

The Thing with Emily St. James
02:42:57
The Thing's Harsh Initial Reception
- The Thing was rejected at release for its bleakness and gore.
- Its hostility contrasted sharply with the hopeful tone of E.T.
Iconic Title Reveal Practical Effect
- The Thing's stark visual style highlights the monster's shock value.
- The title reveal uses practical effects with burning plastic for a haunting effect.
First Viewing Fueled by Bong Hits
- First time watching The Thing involved smoking and it intensely enhanced the experience.
- The visceral effects and atmosphere blew the mind in the best way possible.
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Introduction
00:00 • 2min
The Tax Man and Robert Altman's Popeye
01:48 • 2min
Popeye Village in Malta
03:53 • 2min
The Thing
05:50 • 3min
The Blank Check
08:31 • 2min
The Bleak Image of a Video Game
10:23 • 2min
Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica
11:56 • 3min
Emily VanderWorff on March Madness
14:55 • 2min
The Importance of Death Techniques
16:41 • 2min
The Danish Girl
18:34 • 2min
John Carpenter's 1982 Colosseum Flop Reviled
20:21 • 3min
The Bad News Dog
23:41 • 2min
Cisco and Ebert's Toy Story Review
25:40 • 5min
The Reclaiming of the Thing
30:41 • 5min
The Universal Roots of Horror
35:35 • 6min
The Fear on Film
41:29 • 2min
Who Goes There? An Avella
43:19 • 2min
The Monsters Split by James Arnaz
45:25 • 4min
The Importance of John Carpenter
49:03 • 3min
The Cost-Saving Measure of John Carpenter
51:48 • 3min
John Carpenter: A Master Storyteller
54:51 • 3min
The Unreal in a Horror Movie
57:49 • 4min
The Salt on the System
01:01:52 • 3min
The Dossier
01:04:43 • 5min
Emily and the Robot
01:10:12 • 2min
The Importance of Intimacy in Movies
01:11:47 • 2min
Bloodshot: A Christmas Movie
01:13:32 • 3min
The Best Summer for Movies Ever
01:16:23 • 6min
The Horror Remake: The Unsparing Masterpiece
01:22:03 • 2min
The Carpenter
01:24:25 • 2min
The Horror Movie Without a Man in a Suit
01:26:17 • 6min
Snow Crime and Cold Slime
01:31:51 • 3min
Snowy Hollow
01:35:09 • 3min
Wilford Bremley in the China Syndromes
01:37:59 • 4min
The Quaker Oats Guy
01:42:01 • 4min
The Ghost of the Dog
01:45:58 • 3min
Tony Lung and the Mandarin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
01:48:58 • 2min
Midsomar: A Trans Text
01:51:18 • 2min
The Flipside of Osmosis
01:52:58 • 4min
The Distrust of Men
01:56:42 • 3min
The Fear of Intimacy
02:00:11 • 3min
The End of the Pandemic
02:03:39 • 2min
The Canon of the Video Game
02:05:40 • 2min
The Monsters on Maple Street
02:07:13 • 2min
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
02:09:02 • 4min
The Things
02:12:44 • 3min
The Shock Black Pitch
02:15:53 • 1min
Ghostbusters: A Boys' Movie
02:17:22 • 5min
The Fly Is the Fly Is a Movie About Gender Transition
02:22:30 • 2min
The Uncertainty of Blade Runner
02:24:15 • 3min
Firefox: A Fly Macho
02:26:51 • 4min
Griffin: The First Film I Ever Saw in the Theater
02:30:31 • 3min
Emily D. W.: The Best Picture of 1982
02:33:22 • 2min
How to Talk the Walk This Year
02:35:43 • 2min
The Expendabella's
02:37:56 • 3min
Woodhouse: A Better Way to Purchase Your Next Car, Truck or SUV
02:40:34 • 2min
Here’s the thing about THE THING - it might be the best movie we’ve ever covered? Emily St. James joins us (and joins the five-timers club!) to discuss Carpenter’s Arctic paranoia classic, which was unfairly maligned upon release. Topics covered include the “Brimley COCOON Line,” the film as a trans allegory, and dogs getting their faces peeled back like bananas.
Checkout Emily’s podcast What to Watch on the Vox Quick Hits feed or the scripted series Arden!
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