Alien month continues with yet another controversial, wildly visionary, endlessly compromised thriller with tremendous production design -- the first of that batch, David Fincher's ALIEN 3. It's a grim movie but a fun show, as Rowan, Kev, Carli, and new guest El Loughney discuss the massively different cuts, doomed production, how this all relates …

Composer Evan Frankfort (Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild, The Spiritual Machine) joins us to discuss Vangelis' monumental synth score for 1982's Blade Runner. Join us as we delve deep into process and the nuts and bolts of making a score in a very different way than we usually do. It's one of our most in-depth discussions yet! Find Evan's website…

It's Alien month here, and we're having a nice calm episode of TOTAL MASSACRE as we do a leisurely scientific expedition of 2012's PROMETHEUS, where nobody has strong opinions, nobody has an agenda, and definitely nobody dies horribly from excessive arrogance, and DEFINITELY nobody has to have a horrific alien abortion that also removes all subtext…

July is Will Smith month for TOTAL MASSACRE, so of course we have to start with INDEPENDENCE DAY, a film that was completely ubiquitous in 1996 and has kind of shockingly faded from public view given that it was THAT big and also it's pretty damn good? Cities are supposed to blow up, and they blow up. Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, and Will Smith are…

We journey back to Middle-Earth with composer Nicolás Repetto (Empire Queen: The Golden Age of Magic) to discuss Howard Shore's first swing at the Lord of the Rings with The Fellowship of the Ring. We discuss thematic construction, fantasy movie music tropes, Nicolás' origin as a composer, and what it takes to score a watch. Not a watch commercial,…

This episode is funny because we spend the first 3/4s of it talking about an incredibly interesting, strange, 70s film starring David Bowie at one of the peaks of his David Bowie-ness, and then also we mention that the movie kinda sucks. It's THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, with Rowan, Kev, Carli, and returning guest Jack McDonald! Assassination crash h…

In today's episode, composer Kenny Wood (The Naughty Nine) joins us to discuss John Williams' seminal holiday score Home Alone. Subjects include developing a strong working partnership with your director, heist film scores, how to score a kids' holiday film in the shadow of Home Alone. And much more. Join us, won't you? Find more of Kenny's work he…

It's 70s sci-fi month here at TOTAL MASSACRE, as we open with INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, a delightful science fiction take on the paranoid thrillers of the era. How fine is Donald Sutherland's moustache? Is San Francisco an incredibly accurate setting for this film? How are the themes so solid and so amorphous? And ain't it cool with the bodie…

Our formative movie May ends with SPEED RACER, the Wachowskis' then-panned, now cult classic of color and sound and explosion and anti-corporatism. It's Kev's pick for a movie that made them love movies, and they're joined by fellow superfan Grace Robertson, Carli, and Rowan watching it for the very first time, to talk about why it's stuck around, …

Our origin story month continues with BRAZIL, Terry Gilliam's masterpiece of dystopia, satire, fascism, and air ducts that helped inspire Carli and somehow Kev hadn't seen?!? We talk about terrorism, masculinity, production, fantastic British actors, Terry Gilliam's mixed reputation, and so much more.…

TOTAL MASSACRE returns after a quick break with MOON, the Duncan Jones film Rowan selected as the movie important to how and why she's on this podcast. We've got all kinds of Sam Rockwell content as well as Rowan explaining the three main forms of Hollywood science fiction, and how Moon changed her perception of what seemed to be possible. Plus spe…

Yeah that's right we're doing a Wes Anderson movie on TOTAL MASSACRE. And after Fantastic Mr. Fox it's our SECOND Wes Anderson movie. That's just how much Rowan and Kev love ASTEROID CITY, our final pick for SF Comedy Movie April. We also have special guest Kris Lorischild who loves Wes Anderson....less. It's a fun discussion where we discuss the l…

By Grabthar's Hammer...it's TOTAL MASSACRE on Galaxy Quest!By TOTAL MASSACRE

Today, on My Big Score, we celebrate a very, very special new movie. We are immensely lucky to be joined by composer Chris Ryan and sound designer Bobb Barito to discuss the making of the extraordinary new independent dialogue-free action comedy HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS, the epic story of former applejack mogul-turned-trapper Jean Kayak, his travails in…

Science fiction comedy month starts off with BACK TO THE FUTURE, Robert Zemeckis' smash 80s hit. Rowan, Carli, and Kev are rejoined by Mike Williams to discuss whether this was the first Marvel movie, how damn good Michael J Fox is, the difficult tightrope of making a family-friendly movie about American history and of course, time-travel incest.…

Conference rooms! Meetings! Political machinations! Scientific breakthroughs! And a giant fucking monster with lasers shooting out of his back! It's SHIN GODZILLA time here on TOTAL MASSACRE, as Carli, Rowan, and Kev are joined by Gojira fan Alex Kazanas to discuss this extremely 2014 and also compelling look at what if Godzilla had consequences? A…

Modern Monster Movie March continues with Jordan Peele's magnificent 2022 film NOPE, one of the most beloved films we've discussed on TOTAL MASSACRE! Rowan, Kev, and Carli are rejoined by Ellie Warren to talk about what to do with films where there's 16 different metaphors at once, Stephen Yuen stealing the show a bit too literally, and a truly mag…

Today we go to Europe to STEAL SOME STUFF along with Jeff Van Dreason (Greater Boston) and the super-cool score for Ocean's 12. We discuss the super-cool career of David Holmes, the film's infamous twist and excellent soundtrack choices, and much more. Join us, won't you? My Big Score was created and hosted Christopher Dole. Our producer, editor, a…

It's time for Modern Monster Movie March! We open with Bong Joon-Ho's breakthrough 2007 classic, THE HOST! Rowan, Kev, Carli, and Carli's fiance Bryant get together to talk about what Korean cinema does and how this film its, how fucking rad Bae Doona is, how fucking rad Song Kang-Ho is, how fucking bad America is, and a heartwarming story of child…

It's time to tackle the horros of ageing - or at least the horrors of old-age makeup - as The Deadly Years hoves into view. And along to cope with all that latex (not as fun as it sounds) is Rachel Novak! How effective is the attempts to age up our crew? Does the episode do anything with its central premise? And just how off-handed is the ending? P…

Get ready to run up a wall and kick a zombie dog in joy, as this week Madi Emenheiser joins us to close out Schlockuary with Paul W. S. Anderson’s RESIDENT EVIL! Is this cinema’s most memorable death laser grid? Is it possible to tell all the brawny white guys apart? Should Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez have kissed? Answers to all these que…

Trade agreement required? Check. Savage local population causing trouble? Check. Lone Klingon making things worse? Check. Dumbest "ruse" in Starfleet history? Check. Why it must be Friday's Child! And to deal with a trade mission that needs all the help it can get, Dais Johnston is along for the ride! Does the episode stand up to modern television …

Happy 2024 and Happy Valentine's Day, listeners! My Big Score returns with composer Matt Bowen to talk about Jon Brion's masterful score for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. We discuss the score's unusual sense of temporal freedom and melancholy optimism, Matt's experiences on The Bachelor and The Boys franchises, get a live dulcimer demonstr…

What is the nature of memory, and how fuckin' rad is it to have a swordfight with two metal baseball bats? These are the deep philosophical questions asked by the magnificent DTV action schlockfest UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING. We invite number one Jean-Claude Van Damme superscholar Abby Waysdorf on board to join Kev, Rowan, and Carli in dis…

It's time to take a journey. To Babel (well, some of the way there anyway) as the Enterprise is off on a diplomatic mission. And to help us sift through the raft of ambassadors and murder plots we have Jack McDonald! How do the Federation politics work out? Is the family drama succesful? And given how much of a founding text this is, does it stand …

Number one NEMESIS superfan Joe Gibson joins Rowan, Carli, and Kev to talk about Albert Pyun's 1992 cyberpunk action film, as the first installment of our SCIFI ACTION SCHLOCK month. Is NEMESIS an underrated cult classic? 66.6% of our panel is down for that! There's action mudslides, improvised bullet elevators, and heads that open up to shoot guns…

TOTAL MASSACRE REQUEST LIVE month concludes with our friend Ryan Swen returning to JE T'AIME JE T'AIME, our first French movie! Our first science fiction movie from prior to the 80s! It's about science fiction and time travel through film editing, and it's a fascinating examination of one man's messed-up life, what it's like dating depressed girls,…

What is, as Shakespeare definitely didn't write, such love between a man and a cloud? Well, let's answer that question as we tackle Metamorphosis. And to help judge the relationship between humanity and water vapour we have Jon D Arthur! How does the episode manage to juggle its themes? Can the episode bear the weight of how significant Zephram Coc…

TOTAL REQUEST MASSACRE month continues with our good friend Brian Smawley's pick CASSHERN, billed as the first live-action anime adaptation! It's, uh, a lot, as Rowan and Kev join Chef Lu Bu to talk about cool masks, genocide, WWII guilt, adapting massive stories, and really cool hair!By TOTAL MASSACRE

We're back! After taking a festive break, Talking Trek is back among the stars and ready to discuss... er, I, Mudd. And to join us in this tale of robot sex women and comedy shenanigans we have Lenny Burnham returning to the podcast! Is the return of Harry Mudd something worth celebrating? Does the comedy of the episode land? And how do the gender …

It's a Patreon request special as TOTAL MASSACRE takes on 1998's DARK CITY! Is this the most 90s film in existence? Who is even the protagonist here? Is it even really science fiction? Wait, that leading man isn't a time-traveling Oscar Isaac? Carli, Kev, and Rowan are joined by special guest, artist David Bednar, to discuss!…