Happy Place — It Turns Out the Naming Rights! Membership Option Was For Real and Someone Is Now Five Hundred Bucks Poorer Presents Nat

Manos: The Hands of Fate Proved Conclusively That NOT Everyone Can Make a Movie, But Everyone Sure Can Try!

One of you generous weirdoes paid me one hundred dollars to finally get around to experiencing the exquisite madness of Manos: The Hands of Fate, a Mystery Science Theater 3000-roasted camp classic and popular contender for worst film of all time that was everything I hoped it would be and more.

In Its Own Weird, Wonderful Way, Plan 9 From Outer Space Is a Miracle

In honor of Ed Wood’s birthday I am rerunning a piece collected in The Joy of Trash on Plan 9 from Outer Space, his masterpiece.

Control Nathan Rabin 4.0Nathan RabinMay 11, 2023Ed Wood, Bela Lugosi, bad movie culture

The Atmospheric 2001 Allegory Frailty Was a Triumph for Bill Paxton as an Actor and a First Time Filmmaker

The late, lamented Bill Paxton showed extraordinary promise as a filmmaker as well as a character actor with his masterful 2001 directorial debut Frailty.

1954's Killers From Space is Like Plan 9 From Outer Space Except It Was Directed By Billy Wilder's Talentless Brother

Did you know that Billy Wilder had a brother whose movies fucking sucked? It’s true!

Control Nathan Rabin 4.0Nathan RabinMay 4, 2023Peter Graves, Ed Wood, Billy Wilder, aliens

Stuart Gordon's 2001 H.P. Lovecraft Adaptation Dagon Is Another Spooky, Scary Sleeper From the Legendary Frightmaster

Control Nathan Rabin 4.0Nathan RabinMay 3, 2023Stuart Gordon, H.P Lovecraft

Tune in Tomorrow Is Engaging Fluff Undermined by Keanu Reeves' Horrifying Attempt at a New Orleans Accent

Keanu Reeves wrestles boldly if unmistakably with a thick New Orleans accent in this fizzy, silly adaptation of Mario Vargas Llosa’s Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter.

Control Nathan Rabin 4.0Nathan RabinApril 27, 2023Peter Falk, Keanu Reeves, Barbara Hershey, John Larroquette

Stuart Gordon's Family-Friendly Ray Bradbury Adaptation The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit Is Exuberant Fun for the Whole Family

Frightmaster. Stuart Gordon got PG and family-friendly but retained his mastery of the art of film with his wonderful 1998 Ray Bradbury adaptation The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit.

Ernest Dickerson's 1998 Neo Noir Ambushed Is a Solid Little Thriller, Albeit One a Little Heavy on Black People Hugging Little Nazis

Cinematographer turned director Ernest Dickerson did a fine job on the 1998 racially charged Neo-Noir Ambushed.

Control Nathan Rabin 4.0Nathan RabinMarch 21, 2023

The Little Loved 1991 John Candy Vehicle Delirious is a Pleasant Surprise

Sometimes movies surprise you by not being terrible. The 1991 flop Delirious is one such non-stinker.

The VelociPastor is the Killer Dinosaur Pastor Movie We Want and Need

One of you generous souls paid me to see a movie about a priest who turns into a vengeance-crazed dinosaur when he’s angry. No, it’s not a documentary.