Don't Hate the Player

     This week- two movies about men reintegrating into society after extended absences for vastly different reasons.

     Conor lives a life cut off from the world with Sandy, his dog. Finding himself intrigued by a video game ad promising more immersion than ever before. What starts as disappointment soon leads to a journey beyond Conor's door to places he never imagined. The sixth existential DIY analog odyssey from Albert Birney- OBEX.
     Eddie finally comes home after five years as a prisoner of war. Soon he learns things have changed more than he ever imagined and there is no help coming from those important to his previous life or the VA. Driven to an extreme, Eddie tried a desperate move to take care of himself and his mother. Michael Pressman's ambitiously social commentary dramedy that was butchered by the studio but still propped up by a strong performances from Richard Pryor and the supporting cast- Some Kind of Hero.
     All that and Tyler's canvas gets more crowded, Craig explores new avenues, Kevin grumbles about the future, and Dave considers wanting information. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 467- Don't Hate the Player

Through the Valley of Sumo

    This week- two movies about people following their calling outside of social norms and expectations.
     In order to graduate Shuhei Yamamoto cuts a deal with his thesis supervisor. He must join the university sumo club and participate in an upcoming tournament. With only one other club member, Shuhei finds himself rebuilding the club from scratch. One of the very few movies about sumo and, arguably, one of the best sports films ever made- Sumo Do, Sumo Don't.
     A street preacher spends his days telling those walking Hollywood Boulevard that God loves them. One day, a young woman wonders out of her job while having an emotional crisis and crosses his path. Originally debuting at the 1998 New York Underground Film Festival before being removed from view to undergo reshoots 9 years later and resurface on YouTube in 2012. The first feature by music video and commercial director Erick Ifergan- Johnny 316.
     Kevin and Dave get a reanimating jolt, Craig finds a gem that everyone will enjoy, and Tyler spreads ruin in the way only he can. Join us, won't you?

   Episode 460- Through the Valley of Sumo

Fields of Dream

     A student's unique part-time job and a man's odyssey to fulfill his dreams.

     When his uncle dies, New Jersey grocer, Harold Bissonette comes into enough money to move his family across country and buy a California orange grove. Will his dreams of an improved life come true or will his wife and children send him into a spiral of alcoholism and despair? Maybe It's a Gift after all?
     Lucy works two jobs and a side hustle being a test subject to pay her tuition and rent. When a highly paid opportunity appears, she jumps at the chance. When that leads to a better paid but without a regular schedule job, Lucy finds herself flush. The job just happens to be voluntarily drugging herself to sleep and spending the night being groped by men. A different version of Sleeping Beauty.
     All that and Craig suffers, Tyler becomes the night, Dave gets a clue, and Kevin considers running away to join the circus.

Episode 249- Fields of Dream

Filmy Shades of Gray

      This week Dave leads us through an amazing journey and we learn all that we should know. 
     The best video game movie and it isn't even based on a video game but there IS a video game marketing tie-in that is actually based on the source comic but whatever. When she shortcuts through his dream subspace, manic pixie dream template, Ramona Flowers will draw our Canadian hero into a fight for his life against The League of Evil Exes. Can the day be saved, the girl be won, and everything brought to a satisfactory conclusion or are we one fight away from the League expanding its membership when Scott Pilgrim vs the World.
     Not content to leave a certain warm fuzzy nostalgia place, we take a long and fairly meandering trip to Californiaaaa. In order to keep his deeply PTSD brother from being institutionalized, Corey sneaks him away. Without a dime to their names or a real plan, the boys survive by hustling all the very conveniently placed PlayChoice-10 arcade machines scattered through the American Midwest. Learning about the Video Armageddon Championship competition, the boys and their new friend, Haley, resolve to win the prize money and make a new lives for themselves. Unfortunately, the boys father and a child recovery specialist is on their trail. What will become of The Wizard?
     A year with the Jian family in Taipei. Father, NJ, is dissatisfied with his job and his first big love just walked back into his life. His wife's depression and constant care of her comatose mother leads her to the only solution she can think of. His daughter embarks on her own first romance and love triangle. His son searches for a way to some how express his feelings at his rapidly changing and upheaved home life. A film about moments of life, one after another, Yi Yi.
     In 1987, Jerry Lundergaard arranged for his wife's kidnapping in an effort to scam a million dollars out of his father-in-law. It didn't go as planned. Marge Gunderson is the police chief of Brainerd, Minnesota  and seven months pregnant. One of her officers was murdered during a traffic stop. One of Joel and Ethan Coen's many black comedic masterpieces- Fargo.
     Join us, won't you?

Episode 211- Filmy Shades of Gray

Happy Hippy Hoppy Hassles

      This week a pair of cult classics from sun-drenched lands. 

     When the Kelly Affair goes Hollywood they quickly find themselves swept up in a whirlwind of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Front woman Kelly gets in a fight for her fair share of the family fortune. Drummer Pet finds that it a fairy-tale romance can cover terrifying problems, Manager Harris learns there isn't always a light at the end of the tunnel, Bassist Casey learns that someone must pay the price. Producer Z-man learns that sometimes you just can't get what you want but if you try sometimes you might find... you get a big ass sword. Find out what lies Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
     Jessica lives a peaceful life running an animal sanctuary in the middle of the Australian outback. Her idyllic existence is soon shattered by the arrival of three kangaroo hunters. Not content to just illegally rampage across her land, the trio decide to teacher a lesson for standing against them. As the two sides continue to clash in confrontation after confrontation, it is only a matter of time before they learn that in some places everything is Fair Game.
     All that and Kevin punishes himself, Tyler revels, and Dave stands alone. Join us, won't you?

Episode 210- Happy Hippy Hoppy Hassles

Dog the Bounty Blunter

      This week three tales of dogged determination. 

     Michael wants to be a professional skater. His father wants him to go to college. He sets about to follow his dream but it comes with consequences. Will he succeed? Will Michael's dreams crash and he will wake up on the job with his father mixing cement? Will he ever escape the confines of North Hollywood?
     A very good doggy in a town of very awful people. Found on the side of the road, Red Dog is brought to the Australian mining community of Dampier. From there he would become a legend and great unifier of the people. Years later, the men celebrate their doggy companion and his unswerving loyalty and endless sacrifices for their vanities... all while ignoring that one of them most definitely murdered him.
     Bounty Hunter Jack Walsh is hired to bring in an embezzling mob accountant known as "The Duke" before his bond defaults in five days. What should be an easy Midnight Run becomes a series of misadventures in one of the world's favorite buddy comedies. Will Jack make it in time? Will the mob catch up with them and make The Duke disappear? Is this secretly connected to The Score? Probably, possibly, I hope anyway.
     All that and Dave fears getting old, Tyler doesn't do much of anything, and Kevin once again rubs our noses in the mess we left on the carpet. Join us, won't you?

Episode 209- Dog the Bounty Blunter

Crushed Ice

     This week RotP heads to the beach for some sun and fun and love and surf and conquest and white savior shenanigans.

     When Allie Fox gets tired of whining at his sons about how much America has fallen from the good old days, he packs up his family and moves them to Belize. To make ice. Which apparently he thinks the people there will confuse for precious stones and worship him over. No one said Allie's plan was a good one. Not counting Allie. Will the Fox family sink or swim or die of leishmaniasis on The Mosquito Coast?
     Anne Marie has been invited to compete in a prestigious competition at the famed Banzai Pipeline. If she makes a good show of it, she can land sponsors and make a better life for herself, her younger sister, and her friends who all live together actively helping to raise the sister. Unfortunately, Anne Marie is more interested in romance with a sexy NFL player in town for the Pro Bowl. This drives a wedge between her and the others. Will Anne Marie rise to the challenge, will she make a good football wives reality star?  Does that matter when you have the wave's Blue Crush calling?
     All that and Kevin likes to watch, Dave is lost in an inner journey of no discovery, and Tyler regresses to tweendom. Join us, won't you?

Episode 206- Crushed Ice

Harold and Yuki

      This week Dave takes it upon himself to amend two grievous oversights. After learning about gaps in cohost viewings, and making some small sacrifices to Meiko Kaji for guidance, a vision was given unto Dave and he cheated the random pick pull to bring everyone to deliverance.

     Born to avenge her family, trained through her entire childhood, finally unleashed and hell bent on gory revenge. Yuki seeks out those who killed her father and brother and spent days raping and torturing her mother. Raising standard samurai exploitation to the highest of visual poetry, not even death can keep Lady Snowblood from her satisfaction.

     Harold is bored and the only thing that keeps him entertained is a light spot of dramatic suicide. His mother, uncle, and therapist don't understand him and he can't live the life they proscribe for him. Then one day, at another crashed funeral, Maude drifts into his life. A dark comedy about existential anxiety and what might be found when you embrace it. One of cinema's greatest love stories, Harold & Maude.
     All that and Kevin gets dirty in Cape Town, Tyler spirals in nostalgia, and Dave runs out of places to hide his sacrifices. 

Episode 205- Harold and Yuki

Willie Robbers

      Two movies that shed light on the difference between theft and larceny. 

     When their homes are targeted by the local country club as an idea spot for their new golf course, the Goon Dock's young residents won't take it lying down. A stolen map, bike, wish, and wallet all lead to a classic adventure with a small amount of grave robbing. The petty larceny never ends when you are hanging on the strings of green and blues with The Goonies.

     Down on his luck Zed arrives in Paris with the hope of reconnecting with an old friend who has a job waiting for him. After an afternoon with a lovely young woman and a night celebrating with his friend, Zed gets to work. The work just happens to be breaking into a vault while his friend runs hostage control. One of them happens to be really terrible at his job. Breaking into a bank vault is theft. I know, I didn't expect it either. Of course why does any of that matter when they are Killing Zoe?

     All that and Tyler makes Dave hurt himself while Kevin completes his Iron Throne of popsicle sticks. Join us, won't you?

Episode 202- Willie Robbers

Digital Chalk

     Two journeys into realms of imagination from the dark recesses of Disney. One a dark and twisted soot covered nightmare of the past, the other a glimpse at some not so far off electronic afterlife.

     When the wind changes on Cherry Tree Lane, a supernatural figure descends from the sky to teach a lesson to a pair of feral children. Also drawn in is a unemployed bystander just trying to scrape enough to not have to sleep on the street. The trio will be force marched through an episodic nightmarescape of delusion and class warfare. All for the twisted amusement of this child obsessed monster... Mary Poppins.
     Not learning the proper lessons from digital Rome, Kevin Flynn finds an easy way to monetize his experience and promises to lead the species into a golden dawn. Flynn promptly disappears. Two decades later his son, Sam, goes looking for him, only to fall into the same trap. Waking in the miraculous though slightly boring looking world of The Grid. A place where things can happen but only things that have happened before. Freed from the constraints of physics but designed by an unimaginative megalomaniac. Can Sam free Kevin and save both world? What is the Tron: Legacy?
     All that and Dave sings, Tyler gets his teens in trouble on, and Kevin feels a shudder. Join us, won't you?
Episode 201- Digital Chalk

Rising Fall

     Two tales of walks through the darker sides of the street with twists and turns and twists.
     A trio of grad students find the most interesting subject for their final project- a slasher killer preparing to make his debut. As their subject leads them through a behind the scenes look at the world of Freddy, Jason, and Michael is there something more going on the crew haven't noticed yet? Will they lose their nerve and tell his target? Will they sell him out to his own personal Loomis? Will they get a real glimpse of what is Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon?
     1960s indie auteur Doris Wishman's transitional film to the full on sexploitation she would be best known for. A Boston housewife is attacked by the janitor and accidentally kills him in self defense. Seeing no option but to go on the run, she soon finds herself in a series of emotionally and physically traumatic situations while the dragnet gets ever tighter. Will she find safe harbor? Will the housewife end her days behind bars? A double twisted film where Bad Girls Go to Hell.
     All that and Kevin Shudders through the night, Chris mourns a devastating loss, Tyler bathes in the blood of kaiju, and Dave endures new levels of psychological torture. Join us, won't you?
Episode 200- Rising Fall

Helmets Save Lives

     This week two movies with two wheeled action. Sorta. 

     Idiosyncratic Australian auteur Brian Trenchard-Smith gets deep into the heart of what all kids wanted in that mystical time between the Atari crash and the rise of Nintendo.... BMX bikes and walkie-talkies. A bank robbery crew loses their brand new walkie-talkies to a trio of young race maniacs two days before their biggest haul ever. The young race maniacs are desperately trying to find ways to raise the money to open Sydney's own BMX track facility. The police just want everyone to clear their emergency channel... which appears to be the only one used in Australia. Will the thieves get their hands on the kids before their deadline? Can the kids make enough money to bring BMX to the people? Can the police actually leave the station and do the smallest amount of actual policing? Can anyone stop the BMX Bandits?
     One of the greatest comic book adaptions based on the long running UK cult series that somehow tanked so painfully hard in the box office that some of us will never recover from this disappointment. On the streets of Mega-City One, he is the law. Until he finds himself locked in the 200 story Peach Trees high-rise completely controlled by the vicious gang behind a new drug called Slo-Mo. In Peach Trees, Ma-Ma believes she is the law. Which is right and how many rounds will be fired in the proving? Can anything, except the terrible lingering Stallone aftertaste, stop Dredd?
     All that and Tyler experiences a new warm fuzzy feeling, Dave monster mashes through Hong Kong, and Kevin likes to watch... through the window. Join us, won't you?

Episode 199- Helmets Save Lives

Bacon, Bananas, Scrabble- A Talented Animals Tribute

    We bring March to a close with a salute to that most overlooked and mockingly abused of subgenres- the talented animal! Please note: RotP uses a VERY broad definition of both "talent" and "animals".

     When the dumbest man to ever slip his way into the space program flies into a wormhole, he ends up on a planet run by apekind. Quickly captured and sold to a human loving, aggressively so, chimp, the pair soon start a revolt against the establishment. Can the man barely able to tie his own shoes be able to out wit a whole Planet of the Apes?

     After a season dominating in professional hockey, Jack the chimpanzee is framed for biting a rival player. Unable to deal with this slander, Jack runs away to live with an orphan in an empty pool. Together they learn to laugh at love again... and do some wicked sick kickflips. Once a player, now he's MVP 2: Most Vertical Primate!

     You would be safe in assuming that after securing his place out of the oven, Babe would have a restful existence. Tragically, disaster strikes the Hoggett farm. Soon the bank is calling and the only way out is a well paid sheep herding demonstration. Unable to arrive at their destination, Esme and Babe face the cruel and uncaring city. Will they be able to stay on top long enough to return home? Will they be able to save the farm? Or will they adapt and never look back? What cruel fate awaits Babe: Pig in the City?

     When a research facility explodes, the only survivors are a super smart golden retriever and the vicious murdering mutant OXCOM, intent on eating the dog's eyes for a nice between meal snack. Fortunately, the dog meets a boy almost as painfully useless as the astronaut from Apes! Together they learn there's nothing a heavily plot armored boy and his dog can do. Even where there are Watchers about.
     All that and Kevin does his homework, Dave's memory gets fuzzy, and Tyler rolls in something. Join us, won't you?

Episode 198- Bacon, Bananas, Scrabble: A Tribute to Talented Animals

Bronze Weasels and a Nice Chianti

      This week Lucas returns, summoned by the siren calls of Ted Levine and Donny Wahlberg. Did he see their glory or dash himself upon the rocks?

     Pulled from her new agent training, Clarice Starling is asked to have a nice sit down with an infamous cannibal named Hannibal. Meanwhile, a new killer has just taken victim #7, the daughter of a senator, and the countdown until she faces the same fate as all the others begins. Will the cannibal help or is he playing his own game? How did the FBI interviewers and background checkers not catch young Clarice's desperation for The Silence of the Lambs?
     The second most intense US-Canada sports rivalry. A test of skill, endurance, and speed. The US team reigned supreme from the birth of international play, only to finally fall to Canadians coached by a former teammate. With the 2004 Paralympic Games looming, can the US Team regain their supremacy for the gold or has the rest of the world begun to give them a taste of true competition? One of the best sports films ever made- Murderball.
     From the book by Stephen King filtered through the script and direction of Lawrence Kasdan comes the tale of five friends and the poop alien out to conquer the world. Somewhere between the realms of high concept, fun b-film, and Sia level of disabled people parody you can find Dreamcatcher.
     All that and Kevin's long term memory loss continues, Lucas and Tyler slathers themselves in preparation for the Snyder Cut, and Dave documents a century of pop culture. Join us, won't you?

Episode 197- Bronze Weasels and a Nice Chianti

Bling in the Dark

      This week a bunch of young people struggling with darkness, I guess? Sure, why not? 

     What happens when a bunch of bored white kids in a rich area of California realize that famous people are just as bad at security as their grandma? What happens when they, fortunately, know a fence willing to deal with teens who can't keep their mouths shut? They got breaking in and taking stuff, duh-doy. What happens when they get so bold that they no longer fear being caught? What drives them to this? I don't know because I didn't read the article or book the movie is based on. The Bling Ring.
     Come and I will tell you a tale of a boy and girl and their love story. Sorry, wrong movie. A pseudo-hobbit finds a child... Wrong again. An oil fetishist who speaks to animals... no. The warrior who will be king... no. Jeez. There were a lot of fantasy movies in the mid-1980s. This one is Legend. You know, the one with Tim Curry being all sexy and awesome and you know that made you question things in ways you weren't ready to deal with.
     All that and Tyler gets his Vin on, Dave self-harms, and Kevin judges them like a Busey. Join us, won't you?

Episode 196: Bling in the Dark

Erotic Culinary Roller Therapy

      This week a pair of 2018 dramas directed, written, and starring women.

     Camille lives with her protective single mother. After an injury, she swears never to skateboard again. At least, never until a female skater collective she follows on Instagram has a meeting and she decides to go. Will she find what she's looking for with Skate Kitchen?
     Winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival. A metafictional meditation on intimacy in all of its modes or a pseudo-intellectual prattling covering up pointing and laughing? A tender examination of the diversity of intimacy or fatuous and shallow reinforcement of Euro-hardcore clichés that rival the 50s Shades series? Yes. Touch Me Not.
     All that and Dave doesn't get an emerging trend, Kevin gets snobby with it, and Tyler subtly auditions for a job hyping HBOMax. Join us, won't you?

Episode 195- Erotic Culinary Roller Therapy

12-String & Basketball

     This week the final feature film from a groundbreaking genius and the directorial debut of an underappreciated talent.

     A biopic on one of the most influential voices in American musical history. The debatably true story of Huddie Ledbetter and the events that would make him emerge as Lead Belly. From his early days touring Northern Texas with Blind Lemon Jefferson to his recordings for Lomax. Part legend building in it's own right, part contextualizing the life that gave the world so many enduring works. One of the best but least seen musical biographies ever made- Gordon Parks's Leadbelly.
     Two connected and mirroring lives examined through the sport they love in four segments. Approaching the character's lives not just through romance but through one's desire to follow her single dream, the other's struggle to find their own path, and their mutual love for basketball. A film that has fully earned it's cult status and continues to grow it's reputation to this day- Gina Prince-Bythewood's Love & Basketball.
     All that and Tyler survives a localized artic gale, Kevin makes good on his monthly delivery of disappointing heartbreak, and Dave dreams of the future onboard a Korean space hauler. Join us, won't you?

Episode 192: 12-String & Basketball

Caat Kune Doh

      This week Kevin makes Tyler's happy happy and Craig roundhouse kicks everyone in the teeth.... or would if his leg could lift higher than a shuffle.

     At long last the world of Harmony Korine is unleashed upon us. In the tornado devastated town of Xenia, Ohio a pair of point and laugh redneck kids stumble around killing cats and grannies. Meanwhile three sisters and a guy with a bunny hat and shorts lead a parade of different looking people who are there for you to point and laugh at... Gummo.

     From Nepal comes wannbe action hero and all around blighted sponge on the memory of Bruce Lee- Shuny Bee. What happens if you take a real life Johnny Lawrence and his students make a film around him? Basically this but even less competent and head up the ass pretensions and desperate than you are imagining. Don't join the Fight of Fury.

     All that and Dave forgot his brainwash, Kevin tries to shame us all with his classy, and Tyler is in a happy place trance. Join us, won't you?

Episode 191- Caat Kune Doh

Grudge Match

     This week we bring Japanuary to a close with an overview of theatrical released Ju-On films.

     Seven people all wonder into the wrong house for various reasons and regret it pretty quickly. Kayako and Toshio unleash their brand of revenge in Ju-On: The Grudge (2002).

     Seeing the potential there, Hollywood was quick to get their own but wisely decided to bring the original creator along with a bigger budget and a fistful of CW actors in The Grudge (2004)

     Some times you lose sight of why a series works and make really bad follow ups in a new continuity... Like what happened with Leatherface seventy times. Ju-On: The Beginning of the End (2014).

     Finally who doesn't love a good tag team match? Sadako vs Kayako (2016) breathes new life into two of the century's most dominant nightmares.
Join us, won't you?

Episode 190- Grudge Match

Necro Firearm Escape

      This week the last hand painted film, the most recent war blockbuster, and our third Asami film!

      A pair of assassins drive through the dessert. To cover the hours one tells the tale of a doctor who becomes a revenge focused mastermind when his wife is murdered. The doctor buys a woman, an addict sex worker, and molds her into the ultimate killing machine. An amazing physical lead performance drives this exploitation action fest. As the blood flies and the nipples expose, can anything stop Gun Woman?

     British and French forces are pushed to the northern beaches and surrounded in the town of Dunkirk. Looking at the evacuation from land, sea, and air, Christopher Nolan wrangles a large ensemble cast between epic war story of Dunkirk.

     Prestigious Ginei Studios has gone bankrupt and shut it's doors for the last time. In celebration of it's glorious past television interviewer Genya and his cameraman Kyoji have a life spanning interview with the studio's biggest star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who disappeared from the spotlight thirty years earlier. A surreal work from one of Japan's undisputed masters of animation, Millennium Actress.

     All that and next week we bring Japanuary to a close with a look at the seminal J-horror series JU-ON. Join us, won't you?

Episode 189- Necro Firearm Escape