134. The Blobscars (w/ Jon Gabrus)
Jon Gabrus joins us to award our favorite movies of 2024! Who will take home the coveted Blobscar? Tune in to find out! Follow us on Blue Sky! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!
Feb 21, 2025•2 hr 14 min
Cows in the field
A movie podcast inspired by a Werner Herzog quote, “We have to articulate ourselves, otherwise we would be cows in the field.” Hosted by Justin Khoo (professor of philosophy at MIT) and Laura Khoo (art historian turned fundraiser).
Episodes
133. Nickel Boys (w/ Bilge Ebiri)
We welcome back Bilge Ebiri (Vulture / New York Magazine) to discuss RaMell Ross's 2024 film, Nickel Boys! We talk about the film's formal stylistic innovations, its focus on interstitial moments, its exploration of different responses to injustice, how it invites us to integrate our own memories and experiences with its narrative, and more! Find us on the web and on Blue Sky !...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 21 min
132. Nosferatu - 2024 (w/ Phil Iscove)
We sit down with Phil Iscove (of Podcast Like It's...) to discuss Robert Eggers' Nosferatu! We discuss how the film is Ellen's story, compare it with the many other versions, sexual liberation and sexual angst, scientific progress and the patriarchy, the beauty in decay, and the film's dark sense of humor. Find us at cowspod.com! Follow us at @cowspod.com on Blue Sky!
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Happy Gilmore (Reprise) w/ Tim Gilman
Gilmore as populist disruptor, Grandma's tax situation, hockey vs. golf, anger, Chubbs, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and of course Shooter McGavin! We're @cowspod.com on Blue Sky! Find us on the web at cowspod.com SUBSCRIBE!
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 29 min
131. Grinch x3 (w/ Emily St. James)
Merry Christmas to all, including THE GRINCH! We sit down with Emily St. James to discuss all three Grinch movies (How the Grinch Stole Christmas '66 + '00, and The Grinch '18). We inquire about what the Grinch story is all about , whether we really needed a Grinch backstory, what part of speech "Grinch" is, which of the movies is da best , and more! Pre-order Emily's book! Follow us on bluesky!...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 26 min
130. Home Alone (w/ Dan Harris)
Join us and Dan Harris (Philosophy, CUNY) to discuss HOME ALONE! We consider the film's permission structure for excusing parental negligence, humoring breaking and entering, the film's ideological implications about the nuclear family, and what Kevin really thinks he did to his parents. Christmastime begins with the COWS now!
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 27 min
129. Gaslight (w/ Joseph McBride)
We sit down with film historian Joseph McBride to discuss George Cukor's 1944 film, Gaslight. We discuss Cukor's reputation among the great studio directors, his skill working with actors, the social and political dimensions of the film, including what makes diagnosing and resisting gaslighting so challenging. After you listen, you should read Joseph's book on Cukor ! Follow us on Blue Sky! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Nov 29, 2024•1 hr 10 min
128. Drive (w/ Roxana Hadadi)
Cars, men, masculinity, westerns, scorpions, frogs, wanderers, conservative values, violence, very hot people, and more... it's Nicholas Winding Refn's DRIVE with Roxana Hadadi! Follow us on Twitter and Bluesky and Instagram ! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless !...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 17 min
127. Song to Song (w/ Matt Strohl)
Join us and Matt Strohl (Philosophy, Montana) to live from Song to Song and discuss Terence Malick, genuine freedom, the challenges of dealing with aesthetic dismissal, the value of "difficult" art, family, situated abstractionism, art and commerce, temptation, regret, second chances, and much more! Buy Matt's new book, Hard to Watch !...
Nov 01, 2024•2 hr 33 min
126. The Fly (w/ Becca Rothfeld)
We get crazy with the flesh with Becca Rothfeld (The Washington Post) discussing David Cronenberg's 1986 film THE FLY. We discuss erotic transformation, de-evolution, gothic horror, mind/body interactions, Veronica's many excellent fits, inside-out baboons, and much more! Buy All Things are Too Small! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr
125. Death Becomes Her (w/ Sean O'Connell)
Death becomes HER?! What does this title even mean? We get into that and more with Sean O'Connell (Managing Editor for @CinemaBlend and co-host of @ReelBlend ). What is this film's ideological stance on the pursuit of beauty? We dig into that. What makes this film a queer masterpiece? Where does it fit into Bruce Willis's career? Who wore it (death) better -- Goldie or Meryl? 💀...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 13 min
124. I Saw the TV Glow (w/ Emily St. James)
We are joined by Emily St. James to discuss Jane Schoenbrun's excellent sophomore outing. We discuss transformative experiences, leaps of faith, egg cinema, kissing on the astral plane, nostalgia and the specialness of inaccessibility, and (if that's not enough) why we do this podcast at all! It's a very special episode, and we want to hear what you thought about the film! Email us at cowspod@gmail.com! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 19 min
123. Alien Romulus (w/ Scout Tafoya)
In space, no one can hear you deepfake a dead actor into your movie! We're joined by Scout Tafoya to talk Alien: Romulus. We discuss the film's thematic resonances with the Alien franchise, immigration, the fear of undifferentiation, psychoanalytic readings of the alien, human/android relationships, orphans in space, and go on many long rants about the state of movies and artificial intelligence. Join us! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 22 min
122. Altered States ( w/ Hit Factory Pod)
We are joined by Aaron Casias and Carly Gomes of Hit Factory to discuss William Hurt's first film, Ken Russell's wild and delirious Altered States! We discuss solipsism, God, losing faith, hallucinogens, academia, and why regressing into an ape form might be many conservatives ultimate fantasy. Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr 21 min
121. Thelma and Louise (w/ Katey Rich)
We sit down with Katey Rich (The Ankler) to discuss Ridley Scott's macho film about two women's goodbye middle finger to the patriarchy. We discuss the film's radical rejection of stereotypical gender norms, the female gaze, women being friends, why Christopher McDonald is the funniest person ever, and whether Brad Pitt robs convenience stores shirtless or clothed. Come drive off a cliff with us! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Aug 09, 2024•58 min
120. The Bling Ring
Crimewave summer continues with Sofia Coppola's film about celebrity thieves! We discuss the movie in the context of Coppola's filmography, her artistic motivations and the creative aspirations of the criminals the movie is about, criminal deniability, and, of course, Leslie Mann! It's all fun and games until someone gets a reality tv show. Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Jul 26, 2024•56 min
119. Scarface (w/ Glenn Kenny)
DePalma, Stone, Pacino, Montana. We are joined by Glenn Kenny (author of The World is Yours: The Story of Scarface ) to discuss excess, capitalism, happiness, tigers, sunken bathtubs, cocaine economics, and also the movie Scarface! Is it "Scar-face" or "Scarf-ace"? Who knows! Join us!...
Jul 12, 2024•53 min
118. Public Enemies (w/ Liam Billingham and Phil Gawthorne)
The guys from Die Hard on a Blank are here to kick off CRIMEWAVE SUMMER and talk all things John Dillinger with us! Crime doesn't pay, but it sure is sexy, ain't it? We unpack several themes of the film: encroaching modernity, the birth of modern celebrity, looking to the past through the lens of the present. Also, we explore the magical look of the movie, due in large part to its unique use of digital cinematography (decreased dynamic range, 360 shutter angle, low light sensitivity). Ch...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 28 min
117. Bull Durham (w/ Noah Gittell)
Let us all worship at the Church of Baseball! We are joined to talk Bull Durham by Noah Gittell , author of the recent book Baseball: The Movie. We discuss the film's love of the game, its exploration of life after retirement, parenthood, expiration dating, learning how to breathe out of our eyelids, Annie Savoy's timeless style, and Laura's newfound crush, Kevin Costner. Buy Baseball: The Movie! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr 18 min
116. Hot Tub Time Machine (w/ Mitchell Beaupre)
Let's get it started, in the TUB! We sit down with Mitchell Beaupre (Letterbox'd) to discuss male friendship, regrets, the allure of youth, reliving our best and worst days, the comic genius of Crispin Glover, and what happened in Cincinnati! Follow Mitchell on Twitter! Follow us on Twitter! Buy a cows shirt on Threadless!...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 9 min
115. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (w/ Edward Lewis)
What's a moody anti-Western got to do with mythmaking, outlaws, celebrity, bold robbers, parasocial relationships, betrayal, guilt, capitalism, Roger Deakins, Brad Pitt, and Casey Affleck? A lot, it turns out! Join us and Edward Lewis to explore the contours of Andrew Dominik's retelling of the end of Jesse James' life. We on Twitter! We on the web!...
May 17, 2024•2 hr 33 min
114. Sympathy for the Devil (w/ Yuval Adler and Matt Strohl)
Nicolas Cage has been on a run of making several movies a year for decades now, and Sympathy for the Devil is one of his latest experiments, a pulpy chamber piece road trip mystery suspense film co-starring Joel Kinnaman. We sit down with the film's director Yuval Adler (who also happened to get his PhD in philosophy from Columbia in the 90s!) and welcome back Matt Strohl (Philosophy, U. Montana) to discuss the film's inception, what it is like to work with Cage, how the film holds us in...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 5 min
113. Dogville (w/ Agnes Callard)
Today we explore the dark recesses of the human soul with Agnes Callard (Chicago). We discuss von Trier's minimalist staging, the movie's parable, the duality of human nature, the lies we tell ourselves and others, the film's political angle, and the role of anger in response to true evil. Cows on Twitter!...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 25 min
112. Red Dawn (w/ Nat Hansen)
John Milius's 1984 film Red Dawn has a reputation as being a jingoistic conservative fever dream, but we talk with Nat Hansen, who argues that its political outlook is more complex and more interesting. Along the way, we also discuss the film's portrayal of masculinity, the toll of war, the film's many references, from The Battle of Algiers to Alexander Nevsky. Follow us on Twitter: @cowspod Buy a t-shirt or mug: cowspod.threadless.com...
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 21 min
111. Dune Part Two (w/ John DeVore)
We go BACK to Arrakis, desert planet, homeworld of the spice and the Fremen and keeper of Shai Hulud. We're joined again for the journey by major spice-head John DeVore to discuss Villeneuve's two films in relation to Lynch's 1984 version and Frank Herbert's book. Along the way, we consider the worm Uber, the possibility of bad trips with the Water of Life, the lack of St. Alia of the Knife, the deliberate backgrounding of the more mystical elements of the novel, and the film'...
Mar 22, 2024•2 hr 52 min
110. The 2024 Blobscars! (w/Sean Burns)
Join us and critic Sean Burns to give out silly meaningless awards to our favorite films of 2023! Who will take home the top prize? Who will win best lisp? Tune in to find out!
Mar 08, 2024•2 hr 3 min
109. The Iron Claw (w/ Fran Hoepfner)
We are joined by Fran Hoepfner (BW/DR, Fran Magazine) to experience the triumph and tragedy of the Von Erich family. We discuss wrestling (duh), Zac, brothers, fathers, bodies, cults, the American political circus, all while trying to figure out our wrestling names and signature moves.
Feb 16, 2024•1 hr 11 min
108. Anatomy of a Fall
Take the plunge with us and Veronica Fitzpatrick (BW/DR, Brown University) as we explore the moral complexities of narratives, relationships, and justice. Justice for Sandra? Justice for Samuel? Tune in to find out!
Feb 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min
107. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (w/ Nick Riggle and Matt Strohl)
We're joined by two philosophers of art to discuss how they've helped each other come to a greater appreciation for this quirky but lovable entry into the Fast and Furious franchise. We discuss how art can change depending on the context in which it is embedded, and the ways the franchise could have gone after this film. We also compare notes on the different ways we've come to appreciate this film over time. This episode is sponsored by The Art of the Trailer . Learn how to become a...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 22 min
106. The Blair Witch Project (Reprise) + 2023 Cows Super Quiz
The cows look back on 2023 with a Cows in the Field super-quiz -- how many questions can you get right?? Then, we reprise our Blair Witch episode, wherein we explore why the Blair Witch Project was the tenth highest grossing movie of 1999, why it took so long for Hollywood to capitalize on found footage horror, the nature of horror itself and why we desire to be horrified, as well as what makes the Blair Witch Project so especially horrifying.
Jan 05, 2024•1 hr 10 min