Saturday, January 30, 2016

Weekend Open Thread

Mola Ram! Prepare to meet Kali...in Hell!

Is everyone getting excited for #fthismoviefest? It's just two weeks away! Hopefully you're rounding up the movies you don't already own (and you should really own most if not all of these movies).

In the meantime, let's talk about movies. Or TV. Or music. Or books. I'm finally reading Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door and it's giving me nonstop panic attacks.

62 comments:

  1. So here's something that I've been doing this week that is probably more difficult and stressful than it's worth. Some people do a top 5 favorite movies list, others a top 10, but I figured, why stop there? I have made my best effort at compiling my top 100 favorite movies! It was tough, and I'm still not completely satisfied, but for better or worse, here it is:

    My Top 100
    1.)Almost Famous
    2.)Singin' in the Rain
    3.)To Kill a Mockingbird
    4.)Back to the future
    5.)Scot Pilgrim vs. the World
    6.)Psycho
    7.)The Wizard of Oz
    8.)Aladdin
    9.)The Godfather
    10.)School of Rock
    11.)Jaws
    12.)The Dark Knight
    13.)Groundhog Day
    14.)The Breakfast Club
    15.)Silver Linings Playbook
    16.)Pulp Fiction
    17.)Dead Poets Society
    18.)Fight Club
    19.)The Shawshank Redemption
    20.)Once Upon a Time in the West
    21.)Misery
    22.)Jurassic Park
    23.)Halloween
    24.)Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
    25.)The Fugitive
    26.)Elf
    27.)12 Angry Men
    28.)Casablanca
    29.)Paper Moon
    30.)Roman Holiday
    31.)Frankenstein
    32.)Dumb and Dumber
    33.)Toy Story
    34.)Young Frankenstein
    35.)There's Something About Mary
    36.)The Music Man
    37.)GoodFellas
    38.)Carrie
    39.)50/50
    40.)My Cousin Vinney
    41.)The Truman Show
    42.)Captain America: The Winter Soldier
    43.)It's a Wonderful Life
    44.)Star Trek (2009)
    45.)The Aviator
    46.)Sin City
    47.)Goldfinger
    48.)The Incredibles
    49.)Speed
    50.)The Sound of Music
    51.)The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
    52.)Night of The Living Dead
    53.)The Birds
    54.)There Will Be Blood
    55.)All The President's Men
    56.)Aliens
    57.)The Descent
    58.)A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
    59.)Captain Phillips
    60.)Whiplash
    61.)Princess Mononoke
    62.)The Parent Trap
    63.)Bonnie and Clyde
    64.)Wayne's World
    65.)When Harry Met Sally
    66.)Mary Poppins
    67.)Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
    68.)Dog Day Afternoon
    69.)Rocky
    70.)Alien
    71.)Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
    72.)Zodiac
    73.)Lethal Weapon
    74.)Home Alone
    75.)That Thing You Do!
    76.)Nightcrawler
    77.)Love and Mercy
    78.)Blade Runner
    79.)City Slickers
    80.)Best In Show
    81.)Die Hard
    82.)Clue: The Movie
    83.)Father of the Bride
    84.)Full Metal Jacket
    85.)Double Indemnity
    86.)Jeremiah Johnson
    87.)Kagemusha
    88.)Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil
    89.)The Host (2006)
    90.)Coraline
    91.)Tremors
    92.)Gremlins 2
    93.)King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
    94.)A Hard Day's Night
    95.)Batman Returns
    96.)Pollyanna
    97.)Star Trek: First Contact
    98.)The Muppet Movie
    99.)Cluless
    100.)Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

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    1. Die Hard at #81 negates this list. :) Strong feat, John, I've tried this as well and can never get them in the correct order outside of the top 20.

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    2. I've been maintaining and editing a favorites list for years because I feel an intense urge to categorize and organize everything I possibly can in this chaotic, terrifying universe.

      Or maybe lists are fun, idk. I could never do 100 because at a certain point I'd get away from movies I love that mean a lot to me and just have movies that I really really like, which I'm not sure should be classified as favorites.

      The list is in flux a lot, but the top ten is really set in stone (at least it has been for a month).

      1. Star Wars (1977)
      2. The Godfather (1972)
      3. Back to the Future (1985)
      4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
      5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
      6. Seven Samurai (1954)
      7. Pulp Fiction (1994)
      8. There Will Be Blood (2007)
      9. It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
      10. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

      runner-ups: Do the Right Thing, The End of Evangelion, Blade Runner, Pan's Labyrinth, The Shining, The Big Lebowski, Scott Pilgrim VS the World, Apocalypse Now, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Groundhog Day, The Thing, The 400 Blows, RoboCop, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Bicycle Thieves, Evil Dead II

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    3. By the way John, the inclusion of Best in Show on your list indicates that you have awesome taste.

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    4. Thanks! To Chaybee's comment, I know Die Hard probably deserves to be at a much higher position, but I haven't revisited it in a while (I meant to after the passing of Alan Rickman, but I just didn't get around to it), and wasn't confident in putting it at a higher position. I need to watch it again ASAP. But you're right. After about 25-30 I start going cross-eyed and it becomes much herder.

      Kino, high five on the Best in Show love! Every time I watch it I have a great time with it! I like that list of yours! I should probably have a Kurowsawa movie higher up, too. And I've never seen The End of Evangelion or Aguirre: The Wrath of God from your honorable mentions. Methinks I'll have to add those to my watch list!

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    5. Cool idea. I might give it a shot. It seems easier to my mind because I've never been able to wrap my mind around making a top ten list of movies, bands etc. I'm gonna need to see Coraline at some point it keeps coming up, and I'm definitely a fan of stop-motion.

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    6. Oh, and Batman Returns being on this list in lieu of Batman '89 is the right call.

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    7. I finally saw Aguirre a year or two ago when Shout! Factory put out that Herzog box. It belongs on a list of the best movies ever made.

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    8. Coraline is beautiful and creepy in all of the best ways, Charles. Especially if you are a fan of the stop-motion style, it's absolutely worth your time. And yes, I'm personally much more of a fan of Batman Returns. I love the vibe of the whole thing, and Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito make for an excellent Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin.

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    9. I made a top 30 a while back. My list always shifts a little depending on what mood I'm in when you ask.
      1. Cool Hand Luke
      2. The Great Escape
      3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
      4. 2001: A Space Odyssey
      5. Back to the Future
      6. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
      7. Airplane!
      8. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
      9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
      10. Psycho
      11. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
      12. The Sting
      13. Rear Window
      14. The Blues Brothers
      15. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
      16. Jurassic Park
      17. Toy Story
      18. Planet of the Apes
      19. The Shining
      20. Vertigo
      21. The Ten Commandments
      22. Jaws
      23. Pulp Fiction
      24. To Kill a Mockingbird
      25. The Godfather
      26. Django Unchained
      27. Wet Hot American Summer
      28. Ghostbusters
      29. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
      30. The Graduate

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    10. Why not. Here's my top 21 as of now. The top 10 are holding pretty strong in order. The rest are always under scrutiny in both order and rotation of other films taking over.

      1. Die Hard (1987)
      2. Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (2012)
      3. The Last Dragon (1985)
      4. Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
      5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
      6. The Goonies (1985)
      7. The Private Eyes (1980)
      8. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
      9. The Shining (1980)
      10. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
      11. Nobody's Fool (1994)
      12. Upstream Color (2013)
      13. Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
      14. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
      15. Smoke (1995)
      16. Krush Groove (1985)
      17. Chameleon Street (1989
      18. Do the Right Thing (1990)
      19. Thick as Thieves (1999)
      20. Foxfur (2012)
      21. The Burbs (1989)

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    11. My siblings and I watched The Private Eyes religiously when we were kids.

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    12. Sorry, got to participate. Feel like I'm saying "Hey, look at me!" but what are you gonna do. Here is my:

      20. Pennies from Heaven (1981)
      19. The Holy Mountain (1973)
      18. Ichi the Killer (2001)
      17. School of the Holy Beast (1974)
      16. American Psycho (2000)
      15. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
      14. The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
      13. Southland Tales (2006)
      12. Mulholland Drive (2001)
      11. The Shining (1980)
      10. Suicide Club (2001)
      09. Metta Meta Gakido Koza (1971)
      08. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
      07. Hausu (1977)
      06. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
      05. Raising Arizona (1987)
      04. Project A'ko (1986)
      03. Forbidden Zone (1980)
      02. Buffalo '66 (1998)
      01. The Woman Chaser (1999)

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    13. Nice! My younger brother and I as well. I still watch it as much as I can I still absolutely love it. The "eating peaches" scene is one of my favs and still crack up every time.

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    14. ...and the messenger pigeons, I mean, c'mon! If I had to do a top 11 Comedy list, in no order it would include:
      The Private Eyes
      The Burbs
      Safe Men
      Get Shorty
      Strange Brew
      Best In Show
      Clueless
      The Ten
      Mr. Mom
      Thick as Thieves
      The Golden Child

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    15. Whenever I think about that movie the first image that pops into my head is of Wood Harris wearing a long prosthetic rubber nose, arguing with Amy Poehler.

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    16. That's a great list, E.S.A.D.D!

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    17. We crossed over with The Shining and Synecdoche... based off this small sample, it looks like The Shining is the most universally well-regarded movie by F-Heads.

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    18. Aguirre is one of my favorite movies of all time. Maybe because it was my first exploration of non-English film, or maybe because it is a really great movie.

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    19. standing in horse nears. I was in the yard.

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    20. HELL YES! "Btw, you're standing in bull ka-ka".

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    21. no wonder santa came around last year. Do you hear a bowling ally ?

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    22. In all honesty Chaybee I've always thought you were a Wokalar! Respect.

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    23. I'll suck the brain right out of your head, Mouse Dog.

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    24. didn't you get my pigeon? Wait what time is it ....fuck that hurt!

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    25. Time gun was always my shit. Even as a kid I thought that was friggin insane.

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    26. You know what we are? To idiots who's gonna leave their mark.

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    28. Chaybee, Final Cut: Ladies snd Gentlemen is one of the most amazingly edited movies ever. Glad to see some love for it.

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    29. Kino, I've been pushing that film on here forever trying to get people to see it. I mean Hell, it's my second favorite movie of all time. It's a freaking masterpiece. If anyone has the bok/dvd and is willing to sell it, please let me know. I contacted the distributor at one point and it was really hard to communicate with the language barrier and they wanted a wire transfer instead of PayPal so I never was able to go through with it.

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    30. That film feels like such a product of internet mash-up culture that it had never even occurred to me that there could be physical copies of it.

      Might be skeevy but I think burning your own disc might be your best option :(

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    31. The lack of Evil Dead on those lists is making my stomach kinda Queezy :(

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    32. The lack of Evil Dead on those lists is making my stomach kinda Queezy :(

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    33. I guess I'll have to participate as well. Here's my top 50, which I painstakingly made a while ago and just now made a few modifications.

      1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
      2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
      3. Fight Club (1999)
      4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
      5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
      6. The Matrix (1999)
      7. Amélie (2001)
      8. Cloud Atlas (2012)
      9. Ed Wood (1994)
      10. Life of Brian (1979)
      11. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
      12. Alien (1979)
      13. Memento (2000)
      14. Die Hard (1988)
      15. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
      16. The Social Network (2010)
      17. The Blues Brothers (1980)
      18. The Prestige (2006)
      19. Rear Window (1954)
      20. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
      21. 12 Angry Men (1957)
      22. Back to the Future (1985)
      23. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
      24. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
      25. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
      26. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
      27. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
      28. The Avengers (2012)
      29. In Bruges (2008)
      30. Seven (1995)
      31. Black Swan (2010)
      32. Stoker (2013)
      33. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
      34. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
      35. Vertigo (1958)
      36. Inside Out (2015)
      37. The Shining (1980)
      38. Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)
      39. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
      40. Wall•E (2008)
      41. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
      42. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
      43. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
      44. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
      45. Clerks (1994)
      46. Kaasua, komisario Palmu! (1961)
      47. Modern Times (1936)
      48. Jurassic Park (1993)
      49. The Invisible Man (1933)
      50. The Exorcist (1973)

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    34. Not in any particular order:

      1. T2: Judgement Day

      Saw this in the theater with my Dad when I was 12. Hard to be impressed by modern big budget, special effects heavy block busters when T2 did it better almost 25 years ago.

      2. Amadeus

      The two lead performances make this movie for me. Another great 1984 movie which I'll likely watch right after the marathon.

      3. Phantom of the Paradise

      My brother gave me a 12 inch Phantom action figure and a Beef t-shirt. We're both quite fond of this movie.

      4. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

      Eli Wallach steals the show as Tuco.

      5. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

      Used to be on TV all the time when I was a kid. Wasn't until after the first dozen times seeing it, that I realized I wasn't just enjoying it ironically.

      6. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

      My mom let me, my brother, and my sister watch this opening day instead of going to school. Love Raiders, but the interplay between Ford and Connery makes this my favorite of the series.

      7. Bubba Ho-Tep

      Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, and adapted from a Joe R. Lansdale story. Interesting things to think about in terms of how we treat the elderly.

      8. Reservoir Dogs

      Not Tarantino's "best" but my favorite. Maybe because of the rough edges and the fact that he has to rely so heavily on the performances of the cast.

      9. Shallow Grave

      Again, not the "best" Danny Boyle movie (whom I have a lot of respect for because he almost never repeats genres), but the roughness of it, along with Eccleston, and McGregor together at the start of their careers... really enjoy this one.

      10. Inception

      Half of Nolan's movies would be perfectly at home on this list, but I think Inception is the most ambitious and for the most part he nails it.

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  2. So did anyone get a chance to see Big Game yet? As the representative of Finland on this site, I'm curious to hear opinions on the movie.

    I just recently saw it a second time and it still works for me. It's just stupid fun, which is exactly what it wants to be. But maybe I'm just willing myself to like it, I've read some really bad reviews.

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    1. I LOVED Big Game. i wouldn't call it stupid. While it was a little predictable it was so well made I didn't mind. Some of the shots such as the villain falling from the plane were among the most beautiful in recent memory. And Samuel Jackson is a national treasure. This movie made me want to visit Finland.

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    2. I loved Big Game too. I think the bad reviews came from people who thought they were going to be getting another Air Force One. Instead it turned out to be an action movie for kids! But, it's a legit 'action movie for kids', not the silly 3 Ninjas/Agent Cody Banks style kids adventure movies they usually give them. It's a super fun premise, the kid was a badass, it was cool that Sam J. was a straight up wimp who truly needed the kid to save him, and Ray Stevenson was great as always. And on top of everything, it ends up being fucking uplifting! I was very impressed, especially since I don't like Rare Exports.

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  3. Maybe I was just in the right mood, but I found "Freaks of Nature" to be pretty fuckin' funny and that's from the guy who hates Horror Comedies.

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  4. Just saw the Revenant...and it's fuckin great. If Leo doesn't win the Oscar, I feel like he might freak out. "What the fuck do I have to do?" is what he'll scream while running around the Academy Awards naked. I saw Backcountry. I haven't heard anyone talking about it. It's really good and has a bear scene that is absolutely terrifying. I would say it's better than the Revenant's. The Editor was so good. I think it's top five good. I kind of want to watch it over and over again.

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    1. No doubt, that bear in Backcountry was so great! I loved how that film played out.

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    2. Melissa and I talked about Backcountry on the show last week. I didn't like it as much as her, but that bear scene is HOLY SHIT.

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    3. You totally did and I'm ashamed. Anyway, I thought the way it started was great. I felt the tension immediately. It was just a lot better than I expected it to be. I showed this to my wife so she would never ask me to go camping ever.

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    4. Cheers to the no camping clique! No chance you'll get my ass in a tent all hiking and whatever. You think when early settlers figured out how to build homes they were like "fuck it, I still want to sleep outside sometimes" - hell no!

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    5. I did. I wasn't crazy about it. What really killed me about it was that they went full on Comedy and had they played it straight and made the Giallo it would have been freaking perfect. They had the aesthetic and everything dead on, they just made it too obvious of a parody in my opinion.

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    6. I laughed a lot...by myself. I get it, though. If you're not all-in with the comedy and looking for it to be straight, I can see it being disappointing. I don't know how you could do it straight. Giallos are insane and rarely make any sense. I'm not quite there in totally digging Italian horror. I watched The Bird with the Crystal Plumage before it and was super bored. I don't think you need to know the genre to love it either. It's pretty bonkers. I think I remember Patrick liking it as well.

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  5. Went and did a tour of Kualoa Ranch today, which is a place on Oahu where a large portion of Jurassic Park was filmed. Got to actually lay underneath the fallen tree where Dr. Grant and the kids spotted the running heard as well see a number of movies filming locations.. Saw some super secret props from Skull Island. By super secret I mean I peaked under a tarp...nothing earth shattering to report. Was cool to walk in the shadow of Dinosaurs. Now let the Jurassic movie marathon begin! Yes even 2 & 3 (and 4 depending on your POV).

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    1. Sounds awesome! I remember thinking JP3 was an improvement over 2, but I fear I'm sorely mistaken.

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    2. Agreed! I think Sam Neill just makes everything better. He even has me returning to the Omen 3: The Final Conflict (not a good movie). Dare I mention the best space horror Event Horizon. Please everyone let me know what's better. Alien and Sunshine don't qualify.

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  6. I'm watching The Manipulator (1971) right now. Mickey Rooney has been torturing a young actress for the entire runtime. Rooney is committed to a frightening degree. Photography and editing are of the expelrimental psychedelic variety. A climactic sequence is playing out with the imprisoned protagonist surrounded by a string quartet and more hanging sides of beef than the Rocky franchise could ever imagine. Oh god, I feel like I'm dreaming this fucking movie. I genuinely like almost the entire batshit score.

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    1. The Manipulator is such a cool movie! Rooney is so whacked in it. I think he brought some personal demons to that role. I love the vibe of the movie; it seems of a piece with stuff like Death Game and Messiah of Evil to me.

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    2. So true. It's tempting to laugh off Rooney at first, but he absolutely possesses his character seemingly without much of a script.

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  7. Chicago F-heads - what do you think of the new Tortoise album? I've been listening to it a bit over the weekend and I think it's decent. Not as good as older stuff but the fact they are still recording is awesome and John McEntire is an engineering genius.

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    1. Can't hear you, too busy listening to Veruca Salt.

      In all honesty, haven't checked it out yet, but planning on doing so.

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  8. In honor of this year's F! This Movie Fest, Here are my Top Ten of 1984:
    1 Ghostbuster
    2 Gremlins
    3 Friday the 13th Final Chapter
    4 A Nightmare on Elm Street
    5 Beverly Hills Cop
    6 The Natural
    7 Sixteen Candles
    8 This is Spinal Tap
    9 Police Academy
    10 Footloose

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