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Retro Reviews

[Review] “Raised On The ’80s: Unexpected Life Lessons from Movies and Music That Defined Pop Culture’s Most Excellent Decade”

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What do The Karate Kid, The Breakfast Club, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High all have in common (besides being totally awesome 80’s movies?) – all of these and more are included in Chris Clew’s new book,  “Raised on The ’80s: 30+ Unexpected Life Lessons from the Movies and Music That Defined Pop Culture’s Most Excellent Decade.“

Now while that’s a mouthful to say, even more so is this book that I recently read and enjoyed that marries the thought of some of cinema’s most nostalgic films from the 80s’, and life’s harsh lessons with a splash of advice for this weird journey down the road of living according to author Clews.

The 80s’ were a turning point in film and TV where studios got a little ballsier when tackling taboo subjects for audiences. Beyond the “a very special episode” of our favorite sitcoms and “movies of the week”, messages buried inside the explosion of pop culture were both informed and meaningful and were smacked all over our faces from Saturday Morning cartoons to even Blockbuster Action Movies like Die Hard and Roadhouse.

What kind of deep meaningful life lesson does Die Hard have you ask? Well, Clews gives his own perspective here and I happen to agree wholeheartedly:

“Often times the best way to face a tough or challenging situation is with levity and humor.”

Clews dives deep into his own personal experiences with how John McClane’s humor and level-headedness helped him through some wild moments in life along with highlighting this fan-favorite from the decade harbors a few lessons we can take from Bruce Willis’ character.

“Throughout all his challenges, uncertainty, fear, and near-death experiences, there is one constant in McCalne’s Nakatomi Towers world- humor.” It keeps his mind clear, level, and sane and with that sort of mindset, it indeed saved his life. Now if McClane had a negative mindset and a humorless bastard throughout the movie, well, his situation would have turned out very different, and of course, so would the fate of his wife and other hostages. Also, it would have made for a shitty movie.

This is merely one example and just a tiny snippet of what this book that was two decades in the making covers, and a must-read for both nostalgic pop-culture lovers and cinephile critical thinkers. You can pick it up at Amazon here and makes a totally radical gift for the holidays!

Cool shit to buy

DieDieBooks Launching a New Line Of Killer Horror Movie Books

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“Horror fans not only consume culture, they create it,” said co-founder of DieDieBooks Nick Toti, “so we wanted to create a series of books that feels very participatory.

No one’s perspective on horror movies’ is valued more than the fandom that keeps the genre alive, so a series of books diving into their own insight written by notorious boils and ghouls of the horror fan squad seems only fitting that this exists for not only us to consume, but the Horror Class as a whole.

Each book is illustrated in hauntingly perfect form by famed dark artist Andy Sciazko. The books include a deep dive on the Hooper vs. Spielberg debate surrounding Poltergeist written by author Jacob Trussell, and a primer on the nuclear apocalypse film Threads written by nuclear scholar and activist Bob Mielke. We also have a queer perspective on the controversial slasher Sleepaway Camp by BJ and Harmony Colangelo. For Universal fans, a portrait of Lon Chaney Jr.’s mental anguish
during his performance in The Wolfman by Philip J Reed, and a love letter to The Love Witch written by filmmaker and editor Matt Latham.

The idea for DieDieBooks came from screenwriter Rachel Kempf, who previously worked at an erotic romance publisher. “I wasn’t a huge fan of romance, but I understand the appeal of genre writing because I love horror,” Kempf said. “It’s a genre with incredibly devoted fans, so we
wanted to create our own press and connect with readers who share that love of horror.”

DIY filmmaker Nick Toti also adds, These books are not only fun to read since they draw so heavily from the authors’ own backgrounds and
expertise, but will hopefully also inspire readers to chase their own horror movie obsessions and add their voices to the conversation.”

Toti and Kempf, who are married, recently relocated from Los Angeles to rural Missouri to build their horror empire DieDieMedia—a parent company that not only publishes books, but also produces horror movies/documentaries and will release its first feature in 2023.

Indie press DieDieBooks is currently raising funds
on Kickstarter to publish the series. The first five books are available as
perks on Kickstarter for donors to the campaign. The Kickstarter campaign will end on Oct. 31st, 2022. To make a contribution or learn moreabout the project, visit DieDieBooks on Kickstarter.

Home Video Releases

“Terror Train” Remake Terrifies Tubi Today!

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Halloween programming has been coming HOT as we inch closer to the holiday we celebrate all year round here, and out today is the FREE streaming service Tubi’s own remake of the 1981 horror classic, TERROR TRAIN.

The new TERROR TRAIN adaptation, produced by Incendo, is set to thrill horror fans who have been clamoring for this remake for years. “Terror Train” (1980) starred the original “scream queen,” Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as Ben Johnson and David Copperfield, and has long been celebrated for its cult classic status in the slasher/horror genre.

The new cast is led by Canadian actress Robyn Alomar (“Utopia Falls”), who gives a breakout performance and is poised to be crowned the newest scream queen, as well as Tim Rozon (“Schitt’s Creek”).  The remake is written by Ian Carpenter and Aaron Martin (“Slasher”) and is directed by long-time Incendo collaborator Philippe Gagnon (“Amber Alert”). TERROR TRAIN is produced by Graham Ludlow and Kaleigh Kavanagh; executive producers are Graham Ludlow, Shari Segal, and Brook Peters.

In this contemporary reimagining, eerie excitement is in the air as Alana (Robyn Alomar) and a group of college seniors boards a party train for a Halloween-themed bash, but their fun spirals into fear as attendees are killed off one by one by an unknown killer.  Concealed by costumes and plagued with chaos, everyone is a suspect. As the party train continues full steam ahead, Alana must race against the rails to find the killer before she becomes the next victim. 

TERROR TRAIN was highlighted at Tubi’s NewFronts presentation, where Tubi revealed it is doubling down on content and debuting more than 100 new original titles over the next year. Tubi is cementing its commitment to original content, giving audiences more of what they love, including horror and thrillers throughout the year and during “Terror on Tubi.”