Second Breakfast with Cam & Maggie

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Ten weeks and $950 million later, we're finally ready to talk about Oppenheimer. We've been hammering and polishing these ideas over the course of three viewings and an unreasonable amount of time listening to the score. Topics include: what do the black and white sequences "mean"? What happened to Jean Tatlock? What changes about the film upon subsequent viewings? And finally, a big ol' theory from Cam about Oppenheimer, Prometheus, legacy, damnation, and Doctor Faustus. We're so excited to finally talk about this one. Let's see how far theory can take us.

LINKS: YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam's stories Send us your feedback & theories: [email protected]

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Discussion of Lady of the Lake, Chapter 8

The time has come for Sapkowksi to write his version of a sweeping epic fantasy battle – and it's nothing like whatever you're expecting. Sapkowski evolves into a war reporter, to lead us through an unending kaleidoscope of tragic perspectives and human atrocities. In doing so, he gives us what feels like his final, most devastating statement yet on the state of nature, the problem of evil, and the essential universality of everyday philosophy. This might be The Witcher's greatest achievement.

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What if there was a Diablo game with hard-hitting combat, a satisfying skill tree, an easy inventory system, a great map, and a TEN-act campaign? Oh and what if it was free? Path of Exile is almost everything we wanted and didn't get in Diablo IV, and this episode is Cam's reflections on the game. Topics covered include: skills, inventory, gameplay, story, and monetization.

LINKS: YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam's stories Send us your feedback & theories: [email protected]

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Swamps, snakes, salvation, oh my! Just as the game starts to wind down, it's finally getting great. This act features real character arcs, new mechanics, compelling loot, dramatic stakes, and hacked off body parts. This is the innovative fantasy horror roleplaying adventure that we've been waiting for. Listen to the end to find out what the hell the "Christmas Tree of Whispers" is. Get in loser, we're going on a quest!

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We've been working on this episode for months. The Idol was transcendent, a whirlwind of traitorous reversals, doomed schemers, a nervously chattering Greek chorus, and a spectacularly haunted lead. But it is also by far the most pilloried and misunderstood mainstream work of art this year, with the media and social media fundamentally (if not deliberately) misconstruing its navigation of sexual agency and the creative process. In this episode, we look at the show and the ridiculous backlash to it in a larger cultural context. Yes, half of this episode is a spirited defense of The Weeknd's incredible performance as Tedros. The Weeknd was never a bad actor – Tedros was.

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We've been rewatching the Harry Potter movies at Alamo Drafthouse, and Cam developed a theory based on the way Chamber of Secrets teases good and evil versions of Harry. Tom Riddle is the obvious counterpart here, but we think we've found another hairier, many-legged, icky version of evil Harry that reveals a great deal about our beloved Hagrid.

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Discussion of the Lady of the Lake, Chapter 7

We're jumping back into the multiverse of madness today, as Ciri races through space and time towards the uncertain end of her legend. Maggie leads us on an art historical journey through unicorns and French tapestries, and Cam takes a closer, second look at the ouroboros: the reoccurring symbol that he now believes is a shorthand representation of Sapkowski's worldview and analysis of the problem of evil. Also happy birthday to us.

Take a look at the unicorn tapestry in question HERE

Check out Maggie's first unicorn deep dive on unicorns back in our discussion on The Time of Contempt, chapter 6 HERE

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Writer, director, and editor Anthony DiBlasi joins us to discuss his horrifying masterpiece, Malum. This movie scared us silly when we saw it back in April, and we've been tinkering with these notes ever since. It is an enormous honor to actually be able to sit down with the man behind the curtain and talk through one of the scariest movies we have ever seen. Topics include: thrill ride horror, Faustus echoes, experiential storytelling, metaphorical shotguns, scaring actors, reimagining religious horror, and the challenge of designing horror movies for theatrical and at-home viewing.

- Rent Malum [digital]

- Buy Malum [4K Blu-Ray]

- Buy the Malum Soundtrack [vinyl]

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In all seriousness, this might be the best animated movie we've ever seen. The script is wildly and consistently funny, the turtles are believable and painfully sympathetic, the creature design is out of this world, and the art style – the art style – literally made our jaws drop. Oh and did we mention that this movie about turtles has a Trent Reznor score that goes just as hard as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?? Last but certainly not least, Jackie Chan's performance as Splinter is one of the most affecting and heartbreaking representations of fatherhood that's ever made Cam cry (three times) in an Alamo Drafthouse.

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Discussion of The Lady of the Lake, Chapter 6

In this chapter we get Sapkowski working with two hands tied behind his back – no Geralt, no Ciri, no magic, no combat. But his signature ideas are all here in full force: destiny, free will, the problem of evil, war crimes, survival instincts, and the nagging feeling that humans are inherently and hopelessly selfish. Maggie's got some observations about the roles of propaganda and isolationism in this military-themed chapter. Cam caught some Tolkien comparisons and riffs that draw some fundamental differences between these two fantasy worlds. We also chase the ghosts of Geralt and Ciri as they race between the lines of this chapter, and Sapkowski sets the table for his endgame.

LINKS: YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Cam's stories Send us your feedback & theories: [email protected]