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The ART of Retro Media
recent posts
- Hal Ashby’s “Coming Home” (1978): The Anti-War Oscar Winner the Algorithms Tried to Mute
- RetrOasis: Flying Wires, Rhythmic Warriors, and the Rare Art of Filming a Stage Play
- RetrOasis: Confederates, Sabers, and the Thruple That Exploded
- RetrOasis: Rob Lowe, Sam Neill, and the Talky TV Thriller That Got Away
- RetrOasis: Squealing Tires, Cowboy Vampires, and the Elusive Horror-Western
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we are putting our boots on the ground of a quietly devastating 1970s cultural landmark that currently has a target on its back from the corporate streaming giants. I’ve just finished an exhaustive three-way rewatch of Hal Ashby’s “Coming Home” (1978). I watched it on the out-of-print 2002 MGM…
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we are boarding a pirate ship and heading straight for the second star to the right. We’re sliding a very unique, out-of-print family treasure into the player: the 2000 A&E televised musical version of “Peter Pan”, starring the legendary, Olympic-gymnast-turned-Broadway-icon Cathy Rigby. Before we even look at the stage…
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we are digging up a completely obscure, direct-to-DVD Southern Gothic noir from 2003 called “Wicked Pursuits”. This is a true micro-budget, DIY operation written, directed, and produced by a guy named Timothy Taylor. The internet has basically erased this movie—its digital footprint is practically zero, and its IMDb page…
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we are cracking open a case file from the year 2002—a time when premium basic cable was the undisputed king of the mid-budget, star-studded suspense flick. We’re spinning a forgotten TNT original called “Framed”. I’ll be honest going into this one: I half-expected a generic, paint-by-numbers procedural. But by…
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we are strapping on our six-shooters and diving into a subgenre that I genuinely want to love: the Horror-Western. The problem? I can’t think of a single, genuinely good one I’ve ever seen. And after spinning the rare DVD for today’s flick—2006’s “After Sundown” (sometimes mistaken as After Sunset)—I’m…
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we are putting a massive, clunky, 1990 experiment on the slab. A movie I walked away from completely disappointed thirty-six years ago, and after a fresh rewatch on the physical player… yep. Same reaction. I’m talking about Roger Corman’s “Frankenstein Unbound” (1990). Look, the graphic above tells you everything…
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we are hitting the pavement on a near-deserted highway with a 2003 psychological road-horror trip that goes by two names: “Pulse” in the US, and “Octane” internationally. Let’s lay my cards on the table: I love Madeleine Stowe. This movie catches her right at her peak acting era. On…
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Welcome back to the RetrOasis. Today, we’re looking at a finale that still hits right in the solar plexus—even thirty-six years later. I’m talking about “The Death of the Incredible Hulk” (1990). I’ve always loved the Hulk, from the classic Kirby comics to the campy fun of the MCU, but there’s something about the Bill…
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Hey! you found your way back to the RetrOasis. Today’s entry is a journey into the deep, dark cracks of the 2000s direct-to-video boom. We’re looking at “Hell House: The Book of Samiel” (2008)—also known as The House on Devil’s Road, a title that sounds like it was generated by a horror-movie Mad Libs. I…
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Mmmh, it feels good to have you back to the RetrOasis. Today, we’re kicking the piano bench across the room and setting the keys on fire. We’re talking about the 1989 biopic “Great Balls of Fire!” The movie opens with a young Jerry Lee Lewis being warned: “Jerry Lee! It’s the Devil’s Music! I can…
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