Overinvested

This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss the Korean film "Burning," directed by Lee Chang-dong and starring Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong-seo. Despite this film's near-universal acclaim, they... didn't like it very much! Topics include the film's uncomfortable depiction of its central female character, its take on class in South Korea, excellent performances from the three lead actors, and more...

This week, Morgan and Gavia discuss Andrew Dominik's beloved cult western "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," starring Brad Pitt as legendary outlaw James and Casey Affleck as the awkward fan who ultimately kills him. Topics include the film's depiction of the American west, its treatment of celebrity and masculinity, career-best work from cinematographer Roger Deakins, a...

This week, Morgan and Gavia celebrate the life and work of the late Sidney Poitier by diving into his greatest film, Norman Jewison's Academy Award-winning "In the Heat of the Night." Poitier stars as a Black, northern detective who is waylaid in a small southern town by a homicide investigation in which he becomes entangled; Rod Steiger co-stars as the town's racist white sheriff. Topics include...

This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss the late Peter Bogdanovich's classic homage to old Hollywood screwball, "What's Up, Doc?," starring Ryan O'Neal as a hapless musicologist and Barbra Streisand as the agent of chaos with whom he reluctantly falls in love. Topics include Bogdanovich's life and career, the film's direct relationship to 1930s and 1940s romantic comedies, Streisand's magnetic perform...

This week, Morgan and Gavia revisit childhood favorite "The Secret Garden" (1993), directed by Agnieszka Holland and adapted from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Topics include the film's refreshingly dark take on its gothic source text, its treatment of Victorian class and imperial politics, Richard Deakins' lustrous cinematography, and much more.

This week, Morgan and Gavia return to their favorite annual podcast tradition: sharing lists of their top ten films of the year. Selections run the gamut from the big budget — "The Matrix Resurrections" — to the ultra small — Mexico's "Prayers for the Stolen" — and everything in-between.

This week, Gavia and Morgan return to the Matrix with "The Matrix Resurrections," Lana Wachowski's long-awaited sequel to the original trilogy. Original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss return along with new faces including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, and Neil Patrick Harris. Topics include the film's self-aware skewering of franchise cinema, its visual departures (and connection...

This week, Gavia and Morgan watch one of 2020's most poorly received films, John Patrick Shanley's adaptation of his own play "Wild Mountain Thyme." Starring Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan as lifelong neighbors who haven't ever been able to confess their true feelings for each other, the movie is a mystifyingly bad stab at romantic dramedy. Topics include Shanley's cringeworthy script, wooden perfor...

This week, Gavia and Morgan celebrate Christmas by revisiting the first installment of the new "Star Wars" trilogy: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Directed by JJ Abrams and starring Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, and John Boyega, the film kicked off a new era for "Star Wars" and Disney. Topics include the film's masterful melding of old and new cast members, its brilliant blockbuster screenwriting, i...

We'll have our next episode, on "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," up by the end of the week, but in the meantime here's a rerun from the archives to tide you over: our episode on Lorene Scafaria's "Hustlers," low-key an iconic Christmas movie. You can also listen to our recent Patreon-only episode on "Princess Mononoke" at patreon.com/overinvestedpodcast.

This week, Gavia and Morgan watch the offbeat fantasy k-drama "The School Nurse Files," based on Chung Serang's award-winning novel. Starring Jung Yu-mi as a high school nurse who has the power to see auras and "jellies" that manifest people's feelings, the show feels like a teen dramedy and a zany fantasy show rolled into one. Topics include the show's unique tone and approach, lead actress Jung'...

This week, Morgan and Gavia discuss Andrea Arnold's experimental adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel "Wuthering Heights." Topics include the book's long screen history, Arnold's bold cinematic approach, the effect of casting Black actors to play Heathcliff, and much more.

This week, Gavia and Morgan revisit one of their favorite films of the past decade, David Fincher's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel "Gone Girl." Topics include iconic performances from Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, the film's (and novel's)slippery and provocative approach to feminist questions, its place in Fincher's filmography, and more.

This week, Gavia and Morgan finally bring you their much-delayed opinions on Andrew Haigh's ultra-bleak but mesmerizing miniseries "The North Water," starring Jack O'Connell and Colin Farrell as shipmates on a doomed Arctic whaling expedition. Topics include the show's sharp depiction of masculinity and sexuality in Victorian England, its uncompromising approach to violence, stellar performances f...

This week, Gavia and Morgan revisit Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic "Dune," newly interpreted by director Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and more. Topics include the Villeneuve's passion for the source material, his masterful direction, Chalamet's winning performance as Paul Atreides, the film and novel's troublesome relationship to the Middle East,...

This week, Gavia and Morgan report back from the London and New York Film Festivals, running down an exciting list of buzzy fall titles that includes Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog," starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst; Palme d'Or winner "Titane"; the sequel to Joanna Hogg's autobiographical film "The Souvenir"; a new film by Pedro Almodóvar starring Penelope Cruz; Edgar Wright's...

This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss Ridley Scott's new historical drama "The Last Duel," which stars Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, and Ben Affleck. Topics include the film's tripartite structure, its thoughtful handling of the rape that drives its plot, Affleck's unexpectedly dazzling comedic performance, and much more.

This week, Gavia and Morgan finally dig into one of the year's most-discussed films, David Lowery's "The Green Knight." Topics include the film's relationship to the original poem, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"; its depiction of medieval life; performances by Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander; and more.

This week, Morgan and Gavia revisit Nicolas Winding Refn's instant-classic "Drive" (2011), starring Ryan Gosling as a getaway driver and Carey Mulligan as the neighbor with whom he becomes infatuated. Topics include the film's electric direction and iconic soundtrack, its dubious casting process, its provocative treatment of violence, and much more.

This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss John Crowley's 2003 debut film "Intermission," an early-aughts blast from the past starring Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Kelly Macdonald, and many more as a group of interconnected characters in Dublin. Topics include the film's relationship with other multi-plot films from the nineties and aughts, its cringey throwback misogyny, Crowley and screenwriter Mark...

This week, Morgan and Gavia dive into Todd Haynes' 2002 masterpiece "Far From Heaven," starring Julianne Moore as a 1950s housewife, Dennis Quaid as her closeted husband, and Dennis Haysbert as the gardener with whom she falls in love. They discuss the film's relationship to Douglas Sirk's 1950s women's pictures, its recreation and subversion of period aesthetics and attitudes, the stunning perfor...

This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss Baz Luhrmann's directorial debut, the beloved Australian classic "Strictly Ballroom" (1992), starring Paul Mercurio as a would-be champion ballroom dancer and Tara Morice as his unlikely partner. Topics include the development of Luhrmann's distinct aesthetic, the film's successful deployment of tropes and queer subtext, and much more.

This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss Mike White's buzzy summer hit "The White Lotus," starring Jennifer Coolidge, Murray Bartlett, Steve Zahn, and many more as the guests and staff at a luxury resort in Hawaii. Topics include the show's rushed production due to COVID, its treatment of class and colonialism, its extraordinary cast, and much more.

This week, Gavia and Morgan delve into "Jaws" (1975), Steven Spielberg's breakthrough film and arguably the first American blockbuster. Topics include the film's enduring political resonance; its clever deployment of suspense (and that shark animatronic); performances by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw; and much more.

This week, Gavia and Morgan discuss "Ganja & Hess," Bill Gunn's classic experimental horror film, starring Duane Jones and Marlene Clark. Topics include the film's beleaguered initial release, its engagement with blaxploitation and vampire tropes, its unconventional narrative and visual style, and more.