Somewhere in Riddick (Vin Diesel), the fugitive criminal with the crazy, glowing eyes that can see in the dark, exists a character engaging enough to build a film franchise around. Somewhere in RIDDICK, the third film featuring the antihero, is evidence of a wise move to put the guy into a tighter, more stripped-down scenario better suited to him than the bloated, Robert E. Howard pastiche that was THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK. Unfortunately, stranding Riddick on a hostile alien world and tasking him with the challenge of outwitting two teams of bounty hunters — headed up by Jordi Mollà and Matt Nable and including Katee Sackhoff  — for one of their spaceships hasn’t quite elevated this entry above the misconceptions of character and plotting that the first film, PITCH BLACK, neatly sidestepped.

Sponsor: Audible.com 30 Day Free Trial. Get yours today at Audible.com.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons differ in opinion on how seriously RIDDICK is undone by its flaws. In a lively conversation, they discuss writer/director David Twohy’s conception of the character, whether the mantle of Nietzschean superman rests comfortably on Riddick’s shoulders, and the difficulty in creating adversaries able to maintain their credibility while being outwitted by the protagonist. Most pressing, they also debate who in this scenario is the roadrunner, and who’s the coyote?

Then: Steve gives his impressions of the comedic horror film HELL BABY and a preliminary impression of DEAD BEFORE DAWN, and Dan provides a capsule review of the post-apocalyptic, comic book actioner, BOUNTY KILLER. Plus, what’s coming to theaters next week.

Comment on the episode here or write podcast@cinefantastique.com or call 888-866-9010. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

Dan Persons says:

Name a genre, and John Badham can tell you tales about it. He mixed the musical with incisive social observation in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER — arguably the only disco movie worthy of being watched as serious film — dealt in the worlds of speculative fiction with such cautionary tales as WARGAMES, and has notched his action creds with everything running from BLUE THUNDER all the way up to TV’s NIKITA. All through, he’s worked with stars ranging from John Travolta, Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson and Bridget Fonda. Bottom line: When the guy talks about the craft of filmmaking, you know it comes from experience.

Which is a good thing, because Badham has just released a new book, John Badham on Directing: Notes from the Sets of Saturday Night Fever, War Games, and More. In it, he draws on forty plus years in the industry to provide budding filmmakers with practical tips on working with actors, staging action scenes, and making sure that the film playing in their heads finds its way onto the screen as accurately as possible. At the same time, the book is so chock-full of anecdotes and insights — not just from Badham, but also from such colleagues as Steven Soderbergh and Oliver Stone — that even those not planning a career behind the lens will want to check it out for its compelling glimpse behind-the-scenes.

Sponsor: Audible.com 30 Day Free Trial. Get John Badham on Directing at Audible.com. 

Badham was kind enough to sit down with us, and we got his thoughts on some of his classic films, on taking advantage of the medium’s technical advances, on the difference between directing for feature films and for TV, and on the motivations for putting this book together. Click on the player to hear the show.

Comment on the episode here or write dan@mightymoviepodcast.com or call 888-866-9010. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

The Summer of the Rift continues as we feature this interview with author Ellen Kushner from Arisia 1993.

Please take a moment by commenting on the episode here or by writingjohn@chronicrift.com, or by calling 888-866-9010.

The Summer of the Rift 1993 begins with two reviews from Keith and David and Dan.  The episode concludes with Keith interviewing author Alexander Brejcha from Philcon 92.

Please take a moment by commenting on the episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com, or by calling 888-866-9010.

(RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE TO SAVE THIS EPISODE TO YOUR COMPUTER)

Comment on this episode here or by writing thegeeks@generationsgeek.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

Comment on this episode here or by writing thegeeks@generationsgeek.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

Barnaby was a comic strip which began 20 April 1942 in the newspaper PM. Created by Crockett Johnson, who is best known today for his children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon, the strip featured a cherubic-looking five-year-old and his far-from-cherubic fairy godfather, Jackeen J. O'Malley, a short, cigar-smoking man with four tiny wings. With a distinctive appearance because of its use of typography, the strip had numerous reprints and was adapted into a 1940s stage production.

Fantagraphics Publishing is releasing the first volume of collected strips and Kevin Lauderdale wants to bring this to your attention.  Kevin explains the strip and its distinctive style in this all new episode. 

You can find all this work by visiting our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get a great reference work, but you also support The Chronic Rift Network.  Thank you.

Comment on the episode here or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

(RIGHT CLICK TO SAVE THE EPISODE)

Are you a Monty Python fan?  Ever wonder if you're getting all the jokes based on some of the more obscure (for you) references?  Well, there's a new reference guide out that covers every single episode from the classic series and explains in detail just what the joke is and it's come to Kevin's attention.

You can find all this work by visiting our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get a great reference work, but you also support The Chronic Rift Network.  Thank you.

Comment on the episode here or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

(RIGHT CLICK TO SAVE THE EPISODE)