Troll Hunter + Rare Exports

Posted on April 12, 2012

Troll Hunter + Rare ExportsFake terror from fake children’s tales. Make fun of Jesus far away from X-Mas. Troll Hunter is not the same as Trollhunter but is probably ok as The Troll Hunter. What the fuck happened with goblin backwards? Show me that goddamn monster. The creature is kinda terrible, but it’s going to be ok. All the trolls! Talking you out of the big troll. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. There is no God. There is no Jesus. Do times of danger make people more or less religious? Using the Troll Hunter to explain why conspiracies fall apart. Social Engineering. How you make silly Troll myths seem real. Showing off your work. Atheists mocking X-Mas. Hey, you downloaded this show. The look of Rare Exports. Rare Exports as a Christmas movies. The butcher. The mystery. Building fantasy into reality. Pedophilia imagery. Continue reading →

Red State + Stake Land

Posted on April 5, 2012

Red State + Stake LandNo one expects these two movies to be this good. Dangerous places, even more dangerous directors! What does the Double Feature studio look like? Religious crazies shot on Red One cameras. Red State isn’t even Kevin Smith’s second chance. Popculture out, Waco and Fred Phelps in. A very Kevin Smith movie is also a very good movie! Charismatic characters. Rolling Shutter put to use! Kevin Pollack, Anna Gunn, John Goodman. What was so great about the TV show Roseanne? Michael Parks. Not just dabbling in horror, but adding to it. The charm and demeanor of Michael Parks as Reverend Cooper. Crazy religious nut jobs. Executions. Personalizing death. Why Red State has the best of possible endings. Another surprize, Stake Land! Written by it’s director Jim Mickle, but also it’s star Nick Damici. The ultimate apocalypse weapon: a pistol-grip sawed off shotgun with a shoulder strap. Finding subtlety in a place you don’t expect it. Color palette between day and night. Danielle Harris. Building an apocalypse film. Voiceover narration performance. Chin-up fiddle score! How is this movie doing this?! Continue reading →

Rocky 5 + The Machine Girl

Posted on March 29, 2012

Rocky 5 + The Machine GirlRocky 5 and the early 1990s. 90s rap and hip hop. Joey Ellis – Go for It (Heart and Fire). Urban Blight. Back to America. Real retirement. Reconnecting with Rocky’s roots. But actually, this time. The lazy route the film could have gone. How the fifth film betrays the formula. The last Rocky movie isn’t the last one. The dark side of the ring. Redemption sequel. The third wave of Double Feature’s asian films and asian extreme. Camp and style in The Machine Girl. How Kill Bill paid off. Hattori Hanzo, all over the goddamn place. The ambiguity of references and inspiration. Deep fried arm. The blood soaked lens. Absurdist cartoon violence? The commonality of America’s favorite asian horror films. Burst of violence. The grotesque in The Machine Girl. Japan and strange weapons. Continue reading →

Attack the Block + Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Posted on March 22, 2012

Attack the Block + Rise of the Planet of the ApesBrand new sci-fi films! Humans, defend yourselves! Feel free to listen if you haven’t seen any other Planet of the Apes films. Get that snitch. Get the strap. Don’t give a fuck – brap, brap, brap! Joe Cornish. Basement Jaxx! Kids? Adults? Teenage violence. The age of gang members. The Hippocratic Oath and aiding your attackers. Matte black sonic toothed creature design. Conspiracy is all throughout civilization. Muir Woods National Monument, Big Basin State Park, California, and filming in Redwoods. The apes! How the apes could rise. Hubarus and the downfall. An art snob defends CG. The actual main character. Surprise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes actually loves science! Slaughtering baby apes would have saved humanity. Further animal testing would have saved humanity. Continue reading →

Welcome to the Dollhouse + Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Posted on March 15, 2012

Welcome to the Dollhouse + Beyond the Valley of the DollsDollhouses on cult film day. Heather Matarazzo. There’s apparently titular songs too. What the fuck is going on with that cover? Contrasting the dark humor in Welcome to the Dollhouse with Re-Animator. Subtle comedy. Music. Steve’s band. Worse than worse: mundane! Todd Solondz loves the suburbs. Directors fascinated with suburbia and the themes typically addressed in these films. Kids are having sex, they just don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. The repercussions of sheltering children from sex. Dealing in extremes. What Roger Ebert’s doing headlining the credits of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Other Russ Meyer films Roger Ebert has worked on. Studio project selection. The marketing concept. Differences from Russ Meyer’s other work. Genre bending. The editing. The fucking editing. The moral of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls as opposed to The Valley of the Dolls. Continue reading →