The Media Morgue

On August 14, 2024, Gena Rowlands passed away. Her storied career spanned the stage and screen alike over seven decades—but it's her collaborations with actor-director-husband John Cassavetes that remain some of her most legendary. On this episode, Dan leads Wes and Justin through two of his favorite selections: Opening Night (1977) and Gloria (1980).  Has Gena Rowlands really gotten her full due for her contributions to the craft? Is Opening Night the greatest movie ever made about acting? Was it necessary to nominate 6-year-old John Adames for a Razzie Award because of his performance in Gloria? Stuff your revolver into a clutch and scrub in, we're gonna find out together! 

Welcome back to the Morgue!  The Morticians are overjoyed to welcome back FOTS Ani Pi for a review of Marvel and DC's silver age summer spectacles. How fantastic is the new casting for Marvel's first family? How superb is the selection for DC's Man of Tomorrow? How many puns will Justin put in this description?  Grab your blue super suits and space baby diapers and scrub in!  [0:00] The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) dir. Matt Shakman [48:24] Superman (2025) dir. James Gunn If you want to hear more from Ani, check out this previous episode!

Welcome back to the Morgue! We have raised up our coffins and returned from the netherrealm of non-podcasting to review the incredibly special cultural and artistic phenomenon that is Ryan Coogler's Sinners with first time guest Marchael Giles. Then we travel back to the 90s to talk about Robert Rodriguez's manic cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn. Which of these two doomed desert watering holes would you rather spend a night in? How cool is George Clooney in this pre-Danny Ocean persona? Is this Michael B. Jordan's best performance yet? And did Quentin really have to write that moment?  As always, you're in for a rich discussion about the reflexive nature of cinema ensues with a healthy mix of tomfoolery. So grab your corn liquor, your crucifix, and your closest blood relative—bonus points if it's your brother. Let's scrub in! TIMESTAMPS [0:00] 'Sinners' (2025) dir. Ryan Coogler [48:10] 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996) dir. Robert Rodriguez

Welcome back to the Morgue! Assembled after a long break, the Morticians tackle one of their most hotly-anticipated releases of the year: LONGLEGS. Did Nic Cage miss his calling as a hair metal singer? How effective is horror for the communication of Oz Perkins’ particular trauma? And then we dip into the deep cerulean underbrush of MANHUNTER, Michael Mann’s third feature and the one that introduced Hannibal Lecter to moviegoers. It’s a double crime thriller doozy, so grab your boxes of dusty files and scrub in! TIMESTAMPS [0:00 - 17:45] Intro & News: Trailer Talk for 'Alien: Romulus', 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice', 'Gladiator II' [18:05 - 58:55] 'Longlegs' (2024) dir. Osgood Perkins [59:15 - 1:22:04] 'Manhunter' (1986) dir. Michael Mann

Happy New Year ya lovely screen-huggin hunks!  For our first episode of 2024, the Morticians took a look back over the pretty stacked year that was 2023 to talk through their favorite performances, directorial debuts, documentaries, and of course those vaunted top 5 lists. Clocking in at close to two hours, there was clearly a lot to talk about. So check your Letterboxd and scrub in! 

Happy New Year from the Morticians!  On the last episode of 2023, the Morticians discuss one of the late entries for best of the year: Todd Haynes's 'May December', and pair it with 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape'--the feature-length debut of legendary Steven Soderbergh. Grab your camcorder and scrub into the new year with us! TIMESTAMPS  [3:40] News! Jonathan Majors's conviction, Rockstar and Insomniac leaks, Melissa Barrera's firing, + other odds 'n' ends [28:10] 'May December' (2023) dir. Todd Haynes  [1:03:40] 'sex, lies, and videotape' (1989)

Welcome back to the Morgue!  Guillermo del Toro: everyone's favorite cinephile tío. Known just as much for the projects he's almost made as the ones he has, few directors are as beloved. On this episode, we take a look at his most recent labor: the 2022 stop-motion retelling of 'Pinocchio', and 2004's 'Hellboy', the comic adaptation that was an introduction to GDT for many of us. How does he use wartime setting and monster iconography to tell fully human stories? Grab your giant revolvers and talking crickets, it's time to scrub in for yet another director double feature. TIMESTAMPS [2:53] News! Trailer Talk for 'The Boys' S4 and 'House of the Dragon' S2; impromptu mini-view of 'Invincible' S2 Part 1 [24:59] 'Pinocchio' (2022) dir. Guillermo del Toro  [56:05] 'Hellboy' (2004) dir. Guillermo del Toro 

In awareness of Native American Heritage Day, visit Osage Nation Foundation to learn more about the powerful tribe depicted in this film. Films about Palestine/by Palestinians! A cinematic resource list curated by friend of the show Amir Moverman. Welcome back to the Morgue!  Martin Scorsese. Whether you love him or hate him, you've heard the man's name. On this episode, we're getting into the thick of his latest opus: Killers of the Flower Moon, alongside an old dark horse in his filmography called After Hours. Examining both these films gave us a chance to look at the themes, questions, and methods that run through the wide gamut of Marty's filmography—but if Killers turns out to be his final work, how excellent an exit would it be? Just in time for Thanksgiving, this is a feast of an episode, so grab your plate and scrub in!  TIMESTAMPS [3:15] News! LOTS of News. 'Creed IV' announcement; Fantastic 4 rumors + more MCU shakeups; Warner Bros. sacking Wil E.; Nathan Fielder's 'The Curse' press tour; 2023 Game Awards; & more [36:00] Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) dir. Martin Scorsese  [1:25:30] After Hours (1985) dir. Martin Scorsese  

Films about Palestine/by Palestinians! A cinematic resource list curated by friend of the show Amir Moverman. Welcome back to the Morgue!  On this episode, we continue to discuss William Friedkin's directorial body by reviewing two of his lesser-known works: Cruising and Sorcerer. One of the pioneers of the New Hollywood movement, we examine how both of these films demonstrate a clear stylistic identity, how Friedkin blended different genres and media to create them, and how the controversy around them at the time of release has changed in the decades since. Grab your leather jackets, color-coded handkerchiefs, and volatile nitroglycerin—time to scrub in!  TIMESTAMPS [1:40] News! SAG & AMPTP reach a deal; the MCU "in crisis"?; GTA 6 trailer announcement [27:05] Cruising (1980) dir. William Friedkin [1:03:18] Sorcerer (1977) dir. William Friedkin  {Recorded 11/11/23}

Welcome back to the Morgue!  For our third "Spooktacular" episode we have left Haddonfield and Michael Myers behind for the latest horror legend to receive the Blumhouse treatment: William Friedkin. With the recent release of Believer, the Morticians unpack the legacy and craft behind what many have called the scariest film ever made as we continue to discuss the merits and mishaps of contemporary genre revivals. Grab your holy water and scrub in!  TIMESTAMPS [0:00] The Morticians' Monster Hunter Draft!  [20:35] The Exorcist: Believer (2023) dir. David Gordon Green  [58:15] The Exorcist (1973) dir. William Friedkin