Back Row's Sixth Year in Movie Reviews, Podcasts & Lists
Happy birthday to us,
Happy birthday to us,
HAPPY BIIIRTHHHDAYYY TO UUSSSS
Happy birthday to us!
That’s right, Back Row turns six years old today! We’re officially in our Disney years, full of fantastical make believe and yet still afraid of monsters. And how better to represent this milestone than a drawing of Barbara Stanwyck making flapjacks? Yeah, agreed.
As I say every year, this was our best year ever as far as traffic goes – we just keep getting bigger and better, what can I say? Especially amusing since we might have had our least amount of content last year (but look, as we say in our About section, we’re all kinda busy... give us a break). That said, we appreciate all of you lovely people who read, share, subscribe, comment, and like our articles and podcasts – it warms our hearts!
Speaking of… here’s your yearly reminder that our Patreons are out here living it up with a Big Booty ET keychain and some X-Rated Coca Cola Kid merch. You too can be so lucky, sign up today! We’ve even been putting up videos of our podcasts on Patreon lately, which is some exclusive shit you ain’t gonna see on here. FYI.
So to celebrate this past year in Back Row-itude, we’ve compiled a list of our most popular articles and podcasts from this past year – including all topics cinematic from controversial to cult, sex to abortion, murderers to comfort zones. Thank you again and we look forward to entertaining you again this year!
Ironically, as Licorice Pizza’s reception started to spin out, what seemed to get lost in the crossfire was its own thematic focus on well-intentioned characters losing control of their narratives.
Dan’s back with another list of off-the-beaten-path or under-the-radar picks for your Halloween watchlist!
Carlo and Dan discuss Wong Jing movies, CAT III horror from Hong Kong, an underseen Eric Roberts movie, and much more!
Jenna and Veronica both enjoyed Barbarian, which is why they recorded a podcast ripping it apart. It’s one part film critique, one part conversation, and a whole lot of lusting after Lil’ Billy Skarsgård.
The platforms and buzzwords available to Gen Z can be welded as weapons or tools, depending on whose hand they’re in. The kids in Bodies Bodies Bodies, Pleasure and Medusa, approach life and adulthood as something they can opt-out of.
Guest contributor Zoe Rogan explores the parallels between Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling and Luis Buñuel’s Belle du Jour – both films set within repressive worlds, heavy on themes of control, patriarchy and sex, and feature women who seek to break free.
Dan & Jenna have spun the wheel again and landed on horror. Join them as they discuss Dementia (1955) vs The Office Killer (1997), two surreal, female-driven slashers.
Abortion is healthcare, and it is our right to demand a choice. Happening, Lingui The Sacred Bonds and Citizen Ruth are three films – all depicting different times, places and eras – that show the importance of a woman’s right to choose.
Carlo discusses the movies they saw at Nippon Connection, Dan watched some Gold Ninja Video releases, and so much more. Listen now!
In The Card Counter, the schism between processing trauma and self-forgiveness comes to a head. To Bill, this living prison he has set up for himself is akin to a religion. But salvation cannot be achieved without true consciousness – simply having suffered great punishment is not enough.
In this sequel of sorts to last year's interview with Allan Levine about their SOV Emmeritus Pictures, Allan returns to discuss stories from behind the scenes of the 1987 low-budget exploitation picture Skull: A Night of Terror.
Carlo, Dan, Jenna & Veronica dive deep into The Comfort Zone... or specifically, a discussion on what makes for a cinematic comfort zone – how to find it, how to define it, and how best to break free from it and expand your horizons.
