BLOOD AND RAD EP! BAY OF RAD! IT’S LIVE!

What’s that lurking in the shadows? It’s a new episode of The Rad Carpet!

Thom, Whalen, and CJ5K are back in grisly technicolor to wrap up their month on Italy’s granddaddy of horror, Mario Bava, watching and discussing his hyper-stylish giallo trendsetter Blood and Black Lace as well as his extravagantly violent 70s proto-slasher Bay of Blood. After that, your blood-soaked Carpeteers wrap up a month of Italoshocks with another Wall to Wall Carpet segment, chatting more broadly about Bava’s preoccupations as a director and his relationship to other prominent filmmakers in the genre. But first, it’s a fresh round of “In or Out?”, with the fellas unfurling many a take on movie trailers, trailer culture, and simultaneous theater and VOD release. This episode is rated R–for Rad!

What did you guys think of these two Bava bloodbaths? Did their high body counts and overall cynicism hold you at arm’s length, or did you revel in the stylish mayhem? Which of the four Bava films that we covered this month  was your favorite? What are your takes on trailer culture and VOD releases? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below, on Twitter, and on our Facebook page.

And do check out our viewing schedule for the remainder 2017–and the first months of 2018! On our next episode, we’ll be tentatively dipping our toe into the directorial work of Goerge Clooney, whose new Coen-penned film Suburbicon appears to be a bomb with audiences and critics alike. Will the Carpet also be holding its nose? We’ll discuss that film, as well as Clooney’s slept-on 2014 ensemble war film Monuments Men.

If you’re looking for ways to contribute to the pod and help us continue to unfurl the Carpet with pride, head over to our pages on iTunes and Stitcher and throw us a rating and review–we’d really appreciate it.

Enjoy the spooky stuff–and stay rad!

Advertisement

Enjoy Episode 11!

The latest episode of The Rad Carpet is a genetically modified super pod!

Join Thom, Whalen, and CJ5000 as they deliver delicious takes on the English-language works of Bong Joon-ho, including 2013’s surprise hit Snowpiercer and the brand new Netflix exclusive Okja. The Carpeteers then jump the rails for a “Wall To Wall Carpet” segment wherein they discuss some broader themes and concerns in Bong’s work at large. But first, they transfer to the Darjeeling Limited for another game of “In or Out?”, weighing the merits of Oscar winners Adrien Brody and Angelica Huston.  

The Rad Carpet is an all-inclusive club, so please do share your takes in the comments section below. Does Snowpiercer still chug away at full speed so many years removed from the initial hype? Does Okja reach the heights of Bong’s Korean-language prime? Are you walking down a lonely Brode by being “in” on Adrien?

Have a look at our recently revised viewing schedule for the remainder 2017. We’re stoked to shake things up next month as we discuss the films of Nicole Holefcener, known both for her writing and directing work on milestone TV hits like Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, and Six Feet Under and for her acclaimed feature films. Next episode, we’ll kick off Holefcener month with 1996’s Walking and Talking and 2001’s Lovely & Amazing. 

If you’re looking for ways to contribute to the pod and help us continue to unfurl the Carpet with pride, head over to our pages on iTunes and Stitcher and throw us a rating and review–we’d really appreciate it.

Happy listening and happy movie-ing… stay rad!

Episode 10 is live!

 

The Rad Carpet is dumping toxic takes straight into the Han River in this, its first of two episodes on the work of Bong Joon-Ho.

Join Thom, Whalen, and CJ5000 as they explore two of Bong’s odd and beguiling early-period Korean films, including his hit monster drama The Host and his overlooked neo-noir Mother. But first, the guys have some Carpet Cleaning to take care of, rewatching and reassessing the 1990 romcom favorite Pretty Woman.  

As always, this here Carpet is an all-inclusive club, so please do share your takes in the comments section below. Is this your first time working through the early films of Bong Joon-Ho? How do you think these films compare to his later, more well-known English-language films? Would you pony up $300 for a night of Pretty Woman takes?

Have a look at our recently revised viewing schedule for the remainder 2017– we’re excited for a change of pace next month, as we discuss the films of Nicole Holefcener, known both for her writing and directing work on milestone TV hits like Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, and Six Feet Under and for her acclaimed feature films, four of which we’ll watch together next month, beginning with 1996’s Walking and Talking and 2001’s Lovely & Amazing. 

Keep an eye out on this site and on Twitter for our next episode, which will cover Bong Joon-Ho’s English-language films Snowpiercer and Okja.

If you’re looking for ways to contribute to the pod and help us continue to unfurl the Carpet with pride, head over to our pages on iTunes and Stitcher and throw us a rating and review–we’d really appreciate it.

Happy listening and happy movie-ing… stay rad!

Episode 6 is now live!

You’ve got red on you, cause The Rad Carpet is back to discuss hyper-stylish UK director Edgar Wright in anticipation of his upcoming film Baby Driver, with this episode covering his cult hit TV show Spaced and his Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy: Shaun of the Dead  (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World’s End (2013).

Remember, this is a film club, and we want you, dear listeners, to be part of the club by sharing your takes in the comments section below. Does Spaced stand the test of time as a hip sitcom send-up? Does Wright’s fan-favorite homage trifecta push beyond its dense referentiality to emerge as great genre cinema in its own right? Is Gervais’ turn as David Brent enough to forgive his grating public persona?

Check out our viewing schedule for the remainder 2017, and keep an eye out on this site and on Twitter for our next episode, which will cover Wright’s underappreciated 2010 film Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, as well as unfurl a new segment called Carpet Cleaning, where we will rewatch and reexamine a beloved classic, this time covering John Hughes’ high school drama The Breakfast Club. Until then, happy listening– and stay rad!

Episode 5! It’s alive!

Goody goody gumdrops, The Rad Carpet is foaming green at the mouth for their third and final early John Waters episode! Thom, Whalen, and CJ5000 are headed to Mortville to discuss Waters’ profane fairy tale Desperate Living before unfurling the first ever Wall to Wall Carpet segment, wherein they pull together the unseemly threads of all four early Waters films discussed over the last month. But first, your valiant Carpeteers class up their act by playing a game of Signature Role, here hashing out the (mostly) prestigious filmography of Julianne Moore.

The Rad Carpet is, above all, a club, and we want you, the listener, to join in! Unfurl your own takes in the comments section below (or on our new Facebook page!): Does the absence of Divine loom large over Waters’ junkyard fairy tale, or does every piece of trash that you pick up remind you of your love for Desperate Living? Do our takes on Julianne Moore make some men uncomfortable?

Check out our viewing schedule for the remainder 2017, and keep an eye out on this site and on Twitter for our next episode, our first on director Edgar Wright, covering his TV show Spaced and his films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. In the meantime, stay rad!

Episode 4 is now live!

Unwrap those cha-cha heels because The Rad Carpet is unfurling part two of its discussion on the early films of John Waters! Thom, Whalen, and CJ 5000 order up a double egg salad on white as they navigate the bizarre hilarity of Waters’ 1974 film Female Trouble, the follow-up to the director’s cult smash Pink Flamingos, while also taking a closer look at the life of Waters’ drag-queen muse Divine. But first, your valiant Carpeteers play a little “In or Out?”, firing up their takes on three leading men from Waters’ Hollywood era: Stephen Dorff, Edward Furlong, and the one and only Johnny Depp.

The Rad Carpet is, above all, a club, and we want you, the listener, to join in! Unfurl your own takes in the comments section below (or on our new Facebook page!): Do the increased ambitions of Female Trouble lead to diminishing returns for Waters? Are you “Cryin'” for the Dorff Man? Where do you stand on the lopsided filmography of Johnny Depp?

Keep an eye out on this site and on Twitter for the third and final part of our Waters discussion, covering Desperate Living and hashing out our thoughts on Waters’ early work as a whole in our Wall to Wall Carpet segment. Check out our recently published viewing schedule for the rest of 2017, and get stoked to cover the films of Edgar Wright in June. Oh, and while you’re at it, do be sure to stay rad!