The Stacks

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:11:43), we conclude our coverage of Kinji Fukusaku's original Battles Without Honor or Humanity series, also known as The Yakuza Papers, with Volume 5 - Final Episode, in addition to "Darkness Falls" - the 20th episode of season 1 of X-Files. In part two (1:11:44-2:29:03) we talk in shorter format about seven additional features: the 2024 MCU TV series Agatha All Along, the 1996 Coen Brothers' fake true crime masterpiece Fargo, Stephen Herek's 1989 teen comedy classic Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Teruo Ishii's 1973 ero guro jidaigeki Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight, the 1981 Filipino James Bond ripoff For Y'ur Height Only (starring Weng Weng and directed by Eddie Nicart), the 2006 M. Night Shyamalan fairytale flop Lady in the Water, and the 2006 Martin Campbell James Bond reboot smash Casino Royale. In part three, we talk briefly about the other stuff we've watched since last time, make our picks for next week.

We encountered some technical difficulties recording this week so apologies for somewhat uneven audio.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:29:46), we discuss the highly influential Martin Scorsese 1982 satire of fame and celebrity, King of Comedy, in addition to "Shapes" - the 19th episode of season 1 of X-Files. In part two (1:29:47-2:43:13) we talk in shorter format about eight(ish) additional features - we conclude our discussion (started last week) of the MCU TV series Secret Invasion as well as covering Nia DaCosta's 2023 MCU movie The Marvels, the 1988 finale to Teresa Woo's Iron Angels trilogy, George P. Cosmatos' 1985 peak 80s action sequel Rambo: First Blood Part II, David Ayers' 2024 Jason Statham action/revenge picture The Beekeeper, the 2019 Josh Cooley Pixar animated sequel Toy Story 4, Brett Piper's 1986 handmade sci-fi Battle for the Lost Planet, 2017's controversial Rian Johnson Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, and Enzo G. Castellari's home invasion thriller Cold Eyes of Fear. In part three, we talk briefly about the other stuff we've watched since last time, make our picks for next week.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:15:47), we discuss the fourth volume of Kinji Fukasaku's epic crime series Yakuza Papers / Battles Without Honor and Humanity, with 1974's Police Tactics, as well as "Miracle Man" - the 18th episode of season 1 of X-Files. In part two (1:15:48-2:43:11) we talk in shorter format about nine-ish additional features - the 1994 psychedelic Patrick McGuinn short Desert Spirits, the 1991 Kazuhiru Kiuchi v-cinema manga adaptation Carlos, the feature-length 2007 David "Rock" Nelson free-association interview Can't Stop the Rock (as well as his 1992 The Giant Fly short), Nick Millard's 1980 action picture One-Armed Warrior (aka The Terrorists), the 2004 M. Night Shyamalan Amish twist film The Village, the 1994 Chuck Russell indie-comic movie The Mask, the 1995 Joseph F. Parda SOV giallo 5 Dead on the Crimson Canvas, the chilly 1973 Torgny Wickman sexploitation landmark Anita: Swedish Nymphet, the 1991 Coen Brothers masterpiece Barton Fink, and we discuss the first couple episodes of the widely-hated MCU TV series Secret Invasion. In part three, we talk briefly about the other stuff we've watched since last time, make our picks for next week.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:25:15), we discuss Alfred Hitchcock's influential 1958 psychosexual masterpiece Vertigo, as well as "E.B.E." - the 17th episode of season 1 of X-Files, introducing The Lone Gunmen! In part two (1:25:15-2:41:26) we talk in shorter format about 8 additional features - the 2022 MCU TV series Ms. Marvel, Dean Israelite's 2017 Power Rangers reboot film, Teresa Woo's 1988 HK action sequel Iron Angels II, Ted Kotcheff's 1982 action classic First Blood, the 1999 M. Night Shyamalan alien invasion picture Signs, Don Mancini's 2017 finale to the Chucky series, Cult of Chucky, The Coen Brothers' 1990 meditative crime drama Miller's Crossing, and Lee Unkrich's dark, intense 2019 children's movie Toy Story 3. In part three, we talk briefly about the other stuff 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/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:28:04), we discuss the 1979 David Schmoeller first-wave supernatural slasher Tourist Trap, as well as "Young at Heart" - the 16th episode of season 1 of X-Files. In part two (1:28:05-2:47:25) we talk in shorter format about nine additional features: the second season of Marvel's Loki TV series, the dire 1994 Alan Metter conclusion to the Police Academy series, Mission to Moscow, the notorious 1988 Stuart Raffill McFlop Mac and Me, the 2023 Stephen Scarlata documentary Sharksploitation, the 1966 Sande N. Johnson gangsploitation picture Teenage Gang Debs, Guy Ritchie's 2000 sophomore film Snatch, the Coen Brothers 1987 comedy Raising Arizona, the 2024 Alex Ross Perry surrealist music documentary Pavements, and a brief revisit of Kim Ki-Duk's South Korean kaiju picture Yongary, Monster From the Deep. In part three, we talk briefly about the other stuff we've watched since last time, make our picks for next week.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:23:49), we talk about Luigi Cozzi's (directing as Lewis Coates) wonderful grindhouse Star Wars knockoff Starcrash, as well as "Lazarus" - the 15th episode of season 1 of X-Files. In part two (1:23:49-2:29:19) we talk in shorter format about eight more movies: The emotionally resonant 2023 James Gunn MCU entry Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, the star-studded 1999 David "Rock" Nelson SOV epic The Devil Ant, Michael J. Murphy's final feature, the 2015 melodrama The Return of Alan Strange, the 1971 Bruno Gantillon erotic horror The Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay, the Coen Brothers' 1984 neo-noir debut Blood Simple, Robert J. Kaplan's lost 1972 queer art comedy Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers, John Lasseter's 1999 Pixar sequel Toy Story 2, and Gaspar Noe's 2009 surrealist experimental POV drug film Enter the Void. In part three, we talk briefly about the other stuff we've watched since last time, make our picks for next week.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:04:33), we discuss Bruce Lee's sole directorial effort The Way of the Dragon, in addition to "Gender Bender" - the weird sex-changing space Amish S1 episode of X-Files. In part two (1:04:34-2:21:06) we talk in shorter format about eight additional features: the third season of Marvel's What If? animated series, Amy Heckerling's 2012 vampire comedy Vamps, the Peter Bonerz 1989 franchise entry Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, David Dubay's 1997 SOV smalltown skullduggery epic The Killing Tide, Don Mancini's underappreciated 2004 debut Seed of Chucky, Don Bishow's 1987 lo-fi psychotronic splatter picture The Soultangler, Guy Ritchie's 1998 debut crime comedy Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, and M. Night Shyamalan's 2000 twist picture Unbreakable. In part three, we talk briefly about the other stuff we've watched since last time, make our picks for next week, and then we hold our fourth annual Stacks Awards, talking about all our favourite stuff that we've watched and talked about on the pod in the past year.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:34:06), we discuss Sergio Leone's 1968 western epic Once Upon a Time in the West, in addition to "Beyond the Sea" - the beloved thirteenth episode of X-Files season one. In part two (1:34:07-2:32:04) we talk in shorter format about seven additional features: 2023's Peyton Reed MCU flop Ant-Man & The Wasp in Quantumania, Robert Fortier's 1981 documentary Devil at Your Heels, the 2024 Osgood Perkins Satanic Panic retro-horror Longlegs, Zach Clark's 2011 surreal comedy/drama Vacation!, Steve Hanft's 1994 GenX primary text Kill the Moonlight, the 1999 M. Night Shyamalan horror landmark The Sixth Sense, and John Lasseter's 1995 game-changing cg-animated film Toy Story. In part three, as usual, we talk in brief about the other stuff we've watched since last time and make our picks for next week's episode.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:53:44), we conclude our coverage of Twin Peaks: The Return with episodes 17 and 18, in addition to "Fire" - the twelfth episode of X-Files season one. In part two (1:53:44-3:06:04) we talk in shorter format about 8 additional features: the second season of Marvel's What If?, the 2023 Emma Seligman queer teen comedy/satire Bottoms, the fifth entry in the Police Academy franchise - Assignment Miami Beach - directed by Alan Myerson, Ronny Yu's 1998 Child's Play revival film Bride of Chucky, Sidney J. Furie's notorious 1987 Cannon flop Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Shunichi Nagasaki's 1991 v-cinema stalker movie Stranger, J.J. Abrams' 2015 Star Wars franchise restarter, The Force Awakens, and Dan O'Bannon's 1989 revival / reclamation The Return of the Living Dead. In part three, as usual, we talk in brief about the other stuff we've watched since last time and make our picks for next week's episode.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

This week on The Stacks, in part one (0:00-1:39:49), we near the end of our discussion of Twin Peaks: The Return with episodes 15 and 16, as well as "Eve" - the eleventh episode of X-Files season one. In part two (1:39:50-2:39:43) we talk in shorter format about a bunch of additional features - the 2023 MCU TV miniseries Echo, John Lee Hancock's 2016 Ray Kroc biopic The Founder, Steve Binder's infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, Teresa Woo San's high-intensity 1987 HK action Iron Angels, a revisit of the 1991 Jack Bender slasher sequel / video nasty Child's Play 3, the 2015 Michael Mann cyber-thriller Blackhat, J.J. Abrams' 2015 Star Wars reboot sequel The Force Awakens, and the 1987 Jonathan Demme film of Spalding Grey's one-man show Swimming to Cambodia. In part three, as usual, we talk in brief about the other stuff we've watched since last time and make our picks for next week's episode.

The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/