I'm the Host

Undead. They’re all the same. They’re pushy and whiny and they're all only after ONE thing… Or at least that’s the case with this week’s movies: 2001’s Kairo (Pulse) and 1985’s Return of the Living Dead! Coming in late due to a brief bout with morbidity, host Blake takes us on a roller coaster of emotions, from depressive dread to freewheeling terror, as we compare two movies about two groups of young adults coming to terms with death, life, and everything in between. Grab your duct tape...

Welcome back class. This week your homework assignment was Arthur (1981) and Weekend at Bernie's (1989), where we'll be discussing what methods make your characters more sympathetic, or less. One film takes what should be a group of unlikable leads and makes us empathize with them, while the other left Ally cheering for the quasi-villain. We'll also be looking at strong women, bad unnecessary sequels, and still more adventures in late capitalism. EPISODE LINKS YouTube - Arthur (1981)...

Woop Woop! That's the sound of the police! Don't sweat it; as long we all tell the same story, no one's doing time. Just like in The Usual Suspects and Inside Man! With Robin Hoods and charming devils alike on the corkboard, Ally has our forensics team dusting themes of trust, truth, and lies, and the thin, thin lines between them. Here in N.W.A. court, we'll also be discussing the jurisprudence of "no face, no case," "if nobody talks then everybody walks," and other sayings that are...

So, basically... Blake screwed up. My bad. In lieu of a stand-and-deliver episode on cinematic theory (which, evidently, I was unable to stand up and deliver), I'm democratizing the process and giving you all the uncommented-upon side-topics and media that we DID try to discuss before I went and made a mess of things. There's some really interesting stuff in here so please do give it a go: 1) Violence Mike Rugnetta - PBS Idea Channel - Violence Slavoj Žižek - Violence Laura Tanner -...

This week on I’m The Host, chef Blake is behind the stove with sous chefs Ally and Kurt, and we’re going to show YOU how to cook with some REAL bad eggs we just had shipped in from The Dark Knight (2008) and Funny Games (2007). For a firm omelette, beat three main characters--a father, a mother, and a child--until blended. Stir in firearms, explosives, and bludgeoning instruments. Once your protagonists are thoroughly abused, you can add a dash of comeuppance for a classic omelette, or...

As you may have noticed, your feeds are one episode short of a full week. Our bad. We WILL return; it just may not be as soon as we had previously hoped. Work, life, and flooring installer schedules have all conspired to keep us from being able to hit our release window. As the holidays come to a close, however, we anticipate things going back to something resembling normalcy. Until then, enjoy Blake's dulcet garglings and the following articles and podcasts as a substitute for the...

Could the secret sauce of good work be...respect for and investment in your employees? Weighing in on this bizarre take, Kurt has us watch one of the worst cases of employee neglect: 2018's Upgrade. Mustaches will unfurl and monocles will pop as we discuss the business model that enabled Leigh Whannell's sci-fi beat-em-up to exist, along with other related topics: algorithmic screenplays, horror franchises, celebrity look-alikes, and the newest action cinematography sensation that's...

Howdy, y'all! It seems our little podcast got washed out this week, and due to the technical snafu Blake sat down and recorded a little filler episode, holding forth on what movies he's seen recently. Hopefully we'll be back next time with our previously-scheduled episode on Blumhouse--see you soon!

"Unnnnnnnhhhhh…. Uuuuhhhhhh! Brrrrraiiiiiiiinnssssss…" Yeah, that's what you’d LIKE to hear, isn't it? Well too bad! This week Ally, our understudy of the undead, is exhuming the zombie genre as we talk Train to Busan (2016) and The Girl With All The Gifts (2016). We'll find out where all the bodies are buried in the history of zombie lore, from its Afro-Haitian origins, to its dark fusion with Romero's ghouls, to its chaotic re-imagining for a hilarious/horrifying present. We'll also sink...

A videotape lands on your doorstep... An estranged friend emails you out of the blue... You may be tempted to respond, to reach out to a familiar hand...but what if it doesn't let go? This week, Blake inaugurates spooky season with two movies about movies in movies that are actually kind of one movie? We're sitting down with creative duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's breakout film, Resolution (2012), and its break-out sequel, The Endless (2017). We'll talk about strained siblings,...

Get your trigger fingers ready and fire up the random seed generator; it's time for that great American pasttime--SPORT! This week, Kurt gets the ball rolling, using the rising popularity of eSports to pitch an old sticky wicket: what makes a sport different from a game? (We Monday-morning quarterbacks may not have a slam-dunk answer, but we keep it in the ballpark at least.) Before we hit the home stretch, we'll also talk horse-based athleticism, unmotivated ursines, and the most dangerous...

We're finishing our mystery mini arc with the original kid dectives, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. While we look at the first book in each series--The Secret of the Old Clock (1930) for Nancy Dew and The Tower Treasure (1927) for the Hardy Boys--we'll chat about laissez-faire parenting, a girl changed by rewrites, one man's obsession with names, and the shadowy publishing organization behind it all. Episode Links: Married to the Sea - first strip - “Shakespeare got to get paid,...

Three little hosts sat down to have fun With Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". Two little hosts dissected some tropes With bad tricks and herring and Red Dwarf jokes (One little host, editing the podcast He finished it late, but here it is at last.) EPISODE LINKS (Blake's mock map of the island based on descriptions in book.) ((Blake's...interpretation of the characters, for the Roll20 map.)) Internet Archive - Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None YouTube - Throw Mama...

Today's episode is brought to you by shots, shots, and more shots. (Of the alcohol, gun and camera varieties). We're looking at The Thin Man (1934) and talking about how a few years' difference can really change a setting for a movie, as well as prohibition, dogs, and relationship goals. We also talk witty quips, classic drink recipes, and when a mystery isn't a mystery at all. Links for this episode: The Thin Man - Archive.org Prohibition - Netflix.com Classic Movie Cocktails -...

In this episode we're taking a book club look at They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. In a world where you recieve a 24-hour warning before the day of your death, what does this do to society, or an individual's day-to-day life? The hosts also discuss what they'd do on their last day, characterization vs representation, and the age for driving and/or drinking. EPISODE LINKS They Both Die at the End (Blue Cover) They Both Die at the End (Orange Cover) Sieze the Day - Out Cold

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Good evening, boys and ghouls! This episode we're looking at shows that were once dead and have clawed their way back out of the grave (for better or worse). We'll be reviewing television shows that jumped to new channels, programs that come back after extended hiatuses, and big-screen reimaginings. We also find time to talk about toxic twitter people, the Neilson ratings, and whatever happened to Aunt Viv. EPISODE LINKS Cancelled TV Shows that Returned - TVline.com Revivial (Television) -...

It's all fun and games until someone gets shot. We're looking for Chekov's Gun and talking about splitting the party so we can search for a murderer. Ally has us looking at tropes in movies with Clue (1985) and Game Night (2018). We look at who is the blonde airhead, did the butler really do it, and was it really all part of the plan? But aside from that we talk about the Devil, the Joker, and a Robot named Prime. Links for this epsiode: TV Tropes - Clue TV Tropes - Game Night Clue -...

Alright, settle down, class. Settle down... This is Bowie 102 covering the last thirty-seven years of David Bowie's career: early 80's rise to popularity, late 80's decline, 90's revival, and death. If you came here looking for "Classical Knives of America, 1830 to Present" you are in the wrong room--that's down the hall in 118 with instructor Sharp yes that IS her real name... Alright, for the five of you who are left, thank you for coming back for another semester. If you haven't already...

Welcome to your first day of Bowie 101! This introductory course covers thirty-two years of David Bowie, from 1947 to 1979, spanning his vaudville, pop rock, glam rock, heavy metal, and funk/soul periods, as well as the Berlin trilogy. Our full two-part course will also span such topics as suing Napster, musical numbers from A Knight's Tale, bad haircuts, the roadways of West Berlin, and raps about hats. If you have any questions, your instructor Blake or your classmates Ally and Kurt will...