Episodes
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If you're looking for something different to enjoy tonight, John has a few episode suggestions from one of his favorite anthology works. Twilight Zone is near and dear to his heart and this episodes will give you some expected and wonderfully unexpected spookies as well.
Enjoy!
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October is a fitting time to revisit the chills that formed us. And for John, he eagerly volunteers a favorite Ray Bradbury story turned film. Perhaps the most sinister of the Disney/Touchstone imprint, Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1983 nightmare dream.
Trigger warnings include impossible spiders, blindness, and a carousel you'll love. To death. Watch out for the palm tattoos and the circus sideshow as well. You never quite know who might be parading down your small town main street with them.
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Missing episodes?
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There are some audio issues with this episode, but the love and appreciation for Tim Curry and his voluminous codex of work shines through. Can you guess which major role we didn't get to in time? Perhaps there's more of Tim Curry to come in the future and neither John or Magnus would be sad about that.
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Please note, some audio issues are found in this episode.
While preparing for gay Christmas (aka Halloween), John and Magnus become intrigued with the devil in the details. In the case of the Devil himself in South Park, well- he's not as bad a guy as some would believe. And his torch song is one for the ages.
South Park is an interesting animated feature and overall brand. For some, it's heresy and for others its about a time in their life. But what is true is that South Park is always at its best when it's being truly fearless. And fearless was what this movie was.
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Batman Begins almost defies everything Batman had been on film. Based on a different part of the Batman lineage than any Bat Blockbuster before, it was supposedly a repudiation and a fresh start.
And it is a great movie. Not just a great Batman movie but a movie that changed the landscape of the neo blockbuster. Is it perfect? Is John bothered by the Bat Tumbler? Perhaps. But that's all for you to listen into and judge for yourself.
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It might be the only Batman film that has its own apology tour. One of the most requested episodes John and Magnus have ever done, they break down what went right, what went wrong, and what went very gay for Batman and Robin.
As we told Lady Freeze before we pulled her plug - "This movie isn't nearly as bad as you remember and the critics kept saying it was. Though the toy making influence is heavier than it needs to be."
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Is Batman 89 the perfect Batman film? Might it even be the perfect superhero film? Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, of course, and while beloved - this film is certainly not without controversy.
But what Batman 89 gives to the world is a tie from the past of Batman's noir lore that will give Batman and other heroes the permission to be more than the sum of their comics parts even into the current age.
And with Burton at the helm to work his magic, even Vicki Vale manages to survive in a world that hasn't always been kind to her. Batman 89. A Short for your pleasure.
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Holy camp, Batman! Dare we say in this chaotic, ostentatious version of Gotham City - is this the straightest Batman yet? And what is this in response to? Why is this Batman so different from any other film version?
And is 35 minutes enough to truly understand how we got to this version of Gotham? Both John and Magnus say yes. Start the road trip, it's time for Summer Shorts.
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When you think about teens and pre-teen shows in the 90s, what shows do you think about? Specifically, do you think about the diverse representation of girls in the shows? Do you think about the tropes? Do you think about what new norms they brought to the realms of sci-fi and fantasy?
And do you think about still known mainstays like Ocean Girl? This 1994 ecological epic sits squarely between the Land of the Lost remake and Stargate: SG-1 in terms of fantasy/sci-fi television. And with such a strong female lead makes one wonder - were female tv protagonists in the 90s just better in some ways than the ones we have now? Did they represent more? And what kind of legacy has Ocean Girl left on our watery world?
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As we celebrate Magnus' birthday, it's time to talk about one of the most famous sitcoms of all time with one of the most well-known, self assured, and yet farcical characters of all time. Is Keeping Up Appearances the perfect sitcom? In many ways, yes. But between a premature departure of its main star and fighting between the director and the writer, it could've all gone wrong.
Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet, if you please) has meticulously attempted to craft a world around her. And that meticulous crafting is always subject to going wrong. Especially when her family and friends get involved. But the thing is- with all her affectations and misdirections- Hyacinth who dreams of an upper class British life is a woman you can't help but love. Just a little.
Her son Sheridan feels the same way I'm sure.
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The return of Summer Shorts may be imminent or may be as far away as summer itself. But all that is up to you. Which Batman live action film would you like to talk about the most?
Are you a Bale bat or does Burton's vision of Gotham city still hold your imagination? What about the awakenings you may have gotten from Clooney whose apology tour for his own Batman seems neverending?
The Batscussion is in your hands, listeners. And we are taking your requests.
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Just a quick episode on probably the most iconic movie of the late 90s. It has everything. Homoromanticism, Jared Leto getting beat up, bunk beds in decaying basements, Edward Norton discovering self help groups, and people woefully misunderstanding *the point* of it all.
What are John and Magnus discussing? How about the sexy, gritty, and anti-capitalist Palahniuk/Fincher fever dream known as 99's Fight Club?
It truly is a film about love that dare not speak its name. With great intention. And it may not be about exactly what you believe it is (at least according to John).
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In this episode, John and Magnus tackle two rather big questions. The first is why does Netflix keep cancelling so many shows? At what point have they had too much cake and tried to eat it too?
The other question is whether a style or genre can get in the way of a show becoming something great. Q Force (or Queer Force) is a great example of this. Is it a show about gay underdogs who happen to be spies or is it a show about spycraft where the main cast is mostly gay?
The ten episode season of Q Force doesn't seem to answer that question and leaves a lot of stones unturned. Though there were great moments, did the tone work? Did the sure fire producers and voice casting succeed? And what would've happened if Twink had truly been the main character we deserved?
All good questions and perhaps some answers right here at EiG.
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What's one of the first movies that made you think about film and about your life? What's one of the first films that is intensely intimate for you?
For John, there was no greater film for his birthday month and for a conversation about star-crossed lovers quite like 94/95's Sum of Us. It's a seminal film with young Russell Crowe playing a gay rugby plumber at that age in life where libido is still enough but soon there's so much more.
It's a film that's still prescient and adds a lot to the conversation about both how things are adapted from stage to screen and also what happens when good representation happens. It's a movie about family dynamics and love. It's probably one of the best lgbt films ever made, at least in John's opinion.
And it's the sum of us.
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It's a funny thing what streaming services give and take away. And this coming of age story from the 1993 wouldn't have been a success nor had its longevity without living in a pre-streaming world where syndication made it a household favorite. Do you think Sister Act 2 would've survived making less money than its predecessor with less accolades from the critics?
Truth be told, and you can't lie to nuns, Sister Act 2 is a movie about legacy (on and off the screen), about community, and about what happens when nuns stop being pious and start getting real. Or something like that.
Join in for a celebration about the movie that launched a thousand careers, a lot of choirs in Japan, and that is probably Whoopi Goldberg's most consistently asked about film.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, lah.
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This episode goes places. Like, scary places. That's what raatmas when Raatma raatmas.
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But it might not be the 90s you expect. What show would you say focuses on two long lost lovers meeting again after years and lifetimes apart? What if John and Magnus told you it was on the BBC? What if John and Magnus told you it was in the top 30 of Britain's Best Sitcoms?
As Time Goes By is an exquisite sitcom. It has a vintage feel and its filled with loveliness and conversation. Even the misunderstandings are talked about. And truly as a platform to introduce Judi Dench to the nation did it succeed. If you haven't seen it, it'll be on Britbox. And you are welcome for nine series of fun and warmth (the tenth series isn't really a full final season).
And in thanks for you being a loyal listener, John and Magnus have something special planned for after the wrap-up in thanks for you being so patient in delivery of this episode. So please do stick around.
Music is "Fill the Beat Chilled Wave" from Pixabay, royalty free music.
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It may seem improbable that one of the most influential ill-fated queer love stories of generations happened in Wyoming. But the vistas, the silence, the things unsaid - made it the perfect place for Brokeback Mountain.
Not just at the height of Ang Lee's directorial power (though John enjoys another of his movie's quite a bit more), with a cast of many actors still going strong - Brokeback Mountain is the sort of movie to redefine several genres while making sense in the compendium of American pop culture history (especially westerns).
We didn't know how to quit it, so we had to make an episode about it. Be warned though, the movie itself is harrowing and brutal in spots, so whatever trigger warning you need - the movie is real and honest and violent at points.
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You've probably lived your whole life seeing It's A Wonderful Life during the winter holidays. It's a schmaltzy movie about a man who a town rallies around with some edges of a raw psyche where Jimmy Stewart really does explore the darker side of post-war America (this episode is explicit because of the darker themes).
But it's not about the movie. It's about how it wormed its way into pop culture and especially tv pop culture. In this season finale, John and Magnus examine three episodes heavily influenced by It's A Wonderful Life
Season 5 of Boy Meets World's "A Very Topanga Christmas"
Season 8 of Family Matters "Father Time"
and Season 2 of Growing Pains "The Kid"
to examine how sitcoms use both the holidays and familiar film tropes as shorthand to tell moral tales with no wiggle rooms that sometimes miss the mark of their own message.
So grab your favorite holiday beverage, tune in, and try not to cringe too hard when John means to say It's a Wonderful Life and starts to say It's A Small World instead. There was a lot of eggnog imbibed during the recording of this episode- so thank you for your patience.
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For the longest time, it was the second highest grossing holiday film ever. An adaptation of an adaptation with a high list comedic powerhouse at its helm and Ron Howard in the directing chair, The Grinch 2000 could've fallen flat on its face.
But as John and Magnus discuss, it is a rather complex tale about power, othering, consumerism, and even the trauma that goes along with being insightful. From great casting (even outside of the Grinchian makeup chair) to thoughtful live action techniques to the joy of Christine Baranski's Martha May Whovier - the Grinch is a classic that could be on rotation year round.
And it's a fever dream John and Magnus wouldn't have any other way.
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