309 Vampire's Kiss

The poster says "A biting comedy", but the comedic is a little sketchy with the odd intentions of this particular Nick Cage descent-into-madness story. Matt and Mark complete our Paranormal Cage theme with Vampire's Kiss. A little American Psycho, it offers up an asshole, complete with strange effete non-accent, and then let's us ride along as he spins out into a homeless vampire of a delusional existence. For whatever reason, it's a watchable weird film and a new/old take on Goth LARP'ing.

Download: 309 Vampire's Kiss

308 The Wicker Man (2006)

Bees!!! Matt and Mark continue our "Paranormal Cage" theme with the much maligned/beloved bad movie remake of the sinister 1973 titular classic. As fans of the original, we both ponder why this version is such a failure. Yes there's the goofy bear scene, bees, and odd punching-the-lights-out of forest wandering women, but there's something at the core that fails. Matt speculates that unlike the original, where things are not what they seem, in this version you're served up pagan cult weirdos as soon as you get off the sea plane. Sadly, where horror once worked, farce now reigns.

Download: 308 The Wicker Man (2006)

307 Drive Angry

We're back for our run-up to Halloween. This go 'round we're thinking "Paranormal Cage", and to begin our offering, we review a film that's near and dear to our hearts: Drive Angry (Shot in) 3D. Why? Well, one of our good friends not only was the art director but had the privilege of getting his sandal-wearing ass killed by diabolical leader Jonah King! While no doubt a Cage paycheck film, it is a well wrought 'B' movie with all your typical camp: there's a sex-gunfight, schemes of satanic child sacrifice, and then there's Cage's hell jailbreaker bringing it all back home. And tying it all together is a superbly fun William Fichtner as the Accountant.

Download:  307 Drive Angry

306 Valley Girl

We're back (finally) and it's time to wrap up our "young lust" theme with the 1983 cult romance classic Valley Girl starring a young Nicholas Cage. A movie the breaks out from the teen-sex swamp of like genre films of the era, VG's character-driven story arc elevates it above the common Porky's-type drivel. Still with a dose of ample 80's boob shots, it has a little for everyone. Mark and Matt both agree it falls apart in the last 3rd of the film as it delves into the realm of silliness and cop-outs (violence doesn't really solve anything... it really doesn't... come on, this isn't Rambo folks). Oddly inspired by the titular Zappa hit, the linguistic impact of the era is not to be understated.

Download: 306 Valley Girl

305 Before Sunrise

The penultimate entry into our "Young Lust" theme, this go 'round we review the Linklater Gen X love letter Before Sunrise. The first in the "Before Trilogy" we get off the train with Celine and Jesse for a night on the streets of Vienna. Matt works to give life to Mark's cold dead heart, and finds a few bits and pieces of Before Sunrise that lifts his current Morrissey fog. A film made over 25 years ago, the "simpler time" element is more in contrast than ever, a time before the slums of our current internet age befouled the purity of human-on-human interaction. While we know what becomes of Celine and Jesse in later entries to their story, Matt still appreciates this tattered Harlequin romance novel that is Before Sunrise's male wish fulfillment, while Mark? ... not so much.

Download: 305 Before Sunrise

304 Romeo + Juliet

We continue our "Young Lust" theme with the crazy-ass Luhrmann joint Romeo + Juliet. Yes it's Billy Shakespeare (kind of), but the frenetic images and neck-snapping cuts overwhelm to a point that uptight Bard-heads may find "le'essence" diminished. Mark and Matt are not of that camp. An adaption for the MTV-video-games generation? Sure. But what the hell. Despite the R n' J focus, the film shines with its supporting players, specially Tybalt, Mercutio, Father Lawrence and the Nurse. So let's head off to our Sophomore English class shall we and enjoy some star-crossed love action.

Download: 304 Romeo + Juliet

303 The Dreamers

"Young Lust" continues with our review of  NC-17 rated The Dreamers from 2003 by Bernardo Bertolucci. Matt and Mark get into the world of the over-heated Paris apartment's artificial realms of cinema, sex, and sibling co-dependence. Heavily driven by the nostalgia of the chaotic Paris streets of 1968, it's hard not to see why the Bohemians of this era champion this film. However, there's something stranger and darker going on that's hard to comprehend. While having unending sex with Isabelle (Eva Green) for days on end sounds enticing (well, at least for dudes), the creepy monitoring of her brother Theo is the price Michael pays. So off the map is this strange trio, the mere act of asking someone out on a date breaks the status quo.

Download: 303 The Dreamers