Back Row's Second Year in Movie Reviews, Podcasts & Lists
While 2018 wasn’t terribly kind to the planet, global politics, most people I know, or even movies, it was markedly awesome for Back Row! Not only did we launch a brand new podcast with new-to-the-site Dan Gorman, but we also got–no joke–1,026.6% more unique visitors to the site from last year! We humbly thank YOU, dear reader, for making it all possible. Back Row is a labor of love, so it feels nice knowing we’re appreciated. I will now take this moment to plug some stuff to you: subscribe and review us on iTunes, Heart us on Spotify, Like us on Facebook, and/or follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
DID YOU KNOW? 9 out of 10 doctors* recommend refreshing Back Row every. single. hour. from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed at night.
* a made up statistic.
As for what’s coming up in 2019, well we already launched our first video essay via CHUD Buddies, so that’s something new and fun to look out for more of. We’re also cooking up some new guest articles, many new podcast episodes and even some fun giveaways(!), so be sure to check back in with us throughout the year.
But for now, let us take a look back at some of our most popular articles from this past year. You guys sure loved our I Watched It So You Don’t Have To articles, as well as Carlo’s obsession with girls with guns, Veronica’s probing into human nature, Dan’s excellent podcasting skills, and Jenna’s musings on mortality. Without further ado, here’s our most popular articles / episodes:
Above and away our most popular article of the year is Veronica’s breakdown of the infamous A Serbian Film. She watched it so you don’t have to, but after reading this you might still want to.
Carlo’s ode to Cynthia Rothrock was the first of our 2018 articles to make some viral waves. Read all about American martial artist Cynthia Rothrock’s surprising and awesome career in Hong Kong cinema.
No joke when I say you guys loved us watching stuff for you. Jenna digs into the infamously panned Myra Breckinridge, a film so hated even Gore Vidal disowned it. She thinks it’s worth your time though, especially for Raquel Welch’s excellent performance.
We cooked up a scintillatingly spooky episode of Notes From the Back Row for Halloween this year–discussing everything from Scanners, to teen horror, 1950’s horror comedy, and even some notable straight-to-video movies.
Veronica and her nerves of steel brought you a rather insightful look into Pascal Laugier’s Marytrs. Notoriously violent and disturbing, Veronica sheds some light onto why she thinks there’s more to it than just “torture porn.”
Jenna’s in-depth explanation of Annihilation has garnered a steady stream of hits throughout the year. Read her review, which answers all of your questions of “huh” and “what” and “wtf?”
You guys couldn’t get enough of Rothrock, so it’s only natural you were interested in checking out the world beyond her. Read more about Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Khan, Yukari Oshima, Moon Lee, Sibelle Hu and more stars of 1980’s and 1990’s Hong Kong cinema.
We didn’t waste any time in our premiere episode of Notes From the Back Row: it’s all Goldblum, all the time. Listen as Carlo, Dan, Jenna and Veronica talk about several Goldblum films, and express their desire to shed their limbs and morph into the man himself.
Humans have an uncomfortable understanding of where we come from and what makes us tick. In this article, Veronica probes down into some movies that highlight these uncultivated areas in the brain.
Jenna takes a look at Dušan Makavejev's under appreciated Coca-Cola Kid–a genuinely strange film, that has elements of slapstick, romantic comedy, supremely dry satire and some deadly serious economic and political criticism.
Guest contributor Eli Sands wrote a great piece contrasting Luca Guadagnino and David Kajganich’s remake of Suspiria with the literature of Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi. We know, it’s intense. It’s also entirely worth a read.
