Episode 136: Species II (1998)

"This isn't the f**king X-Files, goddammit!" No, this is a direct sequel to the surprise 1995 naked Natasha Henstridge sci-fi smash hit... it's Species II. Gali and Devlin have a close encounter with an awfully icky alien, as the sequels creators have gender-swapped the intergalactic sexual predator with unsurprisingly unpleasant results. Will a sloshed Michael... Continue Reading →

Episode 134: Vanilla Sky (2001)

This…is a revolution of the mind. We’re screaming for tech support with Cameron Crowe’s 2001 mind-bendy romantic thriller Vanilla Sky. Somewhat-aging playboy rich kid David Aames, Jr. (Tom Cruise) skates by as the nominal figurehead of his late father’s publishing house, barely working, lounging in his sprawling penthouse with his casual friend-with-benefits, aspiring actress Julie... Continue Reading →

Episode 132: Needful Things (1993)

Our Hail to the King series concludes (for now) with another anomaly from the venerable author's assemblage of adaptations - director Fraser C. Heston's 1993 take on his 1991 megatome Needful Things. In the quaint New England town of Castle Rock, the opening of a new store causes quite a stir - but just how... Continue Reading →

Episode 131: The Shining (1980)

Film chosen and introduced by Matt Maybe I’m crackers for finding The Shining convivial and cozy, but in parallel with Jaws, it’s morphed from a once petrifying picture into a movie that induces a somewhat trance-like state, where the horror is neatly neutered. It slowly became a seductively snug watch—washing over me like a secure,... Continue Reading →

Episode 130: The Mangler (1995)

“I'm uh, investigating a laundry folding machine with a bad case of demon possession.” We’re on the road to haunted Maine for Tobe Hooper’s 1995 Stephen King Bargain Bin curio The Mangler.  When the gigantic industrial speed iron at Gartley’s Blue Ribbon Laundry Factory graphically swallows an elderly woman, bug-eyed, troubled local cop Officer John... Continue Reading →

Episode 126: Batman Returns (1992)

“Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.” We’re spending our Rewind Christmas in Gotham, with Tim Burton’s eccentric 1992 comic book sequel Batman Returns. An abandoned aristocratic child, born with unfortunate physical deformities, grows up in the sewers below the city streets, eventually waging a circus-centric war on the populace at the big tree-lighting... Continue Reading →

Episode 124: Trainspotting (1996)

Film chosen by Gali “The streets are awash with drugs you can have for unhappiness and pain, and we took them all.” We’re heading to the murky hinterland of Edinburgh with Danny Boyle’s visceral 1996 sophomore feature Trainspotting. Erudite, sallow twenty-something Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) has chosen not to choose life - he’s chosen something... Continue Reading →

Episode 122: Blade (1998)

“Remember what we told you. You keep your eyes open. They're everywhere.” We’re popping in for a quick blood rave with 1998’s Marvel Comics adaptation Blade. Titular daywalker Blade (Wesley Snipes), otherwise known as Eric Brooks, stalks the streets to hunt and kill vampires, driven by a thirst for revenge after his mother was bitten... Continue Reading →

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