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Review of “Duck Soup” (1933)

This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie offering. I saw it originally in college—that is, not recently. I thought it was hilarious and a biting satire, though frankly, I didn’t remember much of it. Plot: The cash-strapped (fictional) country of Freedonia appeals to the wealthy widow Mrs. Gloria Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) for $20Continue reading “Review of “Duck Soup” (1933)”

Review of “The Case Against Christian Nationalism: An Expository Commentary on Stephen Wolfe’s Book” by Blake Callens

I apologize in advance. This is even longer than usual.The Stuff: Author Blake Callens wrote this book in response to The Case for Christan Nationalism by Stephen Wolfe. It is information-dense and appears intended for a Christian audience—perhaps clergy?—who understands theology and American and European history. All is not lost, however. Even an old heathenContinue reading “Review of “The Case Against Christian Nationalism: An Expository Commentary on Stephen Wolfe’s Book” by Blake Callens”

Review of “Reunion: A Story: A Novella” by Alex Diaz-Granados

Full disclosure: author Alex Diaz-Granados and I have been net buddies for (is it possible?) nearly twenty years, first becoming acquainted at the now-defunct site Epinions, lo, these many years ago. Plot:Jim Garraty’s dream of becoming a history professor at a prestigious university has come true. He has some well-regarded publications under his belt andContinue reading “Review of “Reunion: A Story: A Novella” by Alex Diaz-Granados”

Review of “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” 2009

Our Saturday pizza and bad movie night was a bit different. Plot: Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) runs a strapped-for-cash traveling acting troupe. The troupe consists of Parnassus’s daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), the barker Anton (Andrew Garfield), and Percy (Verne Troyer), Parnassus’s assistant. They live and travel in a horse-drawn carriage that is a mash-up ofContinue reading “Review of “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus” 2009″

Review of “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (1988)

We were in the mood for silliness for our Saturday pizza and bad movie night. We got it. Plot: In Beirut (where else?) Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi, Ayatollah Khomeini, Yasser Arafat, and Mikhail Gorbachev (Prince Hughes, Robert LuJane, Charles Gherardi, David Katz, David Lloyd Austin), among others, sit around a conference table trying to comeContinue reading “Review of “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (1988)”

Review of “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961)

The past Saturday pizza and bad movie night was a return to the schlock of yesteryear. Plot:In the sixteenth-century, Englishman Francis Barnard (John Kerr) arrives at a foreboding castle seeking news about his sister Elizabeth’s (Barbara Steele) recent death. His sister’s widower, Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), and his younger sister, Catherine (Luana Anders), give himContinue reading “Review of “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961)”

Review of “Godzilla” (1954) and “Godzilla King of the Monsters” (1956)

I. Godzilla (1954) In 1954, a Japanese film appeared with a monster named Gojira—Angelized as Godzilla—that terrorized people near the (fictional) island of Odo near the Japanese coast, destroying ships before taking on Tokyo. Survivors describe their disasters: “It was like the sea exploded.” The people of Odo Island see their fishing nets come backContinue reading “Review of “Godzilla” (1954) and “Godzilla King of the Monsters” (1956)”

Review of “The Lady Vanishes” (1938)

The Lady Vanishes is a British mystery thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. Plot: In the fictional European Alpine country of Bandrika, an avalanche has delayed a train and forced a varied group of people to find rooms in a small local hotel. Wealthy English IrisContinue reading “Review of “The Lady Vanishes” (1938)”

Review of “Godzilla Minus One” (2023)

I’d been waiting to see this one for a long time. Everyone I know who’d seen it told me it was a great movie. Long story short, it did not disappoint. It is more than a Godzilla movie. Plot:Near the end of World War II, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands his plane atContinue reading “Review of “Godzilla Minus One” (2023)”

Review of “Scream Blacula Scream” (1973)

This week’s Saturday pizza and bad movie was a return to the cheesy flick of yesteryear—a vampire pic to boot. Plot: The film opens with the death of voodoo adept Mama Loa. Her son Willis Daniels (Richard Lawson) then claims her place. Others tell him it’s a matter of voting. A favorite is Mama Loa’sContinue reading “Review of “Scream Blacula Scream” (1973)”