Movies On The Radio

Most horror movies are meant to be spooky and scary...but bad acting or cheap special effects can turn a terrifying tale into campy one. The classic example is “Evil Dead” or a B movie like “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”

Some films blend horror with humor, two genres that some would call opposites. “Shaun of the Dead” and “Young Frankenstein” are two well-known comedy-horror movies.

Jackson Pollock, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Frida Kahlo: all had rich stories to match their art. And those stories were further dramatized in the aptly-named Hollywood films “Pollock,” “Basquiat,” and “Frida.”

Good cinema takes you out of your living room and transports you miles, eons, and even worlds away. And like a good book, the best films can leave you with a deep desire to meet those characters, or even live life for a day in their magical worlds. Think about living out supernatural fantasies within the walls of Hogwarts, hunting an elusive jaguar shark alongside your quirky buddies in a Wes Anderson film, or dodging bullets as a super-human cybercriminal in “The Matrix.”

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” spurred one of the biggest cult movies phenomenons. But the sci-fi musical mashup did not impress at the box office when it opened in 1975. In fact, a Halloween show in New York City and a national rollout of the film was canceled due to terrible reviews. Decades later, the film has been running continuously in movie theaters for longer than any other movie — with many of the showings happening at midnight on weekends.

While we're celebrating mothers this month, why not honor the most memorable moms in cinema history?  Who can forget Faye Dunaway's portrayal of Joan Crawford as an abusive tyrant in "Mommie Dearest." 

The credits roll on the beloved, critically-acclaimed film you just watched, but, you aren't impressed. Confused thoughts flash through your head. Are you out of touch, or missing something? Finally, you settle on the most gratifying option: this movie is just overrated.

Enough with the damsels in distress. For the next installment of Movies On The Radio, we're looking for ladies who pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a woman on the big screen. We're talking smart, strong, three-dimensional characters who can save themselves, thank you very much.

Everyone is familiar with famous child actress Shirley Temple. But there are a lot of other child actors in Hollywood, and there are many movies where the kid steals the show. In the next installment of Movies on the Radio, we're talking about movies featuring child stars.

They say money makes the world go 'round. We think it also makes for some great films. In this installment of Movies on the Radio, we're taking a look at movies about cold, hard cash.

Who would have thought that a distracted mouse piloting a steamboat could usher in a whole new genre of film? But Mickey Mouse’s famous appearance gave momentum to animator Walt Disney and opened up a universe of movie magic that seems to increase in technical complexity each decade. 

They wander the halls of Hogwarts, tempt children into sugar-encrusted homes, and sometimes get crushed by a flying farmhouse.

The mystique of the witches, wizards and warlocks continues to capture the imagination of moviegoers. And their presence in earthly and magical realms reminds viewers that things are not always as they seem.

There are two kinds of people in this world. The Ferris Beullers, who grin at the thought of a wild day playing hooky. And the Jeanie Buellers, whose eyes gleam at the thought of turning them in. 

 Which one were you during those formative school days? Were you the good-girl Sandra Dee from “Grease?” Or perpetually in detention like John Bender in “The Breakfast Club?” Did you rain torment on your peers a la Regina George in “Mean Girls?” Or pledge allegiance to a passionate teacher like John Keating in “Dead Poets Society?”

Pack your bags people. It’s summer, and you know what that means: Vacation time! 

 Do you vicariously sip sangria through watching Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” or  practice your moves along with Baby in “Dirty Dancing?” Do you re-live the dog days of summers past with the gang in “The Sandlot?” 

 Maybe nothing reminds you of how good you have it now like cringing over the Griswalds’ family road trip to Wally World. 

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s… a superhero movie! The summer blockbuster lineup isn’t complete without one. But which Superhero flicks have filled you with admiration, and which have made you wish you had the power to turn back time?