Supercontext: an autopsy of media

This 2007 thriller divides a lot of people over whether it's good or bad. We try to take a high road and instead explore what the film says about us. Is it about ordinary monsters? Addiction? Or America's guilt about its own dark side? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Mr. Brooks Seven Millennium Hannibal Field Notes (the notebooks, not a movie) Additional Resources: The Hunt For The Worst Movie Of All Time: Mr. Brooks Make It Stop: Mr. Brooks Bad Behavior Bruce A. Evans Dissects Mr. Brooks Mr. Brooks a Trilogy

David Byrne's self-titled album is a personal moment in his creative history, but do his lyrics have meaning? Or do they simply dredge up emotions for the listener? Also, how does an album that's this diverse have such a white, middle class identity associated with it?  Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: David Byrne (1994) self-titled How Music Works  David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant  Owls The Lounge Lizards Additional Resources: David Byrne Needs to Open Up Again 1994 - David Byrne (from the Talking Heads website) David Byrne's head is talking on his wry, dreamy new album  

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's novel about the comedy of Armageddon seems to be the very definition of "twee." We try to unpack what that concept means and how it contributes to the authors' humanist message. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch Cat's Cradle Breakfast of Champions Galapagos Guards! Guards! Additional Resources: The Twee Revolution Good Omens: How Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett wrote a book Humorous Humanist Armageddon: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens What I'm Reading: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

This television show may be an adaptation of a superhero property, but it's unlike anything we've seen before. It takes the collage aesthetics from unusual comic books and turns them into Noah Hawley's kaleidoscope of mental illness, 60s futurism and a good old fashioned love story.   Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Legion, Season One A Scanner, Darkly X-Men Legacy Additional Resources: Legion tells a human story without giving up its superpowers Legion, FX’s new superhero show, is a landmark production in more ways than one The Cast of Legion Lied to Star Dan Stevens to Make the Show Better How David Bowie Inspired Aubrey Plaza’s Gender-Bending Legion Character Why the production designer of new TV series Legion has a dream job ‘Legion’: Noah Hawley and Dan Stevens Unpack the Finale, Tease Season 2 John Landgraf Talks ‘Legion’ On FX & Changing Marketplace; Slams Silicon Valley TV pilot shoots in Vancouver grew nearly 70% since last year  

Grant Morrison says this 2002 comic book with Chris Weston, Gary Erskine and Matt Hollingsworth is an inoculation against the nasty horror of the world through depravity, pornography and depression. We interrogate whether that theme works in the end product and if the sexual violence within is problematic. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Filth Nameless The Invisibles Book One (or the Ominbus if you're freaky) The Soft Machine (The Cut-up Trilogy) Nova Express (The Cut-up Trilogy) The Ticket That Exploded (The Cut-up Trilogy) Black Kiss Additional Resources: Duffy, D. (2017). The Filth. Salem Press Encyclopedia Of Literature We Don’t Need Another Hero; We Need Garbagemen In Grant Morrison’s The Filth The Function of the Filth WHAT IS THE FILTH ? FILTH PLUS FILTH PLUS - The Questions The Function of the Filth – Preview #1 The Function of the Filth – Preview #2 The Function of the Filth – Preview #3 The Function of the Filth – Preview #4

David Simon and Ed Burns produced what is heralded as one of the most authentic depictions of the Iraq War, based on Evan Wright's embedded reporting. We look at how it navigates between journalism and drama to keep us from forgetting the story of soldiers on the ground. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Generation Kill Sheriff of Babylon Pride of Baghdad The Short-Timers (crazy rare and way too expensive) Additional Resources: 'Generation Kill' Captures War's Lulls and Horrors After Iraq, the Marines of 'Generation Kill' Regret Nothing Situation Normal The Men Behind Generation Kill  

Writer/director Robin Hardy describes The Wicker Tree as a companion piece to 1973's The Wicker Man. We dig into just how this film got made. Was it a spiteful response to the American remake? Or a continuation for a deeper purpose? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Wicker Man The Wicker Tree The Sacrament The Leftovers Additional Resources: The Lambton Worm, and the ‘Wicker Man’ Sequel That Almost Was Robin Hardy Starts Crowdfunding For The Wrath Of The Gods WICKER MAN DIRECTOR ROBIN HARDY ON THE WICKER TREE AND WHAT COMES NEXT The Wicker Man director Robin Hardy dies Wicker Man sequel revisits original's murky territory Interview With Robin Hardy, Director of The Wicker Man and The Wicker Tree

Killer Mike and El-P call their latest record the album of their careers. How does it straddle crass humor, transgression and political activism? And if you are "the jewel," how does their music fit into your community? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 2 Run the Jewels 3 Meow the Jewels The New Pneumonia Blues Additional Resources: Run the Jewels Announce RTJ3, Share New Song “Legend Has It” El-P on Run the Jewels 3 and That Apocalypse He’s Been Warning Us About Meet the Other Duo Behind Run the Jewels

We turn to David Harper (Off Panel, SKTCHD) and Augie De Blieck, Jr. (Pipeline Comics) for expertise on what's going on in comics news. Are the struggles of this niche industry indicative of something broader going on in our media? Is news a trustworthy advocate that can help us make informed decisions? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Understanding Comics Additional Resources: Off Panel Pipeline CBR Newsarama The Beat (Heidi MacDonald) Bleeding Cool The Comics Reporter (Tom Spurgeon) Den of Geek Gizmodo/io9 Paste The Outhouse The Comics Journal Ars Technica

This comic book from two of Europe's most legendary creators both presents and parodies white male themes in the 20th century. So what makes it compelling today? Should we embrace or reject its existentialism? Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Madwoman of the Sacred Heart Sabbath's Theater Consider the Lobster and Other Essays Additional Resources: Alejandro Jodorowsky's dance on the edge of meaning Publishers Weekly review Beguiling Books and Art review A Dude, Abiding review The Comics Journal review