The Smorgasbord

A lot's happened since we've been away. Democracy is hanging by a thread and so are a few celebrities. Tom Cruise is taking the pandemic VERY seriously, Harry Styles is maybe doing some home-wrecking, Armie Hammer's getting kink-shamed, and Kim and Kanye are about to start divvying up assets. Plus, Netflix is about to shove 52 movies down our throats.

The days are getting shorter and darker, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the little things - like comedic genius, Rudy Giuliani contracting Covid, or Elliot Page living his truth. Meanwhile, there might be something even MORE sinister behind the HBO-Warner Bros deal than just the death of theaters, and Taylor Swift goes scorched-earth on her nemesis, Scooter Braun.

Special Guest Frazier Tharpe drops by to discuss Out of Time, the underseen and undervalued tropical noir directed by one of Hollywood's best hired guns. Who knew the fax machine could be so suspensful!

When every news story seems to fit into a theme, you've just got to lean in. So even though it's a topic usually reserved for right wing trolls, "Cancel Culture," or whatever the hell that is, is on the menu. David Fincher is making a series about it, Ellen DeGeneres and Hollywood's least-favorite Chris make their comebacks, a celebrity pastor is fired in disgrace, and we have some warnings to dish out for fans jumping into the Depp-Heard debacle.

Craig and Ryan are playing both sides against the middle in this episode as they discuss Pickup on South Street's fatalistic examination of the Cold War. We discuss casting what-ifs, talk about the distinct look of the film, and ask ourselves the question: can a movie ever truly be apolitical?

It's an important time in America, festers. Election results are in and Clare finally blows up The Bachelorette. Friend of the Pod, Greg Barron, joins to talk about where we go from here as a country, and as Chris Harrison's willing victims.

Craig and Ryan dive into Noirvember with a film about the seedy world of New York gossip columnists and find that Sweet Smell of Success is a great noir that isn't afraid to double down on cynicism

It's all about relationships this week as Ryan breaks up with Netflix and defends Brad Pitt's post-divorce galavanting, while Craig wonders how Kim is reacting to Kanye going full Frankenstein. Plus, a verdict comes down in the Depp-Sun liable suit.

Craig and Ryan take spooky movie month into overdrive with Claire Denis' take on the vampire/cannibal/zombie genre, "Trouble Every Day." It's definitely the most disturbing movie covered on the pod to date, so come ready.

In an episode that was possible more cursed than Camp Crystal Lake (dropped calls, lost files), resident franchise expert, AJ Ryan tries to convince Ryan that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to "Friday the 13th," and taps into the anxieties that transformed horror from otherworldly monsters, to the sinister figures in our own back yard.