What makes for a good comedy film or show? Funny people reading (or improvising) funny lines, right? WRONG? Mark, Erica, Brian, are joined by Heather Fink to discuss the role of the director in making a comedy (or anything else) actually good. Heather has directed for TV, film, and commercials and spent a lot of time doing sound (a boom operator or sound utility) for … [Read more...] about PMP#100: Directing Comedies w/ Heather Fink
TV podcast
PMP#98: The Spirit of Captain America w/ Anthony LeBlanc
What is it for a super-hero to represent America? Though the character created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1941 may have been a way to capitalize on WWII patriotism, it has since been used to ask questions about what it really means to be patriotic and how America's ideals and its reality may conflict. We're of course talking about race, a theme explored by Sam Wilson, … [Read more...] about PMP#98: The Spirit of Captain America w/ Anthony LeBlanc
PMP#97: The Girl in the Wooder: Our Mare of Easttown Show!
Insofar as something is a TV hit at all these days, the small-town Pennsylvania murder mystery starring Kate Winslet seems to qualify, but what distinguishes it from the many many other crime dramas on TV? Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss the plot structure, casting, and other creative choices and try to figure out how the show relates to Broadchurch, The Undoing, etc. Should … [Read more...] about PMP#97: The Girl in the Wooder: Our Mare of Easttown Show!
PMP#95: “The Nevers” With a Side of Whedon
Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss the HBO Max show out Victorian-era super-powered feminine outcasts, helmed and now abandoned by the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, etc. It's jam packed with steampunk gadgets, fisticuffs, social injustice, and far too many characters and plot threads to keep track of. Given that the season was reduced to a half season in light of … [Read more...] about PMP#95: “The Nevers” With a Side of Whedon
PMP#93: Made for Love (and other Silicon Villainy)
The tech genius has become the go-to bad guy in recent films: They're our modern mad scientists with all imaginable resources and science at their command, able to release dystopic technology to surveil, control, and possibly murder us. Even Lex Luthor was made into a "tech bro" in Batman v. Superman. Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss the HBO Max series Made for Love starring … [Read more...] about PMP#93: Made for Love (and other Silicon Villainy)
PMP#85: What the WandaVision!? w/ Rolando Nieves
The long-awaited debut Disney+ Marvel superhero series is... a tribute to classic sit-coms? Mark, Erica, Brian, and guest Rolando from the Remakes, Reboots, and Revivals podcast try to figure out what kind of storytelling this really is, whether this experiment was successful, whether you have to be a Marvel die-hard (or old enough to have watched those sit-coms) to get it, and … [Read more...] about PMP#85: What the WandaVision!? w/ Rolando Nieves
PMP#83: Disabled and Other-Abled Representation w/ Kayla Dryesse
At least 20% of us have some sort of disability, yet such conditions are reflected by only tiny portion of TV and film characterizations, and what characters are portrayed typically get played by non-disabled actors. Depictions often focus on what it's like to live with the condition. This can of course be socially beneficial, but we don't want to essentialize people as their … [Read more...] about PMP#83: Disabled and Other-Abled Representation w/ Kayla Dryesse
PMP#82: Cobra Kai and the Karate Kids
Did anyone suspect that the beloved 1984 "Kid Rocky" karate film (and its decreasingly beloved sequels) would now be not just remade but revived as the YouTube-Red-turned-Netflix hit Cobra Kai? Is this new show actually good, or just living unhealthily on nostalgia and the fascination of watching teens and middle aged people fistfight and fall in love. Mark-san, Erica-san, and … [Read more...] about PMP#82: Cobra Kai and the Karate Kids
PMP#79: The Fargo Formula w/ Tamler Sommers (Very Bad Wizards Crossover)
On the Coen Brothers' 1996 film and Noah Hawley's 4-season TV show, an enterprise that has evolved from darkly comic morality tale to sprawling organized crime drama. Mark, Erica, Brian, and guest Tamler from the Very Bad Wizards podcast explore the plaudits and criticisms of the show, covering its elaborate style, "tundra western" setting, dry humor, speechifying, gender … [Read more...] about PMP#79: The Fargo Formula w/ Tamler Sommers (Very Bad Wizards Crossover)
PMP#75: Our Great British Baking Show w/ Stephen Carlile
What explains the immense quarantine-time popularity in America of this quaint British reality cooking show? What do we get out of watching talented amateurs bake things? Stephen, who is famous for playing Scar in The Lion King on Broadway (and is VERY British himself), joins Erica, Brian, and Mark to consider the format, context, and appeal of the show. A few articles we … [Read more...] about PMP#75: Our Great British Baking Show w/ Stephen Carlile
PMP#68: Raised by Wolves: Biblical Sci-Fi
What happens when a male android loves a female android VERY much, and they nurse human embryos together on a distant planet after fleeing from war-torn Earth? Why the female android flies and makes a bunch of people explode with her eyes, that's what happens! ...In the first episode of this bonkers HBO Max series by Aaron Guzikowski (with notable assistance from Ridley Scott … [Read more...] about PMP#68: Raised by Wolves: Biblical Sci-Fi
PMP#52: The Twilight Zone from Serling to Peele
Something's strange... Is it a dream? If it's a morality tale with a twist ending, you're probably in the Twilight Zone. Brian, Erica, Mark, and guest Ken Gerber are in it this week, discussing the thrice revived TV series. Does the 1959-1963 show hold up? What makes for a good TZ episode, and does Jordan Peele's latest iteration capture the spirit? We talk about episodes new … [Read more...] about PMP#52: The Twilight Zone from Serling to Peele
PMP#50: MJ’s Last Dance w/ Seth Paskin
The 10-part ESPN documentary dissecting Michael Jordan and the Bulls' six championships has provided some much needed sports during the pandemic, roping in even sports haters with a mix of game highlights and behind-the-scenes drama. Brian, Erica, and Mark are joined by Seth from The Partially Examined Life to interrogate the event: Was it actually worth 10 hours of our … [Read more...] about PMP#50: MJ’s Last Dance w/ Seth Paskin
PMP#48: The Arts in Reality TV w/ Skin Wars’ Robin Slonina
Fine art and reality TV are typically rated our highest and lowest forms of entertainment, yet creative competition shows combine the two. Robin Slonina is a world-renowned body painter and served as a judge (along with RuPaul!) on the show Skin Wars. She joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to figure out the degree to which that format lets the art shine through. We also touch on … [Read more...] about PMP#48: The Arts in Reality TV w/ Skin Wars’ Robin Slonina
PMP#47: Sitcom Premises: Genius, Bonkers and Otherwise
Sitcoms provide a form of escapism that doesn't take one to a magical world of possibility, but instead to a basically unchanging, cozy environment with relatable characters engaged in low-stakes conflicts. So what are the limits on the type of premise that can ground a sitcom? While most of the longest lasting sitcoms have simple set-ups involving friends or co-workers, … [Read more...] about PMP#47: Sitcom Premises: Genius, Bonkers and Otherwise
PMP#42: Star Trek Lives Long and Prospers (Intermittently)
The world-wide Tribble infestation and Star Trek: Picard dropping make this an apt time to address our most philosophical sci-fi franchise. 44 years of thought experiments (with photon torpedoes!) about what it is to be human should have taught us something, and Brian, Erica, and Mark along with Drew Jackson (Erica's husband) reflect on what makes a Star Trek story, world … [Read more...] about PMP#42: Star Trek Lives Long and Prospers (Intermittently)
PMP#41: Made-for-TV Musicals w/ Craig Wedren
Craig (beyond being a rock god) has created music for many TV shows, including Glow, Shrill, Mrs. Fletcher, and Wet Hot American Summer. He joins Mark, Erica, and Brian due to his involvement with Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, which along with Glee, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Nashville, Rise, etc. represents a new era of musicals as mainstream TV. Why now? These shows all use … [Read more...] about PMP#41: Made-for-TV Musicals w/ Craig Wedren
PMP#40: #MeToo Depictions in TV and Film
These stories are all heavily watched, which means they're entertaining: The 2019 film Bombshell (about the predations of Roger Ailes), Apple TV's The Morning Show (about a disgraced anchor), and Netflix's Unbelievable (about reporting rape) and 13 Reasons Why (about teen suicide resulting from sexual assault). But what's "entertaining" about sexual assault and harassment? What … [Read more...] about PMP#40: #MeToo Depictions in TV and Film
PMP#39: TV and Other Plans in Subjunctive Stasis
You've planned and planned for your big event, and WHAM, the plague hits and you're frittering away your day worrying and watching TV. Our plans for this episode were postponed when virus-related matters caused our intended academic guest to be occupied by the frantic creation of online coursework and so cancel on us. So we did as we so often do, talking about possibilities … [Read more...] about PMP#39: TV and Other Plans in Subjunctive Stasis
PMP#32: Judging “The Good Place”
Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss Michael Schur's NBC TV show. Is it good? (Yes, or we wouldn't be covering it?) Is it actually a sit-com? Does it effectively teach philosophy? What did having actual philosophers on the staff (after season one) contribute, and was that enough? We talk TV finales, the dramatic impact of the show's convoluted structure, the puzzle of heaven being … [Read more...] about PMP#32: Judging “The Good Place”