High School Slumber Party

After covering some of the more well known works of Gus Van Sant, Brian invites returning guest Austin Wolf-Sothern to the Slumber Party to talk about a lesser known film in his catalog; Paranoid Park. Continuing his trend of using amateur actors; Van Sant tells the story of a young skateboarder whose life is turned upside down after an accidental death. 

The Black Teen Experience returns to High School Slumber Party with co-host Kirkland Shephard to discuss one of the most ICONIC teen films of all time; House Party. Kirk and Brian talk all things Kid N' Play, cool hair, Martin Lawrence and dance parties. Also, listen for Brian and Kirk's reaction to an early 20/20 feature on the origins of hip hop! Look out for future episodes of High School Slumber Party B.T.E on the second Tuesday of every month. 

For the next film in our Gus Van Sant series returning guest Danny Kim is here to chat Elephant. The movie's tagline says it all; "An ordinary high school day. Except that it's not." In Elephant, Gus Van Sant made the bold and controversial choice to depict a high school day in its rawest form; even when that day ends in a tragic school shooting. Influenced by the Columbine Massacre this film (and this episode) are not for the faint of heart. 

It’s the first ever episode of High School Slumber Party AP and hosts Aislinn Addington and Brian Rodriguez start their project of shedding light on contemporary teen films by breaking down The Map of Tiny Perfect Things. This Amazon Studios film starring Kathryn Newton and Kyle Allen might just be the cute smart funny Sci-Fi romance 2021 needs. Think Groundhogs Day or Edge of Tomorrow but you know…with teens.

"You're the man now, dawg!" Mike Manzi returns to the slumber party to chat up the second Gus Van Sant film in our series; Finding Forrester. Starring Sean Connery (in one of his final performances), newcomer Rob Brown and Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham; Finding Forrester is so much more than a knock-off Good Will Hunting. Mike and Brian talk a different era for independent film, on set chemistry and why this movie went under the radar for both of them when it first came out. 

Brian invites his old Blockbuster bud Kyle Reinfried back to the slumber party to chat the first in a Gus Van Sant series of teen adjacent films; To Die For. This underrated Nicole Kidman performance may be the best of her career as she plays Suzanne Stone-Maretto; an aspiring TV personality who will stop at nothing to become a star. To Die For also stars Matt Dillion, Illeana Douglas, Dan Hedaya, Holland Taylor, Wayne Knight as well as breakthrough teenage performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck. 

After making a special guest appearance (and dropping a HUGE High School Slumber Party announcement) on The Contenders podcast, Brian returns to his sleeping bag to discuss Netflix's new film Moxie; directed by Amy Poehler. Actor/model/previous slumber party guest Jenny O'Connell stops by with an opinion or two of her own on feminism, Amy Poehler and Tiny Fey and of course all things Moxie!

The most tenured man in High School Slumber Party history Mike Manzi returns to the podcast to hop across the pond with Brian and chat about one of the most acclaimed and groundbreaking British films of all time; If.... Staring a pre-Clockwork Orange Malcom McDowell and set in a prestigious boarding school, If...'s subversiveness and dark humor were a perfect mixture for an emerging late 60's counter culture ready to view a new kind of film. 

Hey you...we're talking Noah Baumbach's break out feature the Squid and the Whale with returning guest Danny Kim. This might not be an episode for you philistines out there as not only does Brian read Kafka out loud but Danny and Brian take a very analytical deep dive into a film that was formative to both their early film pallets. Starring Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney as divorcing Brooklyn parents and Jesse Eisenberg as a teen trying his best to process it all; the Squid and the Whale stands the test of time as one of the better indie films from the century's first decade. Degolas...

Kirkland Shephard joins High School Slumber Party for the soft launch of a brand new series: the Black Teen Experience. On their first episode, Kirk and Brian talk all about one of the most ICONIC movies of the 90's John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood; staring then unknowns Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Regina King along with Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. Boyz n' the Hood provides the perfect jumping off point for the new series that will examine both popular and overlooked Black American high school films.