Step On Turn On Gershon

     This week we bring November to a close with a triple dose of 90s Erotic Thrillers. 

     Nomi Malone, a young drifter, heads to Las Vegas with dream of making it big as a showgirl. After a rough start, she finds an in through befriending a costume designer on the hottest ticket in town. Soon Nomi will be swept up in the power games and politics of  revue star diva, Crystal Conners, and her entertainment director boyfriend, Zack Carey. Does Nomi have what it takes to rise to the top? Can she navigate the sexually charged waters? Or will she be pulled under, another victim of the bright lights in the desert? The first, and only, NC-17 film to get a wide mainstream release. Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls.
     Corky is an ex-con, recently released, and taking work as building handy person. Violet is the long time girlfriend of Caesar, a mob money launderer, is desperate to get away and make a new life. Violet sets her sights on Corky and Caesar brings home $2 million in blood covered cash, she sees a chance to finally be able to get out. The neo-noir directorial debut of The Wachowskis, Bound.
     In the rich suburb of Blue Bay a wealthy teen accuses her high school guidance councilor of rape. Soon another girl, from the other side of the bayou, also comes forward. Not satisfied with the trial's conclusion, a police detective begins pulling on the dangling threads. A tangled web of suspicion and quintuple twists that are almost as hot as the south Florida summer. John McNaughton's Wild Things.
     All that and Dave weeps for a French king, Tyler tries some new cuisine, and Kevin can't stop his Bogart impression. Join us, won't we?
 Episode 285- Step On Turn On Gershon

Rothrocking and Judo Rolling

     This week- a pair of Hong Kong martial art noirs. 

     Prosecutor Ha is was as by-the-book as they came. Until his mentor was gunned down in broad daylight and the vital witness in his current case is murdered with their entire family. Now Ha is taking matters into his own hands. Senior Inspector Cindy Si is a dedicated investigator with a strict view of justice. They find themselves in a deep conspiracy with roots in the very heart of the system they have both dedicated their lives to. Corey Yuen's Righting Wrongs.
     Depressed alcoholic and karaoke bar manager, Sze-to Bo, turned his back on his champion judo career for reasons no one knows. Current judo champion and competitive fighter, Tony, only want a fight with Bo. A singer, Mona, seeks refuge in the bar from her evil manager. Old and frail Cheng, with his dementia suffering son Ching, seek to restore their dojo to its former glory. Johnnie To's Throw Down. 
     All that and Tyler comes out of hiding, Dave watches a doc, and Kevin finally learns to read. Join us, won't you?
    Episode 284- Rothrocking and Judo Rolling

Mopey Guys

    This week, two movies about fast friendships tested with mental health issues.

     In the adult industry, according to the opening text, mopes are guys who do the worst jobs, the lowest position possible. Based on the true story of Tom Dong and Steve Driver, professional porn supporting actors. Can Steve's big dreams drive them to their glorious dream wonderland? Why did Tom leave his skilled well paid profession to do this full time? I don't know and neither do the makers of... Mope.
     Washington, D.C. detective and forensic psychologist Dr. Alex Cross heads to Durham, North Carolina to help find his missing niece. Within 2 hours of arrival, he discovers that his niece was taken by a prolific serial abductor, rapist, and killer who calls himself Casanova. Shortly after his arrival, Kate McTiernan, an internist at the University hospital, is taken from her home in the middle of the night. Luckily for all, Kate is a fighter and soon will slip her captor to help Cross bring him to justice. Casanova just wants to... Kiss the Girls.
     All that and Kevin gets his morally ambiguous cynicism on, Dave wrangles a large lizard, and Tyler communicates across a rainy void. Join us, won't you?
   
   Episode 283- Mopey Boys

Driving Ms. Sadie

    This week- two deep friendships inspired by unusual circumstances.

     While digging through yard sales to give her yellow dull room a nice home feel, Jane buys an ancient thermos, that will make a lovely vase, from Sadie. When her perfectly clipped flowers are still too tall for the thermal vase, Jane fines ten thousand dollars in old bills inside. When her attempt to return the cash is rebuffed, Jane makes it her mission to befriend the obviously lonely elderly woman as another way to repay her debt. There's also some porn, a jealous roommate, COD playing, and high drama around a small dog named... Starlet.

     Toby has an advanced bio-mechanical device implanted in his chest. This device makes him faster and stronger than is humanly possibly. Not wanting it, he flees Hong Kong with the intention of selling the device to a company in sunny California. Unfortunately, assassins are hot on his trail. Malik is a down on his luck, having recently been tossed from his home for another man. When Tody has no choice but to take Malik hostage, the duo embark on a road trip full of odd characters and high octane fistfights. Will Toby reach his destination before being dispatched by a hillbilly commando team or biomechanical assassin 2.0? Will Malik realize that he deserves better and settle down in a small motel somewhere between LA and San Francisco? Why is this film called... Drive.
     All that and a twin in wicker, multiple noirs in fog, and old faves returned. Join us, won't you?

  Episode 282- Driving Ms. Sadie

Milicent and Other Universal Monsters

     This week- children of the night, voyeurism as meet cute, a wedding interrupted by vigilantism, and a 68-year old wrong.
     A nobleman, from a dilapidated castle in Southeastern Europe, buys a dilapidated building in London, which once housed monks, next to the worst run asylum of its time. The nobleman soon makes a small splash with the neighbors and both young women at the asylum begin to take up his unusual habit of vampirism to differing degrees. Ah, the precode children of the night, what beautiful music they make.... Dracula.
     A different nobleman, this time from Germany, tried to hide away in a lonely location to finish the work he is obsessed with. This location is an easy and short walk from the town he and everyone he has ever known lives. Tragically, he hires an assistant of questionable competency with a cruel streak, allows himself to be distracted from the proper care and maintenance of his scientific endeavor, and keeps delegating important tasks to incompetents. His monster running loose in the hills is really the fault of... Frankenstein.
     A third nobleman, this one just returned home to Wales after nearly two decades in California, uses his father's new telescope to check out women from the village. After some light creeping, he badgers an engaged retail clerk to go with him to see the fortuneteller, Bela. The clerk wisely decides to bring a friend along on her forced trip. Unfortunately, the friend is killed by a wolf, a cursed wolf. If only our entitled perv listened to the rhyme everyone in town is happy to recite at a moments notice. A poem about... The Wolf Man.
     Doctor David dreams of lungfish. When his mentor uncovers a fossilized hand that shows a direct link between land and sea animals, David, his girlfriend of 6 months, and their boss go to help recover the rest of the artifact. Following the river to the most logical place to find the missing pieces. Before long, they will find their quarry might have a still very active... Creature from the Black Lagoon.
     Join us, won't we?
   Episode 281- Milicent and Other Universal Monsters

Knocking on Devon's Door

     This week three films about evil within ourselves, others, buildings, and lack of capitalist society's demanded productivity.

     Anton has a serious lack of motivation. All he does is sit at home, smoke the devil's weed with his friends Mick and Pnub, and fantasize about Molly, the literal girl next door. But, as they say, idle hands are the devil's playground and soon a killing spree rocks his sleepy town. Will Anton be able to save the day, get the girl, and not be arrested for truancy at the Halloween Dance? Obvs. The most late 90s of late 90s teen comedies... Idle Hands.
     Mima is trying to make a career move from j-pop idol group member to serious full-time actress. Soon Mima learns what that move will cost. An enraged fan stalks her, someone else is writing detailed posts about her daily life and private thoughts, the production company demands a taxing and traumatic filming experience, and without her old support system she beings to fell excessive amounts of impostor syndrome. Can Mima find herself or is she just a thing to be replaced? Satoshi Kon's directorial debut, Perfect Blue.
     Still grieving, Sophia rents a house in the middle of nowhere. There she convinces an alcoholic occultist, Joseph Solomon, to spend months leading her through a trying ritual to summon her guardian angel to ask for a favor- contacting her deceased child. Does Sophia have the wherewithal to endure this test of physical and spiritual fortitude? Can Joseph hold himself together long enough to see her through? A Dark Song.
     Poet Rose Elliot bought a rare book. It details three witches who secretly control the world. One of which just happens to live in the same building as Rose. Writing to her brother for help, but being unwilling to wait for the requested backup to arrive, Rose begins following the book's clues to find the witch's lair. Meanwhile, her brother, Mark, in Rome might be closer than he expects to a witch of his own. The second of Dario Argento's Three Mothers Trilogy, Inferno.
     All that and Halloween Ends.
     Join us, won't we?
   Episode 280- Knocking on Devon's Door

Congruous Sights

      This week three films that pair well together for a part of your October Challenge intake.

     Angela and Jackson Sayers are running a psychic scam on the people of Scotland. Jackson is in murderously deep debt to loan sharks and Angela begins to fear that her mental health is crumbling, just like her mother's years before. Jackson forces Angela to take on a case in what might be the worst possible place for them. Will the frauds see the light? Are there really ghosts in the West Wing? What was the real fate to befall these screaming specters? Will this be another job or are the forces at work Malevolent?

     Riley is a recovering addict living with her brother, his boyfriend, and their roommate. When her boyfriend convinces her to break into a warehouse, they find only a puzzle box. Riley accidentally solves the puzzle and avoids the hidden sacrificial blade. Soon the Hell Priest arrives to demand another sacrifice. After 15 years of development and delays and rights affirming franchise entries, the long promised reboot Hellraiser (2022).
     Chris Cleek, country attorney and extreme misogynist, discovers a feral cannibal woman bathing in a river. He decides to trap her, keep her in his root cellar, and domesticate her. Meanwhile, his daughter is going through issues of her own and his son could be following his father's footsteps a bit too closely. The middle entry in a trilogy following the supernatural feral cannibal, The Woman.

     All that and Tyler begins the Ritual of the Thorne, Dave catches up on hot titles, and Anna argues with the DA that her film choices do not equal elder abuse. Join us, won't you?
   Episode 279- Congruous Sights