Cows in the field

The guys from Die Hard on a Blank are here to kick off CRIMEWAVE SUMMER and talk all things John Dillinger with us! Crime doesn't pay, but it sure is sexy, ain't it? We unpack several themes of the film: encroaching modernity, the birth of modern celebrity, looking to the past through the lens of the present. Also, we explore the magical look of the movie, due in large part to its unique use of digital cinematography (decreased dynamic range, 360 shutter angle, low light sensitivity). Check out Die Hard on a Blank! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!

Let us all worship at the Church of Baseball! We are joined to talk Bull Durham by Noah Gittell, author of the recent book Baseball: The Movie. We discuss the film's love of the game, its exploration of life after retirement, parenthood, expiration dating, learning how to breathe out of our eyelids, Annie Savoy's timeless style, and Laura's newfound crush, Kevin Costner. Buy Baseball: The Movie! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!

Let's get it started, in the TUB! We sit down with Mitchell Beaupre (Letterbox'd) to discuss male friendship, regrets, the allure of youth, reliving our best and worst days, the comic genius of Crispin Glover, and what happened in Cincinnati! Follow Mitchell on Twitter! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!

What's a moody anti-Western got to do with mythmaking, outlaws, celebrity, bold robbers, parasocial relationships, betrayal, guilt, capitalism, Roger Deakins, Brad Pitt, and Casey Affleck? A lot, it turns out! Join us and Edward Lewis to explore the contours of Andrew Dominik's retelling of the end of Jesse James' life. We on Twitter! We on the web!

Nicolas Cage has been on a run of making several movies a year for decades now, and Sympathy for the Devil is one of his latest experiments, a pulpy chamber piece road trip mystery suspense film co-starring Joel Kinnaman. We sit down with the film's director Yuval Adler (who also happened to get his PhD in philosophy from Columbia in the 90s!) and welcome back Matt Strohl (Philosophy, U. Montana) to discuss the film's inception, what it is like to work with Cage, how the film holds us in suspense despite withholding so much narrative material, and some of the film's themes surrounding guilt, revenge, and moving on from the past. We can't wait for you to hear about Nic Cage's process and his dedication to his craft, so tune in and be sure to check out Sympathy for the Devil, streaming everywhere now!

Today we explore the dark recesses of the human soul with Agnes Callard (Chicago). We discuss von Trier's minimalist staging, the movie's parable, the duality of human nature, the lies we tell ourselves and others, the film's political angle, and the role of anger in response to true evil. Cows on Twitter!

John Milius's 1984 film Red Dawn has a reputation as being a jingoistic conservative fever dream, but we talk with Nat Hansen, who argues that its political outlook is more complex and more interesting. Along the way, we also discuss the film's portrayal of masculinity, the toll of war, the film's many references, from The Battle of Algiers to Alexander Nevsky. Follow us on Twitter: @cowspod Buy a t-shirt or mug: cowspod.threadless.com

We go BACK to Arrakis, desert planet, homeworld of the spice and the Fremen and keeper of Shai Hulud. We're joined again for the journey by major spice-head John DeVore to discuss Villeneuve's two films in relation to Lynch's 1984 version and Frank Herbert's book. Along the way, we consider the worm Uber, the possibility of bad trips with the Water of Life, the lack of St. Alia of the Knife, the deliberate backgrounding of the more mystical elements of the novel, and the film's magnificent score. Repeat after us: "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion... fear is the mindkiller... long live the fighters... and power over spice is power over all!" Preorder John's book, "Theater Kids: A True Tale of Off Off Broadway" now!

Join us and critic Sean Burns to give out silly meaningless awards to our favorite films of 2023! Who will take home the top prize? Who will win best lisp? Tune in to find out!

We are joined by Fran Hoepfner (BW/DR, Fran Magazine) to experience the triumph and tragedy of the Von Erich family. We discuss wrestling (duh), Zac, brothers, fathers, bodies, cults, the American political circus, all while trying to figure out our wrestling names and signature moves.