Nest of Vipers Danny Plotnick

Hollywood has a rich history of turning great pieces of literature into fantastically mediocre movies. Today we discuss some of our favorite books that, given the right treatment, would shine on the silver screen, but more likely would wilt under a coat of Hollywood gloss, sheen and superstardom. Discussed will be Charles Bukowski's Ham on Rye, Charles Willeford's The Burnt Orange Heresy, Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, and Chester Himes' Cotton Comes To Harlem.

Once you leave the family homestead and head out into the world of shared flats and apartments, there's an excellent chance you'll live with slobs or psychopaths of various stripes. This week on the Nest of Vipers, our fundits share stories of sketchy housemates and sketchier neighborhoods. We'll hear tales of colorful characters like Laotian Mafia members, speakeasy proprietors, and thieving hoods from the mean streets of West Philadelphia, as well as wife beaters, drug dealers and bottle throwers from San Francisco's Western Addition. We'll also hear about college co-eds trying to have sex in crowded dorm rooms, and a touching tale of a loveable roommate with an ungodly singing voice and Aspergers Syndrome. Our guests include Soctt Beiben (Lost Film Festival), Alison Faith Levy (musician, The Sippy Cups), Bucky Sinister (writer, All Blacked Out and Nowhere To Go. Hosted by filmmaker Danny Plotnick.

Lurking in the closet of every artist is a failed project. Some sort of endeavor that should have been great, could have been great, but just flatlined. Performing as the Tin Man on Hollywood Boulevard, trying to launch a play about fruitcakes, trying to impress the wife's friends with a spooky Halloween spectacle and paying tribute to Abe Lincoln are just some of the tales shared by this weeks guests. Guests include Rodney Ascher (filmmaker, Somebody Goofed), Becky Haycox (from the blog Hamblog) and Lee Lynch (filmmaker, Transposition of the Great Vessels). Hosted by filmmaker Danny Plotnick.

Everybody loves to travel. But for every fantasy of the perfect vacation lurks the very real possibility of a journey gone haywire. In this episode, our team of world-weary travelers recount bizarre tales including a 50 hour bus ride filled with racial tension, a poodle and a bottle of Perrier, a sixteen year old crusty, hippie-punk passed out in the Jamaican mud at the Reggae Sunsplash, a pathetic Xmas yarn featuring a Blues Brothers cover band and a bus stuck on a snowy mountain pass, and a mad dash from Sacramento to San Francisco in a car falling apart mile by mile. Guests Include Anthony Bedard (musician, Hank IV), Jack Boulware (author, Sex American Style), Natalija Vekic (filmmaker, Lost and Found). Hosted by filmmaker Danny Plotnick.

Ah...to be young and stupid again. This week our guests share embarrassing tales from their youth, telling stories about foolish behavior that can be chalked up to a combination of inexperience and ignorance. Huffing film cleaner, shoplifting cheap wine, botching a major label record deal, and disobeying traffic laws are just some of the tales told on this episode of the Nest of Vipers. Guests include Michael W. Dean (filmmaker Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow, Podcaster, Clone The Homeless), Becky Haycox (from the blog Hamblog) and Lee Lynch (filmmaker, Transposition of the Great Vessels). Hosted by filmmaker Danny Plotnick.

To most well-educated cineastes, off the radar films bring to mind titles like Eraserhead, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, The Sweet Smell of Success and Detour. This week, our team of fundits dig deeper into the celluloid closet as we discuss Mormon educational films, medical training films, and other oddities with catchy titles like The Estrogen Cycle of The Rat. And if that's not enough, we share our love for single screen movie theaters, explore the rapidly changing theater going experience, and pay homage to faded movie palaces like San Francisco's Strand Theater, Boston's Pilgrim Theater and more. Guests include film writer Jack Stevenson, film programmer Jesse Ficks and filmmaker Christian Bruno. Hosted by filmmaker Danny Plotnick.