Clearing The Queue

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Mike and Zak welcome Back long time friend of the podcast Max Minkowitz for our triumphant return to sharing our thoughts about what we've been putting our peepers on! This Episode we have a lot of stuff to cover after the break so buckle up buttercup, let's talk movies!  

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Three teenage boys are lured into the evil clutches of a christian extremist cult, and things take a turn for the cataclysmic. 

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Bethany Sloan is your average Turn of the Century Catholic woman, struggling to rely on her faith in an ever changing world. Until one night, when the forces of heaven charge her with a holy quest to stop a couple of renege angels from defying God's holy decree and thus unmake the universe. With the aid of two unlikely profits from Redbank New Jersey, the 13th Black Apostle, and a Muse called Serendipity, they travel across the county to stop what may well be the end of existence itself.  

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This week Mike and Zak discuss the precarious position of the Looney Toons cartoons amidst the release of The Day the Earth Blew Up. Then they go on to talk about Death of a Unicorn, Black Bag, and round things off with the Flying Lotus feature Ash. 

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Orlando is an androgynous immortal being born into wealth and privilege. Through their perspective, the audience is invited to take a journey through five acts of Orlando's obsessions, failures, and triumphs as they learn and grow over the course of nearly three centuries. The film explores themes of art, love, and the traditional gender rolls a patriarchal society puts upon both sexes.  

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This week the boys are talking Mickey 17, Companion, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and The Black Cat. A wild collection of movies to review for wildly different reasons! 

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An alien crash-lands on Earth looking to escape a life of slavery in outer space and find himself in the heart of Harlem in the 1980s. Though he appears to be a mute black man, he has three toes, the distinguishing characteristic of his alien heritage. He also has a unique ability to fix broken or malfunctioning electronics and heal people's injuries. He immediately begins to use these powers to the benefit of his newfound community, until two mysterious men claiming to be government agents start asking questions about him. 

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This week, the boys kick things off with their thoughts on The Monkey, I'm Still Here, Captain America: Brave New World, and Bring Them Down. An unlikely group of movies, but hey, that's our wheelhouse! 

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A little Afro-Futurism for your consideration. Join Mike and Zak as they journey into space and then back to earth circa the grooviest of decades, the good ol' 1970s. Glimpse the inner workings of renowned Jazz musician and composer Sun Ra as he recruits earthlings for his new space program. 

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This is our First "What are we Watching" of the new year, and Mike and Zak are still picking the meat from the corpse of 2024. Things get rolling with Mike's thoughts on Flight Risk, and then things heat up with Zak's hot take on the academy  nominated Emilia Perez. Then Mike gushed a bit over Presence before Zak brings us into the home stretch with some ruminations on The Last Showgirl. 

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When New Zealand journalist David Farrier reaches out to a production company about potentially doing an interview on the subject of their competitive tickling endurance videos, he receives a slew of emails wherein he is attacked for being homosexual. Needless to say, the tickling videos certainly appear to be aimed at a homosexual audience, featuring exclusively male participants and ticklers. This sparks an interest into what exactly IS going on with this production company, and the deeper the filmmakers dive, the more outrageous the story becomes.  

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Love him or Hate him, you cannot deny the power of his work. The Godfather of Avant-Garde filmmaking, the King of the uncomfortable sequence, and the Sage of strange truths. David Lynch was a storyteller unlike any other, and his absence will be felt long after his passing. Rest in Peace, you will be missed. 

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Our First dedicated episode of the year and it's our first time covering a Documentary! People think of this Doc as: "the Banksy Doc" BUT it's actually about a fella who goes by the sobriquet "Mr. Brain Wash" and the beginning of the street art movement. The story unfolds through the lens of an eccentric but passionate Frenchman who became an overnight success. 

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What were your Top 5 movies this year? Listen to find out Mike and Zak's, then go over to Threads and let us know about yours! @clearing_the_q if you don't already follow us!

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This Holiday Season Mike shared with Zak one of his favorite coming of age tales through the lens of a self proclaimed Anarchist. Join Steve-O and Heroin Bob on a journey through the Faces, Philosophies, Culture, and the Music of the 1980s Punk Rock scene in Salt Lake City Utah. This dark comedy will have you reminiscing about your own youthful follies if you've lived any kind of live worth talking about. 

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Tis the Season of Giving, and that's why Zak gave Mike the opportunity to broaden his horizon with this deeply unsettling film for his Xmas present recommendation! HO-HO-HOLY MACARONI! When two little girls go missing in a rural Pennsylvania town a distraught Father takes the law into his own hands and pursues the only lead in the investigation with a righteous fervor that might just land him in jail next to the villain he intends to hold responsible. His suspicious activity draws the attention of the Detective assigned to the case, and it...

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We're talkin Gladiator II, Wicked Part 1, Hellboy: the Crooked Man, and 16 Candles? WHAT YEAR IS IT?! Tune in next week for a much better episode! 

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Years after he lost his mind, former chief inspector Dreyfus of the french police is about to be released from the asylum, having made some remarkable strides towards his recovery. However, all that progress seems to come undone as the man who replaced him pays Dreyfus a visit. I'm referring, of course, to one Jacques Clouseau. The man responsible for thwarting two separate attempts to steal the infamous Pink Panther Diamond by the gentleman thief Sir Charles Litton. Driven to the edge of sanity, Dreyfus escapes from the asylum and becomes a villainous...

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This week we start things off with some ruminations on the new a24 horror flick Heretic, and then we follow up with another film that tackles some religious themes: Conclave. Then Zak shares his thoughts on Memoir of a Snail and after, Mike brings it home with Venom the Last Dance. Tune in next week for a much better episode! 

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When the driver for a wealthy french family is murdered suspicion begins to surround the young housekeeper Maria Gambrelli, but not to worry, Inspector Jaques Clouseau is one the case! This Hysterical "who done it" is filled with twists and turns and no shortage of laughs. Join us as we venture into the Wild Pink Yonder, with one of the first and most beloved films in the Pink Panther Movie Franchise. 

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We're taking spoopy season leftovers this week, and we kick things off with some of Zak's thoughts on Rumours, then Mike chats about Frailty before Zak talks about Opera, then we wrap it all up with some words about Baskin. Tune in next week for a much better episode! 

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A young man receives a letter from his estranged father and with the hope of reconnecting, he pays him a visit. However, his father seems to be resentful, even hostile towards his son, and a series of confusing and unfortunate events begin to unfold that pushes the young man into multiple life or death situations. Needless to say, once thins heat up, they don't cool down until the ride ends. 

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Today the boys are talking Spoopy and we kick things off with our thoughts on Child's Play. Then we move on to gush about the Candyman, followed by our take on the cult horror classic movie House, and then Zak tells Mike about La Casa Lobo. Then Mike shares his feelings on Anora. 

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The guys welcome first time guest Alexandria Perez to the studio today to talk spooky movies! Jacob Singer is a Vietnam veteran who's having a hard time adjusting to life after his discharge, OR IS HE?! Could it be instead that he is teetering between life and death in a horror drenched purgatory where his is confronted by his most terrible losses and his darkest fears? Come climb the ladder with us as we explore this amazing film that came out way ahead of its time. 

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This episode the boys welcome back friend of the podcast Max Minkowitz to talk about some fun films, starting of course with Megalopolis. Then we discuss the finer and lower points of the Joker 2, before Mike gushes over The Visitor, and Max brings us home with Escape from the 21st Century! 

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A grief stricken mother lashes out at the local police over their inaction regarding the investigation of her daughter's tragic murder in the form of three bluntly poignant billboards. Tensions rise to a boil in the small town and the issue slowly becomes more complicated than any of the cast of characters could have guessed. Martin McDonagh captures the human material through an American lens in a way we have never seen from his body of work. 

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On this episode of the clearing the q podcast the boys get into their strong opinions on The Substance in all its twisted body horror glory. Then Mike gushes over the AMC mini series The Terror, and Zak shares his thoughts on Kneecap. Then the boys finish up with their thoughts on a reality tv show that managed to capture their attention, Love after Lockup. As always, thanks for listening and tune in next week for a much better episode! 

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This month the boys are talking Martin McDonagh so it's only appropriate that we kick things off with In Bruges. When a contract kill goes awry, two Irish hitmen hide out in Bruges to await instruction from the man who hired them. On paper it sounds like an action movie, but it's really more of a sojourn into the darker recesses of the human material. 

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This week the boys have a lot to say about some movies they saw in theaters recently! First up we Talk about the much anticipated Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and try not to gush too hard. Second, Zak talks about an awkward coming age tale Didi. Third, Mike talks about how he doesn't wanna talk about the new re-imagining of the Crow and then proceeds to talk about it. Even going so far as to defend the director's body of work having not seen most of it. Then finally they wrap things up with a...

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When a bank Robbery gone wrong lands his mentally challenged brother in the Slammer, Connie Nikals descends into the depths of desperation and depravity to find a way to make it right. The audience looks on in horror at the increasingly poor decisions of the film's ne'er-do-well protagonist, cringing as the house of cards comes to its inevitable collapse. An A24 film to the core, that will leave you in need of a shower and a nice hug. 

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This Week Mike and Zak share their thoughts on the new Alien Romulus movie, the Neon backed horror movie Cuckoo, and the celebrated Jim Henson: Idea Man Documentary now available for streaming on the Disney Plus. Tune in Next Week for a Much better Episode! 

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After Dani loses her entire family in a tragic murder suicide she joins her boyfriend and his classmates on a trip to an isolated community in Sweden where they practice a pagan ritual known as Midsommar. At first things seem to be going very well, but when some of the practices of the ritual come to light, things get tense and folks start disappearing. It's the breakup movie we all need once in a while, Enjoy!

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This week the Boys are Joined by Elena Muruato to share her thoughts on Twisters, Deadpool and Wolverine, the Boogeyman, 2046, No Country for Old Men, Do the Right Thing, and more possibly because things kinda go all over the place on this one! 

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It's NOT a movie about Steak Sauce! it's the movie that Stanley Kubrick planned to make but unfortunately he passed away before production could begin. So Steven Spielberg stepped in to see that his friend's final vision could come to fruition. When a visionary mad man decides to create a Synthetic Child that will actually bond and imprint upon a human parent, David is the prototype unlike any other robot before him. Unfortunately things get complicated at home and David embarks of a dark journey to find the Blue Fairy from the Pinocchio...

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Today we've got some things to get off our chest about some very interesting and decisive movies. We get things off the ground with our thoughts on Longlegs, then shift gears a bit to cover how we felt about Maxxxine. Then Zak gushes a little over the People's Joker, and then Mike goes on a bit of a rant over Kevin Costner's Horizon part one. 

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A Story of how on three separate occasions intelligent alien life had attempted to make contact, or influence man's evolutionary development. The film explores outer space almost as much as it does inner space, casting an introspective eye on humanity at large, and it's everlasting struggle to survive in a universe beyond it's ken. Arguably Kubrick's most important film, 2001 earns it's place in history with that some tenacious spirit, pioneering visual effects far ahead of it's time, that changed the landscape of science fiction on the silver screen for decades to come. 

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Mike and Zak have been talking talkin about movies for SO LONG and they're getting all emotional about it! this episode they cover Inside Out 2, the Bikeriders, and Kinds of Kindness. As Always: tune in next week for a much better episode. 

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It’s a classic counterculture arthouse tilt-a-whirl of a feature length film, and whether you love it or hate it, you cannot deny its impact on cinema and art of the ensuing decades. What can be said about this movie that hasn’t already been said? Tune in to find out! 

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Recurring guest on the podcast Max Minkowitz fill in for Zak this week for a very fun and tangential edition of the Clearing the Q Podcast. Max gets the ball rolling with his thoughts on Big Trouble, Little China, before Mike expounds upon his numerous opinions on the Fellowship of the Ring. Then the boys discuss the undersung Collateral, and they wrap things up with a good ol gush about Hulu's latest period piece and adaptation of a popular work of historical fiction: Shogun. Dedicated episode to follow next week!     

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Today we start things off with a little chat about Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls, and then Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers. Then we talk a little bit about Lisztomania, and we wrap things up with more talk about Mad Max Fury Road. Nothing From the Theaters this week folks!