By Pearce Holland
Another Halloween approacheth, and with it, for some inexplicable reason, another Saw movie is poised for release. Many people think the Saw movies are terrible. Others see them as torture porn. I love horror movies and agonized over what to focus on for this particular season of fright, and with the downswing of torture porn’s popularity as a horror subgenre, I think the Saw movies (I through V) are a pretty appropriate choice.
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By Christian Lipski
SPOILER ALERT: I saw the movie, and am going to refer to specific things that happen in it. If you are looking for an article that will let you know if you should go see this film, here it is:
Yes. Go see it.
The rest of this article will be about my impressions of the movie and its major topics.
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By Laura L.
Recently, the world lost a talented writer/director in John Hughes, who died of a heart attack at the age of 59. Hughes defined 1980s adolescent teen angst, writing and directing such movies as Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Yes, it’s true that the quality of his work eventually went downhill (Maid in Manhattan. No, seriously!), but those of us brought up in the ’80s—or, in my case, afterward—his high-school-era films really seemed to strike a chord. Here are my five favorite scenes from five John Hughes movies.
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By Less Lee Moore
Last year I recommended ten films to watch in “Ten Instruments Of Evil.” In this issue of Popshifter, I’ve upped the ante to a baker’s diabolical dozen.
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Nope, it’s not coming to a drive-in near you. Nor is it a juicy tell-all about my steamy copulations with the undead. And truth be told, this one sided love affair lasted well beyond my teens. Yes, it’s true: I’m a vamp-a-holic.
Some people go through a phase where they idolize a rock star. Some become interested in a genre of art and learn its history. Me, I had it bad for the bloodsuckers. It started when I saw a BBC mini series called Count Dracula as a kid, which had me transfixed. I read a few Anne Rice novels, and some Poppy Z. Brite.
Yet when I saw a film called The Hunger my addiction to vampires on television and in film really began. Then my dalliance became a full on obsession (to often hilarious, velvet-clad results). This one-sided romance extended to my music, make-up, and choice of room decor. My paychecks went to purchasing shelves of vampire memorabilia and novels and viewing vampire films.
Like many addicts, I occasionally relapse. So I’ll share a few memories of fondly-remembered vampire loves past, and dish dirt on some of the stinkers.

Angel, 1999 – 2004
By Maureen
They don’t make ’em like they used to: the nature of Walt Disney productions has changed. In the mid-1990s, the success of Toy Story brought the new (and previously untapped) market of computer animation into the picture. Disney’s computer-animated films have become very popular, and there are some quality movies affiliated with Disney. Recently, both WALL-E and Up have received critical and financial success. As Disney has begun to adapt their technology and marketing to the computer age, the overall tenor of their animated films has monopolized the genre.
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By Laura L.
Many of us have seen the Back To The Future trilogy. And, while watching Back To The Future II, some of us have wondered, “Is that really what things will look like in 2015?” Flying cars, hoverboards, weird-ass sunglasses. . . 2015 is only six years away, and I’m about to break down what the makers of the trilogy, back in 1989 (when the movie was released), thought would happen, as opposed to what will most likely happen.
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By Christian Lipski
What makes a D.I.D.? It’s not necessarily your favorite movie—we’re talking about a desert island here (albeit one with a DVD player). You’re only going to have these movies for what may be years, and that’s the deal: they need to stand up to repeated viewing, and although that may include your top five faves of all time, it also may exclude them. For example, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies. It played a major role in my adolescence, and I will still watch it today. However, since I’ve seen it so many many times, I would probably regret bringing a move that I have memorized, and would not go to it as often. That said, my five DIDs are. . .
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By Less Lee Moore
For a discussion of the music on Limb, please read my review here.
JG Thirlwell has been making music since 1978. . .
He is a singer, a producer, a musician, a composer and a graphic artist.
From the intro to NYC Foetus, directed by Clément Tuffreau
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By Christian Lipski
It’s amazing to look back and really see how much of my life was dedicated to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’m sure it’s the same for people who were really into sports or D&D or any other life-consuming hobby. At the time, though, it was just Rocky, and that was it. It was just what I did.
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