Gartbage Film

It's time for another mini-series: it's Bong June-ho! We're taking some of Bong' Joon-ho's favourite films and pairing them with his own and first up: fuck ups trying to survive against the backdrop of failing American imperialism. Today we start things off with Alex Cox's 1984 debut, REPO MAN!We're discussing our journey with this movie as we went from mild haters to powerful lovers, unfiltered punk worldviews, and how the soundtrack to REPO MAN changed America's punk landscape forever thanks in large part to Iggy Pop.We're trashing Reagan and car culture while praising Cox's beautiful ode to character through its casting choices. Plus, Nick tells Erin about the Brat Pack and we commit to at least 200 episodes for a Jazz Punk Teen surprise!Next time, we complete the pairing with Bong Joon-ho's monster movie with a fuck up at its centre: THE HOST.

Grab your sheer wrap and leather kneepads, we're heading to Hong Kong to hang with Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, and Anita Mui in Johnnie To's 1993 cult classic THE HEROIC TRIO!How many baby thefts is too many? We're here to answer this, how it fuses Tim Burton and James Cameron with wuxia, the mind-boggling star power on screen, and how Hong Kong's trademark tonal juggling act is pushed to the extreme.Nick is here to impart the good word of Anita Mui's life, and Erin gives us the lowdown on what makes a wuxia and how the Heroic Trio fits into its thousands-of-years long tradition.Content warning: as with the movie, there is discussion of infanticide

We're back! After our Guillermo Del Toro mini-series we're returning with the polar opposite of GDT's hopeful, community-driven cinema -- we're going sleazy, conspiratorial, and cynical (but still anti-American)! It's time for Brian De Palma's 1981 thriller, BLOW OUT!It's our first time talking De Palma, so we're breaking down his general cinematic approach and style before diving into where exactly BLOW OUT came from, and the power of a downer ending.It'd be impossible not to delve into voyeurism, Hitchcock, John Travolta's singing career, Nancy Allen & De Palma's marriage, and our complicated feelings on John "Mr Entertainment" Lithgow. Plus we're here to answer the age old question: is there a better cinematic setup scene than putting John Travolta on a bridge with an owl?Next time: back to Hong Kong for Johnnie To's gonzo superhero antics in THE HEROIC TRIO (1993)

It's the final instalment of our GDT In The GTA mini-series - hilariously one of the only films he did not shoot in Toronto - it's GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO from 2022!As our favourite of the two 2022 Pinocchio films, we're naturally discussing stop-motion animation in depth and learning how much of a nightmare it can be. We're also taking the opportunity to slag off AI, learn how quippiness goes bad, and finally identify the British version of M Emmet Walsh.GDT writes most of his movies because of his relationship with his father and this is very clearly no exception. We're picking up his cue to talk through the idea of individual responsibility in life and to their children, especially when it comes to fascism and war. Plus, we're here with a huge update from Erin's Dairy Corner.Join us as we choose our favourite puppets from the cast and rank our top 3 personal GDT films! You too will believe that Cate Blanchett is an elderly, abused monkey inspired by ... Joan Cusack!?Next time - it's time for the opposite of del Toro. That's right, time for some sleazy genre fare and we're looking at one of the best: Brian De Palma's BLOW OUT!

Week 3 of GDT in the GTA would like to offer you an egg in this trying time. It's the awards-darling moment of Guillermo Del Toro's career, and vindication for monsterf*ckers everywhere: 2017's THE SHAPE OF WATER!We're charting Del Toro's journey from the giant canvas of PACIFIC RIM to the intimately-scaled WATER, the original Creature from the Black Lagoon, and how you create a movie as a terrarium for a fishman. Naturally, we're praising all the performances--from Sally Hawkins' confidence to MIchael Shannon's incuriousity, Octavia Spencer's jokes to Michael Stuhlbarg's stuffed shirt, and Richard Jenkins' desparation to Doug Jones' toreador energy--but we're also discussing how consumerism of the 60's intersects with our antagonists, and how 'otherness' is portrayed by our heroes.Plus, we're playing ROOMMATE, TINDER DATE, OR BLOCK with classic monsters!Next time we wrap up our mini-series with GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO.

Analog. Nuclear. Podcast.Our second week of GDT In The GTA brings us Guillermo del Toro in action blockbuster mode: the rock 'em sock 'em kaiju robot punchfest, PACIFIC RIM from 2013! Join us in canceling the apocalypse!We're diving (lol) deep into how drifting works, what separates this from other mecha anime & monster movies, and what constitutes an analog robot. And we're working to answer the question: did GDT cast Charlie Day purely on the Pepe Silvia episode of Always Sunny? And where does Gamera fit into this picture?Nick takes Erin on GDT's journey from DEVIL'S BACKBONE to PACIFIC RIM and, spoiler alert, James Cameron is way more involved than you might think. And can Erin finally best a round of Graboid Onto These Facts?Next week we go full Oscars mode with 2017's THE SHAPE OF WATER!

It's the first regular episode of the new year, and a first in our winter series: GDT In The GTA. The next couple of weeks are all about Papa Cinema himself, Guillermo Del Toro, and what better place to start than his self-professed "first" movie, 2001's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE! (aka EL ESPINAZO DEL DIABLO)Before getting into the movie proper, we're setting the table for our mini-series by covering the highlights of GDT's life in the lead up to BACKBONE, his outlook on creativity and antifascism, and how lapsed Catholics and atheists are not the same thing.We're discussing at length how he successfully ties together seemingly disparate elements of the gothic horror subgenre, themes of solidarity, the specifics of the Spanish Civil War, and Catholicism.Working with children in film is always hit or miss, but we're here to celebrate Carlos' bravery, Jaime's redemption, and the death of fascists.Next time we're just gonna go jump in the ocean: it's monster-robot fighting PACIFIC RIM!

It's cinema's biggest night -- the second annual Trashies! Come with us as we discuss our favourite performances, scores, theatre experiences, and our top 5s of 2024.Who will take home the coveted Trashy for best film of the year? Listen to find out!Movies discussed:The ReturnDune Part 2A Different ManLove Lies BleedingPerfect DaysNosferatuChallengersThe BrutalistThe SubstanceEscape from the 21st CenturyEvil Does Not ExistConclaveMars ExpressNext episode we begin GDT IN THE GTA: our little series on Guillermo Del Toro, aka Papa Cinema!

We're podcasters, not action movie stars! That's right, we're finally breaking the seal on one of Nick's favourite directors with our second holiday episode: Satoshi Kon's TOKYO GODFATHERS from 2003.It's probably Kon's most conventional film, but he brings in his reality-blurring style nonetheless. We're discussing John Ford's influence, society's marginalized populations, and the emotions we dip into when we're trying to mask or find love.Nick gets deep into how the realism is enhanced & broken with animation and sound design flourishes, and Erin has a Baileys update! Plus, we're speculating about what happens to these characters after the cameras stop rolling, a testament to how fully-realized these titular Godfathers are.Next time: our 2024 in review! So just watch every movie that came out this year and you'll be prepped.

Welcome to the Holiday Season. We're here with what has become the Gartbage's annual holiday tradition: a Shane Black film set at Christmastime. This year, it's Black-penned but Renny Harlin-directed THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT from 1996!Our gift this year is getting to respectfully discuss Geena Davis' biceps, our favourite Samuel L Jackson performances, their amazing chemistry, and Brian Cox's proclivity for aiding amnesiacs. In addition to how we feel about the specific subgenres to which this belongs--spy coming out of retirement & misanthropic buddy action comedy--we also get pretty nerdy about Alan Silvestri's soundtracks.Plus, Erin has a holiday trivia segment for Nick! Will he remember enough about Shane Black's filmography & amnesia-based films to win? Listen to find out!NEXT TIME: our second holiday episode on Satoshi Kon's most normal film: 2003's TOKYO GODFATHERS.

No audio engineering is required for this episode; you are hearing the raw unmanipulated audio of our mega-episode on Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 neo-noir masterpiece THE CONVERSATION.We're here to celebrate its 50th anniversary by recounting our experience seeing this in theatres as a first viewing experience. We're having a serious The Conversation about Gene Hackman's spite, John Cazale's killer filmography, Harrison Ford's babyface, the recently passed Teri Garr's ability to elevate everything she's in, and David Shire's amazing minimalist score, before running through the plot of this top-tier character study masquerading as a mystery. Spoilers within!This movie's prescience really cannot really be overstated. We're here to discuss how it locked into the zeitgeist of the 70's and predicted our current way of life, and how it not only predicted Watergate, but technical advisor Martin Kaiser's life. Plus, is The Conversation part of a franchise??? Find out here!Next time: the holiday season's already here!? We're upset about it. But we're easing the pain by watching Renny Harlin & Shane Black's THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT!

We've come down with a case of Limania for this episode -- that's right, we're talking about Doug Liman's 2014 sci-fi time guy, EDGE OF TOMORROW!This is another big one for the household. We're obsessed with the intersection of Tom Cruise's personal vs screen personas, Bill Paxton's intersection with JFK's assassination, and Emily Blunt's intersection of aliens and her Big Sword.We're getting into the title controversy and how this is film is so much greater than the sum of its parts. And we're becoming Tom Cruise scream truthers: buckle up for a cavalcade of death yelps! Come Live, Die, Repeat with us!Next time on the pod we're visiting a stone-cold classic for its 50th anniversary: Francis Ford Coppola's THE CONVERSATION!

It's our second spooky episode of spooky season and we've decided its finally time to cover a Gartbage touchstone, a part of our specific heritage: it's SHAUN OF THE DEAD from 2004.We're talking about the inspirations for the film, zombies in general, synthesizing genre convention vs parodying genre tropes, and the lost art of back-of-DVD writing. This movie hit at a very formative time for us, so we're talking teen years, the doors to film that this movie opened to us, and how it expanded our vocabulary. And yes, we talk about Queen.Next time we're covering a movie we've longed to discuss: the Tom Cruise death vehicle EDGE OF TOMORROW, aka LIVE DIE REPEAT!

We're back in our regular format just in time for spooky season and for one of Nick's favourite horror films. A tale of ambiguity, repression, and corruption: it's Jack Clayton's THE INNOCENTS from 1961!CW: due to the nature of this movie's story, child sexual abuse is discussed in general terms. It's a real Freudian time on the podcast this week as we discuss Truman Capote's "skull beneath the skin" gothic concepts, Deborah Kerr's masterful portrayal of psychosexual ambiguity, why you shouldn't use flashbacks, creepy kids, and candelabras (candelabrae?). We're asking the question, how do you adapt a purposefully ambiguous tale? Fittingly, there's no exact answer!Plus, we're talking about how this was a huge leap forward for the horror genre in its cinematography and sound design, and it's a perfect opportunity to discuss electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram.Next time on the pod we visit a core text of the Gartbage crew: SHAUN OF THE DEAD!

THEY (WE) LIVE! We've returned from our summer break with a big discussion on the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Get ready to add items to your watchlists because we've got recommendations for your 4th quarter film-viewing pleasure!We're talking robots, detectives, directorial debuts, cannibals, ghosts, nightbitches, Ralph Fiennes' dong, anti-colonial action, peacocks, ice cream truck drivers, game shows, organic buildings, Kafka-esque nightmares, punks, street fighter, time travel, and funky fresh soundtracks.We try our best to stay out of spoiler territory, but for full disclosure, here are the movies discussed on this episode:THE LIFE OF CHUCK, dir. Mike FalanganTHE RETURN dir. Uberto PasoliniDON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT dir. Embeth Davidzt40 ACRES, dir. R.T. ThorneKA WHAWHAI TONU: STRUGGLE WITHOUT END, dir. Mike JonathanNIGHTBITCH, dir. Marielle HellerFRIENDSHIP, dir. Andrew DeYoungI, THE EXECUTIONER, dir. Ryoo Seung-wanWILLIAM TELL, dir. Nick HammTHE GESUIDOUZ, dir. Kenn'ichi UganaTHE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA, dir. Samir OliverosTHE WILD ROBOT, dir. Chris SandersELSE, dir. Thibault EminMR. K, dir. Tallulah SchwabTHE PARTY'S OVER, dir. Elena ManriqueDEAD TALENTS SOCIETY, dir. John HsuESCAPE THE 21ST CENTURY, dir. Li YangTHE MOUNTAIN, dir. Rachel House

The final episode of our Hong Kong mini-series takes us into the 21st century! It's the cop drama-thriller box office dynamo, INFERNAL AFFAIRS!We're going full spoilers on the movie discussion this week. Consider yourself warned!Nick's theory that all Hong Kong movies from the time were Handover Movies continues to be true as we discuss Buddhist hell, avoiding undercover cop clichés, Andy Lau's unfathomable superstardom, and Tony Leung's cute nicknames.To wrap up the Hong Kong series, we're going over the "twilight of Hong Kong's film industry", how Infernal Affairs avoided the pitfalls of the industry, how it completes the journey that started with our 36TH CHAMBER episode, and our general thoughts and feelings on this unique place and time in film.

Summer of Hong Kong continues, and today we're pivoting from the 80's and martial arts into the 90's and emotions! And who else could we be talking about but Wong Kar-wai and his 1994 breakthrough, CHUNGKING EXPRESS!While a touchstone for HK cinema today, Wong Kar-wai's big splash into the arthouse scene was anything but at the time. We're discussing how Wong found his way to his style leading up to CHUNGKING, how it captured the Hong Kong attitudes at such a precise moment, and the different relationship phases we recognized in these characters, in addition to highliighting Tony Leung's sad eyes.We're also connecting CHUNGKING EXPRESS to our previous HK movie, YES MADAM and 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN to chart just how we've arrived here. Plus, we get some some surprise foreshadowing for our next episode and the finale of our Hong Kong series: 2002's INFERNAL AFFAIRS!

Welcome to the 80's! We all remember the time: lime green overalls, bolo ties, and dynamite doppelgängers. That's right, Kung Fjune continues with the Hong Kong movie that kicked off the Girls with Guns genre: Corey Yuen's YES, MADAM! from 1985!It was the high-five heard around the world: Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock's first starring roles. We're running down just how much these two women could kick one's ass, especially Rothrock's Grand Master status and how she was cooking fools even as a teenager, and take some time to shout out our numerous cameo-filled trios of doofuses.Plus, Nick connects the threads from last episode's Shaw talk on our 36th Chamber episode to YES, MADAM!'s contemporary setting. This movie kicked off a lot of careers, many of which guided the action genre through the next few decades and we're here to celebrate that.Next time we're heading to the 90's for a different side of Hong Kong film: Wong Kar-wei's CHUNGKING EXPRESS!

We're back after a brief hiatus with another geographically centered mini-series, this time focused on the movies of Hong Kong! And to kick it off, Nick is finally making good on his longstanding threat to talk Shaw Bros: it's Lau Kar-Leung's THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978)!36th Chamber is an enormous tentpole in kung fu film, and one of the first post-Bruce Lee HK movies to break through to international audiences. We're probing into what made it so influential, how it established training tropes, and we opine on why it's a perfect introduction to the genre.We're also talking about Lau Kar-Leung's approach to martial arts as a self-improvement tool, Gordon Liu and Shaw Bros' outsized impact outside of the kung fu world, and the Kill Bill siren. And yes, we mention Bruce Lee.But who are the Shaw Bros exactly? Nick's here with a quick rundown of their history and how there's literally a place called Movietown. We also determine what chambers would absolutely wreck us personally.Next time: we're agreeing with Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock in Corey Yuen's YES MADAM (1985)!

Welcome to the finale of our petit français mini-series, and we're going out with a bang! It's one of the biggest blueprint movies out there that firmly established the idea of the "cool" assassin, it's Jean-Pierre Melville's 1967 crime masterpiece: LE SAMOURAIWe've seen it all before: the taciturn, lone wolf assassin who is a perfect precision instrument has a hit go bad, his employer betrays him, and the police are on his tail. But this is the one that set the template! We're talking all parts of Melville's style, from the trenchcoat uniform and the quiet protagonist, to the otherworldly qualities that push it into the the sligthly surreal.Plus, it's a grand opportunity to finally delve into one of Nick's favourite topics: Jean-Pierre Melville's insane personal history.

We're continuing our exploration of some French-language favs with Ariane Louis-Seize's feature-length debut, 2023's HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON! If you dig any modern vampire story, from Let the Right One In to What We Do in the Shadows, you owe it to yourself to check this film out!Major trigger warning if the title doesn't give it away: we discuss suicide in this episode! Also, full spoilers.This is a film of major firsts, from directing through starring and writing, and we're here to track how it does such a great job trading in vampiric mysticism in favour of its thematic material. We're talking poutine, anti-chemistry, Canadian Film & TV regulations, our favourite Québec swears, and the screaming interiority of teen angst. Plus: welcome to swag corner!Next week we're heading back to France for Jean-Pierre Melville's LE SAMOURAI!

Bonjour and bienvenue au Garbage Film's first installment in a short series on French films, and what better place to start than the film that defined the heist movie, Jules Dassin's 1955 classic RIFIFI! (If you've never seen it, you can check it out on the Internet Archive!)We're talking Parisian slang, awful crime novels, connections with Jean-Pierre Melville, how you adapt something you hate, pistol-toting authors, and the interpersonal dynamics of France's underworldMore than anything else, we're getting into the clockwork mechanism of Jules Dassin's films, the beauty of the silent 30-minute heist, and how those elements took the world by storm. And a Hooray for Hollywood segment for a French film? It's more likely than you think!Next week we head to Québec for Ariane Louis-Seize's debut film, the 2023 vampire romcom, HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON.

It's a St Patrick's Day spectacular on Gartbage Film with the most Irish movie around: Andrew Davis' THE FUGITIVE!It's easy to forget now, but THE FUGITIVE was a craze in 1993 and had an outsized impact -- so easy in fact that we forgot about it! So we're reliving Andrew Davis' action heyday, praising the artistry of montage, running down its amazing accolades, and briefly getting into Roy Huggins' original 60's TV series and the real-life fugitive inspiration.It's an episode about spectacular train crashes, both the literal one and the behind-the-scenes chaos like not having a "script", relying on Tommy Lee Jones' writing chops, and securing the cooperation of the Chicago Plumbers' Union.

The spring showers have begun their annual process of bringing May flowers, and thus we bid goodbye to Carp-winter on this final episode in the series. We're going back to the very beginning with what Carpenter refers to as his first "real" movie, the germ from which his career grew: it's 1976's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13!We're discussing Carpenter's humble-yet-cynical beginnings, his love of sieges, and his inspirations to create this movie before we dive into the ASSAULT's path from period western to modern day, how this movie took a village to make, and just how much of it is lovingly lifted from other sources. (Featuring one of Erin's sickest remixes to date.) We go deep on the operations of the multicultural gang Street Thunder, the notorious ice cream scene, and our love for Napoleon Wilson.And finally, as we wrap up Carp-winter we're taking the opportunity to show how ASSAULT paved the path to Carpenter's future career, and talk about our John Carpenter favourites.Next time, we leave Carpenter behind for some other genre fare as we revisit the 1993 wrong man classic, THE FUGITIVE.

Carp-winter continues with the final chapter in John Carpenter's Apocalpyse Trilogy: IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS from 1994! We're sorry about the balls! Reality is on trial as we explore the obvious and not-so-obvious meta layers of Carpenter's Lovecraftian universe, aided and abetted by Sam Neill's villainous energy (complimentary) and Carpenter's propensity for Wet Evil. We're getting super deep into how the heavy lifting of the narrative's unreality is accomplished through Carpenter's critical reputation, the way Sutter Cane writes, the casting, music, location shooting, budget cuts, and of course, Reaganomics.We're also taking time to talk about our feelings on pre, current, and post-apocalyptic storytelling as we wrap up discussions on the Apocalypse Trilogy on the whole.

It's week 2 of Carp-winter, our series on John Carpenter and his Apocalpyse Trilogy! Today's mammoth episode likely means excommunication from one or several religious institutions for the podcast. because it's the trilogy's middle-child: 1987's PRINCE OF DARKNESS!Carpenter is one of our best filmmakers who will notice a thing and make a movie about it, and this one is tied to his discovery of Quantum Mechanics. How much do you need to know about quantum mechanics? According to JC: nothing, it's just a horror movie.We're discussing how Carpenter gets to PoD after THE THING upset the world, how his efficient visual style is at its peak, Victor Wong's fascinating life, the secrets of the dream and the incamera special effects, our favourite Satan taunts, and the secret to an excellent Donald Pleasence impression.What does Born Again Christian Alice Cooper think of the theology of this movie? And for that matter, what do we think of it and how it intersects with the unknowability of quantum physics? We answer all this and so much more in our own Debate segment.Next time, we wrap up the Apocalypse Trilogy with JC's IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS!

It's the 100th episode of Gartbage Film! To celebrate we had to cover one of our very favourite movies from one of our very favourite directors including one of our very favourite dogs: it's John Carpenter's THE THING from 1982!We're covering it all: how Carpenter set out to create a different type of horror movie than Halloween, Dean Cundey's approach to lighting and framing, Ennio Morricone's 3 soundtracks, our theories of who gets Thing'd and when, and most importantly, Jed the wolfdog. We also discuss how this is a prime example of how to express ambiguity without losing focus in your movie and why it works so well.Plus, another edition of Hooray for Hollywood to chart the bizarre route THE THING took from getting made to the fallout after it was released. Also, Dick Warlock lore!

2023 is dead; long live 2023!We're here with our year end wrapup, talking about our favourite performances, movies we saw on airplanes, and our favourite theatrical experiences. But most importantly, we put together our respective top 5s of the year and bestow the 1st annual Trashie award for our favourite of 2023!And don't worry, we keep it spoiler free, so listen without fear! But just in case you want to be truly blind, here are the 2023 movies discussed:BlackberryAnatomy of a FallHumanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal PersonOppenheimerLate Night with the DevilDream ScenarioKillers of the Flower MoonConcrete Utopia65Los ColonosGodzilla Minus OneThe Boy and the HeronThe People's JokerThe CreatorThe HoldoversBarbie

Happy holidays to all! We're here with the trashy counterpart of our holiday episodes, Richard Donner and Bill Murray's SCROOGED!Stop us if you've heard this one: a curmudgeon doesn't like Christmas and three ghosts want to fix that. Reviews have always been mixed since its 1988 premiere, so we're discussing what works, what doesn't, dapper Bobcats, and why we should thank Elaine May.Plus: the return of a foundational segment, and we explore whether or not this movie is subliminal propaganda.Next time on the pod we'll have a super special end of 2023 episode before returning to regular programming!

It's the most sentimental month of the year, so we're turning to one of our most December-themed sentimental comedies: Ernst Lubitsch's classic tale of love and retail nightmares, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER from 1940!The Shop Around the Corner gets remade pretty often, and it's easy to see why: the movie's a timeless, breezy delight. We're discussing what makes it timeless, including how the retail experience of the 1940's mostly hasn't changed and the enemies-to-lovers tropes.We're taking the opportunity to learn lots about Lubitsch, including his "true amorality", his relatively progressive ideas on sex in movies, and why we call it "the Lubitsch Touch." Never has it been more obvious that we did not attend film school.

Thrillvember continues with a title that many will know from its constant looping on cable. Beware what floppy disks you shove in your computer because you might get caught in 1995's THE NET.Just as last week's episode on THE PARALLAX VIEW captured the anxieties of the 70's, so does this week's dawn-of-the-internet film. Anxieties like: can Sandra Bullock trust pizza.net with her personal information? Where did I put my floppy disk? And is there a modem on the beach? Despite its airport-paperback feel, there are some intensely prescient topics up for discussion: privacy concerns, corporations controlling the government and our lives, and Sandra Bullock in crop tops.Plus, Erin and Nick quiz each other on the early internet intersecting with film and the cultural footprint of THE NET!

This month we're spurning classic Noirvember fare for a month devoted to its stressed spawn: the investigative paranoia thriller! We're starting with the middle chapter of Alan J Pakula's paranoia trilogy: THE PARALLAX VIEW from 1974!Parallax is the least celebrated of Pakula's paranoia trilogy films, but we here on the pod love it: its (unfortunately) timely themes, how it feels about corporations, and its absolutely wild visual presentation. We get into deep discussion on the Parallax test and whether Frady actually fits the profile, Pakula's thoughts on idea of Americana at the time and the lengths he went to to keep politics out of this movie, and we dip our toes into the deep dark waters of 1970's conspiracy theories.Plus, we LITERALLY define the word parallax. Is it our bleakest episode yet? Maybe! But it's all in good fun. We're not crackpots.

It's showtime! Gartbage Film is back just in time to squeeze in a spooktacular special. Before the main event we're discussing the perennial spooky movies we can't go a year without and new-to-us spooky movies we think you should squeeze into your schedules. But the real reason we're all here: to talk about the ghost with the most, BEETLEJUICE!Beetlejuice is the movie with something for everyone in its yet-to-be-famous cast and crew: Michael Keaton, goth Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, deceptively handsome Alec Baldwin, whatever's going on with Catherine O'Hara, Michael Keaton, Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, and Michael Keaton. We're of course getting into the extended Beetlejuice behind-the-scenes but we're also diving into this batty franchise on the whole as we chat the cartoon, its upcoming sequel, and everything in between.

We laughed, we cried, we TIFF'd. We're here with a mini-episode to discuss what we watched at the Toronto International Film Festival, all spoiler-free. See below for the list of movies discussed, just in case you want to go into any of these blind! We're discussing our favourite performances, what made us laugh the most, and the best soundtracks. We also break down our top 3 movies, along with some similar titles so you can decide if you'd like to see them too! Profit from the distress we put our minds and bodies through by spending every second we could watching movies.Next time we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming!Movies discussed in this episode:The Boy and the Heron, directed by Hayao MiyazakiDream Scenario, directed by Kristoffer BorgliLos Colonos aka “The Settlers” directed by Felipe Gálvez HaberleWicked Little Letters, directed by Thea SharrockThe Movie Emperor, directed by Ning HaoRobot Dreams, directed by Pablo BergerThe Promised Land, aka Bastarden, directed by Nikolaj ArcelThe Feeling That the Time for Doing Something has Passed, directed by Joanna ArnowSmugglers, directed by Ryoo Seung-wanThe Dead Don't Hurt, directed by Viggo MortensenConcrete Utopia, directed by Um Tae-hwa Snow Leopard, directed by Pema Tseden

This week we're heading to where the vampires hang out: it's Matt Johnson's period piece of comedic Canadiana, the 2023 sensation BLACKBERRY!Come with us on a journey through Canadiana as we discuss Matt Johnson's career and his breakthrough with Nirvanna the Band the Show, Nick's personal Blackberry use, the finer points of Kitchener-Waterloo, the Canadarm, Timbits, Don Cherry, and Jay Baruschel's stranglehold on 90's Canadian kid's lives. It's also the perfect opportunity to ask the question: did you know Canadians invented that?And we're not just discussing Canada: we're also fawning over Howerton's psychopathic performance and Cary Elwes' perfect comedic chops. Plus, a new segment is born!And don't worry, we're getting into just why the hell the vampires hang out in Waterloo.

Boyle warning!! It's our final episode of Sunscream, our horror-filled summer, and what says summer more than that flamin' ball in the sky: that's right, it's Danny Boyle's SUNSHINE from 2007!We're fawning over the insanely stacked cast, how the cast & scientists helped shape the movie, and where we fall on the divisive third act. We're also sharing our general thoughts on the sun, explore this movie's philosophies on science and religion and our favourite depictions of godhood in cinema. And all things considered, it's impressive how little we talked about Oppenheimer.Plus, Nick breaks Gartbage Law in an unprecedented move! You have to hear it to believe it.Next time, we're going local with Matt Johnson's BLACKBERRY!

We continue our Sunscream World Tour in South Korea: it's Yeon Sang-ho's TRAIN TO BUSAN from 2016!This may be allegedly getting a remake, but BUSAN will always be the genre gamechanger for us. We're getting into how this changed the zombie movie world without breaking the mold, which video games inspired the zombie design, and what we understand of the South Korean political statements contained within (less than we should, more than we thought!).And of course, we explore the Hot Dad spectrum, from business dad Gong Yoo to thick dad Ma Dong-seok, all while trying to keep from sounding like conspiracy crackpots.Next week we're finishing off Sunscream as summer comes to a close!

This week's Sunscream takes us to THE template for psychological horror: Henri-Georges Clouzot's DIABOLIQUE!Just as Clouzot was obsessed with his wife, we're obsessed with this movie: It's got cartoonishly awful husbands with wives and mistresses scheming against him, rundown boarding schools, French Columbo, creative hauntings, and suspense by the barrelful! We're discussing it all, including how Clouzot's craft really makes this special.Plus, find out about the origins of the twist ending and how this movie created a spitewar that changed cinema forever in in the return of Hooray for Hollywood!

Scary Summer, now known as Sunscream, continues with Jordan Peele's summer blockbuster spectacle creature feature: NOPE!It's a spoiler-full discussion about this high noon horror as we go super deep on creature design, its themes of exploitation and dehumanization, how NOPE rates as a western, and just how they made the sky look like that.Plus, Erin has a new segment drilling down into what, exactly, spectacle means and how perception defines this movie.Next time we're going to a classic of French cinema: Henri-Georges Clouzot's LES DIABOLIQUES!

Summer has arrived, a time of sunshine, vacations, and... horror culture!? That's right, it's Scary Summer on Gartbage! And to kick it off we're starting with Dario Argento's ode to colour, the original 1977 SUSPIRIA!Argento left the giallo behind for this supernatural tale, and we're here to discuss why that shift occurred, how he paid homage to his home-subgenre, and just how powerfully small Jessica Harper can get. Given how ambiguous and narratively loose SUSPIRIA is, we're getting into its underpinnings and our interpretations and off-the-wall head canons.Plus, we're spending some time learning about fairy tales and how the filming locations enhance the spooky factor!Scary Summer continues next week as we say yes to Jordan Peele's NOPE!

We knew it would happen eventually: it's time to talk about the blue elephant in the room. It's our first episode on a Star Wars movie, it's RETURN OF THE JEDI!It's ROTJ's 40th anniversary and we've got it all: vaudeville C-3P0, previous script drafts, revising those drafts to shut down fan theories, our favourite little freaks, retcons, original endings, hedonism, bikinis, special editions, Jabba naptime, recasting, Ewoks, and David Lynch. Plus, we can't pass up the opportunity to do some small John Williiams soundtrack analysis, and we take the opportunity to break down what we love about Williams' Star Wars work on the whole.And if you ever wondered what originally filled the Star Wars story vaccuum in the decades after ROTJ, Nick is here with an Expanded Universe edition of Grab-oid Onto These Facts!Look forward to our 40th anniversary episode for THE PHANTOM MENACE dropping in 2039.

Welcome to the jungle! It's very tense here!This week sees us stressed out in South America with a spoiler-filled discussion of William Friedkin's 1977 adventure thriller, SORCERER!One of the most cynical and nerve-wracking movies from the 70's, we're tapping into the source of that cynicism, just how much of this movie is based in reality, Tangerine Dream's killer soundtrack, and evil wizards. It's pure uncut Friedkin.Plus find out how the drama of SORCERER's creation and release give the insanity of the completed movie a run for its money.Come lose your mind in the jungle with us!

It's spring: flowers are blooming, love is in the air, and federal agents are after you. That's right, we're talking Soderbergh's OUT OF SIGHT!Hop in the trunk with us as we discuss the chemistry between Clooney and J-Lo, the enormous charisma of the supporting cast, and how freeze frames got us one of cinema's best title cards. And of course we're going deep on the trunk scene and whether or not Steve Zahn steals the whole movie.

This week we're talking about savoury broth, mysterious strangers, and the power of food in society--it's satirist Juzo Itami's noodle western, TAMPOPO!It's a massive episode this week as we're discussing what makes this such a comfort favourite of many households, the immaculate costuming and food design, our favourite vignettes, and infamous egg swaps. No movie better examines the human and cultural connections to food and the potential transgressions associated with it.Get to know your hosts a little better through our personal perfect menus; plus, our experiences as restaurant workers, our biggest food memories, our personal relationships to food, ALL OF IT.Next week let's do crimes and fall in love against our best interests with Steven Soderbergh's OUT OF SIGHT!

Get over here for this week's episode: Paul W.S. Anderson's 90's techno music video, MORTAL KOMBAT from 1995!MORTAL KOMBAT was a favourite of Nick's growing up, and was recently Erin's first experience of anything Mortal Kombat. So come along as Nick has some embarrassing reminiscences, Erin decides what character she'd like to play as, and we gush over Christopher Lambert's bizarre French-Canadian charisma. And of course, you can't talk about Mortal Kombat without talking about the power of its EDM soundtrack.Plus, we're talking about video game adaptations in general and the return of everyone's esoterically-named segment to quiz Erin on the deep lore of the Mortal Kombat series!Next time we're warming up with a nice comforting treat: Juzo Itami's TAMPOPO!

Thank you for making the Decision To Listen to today's episode on Park Chan-wook's black widow neo-noir, 2022's DECISION TO LEAVE!As this is the first time we've talked Park on the pod, we're covering his work in general, how important humour factors into his work, and where DECISION fits in. We get into the movie's structure, look, mystery, intimacy, and the colours blue and green.Plus, Erin breaks down how this isn't so different from Park's previous hyper-violent works! Warning: Decision to Leave spoilers throughout, but we only talk in general terms about his other movies.Next time: we don't know! Life's crazy!

It's our Valentine's Day episode! We're here to discuss growing up, young love, and Benjamin Britten: it's Wes Anderson's MOONRISE KINGDOM from 2012!Its rare for movies to take children's stories seriously, so we're talking about how it's accomplished here, how Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra mirrors the film's structure, and that it's good to laugh at children. And of course, we're spending time on everyone's favourite online discourse topic: how Anderson styles his visuals and characters, and how we feel about it.Plus, the all-important question: are you a Sam or a Suzy?Next week we're delivering our second love-based episode, Park Chan-Wook's DECISION TO LEAVE!

We're back! After a much needed break, we've returned to talk about the best live-action Looney Tune movie, Joe Dante's meta-parody sequel GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH from 1990.Much like the space between this episode and the last, Gremlins 2 saw a long break after the original. We're here to talk about why that happened, how this is Joe Dante's most personal movie, and how reincarnation may play out in the Gremlins universe.Plus, we're taking a look at the "little monster" Gremlin knock-offs that multiplied like mad between the original and the sequel!Here's that Key and Peele sketch Nick references, it's definitely real.Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @GartbagePod to learn what we'll be doing next!

Welcome to our 2nd holiday episode, and our final episode of 2022. We're ending the year with a stone-cold classic: Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT!We're getting to the bottom of how this film is both timely and timeless, what makes the depicted city-living loneliness feel so distinct and modern, and the magical balancing act of the happy/sad tone that makes every character endlessly relatable.Plus, we've got you covered for behind-the-scenes action in these editions of the Injury and Destruction Roundup and the return of Hooray for Hollywood!Find us on Twitter and Instagram @GartbagePodCW: suicide, self-harm

The holidays are nigh upon us! We're kicking off our celebrations with Daryl Duke's 1978 Canuxploitation Christmas cat and mouse crime caper, THE SILENT PARTNER!If you only see one Canadian movie this year, make it this gem! We're going in depth on Elliott Gould's smarmy bank teller, Christopher Plummer's psychotic Santa, and Toronto in the 70's.Ever wondered what Canuxploitation is? House Hippos? Cancon or Heritage moments? We've got the answers!Next week we're wrapping up our 2022 with Billy Wilder's holiday classic, THE APARTMENT (1960).

This week we're tackling grief, Chekhov, and driving tests: it's Ryusuke Hamaguchi's DRIVE MY CAR!Hamaguchi based his sprawling adaptation on the feeling rather than a literal portrayal of Murakami's writings, and we're discussing how he brought that to the screen. We're also touching on the performative artifice of car conversations, how language can sometimes be a barrier in communication, and how Chekhov really nailed our asses.Next week we're slicing off a big piece of Canuxploitation with Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer in 1978's grimy crime thriller, THE SILENT PARTNER!Follow us over on Instragram @GartbagePod and Twitter @GartbagePod