Midday Movies

By Laura Fones and Stephen FrothinghamTV & Film

Midday Movies episodes

February 13, 2024 Ep 56: Smart Tech Takes Over the World!
Today we’re chatting about how ubiquitous smart technology has become, how costly that makes everyday objects, and how weirdly that makes us behave toward each other. Fun historical shoutouts to the USSR’s ban of US film “The Grapes of Wrath” and the toaster-fueled mortgage economy of the 1950s. A broad discussion on technological advancement, historical shifts, and human expectations of other humans. From sliced bread to contemporary YouTube content, let’s get into it!
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23 min
February 09, 2024 Ep 55: Combatting Winter Grumpiness with Toxic Positivity
The winter months are hard on everyone — whether it’s experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder or having to interact with people experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder. Laura has had enough of it, and has thoughts to share. Stephen is sympathetic and has Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons and Futurama) perspectives to impart. We discuss our strategies for dealing with winter grumpiness, within and without. Using verve and a little bit of silliness, we argue in defense of toxic positivity and in support of bringing Californian optimism to the wider world. If you’re having a dark winter, brighten up with us!
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21 min
February 08, 2024 Ep 54: Community Vs. Opportunity
They say it takes a village, but the US says individualism is king. We’re discussing the challenges of creating community in a country that privileges mobile labor over putting down roots. How do you thrive in the transient, modern world where everyone moves for work, rarely stays in their hometown after schooling, and cannot establish the Old World concept of “the village”? There are many benefits to living in the New World, but community is not among them. So, we chat about the pros and cons of having access to so much upward mobility but very little stable community structures — here’s how to survive (and enjoy?) the landscape of 21st-century urbanism when so many long for the long-ago interconnectivity of rural life. Modern friendships are celebrated and survival tips are shared. Join us!
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22 min
February 07, 2024 Ep 53: Reviewing “The Zone of Interest” (dir. Jonathan Glazer)
Today we’re discussing Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-nominated film, “The Zone of Interest.” Starring Sandra Huller and Christian Friedel, this is a Holocaust film unlike any you’ve seen before — one that centers on the family and professional life of Auschwitz’s commandant Rudolph Hoss. Further, because Laura is a Holocaust scholar whose historical focus was Auschwitz’s three interlinked camps (Auschwitz I, Birkenau, and Monowitz), we are able to provide additional historical context for this unique art house film (based on Martin Amis’ book of the same name). This episode bears a mature rating for subject matter, but offers deep information on the film’s setting. Join us!
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26 min
February 06, 2024 Ep 52: Ancient Memes and the Internet That Was
Today we go back in time to the age of Geocities sites, MySpace, and can-has-cheeseburger memes. Most of us are digital natives who grew up with a working knowledge of HTML and flash animation — the internet’s earliest forms of user generated content. Nostalgia permeates today’s episode, with its callbacks to web rings and midis, but also communicates the pitfalls of hours-long download times and infectious LimeWire files. Join us for 20 minutes of reminiscing and joking about the ancient internet of the 1990s and 2000s.
Leave us a 5-star review if you liked what you heard!
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22 min
February 02, 2024 Ep 51: Relationship Red Flags and White Flags — Which are Which?
Once again, we crack open Grim Rabbit’s Red Flag card game in search of universal relationship truths. Could you tolerate an asexual relationship that has major benefits? Do you know what’s unique about Paris Hilton’s relationship? Is a Paris Hilton reference in a podcast your biggest dealbreaker? Come along with Laura and Stephen on a twenty-five minute journey of fun, frolic, and filtering out flags. Leave us a 5-star review if you liked what you heard!
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26 min
February 01, 2024 Ep 50: Midday Musings’ 50th Episode Special
We’ve done 50 episodes and are so grateful you’ve listened! Laura and Stephen share their top 5 favorite episodes so far, giving you 10 favorites to listen to if you’re new to the program. It’s all celebrations, jokes, and good vibes on this 50th episode special. Join us!
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28 min
January 31, 2024 Ep 49: Karaoke, Automation and Futurism
Will our future be solar punk or cyber punk? Is Artificial Intelligence a gift or a curse? Is karaoke better the Western way or the Eastern way? We look forward with optimism and verve to the changing landscape of human culture.
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25 min
January 30, 2024 Ep 48: The Tudor Dynasty & Consequences of Jousting
We’re talking the dangers of jousting and the Tudor dynasty in England. Rising up after the War of the Roses, Tudor kings and queens provide England one its most iconic eras of strength and strife. Did a jousting accident turn Henry VIII from a uniquely good monarch into a head-chopping monster? Was it really necessary to burn all those Protestants, Queen “Bloody” Mary? Was Queen Elizabeth I a lot more of a despot than is popularly imagined? And how does Shakespeare fit into it? All this and more in our history-heavy episode of Midday Musings!
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24 min
January 26, 2024 Ep 47: Adventures of the Rental Person Who Does Nothing and Virginia City, NV
Today we’re talking about the sharp social insights of Shoji Morimoto by way of his memoir, “Rental Person Who Does Nothing.” Does a human being have inherent value, even when they do nothing? Is it easier to talk to a stranger than it is to talk to a friend? Speaking of strangers, we share some of our favorite stranger encounters from a wild trip to Nevada ghost town, Virginia City — the silver mining town that funded the Union side of America’s Civil War & the birthplace of Mark Twain’s famously funny journalism career. Let’s get into it!
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21 min

About Midday Movies

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to the Midday Movies podcast, provider of fun, funny, and thoughtful media reviews 2-3x a week. Streaming on @radiotacoma101.9 every Tues/Thurs/Sat at 3pm.