VHS Glow

Katie introduces The Mummy (Stephen Sommers, 1999) by giving a quick plot synopsis. Darcy describes the VHS cover. The three go on to discuss their personal memories of seeing The Mummy.Some analysis of the problematic nature of Egyptology ensues. They compare it to Anaconda (Luis Llosa, 1997).They talk about the stars, especially Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.Then the three have a fun rapid question and answer session before wrapping up. IG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glow

MJ introduces her nostalgia pick, Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann, 1996).  The four go on to discuss:personal reminiscences of seeing the film originallyhow it was aggressively marketed to teenage girlsmusic videos & cinematic formthe soundtrackRoger Ebert's review & boomer misunderstandings of the MTV generationwas Shakespeare punk?would Shakespeare be cancelled if he was alive today?Then the group answers the pressing questions:what costume would you wear to the ball?marry/fuck/kill for Leo, Claire, and Paul RuddIG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glow

As per usual, the episode launches with a fun recap, i.e. a description of the original VHS cover art of The Matrix (Wachowskis, 1999).Joe hosts this week (as the film was his selection), prompting Darcy, Katie, and MJ to share their memories of seeing The Matrix in its original theatrical release. From there, the four discuss: the philosophy of Baudrillard & The Matrix  & his misinterpretation of Zion as "the real"The Matrix as trans narrative & the messy process of birthing oneselfthe wave of real-world violence in the wake of The Matrix: Columbine, the Matrix defense, and miscellaneous crimes the role of violent media in the edgelord to alt right/white supremacist pipelineAdditional Resources: Lilly Wachowski on transness of The MatrixThe Matrix & Real World ViolenceIG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glowRoyalty-free music: Music Produced by Aries BeatsPromoted by CFC

As usual, we get a recap that is basically a description of the VHS tape before launching into our discussion on  The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Darcy discusses how she first saw it and why it was her pick for this episode. Joe, Katie, and MJ talk about the film's camp status.Further topics include:the odd demonization of gays as seen in the Dom DeLuise character Melvin P. Thorpethe real life drama of the Chicken Ranchhow much we love Dollyhow the gay football team helps define its camp classic statusthe Mona-Ed Earl relationshipweird racial tropes of the 80sits potential copaganda statusdepartures from the stage playcastingCharles Durning's WTF oscar nomination for his role of the governorThen we cap it off with some rapid fire trivia questions, followed by more open-ended questions. As always, we wrap the episode up with some closing thoughts. Additional Resources:Dolly Parton & Patti LabelleRoger EbertSiskel & Ebert ReviewCamp and the Gay SensibilityColin HigginsDoc HopperIG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glowRoyalty-free music: Music Produced by Aries BeatsPromoted by CFC

In typical VHS Glow fashion, the four hosts discuss their nostalgia-relationship to The Princess Bride, including first viewing context, family & school screenings, & what their younger selves felt about the movie. Joe gives a queer interpretation but then veers left and talks about Chernobyl. Further topics include:GenX vs millennialsthe definition of "feel good" movies & why the Simmons family disprefers themBlue Velvet (1986) hermeneutics, or what's inside the lawn of S. Morgenstern's seemingly picture-perfect narrativethe life sucks yet true love prevails narrativeChernobyl & 80s catastrophescomedy and AmericanizationChernobyl & Cheetos (specifically, fluorescent cheese dust coating as boron & sand mixture dumped on reactor 4)Chernobyl & Cheez Whizfilm culture & the desire to return to simple/idyllic narratives during (& after) times of existential crisisthe first sensational national headline story each host rememberswtf is up with that grandfather/grandson dynamic?a discursive shift in 1990s best picture academy award winners& much more!Additional Resources:Wallace Shawn on Woody AllenPrincess Bride: Home MovieIG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glowRoyalty-free music: Music Produced by Aries BeatsPromoted by CFC

We cover a lot of ground in this episode!Autymn tells us why A Goofy Movie is a black nerd classic. Joe then gives us a dose of queer fan fiction. Then we discuss a microcosm of topics, including:the "down low"Art Babbitt, the genesis of the Goofy character, minstrelsy, black representation, phrenology AKA the pseudo-science of skull shape & Goofy's bumpthe racism of Disney & why old cartoons aren't on Disney+Goofy's mode of existence as proof that mistakes are okparent-child role reversalJeffrey Katzenberg & the checkered history of A Goofy MovieA Goofy Movie's marginal placement within the Disney Renaissance & its cult statusDisney + Miramax = Joe hates (and rants about) Oscar campaigninga roast of Gwyneth Paltrowchildhood afternoon cartoon programming blocksthe "fork in the road" movie: the movie that thrusts you right into adulthoodAdditional Resources:https://theoutline.com/post/7549/a-goofy-movie-black-classichttps://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/rjn24j/is_a_goofy_movie_one_of_the_bestmost_under/IG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glowRoyalty-free music: Music Produced by: Aries Beats - https://www.youtube.com/c/ariesbeatsPromoted by: CRFC - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQLZ...

High Art is a fabulous yet ultimately tragic story of two star-crossed lovers. Syd (Radha Mitchell), a struggling/aspiring editor at a high end photography magazine, meets Lucy (Ally Sheedy) almost by accident. Lucy, as it turns out, is a has-been yet still talented photographer who Syd quickly sees as her way to the top. However, both women are in relationships: Lucy with fading German actress Greta (Patricia Clarkson), Syd with milquetoast James (Gabriel Mann).  Lucy and Syd fall in love and push each others' careers, only to meet a tragic end. We talk about so many things in this episode, from poststructuralism to relationships to queer death in film & so much more!IG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glowMusic by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Katie, MJ, and Joe return after a brief hiatus to discuss not one, but two films! (Don't worry, Darcy will be back soon!)  First, License to Drive (1988) provides fertile ground for theorizing a Jacob's Ladder-esque, life-before-his-eyes story structure wherein Les Anderson (Corey Haim) dies at the end and the film circles back upon itself, Finnegans Wake style. Other topics include: Teenage deceit, personal experiences getting our licenses, the snowballing of lies, North by Northwest, patrilinear murder, Heather Graham as fey or chaos witch, the problematic nature of putting a vulnerable woman in a trunk, the greedy 80s/the reward system of cheating, and more...Second, we have Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991), Katie and Joe's childhood fave. Nostalgic reflections ensue! Katie warmly remembers how Joe would constantly watch the VHS (recorded off of HBO) as their after school ritual. Joe recounts how Christina Applegate's character Swell exemplified the “not a girl, not yet a woman” theme. MJ theorizes that it's an existential survivalist thriller. Other topics include: adulthood as service, the douchey business world (“Fake it ‘til you make it!”), sexist reviews, iconic lines (“I'm right on top of that, Rose!”), twinning, latchkey kids, gender role reversal... among other things!Then we cap it off with a compare/contrast.IG: @vhs_glowTwitter: @vhs_glowRoyalty-free music: Music Produced by: Aries Beats - https://www.youtube.com/c/ariesbeatsPromoted by: CRFC - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQLZ...

What is Super Mario Bros. really about? Katie doesn't think the film's really about anything but is the most New York movie ever; MJ unearths parallels in another sci-fi classic; Darcy's just in it for the Easter eggs; Joe is undecided.

What is Speed really about? It's one of Katie's childhood faves; Darcy loves Dennis Hopper; MJ talks tropes & more!

What is First Blood (1982) really about? Have you actually seen First Blood or do you just have cartoonish images from the sequels in mind when you think and speak of Rambo? He just needs a hug!

It's a Jesus v Frankenstein showdown in our latest episode, guest starring Joe Simmons AKA the editor of VHS Glow!

"Nobody got divorced from James Cameron and was like, 'What a stand up guy!'"

I've already wasted my whole life. I want to tell you with my last breath that I have always loved you. I would rather be a ghost, drifting by your side as a condemned soul, than enter heaven without you. Because of your love, I will never be a lonely spirit.

I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.A small bird will drop frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.

Katie thinks Point Break is about the silliness and profundity of masculinity. MJ thinks Point Break is about competing conceptions of The Good Life. Darcy thinks Point Break is about anti-heroes and anti-villains. FIGHT!

MJ thinks it's about karate instructors fighting a war of ideals with child proxy soldiers. Darcy thinks it's about how America whitewashes its perpetuation of atrocities such as the internment of people of Japanese descent during WWII.Katie thinks it's about patrilineal hegemony due to the truly astonishing number of daddies.FIGHT!

Today we're talking about VHS Glow - what is it, who are we and why are we doing it? Discussion topics include Blockbuster, our dads' and brothers' tastes in action movies, the enduring legacy of Keanu Reeves, tearjerker sports movies, after school specials, and whether we hallucinated various movies and shows from our youths.

Today we're talking about Bloodsport (1988)!  It was the first thing we recorded so Darcy obliquely references the taking of the US Capitol on 1/6/20 and Katie says "like" approximately nine thousand times. Discussion topics include: Are all secret worlds in martial arts movies connected? Sexy fight training montages with Punch Dad, One True Art as created by white American individualist dominance narratives, One True Can of Beer held by Ray the entire movie, Being the pink Power Ranger, Frank Dux's astrological chemistry with Chong Li, What is truth? 

Today we're talking about Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - spoiler alert. Discussion topics include : Lo Pan's cursed dating history, Jack Burton ❤ Pork-Chop Express, but does he love himself? That stowaway twist ending, Jack Burton as America, John Carpenter's subversive ouevre, The journey to hell by way of Greek mythology, Lifting the veil of the world to experience real power, Jack as a reckless and helpless naif a la Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai, White supremacy affecting our perception of the real hero: Wang