e268. Fasterer and Furiouserer

Two years ago, when Monica first joined the show, we celebrated the release of the ninth Fast & Furious movie by devoting a whole episode to discussing the the cultural appeal of the Fast franchise and explaining how it made an important cultural statement about the breakdown of the distinction of high and low culture.…

e267. Ages of Superhero Movies!

On previous episodes we have discussed the ages of comic book superheroes and the ages of Disney movies, but recently we started questioning if perhaps movie superheroes followed different structures than comic book superheroes… even if that’s where they are adapted from. This seemed like the kind of thing that we might want to discuss…

e266. Everybody’s A.I. Critic?

A couple weeks ago, our friends over at Wisecrack made a video about “the purpose of snobbery” which was a catchy title and all, but really the point they were making was more about why criticism continues to exist and what it’s purpose is. However, what really got Mav was a point they made towards…

e265. 2023 Summer Movie Preview

We love movies on this show. That much should be obvious. Every year we play our famous box office prediction game, and now, as we enter Summer Movie season that game is really coming into play. However, we really haven’t talked much about movies since we did the Box Office draft back in January. So,…

Call For Comments: Can AI be a movie critic?

From Mav: There’s been a lot of talk in the press and academia and just general chatter online about AI. Is it theft? Is it plagiarism? Is it ethical? Is it creative? Is it copyrightable? Is it the latest greatest thing that will change the world? Will it bring about the downfall of civilization? Is…

e260. Why Do We ♥ Stories Where Old People Still ƒµ¢&?

The thing with Hollywood is that it’s a young people’s game. Or at least that’s what we say. And it’s true, the majority of big budget starring roles are for actors in their 20s and 30s. And the more you age out of that demographic, certainly the less marketably you seem to be. Sadly, this…

Call For Comments: on “Old People Still ƒµ¢&!” movies

From Mav: A few weeks ago, Wayne in passing mentioned the last year’s movie Good Luck to You, Leo Grande — a film starring 63yo Emma Thompson having an affair with a 30yo Daryl McCormack. Among other things, the film is trying to present an image of elder woman who still has sexual needs and…

e259. The Enduring Cultural Legacy of Cocaine Bear!

The day is finally here. We’ve been waiting for months and months and months, but we have now see Cocaine Bear. And if you check the box office returns, a lot of people saw Cocaine Bear! And now we want to talk about it. Did we enjoy it? Yes, of course we did, but actually,…

e258. A Primer on the Ages of Disney

A few weeks ago we did a show all about the “Ages of Comics” and why comics scholars and fans broke things down the way they do. It was a lot of fun and it got us and got us thinking about how it isn’t quite as intuitive or even universally nailed down as people…

e257. Glasses Off, Hair Down! The Magic of Movie Makeovers

A few shows ago we talked about the makeover in The Princess Diaries and how it wasn’t quite as … well… makeover-y as the haze of memory might make us believe. After that, Mav went on kind of a quest and looked at several movie makeovers in several films. What he discovered is that often…