Category Archives: Nostalgia

B-Movie Cult Classics Unearthed Watching Late-Night HBO in College (Pt. 6)

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Just when you though this blog couldn’t possibly get any better, we’re back with the long-awaited sixth edition of this continuing series examining the boozy, late-night discovery of cinematic mediocrity and/or hidden treasures back in college. Don’t fret: I’ve got about 20 more of these things in me before I switch the theme to “B-Movie Cult Classics Unearthed Watching Late-Night HBO in Bachelor Pad in Lincoln Park.”

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Greatest War Movie Employing Golf as Key Plot Point

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Not to be unkind, but with such mediocrities as Hot Dog…The Movie (1984 teen sex romp with competitive skiing) and Youngblood (1986 Rob Lowe/Patrick Swayze Canadian junior hockey drama) to his credit, one might think that filmmaker Peter Markle couldn’t direct his way out of a popcorn bucket.

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Greatest Chase Scenes, Vol.2 (Bipedal) — Part Two

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In Part One, which I’m sure provided you with a drug-like high that’s yet to wear off, we covered foot chases in such varied films as The Last of the Mohicans, Raising Arizona, The Third Man, Point Break and The Bourne Ultimatum. Let’s dig right into six more, including the CFS’s choice as Greatest of All Time.

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Greatest Chase Scenes, Vol.2 (Bipedal) — Part One

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This week marks 29 years since the CFS was involved in an exciting foot chase at college, the circumstances of which should elicit sympathetic nods from this blog’s vast readership. Because who among you hasn’t spent a long evening drinking beer before attempting to pilfer a painted bed sheet (“Welcome Dorsey Dolls!”) hanging from a freshman dorm to use as a slipcover?

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From the Hays Code to NC-17: A Look At the MPAA’s Film Rating System

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The subject of my last post called for some investigation into how films using the f-bomb are classified by the MPAA, which led to a deeper dive into the history of movie ratings. It’s actually quite fascinating.

We tend to forget that films released in the early days of the motion picture industry were pretty racy, a pushback against Victoria prudery of earlier

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The F-Bomb in Film: Poetry in Profanity

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It seems the Conflicted Film Snob is among the smartest people on the planet. How do I know? Because a recent study found that those with “a big vocabulary of curse words [have] higher rhetorical skill, and those that can name the most swear words in one minute tend to have a greater overall vocabulary.” Thus, I’m really fucking smart.

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Greatest Chase Scenes, Vol. 1 (Vehicular)

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If the advanced reviews and word-of-mouth are any indication, Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver looks poised to be a summer sleeper. For those unfamiliar with the film, the story revolves around a getaway driver with tinnitus (caused by a childhood accident), who, in order to drown out the constant ringing, listens to steady and eclectic stream of music via earbuds. Mayhem ensues. Of course, this being an Edgar Wright movie (he also

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Forgotten/Ignored Gem: The Good Thief

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I’m a sucker for heist films. Why? Could be my anal-retentive nature responds to their inherently complicated, yet perfectly designed and executed machinations. Of course, they’re fun, too, which never hurts. Frankly, I’d struggle to name another cinematic genre quite as satisfying or addicting — who among us hasn’t stumbled across one of the recent Ocean’s trilogy (2001, 2004, 2007) and not settled in for the duration despite needing to hit the sack?

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The All-Time Greatest (non) Fight Scene/RIP Powers Booth

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 I don’t know about you, but the 1992 Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston vehicle, The Bodyguard, remains a guilty pleasure 25 years (!) on. Ably directed by Mick Jackson, the film features a reliably sturdy performance by Costner, a bunch of hit songs sung by Houston that more than compensate for her wobbly acting, a surprise appearance by Ralph Waite (Mr. Walton from The Waltons) during his late career renaissance (he also appeared in

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RIP Jonathan Demme!

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News is spreading quickly that movie director Jonathan Demme has died to esphogeal cancer at the relatively young age of 73. Bummer. He was truly an original talent. That said, Demme’s career took a very interesting turn with the 1991 release of The Silence of the Lambs. Unfortunately, it was not necessarily a turn for the better. While this may sound a bit harsh, especially considering the poor man’s body isn’t yet cold, hear me out.

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