Saturday, May 27, 2017

Weekend Open Thread

Time is almost up. This is your last chance for pie.

Junesploitation starts this week, so the weekend might be your one of your last opportunities to watch something...normal? What's everyone checking out over this holiday weekend (for those of you in the States)? What does everything think of the new Twin Peaks? How is everyone getting ready for Junesploitation?

If you haven't already, check out the brand new Daily Dead podcast Corpse Club, featuring me, Heather Wixson, writer and friend of the site Scott Drebit as well as DD editor-in-chief Jonathan James and Derek Smith. Hope you like it!

78 comments:

  1. Starting Thursday, I'm watching absolutely no horror/sci-fi/action movies at all. That's tough for me, but I'm going to be pumped and ready for June 1st! That being said, I've actually watched some really good stuff.

    WIN IT ALL - Netflix original starring Jake Johnson as a loser gambling addict who tries to pull his life together. I really loved this one, it's absolutely delightful. I have a whole new respect for Johnson as an actor.

    THE HOLLARS - John Krasinki directed film about a family going through the mother having a brain tumor. It's the typically "indie movie" in pretty much every way, but I fell for it. It's really sweet and it got me emotional. Family stuff just gets me. The cast is also incredible which helps big time. And Anna Kendrick is still the cutest thing.

    ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL - A rewatch for me and I still love it. I love all the weird and crazy choices it makes. I could defend it all day long, but I know most people here hate it and that's fine. It just works for me. I think it's special.

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  2. Holy schnikes, there's a new horror podcast with Heather and Patrick?!

    Subscribed, and downloading the first episode right now. This is genuinely exciting.

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  3. Got an early start watching some Junesploitation! picks considering I'd probably change my mind on a dozen of my initial choices and/or get better recommendations from other commenters.

    Forbidden World (1982, dir. Allan Holzman) - Lean and mean (77min) trashy Alien ripoff, featuring stilted acting, cheesy synths, gratuitous nudity, and stomach-churning shoestring effects. In short, ideal Junesploitation! fodder. Its up on YouTube for those interested.

    Red Heat (1988, dir. Walter Hill) - Definitely lesser Hill. Take one part subdued Schwarzenegger, two parts irritating Jim Belushi banter, then shake with rehashed story beats from 48 HRS (1982). Not much fun to be had, so I know I'll have to do one better for 80s Action!

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    1. I've gotten a head start too! Not going to be able to watch many days in the coming days, but I'll be damned if I don't watch my 30 movies.

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    2. Me too. Work is going to keep me from watching a Junesploitation! movie per day, but I've started seeing some so I can stack 'em up and review them on their proper day. Because LOOPHOLESPLOITATION! is a beautiful thing. :-)

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  4. This week I haven't watched many flicks because I'v been watching a lot of TV. Finished watching the original Twin Peaks for the first time last weekend. I liked it a lot but aside from the last episode that back half of season 2 was a whole lotta nothing really. Super-strength Nadine? Civil War Ben? Wtf, and not in the cool David Lynch version of wtf. I then watched Fire Walk with Me. I really loved it because I am much more a David Lynch fan than a Twin Peaks fan, but if you went in expecting wacky quirk I could understand the dissapointment. Then I watched the first 4 episodes of the new series. Gee whiz! I'm not quite sure what on earth they were but they were certainly something. Wally motherfucking Brando.
    Btw I would love some recommendations for the Sybil Danning day in Junesploitation.

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    1. Reform School Girls (1986) is a Sybil Danning movie that in on Youtube. I haven't seen it (yet).

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    2. They're Playing with Fire is also on YouTube, that's where I watched it during last year's Junesploitation.

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    3. I'll have some Sybil recs when we get to that week's I Stream, You Stream, but both of the previous mentions are good. TPWF is PEAK Sybil.

      Still trying to decide how I feel about Wally Brando.

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    4. Chained Heat (1983) or Howling II (1985) are good Sybil Danning picks in a Junesploitation sort of way. Chained Heat even has a Savage Streets preunion with Linda Blair and John "Go Fuck An Iceberg" Vernon.

      The first episodes of Twin Peaks have been great. Everything seems to be moving at a very deliberate pace. It feels like Showtime just gave Lynch the budget Netflix-style and let him Lynch-out all over the place with zero interference. And yes, Wally Motherfucking Brando indeed.

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  5. Finally got to LOGAN, which I loved. Can't believe a major studio allowed that to be made.

    Anyone wanna geek out about TWIN PEAKS? I'm really into it so far. The third episode alone is worth the entire endeavor for me.

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    1. Is it you can't believe it bc of the violence?

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    2. The twin peaks return is maybe the Lynchiest Lynch yet.

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    3. Meredith, the fascinating part to me is that this movie exists in the same universe as the other X-Men movies. Such a dramatic tonal shift from the others.

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    4. The first four episodes of the return of Twin Peaks is everything a Lynch fan (and TP fan) could have asked for! Seriously, my mind was blown. I rewatched episodes 3 and 4 last night as I couldn't stop thinking about it all week. Lynch is masterfully taking us along for the ride of Coop's journey out of the Black Lodge, while sprinkling in bits and pieces of new developments and another murder that we know little about as of now. The references to TP and, excitingly, Fire Walk With Me made me the happiest Lynch fan on the planet last Sunday night. I remember Lynch or Frost saying something like this new season with be loved by the die hard fans and will be accessible to people new to the show. I find the latter to be entirely untrue. I know a few people that tried to binge watch the first two seasons to prepare for this new one, and they checked out an hour in to Episodes 1 and 2. I think I can honestly say this was the best four hours of TV I have ever seen although I remember being completely blown away by the season 2 finale when it aired so maybe time has just worn on me because that is probably the best hour of TV I ever saw back then.

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    5. I absolutely loved Logan, and wouldn't mind more superhero movies that feel like they were made for grownups. Logan's first scene with Charles is genuinely painful to watch because of the bitterness of the dialogue.

      I didn't see the original Twin Peaks and I'm probably not going to see the new one. I feel that I would have to go back to the very beginning, and that's too daunting a prospect. I hope it turns out to be good for you guys. I was burned by the recent revival of The X-Files. With the exception of the Rhys ("We're werewolves, not swearwolves") Darby episode, I thought it was awful.

      What's with the fad for bringing back old shows that earned their place in television history? Allow these things to rest. (Checks watch to see how long it is until Doctor Who starts)

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    6. Nonny, Twin Peaks did end with a big hint that something significant would happen 25 years later, so the revival does make sense.

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    7. I don't think I've liked a single TV reboot before TP. After being excited for the X-Files reboot and then extremely disappointed, I kept my expectations for TP low even though Lynch can do no wrong. I think I agree with Chaybee that this might be some of the best TV ever. I rewatched season 1 before the reboot, but I really want to watch it again now.

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    8. Chaybee, I rewatched the show leading up to the new season but I'm positive there's stuff I'm missing. I may depend on you to keep a running tally of all the references.

      I'm digesting the change in tone from 1/2 to 3/4, which is way sillier. I watched 1/2 twice because it was so good; maybe I need to do the same with 3/4. Sara Paxton! Also I'm being impatient because I'm ready for Cooper to be Cooper.

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    9. You got it, Patrick! I'm on it. I loved seeing Sara Paxton! I wish she had a bigger role (maybe she will?). I think we're there with Coop getting ready to be Coop - the Coffee most likely "woke him up". Just a reminder - references to the ring, the blue rose and Phillip Jefferies are all from Fire Walk With Me, not Twin Peaks the show. At least not that I can remember.

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    10. Oh and, Meg Foster's cameo too!

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    11. Ok, good. Those I caught, only because I just rewatched Fire Walk With Me. Otherwise the blue rose thing would for sure have gone right over my head.

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    12. Time will tell whether or not Twin Peaks will ultimately add up to anything but Lynch is one of my top 5 favorite directors so right now I'm just happy to be getting this many hours of new Lynch content. I've been watching it through the Showtime channel on Amazon Prime and that X-ray function (click on it and it gives you a sidebar with the name of the actors on screen and the names of their characters) was pretty handy when I wasn't sure if I was supposed to recognize a particular character or not.

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  6. If anyone is looking for a Kung Fu day movie, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is on Amazon Prime. Can't recommend it enough. The story and fighting are awesome (most of the fighting is done with poles and spears), it gets quite gory (for this type of movie) at time, and the ending sequence is as fun as creative as the Shaw Brothers have ever gotten.

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  7. Definitely adding Eight Diagram Pole Fighter to my watch list (thanks, Paul!).

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    1. Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is awesome. I'm bummed because I just watched Ambitious Kung Fu Girl on El Rey and loved it so now I want to own it but there are no copies to be had, not even digitally.

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  8. Had a little Junesploitation primer with a first watch of Turbo Kid. As everyone's who's seen it, it's a magical little movie.

    The actual Junesploitation list is being worked and re-worked with content I can't possibly fit into an entire month, but that's half the fun. Sprinkled with old and new movies and first time and repeat viewings. Here's to another fun month. Thank you Patrick, the FTM crew and and all you F-Heads.

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  9. I've been gently getting in the Junesploitation mood with Sleepaway Camp, The Arrival (no, not Arrival, The Arrival) and Andy Sidaris's Savage Beach.

    Sleepaway Camp was hilarious as always. The Arrival is a movie I remember loving at age 14 but hadn't seen since. It's a pretty generic alien invasion/infiltration plot but has its moments. For some reason, the image of the aliens' backwards-bending knees has stayed with me all these years. Plus there's a pretty good cast (Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Crouse, Ron Silver, Richard Schiff, Teri Polo). Savage Beach was exactly what all Sidaris movies are, no more and no less. Sometimes it's just nice to watch something stupid.

    Another Charlie Sheen movie I remember fondly but haven't seen in 20 years, the biker movie Beyond the Law, is scheduled for Junesploitation.

    I like binge-watching TV shows, so I'm trying to resist the temptation to watch the new Twin Peaks until the whole season is out. It's not gonna be easy.

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  10. Nap time! Excepting to fall asleep almost immediately, I chose a movie I didn't care to see, and snuggled into my pillow on the couch.

    Jackass: The Movie (2002), however, ended being kind of entertaining. It constantly veered between being outright stupid, to quite honestly funny. It's not even a movie, but rather a collection of stunts and skits.

    I can see why many would dismiss it, but you could argue on the other hand that physical comedy has been around since long before movie criticism existed. It was mostly them crashing into stuff that had me giggling the most. (The bit with Henry Rollins was great too. "This was designed to fuck you up!")

    But I stayed awake, missed my whole nap time, and strangely am compelled to watch Jackass 2.

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    1. Naps are the best.

      I'm sorry, I meant to say Doctor Who is the best.

      You guys can have your log ladies and damn fine cherry pies; I've got a motherfu~king Time Lord!

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    2. Paul, I would say Jackass 2 is the best one, you should watch all of them though, they all have great moments. Few things on this planet have made me laugh as hard as the Jackass movies.

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  11. Beyond the Gates was pretty awesome. I want to watch it again though because I feel like I missed some key details as I was watching it at 2 in the morning after a long week at work.

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  12. I watched The World's End. I think it might be my favourite of the Cornetto trilogy. I notice new things every time I see it. On this occasion it was Peter running off and returning with a tree branch that he uses to beat his already vanquished school bully; a reference, I think, to a famous scene from an episode of Fawlty Towers.

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    1. It is indeed an homage to that scene, they mention it on the commentary, I believe.

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  13. I listened to Ep 1 of Corpse Club. I've always wanted a weekly horror podcast with Heather (and even better that Patrick is there too) so it's something of a dream come true.

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  14. Tonight I was really lucky to see Hardware on 35mm with the one and only Richard Stanley present, I got to chat with him for 15 minutes outside, what an amazing guy, his first time in Britain for ten years so it was a real privilege to meet him, a genuine amazing person, we need more people like this, I love his crazy view of the world

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    1. Anything new going on with him? He was at Night Visions in Helsinki in 2015, and he said he was working on adapting Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space. Is that still happening?

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    2. I asked about that, he's struggling with the rights but he's working on some things on the Rio Grande Mexican border crossing type movie, he did not give too much away

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  15. thid morning i was feeling silly, so i watched Naked Gun and Airplane back to back

    in the afternoon, i watched the beautiful, oscar winner, Ida from director Pawel Pawlikowski. it's a slow movie, more about mood, but at 80 minutes, it never feel too long.

    then i watched an old classic, The Crow, with a friend. we both really like that movie and it's been a very long time since we've seen it.

    to finish the night, Cops Vs Thugs by Kinji Fukasaku that was just released by Arrow (i love me some Arrow). maybe more known in north america for Battle Royale, the guy made a few really great yakuza movies that were more grounded in reality than romanticized like, for example, The Godfather. you guys should really watch his series Battles Without Honor and Humanity.

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    1. Oh and doctor who continue to be awesome

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    2. My enthusiasm for the show has been on a slow decline since David Tennant and Russell T Davies left. I was never a fan of Matt Smith's Doctor, and while Capaldi was a better fit for the role, he wasn't served by the writing, "Heaven Sent" being one of a few exceptions (that episode was extraordinary). The latest series has been terrific thus far. I've warmed to Nardole, and Pearl Mackie's Bill is becoming my favourite post-Rose Tyler companion. "The Pyramid at the End of the World" started slow, with a lot of standing about, but by the end the tension was through the roof. Bill's motivations in the final five minutes were completely believable.

      And we still have Mondassian Cybermen to come. I'm going to miss Capaldi, and hope Mackie sticks around.

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    3. i've liked all the seasons, to different degrees. also liked all the doctors. yes, Tennant was the best, but all the other ones were more than fine to me.

      i like Nardole, it changes things from the lone female human companion. and Bill is great too.

      can't wait ti see what will happen for the rest of the season. though i'm more of a fan of the stand-alone episodes, what's going on right now is pretty cool

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  16. I watched Baywatch and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean. Baywatch felt like it gave up on even trying to be funny halfway through, but considering the lengthy "joke" early on where the comic relief guy gets his dick stuck maybe they were better off not even making the attempt at humor. Also while all the guys get something that at least passes for a character arc, none of the women do. Pirates was just bland and I can't even come up wjth anything to say about it.

    I also watched Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans on Prime and enjoyed it. It's an interesting look at McQueen doing a passion project at the height of his career and all the things that went wrong (including the lack of a script).

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    1. Have you seen the movie he made from it, Le Mans? It's pretty good

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    2. Yeah, it's a good movie. I think I have even more appreciation for it now given how it was made.

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    3. The only funny thing in Baywatch is The Rock's stonefaced lack of understanding every time someone tells him that lifeguards aren't cops. The rest seems to just be a prank played on some usually entertaining or charismatic performers by giving them absolutely nothing to work with or do and watching them flounder.

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  17. Watched Sudden Death (1995) for the first time last night to fulfill my dosage of Van Damme and to commemorate the memory of the late great Powers Boothe.

    Key takeaways: (a) the mascot fight and Boothe's performance were the definite highlights; and (b) there's preposterous filmmaking, and then there's Peter Hyams filmmaking.

    Now I need to find another 90's Action! selection - Rapid Fire (1992) with Brandon Lee might be the way to go.

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    1. Just after posting this comment I realized Powers Boothe also stars in Rapid Fire - serendipitous selection!

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    2. The scene with the "choppa" is really climatic. I love this movie.
      As sure as the junkies come back for more of that sweet H, I doubt your dosage of JCVD has been fulfilled!

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  18. Is Cronenberg's The Brood a "Killer Kids" movie?

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  19. I think my mind has entered a new dimension in time and space, my brain has definitely been twisted, I've been listening to too much Chaybee and it is affecting the whole space time continuum around me

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    1. Sweet! Thanks, I think?! :-)

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    2. I don't even think of it as an album anymore, it's a mind bending trip into another dimension

      It's really great, I get lost while listening to it, It getting better each time I listen

      Big respect to ya

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    3. Whoa, man. That is an amazing compliment and means the world to me, Dennis. Much love!

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  20. Hey Patrick, re: the DD podcast CC, Is there a way to get notifications or subscribe to this so I know when new episodes are available?

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    1. I don't know about Google Play and SoundCloud, but the new podcast is available on iTunes. You can subscribe to it there and set it to download new episodes automatically.

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    2. I was able to subscribe to it using Podcast Addict on Android too.

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  21. The movie is wonderful. I'm going to see it with my family, thank you for sharing this information with us

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    1. I enjoyed it too. What did you think about the scene with the nuns and the duck-billed platypus? I thought it was overplayed and not really suitable for a PG movie.

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    2. Both the nuns and the platypus were too hot for that scene to work.

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    3. The decision to CGI in a young Richard Dreyfuss was confusing.

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    4. The documentary 'Room 239' explains the inclusion of Dreyfuss. There's a lot of leftist nonsense, but once you get past that, everything you see is the absolute, unvarnished truth.

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    5. #PrisonPlanet

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  22. I put together a list of Alien! movies for day one if anyone is looking for an index. Let me know if you watch one of them!

    http://www.imdb.com/list/ls069814081/?publish=save

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    1. I have a list of five possible choices for day one, none of which are featured on your list... :)

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    2. I didn't mean to shit on your list btw. That's a great list and my choices were a little on the obscure side on purpose.

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    3. I actually think that's great! It's not a comprehensive list. It's just a mix of ones that I've seen and some that looked interesting.

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    4. I checked but i knew you would not let me down :)

      June 1st Xtro day

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    5. I want to see Xtro so bad but DAMN that's a hard movie to get ahold of.

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    6. The German bluray is out next month and heres an exclusive I got direct from the Producer himself they are dealing with Second Sight now and there will be a UK release in the future which might be easier to get but unfortunately no US release will be coming as Warner own the rights and we all know the score there! Very frustrating
      They did contact Warner but with no success :(

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    7. Great list - I forgot about critters!

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  23. Can't believe a year has passed since the last Junesploitation! I can't see myself having time for watching movies in the near future, but wanted to acknowledge that it's so cool Patrick and FTM have more women writing for the site now! That is very very cool.

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  24. I love it when the NYC repertory theaters schedule exploitation-style movies just in time for my Junesploitation! needs, especially when they're 35mm screenings. Stuff like Hammer's "Twins of Evil" (which will mark my first visit ever to the Brooklyn branch of Alamo Drafthouse), Sam Elliott's "Shakedown" (Mustachesploitation!), "Dragonslayer," Tod Browning's little-seen 1936 opus "The Devil-Doll," and many more. Did I mention I love this town? :D

    And damn my work schedule, I won't be able to attend Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema 35mm screening Thursday June 15th of "Xtro," which I still haven't seen (NOOOO!). :'( If you're in the Tri-State area and want to come over, though, feel free to reserve a ticket now as this monthly 'The Deuce' screenings usually sell out.

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    1. Holy shit I wish i could be there for that!

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    2. Did I mention I love this town? :D

      I believe Ernie Hudson was speaking for all New Yorkers when he expressed this sentiment.

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