Fake Geek Girls - A Critical Look at Pop Culture

If A Wrinkle in Time encouraged us to expand our minds to the size of the universe, A Wind in the Door asks us to make them very, very small… and then expand them just a bit further than we did the first time around. Join us as we discuss identity, growing up, and the ever-important theme of faith (and what faith can mean, beyond the obvious), in the second book of the Time Quartet! Some Sou...

Someday we will catch up to time and not be doing these super-sized WWBUTs, but that day is not today! So: here’s what we’ve been up to. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching The Drama Reading Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher Kiss Me, Judas by Will Christopher Baer The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia G...

Abjection? The Monstrous-Feminine? Motherhood? What else could we be talking about other than the Alien franchise? Join us as we examine the first four films in the Alien series—Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection—to trace how this franchise has evolved, shifted, and taken on grotesque new forms over time. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Powers of Horror by Julia Kristeva Alie...

Join us in our belated discussion about this year’s Emerald City Comic Con, including what’s working (artist alley), what isn’t (panels), and what we hope to see in the future (a scrap of curation on the convention’s part). But even better, we got to chat with Ren Strapp ( The Shepherd’s Sword, Amira the Van Life Cunt, How Could You?) and Becca Farrow ( First Test, La...

We’re still going through it, which means we’re releasing another WWBUT! And it’s a doozy, because we saw Wuthering Heights and we have some (unpopular) opinions about it, about the critical response to it, and more. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Wuthering Heights A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Dear David Marty Supreme Train Dreams Frankenstein The Secret Agent Project...

It’s time for OPINIONS as we get into what we’ve been up to! Missy begins this year’s Oscar journey and Merri has thoughts on reality TV and stalker romance. Notes: The sound on this one is a little rougher than usual because a piece of our usual recording equipment went out and we weren’t able to monitor the sound the way we normally do. We should have this under control f...

Let’s get into personal history, religion, the power of love, and sado-masochism (the clinical kind, let’s not get too excited) as we discuss Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time! This is the first in our series of episodes on L’Engle’s Time Quartet (or Quintet?)—we’ll be back throughout the year with more! Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: There i...

Oh, what a month we’ve had. We’re back with a belated WWBUT, covering everything we did while our brains turned to mush. What Missy’s Been Up To: Reading The Stranger by Albert Camus It Came from the Closet edited by Joe Vallese Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Watching The Lobster Fleabag Eddington What Merri&#821...

Join us as we journey into history, depravity, and hypocrisy as we take a closer look at Danny McBride’s The Righteous Gemstones! Can people this bad be redeemed? Isn’t that what the whole Christ story is about? And how close to reality is this, anyway? Let’s find out. Some Links You Might Find Interesting: The prosperity gospel, explained: Why Joel Osteen believes that prayer ca...

What have we been up to? A lot! Join us as we discuss whether Nicholas Hoult’s face has any trace of the uncanny, why it pays to be perpetually behind, and the eternal wisdom of the Real Housewives. Also: a bit about this year’s PAX West, including our experience with the game Ten Candles. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching The Queen’s Gambit Mickey 17 The Smashing Machine R...

Our 2024 Oscar nominee double-feature (we’re only talking about two because we are chasing our bliss) continues with Anora, Sean Baker’s ode to class and sex work and the American dream. Where do we stand on that ending? Do we feel it’s respectful? Let’s find out. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Sean Baker on the politics in his films: “We’re telling stories that c...

After a brief unexpected hiatus, we’re back with a pre-hiatus what we’ve been up to! We’re talking about demon hunting, forgiveness, and more. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Cabaret KPop Demon Hunters The Others The Talented Mr. Ripley Reading Cringeworthy by Melissa Dahl Prisons Make Us Safer and 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration by Victoria Law The Talented Mr. R...

What does it cost to be beautiful? Let’s find out in our discussion of The Substance, Coralie Fargeat’s 2024 body horror film about beauty, Hollywood, and aging. We’re discussing mixed messages, Demi Moore’s performance, and why, despite everything, this film failed to stick the landing for us. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Horrality by Phillip Brophy Feminist Bo...

Welcome to another WWBUT! This time around, we’re discussing things the internet should stop talking about, memories of the indie sleaze era, and more. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Materialists Watchmen (the show) Gudiya – Bluebeard’s Bride Queer for Fear Zodiac Reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching The Cult of American Appare...

Join us as we take a look at 2023’s Renfield, a big-budget fanfic (no, no, hear us out) continuation of the 1931 Dracula adaptation! This time, we’re discussing the purpose of remixing older media, masculinity, pop psychology, and copaganda, as well as how hot Nicholas Hoult looks as the saddest, wettest little man on Earth. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Renfield: The Vampir...

Another month, another batch of HOT NEW TOPICS from your favorite Fake Geek Girls. This month, we’re chatting about the difference between love stories and romance, what on earth a liver king is, and new-found fears. Edit: We changed the name of this episode because the Liver King got arrested for “terroristic threats” less than 24 hours after we posted it, which is probably not...

She’s beauty and she’s grace, but is she… FEMINIST? (Please imagine Missy’s most sarcastic voice saying that.) That’s right, we’re talking about 2000’s Miss Congeniality, the pinnacle of 2000’s girl power. What does this film have to say about femininity? About neoliberalism? About… feminism? Let’s find out. Some Sources You Might Find In...

It’s time to indulge nostalgia by revisiting old favorites and explore newness in our latest What We’ve Been Up To! What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Ghost World Final Destination 1 – 5 Reading Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching Conclave The Lion King...

Join us as we discuss satire, gender, sexuality, representation, and more as we take a look at But I’m a Cheerleader! Does this early 2000s cult classic comedy hold up? What’s it really making fun of? Does its representation ring true? Let’s find out! Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Heterosexual Questionnaire by Martin Rochlin, Ph. D A thundering round of boos for &#8216...

A bigger-than-average WWBUT has us discussing a very, very bad Oscar movie, Real Housewives, and how much you need to know about Catholicism. What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Mythic Quest Conclave Anora Emilia Perez Reading Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching Moana 2 The Accountant Bluey Real Housewives of New York Flow...

We’re taking a closer look at Howl’s Moving Castle, both the novel series by Diana Wynne Jones and Studio Ghibli’s hit film! What makes a good adaptation? When is lack of clarity a good thing? Can we rightfully call this story “cozy?” Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Animating the Fantastic: Hayao Miyazaki’s Adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl&#8...

In which we start off and almost finish reasonably before Missy discusses a romance novel that drives us deep into NSFW territory. Also, Oscar movies! What Missy’s Been Up To: Watching Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Tenet The Brutalist The Substance Reading Provoked by Joanna Chambers What Merri’s Been Up To: Watching Strange World Venom: The Last Dance Real Housewives of Salt La...

Uma Thurman with a sword! Lucy Liu with a sword! An extended homage to every martial arts film you have seen and also a bunch you haven’t! We’re dissecting Kill Bill, discussing Quentin Tarantino’s approach to filmmaking, “movie movies,” and, naturally, how the “woman with a sword” genre fits into feminism. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: The Deca...

We’re having a great time with the zeitgeisty movies of the moment, with Wicked and Nosferatu on our recently watched list! What else have we been up to? What Missy’s Been Up To: Reading The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire Watching Brand New Cherry Flavor Bram Stoker’s Dracula I, Tonya Wicked Nosferatu Squid Game Season 2 What We Do in the Shadows S...

Take a journey with us into the Unknown as we discuss Over the Garden Wall! This time, we’re discussing liminality, whether identity is fixed, and the flimsy nature of reality. Some Sources You Might Find Interesting: Over the Garden Wall: Crafting a Modern Fairy Tale  by Quality Control “There is only surrender”: Over the Garden Wall’s Portrayal of Anxiety and Guilt  by Kelsey DuQ...