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Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Non-Murderous, Undisclosed Desires and the Current Disgruntled's Wrestling Champions

 *This blog post was started on May 31, 2022.

Nothing seems to be going right in starting this post. I looked up songs by The Smiths to come up with a title for the personal part of the blog only to look at my previous posts to find that two posts ago was called "Pick Your Smiths Songs". That is a real kick in the teeth because "Suffer Little Children" would be fitting for the past week.

If it is any consolation for us Americans who have compassion instead of homicidal desires (Are these what Matt Bellamy was singing about?) and the need to defend their past, Twitter has not been too bad. Prior to Uvalde, I was still getting some gun nuts coming out of the woodwork in regards to my call for them to practice their aim instead of buying semi-automatic weapons. Those tweets were sent during WrestleMania weekend. Did those cunts just get out of Twitter jail and had to catch up on whatever those who are more careful in their echo chamber had to disparage?

They are probably just laying low right now because the cowards they voted for are taking the heat for the bullshit they would spout in their stead. If being in power cannot stop you from being an embarrassment, what can your anonymous ass do? Once the house passes their legislation, they will probably express their paranoia again because racist assholes like Rodney Davis had failed them, so red state senators cannot.

I thought I would get around to writing about my own struggles (like trying to find something to enjoy that is not dependent on the influence of others per my therapist), but after naming an incompetents racist, memories of his anti-woman stance come to mind. It has been so long since I wrote for the sake of writing, I did not get to express my anger over Roe v. Wade's inevitable overturning. Should I be writing just to get my rage out? If Mom cracks down on the therapy bills, that maybe my only option.

There is a part of me that thinks I maybe adding even more stress into my life by going to therapy. We are developing a good report, but can it help me? I think that I maybe focusing more on my problems, so that I will have them to talk about. Hence, my troubles seem like they are on my mind more now. With rent going up $60 and a credit card interest coming do, working short shifts with few friends leaves me focused on the lack of money. Sticking around before/after my shift was scheduled to begin/end may help the pocketbook, but it is only more time to think about how few pages are in it.

When it comes to finding outlets to be social, my big sister finds it in Twitter. With her personality, it is easy to see why. She gets to chat with fellow ignored souls. To cope with the assholes she had to endure, being ignored meant a good day. I suppose my problem is that I cannot stand just being ignored.

And the world's problem is not developing a thick skin where they can ignore silly statements. I have probably left people more upset by calling Johnny Depp menacing and claiming that people who ignore their dogs on walks to focus on their phones are closet cat people. People want to be heard, but not interacted with. How dare anyone make them think of the trivial (and occasional dim) things they have said.

Then you get assholes like @daykyle who want to remind me how Cody Rhodes return to WWE is improving rating for McMahon's promotion while the needle only moved once for CM Punk's return to wrestling. I guess this blog will piss him off. Maybe it will get him to write blogs because 280 characters cannot offer him an argument.

The Current Disgruntled's Real Wrestling Champions (May 31, 2022)


With that said, we already know who is going to be named the Men's World Champion. How is Cody going to top the CM Punk story? He is not going to be the guy to unseat the DRCW Interim Champion. Winning Money in the Bank and then cashing in after Roman Reigns beats The Rock is the only way I think his story can be better than what Punk's comeback has been.

He might get a brief reign before WrestleMania, but unless McMahon is going to make the turncoat their top guy and abandon the 10-year build of the Chris Hero stand in, it is not going to mean a damn thing. A reign where Roman just gets the belt(s) back is nothing more that a shallow means to claim that WWE has shown the upmost respect to The American Dream.

The 98th and Current Disgruntled's Real Men's World Wrestling Champion:
AEW World Champion CM Punk

(His third reign started on May 29, 2022.)

Kazuchika Okada is the only man who has the only style of all "world" champions who can work with Punk. Roman Reigns does not have the legs or the freedom to do so. Jonathan Gresham is too indie darling to translate.

The 49th and Current Disgruntled's Real Women's World Wrestling Champion:
AEW World Champion Thunder Rosa

(Her reign started on March 16, 2022.)

She is not the most athletic champion. That would be Bianca Belair, but Belair has yet to defend her championship. Rosa had defeated the giant of AEW's division in Nyla Rose and had a classic with the woman who took the NWA Women's Championship from her, Sereena Deeb. Ronda Rousey is the most legit champion, but she does not have a new contender yet.

The 151st and Current Disgruntled's Real World Tag Team Champions:
Raw & SmackDown Tag Team Champions: The Bloodline: Jimmy & Jey Uso

(Their second reign started on January 5, 2022.)

After unifying the tag team championships, it is hard to make a case against them. I think AAA/ROH Champions FTR have proven themselves the best team since January 5, but they lacked ROH gold to stake their claim as the champions.

The OCHO: The 159th and Current Disgruntled's Real Secondary Champion:
ROH Television Champion: Samoa Joe

(His third reign began on April 15, 2022.)

It is really a matter of timing at this point. SANADA was about to relinquish the IWGP United States Championship due to injury. WWE's Intercontinental Championship feels like it is off TV, and that Ricochet only won it to add more heat to the Sami Zayn/Johnny Knoxville feud. Theory has a lot of juice with Vince McMahon as his on screen mentor, but only won the title after Joe won his. Fin Balor's reign was brief and only to allow Damian Priest to turn heel. Trey Miguel is always going to be looked at as the third member of The Rascals.

Joe beat Minouro Suzuki for his current title in Suzuki's only attempted defense. But it was still the founder of Pancrase he had to beat.

The 160th and Current Unified Gnarly Men's Doubles World Champions:
AEW World Tag Team Champions: Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy Jack Perry

(Their reign started on January 10, 2022.)

With no Rated RK-Bro currently, who else can it be? Well, sadly AEW is currently focusing on seeming makeshift teams of singles competitors, so the AEW Tag Team Championships may not get elevated to the Real Tag Team Championship for the foreseeable future.

The 48th and Current Modern Poser Champion:
WWE Unified Universal Champion Roman Reigns

(His second reign started on August 30, 2020.)

He can work with Punk because they have in the past, but he definitely cannot go with Okada or Gresham. This concept of a Real World Champion was established by Taz when he called out Steve Austin and Ric Flair before his ECW/FTW "Living Dangerously" unification bout with Sabu. You cannot believe Reigns over Punk.

As a creative type, I almost want to curse AEW. The World Championship booking is so consistent, it is rare that I get to write about who the real champions are. "Forbidden Door" will be an important event because it will test Tony Khan's skill as a booker.

Hopefully he will have learned from "G1 Supercard" and resist winner takes all affairs. With the amount of championships, the card writes itself. Stick to the New Japan emphasis on championship matches, and I am sure it will deliver. Just do not book Okada/Punk. I need my booking pencil.

Monday, May 30, 2022

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - Explicit "DOOM": Ta2squid X Trash Panda

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 70: Explicit "DOOM": Ta2squid X Trash Panda (featuring more "Bros" than a wrestling promo).

Eva the most electrifying kitty

Explicit DOOM: Ta2Squid X Trash Panda

May 31, 2022

Come for a chat about Karl Urban and The Rock's 2005 video game movie adaptation "Doom". Stick around for Cool Movies Darth's not safe for work conversation about wrestling and podcast merchandising featuring Andras from Ta2squid Podcast and Kollin (and his kids) from the Trash Panda Podcast.


Allow me to get out of third-person. Happy Prof. Shurtleff of Illinois Central College? I (CM Darth) will try not to make so much light of violent death in this summation. This is my declaration of changing perspective. 

Since this is an episode featuring one half of the Trash Panda Podcast, expect a lot of attempts at comedy from everyone involved. I bring up the comedic elements because this podcast ended up being a comedy of errors. It was the "Wheel of Horror" podcast that expressed interest in doing a podcast about the first R-Rated Dwayne Johnson movie. Andras and Kollin wanted to join in, and the recording was scheduled.

Of course, "Wheel of Horror" is one of the best movie podcasts that I had recently listened to. And to maintain this stature, they needed to keep up on the new releases. Thus, "Top Gun: Maverick's" debut had to understandably take precedence on May 26. At least this allowed the three of us to compare and contrast Tom Cruise's franchise to the influential series (at least to Brian Griffin) of "Iron Eagle".



I should say, Andras and I got to educate Kollin about 80's fighter pilot movies. Did we do the same with "Doom" is the more pressing issue.

Monday, May 23, 2022

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - Ally’s Trans-Atlantic Woody Allen Horror Tour

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 69: Ally’s Trans-Atlantic Woody Allen Horror Tour (What's Scarrier: Woody, Lame Horror, or Cheap Horror?).

Eva is not impressed by cosplay


Ally’s Trans-Atlantic Woody Allen Horror Tour

May 24, 2022
No guest this week, so Cool Movies Darth returns to the cheap DVD bin that Ally of Ally's Accessories Shop on Etsy provided him. This portion of the A to Zed journey takes us on a scary tour. Scary to some with the Steve Martin's Woody Allen inspired "L.A. Story" and Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris". Scary to the rest for featuring Lucio Fulci's "The New York Ripper". "Out of the Dark" represents Colombia and "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To" stands up for Pittsburgh.


Allow me to get out of third-person. Happy Prof. Shurtleff of Illinois Central College? I (CM Darth) will try not to make so much light of violent death in this summation. This is my declaration of changing perspective. 

With ThePoeticCritic giving me two hours of content last week and a super podcast planned this week, I did not put a lot of pressure on myself to find a guest. Because most of the episodes seem to be devoted to singular features, it is tougher to incorporate the Trash Feature Revue into those additions. It is kind of nice to have a week where I have to force myself to dive into the $3.33 movies the podcast is kind of based on.

Take note that many of these movies are inexpensive as opposed to being trashy. When I told Ally that I was looking for trashy movies, she stuck to the initial parameters of the podcast, features between 74 to 99 minutes. Like most people, she does not go looking for movies that seem bad or obscure. This means I occasionally get some gold like "L.A. Story" and "Midnight in Paris".

And there have been some instances where Ally gets me a movie I have already embraced. "In & Out" went straight (ironic) to the collection shelves instead of sitting atop my rarely used Victrola. How can you relax when you got to flip the record over? It is sad I cannot get any pseudo intellectuals to listen to my rare Naked Raygun.

Pinterest @mikeleen
Pinterest @mikeleen

When it comes to diamonds in the rough, the letter "N" feature in the Trash Feature Revue was supposed to be "The Night Listener". It got two thumbs up from "Ebert and Roeper", but the thumb that sat in for Roger was Jay Leno's. ThePoeticCritic assured me of the film's reputation, but it was tough enough for me to finally accept a Sarah Jessica Parker movie must be watched.

Instead, I chose to try to keep a theme for this episode. With two movies representing cities, it only made sense for a third. Thus, my raffle prize from B-Fest came to good use.

"The New York Ripper" was an appalling movie when I saw it 12 years ago, but it actually displays the talent of Lucio Fulci. His "Gates of Hell" trilogy is legendary, but this giallo film showed me that he can work in less than fantastical worlds. And of course, who does not want to revisit early 80's Time Square. Fuck Rudy Giuliani.


The substitution guaranteed me that this Trash Feature Revue was going to be 80% fun. I am not a paranormal movie fan, so a movie about Columbian ghost children was not going to entice me. "Out of the Dark" does have Stephen Rea, and that is usually a sign of some potential. Too bad the lack of renown for latter Scott Speedman and Julia Stiles movies is ever present.

Now, Julia has said some things to dismiss our attention, but what did Scott do? Did he ask for too much money for "Underworld" 4 and 5? If Cube got a cameo in "The Return of Xander Cage", why not Speedman?

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

NinetyForChill: The Podcast - Earth Girls Are Easy: ThePoeticCritic Responds

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 68: Earth Girls Are Easy: ThePoeticCritic Responds (If it's Carrey, Goldblum, or Davis, the lasses I asked said: Yes!).

A chilled Skimble approves


Earth Girls Are Easy: ThePoeticCritic Responds

May 17, 2022

Jeff Goldblum + Geena Davis + Jim Carrey = A great way to beat the monotony of shallow, capitalistic existence. CoolMoviesDarth was his standard dower self going into the weekend while ThePoeticCritic was sour about the lack of cool guests going into the Chicago Con season. Needing summer to start now, CM Darth turned to an 80's camp classic he just never got around to, "Earth Girls Are Easy". TPC just happens to offer some of the best insights into this Julie Brown vanity project.


Allow me to get out of third-person. Happy Prof. Shurtleff of Illinois Central College? I (CM Darth) will try not to make so much light of violent death in this summation. This is my declaration of changing perspective. 

I kind of pulled this interview out of my ass. My big sister stated she was down in a Twitter post and was hopeful for fun clips be suggested to her. John Oliver's web exclusive about "Air Bud" and a Fred Ward joke did not seem like it would be enough to cheer her up, so I chatted with her on Facebook Messenger. That is where I suggested the only Jeff Goldblum musical that I was aware of, and for someone who is a little reluctant to chat, she jumped at.

It was not an easy viewing. My crappy modem from Xfinity gave out minutes in as I was streaming it. After a reset, Pluto TV made me regret my sound board investment. Damn those commercials are loud (and not varied enough). I suppose it was appropriate for plenty of commercials for "Love Match Atlanta" to be placed in a romantic comedy.


After the film and finding out that Great Value's Crystal Light Lemonade is not a vodka mixer, the podcast started. We do spend about 20 minutes catching up (We are both on six-day work week schedules, so running into each other in person is tough.). This lead to me using the "Spinal Tap 2" announcement as a transition to the film. Gods bless Michael McKean, especially before he started getting type casted.

It was a lot of fun just to chat about the late eighties and early nineties, so I do not think we give a great plot synopsis until the end of the show. Both ThePoeticCritic and I were exposed to these performers that would become legends at the same time. Our knowledge of this film's existence came via the expansion of cable TV, primarily FX and Comedy Central. The prior aired "In Living Color" all the time while the latter showed this film every weekend.

Let us not forget the effect Flix had on entertainment existence. This is where we got to see movies, like director Julien Temple's "Absolute Beginners". Musicals from the eighties means that aside from my lame jokes or trashing the overly sensitive members of woke Twitter (Woke Twitter: Good. Asking Twitter Users to be Considerate: Bad.), ThePoeticCritic essentially got the podcast theme she had asked me to consider numerous times. We nearly chat for two hours, so I think she had a lot of fun. Hopefully I was able to clean up the audio enough that it translates.


If the interview audio is too loud, I do open the podcast with a throwback to last week's episode "Turning Red...Dwarf". I finally watched "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" to see if "Turning Red" is the best Western animated feature since "Coco". It was a fun experience, but perhaps being a fan of comic books made this a tougher watch for me.

"Spider-Verse" just throws so much at you in every frame, I wanted to stop the film to focus on each frame like I can with a comic book. It has a strong narrative and is pretty moving, but it is not Pixar. Now I need to revisit "Isle of Dogs" and finally watch "Incredible 2" to see if Oscar got it right. This was not stated on the air, so I will address this in my own time.

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - Turning Red...Red Dwarf

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 67: Turning Red...Red Dwarf (Cat People Comedy and Canadian Pandas).

Eva tolerate Holopanda

Turning Red…Red Dwarf

May 10, 2022

Cats and pandas come to the rescue this week on NinetyForChill.com. "Turning Red" was released to physical media this week, so Cool Movies Darth found that we have a Pixar movie with the ideal runtime. That amused him for one night, but the greatest amusement may have been discovering "Red Dwarf XIII" was a TV movie. Enjoy this homage to the commonwealth and forgive his fandom that he may mistake for cultural knowledge.


Allow me to get out of third-person. Happy Prof. Shurtleff of Illinois Central College? I (CM Darth) will try not to make so much light of violent death in this summation. This is my declaration of changing perspective. 

I like to thank those who responded to my most recent call for podcast guests. We should have an exciting episode (or experiment) for May 31, but getting four blokes together after a failed episode with only one person in another time zone (We are not calling the Jessica Kwazz "Spaceballs" episode as a failure.), asking them to rush for the immediate week is not fair. Fortunately, the planned gimmick for the second season of NinetyForChill was to switch between solo episodes and guest episodes. At least that is how I am dealing with my social ineptitude.

The only issue this week was, I did not have any more half hour episodes to recycle for YouTube's sake. It does not feel right to only offer 15 minutes of content two years into the podcast. Taking a hit seemed like the only option. And then the serendipity came to save the show.


When delivering a PS5 to my little brother, he told me about his subscription to BritBox to catch up on all the British comedy that Mom should not have let a nine and three year old engage in. "Red Dwarf XIII" was on my mind, so I decided I was going to binge the series to make something of my weekend. Little did I know, "Red Dwarf: The Promise Land" was a TV movie. Thus, we have two Red-themed features to discuss.

For a "Red Dwarf" fan, this film was awesome. It may have left me watching with red-tinted lenses, but if your into subversive and dry humor, you will love this movie as well. This is what you would want to see in a sequel to either of "Monty Python's" finest films ("Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian"). The formula is like the TV show, but is brilliantly paced and only hindered by the laugh track.

Who would not want to watch a movie about well-meaning monks/drunks being chased by cats who have evolved into humans while maintaining all the meme-worthy traits? A cleaning robot and an obnoxious hologram who is dependent on being attached to his charger are essentially responsible for ensuring that a drunk/god successfully carries on humanity is comic gold. If you do not have time to watch 12 seasons to understand this series, this film will give you a vibe that will inspire you to watch the rest (or at least seasons 3-8 and 10-12).


Of course, the rose-colored inspiration for this double feature was Pixar's "Turning Red". The DVD box says the runtime for this feature was 1 hour 40 minutes, but they were rounding up. We operate on the Kessel Run math hear at NinetyForChill. With that said, please revisit "Solo: A Star Wars Story". LucasFilm needs our support to get the franchise back on the big screen sooner rather than later.

I have heard nothing but good things from my friends who have seen this film, but the controversy surrounding it made this something I had to watch. Why does it ignore 9/11? How can any white male relate to this cartoon? Will Disney ever release Pixar films to the theaters? Is Disney hiding Pixar movies on their streaming service to ensure their originals get the best animated feature Oscar?

With how great this film was, the latter may have been confirmed. I have yet to see what ThePoeticCritic rated this feature to determine if this is a contradiction.

As for being unrelatable, that must be the opinion of a spoiled eighties kid, someone whose parents funded him until he succeeded as a hack critic. This probably means his mom is a Karen like the woman who decided that I must lose my job despite she found a better one (Fuck Marine Bank for indulging in her intentions.). This explains why someone else would ask Canadian's to "Never Forget".

If there is a problem with "Turning Red", it is that I do not know when you can show it to a child. Why would any parent want their kids to think they do not need to be their perfect child? It is a lesson they need to learn before high school, which is why I relate to this story. Here is another reason to vote blue because the Fox News is going to get the Christian nuts who get to make the rules declare this as an enemy to (white) families.

Any movie that tells you to fuck conformity is a winner to me. Now I need to go through my Letterboxd to determine if I am a hypocrite. Having no guest lined up this week, I suppose I have the time. With that said...

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Head On...into the Unknown: My Life and Women's Wrestling

 *This blog post was started on May 8, 2022.

Head On...into the Unknown: My Life and Women's Wrestling

So the blog titles are bleeding in to the nineties now. I suppose it cannot be helped. Until "Return of the Jedi", the first part of the eighties were a little blurry. There was "Flash Gordon", but that album only has a couple of tracks with actual lyrics. The title song will not help to describe my life. Lets just forget about "The Hero".

Why am I suggesting my future is unknown? It feels like all I can do is take life one day at a time. My finances are stable, but there is always the unexpected expense to fear. Therapy seems overpriced, but not surprising. We will have to break that down after the next appointment.

But, money is the only thing to worry about, and that is just something I philosophically want to avoid worrying about. If there is anything tense about it right now, it is that I have to actually pay for Zoom. Who would have thought that the Dwayne Johnson/Karl Urban based on a video game feature, "Doom" is going to bring out the most people wanting to record a podcast?

Another financial punch might be needing to find cooler music for the podcast. If you are going to be working with "Wheel of Horror", my uplifting theme by "The Smithereens" may not fit the proposed episode. I may just wait until this four-person, multi-time zone episode is in the can.

Just take the hit for Zoom. I do not want to miss out on the promo code. Why else would I have gotten another credit card?

Well, there are medical expenses. I cannot cost my folks $500 a month. And who knows what the cost of "Forbidden Door" tickets are going to run me. Better to have than wish.

My only wish is for a surprising death. Retirement is for those with college degrees. Hence why we need student loan forgiveness. A degree with debt leaves you in as bad a condition as me.

I am just worried about a static life right. I get enough static bullocks with the wrestling scene. We need competition just so we can get some hot shot booking to make my rankings seem more interesting.

The Disgruntled's Women's Wrestling Power Ranking (5/08/2022):

I am not saying that I want world titles to change hands frequently, but when all promotions are just keeping the same champions, it does not encourage you to watch the other promotion. Hollywood Hogan held the WCW belt for nearly two years, and it should have been a good idea (Starrcade 97 proved otherwise.). WWF knew they did not have an icon at the time, so they had to surround their championship with drama instead of sport.

Right now, wrestling promotions are too concerned with creating new icons. WWE is not even thinking about anything else. So, needless to say, "WrestleMania: Backlash" is not really impressing me, with the exception of Edge getting a better booked House of Black.

I will give the Smackdown Women's Championship "I Quit" match credit, but that is just a course correction. So, do not expect Rhonda to rank at the top.

The Number One Women's Wrestler in the World:
Thunder Rosa (Up 7 spots)

  • She is the current Disgruntled's Women's Real World Champion.
  • She is the current AEW Women's World Champion.
  • She is the only current Western, televised wrestling women's champion with a secondary title holder beneath her further cementing her importance.
  • Serena Deeb is the next top contender. If AEW plays up that this is the woman who took the NWA title from Rosa, we can lead to thinking that a title change is possible.

The Number Two Women's Wrestler in the World:
Bianca Belair (Up 4 Spots).

  • She is the current Raw Women's Champion (A belt that has been recognized as the Real World Championship).
  • She has yet to lose at WrestleMania.
  • The Raw women's roster is being booked better, so she should get the finest contender.

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - Lo: From YouTube with Love, Demons, and Kodiak Thompson

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 66: Lo: From YouTube with Love, Demons, and Kodiak Thompson ("Evil Dead" meets "(500) Days of Summer").

Eva's ode to Lo's poster.

Lo: From YouTube with Love, Demons, and Kodiak Thompson

May 3, 2022

Kodiak Thompson returns to offer up his insight about another horror comedy, Travis Betz's "Lo" from 2009. This romantic tale is all charm with a sense of humor that is akin to "John Dies at the End". It is like "Evil Dead" except the demons are more concerned with spouting and mocking philosophies instead of swallowing souls.



Allow me to get out of third-person. Happy Prof. Shurtleff of Illinois Central College? I (CM Darth) will try not to make so much light of violent death in this summation. This is my declaration of changing perspective. 

So, I have usually mentioned my handle in the third person when I post my summary for all the podcast apps. The previous paragraph should be removed in this case, but I have templates to maintain.

This episode is pretty brief all things considered. Kodiak wanted to keep it to about an hour, and I think it worked out great. He got to put his kid to bed at a reasonable, and we cut the bullshit out. The man knows how to stay focused on, and we benefit from giving this feature the respect it deserves.


"Lo" is the story of Justin. He and his girlfriend April were recently attacked by a demon. After this near fatal assault, April is missing, presumably taken to hell by the monster. This girl was Justin's entire life, so he will do whatever he can to save her.

With that said, it seems fortunate that he is in possession of her only possession, a book that is reminiscent of the Necronomicon. In it, there is a marked passage about a demon named Lo. If Justin can call upon him, the demon must fulfill his request. This seems like a sweet deal, provided that Justin remains inside the pentagram used to summon the creature.

Lo knows these rules, but also knows how to deal in technicalities. He knows what Justin wants now, but will that be what Justin wants after the tale of April Oaks is told to him? If that does not sway him from stepping away from this goal, fear and hallucinations might. Sarcasm and straight up insults might assist the demon as well.

Drexel Box Films - https://www.drexelbox.com/


For a horror movie, there are not really any scares or gore. It is a comedic character study. The characters are just scary looking and not afraid to mock someone's wounds, be it physical or mental. All of the demons are assholes, but they are the assholes you rely on when you need to be talked out of an iffy situation. Thus, you cannot hate them.

"Lo" is the perfect blend of early Sam Raimi and "classic" Herschell Gordon Lewis. The film is a one-act that play that I do not think could be sold to the off-Broadway market. Or perhaps it is too meta for that because it is shot as if it was a play, like many of the lowest Lewis features.

Thankfully, the humor is the attraction, and the humor is that of a restrained "Evil Dead". The film is basically Ash trying to reason with his possessed hand (literally in this case) about whether or not the journey to save one of the charming girls we all fell in love the 2000's is worth it. I am talking about the likes of Zooey Deschanel, Isla Fisher, Zoe Kazan, etc.

If there is one other thing to be thankful about "Lo", it is that it is currently free to stream. You will have to search "Lo Movie 2009" on YouTube. The resolution is not great, but the story is definitely worth 82 minutes of your time. Thanks Kodiak for pointing me in the right direction.

Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.