HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano discuss "Downton Abbey: A New Era" in this podcast episode. Marie is a fan of the "Downton Abbey" TV series, its spinoff 2019 feature film and this latest feature film, while Mike is more lukewarm about what he terms cinematic comfort food. Even Mike concedes, though, that it is enjoyable watching its characters squabble in such a wonderful English mansion. "Downton Abbey: A New Era" brings that traditional upstairs/downstairs dynamic into the modern age of the late 1920s. Marie and Mike are in more complete agreement about another English film, "Men," which they both actively dislike. Jessie Buckley plays a troubled woman who rents a rural cottage and promptly finds herself subjected to all sorts of horror movie cliches. "Men" piles on the mythological references and bizarre special effects, but just seems arbitrary and desperate to jolt the audience.

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" further extends the Marvel universe, with Benedict Cumberbatch sharing screen time with all those special effects. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree they were underwhelmed by the story and characters. Although this multiverse-surfing movie suffers from being literally all over the place, Marie and Mike agree there are some neat sequences along the way. While they're on the subject of science fiction movies, Marie and Mike also discuss "Firestarter." Based on a Stephen King novel and previously made into a mediocre screen adaptation starring Drew Barrymore in 1984, this remake did not strike any sparks for Marie and Mike. They found the characters unsympathetic, and so that only leaves the pyrotechnic effects. In short, they do not want any "Firestarter" sequels.

The annual Maryland Film Festival returned to an in-person format this spring, and HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano spent a few busy days watching movies at Baltimore's Parkway Theatre. In this podcast episode, Marie and Mike discuss some of the documentaries, feature films and short films that make this a special event for movie buffs. They agree that a festival highlight was "Navalny," a documentary about the Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny. They also liked "A Woman on the Outside," a documentary about women in Philadelphia who organize bus trips to visit incarcerated men in Pennsylvania prisons. They also liked the documentary "Fire of Love," about a couple of scientists who study active volcanoes. And while we're still talking about documentaries, Mike also saw a film about Frederick Douglass and a second film about Harriet Tubman that will be airing on Maryland Public Television this fall. Among feature films, Mike saw a family drama from Iran, "Hit the Road," that he recommends.

In the latest episode of Razzle Dazzle, Robert Neal Marshall briefly discusses a few of the many events happening at Lakefest 2022.

Nicolas Cage plays himself in "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," and only his most ardent fans will want to see this silly film about what it means to be a movie star. Although HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano enjoy some of the career-referenced jokes, they agree in this podcast episode that it's so superficial that the film lacks the metaphysical weight of a somewhat similar film, "Being John Malkovitch." Marie and Mike also discuss French director Jacques Audiard's "Paris, 13th District." It's a romantic drama in which the central characters are attempting to make sense of their intertwined relationships. Marie and Mike remark that this black-and-white film resembles earlier French New Wave character studies.

Culinary and Hospitality student Rachel Carver shares her journey at HCC and why she decided to share her story as commencement speaker for this year's ceremony.   

What's the 211 Podcast is joined by Meg Kimmel, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer at the Maryland Food Bank to discuss food insecurity, mental health, and other available statewide services. 

In this episode of Bookish: A Casual Book Club, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura talk about how to read and enjoy Poetry. 

 It is not often that a movie draws upon Nordic mythology for its subject matter, and HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree in this podcast episode that "The Northman" benefits from its historical research about the Vikings. However, they also agree that the film is extremely brutal and has an excessive running time. The revenge-driven plot often seems to be submerged within the carnage. The film stars Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman and Anya Taylor-Joy, who certainly earned their battle pay. Marie and Mike also discuss the animated film "The Bad Guys," about a band of fast-talking animals involved in a criminal heist. Marie and Mike agree that it has some funny dialogue, but also that the film has too many car chases and other scenes that are busy for the sake of being busy.

According to the CDC, there is about one death from suicide every 11 minutes and it is among the top nine leading causes of death for people aged 10-64. In this episode we discuss mental health, suicide prevention and the tools we have in Howard County to aid those in need of help. We discuss the expansion of the Health Department’s It’s OK to Ask campaign. Our guests are Denise Giuliano from NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Leah Bulka from the Howard County Health Department.