Cows in the field

Time to get HUSH HUSH with Blake Howard (One Heat Minute Productions). Noir, moral compromise, postwar LA, the American Dream, police, the LAPD, Dante FREAKING Spinotti, and MORE!

Joe is going to die. But he has a chance to be a hero, and live like a king. Only, that means he'll have to jump into a volcano. Is Joe's story all of ours? We sit down with Chad Perman (Founder of Bright Wall / Dark Room) to dig into what makes this zany, existential, transcendent, hilarious, slapstick, profound movie so good. Along the way, we discuss the Kantian sublime, Heidegger's notion of being-toward-death, the meaning of life, and flibbertigibbets! Before the episode, you'll hear a trailer for Die Hard on a Blank, a wonderful show hosted by former Cows guest Liam Billingham. Check it out, it's great!! Twitter: @cowspod Web: www.cowspod.com Contact us: cowspod@gmail.com

"The smaller the audience, the bigger the history." So, at least, said Tony Wilson, co-founder of Factory Records and larger than life character at the center of Michael Winterbottom's 2002 punk pseudo-music-doc, our topic today! We are joined by Professor of Italian Studies at Boston College to explore the pull of nostalgia, anticipated retrospection, how the film's blend of fact/fiction/and legend reflects the mythmaking of its protagonist, and, of course, the music duh! What do you think of the movie? What do you think of the show? Email us at cowspod@gmail.com! Reach out to us on Twitter @cowspod! And find us on the web at www.cowspod.com

James Cameron's terrifying and overwhelming sequel ALIENS is a rollercoaster that Roger Ebert called "absolutely, painfully and unremittingly intense." We sit down with Brendan Hodges to explore the film's power over us, what all that goo and slime means, the film's anti-bureaucratic "strong individualist" conservatism and second wave feminist ideology, its use of space in allegorical and punishingly literal ways... and so much more. GAME OVER MAN! GAME OVER!

It's just us for our one hundredth episode talking Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides! We hit all the good stuff: suburban malaise, fear, control, parenting, childhood, Trip Fontaine's hair, memory, privacy, the joys of human connection, first loves, and Kathleen Turner!

Have you ever wanted to know the TRUE story that inspired King Arthur? Did you know that Arthur was a freedom fighter battling for the independence of Britannia? Wait until you see what armor Guinevere preferred to wear into battle! And don't forget Tristan and his faithful falcon! Join us and Jon Gabrus (High & Mighty, Action Boyz, 101 Places to Party Before You Die) to unpack this forgotten mid-aughts classic from Antoine Fuqua!

Liam Billingham, film critic and co-host of Die Hard on a Blank / OuevreBusters podcast, joins to discuss Starship Troopers. They explore the film's mixture of big budget VFX with soap opera stars, its three-movies-in-one structure, the nature of meaning in a conflict-free world, and art that risks embarrassment.

Matt Teichman, host of the Elucidations Podcast, joins the podcast to discuss Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Topics covered include pod racing, queen wardrobes, lightsaber battles, Jedi Stoicism, bureaucracy, allure of fascism, and 1999 nostalgia.

We sit down with my colleague Agustín Rayo (Professor of Philosophy, Dean of SHASS at MIT, and winner of the big number duel) to discuss Alfonso Cuarón's autobiographical film, Roma. We discuss memory, dreams, guilt, class, background, lenses, digital formats, and, of course, Mexico City.

Join us and Bilge Ebiri (New York Magazine / Vulture) to discuss Christopher Nolan's deconstructed biopic about the man who birthed a very big bomb. Deconstructed narratives, quantum mechanics, moral dilemmas, subjective inflection, brilliant and sure-handed intercutting... and we set the record straight on whether Nolan's films are funny and whether his female characters are poorly developed.