Adam and Nicole discuss Civil War and the movie's meditation on war photojournalism. We appreciated all the technical aspects of the movie, editing, cinematography, soundtrack, and sound design. All of the elements worked together to create a nuanced, almost meditative view on the role of photojournalism in war reporting. The movie tackles the inhe…

Nicole, Lexy, and Stacy tackle the Oscars covering costume, production design, song and animated films. We share our thoughts on the nominees and the films we saw in 2023. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

Nicole, Lexy, Justin, and Stacy tackles the Oscars covering the best performances-- supporting actor/actress and leading actor/actress. We share our thoughts on the nominees and the films we saw in 2023.

Nicole, Lexy, Justin, and Stacy tackles the Oscars covering Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Picture. We share our thoughts on the nominees and the films we saw in 2023. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

Christopher and Nicole with special guest, Dan, discuss The Farewell and the issues that come along with generational conflicts that cross international boundaries as well. We disagree about the actual quality of the filmmaking particularly the bizarre score, Dan discusses the dissonance between what was considered funny by Asian vs non-Asian audie…

Nicole and Stacy talk with Sari about Get Out, the fear of being black in white spaces, white fragility, and horror movie tropes. Mentioned in the episode is a an interview with Jordan Peele on the Nerdist podcast. Recommendations this week: This Is Us and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page…

Garret and Nicole gush over Wonka and the movie's whimisical and joyful pure imagination. We love the cast, the costumes, the sets, and the world the movie created. We literally tear up talking about getting enveloped by this movie. We talk about the value of having genuine emotional experiences at the movies without having to tackle all the world'…

Adam and Nicole discuss Napoleon and what makes for a good war movie. We don't know what this movie was about and found it a failure of a narrative. Beyond that, the acting and casting choices didn't work, the soundtrack made no sense, and only the costumes were worthy of praise. We discuss what makes for a good war movie including having stakes, a…

Garret, Stacy, and Nicole discuss the Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes after also reading the book. As fans of the Hunger Games, we all enjoyed the movie and the look back at how Katniss and Peeta's games came to be. We praise the cast diversity, but disagree on the success of the rewind back to earlier times presented in the movie. We …

Justin and Nicole discuss Rustin and the intricacies of putting together social moviements. We highly enjoyed the performances, particularly Colman Domingo who captured the charisma and passion of Bayard Rustin. We talk about the challenges, the infighting, and the varying approaches to building a social movement. Justin recommends Lawmen: Bass Ree…

Justin and Nicole with special guest Rosebud Sioux tribe member Marietta discuss Killers of the Flower Moon and American Indian stories that aren't getting told. We disagree on our enjoyment of a three and a half hour movie but praise the performances. We wish the story focused more on the Osage. We have a wide ranging discussion on American Indian…

Adam and Lexy discuss The Exorcist: Believer and whether being possessed by the devil still carries the same scare factor as it did when the original movie was made. Both hosts find the new movie fails to make good use of a legacy character and falls flat in the scare factor. We discuss if possession by the devil remains a timely fear versus other …

Lexy and Nicole discuss Dumb Money and the difficulties most of us face running our investments. Lexy liked the movie better than Nicole who could not get past the central messaging of bad financial advice. We find the movie does a good job bringing audiences back into the world of the pandemic and describes the financial techniques and the basics …

Picking up where they left in the discussion of the male backlash again Barbie, Stacy and Nicole talk about how the movie stays away from using the word feminism but that the patriarchy is bad for both genders. We also discuss the consumerism aspect of Barbie. Stacy recommends Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Nicole recommends season…

Stacy and Nicole discuss Barbie and the movie's message about The Patriarchy. The first of a two part episode, we praise the movie for its sets, costumes, performances, and its honor of Barbie. We get into the male backlash against the movie and how men prefer toxic masculinity to any alternative presented on the left. Stay tuned for the second hal…

Justin and Nicole discuss Oppenheimer and the issues around nuclear proliferation. We disagree on how much we liked the movie. We enjoyed the parts about the bomb and the sound design but disagreed on the later segments featuring Robert Downey Jr. We talk about the benefits and risks of nuclear proliferation, and Japan's special status as the only …

Lexy, Nicole, and special guest Monique discuss Joy Ride and the unique experience of Korean adoptees growing up in white families. We disagree on the humor based on personal taste and our appreciation of raunchy comedy. We all enjoyed the more serious and heartfelt aspects of film. We delve into a discussion about the experiences of Korean adoptee…

Adam and Nicole talk Indiana Jones, reviewing Dial of Destiny and the franchise as a whole. We give our definitive rankings on the five films and talk about how Indiana Jones has weathered the changes in movies while staying surprisingly consistent over time. At heart, the franchise is a swashbuckling adventure featuring a likable hero, a rare comm…

Lexy and Nicole discuss Elemental and the stereotypical immigrant story. Lexy liked the movie better than Nicole despite agreeing the plot and writing were clunky. Performances by the actors elevated the poor material. The story sticks to a very stereotypical immigrant story casting the first generation american child against the prescribed path of…

Justin, Stacy, and Nicole discuss the Miles Morales Spider-Verse and Spider-Man's introduction in the 1960s as the first modern superhero. We are blown away by the animation first and foremost and the sheer creativity on display. We talk about the origins of Spider-Man as a novel character being a relatable teen and discuss how new Spider "people" …

Garret and Nicole discuss The Little Mermaid and the story's place in the queer canon. We both enjoyed the film, while not necessarily agreeing on the need for a remake. We dissect some of the crucial changes that fundamentally alter the message of the movie particularly the changes to Ursula. We discuss the origins of the story that is itself an a…

Garret and Nicole discuss Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret the film adaptation of Judy Blume's beloved novel. We praise the movie for its heartfelt emotion, never straying into saccharine messaging or melodrama. We both agree Kathy Bates was miscast. We discuss the horrors of puberty and some of the movie's themes about a religious upbringing. …

Justin, Adam, and Nicole discuss Renfield and the enduring legacy of Dracula. We enjoyed the movie's fresh take on Dracula, one of fiction's most enduring characters. We found the movie funny and the characters appealing. We talk about why Dracula continues to be a popular figure on film going through some history and canon with a larger discussion…

Garret and Nicole review Duneons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and the importance of role-playing games. We were both delighted by the movie, particularly the ensemble cast and the wonderful world building. We discuss the merits of building commmunity in role-playing games and the benefit of hobbies in general. Garret recommends trying Dungeouns…

Adam and Nicole talk all things Scream. We give our rankings for the six released movie and discuss the franchise's endurance and it's ability to shift with the times. Adam recommends True Dective Season 2 and The Dry by Jane Harper. Nicole recommends Mythic Quest. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page…