Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant star in the 1940 classic, The Philadelphia Story, along with some actress who was dubbed in 1938 to be "box office poison" by the Independent Theater Owners of America. 

That actress was named Katherine Hepburn, and she is, despite all evidence to the contrary, a god among us. 

Hepburn starred in The Philadelphia Story on the stage (in a role written for her) and bought the rights to bring the play to the big screen, all in an effort to recover her image as a failed actress. I know, right!

Needless to say, it worked, and the result is a classic screwball comedy of remarriage. All this (and an aside about the Amityville Horror series, because this is Courtney and Chris after all) on this weeks Double Exposure. 

Question: Is Audrey Hepburn the first Manic Pixie Dream Girl? Think about it. She just might be.

The question is central to this week's Double Exposure, and Chris and Courtney's conversation about Billy Wilder's Sabrina (this is the 1954 original, NOT the 1995 remake with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond).

Most of the show this week is dedicated to talking about Audrey Hepburn and the qualities that (Chris argues) makes her unique among the women of the golden age of Hollywood. 

Also: What happened to the romantic comedy, these days? Sabrina kicks off a discussion of just how rare, and bad, the genre has become.

If you thought we could limit Bette Davis to just one episode, fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night. In this episode, Chris and Courtney celebrate Bette Davis's powerful comeback in All About Eve, her first movie post-Warner Bros. breakup.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1950 wit-filled masterpiece about an aging theater star poised to be overtaken by a younger actress, is the only film in Oscar history to receive four female acting nominations, though not one of those women won...which is legitimately insane. But not as insane as Bette Davis's performance as Margo Channing. 

Get ready to hear Chris and Courtney gush all about Bette Davis.      

This week from Double Exposure comes the movie that made Bette Davis a star: Of Human Bondage. 

Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage portrays a world in which human lives are inexplicably intertwined, for good and ill. Today the film is remembered mostly for the harrowing performance from the young Davis, who went from anonymous Hollywood actress to sensation, even earning herself an Write-In nomination for the Academy Awards. 

On the episode, Courtney and Chris discuss the life an unwed woman with a baby in the 30s, the power that hides in those Bette Davis eyes, and (obviously) The First Purge.

The Women, a 1939 comedy/drama directed by the legend George Cukor, features 130 actors, of whom 120 have speaking parts. Of those 130 actors, exactly zero of them are men. 

There are, additionally, no photos of men, or paintings. All the animals (and there are many dogs and horses) are female. This alone is a remarkable accomplishment; I mention it here not because the lack of men is what matters in this movie, but because men are, truthfully, what The Women is all about. 

It's a strange affair, in that way, but luckily for everyone,The Women is also a tremendously enjoyable romp. Join Chris and Courtney as they unpack an hilarious comedy of cheating and divorce and back-stabbing gossip, with a dose of sultry Joan Crawford to boot.

The final episode in Double Exposure's Chick Flicks series is here, with the Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film: A Fantastic Woman.

The Chilean film tells the story of a transgender woman who loses her lover to an untimely death. The tragedy leaves her to face her lover's family, the police, and her grief, all while struggling to hold her personal life together. 

Courtney and Chris contemplate the difficulty of transgender life, and the innate political dynamic of simply trying to live a trans life in the world. 

Also: the next series arc is revealed. So stay tune for that.

Whether you think that Katherine Bigelow's 2012 Zero Dark Thirty is an ode to the glory of torture or a precursor to Claire Danes on Homeland, there's no disputing that there's a lot of feels wrapped up in seeing a character like Maya in a role typically reserved for a man. 

In this penultimate episode of the Chick Flicks arc, Chris and Courtney...zero...in on what makes Maya so powerful, but also her downfalls as she leans in to a sort of triumph that might not be so triumphant. 

Woulds't thou like to live deliciously? So asks Black Phillip to Thomasin in the 2016 Puritan horror story The Witch. And I think we all know the answer: Yes, doy! Delicious, witchly, eternity plz.

In this week's Chick Flick, The Which, first-time director Robert Eggers provides a masterclass in period detail, and his directorial precision pairs beautifully with intricate and devastating performances--chiefly from Anya Taylor-Joy--that left both Chris and Courtney in awe.

The Witch also gives Chris a chance to nerd out on Puritan history and religion, an opportunity he always welcomes. 

Also on the episode, a conversation about Donald Glover's 'This is America:' the song, the video, and how white folks react to African-American art, provide an extended intro debate that covers Donald Glover, Kanye West, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and more.

Journey back to 1996 with Chris and Courtney as they revisit a complex action-drama that investigates race, systemic violence, police abuse, income inequality, gender and sexuality. F. Gary Gray's Set It Off was both ahead of its time and for all times.

The conversation includes quotes from two articles that are essential reading for watching Set It Off in 2018:

1. For Cleo: Set It Off's Ultimate Ride or Die by Amanda Parris.  2. Why Set It Off is a Seminal Film for Black Feminism by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan.

Read them.

Also on the episode, the hosts review (rave, really) about two Janelle Monae videos: PYNK and Make Me Feel. Both singles appear on Monae's new and inspired album, 'Dirty Computer.' Which you should definitely buy.

 

This year, Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman to ever be nominated for a best director Oscar. In this episode of Double Exposure: Chick Flicks, Courtney and Chris discuss Gerwig's directorial debut, Lady Bird.

Unanimously beloved by both hosts, Courtney and Chris dive deep into WHAT exactly makes this movie such a darling of critics and viewers alike, besides, of course the immense talent. Also, what's the story with Lady Bird's comment at the end about God and parent-given names? Eh, hopefully someone will tell us.