The Letterboxd Show

Bonghive, rise! We have cinema disease and Karen Han has the cure. The cultural critic, scriptwriter and Bong Joon-ho expert joins hosts Slim and Gemma to talk about her four Letterboxd faves: Phantom of the Paradise; Take Shelter; Ping Pong and The Host. Karen’s new book, Bong Joon-ho: Dissident Cinema, is out in November from Abrams Books and Little White Lies.

You can upgrade to Pro/Patron at 20% off the normal price using this special URL: https://letterboxd.com/pro/redeem/paradise/. Upgrade to Pro/Patron to get rid of ads, customize your streaming services, view detailed movie-watching stats computed from your account history, and much more. That URL automatically adds our special discount code “Paradise” to get 20% off an upgrade. You can alternatively add that word manually into the Enter Code section on the bottom left of our Pro page if you want, no big deal.

Also: Karen recalls the dawn of the #Bonghive, we discuss the sexual energy of songwriter Paul Williams, why rock operas should come back, the Meatloaf of it all, why one of Slim’s favorite pastimes is reading Letterboxd reviews aloud, living in the mystery, Jeff Nichols’ superlative relationship skills, Gemma’s rage at ambiguous sci-fi endings, cooking manga, and Michael Shannon, step on us, please. Use the code ‘PARADISE’ for an exclusive 20% discount on Pro and Patron memberships in the week of this episode’s release.

Credits: This episode was recorded in Auckland, Los Angeles and Pennsylvania, and edited by Slim. Facts by Jack. Booker: Brian Formo. Transcript by Sophie Shin. Theme: ‘Vampiros Dancoteque’ by Moniker.

Lists and links: The Letterboxd list of films mentioned; Anxiety-Inducing Cinema list by Jack; Simon Ramshaw’s They aren’t films; they’re experiences list; Essential Depressioncore list by Obsolete; Kermit chats to Paul Williams, Karen’s first #Bonghive tweet.

Reviews of Nope by Karen Han; Phantom of the Paradise by COBRARocky and feat. dante from the dmc series; Take Shelter by Lauren and Lucy; Ping Pong by Dan P and Ali; The Host by Hollie and Oppie.

This week Mia and Mitchell discuss their growing watchlists including Orphan: First Kill; Beast and Spin Me Round. Who doesn’t love a good bonus psychosexual plot? Unrelated but we also hear from Aubrey Plaza herself in this episode nbd. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss watching sad movies maybe forever.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits:

Never tumble-dry a bra! Film professor, director, Colors of the Dark podcaster and absurdist horror-comedy fan Rebekah McKendry joins hosts Slim and Gemma to gleefully dig into her four Letterboxd favs: Hedwig and the Angry Inch; The ’Burbs; Suspiria and Survive Style 5+. Plus: the download on Glorious, her new “classy glory-hole movie” for Shudder, starring Ryan Kwanten and JK Simmons.

Also: soap-opera amnesia, rewatching Old, the perfect horror rating, terrible neighbors, why Letterboxd’s Suspiria reviews are the best reviews, our thirst for Jessica Harper, important choreography chat, how to make a $50K movie, how to get JK Simmons in your film, how to get your glory hole the right size, why Rebekah always shows Hedwig to all her film students, and why you haven’t truly lived until you have seen Survive Style 5+.

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This week Slim and Mitchell discuss their growing watchlists including Emily the Criminal, Inu-oh and Day Shift. Ever credit card scam a vampire? That could be the key. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss giving 5 stars to sex, violence, gore, debauchery.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Sponsor:

You can try MUBI free for 90 days at www.mubi.com/letterboxd. With MUBI, each and every film is hand-selected. It’s like your own personal film festival -- streaming anytime, anywhere. And don’t forget to subscribe to their acclaimed audio-documentary series: MUBI PODCAST.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits:

Beware the ectoplasmic residue! Comedian, actor, podcaster and Letterboxd member Paul Scheer joins hosts Slim and Gemma to celebrate American men of the 1980s via his four Letterboxd favorites: Beverly Hills Cop; Ghostbusters; Back to the Future and Planes Trains and Automobiles.

You can upgrade to Pro/Patron at 20% off the normal price using this special URL: https://letterboxd.com/pro/redeem/mcfly/. Upgrade to Pro/Patron to get rid of ads, customize your streaming services, view a customized stats page just for your own account, and much more. That URL automatically adds our special discount code “mcfly” to get 20% off upgrading. You can also add that word manually into the Enter Code section on the bottom left of our Pro page if you want, no big deal.

Plus: the curious psychology of choosing your four Letterboxd faves; what Paul has learned about movies from hosting the How Did This Get Made and Unspooled podcasts; Slim’s dream of owning Marty McFly’s truck; Gemma’s love for BH Cop’s Jenny; why Back to the Future II stacks up; our appreciation for Bronson Pinchot; what Ghostbusters can teach us about running a small business; Paul upgrades to Patron level live on the show (without even using our limited-time discount offer—see details above); and why won’t our damn kids love The Muppets as much as we do?

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This week Slim and Mia discuss their growing watchlists including Bodies Bodies Bodies, Bullet Train and Prey. Can you guess Brad Pitt’s height? Your own answer may shock you. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss erotic cinema and Dennis Hopper.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits:

This week Slim and Mitchell discuss their growing watchlists including Resurrection, Not Okay and Vengeance. They also sneak in some big time praise for A Love Song. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss how odd it is to say the word “Catwomen” out loud.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Pro/Patron Upgrade:

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

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This week Slim and Mitchell discuss their growing watchlists including Nope, The Gray Man, and Anything’s Possible. No spoilers in here don’t worry oh kay? Also we chat about Chris Evans’ tight pantaloons. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss living in thinning hair and dancing in the rain soaked streets of the West Side.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Sponsor:

You can try MUBI free for 90 days at www.mubi.com/letterboxd. With MUBI, each and every film is hand-selected. It’s like your own personal film festival -- streaming anytime, anywhere. And don’t forget to subscribe to their acclaimed audio-documentary series: MUBI Podcast.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits:

This week Slim and Mia discuss their growing watchlists including Where the Crawdads Sing, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and Don’t Make Me Go. Also is this the year for nice-core? (Yes)  After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss living in purgatory with Boyhood and Albert Brooks.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits:

This week Mitchell and Mia discuss their growing watchlists including Thor: Love and Thunder, Both Sides of the Blade and Murina. Also who wouldn’t thirst-watch for Cate Blanchett? After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss the insane combination of framing a cartoon rabbit while buckerooing through the banzai.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits: