It’s all been building up to this. The Last Temptation of Christ is one of the most, if not the most, controversial films of the 1980s—and of Martin Scorsese’s career. Willem Dafoe plays Jesus, but this isn’t your grandmother’s technicolor epic Messiah. This Jesus wrestles with violence, lust, and self-doubt.

Naturally, the film enraged many Christians. There were boycotts, bans, death threats against Scorsese, and even a terrorist bombing by Catholic Integralists.

Cisco and Bill were too scared to go it alone—so they brought in fellow Detroit native Eric Kiska from A24 on the Rocks to ask:

Is The Last Temptation of Christ a good film?

Is it offensive to Christians—or to Jesus himself?

Did people overreact?

Tangents include: David Bowie’s worst haircut, Pasolini’s Gospel According to St. Matthew, Pope Gregory's lies about Mary Magdalene, and (you guessed it) another loaf of bread in cinema.

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Easter falls on 4/20 this year, so the guys decided to push their Last Temptation of Christ episode back a couple of weeks, to make room for two other culturally important, long-haired dudes, who also fought against "the man". "Cheech and Chong's Last Movie" comes out on Easter this year, which falls on April 20th, appropriately, so we decided to go back to the beginning, by reviewing 1978's "Up in Smoke". Although it's pretty obvious why this one probably offended the Catholic Church, we both share our mutual stories of being Catholic and connecting to the movies and albums of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. Also, Bill makes Cisco take the "know your 70's drug slang" quiz. 

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This was a rough one. Ben Affleck plays an autistic accountant, whose neurodivergent mind allows him to be a genius with numbers, and even better with a gun. Let's just say the guys had...takes on this movie. With The Accountant 2 coming to theatres on April 25th, it felt like the perfect time to revisit this film, and to ask "does this film actually warrant a sequel"? Bill and Cisco talk about autistic and neurodivergent representation in media, action movie tropes, what makes a good script, and debate whether or not U of C is where fun goes to die (or if it's really Kankakee, Illinois, (home of the Mazon Creek Formation). They also dig up early 90s, late Satanic Panic era Catholic writing on the "evils of New Age music" from one of Bill's favorite crazy Catholic bathroom books.

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Time to go deep deep down the Italian genre cinema rabbit hole, as the guys dig into Bill's birthday pick - a Mario Bava comic book adaptation and cult classic, which inspired everyone from Roman Coppola to the Beastie Boys. Diabolik is the world's greatest super-spy, and one of Italy's most famous comic book heroes. The guys talk Ennio Morricone, PVC vs. Leather bondage wear, Italian vs. English overdubs, and debate just how much Diabolik and Eva pay in property taxes on their secret lair. If you love Austin Powers, James Bond, Matt Helm, and comic book movies, you won't want to miss this wacky birthday episode.

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What made Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), a comedy starring Dean Martin and directed by Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot), so scandalous that it became the first U.S. film since Elia Kazan’s Baby Doll (1956) to receive a "Condemned" rating from the Legion of Decency? In 1964, both Kiss Me, Stupid and The Pawnbroker shocked the Catholic censors and the Hays Office, pushing the MPAA to rethink Hollywood’s entire ratings system.

In this episode, Bill and Cisco dive into the controversy: Did Kiss Me, Stupid deserve its "C" rating? Adapted from a French sex farce, the film features Ray Walston (stepping in for both Jack Lemmon and Peter Sellers), Kim Novak (taking over roles originally meant for Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield), Felicia Farr, and Dean Martin playing... well, Dean Martin. Plus, there’s even a cameo from Bugs Bunny himself—Mel Blanc!

Joining the conversation is novelist, YouTuber, and vintage influencer Alex DeMers to break down the film’s legacy, censorship battles, and whether it really was too risqué for 1960s audiences.

🎧 Tune in for Hollywood history, classic film scandal, and a whole lot of Catholic guilt.

Missed Valentine’s Day? No worries—we’re bringing you a heartshaped box of classic horror, featuring, as Kendrick Lamar would say, "A Minerrrrrrrrrrr!" 🔪⛏️

This week, Bill and Cisco talk Damien Leone's statements in the wake of Terrifier 3, as well as the controversy surrounding the Superbowl half-time show, in relation to censorship and pearl-clutching of the past.

Plus, we go behind the scenes of this iconic slasher, deep dive into trivia and filmmaking minutae, and even dig up a hilarious Catholic review that playfully pitches “even worse” horror movies!

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#HorrorPodcast #SlasherFilms #Terrifier3 #DamienLeone #SuperbowlHalftime #HorrorCommunity #CensorshipDebate #BehindTheScenes #ClassicHorror #MovieControversy #HorrorDiscussion

"Immorality may be fun, but it isn't fun enough to take the place of one hundred percent virtue and three square meals a day."

What was it about Design for Living—the film by Ernst Lubitsch, Ben Hecht, and Noël Coward—that sent critics and the Catholic Legion of Decency into an uproar? This pre-Code classic tackled themes of polyamory, infidelity, and sexuality with a wit and sophistication that became known as The Lubitsch Touch. But its bold approach was too much for Catholic censors, who saw it as a moral threat.

Shortly after, the infamous Hays Code transitioned from loose guidelines to rigid Hollywood law, enforced by anti-Semitic Catholic crusader (and official enemy of this podcast) Joseph Breen.

Fast forward to the 1950s: a new generation of French film critics rediscovered Lubitsch’s work, cementing its place in cinema history. By the 1960s, with the Hays Code collapsing, countercultural college students embraced these once-"Condemned" films, reassessing their impact.

With President Donald Trump hinting that he wants to send Mel Gibson (another famously problematic Catholic) to be an "Ambassador" to Hollywood, it’s worth asking: Should religious groups or governments have the power to censor artists? Join us as we dive into Design for Living and the battle over artistic freedom.

Please check out the latest episode of Morally Offensive, and, as always "Go and Sin No More".

Habemus Papam!

We weren’t initially planning to cover Conclave, but since launching our podcast in late October, the film has sparked intense debate. Despite not receiving a "Morally Offensive" rating, Conclave has faced significant criticism from Catholic Bishops and prominent right-wing figures including Ben Shapiro and Megyn Kelly, who claim the movie is anti-Catholic.

On the other hand, Conclave has earned multiple Oscar nominations and won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, making it a major contender this awards season. To dive deeper into this heated conversation, Bill and Cisco decided to don their metaphorical Zucchettos and watch Conclave themselves to determine if it truly deserves its controversial reputation and if they find the film morally offensive or anti-Catholic. (Spoiler alert: plenty of plot twists!)

Before tackling the weighty topics of dead Popes, vaping Cardinals, petty church politics, and oppressed nuns, the hosts take a moment to reflect on how David Lynch has shaped their careers and worldviews.

Charlize Theron's action-packed cold war passion project, Atomic Blonde, was not well received by audiences when it dropped in late Summer of 2017. Some dismissed the film as a "female John Wick" knockoff, or criticized it for it's confusing, labyrinthine plot. 8 years later, the guys re-examine this singular, unique entry into the Action genre, and look at how it's reputation has grown since it's release. The film takes place in the late 80s, and centers around a British Spy, tasked with a extracting an East German Stazi defector into the West. The officer, codenamed "Spyglass" has access to a secret list, which could have terrifying ramifications for all major powers involved in the cold war. The cast is a star-studded affair, featuring James Mcavoy, Sofia Boutella, John Goodman, Toby Jones, a young Bill Skarsgård, Sam Hargrave and James Faulkner, with direction by one of the top Stunt coordinators in the field, David Leitch. As always, the guys look at the contemporary US Catholic reactions and reviews, to determine whether or not the film truly is "Morally Offensive". Bill and Cisco are joined by Chicago comedian Thomas Bottoms as well as his co-host in radio broadcasting, Mike Borden.

What do MaXXXine, Pearl, Promising Young Woman, and Midsommar have in common with a 1933 pre-code melodrama starring Barbara Stanwyck? They all fall under the banner of the "Good for Her" film. Barbara Stanwyck stars in this pre-code film that sent the Catholic "Legion of Decency" into a rage, and which gave them the firepower they needed, to force the hand of the studio moguls to self-censor their films. Bill and Cisco are joined by Milwaukee Professor, Dr. Jess Sellin-Blanc (and Bill's wife Kelly) to talk the Hayes Code and censorship in Hollywood. They get into the making of the film, as well as the social conditions which informed it's content. In this episode, they ask the question: Is it immoral for a woman to do whatever she has to do, to survive in a world which is not built for her, and which wants her to fail?