‘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 TricksComposer: MyuuWebsite: https://youtube.com/myuujiLicense: Free To Use YouTube license youtube-freeMusic 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 LaunchDec 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, Pat Green, will be joining us on our next episode, Benny and Joon! This was just a wonderful experience for us! At the end, we discuss the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy by author 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