Crime Is Up

01/04/2023

Steven Seagal is… Above the Law. Steven Seagal is …Out for Justice. Steven Seagal is… Exit Wounds.

Steven Seagal is many things. A Buddhist. A Russian citizen. The star of countless aikido action movie classics. This episode, we are taking a closer look at three of those movies.

Layered deep in these fascinating films are numerous examples of the noir tropes that we crime fiction and film noir fans know and love. So join us, dear listeners, on a journey through the crime films of Steven Seagal!

Episode 28 of The Crime Is Up Podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts.

Art by Robert Anthony

11/01/2023

As promised in our new bonus ep of The Crime Is Up Podcast, here is the brilliant cover from the short story Chris wrote when he was a 12-year-old kid, The Deadliest Weapon! If I were to judge a book by the cover, then I’d say that the deadliest weapon is some sort of a potion wielded by a purple ogre that turns you into a werewolf or Frankenstein’s monster.
But that’s not what this story is about! It’s actually a devastating family drama about a boy with an incurable illness. Fun stuff! But Will and Chris have a blast as they read this and another tale from when Will was 9-years-old for our new episode.
Here you can see all of the illustrations from The Deadliest Weapon. Chris's old friend Scott Reu did the drawings for what was then a 6th grade English class assignment and so we present them here as a fun time capsule. Chris hadn’t read this story in 25 years, and he does it LIVE in the episode, reading it to Will and they laugh along with the ridiculous tale as they go.
It’s a lively, loose bonus episode for your post-holiday settling in to the new year. Take a listen to Bonus Episode 2 of The Crime Is Up Podcast - The Deadliest Weapon & Detective Benson or The Greatest Detectives and Gangsters wherever you get your podcasts.

21/07/2022

It has been an honor to have our little podcast draped in the fine vestments of a painting. For this humble podcaster, it was a dream come true.
I used to marvel at the McGinnis covers of the James Bond movies in my Dad’s vhs collection and sneak peaks at all the McGinnis women on the covers of his paperback book collection in the basement (back before the flood - that’s another story). And I am extraordinarily grateful to have been able to boast that our little show has had a cover for 27 episodes.
But now with Season 2 pressing onward, it is time to pass the torch to a new artist. We have a brand new cover coming to The Crime Is Up Podcast from the immensely talented illustrator Jeremiah Wallis.
I know the podcast is an auditory medium, but we believe in the power of that striking, eye-grabbing pulp image. The right cover steals your attention away from whatever else is distracting you in your life and demands your gaze fall HERE on the cover and the promise of the story within. Jeremiah’s new cover has that stopping power and we are excited to share it with you all listeners.
And make sure you check out all the hard-boiled crime fiction that you know your ears crave. Listen to The Crime Is Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Take a listen! It’s a *free* show.

18/07/2022

New blog post listeners! Hear all about our podcast cover art from Robert E. McGinnis: https://www.crimeisuppodcast.com/blog/blog-post-title-one-wefj2

It’s a podcast! An audio based medium. Do you really need fancy artwork? Most people are going to see it on their phone and it’s going to be a microscopic 1x1 inch square and they’re not going to listen to it based on the artwork. Nay I say! We here at The Crime Is Up Podcast are creating stor...

10/07/2022

Brand new crime fiction coming your way listeners! Season 2 of The Crime Is Up Podcast continues with our audio drama titled PLUTO. It’s the simple tale of a man looking for his lost dog. But this man’s best friend ain’t a teacup yorkie. He’s a pitbull named Pluto who can drag cinder blocks across the yard with his teeth.
But maybe Pluto doesn’t feel like fighting anymore. The pup is in the wind. A jailbird who dug himself out of the yard. Bad news for his trainer Luke because Pluto has a big fight coming up. So take a listen as this morally corrupt trainer scours the neighborhood on an odyssey through backyards and cul-de-sacs searching for his best dog. His champion. His Pluto.
The new season of The Crime Is Up Podcast continues with Episode 27! Take a listen. It’s a free podcast! Out now wherever you get your podcasts.
PLUTO was written by William Benson
Special thanks as always to Robert E. McGinnis for allowing us to use his fantastic cover for our little show.

23/01/2022

Our criminal quote of the day comes from our gambling addict narrator. And he’s risking more than a stack of chips in our latest crime fiction story “Swimming”. When an alluring pit boss clues him in on a lo-fi robbery, is it worth the high stakes?
Find out on Episode 24 of The Crime Is Up Podcast. Written by Will Benson who also posed in and shot the stark photo for our post here. Chris sent him a mock up of what he thought it should look like, because he is such a skilled illustrator. Swipe right to see the reference drawing in all its glory. Hey, it’s better than a stick figure.
Episode 24 of The Crime Is Podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts. Link below.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-24-swimming-pt-01-fargo/id1524238609?i=1000544084208

07/12/2021

Grab your parka and Elmer Fudd hat, we’re talking Fargo! Episode 24 of the Crime Is Up Podcast gives you the rundown of this freezing cold crime flick from the Coen Brothers.
Frances McDormand landed an Oscar for her roll playing the ever capable (and very pregnant) Chief Marge Gunderson as she chases down a rogues gallery as strange, incompetent, and terrifying as the Coen Brothers ever put together.
So shut off those woodchippers and turn up your headphones, we’re going through this iconic movie’s most shocking moments (ahem, woodchipper) its most beguiling scenes (Mike Yanagita?!) and we try to come to some kind of conclusion as to whether the Coen Brothers are laughing with or at all the characters who are so Minnesota Nice.
Have a listen to Ep 24 of The Crime Is Up Podcast, out now wherever you get your podcasts. It’s a free show, oh yeah, you betcha! So have a listen. Link Below.
Art by

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-24-swimming-pt-01-fargo/id1524238609?i=1000544084208

18/09/2021

Kirk Douglas dives chin first into the role of Chuck Tatum. And it’s a wonder that he did because this amoral reporter is the antithesis of what most leading men were doing in the early 1950’s

Douglas’s turn as an unscrupulous reporter makes for a truly unsympathetic portrayal, but you can’t look away! For Ep 23 of the Crime Is Up Podcast, Chris and Will discuss the vicarious thrills of watching Douglas’s human rattlesnake coil around his prey in pursuit of a front page headline. This is film noir at it’s finest so take a listen wherever you get your podcasts!

17/09/2021

Film noir. In the desert? Under the hot sun? Yes! Ace in the Hole is as noir as it gets and the majority of it takes place in the daylight cast from an unforgiving star. What’s your favorite sun baked noir movie?
Chime in under here in the comments, and take a listen to Ep 23 of the Crime Is Up Podcast where we talk about the most cynical of all of Billy Wilder’s movies, Ace in the Hole. Take a listen, it’s a *free* podcast! Out now wherever you get your podcasts.

16/09/2021

What sort of Hollywood movie advertises the leading man strangling the leading lady with a mink fur? Why only the meanest film noir that ever was: Ace in the Hole.

Kirk Douglas and Jan Sterling spit venom at each other in this classic noir from director Billy Wilder and we here at the Crime Is Up Podcast give you the whole rundown. Take a listen, it’s a *free* podcast! Out now wherever you get your podcasts.

15/09/2021

Jan Sterling gets the best hard-boiled dialogue in Ace in the Hole, and it’s a line that not even Bogart could have delivered any better, “I don’t go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.”

The sarcasm and wit she brings to life in the character of Lorraine is spectacular and it’s a pleasure to talk about her and all the other selfish, awful human beings that populate Billy Wilder’s most cynical movie. We talk all about it in Ep 23 of the Crime Is Up Podcast.

Take a listen, it’s a *free* podcast. Out now wherever you get your podcasts.

14/09/2021

Tighten your belts and pull on your suspenders listeners, we're talking “Ace in the Hole”! Kirk Douglas dives face first into his wholly unsympathetic turn as an unscrupulous reporter in director Billy Wilder’s classic, sunbaked noir.

An infamous flop in 1951, time has allowed audiences to realize the brilliance of this critique of American life and the media. Nary an asphalt jungle or shadow laden alleyway are to be found, but this one’s as mean and cynical as film noir movies get. So hop on the ferris wheel of this big carnival as we celebrate one of our favorites in the genre!

Ep 23 of the Crime Is Up Podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts. Take a listen, it’s a *free* podcast. Click on the link below to listen now:

https://www.crimeisuppodcast.com/episodes/ep23aceinthehole

Art by

Tighten your belts and pull on your suspenders listeners, we're talking “Ace in the Hole”! Kirk Douglas dives face first into his wholly unsympathetic turn as an unscrupulous reporter in director Billy Wilder’s classic, sunbaked noir. An infamous flop in 1951, time has allowed audiences to rea...

21/08/2021

Tired of that same old stuffy painting hanging above the mantelpiece? Then grab your bow and fire an arrow straight through it with original artwork from The Crime Is Up Podcast! That’s right, the incredible artist Freddie E. Williams II is offering the original art from William Benson's “Cut You Down” storyline for sale at the link below.

“Cut You Down” tells the story of Malcolm, a hulking ex-con who gets out of prison and doesn’t want anything… except what’s his. Malcolm is pictured here in Freddie’s art clutching the bow and arrow he deals out some serious pain with in Episode 03. And clock the hollow empty eyes that Freddie put in the top of the figure! We intentionally left Malcolm’s eyes off the podcast cover to make it a little mysterious, but those black sockets are even more haunting.

This is a total bullseye listeners, so don’t miss out! Click the link and see all the original art Freddie has to offer. And take a listen to the entire “Cut You Down” storyline of The Crime Is Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

https://freddieart.com/product/crime-is-up-podcast-cover-instagram-podcast-11x17-board-art-is-11x11/

ART SPECS: Strathmore 400 series 3ply Bristol Board. Dr. Ph. Martin’s Matte Black India ink. Ink-Wash (Diluted India ink) plus Grey tone markers. Microns, Multi-liners and other Tech Pens. Sable…

21/07/2021

Copland is Sylvester Stallone’s best character work since Rocky and First Blood. Stallone shatters the muscle-bound hero visage and replaces it with a beer gut and unkempt hair. Sly didn’t even have a hair person on this movie because he believed Sheriff Freddy Heflin wouldn’t run a comb through his hair.

And there’s the way his white t-shirt is always peeking up from his collared shirt cause he doesn’t do the top button. Sheriff Freddie Heflin doesn’t like how tight the collar is when he does that last button, so he just doesn’t do it. That’s good character work. Not to mention the way he walks, that lumbering walk. His manner of speech. That quiet speech that is forever subservient. This isn’t just playing against type, Stallone is transformed here and gives one of his greatest performances.

It was a pleasure to talk about Sly in Copland for Ep 22 of The Crime Is Up Podcast. Take a listen now, it’s a *free* podcast! Available wherever you get your podcasts.

10/07/2021

Rocky. Rambo. Sheriff Freddy Heflin. If you haven’t seen Sylvester Stallone’s turn as the sheriff of Garrison, NJ, then do yourself a favor and have a listen to our latest episode of The Crime Is Up Podcast.

Cop Land is the movie where Sly shows off his incredible and subdued acting chops, and it is a pleasure to talk about his character work opposite one of the greatest assembled casts of the 1990’s: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, Annabella Sciorra, Cathy Moriarty, Michael Rapaport, Janeane Garofalo, Peter Berg, Method Man, Frank Vincent, John Spencer, Eddie Falco, & oh my goodness we can go on!

And we do! Because director James Mangold put together a cop drama with a dash of police corruption, a sprinkling of noir, and a tablespoon of western. The concoction that results is the strongest movie in Stallone’s filmography since the original Rocky or First Blood. Take a listen, or else, as De Niro yells, “You blew it!”

Episode 22 of The Crime Is Up Podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts. Check it out at the link below:

https://www.crimeisuppodcast.com/episodes/ep22copland

Rocky. Rambo. Sheriff Freddy Heflin. If you haven’t seen Sylvester Stallone’s turn as the sheriff of Garrison, NJ, then do yourself a favor and have a listen. Cop Land is the movie where Sly shows off his incredible and subdued acting chops, and it is a pleasure to talk about his character work ...

02/07/2021

Exciting news listeners! podcast artist has been invited to be a featured artist at this Friday’s gallery!

If you’re in the area on Friday 7/2, go check it out and say hi! Maybe even take home one of Robert’s insanely detailed, high contrast portraits (swipe right to see).

Just like our podcast, the event is totally free! 5-9pm at Indie Life Media Studio - 4616 Baltimore Ave Philadelphia, PA 19143

02/06/2021

Well, it’s been 20 years. We were excited to rewatch the Sylvester Stallone remake of Get Carter because we were hoping that two decades removed from the initial reception and bad reviews that there might be something there to enjoy. How does it hold up?
Take a listen to The Crime Is Up Podcast’s deep dive into Get Carter to find out! We’ll give you a hint... father time hasn’t improved it much, but we have some fun talking about it. And Sly does look like a boss in that grey suit and shades.
Take a listen, it’s a *free* podcast! In Episode 21 of The Crime Is Up Podcast we talk about all three versions of Get Carter, plus the fantastic book it was based on. Have a listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

28/05/2021

Hitman is a remake of the British crime film Get Carter with Michael Caine. Curiously, it was made only a year after Get Carter. Bernie Casey and Pam Grier star in this violent, Americanized Blaxploitation version of the classic British crime film.
How does it measure up to the original? Well, there are more people that get eaten by lions, but that’s a whole thing. Take a listen to Episode 21 of The Crime is Up Podcast Podcast to find out more! It’s a *free* podcast, out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Pandora.

27/05/2021

The visual style of Get Carter combines with the extreme intimidation factor in Michael Caine’s performance to make for one hell of a gritty 70’s crime flick. And this week on The Crime Is Up Podcast, we peer through the London fog to see what makes this such a classic film.

Plus we go through the incredible book it was based on by author Ted Lewis, as well as the two remakes that spawned from the movie, Get Carter with Sylvester Stallone and Hitman with Bernie Casey.

Have a listen, it’s a *free* podcast! Episode 21 of The Crime Is Up Podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts.

19/05/2021

This episode we want our podcast in a thin glass. That’s right, we’re talking about the classic British crime film ‘Get Carter’ starring Michael Caine. Plus, we dive deep into the fantastic book it was based on, the criminally underrated ‘Jack’s Return Home’ by Ted Lewis.
And to keep things thorough (and fun!) we touch on the Sylvester Stallone remake from the year 2000 as well as the 70’s blaxploitation version ‘Hit Man’ starring Bernie Casey and Pam Grier.
Episode 21 of The Crime Is Up Podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts. Take a listen, it's a *free* podcast!

https://www.crimeisuppodcast.com/episodes/ep21getcarter-zy83p

This episode we want our podcast in a thin glass. That’s right, we’re talking about the classic British crime film ‘Get Carter’ starring Michael Caine. Plus, we dive deep into the fantastic book it was based on, the criminally underrated ‘Jack’s Return Home’ by Ted Lewis. And to keep t...

12/05/2021

A man awakens from an all-nighter to find himself held captive on a beach, imprisoned in a strange apparatus that spreads him out like da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Who trapped him there, and why? As he struggles to understand, he must fight to free himself before the elements take hold: the scorching sun, angry gulls, the rising tide, and his own ebbing sanity.

Take a listen to our brand-new crime fiction story from Will Benson Out now at the link below and wherever you get your podcasts!

Graphic Design and Titles by Alysia Miller

https://www.crimeisuppodcast.com/episodes/ep20jackiebrownandrumpunch-bpdkk

A man awakens from an all-nighter to find himself held captive on a beach, imprisoned in a strange apparatus that spreads him out like da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Who trapped him there, and why? As he struggles to understand, he must fight to free himself before the elements take hold: the scorching...

21/04/2021

“I wrote him on Monday. They found him dead on Tuesday.” Robert Forster lays down that concrete fact and it weighs heavily on the conversation his character Max Cherry has in that dim red bar with Pam Grier’s Jackie Brown.
We love this scene. It starts simply enough with small talk about ci******es. Just two unfamiliar people sharing a drink. But lingering under the surface is the knowledge they share that Jackie has a target on her back and will be dead just like Beaumont if she isn’t careful.
The way this lovely, quiet scene plays out without any camera moves or complicated coverage is also impressive. Director Quentin Tarantino knows when to sit back and set up two over-the-shoulder shots in order to give the actors room to work. Other scenes in this movie have complicated crane shots and single long takes, but here, Grier and Forster are the main attraction bringing this nuanced scene to life. Nothing fancy required. Definitely one of the best scenes in the movie, and we’re thrilled to have this piece from one of our listeners to spotlight it.
Special thanks to Craig Tumino for illustrating this piece of Robert Forster. Craig’s a fan of Jackie Brown and of our show. He reached out to contribute this for our latest episode and we are only too happy to share it with all of you here! Thanks again Craig, we love it.
You can check out more of Craig’s illustrations Curiocide - be sure to check out his music too. His latest single The Time Traveller has a catchy beat with a little marimba in it that we enjoy. Check it out on Spotify, Apple Music, or Youtube.
And to hear our whole rundown on Jackie Brown, take a listen to Episode 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast. Out now wherever you get your podcasts.

14/04/2021

You don’t want to live your whole life and never watch legendary Oscar winner Robert De Niro smoke a huge bowl. It’s a hilarious turn for De Niro playing the baked Louis Gara in the criminally underrated Jackie Brown.
But of course, he isn’t just a delightful and forgetful pothead. There’s a capacity for violence lurking within him that boils over in one of the most memorable and shocking scenes in the movie. No spoilers here, but we go in depth in this episode of The Crime Is Up Podcast and discuss how this movie works and what each of the incredible actors lends this cinematic adaptation from Quentin Tarantino.
Have a listen, it’s a *free* podcast! Episode 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast is out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Pandora.

13/04/2021

AK47! When you absolutely positively don’t have time to listen to every podcast in the room, accept no substitutes. And there is no substitute for The Crime Is Up Podcast’s entertaining rundown of
Samuel L. Jackson is in full intimidation mode here as gunrunner Ordell Robbie And his calculated villainy and willingness to be the guy who absolutely positively would kill every mother f*&@%r in the room if it got him his 500 grand helps make this performance pop.
For Episode 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast, we talk about the smart choices by Jackson that really make Ordell a lasting cinematic villain of the 90’s. So have a listen as we talk about this killer cast from the criminally underrated third movie from Quentin Tarantino. Out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Pandora. Link in bio.

12/04/2021

“Louis? Lou-isssss? Which episode of the podcast is it Lou-is?” Well Melanie, it’s Episode 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast for all your Jackie Brown related fixes!
This week, we’re talking about Jackie Brown and the terrific performances in that crime flick, like Bridget Fonda and her turn as Melanie, the beach bunny with all the schemes. Her manipulation and needling of De Niro’s hapless ex-con Louis is one of highlights of this underrated third film from director Quentin Tarantino.
Take a listen to Ep 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Have a listen, it’s a *free* podcast.

11/04/2021

Batman. Beetlejuice. Birdman. Ray Nicolette. No matter what role Michael Keaton is playing, we here at The Crime Is Up Podcast are down. It really says something about a movie when even the supporting parts like ‘the good cop’ are filled out with stellar actors like Keaton.
In interviews, director Quentin Tarantino has said Michael Keaton was doing him a favor by taking this role, but really, Keaton was doing the audience a favor because now we can watch him in his focused, energetic character of Ray Nicolette not once but twice (see Steven Soderbergh’s Out Of Sight for part two).
To hear more about Keaton and the rest of the killer cast of Jackie Brown, have a listen to Ep 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast. Out now wherever you get your podcasts!

10/04/2021

This week, Crime Is Up Podcast is hopping on the moving walkway at LAX with Pam Grier for a whole run down on Jackie Brown.

Pam Grier fronts a stellar cast portraying a complex character who’s out to con, well, pretty much everybody. Except for maybe Robert Foster’s smitten bail bondsman Max Cherry. Is there a romance blossoming there? Grier is so good here that she keeps you guessing right up until that perfect ending.

Take a listen to episode 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast to hear us talk about the whole killer cast of this crime caper from Quentin Tarantino. Out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Pandora.

09/04/2021

Break out your Delfonics tapes listeners, Crime Is Up podcast is talkin JackieBrown. Robert Forster hits all the right notes in his sympathetic turn as bail bondsman Max Cherry

The way he falls head over heels for Pam Grier is one of the most convincing cinematic love struck ‘thunderbolt’ moments ever, and Forster is just perfect. When he goes and buys the Delfonics tape? Come on! That’s too cute. He’s like a 5th grader with a crush on a girl that he’s too shy to talk to.

For Episode 20 of The Crime Is Up Podcast we talk about the Oscar Nominated performance from Robert Forster and how the rest of the cast helped craft a great 90s crime movie. Have a listen, it’s a free podcast. Out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Pandora.

08/04/2021

As promised in Episode 20, here is the list of movies that Chris’s best friend Michael Cattelona told him he had to watch. Christopher Affonco Bradley writes:

At age 11 or 12 my best friend Michael Cattelona handed me this list with the instructions to “Watch these movies dammit!!!”. He felt I was neglecting my cinematic education. I agreed. But my Dad was pretty strict about me seeing R rated movies, and I didn’t figure I was going to be able to watch any of the 35 on the list. The fact that I was a good kid and didn’t want to sneak any of these movies further hampered my potential viewing experiences. So I took a chance. I crossed off the word ‘dammit’ and showed my Dad the list hoping that some consideration would be given for my obvious maturity and straight A’s.
You can see for yourself how I fared. I can still remember the mix of anxiety and excitement as I stood next to my Dad while he wielded a sharpie marking ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ down the list, deciding my cinematic future. Child’s Play 1-3 and The Exorcist were big wins. But Pulp Fiction, which Mike had listed as his #1 favorite, was a big no. Next to it my Dad had written “Not until you are 30”.
I laugh about it now, but pint sized Chris was devastated. 11-year-old me wanted to see Pulp Fiction so much. And from that moment on, Pulp Fiction and the movies on this list with the mark of ‘No’ became FORBIDDEN. And what’s more alluring than the forbidden VHS tape that sits on the shelf or in the boxes in the basement, mocking you? Tempting you. But I was a good kid and I didn’t sneak any.
My Dad caved way before I turned 30. Bringing this list out again after so many years makes me remember the magic of the movies. I can’t wait to be in a theater again with a bunch of strangers in the dark having a communal theatrical experience on a screen 30 feet high. See you there.
And Mike, full disclosure, I still haven’t seen Harlem Nights, Blair Witch, The Langoliers, or Pokemon. One of these days we’ll have to get around to those.
I talk more about this list in the latest episode of The Crime Is Up Podcast where my co-host William Benson and I discuss another Tarantino film that I was forbidden to see when I was a kid: Jackie Brown. Have a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

07/04/2021

Elmore Leonard has some advice for all you writers out there. We mentioned it in Episode 20, but if you want to read the full distillation of wisdom from the bestselling author of Rum Punch, then take a look at the link!

And make sure you take a listen to our latest episode where we go in depth talking about Rum Punch, and the movie adaptation Jackie Brown from writer/director Quentin Tarantino.

https://www.rd.com/article/elmore-leonards-10-rules-of-writing-the-readers-digest-version/

Writers, take note: Elmore Leonard instructs on what you should never do.