Oh no Scott Calvin (maybe) killed Santa Claus and now through the power of legally binding contracts he has to become the Big Man himself! Will the power of belief triumph over police and psychiatry? Who will be crowned champion of the elves-only cocoa-making competition? Who are those puppets hanging out in Santa’s room? AllContinue reading “THE SANTA CLAUSE (1994)”
Author Archives: Justin Khoo
AMELIE (2001)
Join us and Brianna Ashby (Bright Wall / Dark Room) to discuss 2001’s AMELIE! We discuss loneliness, color theory, mediated interactions, breaking through stasis, and whether this is a post-COVID movie made before COVID! Without you, today’s emotions would be the scurf of yesterday’s. Hipolito
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (1988)
We are joined by Sam Liao (Philosophy, University of Puget Sound) to discuss our first animated film on the show: Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies! We discuss childhood, innocence, war, societal collapse, and much more! You must also eat to build a strong body and go to war. Aunt Yokokawa
PARASITE (2019)
We sit down with Rachel Fraser (MIT, Philosophy) to discuss Bong Joon Ho’s Academy Award winning movie PARASITE! What do Freud, Jane Eyre, and Marx have to do with a movie about three families in South Korea? Psychoanalysis, transgression, class consciousness, ideology, ghosts, Hitchcock, and lots more! Dad, today I made a plan – aContinue reading “PARASITE (2019)”
REC (2007)
Continuing spooky season, we sit down with Pete Turner (Oxford Brookes University) to discuss found footage horror and the now-classic entry into the genre, REC! We discuss why this isn’t “found footage”(!) although it is diegetic camera horror, and how the film uses the limited perspective to shape our identification with its characters. Don’t goContinue reading “REC (2007)”
RED ROOMS (2024)
Join us and Emily St. James to surf the dark web and hopefully not stumble upon any RED ROOMS. We discuss image management in the era of hyper-connectivity, Arthurian legends, Tennyson poems and 19th Century Chinese pirates, and of course, serial killers. Is this a comfort watch or a perfect horror for a brisk fallContinue reading “RED ROOMS (2024)”
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
We are joined by Max Evry (author of A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune) to discuss another sci-fi epic of the same generation, this one starring Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock! Exploration, practical effects, V’GER!, mystery, AI, leaping beyond logic!! Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), check it out! My oath of celibacy is onContinue reading “STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)”
FLATLINERS (1990)
We’re joined by Andrew Overbye and Hannah Blechman from the Authorized Novelizations Podcast to explore near-death experiences, spirituality, brat packs, and more during our discussion of Joel Schumacher’s 1990 film FLATLINERS! Today is a good day to die. Nelson
WARFARE (2025)
Alex Garland’s second film in two years traces the true story of co-director Ray Mendoza’s experiences in Iraq. We discuss the film with Jim Penola (An Invitation Productions), considering what drove Garland to the project, heroic sacrifice, decontextualizing violence, and the film’s commitment to realism. Peeking With Serious Intent To Probe Elliott
IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994)
We do, in fact, read Sutter Cane! Carly Severn (KQED San Francisco) returns to explore the world of mass market paperbacks that portend the return of the Old Ones and the end of humanity in John Carpenter’s homage to Lovecraft. Is it Mommy’s Day? Sadly, yes, it is. Do you read Sutter Cane? Sutter Cane’sContinue reading “IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994)”
Cows in the Field 