Guilt Free Features

There are no words to describe the depth of our sorrow at the sudden, untimely death of Kimberly Eaton. She wasn't just a life force-- she was larger than life. We were blessed to know her, be friends with her, and to have her grace our show with her beautiful, lively, sharp-witted presence. As a tribute to her, we are sharing her episode from 2020 with the world once again.

This week, Karen and Janet gab with journalist Justin Finch about the pleasures-- guilty or otherwise-- of watching onscreen female characters getting even with their lying, cheating, and possibly dead husbands. Specifically, they take a closer look at the 1996 classic comedy, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, and compare it with the more recent (and more excellent) Steve McQueen-helmed heist thriller, WIDOWS. It's a one-two punch for our season finale!

What does it take to be a strong, independent, boss lady? Two and a half years ago, a whole posse of kick-ass boss ladies came together to make a movie that grapples with this question. Yet, despite its solid pedigree, hilarious script, and talented cast, the film was given short shrift by critics and audiences alike. That film was Little, and this week Karen and Janet pay tribute to this highly underrated comedy gem.

New Year,  new block of films! We’re kicking off 2021 with our Girl Boss series, celebrating badass female characters who take control of their own narratives. In this episode, Karen and Janet are joined by award-winning filmmaker, Agustin McCarthy, to discuss both the pleasures and problematic nature of 2001’s Legally Blonde.

Karen and Janet wrap up the show's fantasy series by discussing two iconic films from the 1980s: Legend and Willow. Renowned spoken word artist, poet, author, and children's book writer, Bao Phi, joins the ladies in this phantasmagorical fête of demonic proportions.

There is a movie.  It has animals.  And baby oil.  Much baby oil.  There is a man.  He is known as "Dar."  He is... THE BEASTMASTER.  Join your hosts, known as Karen and Janet - and their guest, known as Adele Ray, as they figure out approximately how many loincloths the movie went through during production.  CA-CAW!

HOCUS POCUS first cast its spell upon movie audiences nearly thirty years ago and since then has built a steady fanbase that spans across multiple generations. In this Halloween edition of the pod, Karen, Janet, and special guest, Emily Richmond, look back at the whys and wherefore of the film’s cult following.

Ever wonder what it’d be like to magically become “The Most Popular Girl”? Or win the heart of the high school football captain and dance to your heart’s content during your “Finest Hour”? What could “Top That”? Come join Karen and Janet as they examine the first "So Bad, It’s Good" movie of the series, the cult classic '80s extravaganza, TEEN WITCH.

A glimpse into the early genius of Dave Chappelle, set in the '90s movie haze of New York City.  Wherein surprisingly wholesome dude-friends hug, scheme, and fundraise in order to save one of their own in Half Baked.  Abracadabra.

As millions of kids around the world enter into the weirdest school year ever, Karen and special guest, Ashlee Blackwell, school Janet on the joys of summer learning. Head back to class with them as they revisit the 1987 cult classic, Summer School.

From the guileless fish-out-of-water to intrepid mummy slayer, Brendan Fraser has starred in a plethora of different film roles over the years. As his career continues to flourish within prestige television, Karen and Janet look back at two of his earliest movies, Encino Man and Airheads, and happily give credit where credit is due.

At last, in 2004, Asian American movie audiences finally got what they had always wanted: a mainstream comedy featuring real Asian American characters! Played by real actors of Asian descent! But was Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle really all it was cracked up to be? This week, Karen and Janet are joined by the inimitable Juan Caceres to discuss where Harold and Kumar fit within the landscape of American cinema during early 2000s and how that landscape has since evolved.

During “The Summer of Cage,” movie audiences were treated to not one, but two blockbuster action films starring Nicholas Kim Coppola, aka “Nicolas Cage.” Fresh off of Cage’s Oscar win for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas and the success of The Rock the previous year, both Con Air and Face/Off premiered in theaters in June of 1997. To celebrate the agony and the ecstasy of both films, Karen and Janet are joined this week by filmmakers, Nicole Witte Solomon and Sean Mannion. Come and partake with them in Guilt Free Features’ first ever CageFest!

Wherein Karen and Janet host a proper salon with special guest and social media extraordinaire, Kimberly Eaton. Together, they discuss the brilliance of Eddie Murphy, the state of the Blasian Alliance in American cinema, and the supreme quotability of the 1986 classic, The Golden Child.

Everyone needs some big dumb fun in their lives. What better vehicle for that (we’ll show ourselves out) than the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise? In this joyride of an episode, Karen and Janet discuss the merits of trading the laws of physics for the bonds of family and how, shockingly, it works!

Guns!  Muscles!  Mayhem!  Karen and Janet kick down the door to the show's action block of films in which they discuss the dude-friends, dude-feelings, and general dude-liness that emerge from the blasts, smoke, and bullets of the first Expendables movie.

Karen and Janet totally geek out over their childhood figure skating obsessions while discussing the cult classic rom com, The Cutting Edge.

Along with the box office hit, Crazy Rich Asians, the film, Always Be My Maybe, signaled a veritable triumph for Asian-American audiences. In this episode, we extol the film's many virtues as well as discuss the larger issues of diversity and inclusion in film and TV; the symbiotic relationship between capitalism and white supremacy as barriers to entry for minorities; and the need for all allies to rally together in the time of COVID-19. Special guest: actor, producer, and social change advocate, Maha Chehlaoui

Special guest, Maya Rodale, joins the ladies to talk about her newest novel, An Heiress to Remember, as well as two romantic comedies that feature characters “of a certain age”: Something’s Gotta Give and Book Club. From Hollywood’s treatment of older female characters, to Christian Grey, to the phenomenon of “competence porn,” this episode takes a closer look at many of the strategies Hollywood employs to cast the romantic comedy as a frivolous genre.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, perhaps no other Hollywood actress was more synonymous with romantic comedies than Meg Ryan. In this episode, Karen and Janet welcome the show’s first guest of the season, the inimitable Justin Donham— actor, stage manager, voiceover artist, and yoga instructor extraordinaire— to discuss two of Ryan’s less critically acclaimed yet well-liked films, I.Q. and Addicted to Love.

Nearly thirty years after its release, the film, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, is still discussed in rapturous terms by its mostly female audience, who came of age during the 1990s. Perhaps not since National Velvet had another film so popularly captured the unique relationship that exists between adolescent girls and the horses they ride. In this episode, Karen and Janet discuss the film’s wholesome appeal, its puzzling timeline, and the mythical albeit short-lived career of actor Michael Schoeffling (aka “Jake Ryan” from Sixteen Candles).

In this episode, we talk about lascivious, conniving, vicious teens in the classic ‘90s films, “Wild Things” and “Cruel Intentions.”   And we introduce a new ratings system.  Take a luxury cruise with us on the sea of teen hormones!

The films, Powder and The Boy Who Could Fly, first appealed to young audiences in the 1980s and 1990s, because their teenage male protagonists stood out from the rest of the crowd. Both movies feature adolescent heroes with supernatural powers; but that’s where their similarities end. As Karen and Janet work to unravel the differences between these films, a myriad issues begin to emerge, ultimately challenging the ladies' belief that these were ever guilty pleasure movies to begin with.

What happens when you leave a bunch of kids unsupervised for the night?  Or the entire summer?  Find out with Karen and Janet as they rappel down memory lane with Adventures in Babysitting and Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead.  

In the wake of box office smash, Clueless, American film studios scrambled throughout the latter half of the 1990s to produce a glut of modern teen adaptations of classic novels and plays. Join Karen and Janet as they delve into two such movies: the romance comedies, She's All That, based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion; and 10 Things I Hate About You, based on William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.