FFR 274: Barbarella

We wanted to return to the melodrama well as we approach the end of our season on camp, and Douglas Sirk's 1955 romance All That Heaven Allows was a beautiful choice. Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson fall in love across social lines, and the decision about whether or not to be together could be the most important choice they ever make. We love the stunning craft on display in this film, and debate whether melodrama fits within the category of camp.Writer and cultural critic Emily St. James returns to the podcast to discuss it with us, and we talk about her new book Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, America's Most Beloved Holiday Film.Discussed in this episode: Emily's Strange Days episode of FFR, Body Language by Meg Howrey, Midcentury Christmas by Sarah ArcherFind Emily: Her upcoming novel Beth March Returns from the Dead and her previous novel Woodworking, her newsletter Episodes, and Podcast Like It's the 2000sFind Kat:katexmachina.substack.comletterboxd.com/katexmachinaFind AC:letterboxd.com/aclambertyinstagram.com/aclambertyFind Us:Our WebsiteSubscribe to FFR on Apple PodcastsTwitterInstagramLetterboxdbsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

Sometimes you have a good time at the movies, even when the movie is bad! Spielberg's latest alien caper fits right in to our conversation about camp. This year we've had new movies that check several of the boxes on our Sontag rubric, from the aesthetic expression of I Love Boosters to the tongue-in-cheek humor of Stop! That! Train! and the dated earnestness of Disclosure Day.Discussed in this episode: Voyagers by Meg CharltonFind Kat:katexmachina.substack.comletterboxd.com/katexmachinaFind AC:letterboxd.com/aclambertyinstagram.com/aclambertyFind Us:Our WebsiteSubscribe to FFR on Apple PodcastsTwitterInstagramLetterboxdbsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

Manipulation! Cultural creation! Our perspectives on the new documentary (?) from Lance Oppenheim and Nathan Fielder have changed several times since the recording of this episode. Spoilers ahead in our conversation about how this movie works, and Kat's hare-brained theory about it.Discussed in this episode: Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson, 2016), Close-up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990)Find Kat:katexmachina.substack.comletterboxd.com/katexmachinaFind A.C.:letterboxd.com/aclambertyinstagram.com/aclambertyFind Us:Our WebsiteSubscribe to FFR on Apple PodcastsTwitterInstagramLetterboxdbsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

It was tough to pick which Baz Luhrmann movie to include in our Summer "Camp" season, but ultimately went back to the beginning, with his 1992 filmmaking debut. And right out the gate, his style is already so well-defined. Throwing sequined spaghetti at the walls, he combines classic sports movie tropes with mockumentary and melodrama to make something that lets you completely in on the joke and still wins you over at the end.Discussed in this episode: Baz waylaid by a TikToker, the comedic figure skating docuseries I Have Nothing, "Tan with You" from RPDR S7, Baz DJingFind Kat:katexmachina.substack.comletterboxd.com/katexmachinaFind A.C.:letterboxd.com/aclambertyinstagram.com/aclambertyFind Us:Our WebsiteSubscribe to FFR on Apple PodcastsTwitterInstagramLetterboxdbsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

In which Kat mistakenly says "Joan Collins" a bunch of times, instead of Joan Crawford. We knew that our Summer "Camp" series needed to include a hagsploitation film. So we revisited this famously-fraught 1962 psychological thriller starring Crawford and Bette Davis. It's campy, but it's also a darkly serious horror movie, and the play between those tones is super effective.Discussed in this episode:The RuPaul's Drag Race shequel "Wha' Ha' Happened to Baby JJ?"FFR's 2019 episode on this film—Anita, Ebony, and Carolyn discussing child stardom onscreenFind Kat:NEW: katexmachina.substack.comletterboxd.com/katexmachinaFind A.C.:letterboxd.com/aclambertyinstagram.com/aclambertyFind Us:Our WebsiteSubscribe to FFR on Apple PodcastsTwitterInstagramLetterboxdbsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

We're halfway through our season of Summer "Camp," and it was a treat to revisit Paul Verhoeven's controversial camp classic Showgirls. The full episode is a special bonus for upper-level Patreon supporters, but also available as a one-off purchase for non-subscribers. Listen to the full episode HERE.Find Kat:NEW: katexmachina.substack.comletterboxd.com/katexmachinabsky.app/profile/katexmachina.bsky.socialtwitter.com/kat_ex_machinaFind A.C.:letterboxd.com/aclambertyinstagram.com/aclambertyFind Us:Our WebsiteSubscribe to FFR on Apple PodcastsTwitterInstagramLetterboxdbsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

In the canon of "camp" cinema, there are so many examples of movies that are queer-coded, so we wanted to make sure we focused on a textually-gay example of the genre. Nothing nails it better than Jamie Babbit's 1999 satire But I'm a Cheerleader. Natasha Lyonne stars in this portrait of a conversion therapy camp that uses stylistic exaggeration to remind us that policing of heteronormativity is something we all grew up with. Discussed in this episode: Chasing Chasing Amy Gay panic on Kath & Kim The documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated Ivy Nelson's essay about Polly Pocket imagery in this film for Bright Wall/Dark Room Lucas Hedges hanging out with Tommy Dorfman in those huge boots Find Kat: katexmachina.substack.com letterboxd.com/katexmachina bsky.app/profile/katexmachina.bsky.social twitter.com/kat_ex_machina Find A.C.: letterboxd.com/aclamberty instagram.com/aclamberty Find Us: Our Website Subscribe to FFR on Apple Podcasts Twitter Instagram Letterboxd NEW: bsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

This season's focus on "camp" cinema had to bring us to Joel Schumacher's 1995 film Batman Forever. From Val Kilmer's rubber nipples to Jim Carrey's unsanctioned buffoonery, there's so much of an aesthetic sensibility that it's a perfect example of superhero camp. AC had never seen this movie before, and his life could have been so different if he'd grown up with it. Plus, Kat comes up with a game about all the awards that this movie lost. What do you think? Should we do another episode so AC can watch Batman & Robin? Discussed in this episode: Our episode from last year's "Musical Mayhem" season about Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera (2004) Find Kat: NEW: katexmachina.substack.com letterboxd.com/katexmachina bsky.app/profile/katexmachina.bsky.social twitter.com/kat_ex_machina Find A.C.: letterboxd.com/aclamberty instagram.com/aclamberty Find Us: Our Website Subscribe to FFR on Apple Podcasts Twitter Instagram Letterboxd NEW: bsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

One question we wanted to ask in our Summer "Camp" season was: does a remake add or remove layers of camp? Especially when it's one of John Waters' best-known films that's moved to the mainstream with a musical adaptation turned Hollywood. Does the overall cartoonishness of Tracy Turnblad's world flatten all of the story's core messages about society? We tied ourselves in knots talking about it... and of course, the casting choice of John Travolta. Discussed in this episode: @jencapella's Hollywood Handsome Man Chart Find Kat: NEW: katexmachina.substack.com letterboxd.com/katexmachina bsky.app/profile/katexmachina.bsky.social twitter.com/kat_ex_machina Find A.C.: letterboxd.com/aclamberty instagram.com/aclamberty Find Us: Our Website Subscribe to FFR on Apple Podcasts Twitter Instagram Letterboxd NEW: bsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social

Welcome to our new season: Summer "Camp"! What better film to kick off these episodes with than Roger Vadim's 1968 space romp Barbarella. It's a perfect example of a movie that succeeds in its aesthetic endeavors, but isn't enough of a good sum of its parts to be considered well-made. What we can't deny is that none of it works without Jane Fonda's commitment to the optimistic naïveté of the character. We also talk about the difficulty of appreciating a film that had a troubled production, often affecting lead actresses. And A.C. poses the question: could Sydney Sweeney (potentially starring in a Barbarella remake) ever be camp? Find Kat: NEW: katexmachina.substack.com letterboxd.com/katexmachina bsky.app/profile/katexmachina.bsky.social twitter.com/kat_ex_machina Find A.C.: letterboxd.com/aclamberty instagram.com/aclamberty Find Us: Our Website Subscribe to FFR on Apple Podcasts Twitter Instagram Letterboxd NEW: bsky.app/profile/femfreq.bsky.social