We are back, not only with our first episode of the year, but in our beloved Rankin/Bass cinematic universe. ITM covers the bizarre Halloween film Mad Monster Party?which features plenty of classic monsters, an horror icon Boris Karloff himself. Did Mad Monster Party? succeed where Universal's Dark Universe fails? Maybe not. Does this film have plenty of non-sequiturs that make no sense and cheap, borderline offensive humor? Of course. ITM also addresses the pod's long hiatus and is very excited for the return of Christmas programming in a few weeks.

Our holiday coverage continues with an ITM personal favorite, and not just because she bore a resemblance to the boy as a young child. The Snowman is a beautifully animated special that tugs at all the right heartstrings. Ian unpacks her relationship to the special and its themes. Note: Ian spends the first five minutes talking about EI's 200th episode milestone. Listeners looking just for Snowman are recommended to skip the first few minutes. Happy holidays everyone! 

We are back in the Rankin/Bass cinematic universe! Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is in many ways a prototype to the Avengers-style team-up modern audiences are used to, a convergence of beloved heroes such as Rudolph, Frosty, Big Ben, Jack Frost, and Mickey Rooney's Santa. It is also a terrible movie, the only feature-length Christmas release in the Rankin/Bass catalogue.   ITM's sister Barbara returns to the show to unpack this trainwreck. Where are Milton's laughs? What's up with the Caves of Lost Rejections? Find out as we take one of our last adventures into this bizarre world. 

It’s time for holiday coverage! ITM takes a look at the 1947 classic Miracle on 34th Street and its 1994 remake. While the remake boasts an impressive cast, it's hard to top the magic of the original. ITM examines the peculiarities of the beloved film, particularly its preoccupation with ethical consumption under capitalism and the trial that soaks up much of the narrative.

It's that time again! ITM makes her appeal for you to fill out a ballot. The stakes are too high, something we're used to hearing, but the threat of another four years of Trump is simply unfathomable for our country. Too many people's rights are on the line. The Senate map is very tough for Democrats, and every vote counts.   Please take a moment to check your voter registration status, and be sure to make plans to vote in this election. Thank you.

ITM has a bunch of updates, including a lip implant removal procedure that kept her away from the microphone during Pride Month. It's been a stressful time for many LGBTQ people. Ian shares her own struggles with stress, and talks about her new relationship. It's a weird time to be LGBTQ in the world. It's okay to not be okay 100% of the time (or any of the time). Be good to yourselves, fam.

Her web connects us all! Or does? Absolutely not. Ian is joined by Ed Carroll for a discussion on Sony's Spider-Man Universe's latest disaster. Ian and Ed break down the odd narrative decisions, like the bargain bin Terminator chase to the odd application of clairvoyance powers to the puzzling absence of spider powers in a film with three Spider-Girls/Spider-Women. What a mess!    Disclaimer: Sony sent Ian a copy of the 4K/Blu-ray release for the purposes of recording this episode.  

Ian has a lot of feelings about The Phantom Menace on its 25th birthday. She already wrote an article about the film a few years ago, so naturally her only recourse was to make a podcast film about it. Why do we care about a children's movie that somehow straddles the line mediocre and underrated? I guess you'll have to listen to find out!    Ian's old article on The Phantom Menace (rescued from the Wayback Machine): https://web.archive.org/web/20200408092924/https://fansided.com/2019/12/16/star-wars-phantom-menace-best-prequel/

Five year Estradiol Illusions anniversary! Ian talks about what she's been up to this year, mostly writing and trying to get over yet another breakup. Life is a tricky game. Best to keep a stiff upper lip and get on with things. Thank you to everyone who's listened to the show over the past half-decade! We don't do as many new episodes as we used to, but it's always fun to catch up.  Ian is far more active on her two preferred platforms, Facebook and Threads

ITM just celebrated a three-month anniversary of her new relationship. She's really excited to be in love again. So excited, in fact, that she recorded a whole episode on how her emotions represent the culmination of her whole transgender journey, even years removed from the end of her medical transition. For all the nonsense the world throws at trans people, there's a lot of joy out there too. 

Did The Little Drummer Boy need a sequel? Absolutely not. Is Book II worth watching? Ian unpacks the short film's surprisingly strong anti-capitalist message. For a special that's running on fumes, Aaron's second act is one of the better lesser-tier Rankin/Bass specials.    EI's coverage of the original Little Drummer Boy: https://ianthomasmalone.podbean.com/e/the-little-drummer-boy-1639166205/   EI's full holiday slate: https://ianthomasmalone.com/2023/12/holiday-podcast-rankin-bass-muppets/  

We are continuing our holiday coverage with the 1978 Disney special The Small One, a quietly powerful short little film. A favorite of Ian's from an early age, she gets a little emotional talking about the narrative toward the end of the episode. For all the fun we have joking about all the cringe that often goes into holiday specials, The Small One is among the genre's finest offerings. The Small One is streaming on Disney Plus   Our full holiday slate: https://ianthomasmalone.com/2023/12/holiday-podcast-rankin-bass-muppets/ 

We're back in the Rankin/Bass cinematic universe, covering the 1974 animated special 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Santa is really angry about an op-ed penned in the local paper by a young mouse who dared not to live his life in service to the altar of faith. The town government is pretty apathetic toward Santa, a proper sentiment for a lackluster special.    EI's full holiday coverage: https://ianthomasmalone.com/2023/12/holiday-podcast-rankin-bass-muppets/

ITM offers a passionate defense of the LGBTQ sensation known as U-Haul. Is it a bad idea to rush into emotional entanglements that make you feel like you're floating on the moon? Hey, if you find something that makes you happy in this modern landscape, roll with it. Life's too short to deny yourself a beautiful U-Haul. 

ITM has had quite the eventful stretch. With someone new in her life, Ian unpacks the nerves and calming effects of being thrown into The Deep End. As scared as she feels, the idea of having something worth feeling anything about is cause enough for celebration. The deep end isn't such a scary place to be as long as someone remembers to throw you a paddle. 

ITM had a magical date last night with a woman. A major recurring theme of this show over the past two years has been ITM's fleeting connection to her bisexuality. Ian unpacks her date and the value of bringing your best, earnest effort to new connections, to throw yourself out there in our vast scary world, eager and ready to savor that precious LGBTQ joy we all hold so dear to ourselves. Maybe she's a little smitten with the sapphic bug, but isn't that the whole point of this thing of ours (bisexual casa nostra)?

We're back! ITM delivers a case against one of her least favorite elements of LGBTQ life, that thing called discretion. A lot of people used to wish that gay people could keep things in the bedroom or the pesky closet. ITM doesn't think that suits an adorable transsexual, and she'd like the era of discretion to come to a much-needed end. 

Against all odds, The Flash movie was finally released. In spite of Ezra Miller's best efforts to shelf the film with their awful behavior, Warner Bros. opted against the Batgirl treatment and set this trainwreck loose in the wild. Ian is joined by friend of the show Ed Carroll for a post-mortem on The Flash, and the DCEU as a whole. At least we got some Keaton, and another beloved DC figure in ITM lore.  For more of Ed, follow him on Twitter @EdRevelator34 Ian's review of the film: https://ianthomasmalone.com/2023/06/the-flash-is-an-embarrassing-mess-fitting-for-the-current-state-of-the-dceu/  

Ian unpacks a question that she was asked by a Grindr date last week. Is there anything wrong with going out with guys who fetishize trans women? Like many trans femmes, ITM is not a fan of being objectified, but she tries her best to unpack the reality of how trans people are seen in this vast dating realm. 

Pride is upon us! It's a pretty shitty time to be a trans person in America. Ian muddles through a deconstruction of the idea of optimism, trying her best to piece together something resembling a life in this chaotic timeline.