We’re back again with another episode chosen by one of our sponsor-tier subscribers from Patreon, this time with a bit of 1990s gay cinema! Thank you Lance for bringing us all to 1995’s Jeffrey! Adapted from Paul Rudnick’s Off-Broadway smash play, the concept of an “AIDS comedy” made it difficult to get produced, but ultimately … Continue reading "309 – Jeffrey (Patreon Selects)"

We’re back from our annual trip to TIFF and we’re giving you another exhaustive episode on all the films we saw! Topics include the newly minted People’s Choice winner The Life of Chuck, Oscar nominations we are anticipating from the lineup, the muted-mixed response to Saturday Night, Nicole Kidman back in full force in Babygirl, the rapturous response … Continue reading "THOB Returns to TIFF!"

With another George Clooney film on the horizon with Wolfs, it’s time to revisit the diminishing returns of his directorial career. In the 2013 season, his WWII quasi-comedy true story ensemble film The Monuments Men was an on-paper awards magnet. With a cast that included Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, and Bill Murray as a team … Continue reading "308 – The Monuments Men"

Underdiscussed in the Mike White oeuvre is 2017’s Brad’s Status, the story of a father reflecting on his own formative college years while taking his son on a college visit. With Ben Stiller center stage, the film examines privilege and maleness with White’s exacting but humane eye for detail, resulting one of the most emotionally affecting … Continue reading "307 – Brad’s Status"

A film with strong festival reviews that gets dumped to cable television because its commercial prospects appear slim? Sounds like something ripped from today’s cinema headlines, but it’s the case for this week’s film, Rodrigo Garcia’s Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her. Led by a prestigious cast of awards show mainstays, the film … Continue reading "306 – Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her"

With the upcoming return of Mike Leigh to cinemas with Hard Truths, we invited writer and Fran Mag creator Fran Hoepfner to join us to talk about his last theatrical effort, 2019’s Peterloo. The film tells the story of the buildup to the Peterloo massacre, in which years of political movement to get parliamentary representation for the … Continue reading "305 – Peterloo (with Fran Hoepfner)"

Time to get controversh with with one of the most argued about films of the century, 2000’s American Psycho. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ lightning rod novel, the film passed through multiple directors before landing in the inspired hands of Mary Harron. The independent director struck the right satirical note on Ellis’ difficult blend of consumerism … Continue reading "304 – American Psycho"

With Anora anointed with the Palme d’Or this year, one of the narratives ahead in the coming season will be whether Sean Baker’s microbudgeted cinema will be embraced by the Academy in a big way. After lots of buzz for Tangerine and an acting nom for Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project, Baker was buzzed again for Red Rocket and its showcase … Continue reading "303 – Red Rocket"

We’re talking about Gwyneth Paltrow’s red hot 1998 this week and who better to join us than author and Who? Weekly co-host Bobby Finger?! With a slew of movies to aid her ascendancy, Gwyneth Paltrow wasn’t having a moment in 1998, she was the moment. It all kicked off with the Sundance debut of romcom … Continue reading "302 – Sliding Doors (with Bobby Finger)"

our old friend Kevin O’Keeffe and Texas native for a very Texas movie. Debuting in 2011 but arriving in theaters, Richard Linklater’s Bernie accounts a real-life Texan wink wink bachelor Bernie Tiede (played by Jack Black), beloved by the church ladies and local community. However, he is taken in by the town villain Margie (Shirley MacLaine) and … Continue reading "301 – Bernie"