Hot and Bothered

Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet in the Chicago Suburbs to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, about Pretty in Pink – our last movie in our cross-class romance series. 

This week we explore the delightful aesthetics of the film, the ‘queerness’ of Duckie, and desirability politics. We finish the episode with an interview Holly Chard on the politics and influence of John Hughes. Next week, we look at the final scene of Pretty in Pink. 

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Hannah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Matt Potts is back to dissect the ending of Crazy Rich Asians with Vanessa. They discuss why Eleanor gives her approval, the over-the-top engagement party, and Rachel's final outfit.

If you want to hear more of Vanessa and Matt, good news! Together they host the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon we have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Matt.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa Zoltan and special guest Professor Matt Potts meet at a mansion in Singapore to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Crazy Rich Asians.

This week we discuss the tension at the heart of Asian American identities, how family pressures preserve class divides, and the allure of opulence. We finish the episode by calling journalist Jiayang Fan to talk to us about the important cultural impact of the film.

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Matt and Vanessa.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Racquel Gates is back to dissect the ending of Coming to America with Hannah. They discuss what Lisa gives up in moving to Zamunda, the Disney princess evocations, and the many roles played by Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall.

Don't forget to check-out Racquel's book, Double Negative: The Black Image and Popular Media!

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Hannah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hannah McGregor and special guest Professor Racquel Gates meet in the fictional country of Zamunda to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Coming to America.

This week we discuss the tensions between Eddie Murphy and John Landis, what makes a 'black' film, and Racquel's concept of formal negativity. We finish the episode checking in with Vanessa for her thoughts on the movie. 

Don't forget to check out Racquel's book, Double Negative: The Black Image and Popular Imagination!

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Hannah and Vanessa.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you missed Hannah these past two weeks? Never fear! They recorded a whole episode of their podcast, Material Girls, all about Dirty Dancing. We're sharing it this week before we move onto our next movie, Coming to America.

Here's the Material Girls episode summary:

In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah are joined by Andrea Warner (she/her), the author of The Time of My Life, an exploration of Dirty Dancing as a deeply feminist film. We begin with a conversation about sexy films that made our younger selves all hot and bothered before heading into the segment "Why This? Why Now?" Hannah guides us through the difficulty that writer and producer Eleanor Bergstein faced in getting this movie made and distributed. We talk Reagan, Roe v. Wade, and nostalgia for the 1960s. Hannah then introduces us to American literary critic Fredric Jameson, cultural historian Bill Osgerby, and Russian-American cultural critic Svetlana Boym. Together, Hannah, Marcelle and Andrea parse through their respective work about postmodernism, nostalgia, late capitalism and the construction of history to get a better understanding of why Dirty Dancing is such a compelling film. We end the episode with a discussion of the appropriation of Black music in the movie, the power dynamics within Baby and Johnny's romance and the unique representations of mutual aid.

If you love Dirty Dancing, join the club (with Hannah and Andrea)! If you haven't seen it, you get to be in a club with Marcelle. FOR NOW (we will get her to watch it!).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Vanessa and Lauren Sandler try not to cry their way through the ending of of Dirty Dancing. They discuss the music choices, the class politics, and the side characters they wish they heard more from.

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Lauren.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa Zoltan and special guest Lauren Sandler meet in the Catskills to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Dirty Dancing – one of our favorite movies of all time. 

This week we discuss the abortion plot line, Baby’s relationship with her father, and the difference between desire and love. We finish the episode with an interview sociologist Phil Brown on the history of Jews in the Catskills. Phil is the founder and president of The Catskills Institute which is a robust online resource for this history.

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Lauren.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week’s bi-weekly scene study, Hannah and Vanessa break down the many endings of Titanic. They explore the meaning of the Heart of the Ocean diamond necklace and this movie's theology of heaven.

As we mention in the episode, Hannah has a new book out! You can buy Hannah's new book, Clever Girl: Jurassic Park, here.

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Hannah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa Zoltan and Hannah McGregor meet in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to record this week’s episode of Hot and Bothered, all about Titanic – our first movie in our cross-class romance series. 

This week we explore hubris, whether it's possible to divorce James Cameron from the film, and what we consider a ‘shipwreck.’ We finish the episode with an interview with musicologist Julie Hubbert on the mega-hit My Heart Will Go On. Next week, we look at the final scene of Titanic. 

---

If we give you butterflies, consider supporting us on Patreon! On Patreon have more great romance content including a bonus close scene analysis with Vanessa and Hannah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.