Episode 233 - PRACTICAL MAGIC

The blood moon is rising, the witching hour is upon us, and the time is right to brush up on our Practical Magic. Blythe Rudloff completes our coven as we quaff from a cauldron of doomed romance, witchy intuition, and sisterly bonds. So mix those midnight margaritas and get out your brooms because listeners, it's time to clean house!

Practical Magic (1998)
Directed by Griffin Dunne
Written by Robin Swicord, Akiva Goldsman, and Adam Brooks
Based on the novel by Alice Hoffman
Starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexandra Artrip, Goran Visnjic, and Aidan Quinn

Episode 197 - GHOST WORLD

Whether you're an alienated teenage misfit or a dorky, obsessive adult, Ghost World has you covered with humor and feels that cut to the bone. We talk to our cool counterparts from the Sexy Books Podcast - Blythe Rudloff and Claire Holland - about a cult classic that hits different but never stops being relatable.

Ghost World (2001)
Directed by Terry Zwigoff
Written by Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff
Based on the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes
Starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johannson, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfroe, Bob Balaban, Teri Garr, and Illeana Douglas 

Episode 164 - TITANIC

Tragedy meets triumph in the twisted Venn diagram of Titanic, a movie that stands not only as a memorial to its namesake, but also as a monument to Hollywood spectacle. Both disturbingly realistic and cleverly dramatized, James Cameron's leviathan combines forbidden romance, disaster action, historical reenactment, and groundbreaking film-craft in one seamless package.

But that's just the tip of the conversational iceberg as Blythe Rudloff comes aboard to discuss stupid teenage love, all-consuming cultural obsessions, and the most memorable White Star Line employees on this colossal episode. We're the kings and queen of the podcast world!

Titanic (1997)
Written and directed by James Cameron
Produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Gloria Stuart, Billy Zane, Frances Fisher, Kathy Bates, Bernard Hill, Victor Garber, Jonathan Hyde, David Warner, and Bill Paxton

Episode 124 - SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT

Comedy sequels rarely enjoy the longevity, let alone the renown, of their predecessors. Not so in the case of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, an inspired follow-up that turns a fish-out-of-water tale into an underdog story with a funky fresh twist. Whoopi Goldberg puts on her inspirational teacher hat for the movie that courageously celebrates the true heroes of America's failing education system: show choirs.

Blythe Rudloff joins our mighty chorus to rap about the awesome power of musical performance. So if you want to be somebody and want to go somewhere, you gotta wake up and pay attention to this divine episode!

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
Directed by Bill Duke
Produced by Scott Rudin and Dawn Steel
Written by James Orr & Jim Cruickshank and Judi Ann Mason
Based on characters created by Paul Rudnick
Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkenna, Mary Wickes, Lauryn Hill, Ryan Toby, Alanna Ubach, Barnard Hughes, Michael Jeter, Maggie Smith, and James Coburn

Episode 70 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES

Addams Family Values abandons all pretense to the relatively tame spookiness and ookiness associated with the macabre clan's previous iterations. It's a surprisingly dark and nihilistic free-for-all, filled with violence, mayhem, and sick burns (both fiery and verbal).

No taboo remains unbroken as Blythe Rudloff makes her long-awaited return to the podcast to salute this abnormally superior sequel and its stinging humor, and to explicate one of the laziest movie themes of all time. Whoomp! Here it is.

Addams Family Values (1993)
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Produced by Scott Rudin
Written by Paul Rudnick
Based on the characters created by Charles Addams
Starring Anjelica Huston, Raúl Juliá, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci, Jimmy Workman, Peter MacNichol, Christine Baranski, David Krumholtz, Carol Kane, Carel Struycken, Christopher Hart, and Joan Cusack

Episode 16 - HARRIET THE SPY

Step into the baggy work pants of Harriet M. Welsch circa 6th grade and you’ll notice that your cozy, familiar world is transforming.  Everything seems more complicated and more fraught with expectation.  You’re breaking taboos you didn’t know existed simply by inching over the amorphous, invisible line that separates childhood from adulthood.  (Hint: most people won't react well when they learn that you record all their dirt in your diary.)

Harriet the Spy’s charm comes from its liberal sprinkling of ‘90s ephemera across a sturdy coming-of-age narrative born in the ‘60s, though these days Harriet’s tech-free lifestyle feels just as quaint as its optimistically orderly urban setting.  But even if city kids grow up faster than others, the point remains that they eventually realize they're part of a bigger picture and have to cope with it somehow.  In this episode, we navigate the pitfalls of preadolescence along with special guest Blythe Wolber, and come to understand what it's like to walk a mile in someone else's Dickies.

Harriet the Spy (1996)
Directed by Bronwen Hughes
Produced by Marykay Powell
Written by Douglas Petrie and Theresa Rebeck
Based on the book Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Gregory Smith, Vanessa Lee Chester, J. Smith-Cameron, Robert Joy, and Rosie O'Donnell