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The Movie Journal: May 2026

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/07/the-movie-journal-may-2026/

Published: June 7, 2026 23:09

I watched 47 movies in May. 38 of them were new to me. 20 of them were made before I was born. The theme for the month was Mysteries in May but I dropped that pretty quick. Early in the month I went to make a post – I think a review of some mystery ……

My Life in Music: The Smashing Pumpkins, Tulsa 1994

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/07/my-life-in-music-the-smashing-pumpkins-tulsa-1994/

Published: June 7, 2026 20:50

The Smashing Pumpkins were hugely important to me as I was coming of age. MTV put “Cherub Rock” the first single from their newest album at the time, Siamese Dream, on heavy rotation. That got me to buy the album, and soon after I purchased their debut…

Vertigo for a Killer (1970)

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/06/vertigo-for-a-killer-1970/

Published: June 7, 2026 03:35

This French thriller is part film noir, part Hitchcockian suspense. Neither part is as good as that sounds, but it’s not bad either. I’m a sucker for this type of thing, as you can read in my full review over at Cinema Sentries.

The Friday Night Horror Movie: Beyond the Door III (1989)

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/06/the-friday-night-horror-movie-beyond-the-door-iii-1989/

Published: June 6, 2026 05:18

Beyond the Door (1974) was an Italian horror film that basically rips off The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby. The Italians were good at that. They’d take a popular American film and remake it without giving credit for the original story and make a few bucks.…

Grateful Dead – Dicks Picks, Vol. 1 – Tampa, FL (12/19/73)

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/03/grateful-dead-dicks-picks-vol-1-tampa-fl-12-19-73/

Published: June 4, 2026 02:30

I find myself fascinated by Dick’s Picks and why he chose the shows he chose. I’m especially fascinated by This first one. It must have been both a wonderful opportunity and immensely stressful. You’ve got the keys to the vault; you can release any show…

Picking on the Grateful Dead: The Dicks Picks Series

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/03/picking-on-the-grateful-dead-the-dicks-picks-series/

Published: June 3, 2026 22:14

Dick Latvala was the original Deadhead. He first heard them play at the Trips Festival in 1966 and remained a massive fan until his death in 1999. He was one of the earliest tapers and collectors and reportedly he amassed one of the biggest collections of…

More Music, Please

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/03/more-music-please/

Published: June 3, 2026 20:41

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do with this blog. I know you all are probably tired of me whining about how I no longer get very many visitors, so I’ll spare you that this time. I will say that Google recently announced it is completely…

Charade is the Pick of the Week

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/06/01/charade-is-the-pick-of-the-week/

Published: June 1, 2026 23:33

I love Charade. I mean, it has Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, which is enough on its own to make me love it. But then add in Walter Matthau, and I’m all in. It is the perfect movie to watch on a boring Sunday afternoon or to take to the in-laws and watch…

We Bury the Dead (2025)

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/05/30/we-bury-the-dead-2025/

Published: May 31, 2026 02:50

I love me a good zombie movie. We Bury the Dead is a very good, if not particularly original, zombie movie. Daisy Ridley stars as a woman who goes to Australia, where some kind of massive bioweapon was released, killing almost everyone but leaving a few in…

The Thief of Bagdad (1924)

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/05/30/the-thief-of-bagdad-1924/

Published: May 30, 2026 21:53

I feel like every time I talk about silent films, I note that I still struggle with watching them. I guess it is an evergreen statement because I keep watching them, and I keep having a difficult time with them. The Thief of Bagdad is a classic filled with…

The Friday Night Horror Movie: Whistle (2026)

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/05/29/the-friday-night-horror-movie-whistle-2026/

Published: May 30, 2026 03:53

I get pretty spoilery in this post so if you don’t like those stop reading. ted me. It begins with a scene that takes place before the real movie sets in, designed to give you a little fright before it has to do the boring work of developing characters and…

Death Ship (1980)

https://themidnightcafe.org/2026/05/29/death-ship-1980/

Published: May 29, 2026 19:29

Death Ship is one of those movies that kept showing up in my feeds. Every time I went looking for a horror movie to watch, there it was. It looked fun, but I kept putting it off. Then the Blu-ray landed in my lap, and here we are. It isn’t a particularly…