Episode 74: 2017 Oscar Nominations
Morgan and Gavia dive into the good, the bad, and the ugly of the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards. Greta! Jordan! Chris! Paul! Guillermo!
Read MoreEpisode 73: The Post
This week, Morgan and Gavia find themselves at odds over Steven Spielberg's new historical drama The Post. They consider the film's classical style, Spielberg's corpus, Meryl Streep's caftan, and get side-tracked by their antipathy of Winston Churchill biopics.
Read MoreEpisode 72: Anastasia
This week, Morgan takes a trip down memory lane by rewatching the 1997 animated classic Anastasia... which Gavia just watched for the first time. They discuss its adaptation potential, the enduring power of the Anastasia myth, and the enduring appeal of millennial icon Dmitri.
Read MoreEpisode 71: The Shape of Water
This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss Gavia's favorite film of the year, Guillermo del Toro's new creature feature The Shape of Water. They consider its topical political resonances, its mishmash of genres, how it fits into del Toro's filmography, and Sally Hawkins' luminous performance.
Read MoreEpisode 70: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
This week, Morgan and Gavia duke it out over Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the latest, divisive installment in the Star Wars universe. Gavia is a fan; Morgan is frustrated. A disturbance in the Force!
Read MoreEpisode 69: Call Me by Your Name
This week, Morgan and Gavia rhapsodize over Morgan's favorite movie of the year, indie sensation Call Me by Your Name. They compare it to director Luca Guadanigno's previous films, I Am Love and A Bigger Splash, reflect on its universal specificity, the brilliants of actors Timothée Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg, that peach scene, and more.
Read MoreEpisode 68: Justice League
This week, Gavia reports back from DC's disappointing mega-blockbuster Justice League. Morgan refused to see this film on principle, so Gav gives a full report on the film's aesthetic mediocrity, the unfortunate effects of all that reshooting, and what on earth is going on with Ben Affleck.
Read MoreEpisode 67: The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage
This week, Gavia and Morgan revisit their childhoods with Philip Pullman's new novel La Belle Sauvage, the first installment of his new trilogy The Book of Dust, a companion to His Dark Materials. They discuss this book's relationship to Pullman's earlier trilogy, earnest children, frightening villains, Oxford, and—for some reason—Edmund Spenser's living situation.
Read MoreEpisode 66: Thor: Ragnarok
This week, Morgan and Gavia discuss Taika Waititi's masterful addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Ragnarok. Topics include Chris Hemsworth's comedic chops, the film's eye-popping design and postcolonial politics, and more.
Read MoreEpisode 65: Halloween Special: Bram Stoker's Dracula
This week, Gavia and Morgan celebrate Halloween by watching Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 horror classic, Bram Stoker's Dracula. They discuss how it diverges from other Dracula films, its unconventional romance, Keanu Reeves' worst performance, and Gavia's dream Frankenstein adaptation.
Read MoreEpisode 64: American Vandal
This week, Gavia and Morgan are joined by special guest Mallory Ortberg for a conversation about Netflix's surprise true crime spoof American Vandal. They discuss the show's relationship to true crime, its glorious depiction of dirtbag teens and innovative use of social media, and the relief of watching something that just feels not-terrible.
Read MoreEpisode 63: NYFF / LFF 2017
This week, Morgan and Gavia report back from the New York and London Film Festivals, where they saw an eclectic collection of films including The Florida Project, BPM, Mudbound, Lady Bird, The Meyerowitz Stories, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and more.
Read MoreEpisode 62: Blade Runner 2049
This week, Gavia and Morgan are lukewarm on Denis Villeneuve's sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fic classic Blade Runner. Topics of discussion include the films problems with women, its overly complicated screenplay, Harrison Ford's best performance in years, and whether the idea of a sequel was doomed from the outset.
Read MoreEpisode 61: Book Club: John le Carré's "A Legacy of Spies"
This week, Gavia and Morgan change it up by diving into the latest novel by master spy novelist John le Carré, A Legacy of Spies, which marks his final return to the world of George Smiley and the Circus. Topics discussed include the novel's relationship to its predecessors, le Carré's difficulties writing women, Morgan's le Carré fandom, and Brexit.
Read MoreEpisode 60: Star Trek: Discovery
This week, Morgan and Gavia discuss the new Star Trek show airing on CBS All Access, Star Trek: Discovery. Topics include Gav's longtime Star Trek fandom, how the show diverges from other iterations of the franchise, new star Sonequa Martin, and what's up with those Klingons anyway.
Read MoreEpisode 59: Mother!
This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss Darren Aronofsky's Biblical parable horror flick, Mother! Topics discussed include whether or not the film's muddled allegory actually means anything, its poor box office performance, and Jennifer Lawrence's very bad wig.
Reminder: on October 3rd, we will be discussing John le Carré's new novel, A Legacy of Spies. Read now to join us!
Read MoreEpisode 58: Tim Burton's Batman + Batman Returns
This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss Tim Burton's Batman films, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, and others. Topics discussed include how these Gothic movies stand apart from later cinematic Batmans, Burton's early-20th century cinema influences, the unique appeal of Keaton's Bruce Wayne, and the greatness of Pfeiffer's Catwoman.
Read MoreEpisode 57: Logan Lucky
This week, Morgan and Gavia discuss Steven Soderbergh's return to feature filmmaking, the NASCAR heist flick Logan Lucky. They are joined by West Virginia native Kevin Collier for a discussion of the film's depiction of the state, its treatment of class, how it compares to Ocean's Eleven and Magic Mike, and more.
Read MoreEpisode 56: The Silence of the Lambs
This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss the classic Hannibal adaptation The Silence of the Lambs. Topics discussed include how the the film's gender politics have aged, how different adaptations have approached the character, Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Fosters' performances, and more.
Read MoreEpisode 55: Theater Omnibus: Oscar Isaac's Hamlet & the Edinburgh Fringe 2017
This week, Morgan and Gavia chat about recent theater, including the Public Theater's production of Hamlet, starring Oscar Isaac, and a selection of shows Gav has seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Discussion incorporates both serious theater talk and an in-depth analysis of actor heights.
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