Jonathan Demme’s gloriously eccentric and refreshingly sweet Married to the Mob (1988) is one of the ultimate comfort movies for me. So I watch it a lot. And every time I’m struck by the same thought: it’s clear that Demme knew what he had in Michelle Pfeiffer’s face and, most importantly, he knew what do … Continue reading Eyes of Angela De Marco
Tag: 1980s
Take Me Home Tonight
Ronnie Spector’s death has really hit hard. Even if she had never made any more music after the Ronettes, she’d still be a hall of famer. “Be My Baby” has to be in consideration for the title of greatest pop song of all time. Her voice, strong and sweet, sexy and smooth, is one of … Continue reading Take Me Home Tonight
Bad Girls We Love: Selina Kyle/Catwoman from Batman Returns
Michelle Pfeiffer's performance in Tim Burton's deliciously twisted-Christmas-gothic-phantasmagoria Batman Returns (1992) is the best comic book movie performance of all time. This is not just my opinion; it's a fact, so let's not argue, okay? It's an astonishing piece of film acting, the kind that transcends mere performance and instead reaches a cosmic level of … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Selina Kyle/Catwoman from Batman Returns
The Greatest Sybil Danning Outfits of All Time
I was thinking about Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985) recently—because I’m always thinking about this movie—and it dawned on me that hardly anyone in cinema history has worn quite as many outlandishly crazy and outlandishly sexy outfits as that film’s star Sybil Danning has. Then of course I started making a list … Continue reading The Greatest Sybil Danning Outfits of All Time
Blood Rage: It’s Not Cranberry Sauce!
Here in the States it's time to celebrate that colonialist fantasy holiday known as Thanksgiving. Appropriately, I'd like to offer some recommended viewing for you. Ya know, when you're not stuffing your face with turkey, carbs, and pie. Blood Rage (1987) has become a beloved cult classic in recent years, since it started showing up … Continue reading Blood Rage: It’s Not Cranberry Sauce!
Bad Girls We Love: Wendy from Prom Night
There have been plenty of bad girls we secretly/not-so-secretly like throughout the history of horror cinema. Chris Hargensen in Carrie (1976), with her potty mouth, irrational hatred for Carrie White, and the god damn bucket of pig's blood, is probably the gold standard, and rightly so. As much as I absolutely love Nancy Allen's performance, … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Wendy from Prom Night
From the Vault: Pieces
This essay was first published at my old site, in substantially different form, a few years ago. I watched Pieces again recently and felt the need to expand on that post. Few cult films remain as notorious as Juan Piquer Simon's Pieces (1982). It was seized and confiscated in the UK during the infamous video … Continue reading From the Vault: Pieces






