Steady Diet of Film

#021 Whip It w/ Leah Hart-Landsberg

This week I am delighted to be joined again by Leah Hart-Landsberg to talk about Drew Barrymore's directorial debut Whip It. We discuss why we love seeing movies where teenage girls fight with their moms, the awkward after-movie discussions that come from seeing "chick flicks" with guys and how Kristen Wiig embodies the Joss Whedon adage 'if an actor can do comedy, they can do anything'. Enjoy!

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#020 At the Death House Door w/ Leah Hart-Landsberg

This week we are joined by ministerial candidate Leah Hart-Landsberg to discuss Peter Gilbert's and Steve James's documentary At the Death House Door. After Hart-Landsberg provides some insight into the careful balance a servant of God walks when representing both Faith and Institution. We then explore how making a 'fly on the wall'-style documentary about people whose lives involve social justice issues can be ethically dicey, how we use Faith to prop up our failing institutions and the secret lives of the women behind the ministers.

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#019 I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA w/ Faith Gundran

This week we are joined by animal rights activist Faith Gundran to discuss Matthew Galkin's I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA. After Gundran gives us the lowdown on PETA we get into why the better funded an organization is the more muddled their message becomes, when an animal rights activist can boost their cred as identifying as "not a PETA person" and how hardcore humanitarianism is often a reflection of deep psychological dysfunction. Enjoy!

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#018 Capitalism: A Love Story w/ Martin Hart-Landsberg

This week I am delighted to be discussing Michael Moore's new documentary with economist Martin Hart-Landsberg. After Dr. Hart-Landsberg breaks down the ideas Moore presents Marxist-style, we discuss the historical trend to depict collective organization as spontaneous acts, Michael Moore as an auteur and why more than one Editor on a project gives Erin hives. Enjoy!

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#017 Bright Star w/ Cathy De La Cruz

This week I'm joined by the lovely and talented Cathy De La Cruz to discuss Jane Campion's Bright Star. After we discuss what this 19th century romantic drama has in common with the Pussycat Dolls and the Twilight franchise we go a bit off the map (as was so often the case) when we talk about Fanny Brawne as groupie, movie trailers that make us cry and why Cathy and I fundamentally disagree about pets in movies.

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#016: Jennifer's Body w/ Jessica Lee

On this week's podcast I discuss Karyn Kusana's (Aeon Flux, Girlfight) latest Jennifer's Body with Jessica Lee. Lee is the Queer Youth Organizer at Basic Rights Oregon an organization that, among other things, combats bullying in high schools. 

After we fruitlessly try to understand why no hoodie forged could cover Megan Fox's navel, we delve into contemporary horror films' self-conscious obsession with racial diversity, the curious nature of Diabo Cody's subtext, the exquisite angst-ridden perfection of Hole's "Live Through This" and why it might be racist to seek out nostalgia-tinged entertainment like Whip It or Mad Men. We then take a moment to pay inebriated tribute to Patrick Swayze who passed away the day this episode was recorded.

Thank you for listening!

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#015: The September Issue w/ Kat Asharya

We're back from our TAITR-induced hiatus! This week I'm joined by film-maker/fashion writer Kat Asharya to talk about RJ Cutler's documentary The September Issue. After we discuss the mythology of Anna Wintour being an Ice Queen/Devil Who Wears Prada we get into the secret allure of Grace Coddington, how the design industry is the saving grace (no pun intended) of print media and the perverse influence celebrity and fashion have on each other. Enjoy!

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#014 Inglourious Basterds w/ Aaron Mesh and Chris Stamm

This week I was delighted to be joined by the Willamette Week's film critics Aaron Mesh and Chris Stamm to discuss Quentin Tarantino latest film Inglourious Basterds. After we immediately (and with irrepressible glee) determine this is Tarantino's best film in years, we discuss the splendour of the Jewish revenge fantasy as art film, why Leftists make the best war films and how early reactions to Basterds reflect everything that's wrong with film criticism these days. 

We then have an ad hoc tribute to director John Hughes (Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink) who passed away the day we recorded this episode. Enjoy!

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#013 Sita Sings the Blues w/ Mendi Menefee

This week I'm joined by animator Mendi Menefee to discuss Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues. After we definitively settle the question Is It A Documentary?! we discuss some of the problems that can arise when women depict themselves as victims in their own autobiographies and the film's non-traditional distribution strategy. 

The film is available to download for free (legitmately!) by its Creative Commons License. 

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#011 Bonus interview w/ Andy Blubaugh

When Andy and I reviewed Paris 1919 we had a difficult time staying on track and not geeking out on documentary film. So here are the outtakes wherein we discuss Girl 27, Rivers and Tides, Erin's obsession with Spike Lee's personal life, Andy's affection for Kathryn Bigelow and much more. Enjoy! 

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