Red Rose Film Club
Each episode, hosts Hal and Craig break down a film and examine its component parts from a leftist perspective. Red Rose Film Club is a movie podcasts for leftists of all stripes that don't know what to talk about at parties other than movies and politics!
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Libertarias (1996) | The Anarchists Fight for Spain
06/16/2025
Libertarias (1996) | The Anarchists Fight for Spain
After a hiatus, we are back! And we're finishing our series on the Spanish Civil War. We watched the 1996 film Libertarias (dir. Vicente Aranda) about the Free Women of Spain, an all-female column of anarchist resistance fighters who fought on the frontline of the Spanish Civil War. We discuss the Catholic Church and its role in the revolution and how anarchism rose from leftist movements in Spain. Discussion also includes: Our recent watches: including THE SURFER (2024), FRIENDSHIP (2024), FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINE (2025), THE ACCOUNTANT 2 (2025), DANGEROUS ANIMALS (2025), BRING HER BACK (2025), LA HAINE (1996), MORVERN CALLER (2002), and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953); Craig brought some fun props to discuss; The recent mass shooting at Florida State University by a white a supremacist; And the complete failure (but done with a lot of enthusiasm and sparkle) that was the 1906 assassination attempt of King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow We were recently on the Load Bearing Beams podcast with Matt and Laci and we discussed AMERICAN PSYCHO! Check it ou here: .
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Raza (1942) | Franco Goes to Hollywood!
03/30/2025
Raza (1942) | Franco Goes to Hollywood!
The 1942 film RAZA is a Spanish propaganda film written by THE Fascist Supreme himself Francisco Franco, showcasing the rise of Spain's Nationalist Movement through the eyes of a single family. RAZA checks all the boxes of fascist propaganda: an obsession with a "noble death" in the name of empire, ahistorical interpretations of rival political movements, and absolute terrible filmmaking. We discussed Franco's forray into film as well as: What qualifies as propaganda; Recent viewings: THE MONKEY (2025), BLACK BAG (2025), and PINK NARCISSUS (1971); Wrestling talk, including John Cena's recent heel turn; ICE disappearing protestors; Craig's embarassing encounter with Catholicism and its rituals. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow
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Pan's Labyrinth (2006) | Franco, Fascism, & Fantasy
03/08/2025
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) | Franco, Fascism, & Fantasy
We start a three episode series discussing movies that depict the Spanish Civil War and Francisco Franco's fascist rule in Spain. First up is Guillermo Del Toro's 2006 fantasy Pan's Labyrinth. Discussion includes: Recent watches: Wolf Man (2025), Heart Eyes (2025), Presence (2024), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954), Let's Start a Cult (2024), and The Tarnished Angels (1957); The brave people in federal government resisting Trump and Elon's fascist takeover; The beauty of resistance and fantasy as an escape from political upheaval; And how many characters in Mel Gibson's new film FLIGHT RISK talk about pooping themselves? Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES Mercedes Penalba-Sotorrio’s chapter “Of Fascist Heroes and Martyrs: Death and Violence in the Falanage Espanola” in the 2021 book The Crucible of Francoism: Combat, Violence, and Ideology in the Spanish Civil War Michael Parenti’s 1997 book Blackshirts & Reds: Rational Fascism & the Overthrow of Communism and his 2007 essay “Fascism the Real Story” Hugh Thomas’ 1961 book The Spanish Civil War The University of Warwick’s illustrated timeline of the Spanish Civil War:
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show (w/guest Indie Sinclair)| Hot Patootie, Bless Our Community
02/11/2025
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (w/guest Indie Sinclair)| Hot Patootie, Bless Our Community
For our fiftieth episode, we welcomed burlesque and sideshow performer extraordinaire Indie Sinclair to discuss THE cult film of all cult films: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. We discuss the film's lasting legacy and the community its builr over the last fifty years. Discussion also includes: This year's Oscar nominations; The passing of David Lynch; Indie Sinclair gives us some behind the scenes views of hosting Rocky Horror midnight screenings; And our comfort movies. Find Indie Sinclair online: Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES & LINKS:
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Hairspray (1988) | Integration, Suburbia, and Music
01/19/2025
Hairspray (1988) | Integration, Suburbia, and Music
In our first episode of 2025, we discuss the Godfather of Filth John Waters and his rollicking 1988 film about integration in Baltimore: Hairspray. Discussion also includes: Other recent watches: NOSFERATU (Robert Eggers), THE LAST SHOWGIRL (Gia Coppola), FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! (Russ Meyer), and ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (Don Siegel); Farm labor in Florida; Craig's New Year's Resolution Watchlist; Lots of Coppola talk: Francis, Gia, Sofia, and Nic! Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES & LINKS:
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2024 in Review!
12/22/2024
2024 in Review!
It's the end of the year, so it's our end of the year wrap-up special! Hal and Craig discuss their favorite new movies of 2024, as well as some of their favorite first time watches! Discussion also includes: A new entry in Hal's favorite sub-genre: NUN movies! Kendrick Lamar's new album "GNX"; Shotime's excellent series Yellowjackets; Quentin Tarantino's book Cinema Speculation (and his unfotunate blaccent) Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow
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Reagan (2024) | Well....This Movie Sucks
11/26/2024
Reagan (2024) | Well....This Movie Sucks
We did one of Craig's favorite kind of episodes: making Hal watch a terrible conservative movie! This time, we watched Sean McNamara's 2024 film, and shameless hagiography, REAGAN. Discussion also includes: Recent watches: CONCLAVE (2024), HERETIC (2024), ANORA (2024), KAMIKAZE HEARTS (1986), ALTERED STATES (1980), and THE NIGHT PORTER (1975) Matt Gaetz nomination for (and subsequent withdrawal) Attorney General Alex Jones losing Infowars to the Onion Is notorious Republican monster Dana Rohrbacher actually a cool surfer guy? (no) Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES & LINKS: Debord’s the Society of the Spectacle on Marxists.org:
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Candyman (2021) | America's Legacy of Violence Against Black Bodies
11/09/2024
Candyman (2021) | America's Legacy of Violence Against Black Bodies
Spooky season concludes with Nia DaCosta's 2021 sequel Candyman. We discuss America's legacy of violence against black bodies and the undue burden put on black artists to represent black pain "the right way". Discussions also include: Our two-year pod-iversary. Hal's book club reading of D.H. Lawrence's WOMEN IN LOVE; Craig saw Damien Leone's Christmastime masterpiece: TERRIFIER 3; How Candyman builds on the original film, while staking its own place in horror history. NOTE: We recorded this episode on November 5th, just three days before the news of Tony Todd's untimely passing. Rest in peace to horror icon Tony Todd. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES & LINKS: Amendment 4 financial impact statement: Stop Cop City ballot measure: Kara Walker: Kara Walker:
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Vote YES ON 4 for Reproductive Justice in Florida!
10/30/2024
Vote YES ON 4 for Reproductive Justice in Florida!
We had a delay recording our next episode. So in lieu of a new episode (coming soon, but after the election...), here's Hal encouraging you to VOTE YES ON 4 for REPRODUCTIVE JUSTIVE in Florida. John Wilson affidavit:
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The People Under the Stairs (1991) | Slumlords, Gentrification, and the Gimp Daddy-ing of America
10/26/2024
The People Under the Stairs (1991) | Slumlords, Gentrification, and the Gimp Daddy-ing of America
Spooky season continues and Hal and Craig watched Wes Craven's 1991 horror-comedy The People Under the Stairs. We discuss how the economic policies of Ronald Reagan (and his putrid Wormtongue Milton Friedman) led to our current housing crisis. Discussion also includes: Our favorite Wes Craven films; The bombing of the Al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza and Palestinian martyr Shaban Al-Dalou; Some books we're reading: "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein and "When the Clock Broke" by John Ganz; Other recent viewings including "The Apprentice", "The Substance", and "Wolfs"; and Ving Rhames' all-time great lines. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links
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Society (1989) | The Shunting of America's Poor
10/13/2024
Society (1989) | The Shunting of America's Poor
We start spooky season by discussing Brian Yuzna's 1989 body-horror satire SOCIETY. We use this film (where a man's face emerges from his own butthole) to have a serious discussion about Reaganomics and how America subsidizes the rich at the expense of the poor. Discussion also includes: Our other recent watches: The Substance, Rebel Ridge, Blink Twice, and Oddity; Feeling collective despair over the recent climate disasters in Florida; Hal's trip to the High Museum in Atlanta; The Batman and Robin of hating poor people: Ronald Reagan and Milton Friedman; and Some of our other favorite body horror films and gags. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Jared on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links Hal's Art Discussion Links: Titus Kaphar A Puzzled Revolution 2021: Nina Chanel Abney: Catfish 2017: Nabil Kanso's America series:
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Salò, or 120 Days of Sodom (1975) | Fascism & Italian Filmmakers (w/ guest Jared O'Connor)
09/22/2024
Salò, or 120 Days of Sodom (1975) | Fascism & Italian Filmmakers (w/ guest Jared O'Connor)
For the final episode in our series on Fascism and Italian Filmmakers, we watched Pier Paolo Pasolini's controversial 1975 film SALO, OR 120 DAYS OF SODOM, and discuss the depravity of 1940s fascist Italy. (TW: this film, and our discussion of it, features graphic depictions of sexual assault and human degradation). Discussion also includes: How does Paosolini define fascism; Fascism and Nietzche; Salò as both atrocious and sublime; Art that is antithetical to capitalism. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Jared on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links Gideon Bachmann. 1975. “Pasolini and the Marquis de Sade” originally published in Sight & Sound; included as part of the Criterion DVD Roland Barthes. 1971. “The Life of Sade.” H. James Burgwyn. 2018. Mussolini and the Salo Republic, 1943-1945: The Failure of Puppet Regime. Springer. Naomi Green. “Breaking the Rules” included as part of the Criterion DVD Mario Sznajder. 2002. “Nietzsche, Mussolini, and Italian Fascism” in Nietzsche, Godfather of Fascism? On the Uses and Abuses of a Philosophy. Princeton University Press. Fabio Vighi. 2007. “Liberation Hurts: Violence, Masochism and AntiCapitalism According to Pasolini” Italian Studies, 62:1, 61-77
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The Conformist (1970) | Fascism and Italian Filmmakers
09/08/2024
The Conformist (1970) | Fascism and Italian Filmmakers
It's the second episode in our series about fascism and Italian filmmakers. This time, we watched Bernardo Bertolucci's THE CONFORMIST. We discussed the fascist desire for "normalcy" and the fascist's urge to supress their sexuality. Discussion also includes: Tallahassee Film Fest; Ecuadorian AG attempts to blame leftists for a cartel assassination; Terrible A.I. in ALIEN: ROMULUS; and Why does Nic Cage look like Miss Piggy in the new horror film LONGLEGS? Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources and Links Escape from Freedom (1941) by Erich Fromm Gramsci, Antonio. (1921) “The Two Fascisms” Italian Fascism: Its Origins and Development (1982) by Alexander J. De Grande Fascism, Vulnerability, and the Escape from Freedom: Readings to Repair Democracy (2022) by C. Jon Delogu The Anatomy of Fascism (2004) by Robert Paxton McLaughlin, Neil. 1996. “Nazism, Nationalism, and the Sociology of Emotions: Escape from Freedom Revisited” in Sociological Theory 14(3): 241-261. https://www.intercept.com.br/2024/08/29/ecuador-us-backed-prosecutor-attacks-left/
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The Damned (1969) | Fascism and Italian Filmmakers
08/25/2024
The Damned (1969) | Fascism and Italian Filmmakers
We begin a new three episode series on Italian filmmakers and their depictions of fascism. We start with Luchino Visconti's 1969 film THE DAMNED about an industrialist German family and the depravity they engage in as they navigate a working relationship with the ascendant Third Reich. Discussion also includes: Homosexuality during the rise of the Nazis; The United Auto Workers who are suing Trump and Elon; Alachua County's efforts to divest from corporate interests; The Alien franchise and why it's great. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources and Links Robert Beachy’s 2010 article “The German Invention of Homosexuality” in the Journal of Modern History Samuel Clowes Huneke’s 2019 article “Death Wish: Suicide and Stereotype in the Gay Discourses of Imperial and Weimar Germany” in New German Critique Susan Sontag’s 1989s chapter “Fascinating Fascism” from Under the Sign of Saturn Erich Fromm’s 1964 article “Creators and Destroyers” in The Saturday Review Eleanor Hancock’s 1998 article “'Only the Real, the True, the Masculine Held Its Value": Ernst Rohm, Masculinity, and Male Homosexuality” in Journal of the History of Sexuality. https://uaw.org/uaw-files-federal-labor-charges-against-donald-trump-and-elon-musk-for-attempting-to-intimidate-and-threaten-workers/
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The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) | A Revolutionary Journey
08/03/2024
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) | A Revolutionary Journey
For our final episode discussing films about Ernest "Che" Guevara, we watched Walter Salles 2004 film The Motorcycle Diaries, an acount of Guevara's eye-opening journey through South America that inspired the revolutionary ideals Che would soon bring to all of Latin America. Also: Other recent watches: Love Lies Bleeding (2024), Dune II (2024), Bones and All (2022), Jodorowsky's Dune (2013), and RATS! (2024); Packing the supreme court; Craig celebrates a personal achievement! Vanguardism and its importance to a revolution. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links by John Lee Anderson by Ernesto Guevara https://thefilmstage.com/claire-denis-ryusuke-hamaguchi-kiyoshi-kurosawa-christian-petzold-apichatpong-weerasethakul-more-sign-demand-for-ceasefire-in-gaza/
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Che: Part Two (2008) | A Revolutionary Death
07/14/2024
Che: Part Two (2008) | A Revolutionary Death
Hal and Craig watched Steven Soderbergh's Che: Part Two (2008), chronicling Che Guevara's time fighting in the Bolivian Revolution and his eventual capture and execution. Discussion also includes: Craig's recent trip to Chicago (lots of Cubs and White Sox talk!); The Black Panther Cubs and Fred Hampton's legacy of community action; Hal's letterboxd list of ; Our recent movie watches: IN A VIOLENT NATURE (2024), MARAT/SADE (1967), SLAVE PLAY. NOT A MOVIE. A PLAY. (2024); Why the Bolivian Revolution failed, where the Cuban Revolution did not. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links by John Lee Anderson by Ernesto Guevara Season 2 by Ernesto Guevara by Amy Taubin by Jeremy Scahill Blasier, Cole. 1967. “Studies of Social Revolution: Origins in Mexico, Bolivia, and Cuba.” Latin American Research Review 2(3): 28-64. Dominguez, Jorge I. and Christopher N. Mitchell. 1977. “The Roads Not Taken: Institutionalization and Political Parties in Cuba and Bolivia. Comparative Politics. 9(2): 173-195. Eckstein, Susan. 1985. “Revolutions and the Restructuring of National Economies: The Latin American Experience.” Comparative Politics. 17(4): 473-494. Wickham-Crowley, Timothy P. 1992. Guerillas & Revolution in Latin America: A Comparative Study of Insurgents and Regimes Since 1956.
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Che: Part One (2008) | The Politics of Revolution
06/30/2024
Che: Part One (2008) | The Politics of Revolution
Hal and Craig watch Steven Soderbergh's Che: Part One (2008), chronicling the life of Argentine Revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his time leading guerilla fighters in the Cuban Revolution. Discussions also include: Kendrick Lamar's Pop-Out Concert; Yorgos Lanthimos' new film KINDS OF KINDNESS; Paul Schrader and his sad, broken men; Hal breaks down some troubling new legislation regarding SNAP benefits and food access; Book talk! (TENDER IS THE FLESH by Augustina Bazterrica & WHEN THE CLOCK BROKE by John Ganz) Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links by John Lee Anderson by Ernesto Guevara Season 2 by Ernesto Guevara by Amy Taubin
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The Death of Stalin (2017) | The Reds, White, and Blue: Film and the Fear of a Communist Menace
05/27/2024
The Death of Stalin (2017) | The Reds, White, and Blue: Film and the Fear of a Communist Menace
It's the final episode of our series The Reds, White, and Blue, looking at films about the red scare and a fear of a communist menace. This time, Hal & Craig watched Armando Iannucci's (Veep, In the Loop) satire "The Death of Stalin". We discuss Stalinism, how it diverges from Leninism, and whether or not the film is an effective satire. Discussions also include: Some new movies we've been watching: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, The Last Stop in Yuma County, Monkey Man, and Unfrosted; The recent tornados that swept through the American southeast; A look at last year's anti-union legislation passed in Florida; and What makes effective satire? GoFundMe to Support Railroad Square Business affected by the May 10th Tornados: Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links More info on Stalinism & Communism: Wheatcroft, Stephen G. “Understanding Stalinism: A Reply.” Europe-Asia Studies 58, no. 7 (2006): 1141–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20451292. Fitzpatrick, Sheila. “New Perspectives on Stalinism.” The Russian Review 45, no. 4 (1986): 357–73. https://doi.org/10.2307/130466. Reichman, Henry. “Reconsidering ‘Stalinism.’” Theory and Society 17, no. 1 (1988): 57–89. . Matt Zoller Seitz review of "Unfrosted":
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) | The Reds, White, and Blue: Film and the Fear of a Communist Menace
05/05/2024
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) | The Reds, White, and Blue: Film and the Fear of a Communist Menace
We continue our series on the Red Scare with Phillip Kaufman's 1978 adaptation of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" starring Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum. In our previous episode, we discussed the machinations of the Red Scare, and in this episode we talk about the paranoia and lives ruined in the wake of the Communist Panic. Discussion also include: The Kendrick Lamar v. Drake beef; The continued crackdown on Pro-Palestenian college protests; Irving Adler, a communist math teacher, who stared down the House Un-American Activities Committee; Weird right-wingers finally found the cure for wokeness: Sydney Sweeney. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links Jenkins, J. Craig, and Craig M. Eckert. "Channeling black insurgency: Elite patronage and professional social movement organizations in the development of the black movement." American Sociological Review (1986): 812-829.
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962) | The Reds, White, and Blue: Film and the Fear of a Communist Menace
04/14/2024
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) | The Reds, White, and Blue: Film and the Fear of a Communist Menace
In this episode, Hal & Craig discuss John Frankenheimer's 1962 political thriller THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, and Janet Leigh and the cynical, political use of a vague Communist Menace. We discuss the history of the Red Scare, the legacy of McCarthyism, and the lives upended in its wake. Discussion also includes: Craig finally watched Hal's favorite movie: THE DEVILS; Our favorite right-wing moron, Steven Crowder, is still having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day!; Good news on Florida's terrible Don't Say Gay Bill; We read (and laugh at) Armond White's 2023 Better-Than List. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES & LINKS McCarthyism and the Big Lie by Milton Howard (1953): Last issue (January 1958) of the Communist Party’s Daily Worker newspaper: Info on the McCarran Act: McCarthy:
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BlackKklansman (2018) | w/guests Daniel Harper and Jack Graham of the I Don't Speak German podcast
03/31/2024
BlackKklansman (2018) | w/guests Daniel Harper and Jack Graham of the I Don't Speak German podcast
We welcome Daniel Harper and Jack Graham, co-hosts of the excellent anti-fascist podcast I Don't Speak German. We watched Spike Lee's incendiary 2018 thriller BlackKklansman. We discuss the history of the Ku Klux Klan, Hollywood's complicity in its rise, and Spike's reckoning with making a quasi pro-police film. Discussion also includes: David Duke's bizarre diet and exercise regiment; We discuss the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Virginia and Daniel and Jack give us an update on the rally's most notorious nazi dorks; The harrowing sound editing of Jonathan Glazer's THE ZONE OF INTEREST; and Can there be a movie about cops that isn't copaganda? Daniel's Patreon - Jack's Patreon - Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter/X: RRFC Podcast: I Don't Speak German Podcast: Hal: Craig: Daniel: Jack: Follow the RRFC Follow Follow Sources & Links
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Earth Mama (2023) | Using Child Protective Services to police poor, minority communities.
03/17/2024
Earth Mama (2023) | Using Child Protective Services to police poor, minority communities.
Hal & Craig watched EARTH MAMA, the debut feature from writer-director Savanah Leaf. Discussions include The United States history of using Child Protective Services to police low-income and black Americans The OSCARS (we talk OPPENHEIMER, Lily Gladstone vs. Emma Stone, and Jonathan Glazer) We celebrate Hal's birthday by discussin their favorite directors; Our favorite films from A24 Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES & LINKS "Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism" by Patricia Hill Collins: "About CAPTA: A Legsilative History": "Child Protective Service Workers Share Their 'Secret Truths That Haunt'”:
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Matewan (1987) | Waging War on the Working Class
03/03/2024
Matewan (1987) | Waging War on the Working Class
Hal & Craig watched John Sayles 1987 film Matewan. The film, starring Chris Cooper and James Earl Jones, tells the true story of the fight between West Virginia coal miners and union busters whose tactics grow increasingly more violent. Discussions also include: Aaron Bushnell and his remarkable protest against Palestinian genocide; Hal's new obsession THE FLOOR, the Rob Lowe hosted game show; Our recent watches: Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu the Vampyre, Barry Lyndon, and The Lighthouse; Anti-union violence and America's history of union busting. Follow us online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow Sources & Links
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How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) | The Logistics of High Risk Activism
02/19/2024
How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022) | The Logistics of High Risk Activism
Hal and Craig discuss high-risk activism and the 2022 thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline (dir. Daniel Goldhaber). We also discuss: The end of the Vince McMahon era of professional wrestling; The Insane Clown Posse (WHOOP! WHOOP!) and their fight against the FBI; The misogyny of the police, as seen in Netflix's AMERICAN NIGHTMARE; Jonathan Glazer's new film THE ZONE OF INTEREST; and The effects of successful high-risk activism. Follow us Online! Follow us on Twitter at Follow our Follow Hal on Twitter at Follow Craig on Twitter at Follow Follow SOURCES & LINKS “Alabama Rising” Anarchist Black Cross Federation () Arkansas 2020 Uprising Repression links: How to Provide Support to Political Prisoners: Gundelach, Peter and Jonas Toubøl; HIGH- AND LOW-RISK ACTIVISM: DIFFERENTIAL PARTICIPATION IN A REFUGEE SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT. Mobilization: An International Quarterly 1 June 2019; 24 (2): 199–220. doi: McAdam, Doug. "Recruitment to high-risk activism: The case of freedom summer." American journal of sociology 92.1 (1986): 64-90. McAdam, Doug, and Ronnelle Paulsen. “Specifying the Relationship Between Social Ties and Activism.” American Journal of Sociology, vol. 99, no. 3, 1993, pp. 640–67. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2781286. Nepstad, Sharon, Christian Smith; Rethinking Recruitment to High-Risk/Cost Activism: The Case of Nicaragua Exchange. Mobilization: An International Quarterly 1 April 1999; 4 (1): 25–40. doi: “Struggle for Power: The Ongoing Persecution of Black Movement by the U.S. Government” Zwerman, Gilda, and Patricia G. Steinhoff. 2005. “When Activists Ask for Trouble: State-Dissident Interactions and the New Left Cycle of Resistance in the United States and Japan.” Pp. 85-107in Repression and Mobilization: Social Movements, Protest, and Contention, edited by Christian Davenport, Hank Johnston, and Carol Mueller. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Gilda Zwerman, Patricia Steinhoff; The Remains of the Movement: The Role of Legal Support Networks in Leaving Violence While Sustaining Movement Identity. Mobilization: An International Quarterly 1 February 2012; 17 (1): 67–84. doi: Zwerman, Gilda, Patricia G. Steinhoff, and Donatella della Porta. 2000. “Disappearing Social Movements: Clandestinity in the Cycle of New Left Protest in the United States, Japan, Germany, and Italy.” Mobilization 5(1): 83-100. Examples of repression:
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Traffic (2000) | The War on Drugs and Its Machinations
02/03/2024
Traffic (2000) | The War on Drugs and Its Machinations
In this episode, Hal and Craig discuss Steven Soderbergh's Traffic and its perspective on the War on Drugs, as well as our favorite Soderbergh films. Discussion also includes: The new king of hip-hop: Ben Shapiro; Craig accidentally watched a Christian horror movie; Steven Soderbergh at the forefront of new cinematic techniques; Movies with large ensemble casts and multiple plot lines; Our recent film watches, including THE LAST DUEL, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, SOCIETY OF THE SNOW, and THE DAMNED. Follow the Red Rose Film Club: Twitter: Facebook: Follow Craig on Letterboxd: Follow Hal on Letterboxd: Website: SOURCES & LINKS: 1999 UNESCO report “Drug Trafficking in Mexico: A First General Assessment” by sociologist Luis Astorga: Gorrin, Morales-Arilla, and Ricca (2023). “Export side effects of wars on organized crime: The Case of Mexico” Volume 144
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Dragged Across Concrete (2018) - The Conservative Fantasies of S. Craig Zahler
01/14/2024
Dragged Across Concrete (2018) - The Conservative Fantasies of S. Craig Zahler
We wrap up our series on the films of S. Craig Zahler with perhaps is least palatable film DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE. In the 2018 crime thriller, Zahler focuses his increasingly fascistic lense on the issue of........police brutality (oof!). Starring Mel Gibson (double-oof!) and Vince Vaughn, Zahler's brand of gritty celluloid violence goes full-mask off and asks the big questions like: Why can't cops beat up whoever they want? Conversation also includes: Craig complaining about baseball; Hutton Gibson, Mel's nazi-sympathizing, conspiracy-enthusiast father. Joe Biden's renewal of the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act; an We discuss our recent watches including BODY DOUBLE, THANKSGIVING, SALTBURN, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Links & Sources
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2023 in Review!
01/03/2024
2023 in Review!
On this week's episode, we're switching up the format and doing a 2023 Review Show! Hal and Craig list their favorite films and performances of 2023. As well as discussions about their favorite first time watches (of non-2023 films) and favorite non-film media of 2023. And we discuss the not-so-good of 2023 and break down some of our least favorite movies of the year.
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The Battle of Algiers (1966) | African Colonialism and the National Liberation Front
12/20/2023
The Battle of Algiers (1966) | African Colonialism and the National Liberation Front
In this episode, Hal and Craig discuss colonialism by way of Gillo Pontecorvo's 1966 THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, an innovative film that delves into Algeria's National Liberation Front and their bloody battles against French colonizers in the 1950s. Discussions also include: New movie roundup: MAY DECEMBER, SATAN WANTS YOU, and EILEEN; How French colonization depicted in Battle of Algiers is an eerie parallel to America's colonial interests in Iraq and Afghanistan; Alabama's exploitation of the labor of incarcerated people; Elon Musk's doomed efforts to stand down Swedish labor unions; and A really weird garage sale where Craig bought all of Gore Vidal's "Narratives of Empire" books. Sources and Links: Free Alabama Movement blog: Prison Labor practices in Arizona:
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Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) | The Conservative Fantasies of S. Craig Zahler
12/03/2023
Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) | The Conservative Fantasies of S. Craig Zahler
We continue our series examining the films of S. Craig Zahler and their increasingly bizarre depiction of a violent, conservative "uptopia/dystopia". This week we watched BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99, Zahler's attempt at a prison exploitation flick starring Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson, and Udo Kier. Also: We celebrate the death of Henry Kissinger, one of history's greatest villains. Upcoming movies we're geeked for: THE IRON CLAW, THE SWEET EAST, POOR THINGS, and FERRARI. The Daily Wire has released an anti-trans comedy called LADY BALLERS (or based JUWANNA MAN) What makes an exploitation film? Links and Sources: .
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Harlan County, USA (1976) | War on the Working Class
11/21/2023
Harlan County, USA (1976) | War on the Working Class
We're talking labor unions! Hal and Craig watched Barbara Kopple's HARLAN COUNTY, USA, the ground-breaking 1976 documentary chronicling the struggles of coal mine workers in Harlan County, Kentucky as they fight against coal barons, police, and scabs in an effort to join the United Mine Workers of America. Discussions also include: Abortion rights winning at the ballot; Weaponizing the Civil Rights Act against student protestors; A round-up of our recently watched films: The Killer (2023), The Flash (2023), Serial Mom (1994), and The Conformist (1970); and The state of labor unions in Kentucky today; Sources & Links: "The Search for Order 1817-1920" by Robert H. Wiebe (1967) Nyden, Paul. 1978. Rank-and-file organizations and the United Mine Workers of America. The Insurgent Sociologist. 8(2): 25.
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