Entertainment
Catherine O'Hara's Raunchy, Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Is A Forgotten 1980s Gem
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
The world recently lost comic actress Catherine O’Hara, known for classics like Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and the series Schitt’s Creek. She has been endlessly memed and mimicked, and her work is constantly viewed by fans all over. In the 1983 Canadian animated feature Rock n’ Rule, she makes an unexpected appearance as an unusual character in a place nobody expected to find her.
Rock n’ Rule takes place in a post-apocalyptic future that is now populated by intelligent anthropomorphs and abominations mutated from the remains of a nuclear war in the distant past. A rock band led by Omar strives for fame in Ohmtown, but when Omar is upstaged at their big show by his girlfriend Angel, it causes a rift between the two.
However, Angel has caught the attention of the sinister superstar Mok, whose evil plot to raise an eldritch demon requires a very special singing voice. When Mok kidnaps Angel to raise his demon, Omar and his bandmates Izzy and Stretch head off to Nuke York City to rescue her and fight the rock star on his own turf: the stage.
I’ve been a huge fan of this movie since I saw it in the late 1980s, and I had never noticed that Catherine O’Hara plays Izzy’s aunt Edith, a grizzled Nuke Yorker who runs a tattoo parlor and helps the band while they’re in town. It features a smorgasbord of celebrity voices and musical appearances, including Cheap Trick and Debbie Harry as Omar and Angel’s band, Lou Reed and Izzy Pop as Mok; the dialogue voice talent is a little less well-known but stars Paul LeMat, Susan Roman, and Don Francks.
The story is a fun rock n’ roll romp about the rise and fall to stardom. The soundtrack definitely delivers on the magic and majesty of music, even when it’s not intentionally being used for occult purposes. Debbie Harry absolutely delivers with her performance, and it is easy to see why it would get Mok’s attention. The fantastical blend of magic and technology Mok uses for his sorcery ignites the imagination in ways that a more traditional story about a demonic summoning doesn’t accomplish.
The lingering aura of nuclear war is constantly emphasized throughout the movie, from the names of places to the smoggy and desolate settings the characters inhabit. Mutant creatures that evolved from waste are looked down upon by mainstream society, as illustrated by warnings and security measures at the venues visited during the film. In this respect, the movie is very dated, as the early 1980s were a time of such fear of nuclear war that we had “civil defense drills” against bombs rather than the “active shooter drills” of today.
The movie also saw pushback from Rolling Stones superstar Mick Jagger. Mok was originally supposed to be called “Mok Swagger” and was drawn to resemble the strutting singer with a dash of fellow musical collaborationist David Bowie thrown in. Mok is portrayed as being narcissistic and drunk on his own stardom, a portrait that Jagger didn’t seem to appreciate, even fictionally. He succeeded in having the character’s surname dropped, but otherwise, as he sings in the movie himself, “My name is Mok/thanks a lot.”
Rock n’ Rule may be a throwback to previous social trauma, but it’s still a worthwhile watch today, and I watch it every time I find it because it is just that much fun. It’s raunchy, with slapstick comedy and a thoughtful premise, and most importantly, great music that keeps you coming back to hear it again.
Check out this secret Catherine O’Hara gem, streaming free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
SAVE 64%: Between May 6 and May 17, you can score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
Get up to 64% off plus a free solar panel with purchase
I live in an apartment, so I don’t exactly have a “whole home” to back up. But if there’s one thing I hate, it’s losing power. There goes the AC, the internet, the food in the fridge — it’s a total nightmare. If you actually own a house and have been putting off buying a backup power system because it’s pricey, I have some good news.
The DJI Power 1000 Mini portable power station just launched — U.S. availability is pending
Right now, EcoFlow is running a Mother’s Day Sale through May 17 with discounts as high as 64%. They’re also throwing in free hardware to sweeten the deal: All single orders between $600 and $3,000 come with a free 45W solar panel, and orders over $3,000 come with two free 160W solar panels. If you’re looking for something more portable, their RAPID Power Banks are also up to 53% off right now.
Just keep an eye on the countdown clock — it’s for the Flash Sale items that have even better, limited-time price cuts. If you miss the flash window, the standard Mother’s Day and Home Improvement deals (including a $700 installation discount for larger systems) are still valid through mid-May.
Mashable Deals
Here are a few of the best deals I’ve spotted so far:
Entertainment
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
Comedian John Early makes his feature directorial debut with Maddie’s Secret, an offbeat homage to melodrama that he wrote and headlines as its eponymous heroine.
As an aspiring food influencer, Maddie Ralph (Early) is passionate about her cuisine. And at first glance, she’s got a picture-perfect life: a loving husband (Eric Rahill), a devoted best friend (Kate Berlant), and a job at a culinary content studio called Gourmaybe. But as the title suggests, there’s a side to Maddie she can’t stomach sharing with her loved ones. And this secret could kill her.
Out of the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, I cheered Maddie’s Secret, writing in my review for Mashable, “The film is silly and strange, but even amid campy bits, sincere. So, you’ll laugh at its parody elements, but may well be genuinely moved by Early’s commitment to this strange and splendid film.”
I also said “John Early is a better ingénue than Sydney Sweeney,” comparing Maddie’s Secret to another earnest (but less entertaining) TIFF offering, Christy. And I stand by it.
Maddie’s Secret opens in theaters in New York on June 19, and in Los Angeles on June 26.
Entertainment
Pride is almost here! Check out the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.
We know Pride is all year round, but there is something special about the month of June. We’re not there quite yet, but if you want a main squeeze for all the parades and parties, you gotta start looking now. How about on a dating app?
As a lesbian, you probably know all about them. Lesbian Americans (along with bisexual and gay Americans) are far more likely to have ever used dating apps than straight Americans: 51 percent to 28 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.
There are a few reasons why LGBTQ people might turn to online dating more quickly than straight folks. For one, you might live in an area without a thriving LGBTQ community, and in-person dating may be hard. If you don’t know other lesbians to begin with, how can you meet more IRL to date? (Sometimes, lesbian spaces can also be co-opted by The Straights.) Unfortunately, in-person dating may also be less safe, depending on where you live.
Hookup apps for everyone
AdultFriendFinder
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readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder
—
top pick for finding hookups
Hinge
—
popular choice for regular meetups
Thankfully, we live in a time where we can find people like us with a few swipes. Lesbians are welcome on major dating apps, and there are also niche ones specifically for lesbians and other queer women and people. But which one to choose?
How to find the best dating apps for lesbians
Niche lesbian dating apps aren’t your only option for finding love.
Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable
In Mashable’s recommendations below, you’ll find both general dating apps and apps specifically for queer people. As the former appeals to the general population, you’ll find more users in these spaces. The caveat, however, is that when you swipe on other women, you might find those coupled with men who are looking for another woman to have a threesome with (aka unicorn hunters). No judgment here, but that’s probably not what you’re looking for. Then again, people of all types are on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. You never know who you may come across.
Then there are apps specifically for the community, like HER and Lex. If you yearn for a smaller dating scene, head for these apps. While there’s no “Grindr for lesbians” — we go into why in the FAQ section — these apps are more so like stepping into your neighborhood lesbian bar than an app like Bumble.
You can also try multiple dating apps, as each one below has a free version. You can filter by the gender you identify with and are looking for, and sometimes, as with OkCupid, there are many options to choose from.
Diving into the dating pool isn’t easy, but the water’s fine. Check out our guide below for the full rundown of our recommendations and dating app reviews.
Score up to 64% off at EcoFlow and snag free solar panels with your purchase.
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
