Episode 94. Bad Romance: Twilight (2008)

Get out the glitter and baseball bats because we’re diving into the complex world of Twilight. From fandom to first love to coming of age and problematic depictions, we’re going deep with this one. Hold on tight, spider monkey!
 

REQUIRED READING

Twilight. Dir. Catherine Hardwicke, 2008.

EXTRA CREDIT

How Twilight Changed Fan Culture Forever. A look at Twilight‘s intersection of fandom and the rise of social media.
 
“I Can’t Believe We Read This Whole Book!” How Reading for Their Own Purposes Affected Struggling Teens. Examining the power of reading from a teaching perspective.
 
Mormon Vampires in the Garden of Eden. How Stephanie Meyer’s Mormonism presents in her text.
 
Reviving Ophelia. An iconic text that looks at the intersection of teenage girls and media.
 
The Twilight Saga’s Issue with Indigenous Culture. A breakdown of how the Twilight Saga‘s representation of Indigeneity is problematic.
 
Catherine Hardwicke Broke Records With ‘Twilight.’ Then Hollywood Labeled Her ‘Difficult.’ Hardwicke’s 2018 interview that details her struggles with getting the film made and her fight for a more diverse cast.
 
 
Teams, Tears, and Testimonials. A cultural analysis of the fan-populated Twilight Time Capsule.
 
Twilight: the franchise that ate feminism. An overview of the popular criticisms leveled at the series.
 
Twilight reviewed by Mark Kermode. The veteran film critic goes to bat for Twilight
 

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Episode 93. Candid Camera: Perfect Blue (1997) and Cam (2018)

From pop idols to cam girls, the line between reality and perception is dangerously blurred. In this episode, Andrea and Alex delve into the world of personas, obsession and perfection with two films, released decades apart, that grapple with modern anxieties.
 

REQUIRED READING

Perfect Blue. Dir. Satoshi Kon, 1997.
Cam. Dir. Daniel Goldhaber, 2018.

EXTRA CREDIT

Ways of Seeing. John Berger’s BBC series on gaze and perception.
 
Why We’re Obsessed with Celebrities. Psychology Today‘s take our desire for fame equating goodness.
 
Camgirl. Isa Mazzei’s memoir of camming.
 
Algorithms have already taken over human decision making. The impact of algorithms on our day-to-day lives.
 
#Horror – Is It Worth the Fight? A discussion of censorship and the hashtag #horror. 
 

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Fack Flash! Best Couples in Horror – PREVIEW

Roses are red,
Violets are blue
The best couples in horror!
From us, to you <3

The full episode is available to all tiers of our Patreon! Join now and gain access to the full episode, plus even more perks and extras.

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Episode 92. 2020 Year In Review: Dawn of the Fack

A year in review of a year like no other. The world may have been disrupted in a myriad of ways but we still watched a lot of great content so enjoy our favourite films of last year, a Q&A with questions from you, a very special crossover with Gaylords of Darkness and bloopers. Always bloopers. 
 

EXTRA CREDIT

Alex’s picks:
 
Movies
9. The Invisible Man
8. Vivarium 
7. Possessor 
6. Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
5. Host
4. Swallow
3. She Dies Tomorrow
2. La Llorona 
1. His House
 
Books
Ghostland by Colin Dickey
Art of the Occult by S. Elizabeth
The Witches are Coming by Lindy West
Shit, Actually by Lindy West
The Home by Mats Strandberg
 
Andrea’s picks:
 
5. The Invisible Man 
4. The Hunt
3. His House
2. Possessor
1. La Llorona
 
Books
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
Circe by Madeline Miller
Devolution by Max Brooks
The Witches are Coming by Lindy West

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