Supporting Characters

Bill Ackerman

Host Bill Ackerman talks to writers, bloggers, podcasters, fanzine publishers, programmers, preservationists and more about their creative endeavors and today’s film culture.

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Top 10 Supporting Characters Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Supporting Characters episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Supporting Characters for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Supporting Characters episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Episode 1: Daniel Bird

Supporting Characters

03/11/16 • 84 min

Bill speaks with writer and film scholar Daniel Bird about Andrzej Zulawski, ‘Eyeball’ magazine, the influence of Pete Tombs, THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, HARD TO BE A GOD, and the future of film.

Episode 11: Jim Laczkowski

Supporting Characters

07/25/16 • 132 min

Bill speaks with Director’s Club host and Now Playing Network founder Jim Laczkowski. In addition to talking about podcasts, both his own and those of others, they discuss his early years directing short comedies to make his classmates laugh, his long history with WGN Radio film critic Nick Digilio, EVIL DEAD 2, near-death experiences, PUMP UP THE VOLUME, bandwagon mentality, the Chicago film critic community, drive-in theatres, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, experiences touring as a solo musician, critic screenings and the enduring scent of Roger Ebert’s sandwich.

Hear Jim on the Director’s Club podcast: http://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/

Hear Jim on the V&V podcast: https://www.voicesvisions.net/episodes/

Hear Jim guest on other podcasts: https://www.voicesvisions.net/archives/

Explore the other shows on the network Jim created: http://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/

Hear Jim’s music: https://soundcloud.com/nowplayingjim http://anniversaryparty.bandcamp.com

Read/follow Jim on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/nowplayingjim

Read Jim's writing on V&V: https://www.voicesvisions.net/thoughts/

Follow Jim on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowplayingjim

Episode 18: Nick Pinkerton

Supporting Characters

03/13/17 • 102 min

Bill speaks with film critic Nick Pinkerton about his experiences and practices as a writer, from his initial reviews for Reverse Shot to becoming a regular contributor at publications like The Village Voice, Sight & Sound, Artforum and Film Comment. Other topics discussed include the late Kim’s Video chain, the importance of great editors, moderating Q&As, New York City film culture, criticism in the age of social media, work/life balance and the professional hazards that can come from having the wrong attitude about frozen yogurt. Read Nick Pinkerton’s film criticism: https://www.filmcomment.com/author/nick-pinkerton/ http://www.bfi.org.uk/people/nick-pinkerton https://www.artforum.com/contributors/name=nick-pinkerton http://reverseshot.org/people/28/nick-pinkerton Nick Pinkerton | New York News, Food, Culture and Events | Village Voice Hear Nick Pinkerton on the Film Comment Podcast: https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/film-comment-podcast-social-media-criticism/ Read Nick Pinkerton's essay for the Criterion Collection on ANATOMY OF A MURDER: Anatomy of a Murder: Atomization of a Murder Buy Severin Films' special edition Blu-Ray of THE KILLING OF AMERICA, which includes the supplementary feature "Mondo Mania", Nick Pinkerton's examination of Italian shockumentary films. https://severin-films.com/shop/the-killing-of-america-blu-ray/

Episode 57: Gary Tooze

Supporting Characters

09/21/20 • 140 min

Bill speaks to Gary Tooze about his home video review site, DVDBeaver, now in its 18th year. They discuss his experiences with film, from encountering Charlie Chaplin on television and renting 35mm Basil Rathbone movies with his father to creating the Listserv discussion group that evolved into his website. Topics discussed include audio commentaries, the 4K UHD format, David Cronenberg, nostalgia, Jonathan Rosenbaum, content warnings, Jesús Franco, Tim Lucas, contemporary pop culture in James Bond movies, online negativity, DETOUR and the pleasures of simple storytelling. Visit DVDBeaver: http://www.dvdbeaver.com Read the DVDBeaver Top 100 desert island discs list:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/top100.htm

Visit the DVDBeaver Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/dvdbeaver Read the DVDBeaver analysis of Universal's 4K Ultra HD edition of VERTIGO: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film9/blu-ray_review_127/vertigo_4K_UHD.htm

Episode 56: Jonathan Hertzberg

Supporting Characters

09/07/20 • 176 min

Bill talks to Kino Lorber’s Director of Repertory Sales and Acquisitions, Jonathan Hertzberg, about his many film cultural endeavors, from creating the Obscure One Sheet Blog and programming for the Chicago International Film Festival to developing his DIRTY OLD NEW YORK video essays and launching the new Fun City Editions home video label. Topics include THE WANDERERS, virtual cinemas, Michael Ferrari, Montclair in the 90s, THE SWIMMER, Milestone Films, the Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee and how discovering Danny Peary’s CULT MOVIES books during adolescence can both expand one’s taste and lead to a bad back.

Visit the Fun City Editions website: https://funcityeditions.com

Follow Fun City Editions on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/FunCityEdition

Follow Fun City Editions on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funcityeditions/

Visit the Kino Lorber Repertory site: https://kinorep.com/

Visit Obscure One-Sheet: http://knifeinthehead.blogspot.com

Visit Jonathan Hertzberg’s Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/user4815515

Watch DIRTY OLD NEW YORK SUBWAY: https://vimeo.com/65108638

Buy the Fun City Editions ALPHABET CITY Blu-Ray: https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/frontpage/products/alphabet-city-fun-city-editions

Hear Jonathan Hertzberg on Just The Discs:

http://justthediscs.libsyn.com

Hear Jonathan Hertzberg on Crackpot Cinema: Ep 22 - Alphabet City with special guest Jonathan Hertzberg by Crackpot Cinema Podcast

Episode 55: Abraham Castillo Flores

Supporting Characters

08/24/20 • 174 min

Bill speaks to lecturer, editor and film programmer Abraham Castillo Flores about his path in film, from directing short films and cutting promos for the Independent Film Channel to programming for Mexico’s Mórbido Film Fest and hosting The Morbido Crypt's Guide to Mexican Fantasy and Horror Cinema events. Topics include: Luz María Rojas, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Luchador films, Liliana V. Blum, the documentaries of Paulina del Paso, contextualizing extreme films at festivals, Lucio A. Rojas’ TRAUMA, the programming work of Evrim Ersoy and Nicole McControversy, employing terror to promote safe sex, Lex Ortega, DIAMOND FLASH, the magic of editing and sharing a quiet smoke with David Lynch.

Follow Abraham Castillo Flores on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/aullidosp

Follow Abraham Castillo Flores on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/aullidos_panteoneros/

Visit Abraham Castillo Flores’ Vimeo page:

https://vimeo.com/aullidospanteoneros

Watch THE TESTAMENT OF THE MEXICAN MUMMY:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN-cXH-ZFmk

Read a list of films from Abraham Castillo Flores's lecture at Fantastic Fest 2019:

https://letterboxd.com/noahphex/list/the-morbido-crypts-guide-to-mexican-fantasy/

Visit the official Mórbido Film Fest site:

https://www.morbidofest.com

Episode 53: Ashlee Blackwell

Supporting Characters

07/27/20 • 103 min

Bill speaks to writer, producer/screenwriter and professor Ashlee Blackwell about her various endeavors, from organizing events like Philly Loves Women In Horror and developing the Graveyard Shift Sisters website to teaching film at St. Joseph’s University and co-writing, co-producing and appearing in the documentary HORROR NOIRE: A HISTORY OF BLACK HORROR. Topics include: James Bond III, the value in narrowing one’s focus, R. Shanea Williams, THE EXORCIST, Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, unwinding to stand-up comedy and having one’s feminist sensibilities awakened by A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER. Follow Ashlee Blackwell on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshleeTakesNote Read Graveyard Shift Sisters: https://www.graveyardshiftsisters.com Watch HORROR NOIRE: A HISTORY OF BLACK HORROR: https://www.shudder.com/movies/watch/horror-noire-a-history-of-black-horror/4548652 Listen to Ashlee Blackwell and Diandra Lazor interview actress Toy Newkirk on Elm Street Radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeWEUoYmqek Read "Why We Exist: A Call For Community": https://www.graveyardshiftsisters.com/2013/10/why-we-exist-call-for-community.html Watch the films of R. Shanea Williams: https://vimeo.com/user3681349

Episode 3: Heather Drain

Supporting Characters

04/04/16 • 88 min

Bill speaks with Heather Drain about her path as a writer from childhood capsule reviews of B-movies in crayon to writing professionally for people like Video Watchdog and Dangerous Minds, the influence of Baxter Phillips' book Cut: The Unseen Cinema, the work of filmmaker Stephen Sayadian, her involvement with The Projection Booth podcast, David Schmoeller's CRAWLSPACE, peers she admires, early music videos, adult cinema, Lester Bangs, and details about a few of the upcoming projects she has in the works

Episode 13: Jeremy Richey

Supporting Characters

08/22/16 • 100 min

Bill speaks with Jeremy Richey, editor and co-creator of the quarterly print journal Art Decades. They talk about the origins of this publication and his litany of film-related blogs, among them Moon In The Gutter, Fascination: The Jean Rollin Experience, Nostalgia Kinky and Harry Moseby Confidential. They also discuss plagiarism, influential books, Jean Rollin, feminism, Tim Lucas, Jeremy’s documentary appearances, Kimberly Kane, discouraging freelance writing experiences and details about his upcoming book focusing on the European film career of Sylvia Kristel. Buy past issues of Art Decades: https://www.amazon.com/Jeremy-R-Richey/e/B00OV5YLWS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Read Jeremy Richey’s long-running blog, Moon In The Gutter: http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/ Read A Return To Utrecht, Jeremy Richey’s Sylvia Kristel blog: https://areturntoutrecht.wordpress.com/ Read Jeremy Richey’s Nastassja Kinski blog Nostalgia Kinky: http://nostalgiakinky.blogspot.com/ Read Jeremy Richey’s Jean Rollin blog Fascination: The Jean Rollin Experience: Fascination: The Jean Rollin Experience

Episode 62: Michael J. Weldon

Supporting Characters

03/07/22 • 163 min

Bill speaks to author and magazine publisher/editor Michael J. Weldon about his many endeavors, from drumming with Cleveland proto-punk act Mirrors and reviewing movies for Cle, to Psychotronic, his photocopied, hand-written fanzine that lead to books like the influential PSYCHOTRONIC ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FILM, the long-running PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO magazine, calendars, film festivals and the Psychotronic store he manages today. Other topics include Ghoulardi, Roger Corman, hypnotism, Diane Keaton’s HEAVEN, Club 57, Johnny Ramone, cattle call auditions for GHETTO FREAKS, childhood filmmaking efforts, Alfred Sole, research methods, 42nd Street theatres, THE HYPNOTIC EYE and being killed over and over by Dr. Butcher, M.D. Visit Psychotronic.com:http://psychotronic.com

Read old issues of Psychotronic Video Magazine:https://archive.org/details/psychotronic

Watch a Psychotronic tour of 42nd Street:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNAE82werw

Kurt Loder plugs Psychotronic on MTV:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M--jNfflu8M

Hear Michael Weldon’s band Mirrors:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENw6co2BUc4

Buy THESE FISTS BREAK BRICKS:https://mondoshop.com/products/these-fists-break-bricks

Buy: DO YOU BELIEVE IN SWEDISH SIN? SWEDISH EXPLOITATION FILM POSTERS 1951-1984:

https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Swedish-Exploitation-Posters-1951-1984/dp/9198677209

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