Reserved Recommendations

15/05/2026

Russ Meyer's "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!" (1965) might be the ur-example of a cult movie. Widely derided as trash on its release, it has been re-evaluated as a camp classic and is now regarded (amongst other things) as part of the weird overlap of Venn circles where the creator's thinly-disguised fe**sh (in this case enormous powerful women running amok) also leads to an oddly-empowering portrayal of feminine strength.

This episode I'm joined by Erin Harrington, whose day job as an academic involves studying and discussing cinema and "paracinema", to talk about her abiding love for this gleefully incoherent piece of "lady kaiju" or possibly "garbage wuxia".

Listen here: https://bit.ly/res_rec-90-faster_pussycat_kill_kill, find past episodes via Manawatu People's Radio at www.mpr.nz/show/reserved, or subscribe by looking for "Reserved Recommendations" on your favourite podcast platform!

30/01/2026

"The Howling III: The Marsupials" (1987) was genuinely the stuff of schoolyard legend when I was in primary school in the early 90s, due to a notorious sequence involving a female lycanthrope giving birth to a "joey" who seeks refuge in her pouch. I did not, however, know what this rumoured movie was *actually called* until I came across author and journalist Asher Elbein (www.asherelbein.com) on Bluesky talking about it.

He very kindly agreed to come on the show to discuss it, and when I finally watched it I was *fascinated*. I had expected something good-bad and schlocky (and "The Howling III" is definitely both of those things) but this movie also has surprisingly deep and complex ideas on its mind about ecology and indigenous people's rights and struggles, and a strange and compelling folk-tale logic which is quite unique.

It is a very weird swerve for a franchise which already took a weird swerve between the first and second movie, and which established itself initially for (as well as having some great gnarly 80's transformation sequences) being the *h***y* werewolf series - and if you watch it, you will find yourself thinking about it for quite some time.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/res_rec-87-the_howling_III, find the backlog of older episodes via People's Radio at www.mpr.nz/show/reserved, or look for "Reserved Recommendations" wherever fine pods are cast!

23/01/2026

Originally started by Peter Furler and George Perdikis in 1985, Newsboys are such an enduring mainstay of Christian rock that the band is still going strong absent any of the original members. Over that 40 year career, their sound has changed so drastically that if you say that you either love or hate Newsboys, the only logical response is "which Newsboys?" In addition, if you are a Kiwi or Aussie of approximately my vintage, you probably know their song "Take Me To Your Leader" which was a brief crossover hit here, and will earworm you for weeks if you go and look it up.

For my first new episode of 2026, I'm joined by the illustrious Josh Boerman from Worst Of All Possible Worlds and Ill Conceived, who grew up in the evangelical world that spawned and nurtured this strange (and now kind of evil) band so that he can explain The Phenomenon.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/res_rec-86 and find older episodes via Manawatu People's Radio at www.mpr.nz/show/reserved (or wherever you get your podcasts!)

09/01/2026

Tonight's holiday repeat episode is Ross Palethorpe talking about Dark Star, the deeply weird dark comedy that contains the seeds of Alien....

Reserved Recommendations is a podcast series about problematic faves, great trash, and difficult relationships with art and culture. This is the fifty third ...

02/01/2026

Tonight's holiday repeat is Spec Ops: The Line with Angus!

Reserved Recommendations is a podcast series about problematic faves, great trash, and difficult relationships with art and culture. This is the sixty fifth ...

26/12/2025

MPR is shut for the holidays so we're playing repeats until I can record some new eps in the new year. Tonight's broadcast episode is Shannon Strucci on Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo!

Reserved Recommendations is a podcast series about problematic faves, great trash, and difficult relationships with art and culture. This is the sixty second...

12/12/2025

Admittedly, I love me a novelty instrumental cover (ask me about my surf rock habit) but I've never really understood the cringe that greets the mention of ska music. Part of this is probably being a Kiwi - we have a slightly different relationship with the pop-punk side of ska music than Americans do - but I've always felt like people who didn't appreciate the genre just hadn't found the good stuff yet.

Elana and John (last heard on the Hair Metal episode) return to the show to give me an American perspective, and we chat about the high points of ska and how to find your way in as a newcomer.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/res_rec-85 on Manawatu People's Radio or wherever you get your podcasts!

26/11/2025

Here's "The Wasp Factory" with Ross Palethorpe...

Reserved Recommendations is a podcast series about problematic faves, great trash, and difficult relationships with art and culture. This is the seventy sixt...

25/11/2025

Here's the video of the Hair Metal ep!

Reserved Recommendations is a podcast series about problematic faves, great trash, and difficult relationships with art and culture. This is the seventy four...

23/11/2025

It's come to my attention that I've been a bit slow video-fying my older episodes from this year.

Here's the first one:

Reserved Recommendations is a podcast series about problematic faves, great trash, and difficult relationships with art and culture. This is the seventy-thir...