Movies That Matter

Nicole and Christopher discuss Eighth Grade , how overrated it is, and the failure to write a complex young woman. Nicole prefers Welcome to the Dollhouse which has a more believable central character. Nicole also can't believe anyone would describe Kayla as smart or intuitive . Mentioned in this episode, Lindsay Ellis 's take down of our culture's disdain for teenage girls. Christopher recommends...

Nicole and Garrett discuss Sorry to Bother You , how absolutely bonkers the movie is, labor rights, code switching, and the future of capitalism. Have a look at how Harvard perpetuates the model minority stereotype in its admissions process. Also, Nicole underestimated the amount of NBA players who go broke-- it's actually 60% bankrupt after 5 years. Garrett recommends You Were Never Really Here ,...

Nicole and Garret S briefly discuss our thoughts on Bao . Check out our website where you can sign up for our newsletter and visit our store , talk to us on Twitter , visit our Facebook Page , and please leave a review for us on iTunes .

Nicole and Garret S discuss Incredibles 2 , the cyclical nature of cultural movements, the need for society to keep us in prescribed roles, and the mainstreaming of alternative cultures. Nicole recommends The Power and Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady . Check out our website where you can sign up for our newsletter and visit our store , talk to us on Twitter , visit our Facebook Page , and pl...

Nicole and Adam discuss Ocean's 8 , women in crime on film, and the dispute over men watching female-led movies. Check out a favorite clip from the 2001 Ocean's Eleven of Matt Damon accidentally dropping a racial slur on Bernie Mac. Adam recommends The Rover and The Limey . Nicole recommends Out of Sight . Check out our website where you can sign up for our newsletter and visit our store , talk to...

Stacy and Nicole discuss Coco , death, and immigration's effect on American culture. Check out interviews with Benjamin Bratt and Alanna Ubach on making the film. Nicole recommends Mozart in the Jungle . Check out our website where you can sign up for our newsletter, visit our Facebook Page , talk to us on Twitter , and please leave a review for us on iTunes .

Stacy and Nicole discuss Le Redoutable (playing as Godard Mon Amor in the United States), the failure of the movie to capture a woman's perspective, and the argument that female oppression is a valid price for artistic genius. Stacy is not the only one to note that the central figure is more reminiscent of Woody Allen than Jean-Luc Godard who has just about as much self-awareness as the director....

Nicole and Jen discuss Tully , feminism and domestic work, meeting our younger selves, and the controversy around the movie. Check out the perfectly timed Dear Sugar podcast dealing with the invisible labor women do. Also read criticism of the movie by Postpartum Support International and a counter argument on the value of fiction from Vox. Nicole recommends Cyndi Lauper's album, She's So Unusual...

Stacy and Nicole discuss A Quiet Place , the non-stop suspense of the movie, the rise of dystopian/post-apocalyptic movies, and the metaphor of protecting our kids from social media and the terrors of gun violence. The New Yorker wrongly thinks it's about fear of PC culture. Nicole recommends Jeremiah . Check out our website where you can sign up for our newsletter and visit our store , talk to us...

Stacy, Nicole and Garrett discuss Blockers , proms in movies and in our lives, affirmative consent, and the policing of young women's bodies. Check out how uncomfortable talking about sex makes teenagers on This American Life . Garrett recommends A Quiet Place and Nicole recommends Molly Ringwald's article reflecting on problematic art in the age of #MeToo. Check out our website where you can sign...

Stacy and Nicole discuss A Wrinkle in Time , compare the movie to the book, and criticize the movie for its facile handling of complex issues such as bullying. While some critics found a child-like wonder to the movie, actual kids have not been going to see it . Stacy recommends revisiting Northern Exposure and Nicole recommends reading A Wrinkle in Time and watching the Netflix show, A Series of...

Nicole and Garrett discuss Annihilation , the appeal of sci-fi worlds, the fate of the mid-budget movie, and whether cinematic universe movies are in a bubble. Read about the rise of women-led sc-fi films and ho w music curation had to be reinvented for streaming music services. Garret recommends Blame and Becks . Nicole recommends Altered Carbon . Check out our website where you can sign up for o...

Stacy and Nicole discuss Hostiles , war atrocities, and the portrayal of First Nations in Westerns. Have a listen to the movie's gorgeous soundtrack . And take a trip down nostalgia lane for Rory Cochrane in his most memorable role . For more about First Nations actors on film, read Why I Won’t Wear War Paint and Feathers in a Movie Again from Time Magazine. Stacy recommends 3:10 to Yuma and Nicol...

Stacy and Nicole discuss The Post , the morality of leaking information, and the role of the press in today's fake news climate. Check out Personal History , Katherine Graham's memoir for more information on her. Also read the real story behind the meeting of Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden. And in case you missed it, Trump is making sure the news stays fake . Stacy recommends listening to The...

Stacy, Nicole, and Adam discuss Molly's Game , the idealism of Aaron Sorkin, and when the moral thing is to name names. For the real story on Molly Bloom, check out this article from Time . Also, revisit Michael Douglas' inspiring speech from The American President . And if you haven't had enough of male celebrities behaving badly, we present The Pussy Posse . Adam recommends the Dark Tower book s...

Stacy and Nicole discuss Downsizing , retiring abroad, and the inescapability of inequality. Check out our website where you can sign up for our newsletter, visit our Facebook Page , talk to us on Twitter , and please leave a review for us on iTunes .

Stacy, Nicole, and Garrett discuss Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri , redemption for morally questionable characters, and male loneliness. Check out the Boston Globe article on declining male friendships with discussion by The Good Men Project . Stacy recommends Godless and John Boyega watching the Star Wars trailer. Garrett recommends The Lost City of Z and Life . Nicole recommends The M...

Stacy, Nicole, and Jen discuss Murder on the Orient Express , the role of justice, truth, and vengeance in society, and whether we're ready for a kinder, less jerky genius detective. We revisit some of the themes from our Logan episode and for a hilarious satire of Poirot and other famous detectives, check out Murder by Death . Jen recommends The Florida Project , Nicole recommends the soundtrack...

Stacy and Nicole discuss Only the Brave , work-life balance and the new masculinity, and development in disaster-prone areas. Check out the original GQ article that inspired the movie and hear Planet Money's story on the problems with flood insurance.

Adam and Stacy (and Jane the cat) argue with Nicole about Blade Runner 2049 , the craft of film making, the nature of consciousness, and the human need to anthropomorphize inanimate objects. This is everything you need to know about fan wanking. Adam recommends The Good Son and Stacy recommends The Wonder Trail .

In a special pre-Halloween episode of Movies that Matter, Stacy discusses the remake of Stephen King's horror classic It, societal apathy regarding systemic problems like child abuse, and the new role of horror films as social critique.

Stacy and Nicole discuss Logan Lucky , country culture, and Southern culture's issue with white supremacy. Stacy recommends checking out your local agricultural fair and Nicole recommends watching Daniel Craig on The Catherine Tate Show .

Stacy and Nicole discuss Ingrid Goes West , the effect of social media on celebrity culture, and its personal effects. Check out this Slate article on the movie's reception by actual Instagram influencers and follow the story about Marina Joyce here . Stacy wrote a book! She recommends you read it: http://stacyerinmoore.com/banshee and Nicole recommends the Black Mirror episode Nosedive .

Stacy, Nicole, and Garrett discuss Detroit , violence and tension in movies, riots and the roots of violence, and the appropriateness of white directors telling people of color's stories. We mention the controversy surrounding Adam Sandler's Ridiculous Six, where to see the beautiful Migration Series paintings used in the opening titles, fact vs. fiction in Detroit , and an article explaining why...

Stacy and Nicole discuss The Big Sick , the death (and possible resurgence?) of romantic comedies, how we pick our mates, and immigrant assimilation. Check out The Atlantic article on why romantic comedies can't keep people apart, some thoughtful criticism of the movie on Represent , and the Slate article on Master of None 's Religion episode.  Also watch the 9/11 joke for yourself.