Conclave and How We Choose Our Leaders
Movies That Matter
Lexy, Garret, and Nicole discuss Conclave and election and how we decide what our future should be. We praise the craft of the movie from the lighting to the cinematography to the costume design. We wrap our head around a movie about an election recording the day after our U.S. presidential election. We talk about how the decisions of the conclave between left and right mirrors the most recent U.S. election. Lexy recommends . Garret recommends and being kind to yourself. Nicole recommends . Facebook
info_outline
The Wild Robot and Unexpected Parenthood
Movies That Matter
Justin, Stacy, and Lexy discuss The Wild Robot and the trope of unexpected parenthood. We praise the movie's animation and emotional beats. We also discuss the time-honored trope of a childless loner finding themselves accidentally a parent. We find the movie still finds unexplored territory, surprising us with a more modern view of motherhood. The movie tackles the challenges of being a parent along with the rewards and the need for cooperation in a hostile world. Lexy recommends and Justin recommends and . Facebook
info_outline
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the Nostalgia Play: Part II
Movies That Matter
Nicole, Adam, Garret, Justin, and Lexy discuss Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the trend of capitalizing on nostalgia in movies. In part II, we discuss what we term "legacy sequels" or the sequel that comes decades afer the original. We explore whether the audiences are demanding these sequels or if the studios are pushing them. Facebook
info_outline
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the Nostalgia Play: Part I
Movies That Matter
Nicole, Adam, Garret, Justin, and Lexy discuss Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the trend of capitalizing on nostalgia in movies. In part I, we discuss the movie in comparison to the original. We mostly enjoyed the movied but found the script lacking. Stay tuned for part II where we dive into selling audiences nostalgia and IP. Facebook
info_outline
IF and Coping Through Imagination
Movies That Matter
Garret and Nicole discuss IF and how imaginary friends, and imagination in general, can help get us through the dark times. Unlike most critics, we both liked the movie and its exploration of coping through loss, lonelieness, aging, and the other trials life throws our ways. Yes. There's a lot of crying. Garret recommends self care and Dr. Seuss. Nicole recommends Drop Dead Fred and Hadestown. Facebook
info_outline
I Saw The TV Glow and the Beauty of Allegory
Movies That Matter
Stacy and Nicole discuss I Saw The TV Glow and the beauty of using allegory to tell a trans story. Stacy relates to the suffocation of suburbia where Nicole enjoys a unique story told in a unique way. While enjoying the movie for different reasons, we discuss our alternate views on the ending. We discuss the setting of the late 90s and the understanding of transgenderism in that time period for mainstream suburbia. Nicole recommends Philosphy Tube's Stacy recommends getting out into nature. Facebook
info_outline
Challengers and Bringing Sexy Back
Movies That Matter
Lexy and Nicole discuss Challengers and the dearth of fun sexiness in movies and tv. We disagree on the craft and entertaiment value of the film. We talk about how flirtiness and light-hearted sexy times have gone out of style and why people might want it back. Lexy recommends Joy Ride. Nicole recommends The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic. Facebook
info_outline
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and the Rules of War
Movies That Matter
Justin and Nicole discuss The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and how we think about the morality of war. We find the movie entertaining but technically not particularly adept. We talk about the morality of war in general and of the world wars tackling what it means to have rules of war. Justin recommends and . Nicole recommends Brooklyn 99 and Who Killed the Video Store. Facebook
info_outline
Civil War and Photojournalism
Movies That Matter
Adam and Nicole discuss Civil War and the movie's meditation on war photojournalism. We appreciated all the technical aspects of the movie, editing, cinematography, soundtrack, and sound design. All of the elements worked together to create a nuanced, almost meditative view on the role of photojournalism in war reporting. The movie tackles the inherent contradiction in taking a great photo of something horrific. Adam recommends and . Nicole recommends . Facebook
info_outline
2024 Oscar Show: Design and Animated Awards
Movies That Matter
Nicole, Lexy, and Stacy tackle the Oscars covering costume, production design, song and animated films. We share our thoughts on the nominees and the films we saw in 2023. Facebook
info_outlineAdam and Lexy discuss The Exorcist: Believer and whether being possessed by the devil still carries the same scare factor as it did when the original movie was made. Both hosts find the new movie fails to make good use of a legacy character and falls flat in the scare factor. We discuss if possession by the devil remains a timely fear versus other forms of possession. We find a known factor makes the fear much more unlikely.
Adam recommends author Ashley Herring Blake. Lexy recommends Buttermilk by Sam.