I’m not a fan of spiders, but there is something a bit endearing about some of the tarantulas in 1977’s Kingdom of the Spiders.  One in particular is just trying to through a doorway and then the person who just exited slams the door shut.  The spider is knocked back on its feet, only to […]

2007’s The Mist fascinates me for a few reasons, and a key one is how the monstrous behavior of creatures from another dimension is just slightly worse than that of some of our fellow human beings.  A crisis which initially brings together even people who don’t normally like each other will be exploited by one […]

Esperanto fascinates me, as it was something created per a noble intent, only to completely fail at what it hopes to achieve.  Just trying to create a universal language is a goal with a built-in guarantee of failure to be widely adopted.  It wouldn’t even be that well understood by the speakers of any of […]

When I was in my teens, a group of friends and I were shocked to find Prince’s “Darling Nikki” on the jukebox of a Waffle House which we briefly occupied in the middle of the night.  Just before leaving, I think it would be hilarious to put a fairly large bill in and make it […]

When I was in an advanced English class in high school, we were allowed to choose one book from a list to essay.  I’m not sure what drew me to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, but I must have heard of it from somewhere, and so that was the title I chose, much to the […]

1944’s Voodoo Man should not be confused with the Ween song “Voodoo Lady” from exactly 50 years later.  One could be forgiven for saying it also shouldn’t be confused with actual entertainment.  Even at only an hour long, this is one surprisingly hard watch.  Still, I found some value in this.  Those not predisposed to […]

A former employer of mine had an odd fun day event off premises, renting a sports center and staging various games of chance.  This mini-casino did not use money, substituting for is chips which then meant nothing.  As I am not a gambler, I figured I might as well amuse myself at the blackjack table […]

Sometime in 1990, I walked up to the counter to buy the tickets for my date and myself and said to the cashier, “Boy, I sure am pumped to see Pump Up the Volume.”  The girl I was with looked at me like I was insane.  The resulting eyeroll from the woman behind the counter […]

I saw 1947’s The Guilt of Janet Ames on what is a collection of film noir titles, though this picture is definitely not of this genre.  Instead, it is solidly melodrama, though not so solid of a viewing experience.  That’s a shame, because it takes some unusual risks. It sure starts out looking like it […]

It seems like every actress in Hollywood auditioned to be Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, but Paulette Goddard was supposedly the top contender until Vivian Leigh got the part.  I suspect her loss was the primary reason she appears in 1942’s Reap the Wild Wind.  Heck, it may be the only reason this […]

For the longest time, I have been saying 1946’s The Big Sleep is my favorite noir.  It looks amazing, the characters are fascinating.  Just look at this cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone, Elisha Cook, Jr.  The dialogue is full of lines that are so clever that nobody on Earth would have […]

2025 has seen a massive reduction in government agencies, as well as funding for programs which provide services for mental health.  Veterans, in particular, are getting short-changed.  In 1952’s The Sniper, psychiatrist Richard Kiley advocates for mandatory psychological testing for those accused of sex crimes, and as soon as they are apprehended.  By treating them, […]

Imagine turning on the TV to find Fawlty Towers is on, widely regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms ever made, and in any country.  But you’re in Hell, so the part of Basil Fawlty will no longer be played by John Cleese, but instead by Rik Mayall.  And there’s no Sybil, Manuel or Polly—just […]