We hop into a black hole with Jon Gabrus (High & Mighty, Action Boyz, 101 Places to Party Before You Die) to discuss Christopher Nolan’s spacetime warping epic! We consider the film’s complex relationship with science, exploration, and family obligations; and we defend Nolan against the charge that he’s an emotionless filmmaker. Naturally, we try to figureContinue reading “INTERSTELLAR (2014)”
Category Archives: Episodes
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
Join us and proverbial bringer-of-Christmas-cheer Emily St. James as we dive into Frank Capra’s existentialist Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life! We talk about the film’s overt and subtle political messaging, which got it labeled Communist propaganda soon after its release, and contrast the zero sum deadlocked conflict of Potter with the generosity and warmthContinue reading “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)”
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
We talked with Jack’s inflamed sense of rejection and it told us to watch Fight Club with friend Brian Martinez, so here we are. We go into anger, violence, masculinity, misogyny, absurdism, meaninglessness, privilege, sexuality, narcissism, latent fascism, men’s rights groups, male friendships, and also Reel Big Fish?? You’re not your job. You’re not howContinue reading “FIGHT CLUB (1999)”
DOGTOOTH (2009)
We delve into fascism and parenting and fascist parenting with Jack Draper (Exiting Through the 2010s), talking about mechanisms of control, acts of defiance through reclaiming an identity, the role of film as a revolutionary ideal, and, of course, Frank Sinatra. Oh yes, and can you pass the telephone? I’d like to relax in aContinue reading “DOGTOOTH (2009)”
THE BABADOOK (2014)
Is it a bad book or the Ba-Ba-Doo-Doo-Doooooook?? We chat with Libby Hill (The Wrap) about Jennifer Kent’s painful and potent allegory about grief, anxiety, depression, parenting… you know — the BIG STUFF. We discuss how the imagery of the Babadook conveys enveloping dread, and ongoing struggles with our own Babadooks. We talk about beingContinue reading “THE BABADOOK (2014)”
THE EXORCIST (1973)
It just so happens that one of us is probably possessed, and is in need of THE EXORCIST! Join us and Carly Severn (KQED San Francisco) to discuss the Friedkin / Pazuzu of it all. Why is this movie so deeply terrifying, even today, FIFTY years after its initial release?? We talk about parents —Continue reading “THE EXORCIST (1973)”
BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992)
Join us and Bilge Ebiri (New York Magazine / Vulture) to delve into Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 masterpiece. We discuss the early critical reception and why the broader consensus has come around to this sexed-up, theatrical, in-camera-practical-effects-driven, reinvention of the classic vampire story. We discuss the uncanny and the helplessness induced by the film’s meanderingContinue reading “BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992)”
THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
We are joined by Jamelle Bouie (NYTimes / Unclear and Present Danger Podcast) to discuss the conclusion to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and bring our miniseries to a close. We pick up the discussion about heroism with Frodo’s empathy towards Gollum, Sam’s faithfulness to Frodo, and Aragorn’s radical faith in the hobbits. Then,Continue reading “THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)”
THE TWO TOWERS (2002)
We sit down with Agnes Callard (Philosophy, Chicago) and Robin Hanson (Economics, GMU) to discuss the second installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers! We talk about the film as a transitional piece that deals with the transformations of its main characters, the addictive and corruptive capacity of power, and wonderContinue reading “THE TWO TOWERS (2002)”
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
Welcome to the start of our Lord of the Rings miniseries! We kick things off with the first film of Peter Jackson’s trilogy, which marks the beginning of Frodo’s quest and introduces us to the main players and themes of the books/films. We welcome Bennett Eckert (MIT) and Rebecca Kuang (Yale) to consider what makesContinue reading “THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)”
Cows in the Field 