# guilty pleasure (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 4 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover guilty pleasure. Page: Feed: --- ## [2000 Great Songs #1428: My Name Is Jack](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1428-my-name-is-jack.html) _2026-08-20 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Much like Fleetwood Mac, who similarly (and presciently) took their name from a member other than the frontman, Manfred Mann (named for its keyboardist) went through myriad iterations and huge stylistic changes over the decades as singers/songwriters came and went. After their early years as an R&B-flavored British Invasion act fronted by Paul Jones, new singer Mike d'Abo ushered in a few years of… ## [2000 Great Songs #1427: Temporary Beauty](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1427-temporary-beauty.html) _2026-08-19 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Graham Parker is one of those long-running artists with a massive, almost invariably reliable discography, where I have a million albums I can pull out and say, yep, this one's pretty good... but who don't necessarily create songs that I find revelatory. (Good lord--I'm just discovering this is his first mention in the seven years I've been doing this thing!) Which is fine; the world needs really… ## [2000 Great Songs #1426: Against Pollution](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1426-against-pollution.html) _2026-08-18 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ When it comes to John Darnielle and his Mountain Goats , I assume there are a handful of tunes which are generally-acknowledged classics by fans, and then certain songs that may become idiosyncratic personal favorites just because of the way they happen to hit you. I assume "Against Pollution," off 2004's We Shall All Be Healed , probably falls into the latter camp. It's not his most immediate… ## [2000 Great Songs #1425: You Can Call Me Al](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1425-you-can-call-me-al.html) _2026-08-17 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ It's been 40 years since the release of Paul Simon 's landmark 1986 LP Graceland , and, as detailed in my book , I haven't been able to enjoy it since listening to it in an altered state of mind in college and coming to the realization that the whole album is just two songs played over and over with different lyrics. (I don't know if that's actually the case, but once you have one of these stoner… ## [2000 Great Songs #1424: Bertha Butt Boogie](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1424-bertha-butt-boogie.html) _2026-08-16 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Jimmy Castor (both with and without The Jimmy Castor Bunch) released records throughout the 70s filled primarily with fairly straight soul and R&B (and some smooth jazz), but he also recorded some hugely entertaining funk music--albeit often novelty tracks with goofy lyrics. "Bertha Butt Boogie," off the Bunch's 1974 colorfully-titled Butt Of Course , obviously falls into that latter camp, but for… ## [2000 Great Songs #1423: It's Too Bad](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1423-its-too-bad.html) _2026-08-15 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ With so many great albums from The Jam , it feels like overkill to be paying our third visit to 1978's All Mod Cons . But, damn, what a record! "It's Too Bad" finds Paul Weller in full-on Beatles mode. And, sure, his borrowing of the "She Loves You" riff chords the bridge has a lot to do with it (far from the only instance where Weller found himself cutting-and-pasting a Beatles hook into one of… ## [2000 Great Songs #1422: The Kirwan Song](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1422-kirwan-song.html) _2026-08-14 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ I really enjoy the music of Swedish indie act The Amazing , who have about a half-dozen albums blending mellow psychedelia, dream pop, and freak folk. Of course, such music is better suited to quiet backdrops for a lazy weekend morning or settling evening dusk than to active listening, so it's hard for me to pick out specific songs for attention. But I do love "The Kirwan Song," the opening track… ## [My new crime fiction book deal](https://andrewnette.substack.com/p/my-new-crime-fiction-book-deal) _2026-08-14 · Andrew Nette · PULP CURRY_ Plus the death of Kath Pettingill and true crime on the Australian screen ## [2000 Great Songs #1421: Nights On Broadway](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1421-nights-on-broadway.html) _2026-08-13 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ As noted previously , I was never a Bee Gees fan once they got past their late 60s pop-psych era. Still, I've got a soft spot for "Nights On Broadway," from 1975's Main Course , the album which saw them start to pivot from AOR pop into soul & disco. Obviously that pivot would become complete with 1977's Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, an album which seized control of the universe (or at least… ## [2000 Great Songs #1420: Live To Tell All](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1420-live-to-tell-all.html) _2026-08-12 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Since the heyday of bubblegum pop music in the late 60s through mid 70s--bands like the Lemon Pipers and Archies and Sweet and Bay City Rollers and Abba --few acts have tried to revive bubblegum, and even fewer have succeeded. But Dressy Bessy , part of the original Elephant 6 stable in the late 90s, have a run of wonderful singles in that vein. "Live To Tell All," a 2000 split-single (later… ## [Refer a Friend, Earn Rewards (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/ru9etzWCq3KO) _2026-08-12 · **Sponsored**_ Earn rewards when a friend signs up for the Graphite Business Card ## [2000 Great Songs #1419: Romeo Had Juliette](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1419-romeo-had-juliette.html) _2026-08-11 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ This is our second visit to Lou Reed 's 1989 classic New York , one of his strongest, most straightforwardly rocking albums in an indisputably erratic solo career. As with any topical album, New York is a little dated in spots, but "Romeo Had Juliette" holds up, capturing both the romance and darkness of 80s NYC. Lou's lyrics are at their most Dylanesque, sprawling storytelling that's highly… ## [Santo vs. the Riders of Terror](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/08/santo-vs-riders-of-terror.html) _2026-08-11 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ (1970) Directed by René Cardona; Written by René Cardona and Jesús Murcielago Velázquez; Starring: Santo, Armando Silvestre, Julio Aldama, Mary Montiel, Gregorio Casal, Ivonne Govea and Carlos Agostí; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: \*\*\* “Being locked up in there was like being buried alive. It’s hardly a life at all. We want to die in the open air. That’s all.” – José (Gregorio Casal)… ## [2000 Great Songs #1418: Red Barchetta](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1418-red-barchetta.html) _2026-08-10 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ As Rush works its way through an unexpected (and, based on the YouTube videos I've watched, rousingly successful) tour with German drummer Anika Nilles filling in for the late, greatly-missed Neil Peart--breaking down some longstanding gender barriers in the process--it seems like a good time for me to full-throatedly confirm: I just don't care for Rush. I mean, yeah, there are some pretty cool… ## [My Summer Project: Distilling The Dead](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/my-summer-project-distilling-dead.html) _2026-08-09 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Summer is winding down--classes start up again later this month--and I'm still plugging away on my summer project: An absurd quest to burn myself copies of every 80s-era Grateful Dead show currently circulating in high-quality soundboard. Which is, of course, kinda nuts. I've already got pretty much every 60s/70s show, and a pretty hefty helping of 80s & 90s shows. Do I really need any more? Now,… ## [2000 Great Songs #1417: Teacher Teacher](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1417-teacher-teacher.html) _2026-08-09 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ The stand-out opening cut from Rockpile 's sole proper LP, 1980's Seconds of Pleasure , "Teacher Teacher" features Nick Lowe at his best. While firmly in the power pop mold of Lowe's early solo work, guitarist Dave Edmunds gives it some rockabilly twang. Thematically, it may be a tougher sale these days--though they beat Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" to the punch by about four years--but… ## [2000 Great Songs #1416: I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1416-i-was-dancing-in.html) _2026-08-08 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Jonathan Richman 's post- Modern Lovers records can be a mixed bag, some genuinely charming music sometimes balanced out by tracks that are a little too childlike to warrant repeat listens. 1992's I Jonathan probably had a higher hit-to-miss ratio than most (albeit including a ringer with a remake of his earlier " That Summer Feeling "). The jaunty "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar" walks the line… ## [New-ish Releases: Les Big Byrd](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/new-ish-releases-les-big-byrd.html) _2026-08-07 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ The downside of decades of obsessive music listening & collecting is that it becomes increasingly rare to have one of those "this is my new favorite band!" moments. So it's always refreshing when you randomly stumble across an artist you haven't heard before and spend a few days listening exclusively to their music. Anyway, I recently came across the latest release from Swedish psychedelic act Les… ## [2000 Great Songs #1415: Rock 'n' Roll High School](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1415-rock-n-roll-high.html) _2026-08-07 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ While Ramones purists may balk at the band's bid for commercial acceptance with the polished "Rock 'n' Roll High School," the song arguably served its purpose. Once polished up enough to get played on mainstream radio, it helped expose me (and presumably others) to the band. And, for all its sheen, it's still a Ramones song, silly and fun and absurdly catchy. The original 1979 version of the song… ## [2000 Great Songs #1414: Ma](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1414-ma.html) _2026-08-06 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ How many 17-minute 2-chord vamps does a Top 2000 really need? Well, apparently two (so far). Detroit's Rare Earth, one of the few all-white acts on Motown, had already released some fantastic (and underrated) R&B albums in the late 60s and early 70s when they decided to go all in on some absurdly over-the-top funk. For the title track of 1973's Ma , they took a basic two-note bass riff and… ## [2000 Great Songs #1413: The Divided Sky](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1413-divided-sky.html) _2026-08-05 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Recently got myself into a Very Online Phish Twitter kerfuffle by admitting that I am not enamored with some of the band's earlier, dorkier material (relegating myself to what some phans called the band's "dadrock" era). So be it! But that said, they certainly had some memorable, and musically impressive, songs dating all the way back to their beginnings. Like "The Divided Sky," from their 1989… ## [Stream Torrents & IPTV Instantly (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/ErsVpM931Dep) _2026-08-05 · **Sponsored**_ Search magnet links and stream movies, music, books, and live TV in-browser ## [2000 Great Songs #1412: I Apologize](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1412-i-apologize.html) _2026-08-04 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Three visits to Hüsker Dü 's 1985 post-punk landmark New Day Rising may be overkill... but since our prior selections were both from drummer/vocalist Grant Hart, I figured we could use a little Bob Mould . Pretty basic song--basically a simple pop song run through the gale-force guitar buzzsaw wringer--but there are few things more bracing than an emotionally unhinged Mould delivering shout-along… ## [2000 Great Songs #1411: Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1411-tell-me-if-you.html) _2026-08-03 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ 2013's Begin Again was a sweet little film, cute and charming, and, hey, I'm a sucker for movies about the music-making process. (See also Frank for a very different take on the subject of musical creativity.) The songs at the heart of the film--released on the following year's soundtrack album--were surprisingly enjoyable, light pop but oozing with charisma thanks to the disarming delivery by… ## [2000 Great Songs #1410: And I Moved](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1410-and-i-moved.html) _2026-08-02 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Another example of the deep cuts being far more interesting to me than the singles. A bit of a sleeper on Pete Townshend 's 1980 solo LP Empty Glass , "And I Moved" features one of rock's greatest guitars leaving his guitars behind, replaced with a delightful rolling piano figure provided by frequent collaborator John "Rabbit" Bundrick (who also played on the following year's Who LP Face Dances )… ## [2000 Great Songs #1409: The Conqueror](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/08/2000-great-songs-1409-conqueror.html) _2026-08-01 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Genesis ' 1969 debut, From Genesis To Revelation , gets a pretty bad rap, and is frequently omitted from retrospectives of the band's Peter Gabriel years--though I just read the record is about to get a long-overdue deluxe edition treatment. Its reputation isn't exactly unjustified, as it's a pretty flawed album. The songs are a little twee, short nuggets quite different from the majestic prog… ## [2000 Great Songs #1408: Better Things](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/07/2000-great-songs-1408-better-things.html) _2026-07-31 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Another early single from The Minders , part of the stable of Elephant 6 -affiliated 90s indie pop bands. The flip-side of a 1997 small-pressing 7", later collected on 1998's excellent Cul-De-Sacs & Dead Ends compilation, "Better Things"--not to be confused with the Kinks track of the same name, covered here many moons ago--is short and sweet, a pretty basic lo-fi bubblegum pop tune that sounds… ## [July Quick Picks and Pans](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/07/july-quick-picks-and-pans.html) _2026-07-31 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ Brewster McCloud (1971) But Cort stars in the title role, as an odd, reclusive young man who lives in the basement of the Houston Astrodome, and dreams of flying like a bird. Sally Kellerman is Brewster’s guardian angel Louise, with wings tattooed on her back. Shelley Duvall (in her first film role) plays Suzanne, an eccentric young woman who befriends Brewster. The film boasts several bizarre… ## [2000 Great Songs #1407: The Ghost In You](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/07/2000-great-songs-1407-ghost-in-you.html) _2026-07-30 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ As noted previously, the Psychedelic Furs ' " Love My Way " was one the most definitive songs of my high school years, high atop the shortlist of new wave-era songs that opened me to music beyond the top 40 hits and classic rock chestnuts I'd been absorbing up until that point. "The Ghost In You," off 1984's Mirror Moves , doesn't have quite the same emotional connotations for me--it's just a… ## [2000 Great Songs #1406: Third Stone From The Sun](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/07/2000-great-songs-1406-third-stone-from.html) _2026-07-29 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ While I don't spend a lot of time listening to Jimi Hendrix , Guitar God--this is only the second Hendrix original on the list, third if you count " Watchtower " as belonging as much to him as to Dylan (note that I have "Watchtower" credited to Hendrix on the 2000-song database linked below)--I do enjoy Hendrix the psychedelic explorer. And "Third Stone From The Sun," the most extended cut on… ## [2000 Great Songs #1405: Six Different Ways](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/07/2000-great-songs-1405-six-different-ways.html) _2026-07-28 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ Despite a lengthy list of great Cure singles to choose from, I'm partial to "Six Different Ways," from 1985's The Head On The Door , as a key example of an album track that should've been the hit single. (It did get its day as a b-side, backing up the flamenco-tinged "The Blood," released as a single in Spain.) It's a slinky little track, obviously far less immediate than the same album's " In… ## [MDCon Road Show at VCFMW 2026!](https://mdcon.live/node/188) _2026-07-27 · Gunner5 · MDCon - Living the MDLife!_ MDCon Road Show at VCFMW 2026! Gunner5 Mon, 07/27/2026 - 16:01 ## [Point once, get highlights (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/9wUFCd8iAHjD) _2026-07-27 · **Sponsored**_ Get minutes worth watching from a whole game — point once ## [2000 Great Songs #1404: Shilo](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/07/2000-great-songs-1404-shilo.html) _2026-07-27 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ I suppose there will come a day when I can post a Neil Diamond song without adding the " Guilty Pleasure " caveat, but this surely ain't that day. Because writing a heartfelt song about a lonely boy and his imaginary friend? Not a convincing bid for rock & roll coolness (though props to Neil for pushing to record a more introspective song over the objections of his label, which wanted more… ## [2000 Great Songs #1403: Veronica](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/07/2000-great-songs-1403-veronica.html) _2026-07-26 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ While I've continued to check out anything new Elvis Costello puts out right through the present day, I tend to view his first six albums as untouchable, and the balance as hit and miss with moments of greatness. That said, he could still work the occasional miracle to remind you that he's one of rock & roll's greatest songwriters, and "Veronica," off 1989's Spike , is clearly one of those magical… ## [2000 Great Songs #1402: Donimo](https://www.jitterywhiteguymusic.com/2026/07/2000-great-songs-1402-donimo.html) _2026-07-25 · Jittery White Guy · Jittery White Guy Music_ One of the all-time-great LP closers, "Donimo," the last cut on Cocteau Twins ' 1984 accurately-title Treasure (and the second cut to make this list), shows what the band could do when given some space to stretch out. The six-minute track opens with a few minutes of ambient synths, Elizabeth Fraser wafting in at her most restrained, just a gentle wash of sheer operatic beauty. It finally cuts… ## [Mackenna’s Gold (1969)](https://andrewnette.substack.com/p/mackennas-gold-1969) _2026-07-18 · Andrew Nette · PULP CURRY_ Gold, ghosts and frontier violence ## [Dead Ringers](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/07/dead-ringers.html) _2026-07-10 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ (1988) Directed by David Cronenberg; Written by David Cronenberg and Norman Snider; Based on the novel, Twins , by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland; Starring: Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, Barbara Gordon and Stephen Lack; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: \*\*\*\* “When was the last time a gynaecologist was in a movie, even as a figure of fun? There’s something taboo there,… ## [Heat and film: My highlights from the Cinema Ritrovato Festival 2026](https://andrewnette.substack.com/p/heat-and-film-my-highlights-from) _2026-07-04 · Andrew Nette · PULP CURRY_ I had heard for years from friends about how good Bologna’s Cinema Ritrovato Festival is. ## [Medical Nightmares Month Quick Picks and Pans](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/06/medical-nightmares-month-quick-picks.html) _2026-06-30 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ Horror Hospital (1973) Michael Gough stars as the unscrupulous Dr. Christian Storm, who runs a sanitorium for young adults. The sanitorium is only a ruse, however, to provide a steady supply of unwilling test subjects for his experimental brain surgery (as a deterrent for potential escapees, the doctor’s limousine is equipped with a blade for quick and easy decapitations). The operation results in… ## [The Man Who Could Cheat Death](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-man-who-could-cheat-death.html) _2026-06-12 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ (1959) Directed by Terence Fisher; Written by Jimmy Sangster; Based on the play The Man in Half Moon Street by Barré Lyndon; Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marlé, and Delphi Lawrence; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: \*\*\* ½ “I must insist in saying that there are no South American versions, nor are there any Japanese versions or any other versions. This is what… ## [The lost Parker films](https://andrewnette.substack.com/p/the-lost-parker-films) _2026-06-07 · Andrew Nette · PULP CURRY_ The two film adaptations of Westlake's master thief nobody talks about ## [Musical May Quick Picks and Pans](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/05/musical-may-quick-picks-and-pans.html) _2026-06-01 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ True Stories (1986) Writer/director David Byrne is our guide to the fictional town of Virgil, Texas, where they’re about to hold their sesquicentennial celebration. He introduces us to an assortment of Virgil’s eccentric residents, including: Kay and Earl Culver (Annie McEnroe and Spalding Gray), a husband and wife who haven’t spoken to each other in years, a pathological liar (Jo Harvey Allen),… ## [Rock ‘n Roll High School](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/05/rock-n-roll-high-school.html) _2026-05-26 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ (1979) Directed by Alan Arkush; Written by Richard Whitley, Russ Dvonch, and Joseph McBride; Story by Alan Arkush and Joe Dante; Starring: P.J. Soles, Clint Howard, Vincent Van Patten, Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Dey Young, The Ramones, and Dick Miller; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: \*\*\* ½ “…Roger \[Corman\], during preproduction, was the only one who thought it was still “Disco High,” because… ## [Down with the guilty pleasure: Appreciating Jack Cardiff’s Dark of the Sun](https://andrewnette.substack.com/p/down-with-the-guilty-pleasure-appreciating) _2026-05-22 · Andrew Nette · PULP CURRY_ The concept of a guilty pleasure is up there with the word problematic as my most despised terms when it comes to cinema. ## [MDCon Is Proud To Support The Latest MiniDisc Software - MD Studio!](https://mdcon.live/MDStudio) _2026-05-11 · Gunner5 · MDCon - Living the MDLife!_ MDCon Is Proud To Support The Latest MiniDisc Software - MD Studio! Gunner5 Mon, 05/11/2026 - 08:11 ## [2026 VCF Southwest and MiniDisc](https://mdcon.live/node/186) _2026-05-11 · Gunner5 · MDCon - Living the MDLife!_ 2026 VCF Southwest and MiniDisc Gunner5 Mon, 05/11/2026 - 07:45 ## [The Rutles: All You Need is Cash](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-rutles-all-you-need-is-cash.html) _2026-05-09 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ (1978) Directed by Eric Idle and Gary Weis; Written by Eric Idle; Starring: Eric Idle, Neil Innes, John Halsey, Ricky Fataar, Michael Palin, George Harrison, and Mick Jagger; Available on DVD Rating: \*\*\*\* ½ Side Note: The “cinematic” in Cinematic Catharsis implies that the films I discuss are predominately theatrical releases. With that in mind, I hope you’ll indulge me with this made-for-TV movie… ## [Prehistory Month Quick Picks and Pans](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/04/prehistory-month-quick-picks-and-pans.html) _2026-04-28 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ Iceman (1984) An arctic surveying team finds the discovery of the century, a perfectly preserved Neanderthal (John Lone) in an ice cave. Back at the base, a group of doctors somehow manage to revive the frozen caveman. Now the big question becomes what to do with him. Dr. Stanley Shephard (Timothy Hutton) seems to be the only member of the research team with an unwavering moral compass,… ## [Matt Dillon's City of Ghosts and film as a personal time machine](https://andrewnette.substack.com/p/matt-dillons-city-of-ghosts-and-film) _2026-04-26 · Andrew Nette · PULP CURRY_ I have been thinking a lot lately about the way that film can act as a personal time machine. ## [Quest for Fire](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/04/quest-for-fire.html) _2026-04-21 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ (1981) Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud; Written by Gérard Brach; Based on the novel by J.H. Rosny Sr.; Starring: Everett McGill, Rae Dawn Chong, Ron Perlman, Nicholas Kadi, and Naseer El-Kadi; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: \*\*\*\* ½ “I thought I was making this crap caveman movie. I found out that this guy (Jean-Jacques Annaud) had won an Academy Award for ‘Black and White in Color,’ and he… ## [Ghost messages: Australia’s lost television horror anthology, The Evil Touch](https://andrewnette.substack.com/p/ghost-messages-australias-lost-television) _2026-04-02 · Andrew Nette · PULP CURRY_ Evil Touch ## [Puppet Month Quick Picks and Pans](http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/2026/03/puppet-month-quick-picks-and-pans.html) _2026-04-01 · Barry P. · Cinematic Catharsis_ Shari and Lamb Chop (2023) Lisa D'Apolito’s documentary is an affectionate ode to the career of pioneering children’s television host and ventriloquist Shari Lewis from her early days through her twilight years. Encouraged at a young age by her magician father and musician mother, Lewis developed her own act, eventually leading to a live television show, featuring Lamb Chop and her other puppet…