Based in Los Angeles, California, F. Ron Miller has designed numerous movie posters and title sequences, as well as an impressive number of covers for The Criterion Collection, who releases important classic and contemporary films. Ron's always been a big fan of The Bad and the Beautiful, starring Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, and Elaine Stewart. It tells the story of a ruthless producer played by Kirk Douglas, who works tirelessly to reach the top of the Hollywood system with no care for how others get left in the dust. We also talk about movies that are about making movies, David Lynch, Citizen Kane, as well as imposter syndrome, how designers work, design magazines, design culture, and design history.

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F. Ron Miller received his bachelor's degree from California Institute of the Arts, where he was a student of Lou Danziger, and his master's degree from London's Royal College of Art. His work has appeared in Communication Arts, The Paris Review, and The Design Observer. He's prominently featured in the Criterion Designs monograph.

https://www.fronmiller.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Criterion-Designs-Collection/dp/160465936X

https://criterioncast.com/column/covering-the-collection/covering-the-collection-an-interview-with-f-ron-miller

https://www.criterion.com/faq 

https://www.artcenter.edu/about/alumni/alumni-stories/lou-danziger-leaving-a-well-designed-legacy.html

https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-lou-danziger-at-100-and-beyond/ 

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The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044391/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/22/bad-and-the-beautiful-review

https://www.nytimes.com/1953/01/16/archives/the-bad-and-the-beautiful-with-kirk-douglas-playing-a-scoundrel-at.html

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Movie history from Scorsese

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Personal_Journey_with_Martin_Scorsese_Through_American_Movies

https://www.kanopy.com/en/watch/video/5878649/5878651 

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Ace In the Hole (1951)

Boogie Nights (1997)

Bowfinger (1999)

Cat People (1942)

Chaplin (1992)

Citizen Kane (1941)

CQ (2001)

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Ed Wood (1994)

Hollywood Shuffle (1987)

Maxxxine (2024)

Once Upon a Time In… Hollywood (2019)

A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies (1995)

The Player (1992)

Playtime (1967)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

The Professional (1994)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Erin Prus recorded the initial Anora episode, Part 1, January 2025 when the movie had already earned plenty of accolades. Weeks later, in February 2025 with even more news swirling about the movie and Oscar buzz, this follow-up episode was recorded. Is the controversy surrounding the movie, which did not have an intimacy coordinator on set, worth debating over? Does it make the movie better, or worse? Does it make Anora, as a work of art, a bolder creative act? Are comparisons to the Julia Roberts and Richard Gere romantic comedy Pretty Woman appropriate? Plus, we discuss stunt coordinators, sports cars, the Madonna-whore concept, and the 2016-2022 HBO series Westworld.

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A teacher-journalist turned content designer and UX writer, Erin Prus is no stranger to career pivots. She's been consulting for two seemingly disparate clients in the health tech and horticulture spaces, two things she cares deeply about. Also, she's scheduled to wrap up a forthcoming memoir later this year. When she's not working, Erin loves being outside, spending time with her French Bulldog Rumi, doing Pilates, and watching movies with her son.

https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/rachel-chertoffs-bedside-jewelry-is-the-kind-you-never-want-to-take-off/ 

https://www.edibleohiovalley.com/eov/2022/cincy-urban-farm?rq=CincyUrban

https://www.fotofocus.org/2018/10/30/the-biennial-in-book-form/ 

https://mooprintms.wpengine.com/blog/inspiration/behind-brand-refresh-500px#more-12827

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Anora (2024)

https://collider.com/first-oscar-winner-actress-janet-gaynor-street-angel-anora/ 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/intimacy-coordinators-challengers-porn-hollywood-oscar-1235910610/ 

https://medium.com/elucidationtoday/intimacy-coordinator-creating-a-culture-of-consent-in-filmmaking-a805ed4b747e 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/anora-iatse-union-set-1236162501/ 

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/69502/sex-life-in-defence-of-anora 

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/anora-intimacy-coordinator-respond-mikey-madison-sean-baker-1236254012/ 

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/pamela-anderson-mikey-madison-anora-intimacy-coordinators-1236241323/ 

https://www.vox.com/culture/402258/anora-ocscars-mikey-madison-sean-baker-best-picture 

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Madonna-whore complex/concept

https://www.ebony.com/blacks-and-the-madonna-whore-complex-333/ 

https://www.modernintimacy.com/the-psychology-of-the-madonna-whore-complex/ 

https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2015/10/03/madonna-whore-complex/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sexual-futurist/202401/embrace-the-sacred-and-profane-in-your-relationships 

https://theconversation.com/madonna-or-whore-frigid-or-a-slut-why-women-are-still-bearing-the-brunt-of-sexual-slurs-99292 

https://www.thecut.com/article/tradwife-cooking-for-husband-fulfillment.html 

https://www.themarysue.com/hbo-westworld-feminism/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHmHesDYPzw 

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Blade Runner (1982)

Cinderella (1955, 1965, 1977, 2015, 2021)

Grease (1978)

Hustlers (2019)

Pretty Woman (1990)

The Stepford Wives (1975, 2004)

Striptease (1996)

Westworld (series, 2016-2022)

Erin Prus is a design leader living in the heart of the Midwest, focused on the ways words (and their systems and styles) shape design, along with UI design elements, accessibility, and more. Her experience spans copywriting in advertising; short and long form in publishing; editorial, brand-building, and big healthcare. She sees her love of language at the center of many design experiences. Erin shared her thoughts on Anora, in an episode recorded well before the Oscars, where the movie won many statues. Sean Baker's movie tells the story of an exotic dancer from Brooklyn, she is also an escort. Anora, who goes by Ani, meets a young, wealthy Russian boy but their romance and subsequent marriage go from Cinderella story to a maelstrom of unfortunate events.

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A teacher-journalist turned content designer and UX writer, Erin Prus is no stranger to career pivots. She's been consulting for two seemingly disparate clients in the health tech and horticulture spaces, two things she cares deeply about. Also, she's scheduled to wrap up a forthcoming memoir later this year. When she's not working, Erin loves being outside, spending time with her French Bulldog Rumi, doing Pilates, and watching movies with her son.

https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/rachel-chertoffs-bedside-jewelry-is-the-kind-you-never-want-to-take-off/

https://www.edibleohiovalley.com/eov/2022/cincy-urban-farm?rq=CincyUrban

https://www.fotofocus.org/2018/10/30/the-biennial-in-book-form/

https://mooprintms.wpengine.com/blog/inspiration/behind-brand-refresh-500px#more-12827

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Anora (2024)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/intimacy-coordinators-challengers-porn-hollywood-oscar-1235910610/

https://medium.com/elucidationtoday/intimacy-coordinator-creating-a-culture-of-consent-in-filmmaking-a805ed4b747e

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/movies/sean-baker-oscars-anora.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/25/movies/anora-palme-dor-sean-baker.html

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/anora-intimacy-coordinator-respond-mikey-madison-sean-baker-1236254012/

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/pamela-anderson-mikey-madison-anora-intimacy-coordinators-1236241323/

https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/anora-oscars-frontrunner-final-voting-begins-1236303199/

https://youtu.be/EMTHwp1UPjk?si=XQ5TOmzBGVhS9WIL

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Sean Baker and typography

https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Aguafina+Script

https://letterboxd.com/journal/sag-awards-independent-spirit-sean-baker-anora/

https://www.fastcompany.com/91289352/why-sean-baker-uses-the-same-font-in-every-one-of-his-movies

https://mubi.com/en/notebook/posts/movie-poster-of-the-week-the-sean-baker-font

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Stockholm Syndrome

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

https://www.history.com/news/stockholm-syndrome

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Other movies discussed, alphabetical list

Bachelor Party (1984)

Hustlers (2019)

Night Shift (1982)

Tangerine (2015)

Zola (2020)

Mónica Malavé is a marketing and branding strategist, and CEO of Elevate It Now. Originally from Puerto Rico, she has a passion for design, marketing, and all things creative and is a big believer in "people helping people." Her specialties include branding, social media management, technical and creative marketing, and innovative marketing strategies. She's an Adobe Express Ambassador and also a Marketing Mentor with the American Marketing Association, DC Chapter. A big fan of movies, including but not limited to 2015's Cinderella, Michael Keaton movies like Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously, and Batman, she suggested we discuss The Princess Bride, a true gem of a movie.

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https://www.elevateitnow.com/about-us/ 

https://www.instagram.com/elevateitnow/ 

https://www.threads.net/@elevateitnow 

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The Princess Bride (1987)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/ 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/characters/nm0001597/

https://youtu.be/XCHKYNFH9Lk?si=zcmBVNdsKLMUXTib 

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/06/the-princess-bride-homemade-fan-film 

https://ew.com/movies/2019/09/18/princess-bride-remake-jamie-lee-curtis-cary-elwes/ 

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Other movies discussed, alphabetical list

All the President's Men (1976)

Cinderella (2015)

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Clash of the Titans (2010

Saw (2004)

Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

Art historian and design historian Tony Best knows visual culture and as president of Sunset & Madison LLC, a research-based communications firm, his work is rooted in creative services management, archival practices, and mass media studies. Tony suggested a couple of movies to discuss, but ultimately landed on Purple Rain. Prince is The Kid, a young musician facing challenges at home who strives to be the best artist, the best possible musician that he can, no matter the distractions. If you grew up in the 80s, then you know the music, featuring Prince and the Revolution, The Time and Apollonia 6. On March 5th, theaters around the country will re-release Purple Rain for one night only, an exclusive Dolby Cinema Engagement with visuals and audio that improve upon the 40th anniversary edition from May 2024.

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Tony Best holds degrees in Moving Image Archive Studies and Art History from UCLA. His portfolio includes projects for the UCLA Film & Television Archive, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, CalArts, Mass Appeal/Showtime, and Amaru Records.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyjbest/

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Purple Rain (1984)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087957/ 

https://www.fandango.com/search?q=Purple+Rain&mode=all 

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/purple-rain-theater-rerelease-dolby-vision-8k-presentation-1236312227/ 

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/year/1984/page/2 

https://www.instagram.com/vaughnterryofficial/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_Advisory 

https://deadline.com/2023/05/jim-brown-dead-nfl-dirty-dozen-actor-civil-rights-1235373574/ 

https://www.npr.org/2024/07/26/g-s1-13857/purple-rain-prince-movie-40-anniversary 

https://www.grammy.com/news/prince-purple-rain-album-anniversary-film-legacy-influence 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/08/magazine/prince-netflix-ezra-edelman-documentary.html 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/04/25/prince-purple-rain-darling-nikki-censorship-lyrics-tipper-gore-column/83466774/ 

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Other movies discussed, alphabetical list

Beat Street (1984)

Breakin' (1984)

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

Fame (1980)

Krush Groove (1985)

Missionary (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho5iOnGcWas 

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Staying Alive (1983)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

Xanadu (1980)

Silas Munro and I had a lot to talk about when we discussed 2016's Moonlight, and this bonus episode has even more. Family, friends, spending time together, enjoying a meal together, and preparing a meal, as well as swimming, all play a pivotal role in the movie. In this short bonus episode, Silas talks about the importance of food and family in his own life.

Silas Munro is a designer, artist, writer, researcher, curator, and surfer. He founded the design studio Polymode, based in Los Angeles and Raleigh, that works with clients across cultural spheres. He's also curator and author of Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest at Letterform Archive in 2022-2023 and contributor to W. E. B. Du Bois's Data Portraits: Visualizing Black America. He co-authored the first BIPOC-centered design history course, Black Design in America: African Americans and the African Diaspora in Graphic Design 19th-21st Century. Silas talks about the Academy Award Winning movie, Moonlight, discussing not only the Oscar blunder but also the movie's sights, sounds, actions, and emotions, from the use of lighting and music to the hero's journey. We see a young boy, Chiron, facing challenges and obstacles in school, mentored by Juan who takes the boy under his wings. Composed of multiple acts, we see Chiron grow into adulthood and reunite with his long lost love, Kevin.

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Silas Munro, descendant of the Banyole people of Eastern Uganda, has had work recently exhibited at the Raizes Gallery at Lesley University, the LA Design Festival, and the Scottsdale Museum of Art, and it is included in the collections of Tufts University, Lesley University, and the Montalvo Arts Center. Upcoming exhibitions in 2025 include a solo show, How Does The Grid Deal with A Messy World? at The University of Hartford's Joseloff Gallery, and in the group show Data Consciousness: Reframing Blackness in Contemporary Print at Print Center New York, curated by Tiffany E. Barber. Munro is Founding Faculty, Chair Emeritus for the MFA Program in Graphic Design at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Find more of his courses such as Behind and Ahead of the Times: Histories and Futures of Black Futurity, Black Data: W.E.B. Du Bois and Data Visualization, Black Queer Stories in Print: 19th Century to the Harlem Renaissance, as well as Funk, Blaxploitation, & Hip Hop Aesthetics at BIPOC Design History's website.

http://www.polymode.studio/

https://www.bipocdesignhistory.com/ 

https://bipocdesignhistory.com/products/behind-and-ahead-of-the-times-histories-and-futures-of-black-futurity/

https://bipocdesignhistory.com/products/black-data-w-e-b-du-bois-and-data-visualization/

https://bipocdesignhistory.com/products/black-queer-stories-in-print-19th-century-to-the-harlem-renaissance/

https://bipocdesignhistory.com/products/funk-blaxploitation-hip-hop-aesthetics/

https://aadn.gsd.harvard.edu/2024/12/06/silas-munro-tobi-ashiru/

https://raceremix.arts.arizona.edu/guest/silas-munro/

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Moonlight (2016)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4975722/

https://youtu.be/yiTAQjPe_LM?si=aGf2dLAAVeeMpQWK 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/theater/tarell-alvin-mccraney-geffen-playhouse.html

https://shop.a24films.com/products/moonlight-book 

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/video/2017/feb/28/who-had-the-card-jimmy-kimmel-explains-oscars-mix-up-video

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/3/1/14777110/typography-oscars-2017

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Other movies discussed, alphabetical list

Anora (2024)

Challengers (2024)

Danu Ardhata believes that living in two completely different worlds has always fueled his creative ventures. Born in Chicago and raised in Jakarta, the Indonesian-American graphic designer and brand strategist recently earned his master's degree at ArtCenter College of Design, California. He talks about his upbringing, learning software on his own, and why The Intern is such a special movie.

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Danu Ardhata first discovered graphic design in the 12th grade, but long before that, he was already captivated by the visual storytelling of movie posters and the immersive branding of events, from promotional materials and stage designs to merchandising. He's been recognized by PRINT Magazine, the 2024 Community Choice New Visual Artist Winner, and 2024 New Visual Artist 15 under 30, alongside accolades from Graphic Design USA, Core77, and Graphis.

https://www.danuardhata.com/about-me 

https://www.instagram.com/danudanari/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danu-ardhata

https://www.printmag.com/new-visual-artists/print-new-visual-artist-community-choice-winner/ 

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The Intern (2015)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2361509/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU3Xban0Y6A 

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/intern-movie-set-design 

https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/movies-set-in-brooklyn-intern-bridge-of-spies/ 

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-intern-review-20150925-story.html

Some thoughts on David Lynch, plus what's coming in early 2025.

Jessica Barness, design scholar and scholarly designer, recently began exploring a new design sci-fi writing project that deals with blacklisted visual tools and biopreferences. When Jessica was last on the show, we discussed the Wim Wenders science fiction, dystopian movie Until the End of the World. In this episode, we talk about (what is far from a 2024 Christmas Holiday Special) Nosferatu from Robert Eggers, comparing it to prior vampire movies and critiquing facial hair, British accents, vampire hunters and academics, pre-tenure packets, and failed scholarly pursuits.

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Jessica Barness investigates connections among and within design systems, from sensory media to publication histories, often found at the edges of design discourse. As Professor of Visual Communication Design at Kent State University she teaches design research and interaction design. She also serves as Design Incubation's Co-chair and Director of Research Initiatives. Prolific in every sense of the word, her projects include but are not limited to: The Designers Respond, The Quiet Design Scholar, and What Scholarship Looks Like (with Amy Papaelias, SUNY New Paltz).

https://www.jessicabarness.com/

https://jessicabarness.substack.com/

https://www.whatscholarshiplookslike.net/

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Nosferatu (2024)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5040012/

https://www.history.com/news/vampire-nosferatu-dracula

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-haunting-history-behind-nosferatu

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Robert Eggers

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3211470/

Nosferatu (2024)

The Northman (2022)

The Lighthouse (2019)

The Witch (2015)

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Other movies and shows discussed, alphabetical list

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Dracula (1931)

Jaws (1975)

Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

What We Do in the Shadows (series, 2019-2024)