Screening THE ROOM: 2012
Note: I have been given permission by the students of ENGL4980 to use their images in this post. Hey there, you. Yes, I’m talking to you, my dear reader. I […]
Category Archives: Trash Cinema
BLACK SWAN, Cinematic Excess, and the Full Body Experience
No, I haven’t written a new blog post. January has been a crazy month! January’s been so crazy, in fact, that it has bled into February. I plan to write […]
MACHETE: Camp Deluxe
Machete was not a movie that I planned to see this summer. Films like Inception, The Kids are Alright, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and even Piranha 3-D (yes, really) […]
The D2D Release: Notes on a Burgeoning Market
Yes, it’s true, my blogging has decreased precipitously over the last three months. I had a second child and he takes up all of my time, what with his eating […]
Screening Tommy Wiseau’s THE ROOM
As discussed in previous posts, I am teaching “Topics in Film Aesthetics” this semester, with a focus on what is known as “trash cinema.” For those unfamiliar with this term, […]
The Filthiest People Alive!: Teaching PINK FLAMINGOS
“If someone vomits watching one of my films, it’s like getting a standing ovation.” -John Waters A few weeks ago I taught Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast (1963) as part […]
THE BERMUDA DEPTHS: One Cinephile’s Movie Memories Finally Reach the Surface
Randall Martoccia has graciously agreed to write the first guest post ever for Judgmental Observer. Having a guest writer makes me feel important, like I’m too busy to write for […]
Excess, Badtruth and the Extratextual in GLEN OR GLENDA
“Let us not mince words. The marvellous is always beautiful, anything marvellous is beautiful, in fact only the marvellous is beautiful.” -Surrealist Manifesto (1924) “Badness appreciation is the most acquired […]
Teaching Tod Browning’s FREAKS
This week in my Trash Cinema class my students watched and discussed Tod Browning’s controversial horror film turned cult masterpiece, Freaks (1932). Freaks was released by MGM, but it was […]
