Steffan and Gavia review Mickey 17, the new sci-fi comedy from filmmaker Bong Joon Ho (Parasite). Adding to his roster of “weird little guy” performances, Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey, a man who signs a grueling work contract allowing his body to be killed and resurrected again and again. Echoing Bong’s work on films like Snowpiercer and Okja, this provides the basis for a bleak yet absurd anti-capitalist satire.
Read MoreClaire and Gavia dig into the blockbuster event of the year, discussing Dune: Part Two's astonishing production design and all-star cast, along with thornier topics like Dune's messy political worldbuilding and director Denis Villeneuve's adaptational changes to the original novel.
Read MoreGavia and Steffan review the new Hunger Games prequel movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Among other topics, they delve into its unexpected narrative structure, its political worldbuilding, its relationship to the other Hunger Games movies, and the complicated task of creating a successful prequel.
Read MoreMorgan 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 discuss the beloved 2011 alien invasion movie Attack the Block, written and directed by Joe Cornish and starring John Boyega and Jodie Whittaker. Topics include the film's superb screenplay and slick direction, its smart fusion of genre and social commentary, Boyega's breakout performance and star persona, and more.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan finally watch Christopher Nolan's much-delayed blockbuster Tenet, starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh. They, alas, bemoan its incoherent plotting, lousy treatment of women, muddy sound design, and more.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan discuss the trippy world of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's 2017 microbudget horror flick The Endless. They praise the film's innovative use of visual effects technology and tight storytelling technique, compare it to other indie horror films, and more.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan delve into the world of Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries (2003), a childhood favorite of Gav's that Morgan is watching for the first time. They discuss the changes in television storytelling over the last twenty years, the way the show enacts and flouts sci-fi conventions, the superb female characters, and more.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan watch sci-fi classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, starring the original cast of Star Trek as well as Ricardo Montalbán as superhuman villain Khan. They place the film in the larger context of the franchise's TV and film history, praise its streamlined screenplay, and much more.
Read MoreIn this week's episode, Gavia and Morgan discuss the new sci-fi hit Arrival, a rare non-franchise entry into 2016's blockbuster lineup. Topics discussed include how the film steers clear of alien invasion cliches, the pleasures of a brainy female protagonist, and the effect of the election on pop culture.
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