Tom Holland's Child's Play

In 1988 Director Tom Holland introduced movie audiences to Chucky, a Good Guy Doll who was meant to be Your Friend to the End. Possibly the last time Horror films would create an icon, the evil and possessed Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif), would embody a strange late 80s Horror fiction that would draw on animatronic dolls that were popular at this time (Teddy Ruxpin and My Buddy) as well as classic dolls including G.I. Joe, Barbie, Cabbage Patch, and Raggedy Ann & Andy. The point was an old one . . . something about childhood was terrifying. Bringing The Chucky Doll to narrative life through cinematic voodoo tropes and physically through special effects including puppetry, animatronics, and forced perspective using little people, Child's Play would be a slasher hit spawning a half dozen sequels, a television series, and a theatrical reboot in 2019.

Although Child's Play is in no way a great film, it does have its charm with good performances from Catherine Hicks, child actor Alex Vincent, Dourif, and a slumming (and possibly bored) Chris Sarandon. There are problems returning to a 40+ year old movie, but when the fun kicks it in you find it worth the watch. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Love & Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

"After a Decade of Silence . . . The Buzz is Back"

And with that tagline audiences wer re-introduced to the Sawyer Family: The Cook, Chop-Top, and Leatherface. In 1986, Director Tobe Hooper would return to Texas for a sequel to - arguably - the greatest Horror film in the History of Cinema (respectfully acknowledging George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead & Dawn of the Dead and John Carpenter's Halloween; a film that many cite as the first and most important Slasher film ever made. In August of 1986, audiences were not prepared for Hooper's new take on his original classic. An over the top, violent, slasher, comedy, horror film seemed the only possible approach to the material. Slapstick, Shticky, and Ridiculously Gorey, Hooper would create a sequel similar in appearance to the original, but Bizarro in execution. Bigger, Wilder, and with a set-design Grander (but only barely equal) to the original film (as well as beautifully bloody make-up effects by the legendary Tom Savini), Hooper would fulfill a contractual obligation to Cannon Films that would baffle the Schlock, Low-Rent Studio known for such garbage as Ninja III: The Domination, Death Wish 2 & 3, and Missing in Action. Chainsaw 2 is truly bewildering and a testament to directorial drive and inventiveness. (Google the original theatrical poster substituting The Sawyer Family for The Breakfast Club in that classic one sheet.) It's not a movie for everyone, but it definitely is a strange kind of brave, creative, and hilarious masterpiece. Take a listen as we dive in and argue these points. Qustions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Thanks & Appreciation.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Meir Zarchi's I Spit on Your Grave (AKA Day of the Woman)

In 1978 Meir Zarchi's I Spit on Your Grave (originally titled Day of the Woman) was released in theatres and would become infamous as one of the most polarizing and controversial films ever made. A rape and revenge picture following a young woman visiting the country to write her novel, the story quickly turns into one of sexual violence and exploitation. Camille Keaton portrays Jennifer and the ninety minute film would subject to her numerous acts of physical, mental, and sexual violence. Without nuance or any kind of artistic skill, Zarchi's film has been criticized by many and applauded by others. The film would find notoriety through the criticism of Roger Ebert who called it, "a vile bag of garbage . . . a movie so sick, reprehensible and contemptible that I can hardly believe it's playing in respectable theaters,Attending it was one of the most depressing experiences of my life." This week Mr. Chavez & I continue to dive into the world of exploitation to understand the "artistic and theatrical" need to present cinematic violence against women as the required entry to stories of female empowerment. It's uncertain if questions are answered, however the importance of asking the questions is invaluable. Take a listen and let us know what you think of this heartfelt and troubled conversation. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Our Continued Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Wes Craven's Last House on the Left

This week we begin an examination of Violence in Cinema, but primarily Violence Directed Against Women in Cinema, beginning with a look at West Craven's 1972 Grindhouse "Classic" Last House on the Left. An infamous and controversial cult film, Craven's re-imagining and updating of Ingmar Bergman's 1960 Swedish Classic, The Virgin Spring, is not an easy viewing. A low-budget, dirty, ugly, and disturbing film, Craven's effort is definitely amateurish, however there is (as far as I am concerned) the hint of a filmmaker with a developing style and need to challenge his artistic sensibility. A decade before A Nightmare on Elm Street and the creation of Freddy Krueger, Craven would take a rape and revenge fantasy and use it as a calling card to enter the World of Cinematic Horror. We discuss the film, but more importantly we discuss the style, violence, and themes that have always existed, but have been given life and power through this film. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com -Our Continued Love and Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

George Sluizer's The Vanishing

Imagine Not Knowing. Imagine the struggle to move on if the person you love disappears from your life. In 1988 Dutch filmmaker George Sluizer would make one of the most subtle, tense, and troubling Thrillers cinema has known. The Vanishing (originally released with the Dutch title, Spoorloos) is the story of a couple whose lives are mysteriously and tragically upended when the girlfriend disappears during a road trip . . . Without a Trace. The beauty of Sluizer's film is that we as the audience know exactly what has happened and are forced to watch the sadistic game of a amateur kidnapper and killer as he satiates his desire to plan, carry through, and discover his talent for kidnapping and murder. All the while, we watch the husband lose his mind as he continually obsesses over what has happened to her coupled with his desperate and futile attempts to find her. Obsession and Guilt are paralleled with Intricate Planning, Patience, and Seizing of Opportunity. A story of abduction and obsession that is neither exploitative nor gratuitous, but is simply a realistic presentation of how it would happen. Culminating in one of the most disturbing and hopeless endings in all of cinema, The Vanishing is a powerful and thought-provoking film. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Love & Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

John Alan Schwartz's Faces of Death

Few films have live in the minds and memories of Gen X like 1978s Faces of Death. Presented as a documentary examining the fears, fascinations, and cult surrounding death and dying, John Alan Schwartz's film is a controversial and legendary exploitation classic. A film that was famously "Banned in 46 Countries" (a claim that is dubious, at best), Faces of Death was a taboo adolescent rite of passage that was talked about and sworn to (a documentary of real and violent footage) throughout cafeterias and playgrounds across the United States. Almost fifty years later it is clear and documented that much of the film is staged scenes and violent re-enactments. A VHS series best seller that scattered video stores with other "legendary" titles such as The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, It Lives & It Lives Again, and I Spit on Your Grave AKA Day of the Woman, FoD lives rent free in our memories featuring images of dog fights, alligator attacks, and - probably most famously - an electrocution and the infamous monkey brain scene. Arguably the film that popularized shockumentaries, Faces of Death (and the memories we have of said film) speaks volumes to the culture. Take a listen as we reminisce and examine the impact of this "video nasty" classic. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Love and Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Eric Steel's The Bridge

This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our dive into challenging films examining difficult subjects. In 2004 director Eric Steel and his crew focused his camera - day and night/7 days a week - on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Since it's opening in May of 1937, the bridge has been one of the most popular suicide sites in the world. Steel's film attempts to understand the struggle of suicide and (rather unsuccessfully) the appeal of The Golden Gate Bridge for this purpose. Talking with family and friends, friends and loved ones, and in one case a survivor of the jump, Steel's film is a sad and troubling look into the reality of choosing to end one's life. The psychology of suicide is not given nearly enough focus and Steel's film feels empty and unfocused. But what is there . . . the discussions from friends and loved ones, the regret, acceptance, and confusement revealed are heartbreaking. As is often the case with this podcast, the film is a starting point for a discussion that will go far deeper than the film achieves. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Love & Thanks.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Robinson Devor's Zoo

listener discretion advised

Sometimes a documentary is simply facing an uphill, unwinnable, unsatisfying battle. Such is the case with Robinson Devor's 2007 investigation into the strange and perverted network of zoophiles (those people sexually attracted to animals). Chronicling the case of a Washinton State farm that hosted bestiality sessions, Zoo is a frustrating look into a world that simply does not make sense. Critically-acclaimed and respected on the festival circuit, Devor's film attempts to find the humanity in this strange underground community, while struggling to document these people as more than simply a punchline. That punchline would make it's way into pop culture with the 2005 death of a man known online and in the film as "Mr. Hand" after his accidental death from injuries sustained during a sexual encounter with a horse. The film describes the coming together of these people through early internet chat rooms, the incident - its rationalization to those in this world - and the aftermath of the disturbing incident. As always we look at the subject, the success or failure of the film itself, and its relationhip to the culture. At the very least an interesting discussion, we are troubled by and compelled to understand this film. Take a listen and let us know what you think. We can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Love & Appreciation.

For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.