Welp it’s that time of year again, when the panoply of denizens of this great country hustle and bustle to jump to that first flag drop that sets us all on course for the madness that is the holiday season. Some will sojourn home from school, some will head to the airport, and some will cram the spousal and kids (both furry or unfurry) into the car and head up the road, or maybe just around the block, to partake in the gustatory bacchanalia we know as Thanksgiving.

Sam and I have picked out a special film that we hope will whet and prep our listener’s appetites for the holiday onslaught. Thanksgiving has a complicated history, and maybe that’s why the very nature of this holiday forces us as good citizens, to be tolerant and civil towards our drunken and opinionated kinfolk over the green bean casserole. It’s only one day out of the year, and there is always something to be thankful for (like maybe not having to host the chaos).

We hope everyone has a warm, safe, and contented celebration surrounded by the people that matter the most to them.

Episode links: “Tasting History with Max Miller” https://youtu.be/ixTkzBuD-cw?si=Vexgk1vZ8tGhDhR5

Film locations Hannah and Her Sisters https://www.woodyallenpages.com/2015/02/votw-every-location-hannah-sisters-architecture-tour/

“BA Kitchen makes the perfect Thanksgiving” https://youtu.be/iV3p2P7jA2A?si=GlwYCKKaBi8hmURO

Not much to say other than this film was groundbreaking in creating a new genre, and responsible for introducing one of the most iconic heroes in cinema. Rick Tetrault joins Beth for this episode.

We also close the episode with our recommendations for Halloween viewing, some titles both familiar and obscure, but with guaranteed creep factor.

Happy Halloween kids, and may all your candy be delicious. 🎃👻💀🪦

Do you struggle with emotional upsets? Are you self-conscious, or chronically shy? Are you missing out on all the good weenie roasts? If you don’t want your friends to think you are a “drip” then put those ear buds in and check out our latest episode featuring our in depth discussion on Coronet Films. These films were extremely popular and common tools in public school classrooms from the 1940s all the way up to the 1980s. With production based in Chicago, the films were extremely homogeneous and saturated with Midwest sensibilities. While Coronet was not the only company producing educational social guidance films, they are probably the most widely known. It is easy to criticize these films for their lack of diversity, sexism, and obvious whitewashing of the social landscape. However, they did provide some sound fundamental life strategies especially when addressing issues like self-confidence, communication, and interpersonal relationships with friends and family. In this episode we look at all of it —the good, the bad, and the ugly. These films are great to poke fun at, but they are also an important frame of reference to see both how far, or how little we have grown as one American community.

May we all buy ranges with “Deep Well Cookers” in the future.

Sam and Beth discuss an intriguing little film about the artistic awakening of the groundbreaking photographer Diane Arbus. Imagine it is the late 1950s, and you are being suffocated by crinoline and your girdle. There is an insatiable curiosity within you to go to places you have never been, and to bear witness to people and lifestyles outside of the homogenized social norms of the time. Suddenly a mysterious stranger appears, who is both spirit guide and seducer, holding a candle to your pathway of liberation. Nicole Kidman, Ty Burrell, and Robert Downey Jr. execute the machinations of this parlor film perfectly.

Fur probably feels itchy in August.

Episode links: “Masters of Photography Diane Arbus” (1972) https://youtu.be/Q_0sQI90kYI?si=d1PieZbEBJofkJxt

“Female Photographers - Brief History of Women With a Camera” https://blog.bridgemanimages.com/blog/brief-history-of-women-and-photography

Beth and Rick chop it up about our favorite summer films, more specifically about our favorite blockbuster faire in these dog days when the chill of the theater (or our living rooms) is a welcome reprieve from the midday sizzle.

Is a great blockbuster merely defined by commercial success and dollars and cents? There may be more to it than the gross. One thing we agree on is that summer is a great time to enjoy action on the big screen as well as surprise and sleeper hits. We try to cover all the flavors and levels in that cinematic blockbuster snow cone, to get to the bottom and find the gum ball.

Have a listen, stay cool out there. Comments are open.

Hey gang,

Sam and I wanted to squeeze one more episode in as a Pride recap. This episode we go marathon with film recommendations to keep you busy, comforted, or inspired for all those months that are not June. Pride month might be over, so let the months of Gay wrath commence! 😉

But seriously, we think we’ve put a good list together to make you want to go digging up some of these older or lesser known titles.

Be sure to hydrate. We’ve got your six.

WE STILL OUT HERE. 🌈

Take care fam. 💕

It is 90+ degrees outside and the heat index is climbing. It is hard to stay chill or to feel celebratory when the “dog days” of summer really feel so oppressive. The key to survival is to hydrate and find your people. I am happy to report Sam is back in the co-host chair for this episode. It has been too long, and time with one’s favorite people is very precious. We welcome back our friend Thomas and his friend Mindy for this special episode for Pride. This will be our third year celebrating on the Pod (even though we are pretty chock full of queer content year round).

“Camp” is a lovely and gentle tale about finding that safe place where we belong, with people that love us, for our flawed, beautiful selves. Get out of the heat, mix something fruity and effervescent to drink. Bring snacks, and invite friends for a watch. Remember, The Rainbow is always rising. Happy Pride. 🌈

The year is 1976, America is busy finding new ways to celebrate their Bicentennial. Somewhere across the Atlantic, in a wine shop in Paris, a somewhat anonymous British wine merchant evolves a plan for a wine “showdown” — the great wines of France vs those young hippie upstarts of Napa and Sonoma, California in a head to head wine tasting, hosted in France. This event would later go down in history as the “Judgement of Paris” and from that day forward, it would have global and historic implications for wine commerce and wine enthusiasts.

Bottle Shock is an amusing and palatable little film for any oenophile. It is always a pleasure to have my friend Bill come on as a guest, but when he speaks on wine, it’s a heady and deep discussion on the subject. The man has a passion for what he does, and his knowledge on the subject of wine is expansive. This is a great episode to pair up with the episode Bill and I did for the film Sideways, and we think both films would pair well as a double feature and a nice Virginia, Petit Verdot and some Gruyère.

By the way, all 50 states now have at least one winery. I hear New Jersey makes a kickass Rose’

https://youtu.be/5CauYc4VSJU?si=-VTBLAcwMxQfCZAS

With the long weekend coming up, and Summer just around the corner, we thought it might be fun to cover a film that evokes vibes of late night drive-ins and Sci Fi blockbusters. Tim Burton’s 1996 version of space invaders turns the first contact trope on its head. It is mercilessly satirical and simultaneously hilarious. It features a cast of many A-listers (Burton wished he could have had more), and some of what we think is the best cinematic use of CGI compared to other films of the era. Strap in for some fun and many senseless tangents.

ACK! ACK! to you all.