Precinct 13" and "Prince of Darkness" Instead of "Escape from New York" and "The Thing" on the John Carpenter Draft
"Con Air" instead of "US Marshalls" and "Universal Soldier" instead of "Time Cop " on the 90's Action Draft
"WarGames" instead of "Spies Like Us" on the Cold War Draft
"Traffic" instead of "Side Effects" on the Steven Soderbergh Draft
"Fight Club" instead of "The Virgin Suicides" on the 1999 Draft ("Suicides" made the Actor Directorial Debut Draft)
Any Kirk Douglass instead of "The Shining" being on the Kubrick Draft
"Return of the Jedi" instead of "Tokyo Drift" on the Threequels Draft (there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi.")

Deserves a Second Chance

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

I find the DC movies, or at least Zack Snyder, was trying to bring comic books to the big screen as opposed to adapting comic books for the big screen. If you read, (or watch the excellent animated adaptation of) "The Dark Knight Returns", it is a very slow build to the battle between the Bat and Supe. This is regarded as one of the best threads in comics.

As a guy who fell in love with wrestling in the 1980's, the very methodical showdown is what I loved. It's a love letter to comic book fans who read and note every detail and want to try figuring out the plot before the character do. Come at the flick this way, and I think you will get something out of it.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is a feature that dares you to be offended. When director Ben Stiller is that forthcoming like Robert Downey Sr. was with 1969's "Putney Swope", an audience saying that something is in poor taste, hence not funny, means they are afraid to make a mockery of a concept.

My own experience with junkies bankrupting me allows me to thoroughly enjoy Jack Black's making addiction seem ridiculous. Robert Downey Jr. nails his taboo performance and I would say helps the call for actors from a demographic to be the first people called on for the roles representing them. As for the "Forest Gump" knock off jokes, they serve as a way to ridicule us for what we accepted (and encouraged) as fine a decade prior. The narrative that controls the pace in the second act can drag, but the content that is delivered cannot be cut.

MainEventofTheDead.com