Village Video Store: Staff Selects – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of The Village Video podcast, I talk with actor and singer Melanie Field. You may have seen her on A League of Her Own, You, Killing It, The Alienist, Florida Girls, and Heathers, just to name a few. She’s one of the stars of the upcoming film Home Delivery which will be in theaters on March 27th. She is also my sister.

Melanie and I talk about her Staff Selects, a collection of five films which cover things like true crime, depictions of violence, the history of movie musicals, murder mysteries, family illness and death, and capital-A acting. Try to count how many times I make her name-drop the famous people she’s worked with.

If you like the podcast, please consider subscribing to my Substack. It’s totally free. Also, if you really like what’s going on here, consider financially subscribing. All the money earned from this Substack will go directly towards opening a brick and mortar video rental store. The planning process is long and intense, but together we can make it happen.

Oh look, another clown with a podcast.

In an effort to celebrate the video store culture of yesteryear, the plan for this podcast is to bring on friends and have them construct their own “Staff Picks” shelf. A mainstay of the independent video store, Staff Picks were a way for customers to get a recommendation for a movie right when they walk through the door. Each employee’s Staff Picks was an opportunity for them to express themselves, what movies they love, or even what movies they just saw and think you should watch too.

This first episode features filmmakers John Purcell and Malin von Euler-Hogan, two of my long time friends from the UCB Theater world and a real-life married couple. Their independent film Dead or Dying is premiering this month at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California. You can get tickets for either screening (March 12th or March 16th) by clicking on this link. Follow the film on Instagram so you can watch the trailer.

John and Malin’s diverse selection of films generates a fun discussion about modern art and filmmaking, egotistical clout chasers, toxic masculinity, female friendship, eco terrorism, and the banality of evil. I’m a one-man band when it comes to producing this, so please excuse any sound difficulties. I was also sick when we recorded; I did my best to edit out my sniffles but apologies in advance for the ones I missed.

I’ve also turned on the paid subscription options for this newsletter. Any money that I make from this will directly be used to open up a video rental store. This starts with creating a rental inventory. The posts and podcasts will always be free for subscribers, but I might create paywall content that follows the journey of creating the store. If you feel so inclined to contribute, I would be eternally grateful.

This episode of the Village Video Podcast features artist, writer, and actor Kait Thompson, one of my oldest and dearest friends that I’ve made through the Philadelphia improv community. Kait selects five films for her Staff Selects that got us talking about lesbians, sex in film, the joys of music as a teenager, the cost of independent film, the destructive nature of capitalism, reality television, environmental racism, 90s hacking, and fish with lips. Please listen and enjoy.

You can now subscribe to both the Village Video Store podcast on Apple Podcasts app. If you do, please rate and review it. The more people who find the podcast through there, the more people who may be likely to subscribe to the Substack.

Watch Audience (Barbara Hammer, 1982)

Watch Nitrate Kisses (Barbara Hammer, 1992)

Thank you for coming to the village.

This episode features actor, writer, and fellow physical media addict, Ben Stanton. Ben is the leader of the Commonwealth Film Club, a group of friends we brought together to watch movies from our extensive physical media collections. He selected five films for his Staff Selects shelf that got us chatting about the power of music, memories on film, toxic lovers, early aughts nostalgia, lady plumbers, capitalist influence in East Asia, and Pixar.

In addition to subscribing to this Substack, please consider financially subscribing, as all of the proceeds I earn from it will be used to open the Village Video Store. I’d also appreciate it if you could subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. I’d like to expand the web of listeners and this is the best way to do it.

Thank you for coming to the village.

This episode features my improv soulmate, Jess Ross. We have been writing and performing together since 2010 and we both share a devout love of movies. Jess picked out five movies for her Staff Selects that got us talking about thrills, chills, sills, and good gay fun.

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or listen to it here through the Substack. Please consider financially subscribing, as all of the proceeds I earn from it will be used to open the Village Video Store. I had some interesting developments recently that are starting to make it feel like a reality. I also acquired nearly 500 used DVDs for just $20; a strong start to a robust rental library.

Thank you for coming to the village.

This episode features actor, writer, and fellow Philadelphian Betsy Kenney. Betsy is TikTok famous for her Philadelphia ASMR series, as well as her excellent podcast Done with Dara Katz. Her film selections got us chatting about depression, father-daughter dynamics, dangerous drag stars, local theater, childhood memories, and little freaks.

In addition to subscribing to this substack, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing on Apple Podcasts also. And if you are able, please consider financially contributing to the substack. All proceeds will go directly to opening a brick and mortar video store.

Here’s a link where you can pre-order the film Dead or Dying on physical media!

https://www.videostoreage.com/products-cydvg/p/deadordyingdrive

Thank you for coming to the village.

What’s this?! No guest?!?!

Yes, it’s just me this episode because I wanted to talk about Junesploitation: a yearly Internet movie challenge where you watch one movie a day each from a specific exploitation sub-genre. I’m fascinated with exploitation film from throughout history so when given the opportunity to explore it, you better believe I’m explorin’.

Here’s a link to this year’s Junesploitation challenge, courtesy of F This Movie blog.

Here’s a link to my (subject to change) Junesploitation list on Letterboxd. Make your own list and play along at home!

Here’s a link to the full schedule of the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. The film I acted in, Dead or Dying, is having its East Coast premiere on Tuesday, June 2nd at 7pm in the Film Noir Theater. I’ll be at the screening along with writers and directors John Purcell and Malin von Euler Hogan (this podcast’s first guests!). So if you’re in the New York area, please consider attending!

Here’s a link to the Cannibal Apocalypse June 26-27 weekend event presented by Exhumed Films and the Mahoning Drive-In Theater. Support your local trash cinema curators!