Explore every episode of the podcast Cozy Quilt Cinema

Some movies entertain you. Some movies find you at exactly the right moment and crack something open. Boy Meets Girl (2014) is both. This week Beth and Michelle curl up with Eric Schaeffer's tender, sex-positive trans romantic comedy set in small-town Kentucky, the story of Ricky Jones, a 21-year-old trans woman with big dreams, a best friend named Robby, and a chance encounter with a Southern debutante that changes everything for all of them. It's imperfect, it's organic, and it was absolutely perfectly timed for one trans woman. We talk trans representation in 2014 versus now, the difference between tolerance and acceptance, why this film doesn't need a villain, and what it means to finally be seen by the people you love most. Wrap yourself up and hit play. Happy Pride!

Pieces of April (2003), written and directed by Peter Hedges on a shoestring budget and two digital camcorders, is a small film that quietly breaks you open and leaves you with the pieces. Katie Holmes plays April, the black sheep, the first pancake, preparing Thanksgiving dinner for an estranged family that has never really seen her, using an oven that doesn't work, in a building full of strangers. Meanwhile her mother Joy, played by Patricia Clarkson, is dying of cancer and riding in a station wagon toward a meal she's not sure she wants, cooked by a daughter she's not sure she knows how to love.

This one got personal. We talk about first pancakes and found family, about Bobby and his suit, about a squirrel funeral that was never really about a squirrel, and about what it means to mourn something before it's even gone.

Stitch Count: 8 out of 9.

What does it cost to be truly seen by another person and what does the world do when it doesn't know what to do with you? This week, Beth and Michelle climb into the blanket fort with two extraordinary guests to unravel Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom (2012): a story of two lonely twelve-year-olds who decide to stop waiting for the world to make sense and just run toward each other instead.

We talk found family and the uniforms we wear to prove we belong, compassionate authority versus institutional indifference, what first love looks like when you've never been shown you're worth staying for, and why the children in this film understand something the adults have spent decades forgetting. It gets emotional. It gets real. It gets a little bit into D&D metaphors and we are not apologizing for that.

Joining us today are two people who do the work of being seen and helping others reclaim that, every single day.

Pat Green is a columnist, author, documentarian, and freelance photojournalist with over 20 years of storytelling behind him. He's the editor-in-chief of GenX Watch, Executive Director of the Thrive Initiative Trauma-Informed Creative Arts Program, and the author of the Hearts of Glass series, a GenX coming-of-age saga about found family, resilience, and what it means to survive the decade that raised us. Find him at patgreenauthor.com.

Allaina Humphreys is a graphic designer, accessibility consultant, and civic leader based in Bolingbrook, Illinois. She's the Chair of Bolingbrook Pride, VP of DEIA for Illinois Now, and one of only 15 people selected nationally for the Emerge America electoral training cohort. She's a disability advocate, a mother of three, and a person whose entire body of work centers the full humanity of every person in the room. Find her @allainahumphreys on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn or, as she'd be the first to tell you, just Google it. She's the only one.

THRIVE AND SURVIVE: FIRST AID Sunday, May 31, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM Fountaindale Public Library, Meeting Room A 300 W Briarcliff Rd, Bolingbrook, IL 60440

Pat and Allaina are hosting an afternoon gathering for survivors, artists, writers, and truth-tellers centered on healing, creativity, and connection. The event marks the premiere of the very first issue of the Thrive & Survive Zine: First Aid, a survivor-created zine exploring the stories, art, poetry, and creative tools that help people keep moving forward. The afternoon includes live readings, interactive creative experiences, real conversations about survival, and fundraising for local organizations supporting survivors. All are welcome.

For questions: patgreenauthor@gmail.com

Also mentioned in this episode: Michelle spotted a shirt and we are legally obligated to share it: the "I'm White But Not That White" tee from God Ain't Petty

This week we're curling up with a film that, we believe, has been misread by its own trailers for twenty-five years. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), directed by Sharon Maguire, written by Helen Fielding, Richard Curtis, and Andrew Davies, and starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant is not, it turns out, a film about a clumsy woman falling into love. It's a film about a woman falling into herself.

We revisit Bridget's diary entries, her Chardonnay budget, and her genuinely iconic fireman's pole moment with fresh eyes and find something we didn't expect: a protagonist who owns her mistakes with more dignity than most films afford their leading men. Along the way, we look at the slow-burn case for Mark Darcy, the sexiest fight scene not involving a hammer, and why "I like you just as you are" hits harder at the end than it would have at the beginning.

We also run the film through the Stitch Count (the Castellini test, Gaze and Inclusivity, and the Tremors Gold Standard) and come out the other side with 5 out of 9 stitches holding it all together. Tighter than you'd think, but perhaps looser than it should be.

This one's dedicated to one of our listeners, Nicole. Happy birthday!

Music by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/pianocafe_kumi-35185506/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=370804">pianocafe_Kumi</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=370804">Pixabay</a>

 

What happens when the woman who's been doing everyone else's job for seven years finally finds herself in her element? Sam Raimi's Send Help (2026) answers that question in the most gloriously unhinged way possible and Beth and Michelle are here for every morally complicated minute of it.

Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien survive a plane crash. Only one of them was prepared for it. This is survival horror, workplace comedy, and a master class in knowing things other people don't and Beth and Michelle dig into all of it: the toxic boys' club that built the monster, the moment Linda Little stops apologizing for being the smartest person in the room, and why you'll cheer for choices you absolutely cannot defend. Also: a very theatrical boar, Danny Elfman doing exactly what Danny Elfman does, and the eternal question of whether cooperation is possible when one party keeps being a scorpion about it.

The Stitch Count rolls in at 5 out of 9 — better than it sounds, messier than it looks.

This episode exists because of a recommendation from our friend DisMoviePod, and we are so glad she sent us here.

DisMoviePod runs a podcast dedicated to disability representation in film, with in-depth analysis on Bluesky and Letterboxd, and free monthly screenings you should absolutely be attending. Currently posting from bed and still doing more for film criticism than most..

Reviews: boxd.it/5d4uh

Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/dismoviepod.bsky.social 

Website: dismoviepod.com

Support her work: ko-fi.com/dismoviepod

It's 2001 and Y2K didn't end the world, so Ivan Reitman sent aliens to finish the job. One rapidly evolving cloaca at a time. Beth and Michelle cozy in with Evolution (2001), the Ghostbusters-adjacent sci-fi comedy starring David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Julianne Moore, and Dan Aykroyd doing the most Dan Aykroyd thing anyone has ever done on screen. They remembered this one being funnier. They were wrong. But Orlando Jones still deserves more work, the CGI creatures are genuinely adorable, and it turns out Head & Shoulders is load-bearing. They run the film through the Stitch Count and the results are about as promising as napalming a nitrogen-based life form.

It's not science, it's Skyance.

It’s a rainy weekend so why not curl up on the couch with us and watch Bridesmaids (2011) and you’ll see why this movie has been living rent-free in our hearts for over a decade.

Yes, there's a woman shitting in the street in a wedding gown. Yes, someone pukes on the back of someone's head. But here's the thing you won’t get until you are well into it, Bridesmaids is secretly a film about grief, self-worth, and what happens when change shows up before you're ready for it.

We dig into Paul Feig's direction, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo's whip-smart screenplay, and why Melissa McCarthy's Megan might be the most emotionally intelligent character in the whole film. We talk about Annie's slow-motion breakdown, Helen's misguided love language (it's money, it's always money), and why a single cupcake says everything you need to know about where Annie is in her life.

We also run Bridesmaids through our Stitch Count,  the Castellini Test, our Inclusivity and Gaze lens, and the Tremors Gold Standard, of which this movie earns a 7 out of 9. Which, honestly? We were as surprised as you're going to be.

Featuring a very strong Wilson Phillips defense, an extended digression about Brazilian restaurants that we stand behind completely, and at least two deeply personal stories that we probably should have kept to ourselves but didn't.

Things might not always go your way, but as the song says, you just have to hold on for one more day.

Beth and Michelle pull a worn, half-forgotten quilt from the top shelf and shake out the dust — because So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) has been sitting up there for thirty years, and it is absolutely still warm and cozy.

Mike Myers plays Charlie Mackenzie, a San Francisco beat poet with a talent for bad poetry, worse timing, and an ironclad gift for self-sabotage. When he falls hard for Harriet the butcher (Nancy Travis), the universe hands him exactly what he's always claimed to want and his brain immediately decides she might be a serial killer. To be fair, she might be.

This is a 90s romantic comedy that doesn't get nearly enough credit for how genuinely it understands the way fear and love tangle up into something you can't always tell apart. It's slapstick on the surface and something a lot more honest underneath.

Beth and Michelle dig into Mike Myers' dual role, the sharp supporting cast, the original title that should have stuck, and why "commitment phobia" hits differently when it's played for laughs but written from somewhere real. Then they run it through the Stitch Count to see where this cult classic gem holds together and where the seams show.

Climb into the blanket fort. This poem sucks. The romance absolutely does not.

We talked about Spaceballs: The New One, you can find that teaser here: Spaceballs: The New One

Beth and Michelle turned the air conditioning on for this hellish comedy. Harold Ramis' Bedazzled (2000) is the Y2K fever dream where Brendan Fraser sells his soul seven times over seeming more doomed but likeable with every wish.

They dig into Elliot Richards's spectacularly bad attempts to shortcut his way to love, the over-the-top basketball scene that deserves its own micro-trial, and Elizabeth Hurley's Devil, absolutely stealing every scene she's in. Because the real question isn't whether you should make a deal with the Devil, it's whether you read the fine print. Join them as they check the seams and tally the Stitch Count to see if this supernatural bargain actually wears well over time.

Michelle grabbed the blanket and Beth poured a cup of Earl Grey for this one. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) is the quintessential British RomCom that managed to make a funeral the most romantic thing in the film.

 

They wade through the charmingly wet world of Hugh Grant’s Charles and his eccentric band of misfits, from confessions in the rain to the devastating emotional toll of W. H. Auden read aloud at a graveside. As always, Beth and Michelle run it through the Stitch Count, applying the Castellini Test to Carrie’s agency, and asking whether this charming 90s classic stands up to feminist scrutiny or merely flusters with floppy hair and a good suit. 

 

Whether you’re here for the iconic hats, the “is it raining?” memes, or a truly heartfelt discussion of grief, friendship, and how brave it is to say the words, climb into the blanket fort. We saved you a spot and a warm cup of tea.

Get in, loser, we’re going podcasting. This week on Cozy Quilt Cinema, we’re wearing pink and revisiting the 2004 cult classic, Mean Girls. Written by Tina Fey and starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amy Poehler, this film is a mosaic of early 2000s nostalgia and sharp social commentary.

We’re pulling the threads of high school hierarchy, from the "Burn Book" drama to the tactical survival of Cady Heron and the reign of Regina George. Is this teen comedy a cult classic in our blanket fort, or is "Fetch" still never going to happen? Join us as we get emotionally invested in the tribalism of the cafeteria, the brilliance of the screenplay, and why we’re still quoting this movie two decades later.

Pack your kitbags, this week on Cozy Quilt Cinema, we’re heading down under to dust off Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 epic, Australia. Starring Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley and Hugh Jackman as the rugged "Drover," this film is a cinematic patchwork quilt, stitching together a Western, a wartime drama, and a sweeping romance.

It’s an emotional discussion about the logistics of that 1,500-head cattle drive, the dizzying CGI vistas, and the film’s portrayal of the Stolen Generations. Does this three-hour spectacle provide the warmth of a well-loved blanket, or is it a few too many genres stitched together? Join us as we apply our emotional and analytical lens to the history, performances, and maximalist ambition of this Australian odyssey.

We talk at length about the Stolen Generations, to learn more please follow the link and thank you, AIATSIS for your work and efforts.  https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/stolen-generations

At the end of the episode, rather than a clip of the movie, we provide the audio archive of then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivering the National Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples. In particular, it included an apology to the Stolen Generations. The Apology is now considered a defining moment in Australian history. 

Beth and Michelle talk about being into proximity of and dealing with addiction. Sometimes the coziest stories aren't about perfect lives, easy endings or passionate romances. They are about broken moments and the people who help stitch us back together. There is no easy answer, and no one gets cured, they only learn how stand back up if they fall. This is a film about addiction, accountability, and the fragile beginnings of healing.

 

Here is the song, Dreaming

Beth and Michelle ride into the Wild Wild West,  a bizarre Western-steampunk mashup starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline that somehow turns buddy-cop charm, Civil War styled gadgetry, and a giant mechanical spider into one of the strangest major box office flops of the late ’90s.

For fans of the classic TV show, it was a disappointment. For fans of Men in Black, it lacked the magic of nostalgia. So what could go wrong?

This movie had all the ingredients for a wild, fun adventure, but instead it steered that giant spider straight over a cliff. Beth and Michelle dig into the missed potential, the chaotic tone, and the moments that almost made this weird western work.

Cozy up with Cozy Quilt Cinema, where Beth and Michelle explore movies through emotion, nostalgia, and the occasional cinematic disaster.

Within Black Lake there lurks a predator, it glides silently through calm, dark water. Beth and Michelle do a flailing back‑roll entry into Lake Placid, which is what they wanted to call it but the name was taken. They dog‑paddle frantically through a creature feature that can’t decide if it’s a horror movie, a romcom, a sitcom or a very specific kink for sarcastic paleontologists. They marvel at Brendan Gleeson’s permanent state of exasperation, Betty White’s feral‑grandma energy, and a crocodile so large it feels like the filmmakers lost a bet with the laws of physics.

Dark Harbor feels wet, soggy and very critical, like a mother-in-law who fell out of the boat. Then it becomes a quiet, intimate, and simple projection of wife-killery.

This week, Beth and Michelle discuss the 1998 psychological thriller that hides its sharpest twists behind the completely unexplored gotcha of homophobia. We explore the film’s slow-building tension, constant mockery and shifting power dynamics. Whether the final reveal changes everything or leaves us feeling dissatisfied.

Is this a story about manipulation, projection, or loneliness? And does its emotional depth make it more haunting than it seems at first? As always, we run it through the Stitch Count to see where it fits in the Cozy Quilt canon. Wrap up, settle in, and join us. If you enjoy thoughtful, cozy conversations about films that stick with you, follow the show and leave a rating. It really helps other movie lovers discover us.

I found a better copy to view - Dark Harbor 1998

As Beth and Michelle travel down the back roads of this home we love so much, we feel a mighty wind's a-blowin’. It's one of our favorite mockumentaries traveling around the bend. We discuss the loss of an icon, Catherine O'Hara and how much she meant to us as fans. And we enter the nostalgia vortex of a New York bound model train.

 

The Stitch Count:

The Castellini Test: Pass

Inclusivity & Gaze: 3

The Tremors Index: 3

Beth and Michelle go downtown, where the guys are drips. Downtown, where they rip your slips. Down on Skid Row, where they follow the Greek Chorus as they underscore and narrate the romance of Seymour and Audrey. We will follow along through the abuse, the dismemberment and murder and have some laughs along the way. This comedy is as dark as the soot which coats the walls of Seymour's basement room.

Beth and Michelle camp out on the couch for a movie that is deeper than it appears. While it has the energy and surface of an over the top comedy about avoiding death and eternal beauty quickly becomes a story of misogyny masquerading as feminine empowerment. It's surprisingly easy to love this film and also be revolted by the message it unintentionally alludes to. Wondering how this film will fare in the Castellini test? I think you will be surprised.

Beth and Michelle reassemble the blanket fort in Iceland where they follow the story of Fire Saga, a musical journey of persistence, loss and of finding your true joy. It has daddy issues, mommy issues, maybe or maybe not sister issues, but nothing another rousing round of Jaja Ding Dong won’t brush away for another time.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/julien-schwarz/my-chapters License code: MNQCVJ4WDX2TILQC

Links for the community concerning the ICE terrorist attacks in Minnesota: Rapid Response & ICE Activity Hotlines

• MN NOICE – Immigrant Support Hub  

Directory + rapid response numbers (including Monarca Rapid Response Line and COPAL Navigators Line)

https://www.mnnoice.org

• COPAL MN – Community Organizing & People’s Action  

(Hosts the statewide immigrant support helpline used by IDN and MN NOICE)

https://www.copalmn.org  

 

Immigrant Rights & Anti‑Deportation Organizing

 

• MIRAC – Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee  

Grassroots, abolitionist immigrant‑rights organization fighting raids, deportations, and anti‑immigrant laws

https://miracmn.org

• Immigrant Defense Network (IDN)  

Statewide coalition of 90+ nonprofits coordinating legal defense, rapid response, and community protection

https://immigrantdefense.org

Legal Aid & Direct Services

• Arrive Ministries (Legal Services Directory Listing)  

Provides immigration legal assistance including naturalization, family petitions, TPS, and more

https://www.arriveministries.org

• National Immigration Legal Services Directory – Minnesota Listings  

Comprehensive list of Minnesota orgs offering immigration legal support

https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory/ 

 

Community Support & Mutual Aid

• Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation – Immigrant & Refugee Support Organizations  

Curated list of trusted Minnesota groups supporting immigrant and refugee communities

https://www.spmcf.org

 

Beth and Michelle discuss a new(er) movie this time, the 80s is so whack. It’s a rollicking fun movie filled with family intrigue and honest emotional discoveries that will keep you riveted to the screen. How is it going to rate against our standards? I think you can deduce that, dear Watson.

 

Music by Melody Ayres-Griffiths from Pixabay

 

On a serious Note:

To demand answers and accountability for the recent death at the Robert A. Deyton facility in Lovejoy, GA, you can point listeners to Georgia Detention Watch (GDW) and their partners at El Refugio.

• Website: gadetentionwatch.org
• Action: Follow their Instagram or Twitter/X for the specific "Call to Action" scripts regarding the mid-January death.
• Direct Advocacy: Listeners can also contact the ICE Atlanta Field Office at (404) 893-1210 to demand a transparent investigation.

These cards are designed to be shown through a window or slid under a door so residents do not have to open the door to agents.

• NILC Printable Cards (PDF): nilc.org/know-your-rights-card
• Informed Immigrant "Red Cards": These include the specific legal language to invoke the 4th and 5th Amendments.
  • Link: informedimmigrant.com/red-cards

In the Twin Cities, the primary line to report "Operation Metro Surge" activity, masked agents, or raids is the Monarca Rapid Response Line.

• Hotline Number: 612-441-2881
• MIRAC (Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee): They also coordinate responses. Their resource page can be found at miracmn.com/resources.

Cue the sand storm, it’s time for perhaps our coziest adventure movie, The Mummy! Beth and Michelle get comfy in the blankets for this necropolis romp full of magic and two-gun firefights and sweet, simple romance. It’s like Jewel of the Nile, without the rain, parrots and snark. 

Background Music by Ruud from Pixabay

Support for the Good Family

• GoFundMe: Support for the Family of Renee Good Launched by family friend Mattie Weiss, this fundraiser directly supports Renee’s wife, Rebecca, and her three children (ages 15, 12, and 6) with immediate needs and long-term stability.
  • The GoFundMe was removed per the family as it more than attained it's goal. 

Take Action & Demand Prosecution

• Resistbot: Demand Justice for Renee Good This tool allows listeners to quickly send a pre-written letter to their specific elected officials (Congress and the Department of Homeland Security) demanding a full investigation and prosecution.
  • Text SIGN PENBUH to 50409 or visit resist.bot/letters/206e2562-dab4-4c47-b6eb-db4142acf0b9.
• ACLU of Minnesota: Tincher v. Noem The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging federal law enforcement violence and misconduct in Minnesota. You can follow the case and support their legal fund.
  • Link: aclu-mn.org

Organizations Leading the Fight

• Freedom for Immigrants They monitor all deaths in ICE custody and provide a "National Detention Map" that tracks abuse and neglect across the country.
  • Link: freedomforimmigrants.org
• National Immigration Law Center (NILC) A primary legal group fighting the "Operation Metro Surge" and "Operation Midway Blitz" policies that led to the recent escalations.
  • Link: nilc.org
• The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) The LDF has officially condemned the killing and is active in civil rights litigation regarding federal overreach in Minneapolis.
  • Link: naacpldf.org

Beth and Michelle ring in the New Year with Egon, Ray, Peter and Winston. They're back! And they must save Dana's child from Vigo the Carpathian, the city from it's own negativity and themselves from a failing business. It's a movie literally about emotional goo and auld lang syne. So, dive with us into the pneumatic transit slime because it's ghost busting time. Thank you, wonderful listeners, for an amazing year in which we were able to sit with you in our blanket fort and share our thoughts about the movies that moved us. We are looking forward to continuing our time with you, sharing our quilt and emotional conversations, in the new year!

‘Tis the season for giving and apparently taking. Beth and Michelle burrow in on the couch to watch the “haves” be callous, while the “have-nots” give them their comeuppance. It’s a journey from statue-beladen stairways and dirty-Santa-beard salmon, but not as long as you might think. This movie isn't quite robin hood, but it’s all still very satisfying.

This is a hard one folks, Beth and Michelle pay their respects to Rob and Michele Reiner and try to talk about “The Princess Bride” without crying. Even with the tragedy, they found themselves absorbed and laughing during this beloved classic. Cozy in with your true love and listen in as we climb the cliffs of insanity, travel the fire swamp and experience true love's kiss. Thank you Rob and Michele, you were a beacon of light to so many.

 

*Stand By Me By dccharles is licensed under a Creative Commons License

In this holiday haunt of an episode, we curl up with the only Christmas movie bold enough to ask: “What if Ebenezer Scrooge were a TV executive who weaponizes sarcasm and questionable programming choices?” Frank may be a walking HR violation wrapped in a power suit, but beneath the cynicism and the ghost-induced trauma lies the gooey emotional center we live for.

Join us as we talk about our feelings from cab-driving Ghosts to the world’s most chaotic Christmas production meeting. And explore why this offbeat classic still hits that tender spot between laughter and sincerity changes that give you emotional whiplash. It’s a story about second chances, emotional thawing, and the radical act of choosing kindness, even if you have to be terrorized by three spirits who believe in tough love, to get there.

Grab your blanket, a cup of tea, and maybe a stress ball. This one gets intense, in a way that makes you wonder if you saw a movie or were a victim of hit and run.

 

Song: Santa's Tricks Composer: Myuu Website: https://youtube.com/myuuji License: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-free Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com

Beth and Michelle discuss (the) Happiest Season (2020), the queer holiday rom-com that hits on so many insecurities in a hetero-centric culture. Get your mug of hot chocolate with way too many marshmallows and climb into the blanket fort, as we roll our eyes at Harper’s family drama, and debate whether Kristen Stewart deserved better than being gaslit under twinkle lights. We have some laughs, frustrated sighs, and at least one rant about how “coming out at a Christmas Party” shouldn’t be a plot device. 

Nothing says cozy cinema like watching two queer women yell “just kiss Aubrey Plaza already!” while stitching together the messy threads of love, family, and holiday chaos.

Beth and Michelle snuggle in for a long holiday weekend with Clue. Based upon the popular board game of the same name, it’s a wild romp of a dark comedy that is stacked with a stellar cast. Come for the creamed monkey brains, stay for Tim Curry running in manic exposition.

Beth and Michelle shlep their quilts from the blanket fort to the ice shanty to keep cozy with the curmudgeonly winter film, Grumpy Old Men. Like a stoic Scandinavian uncle, Wabasha Minnesota has perfected the art of small-town banter, ice fishing, and the kind of neighborly squabbles that are really love stories in disguise.

 

Don't forget our friend of the show and guest, Pat Green is hosting the launch of his new Hearts of Glass novel (Hearts of Glass Fade Away and Radiate), along with Alexandra Charecky and her book is called Buford's Purposeful day. It will also be a trauma-informed conversation on surviving SA/DV, creative healing through art and writing, and opportunities for survivors to share and publish their stories.

Thrive Survivor Initiative Book Launch Dec 13, 11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Fountaindale Public Library, Bolingbrook, IL – Room C (2nd floor)

Radiant-And-Thrive

 

 

There are many Cinderella stories, some use magic as a catalyst for change others use suffering to push the narrative. Beth and Michelle discuss how in this film progress is its own magic and how suffering can inform kindness. Join us in the Blanket Fort for a comforting and hopeful retelling of a fairytale classic.

Please join us in the blanket fort as we talk about the 2000 film “Where the Heart Is”. Beth and Michelle lean in for a story of found family, finding self-worth and a few tears along the way. We talk about a movie which never seems to lose its smile, even through the hard times.

In our first live stream watch-along of The Exorcist 1973 Beth and Michelle share a living room with you, in spirit, on Halloween. We do some crafts, talk about things and sometimes we remember there is a movie happening right in front of us. 

 

Apologies to the sound quality, as we are remodeling a 1950’s den to studio standards and had a lot of reflective surfaces. Things are changing here at the PeaPod and hopefully going forward we will be changing for the better. Stick with us as we grow and evolve!

Our fourth movie for the Octobertastic Ghostathon, Beth and Michelle bring in our spirited friend of the show, Pat Green, to discuss the 1982 horror movie Poltergeist. Nostalgia did not prepare us for the nuance between the relationships and particularly to the women in the film. While the remake in 2015 exists, I believe the original still holds up despite the special effects. 

 

Don’t forget that we will be doing a Podbean Live Rewatch of The Exorcist (1973) on Oct 31 at 8pm est.

Please check out the Indiegogo for Pat Green’s Hearts of Glass: Fade Away and Radiate

You can find Pat’s Linktree Here

I want you to pretend you're in a theatre. A movie theatre, You're the only one there. It's one of those great old movie palaces... Beth and Michelle find themselves digging into the hauntingly cozy, suspense film, Stir of Echoes, Our 3rd film in the Octoberween, not so ascendingly scary, films.

Life itself is a maze (or labyrinth if there is a minotaur). Sometimes it is built for you and sometimes the maze is something you made yourself. Beth and Michelle follow the trail of origami cranes and red yard to find a group of people that have gotten lost among the many twist and turns but may yet find freedom in understanding.

Beginning our Supertobertacular month of progressively but not so scary movies, Beth and Michelle survive the mayhem of school yard zombie attacks. So take a bite of your chicken nuggies and get ready for that brain rot, because you have Cooties!

 

Please check out our friend, Pat Greens new book, mentioned in the episode, Hearts of Glass: Living in the Real World. You can find all of his links here

Pat Green, author of Hearts of Glass: Living in the Real World and Editor-in-Chief of Gen X Watch joins Beth and Michelle virtually in the studio to discuss his emotional movie pick, Benny & Joon. This 1993 film remained unwatched by both Beth and Michelle, until now. We discuss all the things about this film that make it a must see for those who haven't.

Beth and Michelle take some time in the country, amongst the simple, salt of the earth folk of Redbud. And we realize that nostalgia has drastically altered our perception of a film that would have been better centered upon Elizabeth Farmer and the good eclectic and well portrayed townsfolk rather than upon Andy Farmer. This is a movie which ends suddenly without resolution to the issue but an acceptance that the issues mean nothing to the main character.

Author of Hearts of Glass, living in the real world, Tomi Adeyemi

Beth pulls on her single bespangled white glove and Michelle dons her blue denim jacket, it's a nice day for a white wedding. We take a time slip into the 80s to discuss The Wedding Singer. It's all about the music, the clothes, friendship and love. This film is a classic that stands the test of time by having timeless themes.

Beth and Michelle travel to Ireland and visit the delightfully cluttered and haunted Dromore Castle. We searched the crypts for some emotional discourse and came away with so much gossamer. But a film is not measured in emotion alone, this tale is a fun romp with little consequence for true emotional depths, it simply doesn't have the time. Come for the ghosts, stay for Peter Plunkett and his staff which I think make the movie not only enjoyable but heart warming.

We don't do anything normally, so happy belated or early Rex Manning Day! Beth and Michelle hunt for some fresh beats in the coolest music store in all of Bexley, Delaware. It's 1995 and the music is tight, the weed is wicked and I'm running out of remembered 90s phrasing to shove into a sentence. This cult classic is one of the few times we get a "win" against big box stores but as we know sometimes the win is the battle, not the war. Come for the tunes but stay for the drama and Damn the Man, Save the Empire.

Beth and Michelle bring the Peanut Butter Falcon into the ring and wrestle with their emotional turmoil. This is ultimately a movie about overcoming the bigotries of intellectual disabilities,  living in grief and love in a found family, wrapped in a southern gothic hero's journey. Listen to our discussion, but you should also watch this movie. And I did not, in fact, edit the cats intermittently slow-falling down loose blankets in our studio.

We promo our new podcast, Folkloric

 

Beth and Michelle become entangled in the nostalgia trap with eyes wide open. This iconic film was likely misunderstood by many, even the writer, John Hughes. Lay against the wall on your mattress on the floor, bring up some Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, maybe just the one song that makes you cry. And join us in a conversation about a film that is nuanced in spite of itself. 

I ran across a very interesting and insightful opinion of the film, you should take a look:

GenXWatch - Being Fearless and Wrong about Pretty in Pink

Beth and Michelle tackle the environmental and personal drama, Erin Brockovich. We will tell you about the events that lead to the movies motivation and Erin's journey to become the hero who started out already a hero, trying to keep her children fed. Personal empowerment, civic duty, building a community, holding corporations accountable for their actions, these are all worthy goals. 

Links to things we mentioned:

EPA Superfund Site Search

Vulture Interview Erin Brockovich Q&A

Beth and Michelle talk about the fur baby they added to their family, Dame Edwina Alice Poe, or "Poe". We discussed  "The Spine" from Steam Powered Giraffe, you can find their link below. Mel Brooks turned 99 this year, Beth shares some facts about his life. The movie Spaceballs isn't really a rich emotional starscape but it has a few solar systems worthy of exploration. Put on your ring, rev up your "Winnenium Falcon" and may the Schwartz be with you.

The band, Steam Powered Giraffe

 

Kitten Poe:

This comedy hits home for both Beth and Michelle, who learned to love this film at different times in their perspective lives. They sit down and have an emotional and thoughtful discussion about the themes flowing through the movie. It is as funny as it is heart-wrenching, as cringe as it is illuminating, there are many layers to this Birdcage cocktail. 

Beth and Michelle sit down to a deep discussion about the themes within Drop Dead Fred. We talk about abuse in it's many forms and how this movie may or may not inform our own stances on how to deal with them. We talk about what nuances may have been lost and perhaps gain a better understanding of each other in the process.

Beth and Michelle sit down for a romantic movie in which the assumed protagonist doesn't win the man, but manages to win herself. They share their song, "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart, a deeply odd song for a couples song but you don't pick the song, the song picks you. And Beth has a teapot filled with wishin' and hopin' but mostly Earl Grey tea, because it's arguably the best tea.

Link to Balloon Fest '86 as mentioned in the episode:

The Disaster of Balloonfest '86

 

Beth and Michelle embark on an unedited and crafty adventure with 2004 National Treasure. We get crafty with diamond paintings while Nicholas Cage preemptively steals the Declaration of Independence. Good Trouble is what it's all about, freedom for everyone.

 

Our (un)finished products... that was two hours, it's like making claymation, so tedious!

Beth and Michelle press play one of Michelle's favorite movies. Don't turn into a morphing ball and roll to the bathroom, because you won't want to miss this emotional power up of an episode. We look at the feelings behind the characters even if they don't always go very deep and we pick up the coins they leave behind as they go. So travel the subspace highway with us in this deep bass rumbling, garage rocking, electronic love story.