Advertise on podcast: Cinematix Problematix

Today, we’re talking about Randall Kleiser’s 1978 hit, Grease. Based on the 1971 play of the same name, the film opens by introducing us to teenaged lovebirds Danny Zuko and Sandra Dee saying goodbye to one another at the end of a perfectly romantic summer at the beach. But when Sandy unexpectedly winds up going to Danny’s school, she’s folded into the rebellious Pink Ladies clique who just so happen to roll deep with Danny’s T-Bird crew. While the story revolves around whether too-cool Danny can get super-square Sandy to be his main squeeze, the film also lets us into the world of these raunchy, misbehaving, sex-crazed teens set to some of the snappiest tunes in film musical history. Do some of the lyrics gloss over things like sexual assault and female objectification? Yes. Does this film send the completely wrong message to young girls about how to get the guy? Also, Yes. But the charismatic cast, contagious energy, and timeless musical numbers keep many hopelessly devoted to this 1970’s classic nonetheless. CREDITS Hosts: Kristina "Krissie" Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

Today, we watch a movie that asks the question: Can women really have it all? Family, career, a clean house..And the answer is yes — if they are a man. Released in 1993, Mrs. Doubtfire was directed by Chris Columbus, fresh off his hit film Home Alone and its disturbing dystopian sequel Home Alone 2. Adapted from Anne Fine's 1987 British novel, Robin Williams stars as Daniel Hillard, a talented but irresponsible voice actor whose wife, Miranda (played by Sally Field), finally has enough of his house-destroying shenanigans and files for divorce. When Daniel is granted limited time with their three children, he handles the situation like any mature adult: He disguises himself as an elderly British woman, sabotages Miranda's search for a housekeeper, and gets himself hired to take care of his own kids. What follows is a horror movie about divorce, custody, gaslighting, and stalking. The movie became a massive box-office hit, Williams won a Golden Globe for his performance, and the film took home an Oscar for the makeup that somehow made this entire scheme possible. Over the years, Mrs. Doubtfire has come under fire for its hilarious take on its complete disregard for one woman’s boundaries. Let’s discuss. Shall we? CREDITS Hosts: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we're discussing Trey Parker's 1999 animated musical South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Anyone familiar with the Comedy Central show knows creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone leave no group unoffended in their edgy series, now on its 28th season. This time, their bigger, longer foray into film takes a satirical shot at parents misplacing blame for vulgarity in film — represented here by the Terrence and Phillip classic Asses of Fire, where they fart on people and sing catchy tunes about uncle f*****g. After Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny see the film, Terrence and Phillip's influence spreads like wildfire through South Park's kids, sending Stan's overbearing mom Sheila on a crusade to blame Canada, execute Terrence and Phillip, and wage full-scale war on their northern neighbors — all to protect the children. Along the way, writers Parker, Stone, and Pam Brady pull no punches attacking America's love of censorship, taking shots at: Jews, Blacks, Gays, a gay Satan and Saddam Hussein, lighting farts on fire, homeless people, disabled people, the mysterious clitoris, midgets, warfare, Brooke Shields, Winona Ryder, the Baldwin Brothers, Brian Boitano, women's periods, concentration camps, French Resistance Fighters, and — most egregious of all — Canadians. But it's all set to some of the catchiest musical numbers of any film musical in recent memory, so the whole thing winds up being pretty super. Thanks for asking. CREDITS Hosts: Kristina "Krissie" Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we’re talking about Catherine Hardwicke’s 2008 film Twilight, based on the book series written by Stephanie Meyer. It tells the story of an introverted teenaged girl named Bella who moves to live with her Dad in a small, eternally gloomy Washington town called Forks. It’s here where she meets the Cullen clan - a group of adopted kids all dating each other except for the mysterious Edward, who she develops an immediate crush on despite him alternating between complimenting her, negging her, and acting like he’s going to throw up on her. But as their love blooms in the most awkward way possible, their clumsy courtship leads to the revelation that Edward is a vampire. He’s also possessive, a bit of a gaslighter, and totally controlling, but hey his skin glimmers in the sunlight and his hair is perfect, so what else do you need to make those blood red flags turn green? The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Anna Kendrick, and Billy Burke, and has a runtime of 2hours and 2 minutes. CREDITS Hosts: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

Today, we’re talking about the 1980 film Airplane, written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker.This irreverent parody tells the tale of Ted Striker, an ex-war pilot paralyzed by PTSD who impulsively boards the flight of airline stewardess Elaine to try to win her love back. But Ted’s inability to let go of his wartime failures elicits constant rejections from Elaine, until a deadly fish dinner takes down all the pilots and makes Ted reluctantly spring into action. Along the way, we get a series of hilarious antics from a colorful cast of characters, from two Black passengers speaking jive, an eight year old who prefers her coffee like her men, a glue-sniffing air traffic controller, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, June Cleaver, and a pilot who might just be a pedophile. Problematic? Surely, you can’t be serious. The film stars Robert Hayes, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Robert Stack, and Otto the Inflatable Auto Pilot, and has a runtime of I hour 28 minutes. CREDITS Hosts: Kristina "Krissie" Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

Today, we're talking about John Hughes' 1985 film Weird Science, which sees high school geeks Gary and Wyatt Create Lisa - a computer-generated girl that will be the answer to their their dateless, sexless lives. Much to their surprise, Lisa winds up THEIR master as she concocts several scenarios to boost their popularity and show the rest of the school they're more courageous than they seem. But this wouldn't be a John Hughes joint without some truly problematic behavior by today's standards. From building a girl from magazine spreads, to an older hot woman seducing some teens, to Chet... well, being Chet... Like all other John Hughes fare, this teen comedy delivers ample amounts o humor, angst, and cringe and we're here for it. The films stars Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton, and Robert Downey Jr and has a runtime of 1 hour 34 minutes. CREDITS Hosts: Kristina "Krissie" Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we’re talking about John McNaughton’s 1998 film Wild Things. It takes place in a steamy, affluent Florida town where the hot, popular high school teacher Sam Lombardi draws longing glances from his female students. In particular, Kelly van Ryan - a shamelessly flirtatious student who will stop at nothing to get his attention. But horny teenage antics take a much more serious turn when she accuses him of rape. As does Suzie Toller, a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking loner from the other side of the tracks who has a mysterious past with the cop investigating the case. But you would be sorely mistaken if you think that the film takes any of this subject matter seriously. Oh noooo. What we have is a film soaking in wet t-shirts, arched backs, threesomes, sexual exploitation, and a huge splash of campy humor. This is a film unabashedly submerged in the male gaze, but takes itself so unseriously that you can’t help but enjoy the ride watching these Wild Things gleefully stab each other in the back. The film stars Matt Dillon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Kevin’s Bacon, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Theresa Russell, Robert Wagner, and Bill Murray, and has a runtime of 1 Hour and 48 minutes. CREDITS Hosts: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we're talking about Michael Lehmann's 1989 high school black comedy Heathers. It follows the most popular girl clique in school completely composed of girls named Heather, save for one Veronica Sawyer who's conscience stands in stark contrast to the mean girl energy of her other clique-mates. Complicating things further is the arrival of J.D. - a dark, mysterious new student who taps into Veronica's secret disdain for her vicious and shallow friend group, and eventually manipulates her into one murderous scheme after another. While this cult classic remains popular for having one of the most quotable scripts of the 80's, it can also strike a nerve in today's audiences for its casual handling of suicide, school shootings, and terrible boyfriends. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Kim Walker, and Lisanne Falk and has a runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes.

[In honor of the passing of Donald Gibb, we're re-releasing one of our Revenge of the Nerds episode in his honor. R.I.P, Ogre.] Today, we’re talking about the 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds directed by Jeff Kanew, which follows horny freshman nerds Lewis and Gilbert as they get into college, only to be bullied by the cool, jocular members of the Alpha Beta fraternity. In response to their humiliation and their sudden lack of housing at the hands of the Alpha Beta frat bullies, they not only form their own fraternity born out of the all-Black fraternity Lambda Lambda Lambda, but they challenge the jocks to various competitions at the Homecoming Carnival so that they can rule the Greek Council and get the girl(s). The film stars Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley of Shrinking Fame, and John Goodman as the evil football coach. This film has a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Sins against it: sexual assault, voyeurism, gratuitous boobies, and infantile sexual innuendo. CREDITS Hosts: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme Song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we’re talking about 1981’s Frank Perry film Mommie Dearest. Based on the best-selling book by Christina Crawford, it depicts in VIVID detail the abuse she suffered at the hands of her movie star mother, Joan Crawford. It follows Joan’s initial desires to have a child and difficulties with adopting Christina and her brother Christopher, to not-so-gently catapulting the audience into a near-endless parade of cringe-inducing scenes depicting escalating child abuse. Rocketing this film into its camp classic status is an iconic performance by Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford, as she goes FULL F*****G HAM to show Crawford’s perfectionism, alcoholism, manic-depression, and especially her disdain for wire hangers. The delicious scenery-chewing of Dunaway’s performance paired with a problematic marketing campaign from Paramount may have launched this into camp classic status, but it’s worth discussing if rampant child abuse is the best use of your marketing dollars, especially when it winds up being this f*****g funny. The film stars Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Mara Hobel, Steve Forrest, Rutanya Alda, and has a runtime of 2 hours and 9 minutes. Hosted by: Kristina "Krissie" Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we are talking about the 1978 Louis Malle film Pretty Baby which tells the story of a 12-year old girl (Violet) who grows up in a brothel who can't seem to wait for the day where her virginity is auctioned-off to the highest depraved bidder. Along the way, she falls in love with a local New Orleans photographer (Bellocq) who frequents the brothel, who eventually returns her affections. Oh, and he's in his 30's in case you were wondering. If that weren't disturbing enough, the film shows Violet kissing grown men, grown men groping and kissing her back, as well as a fully nude Brooke Shields. This is all wrapped in a deceptive arthouse label that does little to suppress our desire to projectile vomit in shock and disgust. The film stars Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon, Keith Carradine, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes. CREDITS Hosted by: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan

And today we’re talking about 2009’s John Lee Hancock film The Blind Side. It tells the inspiring tale of a woman named Leigh Ann Touhey who finds it in her affluent, white no-nonsense heart to take in a homeless black child named Big Mike that she and her family find walking home alone on cold Tennessee night. But obstacles turn into opportunity when she discovers that - despite his dismal grades - he happens to score in the 98th percentile for protective instincts. She then ensures he’s put on the football team where he learns to block, tackle, and love.The Touhey family eventually winds up adopting Mike so he can be an official part of the family which is topped off by him accepting an athletic scholarship to the family’s alma mater, Ol’ Miss. Happily ever after right?? WRONG. If the white savior narrative wasn’t problematic enough, we’ve discovered in recent years that Michael Oher wasn’t actually adopted; he was placed under conservatorship under the guise of adoption that allowed the Touhey family to sell Michael’s story for which he didn’t receive a dime since - under conservatorship - you aren’t really a part of the family and are therefore not entitled to the spoils they collected from his story. Talk about a Blind Side. The film stars Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Lilly Collins, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Kim Dickins, and Kathy Bates, and has a runtime of 2 hours and 9 minutes. CREDITS Hosted by: Kristina “Krissie” Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we're talking about 1982's Sydney Pollack film Tootsie. It follows unemployed actor Michael Dorsey who decides to impersonate a woman to land a role as a saucy, no-nonsense hospital administrator on a soap opera. In the process, he finds wild success, learns how it feels to be treated like a piece of meat, falls for his co-star, and seduces his friend only to toss her aside while he espouses the virtues of feminism. Is Michael kind of trash? Yes. Is this film hilarious? Also, yes. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Terry Garr, and Bill Murray and has a runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes. CREDITS Hosted by: Erin Maxwell & Kristina “Krissie” Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan

And today, we’re talking about 2004’s Crash, written and Directed by Canadian Paul Haggis, who seemed to fancy himself the perfect person to examine LA's complex race issue. This won Best Picture over Brokeback Mountian, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich, Capote, mostly because this was before The Academy had minorities it, and it reflected the myopic worldview of old, white male Academy members and how they viewed racism and people of color. But in reality, Crash was a bona fide trainwreck. The film stars Matt Dillon, Thandiwe Newton, Terrence Howard, Michale Pena, Ludacris, Lorenz Tate, Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Frase, Ryan Phillipe, and many more otherwise talented actors who managed to be the least likeable cast this century. The film has a runtime of 1hr 57 minutes. CREDITS Hosted by: Erin Maxwell & Kristina “Krissie” Rettig Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan

Released in 2008, Tropic Thunder is what happens when Hollywood decides the best way to mock its own ego is to crank it up to deeply unhinged levels. Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. lead the chaos as pampered actors filming a Vietnam epic who accidentally stumble into a real war zone, forcing them to confront the one thing they fear most: reality. Downey’s Oscar-nominated turn as a method actor who refuses to break character became instant comedy legend, while Brandon T. Jackson, Nick Nolte, and a scene-stealing Tom Cruise pile on the insanity. It’s bold, hilarious, and merciless in its satire, aiming for fame, ego, and the absurd lengths actors go for “authenticity.” But nearly two decades later, some of its most infamous jokes come with an uncomfortable edge, reminding audiences that satire and offensiveness have always walked a very fine line. Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes. CREDITS Hosted by: Kristina “Krissie” Rettig & Erin Maxwell Edited by: Russ Lichter Theme song by: Spooky Dan