That's No Moon

     This week we bring 2023 to a close with our most topical episode yet... 

     After Augie Steenbeck and his family arrive for the Junior Stargazers Convention, he is convinced to finally tell his four children about the death of their mother. Soon Midge Campbell, a weary actress, and her daughter occupy the cabin next door as the little roadside destination is full of kids, singing cowboys, and high ranking military personnel. All of which will be dwarfed by a close encounter and the metafictional nature of it all. Wes Anderson's latest feature, Asteroid City.
     The Motherworld has long been a vast monarchist military empire supported by endless conquest and currently fueled by rage over their assassinated royal family. When the all consuming machine reaches the quiet farming planet of Veldt, the garrison left behind will push the people into revolt. Giving former soldier, Kora, only 9 weeks to rally support for the usually peaceful inhabitants. Zach Snyder's first entry in what he hopes to make a sprawling sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire.
     All that and Dave ages, Kevin still feels the holly jolly, Tyler swings manically, and Craig prepares a tearful goodbye for Mr. Beepy. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 341- That's No Moon

Go Gift Yourself

     This week we celebrate the holiday with three films set in mid to late December.

     With the holidays around the corner, nine 20-somethings have a crazy night. Ronna and her two friends got to a Santa rave and try to get into dealing to pay her rent. Simon takes his three friends to Vega and shenanigans ensue. Adam and Zach are actors helping a cop with some undercover buys and then they try to get revenge on the show crew member that seduced them both. A late-90s studio cult classic that attempts to capture the indie crime film vibe of the era, Go.
     Jesse Genesis' father has been missing since being in a theater that had a mass shooting event two years ago. Jesse convinces himself that if he can earn his black belt in the week before Christmas, at the rate of a belt a day, his father will come home. At night, Jesse has dreams of the shooter rambling his manifesto guiding his efforts. Meanwhile, Jesse's mother falls in with a psychic law professor. A truly terrible movie where half of the footage is edited out of an earlier terrible movie, A Karate Christmas Miracle.
     Anna has to accept that plans for the future are derailed by a zombie outbreak. John just wants to be near Anna. Chris is trying to reunite with his girlfriend and grandmother. Steph just wants her car back. Nick is having the time of his life, finally being able to indulge in his more brutal inclinations. The vice principle goes mad with power. All while constantly breaking into pop songs. A newer Scottish cult classic that has a fanbase as rabid as any, Anna and the Apocalypse.
     The sorority sisters have been getting calls from The Moaner for a little while now. On the last night before everyone separates for their winter break, the calls take a darker turn and now the house residents are being picked off one by one. Bob Clark's classic slasher film which established so many still used tropes and still casts a long shadow, Black Christmas.
     All that and Dave and Kevin get festive, Tyler finally realizes a dream he's been dreaming all year, and Craig leaves messages across the great digital wasteland. Join us, won't we?
   Episode 340- Go Gift Yourself

Is That a Baton in Your Pocket

     This week someone attempts to subvert a democratic process and a weekend trip goes very wrong.

     When Big D, a candidate for Wo Ling Shing triad's biennial chairman election, refuses to accept the outcome things take an immediate turn to the violent. Loyalties shift quickly and without warning as the two sides search desperately for the dragonhead baton, the symbol of the chairman's authority. Can Lok, the winner of the Uncle's vote, bring them all together or will everything rupture under him? Will Jimmy, a triad member with dreams of legitimacy, be able to do what needs to be done to end the fighting in the streets? The first chapter in Johnnie To's epic saga of unchecked greed and ambition seething under a show of pomp and tradition, Election.
     After Jennifer has her history of justified retribution mocked and derided by a law professor on the first day of classes, she decides to blow off higher education for a long vacation in a cabin in the woods with her friend Sam. Just a couple hours after hitting town, Jennifer will live through another nightmare encounter with a local Conway Twitty impersonating gas station attendant and his slow witted but homicidal friend. Will Sam take heed of the stranger danger lessons of her teen years? Can Jennifer just have a nice weekend by a lake without an assault happening? Donald Farmer's unauthorized sequel to a late-70s cult favorite, that so gleefully crossed the line he was sued by the original filmmakers, Savage Vengeance.
     All that and Dave's frozen corpse is retrieved and revived by a humanist organization, Kevin learns many valuable things that he hadn't thought to explore, Craig plans revenge on the worlds third largest fire alarm manufacturers, and Tyler faces some difficult choices that may fundamentally change the very nature of his sense of self. Join us, won't you?
    Episode 338- Is That a Baton in Your Pocket?

Hairy Yutes

     This week- a pair of men who claim to forge their own paths while desperate from acknowledgment from the establishment.

     When his ICP derivative rap career fails to take off and his girlfriend leaves him, Jason he takes up stalking. Like all stalking, it isn't long before it evolves into full on murder plots. The second feature from writer/director Michael Curtis Johnson, an attempt to bring pathos to a crime without any of the real details that might get in the way, Savage Youth.
     When a Sir Lionel, a struggling cryptid hunter, gets a mysterious letter promising him the chance to find incontrovertible proof of bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest. He rushes immediately to the scene, only to discover the creature itself sent the letter in order to ask a favor almost as large as its shoe size. The second directorial effort from Chris Butler and Laika, the best Western animation studio currently active, Missing Link.
     All that and Craig continues to chirp, Dave visits his favorite shop on The Citadel, Kevin's heart did not grow after stealing a Christmas tree as promised, and Tyler leans back to reap what he's sowed. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 338- Hairy Yutes

Down and Dirty

     This week- a pair of comedies.

     When two high schools are consolidated a senior, Alan Musgrave, dedicates his life to making sure a new schoolmate, Barbara Ann Greene, gets everything she desires. From sweaters to matricide, Alan is happy to oblige. A buckshot satire of 1960s pop culture directed by one of the era's best comedy writers, Lord Love a Duck.
     When two con men, Lawrence Jamieson and Freddy Benson, find themselves at odds with each other, they settle it the only way they can- with elaborate schemes in a race to be the first to relieve an heiress of $50,000. From royals in exile to grannies desperate for an operation, Lawrence and Freddy are happy to steal from the rich and give to themselves. A 1980s comedy classic from a group of absolute legends writing and directing, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
     All that and Craig swears the fire alarm has chirped its last, Kevin finds a light to brighten up the noir, Tyler double dips in public, and Dave finds a nice quiet corner to read. Join us, won't you?

  Episode 337- Down and Dirty