THE DANMAN CAN

"He bugged me." Chris Walas ' The Fly II   (1989) was never going to be able to match the beauty of its predecessor [ review ], but it's a very solid sequel and a helluva monster movie, with good performances by Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga , a strong score by Christopher Young , and exceptional/disturbing effects/creatures. "I had to give it up; it cost me an arm and a leg."

"Cheeseburger." Horror, humor, drama, science fiction, and tragedy all blend together to near perfection in  David Cronenberg 's The Fly  (1986), celebrating its 40th anniversary in just a few weeks. With its disgusting, gooey, and amazing practical effects (courtesy of Oscar winner Chris Walas ), plenty of quotable dialogue, affecting performances by Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis , a moving score by  Howard Shore , and more,  The Fly  is an all-time genre classic. "Spicy eggplant, champagne." If you'd like to hear to  Uncle Spooky , Lil Spooky , and myself talk about Cronenberg, take a listen to  Episode Twelve of the Weirdo Wednesday Podcast . David Cronenberg Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors The Danman Top 100 Films (2024 Edition) Top 10 Horror Films

"What's the matter with you?! You wanna spend the rest of your life living out of a shopping cart?! We could be on top again. We could be drinking champagne instead of Night Train."

"Here's my card. Johnny Tremaine's the name. Making rock stars is this man's game. You know, I think I see real talent. I almost even see Led Zep. You know, I think I could do for you girls what God did for mankind."

To celebrate his centennial, I decided to watch the only  Mel Brooks  movie that I hadn't seen, 1991's Life Stinks .  Trading Places (1983) [ review ] took a similar idea and did it much better.  LS is an uneven film with underdeveloped ideas and characters. It's easy to see why it's his least regarded picture, but there are some good, funny (if non sequituresque) bits in it regardless, and Lesley Ann Warren is charming. Mel Brooks Films Ranked

Siege (aka Self Defense ) (1983) is a taut and lean, mean and downbeat thriller. A simple and singular picture with a gritty realism and an eerie synth score, Siege is a cool little Canadian genre gem. Recommended for fans of Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) [ review ], Vigilante (1982) [ review ], and Green Room (2015) [ review ].

Carl Reiner 's Summer Rental (1985) is light on plot but full of lighthearted fun, with plenty of laughs from the always lovable John Candy  (and Richard Crenna makes a great foil). Carl Reiner Films Ranked

I'm me babe I'm free babe Peter Weir Feature Films Ranked

"Hendra, we might be the first ones who dared to kiss among all these skulls." "My hunch is that you are a very dangerous human being." "You're an amazing girl, Cathy. Even in a state of pain you can still smile." "I will only borrow your head to perfect my knowledge."

Here's the latest video I created to celebrate the continuing saga of Freakout Friday  (presented by  Weirdo Wednesday ) at The Owl Theatre , Middlesex Community College in Lowell, MA. Subscribe to the Weirdo Wednesday Podcast on your favorite streaming platform and follow us on Instagram for updates! Dates for our summer screenings are below! WW/FF Videos by Demented Danman WW Logo by Iris Miller FF Owl Poster by Lil Spooky

Cutting Class (1989) is a tame, goofy, incredibly random, and hilarious slasher. A lot of fun with a game audience. "I'm the custodian of your fucking destiny."

Freeway (1996), Matthew Bright ’s darkly hilarious take on Little Red Riding Hood , treads in similar ground to other scuzzy ‘90s crime films, but it does a commendable job of subverting expectations a number of times.  At only 19, Reese Witherspoon is as good here as she is in 1999's Election [ review ] and really leaves an impression. Kiefer Sutherland takes a bit of a backseat to Witherspoon, screen time-wise, but is perfectly sinister as a pedo predator. Brittany Murphy , in a smaller role, is as awkward, weird, and charming as she was in the following year’s Drive [ review ]. Danny Elfman 's score is a fun one, before he started churning out bland sonic wallpaper.  I love the genre-mashing happening in this trash odyssey—it dabbles in street drama, serial killer psychological horror, women’s prison picture, and road movie, all while maintaining a blackly comic sense of humor (featuring some amazingly inappropriate dialogue). The film takes a little bit of time to get...

👍 👍     Stuart Gordon Films Ranked

"I'm trying. I've only got four hands."

"To contemplate evil is to ask evil home."

"What do you want from me? I'm seven years old." Stuart Gordon Films Ranked

Turbo Kid   (2015) is an endlessly fun and funny mashup of  Mad Max  (1979) [ review ],  Escape From New York   (1981) [ review ],  Indiana Jones , BMX movies, and more featuring an impossibly adorable co-lead ( Laurence Leboeuf  as Apple), wildly creative gore gags, and a pulsing, head-bobbing synth score by  Le Matos . Rather than subvert genre tropes,  Turbo Kid  fully embraces them and never stops being a blast because of it—what it lacks in deep characters, finesse, and budget it makes up for in retro diversion and heart. If you had to live in a post-apocalyptic future, wouldn't you want to live in one this colorful and playful, with a soundtrack as great as this? (And remember: eyes, throat, genitals! )

I'd seen  Lucio Fulci 's Demonia (1990) before, more than 20 years ago, but I didn't remember much about it. I can see why—other than a few memorable gore scenes (one in particular is quite gnarly), the film is slow-moving and mostly mediocre. With more care put into the production, this one could have been great, but, as it is, it's clumsy, the acting isn't great, and the score is chintzy. Lucio Fulci Feature Films Ranked

"You, you're a gullible goose." "And you're a malicious moose." Bill Plympton Animated Feature Films Ranked

"I guess when we get born, we just all have to take our chances." Elia Kazan 's Splendor In The Grass (1961) plays like a teen-centric cross between  Tennessee Williams  (somehow even hornier) and John Steinbeck . This was a rewatch, but SITG is one of those films that still manages to be shocking and moving. The melodrama is turned up to 11 and the performances are electric. Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty  (in his feature debut) are impossibly attractive and impassioned, Kazan's direction is air tight and assured, and Boris Kaufman 's cinematography is evocative and engaging. Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; We will grieve not, rather find Strength in what remains behind Elia Kazan Feature Films Ranked