Fifth Opinion

It’s that time of year again! All October long, we will be devoting each episode to horror movies! In the final installment of our second annual Halloween Month, we're discussing the legendary slasher Friday the 13th. We talk about the film's naturalistic cinematography, note how it is a progression from earlier slashers like Black Christmas and Halloween, and get confused about the rules of "Strip Monopoly."

It's that time of year again! All October long, we will be devoting each episode to horror movies! In the third installment of this year's Halloween Month, we're talking about three films directed by the enigmatic Nacho Cerda: the short films Aftermath and Genesis, and the feature The Abandoned. We discuss how Aftermath visualizes the mentality of a rapist, disagree about the complexity of how Genesis explores grief, and clash over the successes and downfalls of The Abandoned.

It’s that time of year again! All October long, we will be devoting each episode to horror movies! In this episode, we debate David Koepp's supernatural thriller Stir of Echoes. We disagree about the effectiveness of the direction, debate whether film is ever scary, and compare it to other films, such as The Sixth Sense and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

It's that time of year again! All October long, we will be devoting each episode to horror movies! In the first installment of the second annual Halloween Month, we're returning to Haddonfield for Rob Zombie's Halloween II. We discuss how the film handles mental health, Zombie's directorial aesthetic, and we go on a tangent about the implications and motivations of sadistic violence in modern film.

In this episode, we’re talking about Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. We discuss how the obsessive protagonist mirrors Spielberg himself, compare the film to other Spielberg movies (such as E.T. and A.I.), and expound on how the film expresses the meaning of life!

In this episode, we are once again joined by Travis Bean of Film Colossus and Watching the Throne for the fifth and final Twilight installment: Breaking Dawn - Part 2. We engage in a lengthy debate about the film's climactic battle sequence, discuss the levels of insanity throughout the movie, and finally lay out our rankings of the series.

In this listener-requested episode, we debate the merits of the Wachowskis' bonkers blockbuster Jupiter Ascending. We discuss the personal journey the protagonist undergoes, the many elements of the narrative that mirror The Matrix, and Eddie Redmayne's...uh...bold performance.

In this episode, we are joined by Travis Bean of Film Colossus and Watching the Throne for the penultimate installment of our adventures through the Twilight universe: Breaking Dawn - Part 1. We discuss the film's unconventional pace and structure, the way characters are handled in "Young Adult" movies, and how the Twilight franchise does a better job than Marvel Studios at incorporating unique directors into its world.

In this episode, we're breaking down Vincent Gallo's divisive sophomore feature, The Brown Bunny. We debate the film's themes of masculinity and loneliness, touch on Gallo's persona, and discuss how the film relates to The Twilight Zone episode "Come Wander with Me".

In this week's episode, we are once again joined by Travis Bean of Film Colossus and Watching the Throne to take on the third chapter of the Twilight series: Eclipse. We talk about the progression Bella, Jacob, and other characters, how David Slade's style fits into the Twilight universe, and go on some pretty off-topic tangents about Harry Potter, Daredevil, Tom Hanks, and who knows what else.

In this episode, we defend Gary Shore's maligned and misunderstood Dracula Untold. We discuss how the film defamiliarizes the legacy of Vlad the Impaler, the refreshing care put into its cinematography and visuals, and we break down some of the problems in the criticism the film has received.

In this installment, we are once again joined by Travis Bean of Film Colossus to continue our series of episodes exploring The Twilight Saga. This time, we're talking about the second film - New Moon. We debate the progression of Bella as a character, compare the levels of craziness in this and the first film, and go on some random tangents about Kanye West, Magic Mike XXL, Jurassic World, and the best and worst films of 2015 so far.

In this episode, we analyze Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw. We talk about the strength of the performances, how Fuqua humanizes "bad" characters, and the subtle innovations in the film's narrative structure.

In this episode, we're talking about the new sci-fi comedy Pixels. We discuss the misogyny in the film (and nerd culture), debate whether anything in the film is funny, and break down Adam Sandler's filmography. Also, Jordan defends his love of Jack and Jill.

In this episode, we discuss Joe Wright's Hanna. We get into Wright's bold style, subjectivity and how it relates to film criticism, and the film's unique mixture of fairy tale, coming of age, and action tropes.

In this episode, we are joined by Travis Bean of Film Colossus to embark on the first of a series of episodes exploring the infamous Twilight series. We discuss the myriad strange choices in the direction, script, and performances, debate what it is we each like and dislike in the film, and break down the film's bizarre themes of abstinence and...vegetables?

In the second-ever listener-requested episode, two atheists, a Christian, and a wild card dissect Mel Gibson's divisive The Passion of the Christ. We discuss the film's themes of empathy, the contrast between watching the film as a believer and a nonbeliever, and the motif of torture in Gibson's filmography. We also compare the film to other Biblical movies, such as The Last Temptation of Christ and Ben-Hur.

In this episode, we examine Gregg Araki's White Bird in a Blizzard. We talk about Eva Green's performance, the film's themes and its healthy portrayal of teen sexuality, and how to analyze a movie.

In this episode, we discuss the found footage horror movie As Above, So Below. We talk about the reputation of the found footage genre, how the film explores the psychology of its characters, and how the Dowdle brothers find ways to innovate within a typically limiting style.