Podcasts about Nomadland

..ja, det har vi. Neida. Eller kanskje? Hør episoden om du vil vite, for i dag går vi igjennom våre egne Letterboxd topp 4-lister! I tillegg gjetter vi filmer basert på anmeldelser, og går i dybden på om rike nepo-babies egentlig kan representere arbeiderklassen gjennom film uten å være usmaklige. Nomadland (2020) er subjekt. Håper dere liker! I studio: Brage Merkesdal, Samuel Alois Starck Sjøen og Astrid Johanne Sørnes Produsent: Thea Mostraum

What Books are Healthiest for Your Tween or Teen an Interview with Betsy Farquhar and Hayley Morell (Episode 293)   *Disclaimer: Some of this content is not intended for young audiences. Please use discretion.   Proverbs 4:7 NIV “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”   *Transcription Below*   Betsy Farquhar holds Masters degrees in Children's Literature and Information and Library Science. She taught middle and high school English, homeschooled her three children, and has served on many book award committees.   Hayley Morell loves reading, writing, trying new recipes, knitting, or chatting with her parrot. Hayley loves traveling and lived abroad in Europe and Asia. She and her husband and infant live in Wisconsin in an old house overflowing with books and are active in their local community.   Their Website, Book, and Social Media Handles: Instagram @redeemed_reader and Facebook: @redeemedreader   Thank you to our sponsor: Sam Leman Eureka   Questions and Topics We Cover: What are some benefits of reading and why is it worthwhile to devote our time to curating a healthy diet of books? Can you elaborate on why the Young Adult or YA category is the most controversial? What is on your radar for genres or books that will require even more discernment in the future?   Other Savvy Sauce Episode Mentioned: 21. Promoting a Family Culture of Reading with Megan Kaeb 22. Inspiring Your Children to Become Readers, Part Two with Megan Kaeb 253. Low Tech Parenting with Erin Loechner 273. Wise Living: Why to Get Outside, and Travel, and Read Aloud with Amber O'Neal Johnston   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*‍   Music: (0:00 – 0:11)   Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 1:46) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today over 55 years later at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka.   Owned and operated by the Bertschi family, Sam Leman and Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over Central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at lemangm.com.   My guests for today are Betsy Farquhar and Haley Morrill, two of the four authors of this book, The Redeemed Reader, which is also the name of the website that they run together where they have thousands of book reviews for children and tweens and teens.   We all know that books are so powerful, so it's vitally important that we're discerning both for what we're intaking and the filters that we use to allow our children to engage with books in our home. We're going to sprinkle book recommendations throughout this episode, and you're also going to learn some surprising things, such as more details about the YA or young adult category. Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Betsy and Haley.   Betsy Farquhar: (1:48 - 1:49) Thanks. It's good to be here.   Laura Dugger: (1:50 - 1:57) I would love to just start out hearing the way that the two of you found your way into the work that you get to do today.   Betsy Farquhar: (1:58 - 2:42) Mine started way back in the 1900s when I was in college. I did my senior thesis on children's literature, George MacDonald, and that led to a children's literature class my last semester, which led me to grad school with one of my now co-workers, but at the time fellow students and friends, and we got our master's in children's literature. And then rabbit trail, lots of detours, children, marriage. She and I started a blog back when those were cool and hip, and it was reviewing children's books and that was just for fun. And then we connected with Janie and Emily from Redeemed Reader. Through that blog venue, we were commenting on each other's blogs, and they brought us on board. And so here we are 15 years later.   Hayley Morell: (2:43 - 3:38) And for me, I was a high schooler. I was homeschooled. I loved reading.   So, I started my own blog back in the teenage years and I was always looking for book recommendations and came upon Redeemed Reader in the early days. I turned out they were looking for an intern. I started interning and at the end of my internship, Emily Witten, who was our founder, asked if I'd like to stay on.   And that was 14 or 15 years ago now. So, I was younger. And so, I had a period at college.   I studied at Boyce College. I worked in children's ministry and worked as a private tutor. So, a lot of interactions with children.   I was known as the babysitter with the book bag for a number of years. And now I've got my own little, and so I'm in the land of board books and happily working at Redeemed Reader.   Laura Dugger: (3:39 - 3:49) I love hearing that. And if people are watching this through video, can you both just say your name, so we know who's Betsy and who's Haley? I'm Haley.   Betsy Farquhar: (3:50 - 3:51) I'm Betsy.   Laura Dugger: (3:52 - 4:07) Okay, wonderful. Thank you for that. And at Redeemed Reader, I'm assuming you have so many book recommendations to try and read and review.   So, how do you even determine which books you are going to review?   Hayley Morell: (4:08 - 7:49) So, right now we are wrapping up one of the things we love doing, which is providing award coverage. In January is when the American Library Association announces their awards, and they like to recognize the best middle grade with the Newberry, the best picture books with the Caldecott, and then a number of other awards. We know that those books are going to be going into lots of libraries and schools.   And so, we like to provide coverage of that and review those books that we know parents are going to be seeing on shelves and wondering, is this a good book? Should we be reading this? What do we want to check out?   We also like to watch what is popular. What is causing discussion? So, several years ago, that was The Hunger Games.   And there was a lot of questions about dystopia. Should we be reading this? Is this helpful?   Do I want my teen reading The Hunger Games? More recently, some popular middle grade series like Keeper of the Lost Cities have had a lot of parents asking, what is this series? Is there anything I should know about?   And so, we try to have a balanced review. We review books that you're going to find at the library. We also like to review books that maybe you wouldn't know about.   So, a smaller Christian imprint, for example, we like to review that type of book to encourage readers to read widely, to read Christian authors, to read secular authors. We like books. And so, we each bring our own specialty to the team and experience.   Janie, who's our senior editor, is a children's author. She loves history. And so, as the community relations manager, I tend to handle review requests.   So, when somebody asks us, can you review this book? It's popular. Or I'm an author.   I wrote a book. Can you review it? I'll look at the book.   I'll look at how hard is it to get? We do try to review books that are easy to find, that you might find in your local library. But then I'll look at our team.   So, for Janie, if it is going to be a nonfiction history, let's say for a 10 to 12-year-old, I know that's going to be up her alley. Meanwhile, Betsy loves poetry. She loves nature, nonfiction.   Betsy is a very, I'd say you're one of our Renaissance people. And so, I know Betsy is going to be inclined towards maybe a novel and verse. And she also likes dealing with high school books.   You've got that teacher education background, where if it is an epic poem, Betsy is going to be our reviewer. Megan is our amazing picture book author. She's super creative, loves picture books.   Megan is who I turn to when I find a picture book. Meanwhile, I used to handle as I was the team member of the team and then turned into my 20s. So, I gravitated toward YA, and I still love a good YA fantasy.   But I am now in board book land and picture books. So, I have been expanding my reach. I do serve on our middle grade fiction, so I can help out with middle grades.   But each of us will flex in, flex out. Megan has a large family of boys. And so, if it's a boy book, she is a great person.   We love to send those to her to see if her boys like them. And that's, I could keep going because we love books, but that's a big snapshot.   Laura Dugger: (7:50 - 8:09) That's so helpful because you cover such a wide variety of books throughout your team. And as curators of book reviews, what questions are you most commonly receiving, both from young people and maybe their parents as well?   Hayley Morell: (8:12 - 9:22) I think we often get questions like, is this book clean? Is this book safe? And we like to kind of change that question.   And we like to say, why is the content in this book? Because that can be different, you know, depending on something that is in a picture book, which wouldn't be appropriate for an age, could be very appropriate for a YA book and a great discussion starter. So, it definitely depends on the content and what audience and what age of the audience we're dealing with.   So, we try to, as people ask us, well, is this safe or is this clean? Should I read this? We want to build discernment and encourage parents to interact, parents and educators to interact with our reviews.   And they know their reader. They know how their reader is going to receive a book. And what questions might come up.   And so, we like to help interact with that conversation. And then there's another kind of question we often get, which I'm going to let Betsy answer.   Betsy Farquhar: (9:23 - 10:10) The other question is, my kid likes blank kind of book or is blank kind of reader. What do I get for him or her? And so that, of course, can vary widely.   But people love to know what book is right for my family or my classroom or my child. And so, we try to write our reviews with that question in mind, not to make a blanket statement, you should all read this book, or nobody should read this book, but to give parents and educators enough information to make that decision for themselves. And then we started doing these reels on Instagram, where we're pretending we're answering a customer service phone call with questions we've been asked, right?   My son only likes video games, or my daughter doesn't want fantasy, but she reads these kinds of books. And so, we try to help people think that through.   Laura Dugger: (10:10 - 10:14) So, that's really how we continue.   Hayley Morell: (10:15 - 11:09) Sorry. And one more question that we often get because we are book reviewers is, will you review my book? And so, at that point, we do have a process.   We encourage people to submit a request. And it could be maybe a book they're curious about and would just like a review from us, or they're an author or a publisher. And so, in that case, we direct them to our review submission form.   And like I said before, we are definitely looking for books that are easy to find. That will encourage us to review a book, because while we love books that are like smaller imprints, et cetera, and we do try to provide coverage for that, we also are aware that a lot of our audience only has their library or their school library. And so, we are trying to do books that are easy to find and accessible for our readers.   Laura Dugger: (11:10 - 11:40) Okay, that's really helpful to hear what people are writing in and asking you about. And so, hearing the sweet spot from each team member, and then Betsy, how you mentioned people love to know what's right for my family. So, no, this won't fit every situation. But can you give examples of maybe books that the four of you find yourselves recommending quite a bit because they are ones that fit a wide range of people?   Betsy Farquhar: (11:41 - 13:39) Of course, we put a ton of recommendations in our book that came out in the fall. And those are sort of our most common recommendations. We have a place on our website called Starred Reviews.   And those are the best of the best in our mind of their genre. So, if you're looking for graphic novels, and you see a star on a graphic novel, it's because we think this is an amazing graphic novel. So, that's just a helpful framework, because of course, people are all over the map, right?   We're in the midst of whittling down our Book of the Year for this year. And we also have our Reader's Choice Book of the Year. And those books are ones we tend to recommend all the time.   So, I'm going to give you just some samples of what are on our Reader's Choice list, because that is a public list. And I can't reveal the 2025 releases we're considering for the other one. But for our Book of the Year for the Reader's Choice this year, we have The Found Boys by S. D. Smith.   We've got, I've got them all right here, Olivetti by Allie Millington. There's The Hiding Place: A Graphic Novel and the Watership Down: The Graphic Novel that are both really fun. People have really enjoyed them.   We've got the first book in The Dream Keeper Saga by Kathryn L. Butler. That's a Christian fantasy series. We've got Enemies in the Orchard, which is the novel in verse about World War II.   One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome, which is another novel in verse about some Black pioneers going west on a wagon train. And that might be, oh, The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo. Kate DiCamillo is a super prolific author, and we do recommend her books often.   Her book, Ferris, was our Book of the Year last year. So, there's just a quick sampling of some middle grades' books. And middle grades, for people who don't know, that's the broad fourth through eighth grade age range.   You think of like ages 8 to 12. And they tend to be the broadest in audience. You can usually read those aloud to a younger audience, or even teenagers might find them enjoyable.   So, that's a good start.   Hayley Morell: (13:40 - 14:29) I do think one of the beauties of our team is that we've worked together for a long time. And we trust our team. And so, I will happily recommend a book that I haven't seen, but I know Betsy loved and reviewed.   And it's so fun reading the same books. So, like right now, since we're on award committees, we are seeing a lot of the same books and getting to talk about them. But I think it's one of our strengths that we each bring something to the table.   And I would say if someone really likes history, I'm going to look at what Janie has loved recently, because I know she is looking for those good new history books. And its so fun recommending books and getting to play to our strengths.   Laura Dugger: (14:31 - 16:16) And that comes out in book recommendations. When you're passionate about what you're reading, it's naturally contagious, I think. And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka has been owned and operated by the Bertschi family for over 25 years. A lot has changed in the car business since Sam and Stephen's grandfather, Sam Leman, opened his first Chevrolet dealership over 55 years ago.   If you visit their dealership today, though, you'll find that not everything has changed. They still operate their dealership like their grandfather did, with honesty and integrity. Sam and Stephen understand that you have many different choices in where you buy or service your vehicle.   This is why they do everything they can to make the car buying process as easy and hassle-free as possible. They are thankful for the many lasting friendships that began with a simple welcome to Sam Leman's. Their customers keep coming back because they experience something different.   I've known Sam and Stephen and their wives my entire life, and I can vouch for their character and integrity, which makes it easy to highly recommend you check them out today. Your car buying process doesn't have to be something you dread, so come see for yourself at Sam Leman Chevrolet in Eureka. Sam and Stephen would love to see you, and they appreciate your business.   Learn more at their website, LemanEureka.com or visit them on Facebook by searching for Sam Leman Eureka. You can also call them on 309-467-2351. Thanks for your sponsorship.   I'm curious, over the years, what character qualities have you noticed in people who are now adults, but they originally fell in love with reading in childhood?   Betsy Farquhar: (16:17 - 17:39) So, that's a pretty broad question. I would think, I'm just going to paint this with broad strokes. People who read typically are people who think, and especially in a day and age where we're bombarded with screens and soundbites all the time, if somebody can actually read an analog book from start to finish, then typically they're going to be able to think about ideas in a different way than people who are just existing on soundbites.   So, the ability to think is pretty critical. There's been a lot of studies that show that people who read also have better empathy. It's just a way we can sort of step into somebody else's shoes, especially if we're reading a story about somebody who perhaps lived in a different time period, or they're from a different ethnic background, or even if there's just a different socioeconomic level, it helps us understand the people on the other side a little bit better.   So, that kind of, this twin characteristics of empathy and thoughtfulness, I think are pretty common. We all go through seasons where we don't read as much, whether we're stressed or perhaps, my kids are in college and they were avid readers in high school, and they're not doing a lot of reading for fun right now, but they know how to read and they enjoy it. So, they'll probably come back to that in the future.   So, I think that's a helpful thing to remember, just because your eight-year-old loves reading, when he or she is 18, they may not be reading as much, and that's okay. They'll probably come back to it.   Hayley Morell: (17:40 - 17:53) And I've definitely seen that with younger siblings too, burning out and then all of a sudden back, asking for book recommendations. And it's fun to know that reading habits stick around.   Laura Dugger: (17:55 - 18:38) That's well said. And yet, even if they lie dormant for a while, they may be reawakened in adulthood. But I think I find it's less common for someone to fall in love with reading for their first time as an adult.   So, I think it's very beneficial as parents to cultivate or instill this love of reading in our children. And you two are the experts. So, I'd love to hear your take on this.   What are some of the benefits of reading? And why is it worthwhile to devote our time to curating a healthy diet of books, both for ourselves, but especially for our children?   Hayley Morell: (18:39 - 20:06) Betsy, I think you might've said this once, but I think it came up as we were talking about writing our book. As I have a small child who's just starting to notice pages and we're reading board books and he's trying to reach for it. I remember someone once said that reading to a very young child, they're not registering the story yet.   They might be registering the pictures. But the time that we're taking reading, when I read to him or when my husband gets home from work and they read one board book together, he's not really looking at the book as much as he's looking at our face and hearing our voice. And books are becoming something that we do together and that we do as a family.   And it's a way that we're building relationships. And I think that's a great encouragement to me to keep reading. And I have nieces and nephews who loved books.   And then that's something that we enjoy the story together and we'll laugh over silly stories and we'll read. But I think that it's something that as we want to like curate our collections but also think about how are we encouraging children to love reading. It's if they see us reading too and see us enjoying books and still picking up a book ourselves.   I'm not sure, Betsy, if you have anything that you would add to that.   Betsy Farquhar: (20:07 - 20:41) Well, I just think the better we read anything, the better equipped we are to read the story in the Bible because God revealed himself to us in a written book. And so, we're sort of flexing those muscles when we read. And the more we can engage with what we read, even if it's a picture book with a five-year-old, we're beginning that practice of developing discernment.   And that's part of discipling our children. So, I do think it's all part of the same picture. It's not going to look the same for every family but just working on developing those muscles of discernment and reading intelligently, that's going to go a long way.   Laura Dugger: (20:43 - 22:07) I love how you bring in the Bible that is so important. And I found myself even just this week at bedtime praying over our daughters that they would have a love for the written word because that is what God has gifted to us. And I love how the word became flesh and dwelt among us, but he is the original storyteller and has instilled that in each of us.   And I think just a very practical way at any age to help our children cultivate this love is by reading aloud. And we recently were on a family vacation and had a rental vehicle and we had a long drive-in front of us and listened to the radio for a while. But we also like this tradition of reading one book aloud on a vacation.   So, we remember our time in Florida from one year was a place to hang the moon and it was a different book this year, but I get car sick while we're driving. So, I couldn't read it aloud. So, our oldest daughter read it aloud for all of us.   And I realized how much attention and focus is required and imagination to paint these pictures of the characters in your mind. And I just thought, wow, there's so much learning that's going on even as the one listening to the book, not reading the actual words.   Betsy Farquhar: (22:09 - 22:15) And a place to hang the moon was our reader's choice favorite last year. So, lots of our readers have read that one.   Laura Dugger: (22:16 - 22:36) It's such a good one. And as wonderful as books are, they're also powerful and influential. So, as you've reiterated, discernment is required.   And I'd love for you to elaborate on why the young adult, or the YA category can be the most controversial.   Hayley Morell: (22:38 - 25:12) Young adult protagonists are often upper teenage years. And so, we like to say, as we mentioned in our book, no topic is out of bounds. And this means that there can be a lot going on and a lot of messiness.   We like to use that word as we're talking about that. And sometimes the messiness can be thought provoking. Sometimes it can be provocative.   And we have noticed often YA deals with questions of identity. Who am I? How do I relate to the world?   And that can look like lots of different things. It can include sexual identity, which can lead to a lot of conversations. But something that we like to lean into as we look at the YA genre is that in a world where everything is constantly shifting, as you have a teen and they're encountering conversations at school, conversations with peers, or using social media, having an ever-changing feed that I can look at my Instagram feed and it's going to look nothing like a teenager's Instagram feed.   Even if you're looking at the same account, the way that reels are coming, they're getting bombarded with messages. The messiest of books is static. And you both can look at that and read the cover, read what's going on, and talk about it.   And you both have the same place to have a conversation. And so, we like to lean into that when we're looking at YA books and realize they are powerful, but they're powerful conversation starters. And books like, Betsy recently read a book, and it's called Bright Red Fruit.   And it's a cautionary tale about a teenage girl who has a relationship with an older man that's predator. And he is taking advantage, trying to separate her that is an excellent conversation starter. It's not an easy book to read.   You're reading it, getting worried for this girl, but it's a great way to say, let's read this book and let's talk about what a healthy relationship looks like, because this is not healthy. So, we love YA books that can provoke conversations. And sometimes it might be you both looking at a book and going, you know, this doesn't seem helpful.   We don't need to finish this book. It's okay to stop reading a book and return it to the library.   Laura Dugger: (25:12 - 26:11) I completely agree. And even with that YA section, one of our daughters was just saying, when I go through that section of the library, it seems like every single book is about death. And it did provoke a good conversation from that.   But I think it was Sarah McKenzie who was the first person that I heard explain the difference between a middle grade novel or YA because from my understanding, middle grade isn't just for those grades. You even said younger ages can enjoy that and older. I have friends that only read middle grade novel now as adults.   So, it's not just your reading level, but YA has different rules on it where I think you said anything goes, any topic is allowed. So, it doesn't mean that YA is necessarily what you have to graduate to once you enter high school. Is that right?   Hayley Morell: (26:11 - 27:06) But yes, it's typically and the funny thing that you kind of leaned into it, some middle grade books definitely deal with coming of age or might even have a teenage protagonist, but it's written in a way that a 12 year old could read it and enjoy it. When you get into like the higher YA, it is more like young adults, people starting their own lives, having adventures, leaving home, going on quests. And like you said, bringing in some heavier topics.   Now we have seen since like in the last five years, a lot of books dealing with death and grieving that are hitting that middle grade genre too, which can be helpful. But at the same time, if you're just reading sad books, you might want to change your diet and find a fun, happy book too.   Laura Dugger: (27:07 - 27:31) Again, in a conversation like this, it has to be more general of a recommendation, but there's such a difference, I'm sure in YA for your 13-year-old versus your 18-year-old. So, for someone who does want to dip their toe into some YA books, do you have anyones that you find yourselves recommending again for that age group?   Betsy Farquhar: (27:32 - 28:42) I'll jump in here. We've got a couple of book lists on our site that are, have actual number ages attached to them. Thirteen books for 13-year-old boys is a great one for that younger teen audience.   But those tend to be, they're grappling with some coming-of-age issues, but they tend to be more adventure based in a sense and more fun. I think of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. There's a little bit of language.   There's a little bit of romance, but it's very teen, young teen friendly. And its actually kind of a good picture of men being heroes and women are heroes in very, like the men are men, they're very masculine. And the women, even if they're part of the army, so to speak, they're still doing it in a feminine way.   So, it's just kind of a nice sort of entry into some of those conversations. But then if you fast forward, by the time teens are in their upper teens, they should be able to read adult books too. And so, you might find yourself reading something like Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, which is very much written for an adult market, but very accessible to teens if they're willing to grapple with some of those ideas.   But that book's going to be a lot heavier than a book for a 13-year-old.   Laura Dugger: (28:44 - 29:05) That's helpful just to have examples. And I think it's also helpful to put this into context by reflecting back through time. So, just in America, what have you learned about the trends and the changes in libraries, specifically over the past 75 years?   Betsy Farquhar: (29:06 - 31:30) So, I have a library degree too, so I love talking about libraries. In library science, we have a rule, it's called Ranganathan's Law, and it simply says every book is reader, which means that for every book out there, there's a reader out there. And libraries take that very seriously.   No book is off the table for a public library. We had an entire class on serving our community. So, the goal behind a public library has always been to serve the community in which it's placed.   Now that's changed a lot as our society has changed a lot. So, before World War II, most libraries were funded very locally, local taxes, they may have even been subscription-based, but after we have all these army vets coming back after World War II, they're going back to school later. We have this explosion of information access for people who can't get it.   So, the Library Services Act was the first one. We've had lots of iterations since then. Now it includes technology.   It started with giving federal dollars to rural libraries, and it's continued even to big cities now, but the focus is still on services for people who can't access them as easily. So, free Wi-Fi was a really big one before Wi-Fi was as broad spread. There are services for the blind and for other communities that might not be able to read as easily.   So, it's still sort of an information hub, but I think that makes us uncomfortable sometimes as Christians because our society has changed so much that we go into a library now and we're like, I would never read this book to my kid. Well, but your neighbor might, and the public library is not the parent of your child. The public library is serving the whole community.   So, go ahead and request them to stock some Christian books. A lot of them will buy the Christian books that you request because they want to serve you. You're part of their community.   So, I think we just have to remember that their goal is broader. My goal as a parent is far more niche than my public librarian's goal to serve her community. She's not my enemy.   Even if she's picking things for story time that I would never read to my children, it doesn't mean I have to ignore the library. I can love that those are image bearers. I can respectfully bring up my concerns, and I can suggest books and I can build a relationship with this fellow image bearer in my community.   It can be a great mission field. So, yes, libraries are continually evolving. That's why they now offer you can even check out sports equipment.   They're still trying to provide information and resources for the community.   Hayley Morell: (31:32 - 32:01) I just recommended or requested two books that were Christian picture books that aren't in our system. And one of our librarians helped me fill out the form explaining why I wanted them. And I just got a notification yesterday. Both are on hold for me and have been added to our library. So, it's exciting. If you don't ask, you don't know if you're going to get it. I honestly was surprised. I was like, oh, they actually got the books I wanted.   Laura Dugger: (32:02 - 32:56) It is so exciting when they do that. I love our local library, and the staff is just wonderful to work with. So, that's great encouragement for us to get to know them by name and have a relationship with them.   And just to zero in on that one piece after World War II, I think that's tied to what so many people call is it the golden age of children's literature where some people will say we only read books before a certain year, like mid-1900s. But I love that you guys review even modern books because it's not that it was all better back then. But I do think there's a piece of truth in it that libraries had to be so discerning back then with less funding.   And so maybe they had the best of the best available and then funds came in and we can have a wider range.   Betsy Farquhar: (32:56 - 33:40) There's so many factors here historically because we could really nerd out, but I won't. But what's also being reflected is simply printmaking technology because the ability to print paperbacks, paperbacks as like a thing weren't a thing until the 20th century. So, books were incredibly expensive.   You've got all those factors playing in too. So, not only are they getting different funding, but there is an explosion in printmaking technology that allows publishers to produce inexpensive books. And that allows families and libraries to buy more books.   It's not dissimilar to the way we have digital media now that's got its own sort of technology behind the distribution of the digital books. So, there's a lot of factors involved in that.   Laura Dugger: (33:41 - 34:03) That is fascinating. I'm glad you brought that up. And like I said, so helpful to look back.   But now if we're also looking forward, I'd really appreciate your perspective on where we're headed. So, what's on your radar for genres or books that may require even more discernment in the future?   Hayley Morell: (34:04 - 37:18) So, right now, romanticy is having a moment and that's a genre that is getting a lot of attention. There's a lot of marketing using that language. And I think it's really helpful to realize this is a marketing term.   So, Fourth Wing became very popular. That is a book that is for adults. It has a lot of explicit sex.   But it used the term romanticy and it sold very well. And so suddenly all books that are fantasy and have some romance are being called romanticy. And that could mean a lot of different things.   So, what we're seeing is this term that if it's used in the YA genre, we don't know what it means going into a book. It might mean a lot of focus on romance and some unhelpful sex. It also could mean a really fun fantasy that happens to have a romantic angle.   So, I recently gave a starred review to A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim. That's a Chinese fairy tale, beauty and the beast type story. And it is excellent.   One of the marketing terms that used was romanticy. And it just is a wonderful fantasy story that has this thread of romance perfectly appropriate for teen readers. But that is a term that we're currently aware of.   And this is a genre that we want to notice and take with a grain of salt. It's kind of a contrast on the other side. It's differentiating between romanticy has romance and then there's cozy fantasy, which is more cottage core, comfortable feeling.   It also could have sex. So, there's, as we run into this fantasy genre, there's a lot of things going on, but it's definitely having a moment. And it's just nice to know what's going on and what cozy fantasy is going to be focused on character development, like very like a shopkeeper who inherits a cottage with a garden and grows mushrooms.   That's cozy fantasy. Romanticy is a chosen one motif who's at some dramatic school. Dark academia is also having a moment where it's a lot of angst, a lot of little bit of horror.   And some of it can be done really well because it's popular. There's a lot of it out there. And so, some discernment is required as you're figuring out, is this a book for adults or is this a book for teens?   I think I would be cautious with books that are being marketed for adults as romanticy because you could run into some things that are meant for an adult audience and might not be helpful for that teenage reader of yours.   Betsy Farquhar: (37:18 - 38:06) The only other thing I'll add, and this is sort of a different approach, but we're seeing a lot of genre blending. It's getting harder to say this is a mystery or this is a fantasy, even this is a historical fiction story. So, I think genre fiction in general is kind of having a moment.   And when we say genre fiction, we really mean things like mystery, science fiction, romanticy, these sort of sub genres that are underneath the broader terms of realistic fiction or speculative fiction is an umbrella term that includes fantasy, dystopia, science fiction, magical realism, all the little niche downstream sort of sub genres. But we're seeing some really interesting things. It's going to be harder to automatically decide I like that genre, or I don't because they're just mixing and matching elements from all over the place.   Laura Dugger: (38:08 - 39:15) Mm-hmm. That is helpful. I had never heard of some of those things that you just mentioned, but also I'd love for you to respond after I shared this story.   I had a previous guest, Megan Cabe, who used to run a blog. It was called Young Book Love and she would review, I think, middle grade novels, maybe a little bit of YA, but she would say most topics are beneficial to read, even if they're difficult, what you all refer to as messy books. But she did provide extra caution and just said she strongly advised against explicit sexual content because those mental images have a way of sticking with us.   And I agree with her. I would also add sometimes what's not appropriate for our children is not appropriate for us either. And just a funny way to remember this, I had a loved one recently who just said, “You can't sugarcoat a turd. I'd love your take on all of that.”   Hayley Morell: (39:17 - 41:54) So, we like to use the term beyond ever after when we're dealing with this idea of what romance is helpful, what is not helpful. And like you said, the age of the reader comes into play because something that might be a good conversation point with your teen, let's say dealing with a first kiss, that is something that is good to be thinking about and be talking about having healthy conversations about what is God's design for sexuality. And as you are starting to notice the opposite sex and have feelings, what do we do with those?   And again and again, it's been shown that it is helpful to have these conversations because if we're not having a conversation about what is God's view and what does God want us to do with this, our young people are going to turn to the world, which is very happy to give them a lot of talk about sexuality, but some very different perspectives and answers that are focused on yourself, let's you do you versus no, what has God given us and how are we going to steward this?   So, one of the things that I like to, that we like to be aware of as we're reviewing at Redeemed Reader is, is this a 12-year-old reading this book? And if a 12-year-old is reading a book and in the book, a 12-year-old is having a crush and it's kissing, we don't want our 12-year-olds kissing. That's not that helpful yet.   I mean, that's, that's quite young and yes, in some cultures you might, but not yet. However, if this is a book about an 18-year-old on a high school trip, like Becky Dean has some really fun YA romances that are appropriate for teens, then dealing with what is it like dating? What is it like dealing with these emotions and chemistry that can be really well done for an 18-year-old?   But like you said, we want to be aware of our imaginations. We want to be aware of what we're able to handle. And for someone, maybe reading those romances is fun and helpful.   For another, it might be unhelpful. And I think that comes down to as a reader growing discernment and knowing what you are able to read that will still be edifying.   Betsy Farquhar: (41:56 - 42:55) I'm going to piggyback a little bit. I, I agree that there, we look to scripture for what the standards are, and the Bible is not describing sexual activity in sordid detail. So, it's probably a good idea for us not to be wallowing in the same sorts of things.   And I think the same thing is true for language. In fact, it's easier to ignore profanity in a book you're reading versus listening to it. I mean, if we immerse ourselves in audio books that have, that are littered with profanity, it's going to stick in our head differently than if we're just reading it on the page.   And I think sexual activity; there are some similar dynamics at play. Obviously, a visual scene is going to be probably stick with us even more than a written scene. But either way, you know, that's part of discernment is what is my imagination doing with this?   And the overall picture of my reading diet. Is this all I'm reading? Is this what my thoughts are going towards?   Are they pointing me back to Christ? Are they promoting some helpful conversation? Or is it just sort of my guilty pleasure? Well, that should be maybe a sign.   Laura Dugger: (43:21 - 43:45) Some love stories are described as squeaky clean. But when it comes to the world of Christian romance, what are some helpful questions that we can be asking our tween or teen? And what are some healthy considerations for filtering books that we're going to allow to be consumed in our home?   Hayley Morell: (43:47 - 47:15) So, it's interesting. I think each genre of romance can have its own pitfalls. And I know I really appreciate the authors who are writing clean, squeaky-clean stories.   And as I've read them and consumed them, one of the things I've noticed is that it is clean. There's no question of something being clean. But at the same time, if the only thing we're reading, going back to having a balanced book diet, is a squeaky-clean story, I don't think that's helpful because it doesn't show an accurate view of the world.   And we want to be preparing our tweens and teens for a world where, yes, there is a happily ever after. Yes, we have the fairy tale wedding, or we have an imagination that is sparked by boy meets girl. But then what happens next?   And we live in a fallen world. And so, we have to work on relationships. We have to work on communicating.   And sometimes squeaky clean can lean so far into being safe that it doesn't actually show what it is like to have a relationship with the opposite sex. I think of one story I read and it's very superficial, playful. Snarky is often something I've noticed in the squeaky clean because we don't, we have to have some form of banter.   And so, it's perpetual sarcasm and no physical touch. But then suddenly our protagonists marry and now they're still being snarky and not touching. And as an adult, I look at that and go, that is not an accurate portrayal of what it looks like to have a romance and to have marriage.   And so, we love to ask, what are the relationships like in this book? And if that's in a middle grade novel, one of the things we love seeing is are they showing a healthy family? Are they showing parents that like being together?   Because that's at a middle grade level is you're sparking that imagination. What is our protagonist seeing as the adults around them are having relationships? Do the adults like to be together?   I just was reading a really sweet, Betsy, I think you read it. But Will's Race for Home is a story about this boy and westward expansion. And so, it's when the Oklahoma, Oklahoma land rush opens up.   And there's the sweetest time where he talks about how he knows his father loves his mother because his father will look at his mother and she will blush. And it's the sweetest age-appropriate picture of what romance looks like when you're a 12-year-old looking at your parents. And I think that type of thing can be a really healthy way of having these conversations versus having a diet that is just squeaky clean and yet might actually be showing an inaccurate portrayal of what it's like to have relationships in a fallen world.   Laura Dugger: (47:16 - 47:30) Well, let's get specific on another type of book as well. How do you advise parents to think critically on what age is appropriate to consume what you mentioned earlier, the Hunger Games or a book like that?   Betsy Farquhar: (47:31 - 49:44) Ooh, pick me. I love these kind of books. I'll read anything.   And I tend to get tasked with books that are difficult sometimes. Although many of us on our team read them and we do talk about these behind the scenes. So, when you're thinking about the age your child is and when they're ready for any book, but especially a popular one, I think part of that is our job as parents is always to be watching our children, to be students of our children.   How are they consuming media in general? What kind of video games? What kind of movies?   Are they on social media? What is their media diet like? And how are they handling that?   And if they're showing discernment in general, and they're kind of grappling with issues and ideas, then they're going to be ready for a book like the Hunger Games sooner than a child who's just blindly taking it all in. There's no magic age where you say, ooh, you're 12, you can read the Hunger Games. A lot depends on what that child's already displayed.   And I think dystopia are the books where there's some apocalyptic future and there's usually an autocratic governor or government system or it's futuresque. But they're really great books about bringing up big questions about how society works and the nature of authority and even the nature of anarchy. And they're just such great discussion starters.   But if your child isn't able to have those kinds of conversations yet, they're going to miss the forest for the trees and it's going to be all shock value. But I'm going to add a big caveat. If it's really popular and you think your child is maybe ready, maybe not quite, I would probably go ahead and read it with him or her if all of the peers are reading it.   Because I would rather my child have that conversation with me than with their friend. Or at least have it with me first before they read it with their friends. Even if we skip parts, maybe it's a book that you feel like we can't read chapter 12 for whatever reason.   Be honest with your child and say, you know what? This book has a scene I'm really uncomfortable with. Maybe give a brief summary.   We're going to keep going. But engage with your children over what is popular. I think that is the number one takeaway because they're going to find answers somewhere.   We want it to be from us.   Laura Dugger: (49:46 - 50:52) That is good. And that's why I appreciate the redeemed reader because you're putting in all this work for us because we can't pre-read everything. But when we're faced with a situation like that, it is helpful that we can choose to read some with them.   And another angle, I just love a few of your quotes in the book. First, on page 76, you write, If Genesis were made into a true-to-the-book movie, the Redeemed Reader team would not allow our children to watch it. We might abstain as well.   And then you go on for page 111 and you say, the best tool we can give our growing readers is God's word. The more they know and understand the Bible, the better equipped they will be to think discerningly, to recognize error, and to know how the Bible handles the same issues. So, will you just elaborate on this wisdom and advise us on how and why to encourage our children to read the Bible, even though it is messy?   Betsy Farquhar: (50:53 - 52:58) Well, it is a messy book, but thankfully, it's not only a messy book. I mean, if it were a movie, we have nudity very quickly. Then we have rebellion against God, and then we have murder.   And before you know it, six chapters in, the world is so bad that God is sending a flood to destroy it. So, it must have been really bad. But the Bible isn't giving us all those details.   And I think that is a big piece of the picture when it comes to discernment in literature. The Bible is not shy about telling us that people sinned. I mean, our heroes, David, infidelity, murder, you know, most of the famous people in the Bible did something egregiously wrong and sinful.   And yet the whole story of the Bible is God redeeming his people. We're all sinners. And there is hope because of Christ.   None of us can make it without Christ. And so, in the Bible, you're seeing both the mess and the hope. You're seeing God's answer to this problem.   And so, as we read scripture with our kids, one of the things that is helpful is we know what sin is. It's rebellion against God. It includes everything from sexual activity outside of marriage to gossip and pride and sort of the easy sins, right?   They're all sin. So, I think that's one thing that comes across when we're studying God's word. We also see Christ.   And when we then turn to a book, just a regular fiction book or even a nonfiction book, is the book also labeling sin as sin or at least a mistake? Or is it glorifying it? How is it handling it compared to how we know scripture handles it?   Is there any hope in the book? And where is that hope found? Are they just praying to the universe?   We're seeing universe capitalized all over the place now as sort of this amorphous deity. Well, that's not hopeful. I don't want to pray to Jupiter.   You know, we have a God who cares about us. And so just getting your kids to sort of reckon with the differences between how a book is portraying hope and judgment versus how scripture portrays it, that's going to take them a long way.   Laura Dugger: (53:01 - 53:23) That's fantastic. And your book lists at the end of each chapter are reason enough to purchase the book. But I'm sure that you've encountered additional titles since your publication date that you also enjoy.   So, will you share a handful of book recommendations, maybe some from each of those sweet spots again from your team?   Hayley Morell: (53:24 - 54:03) For young adults, we've actually mentioned both of the ones that I would add. They both have received starred reviews. A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim.   Excellent fantasy for young adults. And then Bright Red Fruit by Sophia O'Heo. And that one is a discussion starter.   It is a messy book, but it's an excellent book for its audience. Those would be two young adult fantasies. We see a lot of young adult fantasies.   So, but I would have loved to include those in the book. We just read them later.   Betsy Farquhar: (54:03 - 55:03) So, quick correction, Bright Red Fruit's not a fantasy, but it is it is. Oh, I apologize. That's fine.   It's a discussion starter. And that usually means that there's something in there you need to know about before you read it. As a parent, I would recommend doing your homework on that book.   It's a really good book to read with your daughters, but you might want to pre-read it first. Middle grade, that's our biggest bucket. Because it's the most it's got the widest audience reach and it's just so fun.   So, some of the ones that we've really liked, The Teacher of Nomadland by Daniel Nayeri. He is a Christian author. He won the National Book Award for this book for young people's literature and a Newbery Honor.   It's fantastic. It's a story about World War II. Benny on the Case by Wesley King is a really lovely mystery that features the protagonist has mosaic down syndrome, and it's just not very common to read books with different disabilities represented.   So, that's just a really sweet story. Lots of fun.   Hayley Morell: (55:04 - 55:05) It's a great audio book too.   Betsy Farquhar: (55:06 - 56:40) Yes. Song of the Stone Tiger, another Christian author, Glenn McCarty. It's a kind of a mix of realistic fiction and fantasy.   So, it's fun. A new one that we like. And then I'll leave you with one more.   I actually have it right here. So, for those who are watching this, they can see it. It's called Radiant by Vonda Michaud-Nelson.   And it's a novel in verse, but a beautiful picture of what it means to love your neighbor. So, The Sword by Marty Murkowski from New Growth Press. It's kind of a family devotional resource.   It was the World Magazine Book of the Year. We gave it a starred review as well. The Amazing Generation is a book for kids by the same author as The Anxious Generation.   So, that book is like a super bestseller for adults. This is kind of taking that idea and helping kids know how not to be the anxious generation, right? How they can be the amazing generation.   The World Entire is a nonfiction, maybe technically a picture book, but it's really long. And it's for this audience. And it's a true story about World War II, about a rescue.   I think it was set in Portugal. And then a graphic novel that's nonfiction. I'm trying to cover all your different genres here.   This is How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Meadez. It's about his father and how he emigrated or escaped from Cuba. But it's a graphic novel.   So, there's a lot of visual interest. So, that's a really interesting background for kids who are hearing a lot of headlines about places like Cuba. And they're like, what's really going on?   A book like that can help them understand just some of the nuance behind the headlines.   Hayley Morell: (56:41 - 58:51) One of the things about middle grades as we talk about books is that middle grade is the age where readers are just exploding. And while you might have been able to keep up with your reader, then they hit 10 or 12 years old, and you give them a stack of books and they're reading them and asking for more. So, we definitely have a lot of middle grade reviews.   Picture books, though, are another place that we just love. And there's been some recent ones that we looked at and got, oh, this would be so good for the book. Something like Tuesday's Bear by Alexander Davis.   It's this beautiful story based on a true historical event. Unclaimed luggage is where, you know, if a suitcase gets lost, what happens to the contents? Well, one family had an idea, and Alexandra tells it through the story of this little bear who gets lost and then is found.   It's the most beautiful story. As a Christian, you can see a lot of very true themes running through it. And it's a delight to read aloud.   Wild Honey from the Moon by Kenneth Craigel. It's a story about a mother shrew whose little boy is sick, and she is going to do anything, even if it means traveling all the way to the moon to get some wild honey. It's a very imaginative story.   Beautiful pictures. A couple sneak peek that are going to just, these reviews are just going up. Iguanodon's Horn by Sean Rubin.   We've loved Bolivar, it was a graphic novel he did about a dinosaur. You can tell he likes dinosaurs. This is an amazing nonfiction picture book.   And for our Christian readers, this is a book about dinosaurs that doesn't have evolution. And I think you're going to love it. One more. His Grace is Enough. This is like Dr. Zeus type rhyming. Melissa Kruger wrote it.   It's a Christian book and it's a wonderful reminder for children. When you are dealing with sin, God's grace is enough. And I think you'll find if you read this, you'll be repeating the stanzas to yourself and encouraged as you read.   Laura Dugger: (58:54 - 59:41) I love having book lists. And if any other listeners are like me, we'll finish this episode and go ahead and put a bunch of books on hold at the library, which is always so convenient. And I'm sure a lot of people aren't able to take notes right now.   Maybe they're driving or working out as they're listening to this. But I love that every episode on The Savvy Sauce now has a transcript available. So, if anybody wants these book lists, you can go to the show notes page, either on our website or click on your podcast app and the transcript is available there.   So, thank you for all those wonderful recommendations. And do you have any other helpful tips to give us as parents if we're trying to navigate this well?   Betsy Farquhar: (59:42 - 1:00:26) Yes, start at birth and start not just reading with your kids, but asking them questions. They don't, it doesn't have to be a lengthy discussion. Is Piglet a good friend to poo?   You know, if you're reading Winnie the Pooh or if you're an Elephant and Piggy fan, like my kids were. Do you think Gerald should share his ice cream with Piggy? You can just pause in the middle of the story and just get them thinking, right?   So then when you get to the Hunger Games, you can say, what did you think of the ending? Would you have liked it to end differently? Those are great open-ended questions that get people talking and engaging and that you're often running.   If you can just think, I need to engage with my kids over what we're reading, then almost any book can be a discussion starter.   Laura Dugger: (1:00:27 - 1:00:33) Well, where can we go after this conversation to find more of your book recommendations?   Betsy Farquhar: (1:00:35 - 1:01:29) I'll do this one. Redeemedreader, alloneword.com is our website. And then we're super creative.   Our Facebook is exactly the same. Redeemedreader, alloneword. Our Instagram is redeemed underscore reader.   That's kind of a long story. But if you Google Redeemed Reader, you'll find us. And then the best way, oh yes, of course our book, which is also called The Redeemed Reader.   We're so original. But the best way to experience Redeemed Reader, other than the book, is through our weekly newsletter, which Haley curates and she does a fantastic job. But there's where you'll get the latest reviews.   We put in links for other places around the web that you might find interesting, different bookish news. Haley does a really fun book trivia with picture books. So, we like to think that it's going to make your inbox a happy place.   It's not a marketing email.   Laura Dugger: (1:01:30 - 1:01:50) I love that. We will provide links to all of that in the show notes for today's episode. And you two are already familiar.   We are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so, as my final question for both of you today, what is your savvy sauce?   Betsy Farquhar: (1:01:52 - 1:03:03) So, as a business owner and a mom and a wife, it's probably not a surprise that I love my planner, but I've been through a lot of planners in my day, and I have very specific requirements. It needs to be bound, not coil bound. There's a certain size.   I mean, I have issues. I should say I have high standards for my planner. The single best feature in my current planner is that it forces me to break down my to do list between my life to do and my work to do.   And that was a game changer for me because I am wearing a lot of hats as most women are these days. And so, I limit myself to the number of bullet points that I'm given in the planner so that my work doesn't overtake my family life. It tends to be that way, sadly, more than the other way around.   Usually, my family life is not overtaking the work life, but it just it just gives me a chance to articulate each week. You know, I've got a birthday coming up that I need to plan for or I need to make sure my I mean, I graduated my youngest last year from high school, but the senior year in high school has a lot of deadlines. And so, it just helped me prioritize those milestones for my family and not let work get in the way.   Love that.   Laura Dugger: (1:03:03 - 1:03:04) What's the name of your planner?   Betsy Farquhar: (1:03:04 - 1:03:17) It's called the commit 30. I know there are other planners that do the same sort of thing, but I love having a weekly spread and I just love breaking it out between life to do and work to do.   Laura Dugger: (1:03:18 - 1:03:20) Absolutely. That sounds amazing. I love it.   Hayley Morell: (1:03:21 - 1:05:10) And my savvy sauce, I was going to say, Betsy is the planner and Betsy, I know you wouldn't appreciate this is spiral bound. So, I echo having a planner is a great way for me to just sort through all my thoughts, put them down and organize what needs to get done. But my savvy sauce is related to tech habits.   And as we were getting ready for our first, my husband and I were talking about how could we be mindful with our phone usage? And I have to thank Betsy for recommending Andy Crouch's, The Tech-Wise Family. Love that book.   And one of the things that we decided to do was to create a charging station downstairs in our house. And when I am not working where I need my phone for authentication or sending a voice message or being on the phone, if I'm not actively working, my phone lives on its charger. And that's been a struggle for me.   I have to admit the moment I had a child, anxiety kicked in. And for the first month, the phone was on me because that's what I needed to have a little security blanket. But I've been learning to leave my phone behind.   And then I'm not tempted to pick it up and scroll. And I feel like a child again because I get to the middle of the afternoon. And since I haven't been distracting myself, I've been getting things done. And all of a sudden I'm like; it's two o'clock and it's not dinner time yet. I have all of this time because I've created some more time by using the phone as a tool. But not having it right present and honestly, just distracting myself with it.   Laura Dugger: (1:05:12 - 1:05:48) That is a good, savvy tip. I love both of those. And you two have such warm and engaging personalities.   And I love those benefits that you were talking about for people who are readers. I experienced all of that through both of you today. And you're so wise and discerning yourselves.   And I am just beyond grateful that the Lord gifted you with your intellect, but also this passion for reviewing these resources. You're benefiting so many parents and children alike.   So, thank you for the work that you do. And thank you for being my guests.   Betsy Farquhar: (1:05:49 - 1:05:57) Thank you for having us. It is all from the Lord. Anything we have that's wise and worth taking away.   The credit should go to him, of course.   Hayley Morell: (1:05:58 - 1:06:00) Ame

Chloe Zhao's 2020 neorealist documentary-style drama, NOMADLAND, is our feature presentation this week! We talk Terrence Malick's enthusiasm for the film, David Strathairn, the cast of non-actor real life nomads, the monologues from Charlene Swankie & Bob Wells, depoliticizing the story, relatability, and much more! We also pick our Top 7 Frances McDormand Movies in this week's Silver Screen 7!  Join our Patreon ($2.99/month) here linktr.ee/brokenvcr to watch the episodes LIVE in video form day/weeks early. Find us on Instagram @thebrokenvcr and follow us on LetterBoxd! Become a regular here at THE BROKEN VCR!

Today it's our great pleasure to be joined by Chloé Zhao. Chloé is an academy award winning filmmaker, and amongst many accolades, Chloé is the first Woman of Colour to have won an academy award for best director for her film Nomadland.In this conversation, Chloé chats with Alexandra and Sjanie about how menstrual cycle awareness has shaped her creative process, including how she worked with the wisdom of her menstrual cycle to create and direct her most recent film, Hamnet, which received eight Oscar nominations.When Chloé turned thirty seven years old, she started to get menstrual cramps for the first time. Although it wasn't comfortable, she felt something important was coming to life within her. This coincided with what she lovingly calls a ‘midlife crisis' that ultimately led her to discover the practice of menstrual cycle awareness, which she says helped her to learn a language that her body had forgotten to speak. We explore:Intuition as our greatest currency, and how becoming more aware of our menstrual cycles prepares the body to be a vessel to receive deep intuitive knowing. The cyclical advice that Chloe has for all young filmmakers about the importance of wintering, and the power of seemingly non-productive work of rest, tending to your inner soil, and composting (even in the middle of a film set!).How the premenstrual and menstrual phases of the cycle have taught Chloe to embody creative death and rebirth, and how this played out in the creation of Hamnet. ---Receive our free video training: Love Your Cycle, Discover the Power of Menstrual Cycle Awareness to Revolutionise Your Life - www.redschool.net/love---The Menstruality Podcast is hosted by Red School. We love hearing from you. To contact us, email info@redschool.net---Social media:Red School: @redschool - https://www.instagram.com/red.schoolSophie Jane Hardy: @sophie.jane.hardy - https://www.instagram.com/sophie.jane.hardyChloé Zhao: @chloezhao - https://www.instagram.com/chloezhao

Kutlukhan Kutlu ile Hayal Mahmuru artık canlı! Güncel film ve dizilerden sinema tarihine uzanan, birbirine bağlanan onlarca konu… Zihin açan yolculuk yeniden başlıyor...

The guys check out the 2021 best picture winner that you definitely haven't seen. Does it hold up in 2026? Will net year continue!?! Find out. Now.   

On the 507th episode of Piecing It Together, Chase Hutchinson joins me to talk about Sirat. This academy award nominated film is finally starting to make its way out to theaters and delivers some of the highest highs and the lowest lows imagineable. It's a trip. Puzzle pieces include Sorcerer, Climax, Nomadland and Mad Max.As always, SPOILER ALERT for Sirat and the movies we discuss!Written by Oliver Laxe and Santiago FillolDirected by Oliver Laxe Starring Sergi Lopez, Bruno Nunez, Richard Bellamy, Stefania Gadda, Josha LiamNEONChase Hutchinson is a writer and film critic.You can find his work by visiting his Authory page at https://authory.com/ChaseHutchinsonAnd Follow him on Instagram @hutchthegreatMy latest David Rosen album MISSING PIECES: 2018-2024 is a compilation album that fills in the gaps in unreleased music made during the sessions for 2018's A Different Kind Of Dream, 2020's David Rosen, 2022's MORE CONTENT and 2025's upcoming And Other Unexplained Phenomena. Find it on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify and everywhere else you can find music.You can also find more about all of my music on my website https://www.bydavidrosen.comMy latest music video is “Shaking" which you can watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzm8s4nuqlAMake sure to “Like” Piecing It Together on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PiecingPodAnd “Follow” us on Twitter @PiecingPodAnd Join the Conversation in our Facebook Group, Piecing It Together – A Movie Discussion Group.And check out https://www.piecingpod.com for more about our show!And if you want to SUPPORT THE SHOW, you can now sign up for our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/bydavidrosenYou can also support the show by checking out our Dashery store to buy shirts and more featuring Piecing It Together logos, movie designs, and artwork for my various music projects at https://bydavidrosen.dashery.com/Share the episode, comment and give us feedback! And of course, SUBSCRIBE!And of course, don't forget to leave us a 5 star review on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podchaser!And most important of all… Keep going to the theater to see new movies!

Chloé Zhao became only the second woman to win an Oscar for Best Director, for 2020's “Nomadland,” and she is nominated once again for “Hamnet,” starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. Based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel of the same name, the film follows a young William Shakespeare and his wife, and their grief at the loss of their only son. “Hamnet” is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, and five other awards.  Speaking with Michael Schulman, Zhao talked about the origins of “Hamnet,” the centrality of nature imagery in her work, and how the I.P. in a Marvel film is not so different from adapting a literary novel.   This segment originally aired on December 5, 2025. Further reading: “Chloé Zhao Has Looked into the Void,” by Michael Schulman New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

La 98e cérémonie des Oscars se déroulera dans quelques jours, alors on en profite pour faire nos prédictions sur chacune des catégories. Est-ce que, telle une balle de ping-pong, MARTY SUPREME sera rebondir après les récentes controverses? SINNERS, fort de ses 16 nominations, sera-t-il le grand gagnant? Est-ce que ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER arrivera à maintenir l'enthousiasme depuis sa sortie en septembre dernier? HAMNET de Chloé Zhao viendra-t-il nous surprendre avec les Oscars du meilleur film et de la meilleure réalisation comme avec Nomadland en 2021? Bon épisode! 0:00 Introduction 08:32 Prédictions

Five years after Nomadland won Best Picture, Director and Actress at the Academy Awards, Chloé Zhao is back to potentially repeat the feat. But what would we make of the last of this year's ten Oscar hopefuls? Presented by J.R. Southall, with Jon Arnold, Matt Barber and Ryan Blake

Pela segunda vez na história, e pela segunda vez consecutiva, um filme em língua portuguesa concorre para Melhor Filme. “O Agente Secreto”, de Kleber Mendonça Filho, conta a história de um pai que foge da opressão, no Brasil, tentando escapar do país com o filho devido à perseguição da ditadura militar. Wagner Moura depois de ter sido o primeiro brasileiro a vencer Melhor Ator em Cannes, está também nomeado para Óscar. “Sinners” conseguiu 16 nomeações, é o filme mais nomeado de sempre da história dos Óscares. Ryan Coogler mistura géneros e gémeos, Michael B. Jordan interpreta os irmãos Smoke e Stack, que regressam a casa para montar um juke joint, mas o poder da música atrai personagens indesejadas. “One Battle After Another” é considerado o favorito a vencer Melhor Filme. Paul Thomas Anderson acompanha um grupo de revolucionários e as suas dores de crescimento quando um inimigo regressa anos mais tarde. Leonardo DiCaprio volta a estar nomeado. Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro e Teyana Taylor são hipóteses para Melhor Ator e Atriz Secundário, a revelação Chase Infiniti não foi nomeada. Em “Hamnet” conhecemos a família Shakespeare: William e Agnes, vindos de famílias disfuncionais, tentam não replicar o que aprenderam com os seus três filhos. Quando a morte atinge a família, Agnes e William têm de lidar com a perda, cada um da sua forma. Chloe Zhao pode ser eleita novamente Melhor Realizadora, depois de Nomadland. Jessie Buckley é uma das favoritas a Melhor Atriz. “Marty Supreme” pode ser a consagração de Timothée Chalamet como Melhor Ator. No filme frenético de Josh Safdie, nomeado também para Melhor Realizador, Chalamet interpreta Marty Mauser, um fura-vidas com o sonho de ser uma estrela mundial de pingue-pongue, que não olha a custos para chegar onde quer. Joachim Trier está nomeado para Melhor Realizador e Melhor Argumento Original, com “Sentimental Value”. Também nomeado para Melhor Filme Internacional, é a submissão da Noruega. Stellan Skarsgård interpreta um realizador de cinema, cuja separação matrimonial o afastou das filhas. Quando há uma casa de infância para vender, as dificuldades de reconciliação são evidentes. Renate Reinsve pode ganhar o Óscar de Melhor Atriz, Skarsgård o de Melhor Ator Secundário. “Train Dreams”, de Clint Bentley, corre por fora, mas leva nomeação para Melhor Filme e até Melhor Fotografia, com Adolpho Veloso a ser o primeiro brasileiro na história nomeado nesta categoria. Seguimos a vida trágica de um lenhador, sempre entre trabalhos longe de casa, mas com muita vontade de ser um pai de família. “Frankenstein” é a interpretação do clássico sobre um cientista e a sua criação pouco ortodoxa por Guillermo Del Toro. Além de muitas categorias técnicas, Jacob Elordi concorre a Melhor Ator Secundário. “Bugonia” volta a valer uma nomeação de Melhor Atriz a Emma Stone. O filme de Yorgos Lanthimos é um remake de “Save the Green Planet”, filme sul-coreano. Emma Stone é a CEO de uma empresa poderosa raptada por dois jovens mergulhados em teorias da conspiração, que acreditam ter encontrado uma extraterrestre que quer destruir o planeta. Por fim, “F1” está nomeado em várias categorias técnicas, mas surpreendeu ao também entrar na corrida para Melhor Filme. Brad Pitt é um piloto irreverente que regressa a uma equipa disfuncional da Fórmula 1 para tentar ajudar um amigo e ex-colega de equipa. No final desta semana, domingo, vamos conhecer os vencedores dos Óscares 2026. A cerimónia vai ser novamente apresentada pelo humorista Conan O’Brien. No Humor À Primeira Vista, Gustavo Carvalho conversa com Filipa Amaro, realizadora e argumentista de séries como “Frágil” e “Emília”. Discutem os seus favoritos, destacando a vertente experimental de Paul Thomas Anderson, a mistura de géneros de “Sinners”, mas criticando a falta de conflito e a “manipulação emocional excessiva” em “Hamnet”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had the chance to see Academy Award–winning director Chloe Zhao speak at Emerson College's Los Angeles campus, and her insights were some of the most thoughtful I've heard about filmmaking and creativity.In this episode, I break down the biggest lessons from her talk — including how losing two years of footage from her first film forced her to surrender and start something new, a decision that ultimately launched her career.We also explore her approach to working with non-actors, the paradox of authenticity in performance, and the somatic rituals she uses to help actors embody their characters before filming. Zhao also shared insights about casting child actors, the role of synchronicity in creative careers, and why artists must “live the question” rather than chase certainty.Whether you're a filmmaker, storyteller, or artist in any medium, these ideas touch on the deeper realities of creative work: embracing uncertainty, trusting intuition, and earning the privilege of an audience.I also reflect on how these lessons connect to my own work developing The Arbiters, where storyboards and animatics are helping transform a script into something people can actually see and feel.If you're pursuing a creative path, these takeaways from Chloe Zhao might change the way you think about failure, process, and artistic success.

Kan en horror-franchise stadig overraske i sin syvende film?I denne uge har Jacob Ege Hinchely besøg af Ditte Vestergaard, og sammen kaster de sig over to meget forskellige film, som dog ville kunne hænge sammen med deres fælles “historiske referencer”, som Ditte formulerer det.Først anmelder de Scream 7 (2026), det nyeste kapitel i den ikoniske slasher-serie skabt af Kevin Williamson (Teaching Mrs. Tingle, I Know What You Did Last Summer). I filmen vender Ghostface tilbage og terroriserer en ny generation, mens fortidens overlevende endnu en gang må konfrontere morderen og deres egne traumer, herunder Sidney Prescott, spillet af Neve Campbell (Scream, Wild Things), og Gale Weathers, spillet af Courteney Cox (Friends, Scream).Filmen er den dyreste i franchisen til dato, og Jacob og Ditte diskuterer, om den formår at balancere teenage-slasher-seriens legesyge og humoristiske tone med dens ekstreme mængde blod eller om resultatet i sidste ende bliver en skuffelse. Der er også en spoilersektion til denne film.Herefter ser de på Hamnet (2026), instrueret af Chloé Zhao (Eternals, Nomadland) og baseret på romanen af Maggie O'Farrell (I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, After You'd Gone).Filmen fortæller historien om William Shakespeares familie og den dybe sorg, der rammer dem, da deres søn Hamnet dør som barn. En tragedie der senere siges at have inspireret William Shakespeares Hamlet (1603). Fortællingen følger især Agnes, spillet af Jessie Buckley (The Bride, The Lost Daughter), og hendes mand William Shakespeare, spillet af Paul Mescal (Aftersun, Gladiator II).Samtalen kredser om filmens naturlige visuelle stil, dens mere grønne og levende billede af middelalderen end man normalt ser på film, og hovedskuespillernes overbevisende spil.Som altid runder de af med anbefalinger fra film- og serieverdenen.Tusind tak, fordi du lytter med.

It's the most prestigious time of the year! We're kicking off Mackenzie's annual Oscars Run here on We Drink & We Watch Things, where we dedicate the entire month to the films leading the pack for the 98th Academy Awards. To start us off, we're stepping into the sun-dappled forests of Stratford-upon-Avon to discuss Chloé Zhao's sweeping, heart-wrenching adaptation of Hamnet. Make our cocktail of the week - Sleep No More - to toast this deeply sensory exploration of love, loss, and the birth of a masterpiece.This week, we celebrate the staggering lead performances of Jessie Buckley as the mystical Agnes Hathaway and Paul Mescal as a young, restless William Shakespeare. We examine how Zhao brings her signature "Nomadland" intimacy to the 16th century, trading wide-open plains for the visceral, muddy reality of domestic life and the crushing weight of the bubonic plague. We unpack the film's central, moving thesis: that one of the greatest plays in history, Hamlet, was actually a father's desperate, creative attempt to give his deceased son the life he never got to finish. We also marvel at the breathtaking final act at the Globe Theatre, where the boundary between art and reality finally dissolves in a flood of cathartic tears.If you love lush period dramas, powerful meditations on grief, or are just following along with Mackenzie's quest to predict the Best Picture winner, this is an essential start to the month. We're mixing our awe for the film's technical beauty with our usual banter, ensuring our first stop on the road to the Oscars is a truly memorable one.This episode VIDEO is live on YouTube AND Spotify!Follow us on Instagram to get ep sneak peaks and find out what's coming next. DM us what you want to hear about next or email us at wedrinkandwewatchthingspod@gmail.com.

To record an episode about Hamnet, the new film from Chloe Zhao, or not to record an episode about Hamnet? That was the question – and a question I answered in a heartbeat when Chloe's team reached out late last year about chatting with the Nomadland writer-director. The historical drama, starring Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal, takes viewers inside the anguish of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes Hathaway, after the death of one of their children in 1596. In the movie, Shakespeare throws himself into his work as part of his mourning process, resulting in one of the best-loved and most influential plays of all time. In doing so, though, Agnes is left alone with just ghosts, grief and her remaining children – themselves angry and confused at Hamnet's death – for company. Adapted from an acclaimed novel by Irish author Maggie O'Farrell, who joined Chloe and I for our conversation, the film is as emotionally bruising as they come. It's a tale about parenthood, personhood, how storytellers process pain through their art and what it means to witness that. The film ends with this remarkable final scene shot at London's historic Globe Theatre in which Shakespeare has transmuted his pain into a play that both pours salt into the deepest imaginable wound for Agnes, and seemingly offers her some closure. In the spoiler conversation you're about to hear, the three of us get into the evolution of that moment, and other key scenes from a film that won Best Drama and Best Actress for Buckley at the Golden Globes and is expected to be in the mix at this year's Oscars. Maggie talks about the connections between this story and her other work, such as I Am, I Am, I Am – which also dealt with mortality. And Chloe reveals how she uses colour as a storytelling weapon in Hamnet – with red representing Agnes and inky blues representing the Bard himself.Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon.Get coverage on your screenplay by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ga er bij een bezoekje aan het voor 8 Oscars genomineerde Hamnet (van Nomadland-regisseur Chloe Zhao) vanuit dat de bioscoopzaal wordt gevuld met snottergeluiden. Het filmdrama met Jessie Buckley en Paul Mescal als William Shakespeare is dé tearjerker van dit moment. Snotterden de MovieInsiders mee? 'To weep or not to weep, that is the question.' Slechts voor een van hen, is het antwoord 'ja'. En wat zijn eigenlijk de meest hartverscheurende filmscènes die ze zelf ooit zagen? Tijd voor een zeer persoonlijke top 5 gevuld met tranen.00:00 Introductie02:28 Recensie: Hamnet27:00 Top 5: Hartverscheurende filmscènes63:50 VooruitblikSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/movieinsidersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mit Filmen wie "Nomadland" galt Chloé Zhao einst als große Arthouse-Hoffnung. Nach einem missglückten Marvel-Ausflug mit "Eternals" versucht die Regisseurin nun ins Kunstkino zurückzukehren. Das gelingt ihr mit dem Historiendrama "Hamnet" nur bedingt, finden Pia Reiser und Christian Fuchs. Der Film erzählt eine größtmögliche Tragödie im Stil gekünstelter Shakespeare Fan-Fiction, oft an der Grenze zum Kitsch. Ganz im Gegenteil zu einem Meisterwerk aus dem Vorjahr, das nun endlich ausführlich besprochen wird. Auch "In die Sonne schauen" von Mascha Schilinski handelt von Trauma und Tod. Aber die deutsche Regisseurin erfindet für ihr Generation-Epos die Grammatik des Kinos neu. Poetisch, gespenstisch, experimentell und sinnlich zugleich ist dieser Film, der nun via Streaming zu sehen ist. Als Bonus am Anfang: Eine kleines Oscar-Special. Sendungshinweis: FM4 Film Podcast, 26.01.2026, 0 Uhr

Nouvel épisode de LCDS (La Critique Des Sorties ), notre format critique où l'on analyse une œuvre cinématographique ou sériel !Hamnet est le nouveau film de la réalisatrice Chloé Zhao, qui est la responsable des films Nomadland mais aussi Eternals pour les studios Marvel. C'est une réalisatrice qui a un pied dans 2 mondes du cinéma hollywoodiens, le cinéma indépendant américain et les blockbusters. Hamnet a déjà remporté de nombreuses récompenses et un oscar pour Jessie Buckley semble tout décidé. Les retours sont assez dithyrambiques mais seront nous du même avis ?Timecodes:Introduction : 0:00Le cinéma de Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals…): 1:47Avis rapides sur Hamnet: 11:34Une ambiance poétique réussie !: 15:19Des personnages touchants ? (Jessie Buckley et Paul Mescal): 19:30Une prise d'otage émotionnelle ?: 30:21Acast: https://shows.acast.com/650efd10f66c690011960c1aSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1UydxAKx8fGt2v8dHbPtLUApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-nuit-des-sorties/id1709018669Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/fr/show/1000297301Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaNuitDesSortiesTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lanuitdessortiesTwitter/X: https://x.com/LanuitdesortiesBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/lanuitdessorties.bsky.socialTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@la.nuit.des.sortiesD Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Min 5: REPASO NOMINACIONES OSCAR + HAMNET (4 ESTRELLAS) 'Hamnet', la nueva película de Chloé Zhao, con 8 nominaciones a los Óscar, es una de las películas más esperadas del año y una de las sensaciones de la semana en cartelera. La autora de Nomadland (2020) adapta con maestría la novela homónima de Maggie O'Farrell mediante una mirada íntima, sobria y visceral sobre el amor y el duelo. Ambientada en la Inglaterra del XVI, la historia sigue a Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) y a William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) antes y después de la muerte de su hijo de once años, Hamnet, una tragedia que imagina el germen humano de la futura Hamlet. El estreno de más quilates de la semana ha entusiasmado a los críticos de Estamos de Cine. Min 20: ARCO: LA PELI ANIMADA FAVORITA AL ÓSCAR (4 estrellas) “Arco” es una de las sorpresas llamativas de la temporada de premios y una muestra vibrante de la animación europea contemporánea. Una fábula de ciencia ficción que, bajo la apariencia de aventura infantil, articula un discurso profundo sobre la identidad, la responsabilidad y nuestra relación con el planeta y el paso del tiempo. Dirigida por Ugo Bienvenu —ilustrador y narrador visual debutando en el largo cinematográfico—, la película sigue a Arco, un niño de diez años que vive en el año 2932 en una sociedad tecnológicamente avanzada donde la humanidad ha alcanzado las nubes tras la devastación de la Tierra. Por accidente, Arco activa un dispositivo de viaje en el tiempo y aterriza en 2075, una versión del mundo marcada por crisis medioambientales y desequilibrios ecológicos. Allí conoce a Iris, otra niña de su edad que, acompañada por un robot niñera, decide ayudarle a encontrar la forma de regresar a su futuro mientras ambos enfrentan preguntas sobre sus respectivos mundos y sus propios miedos y esperanzas. Min 25: ÍDOLOS ( 3 estrellas) "Ídolos' es un intento ambicioso y vibrante de acercar el cine español al gran espectáculo deportivo, sumergiéndose de lleno en el universo del motociclismo profesional para contar una historia de superación personal, reconciliación familiar y amor desafiante. Dirigida por Mat Whitecross y con guión de Inma Cánovas, Jordi Gasull y Ricky Roxburgh, la película sitúa al espectador en el corazón del Campeonato Mundial de Moto2 y MotoGP, donde ritmos narrativos propios del cine de acción se entrelazan con la emoción íntima de sus personajes. Alberto Luchini la compara sin tapujos con F1 y le otorga la misma calificación en nuestro panel de crítica. Min 31: SIN PIEDAD (3 estrellas) 'Sin Piedad' es una propuesta de ciencia ficción que parte de una idea provocadora y con enorme potencial simbólico: en Los Ángeles del año 2029, la justicia ya no la imparten jurados ni jueces humanos, sino una inteligencia artificial capaz de dictar sentencia en cuestión de minutos. El detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), que en el pasado defendió ese sistema automatizado, despierta una mañana rodeado de cables y pantallas y descubre que ha sido acusado de asesinar a su propia esposa. Con la sentencia casi asegurada, Raven dispone de 90 minutos para demostrar su inocencia ante la jueza de IA Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), un programa que él contribuyó a perfeccionar. Min 39: RETORNO A SILENT HILL (2,5 estrellas) “Retorno a Silent Hill” vuelve a llevar la niebla, el horror psicológico y la iconografía inquietante de Silent Hill a la gran pantalla bajo la dirección de Christophe Gans, responsable de la primera adaptación cinematográfica de la saga en 2006. Inspirada de manera libre en el legendario videojuego Silent Hill 2, la película sigue a James Sunderland (Jeremy Irvine), un artista emocionalmente destrozado que, tras recibir una carta aparentemente de su esposa fallecida, Mary (Hannah Emily Anderson), regresa a la ciudad maldita en busca de respuestas entre ruinas envueltas en niebla, criaturas grotescas y símbolos oníricos que parecen sacados directamente del subconsciente. Min 43: LA PELÍCULA DE TU VIDA, CON VEGA HERNÁNDEZ La periodista de Radio Castilla-La Mancha y directora del espacio La Colmena, Vega Hernández, es la protagonista de esta sección y la encargada de contarnos por qué "Orgullo y Prejuicio" (Joe Wright. 2005) es su película favorita. Min 45: ESPECIAL BSO: DESPLAT Y SU 'HOMBRE MENGUANTE' (3 estrellas) La música de Alexandre Desplat para El hombre menguante (L'homme qui rétrécit, 2025) se erige como una partitura que acompaña y amplifica el viaje íntimo y existencial del protagonista en una cinta que explora la fragilidad humana desde la ciencia ficción y la aventura cotidiana. Compuesta y dirigida por el propio Desplat —uno de los compositores más influyentes del cine contemporáneo, con una carrera que incluye The Grand Budapest Hotel y The Shape of Water—, la banda sonora fue editada por Milan Records y publicada en plataformas digitales desde el 22 de octubre de 2025.

‘It's so far from your reality because I didn't know anybody and I was an immigrant'Anita Rani speaks to the Beijing-born director Chloé Zhao about her career and her latest film, Hamnet.Zhao made history in 2021 when, at the age of just 39, she became the first woman of colour - and, at the time, only the second woman ever - to win the best director award at the Oscars.Now, just five years after her Oscars triumph for Nomadland, Zhao is making headlines once again as the director of the critically-acclaimed movie Hamnet, a dramatisation about the son of the English playwright William Shakespeare. It won two Golden Globe awards, including one for ‘Best Drama Movie', and has recently been nominated for 8 Academy Awards too.Thank you to the Woman's Hour team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Indian author Twinkle Khanna, former US Vice President Kamala Harris, and Hollywood legend Sir Anthony Hopkins. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Anita Rani Producers: Emma Pearce, Ben Cooper and Lucy Sheppard Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Chloé Zhao. Credit: Emma McIntyre/WireImage)

Heated Rivalry is only the tip of a very sexy ice(hockey)berg. Straight women make up at least 60% of the audience of the booming MM (male to male) queer romance book market. Why? Holly Wainwright, Jessie Stephens and Emily Vernem unpack the theories behind the biggest TV hit of the Summer. Also, no, you're not imagining it. Every streaming show you watch is talking to you like you're a little bit... dumb. Matt Damon knows why. And, everyone has a venting friend. Sometimes, everyone is a venting friend. But now, 'venting' has been labelled toxic friendship behaviour. We want to know who we can vent to about that. Plus, our recommendations. Find them below. SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media Recommendations Em recommends Chicago Fire the bingeable TV show that she's currently obsessed with. Jessie recommends underpants. Yes, treat yourself to an underwear refresh. Holly recommends the move Hamnet that was released in cinemas on January 15. What To Listen To Next: Listen to our latest episode: Jessie's Twins Update & What We Really Did Over The Holidays Listen: Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Revealing Texts & A Masterclass In Awkward Conversations Listen: Brooklyn Beckham, That ‘Inappropriate’ Dance & The Downfall Of A Family Brand Listen: Brooklyn Beckham Goes Nuclear: An Emergency Meeting Listen: The Superstar Podcaster Who’s Been ‘Red-Pilled’ & Was JLo Really That Rude? Listen: We’ve Entered The Year Of Friction-maxxing Listen: Our Best Heated Rivalry Theory & Taylor Swift's Mum Listen: A Spectacular Writers' Festival Collapse & The Jennifer Lawrence Dog Drama Listen: Why Mia Really Left... And Why She's Back Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts. We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400) Subscribe to enter MOVE by Mamamia is the app that helps you fit movement into your every day. Whether you have 10 minutes, or 45, we've got the workout that fits your time, space and body. Get $20 off an annual subscription until the end of January when you use code OUTLOUD at checkout. Start your free trial today. SUBSCRIBE here: Support independent women's media Watch Mamamia Out Loud: Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube What to read: Heated Rivalry forced me to ask myself a fundamental question. You're thinking it, too.' Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's new Netflix thriller will keep you guessing until the very last second. The insane true story that inspired Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's new crime drama. 'Hamnet is the buzziest film of the year you're probably too scared to see. Allow me to change your mind.' Holly Out Loud on Substack THE END BITS: Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at outloud@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message. Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show. Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud CREDITS: Hosts: Emily Vernem, Jessie Stephens & Holly Wainwright Group Executive Producer: Ruth Devine Executive Producer: Sasha Tannock Audio Producer: Leah Porges Video Producer: Josh Green Junior Content Producer: Tessa KotowiczBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're back into our Women Best Director Nominee season and picking up with Chloe Zhao's Nomadland. Sometimes art really emotionally resonates and gets appropriately lauded by the industry, eh?You can shoot us an email at whatisamoviepod@gmail.com

durée : 00:13:45 - Les Midis de Culture - par : Marie Labory - Après "Nomadland", la réalisatrice oscarisée Chloé Zhao adapte sur grand-écran le roman éponyme de Maggie O'Farrell. Le film retrace la naissance d'Hamlet, chef d'oeuvre de l'auteur anglais, William Shakespeare dans l'Angleterre de 1580. Jessie Buckley et Paul Mescal y tiennent les premiers rôles. - réalisation : Laurence Malonda - invités : Adrien Dénouette Critique de cinéma et enseignant; Sandra Onana Critique française de cinéma

Son dernier film, Hamnet, avec Jessie Buckley et Paul Mescal, sort en salles ce mercredi 21 janvier. Pour l'occasion, on a voulu s'intéresser à la filmographie de la réalisatrice Chloé Zhao, depuis ses premiers films qui sondent les mythes américains dans les réserves amérindiennes, en passant par Nomadland et la consécration de l'Oscar du meilleur film et de la meilleure réalisation, et son passage chez Marvel.Chapitrage :05:50 : "Les chansons que mes frères m'ont apprises" et "The Rider", la mythologie du western et les réserves amérindiennes18:48 : "Nomadland" et sa charge politique32:42 : Le tournant Marvel avec "Les Eternels"43:52 : "Hamnet" et la patte de Chloé Zhao dans l'adaptation de Maggie O'FarrellAnimation : Léon CattanParticipantes : Mariana Agier, Margaux Baralon, Léon Cattan, Lisa DurandRéalisation, montage, son : Mariana AgierGénérique : © SorocinéMusique : Antonin Agier et Hugo CardonaHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Una poderosa historia de amor y una tragedia familiar que inspiraron la creación de una de las obras maestras de la literatura universal. Chloé Zhao, ganadora del Oscar a mejor directora por "Nomadland", coescribe y firma este largometraje, adaptación de la novela homónima de Maggie O'Farrell. Paul Mescal y Jessie Buckley se lucen en los roles principales del filme, una mirada íntima a la vida de William Shakespeare y Agnes Hathaway. Ya disponible en salas de cine.

In this episode of Editors on Editing, Glenn is joined by writer, director and editor Chloé Zhao and her editor, Alffonso Gonçalves. Chloé has written, directed and edited all of her films, including Songs My Brothers Taught Me, The Rider,  Nomadland, for which she was nominated as an editor for the BAFTA, Eddie and Oscar. She won the Oscar for directing Eternals. Alffonso's credits include Mildred Pierce for which he was nominated for the Eddie, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, True Detective, for which he was nominated for a primetime Emmy and won the Eddie, Carol, The Velvet Underground, for which he was co-nominated for the Eddie and, The Lost Daughter. Now Chloé & Alffonso have brought their exquisite skills to the mesmerizing film, Hamnet.Thanks again to ACE for partnering with us on this podcast, check out their website for more.Thanks also to Focus Features, and Hamnet for helping to make this podcast happen. Want to see more interviews from Glenn? Check out "Editors on Editing" here.The Art of the Frame podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and many more platforms. If you like the podcast, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes and, please leave a review so more people can find our show!  

In this episode, host Aaron Fullerton speaks with screenwriter-director Chloé Zhao(Eternals, Nomadland) about crafting her latest film Hamnet, the art of adaptation, where she finds creative inspiration, and much more.

On episode 319 of The AwardsWatch Podcast, Executive Editor Ryan McQuade is joined by AwardsWatch contributors Dan Bayer, Mark Johnson, and Josh Parham to go back five years and take a look at the 93rd Academy Awards, covering the films of 2020. On this retrospective, the AW team take one last trip to the past for the year to talk about the pandemic year of cinema that saw one of the worst Oscar telecasts of all time. Baffling decision after another, the night ended on a sour note instead of one of celebration for Nomadland winning the top prize and Chloé Zhao becoming the second female director to win Best Director. Still, even with the ceremony being so divisive, the year presented plenty of films the team wanted to highlight and discuss over the course of changing the Academy's nominations, with films such as The Nest, Tenet, Miss Juneteenth, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Clemency, Dick Johnson is Dead, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, The Father, Sound of Metal, Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah, and more. In their in-depth discussion, the AW team talked about the film year of 2020, briefly discuss talk about Nomadland as a Best Picture winner, how this year is full of celebrities that are problematic or "cancelled" and how that speaks to the legacy of their nominates and or wins, do an extensive conversation over the below the line categories and nominees for the year, and then the new version of the AW Shoulda Woulda Coulda game, where instead of individual replacements, they must decide as a group who the nominees and winners should be in the top eight categories. The rules of the game state they can only replace two of the nominees that year from each category, except in Best Picture, where the group could replace up to four films to make up the final set of eight nominated films. Like past retrospective episodes, it was a fascinating, fun conversation including spirited debates, alliances, vote swinging, celebrating various movies, performances that aren't normally talked about and more that we all hope you enjoy. You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 2h41m. We will be back in next week for a review of the last big film of the year, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Till then, let's get into it. Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

The film NOMADLAND portrayed Americans turning to vehicle living as a way to survive increasing economic instability. In this episode, my guests Lauren and Noah share their real-life story of transitioning away from traditional housing, converting an old bus into their home, and traveling across an America that's under strain from multiple systemic pressures. They speak candidly about the many challenges, logistical hurdles, and unexpected moments of beauty and joy they've encountered along the way. We also explore the deeper themes of collapse awareness, community resilience, and how their lived experience overlaps with, or diverges from, what NOMADLAD depicts. Topics we discuss include: The rising unaffordability of housing What it means to be "collapse aware" Community resilience and lessons from surviving the destruction of Hurricane Helene The tensions of ecological values vs. the realities of life on the road All the times they considered quitting The surprising, unexpected joys of simple living How their experiences compare with NOMADLAND Helpful stories vs. unhelpful stories amid transformational change Signals of hope and building parallel structures Plus: a surprise cameo from Indy the cat

Chloé Zhao was the second woman to ever win an Oscar for Best Director, for her 2020 film “Nomadland.” After taking a wide turn to create the Marvel supernatural epic “Eternals,” Zhao has taken another intriguing change of direction with “Hamnet,” based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel about how William Shakespeare coped with the death of his only son. In conversation with the New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman, Zhao discusses the role that nature plays in her filmmaking, from the American West to the forests of Britain; the process of adapting manga to film; and how neurodivergence informs her creative process.New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.

The outstanding drama "Hamnet" is a speculative period piece about the inspiration behind Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Anchored by terrific performances by Paul Mescal and Jesse Buckley as Shakespeare and his troubled wife Agnes, it's an emotionally involving tale, adapted by director Chloe Zhao from Maggie O'Farrell's award-winning novel. Perhaps surprisingly, "Hamnet" is a better film than Zhao's previous Oscar winner "Nomadland." And speaking of Oscar, Buckley's moving performance is likely a Best Actress shoo-in. The Netflix showbiz drama "Jay Kelly" provides a role that fits George Clooney like a glove. He plays a movie star who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughters while alienating those in his entourage who've supported him. Adam Sandler gives the film's best performance as George's unappreciated manager. While somewhat engaging, there are phony elements in the movie that are uncharacteristic of the gifted filmmaker Noah Baumbach. "Jay Kelly" is a mixed bag bolstered by megawatt star power. Mel Gibson stars in the ugly, excessively violent drama, "Hunting Season." Mel and his daughter provide aid and shelter to a woman found shot in the woods, only to invoke the wrath of a vicious drug lord. This is the kind of fodder that used to be called "grindhouse cinema," prodding audiences into vengeful bloodlust. Happy Holidays! A gifted cast can't save the noisy, irritating Amazon Prime holiday farce, "Oh. What. Fun." Michelle Pfeiffer plays a put-upon mom who goes all out for her family at Christmas, but her efforts aren't appreciated…until she goes missing. None of it rings true. "Oh. What. Fun." is a lump of coal for your cinematic stocking.

Send us a textHi, this week I'm chatting with Amy Joyce and Gayle Weiswasser, co-owners of Wonderland Books in Bethesda, Maryland.What turns a bookstore into a place where people feel part of a community? We asked Wonderland Books co-owners Amy Joyce and Gail Weiswasser, whose Bethesda shop blends sharp curation, joyful whimsy, and real community care—right down to a wall of Polaroids featuring every visiting dog.We trace their unlikely routes into bookselling—Amy from nearly three decades at the Washington Post and Gail from law and corporate communications—and how those skills power everything from lease negotiations to handselling, newsletters, and event strategy. They open up about curating beyond their own tastes by leaning on staff with different genre passions, why a quarter of the store is devoted to children's books, and how representation in kids' publishing shapes what young readers reach for on the shelf.Community is the through line. Hear how a creative Indiegogo campaign funded shelves and inventory while transforming donors into co-creators who curated displays, joined after-hours previews, and saw their book clubs' names on the wall. We dig into school partnerships that put author-visit titles in students' hands, hospital library donations made from damaged returns, and dog adoption events that turn the kids' section into a gentle reading nook—even for a blind pup named Rex.We also get practical about social media that works without a budget: staff-forward videos, playful trends, and a voice that feels human. Amy and Gail share what's selling now—from dystopian classics to big-hearted novels—and offer thoughtful recommendations that build empathy, including Demon Copperhead, Nickel and Dimed, Nomadland, and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. The philosophy is simple: welcome warmly, never hover, and let curiosity lead. If you love bookstores that feel like a sanctuary and a spark, this conversation will make you want to visit, linger, and read.If this resonated, follow the show, leave a quick review, and share it with a friend who loves indie bookstores.www.thebookshoppodcast.comWonderland BooksDemon Copperhead, Barbara KingsolverNomadland, Jessica BruderBuckeye, Patrick RyanSome Great Nowhere, Ann PackerThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Kiren DesaiThe Road to Tender Hearts, Annie HartnettNickel and Dimed, Barbara EhrenreichThe Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Deesha PhilyawMandy Jackson-Beverly - Lunch With An Author Literary SeriesSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Well, here we are. Chloe Zhao's Hamnet - one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year - premiered at the BFI London Film Festival two weeks ago. Since it's premiere at Telluride back in late August, this movie has been billed as a locked-in OSCAR contender and potentially one of the biggest threats to WIN Best Picture. Reviews like that always get on my nerves because it's classic film festival overhype. You watch a movie surrounded by all the cast & crew and thousands of like-minded movie fans and, inevitably, the hype is going to be through the roof. All that being said, I watched this movie at a film festival as well... so I'll be telling you all today whether the hype was real. I've been a little nervous going into Hamnet because, while the trailers have excited me and the reviews were certainly promising, I am neither a Chloe Zhao guy or a Shakespeare guy. Zhao's movies have always felt cold to me and I truly believe that Nomadland is probably one of the worst Best Picture winners.... of all-time! But, I'm happy to report that Hamnet is the first time that I've truly been able to connect with one of her movies. Find out why in this review!Hmanet:Directed by: Chloé ZhaoScreenplay by: Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'FarrellBased on the novel "Hamnet" by Maggie O'FarrellProduced by: Liza Marshall, p.g.a., Pippa Harris, p.g.a, Nicolas Gonda, p.g.a., Steven Spielberg, p.g.a., Sam Mendes, p.g.a.Executive Producers: Laurie Borg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Chloé ZhaoMusic by: Max RichterDirector of Photography: Lukasz ZalEdited by: Alfonso Gonçalves, Chloé ZhaoCasting by: Nina GoldProduction Design by: Fiona CrombieCostume Design by: Malgosia TurzanskaCast: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Jacobi Jupe, David Wilmot, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Olivia Lynes, Freya Hannan-Mills, Noah JupeSynopsis: The powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

This was definitely a Saturday-caliber crossword, where Will & company pull out pretty much all the stops. On no other day of the week will you see entertaining, educational, and definitely challenging clues like 16A, Italian pianist who composed the scores for "Nomadland" and "The Father", LUDOVICOEINAUDI (yikes!); or 40A, Origin of "The Tale of Genji," considered by many to be the world's first novel, JAPAN (huh); or the amusing 25A, The 21,728th page of 1989's 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, END (what else?).

Kenny and Mike review and spot faith reflected in the Sony Classic film East of Wall. The episode includes Mike and Kenny's interview with director Kate Beecroft and the film's stars and subjects, Tabatha (Tabby) and Portia Zimiga.  While not a documentary, East of Wall is a "docu-fiction" drama based on the lives of the Zimigas, the wayward teens who have found a place and home on her ranch, as well as other women in the area. Tabby rescues and trains horses from slaughter pens and sales them in sale barns in and around Wall South Dakota. Portia is a gifted rider and rodeo barrell racer. The Zimiga's and the teens are still working through the death of Tabatha's husband and stepfather to Portia as well as stuggling financially to keep the 3000 acre ranch going and provide refuge for the teens. In addition to Tabby and Portia, the vast majority of the cast are persons playing themselves. The two non-actors in starring roles are Scoot McNairy who plays Roy Waters, a Texas rancher who is interested in purchasing the ranch, and Jennifer Ehle who plays Tabby's mom, Tracey. Althought it echoes Nomadland in both look and feel as well as using non-professional actors, East of Wall is grittier and goes deeper into the lives of the persons portraying themselves. The film has an even stronger kinship with the neo-realism style of the post-war Italian cinema. In the midst of the struggle there is beauty in the love and trust of the community that includes the Zimigas, the teens, as well as other women friends and family who have experienced struggles life in "the new west." The film is set against the backdrop of the South Dakota Badlands which not only provides beautiful cinematography but is also a visual symbol of the desolate looking but also rich life on the ranch and throughout the area. The story behind the making of the film echoes much of the film's themes and adds to the experience of watching or reflecting on the film. Kate Beecroft and her director of photography were driving throughout the country looking for stories that could be made into a short film. They literally stumble across Tabby. This story is included in the interview.  Faith Spotted: The transformative nature and power of story, trust and commitment within community. Such is depicted in both the film as well as the relationships between the director and cast.  As the film reflects the "new west" in the age of changing demographics and greater financial pressures on farming and ranching, the film also reflects what is likely to be the "new Church," where the focus is more on being in relationship and community with persons outside the walls and rolls of the church than maintaining such walls. Though most churches and members acknowledge that the Church "is not a building or steeple, but people," churches too often struggle to actually get out from behind the walls, get, and be in ministry, with persons in the community. The mission of the Church is north, south, wast and east of it's walls. The church needs to be more like, as Kate described the teens, "fierce and feral in the best way possible."  Kate would not have been able to make the film had she not been fully invested in the people and their stories. This reflects the incarnational purpose and nature of Jesus, God with us, as us. 

From Sam Raimi, the acclaimed directer of the Evil Dead Trilogy AND Spider-Man Trilogy comes this action thriller which FEELS as if it was based upon a comic book though was actually an original concept developed by Raimi when he was unable to land the rights for The Shadow back in the late '80's.  Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson (Schindler's List, Taken) stars as Payton, a mild-mannered scientist trying to develop synthetic skin.   Oscar-winner Frances McDormand (Fargo, Nomadland) plays his attorney girlfriend Julie who uncovers a real estate scam, and Emmy-winner Larry Drake (LA Law, Dr. Giggles) plays Durant, the mob enforcer who comes along with his goons to rough up Peyton for the evidence, brutalize him, and leave him for dead after dipping much of his body in acid leaving him burned all over....only Peyton isn't dead.  And what results is a wild, crazy, and quotable revenge thriller which came out 35 years ago this summer and developed into a cult hit.WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE PORTRAYED VIA MOVIE CLIPSHost & Editor: Geoff GershonEditor: Ella GershonProducer: Marlene GershonSend us a texthttps://livingforthecinema.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Living-for-the-Cinema-Podcast-101167838847578Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/livingforthecinema/Letterboxd:https://letterboxd.com/Living4Cinema/

In Episode 226 of Growing Pains with Nicholas Flores, Gianna Eckhardt, Professor of Marketing at King's Business School, King's College London, and Vice Dean Engagement and Executive Education, and Alex Atanasova, Assistant Professor / Lecturer in Marketing at Bayes Business School, City St George's University of London, unpack digital nomadism, from its roots in Tim Ferriss's The 4-Hour Workweek to its explosion during COVID. They debunk the Instagram myth of beachside laptops, highlighting the hustle, community, and economic necessity driving this lifestyle. With AI threatening freelance jobs, they explore the future for nomads. Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/2024/02/the-new-reality-of-digital-nomads), Nomadland review (https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/mgdr/vol6/iss1/2/).   07/01/2025

On any given day, you could pick 20 American movies that would show a different cross section of the complex contradictory conflicting aspects of the American character. Today, Secret Movie Club founder.programmer Craig Hammill picks 20 including 1928's King Vidor directed The Crowd, the biting 50's satire Ace in the Hole, 70's masterworks like Husbands, Girlfriends, Nashville, Killer of Sheep, Black Caesar, and more recent works that wrestle with American identity like He Got Game, Better Luck Tomorrow, Nomadland, and Killers of the Flower Moon (+many more). On this 4th of July, Secret Movie Club tries to aid the American experiment by taking a look at how our national character has expressed itself in our cinema. 

We have been anxiously awaiting this season for a long time all because of these last two movies. This P.T.A. film has been on all kinds of "Best" lists since it came out 18 years ago and now that we've seen it, we don't see it going anywhere anytime soon. From its sweeping wide shots to its phenomenal cast we loved this film and loved discussing it even more. Check out where is falls in our rankings and let us know what you think. What did you think of this film? Let us know on Twitter, Instagram or Threads! Listen to the score, track played Open Spaces Read the script Read the book it's based on Listen to our other Paul Thomas Anderson episodes - Licorice Pizza, Phantom Thread Listen to our episodes we talked about - The Fabelmans, Nomadland, Marriage Story, The Wolf of Wall Street Listen to I Was There Too podcast Theme music by RomanBelov    #ThereWillBeBlood #BestPicture #BestActor #BestDirector #BestOriginalScreenplay #BestCinematography #BestFilmEditing #BestArtDirection #BestSoundEditing #Oscars2008 #2008Oscars #AcademyAwards #Oscars 

"If your city told you to stop flushing your toilet… what would you do?"In this hilariously unfiltered episode of The Ben and Skin Show, the crew dives headfirst into the bizarre and very real sewage crisis rocking Rowlett, Texas. With Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray at the helm, no toilet pun is left unflushed as they unpack the absurdity of a citywide plumbing disaster that has residents asking the unthinkable: “Where do we go now?”From KT's deadpan delivery of the news—“Stop flushing toilets, showering, or doing laundry”—to Ben's satirical emergency plan involving flaming paper bags and neighborly sabotage, the team turns a civic nightmare into comedic gold.Memorable Moments Include:

Today we're threading together sewing, and fate with some of the extraordinary people behind one of the most innovative and visually striking films of the year—Sew Torn. It's a thriller. A dark comedy. And a stitched-together cinematic wonder that explores how every decision unravels a different destiny.In Sew Torn, Barbara Duggen—‘The Mobile Seamstress'—stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong. Faced with a suitcase full of cash and two injured men, she must choose what's next Each decision plays out in a unique timeline, with wildly different and increasingly dangerous consequences. The result is a story of grief, survival, and redemption—where thread becomes both weapon and lifeline.Joining me are the father-and-son creative team behind the film: Freddy Macdonald, the 24-year-old - youngest-ever Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute. Freddy's debut feature Sew Torn premiered at SXSW and headlined the Locarno Film Festival's Piazza Grande. His thesis film, Shedding Angels, won a Student Academy Award and was shortlisted for a BAFTA. Sew Torn was acquired by Vertigo Releasing and Sunrise Films and opened theatrically nationwide Alongside him is his father and producing partner Fred Macdonald—a seasoned media executive and writer whose companies have collaborated with Disney, DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and more. As former CEO of Olive Jar Studios, Fred led creative for award-winning theme park media and advertising campaigns, including a CLIO Gold-winning Coca-Cola spot.Also joining us is the magnetic Irish actor, Eve Connolly. A graduate of Dublin's Gaiety School of Acting, Eve launched her screen career in Into the Badlands, and has since appeared in The Other Lamb, Vikings, and River Wild. In Sew Torn, she brings grit, emotion, and inventiveness to her role as Barbara—a woman who sews her way out of impossible circumstances.We'll talk about how sewing literally powers the film—from embroidered “Talking Portraits” to stitched title cards to intricate Rube Goldberg-style thread rigs. And we'll explore how the film's visual and emotional complexity reflects the choices we make—and the ones that make us.(3:27) Hear a clip from the movie that sets the scene for the whole movie. Fred and Freddy comment on it. Hear how the concept for this film was Freddy's entrée to the American Film Institute. No Country For Old Men had something to do with this!(6:33) What was it like to get a call from Joel Cohen? Fred explains. The three things Fred heard on the initial call from a friend Peter Spears, Joel Cohen wants to meet, Searchlight wants to buy the short film, Rich Klubeck from United Talent Agency (UTA) wants to represent Freddy as a director. This all happened while Freddy was still a high school senior.(10:17) How did the whole movie launch from the simple idea of a lost button? And by the way…there were NO computer-generated effects in the movie. (13:30) What's it like for Freddy and Fred to work together? Do they always agree? agree? Freddy learned stop motion animation at the age of nine…from his dad. At the same time Fred taught Freddy to write films! (17:11) Three altering decisions. Why this story structure? Freddy explains the difficulty in making the feature length film out of the short. (19:49)How long did it take from beginning to end to make the film? Well…Freddy was 18 when they started – and just turned 24 as it was released! (20:24)Freddy and Fred explain the Rube-Goldberg contraptions they built. No-tricks…everything was in camera…with a small budget too! And…what was their OMG moment?! (23:46) The embroidered talking portraits…Fred and Freddy talked about these innovative elements in the movie and how they were created. Learn how BERNINA was essential in creating these and how they all worked together. Hear about the Metler introduction and how this made such an impact in the movie (27:46) Location, location, location. How did the town where they shot the movie affect the feeling and cinematography of the movie? Learn about this town and the people who live there…and how some of them were extras in the movie. (31:03) Barbara's journey…what influenced her arc? Physical want + emotional need. (32:25) This deeply physical film leans surprisingly heavily on non-verbal. How did Freddy and Fred make this work? Also, hear about Eve's audition for her part and what she did to win the role.(35:06) Sound design and the music score were deeply important to this movie. Learn how Jacob Tardien the music composer created the sound that added so much to the film. And learn how that sound was made.(37:32) What was the toughest scene to film and how did they approach it? And how did no dialog carry this critical 6 minutes?(40:02) There are three very distinct stories in this movie…how were they filmed? Well, Freddy, as the script supervisor, explains how they put all of this together and maintained continuity.(41:24) Any special behind-the-scenes stories that can be revealed just for this podcast? Oh yes…listen to Fred's story about an actor that maintained character…all the time!(45:38) What's next for Freddy and Fred? Working together is at the top of this list. Do they have one in the works…yes, yes they do! And Fred would like a slightly bigger budget for the next film!(46:50) Anything we didn't ask that they wish we had?! Not a thing.(47:40) How can you reach Freddy and Fred? www.macdonaldentertainment partners.com. (48:13) Now…meet Eve Connolly(48:50) Eve talks about what drew her to the script. The short film had a lot to do with it!(49:45) Eve tells of the initial conversation she had with Freddy and Fred. Their explanation of wanting emotional depth for Barbara was a large draw.(51:33) How did Barbara prepare for this role? Years of working as an actor prepared her…but finding something to identify with was even more important. Once on set…she's ready to go and she's in the moment!(52:46) Hear Barbara's favorite clip form the movie…and the pivotal conversation that tells so much. Now Barbara shares what this meant to her and why.(55:28) This incredible physical role…How did Eve do this?(56:27) The rigs that were created in the film…Barbara tells all. How did she learn to build and manage these? Does Eve sew?!(58:41) The dance in the movie…Barbara tells of doing this dance and how she felt doing. How did she audition for this? Over ZOOM…and the dance…it was a natural for her…and very emotional.(1:01:39) Location–Location-Location. How did this affect her performance?(1:02:30) And that haunting stillness?(1:03:41) What part of Barbara's character stayed with Eve? That very strong connection with her mother…and the fact that she did this even though it was quite intimidating. Eve know the potential for this film and wanted to do justice to this creation. Overcoming her nerves was pretty big for her!(1:05:56) Did this experience change how Eve will play future roles?(1:07:07) What was her favorite of filming. The cast, the crew…all the people involved in the movie. Definite respect for Freddy as her director. Oh, and singing High School Musical every day before filming!(1:08:11) Her favorite part of the movie…refer back to the clip we played! And filming the scenes on the road.(1:09:19) Any behind the scenes stories? She talks about the car. And yes, it wasn't a prop…it's a real thing!(1:10:51) What's Eve's dream? Not what you might think. What's next…she's developing a series in Ireland.(1:11::51) Anything we didn't ask?(1:12:03) How can you reach out to Eve? @eveconnolly on Instagram. Our Thanks to Freddy and Fred Macdonald and Eve Connolly for their time and conversation.You can now order Sew Torn to be released on June 13th on Apple+TV. Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform…and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today's and all of our Guests.

This week's theme is Pain. Bob & Robb choose six movies that hurt like hell.  Bob:  A Real Pain (15:21), Hellraiser (2022) (33:31), Cries and Whispers (55:25) Robb:  The Princess Bride (3:57), I Love You, Man (23:14), Nomadland (46:16) Follow —> Rewind Video: https://rewindvideopod.substack.com/p/follow-rewind-video Bob: https://bsky.app/profile/rgdjr.bsky.social  Robb: http://robbwitmer.info

Back in the mists of time, Maggie O'Farrell was one of my very first guests on The Shift. So, as she celebrates the 25th anniversary of the publication of her very first novel, After You'd Gone and we wait with bated breath for the movie of her smash hit bestseller Hamnet (starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, directed by Oscar-winning director of Nomadland, Chloe Zhao, and co-written by Maggie and Chloe), I thought now was a good time to revisit our conversation from back in 2020. Since then Maggie has of course written the bestselling The Marriage Portrait and gone on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies of Hamnet. Here are the original show notes: This week's guest is the award-winning novelist, Maggie O'Farrell. The author of eight novels, most recently the stunning Women's Prize winner, Hamnet, and one of my favourite memoirs of all time, I Am, I Am, I am. And now she's written a children's book, the absolutely gorgeous Where Snow Angels Go, which is a banker for a Christmas Day teatime animation a la The Snowman if ever I saw one.  While Maggie noses through my bookcase and plays with Sausage the (tail-less) cat, we talk being a social media refusenik, giving voice to women's stories, saying good riddance to the male gaze, why she never thought she was the marrying kind. Oh, and why she still secretly fears someone might take her Women's Prize away! Frankly, if Maggie O'Farrell has imposter syndrome, what hope is there for the rest of us? * You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at The Shift bookshop on Bookshop.org, including Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell and the book that inspired this podcast, The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too, by me. * If you enjoyed this episode and you fancy buying me a coffee, pop over to my page on buymeacoffee.com. • And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including exclusive transcripts of the podcast, why not join The Shift community, come and have a look around at www.theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com • The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker is created and hosted by Sam Baker and edited by Juliette Nicholls at Pineapple Production. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate/review/follow as it really does help other people find us. And let me know what you think on twitter @sambaker or instagram @theothersambaker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Helen and Gavin chat about Severence, Adolescence, Novocaine, and Black Bag and it's Week 48 of the list of Oscar Best Picture Winners from 2021 and 2022; Nomadland, and CODA.

As Fern, the protagonist of Nomadland (an incredible award-winning film), says: I'm not homeless, I'm houseless. There is a difference!

Send us a textWhat if your favorite Best Picture winner isn't all it's cracked up to be? Join us on a cinematic journey as we, Alex McCauley, Max Fosberg, and Erica Kraus, tackle the formidable task of ranking every Best Picture winner since 2000. With Erica's delightfully unpredictable selections leading the way, prepare for some surprises as we debate the hits and misses of the Oscar world. This episode promises a lively exchange of perspectives, touching on both beloved classics and those films that have seemingly slipped through the cracks of time.Engage with our spirited re-evaluation of contentious Oscar winners like "Crash" and "Green Book," as we question their lasting impact in a rapidly evolving cinematic landscape. We take a critical lens to "Nomadland" and "Birdman," highlighting the ways these films sparked differing emotional reactions and reflecting on the artistic risks that paid off—or didn't. Whether it's the excitement of "Argo" or the atmospheric intensity of "No Country for Old Men," our conversation dives deep into the elements that make these films both resonate and divide audiences.Finally, our exploration wouldn't be complete without an analysis of cultural milestones such as "Moonlight" and "Spotlight," shining a light on their enduring significance in film history. We speculate on the future of cinema, pondering over potential 2025 Best Picture contenders like "The Brutalist" and "The Substance." Join us in celebrating the diverse and ever-changing world of film, as we share our hopes for the underdogs and acknowledge the unpredictable nature of the Oscars.Support the show

Welcome back to another episode where we are diving into the Oscars most recent best picture winner. Including Parasite, Coda, Nomadland, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Oppenheimer.Table of Contents:00:00 (Intro)29:49 (Parasite)54:39 (Nomadland)01:21:21 (Coda)01:45:16 (Everything Everywhere All At Once)02:17:24 (Oppenheimer)

This week on the season premiere of And the Runner-Up Is, Kevin welcomes back AwardsWatch executive editor Ryan McQuade to discuss the 2020 Oscar race for Best Actress, where Frances McDormand won for her performance in "Nomadland," beating Viola Davis in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," Andra Day in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," Vanessa Kirby in "Pieces of a Woman," and Carey Mulligan in "Promising Young Woman." We discuss all of these nominated performances and determine who we think was the runner-up to McDormand. 0:00 - 18:16 - Introduction 18:17 - 41:42 - Viola Davis 41:43 - 1:11:28 - Andra Day 1:11:29 - 1:35:05 - Vanessa Kirby 1:35:06 - 2:02:24 - Carey Mulligan 2:02:25 - 2:26:37 - Frances McDormand 2:26:38 - 3:31:07 - Why Frances McDormand won / listener questions 3:31:07 - 3:39:45 - Who was the runner-up? Buy And the Runner-Up Is merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/and-the-runner-up-is?ref_id=24261! Support And the Runner-Up Is on Patreon at patreon.com/andtherunnerupis! Follow And the Runner-Up Is on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky Theme/End Music: "Diamonds" by Iouri Sazonov Additional Music: "Storming Cinema Ident" by Edward Blakeley Artwork: Brian O'Meara

Wonder how many things Disney owns and how many more characters or stories they have, the answers are endless. In Film & TV Studios Walt Disney Pictures – Includes films like Frozen, The Lion King, and Pirates of the Caribbean.Pixar Animation Studios – Known for Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo, Inside Out. |Marvel Studios – Rights to Marvel Cinematic Universe (Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther), though some character rights are still partially shared with others (e.g., Spider-Man with Sony).   Lucasfilm – Rights to Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) – Rights to Avatar, Alien, The Simpsons, The X-Men (now integrated with Marvel), Deadpool. | Searchlight Pictures – Known for award-winning films like The Shape of Water and Nomadland.  Disney Television Studios (including):  ABC Signature FX Productions TV Networks  ABC – A major broadcast network.  (Ever notice how many game shows or talk shows have to Disclose their parent company is ABC after a giveaway or location shoot  Disney Channel – Family-focused TV network.   FX Networks – Known for shows like American Horror Story and The Bear.National Geographic – Includes both TV and publishing operations.  ESPN (80% ownership) – One of the largest sports networks globally. Streaming Services Disney+ – Streaming platform for Disney's IPs, including Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney films Hulu (majority ownership) – Streaming platform known for adult-focused TV shows and films. ESPN+ – Sports streaming service.Star+ (internationally, in some regions) – For mature Disney-owned content outside the U.S. Theme Parks & Resorts12 parks, 55 resorts and 7-13 ships Music & Theatrical Disney Music Group – Includes Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records. | Disney Theatrical Productions – Known for Broadway adaptations like The Lion King, Aladdin, and Frozen.Acquired Franchises Star Wars (Lucasfilm acquisition in 2012)  Marvel Comics and Cinematic Universe (Marvel Entertainment acquisition in 2009)  |Avatar (20th Century Studios acquisition in 2019)  The Simpsons, Family Guy, and other Fox properties.  Intellectual Property & Brands Disney Princesses – Includes classic characters like Cinderella, Belle, and Mulan.  |Mickey Mouse & Friends – Iconic characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.  Pixar Characters – Includes Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and other beloved characters.  Marvel Heroes – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Spider-Man (shared with Sony), and many more. Star Wars Universe – Characters like Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and The Mandalorian. Technology & Innovation  Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) – Visual effects company (under Lucasfilm