You know you’re in trouble when a horror movie starts lecturing you about justice and redemption before the first artery is even severed. Saw III — that third steaming pile from a franchise that mistook gore for gravitas — isn’t so much a film as it is a meat grinder that forgot it was once … Read More “Saw III (2006) – Where Pain Is Cheap and Story Is Cheaper” »
If you’re strolling through the seedy VHS aisles of memory, sandwiched somewhere between Savage Streets and Vice Squad, you’ll find Avenging Angel—a sleazy, neon-drenched revenge flick with a cracked heart and a gun in its purse. The year was 1985. Shoulder pads were growing like tumors and synths were everywhere, buzzing like broken fluorescent lights. … Read More “Avenging Angel (1985) – Hollywood’s Underbelly Gets Even” »
Out of Control (1984): Bikini Survival, Synth Scores, and 80s Heat There’s a certain kind of movie you watch not for the plot, not for the technical brilliance, not even for the dialogue—but for the vibe. Out of Control is one of those movies. It’s 1984, the Cold War is humming, MTV is warping teenage … Read More “Out of Control (1984): Bikini Survival, Synth Scores, and 80s Heat” »
There are movies that age with grace — timeless, revealing more with every rewatch. And then there’s Bright Lights, Big City. Released in 1988, this film version of Jay McInerney’s cult novel attempts to bottle the coke-dusted chaos of Manhattan’s ‘80s nightlife and stuff it inside the baby face of Michael J. Fox. The problem? … Read More “Bright Lights, Big City (1988): A Dim Stumble Through Neon-Tinted Pretension” »
There’s a special kind of disappointment that hits a man when the lights go down and the movie starts, and you’ve been sold a dream—only to get a lump of coal wrapped in celluloid. That’s Gremlins. A Christmas movie for people who hate joy. A horror-comedy for people who forgot how to laugh. And most … Read More “Gremlins (1984) – A Hollywood Tragedy When Phoebe Cates Keeps Her Clothes On” »
You don’t watch Private School because you’re in the mood for good cinema. You don’t watch it because you crave narrative structure or clever wordplay. You watch it because you’re thirteen and the world is a storm in your pants. You watch it because you’re home alone and the house is quiet except for the … Read More “Private School (1983) – A Nostalgic Crawl Through Hormonal Cinema” »
Some films capture an era by accident. Some try and fail. And some — like Fast Times at Ridgemont High — nail it so perfectly that the movie stops being a movie and becomes a photograph with a pulse. Released in 1982, directed by Amy Heckerling and written by a then-unknown Cameron Crowe (who’d gone … Read More “Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): A Dirty, Honest Time Capsule with a Bleeding Heart” »
There are movies that stick with you because they said something — even if it was subtle. Then there are movies that stick because they flashed you just long enough to imprint on your adolescent brain like a cheap tattoo. Paradise (1982) falls squarely in the latter category. I first saw Paradise when I was … Read More “Paradise (1982): Horny, Hollow, and Lost in the Sand” »
The Loreley’s Grasp is what happens when a half-baked horror concept meets a sluggish script and is left to die in a fog of rubber monster suits and recycled shrieks. It’s the kind of film that thinks a monster plus cleavage equals mythology. It doesn’t. Directed by Amando de Ossorio—yes, the same man responsible for … Read More “The Loreley’s Grasp (1973) – Silvia Tortosa & A Wet Fart In The Dark” »
Villains, starring Maika Monroe and Bill Skarsgård, kicks off with a strong, intriguing setup: a young couple on the run from the law, low on gas and luck, break into a seemingly quiet suburban home hoping to steal a getaway car—only to discover a little girl chained in the basement. It’s a great premise, the … Read More “Villains (2019) – A Promising Premise That Can’t Stick the Landing” »
