Top 10 Films of the Month

• 1. Near Dark (1987)

• No Victorian dress, no castles, no garlic. Maybe this is blasphemous to say, but these are the coolest vampires on TV. Maybe with the exception of the guys from What We Do In The Shadows. This is an excellent film with a great cast, a subpar romance, and some very gritty segments. Is Severen the coolest? Yes. By the way, how can it still be a debate for best vampire film of the 1980s between Fright Night and The Lost Boys when Near Dark exists? Its not even a question.

• 2. Pieces Of April (2003)

• Very misleading poster. Also, I'm really glad I went in knowing nothing. Id expected a mediocre teen flick but got something much better. Sure its a little weird but overall it talks about a very real festering of hostility between family members. Its a growing toxicity and the slow revelation of histories and details leads you down an unclear path. Still, while things end well in the film, it does not lie by insinuating that everythings as good as solved forever. It never is.

• 3. The Outsiders (1983)

• This was not the goofy silly fun I thought it would be for some reason. Am I ever going to read the synposis? No...Anyway, what a great character-driven film. The part where cake is eaten with beer for breakfast is too real. How things don't change.

• 4. SLC Punk (1998)

• Damn, this one was good. I usually hate monologuing and gratuitous breaking of the fourth-wall in film, but Matthew Lillard can just talk on and on and I will listen. Honestly, I only saw him in Scooby Doo and the new Twin Peaks, but he really needs to make a comeback. This is a real character movie, with people coming in and out. A real revolving door life.

• 5. Night Of The Comet (1984)

• This is quite a strange film. From the colouring tactics to make the sky look red to the independent and strong female characters not always common of the era, things are not as expected. Catherine Mary Stewart is very pretty. Fuck, man, just the mall scene alone:
  "Youre crazy!"
  "I'm not crazy, I just don't give a fuck."

• 6. Times Square (1980)

• Nicky Marotta is an absolute character. Literally everything she says is hilarious, depressing, or unhinged. The ending is a bit goofy and bad words are used but it was a vastly different time. Tim Curry is a little weirdo in this one, but always great to watch him do his thing.

• 7. Performance (1970)

• To be honest, I'm not sure if this is a good or bad film. Like, its both a masterpiece and absolute garbage. The editing is totally out of this world, it paved the way for every bizarre and mind-bending editing trick that followed. I don't get the characters at all, everyone is just very attractive, complex, and constantly exhausting their Bohemian, creative ambitions. Its such a weirdo movie, man. I kind of dig it purely for its insanity.

• 8. Heaven Help Us (1985)

• Watching a film about Catholics now, eh? I'm not actually as anti-religious as I'm sure I come off a lot, I just think every school of thought benefits from doubt. No one can believe and believe, adhere and adhere, there should be room to be concerned, uncertain. Thats not what this movie is really about, its about the true evil. The manifestation and corruption of religion into social norms and rules, which always comes with punishment.
  
  "I failed to footnote my sources."
  "Get to the sin, please."
  "Plagiarism, father."
  "Alone or with someone else? With a girl?"

• 9. Airheads (1994)

• This was such a bad movie month that I moved a film I initially thought of as disappointing to my top 10 list. I think I was kind of unfair to Airheads. It is dumb and nonsensical and almost uninteresting, but it still works. A one time watch is suggested. Maybe purely for hot long-haired Brendan Fraser, chilled out Adam Sandler, and skinny-jeans Steve Buscemi.

• 10. Friday the 13th Part II (1981)

• This is probably the last Friday the 13th movie I liked, though I'm gonna watch after Part III anyway. I still liked the final girl for this one and the teen-murders. Also funny that everyone that left just got to live. Like, its that easy.

Top 5 Disappointing Films

• 1. Blind Date (2015)/The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (2018)/The Intruder (2019)

• We start of with a trio of equally-placed losers. This is primarily because these were films watched with family friends, ones I would never watch of my own will. They were not much good. Here is a little about them briefly.
  Blind Date is a terrible romance film about a man and a woman who share an apartment wall that is very thin.
  The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch was seen with friends and family of a different generation. So, not the kind of film I'd ever pick out myself. The premise was this: Hey, youre Jewish, why dont we watch a film about Jews? Then we did, it was alright.
  The Intruder has a very creepy antagonist and nothing else going for it. Horrible editing and misplaced mumble rap and pseudo-indie trash music accompaniment.

• 2. Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

• This one totally sucked, I was checked out half the time. No, the 3D did not keep my attention sadly, though it must have been cool in theatres.

• 3. Fright Night (1985)

• I really wanted to like this film but Charlie's friends just kind of suck...The old-ass vampire making out with a teen girl, just no, thanks. Peter Vincent was interesting. If the whole movie was about him and Charlie solving vampire-crimes, I'd like it better.

• 4. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

• I really want to like this film, its not that bad. Still, most jokes dont land and this is why its not in my top ten.

• 5. Foxes (1980)

• I thought I would like this one a lot more, it has an interesting premise and Jodie Foster is great in it. Still, an adult-teen relationship ends in marriage and majority of the story is kind of senseless. I will give it to the performers though, everyone was trying their best. Except the guy that would later become a vocal Trump supporter, try to seek asylum in Canada, and also be charged with burglary and defrauding an innkeeper. Isnt that kind of batshit?

Top 10 Songs of the Month

• 1. [Get It On - T. Rex] on Electric Warrior (1971)

• Yes, the song is fantastic. However, please look at the GIF above for styling tips. Hot pink pants, silver leather jacket, and hair like that. It all makes me think: "Nevermind being with Marc Bolan, I want to be Marc Bolan!"

• 2. [Never Let You Go - Third Eye Blind] on Blue (1999)

• The 90s are still going strong around here and our number 2 is a banger. How did Third Eye Blind write all the perfect songs all the time? Get on it, NASA.

• 3. [Its Alright - Big Head Todd and the Monsters] on Sister Sweetly (1993)

• This is not a particularly sad song, but it will make you think you've been broken up with in a big city, and now you are at a party, totally out of place.

• 4. [All of You - Vertical Horizon] on Everything You Want (1999)

• To be honest I have a hate-love relationship with most Vertical Horizon songs. I think the lyrics are dumb, but as it turns out, I like the melodies enough to stop hearing things.

• 5. [I See The Light - Cracker] on Cracker (1992)

• I love Cracker now. What a glorious band. I had Low burning holes in my speakers for all of last year but never thought to look further. You idiot!

• 6. [Slowly, Slowly - Magnapop] on Hot Boxing (1994)

• You just cant go wrong with a 90s alternative band with a girl on lead vocals. And I wont.

• 7. [Flowers - New Radicals] on Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (1998)

• I thought they only had one good song and it was in Surf's Up. Not so fast, this one is even better.

• 8. [Graduate - Third Eye Blind] on Third Eye Blind (1997)

• I think this is my favourite Third Eye Blind song of all time.

• 9. [Way Down Now - World Party] on Goodbye Jumbo (1990)

• World Party is quite underrated. Actually, I dont know, they might have a cult following somewhere. Like the The Chameleons in Manchester, where apparently everyone listens to a totally undocumented, forgotten band. More on The Chameleons at a different time.

• 10. [Jagged - Old 97's] on Fight Songs(1999)

• The Old 97s kind of ressemble The Connells to me a in a very vague way. Late 90s-Early 2000s sad rock is kind of a special place.

Read Of The Month

• 1. Hyperion (1989, Hyperion Cantos #1) - Dan Simmons

Progress - Reading - 11%

• Wow! I am still very early in the book but so far a very curious story about a strange planet haunted by an even stranger being. The story is segmented into the relationship multiple characters have with the mysterious Hyperion. I am currently reading the story of the priest.

Sources & References