The Hoax
We unpack Hallström’s The Hoax in our True Lies series, exploring how a literary fraud spun out of control through fake documents, method acting, and institutional complicity.
Shattered Glass
We continue our True Lies series with a look at the story of Stephen Glass’s fraudulent stories he made up for The New Republic as portrayed in Billy Ray’s Shattered Glass. The trouble is, it feels like it’s just the third act of the story.
The Informant! • Member Bonus
We unpack Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! in our True Lies series, exploring unreliable narration, innovative voiceover techniques, and how comedy shifts corporate drama.
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
We unpack Marielle Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? in our True Lies series—how stolen voices, forged letters, and desperation collide—powered by Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant.
The Letter
We unpack The Letter in our Bette Davis series: moonlit shadows, Hays Code pressure, colonial privilege, and a letter that turns into leverage.
Sing Street
We wrap up our John Carney’s Streetwise Musicals series with his 2016 film Sing Street, a wonderful story that’s a bit of wish fulfillment for Carney’s own childhood that delivers on all counts, even if it’s full of tropes.
Begin Again
We continue our John Carney’s Streetwise Musicals series with Carney’s first experience working with a bigger budget and Hollywood actors, specifically Kiera Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. Tune in to hear us chat about Begin Again!
Once
We kick off a new series looking at three musicals about musicians in John Carney’s Streetwise Musicals series. First up, his independent breakout success, Once, starring Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová.
Repeat Performance • Member Bonus
It’s time for our December member bonus episode and this month, the members voted to add a holiday film to our film noir series, landing on the Repeat Performance, where a woman is given the chance to relive a year and see if she can fix the mistakes she made.
Night and the City
We return to our Film Noir series with Jules Dassin’s Night and the City, following Richard Widmark’s desperate American hustler as he schemes and double-crosses his way through London’s seedy wrestling underworld.