Podcasting with the LAMBs – A Haunted House Ruled by Crazy Slumlords Who Feed Body Parts to their Dog

The latest episode of LAMBcast features a special horror themed edition revolving around 90s cult favorite The People Under the Stairs, starring Brandon Adams, Ving Rhames, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie and A.J. Langer.

Wendy Robie stars in 90s horror film "The People Under the Stairs."Championed by Kristen Lopez of Journeys in Classic Film, it received the most votes among all 15 horror films on the poll for our October Movie of the Month (MOTM), granting it a spotlight on the LAMBcast. As a guest on this iTunes podcast, I joined Jay Cluitt from Life vs. Film, Bubbawheat of Flights, Tights and Movie Nights, Zoë Rose Smith from The Film Fetishist and Lopez to evaluate whether The People Under the Stairs is worth its MOTM victory or not.

For those of you who haven’t watched the movie, it’s about a boy named Fool who on his 13^th birthday, conspires with an older acquaintance to burglarize the home of the landlords evicting them. Desperate to save his family from being put out on the street and prevent his mother from dying of cancer, Fool encounters more trouble than he expected. On LAMBcast episode #291, we discuss the film’s dialogue, costume design and performances including that of Ving Rhames. Subjects such as horror comedy, child abuse, pedophilia and underlying messages of racism are also brought up during the conversation.

Listen to find out the ultimate ingredient needed in order for a remake of this horror flick to work and why Lopez compares The People Under the Stairs to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing on some levels.

When was the last time YOU visited a Haunted House?

Who is YOUR favorite movie character from The People Under the Stairs?

How did YOU celebrate YOUR 13^th birthday?

*The LAMBcast show can be found on iTunes - just do a search for "LAMBcast." The LAMBcast loves feedback too, so if you'd like yours read on a future show, leave it in the comments section at the LAMB. Finally, we would still love a review of this podcast on iTunes, even if it's a bad one. Thanks for listening!

Podcasting with the LAMBs – Why You Should Vote ‘THEM’ for Movie of the Month!

'Aloha' starring Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams.I recently had the pleasure of being a guest on two consecutive episodes of The LAMBcast. This movie podcast features cinephiles who discuss what makes us angry, happy or indifferent about what’s playing (or not) at a theater near you.

In episode #285 - Whatcha Been Watchin’ Lately - hosted by Jay Cluitt at Life vs. Film, I joined Daniel Lackey of The Nightmare Gallery, Will Slater from Exploding Helicopter and French Toast Sunday’s Nick Rehak to talk about movies in the sci-fi, comedy,  and spy thriller genres. In addition to playing a few games of “Last Lamb Standing,” we deliberated on whether LGBT movies will ever get their fair share of wide releasing beyond the film festival circuit.

Jay also hosted episode #286 which involved a pub crawl in the sleepy town of New Haven, as we discussed September’s Movie of the Month – The World’s End, about five friends who end up being mankind’s only hope for survival when they try to complete an epic bar hopping adventure. Here, I joined Bubbawheat at Flights, Tights and Movie Nights along with Justin Gott and Pete Conway from Man, I Love Films to dive into this sci-fi comedy directed by Edgar Wright.

Now the time has come to vote on next month’s movie! For the month of October, most of the LAMBcast shows will be devoted to the horror genre, and as such we're having a horror-special Movie of the Month (MOTM)! Jay’s call for MOTM champions brought in nominations for 15 films including one that I entered into the poll for October's Movie of the Month – Them.

The original French movie poster for 'Them.'Written and Directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, Them is a 2006 French-Romanian horror film about a schoolteacher named Clémentine who, along with her husband Lucas, encounter strange events late one night in their country home. A few unfamiliar noises lead to this couple being terrorized by a group of hooded assailants. Maybe it’s simply kids from the school where Clémentine teaches or maybe it could have something to do with a mother and daughter who mysteriously vanished the day before.

While I made a brief case for Them in LAMBcast Episode #286, here are a few more reasons why you should VOTE for this to be October’s Movie of the Month:

Foreign Horror is a different kind of animal. Them is not your straight up, chase-them down and then chop-them-up kind of horror movie. It contains minimal dialogue and does not rely on special sound effects to get a rise out of viewers or imply how you’re supposed to respond in relation to the scenes. It’s not so much drenched in the type of blood, screams and gore that a lot of American horror films (and their audiences) feed on.

Them takes subtle fears…the kind that creeps up on you – whether consciously or subconsciously and makes the tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and exploits those fears in a way that has you desperately wanting to figure out what the hell is going on….before it’s too late. The movie has the kind of horror that plays with your head and just when you think things might take a turn for the better, something (or rather, someone) else comes along with a different idea in mind that puts the main characters in a horrible situation – yet again.

You’re doomed if you stay. You’re doomed if you go. While Them can be easily summed up as a home invasion movie, it does take viewers for a ride outside of the confines of Clémentine and Lucas’ living space.

From an audience point of view, I consider this to be a good thing because films with plots involving home invasions of some kind usually lack elements that separate them from other movies. Someone is trapped in a house while trying to get out themselves, or send trespassers away or keep intruders from entering the dwelling. Either way the cookie crumbles, most of the action revolves around one building. New characters don’t even get introduced until the climax and if not, then at the end of the movie.

Them does not keep everyone (generally) in one place – the couple’s house -- during this film. Still, that does not mean Lucas and Clémentine’s chances of survival are greater outside of their home. That’s one of the things that makes this movie such a rollercoaster ride of suspense and terror because while you don’t know what’s coming next, it sets you up to feel like it can’t be anything good.

If you liked the Austrian psychological thriller Funny Games (or even it’s 2007 remake starring Naomi Watts), written and directed by Michael Haneke, about a family terrorized by intruders, then chances are you’ll like Them. Both movies share that creepy vibe that you get when in the company of sociopaths (whether budding or full-blown) who are up to no good.

The American version Key Art for 'Them.'Children are troublemakers with too much time on their hands. This movie has what it takes to either remind you why you don't like pranks or bring any suppressed cynicism you have about younger generations to the surface.

If Them wins the poll, a Lambcast show will be devoted to it. The show is recording on Sunday 11th October, currently at 9am Pacific/5pm GMT, but the time can change if necessary. Should my film selection win, I would be guaranteed a spot on that LAMBcast episode where we will discuss Them. As a bonus, I also get the option of hosting that segment of the show.

The film is listed in the poll over at the bottom of the blog post for LAMBcast Episode #286 and the poll is also located in the sidebar of the LAMB website. You have one week to vote and help me claim a spot on this movie podcast to champion foreign films in the horror genre. VOTE for THEM!

When was the last time YOU watched a scary movie?

Will YOU vote for THEM?

What kind of candy do YOU give trick-or-treaters for Halloween?

*The movie podcast referred to in this post is on iTunes – just do a search for “LAMBcast.” A link to the show is also posted on the LAMBcast’s Facebook page if you’d like to listen online. The LAMBcast loves feedback, too – if you’d like yours read on a future show, leave it in the comments section at the LAMB. Finally, we would love an iTunes review, even if it’s a bad one. Thanks for listening!

It's NOT about the Pen! How 'The Wolf of Wall Street' Can Help You Win at Life

(l-r): Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio star in 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'Martin Scorsese's biographical comedy The Wolf of Wall Street is one of the wildest movies I've ever seen. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, there are useful lessons about greed, herd mentality, addiction, leadership and unethical behavior that can be gleaned from this film; which (aside from reminding me of the crime drama Boiler Room starring Ben Affleck, Giovanni Ribisi and Vin Diesel) is based on the memoir of former stockbroker Jordon Belfort who enjoyed an inflated version of the American Dream until becoming one of the FBI's (and the SEC's) most sought after white collar criminals.

Of all the takeaways from such a movie, there's potential for life to have greater wins than losses if you understand this simple principle -- it's NOT about the pen.

In one restaurant scene, Belfort, played by DiCaprio, asks a group of friends to sell him a pen. He also makes the same request to millionaire hopefuls, during a seminar later on in the movie. Both scenarios bring similar results of people attempting to win him over on various features this basic writing tool possesses. What most fail to recognize, save for his drug dealing buddy Brad's quick "supply and demand" comeback, is that their value proposition emphasizes the thing they're trying to market rather than the problems its end-user wants to solve. That approach is not the most effective way to get other people, especially strangers, to give you something of value -- in Belfort's case…that would be money -- in exchange for whatever it is you are offering to them.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'Asking yourself what's in it for the other side makes a big difference between succeeding at getting what you want out of life and losing out on achieving goals. This is precisely how Jordan Belfort grew his brokerage firm in The Wolf of Wall Street; he kept the staff at Stratton Oakmont productive by playing on their individual desires for money, status, power, sex, drugs and/or related wants.

However, you don't have to be selling stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. to apply this one lesson to your own circumstances. Every day, there be times when your interactions with people involve some type of trade, whether that is for material goods, services, approval, validation, information, friendship, employment, romance, job promotions, support or other things you (and/or the other party) value. When those moments arise and you need to close the deal, remember that it's about figuring out if their needs or wants can be met with what you bring to the table, and if so, how can this be done. That is how you win.

Which scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street struck a chord with YOU?

When was the last time YOUR salesmanship skills were put into play?

Today's post about 'The Wolf of Wall Street' is written as part of my participation in June's "Movie of the Month" series hosted by The Large Association of Movie Blogs (#TheLAMB), for which I am a member.