
In Part 8 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid reflect on the hustle culture of the mid-2010s and how criticism of the grindset began to appear in the biggest indie hits of 2014.Letterboxd: Nightcrawler, 2014, directed by Dan GilroyYouTube: Nightcrawler trailerYouTube: Nightcrawler fake Craigslist promoLetterboxd: Whiplash, 2014, directed by Damien ChazelleLetterboxd: Boyhood, 2014, directed by Richard Linklater
May 7
1 hr

In Part 7 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid criticize the framing of the post-recession years as a recovery, examine the trend of dystopian inequality genre films, and debate the true meaning of one of the biggest films of the decade.Topics and films mentioned:Letterboxd: Elysium, 2013, directed by Neill BlomkampLetterboxd: Snowpiercer, 2013, directed by Bong Joon HoYouTube: Snowpiercer trailerLetterboxd: The Purge, 2013, directed by James DeMonacoYouTube: The Purge trailerLetterboxd: The Wolf of Wall Street, 2013, directed by Martin ScorseseYouTube: The Wolf of Wall Street trailerLetterboxd: Spring Breakers, 2013, directed by Harmony Korine
Jan 4
1 hr 20 min

In Part 6 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid find our first realistic depiction of working-class people in an unexpected place and a wave of films critiquing the establishment, but lacking depth.Topics and films mentioned:Letterboxd: Step Up: Revolution, 2012, directed by Scott SpeerYouTube: Step Up: Revolution trailerLetterboxd: Arbitrage, 2012, directed by Nicholas JareckiYouTube: Arbitrage trailerLetterboxd: Les Misérables, 2012, directed by Tom HooperYouTube: Les Misérables trailerYouTube: "Do You Hear the People Sing?" song from Les MisérablesLetterboxd: Magic Mike, 2012, directed by Steven SoderberghYouTube: Magic Mike trailerLetterboxd: The Hunger Games, 2012, directed by Gary RossYouTube: The Hunger Games trailerRoger Ebert: The Hunger Games reviewThe Guardian: "From Fortnite to Love Island: how the ‘fight to the death’ defines our times" article
Jul 6, 2025
1 hr 19 min

In Part 5 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid see the beginnings of systemic criticism start to appear in film against the backdrop of the Occupy movement and global civil unrest.Topics and films mentioned: Wikipedia: Occupy Wall Street Wikipedia: Occupy Movement Mojo: 2011 Worldwide Box Office Letterboxd: The Intouchables, 2011, directed by Éric Toledano & Olivier Nakache YouTube: The Intouchables trailer Wikipedia: The Intouchables Letterboxd: Horrible Bosses, 2011, directed by Seth Gordon YouTube: Horrible Bosses trailer Wikipedia: Horrible Bosses Letterboxd: Tower Heist, 2011, directed by Brett Ratner Letterboxd: In Time, 2011, directed by Andrew Niccol YouTube: In Time international trailer Wikipedia: In Time Letterboxd: Gattaca, 1997, directed by Andrew Niccol Image: Citroen DS 1955 Letterboxd: Margin Call, 2011, directed by J.C. Chandor YouTube: Margin Call trailer Wikipedia: Margin Call Letterboxd: A Most Violent Year, 2014, directed by J.C. Chandor Limitless, 2011, directed by Neil Burger We Bought a Zoo, 2011, directed by Cameron Crowe
Mar 2, 2025
1 hr 16 min

Recounting the Cri$i$, Part 4: The Social Network, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (+ films of 2010)
In Part 4 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid explore the initial takes that attempted to explain the cause of the crisis through film.
Topics and films mentioned:
The Big Short (Book)
The Inside Job, 2010, directed by Charles Ferguson
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, 2010, directed by Oliver Stone
David Byrne
Platoon, Natural Born Killers, Wall Street (Films of Oliver Stone)
Neoliberalism, neoclassical economics, & crisis theory
Moral hazard
The Social Network, 2010, directed by David Fincher
Pirates of the Silicon Valley, 1999, directed by Martyn Burke
Wikipedia of The Social Network - Claim that it inspired people
The Town, 2010, directed by Ben Affleck
YouTube: Male Weepies by Broey Deschanel
Wall Street review by Peter Bradshaw
True Grit, 2010, directed by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Nov 9, 2024
1 hr 17 min

In Part 3 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid explore what layoffs, bailouts, and defaults meant for movies in the year immediately after the crisis.
Topics and films mentioned:
Up in the Air, 2009, directed by Jason Reitman
Trailer: Up in the Air
Poster: Up in the Air
Network, 1976, directed by Sidney Lumet
The Devil Wears Prada, The Pursuit of Happyness, Slumdog Millionaire
Bonnie and Clyde, 1967, directed by Arthur Penn
The Dark Knight, 2008, directed by Christopher Nolan
The Bank Job, 2008, directed by Roger Donaldson
The International, 2009, directed by Tom Tykwer
Public Enemies, 2009, directed by Michael Mann
Drag Me to Hell, 2009, directed by Sam Raimi
The Evil Dead, 1981, Evil Dead II, 1987, directed by Sam Raimi
Aug 29, 2024
47 min

In Part 2 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid pick up in the midst of the Crisis of 2008 to examine the films that hit it big that year and discover why those films thrived in the chaos.
Topics and films mentioned:
Wikipedia: 2007–2008 financial crisis
Slumdog Millionaire, 2008, directed by Danny Boyle
Trailer: Slumdog Millionaire
Poster #1: Slumdog Millionaire
Poster #2: Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire: Music from the Motion Picture
Wikipedia: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Wikipedia: Cool Britannia
Star Wars, Braveheart, The Matrix, The Hunger Games
The Devil Wears Prada, 2006, directed by David Frankel
The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006, directed by Gabriele Muccino
The Dark Knight, 2008, directed by Christopher Nolan
Iron Man, 2008, directed by Jon Favreau
WALL·E, 2008, directed by Andrew Stanton
Oh, Bloody Life, 1984, directed by Péter Bacsó
Aug 9, 2024
49 min

In Part 1 of this season on movies and The Great Recession, Tori and Dávid establish a baseline for comparison by examining movies embraced by the masses just before The Financial Crisis.
Topics and films mentioned:
Hell or High Water, 2016, directed by David Mackenzie
The Big Short, 2015, directed by Adam McKay
The Deer Hunter, 1978, directed by Michael Cimino
Kelly's Heroes, 1970, directed by Brian G. Hutton
M*A*S*H, 1970, directed by Robert Altman
The Devil Wears Prada, 2006, directed by David Frankel
Wikipedia: Critical response to The Devil Wears Prada
Rotten Tomatoes: Review of The Devil Wears Prada
The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006, directed by Gabriele Muccino
Wikipedia: Critical response to The Pursuit of Happyness
Rotten Tomatoes: Review of The Pursuit of Happyness
The Guardian: Peter Bradshaw review of The Pursuit of Happyness
The New York Times: Manohla Dargis review of The Pursuit of Happyness
Crash, 2004, directed by Paul Haggis
The Aviator, 2004, directed by Martin Scorsese
V for Vendetta, 2005, directed by James McTeigue
Flight Club, 1999, directed by David Fincher
Office Space, 1999, directed by Mike Judge
Clockwatchers, 1997, directed by Jill Sprecher
May 18, 2024
1 hr 12 min

In this final part of this season on "Patter", Tori quizzes Dávid on the way that gangsters, film noir, and hardboiled detectives speak in movies. They also cover how "screwball" and other types of comedy of the 30s and 40s influenced this style of speaking and how it evolved through the 60s and beyond.
Topics and films mentioned:
The Marx Brothers & Groucho Marx
The Big Sleep, 1946, directed by Howard Hawks
Screwball comedy
His Girl Friday, 1940, directed by Howard Hawks
Bringing up Baby, 1938, directed by Howard Hawks
Sweet Smell of Success, 1957, directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Frank Sinatra & The Rat Pack
Neo-Noir
Chinatown, 1974, directed by Roman Polanski
The Godfather, 1972, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Martin Scorsese
The Pubic Enemy, 1931, directed by William A. Wellman
Scarface, 1932, directed by Howard Hawks
The Maltese Falcon, 1941, directed by John Huston
Double Indemnity, 1944, directed by Billy Wilder
Detour, 1945, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Kiss of Death, 1947, directed by Henry Hathaway
Pickup on South Street, 1953, directed by Samuel Fuller
Little Caesar, 1931, directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Patter online dictionaries:
"Jargon" from "Loose Shadows Stories"
"The Lingo of Film Noir" from Nancy Friedman
Feb 24, 2024
38 min

In Part 1 (of 2) of this season on "Patter", Tori and Dávid discuss the way that gangsters, hardboiled detectives, and tough guys talk in the movies of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and how it changed over time.
Topics and films mentioned:
Little Caesar, 1931, directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Scarface, 1932, directed by Howard Hawks
The Maltese Falcon, 1941, directed by John Huston
The Big Sleep, 1946, directed by Howard Hawks
Pickup on South Street, 1953, directed by Samuel Fuller
The Public Enemy, 1931, directed by William A. Wellman
Frank Sinatra & The Rat Pack
The Hays Code (The Motion Picture Production Code) - Original Text
Martin Scorsese
Double Indemnity, 1944, directed by Billy Wilder
Leslie Nielsen & The Naked Gun, 1988
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, 1982, directed by Carl Reiner
The Cheap Detective, 1978, directed by Robert Moore
Murder by Death, 1976, directed by Robert Moore
Philip Marlowe
Film Noir & Hardboiled
48 Hrs., 1982, directed by Walter Hill
Die Hard, 1988, directed by John McTiernan
Lethal Weapon, 1987, directed by Richard Donner
Dirty Harry, 1971, directed by Don Siegel
WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)
Arnold Schwarzenegger, (Quote is from Commando)
Raymond Chandler & Dashiell Hammett
Columbo, TV Series, 1971-1978
Chinatown, 1974, directed by Roman Polanski
Murder, My Sweet, 1944, directed by Edward Dmytryk
Detour, 1945, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Jan 27, 2024
58 min
Load more
