Arachnophobia (1990)

Recorded on VHS tape from Channel 7, I repeatedly watched Arachnophobia (1990) as a child. Along with Tremors, these were horror comedies that worked best as ‘gateway horrors’ for me, at a time when I was petrified by the horror aisle in a video store due to the suggestive box covers. Both Arachnophobia and Tremors […]

Fatal Pulse (2018)

FINAL STAGE – GLASS BRICK PORTALFEBRUARY 1991Fatal Pulse (2018) announces itself as operating within the Yuppie Fear thriller mode, using clips and trailers of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Pacific Heights, Deceived, etc. The actual experience of Fatal Pulse itself is comparable to Tim and Eric, Inland Empire, and Southland Tales. An evisceration of a cultural era – the early 1990s in […]

Dudes (1987)

Memories of the Dudes (1987) VHS cover in the Comedy aisle of a video store, Jon Cryer and Daniel Roebuck with their hands up next to a cactus, promising fish-out-of-water laughs with two punkers in a western, radiating Bill and Ted comparisons, or even Wayne’s World (not knowing as a kid that they were from the same director, Penelope […]

Vulcanizadora (2024)

I’m a fan of indie director Joel Potrykus, particularly the two films I’ve seen where he collaborates with actor Joshua Burge, Buzzard and Relaxer. They’re both slacker comedies smashed into dark and surreal places, increasing anxiety and discomfort while also being funny. One inspiration for Vulcanizadora (2024) was Potrykus seeing Gerry and wanting to make his own version, delving into aspects that […]

The Plot Against Harry (1971)

I love a movie where an operator makes the rounds. Our protagonist moves around their world, connecting with other characters and settings, each a mini-world of their own. Each stop along their circuit is another insight, another layer into our main character. The Plot Against Harry (1971) is about a Jewish low-level criminal named Harry […]