Movies That Matter

Nicole, Adam, Garret, Justin, and Lexy discuss Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the trend of capitalizing on nostalgia in movies. In part II, we discuss what we term "legacy sequels" or the sequel that comes decades afer the original. We explore whether the audiences are demanding these sequels or if the studios are pushing them. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

9/30/24 • 40:19

Nicole, Adam, Garret, Justin, and Lexy discuss Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the trend of capitalizing on nostalgia in movies. In part I, we discuss the movie in comparison to the original. We mostly enjoyed the movied but found the script lacking.  Stay tuned for part II where we dive into selling audiences nostalgia and IP.   Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

9/16/24 • 32:18

Garret and Nicole discuss IF and how imaginary friends, and imagination in general, can help get us through the dark times. Unlike most critics, we both liked the movie and its exploration of coping through loss, lonelieness, aging, and the other trials life throws our ways. Yes. There's a lot of crying. Garret recommends self care and Dr. Seuss. Nicole recommends Drop Dead Fred and Hadestown. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

6/18/24 • 43:37

Stacy and Nicole discuss I Saw The TV Glow and the beauty of using allegory to tell a trans story. Stacy relates to the suffocation of suburbia where Nicole enjoys a unique story told in a unique way. While enjoying the movie for different reasons, we discuss our alternate views on the ending. We discuss the setting of the late 90s and the understanding of transgenderism in that time period for mainstream suburbia. Nicole recommends Philosphy Tube's I Read The Most Misunderstood Philosopher in the World. Stacy recommends getting out into nature. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

6/7/24 • 47:57

Lexy and Nicole discuss Challengers and the dearth of fun sexiness in movies and tv. We disagree on the craft and entertaiment value of the film. We talk about how flirtiness and light-hearted sexy times have gone out of style and why people might want it back. Lexy recommends Joy Ride. Nicole recommends The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

5/17/24 • 37:58

Justin and Nicole discuss The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and how we think about the morality of war. We find the movie entertaining but technically not particularly adept. We talk about the morality of war in general and of the world wars tackling what it means to have rules of war. Justin recommends Shogun and X-Men '97 . Nicole recommends Brooklyn 99 and Who Killed the Video Store. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

5/3/24 • 47:24

Adam and Nicole discuss Civil War and the movie's meditation on war photojournalism. We appreciated all the technical aspects of the movie, editing, cinematography, soundtrack, and sound design. All of the elements worked together to create a nuanced, almost meditative view on the role of photojournalism in war reporting. The movie tackles the inherent contradiction in taking a great photo of something horrific.  Adam recommends Middlemarch and Orphan. Nicole recommends Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

4/18/24 • 46:31

Christopher and Nicole with special guest, Dan, discuss The Farewell and the issues that come along with generational conflicts that cross international boundaries as well. We disagree about the actual quality of the filmmaking particularly the bizarre score, Dan discusses the dissonance between what was considered funny by Asian vs non-Asian audiences, and the tension between the families who emigrate and the families who stay. It's worth hearing the real story from This American Life. For more on Lulu Wang, check out this article from The Atlantic. Nicole recommends early Ang Lee: The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman. Christopher recommends Star Trek: Discovery. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

1/25/24 • 53:08

Nicole and Stacy talk with Sari about Get Out, the fear of being black in white spaces, white fragility, and horror movie tropes. Mentioned in the episode is a an interview with Jordan Peele on the Nerdist podcast. Recommendations this week: This Is Us and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

1/11/24 • 50:52

Garret and Nicole gush over Wonka and the movie's whimisical and joyful pure imagination. We love the cast, the costumes, the sets, and the world the movie created. We literally tear up talking about getting enveloped by this movie. We talk about the value of having genuine emotional experiences at the movies without having to tackle all the world's ills. Garret recommends reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory out loud to another person. Nicole recommends While You Were Sleeping. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

12/28/23 • 43:48

Adam and Nicole discuss Napoleon and what makes for a good war movie. We don't know what this movie was about and found it a failure of a narrative. Beyond that, the acting and casting choices didn't work, the soundtrack made no sense, and only the costumes were worthy of praise. We discuss what makes for a good war movie including having stakes, an understanding of the cause, and perspectives from among the ranks. Also you actually have to have two armies fighting in the movie for it to be a war movie. Adam recommends The Leftovers. Nicole recommends Memphis Belle. 

12/14/23 • 42:05

Garret, Stacy, and Nicole discuss the Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes after also reading the book. As fans of the Hunger Games, we all enjoyed the movie and the look back at how Katniss and Peeta's games came to be. We praise the cast diversity, but disagree on the success of the rewind back to earlier times presented in the movie. We discuss what it means to play the Hunger Games and to win them. We dig into how our backgrounds and personalities guide our chosen strategies. Garret recommends seeing the movie again. Stacy recommends catching up on history. Nicole recommends The Power of One. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

11/30/23 • 53:03

Justin and Nicole discuss Rustin and the intricacies of putting together social moviements. We highly enjoyed the performances, particularly Colman Domingo who captured the charisma and passion of Bayard Rustin. We talk about the challenges, the infighting, and the varying approaches to building a social movement. Justin recommends Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Nicole recommends Nature's Premium aloe cream. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

11/16/23 • 46:13

Justin and Nicole with special guest Rosebud Sioux tribe member Marietta discuss Killers of the Flower Moon and American Indian stories that aren't getting told. We disagree on our enjoyment of a three and a half hour movie but praise the performances. We wish the story focused more on the Osage.  We have a wide ranging discussion on American Indian culture and history. We learn about Maria Tallchief, prima ballerina from the Osage tribe. Marietta also recommends checking out the Gathering of Nations in the spring in New Mexico. We discuss the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, an issue that touched Marietta personally with the murder of her great niece's best friend Kyla Red Bear. We also cover the residential schools and the repatriation of american indian remains. Marietta recommends Reservation Dogs and Dark Winds. Justin recommends Prey and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Nicole recommends going to the Renwick Gallery for the Sharing Honors and Burdens exhibit. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

11/2/23 • 51:24

Adam and Lexy discuss The Exorcist: Believer and whether being possessed by the devil still carries the same scare factor as it did when the original movie was made. Both hosts find the new movie fails to make good use of a legacy character and falls flat in the scare factor. We discuss if possession by the devil remains a timely fear versus other forms of possession. We find a known factor makes the fear much more unlikely. Adam recommends author Ashley Herring Blake. Lexy recommends Buttermilk by Sam. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

10/27/23 • 43:02

Lexy and Nicole discuss Dumb Money and the difficulties most of us face running our investments. Lexy liked the movie better than Nicole who could not get past the central messaging of bad financial advice. We find the movie does a good job bringing audiences back into the world of the pandemic and describes the financial techniques and the basics of reddit well but some of the characters fell short. We discuss how the american economy has forced us all to be investors without the necessary training. We also note how this was an example of online life becoming in real life. Lexy recommends Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. Nicole recommends You're Wrong About's series on the DC Snipers.  Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

9/28/23 • 44:45

Picking up where they left in the discussion of the male backlash again Barbie, Stacy and Nicole talk about how the movie stays away from using the word feminism but that the patriarchy is bad for both genders. We also discuss the consumerism aspect of Barbie.  Stacy recommends Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Nicole recommends season 16 of Business Wars: Hasbro vs Mattel.  Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

8/24/23 • 26:32

Stacy and Nicole discuss Barbie and the movie's message about The Patriarchy. The first of a two part episode, we praise the movie for its sets, costumes, performances, and its honor of Barbie. We get into the male backlash against the movie and how men prefer toxic masculinity to any alternative presented on the left. Stay tuned for the second half! Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

8/17/23 • 44:54

Justin and Nicole discuss Oppenheimer and the issues around nuclear proliferation. We disagree on how much we liked the movie. We enjoyed the parts about the bomb and the sound design but disagreed on the later segments featuring Robert Downey Jr. We talk about the benefits and risks of nuclear proliferation, and Japan's special status as the only country to experience a nuclear bomb. Justin recommends Hardcore History: Supernova in the East and Peaky Blinders. Nicole recommends Copenhagen.  Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page * Note Lise Meitner's name was incorrectly pronounced in the episode, but her story is very important to keep in mind about how women's contributions to science are erased.

8/3/23 • 44:27

Lexy, Nicole, and special guest Monique discuss Joy Ride and the unique experience of Korean adoptees growing up in white families. We disagree on the humor based on personal taste and our appreciation of raunchy comedy. We all enjoyed the more serious and heartfelt aspects of film. We delve into a discussion about the experiences of Korean adoptees especially the difficulties of interracial adoption and how that affects identity. Lexy recommends Nimona, Nicole recommends Uncoupled, and Monique recommends Cassandra in Reverse. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

7/20/23 • 49:14

Adam and Nicole talk Indiana Jones, reviewing Dial of Destiny and the franchise as a whole. We give our definitive rankings on the five films and talk about how Indiana Jones has weathered the changes in movies while staying surprisingly consistent over time. At heart, the franchise is a swashbuckling adventure featuring a likable hero, a rare commodity these days. Adam recommends the Insidious franchise and Nicole recommends Vienna Blood. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

7/13/23 • 44:14

Lexy and Nicole discuss Elemental and the stereotypical immigrant story. Lexy liked the movie better than Nicole despite agreeing the plot and writing were clunky. Performances by the actors elevated the poor material. The story sticks to a very stereotypical immigrant story casting the first generation american child against the prescribed path of her immigrant parents. It does little to tread any new territory beyond the basics. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page Nicole recommends Zootopia. Lexy recommends the Litter Robot.

6/29/23 • 43:37

Justin, Stacy, and Nicole discuss the Miles Morales Spider-Verse and Spider-Man's introduction in the 1960s as the first modern superhero. We are blown away by the animation first and foremost and the sheer creativity on display. We talk about the origins of Spider-Man as a novel character being a relatable teen and discuss how new Spider "people" fit into a modernized version of a superhero.  Justin recommends Everything Everywhere All At Once, Stacy recommends The Blackening, and Nicole recommends Miracle Workers. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

6/15/23 • 48:38

Garret and Nicole discuss The Little Mermaid and the story's place in the queer canon. We both enjoyed the film, while not necessarily agreeing on the need for a remake. We dissect some of the crucial changes that fundamentally alter the message of the movie particularly the changes to Ursula. We discuss the origins of the story that is itself an analogy for queer love and the queer coding in the 1989 original. Garret recommends the original Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid. Nicole recommends Franz Kafka and The Trial. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

6/2/23 • 52:27

Garret and Nicole discuss Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret the film adaptation of Judy Blume's beloved novel. We praise the movie for its heartfelt emotion, never straying into saccharine messaging or melodrama. We both agree Kathy Bates was miscast. We discuss the horrors of puberty and some of the movie's themes about a religious upbringing. Garret recommends Dear Mr. Henshaw. Nicole recommends a menstrual cup. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

5/12/23 • 49:54

Justin, Adam, and Nicole discuss Renfield and the enduring legacy of Dracula. We enjoyed the movie's fresh take on Dracula, one of fiction's most enduring characters. We found the movie funny and the characters appealing. We talk about why Dracula continues to be a popular figure on film going through some history and canon with a larger discussion about the appeal of vampires. Justin recommends Invicible. Adam recommends Weather Man. Nicole recommends book and movie About a Boy. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

4/28/23 • 48:57

Garret and Nicole review Duneons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and the importance of role-playing games. We were both delighted by the movie, particularly the ensemble cast and the wonderful world building. We discuss the merits of building commmunity in role-playing games and the benefit of hobbies in general. Garret recommends trying Dungeouns and Dragons or an escape room. Nicole recommends the movie Tetris. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

4/10/23 • 42:30

Adam and Nicole talk all things Scream. We give our rankings for the six released movie and discuss the franchise's endurance and it's ability to shift with the times.  Adam recommends True Dective Season 2 and The Dry by Jane Harper. Nicole recommends Mythic Quest. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page

3/23/23 • 45:40

Justin and Nicole discuss Cocaine Bear and America's War on Drugs. We both enjoyed the B movieness of it all, the diversity of the cast, and its 80s authenticity. We segue into a discussion on the harms of the War on Drugs and why America can't seem to reform drug policy based on evidence. Nicole recommends Justified. Justin recommends Ozark. Website Store YouTube Facebook Group Page  

3/10/23 • 47:37

Lexy and Nicole discuss M3GAN and the costs of relying on A.I. for companionship, particularly on childhood development. We were surprised how much we liked the movie and impressed with the creation of M3GAN technologically. We discussed how relying on screens/technology for our relationship needs it degrades our emotional well-being. Lexy recommends The Devil in Me. Nicole recommends The Two-Family House.

1/23/23 • 45:40