Any way you slice it, 200 episodes is a milestone. And while other, more cowardly podcasts might insist on regulating and planning every second of such an achievement, we left it all to chance and invited Lady Luck to choose our movies for us! Last week’s AFI Roulette spins yielded two paragons of pure, unadulterated entertainment. One is a dumb, colorful musical bursting with bananas fashion, stunning set pieces, and one magnificent ass. The other is a frenetic and cacophonous gangster flick that features outstanding performances, the most magnificent oner, and an in-movie commercial to rival Cheddar Goblin. Both are exemplars of their genre, and the form of cinema itself. Join us as we swoon over Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Goodfellas (1990), this week on Ex Rated Movies!

As we approach episode 200, Matt has decided to bring us back to where it all started. Claire Denis’ vampire-adjacent Trouble Every Day (2001), is a slow and sensual mood piece that’s sparse on dialogue but brimming with ambiguity. While the movie does contain two challengingly violent scenes, the lush camerawork from Agnès Goddard, sumptuous music from Tindersticks, and sad puppy dog eyes from Vincent Gallo help to temper their biting intensity. This is one auteur treatment of vampires that we heartily endorse. Join us as we rack our brains about about actual brains, review the Tool Time segments from Home Improvement, and get mayonnaise all over the mirror, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Pull up your pleated corduroys and throw on Bossanova because we’re taking a nostalgia trip back to the 1990’s. While Kicking and Screaming (1995), Noah Baumbach’s debut feature, definitely captures the look and feel of the mid 90’s, it also epitomizes the directionless ennui some liberal arts graduates *ahem* feel upon entering the “real world.” And while he certainly went on to make better films, this one’s charming analysis of stunted and ornery young adults refusing to grow up, goes down very, very easy. Join us for some thoughtful discussions on the Cookie Man’s politics, an abridged dissection of the exact nature of a Muppet, and a rootin’, tootin’ audition for Howdy Tasty, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It’s a true testament to how great Gremlins is that practically everyone came back to work on Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). And the fact that studio execs held out until Joe Dante was willing to make it with complete creative control, proves that whatever unique blend of horror and comedy that this movie achieves, is unrepeatable. Bigger and wackier than the first, yet still ringing all the same bells, this delightfully satisfying sequel is the ideal example of what can happen when art and business join forces. Join us as we reminisce about Wendy’s baked potato bar, take a stab at Andy Rooney’s tight five, and put a pin in Gremlina’s DSL, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Evillene would be pleased because this week, we’ve got good news; we’re talking about The Wiz (1978)! Starring an age-inappropriate Diana Ross, a peanut-butter-cup-wrapper-sporting Michael Jackson, and directed by a put-the-camera-in-the-nosebleeds Sidney Lumet, this one-of-a-kind flick reimagines The Wizard of Oz with an all-black cast singing familiar story beats in soul and gospel style. Filled with huge set pieces, imaginative costume design, excellent vocal performances, and tight choreography, this unique film, while flawed, puts a fun, joyful spin on the beloved classic. Join us as we discuss a bitter and repulsive liqueur, get swept away by a blornado, and marvel at Matt’s first on-air critique of capitalism, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It seems that for those of us who grew up in the 80’s, The Secret of NIMH (1982) either conjures fond memories of a magical adventure or summons terrifying traumas of non-stop peril. The Exes and their newly minted #1 guest Travis Vogt, are solidly in the former category. Helmed by Don Bluth and completed by a team of Disney expats, this masterpiece of old-school hand-drawn animation tells a grim tale of a nameless widow mouse who, when faced with impossible choices, finds the courage to conquer insurmountable odds. Join us for an episode that includes some imminent death chuckles, a Great Owl who is DTF, and a showering of Jimmy Stewart’s tricklins, this week on Ex Rated Movies! And check out Travis’s podcast here: https://thesuspenseiskillingus.com/

It’s been a while since we visited the strange, idiosyncratic world of Guy Maddin, but Brand Upon the Brain (2006) reminds us that we should definitely check in with it more often. Deploying frequent rapid cuts, melodramatic music, and cinematography reminiscent of film’s silent era, Maddin has concocted a feverish delirium of gender obfuscation, Oedipal implication, and Nosferatu insinuation on a shoestring budget. His films with their dazzling singular style and convoluted plots may be difficult to talk about (and this one is certainly no exception), but boy are they a joy to watch. Join us as we give voice to that helpful paperclip from Microsoft Word, enjoy a little wall butter (good for dippin’!), and get a bit serious about big floppy dongs, this week on Ex Rated Movies! 

Drugs drugs drugs drugs drugs! In honor of 4/20, today’s episode is all about drugs, man. Based on the Philip K. Dick novel and directed by Richard Linklater, A Scanner Darkly (2006) weaves a trippy, paranoid tale of an undercover narcotics officer who may be in over his head. Done in mesmerizing rotoscope-esqe animation and featuring an amazing cast that somehow includes Alex Jones, this cautionary tale about the high cost of addiction criminalization has an emotional resonance that keeps it from becoming a gimmicky curiosity. Join us as we fact check our D.A.R.E. officers, set the record straight on fruit pies, and throw in a few Dick jokes for good measure, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

If you feel a bit disoriented seeing this week’s movie title instead of Sicario, don’t fear! You’re not having a break with reality! Ryan pulled a switcheroo behind the scenes and forced Matt to talk about Repulsion (1965) instead. Directed by Roman Polanski, this slow burn fever dream stars Catherine Deneuve (in her first role) as another Carol suffering from mental health problems who is left alone to stew in her psychosis. And while some of the special effects betray its shoestring budget, this scrappy thriller more than makes up for them with its striking imagery, innovative sound design, and sympathetic story. Join us as we have a hare head hair-raising, wince at a nape-of-the-neck knifing, and wrestle with Polanski’s problematic past, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It’s spring break y’all! Time to slap on a bikini bottom and polish up your grill because we’re covering Harmony Korine’s impressive tale of youth gone wild, Spring Breakers (2012). Filled with mesmerizing slo-mo montages and provocative juxtapositions, this neon-hued joyride defies expectations as it follows four young women in search of hedonism, power, and all that life has to offer. Join us as we ask: is this movie a bluff that no one wanted to call? What’s up with Gucci Mane’s face tattoos? And is a jock strap better than naked? All this and a 40 year old otter, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

While obscure German arthouse cinema might not scream “party time” to most, here at Ex Rated Movies, it’s a downright jubilee! Throughout the 70’s and into the early 80’s, Ranier Werner Fassbinder (not to be confused with Michael Fassbender) was a talented and innovative voice in cinema. Though problematic (and sometimes hard to watch), his films combine difficult subject matter with creative visual flourishes and breathtaking imagery. Our double feature Fassbinder Filmbender includes the maybe masochistic made for TV movie about marital misery, Martha (1974) and the sumptuous and sleek monochrome nod to Hollywood noir, Veronika Voss (1982). Grab yourself a plate of pig kidneys in Burgundy sauce and settle in as we consider the exact nature of verandas, don our furs to impersonate fancy ladies, and give our Ambie Award presentation the Elizabeth Taylor treatment, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

Happy Birth (2004) Day! This episode has been a long time coming so we’re giving ourselves a congratulatory pat on the back as we tackle this icky squicky drama about a woman whose decade-long dead husband is seemingly reincarnated in the body of a 10 year old boy. Directed by the gifted Jonathan Glazer and starring Nicole Kidman in what may be her finest role, this muted, solemn tale challenges its viewers to accept the preposterous premise and truly wrestle with the messy implications contained within it. It’s Kidman vs. Kid Man as we toss out some controversial opinions, find out that Matt was a teen loan shark sensei, and learn a fun fact about shag carpet from Willy Nilly, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

On paper, Notes on a Scandal (2006) has our names written all over it. A sapphic British psychosexual thriller starring Judy Dench and Cate Blanchett? Yes please! However in practice, the movie doesn’t quite live up to its promise. Despite its rich subject matter, stellar performances, and competent production, the film relies heavily on tired voiceover, leaves important themes virtually unexplored, and muddies many scenes with an oppressive Philip Glass score (sorry, Philip). It all adds up to a decent viewing experience that ultimately leaves us wanting. Join us for some special friend arm strokin’, an odd shoutout to Bob Geldof, and more cat talk than you’d think on this velvet tippin’, finger smithin’, oyster slurpin’ bonanza of an episode, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

We’ve hinted about doing Dangerous Liaisons (1987) for ages and today, my dear listener, is the day. Based on the late 18th century epistolary novel by Choderlos De Laclos, and directed by Stephen Frears: The King of Middlebrow Cinema™, this wicked little gem dares to paint the French aristocracy as snipey manipulators bent on vindictive sexual conquest and calculated emotional revenge. Come for the extraordinary cast, elaborate intrigue, and opulent production design. Stay for the exquisite direction, delicious dialogue, and abundance of heaving bosoms. Grab a glass of bone water and join us as we dust off the Oblique Strategies deck, mention a filling of our Dench Trench, and hear tell of a dangerous Dangerous Liaisons liaison, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

It’s Valentine’s Day season and Matt is reviving an old tradition we have here at the podcast of celebrating a day devoted to romance with a movie that doesn’t have a hint of romance in it. Possession (1981) is a movie that defies categorization. Part relationship drama, part sci-fi horror, part Cold War allegory (maybe?), Andrzej Żuławski’s emotional tour-de-force stars Isabelle Adjani (giving an impassioned performance) and Sam Neill (once again playing an unwanted husband) as they reckon with the pain of infidelity, the tribulations of divorce, and the hopefulness of rebirth. Oh, also sopping wet betentacled sex aliens. Join us as we discuss the 80’s sitcom Heinrich and Heinrich, Bob the kid, and Ryan’s harrowing viewing adventure, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

January 2021, a month that will surely only be remembered for Bean Dad and Game Stop stock, is now behind us. That means we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming with the only Hollywood film noir directed by a woman, The Hitch-Hiker (1953). Based on the real-life cross-country killing spree of Billy Cook, certified “cool lady” Ida Lupino tells this brutal and emotionally wrought tale with empathy and flair. While perhaps not a typical noir, this desert-set, chiaroscuro-drenched affair manages to feel propulsive and tense, even at a brief 71 minutes long! Join us for some hard serial killer face, a bit of boomer humor, and some sex flashcards that taught us the word lingam, this week on Ex Rated Movies!

After more than six hours and four bottles of wine, we’ve reached the end of our journey. And while we neglect to mention the episode’s title, we did remember to look up the production designer! Heaven, I’m in Heaven closes out Angels in America on a supremely satisfying note. Unfortunately, the play’s dismal analysis of conservative American politics remains accurate to this day, but it’s message of hopeful progress through adversity endures as well. Join us for the tired and tearful final installment of our Angels in Americathon!

Part five, Beyond Nelly, left us dirty, tangled, and torn. It also confirmed Ryan’s bi-ness. This installment finds Hannah calling Prior “Batman”, Belize describing a fabulous version of heaven to Roy, and Harper learning about change from a bitter lady of the plains. Things are getting heavy as the grindy gears of justice slowly spin towards their inexorable ends as new relationships begin to bloom while other fade away. Join us for an episode that includes a three wiener callback, beautiful Balenciaga ballgowns, and a petrichor detecting palette, as we continue our Angels in Americathon!

Perestroika begins with Stop Moving!, a slower chapter that takes its time establishing the new places and situations our characters find themselves in. Louis and Joe are shacking up and talking about smells. Prior is home and having wet dreams about an angel with eight vaginas. And Belize is reluctantly taking care of Roy who is now slowly deteriorating in the hospital. What is the pterodactyl sex move? Where does Ryan land on the Kinsey scale? How would middle toe sex work? The answers to these questions and a funeral with wigs out the wazoo on this episode of our Angels in Americathon!

Part three of Millennium Approaches, The Messenger, serves as a nice tonic to the emotionally difficult previous chapter. It starts with Michael Gambon and Simon Callow looking like they’ve been dredged in flour and it ends with Meryl Streep dressed as Ethel Rosenberg gleefully commenting on the melodious sounds of a touchtone phone. We’re halfway through and the cracks are starting to show as we discuss the lamentable consequences of venery, purple v mauve, and our undeniable similarities to Frasier and Niles on this installment of our Angels in Americathon!