Ep 248: Pain & Gain

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This week, Gavia and Morgan venture into new territory with the 2013 Michael Bay film Pain & Gain, a crime film based on the true story of a misbegotten kidnapping and extortion carried out by a collection of inept criminals played here by Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Anthony Mackie. Topics include the parallel career paths of Wahlberg and Johnson, what exactly constitutes a "Michael Bay movie," the ethics of telling this kind of story about real people, and more.

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Ep. 247: Burning

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This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss the Korean film Burning, directed by Lee Chang-dong and starring Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong-seo. Despite this film's near-universal acclaim, they... didn't like it very much! Topics include the film's uncomfortable depiction of its central female character, its take on class in South Korea, excellent performances from the three lead actors, and more.

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Ep. 246: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

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This week, Morgan and Gavia discuss Andrew Dominik's beloved cult western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt as legendary outlaw James and Casey Affleck as the awkward fan who ultimately kills him. Topics include the film's depiction of the American west, its treatment of celebrity and masculinity, career-best work from cinematographer Roger Deakins, and more.

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Ep. 245: In the Heat of the Night

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This week, Morgan and Gavia celebrate the life and work of the late Sidney Poitier by diving into his greatest film, Norman Jewison's Academy Award-winning In the Heat of the Night. Poitier stars as a Black, northern detective who is waylaid in a small southern town by a homicide investigation in which he becomes entangled; Rod Steiger co-stars as the town's racist white sheriff. Topics include the film's complicated production history and Academy Awards success, its place in Poitier's career, Steiger's Method performance, and more.

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Ep. 244: What's Up, Doc?

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This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss the late Peter Bogdanovich's classic homage to old Hollywood screwball, What's Up, Doc?, starring Ryan O'Neal as a hapless musicologist and Barbra Streisand as the agent of chaos with whom he reluctantly falls in love. Topics include Bogdanovich's life and career, the film's direct relationship to 1930s and 1940s romantic comedies, Streisand's magnetic performance, and much more.

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Ep. 243: The Secret Garden (1993)

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This week, Morgan and Gavia revisit childhood favorite The Secret Garden (1993), directed by Agnieszka Holland and adapted from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Topics include the film's refreshingly dark take on its gothic source text, its treatment of Victorian class and imperial politics, Richard Deakins' lustrous cinematography, and much more.

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Ep. 242: Our Top 10 Films of 2021

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This week, Morgan and Gavia return to their favorite annual podcast tradition: sharing lists of their top ten films of the year. Selections run the gamut from the big budget — The Matrix Resurrections — to the ultra small — Mexico's Prayers for the Stolen — and everything in-between.

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Ep. 241: The Matrix Resurrections

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This week, Gavia and Morgan return to the Matrix with The Matrix Resurrections, Lana Wachowski's long-awaited sequel to the original trilogy. Original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss return along with new faces including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, and Neil Patrick Harris. Topics include the film's self-aware skewering of franchise cinema, its visual departures (and connections to) the original films, Reeves' and Moss' powerful performances, and more.

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Ep. 240: Wild Mountain Thyme

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This week, Gavia and Morgan watch one of 2020's most poorly received films, John Patrick Shanley's adaptation of his own play Wild Mountain Thyme. Starring Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan as lifelong neighbors who haven't ever been able to confess their true feelings for each other, the movie is a mystifyingly bad stab at romantic dramedy. Topics include Shanley's cringeworthy script, wooden performances from most members of the cast, the film's embarrassing depiction of Ireland, and more.

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Ep. 239: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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This week, Gavia and Morgan celebrate Christmas by revisiting the first installment of the new Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Directed by JJ Abrams and starring Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, and John Boyega, the film kicked off a new era for Star Wars and Disney. Topics include the film's masterful melding of old and new cast members, its brilliant blockbuster screenwriting, its role in the rise of franchise filmmaking, and more.

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Ep. 238: The School Nurse Files

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This week, Gavia and Morgan watch the offbeat fantasy k-drama The School Nurse Files, based on Chung Serang's award-winning novel. Starring Jung Yu-mi as a high school nurse who has the power to see auras and "jellies" that manifest people's feelings, the show feels like a teen dramedy and a zany fantasy show rolled into one. Topics include the show's unique tone and approach, lead actress Jung's refreshingly unglamorous performance, Netflix's global business strategy, and more.

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Ep. 236: Gone Girl

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This week, Gavia and Morgan revisit one of their favorite films of the past decade, David Fincher's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel Gone Girl. Topics include iconic performances from Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, the film's (and novel's)slippery and provocative approach to feminist questions, its place in Fincher's filmography, and more.

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Ep. 235: The North Water

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This week, Gavia and Morgan finally bring you their much-delayed opinions on Andrew Haigh's ultra-bleak but mesmerizing miniseries The North Water, starring Jack O'Connell and Colin Farrell as shipmates on a doomed Arctic whaling expedition. Topics include the show's sharp depiction of masculinity and sexuality in Victorian England, its uncompromising approach to violence, stellar performances from O'Connell and Farrell, and more.

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Ep. 234: Dune (2021)

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This week, Gavia and Morgan revisit Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic Dune, newly interpreted by director Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and more. Topics include the Villeneuve's passion for the source material, his masterful direction, Chalamet's winning performance as Paul Atreides, the film and novel's troublesome relationship to the Middle East, and much more.

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Ep. 233: London & New York Film Festivals 2021

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This week, Gavia and Morgan report back from the London and New York Film Festivals, running down an exciting list of buzzy fall titles that includes Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog, starrin Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst; Palme d'Or winner Titane; the sequel to Joanna Hogg's autobiographical film The Souvenir; a new film by Pedro Almodóvar starring Penelope Cruz; Edgar Wright's disappointing horror flick Last Night in Soho; Joel Coen's solo directorial effort The Tragedy of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, and more.

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Episode 232: The Last Duel

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This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss Ridley Scott's new historical drama The Last Duel, which stars Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck. Topics include the film's tripartite structure, its thoughtful handling of the rape that drives its plot, Affleck's unexpectedly dazzling comedic performance, and much more.

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Episode 231: The Green Knight

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This week, Gavia and Morgan finally dig into one of the year's most-discussed films, David Lowery's The Green Knight. Topics include the film's relationship to the original poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; its depiction of medieval life; performances by Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander; and more.

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Episode 230: Drive

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This week, Morgan and Gavia revisit Nicolas Winding Refn's instant-classic Drive (2011), starring Ryan Gosling as a getaway driver and Carey Mulligan as the neighbor with whom he becomes infatuated. Topics include the film's electric direction and iconic soundtrack, its dubious casting process, its provocative treatment of violence, and much more.

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Episode 229: Intermission

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This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss John Crowley's 2003 debut film Intermission, an early-aughts blast from the past starring Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Kelly Macdonald, and many more as a group of interconnected characters in Dublin. Topics include the film's relationship with other multi-plot films from the nineties and aughts, its cringey throwback misogyny, Crowley and screenwriter Mark O'Rowe's later work, and more.

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