Robby and Jack discuss the latest cinematic bleakness from writer-director Paul Schrader, The Card Counter , while simultaneously attempting to suppress their unhealthy attraction to Daddy Oscar Isaac. Listen on....

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! Robby Anderson has never seen John Hughes' fantastic seasonally appropriate comedy, Planes, Trains and Automobiles , and Mike Burdge watches it all the time. So, Robby watched it, and now: They discuss!! Listen on....

This September, actress Alexis Bledel turns 40 years old. Growing up in a Spanish-speaking household with an Argentinian father and an American mother, Bledel was raised in Mexico and didn’t start speaking English until she went to school. She started out as a model due to her piercing blue eyes and extremely fair skin, before she soon became famous for her role as the latter half of the mother-daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, on the WB/CW/Netflix series: Gilmore Girls . Bledel has been acting in film and television for over 20 years and is now more than double the age she was when she first started. So many actors known for a specific role have crystallized in the nostalgia of a generation that can feel overly observed as they age. Bledel is now older than her TV mom ever was on Gilmore Girls . Even when the Netflix revival came out at the end of 2016, people were noting how she finally caught up to the age of her character’s mom in season one. The constant fascination with this concept can make breaking out into adult roles hard as you often feel beholden to your fans’ ideas of how you’re supposed to look or feel. For the early part of Bledel’s acting career, in and around the time of Gilmore , we see her attempting to keep up with contemporaries by taking roles in Tuck Everlasting and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants . The goal here was potentially launching into a career that could send her across that horizon from a teen actor on a WB show to a blockbuster star. Her appearance in Sin City definitely feels this way, and this stands to possibly be the closest we’ll ever get to see her in a superhero movie. Fast forward to recent times and she’s done some work on Mad Men (where she met her eventual husband, Vincent Kartheiser). Her career pivoted more towards prestige television and that brings us to The Handmaid’s Tale . In this series, Bledel plays Emily Malek, a lesbian professor of cellular biology, who struggles to escape the oppressive world of Gilead and make it back to her wife and son. The amount of punishment her character must endure before receiving her happy ending is a far cry from the, at times, overprivileged Rory Gilmore. Bledel gives a powerful scene when she can read to her son without fear of punishment. She can’t get through it without sobbing and her wife has to help her—showing us a family that is working on healing. Bledel's performance in Handmaid's Tale has given us a fully adult woman who has let herself be completely absorbed into an unlikely role. She doesn't feel like Rory Gilmore or a thinly veiled version of Alexis herself. Her real-life persona is secondary to the role she is playing. It’s no surprise that this is the role that landed Bledel her first Emmy Award. That is not to say that Bledel wasn’t doing good work on Gilmore Girls . For older Millennials, who were around Rory’s age and in high school when the show started, Rory offered the representation that brainy introverted girls wanted. Her mom Lorelai was what we aspired to be: funny, attractive, smart, quick-witted, and fashionable. Rory offered a point of view that was more grounded in the hyper-stylized and fast-talking world crafted by Amy Sherman Palladino. She was the voice of reason, the sensible one (at least during the show's early seasons). That couldn’t be done without Alexis Bledel selling us on Rory being intelligent and at the same time, a little bit cold. She complimented Lauren Graham’s Lorelai who was warm and whimsical. I believe that, if she had wanted to, Bledel could have launched more into a career resembling those of her peers like Hilary Duff or Mandy Moore. Where we ended up seems much more in tune with where she would rather be, and luckily, she evaded that rough outcome that tragically befell a lot of early 00s teen stars. I started watching Gilmore Girls during middle school, almost by accident. I wanted to watch a new show to fall asleep to, and with my sister away at college, I could ransack her DVD collection. Among those DVDs were other early 00s teen hits like The OC . I randomly picked the season 4 box set of Gilmore and proceeded to stay up late watching the first disc. Eventually, I realized that this was the show that had been missing from my life, and over the past 14 or so years, I have watched and rewatched every episode multiple times. I have spent many hours with Alexis Bledel, and her voice is permanently etched into my brain. With all that being said, I feel confident that she still has a lot left to show us in the acting department, and at 40, she’s nowhere close to losing her steam. Marco Rummo Marco is a comedian, writer, and underemployed New Yorker trying to make it in this damn world. He enjoys fruitlessly pursuing love on dating apps and keeping track of all of the movies he’s seen on Letterboxd.

Bernadette sits down with guest, Yarko Dobriansky, to sing the praises of the Apple TV comedy series, Schmigadoon! Listen on....

[Disclaimer: This article is filled with my opinions and links to relevant articles. However, I may directly state facts about the pandemic, such as mentioning COVID-19 statistics. In that case, I will be sure to link sources from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), or another reputable organization.] On September 9, 2011, Contagion was released, starring many big names including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Gwenyth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, and Jude Law, to name a few. The zoonotic virus in Contagion ’s fictional pandemic is named “MEV-1.” Like Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho , the movie shocks its viewers by killing off Paltrow’s character less than 10 minutes into the film, as the virus’s first victim. Kate Winslet also dies not very far into the film, playing a doctor in charge of contact-tracing the infected Paltrow’s recent interactions. This movie experienced a recent surge of popularity in 2020. There are certainly some eerie similarities between this fictional pandemic and today that may have provided a sense of comfort to people in 2020. At the start of Contagion , the camera zooms in on infected people carrying on with their everyday lives in public: spreading the virus by sharing bowls of peanuts at a bar, touching poles on public transportation, passing water glasses, hugging, or shaking hands in greeting. As the pandemic gains prominence, masks normalize, talk increases of contact tracing and the R0 ( “R-naught” is a virus’s rate of transmission), travel restrictions are imposed, people use the 1918 Spanish flu as a reference, and doctors work tirelessly. Later on, there are scenes of the transition to “normal”: being vaccinated and safely shaking someone’s hand again, hugging others, dating and socializing in-person again, and makeshift vaccination tents created in stadiums and other large public places. While the story from ten years ago is fictional, it is oddly realistic. Americans started watching Contagion more often, not because we necessarily enjoyed switching off the news to entertain ourselves with extra pandemic-related content, but because we were desperate for guidance in such uncertain times. We craved seeing how relatable everyday humans could not only cope with but also rise above, an unimaginable catastrophe. While Kate Winslet warned her family against watching Contagion , there was a significant rise in people paying money in 2020 to watch a film about people surviving a pandemic. In addition, director Steven Soderbergh controversially announced that he would create a “philosophical sequel” to Contagion . While some look forward to what this will entail, critics, wonder if Soderbergh’s new cinematic inspiration is taking advantage of people’s suffering. While I will not tackle the ethical beast of debating whether or not Soderbergh is making a good moral decision by announcing Contagion ’s sequel during a pandemic ( he’s not ), I will explore the similarities between the 2011 film and today’s world. I aim to shed light on why at-home moviegoers last year found a sense of comfort in watching a movie about a pandemic during one of the most turbulently dividing and unifying years in human history. Like COVID-19, the fictional MEV-1 virus is a zoonotic virus traced back to China, likely spread by wet markets . Also, like COVID-19, the virus is linked to climate change. In the film, MEV-1 originates with deforestation; an infected bat flees his chopped down tree, sits above a pig farm, and eats a banana. The banana partly falls into a pigpen below. While we cannot say climate change directly caused COVID-19, we know deforestation for agricultural purposes is a root cause of animal habitat loss, and habitat loss can lead to pandemics. As the planet warms, aquatic and terrestrial animals head to the Earth’s poles to get out of the heat. Animals that usually would not come into contact with each other are now creating an opportunity for viruses to enter new hosts . In some ways, our pandemic was more upsetting than MEV-1. That’s primarily due to people, not the virus. In Contagion , saying people were desperate for a vaccine would be a gross understatement. A doctor’s wife is violently mugged for vaccines, people riot for medical supplies that they believe are a cure, and a WHO doctor in China is kidnapped by a village demanding VIP access to vaccines. So how was our situation worse? Get ready for my strong pandemic opinion; we have healthy, eligible Americans with the nerve and privilege to reject free access to multiple kinds of COVID-19 vaccines for a range of non-science-based reasons. It’s burdening doctors, who are beginning to refuse to treat unvaccinated patients in some areas with frustratingly low vaccination rates. Countless stories are being published of unvaccinated people on their hospital deathbeds regretting not just taking the vaccine. People in Contagion riot for access to vaccines (which they only waited 133 days for). Meanwhile, real-life Americans are holding violent protests over not wearing a piece of fabric over their mouths, let alone getting vaccinated. Companies have started charging extra fees for those who choose not to get vaccinated and then later see a doctor. Healthcare premiums are up to 50% higher for smokers than nonsmokers, and now being unvaccinated against COVID-19 is becoming a risk category as well. An individual’s personal decision not to be vaccinated has public costs. In June and July of 2021, vaccines could have prevented over 100,000 COVID-19 related hospitalizations and saved the U.S. health care system $2.3 billion. Another significant piece to our pandemic that Contagion writers missed: the rise of racism and xenophobia. COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China, and there has been a wave of hate crimes motivated by anti-Asian sentiment. Asian-owned restaurants lost support earlier and more severely than other restaurants have in the pandemic. Additionally, violent street attacks on Asian-Americans rose, as did reports of discrimination, according to the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center. This uptick in anti-Asian discrimination was partly fueled by misinformation and poor U.S government leadership. Our previous President of the United States repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as “the Chinese virus,” and “the China virus,” despite the WHO explicitly saying not to attach a disease to a location or ethnicity. While this movie was released before social media became as rampant as it is today, Contagion does address the issue of misinformation through fictional conspiracy theorist Alan Krumwiede, who blogs about curing himself through a homeopathic remedy he sells. Unfortunately in real life, the President of the U.S. falsely proclaimed that we should consume bleach, and the virus would disappear, “like a miracle.” He also stated that the virus is a hoax, that kids are virtually immune, and that 99% of COVID-19 cases are “totally harmless.” (The WHO says 15% are severe and 5% are critical). Instead of a couple of random Americans blogging conspiracies, our country’s top leaders were misinforming the public and sowing seeds of mistrust. And misinformation can be physically dangerous; in the first three months of 2020, 6,000 people worldwide were hospitalized due to coronavirus misinformation , and at least 800 died. In other ways, our pandemic was better than MEV-1’s. Most apparent, are Contagion ’s exaggerated statistics for drama. Since it is a movie, I don’t think it’s fair to emphasize a comparison of this area between film and real-life (but if you’re curious about the difference, the movie kills 2.5 million Americans, whereas COVID-19 kills 1.7 Americans out of 100,000 per week , and has taken 629,139 lives as of August 25, 2021). The same reasoning goes for the mere 133 days it took for an MEV-1 vaccine to become publicly available; it’s not fair to compare the film to real life. However, in our pandemic, I give us more credit for how people generally came together. Contagion does not show how people united in appreciation for doctors, nurses, hospital workers, transportation workers, grocery store employees, teachers, and other essential workers. Families stood outside nursing home windows with large-lettered posters to wish a relative happy birthday . At 7 pm each night , New Yorkers opened a window or stepped out onto a balcony to make some noise in appreciation for the workers risking their lives every day. You don’t see these kinds of moments in the film. I hope Soderbergh’s sequel will highlight everyday moments like these: the moments of gratitude and kindness. Simply wearing a mask was a way of showing a sense of “We, Not Me.” The closest heartwarming pandemic moment you get in Contagion is at its very end. At this point in the story, vaccines are widely available, and limited socialization is safer. Matt Damon’s protective single-dad character surprises his teenage daughter by gifting her an elegant, light-pink ruffled dress. He thoughtfully decorates their living room with golden lights and blue streamers, plays U2’s “All I Want Is You” through a speaker, and invites her boyfriend to greet her at the door - all dressed up and ready for an at-home, quarantined “prom night.” Now that is a 2020 moment. Sophia Acquisto A Beacon resident since 2001, Sophia is pursuing a Master’s degree in Education at SUNY New Paltz.

On this very special episode of Hot Takes , Hawaii John and LA Bob give up the reins (temporarily) to Mike Burdge and Bernadette Gorman-White to discuss this insanely cool and unique flick that is literally changing the world at this very moment. Listen on....

A Short List to Get You Ready for the 73rd Emmy Awards During last year's lockdown, as a lucky member of the privileged world, I binged a heckuva lot of television. And still (AND STILL!) I didn’t manage to watch all of the things. I’d be the first to admit, however, that there were times I actively tried to avoid watching what was popular because I needed a break from the hive mind that was lockdown television criticism. (I’m sorry, The Queen’s Gambit , I was afraid to be burned by you!) But at the end of the nomination period, I found that I had, in fact, watched a lot of what ended up getting nominated for this year’s 73rd Emmy Awards. Now, do I think everything that got nominated is Must-See TV? Not really. BUT there are a handful of gems I think you should check out in case you want to catch back up or if you’d simply like to check out that thing everybody’s been talking about. (I’ll get to you eventually, The Queen’s Gambit !) So, in alphabetical order (mamas shouldn’t pick favorites), here are the top five shows I think will outlast the hype. The Crown (Netflix) Unfortunately, if you’re behind the curve with The Crown at this point, you’re looking at three seasons of prestige television to wade through to get to this Emmy season’s fourth season nominee, but I promise you, it’s all worth it. The beauty of watching The Crown is that it never feels like it’s wavering from its ultimate goal (documenting the struggles England’s royal family has endured while trying to maintain its tenuous relationship between tradition and the ever-advancing sentiments of modern society) while it also continues to reinvent itself every two seasons with new cast members in the different eras of the royals’ lives. The first two seasons of the Netflix epic feature a young Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip learning to adjust to their new lives in power, whereas these most recent two seasons have homed in on the Prince Charles / Princess Diana controversies that led to their ultimate decision to separate. (In the next season, the cast will change for its final time leading into the Princess Di tragedy that rocked the world.) The saddest part of these cast changes is having to say goodbye to the actors who have brought you on the journey so far. Now, we haven’t recorded a Cathode Ray Cast for Emmy predictions in a long time, but if I were a betting woman I’d say that The Crown is walking away with the Outstanding Drama trophy and that Jonathan Majors ( Lovecraft Country ) and Billy Porter ( Pose ) might be capable of taking the prize from Josh O’Connor’s portrayal of Prince Charles. But I’ll be damned if Gillian Anderson doesn’t take home the prize for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. The show is amazing on its own merit, but let the idea of Agent Scully stepping into the shoes of the Iron Lady fully tempt you to dig into season four. And then you’d be caught up when season five rolls around. And for those interested in hearing more on The Crown ’s four seasons, be sure to check out my lengthy, but riveting, conversation with Reeya Banerjee. Hacks (HBO Max) Hacks was an easy sell for me: Jean Smart starring as a Joan Rivers-esque stand-up who is in the throes of being shut out of her Las Vegas residency, so she’s forced to hire a younger down-and-out comedian to update her act. Easy, done, where do I sign? Jean Smart has been riding a reinvigorated career high as of late, recently starring in Fargo , Legion , and Watchmen , and is nominated not just for Hacks this year, but also for her turn in HBO Max’s Mare of Easttown . She, at the inspiring age of 70 by the time the Emmy Awards air on September 19th, has become, once again, the one to watch. But as for how exciting it is to see Smart fire on all cylinders as comedian Deborah Vance, it’s just as exciting to see her co-lead, Hannah Einbinder (daughter of SNL’s Laraine Newman) play Ava Daniels, her writing assistant. The entire cast is great, the writing is wisely sly, and as it’s only had one season with only ten episodes, it’s an easy and enjoyable binge. I’m not quite certain if its tools are sharp enough yet to secure any of the wins (its biggest front runner is Smart’s nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy), but you’re going to want to start watching now. It’s only going to get better from here. For more in-depth praise of Hacks ’ freshman series, I wrote about my love affair with the show earlier this past June. I May Destroy You (HBO Max) Out of this shortlist of five programs, Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You is the hardest sell. I May Destroy You stars Coel as Arabella, a young aspiring writer, and social media celebrity who, in the process of attempting to meet the deadline for her second book, is raped in a bar bathroom during a night out with friends. Each subsequent episode tackles either her struggles with recovery and self-identity or the struggles of her close friend group who each have encountered some form of sexual abuse of their own. I May Destroy You is not afraid to truly challenge what it means to exist in this social media landscape (hellscape?) while also attempting to learn who you are or discover what is important to you. The show also tackles the beast within conversations relating to racism, classism, misogyny, and gender identity, and it doesn’t shy away from painting even those attempting to “do good” in a truthful and negative light. Even Arabella herself wavers between the monikers of hero and villain. Created, written, starring, and co-directed by Coel, I May Destroy You certainly is the show from the past year with the clearest vision, and if you’re able to get through the 12-episode miniseries, you’ll be handsomely rewarded. Michaela Coel is a name you’re going to be seeing from here on out; now is the time to educate yourself. pen15 (Hulu) I fear, and I wish I didn’t, that pen15 is gonna be one of those comedies that will be woefully unsung by the Emmy powers that be for the entirety of its existence. And that’s a shame because it’s the funniest thing on TV. It doesn’t have a polished sense of award-baiting humor akin to Emmy powerhouses like Modern Family and Veep , nor does it share in the same class as offbeat, character-driven comedies like Schitt’s Creek or the underappreciated It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia . pen15 is something altogether fresh because they changed the recipe entirely. Created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman, pen15 stars early-30s-aged Erskine and Konkle as 13-year-old versions of themselves, entering junior high in the year 2000...and all of their classmates are played by actual 13 year-olds. If I had to liken Erskine and Konkle’s energy to any recent portrayals of female-led comedies, I’d have to say Maya is to Ilana Glazer as Konkle is to Abbi Jacobsen, and in the dearth that was left behind by Broad City ’s ending, pen15 is a welcome addition to the comedy landscape. I’d like to think pen15 ’s comedy would be considered just as hysterical to anyone else as it is to me, but I think it hits me in the way that it does because I was entering sixth grade in the year 2000, just one year behind Maya and Anna...and BOY OH BOY IS THIS SHOW ACCURATE. Watching pen15 is the closest I’ve ever come to looking in a mirror while watching pretty much anything. Erskine and Konkle have seamlessly blended reality with fiction, and even though it’s been two decades since those fateful, hateful middle school years, I feel so very SEEN. As much as I can get into Award Season and live that Award Season hype, I know that winning awards is fairly silly and fraught with politics...but I would still like to live in a world where shows like pen15 are awarded with more than just nominations. But, if you’re gonna lose to anyone, you might as well lose to... Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) Ted Lasso : from the minds of Bill Lawrence ( Scrubs , Cougar Town , etc.), Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso, himself), Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), and Joe Kelly. This whirlwind comedy came about after they decided to build on the character of a fictional American football coach (Lasso) who was the spokesperson in NBC commercials when they began to air coverage of Premier League futbol matches. I gotta say, I’m so glad they decided to build on this character while also removing the cynicism from the original template. Among the Outstanding Comedy Series this year, Ted Lasso takes the best qualities of all its fellow noms: the heart of pen15 , the understanding of black-ish , the poise of The Kominsky Method , and it combines these assets into a masterclass on how to build an enduring comedy series. For its freshman season, Ted Lasso has earned 20 nominations, unseating the reigning freshman nomination holder ( Glee ) clean off its perch. And it couldn’t have happened to a better show. As a fan of futbol already (I got to attend a Tottenham Hotspurs match in October of 2019), I am absolutely giddy that the American public is starting to understand the fervor of the world’s obsession with “The Beautiful Game.” And, if anything, they’re being told that it’s okay to not understand it (I mean, it takes Ted an entire season to even begin to understand). Not since Friday Night Lights has there been a show that is so heavily beloved that focuses on the world of sports, and I’m so excited that it chose to highlight soccer. Not to mention that it features a diverse cast of actors that hold their own every time they’re on screen. I’m excited to see what the remainder of season 2 will hold (this season is flying high and taking advantage of its hard work from season one), but I’m also excited to see what happens on Emmy night for its inaugural season. Ted Lasso is life; does Emmy agree? Bernadette Gorman-White Managing Editor Bernadette graduated from DePauw University in 2011 with a Film Studies degree she’s not currently using. She constantly consumes television, film, and all things pop culture and will never be full. She doesn’t tweet much, but give her a follow @BeaGorman and see if that changes.

Host Jack Kolodziejski is joined by guest, Diana DiMuro, to talk about the thrillingly exciting legacy sequel from Nia DaCosta that is, Candyman . Listen on....

A review of Free Guy I went to see Free Guy on a particularly hot late afternoon not expecting too much from the film but still enticed by its cast. I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. The film’s premise: a bank teller discovers that he's actually an NPC or non-player (background) character, which is mentioned again and again during the film, inside of a pretty brutal, open-world video game. This bank teller then decides to become the “hero of his own story” -- one that he can rewrite himself. That hero, friends, is none other than Ryan Reynolds. Free Guy is directed by Shawn Levy ( Stranger Things ) and stars Ryan Reynolds along with star on the rise, Jodie Comer ( Killing Eve ). In Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds and Lil Rel Howery play Guy and Buddy, a bank teller and a security guard who are best buds. Every day they meet up on their way to work, drink coffee, and basically wait for their bank to be robbed. The “people wearing sunglasses” are the main characters in their world - robbing banks, meeting attractive women, and driving off in stolen cars. For the most part, Guy (Reynolds) awakens every day happy to be alive. He says good morning to his fish “Goldie,” eats his breakfast, and puts on his usual uniform: a blue shirt and tie, before going to work at the bank. Reynolds, who may be better known these days for his role as Deadpool , does a fantastic job portraying the sweeter Guy. There’s no sarcasm or lewd jokes coming out of Guy’s mouth. He’s honest, sincere, and a bit of a romantic. One day he starts to realize that maybe he wants more out of his life. He starts small. He tries to order a CAPPUCCINO at his local coffee shop. This almost causes a riot. Guy contemplates the bank robberies that happen at his job and why he never does anything to stop them. He talks to his best friend, Buddy, about how he wants to find love and maybe more than their usual routine. The major catalyst for change comes when he and Buddy pass a woman on the street singing the same song Guy listens to daily: “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey. The woman is known as “Molotov Girl.” She’s one of the sunglass people. Guy breaks routine and tries to follow her but he ends up being hit by a train and waking up the next morning in his bed like nothing ever happened. But one day, during their usual bank robbery, Guy decides to take matters into his own hands. Guy finally gets some sunglasses and starts making his own decisions. That’s when he really wakes up. While Free Guy is certainly no A.I., it does consider the concept of artificial intelligence and what it means to be alive. It also addresses the idea of creation and creative property through its characters Millie (Jodie Comer, the “real-life” Molotov Girl) and Keys (Joe Keery), two friends and programmers whose original game is stolen by the movie’s villain, Antwan, (Taika Waititi who is always a ridiculous pleasure to watch). Keys and Millie always wanted to create a computer-generated character that could learn and grow and evolve on its own. When Guy starts to deviate from his role as an NPC, they start to realize that he (the mundane everyman in the blue shirt) might be it. Watching Guy figure out how to take his life into his own hands, even when he makes mistakes (or because we get to watch him make mistakes), is truly a delight. Free Guy is definitely a summer blockbuster of a film. The cameos (both physical and voice-over) are great. I won’t spoil any of them since they were some of my favorite moments within the film. The set vacillates between the cramped offices and dark apartments of the game programmers and the huge, bright, coo coo bananas world where Guy lives. While this film certainly borrows from several others ( The Truman Show, The Matrix, Wreck-It Ralph to name just a few), I think it comes off more as an homage to the game genre than it does as a rip-off. Part of the reason that sincerity comes through is because of its performances by Reynolds, Comer, and Keery. The film’s moral is to be an active participant in your own life - whether that is Buddy and Guy inside of their game world or Millie and Keys outside of it. This movie is fun. You hear me out there? It’s FUN! Remember fun? It’s okay that it is not on the Oscar shortlist. Free Guy is really one of the first big summer blockbuster movies to only be released in the theater since the pandemic, and that begs the question, should you go see it in the theater, or wait for it to come out on streaming services? I say, go check it out. I give it a Saturday matinee price as my recommendation. The characters are fun. Ryan Reynolds is both a treat and a snack, and it brought a smile to my face after a stressful week of work. What more can you ask for? Diana DiMuro Associate Editor Besides watching TV and movies, Diana likes plants, the great outdoors, drawing and reading comics, and just generally rocking out. She has a BA in English Literature and is an art school dropout. You can follow her on Instagram @dldimuro and Twitter @DianaDiMuro

On this episode of Stalking Carpenter , Robby and Mike cover the director's semi-student production, Dark Star , as well as his Halloween follow-up, The Fog ! Listen on....

Bernadette and Mike talk about the Edgar Wright movie that could've been, as well as the Peyton Reed final product we received in the latest episode covering the director's filmography. Listen on....

You've demanded it. You've fought for it. You've sacrificed for it. And now, my friends, you have earned it. It's the Overdrinkers podcast episode on the 1994 cinematic art that is Clifford . You're welcome, and please leave us alone now. Listen on.... Cocktail Recipe: Larry the Scary Wrecks 1/4 oz white rum 1/4 oz gin 1/4 oz vodka 1/4 oz tequila 1/4 oz Cointreau 1 oz Midori Melon Liqueur 1/2 oz simple syrup 1/2 oz lemon juice Pour all ingredients into high rocks glass, fill with ice and stir 10 times (Clifford is 10) and top with seltzer. Garnish with cherry and cucumber.