Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's — a sudden influx of life-affirming summer blockbusters? In this episode, we're taking a look at both Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to find out why Cam was holding back tears throughout these movies. Topics include: a dozen pointed similarities between these films, our wildly different perspectives & expectations, a bit of backseat editing, comparisons to past inspiring superhero films, the endless importance of romance in storytelling, and a look towards the future of this new trend.

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The Pitt isn't just one of the best shows of the last ten years, it is an astonishing work of horror — an urgent, unflinching, life-affirming tapestry of hope, loss, life, and death. In this episode, we're exploring the story's central 'real-time' conceit from four distinct angles: passing time, compounding time, lost time, and impending time.

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When Diablo IV is good, it's really good. We've been dungeon-crawling and monster-slaying nonstop for the last month, and thought it was time to take another look at what we're affectionately calling "Season of the Dungeon". Maggie has blasted through the whole campaign with a super-powered Rogue, and Cam is deeper into the endgame than either of us have ever gone before.

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"Oh, Hi!" is not really an homage to Stephen King's "Misery" - it's a companion piece, that dives much deeper into the insecurities and obsession of its characters. Pointedly, this film is also a funny, aching exploration of the female psyche that somehow remains grounded amidst multiple felonies and attempts at witchcraft. This isn't a horror movie. This isn't a rip-off. It's a rigorous, open-ended character study that embraces the messiest and most absurd parts of human nature.

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We're celebrating Ozzy Osbourne by doing a close reading of the very first Black Sabbath song — which just so happens to be one of the best "Doctor Faustus" adaptations of the past 400 years. In six minutes and only three verses, Ozzy stages all of the play's essential events and even manages to capture some of Marlowe's most daring and subversive subtext. The song also happens to feature the most potent rendition of Hell in any artistic medium, and the best adaptation ever done of Marlowe's layered, knife-twisting epilogue.

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The thing you really notice about Pennywise during a rewatch is the startling, impressive amount of DROOL he's got going on in every scene. In this episode, we're revisiting both movies (and the book) to discuss the intangible magic of creature design, the original sin of adaptation, and more than anything — the controversial topic of bad endings.

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Imagine if The Lord of The Rings ended with Frodo deciding to keep the Ring for himself — and the film presented that as a happy ending! That's more or less what happens in the latest Mission: Impossible film. Let's explore every side of this strange ending, play devil's advocate, and once again ponder whether or not a bad ending can ruin a great movie.

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The original Friday the 13th is not only the blueprint for the slasher genre, it might just be the best execution of that tried and true formula. This episode is a critical reevaluation of the classic film and the massive influence it has had on the genre for more than 45 years.

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This might be the Frenchest movie ever made. To describe it at all is to spoil it, but the thrust of this episode is about Titane's relationship to one of our favorite melancholy body horror freakouts: Rosemary's Baby.

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Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here!

Diablo IV is nothing if not inconsistent, and Season 9 is yet another moment of whiplash for the game. In our State of the Game segment, we discuss seasonal powers, the evolving reliquary system, bugs and crashes, difficulty balancing, the latest gear system, and fun factor. Moving onto the Seasonal Campaign, we celebrate the revitalization of Nightmare Dungeons and a narrative that returns to the lingering threads of the base game. In our Class Update, Cam returns to the Necromancer for a brand new shadow / minion build and finds unexpected build synergies. Finally, we close the discussion with a cautiously hopeful look at Diablo IV's always uncertain future.

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