The Twin Geeks

Adam Meeks' Union County is a staggering portrait of recovery in the American Heartland. It's the story of Drug Court, a hybrid film utilizing real drug court cases, and real actors, to tell a recovery story about hope, change, and the possibility of rehabilitation. Director Adam Meeks joins the show to discuss his process -- in a riveting and charged conversation about the process of recovery, what it means to make authentic films about the Midwest, and how there is always a solution. Pay close attention to Adam Meeks, an up-and-coming filmmaker working out of Brooklyn, who has created what's poised to be one of the year's most important and essential films.

Friend of the show Chase Hutchinson, of The Seattle Times, Roger Ebert, and freelance critic at large, joins the show to reminisce about his on-the-ground experience at Sundance. We discuss the festival's final tour of Park City, the shift to Colorado, highlight five of the best films Chase saw at the show, along with a collection of further highlights.Watch Homemade Gatorade online

Welcome to Halloween H2OKComputer, in our annual gathering where we celebrate A. The Great Halloween Franchise and B. Radiohead's discography. In this spirited autumnal delight, Calvin & Jesse uncover the 20-year-anniversary film, Halloween H20, analyzing the shifting cultural design of horror in the post-Scream late-'90s, as we dig deep into our trick-or-treat bag of watched horror films for the month of October, and generally chat up waves and shifts in the genre, and examine the last year of horror releases. Happy Halloween from your friends and ghostly foes at The Twin Geeks.

Friend of the show Wyeth Leslie put the call out: Who wants to talk about the 28 Days Later trilogy? Us. Absolutely. In this episode, we compare & contrast 28 Days, Weeks, and Years Later, and try to define the era-specific nature of what each film's zombie story is trying to tell us socially, while also critically addressing why this enduring franchise has created such a sizable footprint, as our most influential and contemporary zombie franchise of note. Each film is a bit different and we investigate the changes and how they fit together, while also looking forward to the two entries yet to come.Read and support Wyeth's essays on Patreon and follow him on BlueSky and Letterboxd

The podcast you like is going to come back in style.Friend of the show Warren Cantrell — of Scene-Stealers & The Playlist — joins The Twin Geeks for an in-person recording on This Is Spinal Tap & Friendship. A landmark classic for mockumentary and satire filmmaking, This Is Spinal Tap is being reissued this July and receiving a sequel within the year. Friendship, the new cringe-comedy from A24, finds internet-famous Tim Robinson sharpening his blades of hyper-specific comedy, while wrapping up the humor he is known for in a more auteur-driven debut by filmmaker Andrew DeYoung.Between these films, we examine the themes of male friendship, what men experienced in the more collectivist group-focused culture of the past and what men now face with modern isolationism, when they turn inward, and realize they still need someone in their circle. Both films are about folks who are holding onto their old ideals for how to get by, ones that no longer serve them, as society and the culture passes them by, and clinging onto old ideas about who they can be. These disparate comedies find intersection in their dry resonance and outward commentary about what it means to exist as a person living outside the mores of social norms, who really just want to be loved and accepted for who they see themselves as, something nobody else can really see about them.Read Calvin's review of Friendship on The Twin Geeks & Warren's review on The Playlist.

The veil has thinned. The leaves have fallen. The pumpkin guts line the garbage bins streetside, where swarms of masked adolescents march in unison in pursuit of sweet confections. The Twin Geeks, now aged 7, continues our annual tradition of Halloween specials with Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) — an inflection point where the now long-running series must either find a new direction or face imminent cancelation. As Fall sets in, the skies fill with darker clouds, and the rain clears the streets, a shadowy figure emerges. It's The Kentucky Gentleman! None other than Jesse Sparks, resident Halloween superfan and Radiohead connoisseur. As is our tradition, we run through the best of the year's horror movies, discuss the next film in our Halloween series, and review Radiohead-adjacent albums. It's 2024's best double-feature this time: two albums from the Radiohead and Sons of Kemet off-shoot band The Smile. The albums are Walls of Eyes and Cutouts. Come join us by the fire and warm up a nice autumnal tea.And suddenly, Halloween was another word for mayhem.

Felicia Maroni (Seeing Faces in Movies) joins the show to discuss the first half of John Cassavetes' filmography: Shadows (1958); Too Late Blues (1961); A Child is Waiting (1963); Faces (1968); Husbands (1970); and Minnie & Moskowicz (1971). When we talk about John Cassavetes, we're talking about the history of American independent movies, from what preceded and influenced the movement, to how the format adapted and was deeply influenced by the style of indie auteurs like Cassavetes. By studying this filmmaking tradition, we can give shape to a whole world of cinema crafted outside the system and trace every step of contemporary productions back to their root source. By working outside the system and against the market, Cassavetes created a new system and a new market. We explore the eccentricities of this improvisational and naturalistic filmmaker who changed movies forever, one Opening Night, one Face, one Husband, one Chinese Bookie, and one Woman Under the Influence at a time. Stay tuned as Felicia will return for the second half of our series, and some of the most influential indie films of all time, next month.

Paul Thomas Anderson's exquisite Phantom Thread (2017) is our New Year's movie of choice, as our friend Renee (follow on LB: Pixie_Bomber) sits in for a discussion that weaves discussions of terrific costume design with subjects who are driven to become experts in their field. Phantom Thread is one of the reasons this site came to exist and we'll always have time for PTA's tightly-wound precision. Meanwhile, George Clooney has directed The Boys in the Boat, the story of the UW rowing team who beat Hitler's team, and Renee has brought her expertise as a former coxswain to weigh in on the new locally-focused movie. All this and more as we enter another year of delightful cinema ahead.

Your Christmas friends Calvin & Perla (follow on LB: pxcaballero) discuss cinema's weightiest Christmas film, Todd Haynes' exceptional Carol (2015). How do we perceive each other, Carol asks, at a perfect remove, characters stand back and observe one another. They take each other in. There is a boldness to let the movie happen, to always place the camera in the right place, having all the costumes right, having the right script, the right actors, the right everything, that goes right all the time. This is an intoxicating holiday concoction where characters hold their spaces on-screen, spaces that are of themselves and for each other. Always watching, standing in the back, perceiving, as we perceive them. Then it all comes together and is simply one of the greatest statements in romantic filmmaking. Carol is the best gift movies have given us for holidays and now we play it back for you. We wish all of our friends a safe and happy holiday season full of good movies and good cheer. Come for the holiday cheer and stay for the in-depth Carol discussion, starting at 41:43.

It's a Thanksgiving special with... The Vvitch, perhaps our best American pilgrim cinema, as we're joined by our friend Warren Cantrell (Scene Stealers & The Playlist). This week, the whole feast is on the table, from comforting to deeply discomforting holiday movies, centering on Robert Eggers' modern classic. All this and reviews of some new films, like Rustin & The Holdovers, with a discussion about Alexander Payne's career and cancelation. There's nothing like Thanksgiving to bring folks together so join us round the table as we discuss one of the most invigorating horror movies in recent memory. Bon appétit.A production of The Twin Geeks | Join our Discord