The Media Morgue

On August 14, 2024, Gena Rowlands passed away. Her storied career spanned the stage and screen alike over seven decades—but it's her collaborations with actor-director-husband John Cassavetes that remain some of her most legendary. On this episode, Dan leads Wes and Justin through two of his favorite selections: Opening Night (1977) and Gloria (1980).  Has Gena Rowlands really gotten her full due...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  The Morticians are overjoyed to welcome back FOTS Ani Pi for a review of Marvel and DC's silver age summer spectacles. How fantastic is the new casting for Marvel's first family? How superb is the selection for DC's Man of Tomorrow? How many puns will Justin put in this description?  Grab your blue super suits and space baby diapers and scrub in!  [0:00] The Fantastic...

Welcome back to the Morgue! We have raised up our coffins and returned from the netherrealm of non-podcasting to review the incredibly special cultural and artistic phenomenon that is Ryan Coogler's Sinners with first time guest Marchael Giles . Then we travel back to the 90s to talk about Robert Rodriguez's manic cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn. Which of these two doomed desert watering holes wo...

Welcome back to the Morgue! Assembled after a long break, the Morticians tackle one of their most hotly-anticipated releases of the year: LONGLEGS. Did Nic Cage miss his calling as a hair metal singer? How effective is horror for the communication of Oz Perkins’ particular trauma? And then we dip into the deep cerulean underbrush of MANHUNTER, Michael Mann’s third feature and the one that introduc...

Happy New Year ya lovely screen-huggin hunks!  For our first episode of 2024, the Morticians took a look back over the pretty stacked year that was 2023 to talk through their favorite performances, directorial debuts, documentaries, and of course those vaunted top 5 lists. Clocking in at close to two hours, there was clearly a lot to talk about. So check your Letterboxd and scrub in! 

Happy New Year from the Morticians!  On the last episode of 2023, the Morticians discuss one of the late entries for best of the year: Todd Haynes's 'May December', and pair it with 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape'--the feature-length debut of legendary Steven Soderbergh. Grab your camcorder and scrub into the new year with us! TIMESTAMPS  [3:40] News! Jonathan Majors's conviction, Rockstar and Insomnia...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  Guillermo del Toro: everyone's favorite cinephile tío. Known just as much for the projects he's almost made as the ones he has, few directors are as beloved. On this episode, we take a look at his most recent labor: the 2022 stop-motion retelling of 'Pinocchio', and 2004's 'Hellboy', the comic adaptation that was an introduction to GDT for many of us. How does he use w...

In awareness of Native American Heritage Day, visit Osage Nation Foundation to learn more about the powerful tribe depicted in this film. Films about Palestine/by Palestinians! A cinematic resource list curated by friend of the show Amir Moverman. Welcome back to the Morgue!  Martin Scorsese. Whether you love him or hate him, you've heard the man's name. On this episode, we're getting into the thi...

Films about Palestine/by Palestinians! A cinematic resource list curated by friend of the show Amir Moverman. Welcome back to the Morgue!  On this episode, we continue to discuss William Friedkin's directorial body by reviewing two of his lesser-known works: Cruising and Sorcerer. One of the pioneers of the New Hollywood movement, we examine how both of these films demonstrate a clear stylistic id...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  For our third "Spooktacular" episode we have left Haddonfield and Michael Myers behind for the latest horror legend to receive the Blumhouse treatment: William Friedkin. With the recent release of Believer, the Morticians unpack the legacy and craft behind what many have called the scariest film ever made as we continue to discuss the merits and mishaps of contemporary...

Welcome back to the Morgue! Who would we be as critics and Morticians if we did not analyze this peculiar double feature event that has swept the nation during the most perilous time for American cinema in over 60 years? Join us as we dissect the latest magnum opuses from indie titans Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan. Plus, what IP from the Mattel pile do *we* want a shot at bringing to life nex...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  We are resuming our third season with a discussion of Rainer Fassbinder's 'Fox and His Friends' and Toshio Matsumoto's 'Funeral Parade of Roses'; two films quite revolutionary for their time in their detailed depictions of these pockets of queer livelihood. Scrub in! TIMESTAMPS [3:00] News! Summer Games Fest, Trailer Talk for 'Kraven the Hunter', Netflix's 'The Last Ai...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  We recently teamed up with Columbia University to interview some of the contestants in their 26th annual film festival this month. We're honored to be a platform for these great conversations and excited to share them with you!  TIMESTAMPS [0:30 - 23:15] 'Primos' and 'Homing' directed by Ricardo J. Varona | premiering 7:00pm Friday, May 12th and 7:00pm Saturday, May 13...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  We recently teamed up with Columbia University to interview some of the contestants in their 26th annual film festival this month. We're honored to be a platform for these great conversations and excited to share them with you!  TIMESTAMPS [0:27 - 25:05] 'She Always Wins' and 'Like Mother', directed by Hazel McKibbin | premiering 5:00pm Friday, May 12th and 5:00pm Sund...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  We recently teamed up with Columbia University to interview some of the contestants in their 26th annual film festival this month. We're honored to be a platform for these great conversations and excited to share them with you!  TIMESTAMPS [0:27 - 18:12] 'Ethnic Slut' directed by Chris Blanco | premiering 7:00pm Friday, May 12th [18:16 - 29:09] 'Last Night at Paris Blu...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  We recently teamed up with Columbia University to interview some of the contestants in their 26th annual film festival this month. We're honored to be a platform for these great conversations and excited to share them with you!  TIMESTAMPS [0:00 - 15:40] 'Soma' directed by Aliza Brugger | premiering 5:00pm Friday, May 12th [15:45 - 38:45] 'Choke Hold' directed by Max M...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  We recently teamed up with Columbia University to interview some of the contestants in their 26th annual film festival this month. We're honored to be a platform for these great conversations and excited to share them with you!  TIMESTAMPS [0:20 - 18:00] 'The Devil on Screen' dir. Felix van Kann, prod. Fernando Ortiz | premiering 5:00pm Saturday, May 13th  [18:23 - 35:...

On this IWAI, horror auteur Robbie Banfitch sits down with us to discuss his directorial debut, 'The Outwaters': a found footage mind-bender that's captured the attention of audiences throughout the country. He unveils some of the minutiae of marketing and festival submission, parsing good feedback from unhelpful trolling, the driving ideology behind his take on horror, and of course the films tha...

Welcome back to The Morgue!  On this episode, the Morticians invite friend and collaborator Cameron Carr for a blow by blow on CREED III🥊 and an appropriately Japanese pairing: Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA🫀. Discussed (among other things)—the latitude Michael B. gives his anime influences, the ways both films tackle male relational issues and emotional trauma, that whole "next Denzel" conversation, a...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  On this episode, the Morticians dive deep into the recesses of childhood trauma with SKINAMARINK📺; discussing the slow but sure emergence of creepypasta and internet folklore into the mainstream and the ways recent filmmakers' backgrounds have positioned them as vanguards for that emergence. Then, a walk through the nearly-lost, seeing-is-believing cult favorite POSSE...

On our second-ever IWAI, documentarian Amir Moverman discusses the concept short that he's in process of expanding to feature length. His goal? To catalog each of the 86 synagogue locations on the island of Manhattan. From the unorthodox inception of the idea to his deep affection for the city and how Jewishness fits in the mix, Amir tells all in his trademark blend of sincerity and wit.  The shor...

Happy New Year, Morguies!  For our final episode of 2022, the Morticians invited actor and #1 Michelle Yeoh stan Kelly Ng to talk through this year's highlights of film/TV, performance, direction, cinematography, and more! It's an hour and a half of pure appreciation, so check your own Best Of list and scrub in to see how it compares! 

Welcome back to the Morgue!  We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving folks. In this wistful, sincere, and unsegmented minisode, the Morticians discuss Peter Jackson's debut splatter zeitgeist BAD TASTE🍔 and Chris Smith's Sundance docu-darling AMERICAN MOVIE🎟️. It leads into a discussion about the unique chaos of first films and what it takes to keep the fire of inspiration alive against seemingly i...

Welcome back to the Morgue!  Last year we reviewed several 'Halloween' movies, and this year we're finishing what we started by discussing 'Halloween Ends' alongside 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch'. Two trilogy-makers forty years apart, and neither of them featuring very much of the franchise's leading man. This should be good.  TIMESTAMPS [0:00 - 23:30] The Morticians pitch a legacy sequel t...

There was an idea...to use our podcast as a platform for independent filmmakers to discuss their work. Today that idea takes its first baby step. On this very special episode the Morticians sit down with Kaleb Torres, writer-director of HOME VIDEO: a psychological thriller about a man struggling with his grip on reality after a traumatic event starring our very own Justin Winley! The conversation...