The Film Theorists

What films wowed us and what disappointed us in 2022? What's coming for 2023? Chloe and Steve talk about what we've been watching lately and why all horror fans should get the Shudder app. What was each of our Top 5 films of the year? One of us has a horror film as their favorite film of the year and the other doesn't even have a horror film in their top 3. What are your favorites of '22 and most anticipated films of '23? Tune in to find out ours.

Chloe and Steve just can't help it! We had two comedy episodes last time but now we're back to our first love: horror! Alex Garland's provocative third film, Men, and David Cronenberg's return to body horror, Crimes of the Future, are discussed in detail. Yup, we both agree on the success (or failure) of Jordan Peele's Nope. We also agree on William Brent Bell's attempt at a prequel to 2009's Orphan. And did Bodies Bodies Bodies, which was lit in a lot of scenes by cell phone camera light, work?  Steve laments about amateur film critic crutches like "pacing", "gorgeous cinematography", and "likeable" or "relatable" characters and unfilmic podcasts that discuss a particular film in detail for an hour and never once mention the name of the director. Chloe gushes about Stranger Things!  Bitchin' !! 00:00-20:00 : Intro 20:00-34:00 : Men 34:00-48:00 : Crimes of the future 48:00-1:11:00 : Bodies Bodies Bodies 1:11:00-1:20:00 : Nope 1:20:00-1:39:00 : Orphan: First Kill 1:39:00-2:13:00 : Stranger Things 2:13:00-2:21:56 : Outro

Doing a podcast is no different than riding a bicycle. It's just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.   In Part 2, Chloe and Steve continue our Comedy categories discussion and go in-depth on Airplane!, the 1980 zany, surrealist spoof comedy film written and directed by brothers David and Jerry Zucker and their childhood friend Jim Abrahams.  Can racial humor be funny and not racist?  One of us calls this the greatest comedy of all time, and the other says they only laughed once.  Passengers certain to die! Airline negligent! There's a sale at Penney's!

Surely you can't be serious! Our multi-part examination of Comedy. What makes Chloe and Steve laugh? We catch you up on what we've been up to, including an Oscar discussion and why Will Smith is starring in the next Jackass film.  What is comedy? Comedy sub-genres, types of comedy, and categories of comedy films are analyzed. Also our Top 6 (why six? Why not?) favorite "comedies" loosely defined of all time. In Part 1, we do some comedy genre discussion and go in-depth on Edgar Wright's underappreciated2010 adaptation of the Bryan Lee O'Malley graphic novel Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, the comedy subgenre traversing romantic comic super hero fantasy satire. And stop calling me Shirley!

Our scary Horror sequel! Chloe and Steve discuss the Korean Netflix series Squid Game, A Quiet Place Part 2, and Halloween Kills. Also, we offer film analysis, talk feminist theory, and discuss gender representation in Leigh Janiak's Netflix film series Fear Street Parts 1, 2, and 3 and French auteur Julie Ducournau's two bizarre body horror films, 2016's Raw and 2021's Titane, the latter which won the Palme D'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. What is the Bechdel Test? Who is Alison Bechdel and why is she so important to how we portray women in film? What's up with Geena Davis and why does she have an Institute named after her?  Be afraid. Be very afraid. You have been warned! 00:00 intro 19:45 feminist film  37:15 squid game 01:15:45 raw/titane/julie ducournau  01:42:57 halloween movie series  01:51:37 fear street films  02:23:26 a quiet place part 2 02:56:48 outro

HAPPY HALLOWEEN SEASON!!! Finally, our long-awaited, amped-up HORROR episode!!! Chloe and Steve discuss their personal horror history, horror definitions, subgenres, and genre films through the decades. German expressionism and the silent era, Universal monsters, Gothic, Hitchcock, and the sci-fi and horror boom of the 50's are discussed. Who is Carol Clover and Laura Mulvey and why should every true horror fan and film nerd read their work? Why are Psycho, The Exorcist, Jaws, Halloween, Alien, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Babadook important to the genre? Spielberg, Hooper, Carpenter, Depalma, Scott, Craven, Polanski, Kubrick, Miner, Aster, Eggers, and Jennifer Kent are talked about. Feminism, Final Girl, and Male Gaze are analyzed within the genre. Newer films like James Wan's Malignant and the newer Halloween films are reviewed. One of us is not a fan of The Blair Witch Project and the other thinks The Conjuring is overrated. One of us gives The Exorcist two thumbs down and the other calls it the greatest horror film ever made. A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part 2 are analyzed. Tune in to our horror extravaganza. It's a scary one. You have been warned! Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 10:21 Our personal history with horror 19:23 Horror genres/subgenres/horror through the ages 53:20 History of horror and cinema 1:18:14 Continuation of horror through the years (80s and up) 2:01:04 Recent watches (Malignant, Blair witch project) 2:39:20 Winding up + outro

Our in-depth Japanese anime/manga episode! Chloe and Steve discuss the record-breaking anime film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train, and its anime series. Death Note, Attack on Titan, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Parasyte, and Haikyuu!! are discussed. Is Cowboy Bebop the greatest anime series ever? Is Tanjiro, the protagonist in Demon Slayer, gay? How does Japanese manga/anime compare to American comic books and animation/cartoons?  Male gaze,  expressionism, Japanese collaboration and culture, and a comparison between Demon Slayer and Christopher Nolan's Inception are made. What is a vocaloid? Who is BABYMETAL? Find out in this action-packed episode! Timestamps 00:00 Weird intro that Steve did/Demon Slayer theme song 09:07 Anime/Manga definitions/history 22:40 Japanese culture/Vocaloids/BABYMETAL 30:01 Ratings/Target Audience/Genre  41:25 Death Note discussion 52:43 Attack On Titan discussion 58:33 Little interjection about Bo Burnham INSIDE/8th Grade 1:09:24 Cowboy Bebop discussion 1:13:55 Parasyte Discussion 1:19:33 Haikyuu!! Discussion 1:22:37 Demon Slay discussion 2:04:14 Talk of the next episode/general talk/outro 2:09:50 BABYMETAL Gimme Chocolate 

Chloe and Steve discuss the new Adam Wingard-directed Godzilla vs Kong, including Godzilla/Gojira and King Kong film history, themes, and how the new film compares. What is the difference between Film Criticism, Film Analysis, and Film Theory? Auteur Theory, Queer Theory, diversity, and the "real" Hollow Earth theory are discussed. Who is Pauline Kael and why should every budding film critic and student read her? Find out in this official first episode.

Two film enthusiasts, Steve and Chloe, talk about their favorite film experiences while going off on tangents in this first episode of the Film Theorists.