PODCAST

The Stacks

j. the curator

Mellow, spoiler-heavy discussions exploring an absurd physical media collection

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

03:05:00

Episode 56 - Black Test Car + Stingray

The Stacks ·

2022/07/24

It's car week on The Stacks, as Shana and j. discuss the 1962 Yasuzo Masumura corporate noir Black Test Car, about bitter competition in the postwar Japanese auto manufacturing business (discussion running to 1:10:33), followed by the 1978 goofy car chase action comedy Stingray, directed by Richard Taylor (discussion continuing to 2:27:26), and then some talk about The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and decisions on what to cover next week. The live list of The Stacks is found online at

03:00:03

Episode 55 - Hiruko the Goblin + Videophobia

The Stacks ·

2022/07/18

This week, Shana and j. fill in a gap in our discussion of the films of Shinya Tsukamoto with 1990's oddball suburban 80s-American-horror-styled Hiruko the Goblin (discussion going to 1:14:00), followed by Daisuke Miyazaki's 2019 film of intense urban alienation, Videophobia (discussion continuing to 2:29:22), and then of course discussion of additional movies watched in the previous week and deciding on what we'll cover next. The live list of The Stacks is online at

03:09:43

Episode 54 - Jailhouse 41 + The Stone Killer

The Stacks ·

2022/07/11

This week, Shana and j. are talking about two very different early 70s crime pictures, returning to the Female Prisoner Scorpion series with the fabulous, surreal second entry Jailhouse 41 (directed by Shunya Ito, 1972, discussion running to 1:11:50), followed by the twisty, oddly satirical Charles Bronson mafia conspiracy thriller The Stone Killer (directed by Michael Winner, 1973, discussion running to 2:32:44). As usual, this is followed by discussion of other movies we've watched since last time

01:17:19

Minisode 1 - Wild Boys

The Stacks ·

2022/07/03

Due to an unexpected schedule change, the regularly scheduled episode is postponed for one week. In the meantime, this week Shana and j. are discussing the genderfluid surrealist coming-of-age film Les Garçons Sauvages (The Wild Boys, 2017, directed by Bertrand Mandico). The live list of The Stacks as always can be found online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

03:01:16

Episode 53 - Saboteur + Jesus Shows You the Way to...

The Stacks ·

2022/06/27

This week in The Stacks, Shana and j. discuss Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1942 wartime espionage classic, Saboteur (going to 1:18:18), followed by Miguel Llansó's wild 2019 Afro-futurist romp Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway (continuing to 2:23:32), then on to our moves and picks for next time. The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

02:59:18

Episode 52 - Come Drink With Me + Inspector Ike

The Stacks ·

2022/06/20

This week, Shana and j. talk about the influential 1966 Shaw Brothers / King Hu wuxia Come Drink With Me (discussion running to 1:14:41) and Graham Mason's affectionate 2020 pastiche of 70s TV mystery drama, Inspector Ike (discussion continuing to 2:30:37), followed as always by discussion of a bunch of other movies j. watched this week and decisions on what to cover next. The live list of The Stacks can be found online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

03:15:59

Episode 51 - Backlash + Sting of Death

The Stacks ·

2022/06/13

This week, Shana and j. discuss the classic revenge western, Backlash (1956, directed by John Sturges, discussion going to 1:16:46) and the loopy creature feature Sting of Death (1966, directed by William Grefe, discussion going to 2:30:52), followed as always by our also watched this week, and picks for next week. The live list of The Stacks can be found online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

04:15:10

Episode 50 - Hard Ticket to Hawaii + Across 110th...

The Stacks ·

2022/06/06

For the 50th episode / 1 year anniversary extravaganza, Shana and j. discuss Andy Sidaris' best-known and best-loved picture, 1987's Hard Ticket to Hawaii (discussion running to 1:35:48) and the classic 1972 Barry Shear action/crime drama Across 110th Street (running to 2:37:05). In part 3 after choosing next week's films, we present our various awards for the 101 movies we've watched in our first year. The live list of The Stacks can be found online at

03:00:29

Episode 49 - The Lost Boys + Firestarter (1984)

The Stacks ·

2022/05/30

On this week's episode, Shana and j. discuss a couple fun 80s pop-horror films, Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys (1987) and Mark Lester's Firestarter (1984), followed as always by discussion of other films watched and our picks for next week. Discussion of Lost Boys runs to 1:19:53 and Firestarter to 2:26:00. The live list of The Stacks can be found online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

03:01:21

Episode 48 - Safety Last! + Jaws

The Stacks ·

2022/05/22

This week, Shana and j. discuss the iconic Harold Lloyd silent era classic Safety Last! (1923, dirs. Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor) as well as the definitive summer blockbuster, 1975's Jaws (directed of course by Steven Spielberg). Discussion of the first film runs to 1:16:16 and the next to 2:26:41, followed by the usual discussion of additional films watched and deciding on what to watch next week (corrections regarding Bigelow vs Schumacher to open next week's discussion of course). As

02:51:59

Episode 47 - The Female Bunch + The Green Knight

The Stacks ·

2022/05/16

This week in The Stacks, Shana and j. discuss the 1969-shot, 1971-released Al Adamson exploitation picture The Female Bunch, featuring a very menacing Russ Tamblyn and a much less menacing Lon Chaney Jr. For our second feature, we talk about the intensely visual psychedelic medieval film The Green Knight (2021, directed by David Lowery). Discussion of The Female Bunch goes to 1:22:33, and The Green Knight until 2:25:23. The live list of The Stacks can be found online at

03:03:40

Episode 46 - High Plains Drifter + The Quick & the Dead

The Stacks ·

2022/05/08

It's western week on The Stacks, as we talk about the classic Clint Eastwood revisionist western High Plains Drifter (1973) and the hyper-kinetic, star-studded (and thoroughly underappreciated) Sam Raimi splatter-western The Quick and the Dead (1995). Discussion of High Plains Drifter runs to 1:22:35 and The Quick and the Dead to 2:27:03, followed as always by discussion of additional movies watched from The Stacks and the decisions on what we're covering next. As always, the live list of The Stacks

02:37:42

Episode 45 - Moonstruck + Army of Darkness

The Stacks ·

2022/05/02

This week in The Stacks, it's Cher vs an Army of Darkness! Shana and j. discuss the classic 1987 Norman Jewison romantic comedy Moonstruck (running to ~1:22:05), featuring a formative Nicolas Cage performance, and the 1992 Sam Raimi action-horror-comedy Army of Darkness (running to 2:07:05). Stay tuned for the third section, where j. goes over a unified Crystal Lake series theory and we have some extra discussion of Friday the 13th pt VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan while deciding on next week's

02:38:44

Episode 44 - Gamera vs Viras + It’s Such a Beautiful Day

The Stacks ·

2022/04/25

This week, Shana and j. discuss the next entry in the Gamera series, 1968's Gamera vs Viras, directed by series originator Noriaki Yuasa (0:00:00-1:17:30), and get raw and contemplative with the 2012 Don Hertzfeldt animated masterpiece It's Such a Beautiful Day (1:17:30-2:13:45). As always, the live Stacks list can be found online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

02:53:17

Episode 43 - 5 Fingers of Death + Evil Dead II

The Stacks ·

2022/04/17

For this week's episode, j. and Shana talk about the landmark kung fu epic 5 Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer, 1972, directed by Jeong Chang-hwa) and the classic, definitive horror-comedy Evil Dead II (1987, director Sam Raimi). Discussion of 5 Fingers of Death runs to 1:40:57 and Evil Dead II until 2:27:38 The live list of The Stacks can as always be found at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

02:11:20

Episode 42 - Malibu Express + Deadly Force

The Stacks ·

2022/04/11

On this week's episode, j. and Shana are delving into some 80s crime/action cinema, with the first film in Andy Sidaris' Malibu Bay Films cinematic universe, Malibu Express (1985), then the 1983 Paul Aaron film Deadly Force, starring our beloved Wings Hauser. Discussion of Malibu Express runs to 1:04:44, and Deadly Force concludes at 1:40:31, with additional mini-capsule reviews as always in the third part. The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

02:20:28

Episode 41 - Pathogen + The Evil Dead (1981)

The Stacks ·

2022/04/03

It's indie zombie week in The Stacks, as we discuss the 2006 no-budget SOV picture Pathogen (directed by 12-year-old Emily Hagins) and the influential 1981 independent horror classic The Evil Dead (debut feature of Sam Raimi). Discussion of Pathogen runs until 1:10:40 and The Evil Dead until 1:53:50. The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

02:27:33

Episode 40 - Spook Warfare + Alligator

The Stacks ·

2022/03/28

This week, Shana and j. talk about the second Yokai Monsters film, the 1968 Yoshiyuki Kuroda film, Spook Warfare, as well as the great 1980 giant radioactive monster flick Alligator, directed by Lewis Teague. Discussion of Spook Warfare runs to 1:04:35 and Alligator until 2:03:20 The live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

02:57:23

Episode 39 - Fast Times at Ridgemont High + Kung Fu...

The Stacks ·

2022/03/21

This week, Shana and j. dig into some deep 80s culture with the classic 1982 teen movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High (directed by Amy Heckerling) and the utterly bizarre 1986 Taiwanese wuxia Kung Fu Wonder Child (directed by Lee Tso-Nam). Discussion of Fast Times runs to ~1:38:58 and Kung Fu Wonder Child until 2:36:25 As always, the live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

02:38:18

Episode 38 - Serpico + Batman Forever

The Stacks ·

2022/03/14

On this week's episode Shana and j. are discussing two very different takes on criminal justice, with the classic 1973 Sidney Lumet true-life police corruption film Serpico and the queer, candy-coated 1995 Joel Schumacher blockbuster Batman Forever. Discussion of Serpico runs to ~1:17:20, Batman Forever until ~2:22:25 As always, the live list of The Stacks is online at https://letterboxd.com/jshopa/list/the-stacks/

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