Aubrey Plaza became known for a comic role in the TV series "Parks and Recreation," but she is impressive as a dramatic lead in "Emily the Criminal." In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano talk about a film in which one gets to see why the title character turns to a life of crime. Although the film has a downbeat quality and arguably does not push as far as it might into character and story development, the impressive lead performance and the quasi-documentary setting hold your interest. Marie and Mike also discuss several other films they have seen recently. 

"Bullet Train" is true to its title in that it is a violent comedy about hired assassins going after each other on a train trip from Tokyo to Kyoto. HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano discuss the film in a podcast episode in which they agree that Brad Pitt gives an amusing lead performance, but otherwise tend to disagree about the film. Marie enjoys this wildly over the top train ride, while Mike is bothered by so many violent scenes played for laughs. Marie and Mike also talk about "The Forgiven," in which Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain play an unhappily married couple whose vacation trip to Morocco has a jolting incident when their car kills a young man. Marie and Mike agree that these two characters and many of the other wealthy characters are unsympathetic. Also, some of the plot twists seem unlikely. They do acknowledge that Ralph Fiennes gives a strong performance in a film that also has striking cinematography.

In the latest episode of Razzle Dazzle we talk with Brynn Williams, the director of the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts 50th birthday celebration.

Join me, Tim Banks, as I talk with Andy Shallal the founder and CEO of Busboys and Poets, a new restaurant in downtown Columbia.

"Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," which began as a three-minute short film on You Tube in 2010, has gained a lot of fans over the years. Now this tiny and witty animated character has an 89-minute movie of its own. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that this surreal comedy has a fresh quality amidst so many standard-issue animated movies. If Mike likes it less, it's because he thinks the short sketches wear thin when assembled in a feature-length movie. Marie and Mike also talk about "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank." The premise behind this comedy is to make an animated samurai version of Mel Brooks' live-action 1974 western spoof "Blazing Saddles." Marie and Mike share their disappointment with a movie that only sporadically engages with its source material, and in which the samurai plot and the animation itself are nothing special.

B.J. Novak, who is best known for the TV series "The Office," is the writer, director. and star of "Vengeance." In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano share their enjoyment of a comedy in which the New York writer portrayed by Novak goes to Texas to do a podcast about an acquaintance of the writer who may have died under mysterious circumstances. Although Marie and Mike had various reservations about "Vengeance," starting with its title, they admire how the script tackles what might be termed blue state/red state relations. Marie and Mike also discuss the animated movie "DC League of Super-Pets," in which a full roster of superhero characters is complemented by as many super-pets. Their mixed assessment includes Marie liking the abundance of vocal talent including Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski and Olivia Wilde; and Mike not particularly liking the hectic mash-up of so many characters.

In this episode of Bookish: A Casual Book Club, Kofi, Sylvia, and Laura discuss the ways life can interfere with your summer reading goals.

Jordan Peele's "Get Out" and "Us" established him as a director to watch, and you definitely should watch his new film, "Nope." In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano share their enthusiasm for this mashup of the science fiction and western genres. Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya star as siblings whose California ranch supplies horses for TV and movie productions. Imagine their shock when a UFO hovers over their ranch! Also, the ranchers' occupational tie to the movie industry provides Peele with wonderful opportunities to comment on our media-saturated society. Marie and Mike especially like how this movie balances its comic and scary moments. In short, our critics say yes to "Nope." As for the second movie discussed in this episode, Marie and Mike say nope to "Thor: Love and Thunder." Although Chris Hemsworth is reliably enjoyable as the title character, the movie is such a goofy self-parody that it quickly wears thin.

HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano devote this podcast episode to two otherwise very different movies in which female protagonists assert themselves. In "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris," Lesley Manville plays a British cleaning lady who decides to go to Paris and buy an expensive Dior gown. Although Marie likes this film more than Mike, he agrees that it's pleasant and agreeably conveys what the world of high fashion was like in the late 1950s. The second film, "Where the Crawdads Sing," is based on a best-selling novel by Delia Owens about a young woman (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) who grows up alone in a North Carolina marsh. Marie and Mike like it, but point out that its serious thematic concerns are given relatively gentle treatment.