Our Top Ten “The Simpsons” Episodes of All Time: 9. The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show

Posted on by

The_Itchy_&_Scratchy_&_Poochie_Show

9. The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
1997
Season Eight

The Simpsons tackle that classic television series trope where a successful series has begun dwindling in the ratings, and adds a new character. As we’ve seen with “Diff’rent Strokes,” and most famously, “The Brady Bunch,” the results are almost always disastrous. This time around the Simpsons not only comment on the desperate grasp for ratings the stunt always is, but they’re also never afraid to get meta. Homer is set to play a hip new character being shoe horned in to the Itchy and Scratchy show in an effort to improve the ratings. Meanwhile the Simpsons have a hip new house guest named Roy, who is a walking nineties cliché with a Fonzi attitude.

Continue reading →

Stalled (2013)

Posted on by

STalled

Director Christian James’ “Stalled” is a very creative, and often clever horror comedy that takes the zombie movie to a new direction. It tries, at least. “Stalled” really seems to have a grasp on its premise for the first forty minutes, and then scrambles to keep monotony from setting in the rest of the way. In spite of that, “Stalled” is a creepy, interesting, and very unique zombie horror comedy that takes a few notes from “Shaun of the Dead.” It’s a horror movie about a perpetual loser who gets his life together in the wake of a bona fide zombie apocalypse. But it tries to add its own twists to the conventions, which make for a good experience.

Continue reading →

American Mary (2012)

Posted on by

americanmary

The crux of “American Mary” depends on the performance by Katharine Isabelle. While the film itself is a unique and very entertaining tale about revenge, madness, and masochism, the lead performance of Mary is most important. Almost any other actor probably would have played the character of Mary Mason completely over the top, but Katharine Isabelle’s turn as a slowly unraveling sadist with revenge on her mind is incredible. Even brilliant.

Continue reading →

Juan of the Dead (2011)

Posted on by

Juan-of-the-Dead

“Juan of the Dead” is a silly and occasionally creepy zombie movie, but one that also dares to have a brain and display some very volatile commentary about the state of Cuba, and the inherent poverty that runs rampant. Though Juan lives in poverty and is mostly considered a loser by most in his neighborhood, he’s managed to carve out a comfortable existence for himself, and is something of a saving grace for neighbors. After Juan and his friend Lazaro come across a rotted corpse while fishing that attempts to bite them, they kill it and then decide never to talk about it again. What’s funny is that most of the situations may seem like a warning sign to most, but director Brugués comments on the state of Cuba through it.

Continue reading →

Assault On Precinct 13 (1976): Collector’s Edition [Blu-ray]

Posted on by

917uL5dYbBL._SL1500_

Almost forty years later, director John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13” is still an excellent and mean contemporary western that never lets up on its audience. Director Carpenter has a knack for lensing the world to look like an alien habitat filled with despair and evil, and “Assault” is no exception. What begins as moving day for a local precinct descends in to violence, chaos, and murder with an enemy that will stop at nothing to quench its thirst for vengeance.

Continue reading →

Body Bags: Collector’s Edition (1993) [BluRay/DVD]

Posted on by

bodybags

What began as a concept for an anthology series was formed to become a pretty solid anthology horror film that has the advantage of director John Carpenter under its wing. Surely, it’s not the best anthology movie ever made. It’s not even in the top ten anthology horror movies ever made, but it promises a decent horror trip with three stories varying in quality and often jarring changes in tone. Director John Carpenter comes out of his shell as a decrepit and demented coroner who brings us in to his morgue to gander at the bodies in his care. Every corpse has a story to tell, and he brings us the tale of three unfortunate souls.

Continue reading →

Risky Business: A Look Inside America’s Adult Film Industry (2013)

Posted on by

RiskyBusiness

Director David Mech’s documentary about the ins and outs of the porn industry takes on an especially powerful resonance, when director Mech explores the argument of condoms versus no condoms in filming porn. Now in the midst of the 2013 porn industry debacle involving the AIDS outbreak among a slew of porn performers that began after an orgy scene featuring unprotected sex, the segment involving the condom debate will serve as an especially dire and powerful omen. I was never quite aware there was such a debate, but lo and behold it’s an actual issue in the adult industry.

Continue reading →