COOP COOPER is an independently syndicated film critic with a split personality. His “Southern Side” prints mainstream reviews that appear in various print publications across the mid-south. His “Dark Side” from Los Angeles befouls the site with reviews of horror and grindhouse flicks. Welcome to the site where COOP’s two halves (and his contributors) review and debate the latest film/DVD releases…

Nope, it’s not movie news per se, BUT I’m trying to ease back into the horror scene after a long, pre-Halloween slumber. I’m kicking in the movie scene by reviewing Pandorum in the next day or two, but when a bunch of cartoon characters from “Adult Swim” can singlehandedly resurrect the flagging “death metal” scene, that’s news for the ages. Dethalbum II, by the fictional band Dethklok, hit iTunes last night at midnight and I downloaded it immediately. Why? Because Dethalbum I was so popular and completely owned the genre it satirizes…

I’ve been in denial for years over this film. Tried to convince myself that I didn’t actually see this movie in the theater… but I did.

Undoubtedly one of the the worst movies of the 80’s, Yor: Hunter from the Future made absolutely no sense and unapologetically oozed cheese from every celluloid frame it projected. Cashing in on the Sword and Sorcery/sci-fi hybrids of the early part of the decade (shared with films like Flash Gordon, Krull and Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn), Yor features American actor Reb (I played Captain American once) Brown running around in a loincloth, bad blond wig and a stone axe across a prehistoric landscape…

Sports movies reached a pinnacle in the 80’s with many shining examples of how underdogs can triumph through sportsmanship, hard work and the desire to “win or die in the attempt” (something my old football coached turned into the acronym “W.O.D.I.T.A.”). Vision Quest (1985) is the best of these films. Matthew Modine plays Louden Swain, a smart and precocious beanpole who suddenly decides to give his high school career meaning by performing a near impossible feat…

For shame, I never saw “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” in the theater. I ended up seeing it on VHS at summer camp after all the other campers endorsed it with one word… “Awesome.” At the time, “awesome” was a step above “radical,” “gnarly” and “wicked.” When that counselor with the creepy lazy eye put that tape in, I knew I was in for something special. One Large Marge and an Amazing Larry later, I knew I was destined to see this one again and again…

Ah, the summer of ‘86.

I remember very clearly choosing to go see “Short Circuit” over “Top Gun” on opening weekend. In hindsight, that’s ridiculous but it happened. About a month later I finally saw Tom Cruise blow up Russians in his F-14 Tomcat and it blew me away. Even better was how entranced everyone was with the soundtrack. It was one of those tapes where every song was listenable (at the time) and people played it…

Many of us grew up in the 80’s watching the movies and listening to music. One song from that era can bring back so many great memories. Sometimes… songs remind us of movies (or vice-versa). HAIR METAL MOVIE MADNESS brings back those memories by connecting the songs we loved from the 80’s to the movie(s) they were attached to. Visit The Small Town Critic every Saturday to rock out with us to the songs and movies that shaped a generation…

I came for a rock show… I ended up reviewing a movie.
The local Clarksdale, Mississippi newspaper said some guy named Dex Romweber, a 80’s rockabilly and alternative icon was going to play on St. Patrick’s Day evening at 7:30 at the old, Delta/Tyson single-screen movie theater downtown.
“Say wha?” I said.
The seats [...]

I’m very happy to hear this. I saw “Anvil!” back in June 2008 and thus ensued one of the most fun movie-going experiences I’ve ever had (go here to read my ANVIL! review). Like a documentary/mini-concert hybrid, the film tells the story of a band who influenced 99% of the heavy metal and thrash bands [...]

You’re gonna have to forgive the self-indulgent post here, but this has been cracking me up all day.
My love for “Metalocalypse” is no big secret but sometimes when an episode strikes me as hilarious, I can’t stop laughing for days.
Take the episode “Dethcarraldo,” in which the band, Dethklok, hears about a drug called “yopo” that [...]

I feel… the pull of Coop… THE SMALL TOWN CRITIC is about to take power during the eminent awards season.
Whatever, I hijacked this site before and I can do it again. I’ll be back, and I suspect you’ll be ready for me when horror/exploitation reigns supreme.
Until he breaks my final barrier, check out this band [...]

Cartoon Network’s ADULTSWIM has outdone itself with this crazy little addition to its lineup. Did I say little? I meant GINORMOUS. These 15 minute shorts have become so popular, they’ve accomplished three unlikely feats:
1. Produced an album that debuted #21 on the Billboard’s Top 100
2. Spawned a concert tour in 2008 with sellout venues
3. Single-handedly [...]

I hate documentaries. They have an agenda, they’re preachy and too damn… based in reality. Can’t a man go to the cinema anymore and watch aliens blast the hell out of New York only to have Snake Plissken kick their butts and send them cryin’ back home to mama? (Damn, somebody make that movie and [...]