Clearing The Queue

Send us Fan MailToday Mike and Zak sit down with Will Stocker and Rob Bennett to talk about Crippled. A labor of love, in every sense of the phrase; Zak, Will, and Rob reflect of the process of nearly a decade's worth of efforts to bring this narrative feature to life. Join us for a conversation about the craft of collaboration, and the joys of building a community through filmmaking. 

Send us Fan MailThis time we're talking The Bride, Normal, Mother Mary, and a few shout outs to some movies that screened at the MD film festival!

Send us Fan MailIn the not so distant future, a meteor strikes earth and eliminates all the water causing the collapse of civilization and the loss of countless lives. Those that survive are either part of the fascist capitalist regime know as water and power, or an enemy of the state, pirating what is needed to survive in. Rebecca Buck AKA Tank Girl is the hero the wasteland never knew they needed. Join us as we discuss this underappreciated in it's day cult classic from the 90s! 

Send us Fan MailToday we welcome back Esteemed Letterbox Film Critic Max Minkowitz to talk about what we've been watching! Mike starts things off with His thoughts on How to Make a Killing, and then Zak and Max Dive deeply into Nirvana, The Band, The Show, The Movie. Then Mike Gushes over his love of Cool Runnings before Max Brings it home with a Review of some of his favorite films from the V Cinema Collection Boxset. 

Send us Fan MailToday Mike and Zak welcome a filmmaker from their home state of Maryland, Samuel Tressler IV, to discuss his first feature film Leda. The story is an interpretation of a Greek myth where Zeus appears to a mortal woman in the form of a swan, a tableau that has been captured in numerous paintings throughout history. You can find out where to watch and purchase the movie at ledathemovie.com 

Send us Fan MailIn light of the tragic news about our friend Kaleb, we have decided to share the episode we recorded with him last year after his interview about Murder Magician. Join us as we do what Kaleb loved to do: talk about movies. 

Send us Fan MailIn this Episode Mike and Zak discuss Marty Supreme, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Hamnet, and The Thing. 

Send us Fan MailMike and Zak do their usual end of the year round up, and talk about their top 5 movies of the year! 

Send us Fan MailIn the spirit of giving, Mike has gifted Zak the gift of Holocaust movie. Towards the end of WWII, Jakob, a Jew living in one of the Ghettos of Poland, overhears a radio broadcast that hints at Russian troops making considerable progress in reclaiming parts of Nazi occupied Europe. He shares this information with a couple of close friends with the intention of instilling a little hope. The seed takes root, but it spirals out of control, and before long Jakob has to answer for the good he's done. 

Send us Fan MailIn the Spirit of giving, Zak has gifted Mike with a viewing of Beginners, a modern love story that is, in part, biographical to Director Mike Mills. Following the passing of his mother Oliver's Father comes out to him as a gay man, and announces that he would like to pursue love in his old age. Things are going well until he is diagnosed with cancer and Oliver has a great deal of things to unpack as he says his farewell and things become even more complicated when he finds what might just be the love of his life. 

Send us Fan MailWe are joined by Kaleb Smith to talk about his new short film Murder Magician. We talk about the conceptualization of the script, the production process, and the complications of post production in this very fun interview! 

Send us Fan MailThis week on what are we watching, you get to hear about Zak's thoughts on the new Frankenstein movie, then Mike launches into a review of the new Predator Badlands flick. Afterwards Zak explains the finer details of the Chainsaw Man movie and then Mike brings us home with a gush about The Fist of the North Star. Tune in next time for a much better episode!  

Send us Fan MailJoin us for a romp into one of the most unsettling breakup movies of all time! Mark, an Englishman living in West Berlin before the felling of the infamous Berlin Wall, finishes a contract with some nebulously nefarious organization in the world of espionage and returns home to his wife and son. Things are NOT great at home however, and Anna, Mark's Wife, begins to exhibit a disturbing pattern of behavior. Behavior that is only exacerbated by Mark's oppressive need for control. A tale of true Lovecrftian horror perfect for the spooky season! Happy Halloween!    

Send us Fan MailToday we are overjoyed to welcome back, recurring guest on the podcast, Max Minkowitz! Who joins us this week to talk spoopy and to get a little silly. First, we talk about The Python Hunt, a documentary Max saw as part of an LA Beyond Fest. Next Mike shares his feelings about the adaptation of The Long Walk, how it holds up against the book, and how it was successfully adapted to fit more modern themes. then Zak talks about The Toxic Avenger and how it pays homage to the original while still standing out as a very different kind of movie. Lastly we talk about Good Boy, and some of the truly incredible things that went into making a horror movie from the perspective of a dog. 

Send us Fan MailThis week, Mike and Zak welcome their friend Corey Chaney to join in on a conversation that covers a lot of ground. The film industry has changed so much since these three got their start in Maryland, and after moving to Los Angeles with aspirations of furthering their careers, it seems that production has slowed to a crawl in the city that has long been touted as the cradle of the industry. From the Covid pandemic, the strikes, the implementation of AI, and now pressure from the highest political office in the nation, things have never been more bleak for young aspiring filmmakers. 

Send us Fan Mail This week we have a lot of thoughts on Weapons, but we also talk about Hurry up Tomorrow and the new Naked Gun movie. Come have a listen! 

Send us Fan MailIt's August and, as is tradition, Mike and Zak have set their sights on an A24 flick for this dedicated episode. Under The Skin is an uncomfortable science fiction horror film where an alien entity hunts for men on the streets of Scotland luring them back to a black void where they are trapped and fed upon. It's an outlandish tale with a slow burn that pay off big, and in true A24 fashion it is full of twists and turns that leave you with more questions than answers. 

Send us Fan MailThis Week our friend Rob Wolk sat down with us to talk about the stuff he's been putting his peepers on, and indeed fun times were had by all. If you like what you heard and wanna hear more from us this week, check out our patreon for a whole other hour of conversation! 

Send us Fan MailToday we're joined by Elena Muruato for a a classic comedy, written and directed by Cheech Marin. When Rudy, a mechanic from east LA, gets caught up in a Warehouse raid by the LAPD, things take a turn for the worst when he is deported to Mexico without his ID. After failing to cross back into the United States, Rudy's life gets a lot more complicated as he finds a way to get back home, by any means necessary.  

Send us Fan MailMike and Zak welcome Back long time friend of the podcast Max Minkowitz for our triumphant return to sharing our thoughts about what we've been putting our peepers on! This Episode we have a lot of stuff to cover after the break so buckle up buttercup, let's talk movies!  

Send us Fan MailThree teenage boys are lured into the evil clutches of a christian extremist cult, and things take a turn for the cataclysmic. 

Send us Fan MailBethany Sloan is your average Turn of the Century Catholic woman, struggling to rely on her faith in an ever changing world. Until one night, when the forces of heaven charge her with a holy quest to stop a couple of renege angels from defying God's holy decree and thus unmake the universe. With the aid of two unlikely profits from Redbank New Jersey, the 13th Black Apostle, and a Muse called Serendipity, they travel across the county to stop what may well be the end of existence itself.  

Send us Fan MailThis week Mike and Zak discuss the precarious position of the Looney Toons cartoons amidst the release of The Day the Earth Blew Up. Then they go on to talk about Death of a Unicorn, Black Bag, and round things off with the Flying Lotus feature Ash. 

Send us Fan MailOrlando is an androgynous immortal being born into wealth and privilege. Through their perspective, the audience is invited to take a journey through five acts of Orlando's obsessions, failures, and triumphs as they learn and grow over the course of nearly three centuries. The film explores themes of art, love, and the traditional gender rolls a patriarchal society puts upon both sexes.  

Send us Fan MailThis week the boys are talking Mickey 17, Companion, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and The Black Cat. A wild collection of movies to review for wildly different reasons! 

Send us Fan MailAn alien crash-lands on Earth looking to escape a life of slavery in outer space and find himself in the heart of Harlem in the 1980s. Though he appears to be a mute black man, he has three toes, the distinguishing characteristic of his alien heritage. He also has a unique ability to fix broken or malfunctioning electronics and heal people's injuries. He immediately begins to use these powers to the benefit of his newfound community, until two mysterious men claiming to be government agents start asking questions about him. 

Send us Fan MailThis week, the boys kick things off with their thoughts on The Monkey, I'm Still Here, Captain America: Brave New World, and Bring Them Down. An unlikely group of movies, but hey, that's our wheelhouse! 

Send us Fan MailA little Afro-Futurism for your consideration. Join Mike and Zak as they journey into space and then back to earth circa the grooviest of decades, the good ol' 1970s. Glimpse the inner workings of renowned Jazz musician and composer Sun Ra as he recruits earthlings for his new space program. 

Send us Fan MailThis is our First "What are we Watching" of the new year, and Mike and Zak are still picking the meat from the corpse of 2024. Things get rolling with Mike's thoughts on Flight Risk, and then things heat up with Zak's hot take on the academy  nominated Emilia Perez. Then Mike gushed a bit over Presence before Zak brings us into the home stretch with some ruminations on The Last Showgirl. 

Send us Fan MailWhen New Zealand journalist David Farrier reaches out to a production company about potentially doing an interview on the subject of their competitive tickling endurance videos, he receives a slew of emails wherein he is attacked for being homosexual. Needless to say, the tickling videos certainly appear to be aimed at a homosexual audience, featuring exclusively male participants and ticklers. This sparks an interest into what exactly IS going on with this production company, and the deeper the filmmakers dive, the more outrageous the story becomes.  

Send us Fan MailLove him or Hate him, you cannot deny the power of his work. The Godfather of Avant-Garde filmmaking, the King of the uncomfortable sequence, and the Sage of strange truths. David Lynch was a storyteller unlike any other, and his absence will be felt long after his passing. Rest in Peace, you will be missed. 

Send us Fan MailOur First dedicated episode of the year and it's our first time covering a Documentary! People think of this Doc as: "the Banksy Doc" BUT it's actually about a fella who goes by the sobriquet "Mr. Brain Wash" and the beginning of the street art movement. The story unfolds through the lens of an eccentric but passionate Frenchman who became an overnight success. 

Send us Fan MailWhat were your Top 5 movies this year? Listen to find out Mike and Zak's, then go over to Threads and let us know about yours! @clearing_the_q if you don't already follow us!

Send us Fan MailThis Holiday Season Mike shared with Zak one of his favorite coming of age tales through the lens of a self proclaimed Anarchist. Join Steve-O and Heroin Bob on a journey through the Faces, Philosophies, Culture, and the Music of the 1980s Punk Rock scene in Salt Lake City Utah. This dark comedy will have you reminiscing about your own youthful follies if you've lived any kind of live worth talking about. 

Send us Fan MailTis the Season of Giving, and that's why Zak gave Mike the opportunity to broaden his horizon with this deeply unsettling film for his Xmas present recommendation! HO-HO-HOLY MACARONI! When two little girls go missing in a rural Pennsylvania town a distraught Father takes the law into his own hands and pursues the only lead in the investigation with a righteous fervor that might just land him in jail next to the villain he intends to hold responsible. His suspicious activity draws the attention of the Detective assigned to the case, and it becomes a race against the clock to find his daughter and stay one step ahead of the cops. 

Send us Fan MailWe're talkin Gladiator II, Wicked Part 1, Hellboy: the Crooked Man, and 16 Candles? WHAT YEAR IS IT?! Tune in next week for a much better episode! 

Send us Fan MailYears after he lost his mind, former chief inspector Dreyfus of the french police is about to be released from the asylum, having made some remarkable strides towards his recovery. However, all that progress seems to come undone as the man who replaced him pays Dreyfus a visit. I'm referring, of course, to one Jacques Clouseau. The man responsible for thwarting two separate attempts to steal the infamous Pink Panther Diamond by the gentleman thief Sir Charles Litton. Driven to the edge of sanity, Dreyfus escapes from the asylum and becomes a villainous madman with a plot to destroy the world if Clouseau isn't brought to him alive or dead.   

Send us Fan MailThis week we start things off with some ruminations on the new a24 horror flick Heretic, and then we follow up with another film that tackles some religious themes: Conclave. Then Zak shares his thoughts on Memoir of a Snail and after, Mike brings it home with Venom the Last Dance. Tune in next week for a much better episode! 

Send us Fan MailWhen the driver for a wealthy french family is murdered suspicion begins to surround the young housekeeper Maria Gambrelli, but not to worry, Inspector Jaques Clouseau is one the case! This Hysterical "who done it" is filled with twists and turns and no shortage of laughs. Join us as we venture into the Wild Pink Yonder, with one of the first and most beloved films in the Pink Panther Movie Franchise. 

Send us Fan MailWe're taking spoopy season leftovers this week, and we kick things off with some of Zak's thoughts on Rumours, then Mike chats about Frailty before Zak talks about Opera, then we wrap it all up with some words about Baskin. Tune in next week for a much better episode! 

Send us Fan MailA young man receives a letter from his estranged father and with the hope of reconnecting, he pays him a visit. However, his father seems to be resentful, even hostile towards his son, and a series of confusing and unfortunate events begin to unfold that pushes the young man into multiple life or death situations. Needless to say, once thins heat up, they don't cool down until the ride ends. 

Send us Fan MailToday the boys are talking Spoopy and we kick things off with our thoughts on Child's Play. Then we move on to gush about the Candyman, followed by our take on the cult horror classic movie House, and then Zak tells Mike about La Casa Lobo. Then Mike shares his feelings on Anora. 

Send us Fan MailThe guys welcome first time guest Alexandria Perez to the studio today to talk spooky movies! Jacob Singer is a Vietnam veteran who's having a hard time adjusting to life after his discharge, OR IS HE?! Could it be instead that he is teetering between life and death in a horror drenched purgatory where his is confronted by his most terrible losses and his darkest fears? Come climb the ladder with us as we explore this amazing film that came out way ahead of its time. 

Send us Fan MailThis episode the boys welcome back friend of the podcast Max Minkowitz to talk about some fun films, starting of course with Megalopolis. Then we discuss the finer and lower points of the Joker 2, before Mike gushes over The Visitor, and Max brings us home with Escape from the 21st Century! 

Send us Fan MailA grief stricken mother lashes out at the local police over their inaction regarding the investigation of her daughter's tragic murder in the form of three bluntly poignant billboards. Tensions rise to a boil in the small town and the issue slowly becomes more complicated than any of the cast of characters could have guessed. Martin McDonagh captures the human material through an American lens in a way we have never seen from his body of work. 

Send us Fan MailOn this episode of the clearing the q podcast the boys get into their strong opinions on The Substance in all its twisted body horror glory. Then Mike gushes over the AMC mini series The Terror, and Zak shares his thoughts on Kneecap. Then the boys finish up with their thoughts on a reality tv show that managed to capture their attention, Love after Lockup. As always, thanks for listening and tune in next week for a much better episode! 

Send us Fan MailThis month the boys are talking Martin McDonagh so it's only appropriate that we kick things off with In Bruges. When a contract kill goes awry, two Irish hitmen hide out in Bruges to await instruction from the man who hired them. On paper it sounds like an action movie, but it's really more of a sojourn into the darker recesses of the human material. 

Send us Fan MailThis week the boys have a lot to say about some movies they saw in theaters recently! First up we Talk about the much anticipated Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and try not to gush too hard. Second, Zak talks about an awkward coming age tale Didi. Third, Mike talks about how he doesn't wanna talk about the new re-imagining of the Crow and then proceeds to talk about it. Even going so far as to defend the director's body of work having not seen most of it. Then finally they wrap things up with a little nostalgia and discuss Shaun of the Dead. Tune in next week for a much better episode! 

Send us Fan MailWhen a bank Robbery gone wrong lands his mentally challenged brother in the Slammer, Connie Nikals descends into the depths of desperation and depravity to find a way to make it right. The audience looks on in horror at the increasingly poor decisions of the film's ne'er-do-well protagonist, cringing as the house of cards comes to its inevitable collapse. An A24 film to the core, that will leave you in need of a shower and a nice hug. 

Send us Fan MailThis Week Mike and Zak share their thoughts on the new Alien Romulus movie, the Neon backed horror movie Cuckoo, and the celebrated Jim Henson: Idea Man Documentary now available for streaming on the Disney Plus. Tune in Next Week for a Much better Episode!