194 Saturday Night Fever

This week Mark has a slight fever and decides to promptly take a Tylenol to get rid of it. Long after the disco inferno has gone to ash and receded a whole new pop landscape, John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever still draws a crowd. Matt and Mark attempt to figure out why this was Gene Siskell's favorite movie... hmm... Despite it's ancillary (and terrible) sub-plot elements the idea of rising above one's station seems to be the overriding attraction, perhaps. Regardless, it's hard to not think you're watching an episode of the Jersey Shore circa 1977. GTL ya'll.

Download: 194 Saturday Night Fever

193 Crash (1996)

If kinked up pornography were the domain of aliens and/or computer programs, they would no doubt eventually arrive at Chronenberg's 1996 Crash. Cars are sexy status symbols which are extensions of ourselves. Middle-aged graying men buy Porsches to reclaim lost virility, etc... Is there an S&M analogy? Not really. But there should be, right? That question is what makes Crash so cold and perplexing. As watchers we are meant to be turned away from this particular fetish. It's supposed to not make sense. It is paradox.

Download: 193 Crash (1996)

192 Equilibrium

Time to drop some Prozium and review Equilibrium this week om The Cult of Matt and Mark. Despite being a highly derivative film, Equilibrium promotes and explores ideas, which has always been the currency of decent science fiction. The film does work on a certain level, even the contrived made-for-Hollywood martial art Gun-kata is intriguing and entertaining. M&M wonder if Libria is in fact a metaphor for pharma-fueled child rearing these days. Is prescribing an answer for negotiating the inner caveman of toddlers?

Download: 192 Equilibrium

191 Drive

Drive, was a critical darling when it debuted and also the focus of populist backlash... which in our opinion, was a good thing, because we wouldn't have Refn's Drive otherwise. Matt and Mark concur that underneath it all, this is a character study. As the fable goes, why does the scorpian kill the frog and himself, despite the consequence of mutual destruction? Driver understands it: because it's his nature. The world is gray and as such, there are no pure psychopaths. There is, however, a thirst for redemption and change, stoked by a kernel of empathy that's dying to get it out.

Download: 191 Drive

190 Repo Man

Matt and Mark finally get around to reviewing the 80s cult classic Repo Man. A film that holds an affection for the early 80's LA punk scene, it breaks B-movie convention with its multi-party hilarity and deft inside jokes. While not a great movie, it is entertaining and it seems few film roles are dedicated to the weird legal twilight of the repo man. Also in this episode is a certified Matt and Mark double feature, our mini-review of the new Star Wars film at the end (warning spoilers!)

Download: 190 Repo Man

189 The Cabin in the Woods

This week Matt and Mark review the meta-horror film The Cabin in The Woods. Boiling down the standard slasher/creature horror formula into a mythology and turning it into a type of Aztec sacrifice ritual works brilliantly here. Mark sees a deeper meaning in the psychology of stage managers who setup and operate this human slaughterhouse while Matt enjoyed the film's dark humor aspects. And for anyone that enjoys horror monsters, TCITW serves up a full plate of your favorites. Mermen anyone?

Download: 189 The Cabin in the Woods

188 The Mist

Celebrating our 4 year anniversary here at The Cult of Matt and Mark we review the Stephen King adaptation The Mist! Hot off reading the novella, Mark sizes up the adaptation and gives it the nod for staying true to the source material while Matt relishes in The Mist's B-movie creature-featureness. But the end... You either hate it or you love it, and Mark and Matt split our votes on this one. I'm sure if you're a veteran listener, you'll probably be able to guess who voted for what.

Download: 188 The Mist