CatBusRuss is joined by prolific podcaster Noel Thingvall to discuss a Sci-Fi Channel Saturday morning classic, "Zieram". Our host would call it "Alien Isolation for Dummies". Noel would call it "Alien Meets Abbott and Costello". Either alternative title you bestow on the feature debut of tokusatsu master, Keita Amemiya, the two mean them to be complimentary.

For CatBus, he wanted to watch this film 25 years ago since the second anime VHS tape(s) he bought was "Iria: Zieram the Animation". It is one of his favorite bad-ass, big-boobed bounty hunter series (pardon the alliteration). Eventually, the otaku read somewhere that it was considered to be the prequel OVA to this feature. That is a stretch, but it was just fun to see the original take of her. What was even odder is her essentially playing back seat to Kenny and Vic from "MXC".

Noel is a huge fan of Japanese special effects, especially those from television shows that would eventually be edited with American teenagers to create "Power Rangers" series. He has also actively been watching Japanese media since the first run of "Robotech". It is only fitting that the dub the two were first introduced to was handled by Streamline Picture's Carl Macek, the original reconfigurer of Japanese media.

This film is very derivative of classic sci-fi cinema. Not only does it pay homage to the "Alien" franchise, the third act is an ode to "The Terminator" and "The Thing". Noel being a host on the "Masters of Carpentry Podcast" proves to have the authority to make this statement.

"Zieram" is silly and over-the-top, and would be a perfect feature for B-Fest. Russ and the host of "Schumacast" would love to see Western cinema try to have this much fun with scary monsters.

What's Scarrier: Woody, Lame Horror, or Cheap Horror?

CatBusRuss returns to the cheap DVD bin that Ally of Ally's Accessories Shop on Etsy provided him. This portion of the A to Zed journey takes us on a scary tour. Scary to some with the Steve Martin's Woody Allen inspired "L.A. Story" and Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris". Scary to the rest for featuring Lucio Fulci's "The New York Ripper". "Out of the Dark" represents Colombia and "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To" stands up for Pittsburgh.

CatBusRuss was presumptuous when it came to his knowledge about William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid. Our host knew that he was an outlaw with a legendary reputation as a gunslinger until the law caught up with and dispatched him at the age of 21. Thanks to The Cinema Snob, this podcaster also knew he defeated Dracula. His limited knowledge led him to believe that this icon of the Old West did not live a long enough life to get a franchise of Brat Pack adjacent movies. So when Andrew "CouchManBakes" Tiede suggested discussing the first "Young Guns" from 1988, he thought this definitely had to be a crazy flick.

Does the music video aesthetic make it look crazy? Yes. Does the action at times seem unbelievable? Most definitely. But the events of the Lincoln County War did occur, so Russ went into this conversation with doubts that this truly qualified as a "Crazy Flick". Having late career Jack Palance as the primary antagonist will alway help the pro-insanity case, but if that is not enough, Andrew brings up all the historic revisions and the behind the scene tales to prove that this is bonkers action cinema.