Back Row Seating

Playing in the background simply to have sound, I discovered this gem in a series of passthroughs in front of my television; and oh my goodness, it this film pretty out of this world. Featuring a lead who LOVES her dog, but not enough to actually find him, to a hunk-a-dunk who LOVES dogs, and is basically Superman for dogs, but also not enough to actually find the dog- instead they choose to fall...

Returning to the monde of French cinema, we're going to check out this sort-of adaptation of a beloved children's classic! "Sort-of" because it's more a story about the story, interestingly enough, so we're already in for an exciting time! Will it take me back to my childhood? or keep me in my adult-view of critiquing films endlessly? Only time, specifically a hundred or so minutes, will tell!

But I bet you weren't expecting this ! Halloween, the holiday, is almost upon us, and one of my mother's favorite holiday films is Halloween, the movie. So while I've not seen any of these, it's time for me to be schooled in the art of late-70's horror, particularly of the John Carpenter variety. But camp abounds, as well as older-than-teenage actors; how will I enjoy this horror classic? 

Ah yes, we're here to continue trilogies and chew bubble gum. Pressing on with Tim Burton's stop-motion "Halloween" films, we're gonna travel back to the Regency for a good ol' love story! Just one with revenants, of course; what else were you expecting? Having quite enjoyed Nightmare Before Christmas, I'm excited to check this one out, and see if it can't check some of my hopeless romantic check...

Continuing our not-Halloween Halloween films, we're just gonna prance on over to some spoopy foreign films! and what better than a film from Denmark! Seriously though, as a hardcore introvert, this film is about at socially terrifying as anything else, and that's all before the psychological horror begins. For being a box office disappointment, it does have glowing reviews, so perhaps this will be...

While not a Halloween movie, it is a spoopy movie, and that counts just as well in October, right? Well, if it's a good movie, I suppose it would count. But is Darkness Falls any good? I dunno; I watched it when I was twelve, and I """liked""" it enough to watch it more than once and have a shot burned into my brain-hole, so it must have had some redeeming qualities? Maybe I was just a dumb kid, w...

Yo! It's time to return to the world of Hogwarts! Only this time, we're not alone... With TheDreadedNeko in tow, and a new cinematographer, the world of the second film installment of Harry Potter is our oyster. Will it improve upon the original? Only a watch will tell, but I can tell you already that the two of us at Hogwarts certainly would see the detention hall a lot. Wait until the end for Th...

Confession time: I've never seen this film before... Growing up with then-pious parents, Halloween was very much a foreign, uncelebrated holiday growing up, so I've often lacked the "magic" of the season. What better way to start October with a film that's very much about the spirit of Halloween? Let's see how it stacks up to the decades of praise!

I'm shippin' up to Boston! In preparation for my trip to Beantown, we're gonna revisit one of my favorite crime/mob films; directed by the great Scorsese himself. Yes, let's have our mind's blown by the subversive plot twists, Mark Wahlberg's placid acting, and by all the handfuls of drugs being thrown about by Jack Nicholson. 

Pinocchio again! Having reviewed the original, it's time to begin the Year of Pinocchio with the Disney+ remake starring Tom Hanks and my main man, Luke Evans et. al.! The critical response to this film has been deplorable, but as somebody with zero nostalgia for the original, I'm intrigued to see where Disney might have improved upon the original film, which was in dire need of it, certainly. So...

The Year of Pinocchio has begun! Not at all a staple of my 90s-kid childhood, I can't even remember ever watching the original 1940 version of the Disney classic, although I must have seen it, given my traumatic recollection of one of it's more terrifying scenes- and it is a children's movie, right?! In any case, in order to see the present, we much first view the past: where all these current ite...

In 2009, I was told not to watch this film. Ironically, I was told that by one of /my/ 'Summer's'. While I never put much stock in that recommendation, for whatever reason, I kept putting this film off- from one Summer, to another Summer- and now it's 2022 and I'm finally sitting down to watch it. When will the catharses end?! Whatever we feel, at least we'll have Joseph Gordon-Levitt

*This is the theatrical cut of the film, not the extended edition We're taking it back to my 90's kid childhood, ladies and gentlemen! Nine-year-old me was chompin' on Oreos and mini Doritos still, and my suspension of disbelief was at an all-time high. So how will adult me view this same film? I don't dislike this series, but after the third book, the time commitment going forward appeared immens...

Holy Wolfwalkers vibes, Batman! I'm super stoked to check out this wild adventure film straight outta Netflix, largely due to how massive the trailer seemed to be setting up the world. My biggest presumption is that it'll be too large, and the pacing will be wonky, so let's see how true or false that turns out to be! Anchor's away, and yar'hoy!

Hey, Lightyear is here! and my preclusions for this film have already been confusing based off of the trailers and teasers. Is this a mature film for the now-adults who grew up with the original Toy Story 1-2? or is it a silly kid adventure for all audiences? Maybe the 1970's David Bowie fans?! Who knows! but we'll find out.

I've been super excited for this film ever since I first saw the teaser and saw, not just interesting imagery, but Jessie Buckley! whose work I was first mystified by in 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things', which was a film, somewhat, about masculinity- now we're watching 'Men'! which should prove to be another film along the same theme. I know nothing about it except for the heated discussions in som...

Almost reaching Logan levels of "Oh, this is the best movie ever made!", The Batman is breaking expectations left and right, so we're gonna check it out! I've always loved Robert Pattinson as an actor, and that's even before getting to the rest of this stellar cast. Throw in some nice trailers, and I've been readily excited to see this film; but with my expectations so high, The Batman already has...

Groovy, baby! We're finally at the finale of the Austin Powers trilogy, and Fusion is 1-1, so far, in his affections toward the series. That means Goldmember will break the tie, but which side will the final movie fall? Join the two of us as we conclude this romp through the shagadelic 70's!

Paul Thomas Anderson has returned! and I'm excited to experience his latest film, not merely because Cooper Hoffman stars in it. I do like PTA's work an awful lot, and if nothing else, his films are always well-crafted, if not near-masterpieces (looking at you, 'There Will Be Blood'...), or outright esoteric and strange (Magnolia...) so I'm intrigued to see where Licorice Pizza ranks in his catalo...

One of my favorite films of all time is Kaufman's 'Synecdoche, New York'; so of course, it wasn't long before I stumbled upon the myriad of articles and criticisms out there that another film from the 60's, Frederico Fellini's ' 8½ ', espoused much of the same themes, with some claiming the former having ripped off Fellini's work. As a lover of most things post-modern, I've had a hankering to chec...

We conclude our Wild West double-feature with the second of three released-and-development-hell Shanghai series films, Shanghai Knights! Rolling into England with the same writers, and a director hand-picked by Jackie Chan, I wonder how much different this film will be compared to its predecessor? I sense a lot of oldies music waiting in the wings for us! -Links in the Show Notes- https://www.ment...

It's time for a double feature! A Wild West double feature! One of my favorite action/buddy-cop/bromance series from my children, the Shanghai series has always been a joy for me and the bromances in my life. Owen Wilson is feathery-blonde and charming, and Jackie Chan is hilarious and full of stunt set pieces; easily set alongside Rush Hour as the top of Chan's buddy-cop collection of films. This...

Dumb bunnies, sly foxes, and other members of the 90/10 prey-to-predator ratio pack unite! It's time to explore the bright and colorful world of Zootopia, and while I recall viewing this back in the year of its release, I'm excited to reacquaint myself with it and examine it from a newly critiquing eye. If we know one thing going in, it's thing digital animation has come far enough to ensure the f...

After a horrendous technical issue, Demon and I decide to press on into that wild green yonder and straight into Seth Green's smexiness! A childhood classic of his, I remain a bit iffy on whether this is the better of the two films; although, it's been a long while- maybe another viewing is just what I need to rethink my opinion...  Check out TheDreadedNeko: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC...

From obscurity to social media blockbuster- literally! Becoming A24's biggest grossing film, EEAAO has become a massive success, and I've heard so many people talk about it being the best thing ever, while a few others say it's a disappointing film. I'm always happy for a Michelle Yeoh vehicle; let's see what she's up to, along with evil-character Jamie Lee Curtis, so let's check it out and see wh...