Give Me Back My Action&Horror Movies

Charlie and Mickey joined co-host Dustin on his show Flicks and Friends for their Video Game month to cover the 90s classic.... Double Dragon!!!

B-ACTION gets down to the fundamentals with a CLASSIC flick about heart, teamwork, and overcoming the odds! Derek from Bad Movies, Worse People joins us for 1989’s Best of the Best starring Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones. This is a quintessential stop on every B-ACTION movie fan's journey. Bar fights and martial arts tournaments are just the icing on top of a fun movie full of montages, the importance of brotherhood, and… *sniff, sniff* Is somebody cutting onions in here?! We're not crying! It's just allergies!!! Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!

Guest Spot Episode: In this episode, we’re diving into Solo (1996) — the high-octane, cyber-soldier action flick starring Mario Van Peebles as a government-made killing machine who grows a conscience and goes rogue. It’s got jungle warfare, robot ethics, 90s cheese, and some wild explosions.   We’re not going solo on this one either — we’re joined by the @B-Action Podcast crew to help us close out the Month of Action in style.    Come hang with us as we ask:   Was Solo ahead of its time or just a forgotten VHS relic? Why did Mario Van Peebles deserve better? And how does it stack up against other '90s sci-fi action? Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!

A brief explanation of the upcoming holiday schedule for the podcast.

The Rutger Hauer B-ACTION redemption starts here! Jack from “Bad Movies, Worse People” joins us to cover 1992’s Split Second! Rat infested, flooded, forever night London is terrorized by a serial killer eating its victim's hearts! Is it an alien? A monster? A demon? We don't know, but Harley Stone and Dick Durkin are just the right cops for the job to hunt down this monster and do it with style! Badass practical effects? Check. Kim Cattrall? Check. Big ass guns? Double Check!!! Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!!

The gangs all here as Anna returns and she brings along her Barren's Hideout co-host and Halloween superfan Lil' D. While the opinions of the movie, in general, wildly varied, the conversation was next level. Even though we tip-toe around H4 through most of the show, when we get down to it, the criticisms are fair and praises are fun. Charlie flexes his "Script Doctor" muscles and creates a more coherent storyline using mostly what has already been shot. It's impressive. Lil D's love of the franchise is wonderful to hear and that alone should be enough to pull you in. Pete tried to shoehorn a plug for his friends at Spookypinball.com and their Halloween pinball machine but he ran out of time and asked that I add it here: https://youtu.be/W-RpfCzCKAM

Steven Seagal vs VAMPIRES?! We're totally in! Except that they're not really vampires. 2009’s Against the Dark had us hyped for a Blade like movie with a badass poster and a great concept. However, we got sharp toothed, somewhat intelligent zombies chasing a group of really dumb survivors that none of us cared about. For all its faults there were some buried gems. Thank God for Steven Seagal and a shotgun or else this one was destined for a big ole BOMB. Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!!

Charlie and Pete are all by themselves this time and it turned out better than either one could have imagined. Trick or Treat (1986) turned out to be a deep well of nostalgia ripe for a Give Me Back pick. Sadly, the movie is a rough one to find but Pete tells you where to find it if you so choose to watch. Is it a great movie? Not really. Is it a fun devil movie smack in the middle of the 80s Satanic Panic? You bet it is.

A gnarly car with a piece of shit driver terrorizes little girls in a small town. Sound like a made for TV movie to you? Well it is. 1990’s Wheels of Terror is a high speed chase…in slow motion. Seriously, Zach Snyder had to have been inspired by this movie. Can a bad ass school bus driven by a Mom pushed to the edge and a cool muscle car save this one for the B-ACTION team?! Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!

I will die on the hill saying that the Evil Dead franchise is the strongest horror franchise on the market. Not a single entry in the five film/three season TV show is a dud. There was a lot of doubt when the Evil Dead remake came out and even more when Rise dropped, but just one viewing of either will make you fall in love with this franchise again. If, like Pete, you were a Captain Cranky-Pants about the new Evil Dead movies, but still haven't seen them, we implore you to give them a chance. As always, please watch Evil Dead Rise before you listen. We'll be here when you return.

The Month of Horror continues in the jungles of Borneo with 1996’s DNA! The legendary Mark Decascos and Jürgen Prochnow match wits as they try to survive a revived alien bug monster! This film is an action sci-fi trail mix with all the goodies: Jurassic Park, Predator, and Alien just to name a few! Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!!

Do you like sleaze? Do you yearn for the filth of New York City in the early 80s? Do you like low budgets and gorilla film making? Do you like rubber monster puppets and buckets of blood? If, enthusiastically, you said yes to these questions, then boy HOWDY do we have a movie for you. It's the start of the spooky season and somehow Pete got the first pick. Also, somehow, he picked a movie that truly embraces the "Give Me Back" vibe. Basket Case is a masterclass in low budget filmmaking so much so the The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has curated and preserved it in their archives. What the WHAT? Do you mean THE MoMA? The Museum of Modern Art in New York City? I sure do. Basket Case is free on our lord and savior Tubi, so make sure to watch the 91 minute classic before you tune in.

The Month of Horror kicks off with a howl! We’re taking another stab at the modern day B-ACTION movie with 2024’s Werewolves! Did you pack your MOONSCREEN?! If not then you can join our pack as we tear through the awesomeness of this horror/action crossover! Big ass guns plus big ass Werewolves makes for a hell of a good time! Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!!!

We wrap up Pete's birthday month with a cinematic gift. Since there was an extra week in September, we picked a movie that we knew he would love... or at least we hoped he would love. Before Legendary Pictures rebooted the Godzilla franchise, they teamed up with Guillermo Del Toro to create arguably the greatest giant robot vs. kaiju film of the modern era. Heck, I think you can make a pretty good argument for best EVER made. Did Pete like his movie gift? You'll just have to tune.

Imagine if, you will, that Hershel Gordon Lewis and Looney Tunes had a Kung Fu baby. Got that picture in your mind? No? Well, we just watched that Kung Fu baby in Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Based on a manga and accurately described as a Kung-Fu Splatter film, Riki-Oh lives up to the hype as the first Hong Kong film to be slapped with a Category III rating (NC-17 equivalent) for violence. If a thin story and exploding heads are your thing, then it's a MUST watch for you.

In a dystopian future where art and emotions are outlawed, one of the Clerics sworn to crush the resistance will see the light and join the fight for freedom! We're talking about 2002’s Equilibrium starring Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs, and Emily Watson! We dub this one the “Thinking Man's” action movie for its phenomenal acting, tough scenarios, and the introduction of the martial art known as Gun Kata! Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!!

Pete wraps up his birthday month with the Korean vengeance masterpiece Oldboy. We implore you to please watch this film before listening. We'd hate to spoil the events in this film that will leave you speechless. This film is as beautifully shot and acted as it is difficult to stomach the subject material. You've been warned.

By the grace of Godzilla, the gang was able to finish recording despite the podcasting god's best effort to sabotage today's episode. Anna got sick (get better buddy), and our online recording tool dropped us a record 4 times. Regardless, the team was determined to start the Nate/Pete dual birthday month lovingly coined Big Beautiful Brutal Bloody Bonanza Bonkers Birthday. Nate goes first and selected the little-known South Korean hyper violent blood bath movie called Project Wolf Hunting. Remember way back when we as a podcast watched Monkey Kung Fu and collectively asked the question, "Can a kung Fu movie have too much Kung Fu?" Well, we now have to ask ourselves, "Can a horror/action movie have too much action/horror?" Project Wolf Hunting is on Prime and Tubi so it's easy to get your hands on. Good luck making sense out of this one. We didn't.

What's the JOB?! B-ACTION looks to the modern era of movies for a hidden gem in 2013 called Homefront starring Jason Statham! Former undercover cop “Phil Broker” (If that is his REAL name) is looking to settle down with his daughter in a quiet rural town in Louisiana. What he finds is meth dealers, family drama, and some good old boys looking for trouble! Not only is the cast list in this movie STACKED, the fight scenes and action sequences stand toe to toe with some of the best action films! Don't just watch Action, B-Action!!!!

Finally, after 3ish years, Pete brings a movie that is the definition of what Give Me Back stands for and yet still succeeds in going off script having never watched it. Stuart Gordon's "Dolls" is a reminder of just how much fun low budget horror films were back in the 1980s. Delicious gore, shockingly good stop-motion, a creepy house, and a kid that genuinely does not suck at acting are the charming elements we see on full display that made movies of this era so much fun. This one isn't for everyone but it's only 77 minutes long and free on Tubi. You have no excuses. Go see it.