Cinematix Problematix

There are cult movies, and then there’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show , the wonderfully weird 1975 musical that turned a flat tire into a 50-year phenomenon. Newly engaged Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) seek help at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (the legendary Tim Curry), and hijinks ensue. A critical and box-office bomb, it found new life at midnight screenings and became one...

Today, we’re talking about Randall Kleiser’s 1978 hit, Grease. Based on the 1971 play of the same name, the film opens by introducing us to teenaged lovebirds Danny Zuko and Sandra Dee saying goodbye to one another at the end of a perfectly romantic summer at the beach. But when Sandy unexpectedly winds up going to Danny’s school, she’s folded into the rebellious Pink Ladies clique who just so hap...

Today, we watch a movie that asks the question: Can women really have it all? Family, career, a clean house..And the answer is yes — if they are a man. Released in 1993, Mrs. Doubtfire was directed by Chris Columbus, fresh off his hit film Home Alone and its disturbing dystopian sequel Home Alone 2. Adapted from Anne Fine's 1987 British novel, Robin Williams stars as Daniel Hillard, a talented but...

And today, we're discussing Trey Parker's 1999 animated musical South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut . Anyone familiar with the Comedy Central show knows creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone leave no group unoffended in their edgy series, now on its 28th season. This time, their bigger, longer foray into film takes a satirical shot at parents misplacing blame for vulgarity in film — represented he...

And today, we’re talking about Catherine Hardwicke’s 2008 film Twilight, based on the book series written by Stephanie Meyer. It tells the story of an introverted teenaged girl named Bella who moves to live with her Dad in a small, eternally gloomy Washington town called Forks. It’s here where she meets the Cullen clan - a group of adopted kids all dating each other except for the mysterious Edwar...

Today, we’re talking about the 1980 film Airplane, written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. This irreverent parody tells the tale of Ted Striker, an ex-war pilot paralyzed by PTSD who impulsively boards the flight of airline stewardess Elaine to try to win her love back. But Ted’s inability to let go of his wartime failures elicits constant rejections from Elaine, unti...

Today, we're talking about John Hughes' 1985 film Weird Science, which sees high school geeks Gary and Wyatt Create Lisa - a computer-generated girl that will be the answer to their their dateless, sexless lives. Much to their surprise, Lisa winds up THEIR master as she concocts several scenarios to boost their popularity and show the rest of the school they're more courageous than they seem. But...

And today, we’re talking about John McNaughton’s 1998 film Wild Things. It takes place in a steamy, affluent Florida town where the hot, popular high school teacher Sam Lombardi draws longing glances from his female students. In particular, Kelly van Ryan - a shamelessly flirtatious student who will stop at nothing to get his attention. But horny teenage antics take a much more serious turn when s...

And today, we're talking about Michael Lehmann's 1989 high school black comedy Heathers. It follows the most popular girl clique in school completely composed of girls named Heather, save for one Veronica Sawyer who's conscience stands in stark contrast to the mean girl energy of her other clique-mates. Complicating things further is the arrival of J.D. - a dark, mysterious new student who taps in...

[In honor of the passing of Donald Gibb, we're re-releasing one of our Revenge of the Nerds episode in his honor. R.I.P, Ogre.] Today, we’re talking about the 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds directed by Jeff Kanew, which follows horny freshman nerds Lewis and Gilbert as they get into college, only to be bullied by the cool, jocular members of the Alpha Beta fraternity. In response to their humili...

And today, we’re talking about 1981’s Frank Perry film Mommie Dearest. Based on the best-selling book by Christina Crawford, it depicts in VIVID detail the abuse she suffered at the hands of her movie star mother, Joan Crawford. It follows Joan’s initial desires to have a child and difficulties with adopting Christina and her brother Christopher, to not-so-gently catapulting the audience into a ne...

And today, we are talking about the 1978 Louis Malle film Pretty Baby which tells the story of a 12-year old girl (Violet) who grows up in a brothel who can't seem to wait for the day where her virginity is auctioned-off to the highest depraved bidder. Along the way, she falls in love with a local New Orleans photographer (Bellocq) who frequents the brothel, who eventually returns her affections....

And today we’re talking about 2009’s John Lee Hancock film The Blind Side. It tells the inspiring tale of a woman named Leigh Ann Touhey who finds it in her affluent, white no-nonsense heart to take in a homeless black child named Big Mike that she and her family find walking home alone on cold Tennessee night. But obstacles turn into opportunity when she discovers that - despite his dismal grades...

And today, we're talking about 1982's Sydney Pollack film Tootsie. It follows unemployed actor Michael Dorsey who decides to impersonate a woman to land a role as a saucy, no-nonsense hospital administrator on a soap opera. In the process, he finds wild success, learns how it feels to be treated like a piece of meat, falls for his co-star, and seduces his friend only to toss her aside while he esp...

And today, we’re talking about 2004’s Crash, written and Directed by Canadian Paul Haggis, who seemed to fancy himself the perfect person to examine LA's complex race issue. This won Best Picture over Brokeback Mountian, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich, Capote, mostly because this was before The Academy had minorities it, and it reflected the myopic worldview of old, white male Academy members an...

Released in 2008, Tropic Thunder is what happens when Hollywood decides the best way to mock its own ego is to crank it up to deeply unhinged levels. Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. lead the chaos as pampered actors filming a Vietnam epic who accidentally stumble into a real war zone, forcing them to confront the one thing they fear most: reality. Downey’s Oscar-nominated turn as a...

And today, we’re talking about John Badham’s gritty 1977 disco classic Saturday Night Fever. It follows the life of Tony Manero - a handsome yet emotionally immature young man who lives at home, but escapes the shadow of his disapproving parents by going to the 2001 Odyssey club every weekend where he is King of the Disco. He convinces a headstrong, ambitious girl from his neighborhood - Stephanie...

And today, we're covering Adrian Lyne's iconic 1987 film Fatal Attraction . It follows Dan Gallagher - a successful lawyer and happily married man who thinks he can have a casual, "discrete" weekend affair with the sexually independent book editor Alex Forrest. What Dan does NOT realize is that Alex is, shall we say, a bit more attached than he is. Her obsession escalates to stalking, violence, an...

Today we’re diving into Cruel Intentions (1999), the teen remake of Dangerous Liaisons where rich French sociopaths are reimagined as extremely horny Manhattan step-siblings. Katherine and Sebastian pass the time manipulating classmates, wrecking reputations, and placing elaborate sex bets that would make the high school headmaster clutch his pearls. What follows is a glossy parade of betrayal, br...

Today, we’re talking about Richard Curtis’ 2003 Christmas classic Love Actually . This ensemble film shows nine interconnected stories of love’s various forms. From the unrequited love of Sarah for Carl or Mark for Juliet; to the meet-cutes of PM David and Natalie or John and Judy; to the tales of love betrayed like with Karen and Harry, the film explores how love is not only all around, but also...

And today, take a little trip with me. Once upon a time, there was a man, and that man drew a mouse, and from that mouse grew an empire. In that empire was a whole slew of princesses that were appropriated from different cultures, who are all public domain and free to use. Yay! We love a happy story. In the beginning, these princesses were very simple. They were just young little girls who needed...

This week on Cinematix Problematix, we’re heading back to Faber College for John Landis' 1978 film Animal House, the movie that helped define frat-boy culture, brought John Belushi out of late-night and into cinemas, introduced toga parties into society, and is absolutely a minefield of 1970s “yikes.” And yes, we still kind of love it. Blame nostalgia. Or the soundtrack. Or the fact that the 1970s...

Today, we’re talking about the 1993 Joel Schumacher film Falling Down . It follows a down-on-his luck man named William Foster (aka D-FENS)  over the course of a 24 hour period on a hot day in 1990’s Los Angeles. Sitting in traffic, surrounded by a cacophonous crescendo of standard LA traffic stimuli, he abandons his car in the middle of the freeway, and sets off on a cross-city trek from Eas...

This week on Cinematix Problematix, we’re dissecting Robert Altman's 1970 war satire MASH*, the Vietnam-era movie that pretended to be about Korea so the studio wouldn’t panic. Join us as well to deconstruct this Robert Altman classic that has recently come under fire do to, well, a lot of things. Mostly having to do with Hot Lips.  This film sports an incredible ensemble cast of Donald Suthe...

This week on Cinematix Problematix, we’re cracking open the Disney vault — the part they pretend doesn’t exist — to revisit the 1946 film Song of the South , a movie so controversial that even Disney+ is like, “Yeah, we’re good.” Join us as we eviscerate this Disney "classic," a movie that has the chutzpah to not only be racist, but boring.  The film stars Ruth Warrick as Sally, Hattie M...