Lanterns is a miniseries celebrating 10 years of Karyn Kusama's THE INVITATION (2015) with some of the brightest lights in contemporary film criticism and podcasting. Through a hybrid of personal essay and long form interview, host/creator Jim Penola weaves a narrative conversation around the persistent merits and prescient lessons of Kusama's cult masterpiece.

Episode #06, the finale, welcomes none other than Blake Howard—who Michael Mann once called "insane" (for good reason). Blake is the host and creator of One Heat Minute which famously examined Mann's HEAT one minute at a time in exhaustive detail. Blake has since produced countless other film podcasts, including Miami Nice and All The President's Minutes, that have emerged under the broader One Heat Minute Productions banner. He is the patron saint of granular film analysis and, without him, there would be no An Invitation to THE INVITATION, et al. 

Our talk slaloms through a variety of topics—Blake's surreal experience meeting Michael Mann, the fallacy of the "easy way," the reciprocal dialogue that occurred between our two podcasts—with one unifying notion:

the end. 

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Lanterns is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

Lanterns is a miniseries celebrating 10 years of Karyn Kusama's THE INVITATION (2015) with some of the brightest lights in contemporary film criticism and podcasting. Through a hybrid of personal essay and long form interview, host/creator Jim Penola weaves a narrative conversation around the persistent merits and prescient lessons of Kusama's cult masterpiece.

Episode #05 welcomes the illustrious, the insightful—the hilarious!—Jon Gabrus. Gabrus is a comedian, an actor, and an extremely prolific creator known for his podcasts High & Mighty and Action Boyz. His comedy/travel show with Adam Pally, 101 Places To Party Before You Die is currently streaming on HBO Max. Gabrus is also a frequent guest on many other legendary shows including Comedy Bang Bang (see: his recurring character Gino Lombardo) and Blank Check with Griffin & David.

We get into a lot here: our experience with cults (me: Landmark, him: CrossFit + UCB), the "lantern" that is live comedy, and why he would make a great Pruitt.

🍷 🏮 🍷

Lanterns is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

Lanterns is a miniseries celebrating 10 years of Karyn Kusama's THE INVITATION (2015) with some of the brightest lights in contemporary film criticism and podcasting. Through a hybrid of personal essay and long form interview, host/creator Jim Penola weaves a narrative conversation around the persistent merits and prescient lessons of Kusama's cult masterpiece.

Episode #04 features dear friend and returning favorite, Philip Gawthorne—co-host/creator of Die Hard on a Blank—the podcast that examines the influence of DIE HARD (1988) on action cinema one action film at a time, in chronological order. Phil is also a playwright and screenwriter with credits at Netflix, Universal, Warner Bros, and many more. 

As an LA resident and expat, Phil is uniquely qualified to penetrate THE INVITATION’s regional specificity, not to mention its themes of feeling "lonely in a crowded room." 

We also discuss how the LA public transportation system (or lack thereof) reflects the disconnection that drives the film, not to mention the ways Kusama’s film could credibly be read as “Die Hard in the Hollywood Hills."

🍷 🏮 🍷

Lanterns is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

Lanterns is a miniseries celebrating 10 years of Karyn Kusama's THE INVITATION (2015) with some of the brightest lights in contemporary film criticism and podcasting. Through a hybrid of personal essay and long form interview, host/creator Jim Penola weaves a narrative conversation around the persistent merits and prescient lessons of Kusama's cult masterpiece.

Episode #03 features guests Justin & Laura Khoo, co-hosts of Cows in the Field: a podcast about philosophical themes in popular films. Justin is professor of philosophy at MIT and Laura is an art historian turned fundraiser and teacher.

The Khoos' life experience as educators, parents, and prolific film podcasters facilitates a level of ease and depth within our talk that I both treasure and seek. Topics discussed include: Naomi Klein and doppelgängers ("what if Tom Hardy played David?"), how Logan Marshall-Green embodies Kusama's interest in complex gender roles, and what quantum superposition has to do with grief.

🍷 🏮 🍷

Lanterns is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

Lanterns is a miniseries celebrating 10 years of Karyn Kusama's THE INVITATION (2015) with some of the brightest lights in contemporary film criticism and podcasting. Through a hybrid of personal essay and long form interview, host/creator Jim Penola weaves a narrative conversation around the persistent merits and prescient lessons of Kusama's cult masterpiece. 

Episode #02 features guests Dom Nero & Adam Volerich, co-hosts of Eye of the Duck. Eye of the Duck is a podcast about movies and the scenes that make them special—what David Lynch calls 'eye of the duck' scenes (a.k.a. the scenes that define the whole). 

Dom is a writer and Webby award-winning video editor and Adam is a director and filmmaker. 

As seasoned film scholars and storytellers, Dom & Adam bring tremendous insight to THE INVITATION and what it means in 2025. Topics discussed include: the anxiety of being a New Yorker in Los Angeles, the foundational influence of David Lynch on Karyn Kusama, and the relevant virtues of jettisoning politeness in times of strife. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Lanterns is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

Lanterns is a miniseries celebrating 10 years of Karyn Kusama's THE INVITATION (2015) with some of the brightest lights in contemporary film criticism and podcasting. Through a hybrid of personal essay and long form interview, host/creator Jim Penola weaves a narrative conversation around the persistent merits and prescient lessons of Kusama's cult masterpiece. 

Episode #01 features author, critic, filmmaker, and video essayist Scout Tafoya of RogerEbert.com–a brilliant mind who sheds considerable light on Kusama's cinematic verve, aesthetic fluency, and most critical influences. 

Via a conversation that explores the dark humor, radical vulnerability, and deep catharsis of Kusama's film, Tafoya and host Jim Penola argue in favor of the ongoing merits that THE INVITATION still offers a decade later. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Lanterns is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola. 

🍷 🏮 🍷

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

Lanterns is a miniseries celebrating 10 years of Karyn Kusama's THE INVITATION (2015) with some of the brightest lights in contemporary film criticism and podcasting. 

Episode #01 features author, critic, filmmaker, and video essayist Scout Tafoya of RogerEbert.com–a brilliant mind who sheds considerable light on Kusama's cinematic verve, aesthetic fluency, and post-Kathryn Bigelow approaches to storytelling. 

Via a conversation that explores the dark humor, radical vulnerability, and deep catharsis of Kusama's film, Tafoya and host Jim Penola argue in favor of the ongoing merits that THE INVITATION still offers a decade later. 

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Lanterns is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola. 

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

A.I.P. Tapes invites new release recommendations and concise film analysis into your feed.

Today, you're invited to watch GOOD ONE (2024) — the feature film directorial debut of India Donaldson. A deeply understated yet highly authentic portrait of the ways maturity is both earned and inflicted upon us. 

RSVP now.

Written, produced, and hosted by Jim Penola.
Original music by John Penola.

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

Thematic Content is an audio essay series about the themes that define film history—across eras, genres, and filmmakers—even mediums.

Episode #04 sees the return of screenwriter, playwright, and podcaster Philip Gawthorne (Die Hard on a Blank) who brings yet another Jeff Bridges vehicle to the table: the Taylor Hackford directed neo-noir AGAINST ALL ODDS (1984). A remake of classic noir OUT OF THE PAST (1947), ODDS follows disgraced football player Terry Brogan (Bridges) who is tasked with returning a beautiful and affluent heiress (Rachel Ward) to her parents. Once found, the two fall in love and things get complicated.

Via the film's disparate notions of sex, corruption, and capitalism, Gawthorne and host Jim Penola explore how the unusual conditions of the premise (i.e. organized sports) are surprisingly well suited to address the concerns of traditional film noir storytelling.

Furthermore, Penola welcomes writer Michael IQ Jones to assess the implications of AGAINST ALL ODDS' iconic soundtrack (Phil Collins, anyone?), not to mention the unsustainable business model it helped popularize. Ultimately, the frank yet ebullient conversations of the episode place their bets on hope and friendship. 

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Thematic Content is written, produced, edited, mixed, and hosted by Jim Penola.

Original music by John Penola.

Original artwork and illustrations by NoNo Flores.

Executive produced by John Penola and Jane Penola. 

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••

A.I.P. Tapes invites new release recommendations and concise film analysis into your feed.

Today, you're invited to watch host Jim Penola's Top Five Horror Films of 2024.

RSVP now.

Written, produced, and hosted by Jim Penola.
Original music by John Penola.

An Invitation Productions is now on TikTok!

Support the show

•••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation ⚫ Email us: [email protected]•••