The Pick: Basic Instinct

We’re back with another sleazy movie from the ’90s with one of the most-parodied movies of its time, Basic Instinct. We dig a little bit into the movie’s status as one of the quintessential erotic thrillers as well as how Michael Douglas came to embody this very particular type of sexy murder mystery. We try to delve into things about it other than “that scene” while taking a stab at a Michael Douglas impression, which is apparently just a more nasally Jack Nicholson. Strap in for the pick of the century. Continue reading →

Colin’s Favorite Albums of April 2022

April wasn’t quite as hot of a month music-wise as the other two I’ve covered so far this year. Which is perfectly ok since March 25 saw the release of so many noteworthy albums that I’ll have plenty to talk about here. In addtion Destroyer’s last album (which I covered last month), the first three albums I’ll be covering actually came out on that release date and served as some of my most-listened-to albums throughout April. Continue reading →

The Pick: The Devil’s Advocate

Only in New York! This week we’re taking a look at a decidedly sinister and satanic look at NYC with the supernatural lawyer oddity that is The Devil’s Advocate. We discuss both Keanu Reeves’s perplexing accent as well as how Al Pacino arrived at the bombastic persona he embraced in the ’90s. Pacino’s turn as Satan himself (which isn’t really a spoiler) earns the actor a slot in our Three Timer’s Club while also becoming another one of our latest villains bent on committing omnicide. Continue reading →

The Pick: Altered States

We’re a little late in posting this tribute to the late, great William Hurt. But hey, it’s always a good time to get in the tank. This episode, we go deep into this hard-to-classify sci-fi/horror oddity about a university scientist who goes from experiments in sensory deprivation tanks to drug-induced hallucinations to becoming a violent monkey man. It’s a movie made by a bunch of guys who seem a little too smart and talented for this material, and yet make it all the more fascinating in the process. Continue reading →

Colin’s Favorite Albums of March 2022

This month was another strong one as far as albums go, so I guess I’ll once again talk about some of my favorites. I’ll also give a shout-out to albums that I liked, but I just didn’t get around to listening to enough to make sense of how much I liked them. Those include: Wild Loneliness by Superchunk, Squeeze by SASAMI, and Running with the Hurricane by Camp Cope. Meanwhile, How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars by The Weather Station is a nice little companion piece to last year’s fantastic Ignorance, but feels a little too low-stakes for it to really stand out on its own. Continue reading →

Oscars Fortnight: West Side Story (2021)

West Side Story (2021)

94th Academy Awards (2022)
Nominations: 7
Wins: We’ll see…

It’s strange to remember that when this week began, just a few days ago, I had never seen West Side Story. I knew some of the songs, like “I Feel Pretty,” “Maria,” and “America,” but I’m not sure if I knew they were all in the same musical. I knew that it was inspired by Romeo and Juliet (“inspired” is an understatement) with the Montagues and Capulets replaced by dancey finger-snappin’ hoodlums called the Jets and the Sharks. And I knew from a 2007 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm that there was a character named Officer Krupke that inspires the phrase “Krup you!” I really think that’s it. That’s all I knew. Until my life changed forever on Monday when I finally watched the 1961 film adaptation and have had this extremely theatrical version of Manhattan playing on repeat in my head ever since.

Continue reading →

Oscars Fortnight Day 9: Mystic River

Mystic River (2003)

The 76th Academy Awards (2004)
Nominations: 6
Wins: 2

It’s funny seeing what films at what times resonate with the Academy. Apart from the prestige of Mystic River being a Clint Eastwood film, I’m not sure what else it brings to the table. It has big performances that border on laughable. The story makes no sense. The mystery is shaky at best. Yet, it is n engaging thriller at times. Like an airport novel. Which makes sense considering it was adapted from what was essentially an airport novel. Some people just like a good time. Also, didn’t it seem like there was unusual interest in Boston in the mid-2000s? The Departed, anyone? Is it just me? Well, let’s get into it ya wicked pissas.

Continue reading →