Play It Again, Kyla

Listen as host Kyla and friend of the pod Shea try to make sense of this very complicated movie! What do we make of the film's presentation of D.C. geography and culture? Are the parts of this film better than the whole? How much would this movie have benefitted from a traditional theatrical release? And what does the concurrent model of a streaming release and a theatrical release mean for the future of cinema? Tune in to find out! Link to article about Taylor Swift stan's IDF tweet: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/taylor-swift-megafan-goes-viral-after-prison-stint-for-dodging-idf-draft-585617

Join host Kyla and special returning guest Shea as they discuss Patty Jenkins's Wonder Woman! What makes this film such a singular and special entry in the super hero origins film canon? Is it fair to classify Patty Jenkins as an auteur? And is Gal Gadot as Diana Prince the best comic book casting decision of all time? Tune in to find out!Link to Gal Gadot interview compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5KQPnCokQ4Link to Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman screenplay: https://indiegroundfilms.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/wonder-woman-aug7-07-joss-whedon.pdf

During 2020 host Kyla resolved to watch a film a day. Tune in to hear what her viewing experiences were like during 2020. What was her favorite new release of the year? What was the best older movie she rewatched? And what movies did she have totally new experiences with in 2020 despite having seen them previously? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and a whole host of special guests discuss their favorite Christmas movies and what makes holiday films so special! What makes a movie fall definitively into the "Christmas movie" category? What are the best movies to watch around the holidays? What are the best lines from classic Christmas films? And will we ever get MawMaw on the podcast? Tune in to find out!

Happy Thanksgiving! Listen as host Kyla and special returning guest Denise (AKA Kyla's mom) discuss the greatest Thanksgiving movie of all time, Pieces of April! Why are there so few Thanksgiving films? What are the strengths of Peter Hedges's directorial debut? Will we as a society ever recognize Katie Holmes's talent? Tune in to find out!

Join host Kyla and returning friend of the pod Sara as they discuss Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women! What helps this adaptation stand out amongst all others? How do we feel about Gerwig's decision to tell the story in a nonlinear fashion? Where does this film rank in terms of 2019 theatrical releases for each of us? And how many times can host Kyla mix up the names of Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan despite stanning them both? Tune in to find out!Link to screenplay: https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/little-women-by-greta-gerwig.pdfLink to "Baby Yoda" interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrwG2vTUDA8Link to Greta Gerwig interview about Golden Globes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw_2RiuDTSM

Join host Kyla and special guest Erin as they discuss the seminal southern classic Steel Magnolias! Why does this film appeal so strongly to its target demographic? What does the title paradox reveal about the expectation and reality of being a woman in the American South? What would each central character's enneagram type be? And who has the best and worst accent in this movie? Tune in to find out!

Join host Kyla and special returning guest Ryan for a special Halloween discussion about The Scooby-Doo Project! What makes a good spoof? How does this one television special encapsulate all that was good about Cartoon Network and filmgoing alike at the turn of the millennium? Can Ryan emerge victorious from another round of Scoob-related trivia? Can he turn the trivia tables on host Kyla? And should there be a Scooby Cinematic Universe or Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe? Tune in to find out!*Apologies to all the Saved by the Bell and/or As the Bell Rings super fans out there. Having Mary on the brain while recording caused SBTB to dominate my brain even though the show being referenced was As the Bell Rings.*Link to referenced Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/9nyxz6/in_1999_on_halloween_cartoon_network_released_the/

Join host Kyla and extra special guest MJ as they discuss The Blair Witch Project! What made this film such a phenomenon? What does this film reveal about the importance of promotional campaigns? And what makes this film so rife for spoofs? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and frequent contributor Denise Percival dive deep into the common complaints raised against Attack of the Clones! Why does it rank last on so many saga rankings? What do we make of Hayden Christensen's performance as Anakin Skywalker? And what is Padme's most iconic outfit from this episode? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and first-time Star Wars viewer Gavin discuss The Phantom Menace! What do we make of the common criticisms of this film? What's the experience of watching this film for the first time in 2020 like? Was Gavin shocked and/or impressed by any aspects of the story? And just how much will Gavin roast Kyla for her Natalie Portman/Padme stanning? Tune in to find out!

Join host Kyla in the first installment of our new format of special episodes! In this new episode format, Kyla gives her top ten all-time favorite examples of a given film-related category. In this episode, Kyla discusses her favorite actors, directors, pairings of actors across multiple films and film soundtracks. Going forward, this type of episode will mark major episode milestones. Let us know categories you would like to hear discussed in future episodes!

Listen as host Kyla and special guest Ryan discuss the greatest live-action adaptation of the modern cinematic era! How does Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed manage to be such a perfect amalgamation of everything 90s? How does this movie strike the perfect balance of being so bad it's good? And is this the greatest piece of ensemble casting in the past twenty years? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guests Hagan and Davis seek to figure out which side was right in 2016's Captain America: Civil War! Was Cap right to be wary of government intervention and control? Was Tony right to want to assume some responsibility for the horrors the Avengers had wrought? And did all of the political issues fly out the window when it became clear what had happened to Tony's parents? Tune in to find out!Don't forget to vote on whose team of Avengers you think is best! 

Listen as host Kyla, special returning guest Hagan and first-time guest Ananya discuss James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy! What makes this film stand out in the larger MCU canon? How does this film manage to overcome many of the issues of Phase 2? And what's the best song on the soundtrack? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guest Davis discuss Captain America: The Winter Soldier! Why is this so many people's favorite Marvel movie? What do we make of the political statements this film is making? Does this film disprove any of Martin Scorsese's claims about Marvel? Tune in to find out!Link to Scorsese's NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guest Davis discuss Thor: The Dark World! Why do so many people consider this the worst Marvel film? Does it deserve the bad rap? What would Patty Jenkins's version of this film look like? And how do Thor and Jane stack up in our official MCU couple rankings? Tune in to find out!

Join host Kyla and special returning guest Hagan as they discuss The Avengers! Which character has the best intro in this film? Which actor is most inextricably linked with their character? Are Martin Scorsese's criticisms of Marvel unfounded or is there something to them? And is the narrative experiment of the MCU helping or hurting the cinematic landscape? Tune in to hear our answers!  Gwyneth Paltrow realizing she was in Spider-Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YamanjCqtQMartin Scorsese's NYT's article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.htmlNew Yorker piece Kyla quoted: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-narrative-experiment-that-is-the-marvel-cinematic-universe

Listen as host Kyla and special guest Davis discuss Captain America: The First Avenger! Why are the Captain America movies so genre-defying? Are they more enjoyable because they don't merely hit the standard superhero movie beats? And is Peggy Carter the most important supporting character in the MCU? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guest Hagan discuss Kenneth Branagh's Thor! Does this film benefit from its placement within the larger Marvel saga? How fully is Branagh's creative vision realized? And can Hagan keep Kyla in check when it comes to Natalie Portman's performance? Tune in to find out!