Criticism Is Dead

We discuss Starstruck, a romcom for the modern age, and Enlightened, a short-lived series about trying to do good in a world that's not necessarily made for that.

03:39 Starstruck, streaming on HBO Max, is a perfectly short, simple, and sweet take on a romcom.

19:45 Enlightened, also on HBO Max, holds up remarkably well as an exploration of the human condition, empathy, and whether people can change.

35:53 Plus, culture notes about this year's Emmy nominations and some snubs.

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We discuss Zola and No Sudden Move, two films about getting sucked into very criminal goings-on.

03:08 Zola, now out in theaters(!), has a hard job of hitting the right balance between dark and larger-than-life wild, and it veers a little more toward dark.

23:24 Crime caper No Sudden Move, streaming on HBO Max, is akin to a fast car: you don't know all the parts and how they work together, but it's definitely moving!

38:56 Plus, culture notes at length about the Succession trailer.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We're back from a quick break with a nice, long episode! We discuss Physical and Evil, two shows about battling demons (both inner and outer).

03:29 Physical, a polarizing dark comedy on Apple TV+, is an incredibly thorny, often exhausting show, but one that so far is worth the watch.

21:22 Evil, streaming on Netflix (season 1) and Paramount+ (season 2), is a supernatural procedural that questions the gray area between skepticism and faith.

37:58 Plus, culture notes about Britney Spears and the cruelty of a system designed to entrap and abuse.

NOTE: We are off again next week for the holiday. Stay cool and see you the week after!

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We discuss We Are Lady Parts, about an all-girl Muslim punk rock band, and Bo Burnham: Inside, the comedian's quarantine musical solo endeavor.

02:41 The new UK series We Are Lady Parts, available on Peacock stateside, is a bright, bombastic, witty effort to subvert Muslim stereotypes.

24:13 Bo Burnham's new special Inside, streaming on Netflix, is a visual and sonic feast made all the more impressive by the labors of creation.

44:02 Plus, culture notes about characters who had 15 minutes or fewer in a film.

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

It's a long — but good, if we may say so ourselves — one this week! We discuss The Underground Railroad, an alt-history epic about the rotten foundation of this country, and Couples Therapy, a docuseries about excavating the past to address troubles of the present.

02:50 The Underground Railroad, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is one of the best works of television/cinema in recent memory.

28:55 Couples Therapy, available on Showtime (and with some episodes on YouTube), is so voyeuristically fascinating and revealing, it's hard to stop watching.

52:32 Plus, culture notes about that threesome — celeb culture isn't dead!

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We discuss Girls5eva and Hacks, two comedy series about grasping for new life in an industry that's all about the young and the fresh.

07:04 Girls5eva — _the latest in the Tina Fey/Robert Carlock universe, streaming on Peacock — is the closest to _30 Rock we're going to get (although it doesn't quite go all the way).

22:333 Hacks, airing weekly on HBO Max, is a Jean Smart vehicle about generational differences and conflict.

37:34 Plus, culture notes about why people our age are going gaga over a teen pop star's teen angst oeuvre.

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We discuss the limited series Mare of Easttown and the film The Mitchells vs. the Machines, two works that are basically as far apart as you can get in color palette, among other things!!!

03:53 On Mare of Easttown — streaming weekly on HBO Max — the drama of community entanglements is as compelling as its murder mystery.

23:12 The Mitchells vs. the Machines, new to Netflix, is a family film with enough action, jokes, and texture to hold adults’ attention, too.

35:41 Plus, culture notes about a couple previews we’re hyped about: the currently in-production seasons of Succession _and _Selling Sunset. 

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We discuss Shadow and Bone, about a Chosen One coming to terms with her deeply held secret, and The Mosquito Coast, about a patriarch fleeing his.

05:53 Shadow and Bone, out on Netflix, manages to fill a fun fantasy-sized void in the TV landscape, in spite of its lackluster heroine.

24:11 The Mosquito Coast, streaming weekly on Apple TV+, is a high-octane drama that has the potential (hopefully?) to produce a new antihero à la Walter White, Tony Soprano, etc.

44:05 Plus, culture notes about our favorite Boston boy and Miss J.Lo, reunited.

P.S. CORRECTION: Jenny said Top Chef 2006 in the opening, but that season was NOT from 2006, it was from 2010. My bad!!!

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus more — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We discuss Stowaway, a movie about surviving in space, and The Other Two, a show about surviving a pop star kid brother.

04:13 Stowaway, new to Netflix, is an unusual space film that is also a horror story about mathematics and employer negligence.

23:03 The Other Two, now streaming on HBO Max, is a comedy series about adults figuring out how best to ride a tween pop star's 15 minutes of fame.

35:51 Plus, culture notes about the Academy Awards, which have already happened, but not by the time we recorded this! Find out how good/bad we are at predicting things!

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus bonus bullshit — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co

We discuss The Circle and Warrior, two very different shows in which perception plays a big role.

02:17 The Circle (U.S.), Netflix's competition reality show about "influencers" and "catfish," is back — and season 2 is even better than the first.

17:04 Warrior, streaming on HBO Max, set primarily in 1870s San Francisco Chinatown, is a timely pick for the present age.

41:19 Plus, NOT culture notes, but instead, a brief celebration of six months of this podcast! We choose some top picks from the past half year and indulge in a little sentimentality.

Let us know what you want to see from us in the future: a Patreon(?), call-ins(??), a community chat(???), or whatever else.

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For extended show notes — including links that we reference, plus bonus bullshit — subscribe to our Substack. Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to [email protected].

Music: REEKAH

Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu

Find out more at https://criticism-is-dead.pinecast.co