The CCD Podcast #115 - "Character Witness" Bill Paxton

The great Bill Paxton departed our mortal coil recently and we are taking a look back at his varied career. Filmmaker Leland James guides us through the big hits and the lesser known gems of this amazing character actor.

Michael Natathanson, one of the stars of the upcoming Netflix original series, Marvel's The Punisher also joins us. Michael offers his Paxton perspective, as well as giving us a little update at the top of the show about what to expect from The Punisher, his visit to Marvel HQ, and being a part of the MCU.

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Early Roles:

Crazy Mama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSFyTT-gwWU

Terminator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv0Jc4ziS-U

Near Dark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufcsS9E-JVs&t=31s

Mid Career:

Slipstream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX6r9zXVOk8

Aliens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vstBC4N_tA&t=27s

Tombstone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPUTRyHbKm0

One False Move: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP-4dGY2gYc

Leading Man: 

Twister: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCIK_AN8Zn4

Titanic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kqw9w1w7T0

Mighty Joe Young: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tPWHp2KZoY

Making his own mark:

Frailty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPUTRyHbKm0

A Simple Plan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfJtnfG6EMI&t=31s

Music:

Reach! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkz0Lx6VyxA

Fish Heads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkz0Lx6VyxA

Club Dread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwt4fAMscDE

The CCD Podcast: Episode #106 - Horror in 'Dark Times'

After Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker introduced the world to the genre with their Gothic Novels Frankenstein & Dracula, the supernatural and scary have crept into a significant portion of all forms of art. The horror genre has been around since the beginning stages of film... a logical place for ear;y filmmakers to go, capitalizing on the excitement and adrenaline the audience feels when they are scared! This continued through the Drive-In movie theater era, as well as the VCR tape era. Today more than ever the genre has a firm foothold in the industry. Very profitable and able to be made on the cheap, horror movies are as close to a sure thing that a studio has anymore. In this era of widespread social fear and panic, one would think that the stories being told in this genre may prove more important than ever before. Filmmakers Leland James and Randall Kaplan join Jedi Rob down in the CCD Nerdcave to discuss horror in these current "Dark Times". This one should be fun! ENJOY....

The CCD Podcast: Episode #103 - A Sit Down With Michael Nathanson

It is always nice to know someone on the inside,... especially when we are talking about someone that is in the cast of an upcoming Marvel Netflix show. AND EVEN MORE ESPECIALLY when that someone from the cast of the upcoming Marvel Netflix show is a friend of CCD!!!! We are so excited to have the talented Michael Nathanson LIVE in the Nerd Cave recording the CCD Podcast. He joins filmmaker Leland James and Jedi Rob to talk about his role in the upcoming Punisher series... as well as some of his favorite films/directors, Stranger Things, BBQ Films/Immersive Cinema and much more!!!! It is going to be great... what more do you need to know?

The CCD Podcast: Episode #96 - 1996: Most Important Movie Year Ever?

The film industry has come along way since the days of Charlie Chaplin and silent films. It has become a multi billion dollar industry that is the #1 primary source for long form entertainment. Over 300 feature films are released every year in theaters, and even more are released direct to the audience via DVD/Blu Ray and On Demand. But when did the tide really turn for the film industry? Was it with the launch of Jaws (what most people call the first summer blockbuster) in 1975? Was it 1989, the year that most people say saw the release of some of the greatest films in modern history (batman, Lethal Weapon 2, Back to The Future 2, The Little Mermaid)... but Rob Martin and Leland James do their best to convince you that in fact 1996 is the year that is most important to the current state of the film industry. They bring up such cinematic game changing gems as Independence Day, Twister , Fargo, Trainspotting, Mission Impossible, The Rock, Romeo & Juliet, Happy Gilmore, Mars Attacks and of course the cinematic classic The Phantom (I see you Billy Zane!). It really was a game changing year... let the guys convince you if you don't believe us!     

The CCD Podcast: Episode #94 - Randall Kaplan's Boxhead: An Animated Horror Film

We spend a lot of time here at CCD critiquing and analyzing popular films from Hollywood all the time... especially before they come out. But what about the indy filmmakers and the movies they are making? Why aren't we spending more time looking at them? I know what your thinking... where would we find an indy filmmaker in the process of making his own film to talk with? Funny you should ask....

See More After the Jump...

The CCD Podcast: Episode #91 - A Discussion On Psycho-biological Horror

Before anybody brings it up, we know PSYCHO-BIOLOGICAL is a made up word... but when trying to describe this sub-genre of films it really is the only title that fits.  These films are visceral... they explore the lack of comfort that most people traditionally have with their bodies and how that effects them in a mental capacity as well. And no two directors have films that fit into this genre more than David Lynch and David Cronenberg. Jedi Rob sits down with two filmmakers, Leland James (The Fix Documentary) and Randal Kaplan  (Boxhead) to discuss those two influential filmmakers as well as many other directors and films in this bizarre genre. The conversation gets a bit interesting to say the least...,. 

The CCD Podcast: Episode #89 - The Best Football Movies Ever

There is something about Football movies that separates them from all sports movies in general. The raw carnage of the games... the depth of the team dynamic... maybe the dichotomy of the warrior on the field vs. the normal human being off it... whatever it is, it makes Football movies unique. With the 2016 Super Bowl past us, we decided this would be a great time to delve deep into the world of the USA's most popular sport and see which films hold up through the years. Join Jedi Rob, filmmaker Leland James and Mike D as they do there best to remember all the great football films in cinema history!    

The CCD Podcast: Episode #87 - Ultimate Ski Party Movies To Watch When Being Hit With The Blizzard of the Century!

With NYC trying to recover from one of the worst winter storms in recent history (Jonas was no joke!) the CCD gang decided that this would be a wonderful time to revisit a classic sub-genre of film: The SKI MOVIE!!! The raucous nonsense, unexplainable nudity, and crazy rad ski moves make all of these films an intricate part of children of the 80s/90s lives forever. After the recent renaissance they had on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and the mountains of snow outside of the CCD.NYC Nerd Cave we thought this was the perfect week to talk about 'em... so grab your poles and we will see you on the slopes!  

The CCD Podcast: Episode #70 - Amazing Documentary Picks or "Documentaries Are Movies Too, Dammit !!!"

Documentaries... ah.... the red headed step brother of feature length movies. While docs have come a long way in terms of mainstream acceptance, they are still looked at from afar and not looked at as typical movies. But if you give them a chance, and find the right documentary... man, can you find some gems. So we decided to take a break from our typical "regular" movie talks and delve deep into what we think are some of the best docs ever made. Give them a chance... they might change your life!

Listen to host Jedi Rob Martin as he is joined by documentary filmmaker (what is he doing on THIS episode?) Leland James and the lovely & talented Mrs. Alicia Gomes as they will help you find some great documentaries to enjoy for your viewing pleasure!  

The CCD Podcast: Episode 69 - The 2015 CCD Fall TV Preview

Traditionally the new year in TV starts in the Fall. New shows get launched, old faves make their return, and all is happy in TV land for folks that glue themselves to the boob tube. But in this era of summer shows, cable programming, and a crazy amount of shows appearing on networks of all sorts... well, lets just say the game has changed a bit. But one thing is still holding true, and it is that most of the "new" shows being introduced come out in September & October. So in typical CCD fashion we are going to talk about it... the new, the returning, and everything in between. It is just how we do it here at CCD! So join Jedi Rob, the lovely Alicia Gomes, and filmmaker Leland James as they present the "2015 CCD Fall TV Preview"...  

The CCD Podcast: Episode #67 - Working Man Movies or "Labor Day? What's That.... Er, Forget It... I Gotta Get To Work!"

Labor Day is a National Holiday here in the US meant to give thanks to the working man (and woman... sheeeessshhhh!) of this great nation in recognition of their hard work all year long. They are given a Monday off and it is kind of like a tip of the ole hat... Thanks for all the hard work! What it usually signifies for most is a wondrous three day weekend that signals the culmination of yet another summer. Fall is approaching, the kids get ready for school, and for workers its just a day off.... a pretty great one because the weather is usually dope. So in honor of this summer ending holiday we got the CCD Podcast crew in studio to record a look back at some of the best "working man" movies of the past. Jedi Rob joins forces with BrooklynOne's own Anthony Marino and documentary filmmaker extraordinaire Leland James to reminisce about films that focus on good hard work....

The CCD Podcast: Episode #66 - Amazing Summer Vacation Movies or "Vacation.... All We Ever WANTED!!!"

As the summer winds down and the kiddies head back to school, we here at the CCD Podcast thought this was the perfect time to look back at some of the greatest summer vacation movies of all time. These are the movies that remind us of things we did when we were kids, and also the things we WISH we did when we were kids! This weeks crew includes filmmaker Leland James (The Fix), Brooklyn One's very own Anthony Marino, and our lovable host Jedi Rob and these guys will have you reminiscing about the June's, July's and August's of your youth!

The CCD Podcast- Episode #56: The Terminator Retrospective: Part II or "There Were a Few to Many of These Terminator Films, Huh?

Part II of our Terminator retrospective is up, and we rejoin Rob, Leland, and Alicia on their trip through the Terminverse.... Part 3 and 4 may not have lived up to the legacy of Part 1 and 2 set out in establishing, but they do have some high and low lights to focus on. Join the CCD squad as they try to sort through the muck and prepare for the release of the 5th installment of the franchise this week in theaters!

The CCD Podcast- Episode #55: The Terminator Retrospective: Part I or "You Know, The GOOD Terminator Movies!!!"

In our latest installment of the CCD Podcast we take another trip down memory lane for a retrospective on the Terminator franchise. This is the perfect time to revisit the franchise that James Cameron started considering that the release of the 5th Terminator film, Terminator: Genisys is right around the corner! Join Jedi Rob, the lovely and talented Alicia Gomes, and filmmaker Leland James as they break down the classic Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day in the first half of this retrospective podcast! Enjoy after the jump....

The CCD Podcast Episode #51 - The Mad Max Trilogy Retrospective or "WHO RUN BARTERTOWN? SAY... SAY LOUD... CCD RUNS BARTERTOWN!!! LIFT EMBARGO..."

The trilogy that many claim to have seen but few rarely have FINALLY gets the CCD Retrospective treatment in our newest podcast episode. We count down to the fourth installment of the Mad Max series (Fury Road... out May 15th!) with a look back at the first 3 George Miller classic films. The movie franchise that launched the Australian cinema industry gets fully broken down and discussed by Jedi Rob, Mike D, and filmmaker Leland James... and the Nerd Cave will never be the same!!! We all have a special view of the classic films, and it was real cool to chop it up CCD style in honor of the amazing films Miller has created. Fury Road looks great... but this is where it all began! Check out some cool vintage movie posters, artwork, and other tidbits as well as BOTH an AUDIO & VIDEO version of the podcast after the jump!!!

Who runs BARTERTOWN ??? CCD RUNS BARTERTOWN !!!

The CCD Podcast: Episode #44 - Great Out of Character Performances or "Steve Carell and His Giant Fake Foxcatcher Nose Were Robbed... Robbed I Say!!!"

Having an Oscar Hangover? I have the perfect solution for you... how about a little CCD Podcast for your listening pleasure! In Episode #44 Jedi Rob checks back in with filmmaker Leland James and the lovely Mrs. Alicia Gomes to discuss the best "out of character" performances of all time... You know, like when the funny comedian plays a psycho killer or the seriously dramatic actress plays a dumb blonde airhead... another words, actors/actresses trying to be different! Just another great episode from the CCD gang.... Steve Carell and his giant fake Foxcatcher nose were robbed! Enjoy after the jump...