Examining TV and movies through the lenses of politics and genre: its definition, its limits, and what we can learn by exploding them. Madeline is a writer, cultural critic, and the author of 'Comedy Against Work: Utopian Longing in Dystopian Times.' Dave is a comedian and actor, who has appeared on 'This American Life' and FX's 'The Bear.' Sometimes it's just them. Sometimes they have guests. Each episode, one person chooses a tv show or movie to discuss. At the end, we do a "genre reveal" ...
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The Brat Pack (St. Elmo's Fire and BRATS) with guest Eleanor Russell: We Just Don't Even Know Who to Be Anymore
2:09:54
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For our final episode of this season on school films, Eleanor Russell helps us emotionally process the recent documentary about the Brat Pack, Brats (2024), and St. Elmo's Fire (1985). Spoilers: self-indulgence, repression, saxophones, sweat, swirlies, the "wet look is in," not getting over shit, Joel Schumacher's filmography, cocaine, Georgetown, …
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The Faculty with guest Kayte Terry: We're Discontent
1:32:26
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This week we're joined by Kayte Terry, host of Tender Subject and Fangs for the Memories (a Buffy and horror podcast), to discuss The Faculty (1998). Spoilers: horror in the late '90s, Jon Stewart teaches science, Dawson's Creek talk, reverse She's All That-ing, it's good to do drugs, blondes from out of town, horrible use of hair gel, gay boys on …
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This week we covered the most contemporary film from our season "School Days," the queer-absurdist high school sex comedy Bottoms (2023). Spoilers: murder, blood, "main guys," cheerleaders, absurdism, making fun of skinny culture / being body positive and making the joke anyway, pineapple juice, beware of those who have cell phones. Follow us @genr…
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More Graduation Movies (Ghost World and The Graduate) with guest Jasmine Bridges: We Want You to Know How Much We Appreciate This
1:41:34
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We talked about even more graduation movies, this week with Genre Reveal Party series regular Jasmine Bridges. We paired two unlikely films in a double feature, and found a lot of connective tissue... Spoilers: Jasmine and Madeline and their Ghost World thing, we've got problems with Ben, movies that end with bus scenes, ambivalence about adulthood…
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Graduation Movies (Reality Bites and Kicking and Screaming (1995)): We Do Nothing
2:02:56
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This week we talk about two canonical gen-x graduation movies: Reality Bites and Kicking and Screaming (no, not the one with Will Ferrell). Spoilers: 90s bisexual cinema, friendship cinema, lots of kinds of "cinema," geriatric millennial talk, chain smoking, Troy was a fuckboi but maybe Madeline forgives him because he gives good apology, more chai…
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More Student Uprisings (if.... and Class of 1984) with guest Sean O'Brien: We Like Tigers
2:34:28
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It's our second double feature of student uprising films, including perhaps the most legendary movie in the genre, 1968's if... And Class of 1984 is also here. Joining us is Sean O’Brien, a writer and researcher who teaches at the University of Bristol. Spoilers: animal sounds, the worst movie we’ve ever watched for the podcast, the young Michael J…
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Student Uprisings (Over the Edge and Bambule) with guest E Conner: We Only Got One Law
1:59:30
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This week we talk about two excellent films from the 1970s about two very different contexts of student uprising. We're joined by E Conner, editor of The Weakly and TANC organizer in the Bay Area. Spoilers: teen runaways, rioting, Meinhof talk, the young Matt Dillon, being young and doing crimes, movies that end in the back of a bus with ambivalent…
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School Scandals (May December and Notes on a Scandal) with guest Milo Muise: We Don't Think We Have Enough Hot Dogs
2:02:12
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This week we're joined by Milo Muise to discuss what we're calling the "School Scandals Double Feature," May December (2023) and Notes on a Scandal (2006). Both films deal with the sexualization of the teacher/student relationship, abusive power dynamics, obsession, and divas. We felt this was a fascinating double feature, but we also flirt with th…
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All Teachers Are Cops (Dangerous Minds and Kindergarten Cop): We Lack Discipline
2:16:20
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We put together another double-feature for this week called "All Teachers Are Cops." We watched a couple '90s, VHS classics: Dangerous Minds (1995) and Kindergarten Cop (1990). Spoilers: white savior complexes, child actors, "police school," sweat pants, leather jackets, Coolio, junk food diets, Michelle Pfeiffer hasn't won an Oscar, watching women…
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Precocious Students (Rushmore and Election): We're Here for the Extracurriculars
1:59:55
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This week we discussed two films about precocious high school students that came out in 1998 and 1999, which were both second features made by precocious indie filmmakers: Wes Anderson's Rushmore and Alexander Payne's Election. These films have a lot in common, but they also have very different takes on the adolescent / mid-life crisis dynamics the…
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Inspirational Teacher Comedy Double Feature (School of Rock and Hamlet 2): We Have a Device
1:44:15
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This week we followed up our boarding school trilogy with an inspirational teacher comedy double feature: School of Rock (2003) and Hamlet 2 (2006). These are two incredible antidotes to Dead Poets Society. Spoilers: abolish grades!, the power of theater, Jack Black is sexy and everyone knows it, politically incorrect lyrics, Erin Brockovich on sta…
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Boarding School Trilogy (Dead Poets Society, School Ties, Flirting): We Sound Our Barbaric Yawp
2:26:08
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To start off our latest season "School Days," we made you another trilogy! We discussed The Boarding School Trilogy: Dead Poets Society (1989), School Ties (1992), and Flirting (1991). Spoilers: shower scenes, acne, poetry, anti-semitism, the horrible history of 'boarding schools' and genocide in the US, Thandiwe we love you, hand jobs, book deals,…
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BONUS: Training Day: We're Sorry We Exposed You to It with Dylan Rodriguez
1:48:07
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We've got one more chat about Season 2's theme "We Don't Need Another Hero." For our bonus episode we talked about Training Day (2001), featuring Denzel Washington's Oscar-winning performance as a crooked cop. Scholar, activist (and sports dad!) Dylan Rodriguez helped us think through this film, LA politics, and Hollywood copaganda. Spoilers: Ethan…
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Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend: We Know, We're in the Future Also with Lucas O'Neil
2:01:36
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To close out our season on heroes and villains, we talked about Mike Birbiglia's 2013 comedy special My Girlfriend's Boyfriend with guest Lucas O'Neil. Spoilers: comedy talk, aspirations, inspirations, Death Cab for Cutie, white guys, "which," humiliation, controlling the narrative, Georgetown, geriatric millennial vibes, one man shows, clowns. Fin…
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Fargo Season 5: We've Got Our Own Reality with Kyle Lane-McKinley
1:49:08
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This week we dug into the recently concluded fifth season of FX's Fargo, with guest Kyle Lane-McKinley! We discuss the series as an adaptation of the 1996 Coen Brothers' film, and more broadly the Coenesque world. And we keep reflecting on the theme of our own season, heroes and villains. Spoilers: Coencidences, Wizard of Oz, nipple rings and prost…
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Inventing Anna: We Do Not Have Time for This with Jasmine Bridges
2:14:56
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This week Madeline's best friend Jasmine joins us once again - our first second appearance on the podcast! We hope to have her on every season. This time around Jasmine assigned us with Inventing Anna, the 2022 Shonda Rhimes mini series about Anna Delvey aka Anna Sorokin. Spoilers: poor people pretending to be rich and rich people pretending to be …
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Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains: We're Against You, Russell with Ariel Elias
2:03:25
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This week we talked all things Survivor with comedian Ariel Elias. Like Dave, Ariel is a Survivor super-fan, and had lots to say about Season 20: Heroes and Villains. Spoilers: Russell's eyes, poop in the ocean, pandemic binging, Russell's hat, libertarianism, all-coconut diets, Coach's vulnerability, Mae Martin & Parvati, no one gets to be a hero.…
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The Hunger Games: We Went Back for the Cat with Hope Barnes
2:20:56
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This week we talked about The Hunger Games franchise with special guest Hope Barnes! Spoilers: Peeta revenge fantasies, sperm creatures, post-Occupy vibes, what if cannibalism?, fascism. Follow Hope @hope.ellen.barnes on Instagram. Follow us @genrerevealpod on Instagram and Twitter, and email us at genrerevealparty@gmail.com with your thoughts, sug…
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Jennifer's Body: We're Still Here Breathing Now
1:53:07
1:53:07
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Is this season secretly about horror? Maybe. This week we talked about Jennifer's Body. Spoilers: pronunciations of "Seyfried," being late to learning about Megan Fox, bad lip syncing, production company conspiracies, speculative making-of mocku-dramedies, wtf another Diablo Cody movie? Follow us @genrerevealpod on Instagram and Twitter, and email …
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Women Against Power Trilogy: We Don't Need Sugar with Phil Longo
2:13:57
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We made another trilogy episode! This week we talked with Phil Longo about the "Women Against Power Trilogy": The China Syndrome (1979), Silkwood (1983), and Erin Brockovich (2000). These movies each feature a bad-ass woman (Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, and Julia Roberts) standing up against a power plant conspiracy, and we had a great time thinking a…
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A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night: We Like the Way You Stir It with Johanna Isaacson
1:47:45
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This week we talk with special guest and feminist horror critic Johanna Isaacson about Ana Lily Amirpour's 2014 Persian-language western Neo-noir vampire film A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. Spoilers: sexy vampires, terrible men, Chester Cheeto, skateboarding, the "Jurassic Park rule," hipster directors, Tony Hawk 380. Special Guest: Johanna Isaa…
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King of Comedy: There's Only One Problem, We're 34 Years Old with Eleanor Russell
1:46:24
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This week we talk with special guest Eleanor Russell about that one time when Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro tried to make a comedy as their follow-up to Raging Bull. King of Comedy stars De Niro, Jerry Lewis, and the incredible Sandra Bernhard. Spoilers: we are all Rupert Pupkin, Joker talk, obsessive fandom, Liza Minelli/Martin Scorsese/Mikha…
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Interview with the Vampire: We Belong In Hell
1:35:14
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This week we talked about Neil Jordan's 1994 film Interview with the Vampire, adapted from Anne Rice's 1975 novel, as an eerie portrait of '90s sexy leading actors who are actually vampires pretending to be men: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Antonio Banderas. Spoilers: "how avant garde," there will be blood, the existence of Tom Cruise, immortality, t…
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Four Lions: We're Real But Not Anymore
1:34:55
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A comedy about terrorism? Released in 2010, Four Lions follows the story of four British Muslims who decide to become suicide bombers. It's... funny, tragic, confusing, satirical, and maybe a spoof of The Lion King. Directed by Sam Morris, and written by Morris, Sam Bain, and Jesse Armstrong, the film stars Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, A…
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Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome: We Don't Need Another Hero (Hero, Hero)
1:32:49
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We're launching our second season with Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, the film that inspired our season's title, "We Don't Need Another Hero." Made in 1985, the film is the third installment in George Miller's Mad Max franchise, and the last (thankfully) to star Mel Gibson. Stealing the show are Tina Turner as Aunty Entity, who rules over Bartertown. …
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BONUS: Season 1 Finale: We Are Just Getting Started
1:49:22
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In this bonus episode we reflect on the season and the films and shows we watched, our awesome guests, and our plans for next season. Thanks for listening! Spoilers: theme for next season, "lens" crafting, the end of Casablanca, self-critique, uninformed feelings about Bo Burnham, thoughts about stan culture, RIP Pee-wee, RIP Sinead, the beginning …
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Rothaniel: This Only Works If We Feel Like Family with guest Tim Barnes
1:59:36
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To conclude our first season on "Family Matters," we watched Jerrod Carmichael's 2022 comedy special Rothaniel with special guest Tim Barnes. Tim helped us unpack this incredible special and Carmichael's discussion of family secrets, Black kinship and family experiences, coming out, and more. We also talk about Carmichael's relationship to other ic…
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Cruising: What We’re Doing Is Affecting Us with guest Max Fox
1:48:15
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This week we discussed Cruising, William Friedkin's highly controversial 1980 film starring Al Pacino as a cop who goes undercover to catch a serial killer who's targeting gay men in the underground subculture of S&M and leather bars of New York City. Joining us this week to help us think about this confusing, confused, and fascinating film is writ…
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Jordan Peele's Us: We Are Americans
2:06:40
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We are them and we watched Us. Jordan Peele's 2019 movie Us. Spoilers: Santa Cruz housing crisis, Hands Across America bookkeeping, the Jordan Peele trilogy, Madeline thinks infamous horror villain Jason is a ghost. Follow us @genrerevealpod on Instagram and Twitter, and email us at genrerevealparty@gmail.com with your thoughts, suggestions, guest …
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The Royal Tenenbaums: We're Not Related By Blood
1:54:53
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This week we took some time to revisit The Royal Tenenbaums, a film neither of us had seen in about twenty years, but which falls very clearly into this season's theme of films about family with lots and lots of genre troubles. We chatted about Wes Anderson's career, the politics of his aesthetics, and also what we didn't notice about this film in …
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Caché: We Did Not Send the Tapes with guest Bettina Johnson
2:00:48
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This week we discussed Caché, the 2005 French film by Austrian director Michael Haneke, starring Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, and Maurice Bénichou, and suggested by our guest Bettina Johnson. Caché is about a well-off French family terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch. This terror reverberates from the Pa…
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Fate of the Furious: We Are the Crocodile at the Watering Hole with guests Em Gonzalez and Jo Giardini
2:51:09
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We learned so much in this episode about the meaning of family, freedom, and driving real fast. While Dave was a fan already, Madeline had never seen a Fast & Furious movie, so we called on two experts to fulfill this mission: Em Gonzalez and Jo Giardini. Em and Jo help us unpack everything from the geopolitical to the penis allusions of the entire…
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Picard Season 3: We Are the Original Series with guest M. E. O'Brien
1:31:47
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This week we talked to author M.E. O'Brien about the final season of Picard, and her forthcoming book Family Abolition: Capitalism and the Communization of Care (Pluto Press 2023). We discussed the political legacy of Star Trek and recent series in the franchise, and the ways that sci-fi can help us better understand what exactly it might mean to "…
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THE MICHAEL DOUGLAS TRILOGY: When Did We Have the Power? with guest Jasmine Bridges
2:31:53
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This week we're getting into some cringe-rotic territory with a conversation about THE MICHAEL DOUGLAS TRILOGY: Fatal Attraction (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), and Disclosure (1994). Spanning from the Reagan era into the Clinton years, this trilogy features so many flavors of feminist backlash. These films have different directors, writers, produce…
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BONUS: Succession Finale: We Are Bullshit with guest Kyle Lane-McKinley
1:44:53
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Back by popular demand, we're doing an encore discussion of Succession! We've got some emails and social media polls to share as well. In our first episode of the podcast, Dave and Madeline made some provisional genre reveals (Dave said "American satire accordion," and Madeline said "at worst, cluster-fuck, at best, meta-cluster-fuck"). Now that we…
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A Serious Man: We Didn't Do Anything with guests Daniel Strauss and Sheera Talpaz
2:01:51
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This week we're talking about A Serious Man, the 2009 Coen Brothers film starring Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnik, a Jewish physics professor whose family mostly hates him, and whose bad luck just keeps getting worse. While A Serious Man is certainly Coenesque or Coensy, we wanted to think more about the film's genre and the politics of Jewish hu…
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Juno/Junior: We Like to Mix Cuisines
2:04:11
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This week we've got our first double-feature on Genre Reveal Party: Juno & Junior. These are two of the weirdest movies about pregnancy, weirdly made by a father and son. Spoilers: home skillets, moldy peaches, steifens, Emma Thompson stanning, bromancing, pro-life but maybe accidentally, gender abolitionist but maybe accidentally, The Jason Batema…
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Shoplifters: We Are Not Sentimental
2:12:26
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This week we're discussing Hirokazu Kore-eda's 2018 masterpiece Shoplifters. It's a film deeply concerned with the question of what makes a family. What does it mean to be a family? How is 'family' defined by the state and private property? And how might we describe forms of care and survival in other terms? We talk about how the film grapples with…
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Succession: We Are Not Serious People
1:58:05
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To kick off our first season on the theme of "Family Matters," we're talking about HBO's Succession: a show about daddy that's got a lot of mommy issues. While clearly positioned among HBO's prestige dramas (and currently Emmy campaigning as such), many critics and fans have made the case that Succession is quite clearly a comedy. So how do we read…
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Here's the trailer for Genre Reveal Party. Writer/cultural critic Madeline Lane-McKinley and comedian/actor Dave Maher host this podcast exploring tv and movies through the lenses of politics and genre. Season 1 is "Family Matters," focusing on family stories like "Succession," "A Serious Man," "Star Trek: Picard," and "Fast X." Episodes drop on Fr…
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