2 Cents Critic

Jumping onboard the program today for a conversation is C.J. Leede, author of Maeve Fly, her 2023 debut novel that mixes together slasher horror and dark comedy while drawing tons of inspiration from American Psycho. The varying subgenres of horror, the playlist that C.J. crafted for Maeve Fly, and appreciation for audiobooks comprise a few of the subjects that get discussed throughout this episod...

Tune in as my pals Misty Rose and Jared return to their comfy old guest chairs here on 2CC for a recap of the 2024 Oscars. What a year of cinema it’s been, and that makes for plenty to cap off with the conclusion of this past awards season. Talking points for this episode include Jared’s rant about the outrageously baffling and mawkish mess that is “The After,” Jonathan Glazer’s courageous speech,...

Hopping onto the show today is Andrew Rutter, the filmmaker behind multiple short films, with 2020’s “Peter the Penguin” being the one that had introduced Arthur to his work and to the blend of horror and bizarrely dark comedy that it’s filled with. The two hosts discuss tons of topics, including their appreciation of physical media for movies, Andrew and his girlfriend’s animal fixations, the con...

Tune in as Vanessa Ondi (Best Week Ever Podcast) collaborates with Arthur to review and recap When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, the 2020 thriller novel that’s been marketed as a cross between Rear Window and Get Out (and was also one of Arthur’s top books of 2020). Distrusting the cops, getting deeply irritated by the persistent and widespread microaggressions of our world, rooting for a fre...

Joining the program today is Clement Jochem, the filmmaker behind, among other shorts, the 2023 horror short “It’s Not About Fear.” With its slow-burn atmosphere and its sensitive handling of some heavy subject matter, it’s become a great way to get introduced to Clement’s work. He and Arthur chat about plenty of topics on this episode, including the importance of being aware of how your art could...

Tune in as Tyler Hewitt (Dumb-Dumbs & Dice) makes his long-awaited return to the program for a review and recap of One Hour Photo, the 2002 film that presents plenty of stalkery suspense and a nostalgic freeze-frame of the antiquated era of photo processing. The masterful skill that Robin Williams shows off in his against-type performance as lonesome photo lab tech Sy Parrish, the numerous tim...

Tune in as Joey DiCarlo and Markellus “Mark” Ragans (So Wizard Podcast) collaborate with Arthur for a breakdown of 10 Cloverfield Lane, the 2016 mid-apocalyptic thriller that’s very loosely presented as a standalone sequel to 2008’s Cloverfield. The surprisingly feminist themes in 10CL, the committed and creative marketing campaign for this whole franchise, and what the hosts’ doomsday bunker juke...

Tune in as Jessica and Saunya (Opinionated Lushes) rejoin Arthur to review and recap The Marvels, the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel (and a few other pieces of the ever-growing MCU). The multiple factors that led to this becoming a box office bomb, the real-life cases to which the Kree’s colonialist and imperialist regime can be compared (*cough cough* Israel and the U.S.), and Kamala Khan being...

Tune in as Sharai Bohannon (A Nightmare on Fierce Street, Blerdy Massacre) returns to 2CC for a breakdown of Push, the 2009 sci-fi action movie that borrows quite a bit of energy from the X-Men. Nitpicking the inconsistencies of the psychic powers in this flick, reminding everyone that Shiv Roy isn’t meant to be a girlboss figure, running through Zack Snyder’s filmography, and bemoaning celebrity...

Tune in as Arthur’s friends Misty Rose and Kate jump onto the show so that they all can list off their top ten movies of 2023. Misty dozing off during one of the best fight scenes in John Wick: Chapter 4, the hosts’ conflicting thoughts over a divisive little flick called Saltburn (between this and Promising Young Woman, Arthur slightly prefers the latter), and whether or not May December qualifie...

Jumping onto 2CC today is Joshua R. Pangborn, the filmmaker who’s behind the award-winning NYC-based production company Sidekick Productions. Queer, fat-positive, and sex-positive storytelling is what Joshua and Sidekick focus on through web series like Skeleton Crew and Demon Doctor. Same goes for the upcoming horror-comedy movie A Taste of Youth and the upcoming horror-comedy anthology Brooklyn...

Tune in as Arthur brings back his friend Daxh Alanis for a discussion on Echo, the new MCU miniseries that’s premiering on Disney+ (as well as Hulu) and bringing us back around to Maya Lopez, the street-level fighter and deaf amputee whom we had met back in 2021’s Hawkeye. The badassery of both Maya and Alaqua Cox, Kingpin continuing to be enthralling as ever amongst the comic book villains out th...

Tune in as Mel B., Jackie D., and A. (Read, Watch, or DNF; DNF Happy Hour) all grab some seats with Arthur at the 2CC table so that they can lay out their top 10 books of 2023. A book being powerful enough to rip out A.’s uterus, striving to read more BIPOC work, and the frustrating state of Goodreads comprise a few of the talking points for this week’s podcast. Here’s how you can learn more about...

Tune in as pod buddy Torry (Ready to Be Petty, Ready to Be Romanced) teams up with Arthur to discuss A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, the spicy Christmas rom-com that stands as the second novel in their A Christmas Notch series. Purity culture, the nods this book gives to celebrity life, and how it handles certain tropes like that of the Sex Coach make up some of the sub...

Tune in as Dustin Holden (Dustin Can Read & Watch, The Rewatch Recap) rejoins 2CC so that he and Arthur can lay out their top 10 TV shows of 2023. The baffling and moronic behavior of streaming services, a reminder that Netflix’s You originally premiered on Lifetime, and a certain deeply pleasurable superpower comprise a few of the topics that the hosts discuss on this episode. Here’s how you...

Tune in for 2CC’s first episode of 2024, which is kicking off the new year by bringing Arthur’s friend Thomas back on to cover the two-season Netflix series Russian Doll. The ways in which this plays around with time, the companionship between Nadia and Alan, and Jamie Babbit’s work make up a few of the topics that the hosts chat about on this podcast. Created by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, a...

Tune in for the fourth and final episode of 2 Cents Critic Merry Month, where the show is covering holiday media throughout December! On this last week of the month (and last episode of 2023, an eventful year that’s been notable for things like Barbenheimer, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, the long-awaited passing of Henry Kissinger, and the genocide that Israel is committing against Palestine), Art...

Tune in for the third episode of 2 Cents Critic Merry Month, where the show is covering holiday media throughout December! This week, Mama D (Petals of Support) joins the podcast to discuss National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the 1989 Christmas movie that’s full of Italian twinkle lights, vexed neighbors, and Clark Griswold’s psychopathic tendencies. Talking points for this episode include the...

Tune in for the second episode of 2 Cents Critic Merry Month, where the show is covering holiday media throughout December! This week, Arthur brings Andy (Fat Dude Digs Flicks Movie Podcasts) onboard to review and recap Die Hard, the 1988 icon of both action and Christmas cinema. Discussion topics for this episode include comparing Die Hard to the much bleaker Roderick Thorp book it’s based on, th...

Tune in for the first episode of 2 Cents Critic Merry Month, where the show is covering holiday media throughout December! For this first week, Arthur is bringing his buddies Misty Rose and Jared back on to break down the 2015 Christmas horror-comedy Krampus. Whether or not Doctor Sleep is a Christmas movie, the hosts’ individual experiences with Christmastime and the forced merriment that accompa...

Tune in as my buddy Daxh Alanis comes back to the program for a breakdown of Recursion, the 2019 sci-fi thriller rollercoaster of a novel by Blake Crouch. Talking points for this podcast include the heart-wrenching dynamic that builds up between the two leads, the intricate logic of this mindfuck tale, and the impact that deprivation tanks can have on tinnitus. TW: suicide, suicide attempt, murder...

Tune in as Connor Kujawinski comes back to Arthur’s show for a review and recap of The Lady Upstairs, the 2020 neo-noir thriller novel by Halley Sutton. Talking points for this episode include the noir references that this book pulls from, listening to audiobooks, and the criminally underrated film (in Arthur’s vehement opinion) that is Danny Boyle’s Trance. TW: sexual content, murder, alcoholism,...

Tune in as Guy Bradford returns to 2CC for a review and recap of the timey-wimey and multiversal shenanigans in Disney+’s Loki, Season 2. The now-ended SAG-AFTRA strike, the MCU recycling its own tropes, the sadistic and horny range of Miss Minutes, and the pains of mixing up TV episodes comprise just a few of the topics that the hosts gab about. Head written by Eric Martin, Loki, Season 2 stars T...

Tune in as Seth Vargas (Movie Friends) teams up with Arthur to break down As We See It, the 2022 Prime Video series that revolves around a trio of autistic mid-20s roommates who are trying to figure out their lives and gain independence. Talking points that the hosts bring up on this episode include the series being cringey in a good way, the uneven arc of Aaron Eckhart’s career, and doing away wi...

Tune in as Arthur’s buddy Robyn Zabukovec jumps onboard to discuss the 1999 high school rom-com She’s All That. M. Night Shyamalan’s uncredited writing contributions to this movie, getting irritated over actors like Paul Walker and Mark Rylance, and setting fire to Ready Player One make up a few of the subjects that this episode covers. Directed by Robert Iscove, She’s All That stars Rachael Leigh...