Episode 46. Don’t You Forget About Me: 2016 Year in Review

2016REVIEWWhat were our favourite movies of 2016? What are your FAQs? And most importantly – is Alex or Andrea the better friend??

EXTRA CREDIT

In Praise of Paul Feig’s Beautiful Male Idiot – Sam Adams article on Paul Feig’s cinematic trope.

Emily Shoichet, Tattoo Artist – Follow the amazing artist and friend of the Faculty through her social channels listed on her website.

Marxism and Literature by Raymond Williams. Andrea erroneously called it “Marxism and Culture” in the episode, but here’s a nice synopsis.

Reel to Real: Race, Sex and Class at the Movies –  bell hooks’ classic collection of essays on film and the importance of representation.

Danse Macabre – Stephen King’s treatise on classic and contemporary horror.

Fast Cars, Clean Bodies – Kristin Ross’ book on post-colonial France.

Generation Multiplex: The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema – Timothy Shary’s analysis on the changing face of film consumption and its impact on the youth who consume it.

LISTEN

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12 thoughts on “Episode 46. Don’t You Forget About Me: 2016 Year in Review

  1. Steve Sick says:

    Excellent episode that was a lot of fun

  2. Michele says:

    I was interested to hear about the big response about the kiss in Jennifer’s Body. I wasn’t offended by your read at all, but did disagree personally as well.

    (First of all, thank you for getting me to watch this movie, because seeing the cover made me not think twice about it after it came out, or anytime I came across it. And it was awesome. And so was your episode.)

    So I’m a (cis, white) bisexual female. In high school, when I was figuring that out, I fucking loathed the girls that got sexual with each other for male attention. It seemed like no girls were actually interested in other girls, and bisexuality was not really a thing… it was just all a big sexy joke to everyone. It was really confusing and frustrating to me, and made me keep quiet about everything until college.

    That was also in the era of Cruel Intentions, and the MTV video awards “best kiss” between Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar (who were both straight characters), and the sensational Britney Spears/Madonna kiss on stage, etc. It was obnoxious, and made me feel Like that’s how people would see me if I was out about it.

    SO I’m always super sensitive about those moments in movies now. And I think that was the sort of “titillating trailer scene” you guys were sensing. But the scene actually really resonated with me, and, to me, wasn’t that kind of moment at all.

    I had a bitchy, sexy, pretty popular best friend (while I was none of this things) in high school who I had a crush on/would have totally made out with had I felt comfortable with my sexuality (and had she been bi…) So it REALLY brought me back to that stage of my life… Especially because it seemed like Needy was dealing with similar sexuality questions. (I admit I may have been projecting a little…)

    It felt like a really genuine moment for Needy, as opposed to the terrible, cliche “girls kissing each other for sex appeal.”

    Sorry to pile on the obviously large number of responses about that, but it was cool to hear different perspectives about it!

    • Andrea says:

      Thanks for your comments, Michele! It’s been incredibly gratifying to us to hear from people who read that moment in Jennifer’s Body as genuine and important and not at all like the Cruel Intentions kiss and the Britney/Madonna hullaballoo. JB really is something special!

  3. Weems says:

    I am only 1/3 of the way through this episode so far, so I may have more to contribute after I finish it all, but I wanted to throw out there that your props to Brian Cox made for a literal (and I mean literal as in literal, not literal as in figurative) fist pump while I drove to work. For me, Brian Cox remains the true Hannibal Lechter, but his regular and solid work, from Rob Roy to Autopsy of Jane Doe to 25th Hour to even his Hollywood spots in X-Men and such, makes him a legend in my book, so I’m always glad to hear others with appreciation of his talent as well.

  4. Weems says:

    Dear professors, I’m new to your podcast as of this year, and I admit it’s been one of my few highlights, so thank you for a thoughtful and fun episode. I have some titles to look out for (definitely want to check out Safe Neighborhood) and the responses to past feedback, but also the fun. I follow very few podcasts, as I often find them too messy or self-indulgent (or messily self-indulgent), but yours strikes a wonderful balance of challenging opinions, well-explained insight and dynamic. You two strike a great balance of serious thought and humor, especially in how you two interact, which is why I thought the FoH Newlywed Game seemed fitting to close out the year.

    I’ll just add that I don’t see as much of a resemblance between Andrea and Dana DeLorenzo as I thought the inspiration for the character of Kelly on Ash vs. Evil Dead was Andrea Subissati. Obviously, they had to tone down the character, by removing ink and roller derby expertise, because even in a show like Ash vs. Evil Dead there are concerns about verisimilitude, and who could believe someone with all of Kelly’s kick-ass nature AND ink to boot could actually exist?!?

    Thanks for the great show. I’m looking forward greatly to the The Descent episode, as it’s one I’ve been thinking of in terms of the evolution of the Final Girl trope. I look forward to February.

  5. If you do ever do an episode for The Neon Demon, you MUST pair it with Starry Eyes. Similar films in ways and a compare and contrast of the two of them, from your perspectives, would be super interesting.

  6. Amy of Darkness says:

    Great to hear ‘The Invitation’ get a shout-out, it blew me away. I need to find more movies that can pair subtlety and gut-punching so skillfully.

    Love the podcasts, keep ’em coming.

  7. Bruce from Missouri says:

    After hearing your take on Ripley, I am curious to hear your take on Sarah Conner from Terminator 2, and TV’s The Sarah Conner Chronicles. She was the hero of those stories while at the same time her entire function was to be the mother of the hero of the future.

  8. Jesse says:

    Great EP as always – what’s that snazzy outro song?

  9. Eric+Rae says:

    Yeeees! I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House! I think I’m still the only person I know who’s seen it, and I loved it! Such a masterclass in tension and subtlety. I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only one who has not only seen it, but enjoyed it. I know it’s dumb, but I always feel validated when one of you likes something I think was a good movie.

  10. Eric+Rae says:

    The behind the scenes moments show the level of performativity in this podcast. I love it.

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