Podcasts
The ‘Hereditary’ Blu-ray Doesn’t Include the Director’s Commentary We Were Craving But Here’s the Next Best Thing
Who is Ari Aster? That’s what I wanted to know after seeing the first-time filmmaker’s horror masterpiece Hereditary, which is now available for purchase on VOD platforms with a 4K, Blu-ray and DVD release slated for September 4th. Included on the releases are the featurette “Cursed: The True Nature of Hereditary” and an “Evil in Miniature” photo gallery. Shockingly missing is a commentary track. Typically, this isn’t a big deal, but we’re discussing the most talked-about horror film of the year from a first time director who we all know nothing about. For such hype behind a release, it’s a catastrophe that they chose to exclude a commentary track from Aster.
Being irate on Twitter, a reader pointed me to something that’s a little better than nothing – Aster’s interview with horror director Mick Garris on his wonderful “Post Mortem” podcast. While you won’t hear Aster breaking down his mind-blowing shots, he does talk a little about his process that should act as a lesson to all aspiring filmmakers. He goes into detail about his over-preparation that’s so precise that it restricts his actor’s ability to “bring their own” to the performance. It’s such a titillating moment in the interview because it’s Aster being humble, and acknowledging something that’s both his blessing and curse to deal with – something he needs to learn how to constructively address in future projects.
There’s also talk about his experience through AFI’s schooling system, how he built all the sets (and why), and selected his cast. Even more interesting was his mentality behind Hereditary, which (as we know) began as a drama and turned into a horror film. As explained by Aster, life can feel like a nightmare, especially when bad things happen and he wanted to honor those emotions. “When it rains it pours.”
Here’s the full podcast:
On the DL.
After spending June on explicitly queer texts like Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (listen) and William Castle’s Homicidal (listen), it’s only appropriate that Horror Queers celebrate the American holiday with a blockbuster film with a not-so-secret gay connection.
In Independence Day, an unlikely group of people come together when the human race faces extinction from a threatening alien race. After spaceships destroy every major city, pilot Steven Hiller (Will Smith) must team up with secret tech genius David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), as well as the US President (Bill Pullman), to execute a daring plan to save the planet from annihilation.
Along for the ride are the two saviors’ romantic partners – WH Communications Director Constance (Margaret Colin) and stripper Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) – plus eccentric scientist Dr. Okun (Brent Spiner), who is at the center of the film’s most horrific set piece.
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Episode 393: Independence Day (1996)
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day…courtesy of gay German director Roland Emmerich.
As the summer blockbuster celebrates its 30th anniversary, we’re looking back on an alien disaster film that scared young Trace (thanks to that alien autopsy scene) and turned Will Smith into a star.
Plus: the death that upsets the most; bemoaning Vivica A. Fox’s career; pondering what could have been with the casting; why Smith’s bravado and the film’s patriotism doesn’t always work for Joe; and plenty of riffing on the atrocious sequel.
Cross out Independence Day!
Coming Up Next: We’re retreating to the country for some questionable therapy courtesy of Joe Dante’s 1981 classic, The Howling!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 503 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Forbidden Fruits, Saccharine, Evil Dead Burn, an audio commentary on the utterly ridiculous sequel Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf (1985), and the conclusion of our Requel Tier coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.