We kick off Noirvember 2024 in style with Charles Laughton's exceptional directorial effort: The Night of the Hunter, starring Robert Mitchum as a fire and brimstone "preacher" who preys on widows in Depression-era West Virginia, but meets his match in two small children hiding an expensive secret. The Night of the Hunter was Laughton's only film a…

For our 300th episode, we finally discuss Jennifer Kent's brilliant 2014 horror film, The Babadook.بقلم Citizen Dame

The Dames interrogate one of the more controversial of the great horror films: 1968's Rosemary's Baby, starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes, and directed by Roman Polanski. A complicated, multi-faceted film that's not always easy to talk about, both for its content and the feelings surrounding its director, there's no doubt that we have a lot to…

This week, we continue Spooky Movie Month with vampires! Specifically, the 1994 Neil Jordan horror adaptation, Interview With a Vampire. We're talking Tom Cruise, Anne Rice, Louis' incessant whining, and the way Kirsten Dunst would be unfairly branded for years to come.بقلم Citizen Dame

Spooky season is upon us, which means SPOOKY MOVIES! We kick off this season with a legendary giallo: Dario Argento's 1975 film Deep Red, starring David Hemmings and the remarkable Daria Nicolodi. Murder has never been so weird.بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames wrap up Fall Festival season with Taika Waititi's Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit. From (Fox) Searchlight, the film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. With so much humor and heart, we explore the brilliance of this World War II film told through the perspective of a 10-year-old Na…

The Dames go deep (hehe) on Guillermo del Toro's glorious magical realist fable (and Best Picture winner) The Shape of Water, and its deceptively simple narrative that combines fairy tale, biblical allegory, and transcendental love into something that is truly unique. Is this just the "fish-fucking movie" or is it so much more? Next week, we'll be …

This week, the Dames dive into the twisted thriller, Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn adapted her own novel into the screenplay of one of David Fincher's most popular and debated movies. In this episode, we're talking all about everything that is so good and so wrong about this movie, from Rosamund Pike's Oscar-nominated performance to Ben Affleck refusing…

We kick off fall festival season with a lineup of major films that had their premieres at festivals past. This week we begin with Ang Lee's seminal queer western Brokeback Mountain (2005). How far we've come (and how far we still have to go). Next week will be David Fincher's Gone Girl!بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames discuss another Hitchcock masterpiece, the 1948 thriller Rope. Starring Farley Granger and John Dall, this single-location technical experiment also marks the first time Alfred Hitchcock worked with star James Stewart.بقلم Citizen Dame

We continue with our Hitchcock month with one of the more controversial movies in his oeuvre: Vertigo, widely considered to be Hitchcock's masterpiece. But is there really a reason for that? What makes this film stand out? Why does everyone love Vertigo so much—and the most important question...do we?…

Welcome back, friends! After a very short break, the Dames return to celebrate the Master, Alfred Hitchcock's 125th birthday with his 1943 film, Shadow of a Doubt. Theresa Wright and Joseph Cotten star in this twisty, suspenseful tale set in California's wine country.بقلم Citizen Dame

In honor of the great Shelley Duvall, the Dames discuss three films she made with Robert Altman: Nashville (1975), 3 Women (1977), and Popeye (1980). We maybe didn't know exactly what some of these meant, but man were they fascinating! Our Criterion giveaway is still running, so let us know what one Criterion disc you would love to own! We'll pick …

Hello, again! This week the Dames are celebrating Criterion with something extra fun: cinematic blindspots. Our chat includes a look at Targets (1968), Thelma and Louise (1991), and Smiles of a Summer Night (1955).بقلم Citizen Dame

We're back with a second part of our ongoing series "Karen Loves Tom Cruise (and Lauren Thinks He's Neat)"! This time, we're chatting about three very different thrillers from three very different directors, all starring Mr. Cruise: A Few Good Men (1992), Minority Report (2002), and Collateral (2004). How many of these should Tom have won an Oscar …

The Dames wrap up Pride Month with a look at three great films about lesbians. First, it's the very sexy Bound (1996) from the Wachowskis. Then we chat about Rafiki, Wanuri Kahiu's 2018 coming-of-age story that was banned in her home country of Kenya. And finally, Rose Glass's newest film, Love Lies Bleeding (2024), starring Kristen Stewart and Kat…

As Pride Month continues, the Dames go into the career of Rock Hudson, one of the most famous closeted actors of classic Hollywood. In this episode, we focus on three of Hudson's melodramas with Douglas Sirk, and how Hudson's star persona and undercurrents of queerness inform the films: Magnificent Obsession (1954), All that Heaven Allows (1955), a…

It's Pride Month and this week we are talking about a pair of essential documentaries. With 1990's Paris Is Burning, director Jennie Livingston spent 7 years examining the drag scene in New York in the 1980s, leading to a groundbreaking film that is still discussed today. And in 2020, director Sam Feder brought Disclosure to Netflix, chronicling th…

The Dames go in-depth on Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, Psycho. Spoilers abound, with discussions of the film's performances, twists and turns, how Hitchcock connects emotionally with his audience, and why the sequels and prequel fail to live up to the original!بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames pay tribute to Roger Corman, who passed away May 9, 2024 at the age of 98. We share our thoughts about the prolific director and producer, and then dive into three of his films: A Bucket of Blood (1959), Premature Burial (1962), and The Masque of the Red Death (1964).بقلم Citizen Dame

The Dames are back this week to talk more about summer blockbusters and super American films from a super American actor: Harrison Ford. Topics include the grumpy-man love story of The Fugitive (1993), presidents punching terrorists in Air Force One (1997), and haunted happenings in What Lies Beneath (2000).…

It's summer blockbuster season and what better way to kick things off than with an episode all about Steven Spielberg! This week, we're talking Jaws (1975), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Jurassic Park (1993). Like what you hear? Be sure to share this with your friends!بقلم Citizen Dame

The Dames finally cover the film that gave us our name as we discuss some incredibly essential films from the Criterion Collection (and why they're so important): Citizen Kane (1941), Seven Samurai (1954), and The Graduate (1967). So...what do you think about the significance of Rosebud?بقلم Citizen Dame

This week the Dames are celebrating 4/20 with a lively chat about three very different movies with one important thing in common. From 1998, we talk the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski and Terry Gilliam's Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. And then we wrap things up with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's 2014 surprisingly successful sequel 22 Jump Stre…

The Dames chat about the directorial work of the very underrated Penny Marshall, focusing on Jumpin' Jack Flash, Big, and A League of Their Own. Just remember: there's no crying in baseball (except there is).بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames are going to work with three great comedies about women in the workplace. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star in Desk Set (1957); Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton team up against their terrible boss in 9 to 5 (1980); and Melanie Griffith squares off against Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl (1988).…

The Dames welcome guest Nannina Gilder to talk about the films of Kinuyo Tanaka, a director who carved out a space for herself in Japan's male-dominated film industry with feminist masterworks such as Love Letter, The Moon Has Risen, and Girls of the Night.بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames talk about the career of six-time Academy Award nominee Thelma Ritter. And we dive into three of her great performances: All About Eve (1950), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), and Rear Window (1954).بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the raunchy ladies are talking raunchy ladies doing raunchy lady things, like failing to go to Vegas, starting female fight clubs, and learning about the importance of female friendships. Spoilers abound for Bridesmaids, Joy Ride, and Bottoms, but we're pretty cool about it.بقلم Citizen Dame

This week the Dames look at historical films and biopics directed by women. Strangely rare and often underpraised, we sit down to talk about three great examples: Julie Taymor's Frida (2002), Ana DuVernay's Selma (2014), and Regina King's One Night in Miami (2020).بقلم Citizen Dame

We get a little excited this week talking about current (and past) Best Picture nominees directed by women. While we're focusing on three films this year (Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, and Past Lives), we also remind everyone that female directors have been around since the creation of cinema. Come for the trenchant critical commentary, stay for the s…

This week it's Karen's birthday and we're celebrating with a chat about some movies about messed up birthdays! Join us as we dive into Child's Play (1988), The Game (1997), and Happy Death Day (2017).بقلم Citizen Dame

In an episode that's been a long time in coming, the Dames are here to discuss the films of Taika Waititi, about whom we are very normal. In our chat about Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Next Dame Wins, we cover uplifting humor, childhood trauma, and why everyone needs to just stop being dicks.بقلم Citizen Dame

This week the Dames dive into Criterion's Interdimensional Romance collection with a look at A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Starman (1984), and we break some hearts with our thoughts about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).بقلم Citizen Dame

We're back, and we have a special guest! Karen returns from the Sundance Film Festival with Cortland Jacoby of Punch Drunk Critics in tow. Join us for a discussion of the best parts of the festival this year, why Netflix is snapping up all the films, and how Lauren shouldn't be left alone for so long... You can read all of Karen's Sundance reviews …

Did you the Sundance Film Festival is celebrating it's 40th anniversary? The festival kicks off this week in Park City, Utah, the Criterion Channel has a selection of festival faves, and we are joining the fun with a chat about a few of our own. This week, the Dames discuss Donna Deitch's Desert Hearts (1985), Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala (1991),…

We're back to discuss some of our favorite films (new and old) of 2023, including Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and, uh, Love Birds? Happy New Year! We're looking forward to bringing you a lot more fun stuff in 2024!بقلم Citizen Dame

For our last episode of 2023, we chat about some holiday rom-coms (or not-quite-rom-coms) that give us all the feels: The Shop Around the Corner, The Holiday, and the unfairly maligned Last Christmas. Happy holidays and we'll see you all in 2024!بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames welcome our very special guest, Shannon McGrew of Creepy Kingdom to chat about holiday horror — or more specifically, movies about the darker side of Christmas magic. Join us as we discuss Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010), Krampus (2015), and Violent Night (2022).بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames welcome the holiday season with a look at three holiday noir films: The Thin Man (1934), Repeat Performance (1947), and They Live By Night (1948).بقلم Citizen Dame

Just us for the last Noirvember episode of the year! The Dames are talking all things Billy Wilder this week, focusing on Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, and Witness for the Prosecution. Just promise not to tell anyone the ending.بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames take a look at three noirs directed by women: Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Muriel Box's Eyewitness (1956), and Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky (1976).بقلم Citizen Dame

The Dames kick off Noirvember by discussing fast-talking, fast-living dame Barbara Stanwyck in three iconic roles: Baby Face, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, and Sorry, Wrong Number. No man stands a chance.بقلم Citizen Dame

The Dames are wrapping up Spooky Movie Season with a chat about haunted houses. This week we dive into The Changeling (1980), Poltergeist (1982), and The Others (2001). We also get a wee bit emotional over the end of Our Flag Means Death season 2.بقلم Citizen Dame

The Dames carry on with Spooky Season and discuss Gothic horror, where the ghosts are metaphors and the horror is for love. Deborah Kerr goes mad in The Innocents, Vincent Price has an unhealthy attachment to his dead wife in The Tomb of Ligeia, and nothing is OK at Crimson Peak.بقلم Citizen Dame

Join us this week as we dive into urban horror and urban legends with The Lost Boys (1987), Candyman (1992), and Urban Legend (1998).بقلم Citizen Dame

This week, the Dames fill a podcast blindspot and talk all about witches, focusing on Haxan, The Witches of Eastwick, and The Witch. These films encompass feminism, patriarchal fears, justifiable homicide, cool curses, and Jack Nicholson's tiny tiny ponytail.بقلم Citizen Dame

This week the Dames are finishing out Back to School Month and welcoming Spooky Movie Season with the perfect combination: high school horror movies. We're talking Massacre at Central High (1976), The Craft (1996), and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).بقلم Citizen Dame

We carry on with our back-to-school discussing some movies set in kindergarten, including Kindergarten Cop and Little Monsters. Plus, some more Garbage People we hope we don't have to talk about again: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/sep/16/russell-brand-accused-of-sexual-assault-and-emotional-abuse https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkaqvn/t…

Autumn is in the air and this month is all about school-time movies. This week we're going back to middle school with EIGHTH GRADE (2018), ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET (2023), and YOU ARE SO NOT INVITED TO MY BAT MITZVAH (2023). Give us a listen and relive the great and dreadful middle school years!…