The Media Morgue

On our second-ever IWAI, documentarian Amir Moverman discusses the concept short that he's in process of expanding to feature length. His goal? To catalog each of the 86 synagogue locations on the island of Manhattan. From the unorthodox inception of the idea to his deep affection for the city and how Jewishness fits in the mix, Amir tells all in his trademark blend of sincerity and wit. 

The short version of REFLECTIONS IN SYNAGOGUE (2022), written and directed by Amir Moverman, can be viewed here. And you can view Amir's list of favorite documentaries here.

Happy New Year, Morguies! 

For our final episode of 2022, the Morticians invited actor and #1 Michelle Yeoh stan Kelly Ng to talk through this year's highlights of film/TV, performance, direction, cinematography, and more! It's an hour and a half of pure appreciation, so check your own Best Of list and scrub in to see how it compares! 

Welcome back to the Morgue! 

We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving folks. In this wistful, sincere, and unsegmented minisode, the Morticians discuss Peter Jackson's debut splatter zeitgeist BAD TASTE🍔 and Chris Smith's Sundance docu-darling AMERICAN MOVIE🎟️. It leads into a discussion about the unique chaos of first films and what it takes to keep the fire of inspiration alive against seemingly impossible odds. Grab whatever leftovers you've still got and scrub in for this cozy convo! 

TIMESTAMPS

[0:00 - 30:25] Bad Taste (1987) dir. Peter Jackson

[30:30 - 58:40] American Movie (1999) dir. Chris Smith

Welcome back to the Morgue! 

Last year we reviewed several 'Halloween' movies, and this year we're finishing what we started by discussing 'Halloween Ends' alongside 'Halloween III: Season of the Witch'. Two trilogy-makers forty years apart, and neither of them featuring very much of the franchise's leading man. This should be good. 

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[0:00 - 23:30] The Morticians pitch a legacy sequel to one classic horror franchise

[23:48 - 1:04:50] Halloween Ends (2022) dir. David Gordon Green

[1:05:00 - 1:31:44] Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) dir. Tommy Lee Wallace

We hope you all enjoy this episode and your Halloween overall. Don't forget to check your blades for candy—or rather, your candy for blades. Haha! Silly mistake.👀

There was an idea...to use our podcast as a platform for independent filmmakers to discuss their work. Today that idea takes its first baby step.

On this very special episode the Morticians sit down with Kaleb Torres, writer-director of HOME VIDEO: a psychological thriller about a man struggling with his grip on reality after a traumatic event starring our very own Justin Winley! The conversation covers everything from Kaleb's initial inspiration to the music he chose in the edit, and that last minute ingenuity always associated with low-budget horror craft. It is also full of spoilers for quite a twisty movie, but you can avoid all that by watching it on YouTube first! We can't recommend it enough.

HOME VIDEO (2022), written and directed by Kaleb Torres, can be viewed here. And you can keep up with the filmmaker via Instagram @kaleb_torres_ and his website www.kalebtorres.com

Welcome back to the Morgue -- for VOLUME 3!!!

Friend of the Show Danielle Dougé returns to help kick off our third season with the most controversial film we could find: Andrew Dominik's fantasy biopic BLONDE. Though the conversation does wade deep into Marilyn's legacy and our culture's fascination with her sadness, we also make time to appreciate her gift by revisiting one of her classics. You know you missed us, so scrub in and press play! 

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[0:00 - 23:45] Intro & News! Trailer Talk for Wakanda Forever + Super Mario Bros.; MCU Daredevil reactions; GTA 6 leak; Ezra Miller 'Flash' back on track

[24:00 - 1:10:50] Blonde (2022) dir. Andrew Dominik

[1:11:05 - 1:38:40] Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) dir. Howard Hawks

P.S. for more of Danielle's brilliant analysis and charm, check out this episode! Or this one!

After a brief break, the Morticians close out Season 2 with a directorial double feature! This week,

A self-made savant who nursed the superhero genre at the turn of the century has returned to ply his trade in the new era with 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'. Alongside it: a brief retrospective on his explosive post-wallcrawler gross-out horror comedy 'Drag Me to Hell'. Face your fears, wayward movie watchers, and scrub in! 

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[0:00 - 16:25] NEWS! Percy Jackson & Co. casting, Trailer Talk for 'Way of Water', 'Evil Dead: the Game', and more. 

[16:40 - 1:25:55] 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' (2022) dir. Sam Raimi 

[1:30:07 - 1:50:52] 'Drag Me to Hell' (2009) dir. Sam Raimi

This week on the Morgue! 

A double dip into vampire fiction with the long-delayed 'Morbius' and South Korean heavyweight Park Chan-wook's 'Thirst'. Put down that blood-filled Big Gulp and scrub in! 

TIMESTAMPS 

[0:00 - 16:35] Intro & News! Trailer Talk for 'Firestarter' and David Lynch at Cannes???

[16:45 - 49:50] 'Morbius' (2022) dir. Daniel Espinosa

[50:10 - 1:28:40] 'Thirst' (2009) dir. Park Chan-wook

It's a Media Morgue mini! 

A brief discussion about the new Daniels dramedy that blends multiversal mania with sincere human emotion. 

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[0:00 - 18:35] Intro & News! The Slap. That's it, really. Oh and Amy Schumer being bad at her job.

[18:45 - 53:00] 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022) dir. Daniels  

 

Welcome back to the Morgue! 

Grindhouse and arthouse collide in this dual review of erotic A24 releases: 'X' and 'Red Rocket'. You might wanna take our "scrub in" catchphrase somewhat literally for this one. 

TIMESTAMPS

[0:00 - 18:20] Intro & News! Trailer Talk for 'Hogwarts Legacy' and 'Sonic 2'; 'Evil Dead: The Game', 'Amityville in Space', and more.

[18:30 - 47:35] 'X' (2022) dir. Ti West

[47:40 - 1:19:00] 'Red Rocket' (2021) dir. Sean Baker