I Dig Crazy Flicks with CatBusRuss

Cat Bus Russ

I Dig Crazy Flicks is the home of "Ninety For Chill". We do not always have the time for a two-hour movie. No one ever wants to sit down and watch a one-hour TV drama knowing that they might end up sticking around for a second (or a third...even a fourth) episode. With this said, 70 to 100 minutes is the ideal runtime. This concise timeframe has given us some of the most rewatchable movies that may not win any Oscars, but are properly fun-sized for the audience. Fun-sized sweets that may be experimental terror, outlandish horror, over-the-top action, or the most radical comedies and dramas.

  1. 3d ago

    Musical Warm Up: The Clash, The Ramones, Dewey Cox, Val Kilmer, and Meat Loaf

    CatBusRuss has a fun episode lined up next week in regards to a feature that has a musical status that is debatable. It has plenty of musical numbers, but its themes may overshadow the brilliant use of song and dance. To get you warmed up for that discussion with Luna Gray from iHorror.com, our host went back in the archives for more movies that do not scream musical, but song is a critical part of them. Next weeks conversation (Visit Russ's Letterboxd if you want a clue.) will be about a classic horror feature while the films he will be reviewing this week lean more comedic. To try and smooth the transition out, CatBus decided to watch Meat Loaf's return to big screen musicals in "Stage Fright" (2014). It is an admirable effort, but not worthy to share its title with the Michele Soavi classic. To Russ's credit, the next feature he reviews was produced by exploitation maestro, Roger Corman, and perhaps shadow directed by horror legend Joe Dante. "Rock 'n' Roll High School" only serves as a horror feature for mice. Otherwise, it is a fun way to introduce your friends to The Ramones. Our host likes the work of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Marky Ramone, but he personally prefers the punk rock of Great Britain. So how could he resist watching a movie celebrating Joe Strummer? "London Town" is a heart-warming tale of an English boy learning to love everything punk (except the Sex Pistols, but nobody is perfect) through the guidance of the face of The Clash portrayed by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Sticking with the punk theme, Russ revisits "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story". John C. Reilly's comedic tribute to one of America's first music punks, Johnny Cash, features an all star cast and the most absurdist take on the life of the Man in Black. It is R-Rated content that is reminiscent of "The Kentucky Fried Movie". KFM may have been directed by John Landis, but it was written by Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker. They would go on to write and direct "Airplane!", but there best narrative maybe the Val Kilmer vs. Communist musical comedy, "Top Secret!" Was all the surfer rock needed? Our host may be conflicted. If you want to avoid conflict when it comes to snacking, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Musical Warm Up: The Clash, The Ramones, Dewey Cox, Val Kilmer, and Meat Loaf
  2. Jul 8

    QCCC: Ninety for Chill versus Kirkwood Community College Anime Club

    For the first time in nearly two years, CatBusRuss & ThePoeticCritic present the concept of Ninety For Chill to a comic convention. They opened up the fan panels at the first Quad Cities Comic Con. Russ has found that being the first panel of a convention usually guarantees an audience. This was the case, but were they prepared to amuse the Kirkwood Community College Anime Club? These kids and chauffeurs had the same drive time from Cedar Rapids and the two sibling had from Peoria. Dubby Energy (use promo code CatBusRuss at checkout for 10% off your order) and punch & pie at least made the audience comfortable, but what were they going to bring to the conversation? How were they going to react when our podcast host suggests, "Does Hayao Miyazaki really need two hours to tell his tales?" CatBus was game for a fight. Would ThePoeticCritic succeed as a referee in providing counter arguments? Surely explaining box office motivations and the art of writing screenplays will assure that everyone will walk away happy. Speaking of confrontation, this panel inspired Russ to finally watch "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim". This anime spinoff and means for Newline Cinema's to retain the theatrical rights to the franchise clocks in at 2 hours 14 minutes. The film is not a Tolkien tale, just inspired by his Appendices. Should it have been over 100 minutes in runtime? Was any of it worth it? If your looking for something worthwhile, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    QCCC: Ninety for Chill versus Kirkwood Community College Anime Club
  3. Jul 2

    QC Fright Con & Planet Funk Con 2026 vs. Scanner Cop 2

    CatBusRuss is worn out. He thought it was going to be a chore attending the panel-lacking Planet Funk Con & QC Fright Con for Sunday, but he has to put in the time to promote "I Dig Crazy Flicks", even if he has to wake up at 4:10 am to impress at his new full-time job for the next couple of weeks. Attending the last day allowed him to get his steps in and check out a James Pax panel. If only they had turned up the mics loud enough for him to get the attention OG Raiden deserved over the crowd wandering the primary convention. As for Saturday, the only thing hurting was the wallet. But he was able to get an autographed Funko Pop! from Brian O'Halloran and some fun face-to-face time with Brad "Cinema Snob" Jones and Sam "Flash Gordon" Jones. If he felt any shame when talking to the "Saviour of the Universe", its that he did not smoke as much pot as Seth MacFarlane did growing up and watching the IP George Lucas could not obtain. Not being just like the "Ted" creator may have cost him a potential podcast guest. Russ may have tried to make up for his lack of debauchery by attending all the after hours event at the con. Friday was checking out video game music cover band Big Head Mode. Saturday was the Nerds in Heat Nerdlesque show and visiting his first after hours Moonlight Maid Cafe". If you are wondering why this episode was released a day late, CatBus has been exhausted since coming back to Chambana. On top of that, his New Year's Resolution was to watch 15 movies a month. Monday and Tuesday were dedicated to maintaining that trend. Tuesday's feature was the sequel to "Scanner Cop", "Scanner Cop 2: Volkin's Revenge". This scanner vs. scanner affair was not a winner, but how could it be after he watched James Gunn's "Superman" the night prior. If only had a date to catch "Supergirl" instead, he would feel like a winner on so many levels. A sure was to feel like a winner is to try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    QC Fright Con & Planet Funk Con 2026 vs. Scanner Cop 2
  4. Jun 27 ·  Bonus

    Planet Funk Con, QC Fright Con, and "Scanner Cop"

    CatBusRuss is starting a new job this Monday, so regardless if he was asked to host his "I Dig Crazy Flicks" panels, he is getting one more convention out of the way. This has led him to a chill pair of conventions in Davenport with movie stars that get him hyped for a film. Welcome to QC Fright Con & Planet Funk Con. Our host was made aware of Planet Funk Con from watching Cinema Snob videos in 2025 to promote his appearance there. By the time Brad Jones was advertising it, it was too late to apply as a panelists. Russ did apply this year, and received an email making sure that he was available because they "we're going to schedule all of your panels", but he never received any further updates. After seeing that Planet Funk only had one panel room, doubts arose. When he contacted the con about the schedule, all he received back was the same info being advertised. This left our host a little frustrated after restocking promotional buttons, but the Peoria Chiefs and the Chicago Cubs are out of town. The Quad Cities is as good of an escape as any place else. And thus far, he has no regrets. Just confusion that QC Fright Con and Planet Funk Con are being advertised as two different events. Why is Sam Jones of "Flash Gordon" fame a celebrity at the horror con? Was it because you cannot have more than one Jones per con? Does CatBus need to provide claymores to the two since there can be only one? Russ got to meet Ken Foree, talk shop with a 3D Pokeball dealer whom he met at Quad City Comic Con and Indiana Comic Convention, and having a great chat with Brian O'Halloran about podcasting and shared trauma of being clerks. Add a autograph from Matt Hill, the voice of "Captain N: The Game Master", CatBusRuss is feeling like a winner. If you need a winner when it comes to healthy snacks, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Planet Funk Con, QC Fright Con, and "Scanner Cop"
  5. Jun 24

    B3's Rae Presents: "High Tension" & "Sleepaway Camp" - Fun Horror with Flawed Twists...and "Morbius"

    What makes a horror movie try to do to much? Attractive French college girls not enough to keep a slasher's attention? If we do not do something outlandish and borderline offensive, is our summer camp movie unique? CatBusRuss is joined by Rae of the "B3 Podcast" to determine if tacked on twist endings make "High Tension" and "Sleepaway Camp" more endearing. Or do these not appropriate for Pride Month decisions just kneecap fun, simple, blood-soaked tales? If you want more cinematic limping, our podcast host decided that it was Morbin' Time. With under 100 minutes of narrative, surely he would not regret giving "Morbius" a watch. "How Did This Get Made" is not about torturing its audience. Russ is heading to Planet Funk Con in Davenport this weekend (June 26-28). Since there should be at least one bonus podcast covering the convention and an official recap next Wednesday, that is pushing everybody's tolerance to his voice alone. So he returns to the "Ninety For Chill Dot Com: The Podcast" feed to break up the monotony. Rae and the CatBus do go off on some tangents, but with a combined six years of podcasting experience (at that time in 2023), the ship never steers too far off course. But when the tendencies of French directors is mentioned, there will be some choppy audio waters. This is definitely going to be spoiler heavy. Alexandre Aja's breakout feature, "High Tension", is about Alex and Marie as they visit Alex's family for the proper peace and tranquility to study up for exams. Once night falls, a serial killing trucker decides to wipe out the family and kidnaps Alex. Marie knows that she is the only one who can save the survivor. What we do know is that she definitely controls Alex's destiny, in more ways that just survival. "Sleepaway Camp" is about another girl, Angela, who is not who everyone thinks she is. She is quiet and shy to the point where all the girls suspect something is dangerous about her. Since there a series of freak accidents are killing off campers and staff every three hours, it must be the new girl. It cannot be just a coincidence. Perhaps if we knew what she was hiding. These two horror films both have moments of camp and brilliance, and that is before the twists are revealed. After those occur, do these competent films become failures. I for one am not suggesting that to Marie or Angela. If you want a snack that is not going to gamble its quality, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    B3's Rae Presents: "High Tension" & "Sleepaway Camp" - Fun Horror with Flawed Twists...and "Morbius"
  6. Jun 17

    "Daisies" (1966): Anarchic Czech Lasses & Vern from Cinema Recall

    Vern from "Cinema Recall" asked CatBusRuss, "Is "Daisies" was the most "off-the-wall" feature he has ever discussed on "I Dig Crazy Flicks"?". The answer will be provided by the end of the episode. Vera Chytilova's "Daisies" is an experience and may be suitable for the "How Did This Get Made?" podcast. Not because it is a bad film. (With the exception of "Kpop Demon Hunters", The Criterion Collection does not put subpar features into their library.) It is amazing that this film got made in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, 25 years before the Iron Curtain fell. We are very fortunate that this film ended up being well preserved because once the Commies paid attention to this film after its success, it was banned. This film is about two young women, both named Marie, who are bored in a country that expects them to live with nothing while the bourgeoise live in elegance. They decide to take advantage of their youth and beauty and start exploiting rich men. Enough of the vegetable rations. Lets have steak and dessert. If Russ had an issue with the ladies actions, it is the flippant waste of Johnny Walker. This is a sly satire and protest film that seems like something that would have difficulty with the American Hayes Code, and it plays out like that. If the satire is not enough for you, the mise en scene and psychedelic color choices should sell you on "Daisies". The only thing that CatBus could immediately compare the nature of the girls in "Daisies" to is Tom Green in his film "Freddy Got Fingered". Our host knows that film has its supporters, but if you watch Chytilova's classic, you will realize that the critics in 2001 knew what a bad feature is. "Daisies" is a winner of a feature. If you want a winner of a snack, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    "Daisies" (1966): Anarchic Czech Lasses & Vern from Cinema Recall
  7. Jun 10

    Indiana Comic Convention 2026: Impromptu "Aliens" Expert, Cats & Credit, and "The Sword and the Sorcerer"

    Indiana Comic Convention 2026 may not have been the most fun CatBusRuss has had at a nerdfest, but this was probably the most productive. He was able to put himself out there enough to vastly reduce his promotional material, and his efforts allowed him to demonstrate that he is a personable and authoritative voice in nerd culture. If he was not a strong convention visitor, could he have talked his way onto another panel? After visiting some really cool artists and catching up with hot sauce vendors, the rest of his day was dedicated to checking out panels. Nitin Bhojraj gave a great macroeconomics introduction by speaking of his goal to document every fiscal transaction in the "Star Wars" universe. Author/Translator/Lecturer Zack Davisson provided a fun history about cats in Japanese culture, and how they are all magical. The team from the Ray Bradbury Center had an amusing panel about historical inaccuracies in video games and whether or not they are a bad thing. But when it came to panels, Russ getting to join Chris Martinez from the "Big Dumb Monsters" podcast to talk about the 40th anniversary of "Aliens" was a highlight. Two of the panelists were no shows, there was no moderator, so a our podcast host volunteered his services and perhaps saved the panel. If he can figure how to put this in next year's panel submission form, he will at least save on the cost of admission. He just needs to keep his cool and not start a fight with the FanX group. Speaking of fighting, CatBus completed his week exploration of sword and sandals movies by checking out the "Iron Eagle" of 1982's shirtless fantasy films, Albert Pyun's "The Sword and the Sorcerer". It left our host wondering, "Why did they not give this guy all the money to make his movies?" It proved that he could be a winner when given the right budget. If you are looking for a fun snack for a Pyun budget, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Indiana Comic Convention 2026: Impromptu "Aliens" Expert, Cats & Credit, and "The Sword and the Sorcerer"
  8. Jun 7 ·  Bonus

    Indiana Comic Convention 2026: Impromptu Transformers "Expert", The Norris/Sith Conspiracy, & Pompeii (2014)

    CatBusRuss is out of promotional buttons. This in itself would suggest that it was a successful trip to Indiana Comic Convention 2026, but its the friendships that count. Friendships that allowed him to be a substitute panelist because some people just volunteer for everything. His sign stating that "Chuck Norris was a Sith Lord" did help him get some extra attention. The first panel of the day was celebrating the 40th anniversary of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns". Like most panels at FanX events, rarely is a moderator assigned. Novelist Darby Harn was made to take the lead with a panelist who was over her head in expectations. A sigh of relief was apparent when Russ showed up to sit in on the panel. Our podcast host may not be an expert, but he knows how to keep a conversation going. After the panel, Darby's copanelist was not up for the 40th anniversary of "The Transformers: The Movie" that was the next panel in the room. Fortunately he asked Russ if he was sitting in on the panel. This led to Darby volunteering the podcaster to fill in her spot for another moderator-free panel along side video game writer Cory Lanham. It was a fun time discussing the trauma of seeing our toys die, and how Gen X/Millennial parents are prepping their kids to watch this film at an appropriate age. For the crew behind the "Full of Sith" podcast, time is measured by exposing their kids to pop culture. This allowed for a fun juxtaposition during their "Mandalorian Changing Streaming" panel where they were joined by DePaul Accounting Professor Nitin Bhojraj. Nitin is working on documenting the macroeconomics within the "Star Wars" Universe, so it was a fun number-based panel about the evolution of streaming platforms. The next panel Russ attended was "31 Flavors of Horror" with bestselling authors Kiersten White, Alex Langley, and Ryan La Sala. This was a panel about their likes/dislikes about the current state of horror and their aspirations to see their work adapted to the streaming services. When you have a gay YA writer dropping a five-letter C-bomb, a good time was had by all. And when it comes to horror, Bootleg Safari delivered better than "Nanoshark". "The Simpsonsns" toys would give anyone nightmares with their bug out eyes and uncolored accessories. Hopefully they were meant to be accessories or that is the worst case of gout anyone has seen. The panel presented trailers for two rip offs from The Asylum and Aaron Reynolds guiding us through "Three Giant Men", a Turkish movies where Captain America and El Santo are out to stop a criminal mastermind in Spider-Man. It cannot be the webslinger because his colors were red and green instead of red and blue. That is more effort from the Turks to distinguish themselves from Western cinema than usual. With those films on his mind, Russ decided to watch a real movie and keep up sword-and-sandal week with "Pompeii". Can Paul W.S. Anderson standout with this disaster/gladiator hybrid flick, or will it just show how inadequate he is in comparison to Ridley Scott? For something that is beyond adequate, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Indiana Comic Convention 2026: Impromptu Transformers "Expert", The Norris/Sith Conspiracy, & Pompeii (2014)

About

I Dig Crazy Flicks is the home of "Ninety For Chill". We do not always have the time for a two-hour movie. No one ever wants to sit down and watch a one-hour TV drama knowing that they might end up sticking around for a second (or a third...even a fourth) episode. With this said, 70 to 100 minutes is the ideal runtime. This concise timeframe has given us some of the most rewatchable movies that may not win any Oscars, but are properly fun-sized for the audience. Fun-sized sweets that may be experimental terror, outlandish horror, over-the-top action, or the most radical comedies and dramas.