American Scene

Happy Valentine's Day! Actor and producer Hayley Palmaer returns to the show to discuss the Oscar-nominated 1967 comedy "Divorce, American Style," written by Norman Lear and starring Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds.

What is an American-style divorce? We'll get into the movie's portrayal versus reality and what's changed (and what's stayed the same) socially and legally around relationships and the institution of marriage.

References:

Divorce, American Style by Suzanne Kahn

Schedule the installation of that in-ground pool because your Christmas bonus has finally arrived! Friend of the pod and feature film producer Lorenzo Nardini has worked on over 20 Christmas movies, and he joins us to talk about his work at MPCA, the "NCU" (Netflix Christmas Universe), what he has coming up in 2024, and his own thoughts on All American Christmas Carol.

References:

The Knight Before Christmas

Hotel for the Holidays

⁠Best. Christmas. Ever!⁠

‘Pretty Little Liars’ Alum Sasha Pieterse To Topline MPCA Thriller ‘The Image Of You’

Jenna Ortega & Her ‘Wednesday’ Co-Star Percy Hynes White Reunite On Tiffany Paulsen’s Directorial Debut ‘Winter Spring Summer Or Fall’

At long last! Run, don't walk to see American Fiction in theaters now! This is a spoiler-free episode gushing about how much I loved Cord Jefferson's new movie. But first, a recap of a handful of other movies I loved and that I thought were a lot of in 2023 and what I'm looking forward to doing on this show in 2024.

References:

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters March 22

It doesn't suck: Showgirls - by Adam Nayman

Ho ho holy moly, is it Christmas already? On this episode, Ben talks about why there hasn't been a certified classic holiday movie since "Elf" and "Love Actually" came out TWENTY YEARS AGO, and then he provides a recap of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" before diving into two (of four!) American Christmas stories. "American Christmas" and "All American Christmas Carol" take different approaches in adapting Dickens' enduring tale and end up sending very different messages...

References:

Are ‘Elf’ and ‘Love Actually’ the Last Holiday Classics We’ll Ever Get?

Sorry To Bring This Up, But Is The Holiday Really A Christmas Movie?

Why There Haven't Been Any Modern Christmas Classics in the 2020s

The Time Zack Morris Gave Himself A Homeless Girl For Christmas

Working Homeless: More Than Half of Unhoused People Have Jobs

California Program Giving $500 No-Strings-Attached Stipends Pays Off, Study Finds

How $750 a month changed the lives of a group of homeless people in California

'It’s a miracle': Helsinki's radical solution to homelessness

Child labor violations soared in fiscal 2023

Box office juggernaut Oppenheimer is expected to dominate awards season this year, but while the US government had the Manhattan Project team hard at work at Los Alamos, it was also incarcerating over 120,000 Japanese Americans in camps from eastern California to Arkansas.

Desmond Nakano's American Pastime takes place at the Topaz camp and centers on a family and community coming together to find strength, hope, and dignity.

Author and professor Susan Kamei ("When Can We Go Back to America? Voices of Japanese American Incarceration during WWII") joins us to discuss her ongoing work in the Van Hunnick history department of USC's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, the resonant elements of the film's story and characters, the importance of baseball in the camps, and why it's so important to understand this part of our history.

Trailer: American Pastime

References:

When Can We Go Back to America? Voices of Japanese American Incarceration during WWII

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/When-Can-We-Go-Back-to-America/Susan-H-Kamei/9781481401456

Lyrical Paintings of Life Inside a WWII Internment Camp

https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/09/paintings-by-estelle-ishigo-of-life-inside-the-heart-mountain-relocation-center-during-world-war-ii.html

Happy Halloween, horror fans! Spooky season is upon us, and it's the perfect time to talk about 1988's American Gothic with local Pacific Northwest filmmaker and Executive Director for endHaven Productions, Jason Wilkinson! Jason has written and directed several award winning horror films like Killing Time, She Picked Me, and the short film Tabitha, which is part of the feature film Sinphony: A Clubhouse Horror Anthology, now available to stream for free on Tubi.

Jason tells us about what he's been enjoying this Halloween season, what's on his watchlist, and why the Pacific Northwest is the best place to shoot horror. Then we get into the movie, discussing the appeal and endurance of Backwoods Horror, the portrayal of evil characters living in rural and remote places, and how contemporary news and politics exacerbate the urban-rural divide.

Jason Wilkinson

Website: https://www.endhaven.com

Social media: @JasonFilmDude (IG, X) and @endhavenproductions (FB, IG, YouTube)

Killing Time: https://reveel.net/programs/1299515/killing-time

Sinphony: A Clubhouse Horror Anthology (segment: "Tabitha") https://tubitv.com/movies/711074/sinphony-a-clubhouse-horror-anthology

References:

Backwoods Horror / Rural Survival Films (IMDb)

Why Are Small Towns The Perfect Sinister Setting For Horror? (Nerdist)

Wow! Three more movies that came out since 2020, and they're all about crime. Ben discusses how one bad decision can snowball into all sorts of obstacles to attaining the American Dream, how powerful forces corrupt the purity of art in American Night, and how toxic masculinity results in loneliness and isolation in American Badger.

References:

Leslie Jones Has a Message for Men: "Go to Therapy" | The Daily Show

Ben is back with three more movies that have been released since 2020! First he chats about American Sicario's apparent rebuke of American male privilege and ego. Then he finds an extended metaphor for attitudes and challenges faced by those seeking shelter in the US in American Refugee. And finally, he feels the urgency to reach out and understand each other in American Insurrection.

References:

"Conversations with People Who Hate Me" by Dylan Marron

https://www.dylanmarron.com/book

It's an American Reunion! No, not that one, the one where Ben reunites with the podcast he and Allen started three years ago. While Allen is busy being a new dad, Ben is dipping his toe back into red, white, and blue waters. On this episode, he discusses the first three of nine movies with American in the title released since 2020, examining the convoluted machinations of government programs in American Carnage, the corruption of local leaders in American Siege, and the aspirations of an American Underdog.

It's almost Halloween, and we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of John Landis's "An American Werewolf in London" for its seamless blend of comedy and horror, Rick Baker's Oscar-winning makeup, and strong, grounded performances from the whole cast. We discuss dealing with mental illness and processing trauma, and we touch on generational differences and the urban-rural divide. And stick around for our favorite American moments!