The Twin Geeks

Felicia Maroni (Seeing Faces in Movies) joins the show to discuss the first half of John Cassavetes' filmography: Shadows (1958); Too Late Blues (1961); A Child is Waiting (1963); Faces (1968); Husbands (1970); and Minnie & Moskowicz (1971). When we talk about John Cassavetes, we're talking about the history of American independent movies, from what preceded and influenced the movement, to how the format adapted and was deeply influenced by the style of indie auteurs like Cassavetes. By studying this filmmaking tradition, we can give shape to a whole world of cinema crafted outside the system and trace every step of contemporary productions back to their root source. By working outside the system and against the market, Cassavetes created a new system and a new market. We explore the eccentricities of this improvisational and naturalistic filmmaker who changed movies forever, one Opening Night, one Face, one Husband, one Chinese Bookie, and one Woman Under the Influence at a time. Stay tuned as Felicia will return for the second half of our series, and some of the most influential indie films of all time, next month.

Paul Thomas Anderson's exquisite Phantom Thread (2017) is our New Year's movie of choice, as our friend Renee (follow on LB: Pixie_Bomber) sits in for a discussion that weaves discussions of terrific costume design with subjects who are driven to become experts in their field. Phantom Thread is one of the reasons this site came to exist and we'll always have time for PTA's tightly-wound precision. Meanwhile, George Clooney has directed The Boys in the Boat, the story of the UW rowing team who beat Hitler's team, and Renee has brought her expertise as a former coxswain to weigh in on the new locally-focused movie. All this and more as we enter another year of delightful cinema ahead.

Your Christmas friends Calvin & Perla (follow on LB: pxcaballero) discuss cinema's weightiest Christmas film, Todd Haynes' exceptional Carol (2015). How do we perceive each other, Carol asks, at a perfect remove, characters stand back and observe one another. They take each other in. There is a boldness to let the movie happen, to always place the camera in the right place, having all the costumes right, having the right script, the right actors, the right everything, that goes right all the time. This is an intoxicating holiday concoction where characters hold their spaces on-screen, spaces that are of themselves and for each other. Always watching, standing in the back, perceiving, as we perceive them. Then it all comes together and is simply one of the greatest statements in romantic filmmaking. Carol is the best gift movies have given us for holidays and now we play it back for you. We wish all of our friends a safe and happy holiday season full of good movies and good cheer. Come for the holiday cheer and stay for the in-depth Carol discussion, starting at 41:43.

It's a Thanksgiving special with... The Vvitch, perhaps our best American pilgrim cinema, as we're joined by our friend Warren Cantrell (Scene Stealers & The Playlist). This week, the whole feast is on the table, from comforting to deeply discomforting holiday movies, centering on Robert Eggers' modern classic. All this and reviews of some new films, like Rustin & The Holdovers, with a discussion about Alexander Payne's career and cancelation. There's nothing like Thanksgiving to bring folks together so join us round the table as we discuss one of the most invigorating horror movies in recent memory. Bon appétit.

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Our friend Caless (BlackNerdMagic) joins us for a momentous entry in online cinema discourse: Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972). We explore the rich themes of the flagship mob text, everything from the use of light and darkness to the film's systemic exploration of what draws its characters into lives of crime, and never lets go. One of the most storied movies ever made, we explore the dense text of the film, the context of its release, and how Coppola has shaped the future of crime cinema.

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The Twin Geeks Editor Vaughn, our resident Enthusiast of All Things, joins the show in promotion of his terrific new action cinema podcast, co-hosted with resident Musician for All of Our Theme Songs Jack. Their new show is called Throw Down, so-named after the excellent action film of the same name, which gives an idea of what kind of high-octane movies they will get up to on the show. You can already listen to the first two episodes!

In this program, we take on an action-thriller classic in celebration: John Carpenter's excellent Assault on Precinct 13, which takes the best notes out of Rio Bravo and Night of the Living Dead and melds them together in a riveting, matter-of-factly directed celebration of cinematic traditions. Carpenter achieves all of this on a relatively low budget, our first signal of the delightfully indelible masterpieces ahead of us in his career.

Beyond this classic, we discuss our horror month as it was, why we're discontinuing our awards show podcast, and try to consider how horror is being perceived as a modern genre, and what it means to direct in that space right now.

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The night the Kentucky Gentleman came home! Our friend Jesse returns for our yearly tradition of exploiting the Halloween franchise for content. At this point, the series has received a genre-defining first film, a normal slasher sequel, a strange outlier sequel, a comeback movie, and now, a normal sequel to a comeback movie. That's how it goes with horror franchises, as we discuss exactly what has changed and what each change in the journey of the Halloween franchise means, as well as the many types of Halloween fans all these different entries have created, and the unique story of an unlicensed novelization that cause a stir on social media (you can find a free PDF here). We tie up the messy loose ends, find the fun and funny moments that nearly save the unquestionably middling movie, and as per our usual routine, find some time to review some Radiohead-adjacent material. Our first ever show was about a Halloween movie and this is one of our favorite series to put out into the world. Thank you so much for listening and please have yourself a safe and spooky Halloween.

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Nicole Kidman makes movies better: which ones? Your friends at thetwingeeks.com rank all of them with a metric inspired by her best work, her We Make Movies Better ad for AMC. From Eyes Wide Shut to BMX Bandits, we cover all the significant works of a singular performer who has captured the widespread attention of the internet, and nearly everyone who has set foot in an American multiplex over the last several years. Nicole Kidman's career is as rich as it is varied and we're here to discuss every single piece of her oeuvre. This is the podcast where movies are Perfect and Powerful... because here, they are.

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Familycast resumes as Ezra joins the show to talk about her favorite things: Bluey, Nintendo Live, her cat, and everything else a six-year-old cares about. Thing about Bluey is that it's endlessly sweet, full of life lessons, beautiful character moments, and like Fast and Furious, it's about family. Likewise, Nintendo is for families, and we discuss our venture into the inaugural US edition of Nintendo Live at PAX West 2023. We also talk about other videogames, as Ezra endures a couple of minutes of Starfield talk, explains her love for the brilliantly creative Chicory, our discovery of a new local arcade,and more! This one is for the whole family.

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Dear friend Perla sits in with us to discuss Todd Haynes' Safe. In this striking psychological horror film, Julianne Moore's character develops environmental sickness and an allergy to the conditions of the 20th Century. We frame the film in the context of movies about the lives of women in society and how hard it is to live in it. As we discuss their working relationship, Julianne Moore becomes something like a muse for Todd Haynes. We explore their work together and the importance of signature films like Carol (2015). All that and so much Baseball, as we do a Sportcast again, to check in on the standing of the Seattle Mariners.

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