This is the conclusion of CatBusRuss and Gregory Carl's conversation about the most politically-minded movie from The Horror Master John Carpenter, 1988's "They Live". Being a film that stars Rowdy Roddy Piper, these two marks (an underemployed wrestler and a wrestling podcaster) will have their pro-wrestling tangents, but they have paid enough attention to the film to recognize the actor/stuntman legend Al Leong and the use of props from far more renowned films. Let's go bust some Reagan policies.

Russ also suggests how Kevin Smith maybe Generation X's incarnation of Carpenter, at least in terms of directorial style. Our host may have suggested this in the podcast about "Big Trouble in Little China", but its good to run this concept by another cinema aficionado. There may not be many action films in the Jersey guy's filmography, but "Tusk" and "Red State" show he has a grasp on horror. A completed the "Great White North" trilogy is something that CatBus and Greg are hoping for.

Smith is primarily comedic director, so it seems appropriate to attach a review of Carpenter's sci-fi comedy "Memoirs of an Invisible Man". Again we are made to ask, "Is this a Carpenter flick?" Regardless of how Carpenter it is, if he can handle James Woods, surely he can manage divas Chevy Chase and Daryl Hannah.

CatBusRuss is dedicating this week to the film that truly opened him up to the works of "The Horror Master" John Carpenter. This was a frequent post WCW Nitro/Thunder movie back during the Monday Night Wars. Featuring Keith David and Rowdy Roddy Piper, our host does not consider it the best Carpenter flick, but it maybe his favorite. If David had a role in "Big Trouble in Little China", it may not be able to claim that title.

Russ is joined by Gregory Carl. He may not have been the ideal guest because there are a lot of wrestling tangents that come out. This should have been expected since Russ is an underemployed pro-wrestler and Gregory was an aspiring pro-wrestling podcaster. Of course they were going to honor the legend of the Kilted One. If it was not for that, this conversation would probably have been a one a one episode endeavor.

Gregory was Zooming in via a Motorola Stylus phone (This is a conversation from 2022.), so his audio is a little choppy. His points are still made, but our host may not have been able to remove all of his guest's R-rated language. But if its not audible, did it actually get said?

To add a little more Carpenter to the mix, CatBus has finally gotten around to the last film that he directed, "The Ward" from 2010, starring Amber Heard. Our host is sympathetic to this actress after Johnny Depp defamed and essentially blackballed her from Hollywood. Is she enough to carry a film that Carpenter directed, but did not score or pen?

On Thursday, November 20, "I Dig Crazy Flicks" will further investigate what a John Carpenter movie is along with concluding this conversation about "The Live".

CatBusRuss headed to GalaxyCon Des Moines to see if the capital of Iowa could help determine who was the baddest action hero(es) from forty years prior. 1985 was the last year where action movies were celebrated solely for being violent. One liners are fun, but chaos reigned supreme.

Sylvester Stallone may have had the box office with "Rocky IV" and "Rambo: First Blood - Part II", but this may have been the dawning of Arnold Schwarzenegger taking over the action hero crown from Sly. But is there a dark horse?

The Cannon Group may have only survived as long as it did because of their low-budget action flicks. Michael Dudikoff and Chuck Norris bring the martial arts while Charles Bronson returns to the Death Wish franchise.

And to make sure CatBus is not looking over any of the action legends, he reviews Sho Kosugi's fourth ninja film of the eighties, "Pray for Death". After Golan-Globus replaced his with the girl from "Breakin'", he started making hooded assassin flicks just to spite them.

Russ provides a TED Talk energy to this panel. Without having a cohost for the panel, our podcast host talks a lot and goes on some very pertinent tangents. These were the movies that Ronald Reagan loved. Are these movies truly more than right-wing escapism? Is this the machismo that modern male influencers trying to capture?

In the end, was it a good thing that PG-13 action movies would dominate the next 35 years? Are we mature enough as a society to know that these ultra-violent affairs should not be taken seriously?

There is a charm to these films. They are mindless crazy flicks. Please leave your brain at the door.

CatBusRuss originally thought that this week would be a simple #RewindWednesday release, but as he was going through the "NinetyForChill dot Com - The Podcast" archives, he noticed that he had crammed a couple of classics from John Carpenter into the summer of 2022. So every other week this November will be dedicated to "The Horror Master", and this podcast will kick the theme off with what his friends would call his masterpiece, "Big Trouble in Little China".

It is may be safe to say that Russ and his guests Andrew "Baking While Baked" Tiede & "Not a Strong Start's" Jorge Marrero would agree. If not Carpenter's masterpiece, perhaps Kurt Russell's.

Like most Carpenter films, it was under seen upon release. Thankfully, VHS and HBO has made this a must own feature. The film proves the West is fascinated by Eastern culture, so it only seems appropriate for CatBus to attach his review for the children's version of "Big Trouble", "KPop Demon Hunters".

Next week, "I Dig Crazy Flicks" will return to GalaxyCon Des Moines for the second "1985 Action Movie Triple Threat Match". Then the week of November 16 will have two episodes dedicated to the first great starring performance from a pro-wrestler with Roddy Piper in "John Carpenter's They Live".

CatBusRuss & Faydra Black were going to amuse an ATL Comic Convention audience by gushing over the film that features Brandon Lee's final and finest performance, "The Crow". It is safe to believe that neither of them expected a packed room, but as our podcast host arrived after just concluding his first "1985 Action Movie Triple-Threat Match", he was surprised by the turn out. And then a FanX representative told the two that they would be hosting a Q&A with the comic book's creator James O'Barr and stars Bail Ling, Rochelle Davis, and Laurence Mason.

No wonder Bai Ling was insisting to CatBusRuss to ask good questions when he met her the day before.

Ms. Black handled the questions from the audience as Russ tried to seem cool sitting by the guests. Hopefully, he does not embarrass himself too much when he wanted to speak about the soundtrack.

This panel was a love letter to the late Brandon Lee, and the cast and writer speak about how this is THE ONLY "CROW" MOVIE. So, yes. We get to hear about their unified disdain for the 2024 remake. It just does not have the heart of this masterpiece. When you hear everyone's tales of Brandon, be it Brandon insisting to Bai that his dad was a huge movie star in China or borrowing Rochelle's Game Boy, it is clear this property should never have been filmed again.

There is nothing but great stories from this panel, and it might be Russ's greatest honor of 2025 to share the stage with them. Hope you enjoy the episode.

CatBusRuss went to GalaxyCon Des Moines to once again preach the gospel of "Ninety For Chill". He is joined by Jess McCord from "Skies of Fortune" to further back his stance that modern movies are just too damn long, and to promote Jess's panel "A24: Horror Goes to the Art House."

It is a fun conversation that celebrates a shared love for cinema, so much so that there is not much space for audience participation. That may have been a bad thing as the Jess proposes that flicks with a runtime between 70 and 100 minutes are not respectable. Why else would there be a lack of Best Picture Oscars for cinematic offerings of the ideal runtime? Russ takes a literary approach to this concept.

Which films get the capital F and which films are spelled with a lowercase F? Perhaps, Russ should have let the audience decide. A note for next time.

If the argument that our host takes on tour has been overplayed, to keep up the spooky month vibes, CatBus watched the highly praised A24 feature "I Saw the TV Glow". This was a challenge for him. He was skeptical having watched Jane Schoenbrun "We're All Going to the World's Fair", and not being overly impressed. How does Schoenbrun's sophomore personal tribute to 90s Nickelodeon fair in comparison?