Fishin' for Rays

    This week a pair of deranged killers with low body counts.

     When Julie and the gang accidentally run over a pedestrian. They all, nearly instantly, agree the best course of action is to stuff the body in the trunk, drive a couple miles to a dock, and dump the body into the Atlantic. It's a terrible plan that is made worse when they realize their victim isn't quite dead yet. A year later and the posse of 1st degree murderers begin to get strange threatening letters. Who is the fisherman? Does anyone really care if any of these people live or die? So trauma just means you stop washing you hair? Will they ever find out what they are waiting for? Inspired by the classic YA suspense novel by Lois Duncan- I Know What You Did Last Summer.
     The Sun is dying. Earth is freezing. The final hope of the species rests on the seven person crew, all of whom have very specific jobs and absolutely no cross specialty training, of the Icarus II carrying a special bomb intended to give a micro Big Bang and rebirth the dying star. Toward the end of their momentum building slingshot around Mercury, the discover the beacon of the lost Icarus I. Deciding to stop and gawk at their lost sister ship, turns their urgent and critically important mission into a nightmare. Will they deliver their payload? Could anything survive seven years marooned in space? How did most of these people get through the psych evaluation process of crew selection? If the succeed will the ensuing flood drown all life? Does solar radiation actually give super slasher powers? Did no one bother to read what happened to Icarus before naming multiple ships after him? Maybe there are answers if you join Danny Boyle and gaze directly at Sunshine.
     All that and Dave becomes aware of his multiverse selves, Craig continues working on his fur suit, Kevin makes a stand, and Tyler fells the love tonight. Join us, won't you?
Episode 252: Fishin' for Rays-

Feline Acid Jazz

    This week a pair of DIY auteurs.  

     A creepy, terminally stupid, hypocrite cat doles out the worst possible advice on bullying, crashes a parade, and then somehow gets worse discussing gun safety. Dispensing advice that will worsen almost any similar situation in an insufferable manner made this one of the internet's favorite ironically loved bad movies. It was just a matter of time before we endured... Cool Cat Saves the Kids.
     The fourth and final film in Rudy Ray Moore's late-70s run of amazing blaxploitation films. A former cop turned disco showman extraordinaire wages a private war against angel dust (PCP for those under 40). When his nephew does too much and is lost in a nightmare, Disco Godfather will stop at nothing to clean up his streets and bring an end to the city's dealers by putting his weight on it. A mash up of horror, comedy, and Moore's own personal style of kung fu... Disco Godfather.
     All that and Tyler loses all hope of ever feeling joy again, Dave may have broken child endangerment laws, Kevin suffers impairment from experimental memory wipe treatments, and Craig laughs. Join us, won't you?

Episode 251- Feline Acid Jazz

Trans People Films to Spit in Transphobic Eyes

    This week three films about trans people recommended by transgender friends of ours and one film by a trans woman. We discuss these films in broad terms for general viewers with the hope that will help them be seen by more people and for those viewers to begin larger dialogs. We are not the people who should, or even really could, have a more in depth discussion about them. Trans rights are human rights. 

     Boys Don't Cry- inspired by the true story of Brandon Teena, a trans man who tried to find himself and love but instead was brutally murdered by two cishet male acquaintances. 
     Black Lizard (1968)- Sanae is kidnapped by the notorious criminal mastermind Black Lizard. Her father enlists the help of master detective Kogoro Akechi to bring her home. Twists, double crosses, disguises within disguises, a brilliant lead performance, and multiple abrupt love stories make this a tragically overlooked classic.
     Funeral Parade of Roses- Eddie works as a host at Genet night club. Leda is the club's managing "lead girl" and begins to suspect that Eddie is sleeping with the owner, who also happens to be Leda's partner, to move up the ranks. Leda is correct. There are also flashbacks of murder, film students, and documentary interviews with the cast as their real life selves. A brilliant art film that smears lines and disregards conventional narrative for a fascinating meta look at the Tokyo scene it was created in.
     Solomon Kane- Based on the pulp character created by Robert E Howard. The Devil comes to claim the soul of Puritan and privateer Solomon Kane. Kane flees to a remote monastery but is soon set on his path of redemption. A path that will carve a bloody trail all the way back to his childhood. 
     All that and a far from gentle reminder that trans rights are human rights. We condemn the attacks on this simple truth, not just the current massive push at local and national levels across the globe but those through out history. 

Episode 250- Trans People Films to Spit in Transphobic Eyes (OR... JK Blocks Us)

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

Penultimate Guitarfighter

     This week- a pair of disputes that range from the domestic to the pangalactic. Both of which were turned into off-Broadway musicals for the 2004 theater season. 

      Saloonkeeper Vienna's volatile relationship with the local yokels is quickly approaching critical. As a defensive measure she hires on a former lover and multiple discipline virtuoso, Johnny. Will this be enough to calm the waters, kept at a rolling boil by unable to deal with her feelings local rancher Emma Small? Or will this be the last duet for Vienna and Johnny Guitar?
     Alex dreams of life after the Starlite Starbrite trailer park he has spent his life in. Alex's only escapes are his dreams of college and the arcade game outside the local convenience store. When he breaks the high score, he soon learns it is all true and the Ko-Dan Armada is threatening all peaceful planets of the Rylan Star League. With only his navigator, Grig, can Alex save The Frontier and stop the power mad Xur? What hope can there possibly be when you are The Last Starfighter?
     All that and Craig almost achieves enlightenment, Kevin fills in some gaps, Dave looks down on their life choices, and Tyler feels the force flow through him- it isn't as fun as expected. Join us, won't you?

Episode 248- Penultimate Guitarfighter

Dial-a-Surf

    This week a master experiments with their art and a dude goes to the beach.

     When former professional tennis player Tony learns of his wife's affair with a crime fiction writer, he concocts a scheme that would make Agatha Christie herself take some notice. Leaning on a fellow Cambridge alumnus, he rolls his plan into motion. Unfortunately, events take a turn. Can Tony salvage his scheme? Will the incredibly disinterested police inspector solve his tangled puzzle? To find out- Dial M for Murder.
     Billy wants to be a kite surfer. To help him achieve this dream, all of Texas passes the hat and raises enough money to get him to a competition of questionable prestige. En route he picks up a pretty hitchhiker and sparks fail to ignite. Soon stakes happen and there's a mean Frenchmen and 2 Chainz and other people. Non of it matters as long as Billy can Send It!
     All that and Tyler reevaluates a superhero of biblical proportions, Kevin doesn't like a joke, Dave tried to silence a radio, and Craig finally begins his long gestating plan of global domination. Join us, won't you?

Episode 247- Dial-a-Surf

Love Spectrum

     This week a three course shot of amour celebrating less than usual couples.

     Sandra has always had an attraction towards death. While studying to become an embalmer, she begins a torrid affair with Matt, a med student who can't quite grasp why she can't open up to him as she does her dead lovers. Sandra refuses to stop her rigor rides. Matt gets a little overwhelmed. How far will he go to be Kissed?

     A love triangle in The City by the Bay. A tale as old as the invention of the printed circuit board. Boy buys a computer, girl meets boy, computer becomes sapient when champagne is spilled in it, computer romances girl, boy gets credit, computer tries to kill and replace boy. We have all heard this story a thousand times... but this one also has multiple music video breaks. Will the always be together in Electric Dreams?
     While wondering through the worst security hospital in the hemisphere, Danny meets super powered hypnosis killer Byron Volpe and sleeping beauty Laura. So taken by the young woman, Danny decides to kidnap her and keep her as a pet in his totally unprepared apartment where she is sure to slowly starve to death OR, maybe, choke as he tries to shove bran down her snoring throat. Volpe doesn't take kindly to this and soon orchestrates events to a show down crammed with imagery ripped wholesale from dystopian surrealist Beksinski. Will Laura rouse beyond her dream or will her Parasomnia envelop them all?

     Episode 246- Love Spectrum