Countdown to Colette's Birthday: Movies to Watch Without Preview

Every year we watch movies that we want to tell people to watch but if we explained the movie at all, it would ruin the experience. So this is our "just take our word for it" list. But seriously, take our word for it, these movies are not to be missed!

10 Cloverfield Lane: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr. star in this slow burn* physiological horror that is very loosely tied to the Cloverfield universe. We caught this one early in the drive-in season last year and were very pleasantly surprised. Things get going almost right away, but that's just the beginning...

The Invitation: This might be my favorite movie we watched this year, and it's certainly current my favorite horror movie. Another slow burn, but this one is bursting with social commentary, both subtle and blatant, which is exactly how I love my horror movies. Set at a dinner party reuniting estranged friends, the setup doesn't let the audience in on what's really going on until it's goddamn ready, and it's wonderful. (Plus, this movie stars more attractive Tom Hardy, Logan Marshall-Green!)

The Autopsy of Jane Doe: We're split on how much each of us liked this movie, but both of us agree that this horror movie is full of original ideas and has a lot going for it. Yet another slow burn* horror, this one focuses on a father and son autopsy business. But that's all we're going to say...

Mr. Robot: Alright, you got me, this one's a TV show. But it's REALLY good, and you really shouldn't say too much about why. But whatever you do, do not base your willingness to give this show a chance on the commercials. We were having a hard time getting friends to watch this series, and we couldn't figure out why until someone told us how terrible the commercials were. The advertising for this show DOES NOT do it justice, on any level. Just watch a couple episodes, trust us.

BONUS MOVIE!

Pontypool: We didn't watch Pontypool this year, but it recently came up in conversation reminding us how much we loved this little indy-thriller-psychological-horror. Smartly done on (we're imagining) a shoestring budget, the movie takes place almost entirely in one location, but doesn't feel that way for a second.

(*Fun fact: every single time I typed burn in this post it was spelled "b-e-r-n–delete-delete-delete-u-r-n". Spelling. Harder every single day for new and exciting reasons!)

Countdown to Colette's Birthday: Memberships

This month's screening marks your last chance to sign up for this round of memberships! If you've not been a member before, check out what past subscriptions looked like below. Last round we added stickers to the rotation, this cycle we've got some lofty ideas that will top that (if we can pull them off)! And for you out-of-towners, we've got our very first mail order membership available. You can pay for a membership at Wednesday's screening, or through Tim's storenvy page. Click here for more info!

(First round.)

(Second round.)

Second Clue: February's Mystery Movie

Clue #2: One of the actors in this movie was, over the course of one month, in six different movies we helped screen at Theaters at MOA.

Tape Freaks Presents: February's Mystery Movie at the Trylon microcinema, Wednesday, February 1st@ 7:00pm, only $5!

****Purchase advance ticket here****

Countdown to Colette's Birthday: Green Room

The thing topping out most people's New Year's resolution lists this year seems to be punching nazis, can't imagine why... but Green Room is a pretty good primer on the topic!

Plot unfolds something like this: Punk band Ain't Rights has added a last min show to their failing tour in hopes of being able play their way home. They're surprised to learn their last min show is in the middle of nowhere Oregon, at a club filled with neo-nazis. After a tense but successful set, the band gets themselves into trouble they can't get out of and suddenly must fight to escape the club with their lives intact.

Horror, or not horror: Though not a typical horror movie, really it couldn't be classified as much else. There's intense gore, clear cut villains, and the protagonist are trapped in a situation they are desperately trying to escape, but in traditional horror movies there's also at least one element the viewer has to take for granted (like the villain's ability to keep their murder habit up, or a character's super-human abilities, etc.). Green Room presents it's horror elements as though they could happen in real live without relying on suspension of disbelief, making it harder to categorize, and extra horrifying.

What we like best: It's a toss up between all the horror tropes this film bucks, and watching nazis get killed!

Song you'll be singing for days: Nazi Punks Fuck Off by the Dead Kennedys.

Count Down to Colette's Birthday: Horror in Foreign Countries

Well I've been horribly sick, how have you been? The only nice thing about being sick is catching up on movie watching! We watched a couple this past week that inspired this mishmash list. These horror movies seriously couldn't be further from each other in tone or subject matter, but they are all fantastic examples of what kind of horror we're missing out on by only watching movies that take place in familiar surroundings.



Under the Shadow: Atmospheric, set in 1988 Tehran, war and oppression looming over an effectively creepy haunting story, this movie caught us off guard with it's straight forward set up but it's unwaveringly good from start to finish. The filmmaker's use of social commentary adds to the tension in ways we will never (fingers crossed) experience first hand here, giving us unique perspective on what day-to-day life looks like in a war torn (and oppressive if you're female) country. It also gives interesting insight on what happens behind closed doors in polite company vs. with your friends and family while living in oppressive regimes. And it does all this while also being a genuinely creepy haunting movie. Seriously, I hope this perspective-changing haunting genre catches on because so far, I'm on board! 

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night: This one we'd seen before, but I've been listening to the soundtrack a ton lately (because it's one of our favorites of all time), so it makes the list! Unfortunately for me, the movie the soundtrack is attached to doesn't fit neatly into a description. Start with the fact that it's an American film set in Iran with everyone speaking farsi, add that writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour pays homage to every film genre under the sun (and does it exquisitely well), and the best way to describe this movie is that it's an arthouse vampire flick. But that doesn't really do it justice. There's nods to westerns, gangster movies, classic horror, it's a love story, it's very dark, entirely black and white, and it's gorgeous from start to finish. The film's uncatagorizable nature is also sewn directly into this movie, as Amirpour and star Sheila Vand are both Iranian-American and were very aware they were making neither an American or Iranian film, but a unique combination of the two. Inside and out, this is a singular movie and we love every single inch of it.

Train to Busan: I had no idea this was a zombie flick when we watched this one, and I'm glad I didn't because I might not have watched it at all. Zombie movies have become less exciting to me as the genre becomes more heavily focused on effects over social commentary. Not that I have anything against that balance per se, but it's not the balance I love in a zombie movie. But, in Train to Busan, interesting social commentary and relentless action share center stage making this movie refreshing and fantastic. Characters have interesting arcs, they're properly motivated, the deaths of their loved ones effect them all (not just a select few), they come together in ways that make sense; really it's a whole package zombie movie. The social commentary is also satisfyingly present and interesting (though, we can't help but wonder what we're missing because we don't know anything about South Korea's societal intricacies). Really, I can't remember the last time I watched a zombie movie with such a high body count that left me so thoroughly satisfied! Having said all that, PLEASE DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER! Partially because it's a poor representation of the film, but also because spoils some fun stuff. Just trust us, if you like fast-moving zombie movies*, check this one out.

*don't freak out, we also like slow moving zombie movies

First Clue: February's Mystery Movie

Clue #1: The theme for February's movie is: Countdown to Colette's Birthday. Basically, it's my birthday and I'll write about what I want to!

Tape Freaks Presents: February's Mystery Movie at the Trylon microcinema, Wednesday, February 1st@ 7:00pm, only $5!

****Purchase advance ticket here****

Countdown to Colette's Birthday: Documentaries I Want More People To Watch

This month's theme is basically an excuse to write about whatever strikes my fancy, and if you know me at all, you can accurately guess what's currently on my mind. But nothing gives me the energy to face a hard task like watching a documentary that pulls the curtain back, so to speak. A new perspective can flood you with empowerment, spur you into an action, or just wake you up in a way you never imagined possible! All of these movies are available on Netflix, and I FULLY recommend all of them for the aforementioned reasons and more. Especially this week, but especially anytime over the next 4 years...




13th: People's recommendations for this movie always include a bit where they were made aware of a new aspect of our prison system they had previously been oblivious to. I was pretty familiar with different aspects of prison activism going into this one, and yet I was also surprised by how much new information I walked away with. It's a pretty epic primer on our entire prison system and all of it's problems. There are few documentaries out there that hit so very many marks so successfully; this is a movie to watch, and then watch again to make sure you didn't miss something while your mind was being blown every 15 mins.


She's Beautiful When She's Angry: Whether you think you know everything there is to know about the modern women's movement or you don't know the first thing about it, this movie has something for everyone. It covers the rise of the feminist movement, the pitfalls that they could not have anticipated, and touches on everything from birth control to intersectionality. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be inside a national movement from it's start, this film gives you a pretty good idea.

Citizen Koch: Apparently there were many things I don't know (or didn't remember) about Citizen United, for instance that it all started with a movie produced by the Koch brothers to smear Hillary Clinton, or that it ushered in the Tea Party movement. But the broad stroke of this film illustrates how most of the narratives surrounding our laws and elections are largely controlled by an increasingly small percentage of people. The filmmakers explore that theme and how it coincides with the rise of the tea party, the re-call of Scott Walker, his consequent re-election, and who had the most control over the narratives surrounding those issues. 

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret: One aspect of eating meat most people don't spend too much time discussing is the impact it has on our environment. And that doesn't just apply to politicians or meat eaters, many of the countries largest environmental protection and animal-rights organization's websites, talking points and pamphlets conspicuously leave out information like: you could save more water skipping a burger than you could skipping 30 showers. Why is that? Cowspiracy asks those organizations (and some politicians) exactly that, and their answers are alarmingly flippant. Needless to say, the title of the film becomes incredibly apropos in a short amount of running time... (Additional watching: Food Choices. Similar subject matter, broader lens.)

The Films of Godfrey Ho: Devils Dynamite

This Ho movie might have everything you could possibly imagine in it. None of those things connect to one another... but they're all in there!

The plot unfolds something like this: There are about 4 "plots" running around in this movie, the main one revolves around a drug smuggling and gambling ring who's head lady enlists a priest to resurrect vampires to protect her goods and generally do her bidding. It's a pretty straight forward crime plot with vampires sprinkled in. The other plots are far stranger and never connect to the main plot or anything else really...

The other things that happen in this move: There's man fresh out of prison is the only person who knows where a large sum of gold is hidden, and some people are desperate to discover his secret and take the gold for themselves. There's a sort of super hero that shows up when someone is in trouble (who looks suspiciously like Robo Vampire with a spray painted motorcycle helmet). And finally there's a little boy who keeps dressing up like a vampire to scare his friends only to be caught in the middle of actual vampire battles.




Another vampire and ghost situation: Though it's never really explained in the end, we're pretty sure the kid that's vampire-obsessed is trying to scare a vampire that's actually a ghost.

But don't take our word for any of this: You can watch this one on YouTube, check out this wild ride yourself!

Third Clue: January's Mystery Movie

Clue #3: This month's film is one of the few of the 67 films Godrey Ho directed between 1986-1988 that did not feature ninja.

Tape Freaks Presents: January's Mystery Movie at the Trylon microcinema, Wednesday, January 4th@ 7:00pm, only $5!

****Purchase advance ticket here****

The Films of Godfrey Ho: Counter Destroyer

Based on the box, Counter Destroyer looked like it had everything to do with a Nightmare on Elm Street rip off and nothing to do with Robots or Vampires, so we were SUPER surprised when a Robo Vampire appeared out of nowhere in the last 15 mins of the movie...

The plot sort of unfolded like this: A group of vampires controlled by a local priest (or monk) are making a local crime syndicate's lives miserable. The same vampire-controlling priest also feels it's his responsibility to warn a group of women that the house they're renting is cursed. (Or maybe it was haunted?) The group of women renting the house are part of a film crew that's shooting on location. One of those women is the writer of said film, and she's hard at work finishing the script for the movie that's being shot... Unfortunately for that plucky writer, a Freddy Kruger type character who has been tormenting her in her dreams has started tormenting her in reality as well! Will she be able to finish the script before shooting wraps? Will the crime syndicate be able to continue selling drugs or guns or whatever? (Did you forgot completely about the local crime syndicate?)

Rip offs abound: A Nightmare on Elm Street rip-off was absolutely being poached for footage in this movie. Multiple scenes are straight forward rip offs from films in the Nightmare series, including one that somehow mashes together the infamous bathtub scene and the Johnny Depp death scene.

And that's not all: Robo Vampire inexplicably shows up at the end to add to the climactic battle! Because why not?

But don't take our word for it: The above barely scratches the surface on the layer-cake of surprises that is Counter Destroyer (aka The Vampire is Still Alive), and it's currently available on YouTube: