014 The Shining by Stanley Kubrick

We all shine on! (just some more than others). This week we review the 1980 Stanley Kubrick classic The Shining, based on the novel by Stephen King and starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Defying the usual horror movie gimmicks, Kubrick does what few directors are able to do, convert the The Overlook Hotel itself into a villain, packing it with an eerie cavernous malignancy that is without parallel in cinema. Matt attempts to put to bed the whole "movie not as good as the book" argument, while Mark gives his first-timer thoughts on the film. Here's Johnny! Enjoy!

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013 Primer by Shane Carruth

What if Steve Jobs had forgone his world conquest of the consumer electronics market and built an accidental time machine in his garage instead? Primer, released in 2003, answers this question with a cautionary tale of what happens when you try to pack 36 hours into a 24 hour day. Matt manages to put his physics knowledge to inadequate use with some Feynman diagram hand waving while Mark explores the combination of claustrophobia and Argon as we review this low-budget sci-fi indie. Enjoy!

Download: 013 Primer by Shane Carruth

012 The Warriors by Walter Hill

Can you dig it!! This week we review the 1979 street gang classic The Warriors by Walter Hill. While firmly set in the late 70's nocturnal blight of New York City, The Warriors defies its reality with a stylized depiction of gang fiefdoms and eerie synth-rock soundtrack, courtesy of Barry De Vorzon. Enter the world of terrifying baseball Harlequins (Baseball Furies!) and Afro-chopsocky legionnaires (Grammercy Riffs!) with our discussion of this cult classic. Enjoy boppers!

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011 Heathers by Michael Lehmann

%$#@ me gently with a chainsaw! This week we enter the halls of Westerburg High in the 80's cult film Heathers by Michael Lehmann, starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, and Shannen Doherty. Matt searches in futility for a broader psychological, social, and/or historical meaning while Mark cuts to the cynical chase and calls Heathers out for the cathartic misanthropic dirge that it is. Chock full of memorable quotes and sinister flourishes, Heathers does not disappoint. Enjoy!

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010 The Wicker Man (1973) by Robin Hardy

It's time for your appointment with The Wicker Man! This week we review the 1973 cult classic by Robin Hardy. Rated as one of the top ten British films of all time, The Wicker Man defies film making convention, skirting the line between horror and thriller, while making a comment on religion and its relationship to modern society. While paid nothing for his work, Christopher Lee stars as Lord Summerisle in this breakout role that would eventually lead him to later fame in the Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars prequels. Besides a little sacrificial unpleasantness, both Matt and Mark agree, to be a 'born again pagan' may not be all that bad. Enjoy!

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009 Nosferatu by F.W.Murnau

We kick it old school this week with our review of the 1922 silent vampire classic Nosferatu by F.W.Murnau. Finding it hard to discuss the film without indulging its copyright history, we give some back story to its sorted relationship with the source material, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Crude special effects, awkward overacting and pacing, showcase just how far cinema has come in the past century, but one thing that cannot be denied, however, is the menacing performance of Count Orlok by the enigmatic Max Schreck, a film icon if there ever was one. Enjoy!

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008 Rushmore by Wes Anderson

We enter the "slightly heightened reality" of Wes Anderson in his breakthrough 1998 film Rushmore. Beyond its illusionary comedic mantle lies a darker film that explores the limitations of youthful hubris and the facade of success. Jason Schwartzman, at the age of 17, offers an outstanding performance as the punkish Max Fischer, while Bill Murray plays his foil as only Bill Murray truly can. Enjoy!  

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007 The Naked Lunch by David Chronenberg

Interzone awaits in this week's film review, The Naked Lunch by David Chronenberg, released in 1991. A biopic like none-other, we take a glimpse into the drug addled world of the beat generation's number one author, William S Burroughs. Despite its homoerotic phantasmagoria and post-modern cut-up nature, we both come to the conclusion that the film is more or less a straight forward narrative of a tortured soul. The Naked Lunch stars an outstanding Peter Weller as William Lee, Judy Davis as Joan Lee/Frost, Ian Holm, Julian Sands, and the late Roy Scheider. Enjoy! 

Download: 007 The Naked Lunch by David Chronenberg

006 Dark City by Alex Proyas

We review the certified cult classic Dark City by Alex Proyas (released in 1998) in this week's episode. While both admitting this film is an amazing, groundbreaking, and influential piece of cinema, we spend a great deal of time discussing the film's theme (and our minor confusion thereof...) with a bit of nitpicking... perhaps undeservedly. Avoiding the usual scene-by-scene breakdown (we leave that up to Roger Ebert's excellent DVD commentary), we instead stick to 'big picture' concepts in the film. I tout its Sci-Fi street cred, while Mark begs to differ... Dark City stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt. Enjoy!


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005 Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch

In this week's episode, we review the 90's postmodern/psychedelic western Dead Man, by indie film director Jim Jarmusch. Both of us agree this is an exceptional film and ground breaking in its re-interpretation of what could be considered a bygone genre, the western. Packed with notable personalities, Jarmusch offers a beautiful sequence of vignettes, that unto themselves, requires little context. Filmed on location in our native Northwest, we attempt to add a little local flavor to the discussion. Dead Man stars the ever adventurous Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, awesomely weird Crispin Glover, Lance Henricksen, legend Iggy Pop, Michael Wincott, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, John Hurt, and late western icon Robert Mitchum. Enjoy!

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004 Logan's Run by Michael Anderson

In this week's episode we review the 70's Sci-Fi cult classic Logan's Run. Unfortunately nostalgia for the post-hippie free love and drugs era wasn't enough to stave off the plot holes and silliness of this far out mind blower. In the end, Matt and Mark both decide Logan and his young attractive city dwellers were better off dying at 30. Logan's Run was directed by Michael Anderson and stars Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan, and Peter Ustinov. Enjoy!

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003 Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior

We up the production value with a little bumper music courtesy of Dan-O at www.danosongs.com while adding in a little Ebert-esque intro clip. In this week's episode, we discuss the seminal cult classic Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, a cult movie if there ever was one. Mad Max 2: TRW was a watershed moment for action film and the post apocalyptic fiction in general. It literally defined the look and feel of the genre. The Road Warrior was written and directed by George Miller and stars the volatile and never boring Mel Gibson. Enjoy...

003 Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior

001 Lost Highway by David Lynch

In our inaugural episode we attempt to untangle the byzantine plot of David Lynch's Lost Highway and are marginally successful. Lost Highway stars Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake, Robert Loggia, and Henry Rollins.

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