Tune in as Paola and Nadhya (Sis Flicks Podcast) collaborate with 2CC for a review and recap of The Charm Offensive, the 2021 rom-com novel by Alison Cochrun about a dating reality show whose producer, with his romanticized view of love in hand, finds himself growing very close with the anxious and nerdy tech millionaire who’s starring in the program. The meticulously manufactured setting in which these reality shows exist, The Cheating Bisexual and other biphobic stereotypes, the tenderness of Dev and Charlie’s sex scenes, and comparing this book to Heated Rivalry land as some of the subjects for this episode.

TW: mental health/illness content, depression, anxiety attacks, OCD, homophobia, biphobia, acephobia, ableism, racism, alcohol, alcoholism, vomiting, and violence

Spoilers start at 45:55

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Good Word:

• Paola: Heartstopper, Heartstopper Forever, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, and Red, White & Royal Blue

• Nadhya: The Prospects by K.T. Hoffman

• Arthur: Unbound by Peyton Corinne

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Tune in as Jessica Hart (Totally Bombed) hops back onto the podcast for a dive into The Perfection, the 2018 thriller-horror movie about a former cello prodigy who connects with a fellow student from the academy she had once attended as a child, kicking off a journey into the darkness that they’ll both have to endure. The difficulty of talking about this ambitious journey and the multiple genres it tackles without spoiling it, Richard Shepard’s askew sense of humor, applause for the meticulous cinematography, and the terror of being awfully sick to the point of vomiting in a foreign country comprise a few of the talking points for this episode.

Directed by Richard Shepard, The Perfection stars Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman, Molly Grace, Milah Thompson, Eileen Tian, Mark Kandborg, and Graeme Duffy.

Spoilers start at 22:00

Let’s Talk About the Insane Ending of Netflix’s The Perfection

Cello Duet No. 3

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Good Word:

• Jessica: Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days

• Arthur: In Case I Go Missing by R.N. Swann

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Tune in as Rolo Tony (@PoorOldRoloTony and These Guys Got Juice) jumps back onto the podcast to examine The Voices, the 2014 movie that uses black comedy, thriller, and horror to tell the tale of a plumbing fixtures factory worker whose hallucinations direct him down a path of chatting with his talking pets and wrestling with his murderous side. Rooting for Ryan Reynolds to pick bold and interesting roles, putting a dark twist on the Talking Animals trope, the psychology of serial killers, and the misogynistic violence that lurks within the outwardly pleasant Nice Guy archetype stand out as some of the topics for this episode.

Directed by Marjane Satrapi, The Voices stars Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick, Gemma Arterton, Ella Smith, Jacki Weaver, Paul Chahidi, Stanley Townsend, Adi Shankar, Sam Spruell, Valerie Koch, and Paul Brightwell.

Spoilers start at 29:45

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Good Word:

• Rolo Tony: Mississippi Grind

• Arthur: Ruby Sparks

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Joining the podcast today is Halley Sutton, who has written two neo-noir thriller novels, The Lady Upstairs and The Hurricane Blonde—both of which have had their own previous episodes dedicated to them. Considering the deep love that both Halley and Arthur share for the dark and gritty world of noir, you’ll hear plenty of chatter about that in this discussion. Favorite femme fatales, tuning into the score from Wild Things, the capitalistic exploitation of the true crime industry, the abusive behavior of male filmmakers and actors like Bernardo Bertolucci and Brad Pitt, and refusing to hand over money to an asshole artist like JK Rowling also make up some aspects of the conversation for this episode.

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Halley’s Good Word: Decision to Leave

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Tune in as James Willey (Movie Good or Movie Bad?) heads back to 2CC for a plunge into Shin Godzilla, the 2016 kaiju film that follows Japanese officials who have to contend with the slowness and incompetency of their bureaucratic government while facing the threat of a giant monster. The many job titles that pop up in this movie, the darkly comedic edge that accompanies its political satire, Hideaki Anno’s pessimistic and jaded POV, and the tragedy of a sickly Godzilla emerge as some of the discussion matter for this episode.

Directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, Shin Godzilla stars Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Kengo Kora, Satoru Matsuo, Mikako Ichikawa, Issey Takahashi, Kanji Tsuda, Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Nomaguchi, Daisuke Kuroda, Ren Osugi, Sei Hiraizumi, and Kihachi Okamoto.

Spoilers start at 30:10

Godzilla’s tail from @thekaijukingdom (beware spoilers)

Shin Godzilla | Form 3 Vomits Blood (Deleted Scene)

Shin Godzilla - Deleted Scene

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Good Word:

• James: Ritual

• Arthur: Blue Film

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Tune in as Seth Vargas (Movie Friends) reunites with the show for a review and recap of Rent-A-Pal, the 2020 psychological drama-horror movie about a lonesome bachelor in 1990 who builds up an increasingly obsessive bond with a charming “friend” of sorts that he’s found in a VHS tape. Whether or not this film goes into supernatural territory, the dated world of video dating services, and Andy’s toxic masculinity pop up as a few of the talking points in this episode.

Written and directed by Jon Stevenson, Rent-A-Pal stars Brian Landis Folkins, Wil Wheaton, Kathleen Brady, Amy Rutledge, Adrian Egolf, Josh Staab, Sara Woodyard, Olivia Hendrick, and Karin Carr.

Spoilers start at 23:55

Making Rent-A-Pal: The Series

Rent-A-Friend

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Good Word:

• Seth: God Told Me To

• Arthur: Black Burns Fast

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Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18

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Tune in as Rolo Tony (@PoorOldRoloTony and These Guys Got Juice) jumps back onto 2CC for a breakdown of Sweet Smell of Success, the 1957 film noir about the scheme that a gossip columnist and a publicist cook up to sabotage a relationship that the columnist’s 19-year-old sister is in. Calling someone a cookie full of arsenic and other pieces of endlessly quotable dialogue, the vehemently anti-Communist attitudes of this time period, the unusually pessimistic mood dripping off of a movie from this era, and the deeply uncomfortable nature of JJ and Susie’s dynamic roll around as some of the subject matter in this episode.

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, Sweet Smell of Success stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner, Jeff Donnell, Sam Levene, Joe Frisco, Barbara Nichols, Emile Meyer, Edith Atwater, Chico Hamilton, Jay Adler, William Forrest, Lewis Charles, Lurene Tuttle, and Joseph Leon.

Spoilers start at 25:25

The Coded Queer Lives of a Hollywood Classic: David Thomson on the subtextual sexuality in Sweet Smell of Success

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Good Word:

• Rolo Tony: Brute Force

• Arthur: The Traveler by Joseph Eckert

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Tune in as Hannah, Rebecca, and Sarah (Can I Spoil Something?) stride back to the podcast for a chance to unpack The Hurricane Blonde, the 2023 neo-noir thriller novel by Halley Sutton about a former child star who gets pulled into a mystery surrounding the drowning of an actress who looks eerily similar to her sister—the sister whose star had been rising up in Hollywood before a strangulation cut her life short two decades ago. Salma being such a messy diva, the capitalistic greed of the true crime industry, gross and misogynistic filmmakers like Roman Polanski and Quentin Tarantino, and how long it takes to strangle someone to death comprise some parts of the chatter in this episode.

TW: death, murder, misogyny, pedophilia (in the past), rape (in the past), grief, alcoholism, drug abuse, infidelity (in the past), violence, suicide (in the past), eating disorder, fatphobia, and mention of miscarriage (in the past)

Spoilers start at 20:35

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Good Word:

• Sarah: Attack on Titan

• Rebecca: Fluorescence by Maisey Peters

• Hannah: Love Island (the US version, which she’s been watching)

• Arthur: Off Campus

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Tune in as Rolo Tony (@PoorOldRoloTony and These Guys Got Juice) circles back around to the show to cover Special Effects, the 1984 thriller/horror movie about a murderous filmmaker who tries to recover his rocky career by basing his latest project on a killing that he himself carried out and recorded on camera. Drawing parallels between this flick and Body Double, the ruthlessly biting commentary on the misogyny and exploitation of Hollywood, Eric Bogosian committing himself to playing a slimebag, and the dangers of using art to blur the line between reality and fantasy stand out as a few of the talking points in this episode.

Written and directed by Larry Cohen, Special Effects stars Eric Bogosian, Zoë Lund, Brad Rijn, Kevin O’Connor, Bill Oland, H. Richard Greene, Steven Pudenz, and Heidi Bassett.

Spoilers start at 27:40

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Good Word:

• Rolo Tony: The Ambulance

• Arthur: Alter’s “Terroir,” Alter’s “The Last Thing She Saw,” and “Better The Devil You Know”

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A filmmaker is joining the podcast today! That’s Ava Maria Safai, the director behind the 2023 body horror short film “ZIP” and the 2025 horror movie Foreigner. Arthur was fortunate enough to discover her through “ZIP,” which you can find on YouTube thanks to ALTER’s platform for terrifying and imaginative horror media. Appreciation for Final Destination, using “ZIP” to call for the liberation of Iranian women, Ava’s music background, pinpointing the right horror-comedy balance, and the importance of being grateful and supportive to your film crew emerge as some of the topics for this conversation.

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Ava’s Good Word: Coraline, Requiem for a Dream, DAHLIA by Christian Laurian, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Boroughs, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, Dance Moms, Outlast, Little Fires Everywhere, Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, Carrie, Holy Spider, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and Telefilm Talent to Watch

Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello!

Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms!

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