Reel Lit Podcast

Grab your daiquiris and power drills! the Owls are back for a night of synth-soaked screams and feminist subtext. Stephen and McKenzie turn their gaze (and talons) toward Amy Holden Jones’s The Slumber Party Massacre, the Roger Corman–produced cult classic that manages to be both sleazy and strangely self-aware.

They dissect the world’s least convincing basketball scene, two hapless Peeping Toms who get exactly what they deserve, and a killer who wields his drill like a Freudian thesis statement. McKenzie highlights how the film’s female characters, from Trish and Valerie to Coach Jana, emerge surprisingly competent, kind, and capable in a genre that usually punishes them for existing.

Come for the feminist analysis, stay for the snail-smashing neighbor, and the longest shower scene this side of Psycho..

Theme music: “City of Neon Lights” by Turtle Beats

Produced by: Mordecai Myles for Owls of Pallas Productions

The odds are in our favor this week as Reel Lit enters the arena with Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games (2008) and its 2012 film adaptation. Stephen and McKenzie welcome very special guest Dr. Sidney Blaylock (UNA Department of English) for a conversation about tributes, the Reaping, and the blurred line between performance and survival.

We cover it all: Katniss’s missing inner monologue, Jennifer Lawrence’s remarkable facial acting, Effie Trinket’s bonkers Capitol energy, Wes Bentley’s villainous beard, and why the Cornucopia opening sequence still shocks. From panopticons to nightlock berries, spectacle to surveillance, this film is, as Stephen puts it, “scholar catnip, Katniss.”

May the odds be ever in your favor, and Panopticon (just in case).

Fans and followers rejoice! We're back!

To kick off Season 2, Stephen and McKenzie descend into the inky shadows of Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City, a graphic novel adaptation so faithful it required Rodriguez to quit the DGA just to give Miller co-director credit. From the cherry-red pop of Dwight’s Converse to the monochrome moralities of Marv, Hartigan, and Gail’s army of dominatrix enforcers, we’re unpacking a film that’s equal parts visually stunning and thematically... complicated.

Topics include:

• Millerian morality and the myth of individualized virtue
• Hobbesian justice in a world without a Leviathan
• Performative masculinity and the "white knight" complex
• Nancy as the final girl whose trauma is dressed up as titillation
• Brittany Murphy appreciation (with a side of Cherry Falls)
• The very real absurdity of naming your silent cannibal ninja... Kevin.

Plus, our segment favorites return:

• FMK: Academic Style – Do we Enjoy it, Teach it, or Write a journal article about it?
• Geek Out Moment – Dwight’s red Chucks, Brittany Murphy’s brilliance, and a film that makes you feel like you’ve been chain-smoking in the rain.
• "Sponsor" Break – This episode brought to you by The Salesman: solving problems with discretion since... well, that’s confidential.

Whether you’re a noir aficionado or just here for the chiaroscuro and gunfire, join us as we ask the important questions: Is virtue still virtue when it comes with a body count (not that kind, you pervert)? And why does every man in this movie fall in love after one night?

In this special bonus edition of Reel Lit, Stephen and McKenzie hang up their close-reading glasses and lace up their high-tops for a bracket showdown of literary proportions. Eight films. Six categories. Zero chill.

From Rhys-level prose to homicidal sharks and hook-handed slashers, they debate, deliberate, and occasionally duel over:

• Best Book (critical acclaim vs. personal canon)
• Best Film (box office vs. brilliance)
• Best Adaptation (judged by that not-so-patented metric of excellence, The Owl’s Perch)
• Most Hated Character (because literature is personal, and vengeance is delicious)

And just for fun (and chaos), two more categories get thrown into the ring: Outstanding Performance and Best Supporting, where scene-stealers finally get their due.

Whether you’re Team Wonder Boys, rooting for Like Water for Chocolate, or just here for the madness, this is March Madness, Reel Lit-style. Brackets will be busted. Trash talk will be literary. And someone’s leaving the court with the ultimate buzzer-beater.

This special crossover episode of Reel Lit and Shelf Criticism takes you inside the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, where indie gems shine, filmmakers spill the behind-the-scenes tea, and yes—we spend an alarming amount of time trying to track down Mickey O’Sullivan.

Join Stephen, McKenzie, and Mordecai as they:

🍿 Break down all the films that screened—dramas, docs, comedies, and everything in between.

🎤 Share exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and actors behind these festival favorites.

🦉 Introduce our newest Athenian Owl, Mordecai, who quickly learns that festival life = chaos.

👀 Embark on a legendary quest to find the elusive Mickey O’Sullivan, who was always talking to someone else.

Plus, we take a moment to issue a mea culpa to Moon Beams after a tragic Audacity failure erased a fantastic interview. (We’re still not over it.)

So grab your popcorn, settle in, and get ready for a hilarious, insightful, and occasionally disastrous look at the indie film world before it hits streaming.

Before she was the infamous "madwoman in the attic," she was Antoinette Cosway—a woman caught between cultures, identities, and the suffocating control of the man she married. This month on Reel Lit, we’re diving into Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea and its two film adaptations (1993 & 2006) to examine how this novel reclaims the silenced story of Jane Eyre’s Bertha Mason.

McKenzie offers an ecocritical interpretation, arguing that the island itself is more than just a setting—it’s an active force, shaping Antoinette’s identity and sealing her fate. Meanwhile, Stephen takes a genre-focused approach, analyzing how the 2006 film manipulates the language of romance to lull viewers into false security—only to shatter those expectations.

Along the way, we’ll discuss Rochester’s hypocrisy, Christophine’s power, Coco the doomed parrot, and whether the 1993 film leans into the erotic thriller genre in ways that subtly alter Antoinette’s characterization. Plus, we’ll break down which adaptation gets it right—and which Antoinette delivers the most haunting performance.

🌿 Is the island a character in its own right?

🎭 Is Rochester’s early tenderness sincere, or just another layer of control?

🔥 And what does Granbois look like as an Airbnb listing? (Oh yes, you know we’ve got a fake ad for this one.)

Join us as we untangle love, power, and identity in Wide Sargasso Sea.

🎧 Now streaming wherever you get your podcasts!

As we close out 2024, we’re bringing you a special bonus episode of Reel Lit! Together with Shelf Criticism, we’re celebrating the best—and worst—cinema of the year.

Here’s what to expect:

🎥 The Shelfies Awards, honoring the year’s best performances, direction, and screenplays

📚 A quick look back at some standout book-to-film adaptations we covered this year

🏆 Stephen’s Top 5 Films of 2024

😂 A hilarious blooper reel that shows we’re human, too

👀 A sneak peek at some of the most anticipated films of 2025

Whether you’re a dedicated Shelf Criticism listener, a Reel Lit fan, or just a lover of all things film and literature, this episode has something for everyone.

Have thoughts on your Top 5 or favorite book-to-film adaptation of the year? Drop us a line at [email protected] or on social media @ReelLitPodcast. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share as we head into an exciting new year of cinematic storytelling!

Yippee-ki-yay, podcast listeners! In this special holiday episode of Reel Lit, Stephen and McKenzie take on the ultimate Christmas controversy: Die Hard. Is it a Christmas movie, or is it just an action flick with tinsel on the side? While McKenzie grapples with the gritty prose and cynical tone of Roderick Thorp’s Nothing Lasts Forever, Stephen unpacks the Reagan-era geopolitics, cowboy archetypes, and capitalist critiques that make Die Hard a cultural touchstone.

Together, they explore how the film adapts and transforms the novel’s nihilistic antihero into the wisecracking, everyman John McClane. McKenzie’s close read dives into Joseph Leland’s Straw Nihilist archetype, contrasting it with McClane’s relatable antiheroism. Meanwhile, Stephen connects Hans Gruber’s greed to 1980s anxieties about globalism, Japanese economic dominance, and the blurred lines between capitalism and villainy.

With a side of Argyle’s Limo Service, festive banter, and debates about Christmas film canon, this episode delivers action, analysis, and a whole lot of holiday cheer. Join us for a critical interrogation of one of the most enduring—and debated—holiday classics!

In this delectable episode of Reel Lit, Stephen and McKenzie stir up some conversation about the lush world of Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel’s sensual tale of love, family, and food. Join them as they explore the novel and its faithful film adaptation, examining themes of magical realism, rebellion against tradition, and the powerful connection between food and emotion.

From Tita’s transformative cooking to the unforgettable Quail in Rose Petal Sauce (and that scene), they discuss how Esquivel’s storytelling blends the extraordinary with the everyday. Along the way, they tackle questions of the male gaze, the intersection of empowerment and objectification, and what it means to honor legacy through creativity.

Whether you’re here for the romance, the recipes, or the revolution, this episode has something for everyone. Light a candle (but maybe not all the matchbooks at once) and tune in!

Drive down the cinematic enigma of Zyzzyx Road with Parliament After Dark! This inaugural episode of our Reel Lit/Shelf Criticism special takes a closer look at the lowest-grossing domestic film of all time, a bizarre thriller starring Katherine Heigl, Tom Sizemore, and Leo Grillo. Was it a misunderstood masterpiece, a marketing disaster, or just a mess best left buried in the Nevada desert?

Join Stephen, McKenzie, and Raegan as they explore the history behind the film’s infamous $30 box office, dissect its plot, performances, and production, and debate its merits—or lack thereof—with their signature blend of wit and insight. From cringe-worthy scenes to unexpected moments of depth, this midnight movie gets the full parliamentary treatment.

Will Zyzzyx Road get a unanimous thumbs-up or an unceremonious gavel down? Find out on Parliament After Dark!