The Alien Movie Project

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The Alien Movie Project is a weekly podcast that examines the narrative and affective politics of alien movies. And sometimes we talk about plaid. AMP is hosted by Kate and Aaron Donaldson and produced by Matt Campbell.


    • Sep 7, 2017 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 35m AVG DURATION
    • 93 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Alien Movie Project

    EP 91 - The Force Awakens (2015)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2017 94:25


    Is The Force contagious?

    EP 90 - Spaceballs (1987)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2017 91:43


    Parodic tourism, space cowboys and more plaid. Oh, and balls.

    EP 89 - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2017 103:39


    A blush of nipple, a tower of bangs and the politics of sound... Khaaaaaaaaan! Featuring a special interview with the amazing Dr. Scott Murphy.

    EP 88 - Skyline (2010)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2017 94:17


    Not the movie Kate meant to watch. 

    EP 87 - Battleship (2012)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2017 127:21


    Militarism, American exceptionalism, board games and a great interview with Dr. Georg Lofflmann.

    EP 86 - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2017 96:04


    Star Lord, son of Starman... discuss. 

    EP 85 - Redline (2009)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2017 98:42


    This is not a Trans Am commercial. Or is it? Intergalactic race car culture, rebel masculinity and kinda sorta empowered-ish female characters.

    EP 84 - Knowing (2009)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2017 98:26


    Nicolas Cage is in an alien movie. Need we say more?

    EP 83 - Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2016 105:55


    The sensibility of a candy cane, the survival instinct of a Christmas stocking, the cultural staying power of Coca Cola. The man, the myth, the WTF. Hooray for Santy Claus! But seriously, maybe you should put Billy in charge...

    EP 82 - John Carter (2012)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2016 93:47


    One man. One dog. And some beans. Space cowboys, frontier rhetoric and Superman parallels.

    EP 81 - Battle Los Angeles (2011)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2016 97:01


    Oh the humanity... is just about absent from this movie. The military machine meets the alien machine, governance and... Glen.

    EP 80 - PK (2014)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2016 80:19


    Only God knows where your remote control is. Benevolent aliens in the buff, the intergalactic quest for religious understanding and a whole lot of dancing.

    EP 79 - Home (2015)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2016 90:14


    Put your hands in the air like you just don't care. Snoot booping, shushing and intergalactic colonialism. 

    EP 78 - Barbarella (1968)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2016 86:20


    Our very first AMP soft core selection. Just in time for the holidays! Progressive female sexuality or bubbly pink astronautics? Just when was the last time you witnessed a nude video conference call with an intergalactic politician? 

    EP 77 - Prometheus (2012)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2016 124:24


    Humanity, Daddy issues, bad decisions and the meaning of life. Featuring special guest Dr. Pavithra Prasad.

    EP 76 - Batman v. Superman (2015)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2016 98:38


    The Man of Steel lensed through the rhetoric of terrorism while the eternal question lingers: is Batman just Casey Jones with money? Humanity, alienhood, masculinity and a little Nietzsche. Discuss amongst yourselves.

    EP 75 - Apollo 18 (2011)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2016 88:54


    Nostalgia, moon rock conspiracies, the politics of sound... and the real reason behind funding reduction for space exploration.

    EP 74 - Dreamcatcher (2003)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2016 99:02


    Ughhhh. Otherization, abjection and governance with a heaping side of Morgan Freeman's incredible eyebrows. 

    EP 73 - Lilo & Stitch (2002)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2016 89:00


    Cobra Bubbles, cultural appropriation, sexism and adorable alien dogs.

    EP 72 - The Iron Giant (1999)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2016 87:11


    Nostalgia, shadow narratives, cold war politics and an iron super hero from outer space.

    EP 71 - Pacific Rim (2013)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2016 97:43


    Ginormous robots, nowhere space and more to fear from the bottom of the sea.

    EP 70 - Evolution (2001)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2016 90:04


    Suds, duds, microbes and rectal probes. Get ready to shampoo some aliens...

    EP 69 - The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2016 96:37


    Goggles, menthol cools, necromongers and why hard body masculinity means never having to say you care/are sorry/have emotions/really meant to rescue that damsel...

    EP 68 - The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2016 110:22


    Tip, tip, tip, tip, tip! Confounded by stairs, stymied by doors, aliens from outer space with a pet mutant on the loose. If only he had hands. Moon spoons, teaspoons, tablespoons of science and the best parody of 50's B movies we've ever watched for the Alien Movie Project. Joined by special guest Charles Horgan.

    EP 67 - Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1951)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2016 114:58


    Aliens playing hey cows, Mrs. Scientist and more flying saucers than you can point an ultrasonic gun at... perhaps the saucer-iest movie of all time? The amazing Robbie Graham joins us for another interview.

    EP 66 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2016 97:31


    The emotional economy of plants... er, men, the Victorian sensibilities of extraterrestrials, still more monstrous femininity and whether "get em!" constitutes cool rational logic.

    EP 65 - The Thing from Another World (1951)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2016 87:42


    Intellectual carrots, coffee and Arctic board meetings. 

    EP 64 - Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2016 89:37


    We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I will spend the rest of our lives... am I right? Misogyny, misguided "that'll learn ems" and general shenanigans.

    EP 63 - Spaced Invaders (1990)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2016 86:08


    The upside: we found Kevin Middleton's Halloween costume. The downside: we watched Spaced Invaders. 

    EP 62 - Super 8 (2011)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2016 100:55


    A pinch of magic, a minor fear of mortality... and the power of children's tears.

    EP 61 - Flash Gordon (1980)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2016 101:15


    It's kind of about football... and it will leave you feeling concussed. We watched Flash Gordon.

    AMP - EP 60 - Batteries Not Included (1987)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2016 88:52


    You guys, they've figured out intergalactic travel... do they reallllly need batteries?

    EP 58 - 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2016 95:00


    Crop dusters, the return of the quack and the female space invader.

    EP 59 - Attack the Block (2011)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2016 92:12


    Hooligans, shenanigans and goings on. Monstrous femininity, feral children, racism, sexism and city scapes.

    EP 57 - Space Milkshake (2012)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2016


    Intergalactic janitors, plug and play robots, rubber ducks gone awry annnnnd Scrabble. 

    EP 56 - Mac and Me (1988)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2016


    If the human body is over 50% water, it apparently stands to reason that alien bodies are 100% Coca Cola. Not sure what to make of that statistic? Grab a cheeseburger and dance it out with the world's most terrifying alien in a bear suit. Product placement, advertising targets and questionable child safety standards.

    EP 55 - Under the Skin (2013)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2016 88:23


    Humanity, femininity, nowhere spaces and the undeniable privilege of walking fearlessly into a dark, abandoned house with a stranger. 

    EP 54 - The 4th Kind (2009)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2016 103:32


    The Blair Witch Project meets Unsolved Mysteries... with a 10 million dollar budget. Mythmaking, humanity, visual and political rhetorics of possession. A movie within a movie within a movie... 

    Ep. 53 - What Did We Learn?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2016 96:56


    A recap of AMP Season 1 and a quick look at what's next! We're still not so good at the maths. And what did you learn?

    Ep. 52 - Out of the Blue (2002)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2016 103:56


    The only movie to give Kate nightmares is a documentary. So there's that. Joining us for a conversation about ufology, government influence and Hollywood is none other than Robbie Graham, author of Silver Screen Saucers.

    Ep. 51 - Space Jam (1996)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2016 95:53


    ...come on and slam, in your pajamas, in space... right? And Bugs Bunny. And Michael Jordan. And Bill Murray. And magic balls.

    Ep. 50 - Dark City (1998)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2016 106:06


    The day shift is a pipe dream and the express train stops for no one. Can you still call them nighthawks if there is no daylight? How do you get to Shell Beach?

    Ep. 49 - Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2016 96:36


    Resistance is futile. Or is it? Fandom and mediation in Episode 49. 

    Ep. 48 - The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2016 100:23


    The Thin White Duke at his finest...? It's complicated.

    Ep. 47 - The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2016 106:19


    Holy mackerel! Holy Christmas! King Kong is not actually in this movie.

    Ep. 46 - Europa Report (2013)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2016 96:09


    Fear. Sacrifice. Pizza Dip.

    Ep. 45 - Starman (1984)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2016 96:43


    His Dad totally owns a dealership.

    Ep. 44 - Galaxy Quest (1999)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2016 100:23


    A sub culture inside a sub culture inside a sub culture... 

    Ep. 43 - The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2016 97:23


    So many things to say about a movie with a completely mute main character. Language as a technology of visibility, humanity and plenty of shenanigans. Watch this movie! And then watch it again.

    Ep. 42 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2015 105:29


    Stylish, sonically encompassing and bleak as all get out. The AMP talks smart women, patronizing men and fabulous sweaters.

    Ep. 41 - Battlefield Earth (2000)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2015 87:36


    "A cross between Star Wars and the smell of ass." Jon Stewart is a very, very wise man.

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