Fired Up! remains one of my favorite films from when I was in high school. Most people who know me might shake their heads in confusion as to why I love this movie. The film follows two philandering high school football jocks named Nick and Shawn (Eric Christian Olsen and Nicholas D’Agosto, both pushing 30), who ditch football camp for cheer camp to hook up with girls. Along the way, they learn the meaning of friendship, teamwork, love, and how to become better people.

I’m back everybody! I apologize for being absent for months and not posting regular monthly columns. But COVID-19 has affected everyone differently. With this being the last issue of the year, I thought I should throw something together and end on an even note (publishing an equal number of “Once Upon a Time in Film Scoring” and “Finding the Sacred Among the Profane” columns this year). For this month’s column, I thought we’d have a bit of fun. While it’s firmly planted in the horror genre, there are enough sci-fi/fantasy elements in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) to thematically fit in with this special issue of Drunk Monkeys.

After working on a variety of horror projects in the 1990s, Dario Argento returned to the genre that made his name with Sleepless (Non Ho Sonno) in 2001.

The onset of the COVID-19 quarantine left me with two things: too much time on my hands and a plethora of books and films to (re)discover. I found myself delving into crime fiction with James Ellroy’s “L.A. Quartet” (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L. A. Confidential, White Jazz), graphic novels (Hit: 1955, The Fade-Out), and my film noir collection on Blu-Ray. When Frida Programming Director Trevor Dillon asked us to pitch blog post ideas, I automatically came up with the title: NOIRANTINE.

Film Editor Sean Woodard goes down the mean streets of Los Angeles to uncover the seedy underworld of Brian De Palma’s adaptation of the James Ellroy novel, The Black Dahlia, for April’s “Finding the Sacred Among the Profane.”

In this month’s Once Upon a Time in Film Scoring, Sean explores the role of Ludwig van Beethoven’s music in the biopic Immortal Beloved.

For this month’s Once Upon a Time in Film Scoring column, Sean examines Elmer Bernstein’s theme for the underrated Charles Bronson Western, From Noon Till Three.

Sean Woodard examines Ennio Morricone’s score for Sergio Leone’s magnus opus, Once Upon a Time in America .

Film Editor Sean Woodard explores the gratuitous violence in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and equates it with torture porn in his latest Finding the Sacred Among the Profane column.

Following the success of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), Paramount Pictures offered Sergio Leone a larger budget to shoot what many believe to be his magnum opus, Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).

As Llewyn aimlessly goes about the week—dealing with many issues including an ailing father, losing the Gorfeins’ cat, and the question of whether he impregnated his friend’s wife, Jean—the folk music heard in the film mirrors his circumstances and daily depression.

Ennio Morricone has been described as the greatest film composer of all time. Affectionately referred to as “Maestro” by fans and members of the film and music industries, the prolific composer has generated over 500 scores for film and television.

Richard Donner’s The Omen (1976) remains one of the seminal religious-themed horror films to have been released in the wake of Rosemary’s Baby (Polanski 1968) and The Exorcist (Friedkin 1973), cashing in on the socio-political and religious hysteria of the 1970s. [Reprinted October 8, 2019 on the Frida Cinema Blog: https://thefridacinema.org/film-criticism/film-scoring-the-omen/]

Like a seed, my love sprouts roots until a stem breaks through the soft soil, its bud blooming into a flower. I dare not be selfish and pluck it from the ground, lest it cease to live and the wind scatter its petals.

Mrs. Whittier ELA 4th Grade Writing Prompt #5 02/18/2022 For your homework assignment, write about your family and some special memories you’ve had with them. Length: Five paragraphs minimum, 5-7 sentences each. Use your five senses: see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Pay attention to spelling and grammar. Charlie Helm Mrs. Whittier ELA Febry 21, 2022 My Grandaddy takes care of me. Aint gotta Daddy. Granddaddy says he run off with a hor. I dunno know what a hor is. My Momma she real nice but she gone. Once Granddaddy slapped her when they fight bout feedin me right. I liked her chickn dinos. I aint sposed to talk bout her. Grandaddy likes licrish. He makes his own in the shed out back the house. I aint loud inside. Says it’s outta bounds like in freeze tag. One time he go to town to sell licrish. I snuck in. Inside wuv a table. An buckits with what look like molassus. The licrish wuz inside a fridge. I tried one. It wuz chewy an tasted yucky an sticky an lumpy. It stand my fingers red an black. Like when I cut my hands at recess.

Along the cliffs of Ceann Sibéal herds of sheep graze, weighed down by crimped fleece. Rough-hewn Celtic crosses, slathered in dust and moss, peek out from brittle underbrush. A boat slices through still bay waters, inboard motor stirring up foam as the throttle is revved. A gray dorsal fin approaches the vessel. With a barrel roll and flick of his flukes, Fungie the bottlenose dolphin launches into the air, slips back under the surface, and reemerges to nuzzle starboard and port sides with his rostrum. The Ring of Kerry is bathed in gold as Dingle’s red and white lighthouse guides Fungie back to the bosom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Kayla had barely tied on her apron when Pierre, the maître’ d, hurriedly pulled her aside. He pointed to the corner booth. A balding man in a pinstripe suit sat across from a woman in a burgundy dress. Kayla cringed. “Oh God, Gary’s back. Who’s he wining and dining this time?” Pierre shrugged. “All I know is that it’s his third date in two weeks, each with a different person.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry to do this, but they’re your table tonight.” “You can’t be serious. He always requests Helen.” Pierre shoved two menus into her hands. “Helen’s out with the flu. Just appease him. Besides,” he said with a wink. “Gary knows best.”

“Suspiria is my baby” is a phrase that identifies me at The Frida Cinema. I could wax poetically* all day about Dario Argento’s 1977 supernatural horror film**. It was the subject of my Masters thesis. But rather than write another analytical piece about it, I’m in the mood for some fun. And since I’m taking a graduate poetry class, here’s a list poem to show why Suspiria surely is my baby:

Although many know him as a filmmaker, Clive Barker’s bizarre and terrifying screen worlds began with his writing. Here are stories inspired by the first three volumes of Barker’s iconic short story series . Get comfortable, turn all the lights on, and know that you’re probably not sleeping tonight.

Cassie stood on the top of the overpass scanning the desolation before her. Yellowed grass and dust and cracked asphalt—the same in every direction. The wind picked up, rustled her short-cropped hair. Dust blew in her face, making her clear blue eyes water. She squinted to see in the failing light. The intersection of highway and overpass created a crossroads, but from what she could see, there was nothing in either direction.

Checking herself in the mirror. Valerie straightened her dress—it was two-years-old, but still practical for the rare social occasion. Exhausted from work and running errands, she hadn’t had much time to change but she tried to look the best she could. Roy had called two days ago. He was flying in for business and wanted to take her out for a night on the town. This afternoon she had made arrangements. Her hotel manager allowed her to book a room for the night at a discount price. She got it ju

Possessor embodies the definition of a mind fuck movie. It thoroughly dismantles preconceived notions about genre and eradicates the boundary between “low” and “high” art. Andrea Riseborough (Mandy) plays an agent who inhabits people’s bodies via brain-implant technology to commit assassinations. However, the longer she stays in a host increases her risk of permanent brain damage. Comparisons to his father’s work is inevitable, particularly eXistenZ, but Brandon Cronenberg’s vision is equally original and assured in execution. The film is layered with meaning and contains visually arresting in-camera practical effects. Not for the squeamish, Possessor is a transgressive work of art.

Ryan McCoy’s My Hollywood Story is a candid take on an indie filmmaker’s experience with the Hollywood system. Broken into multiple acts, McCoy touches on different aspects of his filmmaking career and the trials he has faced.

Alex and Todd Greenlee’s Home with a View of the Monster keeps audiences on their toes. A trippy exercise in the horror of the bizarre, the film’s visuals and fragmented narrative begs for multiple viewings to unpack all of the script’s layers. Broken into five chapters, a stylistic choice that is reminiscent of the structure of a Tarantino film, the narrative unfolds in a disjointed fashion and explores the psyches of its central characters.

Ryan Oksenberg (Damage Control) returns with Together, a genre thriller that is one-part horror, one-part comedy, one-part family drama, and 100 percent fun. Who would have thought a zombie film template would so seamlessly combine with a narrative about biohazard removal? Following a prologue of a man (David Otten) attacking a couple in the woods, the attention shifts to Julia (Arielle Hader), a young woman who runs a small biohazard cleaning service and lives in a trailer park. Julia is haunted by childhood memories of her father’s alleged suicide, a trauma that is exacerbated as she takes care of her ailing mother (Karin Collison).

Robbie Robertson fondly look back at the formation of The Band. The Rock ‘n’ Roll outfit was previously the focus of Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed concert film, The Last Waltz. This new documentary serves as a wonderful introduction to those unfamiliar with the group.

Alexandre O. Philippe’s latest documentary, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist, excels expectations. At once an intimate conversation with the acclaimed filmmaker, the documentary is also a love letter to the power of cinema and how it compels viewers to grapple with issues of faith, horror, and morality.

A prayer—stronger than injustice; louder than despair; quieter than ego; surer than circumstantial evidence; homier then a barred cell; more challenging than simple solutions; than more comforting than empty promises; more reassuring than doubt; more accepting than racism; more merciful than hate . . .

Director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s (Aquarias) latest film (co-directed with Juliano Dornellos) is a meditation on the socio-political state in Brazil, the importance of community, and the effects of violence. Shortlisted for Brazil’s official entry for best foreign language film for the 2020 Academy Awards, Bacurau has garnered acclaim from audiences and critics alike since its premiere at Cannes, where it tied for a Jury Prize.

Sam Elliott gives his all as aging WWII veteran Calvin Barr. Barr’s secret assassinations of Hitler and Bigfoot serve as mere bookends to this quiet and moving character study about how his duty to country resulted in loss and regret.

When crime films such as The Godfather and Goodfellas serve as the benchmark for quality crime dramas, it can be daunting for other genre efforts to follow.

The Old Man & the Gun is a good ol’ yarn, the type your grandfather would tell. This laidback, romantic affair about an aging bank robber possesses a myth-like quality.

Watching Andrew Haigh’s sublime 45 Years felt like viewing a film from the late Ingmar Bergman. The film shares the same probing psychological examination and tense emotional drama with a majority of the Swedish director’s works, but Haigh’s picture departs through its sensitivity to its subject and characters, as well as its distinct visual style. Centered on the week leading up to Kate and Geoffrey Mercer’s (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) 45th wedding anniversary, the narrative focuses

A contender for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, László Nemes’ debut feature, Son of Saul, is a harrowing philosophical tale that reminds us that the horrors of the past are still ever present. Photographed entirely with a 40mm lens in the Academy ratio (1.37:1), the film opens with an out-of-focus long shot; after a few moments, blurry people approach the camera and the long-shot becomes an extreme close-up. This method has been done before in a different manner by the late Sergio Leone fo

Film editor Sean Woodard shares an engaging conversation with author Troy Howarth about his latest book on giallo cinema.

Drunk Monkeys staff writer Sean Woodard had the opportunity to speak with horror film and folklore expert Mikel J. Koven to coincide with Sean’s film column on Lucio Fulci’s Don’t Torture a Duckling. Mikel J. Koven is senior lecturer on Film Studies at the University of Worcester in the U.K. and author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film and Film, Folklore, and Urban Legends. Join us as we delve into the macabre territory of the Italian Giallo genre.

Drunk Monkeys staff writer Sean Woodard had the opportunity to speak with author Pam Jones in conjunction with his review of her latest book, Andermatt County: Two Parables. A native of Connecticut, Jones studied Creative Writing at Hampshire College. She now lives in Texas, where the fictional Andermatt County of her work is located.

Drunk Monkeys had the opportunity to speak with Kathryn Prescott about her recent short film, “Dear You.” Prescott is known for her work in film and television, notably appearing in Skins, 24:Legacy, Finding Carter, and most recently in AMC’s The Son. “Dear You” has a strong emotional impact despite its 4-minute running time.

Can you think of a more iconic American horror villain than Jason Voorhees? Released this past October by University Press of Mississippi to coincide with Friday the 13th’s 40th anniversary, Wickham Clayton’s See! Hear! Cut! Kill! Experiencing Friday the 13th provides readers with 238 pages of generous overview and detailed analysis on the popular horror franchise.

It’s rare when I find a fantasy that impresses me and in which I can fully invest. Ricky and Toby Franklin have produced such a volume with their debut graphic novel, Mask of the Sentinels. Full of adventure, horror, social commentary, and well-developed characters, the narrative sweeps you up and carries you along for the ride. Personally, I felt the same wonder and excitement I had as a kid when I read Emily Rodda’s Deltora Quest children’s fantasy book series.

Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern: Critical Essays provides readers with an overview of the genre in print form. One of the recent anthologies published this year by McFarland, it provides a good introduction to the topic as well.

Overall, Fear: The Autobiography of Dario Argento is a satisfying read. Structured chronologically, the book is full of anecdotes, personal reflections, and candid observations on cinema. Although some memories or particulars of film productions may be familiar to people who have listened to some of his interviews or viewed documentaries about the production of certain films, the amount of detail Argento incorporates in the book help flesh these areas out.

Jeffrey C. Isaac, professor of Indiana University, Bloomington, and former editor of Perspectives on Politics, has a series of essays and opinion pieces called #AgainstTrump: Notes from Year One. In one respect, the American public have heard many of his arguments elsewhere. But as an artifact of its time, perhaps readers can see how journalists like himself who were labeled “enemies of the people” used their resources and writing abilities to document this important era of American history.

But amid all the covers of classics your mother should know, there are a few musical gifts hidden deep within the Christmas tree boughs if anyone wishes to search for them. One of those songs is Jim Croce’s “It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way.” It remains one of my favorite songs he composed. Recorded in 1973, the song serves as the closing track of Croce’s Life and Times album. The record, which also contained the No. 1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 hit “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” proved to be one of the singer-songwriter’s most commercially successful.

Biggers does an exemplary job of unpacking concepts and historical events and presenting them in an easily digestible way for the general reader. But I was still confounded by his intended audience. While the tone of the book is fairly objective — especially when presenting historical events or influential figures — its overall slant would most likely appeal to those who are more of a politically and socially liberal persuasion.

Pam Jones’s Andermatt County: Two Parables revives the Southern Gothic tradition. The collection’s Ye Shall Be As Gods and Happy Birthday, Dear Bitsy are narrative and thematic polar opposites, but complement each other well.

MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER, whom I call Tata, tells me stories about his days as a fruit picker on a crew with Japanese, Mexicans, Filipinos, and displaced Oklahomans from the Dust Bowl who labored from sunup to sundown. Tata would get blisters on his hands from planting acres of small trees and hoeing crop lines, and he’d get paid six cents per box of oranges picked. With the money earned, he’d go to the picture show to watch a Western double feature. When I hear these stories, I feel as if Tata’

“KTFC: Scene Selections” is a series of conversations between Anthony McKelroy, Miquela Davis, and a rotating cast of friends of The Frida Cinema. Tune in as we dissect shot compositions, overanalyze subtext, and wait for our coronavirus boosters. Anthony & Miquela contact previous guests from the podcast to discuss the best films of 2021. We also talk about some of the films we’re looking forward to most in 2022.

“KTFC: Scene Selections” is a series of conversations between Anthony McKelroy, Miquela Davis, and a rotating cast of friends of The Frida Cinema. Tune in as we dissect shot compositions, overanalyze subtext, and wait for our coronavirus vaccines. Scene Selections is honored to welcome Dr. Kevin O’Brien to the show to discuss the best of Soviet Cinema. Dr. O’Brien has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley and also studied at St. Petersburg University in Russia. He teaches course topics on 19th and 20th century Russian literature, poetry, and the 20th Century Russian avant-garde.

“KTFC: Scene Selections” is a series of conversations between Anthony McKelroy, Miquela Davis, and a rotating cast of friends of The Frida Cinema. Tune in as we dissect shot compositions, overanalyze subtext, and wait for our coronavirus vaccines. With Paul Verhoeven’s newest film Benedetta premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this year, The Frida Cinema brings his most iconic works back to the big screen! Anthony & Miquela welcome Blog Writer Sean Woodard to the show for his first appearance as we discuss the best scenes of Robocop, Showgirls, and more!

Sean Woodard of Drunk Monkeys joins us as we break down two VERY different movies: The Nightingale and Good Boys.

Last week, rapper Mac Miller died of an alleged drug overdose at the age of 26. While the cause of death is still to be determined, his name appears to be the most recent addition to a long list of musicians who died of accidental overdoses. The case highlights the impact of substance abuse upon the music industry.

The University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence has established a new center focused on addiction treatment research with the assistance of a $2 million donation.

A team of advocates from Grand Rapids, Michigan is developing the community housing project Dirt City Sanctuary (DCS) to foster a support system for people in addiction recovery.

Hawaii state officials and program directors are discussing methods to expand addiction recovery and prevention on Kauai and other islands to treat local residents. The youth population is particularly susceptible to the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Grand Island youth programs are assisting children of parents receiving addiction treatment for substance use disorders.

To help celebrate Passover, a Jewish synagogue in Cleveland is offering an alternative to drinking wine during the holiday as a way of assisting congregants in alcohol addiction recovery.

The first two days had been a breeze, but lack of sleep eventually started catching up with Rick Eisleben as in spring 1969 he continuously spun vinyl in the broadcast booth of what was then called Radio Chapman. Somehow he made it through almost another full day as friends and colleagues “encouraged” him to stay awake — in one case by hovering over him with a Coke bottle full of water.

Noriko Shinohara could have done anything when she arrived in New York City as a 19-year-old art student. She chose to devote her life to avant-garde artist Ushio Shinohara, 22 years her senior and famous for his “boxing” paintings. Their 40-year marriage, plagued by alcoholism, an unstable lifestyle, and the sacrifices required to create their art, is chronicled in the Oscar-nominated documentary Cutie and the Boxer.

Where would we be without the wit of Johnny Carson on late-night television? The legendary chat show host visited America’s living room from 1962 to 1992, amusing the masses and keeping their eyes on the screen. Tonight, Turner Classic Movies launches Carson on TCM, a series dedicated to the best celebrity interviews Carson conducted. Each hour-long segment, which will debut on Monday nights in July, contains five interviews and will be followed by a feature film of the last interviewed actor.

To describe the music released by Los Angeles label Stones Throw Records as “eclectic” or “left-of-center” is an understatement on par with saying Kanye West has an ego. The diamond in the rough of indie record companies, Stones Throw was founded by Chris Manak (aka DJ Peanut Butter Wolf) in 1996 and has put its weight behind hip-hop, world music, and modern funk—to name just a few genres. The influential homegrown music label gets its due in Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton (This is Stones Throw Records).

It’s fun trying to look for Alfred Hitchcock in his own films. During the title sequence in North By Northwest he misses the bus and in The Birds he breezes out of a pet shop with his two dogs as Tippi Hedren enters. One of his earliest cameos was in an extended scene in his 1929 movie Blackmail. (We won’t spoil it for you but here’s a hint: He appears in the London Underground for 19 seconds.)

“MacArthur Park” has been recorded and performed by everyone from Donna Summers to Richard Harris; it even inspired a Weird Al Yankovic parody. But until now the sprawling, seven-and-a-half minute song has never been performed at its namesake venue, MacArthur Park. In honor of its 45th anniversary the tune’s composer, Grammy award-winner Jimmy Webb, will play “Macarthur Park” when he opens the Levitt Pavilion‘s free summer concert series on June 15th.