Something NEW at the House of Franklin-Stein! Chris and Cindy discuss Ryan Coogler’s recent hit Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan and Haillee Steinfeld. In 1932 Mississippi, the Smokestack Twins return home to open a juke joint, but the music of their talented cousin Sammie accidentally pierces the veil between life and death, attracting a cult of vampires!
Then from the Comic Crypt comes Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #41, where the Caped Crusader finds himself in a vampire remake of Sunset Boulevard!
Special thanks to Rob Kelly and Ryan Daly!
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Clip credits:
Sinners (2025) directed by Ryan Coogler
Batman Returns (1992) Main Title Theme by Danny Elfman
“Last Time I Seen The Sun” by Alice Smith and Miles Caton from Sinners
“The House of Franklinstein” by Terry O’Malley, of Stop Calling Me Frank https://www.facebook.com/rockSCMF
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Oh, man. So many thoughts on your movie pick this time around because I’ve not only seen it (which often isn’t the case here) but quite recently at that (like about 2 weeks ago), so my impressions are still pretty fresh. And yes, I absolutely loved everything about it: the outstanding cast, the really good story, the beautiful camera work, the effects. the fact that it was a period piece, the way folklore and music were integrated into the story and so many other little details. More specifically on the cast, I have to say that I had several of those “wait, where do I know them from?” moments for Wunmi Mosaku (and then remembered she was in the excellent Lovecraft Country) and Hailee Steinfeld (although I ended up having to look her up, even though I had seen Bumblebee). Also, since I mentioned effects and camera work, I agree about how well Michael B. Jordan playing dual roles was done – for a quick minute when the twins first showed up, I found myself thinking, “wait, does Jordan have a twin brother?” (otherwise, I like how they basically have the same name, i.e., Elijah and Elias).
Anyway, when you mentioned you’d like to see a prequel with the Choctaw vampire hunters, it reminded me that my only criticism of the movie would be that they did not show up near the end to help out with the big showdown (against the vampires, not the Klan – although that would have been cool, too).
And speaking of the Klan and their plans, I agree with Cindy’s theory – that’s my head canon, too.
Loved the final scene in the blues bar, although I would quibble with the fact that Sammie and Stack agree that that day was the best day until sundown – I would say it was the best until those cracker vampires showed up, because up until that point some good times were had in the juke joint even after the sun had set. And yes! I thought Mary in her ’90s get-up looked like Debi Mazar, too!
By the way, just a few days ago I read a few issues of Phantom Stranger (by Wein and Aparo) in which Tala appeared, so that I finally figured out who you guys were talking about in the intros throughout this season.
In conclusion, I again enjoyed this season of the House, esp. this final episode.
Good point about that day/night being the best until “those cracker vampires showed up”. I think Sammie and Pearline were particularly enjoying the evening!
Tala was a featured character in Justice League Unlimited’s season 3 and was the girlfriend of Grodd, Luthor, and kinda sorta the Flash, then Grodd again. During our coverage on JLUCast, Cindy would often read Tala’s lines on-air, and the network’s favorite nephew Isamu Hidekai Yukinori suggested we bring her into HoF…so we did! And we continued her trajectory of dating different creeps. Personally I think she should have stuck with Grundy.
Thanks for listening, and glad you really enjoyed this one!
let me the most obvious thing ever Sunset bolavard is a great movie! if you rip it off for a Batman story can it at least take place in LA? how much would have been filmed in Gotham in the silent age? Not much! Great now i’ve got an idea for Darknight over Fresno!
oh yeah sinners is very good!
Sunset Boulevard is a definite classic! I would think the inclimate weather would have been reason enoughto NOT open a movie studio in Gotham. Batman could’ve followed a lead out to Hollywood, get chased by THEIR cops, and then the story could pick up from there.
Totally Sunset Boulevard. From the butler/chauffeur to the card game (in the movie Nora Desmond plays cards with other celebrities) to the ‘trapped to write the next movie’ … it all screams Sunset Boulevard. So funny!
And that purple outfit looks a little like the Zatanna ‘Sindella’ costume I love!
I now have to rewatch Sunset Boulevard once my Halloween viewing is over. Trying to cram as many horror films in before Nov. 1st as possible!
Maybe I was think the Sindella costume, I knew that outfit seemed familiar!
Great episode, as always. Loved the talk of Sinners, which I agree is one of the best movies of the year and one of the best movies I’ve seen in several years. The only thing I can really add is I knew Lola Kirke before this movie; I’d seen her in the HBO show Winning Time, but I FIRST took note of her… as a musician. She has a couple records out that blend country and folk, some of it heartfelt and sincere, and. some of it tongue-in-cheek. very Dolly Parton-esque. I had no idea she was in the movie until I recognized her on the screen, and then later in the film when she’s singing and playing a ukulele, it made total sense.
I remember SCARLET, but not well. I think I only read the first issue, but I probably still have it in my parents’ basement. I’ll look for it over the holidays.
Thanks for the info on Lola Kirke, Ryan. Her music career somehow went right over my head. I wondered if she had some musical background since the actor playing Bert did. She was very convincing as a “born again vampire” with her “fellowship and love” lines.
If back issue sales of Scarlett suddenly spike (pun intended), we’ll know why!
Excellent show, you two. As always.
I do actually remember Scarlett as I bought and read every issue in the 90’s. Back then, I was buying everything DC. Standing orders for my comic store. I don’t remember much, but I do remember that I never looked forward to reading Scarlett when it was in my stack, but afterwards I was always glad I read it and at some point decided I was a fan. Scarlett was a high school cheerleader who had a mysterious great destiny with the vampires and gets turned. I just checked out the first issue to re-familiarize, and there’s even a comic nerd character who she’s nice to and who is carrying a stack of DC comics.
No, there’s no link to this issue of Legends of the Dark Knight 41 other than the exact same creative team. I don’t think Scarlett took place in the DCU and I don’t remember any other DC character appearing in the book. I think that’s one of the reasons I liked it, but also one of the reasons that it was always on my chopping block. My personal identity was HIGHLY wrapped up in DC super characters.
I had forgotten all about Jim Fern until recently. I’ve been re-reading L.E.G.I.O.N. and I gotta say the transition from Barry Kitson to Jim Fern is jarring. I’m not a fan of his work.
My wife and I LOVE Sinners. She’s declared it her new favorite modern movie. In a few months, I’ll be talking about the music with Doctor Bobb and Doctor Husband on my podcast Nerd Orchestra. They haven’t seen the movie yet, and we’re excited to watch it with them.
Thanks for the info on Scarlett, Chuck! So, it was kind of like an inverted Buffy in some ways, it sounds?
Fern did a few of the loose-leaf Who’s Who entries too, like several L.E.G.I.O.N. characters and Jim Gordon as I recall. I like some aspects of his art, but I would prefer Barry Kitson too.
I’ll keep an ear out for your upcoming Sinners episode! And your wife has great taste! Thanks for listening!
I totally forgot I was on this one!
Kudos to Cindy for suggesting SINNERS, it’s one of the rare movies that you kinda know immediately, “this one is an all timer.” With the big music scene, for about thirty seconds I was baffled as to what was going on, and then it clicked, and I realized this movie was reaching for more, and hitting its target.
And I agree, during the scene with the Choctaw Indian Vampire Hunters, I thought this could have been a whole movie by itself! I don’t really want to see a sequel to this, but MAYBE a sidequel, as you suggested?
FYI–I had heard so many good things about GINGER SNAPS, so last year we finally watched it. But it featured so much violence aimed at animals that we got discouraged and turned it off. It seemed like a good movie, but it just felt too much. So if that’s a sensitive spot for Cindy, buyer beware!
HOF always delivers, until next year!
With all your audio commentaries, it’s no wonder a few lines as the Phantom Stranger slipped your mind!
I’m glad we weren’t alone in being a bit flummoxed by the music scene, at least at first.
Another vote for the Choctaw Vampire Hunters movie/mini-series!
I may have to watch Ginger Snaps on my own then. I don’t like to see any animal cruelty either, but as long as I know it’s fake, I can stomach it if it’s necessary to the story. In theory, anyway.
I was reading something somewhere about the horror series Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees about why the creator chose to make his characters humanistic animals. The answer was that most people are desensitized to violence against humans and would sympathize more with the animals. THEN… this morning I was reading Red Sonja Reborn #3 written by Christopher Priest which casts a modern day woman into the mind/body/situation of Red Sonja. There was internal monologue that went “BEFORE FINISHING PRIMARY SCHOOL, THE AVERAGE CHILD WILL HAVE SEEN 8,000 MURDERS ON VIDEO GAMES, TV AND MOBILES. 200,000 ACTS OF FICTIONAL VIOLENCE, INCLUDING 40,000 MURDERS, BY AGE EIGHTEEN. ROMANTICIZING CARNAGE A COTTAGE INDUSTRY. THE BLOODLETTING BECOMES NORMALIZED… THE SOUL BECOMES NUMB TO IT…” So yeah, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Why should we be so turned off by violence against animals in horror movies? Answer is that it’s normal! We’ve just been desensitized to violence against adult humans. So they seem to be fair game in our entertainment.
That’s an interesting way to look at it Chuck. I’m not a big slasher guy, but I rewatched Scream (the 1996 original) for the first time since it came out on Halloween night. Where I haven’t watched many slashers in years, I found myself actually disturbed by the deaths, despite the “fun”, enjoyable nature of the film. I guess maybe I have “re-sensitized” myself somewhat!
Another thought I had watching the movie that I forgot to comment on yesterday: during the love scene between Smoke and Annie, it occurred to me how rare it is–extremely rare in major movies like this–to feature a woman larger than size 0 in a sex scene unless it’s played for laughs. Kudos to Ryan Coogler for what feels like boldness in casting Wunmi Mosaku in a sex scene with Michael B. Jordan when any other movie would have cast a Kerry Washington type in the role.
I thought the same thing in the cinema. I almost included that in my notes, but I didn’t know how to say it on air without seeming disrespectful. But yes, larger people are often ridiculed in films, and rarely cast as a romantic lead, especially with a sex scene. Another bold move for this film.