Mostly Murder (But Sometimes Not)

New episode out now! We watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the 2005 black comedy from Shane Black, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. We talk about the modernization of 1940’s noir tropes and how the film both parodies and utilizes them, pick apart the astounding 2000s of it all via the weird misogyny and homophobia, touch on the theme of abuse fathers running throughout, and compare both main characters to Maddy’s favorite detective, Philip Marlowe. We discuss the use of narration and fourth wall breaking in films, love the clever quippiness of the dialogue, and are a bit surprised by the number of both guns and deaths in the film. We also realize none of us really understood the whole plot but decide that doesn't matter as the movie was fun regardless. Katy was influenced by Empire magazine yet again, Carrie drops some quick book knowledge, Maddy shares a “deeply scarring” interaction, and Mack creates an interesting list. We also guess things about Val Kilmer, talk about how we deal with getting older, learn facts about director Shane Black, and discover that different platforms have different subtitles. Listen to hear more about biblical undergarments, favorite Batmans, Psych, and more!  And if you have any creative yet profane Lord of the Rings names, let us know! Enjoy!

TW: Misogyny, homophobia, drugs, incest, sexual abuse of a child, severing of a finger

Extra special episode out now! For our holiday episode this year, the wonderful Mackenzie designed and ran a one session role playing mystery game - set in the North Pole! The premise imagines the world of the Rankin/Bass stop-motion 1970s Christmas specials if it persisted to this day. Santa has called upon three of the best detectives in the Tinkerton Detective Agency to help solve the disappearance / possible murder of Frosty the Snowman. They explore the world of the North Pole, including Christmastown, Frostburg, and more, while questioning suspects that may be familiar… and in the meantime, Katy cannot do math, Carrie has an excellent sense of smell, Maddy channels her inner Marlowe, and Mack shares his voice acting talent. Give it a listen to hear us all go on a wonderful holiday mystery adventure! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We watched the pilot of The Pinkertons, a Canadian period procedural about the beginnings of the Pinkerton Agency in post-Civil War Missouri. We discuss the representation of both Allan Pinkerton and his son Will, as well as one of the earliest female detectives Kate Warne, and wonder how involved the actual Pinkerton agency was in their depiction. We decide it follows basic procedural rules, admire the costume design even if they are not dirty enough, try to diagnose our lackluster feelings about the episode, and talk at length about how it made us want to play Red Dead Redemption 2 instead. (Seriously, this episode is basically half advertisement for RDR2). Katy finds herself defending Canadian television again, Carrie busts out a high-point vocabulary word, Maddy reveals her feelings for bagpipes, and Mack raves about Allan Pinkerton. We talk about the true dangers of the Civil War, compare the weird commercials we saw while watching, share video game stories, and try to remember our confirmation names. We also learn many facts in real time, including why some movies are called spaghetti westerns, what bushwhackers are, and when sunscreen was invented. Listen to hear about wild unboxing stories, the Sultana steamboat, litigation, the sexual energy of Dulé Hill, and more! (Seriously Mack shares so many varied and interesting facts). Enjoy and yeehaw!

TW: Anti-Union sentiment, strikebreaking, racism, Southern Confederacy 

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We watched the first episode of Top of the Lake, a dark show about traumatic events in rural New Zealand. We discuss the bleakness that pervades the episode both in the subject matter and the cinematography, as well the difficulties we face in covering only the beginning of a story. We debate the need for modern-day detectives to have traumatic pasts in order to do their jobs, deplore the local police force and their apathetic attitudes towards trauma, and have concerns about the environmental setup GJ had planned for her cult of women. We also discuss whether investigators have to be cold or hardened to solve dark crimes, appreciate the subtle use of environmental storytelling, and mention the beauty of the mountains multiple times. Katy is a big supporter of backpacks for adults, Carrie shares facts about kiwi birds, Maddy poignantly quotes The Beatles, and Mack would like to reinvent how cars are sold. We also talk about the oddness of celebrities being in Michigan, think horses are beautiful, mispronounce Marcella again, and share some wild stories from our childhoods about property damage from sibling fights. Listen to hear about Target parking lot mountain vistas, dangerous megafauna, chimp names, and Pushing Daisies! For added fun, count how many times we mention Lord of the Rings! This episode has a lot of sibling energy- enjoy!

TW:  Non-fatal suicide attempt, cancer, possible/probable statutory rape, dog death, making light of murder, child molestation, child pregnancy, suggestions of incest, gang rape

Show Notes:

Katy was incorrect about where Kristen Bell went to high school, it was not Roseville High School.

When we say Helen Hunt, we mean Holly Hunter. Apologies to Ms. Hunter for the mistake. Thank you.

We’re back with a new episode! We dove into Death on the Nile, the 2022 Kenneth Branagh adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel, and wow do we have thoughts. We get right into it, covering the character of Poirot and how we rank Branagh’s version compared to the previous two we explored on the podcast. We talk about the fundamental elements of the detective, and consider why we felt this movie missed the mark. We discuss the lack of connection we had to varying degrees, and wonder how much of it had to do with the “style over substance” approach and how it seemed to cater to a general audience. We did, however, admire the costumes and production design (despite the terrible CGI), thought the actual mystery part was adapted well, and believe the attempts at color conscious casting were at least partially successful. We also agreed that the actors did great work with what they were given, but wish these production studios did more to vet the histories and behavior of who they cast. Katy gets her Marvel movies mixed up, Carrie quietly drops some Cleopatra facts, Maddy questions the historical accuracy of balloon releases, and Mack breaks down the patriarchy (it’s not about horses). We wonder why every modern hero needs traumatic backstories, enjoy the addition of lesbians, discuss actors who feel weird in period pieces, and ask Mack to answer the age-old question, “Why do men suck so much?” We also cover bullet sizes, Jurassic Park, the Bryan Cranston Effect, dance floor humping, and unions. Listen to hear an incredible Branagh Poirot impression!

“Every decision they made was the wrong decision.” - Carrie

TW: Anti-vax views, cannibalism, colonialism, racism, appropriation of ancient and modern Egyptian culture, vore. Mentions of Armie Hammer, Russell Brand, Gal Gadot, Johnny Depp

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We watched the 1995 neo-noir film The Usual Suspects and got right into the storytelling of it all. We discussed how most of the movie is told from an unreliable narrator’s perspective, and tried to decipher what was real and what perhaps wasn’t, deciding how that plays into the “mystery” if we cannot know the truth. We also talked about the true goals of Keyser Söze, revealed what our preconceived expectations of the movie were, thought the cinematography was very well done, and dissected the multitude of accents in the film. We enjoyed that it was essentially a movie of great character actors, learned some fun facts about the infamous lineup scene, and realized the end has been spoofed multiple times. Katy needs to know things, Carrie hates littering, Maddy enjoys being right, and Mack shares facts about fresh picked coffee beans. We impart important lessons about Googling a movie while watching it, try to remember specifics about murderers, hear an anecdote about ancient Rome, and are grossed out at a specific moment from the beginning of the film. Give it a listen to hear about Howard the Duck, reusing body bags, Adam Sandler, and the difficulty of trying a Christopher Walken impression. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: There are some very small dropout issues in Mack’s summary; we apologize for the quality but rest assured it does not happen the entire episode)

TW: Homophobia, faking a disability, Kevin Spacey, Bryan Singer

Show Notes:

The murderer Mack brought up was indeed the one Katy was thinking of, John List. You can view the Wiki on him here and a Medium article about the aged-up bust used to catch him here.

New episode out now! We watched the first installment of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, “The Murder at Road Hill House”. We cover how this is a pretty faithful adaptation of a horrifying true story, discuss the character of Mr. Whicher and his real history as “the prince of detectives”, and talk about the nature and purpose of justice within flawed systems that are just made up. We also wonder what kind of forensic sciences existed in the 1860s, discuss the influence of class on how the big-city detective interacts with the countryside village and household, and think that the Kent family dynamics are toxic and weird. Katy tries to remember Victorian police facts, Carrie gets infuriated with smarminess, Maddy reveals herself to be anti-monarchy, and Mack wins some big vocabulary points. We also talk about Victorian child labor laws, pitch some new TV shows, lament the state of 1800s medicine, and think this would have benefited from the addition of Henry Cavill’s Witcher. Listen now to hear more about studying dinosaurs, the lack of caveman mysteries, delivering bounties in Red Dead Redemption 2, and the perpetualness of boob sweat. Enjoy!

TW: Murder of a young child, fratricide, historical high rates of child mortality, infidelity, antiquated medical attitudes towards women

Show Notes/Sources: 

New episode out now! We delve into the world of Booth and Brennan in the season 2 episode of Bones, “Spaceman in a Crater”. We talk about what feels different about this show as a procedural, with a focus on literal bones, as well as the tropes it shares with other similar shows. We discuss the possible portrayals of the autism spectrum, wonder who exactly funds the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab, talk about Booth’s loyalty to the US, and think that these coworkers are way too into each other’s business. We also share our family history with the show, discuss the psychology of astronauts and the obsession with space, and believe that David Boreanaz is a Television Professional(™). Katy gets a common phrase wrong more than once, Carrie is the most competent person on the entire podcast, Maddy gives some great makeup tips, and Mack shares a compelling alien theory. We talk about annoying product placement, discuss whether all animals would eat people if given the chance, make deals regarding phone etiquette, and discover how long you need to polish rocks for. We also theorize about a new type of injury caused by a repetitive action, learn cool facts about coral, and reference at least two different ‘90s sitcoms. Give it a listen! (Also, this episode may not be for Mom. Sorry, Tander). Series spoilers

TW: Cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, autistic representations in media, animals eating humans, billionaires 

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We played The Wolf Among Us from Telltale Games, a kind of choose-your-own-adventure video game where you solve a mystery set in a twisted underground world filled with characters from fairy tales, myths, and more. We discuss our strategies in making decisions, debate the moral and ethical values of our choices, and ultimately discover how those choices affected the kind of sheriff Bigby Wolf became. We talk about how the familiar characters were interpreted, discuss how poverty and corruption leads to desperate decisions, debate how cruel the villain ended up being, and love the art style and detailed design. We also reveal that ultimately we only cared about TJ, aka Toad Jr., and were more OK with murdering people than with disappointing him. Katy lived a meme in real life, Carrie felt constantly guilty being mean, Maddy gets shocked by a Cinderella translation, and Mack gives a sneak peek into future podcast possibilities. We get into the super dark original versions of fairy tales, talk about the differences between the game and the comics, were unnerved by some of the game prompts, and learn that we have all tried to find a playable online version of Barbie Detective without success. We also cover a new Untitled Goose Game pitch, getting surprised by nudity, the weird mix of character inspirations, and humidity. Give it a listen! And #JusticeForTJ

TW: Exploitation and murder of sex workers, political corruption, torture, gore, dark original versions of fairy tales, rape

Show Notes:

New episode out now! We watched the original Swedish film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), based on the 2005 book by Stieg Larsson. We talk about the extremely dark and jarring themes that are present throughout the story, praise the excellent acting, and discuss how the content is adapted from the book to the film. We compare the intentions, behaviors, and decisions of Mikael and Lisbeth, debate the socioeconomics of being a serial killer and how being a rich man helps one get away with it, and wonder how realistic the portrayal of hacking is. We also really, really abhor the patriarchy, and discuss the different levels of misogynist hate and how it manifests in the film. Katy was overjoyed by the amount of archives, Carrie loves an impressive eyebrow, Maddy is a sucker for a well-adapted book, and Mack gets disappointed by hacker names. We also talk about huge dips in the happiness index, fighting for depressing Oscar roles, and American vs. Swedish jail systems. We cover SpongeBob memes, dead face actors, American Girl dolls, and O’Brien family facts. There are multiple revelations within—This. Episode. Has. Everything! Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

TW: Rape, incestual rape, rape by government appointed guardian, Nazis, antisemitism, serial killing of marginalized women, serial killing of Jewish women, corpse mutilation, domestic abuse, patricide, United States prison industrial complex, death by suicide, misogyny

Show Notes: