Frights, camera, action! For the final outing of spooky season, Curtis and John take on Zach Cregger's WEAPONS (2025), starring Julia Garner, Amy Madigan, and Josh Brolin, alongside special guests Magill and Dr Thomas Britt. The boys discussed what they watched this week before diving into the film discussion. Hot topics include the "comedic" aspects of the film, parasitism, the multiple narratives and perspectives, consumption, police corruption and complacency, Gladys, the meaning of "weapons," and so much more.

Have a spooktacular season!

Tune in next time for the final Sofia Coppola canon entry: PRISCILLA (2023)!

NEWS OF THE WEEK

Shoutouts:

• The kind folks I met in Toronto at various stores, cinemas, etc. 

• Charlottetown Film Festival

WHAT WE WATCHED THIS WEEK

Curtis: Brute 1976; Frankenstein (2025)John: Twin Peaks: The Return (Ep 7-9); Versus (2000); Ogroff; Kidnapped (2010); The American Scream (2010); The Long Walk

Magill: Microbudget movies Pater Noster and the Mission of Light and They Call Her Death, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Tommy: Tron: Ares; Roofman

TIME STAMPS

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:10 News of the Week/What We Watched This Week

00:49:49 WEAPONS Discussion

01:37:12 Our Scores for WEAPONS

01:41:44 Coming Up Next!

CREDITS AND PLUGS

Intro: "Beware of Darkness" by George Harrison

Outro: "Locked" by Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay, and Zach Cregger (WEAPONS OST)

Follow John on Letterboxd—@johnnycakes91

For a list of films covered at Genre Gems: https://letterboxd.com/johnnycakes91/list/genre-gems-2025-festival-lineup/

Curtis: https://www.the-back-row.com/ - check out 'Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month'

https://curtisrunstedler.ca/

Dr Curtis Reads: https://www.youtube.com/@curtisrunstedler

Check out Magill's games here:

https://taigainteractive.itch.io

Tommy and Curtis's forthcoming publications here:

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-dis-trusting-the-digital-world-in-imaginative-literature.html

New Tommy Britt publication here:

https://discovery.researcher.life/article/sleeping-through-the-big-lebowski-sleep-dreams-and-rest-in-the-coen-brothers-films-and-jeff-bridges-music/491e641b97c735e585ac3d652e42704e