This week the world of film criticism lost a unique voice among commentators on film– Mike "McBeardo" McPadden, author of such books as Heavy Metal Movies: Heavy Metal Movies: Guitar Barbarians, Mutant Bimbos & Cult Zombies Amok in the 666 Most Ear- and Eye-Ripping Big-Scream Films Ever! and Teen Movie Hell: A Crucible of Coming-of-Age Comedies from Animal House to Zapped!, has died at the age of 52, according to online reports. Said Ian Christe of McPadden's publisher Bazillion Points:
R.I.P. Michael "McBeardo/Selwyn Harris" McPadden, 1968-2020
With this guy goes an unrivaled wealth of first-hand experience with the gritty NYC movie scene circa 1982, when he was a Catholic school boy disappearing into the sticky seats on 42nd Street for guts, gore, grime, and girls.
We have labored together o-fficially on well over a half-million words through his books Heavy Metal Movies and Teen Movie Hell. We have o-fficially had a million laughs. We just recorded a DVD commentary together two weeks ago that was a dream come true for me.
When I first moved to New York, Mike was a mythic figure who worked for Larry Flynt and carefully sent drawing jobs to nearly everyone I was surviving alongside…
Mike and his wife Rachel lived in Chicago, a life bursting with friends and events. It's crushing to wrap my head around the loss.
Teen Movie Hell Poster and Castle Talk and used with permission.
Recently McPadden had been the host of the podcasts Crackpot Cinema and 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, which explored countless near-forgotten films like Audrey Rose and Silent Running.
We spoke to McPadden last year on the release of Teen Movie Hell, and it was an eye-opening conversation. The book is an extensive look at the pre-internet era of teen comedies. We talked about why there's no longer such a thing as a teen sex comedy, why some people think Ferris Bueller is the worst, and whether Valley Girl is the most or least woke movie of the 80s.
Jason Henderson, author of the Young Captain Nemo (Macmillan Children's) and Alex Van Helsing (HarperTeen) series, earned his BA from University of Dallas in 1993 and his JD from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., in 1996. His popular podcasts “Castle Talk” and “Castle of Horror” feature interviews and discussion panels made up of best-selling writers and artists from all genres. Henderson lives in Colorado with his wife and two daughters.
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In this episode of Castle Talk, Jason chats with former Brady and Gidget Caryn Richman, who plays a key role as a psychic who may be in over her head in the new film The Puppetman on Shudder.
On this episode of Castle Talk, Jason chats with movie producer Sara Risher about bringing A Nightmare on Elm Street into being-- and plans for a new Bell, Book and Candle.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a film elevated above being entirely mediocre thanks to the style of its director and the chemistry of its ensemble cast.
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