Month: February 2023

Articles, Top Lists

Ryan’s 150 Favorite Films: Number 127, The Lady Eve (1941)

One of the most frequent questions I am always asked being the host of the greatest movie podcast ever (opinions may vary) is “What’s your favorite movie?” That answer has been the same since I was 11 years old. But it also isn’t as easy to explain why I love some movies more than others.

As an art form, movies are by their nature interpretative. Some people will point to a film’s box office total as a barometer for a film’s quality, this might not be true again because although it might be popular to the masses it might not appeal to you. I am looking at you Avatar, which is not one of my favorite films, not by a longshot.  

Also, if the film wins an Academy Award for Best Picture, that hardly means it’s one of my favorite films, looking at you The English Patient, in fact I hardly agree with the Academy. Having said that, I am sure that some people love Avatar and The English Patient. And that’s what makes movies so great.

I, also am not a professional critic. I love film. I try and find merit in all film. As a host of a podcast that attempts to give every movie a chance, I believe that is the best way to approach movies, let the lights go out and try and enjoy yourself. You might find a “diamond in the rough.”

When thinking of my favorite movies to share with you, my loyal listeners, I thought 100 wasn’t going to be enough. So, I am proud to present my 150 Favorite Films, right now. These will change, I know they will.

See you at the movies!

***Spoilers Ahead!***

127. The Lady Eve (1941) Directed by Preston Sturges

Sailing on an ocean liner is the beautiful con artist Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyk) and her two partners in crime. Her father “Colonel” Harrington (Charles Coburn) and his partner Gerald (Melville Cooper). They have their sights set on the gullible heir to a brewery, Charles Pike (Henry Fonda). Charles is returning from an expedition in the Amazon. Charles is the talk of the ship and all the women on board. Much to their chagrin, he is shy. Charles would much rather spend his time learning about snakes than the opposite sex.

Jean gets Charles’ attention by tripping him. It works as he is charmed by her. Charles’s friend and minder, Muggsy (William Demarest) isn’t buying what Jean is selling and warns Charles about her. Charles does not believe Muggsy and continues to court her.

Jean along with her father and Gerald plan on stealing money from Charles in a card game. Jean tells her father that she does not care for Charles and to continue with the con. But love is funny and Jean saves Charles from her father and the con. Muggsy finds out the truth, tells Charles, who dumps a broken-hearted Jean.

Jean, does not like being dumped and devises another con. She re-enters Charles’s life as the sophisticated Lady Eve Sidwich, the niece of Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith (Eric Blore), who just so happens to be a conman as well, and with Jean they decide to con the wealthy of Connecticut.

Jean as Lady Eve meets Charles. He is so certain that he knows her that he won’t stop tripping over himself and falling. Muggsy again does not buy what Lady Eve is selling and pleads with Charles that she and Jean are one in the same.

Charles falls for the con even more when Sir Alfred tells him not to worry, Lady Eve is the sister of Jean, hence the resemblance. Jean’s plan works and she continues to court Charles who soon marries her and they leave on a train to their Honeymoon. On the train, Charles is flabbergasted by Eve’s past and all her old boyfriends. Charles literally jumps off the train to escape her.

To finish the con, Jean is told by her guys to pursue a huge divorce settlement. Jean cannot, she still loves Charles and tells Charles’s father that if she wants no money only for Charles to say to her face that their marriage is over. But he refuses and books a trip on another ship. Jean learns of this from Charles’s father and arranges to be on the same ship. On board she trips Charles as before and when he sees Jean he is so happy he kisses her and they make their way to her cabin. Once inside Charles confesses that he is still married, Jean replies “So am I darling.”

Why I Love The Lady Eve (1941): A lot of times I will watch a movie for the star. And The Lady Eve is one of those times. My first exposure to Barbara Stanwyk is the ultimate femme fatale in Double Indemnity (more on that film much later). I fell in love with her style and her sinister demeanor. When I did a deep dive into her filmography and learned she starred in a screwball comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges, I knew it was a can’t miss.

The Lady Eve is a showcase of Stanwyk’s impeccable range. She is funny, heartbroken and tough. She is the main attraction here with several of her male co-stars bringing the goods as well. Henry Fonda is fun to see as a bumbling, no confidence to be had guy. Fonda to me will always be the badass Admiral Chester Nimitz in Midway, so it was quite a treat seeing him as just a dude.

Preston Sturges delivers the laughs with a razor-sharp script and a steady hand in directing. What I love about him is his ability to seamlessly weave between genres. Sturges showed his incredible chops not even a month earlier with the great Sullivan’s Travels. He is a force in early Hollywood comedy.

Barbara Stanwyk and Henry Fonda prove that powerhouse actors, when given some of the best dialogue in the history of movies will deliver, making The Lady Eve endlessly funny and endlessly rewatchable.  

Articles, Review, Show Time

Show Time: A Statistical Recap of Filmsplosion 2022

Well, it’s been several weeks since Filmsplosion 2022 came out. Have you finished listening to it yet? If not, don’t read the rest of this post, as we’ll be looking at all the Nerds’ Top 10 lists.

So, in putting this together, I basically assigned every movie a scored based on where it was on a Nerd’s list. If it was their #1 film, I gave it 10 points; if #2, 9 points; and so on until our #10 films received 1 point each. If it was one of the eight films that appeared on more than one list, then it has a combined score.

(In case you forgot, I did this for Filmsplosion 2019, Filmsplosion 2020, and Filmsplosion 2021.)

Now, we’ll get to which of the eight movies had the highest average score, but first, we’ll look at the movies that scored the highest overall.

So, here are the HIGHEST SCORED MOVIES of Filmsplosion 2021:

  1. Top Gun: Maverick – 42 points (a record high)
  2. Glass Onion – 30
  3. The Batman – 29
  4. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – 18
  5. Everything Everywhere All At Once – 13
  6. Pearl – 12
  7. Belle – 10*

The asterisk denotes that Belle only appeared on my list. The two other movies that appeared on multiple lists, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On and RRR, had 9 and 8 points, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, if we look at these films’ average scores (total score divided by number of lists it appeared on), it doesn’t look all that different.

So, THE AVERAGE SCORES for the eight films that appear on multiple lists are:

  1. Top Gun: Maverick – 8.4
  2. Glass Onion – 7.5
  3. The Batman – 7.25
  4. Everything Everywhere All At Once – 6.5
  5. TIE: Pearl and Weird – 6

Of the 10 highest-grossing movies of 2022, in terms of domestic box office, two of them appeared on multiple lists (Top Gun: Maverick and The Batman) and one of them appeared on just my list (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). Looking at 11-20 at the 2021 domestic box office, three more appear in Filmsplosion 2022 (Elvis, Uncharted and Nope).

One more thing I wanted to examine is how our selected films break down by genre. How many action movies do we have? How many dramas? Super-hero flicks? etc.

So, for this assessment, I went by each film’s most basic genre. Our choices are: animation, action, comedy, drama, horror and superhero. No documentaries in the running this year, although that has been a category in the past.

I’m generalizing which category it’s in based on my own experience in either seeing the movie or watching the trailer, and most were pretty straightforward to categorize. In the few cases where I was uncertain, I went by which genre was listed first on its IMDB page.

So, without further ado, let’s look at the BREAKDOWN OF THE FILMSPLOSION LISTS BY GENRE:

  1. Drama (9)
  2. Comedy (7)
  3. TIE – Action and Horror (5)
  4. Animation (4)
  5. Superhero (2)

Dramas lead for the fourth consecutive year, and Comedies took silver again this year after getting bumped off the podium last year. Horror did much worse after coming in second last year, and surprisingly, Animation beat out Superheroes! The only other time that’s happened was 2020, when hardly any superhero movies came out.

I do find it interesting that only two Superhero movies were on our lists at all – The Batman and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The guys all had Batman of course, and I was the sole BPWF entrant and even that was a last-minute decision.

After reigning supreme for so many years, the MCU has definitely taken a tumble in our esteem, it seems. No Multiverse of Madness from Ryan and no Thor: Love & Thunder from anyone… which, sadly makes a lot of sense. We’ll see if Superhero does better at Filmsplosion 2023, as we’ve got Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, Shazam 2, The Flash and others dropping this year.

Anyway, thanks to Brad, I put all the Nerds’ Filmsplosion lists below so you can see for yourselves which genre I categorized each movie as.

Give the lists a look, in case you forgot what everyone picked. I also think looking over everyone’s lists by genre is very interesting, as you can see some Nerds lean more on one genre than others. Again, not a bad thing — just something to take note of.

Zach

  1. Everything Everywhere All At Once – drama
  2. Nope – horror
  3. The Fabelmans – drama
  4. Pearl – horror
  5. Halloween Ends – horror
  6. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – animation
  7. Top Gun: Maverick – action
  8. The Batman – superhero
  9. X – horror
  10. Elvis – drama

Ryan

  1. Top Gun: Maverick – action
  2. Weird – comedy
  3. Prey – action
  4. The Batman – superhero
  5. Glass Onion – comedy
  6. Pearl – horror
  7. Tar – drama
  8. (Guillermo Del Toro’s) Pinocchio – animation
  9. Hustle – drama
  10. Barbarian – horror

James

  1. Top Gun: Maverick – action
  2. The Batman – superhero
  3. Glass Onion – comedy
  4. Prey – action
  5. See How They Run – comedy
  6. The Banshees of Inisherin – drama
  7. Thirteen Lives – drama
  8. Weird – comedy
  9. Uncharted – action
  10. RRR – action

Corinne

  1. Belle – animation
  2. Top Gun: Maverick – action
  3. Glass Onion – comedy
  4. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero – animation
  5. Hadestown – stage show
  6. Operation Mincemeat – drama
  7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – superhero
  8. Everything Everywhere All At Once – drama
  9. Stadium Fluffy – comedy
  10. Spirited – comedy

Brad

  1. The Batman – superhero
  2. Top Gun: Maverick – action
  3. Glass Onion – comedy
  4. RRR – action
  5. Weird – comedy
  6. New York Ninja – action
  7. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – animation
  8. CODA – drama
  9. Clerks III – comedy
  10. #ShakespeareShitstorm – comedy

Well, that’s all I got, folks. Hope you enjoyed this statistical breakdown of the 2022 Filmsplosion episode! 🙂

Articles, Review

Ryan’s 150 Favorite Films: Number 128-The Rod Stewart Concert Video (1984)

One of the most frequent questions I am always asked being the host of the greatest movie podcast ever (opinions may vary) is “What’s your favorite movie?” That answer has been the same since I was 11 years old. But it also isn’t as easy to explain why I love some movies more than others.

As an art form, movies are by their nature interpretative. Some people will point to a film’s box office total as a barometer for a film’s quality, this might not be true again because although it might be popular to the masses it might not appeal to you. I am looking at you Avatar, which is not one of my favorite films, not by a longshot.  

Also, if the film wins an Academy Award for Best Picture, that hardly means it’s one of my favorite films, looking at you The English Patient, in fact I hardly agree with the Academy. Having said that, I am sure that some people love Avatar and The English Patient. And that’s what makes movies so great.

I, also am not a professional critic. I love film. I try and find merit in all film. As a host of a podcast that attempts to give every movie a chance, I believe that is the best way to approach movies, let the lights go out and try and enjoy yourself. You might find a “diamond in the rough.”

When thinking of my favorite movies to share with you, my loyal listeners, I thought 100 wasn’t going to be enough. So, I am proud to present my 150 Favorite Films, right now. These will change, I know they will.

See you at the movies!

***Spoilers Ahead!***

128. The Rod Stewart Concert Video (1984) Directed by Carolyn Raskin

The Movie: Join Rock ‘n’ Roll Superstar Rod Stewart as he performs in front of a sellout crowd in San Diego in 1984! Also included a mini Rod Stewart documentary that features Jeff Beck!

Set List:

Scotland the Brave/Infatuation/Bad For You/Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright)/I Don’t Want to Talk About It/She Won’t Dance With Me/Hot Legs/You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)/Baby Jane/(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay/Young Turks/Passion/Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?/Maggie May/Some Guys Have All The Luck/Stay With Me/We’ll Meet Again

Why I Love The Rod Stewart Concert Video (1984): I have told this story many times, but this was my first memory of listening to and loving Rod Stewart. My dad was working on something in his garage and my brothers and I were most likely driving him crazy.

My dad sent us downstairs with his bootlegged copy of The Rod Stewart Concert Video and told us to pick our favorite song and let him know.

When Rod came out in a hot pink suit, canary yellow shirt and Ray Bans, singing “Infatuation” I was hooked. I ran upstairs and told my dad the first song was my favorite. My dad told me I had to watch the the whole concert. I did. Over and over again. And a life long obsession was born.

But forget all that and the heavily edited songs, seriously during “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” Stewart goes from being on the ground to instantly back up singing the final verse, it is awesome watching Stewart in his prime. He runs, jumps, spins, shimmies, and pours his heart out for the entire runtime.

There is no better introduction to the awesomeness of Rod Stewart than this grainy, but totally radical concert video.

Uncategorized

Ryan’s 150 Favorite Films: Number 129-Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

One of the most frequent questions I am always asked being the host of the greatest movie podcast ever (opinions may vary) is “What’s your favorite movie?” That answer has been the same since I was 11 years old. But it also isn’t as easy to explain why I love some movies more than others.

As an art form, movies are by their nature interpretative. Some people will point to a film’s box office total as a barometer for a film’s quality, this might not be true again because although it might be popular to the masses it might not appeal to you. I am looking at you Avatar, which is not one of my favorite films, not by a longshot.  

Also, if the film wins an Academy Award for Best Picture, that hardly means it’s one of my favorite films, looking at you The English Patient, in fact I hardly agree with the Academy. Having said that, I am sure that some people love Avatar and The English Patient. And that’s what makes movies so great.

I, also am not a professional critic. I love film. I try and find merit in all film. As a host of a podcast that attempts to give every movie a chance, I believe that is the best way to approach movies, let the lights go out and try and enjoy yourself. You might find a “diamond in the rough.”

When thinking of my favorite movies to share with you, my loyal listeners, I thought 100 wasn’t going to be enough. So, I am proud to present my 150 Favorite Films, right now. These will change, I know they will.

See you at the movies!

***Spoilers Ahead!***

129. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) Directed by Rouben Mamoulian

The Movie: Dr. Henry Jekyll (Fredric March) believes that in every man there is a duality. One part that is good and another that is evil, and he intends to conduct experiments to separate the two. Henry is engaged to Muriel Carew (Rose Hobart) and intends to marry her right away. Her father, Sir Danvers Carew (Halliwell Hobbes) informs the couple that they must wait, putting Jekyll at odds with him.

One night, Jekyll and his colleague Dr. John Lanyon (Holmes Herbert) are walking home. On their way through the seedy streets of London a woman is being attacked by a man outside her residence. Jekyll is able to fight the man off. The woman introduces herself, Ivy Pierson (Miriam Hopkins) a bar singer and lady of the night. Jekyll carries Ivy to her room where she attempts to seduced the “good” doctor. Jekyll is tempted but leaves.

Jekyll is left alone after Muriel leaves with her father to Bath. With his fiancé out of the way, Jekyll beings experimenting with drugs that he believes will unleash the “evil” doctor. His experiment works, and Jekyll disappears and the evil Hyde takes his place. Where Jekyll has a moral compass, Hyde does not. Now able to act on all of Jekyll’s impulses, Hyde goes to a music hall where Ivy is performing. He offers her money in exchange for her company. Ivy agrees and takes Hyde to her room. Once there Hyde rapes Ivy and psychologically terrorizes her. Hyde soon learns that Muriel is set to return. He tells Ivy that he is leaving, but he will return.

The next day, Jekyll is back and he is overcome with guilt. He sends Ivy money, which after she receives it, Ivy decides to see Jekyll. When Ivy recognizes Jekyll as the man who saved her, she confides in him what Hyde had done to her. Jekyll tells Ivy that she will never see Hyde again.

Intending to attend a party hosted by Sir Carew Jekyll never makes it. He turns into Hyde, runs to Ivy’s room and murders her. Hyde runs to Jekyll’s home but is denied entry by the butler. Hyde quickly writes a letter to Lanyon tells him to take chemicals from Jekyll’s laboratory and take them to his home. Hyde arrives at Lanyon’s home where the doctor demands that Hyde tell him where Jekyll is. Hyde sensing he has no other choice drinks the formula a reverts back to Jekyll. Lanyon is shocked.

Jekyll leaves and soon realizes he is losing control from turning into Hyde. He visits Muriel and breaks off their engagement and leaves. As he walks away he sees Muriel crying. Jekyll turns into Hyde once again. Hyde goes into the home and attacks Muriel. Sir Carew attempts to stop it and is beaten to death for his trouble. Hyde flees back to Jekyll’s lab and takes the formula yet again and reverts back to Jekyll.

At Carew’s home, Lanyon recognizes the walking cane that was used in Sir Carew’s murder as Jekyll’s. Lanyon accompanies the police to Jekyll’s home, where Jekyll pleads with them that Hyde has left. Lanyon tells the police that Hyde and Jekyll are one and the same. Jekyll turns into Hyde and attempts to fight the intruders. Hyde is shot by police, and transforms back into Jekyll, dead.

Why I Love Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931): This is a truly horrifying film. It is a great showcase for Fredric March, who would win an Academy Award for his dual role of Jekyll/Hyde. The duality in the roles is remarkable. As Jekyll, March is as handsome and charming as ever, as Hyde he is absolutely terrifying. Miriam Hopkins is the object of Hyde’s desire and it’s easy to see why. She is sexy, vulnerable and puts on a tour de force of a woman suffering at the hands of a controlling man.

The horror in this film is what it says about men as a whole. The way Jekyll wants to explore his dark side is nothing short of selfish. Instead of waiting to be married he wants to explore what it’s like to control a woman that has nothing with money and threats. And although Hyde is a “different” person, in reality he isn’t, he’s just the asshole version of Jekyll.

The horror of what man is capable of is told brilliantly through the direction of Rouben Mamoulain. The transformation scene is done cleverly by having the make-up by Wally Westmore using contrasting colors and the lenses of matching colors. When the lenses were slowly removed, the colors would not appear on a black and white film, but just more of the make-up was exposed.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde transformed what horror could mean for film. Not every horror is a monster of supernatural origin, sometimes it’s the evil lurking inside.

Articles, Review

Ryan’s 150 Favorite Films: Number 130, Dracula (1931)

One of the most frequent questions I am always asked being the host of the greatest movie podcast ever (opinions may vary) is “What’s your favorite movie?” That answer has been the same since I was 11 years old. But it also isn’t as easy to explain why I love some movies more than others.

As an art form, movies are by their nature interpretative. Some people will point to a film’s box office total as a barometer for a film’s quality, this might not be true again because although it might be popular to the masses it might not appeal to you. I am looking at you Avatar, which is not one of my favorite films, not by a longshot.  

Also, if the film wins an Academy Award for Best Picture, that hardly means it’s one of my favorite films, looking at you The English Patient, in fact I hardly agree with the Academy. Having said that, I am sure that some people love Avatar and The English Patient. And that’s what makes movies so great.

I, also am not a professional critic. I love film. I try and find merit in all film. As a host of a podcast that attempts to give every movie a chance, I believe that is the best way to approach movies, let the lights go out and try and enjoy yourself. You might find a “diamond in the rough.”

When thinking of my favorite movies to share with you, my loyal listeners, I thought 100 wasn’t going to be enough. So, I am proud to present my 150 Favorite Films, right now. These will change, I know they will.

See you at the movies!

***Spoilers Ahead!***

130. Dracula (1931) Directed by Tod Browning

The Movie: Renfield (Dwight Frye) is on his way to Count Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania. He is a solicitor who requires the Count’s signature on a lease for a property on England, Carfax Abbey. Before he arrives at the Count’s castle he is warned by the villagers that a vampire lives there and not to go. Renfield ignores these warnings and proceeds to the Castle. On his voyage there, Renfield sticks his head out of the carriage to tell the driver to slow down, the driver is gone and the horses are being lead by a bat!

Renfield meets the charming Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and they discuss his lease over dinner. Dracula tells Renfield that he intends to travel to Carfax Abbey the next day. Renfield is soon under Dracula’s spell through hypnosis, and when Dracula’s Brides appear, he orders them away and attacks Renfield.

Renfield (and Dracula in a coffin) travel by the schooner Vesta to England. On the voyage there, Dracula feeds on the crew, killing them all. When the ship arrives at England, Renfield is the only survivor who is now a lunatic under Dracula’s control. Renfield is taken to a Sanatorium run by Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston), that just so happens to be adjoining to Carfax Abbey.

Later at a London theatre, Dracula meets Seward, his daughter Mina (Helen Chandler), her fiancé John Harker (David Manners) and her friend Lucy (Frances Dade). Lucy is smitten with Dracula. Dracula enters Lucy’s room later that night and drains her blood. Lucy is seen by doctors the next day as she appears to be quite ill. Lucy perishes despite the fact she was given multiple blood transfusions.

Renfield, meanwhile is eating bugs and insects at the sanatorium, which gets the attention of Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), who after analyzing his blood talks to Renfield about vampires. Renfield pleads with Seward to send him away. Renfield is soon called by Dracula through a wolf howl, which is interrupted by Van Helsing showing him wolfsbane, which he claims will protect him from vampires.

Dracula next sets his sights on Mina and bites her that night. Later that evening, Dracula stops by to visit Van Helsing and John. They notice the Count does not have a reflection. Van Helsing informs Dracula that he does not have a reflection and Dracula smashes the mirror and flees. Van Helsing is certain that Dracula is the vampire responsible for the attacks and deduces something must be done.

Mina leaves her room for the garden, where Dracula strikes. Mina is rescued by the maid. Mina, although weak the following morning reads stories in the newspapers about a woman in white, luring children out at night and biting them. Mina recognizes the woman as Lucy. Harker pleads with Van Helsing to let him take Mina to London, but Van Helsing orders Mina to stay under the watch of a nurse and with wolfsbane around her neck.

Dracula returns to the Seward home and confronts Van Helsing. Dracula informs him that Mina is now his and warns Van Helsing to leave. Van Helsing refuses and Dracula attempts to hypnotize him to no avail. Dracula lunges at Van Helsing, who brandishes a crucifix, forcing Dracula to retreat.

John visits Mina on her terrace when a bat appears and “talks” to Mina. Mina attacks John, but Van Helsing and Seward save him. Mina confesses her love for Dracula and tells John their love is over.

Later that night, Dracula hypnotizes the nurse caring for Mina and has her remove the wolfsbane from around her neck. Dracula takes Mina to Carfax Abbey where John and Van Helsing see Renfield running to the Count as well. Thinking that Renfield has betrayed him, Dracula kills him. Van Helsing and John wait until morning to hunt Dracula as they know he must return to his coffin during daylight. Van Helsing finds Dracula’s coffin, impales him with a stake through the heart, killing him and restoring Mina to normal.

Why I Love Dracula (1931): Although it might seem stiff to modern audiences, Dracula is one of the best gothic horror films of all time. The mood and atmosphere alone make the film a winner.

Bela Lugosi not only embodies who Dracula is, his performance would shape every interpretation of the Count going forward. In the film, he is suave as he is dangerous. Special mention to Dwight Frye as Renfield, he plays a lunatic with great enthusiasm.

And don’t let the over 90 years old deter you from the film, some of the staging is a little stiff, but Browning does move his camera when needed giving the film a nice foreboding vibe of impending doom. The film also sports some iconic dialogue, none more so than “Children of the night. What music they make.” My personal favorite is “There are far worse things awaiting man than death.”

With an all time iconic performance, brilliant set design and cinematography, Dracula has earned its rightful title as one of Hollywood’s best horror films.

Articles, Review, Top Lists

Ryan’s 150 Favorite Films: Number 131, Night of the Creeps (1986)

One of the most frequent questions I am always asked being the host of the greatest movie podcast ever (opinions may vary) is “What’s your favorite movie?” That answer has been the same since I was 11 years old. But it also isn’t as easy to explain why I love some movies more than others.

As an art form, movies are by their nature interpretative. Some people will point to a film’s box office total as a barometer for a film’s quality, this might not be true again because although it might be popular to the masses it might not appeal to you. I am looking at you Avatar, which is not one of my favorite films, not by a longshot.  

Also, if the film wins an Academy Award for Best Picture, that hardly means it’s one of my favorite films, looking at you The English Patient, in fact I hardly agree with the Academy. Having said that, I am sure that some people love Avatar and The English Patient. And that’s what makes movies so great.

I, also am not a professional critic. I love film. I try and find merit in all film. As a host of a podcast that attempts to give every movie a chance, I believe that is the best way to approach movies, let the lights go out and try and enjoy yourself. You might find a “diamond in the rough.”

When thinking of my favorite movies to share with you, my loyal listeners, I thought 100 wasn’t going to be enough. So, I am proud to present my 150 Favorite Films, right now. These will change, I know they will.

See you at the movies!

***Spoilers Ahead!***

131. Night of the Creeps (1986) Directed by Fred Dekker

The Movie: It’s 1959, and onboard a spaceship an alien is running down its corridors. A canister is placed in in a cannon and shot into space, which crashes into Earth. A college student and his date notice the canister crashing, believing it to be a shooting star he goes and investigates. His date is suddenly attacked and killed by an escaped mental patient with an axe. A slug launches from the canister and into the college student’s mouth.

Let us flash forward to 1986, we meet Chris Romero (Jason Lively( his friend J.C. (Steve Marshall) and the girl that Chris is in love with, Cynthia (Jill Whitlow). They meet her during pledge week at Corman University. Chris decides that he is going to impress Cynthia by joining the fraternity of her boyfriend, Beta Epsilon. In order to join the frat, the boys must steal a corpse, and plant it at a rival fraternity house.

Chris and J.C. go to the medical center and find a secret room. Inside Chris and J.C. see a corpse, and thaw it out. When the corpse tries to grab them the run like hell out of the room. The corpse now alive, attacks and kills a lab worker and walks out the door.

After the break in, Detective Ray Cameron (Tom Atkins) is assigned the case. The corpse makes its way to a sorority house, where its head splits open and slugs pour out. Detective Cameron is called to the sorority and finds the corpse with its head split open. Cameron believes it’s an axe that did the damage, from a case that has haunted him for 27 years.

Believing that Chris and J.C. are responsible for the corpse at the sorority house, they are questioned by police. The boys confess to breaking into the medical center but deny any knowledge of taking the corpse. There is a new zombie loose now, as the murdered medical student has risen from the dead and attacked a janitor.

The janitor is now one of the walking dead and attacks J.C. in a bathroom. Chris is confronted by Detective Cameron who tells him that the woman killed by the escaped lunatic was his ex-girlfriend. Cameron says that he hunted the man down, killed him and buried him underneath the sorority house. Cameron gets a call that an axe wielding maniac has killed the house mother. Cameron arrives on scene and sees to his horror that the man he killed is alive, but he is very much a zombie. Cameron blows its head off with a shotgun.

The next night as the all the girls at the sorority are getting ready for a dance, Chris learns that J.C. left him a message as he was dying. Telling him that the slugs’ weakness is heat and that he loves him. Chris gets Detective Cameron onboard and a flame thrower from the police department. They set out to stop the slugs.

The sorority house is soon under attack from a busload of zombies. Which are vanquished by our heroes. Chris and Cynthia notice that the slugs are retreating into the basement, where they find thousands of slugs in a pile. Cameron goes into the basement, pours gasoline on the slugs and blows them up with himself still in the house.

Why I Love Night of the Creeps (1986): I am a firm believer of judging movies by their covers. Night of the Creeps has one of the coolest box arts ever. I remember seeing it in all its glory at Blockbuster Video. With the tube lights flickering and the smell of microwave popcorn wafting in the air, the picture of a zombie prom date was irresistible to my friend Branden and I.

The movie itself is a blast. Gory and full of one liners it makes for a B-movie good time. Director Fred Dekker is an underrated genre writer and director. His love of 1950’s B-movies oozes from every frame. From the slugs being an alien experiment to the overall feel of the film. He is also a really well known script doctor

The cast is fun and Branden and I always point to the fraternity bro as the standard of all horror movie douche bag, only surpassed in my eyes by Trent in Friday the 13th (2009).

Night of the Creeps is a movie that feels like it was made for me. Zombies, one-liners, made in the 1980’s, 1980’s style fraternity douchebag and gore. Thrill Me!

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