I Love You But - latchkey sisters talk movies and tv

A final Alt Shakespeare double feature! We watch/rewatch WEST SIDE STORY from 1961 and 2021. Listen to the end for a preview of our fall season's theme. Discussion topics include Elliot, the burgeoning f-boy; the trans teachers aren't indoctrinating our youth; Rian wants to set Heather up with Trevor Noah (because they are both un-date-able); making fun of boy gangs and their homoeroticism; the Davis sisters don't like Stephen Sondheim; a Disney warning for MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO; structural violence and quit fighting each other, fight the billionaires; "can't make it caucasians"; a redemption remake; an asymmetrical belt buckle; hurray for gender-queer characters; costumes!; choreography!; ballet jazz, baby!; Heather remembers why she wrote "TWIN PEAKS" in her notes; "Tonight/Quintet" sucks except that Anita is singing about getting that D; getting a book deal to btch about HAIR; Heather in a Garfie shirt (we heart-eyes you, Gareth Reynolds); ritualistic costume bonfires; flatworms; and everyone go to therapy. 

This episode of the I Love You But podcast has some discussions of adult and/or traumatic themes and situations. These all are within context of the narrative that we're discussing, but you might wanna be careful. 

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The Davis Sisters' different approach to entertainment makes this a fun listen. Pushing Alt Shakespeare to its limit, they watch My Own Private Idaho (1991), the indie film that kicked off the New Queer Cinema movement. This is one of Heather's favorite films (she had the poster in junior high). Rian had never seen it. Discussion topics include watching World Cup visitors enjoy our silly country (all hail the #tartanarmy); the least happy hour; dementia guessing games; Heather's new book, Unholy Matrimony; 90s indie films vs. A24 and NEON; we don't have fetishes—we eat our feelings; Mike, the complicated heartbreaker; the campfire scene and Heather is 70% dude; no way Mike had a passport; Heather loves Dogfight (1991); River Phoenix and his whole body acting; how did Keanu Reeves turn out to be a decent dude?; the devastating brother scene and a new perspective on Mike. 

 This episode of the I Love You But podcast has some discussions of adult and/or traumatic themes and situations. These all are within context of the narrative that we're discussing, but you might wanna be careful. 

If you like this podcast, please consider offsetting production costs with a donation to https://buymeacoffee.com/iloveyoubutpod

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Only a couple more Alt Shakespeare episodes remain, while Rian and Heather tackle Shakespeare Metafiction. Fiction about fiction. Specifically, they revisit television episodes from DOCTOR WHO, "The Shakespeare Code" (2007, S3.E2), and THE SANDMAN, "More Devils Than Vast Hell Can Hold" (2025, S2.E3), as well as the film, HAMNET (2025). 

Topics vary widely and include Rian's reading Reclaiming Body Trust; nothing is more life-changing than a new notebook: an ADHD mantra; Heather discovered HAUTE SET, a movie costume podcast and also another 5-review, 5-star hidden gem; THE POOP LAB podcast (forthcoming) and poop social stratification; DOCTOR WHO vacation photo ops; QUEER AS FOLK; heart goggles for David Tennant (who supports the dolls); production values make cheap TV difficult; Heather has suggestions for new DOCTOR WHO showrunners; will fairy smut last or is it just a fad?; disagreement over Punk Rock Loki; the Shakespeare paradox; Noula vs. Martha: a study in subtlety and sophisticated writing; what is it about aloof, tall, slender men with dark, spiky hair?; a possible way forward for new adaptations of works by problematic artists; using metafiction to hold someone accountable; HAMNET is a master class on visual storytelling, metafiction, decentering over-admired geniuses, emotional storytelling, and excellence in all crafts that contribute to film; and more. 

Note: There were a few MAX HEADROOM (1987-1988) audio moments, but this should be the last time (for these specific issues). 

Source

Neil Gaiman’s Faustian Bargain with William Shakespeare. A.J. Rocca. PopMatters. (2020)

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Continuing their exploration of Alt Shakespeare, Heather and Rian give ANYONE BUT YOU (2023) a second chance and find it is not "as merry as the day is long." Topics include Rian's personality is bitter coffee grounds; MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (2026) spoilers: Pedro's mincing walk plus Cronenberg and a jacked Hutt and slug fetishes; we are calling procreation "franchising" now; making t-shirts and the hellscape of American healthcare; Rian's Shakespeare Roulette; why is Sydney Sweeney canceled?; Rian says gratuitous nudity for comedy has gone too far; do we have to go back to slim bodies only?; Glen Powell fighting ghosts on the beach; cannibal jokes; this MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING adaptation is too shrewish and the banter never banters; Heather doesn't want social media actors: she demands (American) public school educated actors who can carry a tune; there's no there there with this movie; Hollywood, quit ruining romcom book adaptations; sage torches and white people games; Heather goes off about how much better MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is than this bland aspirational fantasy; and finally, Heather's Hot Take for Hollywood Romcoms: Rely less on contemporary pop music. 

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In this short and sweet Alt Shakespeare episode, Heather and Rian reconsider ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD (1990). Topics include, Heather watched WEAPONS (2025) and Rian is gardening; this movie could be part of a "movies that are just talking" series (which Rian would hate); Rian admits she also grows weary of Shakespearean language; heart goggles for Tim Roth and Gary Oldman; naming Tarantino movies; high school stories but make it real nerdy; Heather's nemesis; Hamlet did Ophelia dirty; was Gary Oldman influenced by Keanu Reeves's portrayal of Theodore "Ted" Logan?; knowing a HAMLET soliloquy because of the HAIR soundtrack; childhood self-produced Shakespeare; the Sean Connery and Richard Dreyfuss hot goss; and a bit more. 

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Continuing their Alt Shakespeare summer series, this week, Heather and Rian revisit 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (1999), the meme-able nostalgia romcom. Topics include emotions living under your double chin; teaching is like a reality TV show with a new cast each year and graduation is the season finale; ALICE AND STEVE (2026-) and defining bingeing; introducing children to Flight of the Conchords; most normal people watched OFF CAMPUS (2026-) but Heather's into THE PITT (2025-) and WIDOW'S BAY (2026-); a teacher rant; send us some money; buh-bye Linktree; wasting time with audiobooks: MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (1994), THE MINISTRY OF TIME (2024) and YESTERYEAR (2026); Gen Z loves the 90s; a shrew vs. a btch; a softer feminism; Allison Janney and her smut; David Krumholtz and Threads tea; movie trope: the cool girl, cool car; what in the cinematography? (Heather wants to know the bromance tea about Cronenberg and his cinematographers); hot take: stop teaching Shakespeare to teenagers; half this soundtrack sucks; our internalized misogyny; this more nuance than most teen movies; movie trope: the serenade; Heather hugs Shakespeare statues; so many behaviors that are no longer allowed in high school; Heath Ledger's silent bestie; paying for it and getting caught; and more. Note: We recorded this before whatever JGL did or didn't do. 

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In this PRIDE episode, Rian and Heather revisit Baz Lurhmann's iconic, excessive, messy ROMEO + JULIET (1996) to continue their summer series, Alt Shakespeare. Apologies for the issues with Heather's audio. Topics include free trials: an ADHD nightmare; Rian's having a 90s summer: cash and checks only; Heather resists Rian's attempts to make her fck with the Kardashians via ALL'S FAIR (2025-); leading priests into temptation; Romeo and Juliet and puberty; a bad date; Radiohead and Terrence Malick: dude spaces; a solid soundtrack and an enjoyable rewatch; John Leguizamo can get it; lesbian baby DiCaprio; a beautiful, crumbling aesthetic; Romeo and Juliet as a hate story; wet people are sexy; bring back real eyebrows; Mercutio and his queer joy; always a good idea to take drugs and go to your enemy's house uninvited; what's Mercutio's secret and why did his wig change?; Baz lets himself down; Romeo's costumes as character creation; the production design is improved on location (whereas, Moulin Rouge is too fake); John Leguizamo, the actor you are; Claire Danes's snotty sobs; Elliot's pine cone drama; "what about the farewell drugs?"; and more. 

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Welcome to Season 5 of the I LOVE YOU BUT Davis Sisters Podcast! Heather and Rian celebrate summer with an Alt Shakespeare theme, starting with Orson Welles' bloated opus, CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1965). In this Mothers' and Fathers' Day Episode, topics include a book about Falstaff; baking misadventures and canned green beans; THE BOROUGHS (2026-); we are NOT THE GOONIES (1985)—we are the Cabbage Patch Kids; your kids aren't having a 90s summer; Heather's new favorite TV show: Aasha's first watch of BtVS on Threads; using movies as friend tests; much ado about actually something (school board tea); dragging our mother and our father; have you ever heard your mother say the word "orgasm?"; the shocking self-awareness of our father in choosing Falstaff as his grandparent name; to quote a Letterboxd review, "Orson truly was that btch"; 60s British ridiculousness; is this a 1980s music video?; the horns and Hotspur need to calm down; spot the twink; actual discussions about Shakespeare's Falstaff; did Shakespeare have ADHD and insomnia?; Orson Welles had a mad older brother who reappeared after being reported dead and more fun facts from Rian's book report on Orson Welles; and even more!

Notable Sources

• Orson Welles: The Unfulfilled Promise. Barbara Leaming. The New York Times. (1985). 
• Letterboxd users: Jake Cole and Dante
• Kael's review pieced together from three sources: Orson Welles’s FALSTAFF: One of the Greatest Movies Ever Made; and 50 Years Ago This Week – Kael Lauds Orson Welles
• Falstaff and Equity: An Interpretation. Charles E. Phelps. (1901).

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In a hiatus bonus episode, Heather quizzes Rian on famous auteurs (aka directors), trivializing their work with the classic FMK game (fornicate, marry, unalive).

Directors subjected to their whimsy include John Waters, David Lynch, Mike Nichols, Amy Heckerling, Stanley Kubrick, Jane Campion, Alfonso Cuarón, and Sofia Coppola. 

Season 5 will begin soon! The Davis Sisters will explore Alt Shakespeare films. Enjoy midsummer with some snark. 

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Finally Heather and Rian found a fever dream in EMPIRE RECORDS (1995), a mid-90s time capsule of white middle-class American teens! Topics include Easter Plans, Heathens, and Buddhism; ethical debates of social media; IMPERFECT WOMEN, TRAVEL MAN, and BAIT with Riz Ahmed; this is not a John Mulaney fan podcast, and Rian is not a professional comedian; Rian's best-ever how she wasted time; cat-astrophizing; Bat Boy and April Fool's Day; Who's On First but make it ADHD; Empire Records passes the Bechdel Test; we ask and answer the big questions about EMPIRE RECORDS:

• Is Empire Records a musical? 
• FMK: Maxwell Caufield?
• How many of the craps table people would have voted for DJT?
• How old are these "teenagers?"
• Why did Rian go so deep into Berko's backstory?
• What makes a job a "cool job?"
• Is Empire Records the Breakfast Club of the 90s? 
• Is Lucas Gen Z?
• Have you seen THE CRAFT?

Also, A.J. the "artist;" we need a documentary about former employees of M/A/R/C; no red beverage clauses in an anecdote (upon anecdotes upon anecdotes  featuring David Boreanaz, Stevie Nicks, and Thom Yorke); new friend rules and dating apps; Rian is in her diabolical era; and even more!  

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