Dead Beat Film Society

Forget about it Jake, it's the DBFS! Join the DBFS as we discuss Jack Nicholson (with impressions!), Faye Dunaway's alien beauty, John Huston, the infamous Roman Polanski, 11 Academy award nominations, Chinatown neighborhoods, The 2 Jakes sequel, neo-noir, the big reveal, water as a symbol, a civics lesson in urban water rights, the purpose of the nose bandage, separating art from the artist, eyebrows, eerie similarities between this story and real life, trifecta of Hollywood rapists, legally removing an artist from their work, racism, good fashion, the Albacore Club, noir tropes, Jack Nicholson's real life sister/mother, the police used as a tool of the elite to maintain power, surviving the Holocaust, Charles Manson, and replacing Woody Allen with a hologram! So pour a nice tall glass of water and smash play for an in depth Chinatown film analysis! (Special Guest: Sarah Romano Diehl) Click here to checkout Sarah's comics!  

Oi guvnuh wots all this then?! Join the DBFS as we talk werewolves, John Landis too horny, horror comedy movies, Rick Baker special effects, 80's horror flicks, commentary on the 80's economic collapse, US vs. England, werewolves in other cities, otherness, metaphor of monsters, foggy old London town, Jewish commentary, top werewolf movies (or lack thereof), the deleted toast eating scene, his fun zombie friend, the tragic ending, the deviant in polite society, 5 pointed star, feeling like you don't belong, the beast within, lycanthropy mythology, too much face, the famous transformation scene, forgiveness of horror fans, halloween, gore, the porno they made just for this movie, goofy werewolf faces, and tell direcors to stop showing your monster so much for an in depth American Werewolf in London film analysis! Click here to subscribe to Dead Beat Film Society podcast and please leave us a review!  

So apparently the Hess Brothers are really a married couple?! Join the DBFS as we do Napoleon impressions, discuss 2004 culture, numchucks, what has more sway on culture than Citizen Kane, Vote for Pedro, the cutoff period films stop affecting modern culture, the rise of viral internet, ringer shirts, overexposure, midwest fashion, class divide, tots, the Wes Anderson of middle america, punching down, ambiguous time periods (is it 80's? 90's? just Idaho??), a new generation of milennial filmmakers, wrecking the Netflix algorithm, dancing, bikes with pegs, the dark sequel idea, Rex kwon do, the rise of indie culture, subtle realism that makes these characters endearing, wish fullfillment, Lafawnduh, the post credits wedding scene, liger, the original short film, bowstaff skills, and the essential watch cycle. So make yourself a dang quesadilla and hit play for an in depth Napoleon Dynamite film analysis! Click here to subscribe to Dead Beat Film Society podcast and please leave us a review!  

Course it's definitely time for Dead Beats! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss 80's Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman's difficult reputation, autism awareness, Hans Zimmer's first score, best picture winner, the R word, K-Mart sucks, saccharine 80's movies, onscreen representation, selling lambo's on the black market, Kim Peek and the traveling Oscar, the magical autistic stereotype, counting cards, casting people with disabilities, similarities to Coda, character arcs, Barry Levinson, the jewishness, the solid girlfriend character, Qantas Airlines flight record, Tom Cruise's career, method acting, does anyone learn a lesson?, the money raised by this movie, savant syndrome, the airline edit of the film, our pitch for Rain Man 2 and how it could actually be good! Grab 10 fishsticks and hit play for an in depth Rain Man film analysis! (Special Guest: Jews On Film Podcast) Click here to subscribe to Jews On Film podcast!  

Happy 6 year anniversary to the Dead Beats! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we celebrate our Candy Anniversary (6 years) with black licorice and a discussion of Natalie Portman's long and pretty excellent career, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Darren Aronofsky, shakey cam of the early 00's, unreliable narrators, comparisons to Suspiria (or better yet, the lack thereof), the perfectionism in ballet, talent vs. practice, self doubt, co-dependent mother/daughter relationships, Sweet Girl, horror and gore, self harm, computer graphics use, a reimagining of the mothers overbearing character, Little Princess, the symbolism of mirrors, comparison to Showgirls, letting go of reality to make art, the tortured genius, Dave Grohl, the All About Eve replacement trope, and asking "Is Lily real?". So grab some black licorice and smash that play button for an in depth Black Swan film analysis! (Special Guest: Ryan) Click here to subscribe to Dead Beat Film Society podcast and please leave us a review!  

Lemme ask you a question: How do you like them apples? Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss the not yet famous Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Gus Van Sant, serious Robin Williams, the amazing and missed Minnie Driver, the elder Skarsgard, the screenplay, masculinity and the facade, vulnerability, Elliot Smith, my boys wicked smaht, connecting with other people, dudes going to therapy, having a photographic memory, staying with your roots, Southie, Matt Damon went to Harvard, Bennifer, impossible math problems, blue collar vs. white collar, geniuses born without opportunity, debate whether we owe our gifts to help society, comedians in serious roles, Beantown, and the taint that Harvey Weinstein brings to so many great films. So grab a bag of caramels and hit play for an in depth Good Will Hunting film analysis! (Special Guest: Caless Davis) Click here to follow Caless on instagram for sweet film content!  

If you loved the first two men, then boy have I got a film for you! Join the DBFS as we discuss Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, the undefeatable sounds of the zither(!), Vienna's hate for and eventually embrace of this film, watchin it as a silent film, men with women's names, foreign film noir, $20,000 dots, top shelf Columbo, Harry Lime and the possible (dirty?) cockney rhyming slang, post war poverty, distrust and immorality, dutch angles, writing lessons from Graham Greene, Leonardo da Vinci and cuckoo clocks, the improved lines, ferris wheel death threats, murder mysterys with twist endings, the victim being the antihero, the script starting as a sentence on an envelope, our pitch for a samurai version, the five (FIVE!!) season television show, and dreams of a zither/theramin soundtrack. So grab a pack of contraband Tums and hit play for an in depth The Third Man film analysis! (Special Guest: Mychal) Click here to follow Mychal on instagram for sweet film content!  

Them good ol' boys are drinking whiskey and rye singin' this'll be the day that I die! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss fun topics like alcoholism, addiction, codependency, but also Billy Wilder, the theramin, the horror elements, deception, loving an addict, the character change from the book, the sweatiest boy, the world's fakest bat, ways to hide a bottle, the tragic rise and fall of the book's author, failed writers, drinking alone, being in the closet in the 1940's, DT's, pink elephants, Grants tomb (again!), why all the women love this guy, shame spirals, Dumbo getting drunk, the difference between on and off the wagon, lying, cheating and stealing!. So pull up the bottle hanging out your window and hit play for an in depth The Lost Weekend film analysis! (Special Guest: Erica C. Barnett) Click here to pickup Erica's book and here to follow on Twitter!  

Crying while eating is mood! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, the first Japanese Best Animated Film Oscar, the confusing plot, heavy Alice in Wonderland vibes, delicious animated food, our love for the radish spirit, the John Williams of Japan, japanese folklore, nerds & band geeks, our cursory understanding of Shinto religion, possible human trafficking and child prostitution read (what!?), girl boss, the meaning of No Face, greed, anticapitalism, environmentalism, consumerism, other -isms, the power of names, pausing to take a breath, using kindness & compassion (wow what a concept), all the crazy background creatures, and the metaphor of saving the world your parents ruined. So jump in a tub and hit play for an in depth Spirited Away film analysis! (Special Guest: Ollie & Cass) Click here to folllow OLLIE and CASS on social media!  

Seven Samurai? In this economy?! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we talk the best Japanese film of all time, Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, all the remakes and reimaginings, its popularity in Japan, cinematic language, the film firsts, connections to cowboys, Kurosawa and John Ford's relationship, the original Godzilla, anti-samurai commentary, how it changed our guest's life, selling our belongings and moving to Japan, Japanese history and the warring states period, films for western audiences and the genres that translate well, samurai's role in Japanese society, testing the sword, tropes, assembling the team, hero's motivation, US occupation of Japan, guns in Japan, and Kurosawa's way of dealing with budget cuts. So grab a big bowl of millet and hit play for an in depth Seven Samurai film analysis! (Special Guest: Zack Davisson) Click here to checkout all the things Zack has going on!  

I'm sorry is the mom's name Moonchild?! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we talk childhood nostalgia, 1984 again, rewatchability of your favorite movies, the iconic themesong, Falcor the dog dragon, the cruddy puppetry and effects, the 92 minute runtime, watching a horse drown to death, KoRn, the Gmork from Ork, fantasy world building, pick out our favorite weird background creatures, the dads raw egg & OJ breakfast, the duoroboros(sp?), depression and gried, coping with loss, the death of imagination, big ol' swamp turtles and their omnipotent indifference, child actors, Southern Oracle survival strategies, and in the end wishing for revenge instead of bringing your mom back. So cuddle up in your school attic and press play for an in depth The NeverEnding Story film analysis! (Special Guest: Ben Horak) Click here to checkout Ben's Grump Toast comix!  

Shakespeare in live, laugh, love! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss the career of Gwyneth "Goop" Paltrow, the dissappearance of Ralph Fiennes brother, Dame Judi Dench, a better version of James Woods, brittish Ben Affleck, the 1990's, plagues, romcoms, film depictions of writers, Romeo and Juliet hot takes, address the rumors that Shakespeare wasn't a real person, the revitalization of the title Earl of Wessex, the real pronunciation of Shakespeare, John Madden's involvement, the upsetting stick toothbrush, femenist analysis, the importance of the postal service, the historical accuracy of the teal leather jacket, Harvey Weinstein's backroom shenanigans and the dubious Best Picture Oscar win. So gather the troupe and raise the curtains for an in depth Shakespeare In Love film analysis! (Special Guest: Rich Smith) Click here to read The Stranger and here to follow Rich on Twitter!  

It stands for Child Of Deaf Adults! Join the DBFS as we continue a tradition of talking the Best Picture Oscar winner, the Oscars television broadcast and whether people actually watch it, the importance of winning Best Picture, the Will Smith slap (only briefly!), our newly invented "Premiere" award, ASL and sign language in the mainstream, accessibility, coming of age stories, fishing and singing in the same movie(!?), similarities with children of immigrants and the interpreter role they play, deaf people navigating a hearing world, some possible statutory rape(?), the unneeded boyfriend character, similarities to a Hallmark movie, art reacting to the times its made in, and how we need hopeful movies now more than ever. So put on closed captioning and smash that play button for an in depth Coda film analysis! Click here to subscribe to Dead Beat Film Society podcast and please leave us a review!  

We're not happy till you're not happy! Join the DBFS as we discuss Dustin Hoffman's non traditional leading man, Mike Nichols, surprising Spicoli vibes, cougars, identifying with Ben, revisiting it at Mrs. Robinson's age, cute lil Mr.Feeney, quarterlife crisis, Simpsons references, movies that stress you out, anxiety, awkward sex, MILF, the predator/prey dynamic reinforced through costume and set decoration, a possible gay theory, Simon & Garfunkel, Ben's move from awkward to stalker, the sadness behind the ending, malaise, the terrible sequel 'Home School', the generation divide of the 60's and boomers vs. millenials today, Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, and feeling trapped in life without purpose. So grab some parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme cuz we're cooking up an in depth The Graduate film analysis! (Special Guest: Black In The City) Click here to listen and subscribe to Black In The City podcast!  

It truly was a shawshank redemption! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss the number 1 film on IMDb, the Stephen King novella, Morgan Freeman's voice, Tim Robbins, Schindlers List and The Green Mile, the definition of "redemption", jailbreak, Roger Deakins, rehabilitation vs. punishment, the prison industrial complex, Red as the unreliable narrator, the Christ allegory, tax fraud, Andy turning into Red, overthrowing the system, becoming a criminal in prison, the gay subtext, the tragedy of Brooks, no Oscar wins, bombing during its initial theatrical run, watching TNT, and how this is the most American film of all time with an in depth The Shawshank Redemption film analysis! (Special Guest: Find Me In Seattle) Click here to follow Find Me In Seattle on Instagram and here to follow on Twitter!  

Lemme ask you a question: How long is too long? Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss famous Jewish actor Robert DeNiro, the surprisingly great James Woods, Sergio Leone, capital 'F' film, Jewish gangsters, the unreliable narrator, doing opium, graphic rape scenes, unredeemable anti-heroes, our interpretations, the ambiguous ending, essentials of gangster movies, reckoning with art, watching this on a plane, the end of the gangster movie, the treatment of women, the end of the New Hollywood era, how crazy was prohibition?, the different 2 different edits and why this bombed, whether long films should ever exist, unraveling the timeline, Ennio Morricone and the best and worst film of 1984. So pour a glass of that illegal hooch and smash play for an in depth Once Upon A Time In America film analysis! (Special Guest: No Wristbands! podcast) Click here to listen and subscribe to No Wristbands! podcast!  

It's time for the Podcastinator! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss James Cameron's attention to detail, Arnold Schwartzenegger vs. Orson Welles, the 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, low budget practical effects, very 80's hair and music, paranoid fear of A.I., the duty of film critics to be objective, Jonathans 8th grade essay, time travel, sentient robots, Arnie impressions, cyberpunk essence, T2 possibly surpassing this movie, the later sequels and why they're bad, no voiceover(!!), Boston Dynamics robot dogs, gritty 80's action flicks, the chicken and the egg plot, our suggestion for a metaverse sequel, evil corporations as stand-ins for evil robots, and ask Are we still scared of technology? Give me your clothes and hit play for an in depth The Terminator film analysis! (Special Guest: Jonathan Zwickel)  

Double Indemnity? In this economy?! Join the DBFS as we discuss insurance fraud and how to do it, the origins of noir cinema, the dreaded voiceover and why it's necessary here, smoking, so much smoking, all the time with the smoking, dictaphone, sexy anklets, dames and detectives, venetian blinds, snappy 40's dialogue, the clever plot, dumb dumb Walter Neff, Edward G. Robinson, Billy Wilder (real name Sam?!), Law & Order, common men caught up in a life of crime, neo-noir, WWII America, the Hayes Code, the influence of German Expressionism, drive-in beer joints, bowling alone and why you're a serial killer if you do that, the influence on TV shows, and the femme fatale as a strong female character or mysogenistic device to illustrate the downfall of man with an in depth Double Indemnity film analysis! (Special Guest: Brad Holden) Click here to listen and subscribe to Dim Lights & Stiff Drinks podcast!  

The birth of twee! Join the Dead Beat Film Society as we discuss Hal Ashby, Cat Stevens, Bud Cort as rejected Tiger Beat coverboy, ageism, suicide jokes, the visual style, music, line delivery, and heavy themes that clearly influenced Wes Anderson and started an early 00's indie movement, the connection to Fight Club, our feelings about the ending, setup and breakdown of the manic pixie dream girl, the Richard Pryor prequel that almost was, the military uncle from a different movie, drinking mushroom tea, whether its possible to gender swap this film, our recast sequel: Harold & Mom, whether Maude is sexually and emotionally manipulative, another crazy theory- Is Maude a figment of Harold's imagination? Grab another slice of ginger pie and then smash that play button for an in depth Harold and Maude film analysis! (Special Guest: K from Den tapes) Get a cassette from Den Tapes here!