I'm The Host

Undead. They’re all the same. They’re pushy and whiny and they're all only after ONE thing… Or at least that’s the case with this week’s movies: 2001’s Kairo (Pulse) and 1985’s Return of the Living Dead! Coming in late due to a brief bout with morbidity, host Blake takes us on a roller coaster of emotions, from depressive dread to freewheeling terror, as we compare two movies about two groups of young adults coming to terms with death, life, and everything in between. Grab your duct tape and an pickaxe: we've got some choppin' to do! EPISODE LINKS YouTube - Kairo [Pulse] (2001) trailer YouTube - Pulse (2006) trailer  IMDb - Kiyoshi Kurosawa YouTube - Cure trailer YouTube - Tokyo Sonata (2008) trailer YouTube - Kairo - OST Track 1 NowIKnow.com - Nuclear Shadows Riverfront Times - “UMSL's Short-Sighted Plan to Demolish a St. Louis Landmark: Incarnate Word Convent” YouTube - Eraserhead (1977) (industrial setting) YouTube - It Follows (2014) trailer Wikipedia - Hikikomori Wikipedia - Eden of the East Wikipedia

Welcome back class. This week your homework assignment was Arthur (1981) and Weekend at Bernie's (1989), where we'll be discussing what methods make your characters more sympathetic, or less. One film takes what should be a group of unlikable leads and makes us empathize with them, while the other left Ally cheering for the quasi-villain. We'll also be looking at strong women, bad unnecessary sequels, and still more adventures in late capitalism.  EPISODE LINKS YouTube - Arthur (1981) trailer YouTube - Weekend at Bernie’s trailer YouTube - Weekend at Bernie’s 2 trailer YouTube - Arthur (2011) trailer YouTube - Arthur 2: On The Rocks (1988) trailer  Wikipedia - You Can’t Take It With You (1938 film) Dailymotion - Fawlty Towers - Kipper and the Corpse YouTube - Office Space (1999) trailer YouTube - Clerks (1994) trailer YouTube - Dead Alive (1992) trailer YouTube - Suburban Commando (1991) trailer YouTube - The Mask (1994) trailer  I’m The Host - True Lies (ep. 54) The Film Reroll Podcast - Weekend

Woop Woop! That's the sound of the police! Don't sweat it; as long we all tell the same story, no one's doing time. Just like in The Usual Suspects and Inside Man! With Robin Hoods and charming devils alike on the corkboard, Ally has our forensics team dusting themes of trust, truth, and lies, and the thin, thin lines between them. Here in N.W.A. court, we'll also be discussing the jurisprudence of "no face, no case," "if nobody talks then everybody walks," and other sayings that are likely true because they rhyme. Links for this episode: Bloomberg.com - "Storm Gia Strikes Midwest as Airlines Cancel, Waive Fees" Thrillist - 100 Greatest Movie Props Wikipedia - Knights and Knaves Youtube - John Mulaney The One Thing You Can Never Replace   YouTube - Fight Fight Fight Kiss Kiss Kiss Kate Mara wig contrast pic from Fantastic Four

So, basically... Blake screwed up. My bad. In lieu of a stand-and-deliver episode on cinematic theory (which, evidently, I was unable to stand up and deliver), I'm democratizing the process and giving you all the uncommented-upon side-topics and media that we DID try to discuss before I went and made a mess of things. There's some really interesting stuff in here so please do give it a go: 1) Violence Mike Rugnetta - PBS Idea Channel - Violence Slavoj Žižek - Violence Laura Tanner - Intimate Violence Wikipedia - Scopophobia 2) Anarchy & Power Oliver Thorn - Philosophy Tube - "Intro To Anarchy: Power and Violence" Slavoj Žižek - The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (The Dark Knight) Greg Scorzo - One+One - "Manners and Guilt: Audience Horror in Michael Haneke’s Funny Games remake" 3) Metafiction Eric Taxxon - Unveiling Fiction: Funny Games Daniel Podgorski - The Gemsbok - "Unfamiliar Slasher: How Michael Haneke’s Funny Games Wonderfully Accomplishes the Opposite of Haneke’s Goal" 4) Coda Oliver Thorn - P