31 Days of Halloween - Day 25: Ghoulies

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 25: Ghoulies (Movie #207)

Ghoulies is half of a decent movie. Of the three Ghoulies films I've seen and own (there are 4 in total) this has been my least favorite since forever. The film has too much going on in it with it's rituals and midgets and sorcery. The highlights of the film is whenever the cheesy Ghoulies puppets are on screen.

Future films were far superior because it usually involved someone accidentally summoning the Ghouluies and them tearing shit up. In general the film is more famous for it's poster/cover than being a watchable film.

In general this film was a bore. There was nothing new to be learned from rewatching it except that I wanted to watch Ghoulies II immediately after it was over (and thankfully I got the 2-in-1 DVD and did just that).

Sorry for it being such a short one. I was really bored by most of this movie. Fun fact though, according to my parents this was the first film we ever rented "as a family." I was about 2. I'm sure I fell asleep during it. 

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 24: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 24: Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla (Movie #41)

This is one of the most movies I own and I'm completely okay with that. This is one of those movies where during the entire 74 minutes all you can think is "someone approved this". It's one of the most incredibly baffling films I've ever watched.

This is just barely a "horror movie" in fact it's not a horror movie. The only horror elements are (a) the presence of Bela Lugosi and (b) a plot involving brain swapping… basically this is as much of a horror film as say… Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

This piece of cinema is the only film starring Duke and Sam. The duo was basically a duplicate of Dean and Jerry, this film basically killed their career before it even came out. When word spread that two impersonators were getting their own film many people (including Jerry Lewis) were furious and did everything in their power to make sure Duke and Sam never worked again. The duo split and remained mostly unseen excluding a few cameos in B-movies. 

The plot-line is confusing, bad and ends with one of the most cliche'd endings imaginable. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to see it but I promise IT'S nothing you ALL couldn't hAve DREAMed up.

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 20: An American Werewolf in London

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 20: An American Werewolf in London (Movie #15)

I first discovered An American Werewolf in London through the Michael Jackson Making of Thriller VHS tape. I wanted to see the transformation scene that they spoke about in the doc being that I was obsessed with the music video for Thriller. However, I saw this when I was quite young and got so scared by David's nightmares early on in the film that I never made it to the transformation scene.

I actually don't remember when I actually DID see the full movie. I'm sure this was part of literally hundreds of mom and pops video rentals but I honestly don't remember. My memories are strictly of that first failed attempt at watching. I do know that it wasn't until college when I bought this on DVD that I fully able to appreciate the tone, sense of humor and impressive passing.

There's so much that makes this movie enjoyable but what I appreciate the most is the fact that this is John Landis' first attempt at a horror film. While his comedy background is put to fantastic use with Griffin Dunne's performance as Jack it's even more effective when the film goes from comedic immediately to horror and back to comedy. 

I've heard a bunch of websites refer to the special effects (and specifically the transformation sequence) as the real star of the film. While I can not argue that they're absolutely stunning for me I think Griffin Dunne's deliciously dark comedic performance is what will almost stick with me. I don't know if it's the way that he says "Hi David" with a Mickey Mouse dolly or the matter-of-fact way he tells David to kill himself but I love every second he's on the screen.

Chances are you've seen this movie but if you rewatch keep an ear out for all the "moon" songs throughout. Somehow I missed this little joke until that college viewing. 

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 18: Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 18: Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (Movie #296)

Kiss was and will always be non-stop marketing machines. They'll do absolutely anything to make a buck. So when Kiss is in something that you can almost only get via bootlegs … you know it's pretty terrible.

Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park isn't so much a horror movie starring Kiss as it is a live-action Scooby-Doo episode with Kiss in place of the Mystery Team. I mean the villain is legitimately the old man from the amusement park.

The band was apparently embarrassed by the failed attempts at humor, the stupid plot and terrible acting. I don't blame them but I'll be honest… I didn't hate this movie. Maybe it's because I like Kiss so much that the live performances kept me entertained but I was charmed by the sincere attempt to make a fun made-for-tv movie.

I struggle to pick a favorite part but the general idea that each member of Kiss has some type of super power is so deliciously absurd that it's hard not to like at least a little. 

Calling this a horror movie is a bit of a stretch but since it oozes such a Scooby-Doo vibe (and I think every horror fan grew up on a healthy diet of old scoob) that I'm going to accept this as a fun Halloween treat. It's got Mad Scientists, Evil Robot Clones, A Sequence inside a Dark Ride and most horrifying of all an acoustic rendition of Beth (reportedly the only time we hear Peter Criss' real voice the whole movie). Call me crazy but I might even consider this becoming part of a yearly ritual. 

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 12: Mother's Day (1980)

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 12: Mother's Day (Movie #329)

There's a chance that you are only familiar with Mother's Day because of the recent remake. The remake is a remake in name only and while in a lot of ways it is superior to the original I still prefer this version of the film.

This Troma film (directed by Lloyd's brother Charlie Kaufman) isn't as tromarific and other titles but it's obvious that the Kaufman brother's share a very similar sense of humor. The first 20 minutes or so of the movie basically is a college road trip film. However when the horror element squeaks in it's practically a pre-cusor to the torture porn genre.

That's not just me making up shit either. When I had Lloyd Kaufman on my podcast he mentioned that this movie was Eli Roth's (creator of Hostel) favorite film. Hostel along with Saw definitely helped ring in a couple years of demented psychological horror and torture. The only difference is Hostel didn't have a shitty plaster head in a birdcage… which makes this movie much much better.

Mother's Day follows a group of 3 female college friends who get together every year for a road trip and to relive their past memories. On a camping trip full of pot and skinny dipping the three find themselves kidnapped and in the home of two deranged brothers and their evil Mother. 

These boys will do anything to make Mama proud, including rape and murder. The film's sense of humor is very similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre's having complete insane characters acting like a perfect family. One particularly memorable scene involves the brothers coming home to brag about how they beat and kidnapped the girls only to be disciplined by their mother for not wiping their feet before they entered the house.

In the end the film turns into a revenge film in a similar (but fair less dark) vein of Last House on the Left and I Spit On Your Grave. While it's a greatly flawed and ultra-low budget horror movie, there's just too much charm to not find enjoyment in Mother's Day.

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 11: Black X-Mas

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 11: Black X-Mas (Movie #51)

Let me preference this write up by saying that I think the Original Black Christmas is without argument one of the top 10 best/most important/scariest/etc Horror movies of all time. It is a perfectly executed horror-mystery with a frighteningly open ended conclusion. Black X-Mas is none of those things.

Now does that mean I disliked this movie? Not at all. I have a genuine love for this remake but its in the same way I love something like Sleepaway Camp. Every death is so over the top, there's icicles falling through faces, ice skates and candy canes used in place of knives and a plot involving making human flesh cookies. If this movie was meant to be taken seriously they fucked up big time, if this was meant to be an over-the-top fun and gory slasher than A+ to everyone involved.

The plot line to this remake is mostly faithful to the original premise. A group of sorority girls are tortured by a crazed man in their house who keeps calling them. The modernization of things (like cell phones) take away part of the terror.

One of the biggest changes is that throughout most of the original no one knew there was a killer in the house. They assumed girls had left home for the holidays early and they were getting prank phone calls. This film they're well aware there's a killer in the house, which begins raising the question of why are they looking for this guy instead of just leaving (or calling the cops on their cell phones that obviously work).

The other mistake in this film is revealing Billy and giving him a backstory. What terrified me most in the original Black Christmas is (SPOILER ALERT) never knowing who it was that was doing these things.

As far as remakes go this isn't terrible but it certainly isn't particularly good. But I remember having a blast when I saw it in theaters. The fact that I'm still able to enjoy it all these years later is a nice bonus. 

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 10: The Frightners

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 10: The Frighteners (Movie #194)

Of all the movies in the world, there is a handful that I probably could review without rewatching. The Frighteners is one of those films. I have loved and been obsessed with this film for years. I'm always said that Scream was the movie that made me love horror movies and that it was my "first horror movie". This is a mostly true statement.

When I was a kid I was a huge pussy when it came to blood and gore and scary stuff in general. So while I had no problem watching stuff like Anaconda and Monster Squad I flat out refused to watch any R rated horror movies. That all changed because of Frighteners. I was such a Michael J. Fox fan and the trailer was so funny that I assumed I would be fine watching the movie (and I was). It was this film that gave me the courage to watch Scream when my cousin asked me if I wanted to watch it with him.

The Frighteners tells the story of Frank Bannister a psychic and a  con man who hires the ghosts that he can see and communicate to haunt the houses of rich individuals so he can make money acting as a ghostbuster. However when a specter in the guise of the Grim Reaper starts offing people (almost exclusively when Frank is around) he finds himself as the number one suspect of murder by a crazed FBI agent (Jeffery Combs).

As a kid (I'm talking about 11 or 12) I was completely obsessed with this film. Every moment of it is gorgeously shot, the comedy hits almost every mark, the scares work and the performances are solid. It's tough to pick a favorite Peter Jackson film given that so many of them exist in such surreal worlds (specifically the first 4-5) that it's easy for your favorite to change depending on your mood but for years it's been no contest for me. Frighteners all the way.

If you have a friend who doesn't like horror, or scares easily. This is one of the best "starter" films for them. So go and make a new Horror Fan out of someone!

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 7: Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 7: Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1 (Movie #399)

I love Troma. I'm not ashamed about that at all. I've had Lloyd Kaufman on my podcast multiple times and have always loved talking to him about film as well as the history of Troma and their films. At the end of the day however their films are hit and miss. Some of the films considered "Troma Classics" are really difficult to watch. As much as I've loved most of the Troma Classics I never was a big fan of the Class of Nuke 'Em High Series (even though I own the box set).

Despite that when I heard that Lloyd was remaking/rebooting/doing a sequel to Nuke 'Em High though, I was excited. The Kaufman of the now is much more interesting than 80's Kaufman. He's grown as a director in a lot of ways and by allowing people to write his scripts for him it widens the sense of humor of all the films. While Lloyd will tell you that Troma's War and Class of Nuke 'Em High are among his best films it's simply not true. From Tromeo & Juliet up until now the films have had funnier scripts, better acting and just simply look better.

Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1 (and I'll at least assume Volume 2) is never going to be my all-time favorite Troma film (That's either Cannibal The Musical or Tromeo & Juliet) but it's a great film. It contains some of the funniest moments in Troma films, possibly the most beautiful cast you'll ever see in a Troma film, some of the most bizarrely stylized editing I've ever seen and represents the complete and total anarchy that Troma represents in the film world.

The film follows the basic premise of the original Class of Nuke 'Em High but is different and demented enough that it all feels fresh instead of like a rehash. The original film was always a great concept but it always felt slow at moments, this movie however movies at rapid speed and is non-stop fun. The only thing I prefer in the original is probably the Nerd Meltdown.

Also, no spoilers, but if you're a Troma film there is a sequence that involves Lloyd screaming at a what is basically a collection of cameos from from various films from Troma past.

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 5: Stitches

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 5: Stitches (Movie #450)

Stitches is one of the newer movies on the list. It's one of four films released in the last two-three years. I first heard of the movie when Geekscape was emailed about it looking to see if anyone wanted to review it. I was slow to respond and someone else beat me to it but praised it so heavily that grabbed a copy of my own when it was on sale at Best Buy less than a month later.

This film is painfully underrated at this time and I genuinely hope it finds it audience in the future and develops the kind of cult following it deserves. It's got a genuinely good blend of horror and comedy, some amazing kills and most importantly the jokes actually are funny (a rare feat in horror comedies).

The story follows a group of kids who accidentally kill a clown at a birthday party. A couple years later the clown raises from the dead to exact vengeance on the kids who killed him. That's basically everything you need to know. There's a lot of weird and wacky twists but specifically given how new this movie is I don't feel right spoiling anything.

I will say that the film is extremely stylized in it's filming and editing and while it sometimes relies on CGI it's got a pretty heavily dose of practical effects. The only major issue is that the practical effects definitely makes the CGI parts look shittier.

Regardless I had a great time rewatching this and while it was only the second time I sat down to watch it I wouldn't be shocked if I decided to force some friends to watch this later on this movie.

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 4: The Toxic Avenger Part 2

For the last few years I always do a 31 days of Halloween month. The past few years I re-read all the original Goosebumps books and before that I'd watch 31 horror movies. However I realized every single time I watched 31 Horror movies I exclusively picked ones I enjoyed. I decided to do something slightly different. I composed a list of every horror movie I owned and put them in alphabetical order. Then using a random number generator I generated 31 numbers and watched the movies that corresponded with those numbers. Some are great films and others… well… are less than fun let's say. I hope you enjoy!

Day 4: The Toxic Avenger Part II (Movie #478)

My history with the Toxic Avenger is a pretty bizarre one. I was first introduced to Toxie from the 80's cartoon series The Toxic Crusaders. I was a massive Toxie fan and had all the toys and watched it every week. I had an uncle who was basically the person I'd grow up to be. He collected toys, arcades and b-movies. He also did really detailed decorations for Halloween every year. One day at his house I stumbled upon a copy of The Toxic Avenger and thought "THEY MADE A MOVIE ABOUT TOXIE". I excitedly popped it in the VCR.

About 30 minutes later I was crying my eyes out in fear. I had never seen anything so gross and gory at that point. Eyeballs were gouged out, bodies melting down and various other gross things. My mom found me and comforted me and I never watched it again until college when I finally rewatched it.

The second time around I discovered not only was this a comedy but I absolutely loved it! I went out a bought Toxic Avenger Part II. This is a pretty bad movie. It's not the worst Toxie film (That honor goes to Part III) but there's something charming in this film. It's got a ton of nudity as well as some delightfully bizarre death scenes, so basically it's a typical Troma movie.

In general however this film along with Part III I only own because I'm a franchise completist. If I buy the first part of any movie I feel drawn to own ALL of the films (this would explain why I own Hellraiser III-VIII and Jaws the Revenge). This was a fun enough movie for early in October but if I had drawn this as my final film of October to "ring in" halloween I'd be annoyed and disappointed.

Matt Kelly is the host of the popular podcast The Saint Mort Show, a frequent contributor to Geekscape.net, the founder of Chords for Cures and the co-writer/co-director of the upcoming comedy Describing the Moon. He also loves it when people surprise him with purchases from his Amazon Wishlist… just saying.

31 Movies of Halloween: Monster Squad

Every day this month I'm watching and reviewing some of my favorite horror movies. Enjoy!

DAY 8: MONSTER SQUAD

I don’t remember the first time that I saw Monster Squad. The reason I don’t remember it is because by the time I was 10 I probably watched this movie somewhere in the realm of 50 times. I loved this movie. It ranks as one of my top 10 movies of all time.

Monster Squad tells the tale of a group of elementary school students obsessed with horror movies. When all of Universal’s classic monsters begin to attack their town, they’re the only hope the town has.

The film is written and directed by Fred Dekker, a talented filmmaker who had a career so sure it’s a legitimately a travesty. The writing is brilliant, the dialogue top-notch, but the star of the show is Stan Winston’s creature effects.

For years I’d watch this movie and wish that they’d take Stan Winston’s desire of the Creature from the Black Lagoon and do a remake with it. The film didn’t do well in theaters but has a gigantic cult following. There’s even rumors of a remake (shiver) from Disney (groan).

Whether you’re 10 or 60, there’s so much to like about Monster Squad I recommend it for everyone

Feel free to read my writing on Geekscape.net or listen to my podcast the Saint Mort Show. And remember... I'm in the Goddamn Club aren't I? (and club dues are EXPENSIVE)

31 Movies of Halloween: Student Bodies

I plan on watching and reviewing a horror movie everyday this month. Enjoy!

DAY 3: STUDENT BODIES

Before Scream and Scary Movie; there was Student Bodies, the first ever self-aware horror film and and slasher parody. The film follows a slasher referred to as the Breather. He is a heavily breathing, squeaky shoes wearing slasher. People get killed in the most absurd of ways including early on a paper clip. The jokes are pretty dated, but what’s sad is that the jokes feel like they could have easily been in any of the Scary Movie films made almost two decades afterwards.

Throughout the film a body count consisting pops up on screen. Characters utter lines like “shut up, are you trying to make people suspect you” and have such off colored jokes as blind student and student in a wheelchair arguing over who is deserving of the school’s only parking spot.

This movie could have only been made in the early 80s. Jokes as un-PC as these just don’t happen these days. Most of the actors were never seen again after this movie’s release, including the star of the show Patrick “The Stick” Vernal who played the Janitor Malvert. The failed stand-up comedian never appeared on screen again (except for a brief TV Show cameo in 1984).

The film was a box office bomb and received almost complete critical panning yet the late night circuit gave the movie a small cult following. However the following was big enough for the movie to get a DVD and Blu-Ray release. Not band for a film that just barely pulled in 5 million in the box office.

If you get enjoyment out of the Scary Movie franchise, then you should absolutely give Student Bodies a chance.

If Only They Could Tour

I've stated in some previous entries that I'm always open for people submitting their own list for me to build. Last week my friend Lauralie Navo suggested I do a list of fictional groups. I figured I'd do a list of 5, in the end I had over 40 bands and solo artists. I made some cuts and then enforced rules which basically took the most obvious answers off my list.

If the band released any album outside the soundtrack for the movie and/or toured I could no longer consider them entirely 'fictional'. Thus Spinal Tap, Tenacious D and Blues Brothers will not be appearing on this list.

Now without any further delay
THE 17 BEST FICTIONAL MUSICIANS OF POP CULTURE

17. LOVE BURGER (Can't Hardly Wait)

Our 17th band never played a note, but you can't tell me you weren't extremely curious about them. They looked like a group of friends who formed a band strictly to get more friends. Half look like they'd be in Phish while (as the movie states) another looks like Prince. Regardless I'd pay money to see them even if their set was just a 45 minute long break-up.

16. N.W.H. (Niggaz With Hats) - (Fear of a Black Hat)

Niggaz With Hats is the gangsta rap group from the mocumentary Fear of a Black Hat. They film was a financial flop despite critical praise. While it's much like CB4 this parody covers much more group of the music industry circa 1994. We see the hypocrisy of members Ice Cold, Tone Def and Tasty Tastes and their over-the-top personalities as their band rises to fame and then splits into solo projects.

15. Du Jour - (Josie and the Pussycats)

Now people are going to be rioting in the streets when they read this whole article and don't see 2ge+her on the list at all. But I was always more of a Du Jour fan. Featuring half the members of the previously mentioned Loveburger Du Jour covered everything we loved about boy bands. They bragged about their fame (Du Jour Around the World) but they also opened up to us about how much love they have to give (Backdoor Lover). They were the greatest boy band in the world, until their unfortunate plane crash.

14. Wyld Stallyns (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure/Bogus Journey)

Bill and Ted's group Wyld Stallyns wrote a song so amazing that it turned the world into the most peaceful planet of all time. It only makes sense that the song would be "God Gave Rock N Roll To You" by Kiss (which is actually a cover Argent). Look how happy everyone is and how sick the guitar licks are. Who wouldn't love this band!

13. Pop (Music and Lyrics)

Music and Lyrics is one of the most under-rated romantic comedies ever made. As a fan of 80's music the satire on one hit wonders of that decade is solid. Pop was the WHAM of this particular universe. They had one maybe two big hits but then were never heard from again... sort of. The 'George Michael' character had a great future but this movie follows the OTHER member (in this case named Alex Fletcher. Alex is content with his life performing at high school reunions and amusement parks after an unsuccessful attempt as a solo artist.

12. The Folksmen (A Mighty Wind)

A Mighty Wind follows some folk groups of the 60's reuniting to honor their old producer. Admittedly Mickey and Mitch's song "Kiss At the End of the Rainbow" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written for a soundtrack, but The Folksmen is the group I'd want to see. Their set in the film is one of the most awkward 10 minutes in cinema but their songs are all so diverse and catchy. Their hit "Old Joe's Place" is something I literally find myself singing throughout my day. I do love folk music though.

11. CB4 (CB4)

CB4 will always be Chris Rock's finest achievement. The story is very similar to Fear of a Black Hat (although admittedly CB4 came out first) so I won't go over all the details. What I will say is that CB4's music was catchy and vile at the same time. With their controversial hits Sweat from my Balls and Straight outta Locash it's no wonder it's the most dangerous fictional rap group of all time.

10. The Wonders (That Thing You Do!)

That Thing You Do! tells the story of The Wonders; the fictional American Beatles (or what could have been anyway). It shows the rise and fall of a one-hit wonder group. Regardless of the fact this song doesn't actually exist didn't stop the song itself from being one of the catchiest songs ever written. Special thanks to Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger (who wrote many songs for movies including the previously mentioned Music and Lyrics)

9. Three Times One Minus One (Mr. Show)

Mr. Show is still one of the greatest sketch comedy shows ever produced. It did everything that shows like Saturday Night Live and MadTV weren't. It was edgy, random and most importantly fucking hilarious. One of their few 'reoccuring' characters was the terrible R/B group Three Times One Minus One who's hit song "Eww Eww" made them one of the greats!
Honorable Mention also to Titanica who inspired the title of Blink 182's Adam's Song

8. Robin Sparkles (How I Met Your Mother)

Before becoming a News Reporter in New York, Robin Scherbatsky was a teen pop sensation in Canada. She released such hit singles as Let's Go to the Mall and Sandcastles in the Sand. While her fame was short lived her songs stood the test of time (in Canada). If Robin Sparkles decided to do a 20 year anniversary tour I'd buy tickets... and admit it, so would you

7. The Beets (Doug)

If you were a kid of the late-80's/early-90s you grew up watching NickToons. What's weird was even if you didn't like some shows, you still watched them anyway. Not everyone liked Doug; but EVERYONE liked The Beets. They were a strange sort-of British sort-of Rock band with super bizarre songs. They demanded more allowance, they warned us of Killer Tofu and the occasionally couldn't find their sock. One of the most memorable episodes of the show (for me anyway) centered around Doug and Skeeter trying to get to a show and ending up back stage after hitching a ride with their old tour manager (who claimed it was his sock they were singing about in the song Where's My Sock)

6. Sex Bob-omb (Scott Pilgrim & The World)

Sex Bob-omb is Scott Pilgrim's band. They're a sloppy garage band but they climb the charts anyway with their hits like Garbage Truck. It's expected that the music would be pretty solid having been written by a musical genius like Beck. However all three actors play their actual instruments. I found this extremely cool.

5. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem (The Muppet Show)

The Muppet Show wouldn't quite be the Muppet Show if it wasn't for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. They were the most over the top, in your face band of foam rubber in history. They did mostly cover songs on the TV series, at one point destroying a Bach piece but the originals in the movie (specifically Can You Picture That) are toe-tapping masterpieces.

4. Powerline (A Goofy Movie)

I will never be able to explain it; but somehow A Goofy Movie went from being an obscure disney film that was only moderately successful to being every kid from my generation's favorite movie. I'm not going to argue with it though, because the movie brilliant. When it came out there were rumors that Powerline was voiced by Michael Jackson, that's clearly not true but it doesn't stop the songs from being amazing. Besides he's obviously inspired by M.J.

3. Mystic Sprial (Daria)

I've blogged about my love of Daria previously, so I don't want to repeat old territory. I will say this much. Daria's depiction of Garage rock through Trent and his band Mystic Spiral was brilliant. Their songs were always bad but yet, at times you wouldn't be shocked if they were written by someone like Kurt Cobain or Eddie Vender. My personal favorite lyric was from the Daria TV Movie Is it Fall Yet? song Freakin' Friends with the line 'when dead clowns, can't clown'

2. The Lone Rangers (Airheads)

Airheads is one of my guilt pleasures. It's basically a parody/remake of King of Comedy, but it's still hilarious. It follows a grunge band trying to make their big break but are constantly having doors closed in their face. Finally they start to develop a following, but only as criminals holding up a radio station to get their record played. Their single Degenerated is actually a cover of the Reagan Youth song from 1990. Personally, I prefer the film version.

1. Josie and the Pussycats (Josie and the Pussycats)

Josie and the Pussycats is without a doubt the most underrated movie of the 2000's. Beyond being one of the funniest films ever (and thus why 2 of the fake musical groups made the list) it also has the best soundtrack in a long time. The entire soundtrack is of course just Josie's album. All of the songs were written by Adam Schlesinger (previously mentioned for writing That Thing you Do!) and performed by Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo. If you were disappointed by her bands break up, the soundtrack acts like a follow-up to Go!