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Quote from: Rev. Powell on June 02, 2026, 09:35:18 AMBACKROOMS: A frustrated furniture-store owner discovers a seemingly infinite maze of mysterious rooms in the back of his store, and invites his therapist to help explore them. Explore the labyrinths of the subconscious in this ambiguous and terrifying psychological horror. 5/5.

Audience notes: The theater was packed, which surprised me due to the surreal nature of the story, even though I had heard it was doing good business. There were a bunch of teenagers who probably were familiar with 20-year old director Kane Parsons from his YouTube series of the same name. Some parents took two boys to this, I would estimate ages 7-11. The younger one got scared and had to leave. The older one was pretty excited at the end and praised it as "scary and weird."

Also, I don't expect other people to like this as much as I did: it's very much "my thing." But I still think most people will find it scary and enjoyable, unless you demand having everything 100% explained to you.

I just got back from spending the weekend with my daughter in Iowa, and I took both my girls to see it (my wife doesn't do horror films but all three of us love them). I had no idea of any of the internet lore behind it and was blown away by how creepy it was. Excellent film!

#34

Television / Re: THE BOYS has finished its ...

Last post by indianasmith - June 03, 2026, 03:49:22 PM

Other than THE SANDMAN, I have largely ignored the graphic novel phenomenon (to my detriment), so when I started watching THE BOYS I had no idea what it was based on. Great show, though - I really enjoyed the whole thing and would like to do a re-watch from Season 1 after I retire.

#35

Bad Movies / Re: Cringe movie moments

Last post by zombie no.one - June 03, 2026, 02:55:01 PM

Quote from: M.10rda on June 01, 2026, 10:31:29 AMThe only live-action TRANSFORMERS I saw was the first one, but it was wall-to-wall cringe. At the film's nadir, an autobot urinates on John Turturro. I mean it's gasoline but it emerges from the autobot's groin.

good bloody grief on toast...what the even actual.

I loved the toys as a kid. the little heat sensitive sticker you could rub and it would reveal the face was the coolest thing ever.

wonder if michael bay has recurring nightmares where he's being chased by a bunch of autobots, hope so

#36

Entertainment / Re: What have you been listeni...

Last post by Allhallowsday - June 03, 2026, 02:08:07 PM

BLACK EYED PEAS The E.N.D.

#37

Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2

Last post by M.10rda - June 03, 2026, 01:12:50 PM

THE CHASER (1928):
This is a very odd silent feature that was a notoriously early box office bomb and has retained a sour critical reputation. You know the running joke from the meta season of "Seinfeld" where the pilot to George & Jerry's sitcom focuses on a judge sentencing George to be a butler? That's the plot of THE CHASER, only a divorce court judge sentences the male lead to dress as a woman and be his estranged wife's housekeeper.

Auteur/star Harry Langdon was a comedy also-ran who, like Chaplin and latter-day Keaton, insisted on behaving onscreen like a mime... forgoing facial expressiveness in favor of a blank stare and broad actions and gestures. For the record, I don't know why this was a Thing in the 20s - yeah, I get that it's "silent" film, but every other actor in the same films registers emotion on their face... why not these guys? Imho Keaton was much funnier in his earlier films w/ Roscoe Arbuckle, where he was at liberty to project rage and horror and lust and elation and outrage and all those other things that tend to be funny around the facial region. Why did he and Chaplin and Langdon deny themselves that tool? To compound matters, Langdon wears white base all over his face (and highlighter on his eyes, lips, etc) thus really resembles a mime. It's a Choice, yeah, but unless you have a sincere soft spot for traditional mime bu11$#!t, it's an off-putting choice.

Many reviewers on Letterboxd hate THE CHASER, but I found it just odd enough to warrant one viewing. In some ways it has more in common with late 20th century Jarmusch or slacker cinema than it has with other silent comedies. The plot ambles along as if improvised while the cameras were rolling, and very little happens for at least half the film. The plot does take a dark turn when Langdon realizes he cannot hack it as a housewife and declares that he is running away from home to commit suicide. He doesn't, though - instead he goes golfing with an Oliver Hardy-esque buddy in the film's most conventional slapstick sequence. However the two men then discover a women's volleyball league, and in the last (absolutely confounding) act, Langdon dresses as Napoleon (?) and stares at a procession of women until they fall unconscious.

I have been unable to locate a single online review that can explain what is happening in this (long) sequence - no one even attempts to rationalize it.

THE CHASER's tone shifts one last time in the final moments as Langdon is trapped in a madly careening/driverless vehicle as if he was Wile E. Coyote. 3/5? That driverless vehicle is actually a pretty apt metaphor for the entire film.

#38

Off Topic Discussion / Re: Website was down

Last post by Dr. Whom - June 03, 2026, 01:08:13 PM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on May 04, 2026, 08:13:44 AMProbably a hosting issue. But someday this site will disappear entirely. The website domain is registered until 1/7/2028, so it should be good until at least then.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

#39

Good Movies / Re: 100 THREE-WORD movie title...

Last post by zombie no.one - June 03, 2026, 12:52:58 PM

62. BIG BAD MAMA (1974)

#40

Good Movies / Re: 100 THREE-WORD movie title...

Last post by Dr. Whom - June 03, 2026, 12:43:16 PM

61 Saturday Night Fever

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