Analyzing society through the lens of its cultural products.
Helen Rollins and Adrian Romero
Here is a teaser of the first episode of Helen's new podcast The Lack, which you can find in full here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-lack/id1561070699?i=1000515251963
Psychoanalyst Carlos Padrón joins Helen to discuss 'Border' (Ali Abbasi) and the dialectics of identity.
Our most loyal guest, political theorist Benjamin Studebaker, returns to talk to Helen about cancellation, market contortions and AOC.
A conversation with author, academic and musician Grafton Tanner on the why the tale of the perils of Tech is a tale that is as old as time.
In which philosopher, translator and cultural critic Nina Power joins Helen to talk about Pasolini's 'Thereom' (1968), touching on subjective destitution, nettle-eating witches and conceiving of the gender wars as a sibling rivalry.
Elliott Morgan of the Valleyfolk talks to Helen about their new (and incredibly addictive) Movie Movie Game.
Punk pastor Jay Bakker joins Helen to discuss 'Star Wars' (George Lucas et al.), family ties, contradiction, the problematic Camus and the political power of Grace. https://www.patreon.com/estrangedpodcast
Theologian, musician and cultural theorist Barry Taylor joins us for a conversation about California, contradiction and counterculturalism in relation to Julien Temple's 'The Filth and the Fury'. https://www.patreon.com/estrangedpodcast
Helen is joined by her sister Bessie for a discussion inspired by a chapter from Todd McGowan's 2016 book 'Capitalism and Desire'. We use his insight that 'Notting Hill' (Roger Michell) is a film about love and that 'Pretty Woman' (Garry Marshall) is a film about romance as our jumping off point. https://www.patreon.com/estrangedpodcast
Parsing out truth and ideology, cause and effect, narrative shapes and emancipatory story forms with political theorist Benjamin Studebaker, in relation to 'Barbarians' (Netflix) and 'Industry' (HBO). https://www.patreon.com/estrangedpodcast
Actor Aaron Hickland joins Helen to discuss 'The Shawshank Redemption' (Frank Darabont) in relation to hope, lack and capitalism. https://www.patreon.com/estrangedpodcast
Sex, alienation, capital. Helen answers your questions about Punk, 'A Ghost Story' (David Lowery), Cottage Core, 'political' art, 'The Vow' (Jehane Noujaim, Karim Amer), 'Blade Runner 2049' (Denis Villeneuve), the best countries at making movies and what awaits us after Covid. Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/estrangedpodcast
We get way too worked up about the second half of the essay ('Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' by Laura Mulvey), which can be found here: https://www.asu.edu/courses/fms504/total-readings/mulvey-visualpleasure.pdf
Adrian and Helen read and analyze a canonical essay in so-called 'Lacanian' film theory - one that ushered in an oppositional, identity-based ethos to both how films are made and how they are talked about - showing that this 'theory' isn't Lacanian at all.
Philosopher and author Ben Burgis joins us to discuss his latest text with Zer0 Books ('Cancelling Comedians while the World Burns'), which is due to be released in the spring of 2021. We analyze Dave Chapelle's 2019 comedy special 'Sticks and Stones'. Here is the link to our Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/estrangedpodcast
In this belated episode (recorded last month at the time of the presidential debate), we talk about 'The Hunt' (Craig Zobel), 'The Hunt' (Thomas Vinterberg) and Trump's enviable curves...
Writer, academic and veteran James Greer joins the podcast to discuss war and the human subject in relation to 'White Tiger' (Karen Shakhnazarov) and 'Come and See' (Elem Klimov).
The seminar will take place online on 13th, 15th October 2020 6-7:30pm Dublin time. You can sign up for the seminar here: https://gcas-eschool.ie/film-seminar-fall-2020
Creston Davis (founder and CEO of the Global Center for Advanced Studies) joins Helen to discuss education, financialization, the rise of tech and the possibility for something new, all in relation to Ken Loach's latest film 'Sorry We Missed You'.
Film and political theorist Todd McGowan joins us to discuss his favorite film from each decade of cinema history. Todd's most recent book, 'Universality and Identity Politics' has just been released. Previous works include 'Capitalism and Desire,' 'Enjoying What We Don't Have: The Project of Psychoanalysis' and numerous works on film theory.
Adrian and Helen talk about 'The Devil, Probably' (Robert Bresson) and 'Two Days, One Night' (the Dardennes brothers), as well as solidarity, quilting points and 'intersectionality'.
Apologies for the subpar audio quality. This is from our live recording on Instagram. We discuss 'Athlete A' (Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk) and 'Irresistible' (Jon Stewart). The recording cuts out very abruptly at the end. We intend to record once a month from now on on Instragram. Join us next time if you missed it.
Quick announcement that we will be recording an episode live on Instagram tomorrow July 10th 7pm UK/ 1pm Central/ 11am PST. We'll be discussing 'Irresistible' (Jon Stewart) and 'Athlete A' (Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk). @errorspell @helen.v.rollins
Peter Rollins returns to talk about the brothel as church and the move from community to communion in relation to Joseph’s Strick’s 1963 dramatization of Genet’s ‘The Balcony’.
Adrian and Helen are depressed, but not surprised, by the rush to capitalize on legitimate political protest.
The second installment of Encyclopedia Estranged.
An alphabetical attempt at clarity, rendering, perhaps, the podcast more obscure.
Political theorist Benjamin Studebaker returns to talk work, structure, meritocracy and legitimation mechanisms as we discuss Sean Baker's wonderful film 'The Florida Project'.
Adrian and Helen try to keep up with the kids by analyzing 'Reds' (Warren Beatty) and 'Shape of Water' (Guillermo del Toro) with member of the younger generation, Trace Bell.
Peter Rollins returns with a podcast about loss, lack, ‘absolute knowledge’ and ‘Allone’ (made by us).
The Cambridge-based political theorist Benjamin Studebaker joins the podcast to discuss society and escape, structures and markets, illusion and disillusion, all in relation to 'Captain Fantastic' (Matt Ross).
Adrian and Helen talk with special guest Victoria Lagrange about Polanski, controversy and 'J'accuse'.
'Long-awaited' Q&A part 2, in which we discuss Punk, Billie Eilish, feeling old, woke culture, indie arts, comedy...
In which Adrian and Helen address your most burning questions about royalty, nostalgia, fashion, technology and not being able to be criticized.
Parasite, Midsommar, Marx, Freud, Girard, Debord.
In this 24th (not 23rd) episode, Adrian and Helen talk about elliptical infinity in relation to 'Limitless' (Neil Burger).
Adrian and Helen resist the intoxicating artifice of singularity when listening to the track 'This is Me' from 'The Greatest Showman'.
Adrian and Helen ask, 'is Terrence Malick a Christian?'
In which Adrian and Helen investigate a dialectical, atheistic approach to transcendence in relation to 'Enter the Void' (Gaspard Noé).
Adrian and Helen talk about self-sabotage, scientology and 'The Master' (Paul Thomas Anderson).
Adrian and Helen look at 'Joker' (Todd Phillips) and talk about why Arthur Fleck is the symptom par excellence - the contingent gristle of the real.
In this discussion about Éric Rohmer's 'The Green Ray', Adrian and Helen talk about meaningless signs, journeys without a destination and the healing power of the universal lack.
Adrian and Helen talk about the aestheticisation of 'politics', the struggle of a rowing boat and how oneness equals death, all in relation to 'Children of Men' by Alfonso Cuarón.
Adrian and Helen talk about sensuality, sadomasochism and mushrooms in relation to 'Phantom Thread' by Paul Thomas Anderson. (Helen is wrong: it's the 16th not 15th episode!)
Adrian and Helen talk about lizard people, the non-existant Big Other and the horror of subjectivising someone else's fantasy in relation to Kubrick's masterpiece 'Eyes Wide Shut'.
Special guest Tad Delay - author of 'God is Unconscious', 'The Cynic and the Fool' and 'Against' - talks with Helen about work, exploitation and the end of the world in relation to Ridley Scott's 'Alien'.
In this Bond-themed episode, special guest Peter Rollins joins Adrian and Helen to talk about goodies and baddies, pleasure and enjoyment, commodities and fetishes, all in relation to 'Quantum of Solace' by Marc Forster.
Adrian and Helen talk about eco-terrorists, non-believing believers and 'honest' diary-keeping in relation to the film 'First Reformed' by Paul Schrader.
Adrian and Helen disagree then agree about the biblical story of the Prodigal Son, defend tradition (sort of) and talk about why you can't intellectualise the 'cure', all in relation to Denis Villeuneuve's 'Incendies'.
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