Lights Camera Accolade

This is the full release of 2025’s November bonus and spoils the movie Nanook of the North (1922).  This proto-”documentary” helped invent documentaries… and also helped invent faking them. The movie vividly portrays elements of Inuit life as it follows “Nanook” and his “family” through many of their traditions and survival tactics. It ultimately raises several questions about authenticity versus narrative— like did Nanook *actually* solo hunt seven polar bears with just a harpoon? Was the family in danger of freezing to death if they didn’t build the igloo in one hour? ARE THOSE EVEN HIS REAL WIVES? Probably not. Did we have a great time watching it anyway? Absolutely. If you don't want to wait an entire year before listening to our full bonus episodes, consider supporting us on patreon

This episode spoils Cat People (1942) and The Uninvited (1944). It's spooky season once again, meaning another horror double feature! This October we continue our horror journey with a double feature from the 1940s by watching Val Lewton's atmospheric Cat People (1942) and the haunted-house mystery The Uninvited (1944). As horror evolves from shadowy monsters and gothic spectacle into psychological suspense, supernatural mystery, and things lurking just beyond our line of sight, we discover that sometimes the scariest thing is what we can't quite see. If you don't want to wait a year before listening to our full bonus episodes, support us on patreon and get access to monthly bonus content.

This is the full release of 2025’s October bonus and spoils 1931’s Dracula and Frankenstein. It's alive! Or, technically, undead. This episode we spoiled the movies that launched Universal's cinematic Monsters universe which defined what cinematic horror could be. If you don't want to wait an entire year before listening to our full bonus episodes, consider supporting us on Patreon

Abby and Sarah spoil 1945’s La Otra for Hispanic Heritage Month. Deeper into Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema, this film noir drama has some interesting ideas about what to do when you’re fed up with struggling to make ends meet while your twin sister has a wardrobe to die for. Feliz Navidad! If you don't want to wait a year before listening to our full bonus episodes, support us on patreon and get access to monthly themed bonus content.

Sarah and Abby spoil the best picture nominees from the 18th Academy Awards, celebrating movies released in 1945 including: Anchors Aweigh, Mildred Pierce, Spellbound, The Bells of St. Mary's and winner: Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend. We heard you have some postwar trauma in need of treatment. For that, we're going to prescribe a healthy dose of early film noir, some questionable psychiatric therapy, a few raucous song and dance numbers, and a heaping helping of sentimentality. And if none of that works, there's always the bottle. For bonus content find us on Patreon For contacting us about our totally correct takes, reaching out for collaboration, or for fulfilling our Test Pilot/Talk of the Town fanfiction request— you can email us at [email protected]

Full release of 2025’s September bonus and spoils 1933’s La mujer del puerto (The Woman of the Port). The Hays Code would never have approved of the film picked for our first foray into the beginning of Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema. The main character of this movie truly cannot catch a break, and this movie certainly doesn't shy away from taboo subjects and shock value. If you don't want to wait an entire year before listening to our full bonus episodes, consider supporting us on patreon

Spoils 1946’s Brief Encounter for the preview of our August 2026 bonus episode. Abby was merciful for her special Host Choice month episode this year and didn’t force a dusty western. Instead, we were treated to a quiet, tragic romance (emphasis on the tragic) about two married people who find themselves unintentionally falling in love. If you don't want to wait a year before listening to our full bonus episodes, support us on patreon and get access to monthly bonus content.

The full release of 2025’s August bonus spoils the movie Slow West (2015). For Abby’s (not) birthday month, she decided to abuse her power and force us all to make an impossible choice: a choice between two westerns. Some would potentially consider a contemporary western as taking the easy way out-- but the consequences of that decision would weigh heavily on Jake for at least 24 hours after credits rolled. If you don't want to wait an entire year before listening to our full bonus episodes, consider supporting us on patreon

This is a preview of our July bonus episode and spoils 1946’s Lust in the Dust. (And technically the smallest of spoilers for parts of Skinamarink (2022), The Exorcist (1973), and The Conjuring (2013)? If you squint, there’s a connection here. Or maybe we just went on some wild tangents this episode.) For July, we’re focusing on the highest grossing movies of their respective decades. For the 1940s we were treated to one of the most insane movies we’ve watched so far. Despite not passing the Production Code standards and being banned in several regions of the US, this movie still made over $338 million dollars (adjusted for inflation). People really wanted to see this movie. And that might say something about where we were at as a country at the time. Was it popular because of the star-studded cast? The violence? The egregious brown face?? Perhaps all of the above. Enjoy this hot mess of a conversation about a hot mess of a movie. If you don't want to wait a year before listening to our full bonus episodes, support us on patreon and get access to monthly bonus content.

This episode spoils 1944's Best Picture nominees: Gaslight, Double Indemnity, Since You Went Away, Wilson, and winner Going My Way. Yes, that's right. A shorter list than usual. We made it! We're celebrating five, you read it right, five best picture nominees for the 17th Academy Awards. Arguably, all of these movies are searching out an answer to the question 'What do you do in times of uncertainty?' Do you become bitter and cynical? Do you question your sanity? Do you gather your community close? Or do you allegedly rise to the occasion as the subject of an incredibly boring presidential biopic? Find out in our newest episode!