10 Weeks of Spooktober: Zombieland: Double Tap (Week 9 of 10)

October 23, 2019 Emily

Just when you thought too many years had passed for Zombieland to have a sequel, enter Zombieland: Double Tap, the second installment of this film franchise, only ten years later. Everyone is back. Woody Harrelson. Emma Stone. Jesse Eisenberg. Abigail Breslin. And, yes, even [REDACTED: SPOILER] is back. The zombies are back, too, and they’re mutating into even scarier, smarter, faster versions of themselves. So what is our gang supposed to do, 10 years into the zombie apocalypse?

Let’s read on to find out?

Othersode #33: Fear the Worm / My Best Friend's Exorcism

October 21, 2019 The Squad

my best friends exorcism.jpg — Othersode #33: Fear the Worm / *My Best Friend’s Exorcism*

Things get downright demonic as the #BookSquad is joined by Mary Kay McBrayer (author and co-host of Everything Trying to Kill You podcast) to talk about Grady Hendrix’s novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism. We talk about rad 80s nostalgia, feminism, religion, class, tropes of possession narratives, and -- most importantly -- friendship! Catch up with us on the #BookSquadBlog with recaps, television and film reviews and more. Read along for our next #bookpisode on *Freshwater* by Akwaeke Emezi (11/4), and go see Doctor Sleep for our next #othersode (11/18)! Don’t forget to subscribe to #BookSquadGoals so our new episodes hit your feed right away. Send your feedback and miscellaneous commentary to thesquad@booksquadgoals.com!

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

Why Practical Magic Belongs in the Halloween Canon

October 20, 2019 Kelli

It’s October 20th, the height of spooky season, and while Emily has us covered on the horror front with her 10 Weeks of Spooktober series, it’s important that we also acknowledge some of our less frightening faves. While witches certainly hold a place in the horror genre, a lot of this season’s lighter fare focuses on witches, and it only seems appropriate that I cover one of my all-time faves: Practical Magic. This weekend, I had the opportunity to revisit the 1998 classic on the big screen for the first time in many moons, and I’m pleased to report that this film holds up in all the right ways.

Why, then, is Practical Magic not a Halloween staple? Why are we not pulling this out every year the same way we pull out Hocus Pocus and The Craft? I don’t know, but I’m prepared to change that.

10 Weeks of Spooktober: Crawl (Week 8 of 10)

October 19, 2019 Kelli & Emily

Spooktober is back for another week of spooks, and our special guest Kelli is back as well!

This week, we’re talking about Crawl, the 2019 monster movie about gators and hurricanes. Heck yeah, am I right? Anyway, for this one, I had to bring in our resident Florida expert Kelli to check on how accurate this fine film is. Yes, aggressive alligators are scary as hell, and so are hurricanes, but how FLORIDA is this movie? We’re going to get into that and so much more. Just read on!

Survivor S39: e4 Recap

October 18, 2019 Todd & Mary

Previously on...Survivor!

Lairo lost again, and Vince, despite stealing ash from Vokai’s campfire and winning an immunity idol from Sandra and Boston Rob, went home with said idol in his pocket. What will happen this week? Will there be a ridiculous challenge from the Idols? There is only one way to find out...Let’s get to the recap!

Most Memorable Performances on Dancing with the Stars: An Incomplete List

October 16, 2019 Susan

Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd dancing freestyle

Because I didn't have the mental energy to recap this season but I'm still super jazzed on dance at the moment, I'm taking this opportunity to share some of my favorite dances from seasons past. I'm not saying these were the best ones of all time because I didn't start watching until season 16, and I've skipped a few seasons here and there. These are just some personal highlights. So don't get mad when I don't include that dumb cowboy dance Drew Lachey did in season two. It's not that good.

The Problem with Nancy Drew

October 15, 2019 Mary

One year during middle school, I read all the Nancy Drew books. It was the only series that my small, rural school library had that I hadn’t already read, and it seemed interesting enough. I devoured the Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun, and had discovered I enjoyed mysteries, and enjoyed trying to figure them out even more. Nancy Drew wasn’t particularly relatable to me; she seemed to have a ton of money and constantly talked about shopping and clothes, but I didn’t feel particularly interested in clothes. I hated them, really. Nancy enjoyed thinking about boys and having “girl” talk with her friends Bess and George. I thought all the boys I went to school with were stupid, or immature, or both, and figured I’d probably be alone forever. Maybe I’d solve mysteries with some cats like the reporter in my favorite series.

Revisiting HBO's SIX FEET UNDER: Season 1 Part 1

October 14, 2019 Emily

I have said it many times. HBO’s Six Feet Under is the greatest show ever.

I’m hoping in this series to get into more specifics of why I feel this way. But for now, I will say this. I have rewatched this show many times. I especially enjoy rewatching it with people who have never seen it before and rediscovering through them what makes this show so special.

This particular rewatch is a special one, however, and it’s particularly personal. I watched this show with my brother when he was sick. I have have not watched this show since my brother’s death near the end of 2017. Now, as I’m coming up on the 2 year anniversary of his death, I’ve found myself longing to return to the show that gave me so much clarity and understanding about life and death. It’s just an HBO show. That probably sounds like hyperbole. But it isn’t.

Even more importantly, I am watching this show with my father, who has never seen it before. So as I rewatch this show with the loss of my brother heavy in my heart, I will be discussing the show with my father Charles Martin here in these blogs. We will probably get personal about our feelings about loss because this show feels personal.

For this first blog, we’re looking at the first half of Season 1: episodes 1 through 6. There will be no spoilers for what happens beyond those episodes if you decide to watch with us.

Survivor s39: e3 Recap

October 12, 2019 Todd & Mary

Last week, the true Queen of Survivor watched as the “queen” of Vokai was dethroned. On Lairo, Chelsea found an idol and Kellee was given one by the Survivor Idols, Boston Rob and Sandra. But what will happen this week? You can only know if you keep reading this re-cap (or if you watched the episode)!

10 Weeks of Spooktober: The Blackcoat's Daughter (Week 7 of 10)

October 9, 2019 Emily

Girls’ Boarding School and Demonic Possession? Where do I sign up?

In all seriousness, every horror fan has their sub-genres that they’re particularly passionate. Boarding school stories just happen to be WAY UP THERE for me. Demonic possessions are also a fave, and something I love talking about (I’m not weird, you’re weird). So when I found out that I had somehow missed The Blackcoat’s Daughter, a boarding school horror movie featuring demons and my girl Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men and Sabrina fame, I ran to Netflix to watch this movie ASAP.

What follows are my (non-spoilery) opinions on the movie.

Tags

Archive

Follow us on Instagram!