THE DANMAN CAN

Greetings, Weirdos! This month on the pod  Uncle Spooky ,  Demented Danman , and  Lil Spooky  dive deep into one of the most powerful elements of filmmaking—the music. From chilling scores to iconic soundtracks, tune in as they explore how music shapes what we feel, see, and remember on screen. It’s all about the sounds that make the cinema magic happen. Listen to  Weirdo Wednesday Podcast : Episode Six  here . Let us know what topics/films you'd like to hear us talk about!  Follow us  on your favorite streaming platform and on  Instagram . We love feedback and positive reviews too. Don't forget that WW takes place every Wednesday evening at  Cinema Salem  in Salem, MA at 7:30 PM (tickets here ). The final summer WW at  The Owl Theatre  in Lowell, MA takes place 8/27/25 at 7:30 PM (tickets here ). Stay tuned for fall dates in Lowell TBA. Come get Weird with us in both Salem and Lowell! WW Podc...

Roy Ward Baker 's Asylum (1972) is a fun  Amicus  horror anthology written by  Psycho  (1960) scribe Robert Bloch . It's not as good as  Tales From The Crypt   ( review ), released by the production company  the same year, but all four stories are good and the cast is excellent. Roy Ward Baker Feature Films Ranked

Honey Don't!   (2025), the second in  Ethan Coen  and Tricia Cooke 's "lesbian B movie trilogy" (following 2024's  Drive-Away Dolls   [ review ]) again stars  Margaret Qualley  and throws Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans into the mix for a nice trifecta ( Charlie Day  is also pretty funny). This neo-noir comedy gives off definite  The Big Lebowski   (1998) [ review ] vibes at times, but I'm also reminded of  Elmore Leonard . I liked the film slightly more than its predecessor (which I also thought was a lot of fun). "The Pharisees were macaroni."

Few other films deal with the awkwardness of being nerdy in junior high in the way that  Welcome To The Dollhouse   (1995) does. And I mean truly nerdy, not the "chic nerdy" that's in fashion these days.  Todd Solondz  never shies away from the hopelessness, the cruelty, or the misery, but it's all in the service of absurd comedy. Yet there is at all times a level of reality that any outsider can relate to. This is perhaps most evident in the way all the characters casually throw around the words "faggot" and "retard," a very common occurrence in the '90s. There's also the pecking order—even our hero Dawn Wiener, endlessly tortured, teased, and tattled on (in addition to being neglected by her parents), lashes out at those "beneath" her when the opportunity presents itself. The influence of  John Waters  on WTTD is evident. While much more in line with that director's "safer" output, it operates on the same waveleng...

"Hang on tightly, let go lightly." "The world breaks everyone. And afterwards, many are strong at the broken places." Mike Hodges Feature Films Ranked

I know that  The Good, The Bad And The Ugly   (1966) is widely regarded as the best of the  Dollars Trilogy  (as well as  Sergio Leone 's best film) and  should  be my favorite, but it's not and never has been. That honor goes to  For A Few Dollars More   (1965) ( review ). I think  TGTBATU  is an excellent film, features some of the best moments of the series (particularly the final standoff, which is one of the all-time great moments of cinema), and deserves all the praise it gets, but it just doesn't hit me the same way the seco nd film does. One of my favorites things about this series is  Clint Eastwood ’s mannerisms, which he maintains throughout all three films, centering around his signature cigars—the chomp, slight roll, and spitting out little bits (not that I endorse smoking).  Lee Van Cleef  is great as the baddie, Angel Eyes, but I still enjoy his character Mortimer from   FAFDM  more....

Danger: Diabolik (1968) is a film that I love to eternity. It's earned a place on my Top 100 Films  list more than once.  Based on the popular fumetti (Italian comics) created in 1962 , Mario Bava 's film is a perfect cinematic representation of a comic (instead of the superhero dreck that has clogged cinemas for well over a decade)—it's literally a comic book come to life. It's ludicrous, it's whacked-out, it's playful, and it's F-U-N, fun—even hilarious at times (I frequently find myself laughing out loud). Diabolik is campy in the way that the Batman (1966–68) television series was, but it’s never corny like the latter (though I do love that series) and it has loads more super sexy '60s style. John Phillip Law plays the titular character—picture James Bond as a super villain (he even has a deliciously devious laugh) and instead of being a playboy he's actually in a monogamous relationship!  There's another connection to the Bond films ...