Morgan and Gavia discuss their favorite new books from the past calendar year, ranging from the bestselling Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, to a brilliant hidden gem for fans of queer historical fiction, and new releases in a variety of genres including sci-fi, memoirs and mythic fantasy.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan have fun trying to figure out what the deal is, exactly, with Guy Ritchie's 2017 "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword," a would-be franchise starter that never got off the ground. Does Charlie Hunnum have what it takes to be a leading man? Has Jude Law ever turned in a bad performance? Why does this movie about Arthurian legend feature bare-knuckle boxing? And much more.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan discuss millennial children's classic The NeverEnding Story, Wolfgang Petersen's adaptation of Michael Ende's bestselling novel. They delve into the making of the film, critique its wobbly plot structure, compare it to other beloved fantasy films of the 1980s, and more.
Read MoreThis week, Morgan and Gavia dive into the first installment of Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. They discuss Tolkien's how background and intellectual interests informed his novels, the translation of those novels onto the screen, exceptional performances from actors in this movie including Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen, and how Tolkien and Jackson's treatment of race and gender land in 2020.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan discuss their summer book club pick, Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch. They reflect on the book’s unusual treatment of policing, break down time travel tropes, and situate Night Watch in the larger context of the Discworld series.
Read MoreThis 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.
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