The Postman Always Rewinds Twice

The Video Archives Podcast is celebrating Christmas in May! It’s another mailbag week here on the After Show, as Quentin, Roger & Gala open late Xmas gifts from the UK, talk about their favorite trailers, and reveal whether they believe in “litmus test” movies. Come hang out in the studio with us, as we prepare for the home stretch of this season – as ever, I’ve got VHS boxes and movie facts on today’s Counter Talk, so let’s start ripping open some envelopes…

From across the pond, VideOdyssey (the UK’s last VHS rental shop) sent the Video Archives hosts a “Merry Crimbo” (yes that is a UK thing), membership cards, and tapes. Here’s Roger excitedly anticipating his gift!

Speaking of movies starring bands, in this episode Quentin talks about how he almost remade Roger Corman’s 1957 film “Rock All Night” for Showtime. Rock All Night prominently features The Platters, and the film was initially developed to be a full-on star vehicle for the vocal quintet, along the lines of “Rock Around The Clock.” However, the Platters were only available for one day of shooting, so the script was quickly reworked to include them only in the first act. The final film didn’t get a great reception at the time – Variety called it a mediocre “weirdie” – but it became one of the early films that burnished Roger Corman’s reputation.

The tagline of the poster suggests that there are two kinds of people in this world – the ones who have to dance, and the ones who have to kill. Which one are you?

I don’t know about you, but I always come away from these grab bag episodes wanting to check out a dozen movies the gang list off. For instance, I love David Cronenberg but I’ve never seen The Brood, one of Roger’s picks for the best exploitation films to come out of Canada. A freakish meditation on marriage, motherhood and family that Cronenberg calls his only “classic horror film,” the movie also stars Video Archives favorite Samantha Eggar! It’s her second film with co-star Oliver Reed, after 1970’s The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun, another film we’ve discussed covering on Archives.

What exactly are the eyes and hands on this poster peering out from? They’re waiting…for me to watch and find out!

I’m also very curious about Swallowtail Butterfly, the movie Quentin refers to as “Japan’s Pulp Fiction.” An episodic crime story set in a near-future Japan, the 1996 film from director Shunji Iwai won multiple Japanese Academy Awards; the title track from the soundtrack even became a hit single. I’ll be moving this up to the top of my queue, so I can find out if I’m the little girl or the butterfly:

Before I wrap up, I’ve got a question for you – if Quentin or Roger were hanging out with you and your friends at a bar, and everyone came back to your apartment for a drink, and got to see your movie shelf (as detailed in this episode)…what would it say about you? Would you feel proud? Anxious? What movie would you feel most excited to show off? Maybe, if you’re an especially brave soul, you’ll send a photo of your shelf or shelves to @videoarchives on Twitter or @videoarchivespod on Instagram and let the people judge for themselves!

Next week we’ve really got a treat for you all…until then, keep telling your friends about Video Archives, check out our website and get merch at videoarchivespodcast.com, and I’ll see you in your inbox soon for more Counter Talk!

–Josh