Schlock It to Me!

Guest Jonathan Kiefer joins David Riedel to talk about the many, many overlaps between Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (1960) and Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left (1972). While not technically a remake, The Last House on the Left shares a similar plot with The Virgin Spring, from the innocence of the victim(s) to the dispatching of the perpetrators. Jon and Dave talk about the beats, the filmmaking, and Bergman's technical mastery compared to Craven's nascent skills that he'd later master with A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream franchise.
Mr. Kiefer is a screenwriter (Around the Sun), moviemaker, and founder of the Vital Signs Film Series at Shapeshifters Cinema in Oakland, Calif.

In this episode, host David Riedel and guest The Lady-Wan from ScreenRun explore the themes, filmmaking choices, and cultural context of “Death Wish (1974)” (3:35), “Blue Ruin” (27:10), and “Dragged Across Concrete” (46:35). There’s vigilante justice, weird crime, and clunky societal messaging embedded in these films. And, of course, a cappella stings with the words “Schlock It to Me!” are embedded throughout! 

I'm David Riedel, movie yapper from Spoilerpiece Theatre. Welcome to the first episode of SCHLOCK IT TO ME! The extraordinary Jason from Binge Movies joins me to talk about two movies from journeyman director Steve Miner, HOUSE (1985), and SOUL MAN (1986). These flicks couldn't be more different, but somehow came out within 10 months of each other. Jason and I talk about the trauma and loss that take up residency in HOUSE, and for better or worse, we try to figure out what the hell is happening in SOUL MAN. Oh, and that's Jason's dog snarfing in the background.