Broad Appeal

Emma Thompson AND Kathy Bates?? Now there's a ticket that would truly make America great again! Your two favorite superdelegates can now make it official: the final film of this Broad Appeal Season is Mike Nichols's Clinton-era political satire PRIMARY COLORS (1998). John Travolta gets top-billing for his Bubba impersonation but Emma brings her trademark wry soulfulness to the role of "Susan Stanton", the much put-upon political spouse who may or may not resemble a certain presumptive 2016 nominee. And Kathy Bates shines bright, delivering big laughs and ultimate heartbreak as a gun-totin', foul-mouthed lesbian driving a pickup truck. No film could match the absurd laughability of our current political climate, but join us as we filibuster our way through an extra-long discussion of women in politics (and film) from the 90s to today. We're With Her!! All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

A film about sexual sublimation, religious fervour, sisterhood and starring Winona Ryder... how has Brian never seen MERMAIDS (1990)?! Seán has, of course, because Cher. Winona is Charlotte Flax, the Jewish girl with a flare for romantic Catholicism who desperately tries to be the responsible one, sandwiched between her aquatic kid sister Christina Ricci and her nomadic, flirtatious mother, Cher. MERMAIDS may have the cheese factor of a ripe Taleggio, but this coming-of-age story is bolstered by the gorgeous and warm performances of these three gifted women. Seán had forgotten how much this film impacted his adolescence, and is ready to dive back in. But is Brian willing to put down his Proust and Shoop, Shoop? Warning: Contains sexualised Bob Hoskins references. Listener discretion is advised. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

What's worse than a treacherous tramp with a peroxide dye-job? Two of them! Especially when one is your girlfriend and one is your mother. John Cusack faces that exact situation as he's caught between two "A-list" actresses (Annette and Anjelica) in Stephen Frears's con artist neo-noir THE GRIFTERS (1990). Adding to the doppelganger action, it turns out that a certain leading lady is also the spitting image of one of your intrepid podcast hosts... While Brian guides Seán through the twists and turns, these two powerhouse dames steal everything in sight -- including the picture. Trust no bitch. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

We don't know about you, but at Broad Appeal we think that if you don't recycle, you deserve to die. And what a shame that this is the one murder that the brilliantly villainous Kathleen Turner doesn't get to commit in SERIAL MOM (1994)! Turner stars as wife, mother, and murderess, Beverly Sutphin, whose love of Barry Manilow is matched only by her lust for blood and common courtesy! Honestly, what kind of monsters don't rewind their VHS tapes? Is Beverly an Avenging Angel, or Ted Bundy's suburban concubine? Brian has managed to live his whole life without being exposed to the filth of John Waters, while his brand of self-aware-trash was what a young Seán lived on. Will they get a kick out of this highly quotable, tongue-in-cheek camp satire...? All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

What's more plausible: the existence of God or intelligent alien life? Frankly, both are more believable than Jodie Foster's romance with Matthew McConaughey in CONTACT (1997). Jodie is Ellie Arroway, a scientist so brilliant and dedicated to her cause that no-one, and we mean no-one, seems to realise she might be an actual expert on this stuff. Watch how men of the 90s mansplain extraterrestrial life, God, government funding and who knows what else to one of the powerhouse actresses of the decade. Will Seán warm to Brian's 'space-is-profound' type of sci-fi, or have his own crisis of faith? There can be miracles, when you believe... P.S. Angela Bassett. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Two of our Broad Appeal favourites, Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder, team up in outer space for Alien:Resurrection (1997), a sci-fi with a French twist, thanks to director Jean-Pierre Jeunet Reunited with the beloved xenomorph and forced to battle them in the next life, Sigourney Weaver slithers into character as the resurrected Ellen Ripley in a decidedly weird performance. Winona Ryder... does the best she can. Seán, with his bizarrely extensive knowledge of the Alien universe hopes to sweetly plant a chestburster next to Brian's heart to warm him to the franchise. But with the inevitable blood and gore, it may take a bit more convincing for Brian, who's skin is crawling at the prospect. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Juliette Binoche f**ks Jeremy Irons, but also f**ks him up in the British/French erotic drama "Damage" (1992). A tale of desire and obsession, this film by Louis Malle leaves us ruminating on our own sexual awakenings in cinema and searching through Greek myth, French existentialism, and Freudian theory to penetrate the dark, dark heart of these morally ambiguous characters. With a standout turn by Miranda Richardson as the jilted wife, this film has enough heavy breathing and histrionics to spice up any European Union. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

What could be more Irish than a Jew and an Italian taking a road trip to Tuscon? Welcome to the world of ROMY & MICHELE, where nothing quite makes sense - apart from the enduring friendship between two blonde losers (Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino) who redefine success. And we stage a reunion of our own as special guest (and Seán's oldest friend) Alan Flanagan not only to dissect the film, wax philosophical and reminisce about the Emerald Isle. Packed with more memories than a fridge lined with Post-Its, this is one episode sure to warm your heart. Happy St Patrick's Day! And if anybody needs to make a call... we've got a phone! All clips presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Nicole Kidman began the 90s starring with Tom Cruise and finished the decade by fleeing Xenu forever. Along the way she stepped out of her diminutive spouse's shadow, taking on daring, career-changing roles like this particular standout that Seán has somehow never seen. So what to make of 'To Die For'? Brian is excited to take a trip back to the murderous New England of his youth. Seán has a fever, so who knows what he'll say. Does Gus Van Sant's salacious 90s satire hold up today, or like Matt Dillon, should it remain forever in the dustbin of history? All clips presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Just what the world needs, another Oscar podcast! Except this one features only XX chromosomes. In a break from our usual practice, we leave behind 90s movies to look at this year's Oscar nominees. Your intrepid hosts, Seán & Brian, go deep on the only two categories worth discussing - Best Actress & Best Supporting Actress. We're not here to predict the winners, only to celebrate a great year for actressing with dollops of humor, adoration and just the right amount of absurdity - all entirely free of Category Fraud! And where else can you hear exclusive 'interviews' with three Oscar icons, including one from beyond the grave. All clips presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Kathy Bates is a national treasure. She is the rare character actress who has vaulted into an A-List career, thanks to her breakout role as a sadistic Stephen King heroine in "Misery." Bates returned to King territory again in "Dolores Claiborne" (1995) playing the cantankerous, morally ambiguous title character: a small-town domestic worker who may or may not be guilty of two homicides. Brian introduces Seán to this moody Maine-set character study, full of salty language and overripe accents. Does the movie itself match Bates's much lauded performance, which the actress herself cites as her own personal favorite? Take the ferry ride along with us to answer the question: Did Dolores do it? All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter: one's tall, one's short; one's WASPy, one's got a Texan twang; neither is Jodie Foster - but both are in COPYCAT (1995). Released in the shadow of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this movie features two prestige actresses in a trashy procedural, part of the 1990s vogue for serial killer thrillers. Seán remembers a film about "sisterhood"...or does he? Brian is dubious about it from the start. Join us again on the mean misogynistic streets of San Francisco. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Bette Midler poured all her energies into "For the Boys" (1991), a wartime showbiz epic spanning decades, so we brought in our first guest to help analyse it: renowned Midlerologist Melissa Bubnic. Featuring schmaltz, schtick and acres of latex liver spots, this film was a true passion project for Bette, but did she somehow lose the forest for the trees? We tackle those questions and bask in the unique chutzpah that only the Divine Miss M can provide. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

For Christmas Eve, we offer up an elegant, sumptuously wrapped gift: Martin Scorsese's story of a love triangle in Gilded Age New York "The Age of Innocence" (1993) featuring podcast fave Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer. Seán must overcome his inherent distrust of all period dramas, while Brian argues that the film is every bit as brutal as Marty's gangster flicks once you pick up on the violence under the surface. Full of frills and frottage, this film takes sexual repression to a whole new level - Happy Holidays! All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Winona Ryder's career spanned the 1990's and "Girl, Interrupted" (1999) was in many ways her swan song - before tabloid troubles took over. It's also the self-confessed "teenage angst film" of Seán's, which Brian has never seen. We debate its depiction of mental illness, feminism, and the ascent of its other standout actress: Angelina Jolie. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks).

It's Thanksgiving, and who could we be more thankful for than Meryl Streep? So we're treating you to a double portion of Hollywood's "greatest living actress." We take a trip back to Meryl's wilderness years in the early 90's, with a look at two lesser-known genre pictures - "Defending Your Life" (1991) and "The River Wild" (1994) - while asking questions such as, "Have we reached Peak Streep?" Clips from the films presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks).

Seán ("Like a Virgin") McGovern pops his Péronist cherry by finally watching this 1996 musical starring the one and only Madonna. We debate her acting and singing, her potentially fascist politics, and the merits of the original show. Plus we sing - a few times. All clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: ""Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Best (musical) biopic ever? Seán thinks it could be, Brian's never seen it. We revisit Angela Bassett's fierce portrayal of living legend Tina Turner to answer the question What's Love Got to Do, Got to Do With It? Clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Remember when Emma Thompson was Mrs. Kenneth Branagh? We returned to this neo-Hitchcockian reincarnation thriller from 1991, which introduced them (playing dual roles) to mainstream American movies. Devoted Emmaphile Brian has fond memories, while Seán is a bit more dubious. Clips from the film presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)

Seán & Brian inaugurate the podcast by looking back at the quintessential 90s erotic thriller starring Sharon Stone. Is it as misogynistic and homophobic as Brian has been led to believe - or, as Seán suggests, an example of "high-class trash"? Revisit the film yourself or just dive right into our conversation... Clips from "Basic Instinct" (1992) presented according to fair use policy. Podcast Theme: "Pipeline" by CyberSDF (https://soundcloud.com/cybersdf/tracks)