Not Now in Theaters: A Retro and Cult Film Podcast
Clever B-movies, cult classics, Criterion picks, and underseen imports — Not Now in Theaters is a retro and cult film podcast hosted by Will Turntale.
Each episode explores a handpicked watchlist of overlooked gems and revisits classics with a light-hearted but deeply felt perspective.
Find your next favorite forgotten film — and rediscover the ones that still hit.
A production of Over-Egged Media, LLC.
Episodes
92 episodes
Ghosts of Mars (2001): John Carpenter Runs out of Gas
Ghosts of Mars lost money, and it didn't win too many critical fans when it was released. Still, its Wikipedia page claims it "garnered a cult following." So is the movie really that bad? After all, it's a John...
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House II: The Second Story (1987): New House, New Silly Horror Problems
I covered House a few weeks ago and had so much fun I was back in for the sequel.But does House II live up to the fun of the original?Well, I'll be annoying and say, "listen to my episode to find out." I'm...
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A Chinese Ghost Story (1987): Is this Hong Kong's Princess Bride?
A Chinese Ghost Story is said to be a beloved Hong Kong film, one that's lasted generations, especially for those born in the 1980s.And as a romantic adventure fantasy comedy film, it's easy to see a parallel between it and the...
Johnny Guitar (1954): The Cult Operatic Western that Confused Audiences
I don't normally dip back into 1950s movies on Not Now in Theaters, but for the so-called "Beauty and the Beast of westerns," I was intrigued.Johnny Guitar looks like a classic western, but it's unlike the ones you would think ...
Ride in the Whirlwind (1966): Jack Nicholson's Anti-Western
Ride in the Whirlwind is a Criterion Classic film directed by Monte Hellman and written by Jack Nicholson.Filmed side-by-side with fellow low-budget Criterion Classic western The Shooting, the movie had a str...
A Better Tomorrow II (1987): Unreal End Shootout, Bizarre Scenes
A Better Tomorrow II is best-known for its epic, stylish, bonkers end shootout. Ranked by many as one of the best ever shot, it lives up to the hype as among the very best, very bloodiest, very chic Hong Kong action heyday endings ever...
Excalibur (1981): Epic Dark Fantasy
John Boorman's Excalibur is still many film fans' go-to story of King Arthur. And it's a movie I love to stare at because it is simply gorgeous.A dark fantasy epic, its visual brilliance and story of light, might, and righ...
Nemesis (1992): Lo-Fi Cyberpunk, Really Big Guns
Nemesis is a low-budget 1990s cyberpunk action film that, if you missed in its day, you got to check out now.With effects wizards from Terminator 2 and cult movie vets behind the camera, director Albert Pyun (C...
American Yakuza (1993): Even Aragorn Couldn’t Rescue This [Side Reels]
American Yakuza is a straight-to-video film that may catch your eye because it stars the legendary Viggo Mortensen.In this episode, I explain that, even though I didn't like this film, it may be a good watch for aspiring writer...
John Dies at the End (2012): Slackers Saving the Universe
Is John Dies at the End a modern cult film?Director Don Coscarelli pulled magic from modest budgets with Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep. And in adapting David Wong's cosmic horro...
Prospect (2018): More Sci-fi Fans Should See This
Prospect is a bit of a space western and a definite science-fiction thriller.The film started as a crowdfunded short and, when it attracted attention, got expanded into a full-blown release.Prepare to have your mind blown...
The Death of Stalin (2017): the British Mockery that Angered Russia
The Death of Stalin is Armando Ianucci's satire of the true paranoia of life under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.The controversial film has won plenty of fans in some regions but was panned and banned in Russia.Everyone li...
Top Five Films I Wish Got Made [Side Reels]
The film industry is full of unrealized promising projects that, for whatever reason, fail to launch.In this episode of side reels, I'm discussing my top five films we never got to see that I wish got made.With so-far unrealized...
House (1985): Horror Comedy Mansion Hijinks
Why do Cult Film Fans Love the Horror Comedy blend of House?House started out as a straight horror film but was molded into a comedy.A bonkers movie that worries less about making sense and more abo...
Drive (1997): Where Has this Action Film Been All My Life?
Drive (1997) blends Hong Kong action inspired sequences with American "buddy" humor.Drive (1997) wasn't a movie you could go see at the box office, unless you lived in Japan or The Philippines.I...
Bone Tomahawk (2015): The Horror Rescue Western Nightmare
How does Bone Tomahawk blend the western and horror genres together?S. Craig Zahler's Bone Tomahawk is, like a throwback cult classic, a low-budget film that has carved out a large fanbase.A ...
Dark Star (1974): John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon's Science Fiction Comedy
Why was Dark Star so important to science-fiction films to come?Dark Star began as a student film project by then-USC Students John Carpenter (Halloween) and Dan O'Bannon (Return of the...
The Mist (2007): Two Problems With the Ending [Side Reels]
The ending to The Mist shocked audiences.The Mist has a notoriously difficult ending. Still, there are audiences who love it, including its original author, Stephen King.But I couldn't stand ...
Hard Boiled (1992): Action Madness On and Off Camera
How was Hard Boiled crazy on and off the screen?John Woo's Hard Boiled is considered by many to be one of the best action films of all time and possibly the director's biggest spectacle.Starr...
Night of the Creeps (1986): Fred Dekker's Cult Classic Horror Comedy
Why do Horror Fans continue to love Night of the Creeps?Night of the Creeps performed poorly at the box office but has endured as a classic piece of 1980s horror....
Sid and Nancy (1986): The Punk Rock Love Story Gone Wrong
Sid and Nancy shows love can be as addicting as drugs.British cult film Sid and Nancy is a Criterion collected work and a notable cult film of the 1980s. As a member of infamous British punk r...
Brandon Lee Before The Crow: Legacy of Rage, Laser Mission, and Rapid Fire [Side Reels]
What movies and TV shows did Brandon Lee appear in before his final role in The Crow?Brandon Lee was more than a martial artist and actor with an ultra-famous father. I'm convinced he was a performer on the way to...
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980): Seven Samurai in Space, Silly Retro Fun
What makes Battle Beyond the Stars a throwback, knock-off science-fiction film worth a nostalgia watch?After Star Wars reeled in the dollars at the late 1970s box office, imitators around the film i...
The Long Riders (1980): The "Green Western" of Dreamlike Violence and Flat History
What makes Walter Hill's The Long Riders a sweeping but violent historical biographical western?The Long Riders just about broke even at the box office (according to star Stacey Keach), and it doesn...
