Podcast appearances and mentions of Nathan Rabin

Who's ready for a book club?This episode we're talking about Christopher Ciccone's memoir/tell-all, LIFE WITH MY SISTER MADONNA! (with help from Wendy Leigh)We're joined by long time Madonna fan and creative multi-hyphenate, BRYAN CARPENDER!Follow Bryan on IG: @mybrytographyNathan Rabin from The A.V. Club panned the book saying that Ciccone implied their mother would be, "horrified at Madonna's debauchery but would feel proud her gay son wrote a book that prominently features him snorting cocaine with various super-celebrities."Do we agree with Nathan Rabin? Give it a listen and find out!We've got some ideas for future episodes, but we'd really love to hear from you if there's anything you want us to talk about. Or anyone you wants us to talk with!Email us: TheCelebrationCelebration@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram: @TheCelebrationCelebrationPick up a copy of Eric's book: The Dancerhttps://a.co/d/0gAi3bePick up a copy of John's book: Baked! Sex, Drugs, and Alternative Comedy:https://amzn.to/3tUbvOMFor autographed copies:https://www.johnflynncomedian.com/bakedEdited by: John FlynnArtwork by Dyna Moe:https://www.nobodyssweetheart.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads dive once more into the apocalyptic mind of Jerry B. Jenkins, as they cover the unintentional finale of the Kirk Cameron Left Behind trilogy: LEFT BEHIND WORLD AT WAR. Topics include the acting bona fides of Lou Gosset Jr., the importance of colons in titles, and how strict adherence to evangelical Christian eschatology will eventually lead you to blowing out the candles of a sad bundt birthday cake in the backroom of a church ministry in Bellflower, California. Media Referenced in the Episode: Left Behind World at War. Dir. Craig R. Baxley. 2005. “See a Very Sad Photo From Kirk Cameron's Birthday Party” by Amanda Dobbins. Vulture. October 14th, 2011. The dinky apocalypse of Left Behind: World At War by Nathan Rabin. The Dissolve. July 24th, 2014. The Real Meaning of the Term “Help Meet” by Heather Farrell. Woman in the Scriptures. November 9th, 2010. Tribulation Force: The Continuing Drama of those Left Behind by Jerry B. Jenkins. Tyndale House Publishers. 1996. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “A Brief Chat with TWOAPW's Lawyer” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. A.J. Ditty as “A.J.“, David Armstrong as “Canadian Cashier”, and Tony Ditty as “Tony Ditty, Lawyer and A.J.'s Actual Father”

"Look, I'm just gonna go home and kill myself. You wanna share a cab?""So I can pass out and wake up *alone* on New Year's Day?"On today's episode, we're closing out the year with an absolutely appropriate pick for New Year's Eve. This film has somewhat gone lost, but is deeply beloved by a lot of folks who have seen it and that is the MTV Film, 200 Cigarettes (1999)This movie is full of a bunch of up-and-coming stars as they have one crazy NYE evening in New York City, and it's a fun, hangout type of film, in my opinion. This also has a super banging soundtrack filled with a bunch of 80s music. This film is worth a watch at this time of year, and I hope you enjoy my coverage of it!Articles Referenced:WHY 200 CIGARETTES FALLS SHORT OF CULT STATUS by Nathan Rabin, December 29, 2015, Rotten TomatoesCLICK HEREWhy 200 Cigarettes Is Still the Best New Year's Eve Movie Ever by Patricia Garcia, December 31st, 2015, VogueCLICK HEREThis 1999 Film Starring Paul Rudd with Mutton Chops Is Going for $200 on eBay by Gabrielle Sierra, January 14th, 2021, InStyleCLICK HERE----Intro/Outro Music: "Phantom Fun" by Jonathan Boyle----Show E-Mail: cultcinemacircle@gmail.com----Follow Cult Cinema Circle on Instagram, Bluesky, and Letterboxd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join BP, Justin and your host Coop as we discuss the 1999 American slasher film directed by Geoffrey Wright, and starring Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr, and Michael Biehn. The plot focuses on a small Virginia town where a serial killer is targeting teenaged virgins. After being submitted to and rejected by the MPAA numerous times, Cherry Falls was screened at several film festivals in some countries in late 1999 and early 2000, but did not have a theatrical release in the United States. Finally, it was purchased by USA Films, who telecast it on the USA Network on October 20, 2000. SHOP OUR STORE https://completeguidetohorror.threadless.com/collections/new/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:18 Title Sequence 00:55 Introducing Cherry Falls 01:23 Overall Thoughts 06:05 Favourite Parts 11:02 What We Disliked 18:18 Trivia 23:17 Ratings 26:14 Thank You 26:40 Class Dismissed! Follow the Complete Guide to Horror Movies podcast on our social channels below. ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop our Store!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tip us $5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ↪ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠ Production In October 1998, Variety announced Geoffrey Wright as director. Wright promised an intelligent script full of irony. In 1999, the filmmakers began scouting locations in Virginia, using the town square in Warrenton; the high school used in the film was Thomas Jefferson High School, located in Richmond. The residents of Richmond lambasted the making of the film because of its brutality. The film's set was described as "tense" by writer Ken Selden, due to the thirty-day production schedule falling behind, which led to budget issues from October Films. Director Geoffrey Wright kept Selden's original script relatively unchanged, but re-wrote the film's final "orgy scene", which had originally been conceived by Selden as featuring the teenagers having a mass sex party under a giant white sheet. Wright opted to shoot the scene with the cast nude, which resulted in much of the scene being cut in order to avoid an NC-17 rating. Release Cherry Falls was shopped at the Cannes film market in 1999, and was sold for theatrical distribution in all international territories across the world. The film had a tentative theatrical release scheduled for November 2000. However, the film was troubled by censor disapproval in the United States, and the distributors' relationship with USA Films led the company to make the decision to release it as a television movie in the United States, syndicated on the USA Network. As a result, it became (and remains) the most expensive television film ever made, with a production budget of $14 million. The film shown at the in May 1999 at Marché du Film in France. Cherry Falls was released in the United States on October 20, 2000. The film had successful theatrical runs in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. It opened in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2000. Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 63% of 19 surveyed critics gave it a positive review. Doug Brod of Entertainment Weekly rated it A− and wrote that "it might just be the wittiest, most subversive teen thriller since Heathers". AllMovie gave it a favorable review: "Of all the teen slasher flicks that premiered after the wildly successful Scream series (Urban Legend, etc.), Cherry Falls will possibly go down as one of the most creative, but sadly unseen ones in the bunch". Derek Elley of Variety called it "a semi-successful spin on familiar material that could build minor cult status". Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote: "Smart at times but not nearly smart enough, and peppered with good ideas it doesn't really know how to exploit, Cherry Falls is just good enough to make you wish it were far, far better". Chris Parcellin of Film Threat rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that "it aspires to be another Heathers or Rivers Edge, but doesn't make it". Total Film rated it 3/5 stars and wrote: "If you're not already sick to death of the teen horror genre, you might want to give this a look". Matt Serafini of Dread Central ranked Cherry Falls number seven in a list of the top ten high school horror films from 1996 to the present. #cherryfalls #brittanymurphy #jaymohr #horror #blood #virgin #tv #urbanlegends #mulhollanddrive #davidlynch #blockbuster #mtv #2000s #1990s

Legendary pop culture critic Nathan Rabin is back this week to talk about an icon of 90's indie cinema, and it's oft-overlooked sequel! 1996's FREEWAY is a demented and gritty take on "Little Red Riding Hood" that transcends the sleaze of it's surroundings thanks to a witty script and a star-making turn from a young Reese Witherspoon. The sequel, CONFESSIONS OF A TRICKBABY, was a Full Moon pickup from 1997 starring Natasha Lyonne and Vincent Gallo, with whom Nathan has had some very interesting real-life encounters.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Doug McCambridge  Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks  YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks  Next week's episode: Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-Rama 2

“She understands the truth of things even through all the lies. That's the whole film.” Housesitter Year: 1992 Screenplay by: Mark Stein Story by: Mark Stein and Brian Grazer Directed by: Frank Oz Stars: Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn   Show notes: A house that was too big for a woman's finger, sketched on a napkin and left for another woman to fill. We love this rom com with its gorgeous, forty-seven-year-old leads.  This episode contains a disquisition on domestic architecture. If you would like to skip the plot summary for this month's film you can spool forward about twelve minutes into the episode. In this episode we mention the films: Mary Poppins (1964) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/) Death Becomes Her (1992) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104070/) First Wives Club (1996) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116313/) Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a term coined by the critic Nathan Rabin and you can read more about it on Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl. Next month we are going to watch The Idea Of You (2024) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9466114/) and A Family Affair (2024) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21051906/). If you would like to suggest films for future episodes, you can tweet Lisa: @LisaStowaway. We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzalzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening! 

Is she a Quirky Muse or a Flat Character? Today we are diving headfirst into the world of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. We'll unpack the origins of the trope, coined by film critic Nathan Rabin in his review of "Elizabethtown" (remember Kirsten Dunst's airport twirling?), and explore its evolution through Zooey Deschanel's rise to fame. We'll discuss how movies like "Garden State" and “500 Days of Summer” impacted the trope (and indie music), the merits of the MPDG, explore the overlap with the Pick Me Girl and debate whether Red era Taylor Swift was a full-blown MPDG or simply the queen of twee. (00:00) – What is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl? (10:42) – Nathan Rabin ate with the term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” (19:14) – 500 Days of Summer   (31:53) – Was Taylor Swift Twee? (01:01:45) – The Gone Girl Monologue (01:22:35) – MPDG Figments of a Character's Imagination?   Listen to us on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/late-to-the-party-with-nikki-bri/id1593848890 Listen to us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Uk6XEk4IZIV34CiqvGQUa Listen to us on Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy83MjBjMzM1OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw   Find us on Tik Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@thelatetothepartypod Find us on Twitter https://twitter.com/lttppod?s=11&t=N2TE0731pImO1eOG4T_wCQ Find us on Instagram https://instagram.com/thelatetothepartypod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== This is another Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network by going to HurrdatMedia.com or Hurrdat Media YouTube channel! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second in Stuart Gordon's trilogy of HP Lovecraft adaptations, FROM BEYOND is a wild, kinky, gleefully disturbing thrill ride of a movie. We're joined this week by none other than Nathan Rabin, author, culture writer, former editor of the Onion AV Club, and the man who coined the term "Manic Pixie Dream Girl!" Nathan helps us dive deep into Gordon's oeuvre, from his early days as a renegade theater producer to his era of making high-quality horror at budget prices.  Hosted by Jarrod Hornbeck and Steve Guntli  Theme song by Kyle Hornbeck  Logo by Douglas McCambridge  Email: puppetmasterscastlefreaks@gmail.com  Instagram/Threads: @puppetmasters_castlefreaks YouTube: @PuppetMastersCastleFreaks Next week's episode: Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death 

You know who's on this show almost as often as John? It's the preeminent "Weird Al" scholar Nathan Rabin, of course! (I'm kind of kidding... John is here a BIT more than Nathan Rabin. But I'm not the one that does the math.) Nathan is here to discuss what we feel are the most underrated tracks on the Polka Party! album. Heck, the whole thing is underrated... but we had to narrow it down somehow! Listen in as we get pretty deep into the genius of "Weird Al" and how some of his work is even better than you might think.Nathan Rabin does a lot of cool stuff! You can find most of it on his website. He's written books about "Weird Al"! He's written books about some of the crappiest pop culture imaginable! He's got a freakin' podcast about Nic Cage and John Travolta. He's doing the good work for you people, goshdarnit. Want to do some good work for us? Become a Patreon supporter and who the heck knows what will happen! Beer'd Al is a heckin' great member of the OddPods Media Network. Speaking of which... big props to our OddPods pal Smoke from the BFYTW Podcast for the editing assist this week. Couldn't have done it without you!Our promo this week is for our ladybros at The Muck Podcast.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5439475/advertisement

Author and critic Zack Handlen made the mistake of offering to return for Pandorum, 2009's "what if we stuck a bunch of grimy Jell-O to some warehouse walls and filmed a live-action 'Space Madness' meets Event Horizon" sci-fi. The movie starts out well -- good atmospherics; good partner chemistry between Quaid and Ben Foster -- but as Zack notes, most of the interesting stuff happened before the movie started. And after we find out the enemy isn't a giant snacky space arachnid, well, it's a tough sit. (How tough? We measured its length in, variously, feet of blanket knitted, Lego kits assembled, and online games of Risk played.) Surrounded by the detritus of the other, better properties Pandorum tried to rip off, we talked about confusing ship layouts, Virtuosity, which member of Roxette wrote Nadia's dialogue, Quaid's search for emotional truth, and why hypersleep pods in the future come with tooth-whitening strips. Oh, also what the hell "pandorum" actually is. It's the QIF season finale, so tell Scotty the PA to douse your cleavage in melted licorice and join us! Overall score: 2.83 QQQ score: 6.17 Days since a lost Kuffs accident: 454 Don't Say A Word counter: 2 SHOW NOTES Follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/quaidinfullpod) Get EVEN MORE Qontent (...sorry) at our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/quaidinfull) Follow Zack Handlen on Twitter (https://twitter.com/zhandlen) Read more from Zack at Episodic Medium (https://episodicmedium.substack.com/s/star-trek-strange-new-worlds) Xan Brooks's Pandorum review at The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/01/pandorum-review) Annalee Newitz's at io9 (https://gizmodo.com/pandorum-delivers-zombie-mutant-banality-in-space-5368633) Nathan Rabin's at AV Club (https://www.avclub.com/pandorum-1798207023) Special Guest: Zack Handlen.

It's the 5th Monday of the month, and you know what that means: a BONUS episode. This time Amanda and Wade are digging into the movie trope coined by the amazing film critic (and Weird Al superfan) Nathan Rabin, the manic pixie dream girl. The hosts talk about how this term shone a light on a troubling Hollywood trope that must be addressed, but has also been used in some instances for harm and misunderstanding. Also, Amanda gives Wade an online quiz to see what percentage of a MPDG Wade is. Want to know how much he is? You'll have to listen to find out. Credits: Don't Worry B Movies https://www.instagram.com/dontworrybmovies/ Logo – John Capezzuto https://www.creativecap.net/ Intro and Outro Music – Andrew Wolfe of Darling Overdrive https://www.instagram.com/darlingoverdrive/?hl=en

Jared, Oriana and Ned appear live in Portland at Passages Bookshop to celebrate fifty episodes of By-the-Bywater and to talk about Oriana's choice of topic: Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit. To say that there was almost immediate speculation about whether or when Jackson would also adapt The Hobbit following the smash critical and commercial success of his Lord of the Rings films is to understate; over the following years there were further lawsuits, broken agreements, studio questions, planned directorial choices that mysteriously fell through and more besides that seemed to indicate it would be the biggest case of developmental hell ever. But eventually the films did start coming out in a similar yearly pace starting in December 2012, and certainly earned a fair amount of cash. Yet to say that the films have had anywhere near the level of widespread love and cultural staying power than The Lord of the Rings films is to deny the fundamental truth of how poorly these films have aged on several levels, and the various resultant impacts since, up to and including a literal rewriting of a country's laws to accommodate the production. What were the core differences between the two sets of adaptations on a structural level, and how did that play out in comparative terms? What technical achievements were made much of in the run up to the films' release, and what impact did they actually have? How did what should be a core relationship between the characters of Thorin and Bilbo get set up as a near love story, and how was that all ultimately undercut in the final edits? And really…Alfrid Lickspittle. REALLY?SHOW NOTES.Jared couldn't make a doodle for obvious reasons. But look here! Friend of the show and network Gabriel did sketch us!Big ups to Passages Bookshop! Owner David is a fine fellow and you should all check it out next time you're in Portland. Not only was there our live episode but there was an associated live bingo game for audience members. (Some people got close but nobody got it exactly – pity, that would have been amazing if that had happened!) Oriana's old podcast American Grift. It may yet return!Whitechapel! Steampunky, yes, but the drinks are great.Our first episode! Different days…The Hollywood Reporter story on Amazon Studio's somewhat flailing ways, especially in terms of The Rings of Power.That suit filed by the fanfic guy. Where to begin. And if you want the back cover of his totally original book The Fellowship of the King, here ya go. (Debutante ball. Really.)Don't forget Jared's upcoming novel!Our Silver Call duology episode – and our Rings of Power Season 1 episode.RIP Barry Humphries, Jackson's Goblin King.The Hobbit movies. Yup. That's them.We've linked them before but the three parts of Lindsay Ellis's analysis of The Hobbit films are really something special, a masterpiece of both analysis and reporting.Nathan Rabin's old Forgotbusters column for the Dissolve.Ah the Denny's menu. Testimony from one who survivedThe whole framerate thing was hyped almost as much as the 3D. And it was countered at the time, not just retrospectively…The opening sequence in Erebor is indeed a technical and artistic success. The escaping Goblin-town sequence…is not. The barrel escape definitely isn't.Dune and Goodnight Moon? Julia Yu has you covered.Thorin and Bilbo fan-art on Tumblr? Wouldn't know about that…Thorin's death scene with Bilbo? Very strong, very close in dialogue to the book too. The death scene after it? Well…The Tauriel issue. There's a lot.Martin Freeman and James Nesbitt can indeed do something together with a sense of dramatic heft and charisma, as seen in this scene from the first movie. Nothing like it happens again.Lee Pace really just needed to do this.The Thorin charge to Azog down the flaming tree, yeah…and the music with it? Why did they do that?Alfrid Lickspittle. Just, no. (We're sure Ryan Gage is lovely in his own right.)Yeah, Smaug the Golden was a nice touch.Support By-The-Bywater and Megaphonic and help us do more live events!

This month, we respond (with love) to this love letter to South London.     Rye Lane Year: 2023 Written by: Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia Directed by: Raine Allen-Miller Stars: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah       Show notes:   Peckham, Brixton, Brockley Park, Camberwell Green and Bankside. This is South London, baby.   In this episode, we mention the films Before Sunrise (1995) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112471/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) and (inadvertently) Before Sunset (2004) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0), 10 Things I Hate About You (1995) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147800/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0), and Garden State (2004) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0333766/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0). We also mention the song London Boy by Taylor Swift (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsKoOH6DVys) and the New York comedy collective Improv Everywhere (https://improveverywhere.com/).   You can find Nathan Rabin's 2007 coining of the phrase Manic Pixie Dream Girl here: https://www.avclub.com/the-bataan-death-march-of-whimsy-case-file-1-elizabet-1798210595 and a 2014 follow up here: https://www.salon.com/2014/07/15/im_sorry_for_coining_the_phrase_manic_pixie_dream_girl/. You can read about Colin Firth's Rye Lane cameo here: https://www.indiewire.com/2023/04/rye-lane-colin-firth-cameo-1234823244/.   The song Charles Adrian reminisces about 43 minutes into this episode is Sign Your Name by Sananda Maitreya (singing as Terence Trent D'Arby) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dluHzQhLcME).    If you would like to suggest films for future episodes, you can tweet Lisa: @LisaStowaway.   We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that.   Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley.

On the season finale of TV Terrors, we're re-hassling the Hoff and talking about another sterling episode of BAYWATCH NIGHTS with writer Nathan Rabin (Weird Al: The Book and The Joy of Trash: Flaming Garbage Fire Extended Edition)!! This time, Mitch is up against humanity's greatest threat: Unfrozen Viking Warriors!! Along the way, we talk absentee scientists, Lou Rawls' poor attitude about hip hop, net guns, opening for Frank Sinatra, and the genius of Sven Ole-Thorson!! All this, plus an ice-cold edition of Choose Your Own Deathventure, this episode's surprising connection to real horror movies, and we debate whether or not the government is actually paying an off-duty lifeguard to hunt monsters! Ring the alärm, people!!Our TeePublic shop for killer merch is right here: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/kill-by-kill-podcast?utm_campaign=18042&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=Kill%2BBy%2BKill%2Bpodcast%2BHave something to say? Find us on Twitter @KillByKillPod Join the conversation about any episode on the Facebook Group! Follow us on IG @killbykillpodcast Check out the films we've covered & what might come soon on Letterboxd! Get even more episodes exclusively on Patreon!  Follow our station on vurbl: https://vurbl.com/station/2bdTISeI3X/ Artwork by Josh Hollis: joshhollis.com Kill By Kill theme by Revenge Body. For the full-length version and more great music, head to revengebodymemphis.bandcamp.com today!

We're thrilled to welcome This Had Oscar Buzz co-host (and TWoP Idol co-recapper emeritus) Joe Reid to the podcast to dig into American Dreamz, a satire of both competitive singing shows AND mid-aughts American politics that does one thing quite a bit better than the other -- and puts all three of us in mind of better movies like Dr. Strangelove and Dick. Cheney slapstick, peak Chris Klein, when Hugh Grant's doing more than he should, the custody battle over the set's one Dick Casablancas wig, Quaid as figurative Ken doll, the return of positive Ebert, and great galoot work all figure in our discussion of a movie we didn't hate...but also barely remember watching. Grab a golden ticket and some freedom fries and cue up an all-new Quaid In Full! Overall score: 6.17 QQQ score: 6.17 Days since a lost Kuffs accident: 398 SHOW NOTES Follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/quaidinfullpod) Get EVEN MORE Qontent (...sorry) at our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/quaidinfull) S06E10: In Good Company (https://quaidinfull.fireside.fm/55) S04E02: Postcards From The Edge (https://quaidinfull.fireside.fm/31) Roger Ebert's review (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/american-dreamz-2006) Manohla Dargis's review (https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/movies/paul-weitzs-american-dreamz-an-idol-clone-with-a-presidential-aura.html) Nathan Rabin's review (https://www.avclub.com/american-dreamz-1798201668) Joe Reid on Twitter (https://twitter.com/joereid) This Had Oscar Buzz's 200th episode (https://fightinginthewarroom.com/THOB/2022/06/27/200-gloria-bell/) Special Guest: Joe Reid.

Who better to help us close out our month of high-profile misfires than THE Nathan Rabin, author of My Year of Flops and The Joy of Trash? On the table are two wildly ambitious passion projects whose disastrous Cannes premieres threatened to end their directors' careers: Richard Kelly's 2006 gonzo sci-fi satire Southland Tales, and David Robert Mitchell's 2018 absurdist noir Under the Silver Lake. We discuss the films' unique visions of L.A., the career-best performances of their movie star leads, and if these flops— in the words of our guest— are actually secret successes. You can find more from Nathan Rabin at https://www.nathanrabin.com/ Unwatchables is hosted by Marc Dottavio and Seth Troyer, produced by Tony Scarpitti, featuring artwork by Micah Kraus. You can support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/unwatchables to get access to exclusive bonus content and weigh in on what we watch next. Find us online at www.unwatchablespod.com or shoot us an email at unwatchablespodcast@gmail.com. We're on Instagram and Twitter under @unwatchablespod. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unwatchablespod/message

Holy cow! It's an Ultra Special Bonus Episode! The preeminent "Weird Al" scholar of our times, Nathan Rabin, is back to talk about THE "Weird Al" movie. No, not that one. It's The Soccer Football Movie! This fever dream of a film premiered on Netflix recently, and we have A LOT to say about it.Note: There are one or two bits of language in here that may not be great for kiddos. They go by quick, but I just wanted to warn you!Give an amazing gift to the "Weird Al" fan in your life by buying one (OR ALL!) of Nathan's book on the topic:https://www.nathanrabin.com/shopBeer'd Al is a very happy member of the OddPods Media Network.Bonus promo for our buddy at Beer In Front!

In this episode of Grey Gardens, Fern welcomes Keely Stahl, GG fan and admin of the World Famous Grey Gardens Face Group. Keely posted an article about the documentary written by Nathan Rabin, which is chock full of quotes and topics to unpack about the Edies, the house and film. We dive into thought provoking conversation where we consider one another's opinions and perspectives as well as consider the author's viewpoint. Listen in for an intriguing episode about the two ladies we all love here at the podcast, who lived in the infamous house in East Hampton named Grey Gardens.    You can join The World Famous Grey Gardens Group on Facebook, here.   Contact Fern at: Fernhbern@yahoo.com Instagram: @Fernlovesmahjongg Facebook: Fern Levitch-Bernstein

Christmas, 1892: The Doctor has retired from saving the universe after a disastrous mid-series finale earlier in the year. He is cheered up somewhat by his encounter with a feisty young barmaid, who is intrigued enough to follow the Doctor home, only to learn a valuable and ultimately fatal lesson about the importance of railings. Richard E Grant is here too, as usual, delivering his lines through heroically clenched teeth. It's The Snowmen. Notes and Links We refer to Clara several times as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl — a quirky female character whose main purpose in the narrative is to pull the male hero out of an emotional funk. The phrase itself was coined by a critic called Nathan Rabin, who has since said that he regretted ever coming up with the term. Saul Metzstein, who directed this episode and several other successful Doctor Who episodes in Series 7, would go on to work as second unit director on the disastrous 2017 flop The Snowman, now best known for its terrible marketing campaign and for the fact that its protagonist was a character called Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender). By 2013, Richard E Grant had twice played non-canon Doctors: He was the Ninth Doctor of Paul Cornell's animated webcast Scream of the Shalka, which launched a whole new version of Doctor Who in 2003 in a parallel universe nearly adjacent to this one. He also played the Tenth Doctor (aka the Quite Handsome Doctor) in Steven Moffat's first ever Doctor Who story The Curse of Fatal Death, broadcast as part of Red Nose Day in 1999. You can watch it here, and you should. And our last trope for the day is fridging, which means killing a female character solely for the effect it has on the male hero. I can't think how this one came up. Follow us Nathan is on Twitter as @nathanbottomley, Simon is @simonmoore72, and Todd is @ToddBeilby. The Flight Through Entirety theme was arranged by Cameron Lam. You can follow the podcast on Twitter at @FTEpodcast. We're also on Facebook, and you can check out our website at flightthroughentirety.com. Please consider rating or reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, or we'll catastrophically fall to our deaths from your balcony and completely ruin your Christmas (in July). And more You can find Jodie into Terror, our flashcast on the Whittaker Era of Doctor Who, at jodieintoterror.com, at @JodieIntoTerror on Twitter, on Apple Podcasts, and wherever podcasts can be found. We'll be recording our final episode some time in October. Our James Bond commentary podcast is called Bondfinger, and you can find that at bondfinger.com, at @bondfingercast on Twitter, on Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else as well. We can also be heard on the Blakes 7 podcast Maximum Power, which will be returning later this year with its coverage of Series B. And finally, there's our Star Trek commentary podcast, Untitled Star Trek Project, featuring Nathan and friend-of-the-podcast Joe Ford. In our most recent episode, we head back to the 1990s to see how Chief O'Brien is getting on, in The Wounded.

Weird Author Nathan Rabin joins Jay & Jay to talk about his multiple "Weird Al" books he has written and we dive into 1996's Bad Hair Day! Check out Nathan's website and pick up his Al Books at https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop Theme song by The Fantastic Plastics twitch.tv/fantasticplastics

Weird Author Nathan Rabin joins Jay & Jay to talk about his multiple "Weird Al" books he has written and we dive into 1996's Bad Hair Day! Check out Nathan's website and pick up his Al Books at https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop Theme song by The Fantastic Plastics twitch.tv/fantasticplastics

Special Intro: Lauren and John from the Beer'd AL podcast Film at 11: The Northman (2022) Book IT: The Weird Accordion to Al: Every "Weird Al" Yankovic Album Obsessively Analyzed (2020) by Nathan Rabin with Al Yankovic Scroll With IT: We remember Neal Adams and look forward to the new entertainment from MST3K in The Gizmoplex and “Weird AL” Yankovic in concert!  Show Notes: https://bit.ly/tms5322

The Joy of Trash author talks about how D.A.R.E., bad TV, Weird Al Yankovic, and 9/11 created a generation of ironic idealists.

Elle existe depuis la nuit des temps, on la connaît toutes et tous, on l'a déjà vu au moins une fois, elle a rien demandé à personne et elle veut juste qu'on la laisse tranquille : c'est la demoiselle en détresse ! De la mythologie aux jeux vidéo on refait l'histoire de ce trope avant d'aller au-delà, un peu plus près des étoiles. Et grâce à ses mille et une versions et sous-catégories, il nous rappelle de bien faire gaffe à pas frauder le train, d'éviter les cristaux géants, comment ne plus payer d'impôts, et surtout de pas oublier de porter des robes et d'être belle si on est une femme. P.S. Vous trouvez que Jade est énervée ? Merci à Jayhan (@JayhanOfficial) pour les super intro et outro ! Tu peux nous suivre sur Twitter et Instagram : @codexespod et aussi nous laisser une note et un commentaire sympa si tu veux. Force et amour. Ressources : - "The Monkey and The Metaphor", article (en anglais) de Nathan Rabin sur la(les) métaphore(s) de King Kong. 2017 https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/king-kong-skull-island-movies-metaphors - "Damsel in Distress: Part 1 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games", série de vidéos en trois parties (en anglais) d'Anita Sarkeesian, Feminist Frequency, sur les demoiselles en détresse dans les jeux vidéo. 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6p5AZp7r_Q&t=765s - Scène de Starfox Adventures qu'on regarde pendant l'épisode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuV0ZlGd23w - "Sex Redefined: The Idea of 2 Sexes Is Overly Simplistic", article (en anglais) de Claire Ainsworth sur comment les scientifiques disent que c'est compliqué la génétique et le genre. 2018 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-redefined-the-idea-of-2-sexes-is-overly-simplistic1/ - Pourquoi de Sandy Valentino, morceau joué à la fin de l'épisode.

We welcome back the great writer and podcaster Nathan Rabin (check out his awesome Weird Al book and his Travolta/Cage podcast) to discuss the now-infamous season 3 premiere! We talk about the heavily advertised special appearance of a pop king, the fallout of allegations that led to the show not on streaming services, and so much more in this ep that makes us all question pink shirts and sanity. Listen now to wish Lisa a happy birthday! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

In this episode Nick talks with Nathan Rabin, the author of The Joy a Trash a great book about the joy of watching terrible TV, awful movies and lousy videos. Plus Esmeralda Leon is back from Mexico, and she talks about her trip, and she and Nick discuss Super Bowl commercials past and present. [EP 8]

In 1966, an El Paso theater actor bet his screenwriter friend he could produce a horror movie all on his own. The result was Manos: The Hands of Fate, an incoherent, no-budget movie considered one of the worst films ever made. And yet, it did somehow get made, and 50 years later, people are still watching it. Pop culture writer and bad movie evangelist Nathan Rabin (The A.V. Club, The Dissolve, and several books including My Year of Flops, You Don't Know Me But You Don't Like Me, The Weird Accordion to Al) joins us to talk about why the story of how a terrible movie got made would make for a great movie. Also, look for his new book The Joy of Trash, and read more of his writing at Nathan Rabin's Happy Place (nathanrabin.com).

What's black and white and now streaming on AppleTV Plus? Why it's Joel Coen's solo directorial debut, The Tragedy of Macbeth, starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand as a couple with big dreams and no chill…well, maybe they have a little chill in this version? Up for debate. How does this Macbeth measure up in categories like: Bloodlust! Justifying its existence! Cool-looking Birnam Woodl! Plus, our hosts each submit and defend their Hall of Excellence candidate for Most Badass Denzel Performance.  What's Good MentionsAlonso - Former guests doing cool stuff (Nathan Rabin's new book, River Butcher's new special, and Mary Jo Pehl's new Twitch show)Drea -  Amanda Gorman's book, Call Us What We CarryIfy - Sundance 2022ITIDICThe Batman is gonna be a long oneAna de Armas fans are suing UniversalPeter Dinklage not thrilled with the concept of live -action Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Vote for your Hall of Excellence winner on our Facebook pageBuy Alonso's book - I'll Be Home for Christmas MoviesStaff Picks:Ify - In the Heat of the NightDrea - Definition PleaseAlonso - Kurosawa's Shakespeare, especially Throne of BloodWe are sponsored this week by Wealthfront. Maximum Film! listeners can get their first $5,000 managed for FREE, for life, by visiting wealthfront.com/MAXFILMMaximum Film! is sponsored by Lumi Labs – use “MAXFILM” for 30% off anything on microdosegummies.com.With:Ify NwadiweDrea ClarkAlonso Duralde

The Stuph File Program Featuring mentoring expert Doug Lawrence, author of You Are Not Alone; pop culture critic, Nathan Rabin, author of The Joy of Trash: Nathan Rabin's Happy Place's Definitive Guide to the Very Worst of Everything; & Stuart Nulman with Book Banter Download Doug Lawrence is a mentoring expert who is also the author of You Are Not Alone.  Nathan Rabin is a pop culture critic and the author of The Joy of Trash: Nathan Rabin's Happy Place's Definitive Guide to the Very Worst of Everything. (You can also hear Nathan's previous appearance on show from 2010 on #0063, or you can hear the conversation via Audea: Nathan Rabin - My Year In Flops). Stuart Nulman with another edition of Book Banter. This week's reviewed title is Talking to Canadians: A Memoir by Rick Mercer (Doubleday Canada, $32.95). You can also read Stuart's reviews in The Montreal Times.  Now you can listen to selected items from The Stuph File Program on the new audio service, Audea. A great way to keep up with many of the interviews from the show and take a trip down memory lane to when this show began back in 2009, with over 600 selections to choose from! This week's guest slate is presented by Peter Jarrette, an author who is also a childhood friend. 

It's our second episode in our miniseries on Los Angeles in film. And this week we're concentrating on Hollywood, baby! Which is why we're talking about that infamous producer Robert Evans and his narrated autobiographical documentary, ‘The Kid Stays in the Picture.' Joining us to discuss this juicy subject is none other than the film critic who spent a great deal of time in Robert Evans' mansion, Nathan Rabin! Ify also speaks about growing up in Los Angeles with the looming monolith of Hollywood being so close yet so far away. And, as always, we've got ‘Staff Picks.'Explore Story Blocks' library and subscribe today at storyblocks.com/MAXFILM.Go to Soylent.com/maxfilm and use code MAXFILM to get 20% OFF your first order.Staff Picks:Ify – Harold and MaudeAlonso – Just Tell Me What You WantDrea – Really LoveNathan – CliffordWith Ify Nwadiwe, Alonso Duralde, Drea Clark, and Nathan Rabin

We really don't know what to make of David Lynch's space-opera adaptation of Frank Herbert's cult sci-fi novel Dune. As critic Nathan Rabin would ask, is it a Failure, Fiasco or Secret Success? Too long? Too short? And why in the world was Sting cast? We really never answer these questions, because we're too baffled by the whole experience. So come and experience Dune, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Francesca Annis, Max von Sydow, Patrick Stewart, and many more in what the studios thought would be "Star Wars for Adults".

Juggalos may be the most cult fanbase of all time. With dedicated Juggalo and author Nathan Rabin, we dive into the beautifully twisted world of the Dark Carnival and the music of their truly fearless leaders, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of the one and only Insane Clown Posse. Follow Nathan Rabin on Twitter at @nathanrabin and discover his books and podcasts at nathanrabin.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We welcome Nathan Rabin (The Weird Accordion to Al) to discuss a PCP, angel dust, and sherm in both a drug and alcohol heavy episode depending on who you talk to. It's Nathan's first T.J. Hooker episode and we cover all the bases. T.J. confronts a Detective who is drinking on the job and it just might lead to a whole heap of trouble. Cowboy buys sherm from Pinwheel, the drug bridge is invented, Adrian Zmed is hosting a disco cruise, and so much more.

This week, the Onion AV Club's Nathan Rabin introduces us to "7 Days in Ohio: Trump, The Gathering of the Juggalos and the Summer Everything Went Insane" while exploring the nexus where the Republican presidential candidate, the world's most hated clown-make-up-wearing hip hop crew and blockbuster cinema collide.

Writer and film critic, MATT ZOLLER SEITZ, joins me to talk about his new book, The Oliver Stone Experience, a beautifully conceived, edited & photographed retrospective on the career of one of America's last great auteurs. We talk about Stone's personality and aesthetic, the creation of the book and how his films fit into the world today. Lots of detours with Matt's personal view of the state of film and a great talk! Enjoy! Please note: I misattributed my quotes about digging on esoterica to Nathan Rabin; they were written by Noel Murray. The Oliver Stone Experience on Amazon TV (The Book) on Amazon (with Alan Sepinwall) Matt's Blog at RogerEbert.com Matt on Twitter Music on this podcast: Artist: Beastie Boys Song: Hello Brooklyn Song: Song for Junior Copyrights are owned by the artists and their labels. No money is made from this podcast.

Two of our favorite Atlanta-based film critics join Dave and Alonso to discuss the Thanksgiving releases and a vintage homophobic "classic"; Dave spends much of the episode AWOL to tussle with the West Hollywood parking division. Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @linoleumcast, subscribe (and review us) on iTunes, and lots of wavy hair like Liberace. Linoleum Knife Podcast is brought to you by Reed Martin's indie film guide THE REEL TRUTH, available in paperback from Amazon or as a ebook from iTunes. Curt's DVD pick of the week: RE-ANIMATOR Nathan's DVD pick of the week: THE HEARTBREAK KID

We're joined this week by Dave Housley (author of the new story collection If I Knew The Way, I Would Take You Home) to discuss Nathan Rabin's 2013 book investigating the cult followings of both Phish and Insane Clown Posse. The book tracks Rabin's experiences at several Phish shows and the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, as well as his near-breakdown during what sounds like a pretty rough year. We also talk about Dave's obsession with aliens, and his Twitter friendship with several members of the alien network MUFON. Plus: a new segment called "Things Mike Found in Tom's House."

Though Michael Mann’s Blackhat and the Wachowskis’ Jupiter Ascending opened to mostly tepid notices, there are pockets of intense interest among critics and fans of their respective bodies of work. On this week’s podcast, we talk about filmmakers whose work is—or is perceived to be—in decline, but who inspire us to keep our hopes us anyway, even knowing that, say, Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem may not turn out to be as good as Brazil. Then we follow up on Nathan Rabin’s Career View on Philip Seymour Hoffman and discuss the actor’s best and most unheralded work a year after his death. A favorite Onion headline inspires the game this week, which asks contestants to distinguish between two 1997 subterranean horror movies, Mimic and The Relic. Then it’s a Senior Editor throwdown as Tasha Robinson and Genevieve Koski battle it out in 30 Seconds To Sell. 

With the flourish of Scary Movie sequels and Friedberg/Seltzer productions like Meet The Spartans and Date Movie, the spoof hit rock bottom a few years ago, but our Movie Of The Week discussion of Airplane! and David Wain’s new rom-com riff They Came Together inspire a fresh look at the art of film comedy’s least respected subgenre. Another near-future MOTW (and Greatest Blockbuster poll winner), Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, has earned praise for keeping the shark off screen until the final third, but we question whether the decision to withhold information from an audience is always the right one. The game this week is “Oh, Roger,” which digs into the reviews, positive and negative, where Roger Ebert broke radically from consensus. And finally, Tasha Robinson and Nathan Rabin square off in the recommendation octagon that is 30 Seconds To Sell.  

As baseball season starts, so begins the months-long torment of wading through losing streaks, blowouts, and forgettable matinees for those few transcendent moments that make it all worthwhile. But movies can skip right to the big moments, and on this week's podcast, we’ve gathered The Dissolve's only sports fans to talk about it. Then, we're pleased as heck to welcome The New York Times' Dave Itzkoff to discuss Mad As Hell, his new book about the making of Network. The game this week is "Where Did I Leave My Keyword?", in which contestants are asked which of four IMDB Keywords to various 1990s high-school movies doesn’t belong. And finally, Tasha Robinson and Nathan Rabin battle it out in a particularly close 30 Seconds To Sell.

As home theaters get more and more impressive, studios are fighting back with visually epic films like Gravity, which take the theatrical format to its current limits. Gravity’s huge box-office success and 10 Oscar nominations suggest the renewed focus on scale might work both financially and aesthetically, but what happens when movies made to get people into theaters leave the theaters, and home viewing is the only option? This week, we discuss movies where the presentation might be as important as the content, from Gravity to Jaws 3D. Then we check in with Nathan Rabin and Noel Murray, live from the Sundance Film Festival, for their picks on the best films soon to hit theaters, and their impression of how Sundance has changed since they started attending. We bring back Parental Guidance Suggested, where players have to identify a film from some of its IMDB Parent’s Guide warnings, then have Keith Phipps and Scott Tobias present their dueling recommendations in 30 Seconds To Sell. Spoiler: It’s a really close call this week.

The tepid reception from critics and audiences toward Spike Lee’s recent remake of Park Chan-Wook’s dark, stylish 2003 film Oldboy is indicative of some of the problems and preconceptions surrounding American remakes of foreign films. We try to set aside our knee-jerk dislike for such films to discuss what they say about our filmgoing culture, and try to come up with a few successful Hollywood re-imaginings (other than The Ring). In the second segment, host Tasha Robinson talks to Jason Bailey, writer of the new book Pulp Fiction: The Complete Story Of Quentin Tarantino’s Masterpiece, about the film’s genesis, shooting, and impact on the current movie landscape. Then Tasha asks Keith Phipps, Noel Murray, and Nathan Rabin to perform some movie algebra with a new game called Icon Vs. Icon, whose simple-enough name belies a complicated—but fun—premise. Then Noel and Scott Tobias wrap it up with some rapid recommendations in 30 Seconds To Sell. PLEASE NOTE: The Dissolve Podcast is going on hiatus over the holiday break. It will return in January with new episodes. 

Despite all of us feeling, at one time or another, that Blockbuster Video was the “Death Star” of video chains, as Nathan Rabin described it, we’re left feeling oddly wistful about the days of clamshell boxes and “Be Kind, Rewind.” But is our nostalgia misplaced? In this week’s podcast, we kick off with a reminiscence of the VHS era and the way it influenced our film education. Then, contributor Sam Adams joins Tasha Robinson and Genevieve Koski for a discussion of the Bechdel test, a metric that’s become an increasingly popular way to determine gender bias in film. In order to pass the Bechdel test, a film must feature at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. But for such a simple rule, it’s full of gaps and exceptions, and cases where it’s misapplied. Our panelists have different ideas about when it’s useful and when it isn’t. This week, we also introduce a new and filthy game called “Nude Review,” in which contestants are given descriptions from the user reviews at the Celebrity Nude Database and asked which perfectly oval-shaped buttcheeks belong to what movie. Then Tasha and Nathan Rabin duke it out in our quick-fire recommendation face-off, 30 Seconds To Sell.

With Halloween coming next week, we’ve put together the most terrifying, blood-curdling episode of The Dissolve podcast to date—relatively speaking, anyway. We start by talking about the trend-hopping of the horror genre: Why do certain types of horror movies come in waves—from “torture porn” to found-footage to haunted houses—and where do we hope the genre goes from here? With The Shining coming up as our next Movie Of The Week, we interview Rodney Ascher, the director of Room 237, a terrific documentary that compares and contrasts the many far-out theories advanced by the film’s most obsessive fans. What is it about this particular film, more perhaps than any other in Stanley Kubrick’s career, that inspires such a range of interpretations? The game this week is “Reel Estate,” in which panelists are given descriptions of memorable houses and buildings and asked to name the movie in which they appeared. Then Noel Murray and Nathan Rabin are asked for their scariest recommendations for 30 Seconds To Sell. (They’re not that scary, frankly.)

According to Aesop, familiarity breeds contempt, but that doesn’t always hold true. In the case of filmmakers, actors, and other creators with long, well-established careers, familiarity can help us isolate their particular talents and interests. Sometimes, though, Aesop’s right, and seeing too much of someone’s work makes us respect it less. This week, we discuss what the long careers of Danny Elfman, Robert De Niro, and many others have taught us about their work. In a second segment, Scott Tobias and Noel Murray report in from the Toronto International Film Festival via Skype, laying out the best films coming to America soon, and the best films they’ve seen that are still looking for distribution. Our game segment this week is Famous Last Words, in which panelists struggle to identify a film character from the last lines they speak before dying. Finally, Nathan Rabin and Keith Phipps square off in our competitive recommendation segment, 30 Seconds To Sell.

What connects the new One Direction 3-D concert movie and the later films of Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang, besides Kevin Bacon? Both are for-fans-only propositions that appeal strongly to a niche audience without seeking to broaden the base. We discuss the freedoms and limitations of making films for some and not for all. Inspired by the humorlessness of Elysium, this week’s second segment examines the leavening effects of comedy in action movies and what happens when they get too jokey. We also play a game called Parental Guidance Suggested, where the host throws out descriptions from the IMDb Parent’s Guide and asks the panelists to name the buttock-laden movie in question. Finally, Matt Singer and Nathan Rabin pitch their rapid-fire recommendations in 30 Seconds To Sell.

This week, as blockbuster season careens to a close, we discuss blockbuster culture, whether Steven Spielberg’s alarmism is on point, and whether it could all be turned in a more positive direction. Our second segment focuses on the singing-and-dancing party endings of films from Beetlejuice to This Is The End to Despicable Me 2, and asks what these endings accomplish for a film, and which ones make us groan, as opposed to which ones make us chair-dance in the theater. We try out a gory new game that tests the players’ ability to remember how characters die in films, and we let Nathan Rabin unleash his inner moo-cow. Finally, Scott Tobias and Keith Phipps are given 30 Seconds To Sell us with their film-related recommendations: Keith on an iconic soundtrack, and Scott on the concept of negativity, apparently.

Inspired by the throwback teen romance of The Spectacular Now and the Summer of ’93 period comedy The To Do List, we begin the inaugural episode of our biweekly podcast with a discussion on how nostalgia enhances (or maybe distorts) our perceptions of a movie. In the second segment, Tasha Robinson’s two-star review of the majestic Patrick Swayze vehicle Road House has us wondering about the “guilty pleasure,” and whether movies we enjoy can also be called bad movies. We also play a game called “Double Vision,” where participants are given two very similar movies—in this case, Pretty In Pink and Some Kind Of Wonderful—and asked to tell which detail came from which movie. And finally, Tasha and Nathan Rabin have “30 Seconds To Sell” their movie recommendations.

Lights, Camera, Podcast! This episode of How Was Your Week is mostly about movies. Take your seats and pop your corn! First up, KURT LODER (MTV, Reason.com) is here to share a list of his favorite films that nobody else has really seen, including The Saddest Music in the World, The Midnight Meat Train, and The Fountain. You may know Kurt from MTV, but his film criticism is top-notch. Buy his book, The Good, the Bad and the Godawful: 21st Century Movie Reviews, here! Then, NATHAN RABIN (My Year of Flops, The AV Club) joins Julie to talk in depth about two terrible Beatles movies: Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, starring The Bee Gees. An important conversation about how great the Beatles are and how insane these movies turned out to be, mostly for reasons having to do with folly, hubris, and Tracy Ullman. Also: A treatise on Crispin Glover and fresh-pressed vegetable juice! A jazz musician's cat-related toilet project! Fiona Apple's long sweater and Francis Ford Coppola's nipples! Fancy chickens and why you shouldn't fight with theater ushers! And a hunch that Soon-Yi Previn watched the last season of Entourage. Plus: A call for redheaded ladies coming to the June 27th How Was Your Week Live who want makeovers, Colin Firth naked, what Paul McCartney's movie self dreams about, what Kurt Loder does and doesn't like about Quentin Tarantino, and when to listen to the White Album. Enjoy this!