Spineless Classics: Robert Bloch’s “Psycho”

PsychoIf you ever wanted to own your favorite books, or perhaps classic books but didn’t have the shelf space, Spineless Classics has you covered. They’ve managed to compile entire books on to one giant poster with the text from said book transformed in to a piece of art. Though the concept sounds unusual, it’s actually a very genius and entertaining idea that will surely bring in literary buffs that want some wall decoration, but lack the space for novels.

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Say Anything… (1989)

Say-Anything

Truly, “Say Anything” is one of the most iconic romance movies of all time. It’s a last gasp of the eighties and in many ways a very touching tale of two people finding one another. But one of the best things about it is the final scene. Much in the way “The Graduate” ended, “Say Anything” puts our characters through the ringer, and then throws everything up in the air leaving it there for the audience to figure out what will happen next. Like Benjamin and Elaine in “The Graduate,” our young couple sits on a plane awaiting their fate and look at one another pondering on what the future holds.

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90’s Night In – 8-Movie Set (DVD)

For folks looking to re-live the nineties, Mill Creek Entertainment has made eight of the more notable and not so notable films from that decade available for folks craving overalls and ripped jeans. And there was that odd period where everyone was obsessed with swing dancing. What the hell was that about? Nonetheless, at over twelve hours long, Mill Creek offers eight dramedies of varying quality, and many of which are definite time capsules of the decade.

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Haunter (2014) [Blu-Ray]

Director Vincenzo Natali’s “Haunter” is a major departure from his 2010 hyper sexual science fiction monster movie “Splice.” It’s in many ways much more tame, and occasionally can feel like a PG-13 outing. It’s still a pretty grim and occasionally creepy horror film, but it can also be an interesting fantasy film that works in twisting the conventions of the ghost tale to, for once, make the victim of the movie monster the heroine.

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The Walking Dead Season 4 Episode 9: After

As much as I adore “The Walking Dead,” it’s always so much better when it focuses on silence and quiet dread. Scenes of Carl walking through a deserted suburb, or Michonne walking camouflaged within a herd are some of the most uneasy moments of the new episode. Much to my surprise, the series has been veering much closer to the comic books than it has been for the last four years, and it’s borrowed some of the best and most compelling story lines involving the aftermath of the prison invasion. There are a lot of callbacks to the first season. There’s a mention of Shane teaching Carl to tie knots, there’s a top down zoom in of a military tank like the final scene of the pilot, and now Rick and Carl have holed up in a house together exactly like Morgan and Duane did in the pilot.

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Gravity (2013)

Many audiences have compared Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” to the indie horror film “Open Water.” And in many ways that comparison is perfectly apt. Much in the way the aforementioned film sought out to provide audiences with a feeling of aimlessness, sea sickness, and a futile fight for survival, “Gravity” strips away any feeling of equilibrium or safety from the very second it begins. The safety being, of course, gravity. The characters within the scope of the film are engaging in a space walk and have nothing but a tether to keep them tied to their ship. When that option is gone, there’s nothing we can do but submit to the void of space and let fate take hold.

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Nebraska (2013)

In “Nebraska,” Woody Grant is convinced that he’s won a million dollars. So convinced is he that he’s won, that soon everyone begins to believe it. What were once old friends, are now people intent on collecting a debt from him, while old relatives come knocking at his door asking for a hand out. Woody Grant is known as the town degenerate, a man who lived life as a loser and will die a loser, only when he perceives himself as a winner, do people begin to believe he is, and try to exploit that.

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