Every 30 episodes, we celebrate an actress we love with a double feature. Every October, we celebrate our darker sides with Schlocktoberfest. There is only one woman with the magnitude of talent, charisma, and guts to fulfill both criteria. Her name is Anjelica Huston. She is a spellbinding, scene-setaling tour-de-force capable of portraying a benevolent matriarch or a malevolent enchantress. Sometimes in the same role! Join us as we consider her delightfully grim starring roles in The Witches (1990) and The Addams Family (1991) on this ghoulishly macabre episode of Hex Rated BOO!vies!

Thrilling news! We somehow managed to convince the good folks at Three Dollar Bill Cinema to make Ex Rated Movies the official podcast of the 2018 TWIST Film Festival! We’re kicking off our coverage by chatting with the executive director of Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Ben McCarthy, and the director of the festival, Kathleen Mullen. Press play to find out what TWIST is all about and keep your ears and eyes on this space for more hot quality content throughout the festival.

More info here: https://threedollarbillcinema.org/twist/

Welcome to Schlocktoberfest! It’s our monthlong celebration of all things spooky scary. Check your closets and crawlspaces because we’re kicking it off with the terrifying-in-conception yet mediocre-in-execution, The Pact (2012). Finishing just behind Leprechaun 4: In Space on Matt’s list of the greatest films of all time, this cobbled-together mishmash of ideas seems more interested in finding ways to scare you than telling a coherent story. Grab a jar of floor pickles and cuddle up with your werewolf because we’re planting the seed of a new anxiety this week on Hex Rated BOO!vies!

This week, we managed to talk for over an hour about the all-beef-platter of a movie, Commando (1985) and somehow didn’t crack a single joke about underwearlessness. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This movie stars a hulking Arnold Schwarzenegger whole-assing his way through a series of gun fights and property explosions that somehow add up to the second gayest movie of all time. High altitude bogs, linguini arms, and dropped pins forgotten this week on Ex Rated Movies!

As promised, we watched Panos Cosmatos’ revenge flick, Mandy (2018). And we were lucky enough to be joined by the Lynch Pin, Jessica Baxter! Join us for a Quick and Dirty discussion on this druggy, Cage-y, and coo-coo-bananas movie.

Kyle Getz and Mike Johnson from the Gayish Podcast join us this week to discuss William Friedkin’s controversial police procedural, Cruising (1980). Matt flippantly (yet not inaccurately) summarizes the movie as Al Pacino putting on his best Lou Reed disguise to infiltrate the seedy underbelly of Freddie Mercury look-alike clubs. Do cops still “finger” people? Is sex on the beach actually sexy? Who won Miss Belle Bottom 1999? Answers to these questions and a fistful of Star Trek puns this week on Ex Rated Movies!

If you appreciate people destroying their bodies for entertainment purposes, then you’ll likely enjoy the coccyx-obliterating and wince-inducing Police Story (1985). This sometimes-funny, sometimes-scary action-comedy starring and directed by Jackie Chan, features top notch stunt work and mountains of broken sugar glass. Join us as we discuss the slapstick/action link, ponder the wigs in the Hong Kong court system, and invite Liza Minnelli over for some cosmos. It’s another off-the-rails episode of Ex Rated Movies!

Wouldn’t it be ironic if an ostentatious billionaire who made his fortune pressuring people into buying things they couldn’t afford suddenly couldn’t afford the mortgage he took out on his 90,000 square foot dream home because of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis? Well, that’s exactly what happens in Lauren Greenfield’s rich slice-of-life documentary, The Queen of Versailles (2012). Ryan gets a lap dance, Matt becomes a teacher, and we both speculate on chad perforation machine sabotage this week on Ex Rated Movies!

While everyone can agree that practical effects are best, Dredd (2012) proves that, when used well, CGI can actually enhance the viewing experience. With a tight script by Alex Garland and impressive cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle, this dystopian Training Day manages to deliver the violent action goods while keeping the stakes tangible. Join us as we mangle some LOTR character names, slather on some Pancreo-Grow Wound Away, and give Miss Kitty 101st Court a call. It’s time for Ex Rated Movies!

While certainly not a great film, the endearing fiasco that is Xanadu (1980) is probably the definition of watchable garbage. This musical disasterpiece on rolling shoes is most notable for being Gene Kelly’s final screen appearance and for inspiring the Razzies, but it’s also got some great ELO songs, a charming animation sequence from Don Bluth Productions, and a campy lightness that adds up to a whole lotta dumb fun. Cue the clarinets and get in the backseat, baby cuz it’s time to bring back the wipe! It’s Ex Rated Movies!