Ex Rated Movies

Here we go again.

For those who are still listening (Jessica, we're looking at you), thanks for sticking around! This one's only a half hour. You've got a half hour left in you, right?

I think this is the one where we finally get to talk about Best Actress. Maybe. I'm not sure. Haven't listened yet

I'll bet we're starting to sound drunk at this point. Oh, well! Here's Part 3!

Here's Part 2! (I have no idea what we talked about in this part.

The 94th annual Academy Awards air March 27, 2022 and we're coming out of hiatus to talk about ‘em! You may be thinking to yourself, “Uh-whuh?! I thought those guys were dead!” Well, we're not, and we promised ourselves that we would make Oscar episodes no matter what! And so, hiatus be damned, we asked longtime friend Darren Dewse to join us for a four-and-a-half hour discussion of James Bond songs, Agnes of God, and the ever-compelling Best Actress category! (Don't worry about that runtime. I broke it into 5, bite-sized chunks for you :) Here's Part1!)

Any way you slice it, 200 episodes is a milestone. And while other, more cowardly podcasts might insist on regulating and planning every second of such an achievement, we left it all to chance and invited Lady Luck to choose our movies for us! Last week's AFI Roulette spins yielded two paragons of pure, unadulterated entertainment. One is a dumb, colorful musical bursting with bananas fashion, stunning set pieces, and one magnificent ass. The other is a frenetic and cacophonous gangster flick that features outstanding performances, the most magnificent oner, and an in-movie commercial to rival Cheddar Goblin. Both are exemplars of their genre, and the form of cinema itself. Join us as we swoon over Singin' in the Rain (1952) and Goodfellas (1990), this week on Ex Rated Movies!

As we approach episode 200, Matt has decided to bring us back to where it all started. Claire Denis' vampire-adjacent Trouble Every Day (2001), is a slow and sensual mood piece that's sparse on dialogue but brimming with ambiguity. While the movie does contain two challengingly violent scenes, the lush camerawork from Agnès Goddard, sumptuous music from Tindersticks, and sad puppy dog eyes from Vincent Gallo help to temper their biting intensity. This is one auteur treatment of vampires that we heartily endorse. Join us as we rack our brains about about actual brains, review the Tool Time segments from Home Improvement, and get mayonnaise all over the mirror, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Pull up your pleated corduroys and throw on Bossanova because we’re taking a nostalgia trip back to the 1990’s. While Kicking and Screaming (1995), Noah Baumbach’s debut feature, definitely captures the look and feel of the mid 90’s, it also epitomizes the directionless ennui some liberal arts graduates *ahem* feel upon entering the “real world.” And while he certainly went on to make better films, this one’s charming analysis of stunted and ornery young adults refusing to grow up, goes down very, very easy. Join us for some thoughtful discussions on the Cookie Man’s politics, an abridged dissection of the exact nature of a Muppet, and a rootin’, tootin’ audition for Howdy Tasty, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It’s a true testament to how great Gremlins is that practically everyone came back to work on Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). And the fact that studio execs held out until Joe Dante was willing to make it with complete creative control, proves that whatever unique blend of horror and comedy that this movie achieves, is unrepeatable. Bigger and wackier than the first, yet still ringing all the same bells, this delightfully satisfying sequel is the ideal example of what can happen when art and business join forces. Join us as we reminisce about Wendy’s baked potato bar, take a stab at Andy Rooney’s tight five, and put a pin in Gremlina’s DSL, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Evillene would be pleased because this week, we’ve got good news; we’re talking about The Wiz (1978)! Starring an age-inappropriate Diana Ross, a peanut-butter-cup-wrapper-sporting Michael Jackson, and directed by a put-the-camera-in-the-nosebleeds Sidney Lumet, this one-of-a-kind flick reimagines The Wizard of Oz with an all-black cast singing familiar story beats in soul and gospel style. Filled with huge set pieces, imaginative costume design, excellent vocal performances, and tight choreography, this unique film, while flawed, puts a fun, joyful spin on the beloved classic. Join us as we discuss a bitter and repulsive liqueur, get swept away by a blornado, and marvel at Matt’s first on-air critique of capitalism, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It seems that for those of us who grew up in the 80’s, The Secret of NIMH (1982) either conjures fond memories of a magical adventure or summons terrifying traumas of non-stop peril. The Exes and their newly minted #1 guest Travis Vogt, are solidly in the former category. Helmed by Don Bluth and completed by a team of Disney expats, this masterpiece of old-school hand-drawn animation tells a grim tale of a nameless widow mouse who, when faced with impossible choices, finds the courage to conquer insurmountable odds. Join us for an episode that includes some imminent death chuckles, a Great Owl who is DTF, and a showering of Jimmy Stewart’s tricklins, this week on Ex Rated Movies! And check out Travis’s podcast here: https://thesuspenseiskillingus.com/

It’s been a while since we visited the strange, idiosyncratic world of Guy Maddin, but Brand Upon the Brain (2006) reminds us that we should definitely check in with it more often. Deploying frequent rapid cuts, melodramatic music, and cinematography reminiscent of film’s silent era, Maddin has concocted a feverish delirium of gender obfuscation, Oedipal implication, and Nosferatu insinuation on a shoestring budget. His films with their dazzling singular style and convoluted plots may be difficult to talk about (and this one is certainly no exception), but boy are they a joy to watch. Join us as we give voice to that helpful paperclip from Microsoft Word, enjoy a little wall butter (good for dippin’!), and get a bit serious about big floppy dongs, this week on Ex Rated Movies! 

Drugs drugs drugs drugs drugs! In honor of 4/20, today’s episode is all about drugs, man. Based on the Philip K. Dick novel and directed by Richard Linklater, A Scanner Darkly (2006) weaves a trippy, paranoid tale of an undercover narcotics officer who may be in over his head. Done in mesmerizing rotoscope-esqe animation and featuring an amazing cast that somehow includes Alex Jones, this cautionary tale about the high cost of addiction criminalization has an emotional resonance that keeps it from becoming a gimmicky curiosity. Join us as we fact check our D.A.R.E. officers, set the record straight on fruit pies, and throw in a few Dick jokes for good measure, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

If you feel a bit disoriented seeing this week’s movie title instead of Sicario, don’t fear! You’re not having a break with reality! Ryan pulled a switcheroo behind the scenes and forced Matt to talk about Repulsion (1965) instead. Directed by Roman Polanski, this slow burn fever dream stars Catherine Deneuve (in her first role) as another Carol suffering from mental health problems who is left alone to stew in her psychosis. And while some of the special effects betray its shoestring budget, this scrappy thriller more than makes up for them with its striking imagery, innovative sound design, and sympathetic story. Join us as we have a hare head hair-raising, wince at a nape-of-the-neck knifing, and wrestle with Polanski’s problematic past, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It’s spring break y’all! Time to slap on a bikini bottom and polish up your grill because we’re covering Harmony Korine’s impressive tale of youth gone wild, Spring Breakers (2012). Filled with mesmerizing slo-mo montages and provocative juxtapositions, this neon-hued joyride defies expectations as it follows four young women in search of hedonism, power, and all that life has to offer. Join us as we ask: is this movie a bluff that no one wanted to call? What’s up with Gucci Mane’s face tattoos? And is a jock strap better than naked? All this and a 40 year old otter, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

While obscure German arthouse cinema might not scream “party time” to most, here at Ex Rated Movies, it’s a downright jubilee! Throughout the 70’s and into the early 80’s, Ranier Werner Fassbinder (not to be confused with Michael Fassbender) was a talented and innovative voice in cinema. Though problematic (and sometimes hard to watch), his films combine difficult subject matter with creative visual flourishes and breathtaking imagery. Our double feature Fassbinder Filmbender includes the maybe masochistic made for TV movie about marital misery, Martha (1974) and the sumptuous and sleek monochrome nod to Hollywood noir, Veronika Voss (1982). Grab yourself a plate of pig kidneys in Burgundy sauce and settle in as we consider the exact nature of verandas, don our furs to impersonate fancy ladies, and give our Ambie Award presentation the Elizabeth Taylor treatment, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Happy Birth (2004) Day! This episode has been a long time coming so we’re giving ourselves a congratulatory pat on the back as we tackle this icky squicky drama about a woman whose decade-long dead husband is seemingly reincarnated in the body of a 10 year old boy. Directed by the gifted Jonathan Glazer and starring Nicole Kidman in what may be her finest role, this muted, solemn tale challenges its viewers to accept the preposterous premise and truly wrestle with the messy implications contained within it. It’s Kidman vs. Kid Man as we toss out some controversial opinions, find out that Matt was a teen loan shark sensei, and learn a fun fact about shag carpet from Willy Nilly, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

On paper, Notes on a Scandal (2006) has our names written all over it. A sapphic British psychosexual thriller starring Judy Dench and Cate Blanchett? Yes please! However in practice, the movie doesn’t quite live up to its promise. Despite its rich subject matter, stellar performances, and competent production, the film relies heavily on tired voiceover, leaves important themes virtually unexplored, and muddies many scenes with an oppressive Philip Glass score (sorry, Philip). It all adds up to a decent viewing experience that ultimately leaves us wanting. Join us for some special friend arm strokin’, an odd shoutout to Bob Geldof, and more cat talk than you’d think on this velvet tippin’, finger smithin’, oyster slurpin’ bonanza of an episode, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

We’ve hinted about doing Dangerous Liaisons (1987) for ages and today, my dear listener, is the day. Based on the late 18th century epistolary novel by Choderlos De Laclos, and directed by Stephen Frears: The King of Middlebrow Cinema™, this wicked little gem dares to paint the French aristocracy as snipey manipulators bent on vindictive sexual conquest and calculated emotional revenge. Come for the extraordinary cast, elaborate intrigue, and opulent production design. Stay for the exquisite direction, delicious dialogue, and abundance of heaving bosoms. Grab a glass of bone water and join us as we dust off the Oblique Strategies deck, mention a filling of our Dench Trench, and hear tell of a dangerous Dangerous Liaisons liaison, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It’s Valentine’s Day season and Matt is reviving an old tradition we have here at the podcast of celebrating a day devoted to romance with a movie that doesn’t have a hint of romance in it. Possession (1981) is a movie that defies categorization. Part relationship drama, part sci-fi horror, part Cold War allegory (maybe?), Andrzej Żuławski’s emotional tour-de-force stars Isabelle Adjani (giving an impassioned performance) and Sam Neill (once again playing an unwanted husband) as they reckon with the pain of infidelity, the tribulations of divorce, and the hopefulness of rebirth. Oh, also sopping wet betentacled sex aliens. Join us as we discuss the 80’s sitcom Heinrich and Heinrich, Bob the kid, and Ryan’s harrowing viewing adventure, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

January 2021, a month that will surely only be remembered for Bean Dad and Game Stop stock, is now behind us. That means we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming with the only Hollywood film noir directed by a woman, The Hitch-Hiker (1953). Based on the real-life cross-country killing spree of Billy Cook, certified “cool lady” Ida Lupino tells this brutal and emotionally wrought tale with empathy and flair. While perhaps not a typical noir, this desert-set, chiaroscuro-drenched affair manages to feel propulsive and tense, even at a brief 71 minutes long! Join us for some hard serial killer face, a bit of boomer humor, and some sex flashcards that taught us the word lingam, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

After more than six hours and four bottles of wine, we’ve reached the end of our journey. And while we neglect to mention the episode’s title, we did remember to look up the production designer! Heaven, I’m in Heaven closes out Angels in America on a supremely satisfying note. Unfortunately, the play’s dismal analysis of conservative American politics remains accurate to this day, but it’s message of hopeful progress through adversity endures as well. Join us for the tired and tearful final installment of our Angels in Americathon!

Part five, Beyond Nelly, left us dirty, tangled, and torn. It also confirmed Ryan’s bi-ness. This installment finds Hannah calling Prior “Batman”, Belize describing a fabulous version of heaven to Roy, and Harper learning about change from a bitter lady of the plains. Things are getting heavy as the grindy gears of justice slowly spin towards their inexorable ends as new relationships begin to bloom while other fade away. Join us for an episode that includes a three wiener callback, beautiful Balenciaga ballgowns, and a petrichor detecting palette, as we continue our Angels in Americathon!

Perestroika begins with Stop Moving!, a slower chapter that takes its time establishing the new places and situations our characters find themselves in. Louis and Joe are shacking up and talking about smells. Prior is home and having wet dreams about an angel with eight vaginas. And Belize is reluctantly taking care of Roy who is now slowly deteriorating in the hospital. What is the pterodactyl sex move? Where does Ryan land on the Kinsey scale? How would middle toe sex work? The answers to these questions and a funeral with wigs out the wazoo on this episode of our Angels in Americathon!

Part three of Millennium Approaches, The Messenger, serves as a nice tonic to the emotionally difficult previous chapter. It starts with Michael Gambon and Simon Callow looking like they’ve been dredged in flour and it ends with Meryl Streep dressed as Ethel Rosenberg gleefully commenting on the melodious sounds of a touchtone phone. We’re halfway through and the cracks are starting to show as we discuss the lamentable consequences of venery, purple v mauve, and our undeniable similarities to Frasier and Niles on this installment of our Angels in Americathon!

Second acts tend to be downers. And since In Vitro is the second act of Millennium Approaches (the first play of the gay fantasia Angels in America), it’s a bit of a downer. Everyone is either breaking up with their SO’s in bad faith, or getting all intestinal with their AIDS infections, or both! At least this chapter introduces Belize, who enters glitteringly with his fabulous coat and graceful air to salve our already weary emotional states. We’re two episodes in and we still haven’t looked up the production designer. Sounds like we’re right on track for the second installment of our Angels in Americathon!

2020? We’ve had plenty! 2021? We’ve had none! Well, we’ve had a little bit. It’s January and that means bonus content time here at Ex Rated Movies. This year we’re tackling the sprawling HBO miniseries, Angels in America (2003). Directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep and Al Pacino (among others) this bold and clear-eyed work wrestles with AIDS, homosexuality, and the storm that surrounded them in 1980’s America. Join us for Bad News, the tone-setting first chapter of our Angles in Americathon!

Christmas may be over, but we still have one last Christmas in December episode up our stocking! We’re closing out the celebration (and the year!) with a movie that is so inside our wheelhouse, it may as well be the damn wheelhouse. Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992) is an incredible confluence of a thoughtful script, Hollywood money, artful directing, perfect casting of a committed cast, amazing costumes, spot-on production design, a killer score, and the best transformation scene of any character, villain or hero, in any superhero movie EVER. Our noses aren’t gushing blood, but WE’RE definitely gushing about all of the above and more. Plus we imagine a whole cadre of fantasy guests, practice our French flipper trick, and take some major umbrage at Bruce Wayne’s privileged reaction to Alfred’s (probably) delicious cooking, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Happy Winter Solstice everybody! For those of us in the northern hemisphere, it’s the darkest day of the year, which makes this week’s Christmas flick all the more appropriate. Superstar friend of the pod Jessica Baxter joins us to discuss Martin McDonagh’s feature length debut, In Bruges (2008). Set against the backdrop of a freakin’ medieval fairy tale fantasy, this dark comedy smartly deals with classic religious themes such as guilt and purgatory, but looks at them through a very modern lens. The result, thanks to the brilliant script and impressive performances, is a rich, funny, and eminently watchable ride. Join us for an episode that includes our terrible attempts at Irish accents, a Gleeson family surprise, and a scale that goes all the way up to blobbychongas, this week on Ex Rated Movies! And check out Jessica’s podcast here: https://paidinpuke.podbean.com/

They’re vicious. They’re gluttonous. They’re gross. They’re Gremlins (1984)! And they happen to be the subject of our second Christmas in December movie! While somewhat unfocused, Joe Dante’s holiday horror comedy is an undoubtedly wild ride of fully committed entertainment. Boasting some glorious practical effects, a catchy score (courtesy of Jerry Goldsmith), and some grade-A hilarity, it’s obvious why this imaginative dazzler spawned so many crummy knockoffs and why we, as a podcast, were destined to cover it. Join us as we dig in on the mogwai diet rules, smirk knowingly at the anti-capitalism of it all, and break down our last 100 movies into quantifiable nuggets, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It’s finally the final month of 2020, and every episode from now until New Year’s is going to be bursting with holiday goodness. We’re kicking off what we’re calling our Christmas in December Celebration with Sean Baker’s feel-good dark comedy, Tangerine (2015). Shot on iPhones 5 and starring two trans people of color, this simple, joyful romp might not immediately scream holiday cheer, but just beneath its gritty yet colorful surface lies a humanistic story of warmth and compassion that unquestionably celebrates the true reason for the season. Join us for an episode wherein one host survives a Seinfeldian moving nightmare, the other dons a ginger wig for drag TV, and both raise a glass of nog to a month full of Christmas jubilation, this week on Ex Rated Movies! And check out The Jinkx and Dela Holiday Special here: https://www.jinkxanddela.com/ And Scott Shoemaker’s War on Christmas here: https://btt.boldtypetickets.com/events/109487234/scott-shoemakers-war-on-christmas

Considering the lack of movies that revolve around audio engineers (which happens to be this week’s theme), it’s remarkable how incredible our selections for this double feature are! First up: Franny For Co’s slender goddess,The Conversation (1974). It’s an engrossing, paranoid mood-piece starring Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert grappling with the morality of his work. Second: Brian De Palma’s meta-leaning Blow Out (1981). Inspired by Antonioni’s Blow Up and rendered with characteristic De Palma panache, John Travolta stars as a sound designer who happens to capture the audio of a dubiously accidental car crash. Both highlight the importance of audio as a medium and are stellar examples of film en general. You’ll never listen to movies the same way again! Join us for a round of Hot Mikes and we discuss fetishized analog audio gear, bloody toilet overflow anxiety, and a big bucket of pennies, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

While we might not choose many screwball romantic comedies on this podcast, the ones we do choose definitely tend to have a dark, suicide-y angle to them. Unfaithfully Yours (1948) for example, Preston Sturges’s unique take on the jealous lover imagining revenge trope, features a long scenario set to Rossini’s overture to Semiramide, wherein our main character imagines nearly beheading his wife and then framing his secretary for the crime. And while the movie might be light on romance, it’s rife with fantastic directorial flourishes, snappy quippy dialogue, and slapstick humor (played to perfection by Rex Harrison) that left both Ryan and Matt in stitches. Join us as we spill the tea about Peter Falk’s BDE, posit that DB TT’d MJ on the DL, and conceive the horrendous love child of Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Hey kids! Wanna watch a glacial, German, arthouse drama about a manipulative lesbian and her ultimate downfall at the hands of her own desire? Well, you’re in luck because we’re kicking of our 17th season with Ranier Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1974)! Artfully filmed in a single room and busting at the seams with suggestive mannequins, outrageous wigs, ludicrous fashion, and solid needle drops, this homosexual dramafest has our names written all over it. Join us as we put in a call to our local pharmacy, hail the manager to inquire about the elastic chewables, and rest in the shade of the pepper green tree, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Surprise! One year ago we reviewed the under-appreciated Ex Rated favorite, Socket. Today we're bringing you an interview with the star of that film. Derek Long was kind enough to sit down and chat with us about his experience on Socket, his forays into voice acting, and his attitude about sticking it to conservatives on this extra special interview episode of Ex Rated Movies!

While last week’s Wheel Within a Wheel may have been a logistical nightmare, it did result in the fortuitous, yet statistically unlikely combination of The Piano (1993) and The Ice Storm (1997). One is a haunting, hole-filled period polarizer with a brilliant score. The other is a frigid cast-tastic snapshot of WASPy, 70’s Connecticut. What do these films have in common? Why they’re both formative movies from podpal Darren Dewes’ early years! He joins us this week to yack about pee scenes, chunky necklaces, and every imaginable iteration of the Titanic tragedy, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Because this is a movie podcast hosted by two gay men, we are contractually obligated to cover Brokeback Mountain (2005) at some point. So, here it is! Directed by the superb Ang Lee and starring a cadre of hungry, talented youths, this sensual yet melancholy odyssey depicts a homosexual romance during a time and place where physical and emotional expressions between two men were met with scorn and violence. And even though the sex scene, (yes THAT sex scene) doesn’t pass muster, the rest of the movie is like the brand of canned beans our protagonists prefer: Better Most. Join us for some audio engineer lingo, a wheel within a wheel, and a bunch of friendly conversation, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Nacho Vigolando’s Timecrimes (2007) is a well-crafted, tightly-scripted, independent treasure. The whole thing plays out like a time travel version of Rashomon as we follow our protagonist through three iterations of the same hour of one day. Sparse yet stylish, its tense, twisty plot is littered with little rewards while the urgent pacing keeps your attention focused on the present, which is quite an achievement for a time travel movie! Join as we come up with our own time travel script, look forward to the New Zealand new wave, and draft the blueprints for the recording studio in our retirement villa, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Considering that the central character of Waiting for Guffman (1996) is a closeted gay man played for laughs, it’s remarkable that Matt and Ryan throughly embrace the film. Told in the retroscripted mockumentary style, Christopher Guest stars as the plucky Corky St. Clair who is charged with creating and directing Blaine, Missouri’s sesquicentennial celebratory historical theater production. His cast of enthusiastic amateurs (played by a brilliant cast of comedy professionals) may not have the goods to bring the show to Broadway, but their passion for performance, however inept, lends the movie a warm-heartedness that never strays into mockery. A chair’s for fools this week as we consult some cards, honor a mistake, walk out the door, this week on Ex Rated Movies!