We continue Romance Month with one of the great fantasy romance films that also explores ideas of fate and, strangely, neuroscience: A Matter of Life and Death. Someone's Favorite Productions' Dr. Will Dodson and The Projection Booth's Mike White join the episode to talk David Niven, a young Kim Hunter, and the escalator to Heaven. Starring Niven and Hunter as star-crossed lovers, Niven cheats death by accident and falls in love with Hunter only to find out that the other side doesn't take kindly to making mistakes, regardless of whose fault it is. What follows is a genuine look at what it means to love, and what it also means to be British. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

We begin Romance Month with one of the most unconventional romantic films of all time with one hell of a soundtrack: https://pluto.tv/on-demand/movies/harold-and-maude-1971-1-1?utm_medium=textsearch&utm_source=google. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiShrqGzq6EAxVGkWoFHSAkCn0QFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcastaddict.com%2Fpodcast%2Fadam-s-corner%2F4601363&usg=AOvVaw0llx5ZMVOhZg7SpmvAypa2&opi=89978449 joins the episode to talk all about Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, and that soundtrack by Cat Stevens. Written by Colin Higgins as his senior film thesis, it follows the titular Harold and Maude, one obsessed with death, one obsessed with living life, as they fall in love. To say its an unconventional relationship may be to understate the genuine charm and magic of the film and its leads. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

We end Musical Month Deux with a musical remake of the John Waters-directed original that features one of the strangest screen performances ever: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.66623407-2cf4-406e-a55e-5cc4c755d717?autoplay=0&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb. https://twitter.com/HatefulJosh?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor and https://letterboxd.com/brakywaki/ join the episode to talk all about John Travolta's role, the music, and the film's message in 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairspray_(1988_film), it follows Tracy Turnblad, a teenager in 60s Baltimore who is obssessed with singing and becoming a star. Her journey to stardom takes her to the Corny Collins Show and innercity Baltimore as she attempts to make a name for herself and right the societal wrongs of the time. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

We near the end of Musical Month Deux with one of the regularly scheduled programming films that is a musical with a capital "M": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R4XCtBbw84. Someone's Favorite Production's Dr. Will Dodson joins the episode for the first time to talk about Oliver Reed, white privilege, and epic musicals. Based on the musical of the same name by Lionel Bart in turn based on Dickens' Oliver Twist, it follows the journey of Oliver Twist from a boy who asks for more to a boy who gets more and then some. It's a tale of white privilege, pulling the ladder up behind you, and always getting whaat you want. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kulturecast--2883470/support.

We near the end of Musical Month Deux with a modern-day biopic that also happens to be parody along with being a damn fine musical with alot of heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzpqTN4e8Ms&pp=ygUTd2FsayBoYXJkIGRld2V5IGNveA%3D%3D. Disc-Connected's Ryan Verrill programs the episode and stops by to talk all about John C. Reilly, the film's music, and what Dewey Cox may be up to in 2024. Starring John C. Reilly as the titular Dewey Cox, the film sends up musical biopics of the mid-2000s with their formulaic full-life story retelling along with encountering popular musicians and music styles of the time. Add in a healthy dose of catchy musical numbers and you've got a cult classic musical comedy that deserves more appreciation from a wider film-watching audience. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw

We continue Musical Month Deux with a Julie Andrews-helmed performance musical that has some rather progressive ideas about gender and sexual politics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHwYk_lIVT0&pp=ygUPdmljdG9yIHZpY3Rvcmlh. https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/80s-tv-ladies--5585115 programs the episode and stops by to talk all about James Garner, 80's sexual politics, and if this could be remade in 2024. Based on the 1933 German film, the musical follows the titular Victoria as she attempts to make a name for herself in 1930's Paris by posing as Count Victor, the world's foremost female impersonator. She's aided in her attempt by Robert Preston's Toddy, a gay performer down on his luck, who does everything he can to make her the biggest star in the music scene. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw

We soldier on with Musical Month Deux with yet another adaptation of an Andrew Lloyd Webber joint that, similarly to Cats (2019), doesn't do the source material much justice: Jesus Christ Superstar. https://www.spreaker.com/show/scary-stories-we-telll joins another episode in a row to talk about Norman Jewison, the usage of anachronisms, and those hats. Based on the stage play of the same name, the rock opera film follows the last days of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion, including the Last Supper and other memorable moments from one of the world's most famous fictional texts. However, as opposed to a dry retelling, there's musical numbers and enough bizarre choices to fill, well, an entire hour and forty-six minutes. There's better ways in 2024 to get your JCS fix folks, this isn't it. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw

We continue Musical Month Deux with a look at one of the most critically and commercially reviled films of the last decade that also happens to be based off the first megamusical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtSd844cI7U. Scary Stories We Tell's Emma Mantell kicks off the New Year right by joining the first recorded episode of 2024 to talk about various celebrity-cat hybrids, the lack of buttholes, and why Tom Hooper may never work again. Directed by Gillian Armstrong, the film follows Jo Kennedy as a young waitress in Sydney, Australia who has dreams of becoming a rockstar. Along with her cousin Angus, she attempts by any means necessary to make a name for herself in the Aussie music scene of the '80s. It's a cult classic that deserves a proper reappraisal by a wider audience. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw

We kick off the New Year with a look at a true Australian musical classic that deserves alot more love than most musicals from the early '80s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndxA09E6Cr4). https://www.spreaker.com/show/noise-junkies and https://www.themiddleages.us/rachel-mcpadden/ program the episode and kick off the month with talk about Jo Kennedy, Aussie filmmaking, and the fan theory ending. Directed by Gillian Armstrong, the film follows Jo Kennedy as a young waitress in Sydney, Australia who has dreams of becoming a rockstar. Along with her cousin Angus, she attempts by any means necessary to make a name for herself in the Aussie music scene of the '80s. It's a cult classic that deserves a proper reappraisal by a wider audience. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw

With our quick jaunt into food films over, we end the year with a month programmed by the one and only Heather Drain, starting with an Argentinian horror film that could also be a noir film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH_xonieSYY https://www.spreaker.com/show/noise-junkies kicks off the month and joins the episode to talk about the film's masked man, the lighting, and more. Directed by Emilio Vieyra, the film follows the exploits of a small Argentinian town that must contend with a masked killer who is drugging women and turning them into sex slaves. It's the classic murder mystery setup with some unique twists and turns that make it a cult classic worth tracking down. For more Kulturecast episodes and podcasts guaranteed to be your new favorite audio obsession, check out Weirding Way Media at https://www.spreaker.com/user/cstachiw