Den of Cin

DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES? Devin & James are back in THE DEN to finish their four-part series on the career of WES CRAVEN! We review the final films we ever got from him as a director, deep dive into CURSED and RED EYE, and top it all off with a discussion on his second major franchise, the SCREAM series. A lot of highs and lows in this period, and we go over a lot of the studio drama that resulted in a couple of these films being far less than what they could have been, but we end on a high note with one of the most beloved slasher franchises ever created.

Devin & James are back in the Den with the third in their series on the career of writer/director Wes Craven. This time they turn their focus to the period between Freddy and Ghostface (1985-1995). We discuss all of his theatrical films during this era but put a spotlight on THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW, SHOCKER, and THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS. Not so much "lost" as underappreciated, Craven shows that in many ways he was at a certain creative peak during this time, and being unfairly held up to what Freddy Krueger had become as the 1980's wore on.

Devin & James are back in the Den for the second episode in their series on WES CRAVEN, and this time we are taking on one of the most influential villains of all time... Freddy Krueger from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. We are focusing on the series installments that Craven participated in, covering the story arc of his ultimate Final Girl, Nancy (played by Heather Langenkamp). We'll dive into the original NIGHTMARE from 1984, as well as 1987's NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS, and 1994's NEW NIGHTMARE, and discuss the ways Craven turned the slasher genre on its head, then twisted it again, and then gave it the ultimate meta twist to finish it off.

Devin and James are back in the Den with a new topic! This time we'll explore the career of horror pioneer WES CRAVEN! And, of course, we are starting at the beginning with Craven's roughest films, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and THE HILLS HAVE EYES. (TRIGGER WARNING: These films are very graphic.) Then we follow the course of his career into writing/directing one of the first comic book adaptations of the post-Donner's Superman era, DC's SWAMP THING! And this is just the beginning, as we'll have three more Wes Craven-centered episodes following in the weeks ahead!

Devin & James are back in the DEN OF CIN to wrap up their series on the year in cinema that was 1994. This time we take a more personal approach. Rather than one theme tying them together, Devin & James have each picked 2 movies from 1994 that they want to discuss... just because. James gives us a backstory on why 1994 was such an important year for Hong Kong action movies becoming popular in the United States with Jet Li's FIST OF LEGEND and Jackie Chan's epic DRUNKEN MASTER 2 (aka Legend of the Drunken Master). Devin goes in a much more random direction, choosing the nearly-forgotten prison action trope-fest, NO ESCAPE, starring Ray Liotta, and makes a case for rediscovering the criminally underseen masterpiece, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, from the Coen Brothers! Plus we name-drop a whole lotta other '94 movies that deserve to be mentioned before we close out our first series!

Devin & James are back in the Den of Cin for another installment of our series on the year 1994! And there is no way to discuss this year without bringing up the rising star of Jim Carrey! Not only was he still the hot comic from In Living Color on TV, but he was having one of those "best year ever" scenarios on the silver screen as well, with gigantic hits ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE, THE MASK, and DUMB AND DUMBER. Join us as we dive into these three comedy fan favorites, and to track this rising star from unlikely gamble to becoming the highest-paid actor in Hollywood within just two years! (with The Cable Guy in 1996).

Devin & James are back in the Den to take another look at the films of 1994! 1994 gave us some of the most notable contenders for the Oscar race we've ever seen. This week, we take a look specifically at the Best Picture race at the Academy Awards. Forrest Gump took the top award, but we dive into some of the other films that were nominated and didn't take home statues, specifically THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and QUIZ SHOW. What do you think should have taken the top prize in a year like this?

Devin & James are back with something new for 2024! In our FIRST of FOUR episodes covering the year in cinema that was 1994, we are taking on a handful of the indie films that changed the cinematic world forever: Kevin Smith's CLERKS, Terry Zwigoff's CRUMB, and Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION! It's a great way to ring in the new year with some movie gods before they were movie gods.

Happy Halloween and Merry Friday the 13th! To celebrate the rare occasion of double horror holidays this October, Devin & James have invited pal Casey O'Connor back to the show to discuss some of their favorite scary two-fers, three-fers, and... you get the idea. From the classic Universal Monster days, through the slasher and splatstick evolutions of the 80's, and ever after, sequels have always been something of a specialty for the horror genre. In this freewheeling conversation, the guys discuss some of their favorite returning creepers of all time.

We're back in the Den of Cin to celebrate the fantastic streak of artistic triumphs of director Hal Ashby in the 1970s! A complicated man with a gentle soul, Hal Ashby has seemed to fall out of the conversation of being one of the most vital filmmakers of all time, based on this run of films alone. Not even most of the modern greats can stake claim to this kind of hot streak. While not always box office hits, every one of the films we discuss here has had an influence on everything that's come since. From his boldly artistic start with 1970's THE LANDLORD, through instant cult classics like HAROLD & MAUDE and THE LAST DETAIL, political statements such as SHAMPOO, BOUND FOR GLORY, and COMING HOME, and closing out this winning decade with 1979's mind-blowing BEING THERE, Hal Ashby proved that his themes of class struggle, racial relations, abuse by authority, haves and have nots, and good old fashioned anti-war sentiment shines through the very different styles and approaches he brings to each film. Any film is almost impossible to compare to the next, yet they all unmistakably carry the Ashby touch.

Devin and James are back in the Den for another episode! This time we are deep diving into the FRENCH CONNECTION films of the 1970's! We examine whether NYPD detective Popeye Doyle (masterfully played by Gene Hackman) was ever intended to be seen as a hero in the Oscar-winning 1971 original based on the true story of a rough, racist cop's obsession to thwart a French drug kingpin. We also dig into its totally fictional sequel, released in 1975, and discuss whether it's a worthy watch to see Popeye pursue the villain who escaped him in real life (it is). And we also explore 1973's THE SEVEN-UPS, which we argue is at least a spiritual sequel, in which many of the original artists involved follow up with a closer look at Roy Scheider's character, who was Popeye's partner in the first film. These films still pack a punch decades later. They have proven to still be controversial, yet they shaped what we still know as the police procedural genre to this day, as well as daring to ask the question, "Ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?" And, oh yeah... THE CAR CHASES!!!!

Devin & James are back in the Den of Cin with another action-packed double feature! This time, we are taking on the classic Italian crime films, VIOLENT CITY (1970), starring Charles Bronson & Telly Savalas, and CALIBER 9 (1972), known as one of the greatest crime films ever produced! Both of these films are prime examples of the Italian sub-genre, Poliziotteschi, and we dive a bit into the intense political movements behind these films, as well as what this genre represents to Italian and world cinema culture, as well as offer some... shall we say unique?... ways to pronounce the word (literally translated to "police-esque"). They discuss how they discovered these films themselves, the fortunate current (and possibly fleeting) availability of uncut copies of these important films on home media in the United States, and the huge ways they have influenced modern filmmakers (looking at you, Tarantino!). Buckle in and take the ride!

Devin & James are finally back in the DEN OF CIN! We've been gone a while, but we have a great topic being covered in a double-length episode to make it up. A grab bag of movies about KILLER COUPLES! We each picked 5 films about people in love, who just also happen to make people die. From recognized masterpieces like BONNIE & CLYDE, through controversial classics like HEATHERS, and well beyond, we found that this underlooked sub-genre really packs a punch in pop culture! Whether our couples are running from a murderous mistake, or robbing banks for kicks, or simply trying to affect population control, we have murderers for every mood. Join in to hear how many different times names like John Dall, Christian Slater, Quentin Tarantino, and even Brad Pitt show up on our lists! This sub-genre really seems to bring in repeat offenders.

Devin & James are sliding down the chimney of the DEN OF CIN to deliver their thoughts on a couple of Holiday perennials! This time we're taking on a couple of cynical satires, SCROOGED with Bill Murray and BAD SANTA with Billy Bob Thornton. These films are at once so rude and raunchy, yet filled to the brim with the Christmas Spirit. A delicate balance that has never quite been perfected as well as it is in these two yule classics by master directors Richard Donner & Terry Zwigoff. So trim your tree, grab your smokes, and pour the eggnog heavy for a couple of flicks to watch after the kiddies go to bed!

Devin & James are back in the Den with a doozy of a double feature! This time we're driving along the wrong side of the tracks with a couple of hard-nosed, highly-stylized neo-noir crime movies. THIEF (1981) and DRIVE (2011) feel like they share DNA (along with THE DRIVER (1978), which gets more than an honorable mention from us). With plots that seem deceptively simple on the surface, these films feature characters with a ton of rage brewing beneath what's visible up top. James Caan and Ryan Gosling are at their peak here, as are the rest of the brilliant ensemble casts, which features the likes of Robert Prosky, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, James Belushi, Albert Brooks, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, and Oscar Isaac! Under the expert direction of Michael Mann and Nicolas Winding Refn, respectively, these films are must-sees for everybody who loves cinema where the rubber meets the road.

Happy Halloween, Cinemaniacs!! Devin & James are back in the DEN OF CIN, and they've brought along BFF of the show Casey O'Connor with them! In honor of our favorite holiday, we're discussing the film adaptations of STEPHEN KING!!!! Possibly the only American author to become his own sub-genre in the cinema canon, King adaptations have been a part of the celluloid landscape since 1976's CARRIE, and they are still coming fast and frequent! We try to hit all of our favorites, especially those 80's and 90's classics, and we have to say, we got a lot of them in. We even managed to get in a few less-than-favorites... but at the end of the day, even a bad Stephen King movie is still a freakin' Stephen King movie. NOTE: There were some technical difficulties while recording this episode. They go in and out, but it's very noticeable in the last ten minutes. Sorry 'bout that!

"Beware of The Blob! It creeps, and leaps, and glides, and slides across the floor. Right through the door, and all around the wall. A splotch, a blotch. Be careful of The Blob." So warns the catchiest pop tune ever to open a monster movie. Devin & James are celebrating the start of the Halloween Season with a look back at one of the most fun, and underrated, horror/sci-fi series of the 20th century. From the indie charm of the classic 1958 original (Steve McQueen as a teenager?) through its bizarre, nearly forgotten 1972 sequel (Larry Hagman as a director?) and finishing up with the unfairly maligned 1988 remake (Kevin Dillon as... anything?), every aspect of this gelatinous creeper is covered. Is The Blob an icon, or a side note in horror history? We make the case that there is still some life in this one, ripe for rediscovery.

Devin & James are back in the Den of Cin just in time to finish out the summer of 2022 with a look back at the summer of 1982! And they've brought along special guest Casey O'Connor to share his memories of one of the most influential summers the box office has ever seen. E.T., The Thing, Blade Runner, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Tron, Rocky III, The Road Warrior, Poltergeist, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are but a sampling of what the summer of 1982 had to offer with a side of buttered popcorn. Come on in to find out about all these films and surprisingly A LOT more! Is it possible that 1982 could have been the best movie summer of all time?

Devin & James are back in the Den to analyze a sample of classic Plague Movies: Taiwan's brutal THE SADNESS from 2021, and vintage David Cronenberg with 1977's RABID! We also make a quick examination of the contagions and parasites unsealed in George A. Romero's THE CRAZIES and Cronenberg's own SHIVERS, and how these films all feed upon each other so nicely. Are these films as depraved as their reputations? What qualifies as a Plague Movie? Can experimental plastic surgery really cause someone to grow a hungry, spiked phallus from their armpit? The answers to these burning (you should have that checked out) questions and much more are here in this infectious edition of the Den of Cin!

Devin & James are back at Crystal Lake for the conclusion of our deep dive into the FRIDAY THE 13th SERIES! Love 'em or hate 'em, the back half of this iconic film series has given us plenty to talk about. From the start of the Zombie Jason era, to a lake trip to NYC, to Hell and back, to outer freakin' space, and then back to meet an old foe in need of a severe manicure, these films really take viewers all over the place. Plus, we finally realize the 2009 franchise reboot is maybe the best entry since the earlier days of the classic Paramount originals! And we give some fan service to a couple of particularly good fan films. Plus Stephen King and Kane Hodder... this episode has everything a classic gorehound could dream of!