Category Archives: Cinema

Robert Stark talks to Count Fosco about the Film Blast From The Past

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Count Isidor Fosco about the Film Blast From The Past(1999) starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone.

Topics:

The plot summery; Adam Webber(Brendan Fraser) comes out from a nuclear fallout shelter after 35 years
The culture shock when Adam emerges in the 90’s and thinks he is in a zombie overrun dystopia
Adam’s father scientist Dr. Calvin Webber(Christopher Walken) who builds the fallout shelter
The stereotype of a 1950’s father vs. Calvin as a Utopian and idealist
The beginning of the film during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War Theme, and the cultural “nuclear war”
The “education” of Adam; his homeschooling makes him appear “aristocratic” to women
The bunker as an analogy for isolating one self from society and the pros and cons of doing so
How Adam manages to win the Psychosocial narrative by playing by his own rules
The concept of “Eternal Return” as it is shown at the end of the film
The trend of having nostalgia for past eras and the mid century aesthetic
Political agendas in film and conservatives uncreative critiques of Hollywood
The formulaic narrative of romantic comedies and how it works for the film
The comic element in the miscommunications and what makes good comedy
Brendan Fraser as a 90’s icon, his comic style, and his other films
The allure of Alicia Silverstone and how her character compares to her roles in films such as The CrushClueless, and The Babysitter
The Transformation of Alicia Silverstone’s character Eve
LA depicted in the film, the San Fernando Valley, and Pasadena
Pilleater on Tess Haubrich as Rosenthal in the new film Alien Covenant


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Robert Stark and Richard Wolstencroft discuss The Film Dark City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and Count Isidor Fosco, talk to filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft about the film Dark City(1998) directed by Alex Proyas.

Topics:

Australian director Alex Proyas, his background in Punk, and his style
Proyas’s films The Crow, Gods of Egypt, and Knowing
Proyas rebelling against the conformity of Hollywood Cinema
Comparisons to the Matrix which came out a year later and the theme of a meta reality
The setting of the City in a Space Ship disconnected from earth, the theme of parallel universes, and comparisons to the Truman Show
The role of “the Others” in the film; the metaphor for powerful people who manipulate reality from behind the scenes
How the others switch peoples memories and give them false memories; comparisons to Ghost in a Shell
The Gothic and Neo Noire Genres
The aesthetics of the film; Decopunk, Metropolis, Edward Hopper, and other influences
The irony of dystopian films is that they often succeed in creating utopian aesthetics
The films success in building upon the sense of mystery
The theme of man becoming a “God Like” figure restructuring society as a utopia
Plato’s allegory of the Cave and the Ship of Theseus
The symbolism of Shell Beach
The directors cut vs. the theatrical cut

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Robert Stark talks to Count Isidor Fosco about creating New Retro Futurist Sub Cultures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to returning guest Count Isidor Fosco.

Topics:

Retro-Futurism and it’s sub-genres
Whether Retro-Futurism and fusing past genres can evolve organically or end up being a “cut and paste”
Merging an Aristocratic or Traditional Genre into a Futuristic one
How fusing genres is most effective when there is a distance in eras(ex. Art Deco and Cyberpunk, Baroque and 80’s Retro-Futurism)
How futurism overlaps with the archaic in architecture(ex.Arcology)
Steampunk; Victorian era Train Stations in London, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, and shopping centers inspired by European shopping arcades
The Toronto Eaton Centre in contrast with the Underground City in Montreal, which is more Retro-Futuristic
Why “Decopunk” Deserves to Be Bigger than Steampunk
The Art Deco revival during the New Wave Age
Batman: The Animated SeriesBatman & Architecture, and Anton Furst’s visions for the Aesthetic Of Gotham City(1989)
Alicia Silverstone in Batman & Robin and playing piano in the film The Crush
The aesthetics of Mishima: a Life in Four Chapters and the manga Kaze to Ki no Uta
New Retro Wave, Italo Disco, Falco, and Alphaville’s Forever Young and Big In Japan
The “Vaporwave” Babylon Club from Scarface which was featured in Miami Nights 1984’s Early Summer
How we are in post-post modernism and must rebuild cultures from scratch
Subcultures based on ethnic and cultural identity; cultural and ethnic fusionism(ex.Asian Aryanism)
How the future will either be mass global homogenization or forming new cultures from scratch but there is no returning to the past
Asian and Israeli Aryanism as memes
Count Fosco’s hierarchy of fetishes

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Robert Stark interviews Filmmaker and Author Pablo D’Stair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to author and filmmaker Pablo D’Stair. He is the author of sixty books of fiction, twenty-four plays/screenplays, five collections of poetry, and numerous essays and dialogues. A former contributor of cinema critique/commentary for the UK film site BRWC: Battle Royale With Cheese and of fiction, interview, and essay for the Montage: Cultural Paradigm (Sri Lanka), he is also the writer/director of six (very underground) films and the co-founder of the art-house press KUBOA . More information can be found at pdstair.wordpress.com and pdstairfilms.wordpress.com. Check out his films on Vimeo.

Topics:

Pablo’s work as an associate producer on the film The Canyons directed by Paul Schrader and written by Bret Easton Ellis
Early influences including Robert Bresson who was also an influence on Schrader
Pablo’s first film A Public Ransom about an author who stumbles across a crayon-scribbled missing child poster with a scrawled telephone number
Pablo’s film Mississippy Missippi Tu-Polo which is about a young indie author who is no longer young and “indie”
The band Left By Snakes who have done music for Pablo’s films, and he has also worked on their music videos
Pablo’s film Science Fiction about Five unknown, unread, and well-past-their-prime science fiction authors grappling with obscurity, infinity, and obsolescence
Pablo’s recent film Mr Pickpocket about two young boys drawing a comic about their dad being a Pickpocket
Pablo’s cinematography style; long shots and techniques to make films look grittier and older
Pablo’s films are about implications and invoking feelings rather then plot driven
Comparing being a writer to being a filmmaker
The Alt-Lit Genre
The Art for the book covers which are designed by both Pablo and his friend artist Goodloe Byron
KUBOA Press and Pablo’s criteria for selecting writers
Pablo’s writing process and style, linear writing and writing from the perspective of one person’s perspective
Pablo’s latest novel LUCY JINX  which is an intimate epic, spanning eight years in the life (and innermost mind) of the titular poet as she navigates cities, jobs, ambitions, and friendships
Pablo’s book Dustjacket Flowers about a man loitering in the public library and the theme of perceiving reality
Pablo’s book Regard; the theme of life rendered in minute by minute physical description with only as much as psychological insight
Pablo’s set of novellas The Unburied Man and The People Who Use Room Five; Life Cycle Horror
Pablo’s Noire novel man standing behind which is being adapted into a film


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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark interviews Jack Ravenwood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jack Ravenwood. He is the author of Paradise Theater, a collection of short stories centered around the theme of the post-industrial American small city. He is also the main writer at Mean Street Cinema, a website dedicated to films from New York City in the 70’s and 80’s, as well as the co-founder of little ape press. He blogs at Foreigner Thoughts

Topics:

The setting of the book Paradise Theater in Jack’s home town West Allis, Wisconsin in the 1980’s and early 90’s
The Paradise Theatre movie house which the book was named for and featured on the cover
The Fairview Motors Sign which is featured on the back of the book; Mid-Century Road Signage
The cultural, political, and economic themes in the book
Allis-Chalmers closing in West Allis and the de-industrialization of the Midwest
Ross Perot’s campaign in 1992 against NAFTA, and Trump campaigning on trade issues
Jack’s Unz Review article Trump, JFK, and the Deep State
National Review Writer: Working-Class Communities ‘Deserve To Die
How the best case scenario for the US would be to carve out a niche in high end manufacturing that caters to China’s growing middle class
Jack’s new home Shenzhen, China which is a manufacturing power house, and new mega city built from scratch
Jack’s Mean Street Cinema site, his interest in Vintage New York City, and Robert Stark’s interviews with Thomas Rinaldi about New York Neon and Robert Brenner about his Time Square Tours
Jack’s observations about Hong Kong Neon and how Hong Kong Is Slowly Dimming Its Neon Glow
Jack’s future plan to document Neon in Hong Kong in either a book or blog
The culture of Hong Kong as a bridge between the east and west and it’s “relative autonomy”
Vertical living and how it is the norm for urban China for all classes
High density living isn’t inherently bad but it is necessary to have a high quality of culture to sustain it
Jack Kerouac’s The Town and the City
Conformity in Asian culture; authentic Asian culture vs. SWPL larping
Chinese Philosophy; the Tao Te Ching
The evolution of Western Philosophy; Deconstruction and selective deconstruction
Jean Baudrillard and the simulation


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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark interviews New Retro Wave Artist Absolute Valentine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to French New Retro Wave Artist Absolute Valentine(Bandcamp Site). He is also a manager for Lazerdiscs Records. Check out his SoundCloudYouTube, and Facebook Page.

Topics:

Intro Song: Bad News from the Police Heartbreaker album
Music background, learning piano as a kid, playing guitar in a metal band, and early electronic work
Influences ranging from Bach, Kavinsky, and Vangelis; similarities between Synthwave and Classical Music
The New Retro Wave genre
Producing music for Lazerdiscs Records and Drive Radio
The Darkwave genre
The Police Heartbreaker album
The Sunset Love album
The American Nightmare album inspired by Horror Films
The album cover designs, Cyperbunk influence, and the color pallet
Anime, Akira, and Ghost in a Shell
The Film Drive
John Carpenter’s Film Soundtracks
Daft Punk and 90’s French House Music
French 80’s music; Space Disco
The upcoming New Retro Wave horror film The Summoner which Absolute Valentine will do a track for
The Roland TR-7, other Synths, and the process of layering Synths
The importance of the intro and outro in Synth Music
The moniker Absolute Valentine
Upcoming Albums, Tracks, and live performances
Outro: She’s a Dancer from the Sunset Love Album


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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark interviews Jay Dyer about Esoteric Hollywood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jay Dyer. He reviews films at his blog Jay’s Analysis and is the author of Esoteric Hollywood.

Topics:

The entertainment complex and deciphering propaganda
The power of cinematography and aesthetics in film
How computer generated special effects have impacted the quality of cinema
The concept of the Hollywood establishment and speculations about which filmmakers and films are anti-establishment
Why Jay focuses on the symbolism of the films rather then trying to analyse the director’s motive
Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut
David Lynch’s Dune, Eraserhead, Inland Empire, and Lost Highway
Surrealism, Neo-noir, and the David Lynch aesthetic
Jay’s review of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Mark Frost’s book The Secret History of Twin Peaks
The Ancient Greek concept of time  being a never ending repeat
The Folk Horror Genre; The Devil Rides Out
Blade Runner
Dark City
Enter the Void
The Dark Crystal
The film Labyrinth, the Jungian achetype of the Labyrinth as the subconscious, and the Labyrinth in Ancient Mythology
The Labyrinth theme in The Shining and Hellbound: Hellraiser II
The symbolism of basements as the subconscious in the films House II and The Hole
The Esoteric Meaning of Time Bandits and the significance of the abyss
Robert Stark’s show about Alicia Silverstone and The Film The Babysitter
Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional
John Carpenter’s They Live! and Big Trouble in Little China
Jay’s upcoming TV Show with Jay Weidner, which will be aired online at www.Gaia.com


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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark, Pilleater, & Richard Wolstencroft discuss Ghost in a Shell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and director Richard Wolstencroft discuss the new film Ghost in a Shell based on the 1995 anime.

Topics:

How it compares to the original film
The plot and characters
The film’s aesthetics, 1980’s retro-futurism, holograms, and cyberpunk
The synth soundtrack
The Robot Geisha scene
The fictional  futuristic Asian city filmed in Hong Kong
Richard Wolstencroft’s experience in Hong Kong and observations on Asian culture
Comparisons to the films Akira and Blade Runner, and William Gibson’s Neuromancer
The Anime Right
The “white washing” controversy about a White actress playing an Asian role
Scarlet Johansson
Takeshi Kitano
Themes of Trans-humanism and Cybernetics
Ray Kurzweil’s Wildest Prediction: Nanobots Will Plug Our Brains Into the Web
The Philosophy of Mind, ‎Gilbert Ryle’s Ghost in the machine, and Arthur Koestler’s Ghost in the machine
Hubert Dreyfus’s views on artificial intelligence influenced by Martin Heidegger
Political messages in the film
“Ghost in a Shell” as a metaphor for the rootless atomized society where people lack any real identity
Richard’s upcoming film The Second Coming Volume II


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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark talks to Director Matthew David Wilder about Dog Eat Dog & Upcoming Projects

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to returning guest Matthew David Wilder for a written interview.

Matthew David Wilder has worked as a screenwriter, writing for some of America’s most well known directors including Oliver Stone and Paul Schrader. He’s also directed a number of independent films.

Topics:

Matthew’s background, growing up in a trailer park in Des Plaines, Illinois, studying theatre at Yale, and his mentor Peter Sellars
Matthew’s first major project writing for Clive Barker’s The History of the Devil
Matthew’s work with Oliver Stone on a film about the war on terror right after 9/11 which was never released
The film Dog Eat Dog, staring Nicolas Cage, written by Matthew, directed by Paul Schrader, which was released last fall, and was Matthew’s first major Hollywood project
The process of transforming the crime novel by Edward Bunker into a film
Reviews of the Dog Eat Dog, by The Guardian and Anne Thompson
Matthew’s film Your Name Here, which is a surreal dramatic fantasy biopic loosely based on the life of Philip K. Dick
How to effectively take the audience out of their comfort zone as a director
Matthew’s upcoming film REGARDING THE CASE OF JOAN OF ARC, with Taryn Manning playing Joan of Arc as an alt-right, Christian fundamentalist terrorist put on trial in a Guatanamo Bay-like setting
Matthew’s upcoming film Morning Has Broken

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Robert Stark interviews Jasun Horsley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jasun Horsley. He blogs at AUTICULTURE and runs the site Confessions of a Movie Autist

Topics:

Personal experiences with Autism and Aspergers
How society treats people with Aspergers; human alien hybrids
Non-conformity and rejection of social programs
Evolution and Epigenetics
Jasun’s book Homo Serpiens: A Secret History of DNA from Eden to Armageddon, written under the alias Aeolus Kephas
Online subcultures; 4chan culture and Aspergers
The autistic anime reality vision
The occult and meme magic
Jasun’s interest in the Occult as a way to break free from the socially enforced distortion of reality, but latter found it to be an illusion of freedom
How architecture and geography effects psychology
Jasun’s artwork
Jasun’s latest book Seen and Not Seen: Confessions of a Movie Autist
The film Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle as autistic, and the theme of alienation, and violence as a quest for identity
David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet , identifying with Frank Booth, and confronting ones own darkness
Dating advice
Traveling abroad and personal experiences with foreign cultures


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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!