Mellow, spoiler-heavy discussions exploring an absurd physical media collection
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
On The Stacks this week, part one (0:00-1:33:31) features detailed discussion of triptych film New York Stories (consisting of segments directed by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Woody Allen) in addition to "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" (the 19th episode of Star Trek TOS). In part two (1:33:32-2:34:25), we discuss in briefer format eight additional films: the 2019 MCU entry Ant-Man and the Wasp, directed by Peyton Reed, John R. Leonetti's infamous 1997 video game movie trash-fire Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Takeshi Kitano's abstract 1989 crime film debut Violent Cop, Oliver Drake's 1969 minimalist sexploitation / rape western Ride a Wild Stud, Ralph Bakshi's 1972 adaptation of underground comix Fritz the Cat (the first x-rated animated feature), the 1968 Richard Irving TV movie Prescription: Murder (which introduces Peter Falk as Columbo), Masato Harada's deranged 2001 Japanese folk horror Inugami, and the 1934 Fernando de Fuentes Mexican gothic horror Phantom of the Monastery. As usual, part three consists of yet briefer talk on everything else we've watched on physical media since last time, and our choices for next week's episode.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
First up this week is Terry Gilliam's 1991 social drama The Fisher King, in addition to episode 18 of Star Trek (TOS), "Arena" (featuring The Gorn!) in part one (0:00-1:58:13). In part two (1:58:14-3:24:23), we discuss eight additional discs in briefer form: Anthony & Joe Russo's 2018 MCU mega-blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War, Ray Dennis Steckler's 1962 debut feature / Arch Hall Jr vehicle Wild Guitar, Trey Parker's 1993 debut feature Cannibal! The Musical, Michael J. Murphy's 2007 SOV cannibal joint Skare, the animated films of John Schnall included in the Death Laughs Among Us collection, the 1986 Nico Mastorakis action-comedy Sky High, the 1974 Hammer / Shaw Brothers collab Shatter (directed by Michael Carreras and partially by Monte Hellman), Angela Chan's 1984 coming-of-age erotic thriller Maybe It's Love, and a brief revisit of Michael Mann's 1986 hyper-aesthetic police procedural Manhunter. Part three, as usual, features briefer discussion of everything else we've watched since last time and our picks for next week.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Apologies for slightly rough sound on this episode, there was an issue with the recording. This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:11:57) we discuss the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock black comedy The Trouble With Harry, in addition to Star Trek (TOS) episode 17, "The Squire of Gothos" bringing us yet another god-being. In part two (1:11:57-2:43:16), we talk in shorter form about nine additional features - beginning with the Steven Spielberg-directed first episode of the Columbo TV series, "Murder by the Book" as well as his first proper film, 1974's Sugarland Express, the brilliant Elaine May 1971 black comedy A New Leaf, Michael Mann's 1983 synthwave Nazi horror The Keep, Rogério Sganzerla's 1968 Brazilian polemic montage Red Light Bandit, Chris LaMartina's 2022 horror-comedy retro-VHS simulacrum Out There Halloween Mega Tape, Herschell Gordon Lewis' 1972 extreme gore feature The Gore Gore Girls, Jose Maria Forque's apocryphal 1978 entry in the Emanuelle series, A Woman From a Hot Country (also known as Fury), and finally Paul W.S. Anderson's dopey 1995 video game adaptation Mortal Kombat. As usual in part three, we discuss everything else we've watched since last time and make our picks for next week.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
On The Stacks this week, part one (0:00-1:16:31) we cover first the Michael Mak category III Golden Harvest erotic comedy Sex and Zen, in addition to "The Galileo Seven" (the 16th episode of Star Trek (TOS). In part two (1:16:31-2:48:41), we talk about 8 additional films - Michael Mann's beautifully aesthetic 1981 debut crime film Thief, Bill Bordy's super-obscure 1988 no-fi crime picture Side Roads, Joseph Cates' 1965 grim crime drama Who Killed Teddy Bear?, the 1980 Lewis Jackson Santa slasher Christmas Evil, Martin Kitrosser's ridiculous 1991 Christmas-based slasher Silent Night Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker, Adam Green's 2016 papier-mâché and drugs version of Aladdin, Matt Mitler's 1994 Surf Reality thesis film Cracking Up, and the 2000 Toshiyuki Mizutani J-horror / melodrama Isola: Multiple Personality Girl. An extended part three features capsule discussion of everything else we watched since the last episode two weeks ago, and our picks for next week.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
A brief message - apologies, we are off this week, as Shana had the flu, but we will be back on track next week!
<3
-j.
Tuesday Dec 31, 2024
Tuesday Dec 31, 2024
On The Stacks this week, part one (0:00-1:45:17) consists of detailed discussion of Robert Altman's 1971 revisionist western masterpiece McCabe & Mrs. Miller, as well as "Shore Leave" - the fun 15th episode of Star Trek (TOS). Part two (1:45:18-3:05:46) we have briefer discussion of a lot more movies, beginning with AGFA's Blood-a-Rama Triple Frightmare II (consisting of Love Goddesses of Blood Island, Follow That Skirt, and The Undertaker and His Pals, 1964-66), the 2024 Mike Cheslik video game and silent film inspired comedy Hundreds of Beavers, Frank Marshall's goofy, campy 1995 Michael Crichton adaptation Congo, Richard Donner's 1989 sillied-up franchise entry Lethal Weapon 2, Joe Dante's 1984 yuletide classic Gremlins, Michael Mann's 1979 TV movie debut The Jericho Mile, David Lai and Cory Yuen's 1993 ACAB/AMAB Hong Kong exploitation action flick Women on the Run, and finally the numbingly stupid Nicholas Webster cult 1964 Christmas film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Finally, as usual in part three, we talk about everything else we've seen since last episode, and make our picks for the next one.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
On The Stacks this week, part one (0:00-1:26:13) consists of in-depth discussion on Toshiya Fujita's classic 1973 chambara Lady Snowblood, in addition to "The Balance of Terror" - the 14th episode of Star Trek (TOS), which introduces the Romulans. Part two (1:26:13-2:48:55) features shorter discussion of eight additional films: Bert I. Gordon's 1973 crime thriller The Mad Bomber (aka The Police Connection), Lamberto Bava's 1987 high-fashion giallo Delirium (aka Photo of Gioia), Joseph Zito's 1985 Chuck Norris saves Christmas action extravaganza Invasion USA, 2019's infamous Tom Hooper musical debacle Cats, Michael J. Murphy's trashy 2005 SOV melodrama Roxi, the 1999 Shunichi Nagasaki J-horror Shikoku, the 1987 cheap tech-noir Alien Private Eye (directed by Viktor), and the 1988 Gary L. Keady post-apocalyptic musical Sons of Steel. Finally, as usual in part three, we talk about all the other physical media we've watched since last episode, and make our picks for the next one.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
On The Stacks this week, in part one (0:00-1:31:30) Shana and j. discuss the Enzo G. Castellari 1973 poliziotteschi classic High Crime, in addition to our continuing coverage of Star Trek (TOS), with episode 13, "The Conscience of the King" (directed by Gerd Oswald). In part two (1:31:31-3:12:42), we talk about eight additional features - 1968's wildly influential George A. Romero zombie feature, The Night of the Living Dead, the proper start to the James Bond franchise with 1962's Dr No, directed by Terence Young, Ferdinando De Leo's 1972 poliziotteschi The Italian Connection, John Pasquin's 1994 seasonal Tim Allen picture The Santa Clause, Richard Donner's legendary 1987 buddy cop comedy Lethal Weapon, Monte Hellman's bizarre 1989 oddly David Lynch-adjacent franchise entry Silent Night Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out, John S. Rad's incredibly strange years-in-the-making 2005-released vanity project Dangerous Men, and Nico Mastorakis' 1990 Andy Sidaris-lite mercenary action thriller Hired to Kill. As usual, part three consists of shorter, capsule discussion of everything else we've watched on physical media since last time, and making our decisions for next week.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
On The Stacks this week, in part one (0:00-1:32:07) Shana and j. discuss the 1989 new wave meets German Expressionism Stephen Sayadian remake Dr. Caligari, in addition to episode 12 of Star Trek (TOS), "The Menagerie" part 2. In our own part two (1:32:07-3:07:08), we have eight additional features: Leonard Nimoy's delightfully silly 1986 Save the Whales adventure Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the landmark 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz, directed by Victor Fleming, Robert Clouse's 1974 SoCal kung fu / blaxploitation classic Black Belt Jones, David Lynch's difficult, abstract / surrealist 2006 picture Inland Empire, Robert Harmon's hi-test 1986 action-horror hybrid The Hitcher, the 1993 Surf Reality feature-length Shakespeare parody, Macbeth King of Scoutland, directed by Matt Mitler, David Worth's hilarious 2002 DTV sharksploitation Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, and H. Tjut Djalil's crazy 1986 Indonesian exploitation feature Lady Terminator. In part three, as we typically do, we discuss all the other physical media stuff we've watched since last week and make our picks for next week.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/
Tuesday Dec 03, 2024
Tuesday Dec 03, 2024
On The Stacks this week, in part one (0:00-1:31:59) Shana and j. discuss the 1976 Jean Rollin moody vampire picture Levres de Sang (Lips of Blood), in addition to the 11th episode of Star Trek (TOS), part one of their first two-parter "The Menagerie" (reusing the rejected pilot episode "The Cage"). In part two (1:32:00-3:16:55) we discuss 5 additional features: David Lynch's 2001 surrealist neo-noir masterpiece Mulholland Drive, The Wachowskis' glorious 2008 hyper-color anime adaptation Speed Racer, Ridley Scott's 2000 revival sword and sandal epic Gladiator, Juan Piquer Simón's bizarre 1983 ET / Alien knockoff Extraterrestrial Visitors, and Stephen Norrington's very 1994 absurdist dystopian sci-fi thriller Death Machine, as well as talking about the Cult of AGFA Trailer Show. As usual, in part three we talk about everything else we watched this week on physical media and make our picks for next week.
The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/