The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

Ghostbusters II: More Slime, Less MagicThe Ghostbusters are back; there's pink slime everywhere, Vigo is causing problems, and apparently New York just needs a little positivity.This week, we're discussing Ghostbusters II (1989). We break down what works, what doesn't, the impressive special effects, and why this sequel might not quite live up to the original. We also make a case for bringing back the Run-DMC Ghostbusters theme.But there's more going on here than ghosts and questionable sequel decisions. We connect the movie's slime to Émile Durkheim's concept of collective consciousness and explore how the emotions, attitudes, and values of a society shape our shared reality.From the negativity spreading through our communities to the endless negativity we consume online, we ask an important question: Are we contributing to the slime, or are we doing something to clean it up?Sometimes saving the world starts with choosing to be a little more positive.Next week: His House (2020)email us at [email protected]

In this episode, we explore the burning question of why we love Ghostbusters (1985). It's creative, it's funny, it's epistemological, and it's makes us ask questions.Join us as we dig deeply into a movie that, on the surface, seems to be simply entertainment.

What happens when doing the right thing becomes a disadvantage?This week, Jason wanted us to watch I Care a Lot (2020). In I Care a Lot (2020), Marla Grayson has mastered a system that rewards confidence, manipulation, and the exploitation of legal loopholes. She doesn't need to break the rules. She just needs to understand how to use them better than everyone else.We explore the disturbing efficiency of evil. Why do we assume that people who sound professional, confident, and authoritative must know what they're doing? How can rhetoric protect us from manipulation? And if an immoral person can consistently defeat people who follow the rules, is morality a strength or a liability?We also discuss the commodification of human beings, the corruption of institutions, and "enshittification": what happens when systems designed to serve people become mechanisms for exploiting them.But is the world really as broken as it seems? How can we protect our own agency, make better choices, and push back against systems that reward the wrong behavior?Email us your thoughts at [email protected]

In this episode, we examine Back to the Future 3, which Jason shockingly decides is better than the first one. His reason: the pathos! You heard it here first! In addition to discussing the superior pathos of this movie, we explore creativity and whether it will die in this generation, the dangers of nostalgia, how settings alter meaning in movies, and intertexuality. Do you agree that BTTF3 is the best of the three? Email us at [email protected].

Desert of the Reel #136Back to the Future Part 2 (1989): Marty and Doc are back! George McFly is not, but behind the scenes, this changed the industry. What brings happiness? Is it connected to money?Ryan and Jason explore what Biff Tannen's rise to power reveals about the difference between wealth and a meaningful life. From Nietzsche's pursuit of power to Viktor Frankl's emphasis on meaning, we ask what actually makes us happy—and whether love and human connection might matter more than everything money can buy.We also examine the film through postmodern and psychoanalytic lenses, exploring how its sequel structure turns familiar scenes into something new, how our past selves shape our present identities, and how changing our choices can change our futures.Is Back to the Future Part II actually about how changing our lives doesn't require a flux capacitor—it requires reflection, critical thinking, and different choices?