Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering The Heat Wave Lasted Four Days (1975), a Canadian crime thriller directed by Douglas Jackson and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Set in Montreal during a summer heat wave, the film follows a television reporter who stumbles into a criminal operation and slowly ruins his life through greed, bad choices, and mounting pressure.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s unusual origins as an English-as-a-second-language teaching tool, its multiple cut versions, and its surprisingly tense ABC Wide World of Mystery presentation. We discuss the stripped-down dialogue, sleazy moral spiral, downbeat ending, and why this obscure Canadian TV movie works better than it has any right to.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Dolls (1987), a gothic horror fantasy directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Charles Band’s Empire Pictures. When a young girl, her abusive parents, and a group of stranded travellers take shelter in a remote English manor, they discover their elderly hosts are doll makers whose creations punish cruel adults and spare the innocent.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s dark fairy-tale tone, creepy practical effects, and stop-motion killer dolls. We discuss its fast pacing, gothic atmosphere, moral framework, and how this predates Child’s Play and Puppet Master while standing on its own as one of Gordon’s most unsettling films. Tune in to hear why this compact 80s horror gem earns its cult reputation.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

Hey Cannon Cruisers fans! This week we’re covering Alphabet City (1984), a stylish neo-noir crime drama directed by Amos Poe and shot on location in early 80s New York City. Starring Vincent Spano, Kate Vernon, Jamie Gertz, and Michael Winslow, the film follows a small-time mob runner over one long night as he tries to escape the life after being ordered to burn down his own family’s building.

Join JD and Randy as they break down the film’s music-video energy, neon-soaked cinematography by Oliver Wood, and Nile Rodgers’ electronic score. We discuss its thin but focused story, Fear City atmosphere, and why this feels more like a time capsule of pre-gentrification Alphabet City than a traditional crime thriller. Tune in to hear why this vibe-heavy cult noir works best as a snapshot of a vanished era.

Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language.