This week’s episode finds Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness in fine form, discussing this year’s Oscar-winning animated feature Flow, how it was made, and why actual cats might be enjoying it! The “Lawsuit of the Week” returns, and it is a rather astounding one involving a once Oscar-nominated filmmaker. Phil and Dean both relate to a recent Substack post by one of Phil’s favorite journalists entitled, “We Are Schrödinger’s Cat”. You will find out why. Dean learns some very cool things about the Helsingør locale where he was married, including about a (rather legendary, though rarely-seen) version of Hamlet entirely shot there and about the World War II “underground railroad” operation run through there! The Scandinavian countries are very much on Phil’s mind. Dean and Phil discuss how high those countries rank on the list of “happiest” countries and how low the USA ranks. Two recent Scandinavian horror films (this past year’s Oscar-nominated The Girl with the Needle and the 2021 supernatural thriller The Innocents) both get reviewed, and the world’s first open-air museum, the Norsk Folkemusuem, gets described. Finally, Phil tips his hat to the success of the just-completed season 3 of “The White Lotus”, while Dean grabs his popcorn and pours his wine and sits down to start season 1!

This week, Dean and Phil pick up right where they left off … With Dean enjoying the weather in Michigan, Phil in COVID isolation in Los Angeles, and Robert Blake’s Cinefantastique interview about David Lynch’s Lost Highway providing the basis for a “cold open”. The themes of transition, embracing what wants to come forward, emotional intelligence and more get explored deeply in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal-themed discussion doesn’t end there, as Pablo Lorrain’s Princess Diana biopic Spencer goes under the microscope. That just starts the movie talk, though, as after raving about Joanna Hogg and her films The Souvenir and The Souvenir: Part II, Phil previews her new film, a mysterious ghost story, The Eternal Daughter, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Praise gets heaped upon filmmaker Steve McQueen and two of the films he made for his “Small Axe” series available on Prime: Mangrove and Lovers Rock. Finally, Dean and Phil wrap things up by analyzing three comic book movies (and the industry built on comic book movies): Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder, Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius, and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (NOT a comic book movie, you say? Just listen – you might change your mind!).

Phil is back from another emergency trip to Turlock, and Dean is safely ensconced back in Detroit after a trip to Virginia, and after adopting another kitten! Cats get discussed, of course, and in an almost weekly occurrence, “Lord Turlock” issues proclamations. Then your friends in podcasting continue to tackle the appalling, ongoing wave of violence being directed against member of the AAPI community, which somehow leads to a discussion of just one of the problems Phil had with Godzilla vs. Kong. Dean and Phil share a text message from a loyal listener, and celebrate the show business lives of the actor who played “Cousin It”, a country-rock hitmaker, and a prolific country songwriter, and wax rhapsodic about the pedal steel guitar! Friend of show Jon Lawlor has another single out and it inspires a conversation about mental health and the messy business of having feelings. Dean and Phil both have feelings about the death (?) of the Arclight and Pacific movie theater chains, and about the controversy surrounding this year’s Oscar front-runner for Best Picture, Nomadland. Finally, speaking of the Oscars, Dean and Phil close the proceedings with an Oscar-themed edition of their recent (and apparently popular?) vintage movie ad game!