Trylove

With Seth Zarate! It’s hard to overstate the importance of NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND to the Japanese animation medium, not least of which because it led to the launch of Studio Ghibli, one of its most influential producers. But it’s maybe more interesting to consider as an ur text for its creator and his proclivities: In a time of conflict between human civilization and the natural world, a strong heroine risks her life to bridge the two and bring balance. If that sounds familiar in the context of Studio Ghibli’s work, it should! On this episode, we discuss seeing the film on an original 1984 print, comparisons to other Studio Ghibli films and Miyazaki’s sprawling Nausicaä manga, the optimism that defines NAUSICAÄ, Seth’s ranking of Ghibli movies, and our favorite little Miyazaki-isms. Then we play a trivia game based on looking at pictures of American actress Halle Berry. Podcasting is immensely difficult work. Find Seth… On Bluesky at snzarate.bsky.social On Letterboxd at @snzarate On Trylove episodes about THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1997), 12 MONKEYS (1995), TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985), A GOOFY MOVIE (1995) Table Read, TIME BANDITS (1981), THE FACULTY (1998), THE SACRIFICE (1986), RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (1995), Horrorthon V: Son of Horrorthon (2021), BATMAN RETURNS (1992), TOKYO GODFATHERS (2003), THE CONVERSATION (1974), IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), LOOPER (2012), ASTEROID CITY/DIAL OF DESTINY/DEAD RECKONING/BARBIE/OPPENHEIMER (2023), THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS (1974), RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota: @sanctuarysupplydepot: Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors https://linktr.ee/sanctuarysupplydepot Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ @mplsmutualaid: Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our neighbors: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid ISAIAH, an interfaith group fighting for racial and economic justice in MN: https://secure.everyaction.com/G8TCnxFlE0qd9zlUEYjjeg2 Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis References: Trylove Episode 133: KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989) (feat. Charlie Mackin) “Gone with the Wind Rider: Shintoism in Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” by Lars Johnson for Perisphere, the Trylon blog ”Don’t Stomp On Bugs” by Noah Frazier for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TheArtofInsurgence80sAnimatedSciFantasy #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro: “Nausicaä's Requiem” by Joe Hisaishi featuring Mai Fujisawa from the NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 368: NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (1984) with Seth Zarate 2:10 - An update on Lucchese-Soto, et al. v. The Criterion Collection, LLC 6:03 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 7:21 - Seth’s thoughts 10:10 - The Hayao Miyazaki ur text 19:06 - Our experiences with NAUSICAÄ 24:00 - Building Nausicaä through the reactions of others 34:41 -  Is the NAUSICAÄ manga Miyazaki’s best work? 40:43 - Seth’s Ghibli ranking 46:32 - Optimism and relationships between worlds in NAUSICAÄ vs. MONONOKE 58:23 - A few of our favorite of Miyazaki’s favorite things 1:09:40 - The Junk Drawer 1:18:04 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1984 1:24:01 - Cody’s Noteys: Plausibly, This is Halle When She Grinned (trivia about Halle Berry photographs)

The Trylon’s series on the black-and-white films of Federico Fellini closes with one of his most popular films: the scandalous LA DOLCE VITA! Celebrity journalist Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni) can’t quite decide between a life of out-and-out hedonism and his more intellectual aspirations, vacillating between caring for his fiancée Jane (Yvonne Furneaux) and courting every pretty woman he meets; between poetic cocktail parties with his refined friend (Alain Cuny) and drunken bacchanalia. This being a three-hour European film, the center can, of course, not hold, bringing Marcello’s self-idolatry to a spiraling, sputtering conclusion. Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota: @sanctuarysupplydepot: Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors https://linktr.ee/sanctuarysupplydepot Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ @mplsmutualaid: Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our neighbors: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid ISAIAH, an interfaith group fighting for racial and economic justice in MN: https://secure.everyaction.com/G8TCnxFlE0qd9zlUEYjjeg2 Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis References: “When in Rome: La Dolce Vita and Life’s Imitation of Art” by Courtney Kowalke for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #FelliniInBlackAndWhite #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro by Nino Rota from the LA DOLCE VITA soundtrack.

It’s almost trite to say Kazuo Hara’s second documentary ‘crosses boundaries,’ since every documentary is on some level about the fact that it’s a documentary — forcing you to consider the author, the subject, and yourself as participants in the documentation. That said, EXTREME PRIVATE EROS: LOVE SONG 1974 is remarkably intimate, covering the years following the director’s breakup with Miyuki Takeda as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. As they both chart new courses in life — him with his new girlfriend and fellow filmmaker, Sachiko Kobayashi; her exploring sexuality, taboo relationships, parenthood, and many forms of self-expression — they remain the shared subject of a film so personal, so volatile, that it’s almost violent. Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota: @sanctuarysupplydepot: Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors https://linktr.ee/sanctuarysupplydepot Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ @mplsmutualaid: Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our neighbors: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid ISAIAH, an interfaith group fighting for racial and economic justice in MN: https://secure.everyaction.com/G8TCnxFlE0qd9zlUEYjjeg2 Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis References: “Okinawa, Baby: Exploration, Exes, & Extreme Private Eros” by Chelli Riddiough for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TheUndiscoveredGeniusOfKazuoHara #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro: “I Gotcha” by Joe Tex as heard in EXTREME PRIVATE EROS: LOVE SONG 1974. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 366: EXTREME PRIVATE EROS: LOVE SONG 1974 (1974) 2:28 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 3:35 - Aaron doesn’t like documentaries 12:51 - The work of Kazuo Hara 19:43 - The “point” of documentaries 24:07 - “Narrativerite” and a sense of “antagonism” 34:25 - Miyuki Takeda 41:35 - “Violence” and the “peaks” that end up on film 48:37 - LOVE SONG 1974 as a breakup movie 56:57 - How Miyuki is presented to the audience 1:05:07 - The Junk Drawer 1:12:23 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1974 1:24:22 - Cody’s Noteys: The House of Champions: 1974 (a bracket to choose the best film of 1974)

Five friends, no motivation, and a dead-end seaside town. Nope, it’s not this podcast! It’s I VITELLONI, Federico Fellini’s proto-slacker dramedy where tension is low and malaise is high. Moraldo’s friend Fausto knocks up Moraldo’s sister Sandra and marries her, sending the tight-knit crew of twentysomethings into a rather uneventful spiral. We discuss Italy’s national identity during a postwar economic boom, how these guys stare actualization in the face and blink, and how many grilled cheeses and PB\&Js the average American eats in their life. Give to these causes in need following ICE’s occupation of Minnesota: @mplsmutualaid: Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our neighbors: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid ISAIAH, an interfaith group fighting for racial and economic justice in MN: https://secure.everyaction.com/G8TCnxFlE0qd9zlUEYjjeg2 Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis Support for Renee Good’s Widow and Family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-renee-goods-wife-and-son References: “Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #FelliniInBlackAndWhite #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro: “I Vitelloni” by Nino Rota from the I VITELLONI soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 365: I VITELLONI (1953) 3:50 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 5:41 - Starting thoughts 19:12 - What happens when your friends leave and comparisons to 8½ (1963) 25:01 - Moraldo and Fausto 29:12 - Fausto’s such a shithead 40:06 - Where the vitelloni find themselves situated in the fabric of Italy’s social history 51:32 - The third act and Moraldo learning to let go 58:27 - The Junk Drawer 1:07:54 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1953 1:14:55 - Cody’s Noteys: Tryloaf (bread trivia)

The Trylon’s series on Federico Fellini kicked off with his seminal film 8½, and it’s a hell of a way to start Trylove’s 2026! A hailed director struggles to find the determination to see his latest movie through to the end, instead spending most of his time daydreaming about his past, his present, and the various women who float through them. Then, the movie zooms out to depict THAT story as a movie production directed by the same guy, complete with its own writers, producers, critics, and cast. Whoa! It’s kinda silly in a fun way, and it’s a pretty neat trick, especially for 1963 — but does it hold up today? Or is it a bit too clever for its own good? We’ve actually rather divided on this one, and for several different reasons! Do you expect anything less? References: “The Burnt-Out Artist and the Truth: Federico Fellini’s 8½” by Dan McCabe for Perisphere, the Trylon blog "Italy Bans Films Shown at Venice" in Variety, September 1963 “Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #FelliniInBlackAndWhite #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 364: 8½ (1963) 3:33 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 5:57 - Our unique viewing experiences 16:30 - Tight directing, loose storytelling 35:57 - The ending 43:58 - What strings you along? 54:05 - Saraghina, the dancer on the beach 1:01:17 - Guido’s hero/martyr complex 1:06:14 - The Junk Drawer 1:12:43 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1963 1:14:29 - Cody’s Noteys: 2026 Movie Resolutions

Welcome back to the Golden Barrys, our annual awards ceremony, now in its seventh iteration! Jesus, really? Yeah, our first one was at the end of 2019, so I guess that lines up. Huh. It’s an annual literal roundtable deliberation to decide the best and Barriest movies we saw this year at or through the Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s also one of the most fun episodes to make because we really get to wax poetic about how much this podcast and the people who listen to it mean to us, so we hope you enjoy! References: Literally every episode we recorded in 2025 Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 363: The 2025 Golden Barry Awards 6:53 - Cody's Karaokes 7:44 - Jason’s favorite Trylon movies of 2025 14:09 - Cody’s favorite Trylon movies of 2025 22:46 - Harry’s favorite Trylon movies of 2025 31:39 - Aaron’s favorite Trylon movies of 2025 33:59 - The Best Nazi Death 47:14 - Trylove's Best Trylon Dry Run 57:23 - Trylove's Best Wet Run 1:11:20 - Break #1 1:12:33 - The Rashomonies 1:33:15 - The Best Needle Drop 1:40:39 - Highlighting 2026's Animated Programming 1:42:28 - The Best Film Series 1:57:24 - Break #2 2:00:53 - The Best Money-Maker 2:14:05 - The Best Non-Film Series Film (Best One-Off) 2:33:29 - The Best Cult Film Collective Screening 2:34:23 - The Best Director 2:49:21 - The Best Cody’s Notey 3:02:47 - Break #3 3:06:06 - The Year of the _____ 3:23:27 - King of the Trylon 3:37:28 - Queen of the Trylon 3:49:11 - Break #4 3:54:06 - The Best Picture 4:20:10 - Recapping this year's winners 4:23:00 - Thanking 2025's podcast guests

A retread of GOODFELLAS (1990) or a nastier, meaner take on a life of crime? Our discussion (a rare in-person recording of CASINO looks inward, at the performances, embarrassments, and broken hearts that define it, and outward, at how this movie left its mark on the middle period of director Martin Scorsese’s career — and gave Sharon Stone what might be her best film role. References: “NERVOUS IN THE DESERT: Elizabeth Street alienation in Martin Scorsese’s Casino” by Ben Tuthil for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Trylove Episode 294: GOODFELLAS (1990) with Dan Nagan Trylove Episode 178: BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (1999) with Charlie Mackin Trylove Episode 76: AFTER HOURS (1985) “Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #SharonStoneDoesn’tCareWhatYouThink #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: You know this one and I don’t wanna get in trouble.

Sam Raimi’s wild-ass Western has his signature style all over it, but from a certain perspective, it’s really Sharon Stone’s vehicle: As star and producer, she reportedly got both Raimi and Leonardo DiCaprio attached to the project, and she even contributed to creative elements like costuming and plot. What a lady! THE QUICK AND THE DEAD was critically divisive when it came out (despite an all-star cast including Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Keith David), and we weren’t much more unified in 2025: We’ve got a variety of opinions on if the ridiculous plot gets too much in the way of a real story, what the value of a good gag is in otherwise well-charted cinematic waters, and whether or not the whole thing even holds together. References: “The Masterpiece that Almost Was: The Quick and the Dead” by Ryan Sanderson for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “The Family Stone: How Sharon Stone’s Vision Shaped The Quick and the Dead” by Courtney Kowalke for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “Lance Henriksen Interview on The Quick and The Dead (1995)” by John Kenneth Muir TheQuickAndTheDead.net , created and maintained by Bob Bish, a featured extra and production assistant on THE QUICK AND THE DEAD “Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #SharonStoneDoesn’tCareWhatYouThink #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Main Theme” composed by Alan Silvestri from the THE QUICK AND THE DEAD soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 361: THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995) 2:54 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 6:01 - Sam Raimi, the man that you are 23:23 - Is it too patently absurd to connect emotionally? 39:56 - Does it work better as a parody? 49:36 - A deconstruction of the stoic Western persona 58:10 - The performances that stand out (and don’t) 1:06:20 - The Junk Drawer 1:14:25 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1995 1:22:45 - Cody’s Noteys: The Quick and the Said (15 one-minute discussion topics)

Content warning: This discussion includes references to sexual violence. BASIC INSTINCT superfan and longtime Trylon volunteer Kelly Krantz says it is “THE erotic thriller.” And she’s probably right! But what makes the tale of Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) and her quarry, Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), the ultimate in a genre defined by extremes and titillating taboo? We’re here to find out! Our discussion digs into the essential Paul Verhoeven-ness of BASIC INSTINCT, the true motivations of the two headstrong leads, who’s really the victim in their psychosexual mind games, and then close with some skunk trivia (in fitting with a “you know it smells crazy in there” motif). Find Kelly… On Twitter at @kransekage_ On Letterboxd at @luckyhoss On Trylove episodes: WINGS OF DESIRE (1987), ARREBATO (1979), PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974), REVOLVER (1973), THE DOOM GENERATION (1995), THE NIGHT PORTER (1974), REMEMBER MY NAME (1978), PLAY IT AS IT LAYS (1972), OUTLAND (1981) References: “Male Hysteria; or, Fear of Magna Cum Laude Pussy” by Devin Bee for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Basic Instinct (Erotic 90’s, Part 6) (May 1, 2023) by You Must Remember This WE KILL FOR LOVE (2023) on Vinegar Syndrome The Wikipedia page for “Ice pick” Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #SharonStoneDoesn’tCareWhatYouThink #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Main Theme” composed by Jerry Goldsmith from the BASIC INSTINCT soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 360: BASIC INSTINCT (1992) 2:58 - The episode actually starts 6:56 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 10:20 - Background on the erotic thriller 16:14 - A metatextual take on erotic thrillers 20:23 - Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone 26:39 - Catherine Tramell “wants to be proven wrong” 37:40 - What does Nick Curran actually want? 41:55 - The Activation of Nick Curran 45:45 - Does Nick want to BECOME Catherine? 52:57 - How this movie plays with the femme fatale trope 59:58 - Beth, the victim of two different lovers 1:08:25 - The Junk Drawer 1:27:40 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1992 1:34:22 - Cody’s Noteys: Ba-Skunk In-Stink (skunk trivia)

The Trylon’s 2025 series on the films of HAUSU (1977) director Nobuhiko Ōbayashi comes to a close, and with it our episodes on one of the podcast’s favorite filmmakers… for now, anyway. The series ends with THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN, an often overlooked gem in Ōbayashi’s significant catalogue about Mari (Tomoyo Harada), a young girl who travels to New Caledonia in search of a legendary island her father (Yukihiro Takahashi) told her about before his early death. Instead of the mythical island, Mari finds inhabitants like Taro (Ryōichi Takayanagi) with similar stories to hers: Loves lost, grief that’s filled the gap, and a hope for something new from what remains. References: Trylove Episode 150: THE GREEN RAY (1986) "Memories of Summer," Harry Mackin's essay on HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND (1986) for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TheUntetheredVisionsOfNobuhikoÔbayashi #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “The Island Closest to Heaven” composed by Hayashi Tetsuji and performed by Tomoyo Harada from the THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 359: THE ISLAND CLOSEST TO HEAVEN (1984) 4:25 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 5:23 - Some facts about New Caledonia 7:21 - A different kind of Obayashi classic 15:55 - The real island closest to heaven was inside you all along 21:12 - You know how it ends as soon as it starts  28:48 - The THE GREEN RAY (1986) of it all 37:20 - Mari’s journey 54:36 - People unified by grief as much as by love 59:41 - Yuuichi the lovelorn tour guide 1:02:59 - The Junk Drawer 1:08:24 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1984 1:13:38 - Cody’s Noteys: The Island Closest to Kevin (geographic trivia related to movies starring Kevins)

With Kris Montello! Just as star student Yuka (Hiroko Yakushimaru) awakens to her otherworldly powers (and her feelings for kendo athlete Koji [Ryôichi Takayanagi]), Venusian imperialist Kyogoku (Toru Minegishi) issues an ultimatum: Use her powers to force the universe into conformity and order or be flattened with the rest of it. When Yuka refuses the call, Kyogoku instead enlists transfer student Michiru (Masami Hasegawa) and begins his conquest with the student body at Yuka’s school. It goes without saying that SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS is a visual feast. But no matter how ‘out there’ it gets, inside every Nobuhiko Ōbayashi film is an incredibly human heart animating its zanier flair. That’s what we’re here for! Find Kris… At krismontello.com On Letterboxd at DHCKris On Twitter at kris_montello On Bluesky at krismontello.bsky.social At the the Asian-American International Film Festival On Trylove episodes about SAMURAI REINCARNATION (1981), AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (1962) References: “Anti-Fascist, All Fun: Disobedient Whimsy in Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s School in the Crosshairs” by Chris Polley for Perisphere, the Trylon blog "Memories of Summer," Harry Mackin's essay on HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND (1986)  for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TheUntetheredVisionsOfNobuhikoÔbayashi #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “I Want to Protect You” by Yumi Matsutoya from the SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 358: SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS (1981) 3:40 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 4:37 - Digging deeper on Ōbayashi 11:16 - Where Ōbayashi’s tendencies show in SCHOOL IN THE CROSSHAIRS 22:21 - The world of the young and the world of the old 31:37 - What if you could control your growth? 44:14 - Yuka’s struggles with her new powers 50:26 - The second act 58:10 - The craft 1:03:17 - Ōbayashi’s oeuvre 1:15:50 - What Ōbayashi wanted us to understand about the future 1:18:10 - The Junk Drawer 1:23:51 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1981 1:31:53 - Cody’s Noteys: Trying Down the Love (trivia for movies with five-syllable titles)

It doesn’t take long for DOWN BY LAW to switch modes, from a grimy, somewhat self-serious noir to an acerbic, straight-faced prison break comedy. Radio DJ Zack (Tom Waits) and low-rent pimp Jack (John Lurie) share a cell in Louisiana after being framed for separate crimes. Instead of really coming together, they both kinda stick to their tough guy personas until Roberto (Roberto Benigni), a silly Italian manslaughterer, makes them an unlikely trio. References: “The Breathless Loitering of Down By Law” by Ryan Sanderson for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “The Lyrical Loneliness of Down By Law” by Jackson Stearn for Perisphere, the Trylon blog "Memories of Summer" — Harry Mackin's essay on HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TomWaitsForNoMan #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at

Republished 11/16/2025 (originally published on April 19, 2020, as "'Trylove in the Time of Corona' Episode 4") In April 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, HAUSU (1977) director Nobuhiko Ōbayashi passed away from lung cancer. With the Trylon closed for public safety, we took the opportunity to diverge from our typical format and cover one of the director's least-seen films: HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND. The film eventually played at the Trylon in November 2025 during an Ōbayashi film series, so we've republished our original episode to mark the occasion. The original description is as follows with updated credits and references. In honor of Nobuhiko Obayashi's passing on April 10, we're discussing HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND (1986), the director's summery teen romance that does what all good teen movies do: it makes you want to trek the Japanese countryside on a Kawasaki motorcycle. Less outrageous but no less pointed than Obayashi's seminal HAUSU (1977), HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND is still a showcase for the director's playful awareness of audience and how to surmount the limitations of cinema. Only Obayashi could make a movie about falling for someone so deeply that the differences between seasons, between selves, between fantasy and reality, cease to matter – and then carry that thesis through every element of the film's production. References: "Memories of Summer" — Harry Mackin's essay on HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “Be the Wind: Movie Motorbikes and the Power of Bōsōzoku” by Jake Rudegair for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Tylove Episode 356: THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (1983) Trylove Episode 303: BEIJING WATERMELON (1989) Trylove Episode 42: :̷̫̯͇̲̤̥͈ ̷͎̟̮̙͔̖H̡A̤̘̘͕͎͉̪͟U̧͚̖͚̟ͅS̹̠̻̳U͚̠̱͚̮̦ ̦͉̩͠(̗1̤̮͈͢9̳͙̮̱̜̯̬7̙̮͇̥7́)̵͎ Trylove Episode 2: HAUSU (1977) Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TheUntetheredVisionsOfNobuhikoÔbayashi #DCP #TryloveInTheTimeOfCorona #Republish Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch!

In Nobuhiko Ôbayashi’s time-traveling teen movie, there’s nothing to be fixed about the past. After staying late at school one day to help clean up, Yoshiyama (Tomoyo Harada) sniffs the wrong lavender potion in the chem lab and gets caught in a time loop. (Whom among us?) As she gains awareness of her new ‘ability’(?), she sometimes helps her friend Goro (Toshinori Omi) stay out of danger; but most of the time, she spends the extra time growing increasingly conflicted about her growing feelings about her childhood friend Fukamachi (Ryōichi Takayanagi). Its lack of focus on science fiction is just one of the ways THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME is unlike other time travel movies. It’s got the characteristic Ôbayashi touch, veering between overwhelming sincerity and knowing absurdity, depending on how he wanted his audience to feel. In this episode, we discuss how Ôbayashi put his own spin on Yasutaka Tsutsui’s original novel, how to make young people nostalgic for things they’ve never experienced for themselves, and try to remember Cody’s trivia questions from previous episodes. References: 'Trylove in the Time of Corona' Episode 4: HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND (1986) Trylove Episode 303: BEIJING WATERMELON (1989) “Of Teens and Time Travel: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TheUntetheredVisionsOfNobuhikoÔbayashi #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Toki wo Kakeru Shojo” composed by Yumi Matsutoya and performed by Tomoyo Harada from the THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME end credits. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 356: THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (1983) 7:43 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 10:22 - Seeing this as an Ōbayashi fan 19:36 - Ōbayashi’s unique interest in the mechanics of time travel 25:45 - The timey wimey stuff matters, but not in the way you think 29:31 - The stylistic development of the movie 38:13 - Emotional idealism vs. realist cynicism 49:35 - The ending and the grandparents 1:08:01 - The Junk Drawer 1:15:53 - Cody's Noteys: The Love that Leapt Through Tryme (trivia from previous Trylove episodes)

Robert Butler’s NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER is not what the title makes it sound like. It sounds like some kind of bizarro New York neo-noir fairytale, like STREETS OF FIRE (1984) or AFTER HOURS (1985), but it’s far more grounded than that: An ex-cop (James Brolin)’s daughter (Abby Bluestone) is kidnapped by a troubled New Yorker with a grudge against the developers who razed the Bronx neighborhood where he grew up. Problem is, that guy? The Juggler (Cliff Gorman)? He went and grabbed the wrong guy’s little girl! Anyway, absolutely zero juggling takes place in its 100-odd minutes. Instead, it’s a fascinating display of the Big Apple at the end of the ‘70s — an odyssey from Central Park to the South Bronx — replete with mouthy cabbies (Mandy Patinkin), roving gangs in flamboyant fits, Dan Hedaya with a shotgun, porno peep shows, harried lieutenants, violent gentrification, and virulent racism. Join us on our journey across DA GREATEST CITY ON OITH as we discuss the simple joys of a simple protagonist, how much sympathy we can really have for someone like The Juggler, and then end up talking about juggalos (of course). References: Join Finn’s big queer movie night at the Trylon on November 13, 2025 “A Juggler, an Apple Farmer, and a Psychotic Slumlord walk into a bar in a Bankrupt City…” by Lucas Hardwick for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #OtherProgramming #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music by Seawind from the NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER end credits. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 355: NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER (1980) 4:22 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 11:38 - James Brolin as Sean Boyd 16:57 - Mostly a movie about New York 35:11 - The NYC on display in the frenetic chase scene 43:23 - Sympathy for the Juggler 1:08:15 - The Junk Drawer 1:16:00 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1980 1:22:34 - Cody’s Noteys: Night of the Juggalo (juggalo-adjacent trivia)

It’s the big kahuna of demonic possession movies, and honestly, a big fish in the pond of horror cinema in general: THE EXORCIST remains an absolute stone-cold classic more than 50 years after its release. Harry even wrote a Perisphere blog about seeing it as a lapsed Catholic! But how does it stay dreadful when nothing scary is happening? Why is it important that Chris MacNeil is an actress by trade? If Lankester Merrin is Batman, does that make Pazuzu the Joker? All that and more, plus a ghostly appearance from THE EXORCIST superfan Blake Hester (@metallicaisrad)! References: “Fear in a Handful of Dust: Hell, Faith, and Will in The Exorcist” by Harry Mackin for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “The Mesmerizing Horror of Essentially a Single Room Set in The Exorcist” by Allison Vincent for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #NixonlandHorrorInTheVietnamEra #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield from the THE EXORCIST soundtrack. 0:00 - Episode 354: THE EXORCIST (1973) 4:51 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 7:35 - A word from Trylove guest and THE EXORCIST megafan Blake Hester 15:56 - Harry’s Perisphere piece and the reputation of this movie 25:03 - What makes THE EXORCIST so lean and mean today 30:32 - The Version You’ve Never Seen 36:50 - Why it’s important that Chris MacNeil is an actress 47:20 - What the demon reveals about our protagonists 54:22 - The surprising, emotionally confounding ending 1:12:14 - How much the behind-the-scenes stuff actually matters for our opinions of the movie 1:23:47 - The Junk Drawer 1:30:39 - To All the Loves We've Tried Before: 1973 1:37:58 - Cody’s Noteys: The Exercist (military fitness regimen trivia)

Wicker Dan the Birthday Man is back to specifically NOT talk about the bees! THE WICKER MAN isn’t the folk horror you’d assume based on the movies it inspired (including the 2006 remake). It’s more about a square who just can’t hang, the free-loving society he invades, and the reveal that maybe that society isn’t so free, after all. Find Dan… On Twitter at @aDapperDanMan On Bluesky at @adapperdanman.bsky.social On Letterboxd at @aDapperDanMan On his podcast about movies, Everything We Learned On Trylove episodes about RONIN (1981), FACE/OFF (1997), MANDY (2018), EDGE OF TOMORROW (2013), GOODFELLAS (1994), BARBARIAN (2022), DEMOLITION MAN (1993), HEAVENLY BODIES (1984) On Stoop Kidz! A Hey Arnold! Podcast References: “The Wicker Man: The Sources for an Insular Folk Horror” by Sophie Durbin for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “Totally Folked Up: Sex, Song, and Sacrifice in The Wicker Man” by Jay Ditzer for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #NixonlandHorrorInTheVietnamEra #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Corn Rigs” composed by Paul Giovanni and performed by Magnet from the THE WICKER MAN soundtrack.

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence, including as depicted in ROSEMARY’S BABY and as perpetrated by director Roman Polanski. We’re jazzed to welcome Louis Gagnon, a Trylon volunteer and fellow film fella, to continue our coverage of NixonLand at the Trylon! ROSEMARY’S BABY is rightly considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made, weaving the story of a woman envisioning herself as a mother with the unctuous interlopers who would usurp her uterus for unseemly uses. Find Louis on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/PikedDogfish/ References: “Rosemary’s Baby: The Anatomy of a Satanic Impregnation Scene” by Sophie Durbin for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “‘This is no dream! This is really happening!’: Rosemary’s Baby’s Horrific Reflections of Female Subjectivity in 1968 and Present-Day America” by Jillian Nelson for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #NixonlandHorrorInTheVietnamEra #35mm Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "Lullaby" by Krzysztof Komeda from the ROSEMARY'S BABY soundtrack.

THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is one of the most important American movies ever made. There, we said it! It’s hot, it’s gross, it’s tense, and it’ll test your patience — Tobe Hooper’s cult classic set the table for literally every slasher movie ever made, but it still holds its own among the horror heavy hitters in any generation since. On this episode, the Boys (each with varying degrees of familiarity with the series) discuss the main themes of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, the morbid beauty of American decline, Nixon, and dinosaur parts. References: “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Hippie Road Trip Masterpiece (Film as a Self-Care Text About How It’s Totally Fine to Go No Contact With Your Family)” by Phil Kolas for Perisphere, the Trylon blog “Massacre for Sale: Houses on the Market Right Now That Look Like the House from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” by Ben Jarman for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #NixonlandHorrorInTheVietnamEra #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music by Tobe Hooper and Wayne Bell from THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 351: THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974) 2:38 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 5:04 - Why THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE still feels “important” 8:54 - THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE as a franchise 19:26 - Preying on a primal fear of the Other 29:36 - The movie’s three main themes 37:12 - The hitchhiker and how we get sucked into this world 52:20 - Tropes, screaming, bodies, meat, and the ending 1:10:19 - The Junk Drawer 1:16:20 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1974 1:21:40 - Cody’s Noteys: T-Rex’s Brain, Claw, Ass, and Fur (T-rex biology trivia)

Mann boy Tony Wagner returns to discuss another “compromised” movie! Eerie, violent, and hacked to bits by the studio, the supernatural horror mystery THE KEEP would be an oddity in any director’s career. In a remote Romanian village during World War II, Nazis (Jürgen Prochnow, Gabriel Byrne) occupy a foreboding stone citadel feared and revered by the locals (Robert Prosky, W. Morgan Sheppard). Tempted and terrorized by an unknowable presence inside, they relocate a Jewish historian (Ian McKellen) and his daughter (Alberta Watson) from a concentration camp to uncover its secrets. Also, an altogether average and unremarkable Greek gentleman (Scott Glenn) arrives to make sure things don’t get too out of hand (he is measurably less than successful). Originally planned as a 3.5-hour epic, Paramount Pictures demanded cut after cut until audiences were left with a kind of incomprehensible 98 minutes of… something. As a result, Michael Mann has all but disowned THE KEEP, leaving behind a weird, complex monolith to his unrealized vision. Kind of like a certain The Keep I know! In this brisk discussion, Tony helps us figure out what there is to THE KEEP, despite there being so little of its creator’s original vision in the end product. Is it a dreamy admonition of the all-consuming power of wrath that keeps the viewer at a tantalizing arm’s length? Or is it a goofy, cheesy stage play with only glimpses of the greatness that could’ve been? Is THE KEEP actually the movie it’s supposed to be out of the box, or is the actual thing obscured behind the sticky slime trail of studio interference? You’ll hear arguments for both sides on this lively episode! Find Tony… On Twitter at @tonydwagner On Letterboxd at @tonydwagner On the Trylove episode about ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016) References: “Making Romania on Film: The Case of The Keep” by Sophie Durbin for Perisphere, the Trylon blog Give to the Trylon’s Film Forever Fund so they never have to increase ticket prices! Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #NazisWeHateTheseGuys #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “It Ends” (an arrangement of “Walking in the Air” composed by Howard Blake) arranged and performed by Tangerine Dream from the THE KEEP soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 350: THE KEEP (1983) 3:19 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 5:28 - A broken, odd, “compromised” movie that runs on vibes 19:29 - The fumbled unfolding of the mystery 27:55 - A movie where Mann reckons with his Jewish identity 31:53 - What this movie meant for Mann’s career 53:55 - The Nazi kills 57:07 - The Junk Drawer 1:03:37 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1983 1:07:18 - Cody’s Noteys: Try Your Own Advent-Love (a choose-your-own-adventure through the titular Keep)