This week, we’re taking a trip to 1950s Italy as we discuss Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley and its acclaimed 1999 adaptation directed by Anthony Minghella. Topics of discussion include the novel’s iconic con artist protagonist, the twisty plot, homoerotic subtext, and how Minghella put his own spin on the themes and characters.  Media Mentioned Scrapper (2023) dir. Charlotte Regan (note: Lulu was wrong, the lead actress’s name is actually Lola Campbell, not Lola Chambers) Aftersun (2022) dir. Charlotte Wells The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow Dune by Frank Herbert The Artful Dodger (2023), starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster, David Thewliss, and Maia Mitchell Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Saltburn (2023) dir. Emerald Fennell Do Revenge (2022) These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson “Patricia Highsmith” by Richard Brooks for the Guardian The Bourne Identity movies Nimona by N.D. Stevenson Sorry to Bother You (2018) dir. Boots Riley The Celluloid Closet (1995) dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman Hannibal (2013-2015) King Arthur: Legend of the Sword dir. Guy Ritchie Ripley (upcoming Netflix show) BBC Sherlock And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley Content Warnings: discussions of antisemitism, racism, murder, violence, homophobia, gaslighting, suicide, and classism.