Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics

Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics episodes:

• 04.10.2024

  How NOT to Watch Movies

  The gang's all here. Back from a hiatus and ready to talk about all the ways not to watch movies. Because, believe it or not, some people are doing it wrong.

  
• 05.29.2023

  Misfits vs. Fascism

  This month we hand the reigns over to Kara as we look at two of her picks: Nightbreed (Director's Cut) and Return to Oz.

  
• 03.01.2023

  The Hornby Tapes

  Kara, Thad, and Jeremiah take a look at two Nick Hornby adaptations: "High Fidelity" and "Juliet, Naked", and look at how they portray fandom and toxic masculinity.

  
• 01.31.2023

  Bob, Iria, and Hakaider

  The trio discusses two films by creature designer and director Keita Amemiya: Zeiram (1991) and Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995).

  
• 01.01.2023

  Batman's Kiss Goodnight

  Y'all really thought January 1 was going to be your clean slate to hear no more about "Christmas movies". HAH. Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara kick off 2023 by arguing about Batman Returns and The Long Kiss Goodnight.

  
• 12.01.2022

  How the Big 3 Screwed Everybody

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah sit down and look at two similar movies with drastically different tones. This week we look at Shane Black's 2016 THE NICE GUYS and Steven Soderbergh's 2021 NO SUDDEN MOVE.

  
• 10.19.2022

  Fast Knights

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a look at THE HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS, and FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH.

  
• 07.21.2022

  Godzilla vs Himself

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at the strange phenomenon of Godzilla and its American counterpart Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

  
• 06.27.2022

  Smokey Lightning

  Thad and Kara are out this episode, so it's Jeremiah and Molly as they explore the ride-or-die sub-genre of bootlegging car chase movies with Smokey and the Bandit and White Lightning.

  
• 06.06.2022

  Batter Up!

  This month, the gang kicks off summer with baseball movies. Join Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah as they take a swing at The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings and A League of Their Own!

  
• 03.22.2022

  A Tale of Two Poirots

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah compare and contrast the 1974 Sidney Lumet Murder on the Orient Express with the 2017 Kenneth Branagh version.

  
• 02.21.2022

  Curse of the Country Bears

  One day, four people made a fateful decision to watch The Country Bears. They were never the same again. Join Jeremiah, Thad, Kara, and special guest, Molly, as they deal with the fallout.

  
• 11.23.2021

  The State of Things

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah discuss how going to the movies, and watching movies, has changed during these wild and turbulent times.

  
• 10.19.2021

  Pinhead Under the Stairs

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look to celebrate Halloween by looking at Clive Barker's Hellraiser and Wes Craven's People Under the Stairs. Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics is a proud member of the Fandomentals Network.

  
• 09.22.2021

  Monsters And Ecstatic Truth

  We discuss the striking similarities between the mockumentary "Incident at Loch Ness" and the real documentary "Creature From Big Muddy: An Illinois Bigfoot Legend". Joined by guest Dustin Blakeman, who also composed a special intro for this episode. "Human...

  
• 07.20.2021

  Cinematic Propaganda: Antifa Themes Part 8

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah explore alarmist propaganda in film. First, they look at the 1984 red scare WWIII fantasy RED DAWN followed by a deft exploration of the effects of cold war paranoia in WARGAMES.

  
• 06.01.2021

  Fantasy for Kids

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at three fantasy films and discuss how they seem particularly structured and geared towards children. Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics is a proud member of the Fandomentals Network.

  
• 04.27.2021

  Cinematic Propaganda: Antifa Themes Part 7

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at how movies about the civil rights movement have been framed via Mississippi Burning (1988) & Selma (2014).

  
• 02.16.2021

  Annual Report Card

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a breather and assess their series on Propaganda and Antifa themes. The trio tries to figure out how they've succeeded and how they can do better moving forward.

  
• 01.26.2021

  Cinematic Propaganda: Antifa Themes Part 6

  The trio looks at David Simon's HBO 6 part miniseries, "Show Me a Hero" (2015).  Starring Oscar Issac, Alfred Molina, Catherine Keener, and Ilfenesh Hadera, and directed by Paul Haggis, the series looks at a Yonkers Public Housing project and...

  
• 12.24.2020

  Holiday Special: Tokyo Groundhogs

  Just in time for the Holidays, the crew discusses Tokyo Godfathers and Groundhog Day.

  
• 11.26.2020

  Cinematic Propaganda: Antifa Themes - Part 5

  This episode we look at Too Big to Fail and The Big Short, two movies about the 2008 market crash. Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah discuss and analyze how effective each movie is in structuring its message.

  
• 10.27.2020

  Beneath the Screen Halloween 2020

  Just in time for Halloween, Beneath the Screen discuss THE OTHERS and CRIMSON PEAK. They also briefly discuss the evergreen question of "What is horror?". 

  
• 09.23.2020

  Cinematic Propaganda: Antifa Themes - Part 4

  In this episode, Jeremiah, Kara, and Alejandra take a look at thematic statements in Marvel films.

  
• 07.23.2020

  Springsteen and Talking Bears

  Jeremiah, Kara, and Thad look at two stories about immigration. Both stories are set in England and deal with the struggle of trying to bridge two cultures.

  
• 06.23.2020

  Cinemactic Propaganda: Antifa Themes - Part 3

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah are joined by Alejandra as they discuss Fascism in the Sci-fi and Fantasy genres. The four discuss Starship Troopers, Pan's Labyrinth, and Thor: Ragnarok

  
• 05.27.2020

  Exploring the Western

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a break from talking about propaganda, sort of, and look at the Western genre. The trio look at Johnny Guitar, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the 2013 Japanese remake of Unforgiven.

  
• 04.30.2020

  Cinematic Propaganda: Antifa Themes - Part 2

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at movies critiquing capitalism both in broad terms and specifically. The trio looks at '9 to 5', "Two Days, One Night', and 'Support the Girls'.

  
• 03.26.2020

  The Future of Movie Theatres

  Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara discuss what will happen to movie theaters as well as other fractures in the industry exposed by the pandemic.

  
• 02.27.2020

  Cinematic Propaganda: Antifa Themes - Part 1

  The crew look at three films, THIS LAND IS MINE, CASABLANCA, and HANGMEN ALSO DIE! to discuss the style and themes of each film.

  
• 01.25.2020

  Academy Award Roundtable and Best Films of 2019

  Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara gather 'round to discuss which films made the top 10 for them in 2019, and that little Oscar thing as well.

  
• 11.28.2019

  Animated Musicals to Make You Cringe

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a look at animated musicals that are so bad, they're just bad.

  
• 10.18.2019

  Strikes, Bunts, and Curveballs

  Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara take a look at America's Game through film.

  
• 09.20.2019

  When Melodrama Jumps the Shark

  Jeremiah and Molly discuss three movies with bonkers twists and turns throughout.

  
• 08.15.2019

  Musicals: Iconoclasts

  Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah discuss how Cabaret, Popeye, and Yentl are unabasehedly musicals but in unusual and atypical ways.

  
• 07.12.2019

  Fred and Ginger

  Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara take a look at movies starring the duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

  
• 06.07.2019

  Seven Brides for The Greatest Showman

  Thad, Jeremiah, and Kara compare and contrast Seven Brides for Seven Brothers with The Greatest Showman

  
• 05.24.2019

  Musical. Musicals?

  Thad, Jeremiah, and Kara discuss the trajectory and evolution of the screen musical.

  
• 04.26.2019

  Are Disney Live-Action Remakes Worth Your Money

  Jeremiah, Thad, Kara, discussed the new slate of Disney live-action remakes of animated classics and whether they're worth the time, money, and effort.

  
• 04.12.2019

  Let's Talk About 'Us'

  Thad and Jeremiah discuss Jordan Peele's latest movie as well as how violence is often misinterpeted within the genre.

  
• 03.08.2019

  The Price of Change

  Thad and Jeremiah discuss the importance of inclusivity and the necessary ramifications that come from allowing more diverse choices in story telling.

  
• 02.22.2019

  Exploring The Female Gaze

  Thad and Jeremiah, along with special guests Kara and Molly, explore the female gaze and discuss what it actually is.

  
• 02.08.2019

  Exploring The Male Gaze

  Jeremiah and Thad, along with special guests Kara and Molly explore the "male gaze" in media.

  
• 01.25.2019

  Into the Bumble-verse

  Thad and Jeremiah discuss Into the Spider-Verse and Bumblebee both as movies and as late installments into already exhausted franchises. They also look at how, by utlizing animation, the two movies afford themselves new freedoms in both story and technique.

  
• 11.02.2018

  What Makes a Bad Movie Bad?

  Thad and Jeremiah discuss bad movies and the cult that surrounds them as well as problematic aspects within those fandoms.

  
• 10.19.2018

  Work, Work, Work

  Jeremiah and Thad discuss the workplace, office politics, and economic issues as they're depicted in film.

  
• 10.05.2018

  How To View A Film Critcally

  Thad and Jeremiah discuss the how to critcally watch and interrogate film. Rants against rants about plotholes and broadsides against digital abound.

  
• 09.21.2018

  The Many Hats of A Producer

  Thad and Jeremiah are joined by Michael Sainz and Taylor Ito and discuss what exactly a producer's job actually is. It turns out, as with most things, it's not as simple as we thought.

  
• 09.07.2018

  Genre as a Prism

  Jeremiah and Thad are joined by special guest Alejandra as we interrogate the popular narratives. They question the consistent reliance on the straight white male view and cite examples in which the POV staple was eschewed.

  
• 08.24.2018

  Freefalling

  Jeremiah and Thad discuss some movie news, an update on Movie Pass, and seven Robin Hood movies.