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A down on his luck everyman (Roddy Piper) comes to Los Angeles, CA seeking work. He gets a construction job, meets Frank Armitage (Keith David), and stumbles on a pair of sunglasses that reveal the world as it truly is. The IMDB synopsis: "They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. They live."

This is John Carpenter's adaptation of a Ray Nelson story and graphic novel, "Eight O'Clock in the morning." Though it is a send up of Reagan era economic policies, this film resonates with today's current economic and socio-political climate. Starring Roddy Piper, Meg Foster, Keith David, myriad other character actors that you'll recognize. Gwen and Gretchen dive into this thrilling sci-fi action horror classic, ponder the pulsing sync and blues soundtrack (by Carpenter and Alan Howarth), marvel at the 5 min long fight scene, and discuss a storyline that transcends the era in which it was made, but also has slightly sexist characters that could only have been made in the 80s!

Gwen and Gretchen Watch Movies is written and directed by Gwen Callahan and Gretchen Brooks. Recorded and edited by Martin Vavra at Galaxy Sailor Productions. Find us everywhere you listen to podcasts!

Please subscribe, leave us a review if you enjoyed the episode, and tell your friends! Talk about movies with us on our new discussion page on Facebook!

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Gwen and Gretchen dissect and discuss (and savor!) the many layers of Larry Cohen's 1974 creature feature It's Alive. An initial bomb at the box office, the sleeper hit was re-released in theaters in 1977. Critics agree that this is a nuanced look at the paranoia and fear of the late 70s, when Roe v Wade established women's right to choose in our cultural code, and family planning was seen as a threat to the American way. It's Alive gives us several iconic cinematic moments - blood and milk, the baby POV cam, and smoking in the father's waiting room in the hospital (actually, smoking EVERYWHERE!) - and Gwen and Gretchen take a moment to appreciate the character driven subtleties of the film, and dispel the notion that it's only b-movie schlock.

"𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝒾𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝓈𝑒𝓁𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉’𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒. 𝒪𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓇𝑔𝓊𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝑜 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁. 𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓉’𝓈 𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝒷𝒶𝓉𝑒."
~𝐿𝒶𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝒞𝑜𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓆𝓊𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃 “𝐿𝒶𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝒞𝑜𝒽𝑒𝓃: 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒻𝒻 𝑜𝒻 𝒢𝑜𝒹𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑀𝑜𝓃𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈” 𝒷𝓎 𝑀𝒾𝒸𝒽𝒶𝑒𝓁 𝒟𝑜𝓎𝓁𝑒 #itsalive1974 #larrycohen #itsalivemovie #itsalivebaby #rickbaker #bernardherrmann

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Gwen and Gretchen dive into the 2001 J-Horror classic, SUICIDE CLUB (aka Suicide Circle), written and directed by Sion Sono (Noriko's Dinner Table, Tokyo Vampire Hotel). With it's absurdist imagery, bloody deaths, and at times tongue in cheek look at pop culture, Suicide Club is a seminal work in the wildly popular J-Horror genre of the late 90s/early 00s. Gwen and Gretchen discuss the overt messages and hidden meanings in the film, and debate whether its message is nihilistic, hopeful, or something in between.

CW for self harm and suicide. This podcast episode contains occasionally graphic discussion of self harm and suicide in context of the film's content and themes.

This podcast discusses suicide and suicidal ideation, and some people might find it disturbing. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please, contact your physician, go to your local ER, or call the suicide prevention hotline in your country. For the United States, the numbers are as follows:

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Both programs provide free, confidential support 24/7.
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (24/7 dial 988)
• Oregon Crisis resources by county
• the Youthline (24/7 call 1-877-968-8491 or Text teen2teen to 839863)
• Trans Lifeline (Peer support hotline available 7 am to 1 am PST
  1-877-565-8860)
• The Trevor Project (for LGBTQIA young people. 24/7 call 1-866-488-7386)

Gwen and Gretchen Watch Movies is written and directed by Gwen Callahan and Gretchen Brooks. Recorded and edited by Martin Vavra at Galaxy Sailor Productions. Find us everywhere you listen to podcasts!

Please subscribe, leave us a review if you enjoyed the episode, and tell your friends! Talk about movies with us on our new discussion page on Facebook!

Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/gwen.and.gretchen.watch.movies/ and https://www.facebook.com/gwenandgretchen

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Gwen and Gretchen discuss the Clive Barker classic, NIGHTBREED from 1990. Written and directed by Barker, based on his novel CABAL. Stars Craig Scheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg, Charles Haid, Doug Bradley.

Plus! We have a special guest! Filmmaker Russell Cherrington, who made the Cabal Cut after the discovery of more footage, talks with us about the ultimate version of Nightbreed.

Gwen and Gretchen Watch Movies is written and directed by Gwen Callahan and Gretchen Brooks. Recorded and edited by Martin Vavra at Galaxy Sailor Productions. Find us everywhere you listen to podcasts!

Please subscribe, leave us a review if you enjoyed the episode, and tell your friends! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/gwen.and.gretchen.watch.movies/ and https://www.facebook.com/gwenandgretchen, and talk about movies with us on our new discussion page on Facebook!

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Gwen and Gretchen delve into the 1972 B-movie, THE ASYLUM OF SATAN. This wild ride of a B-movie was directed by William Girdler, written by William Girdler and J. Patrick Kelly III. Starring Carla Borelli, Charles Kissinger, Nick Jolley, Louis Bandy, Claude Fulkerson. A concert pianist suffering from a breakdown finds herself an unwilling patient at Pleasant Hill Sanitarium, where the patients are strange and the doctor and staff are even stranger!

Gwen and Gretchen Watch Movies is written and directed by Gwen Callahan and Gretchen Brooks. Recorded and edited by Martin Vavra at Galaxy Sailor Productions. Find us everywhere you listen to podcasts!

Please subscribe, leave us a review if you enjoyed the episode, and tell your friends! Talk about movies with us on our new discussion page on Facebook!

Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/gwen.and.gretchen.watch.movies/ and https://www.facebook.com/gwenandgretchen

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It has been 5 years in the making, but Gwen & Gretchen have finally done it! It's the inaugural episode of Gwen & Gretchen Watch Movies! G&G talk about Wes Craven's 1988 horror film, The Serpent and the Rainbow. Starring Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield. Inspired by the Wade Davis book of the same name. G&G talk about the story, the production, and the insane ending of the movie.

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