We’re back on the bracket beat, sports fans, and we’re asking the tough questions! Does The Dark Knight Rises have a coherent ideology? What is the “normie” Andrei Tarkovsky movie? What’s the deep ecology read on WALL-E ? Why were the 90s such a fecund period for stories about the falseness of reality? We answer all of these questions, and several others, over the course of the show. This week’s matchups: The Dark Knight Rises v. Andrei Rublev WALL-E v. The Truman Show – See the bracket [SPOILER...
May 22, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 15
A little late but no less great! That’s right, sports fans, we’re back with another classic episode of the pod, where we reaffirm our positions as heads of the Newman/Redford Booster Club, fawn over a certain pair of directorial brothers, and marvel at a film that smiles in the face of a cruel, uncaring world. Oh, and we should note, one of these movies did not age well. How badly did it age? Well, badly enough that our discussion merits big ol’ content warning for CSA. It ain’t all roses in thi...
May 09, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Three heavy hitters in this one, and a fourth one that’s… okay? Well, I guess it depends on who you ask. One of these movies is definitely not like the others. Also, this episode isn’t as blue as the last few, but there’s plenty of Boner Content to go around for the faithful. We also talk about a shitty movie that is not in this bracket that should be appended with every CW and -ism you can think of, so be forewarned. But we also talk about William H. Macy’s life imitating William H. Macy’s art,...
Apr 24, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Sports fans, I’ve got to to come clean: we are a couple of dirty, dirty birdies at the top of this one. Like real filthy. There’s also some mental health talk. But we do talk about movies, specifically about the influence of classical Hollywood film, mental illness in film, “middlebrow” as a qualifier, and navel-gazing as a stylistic conceit. So in other words, another classic episode of the pod! This week’s matchups: All About Eve v. A Beautiful Mind Inception v. 8 1/2 – See the bracket [SPOILE...
Apr 10, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Holy cannoli, sports fans, did this one ever get away from us. Get a load of that runtime! 76 god damn minutes! Well, if you’re into weird tangents, you’re in luck: this has one stuff ranging from late-period classic rock to everyone’s least-favourite Canadian lobster man. But crucially, we get to talk about some movies ! The power of emotional filmmaking, feminist critiques, the thrill of watching a master at work, ruminations and time and love… But to get to all that, you have to deal with a l...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 11
This episode features three celebrated auteurs from three different countries, and a fourth guy who thought making The Godfather twice as long and ten time more impenetrable was a good idea. And also some digressive NSFW goofiness off the top because Isabelle will make “melt Derek’s brain at the top of the show” a bit come hell or high water. This week’s matchups: A Separation v. The Elephant Man Seven Samurai v. Gangs of Wasseypur — See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmad...
Mar 13, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 10
That’s right, sports fans, it’s time to **checks index card** blaze ya dead homie?! Wait, hold on, I got my cards mixed up. It’s actually for **checks new index card** a crash course in how to properly pronounce the name of a French-Canadian auteur??? I thought this was a movie podcast! I mean, Isabelle and Derek do talk about Yasujiro Ozu’s direction, Aamir Khan’s axe to grind, and a couple of goofy thrillers that think they’re Serious and Important, so I guess that counts for something. Oh, an...
Feb 26, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 9
We’re back after a short hiatus, and let me tell you, this episode has everything . Dramatic readings! Our first wild card movie! Ill-advised usage of internet slang by a man in his thirties! Oh, and thoughtful considerations regarding trauma, faith, and the moving image. CW: some saucy shit in the front, and Nazi shit in the back. This week’s matchups: Raging Bull v. Howl’s Moving Castle Schindler’s List v. Winter Light — Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @middle...
Feb 12, 2019•58 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Derek and Michelle are back in town and ready to send two more movies to the second round. This time around, our intrepid hosts consider two of the best close-up movies of all time, a no-frills war picture from the 50s, and a movie that, frankly, shouldn’t even be on this list. Also, Michelle keeps her “mention Come and See ” streak alive and Derek makes several embarrassing admissions regarding the classic movies he hasn’t seen yet. This week’s matchups: Once Upon a Time in America v. In the Na...
Jan 15, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Who’s ready to get deeply uncomfortable ? What do the Bracket Gods have in store for us this time. Well, uh, cringe-inducing drama, the spectre of the Confederacy, and 21st century terror! Yeah, baby! But the movies are pretty good, and the breakdowns are too. Also Derek forgets the word “harbour,” so that’s pretty funny. One note from the fact-checking desk: the disaster that 9/11 was a stand-in for in the Indian films mentioned was the 2008 26/11 Mumbai attacks, not the 2006 Mumbai train bombs...
Jan 02, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This one is weirdly suicide-heavy, so maybe know that going in? Another podcast means another four contenders step up to the plate! Our long march to the finals continues as we take our first trip to India (and it is a doozy ), talk about how cool Bogey is, and take sides in the eternal Keaton/Chaplin debate. – This week’s matchups: 3 Idiots v. Sherlock Jr. Modern Times v. The Maltese Falcon – Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Michelle on Twi...
Dec 18, 2018•42 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Well, we’re here, sports fans. We have to contend with who is possibly the biggest boil on cinema’s ass to date, and possibly of the whole bracket. But not before we screw up the names of fantasy dudes and silent film pioneers and generally just make a mess of things. But fear not, we gets some pretty good joke in there too! Four new cinematic combatants enter the cage, but only two can come out victorious on the long, long road to the finals. – This week’s matchups: Unforgiven v. The Bridge on ...
Dec 04, 2018•50 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Onward and upward through the IMDb Top 250 bracket we go! Two reprehensible Hollywood leading men go head to head in the director’s chair, and Michelle continues the great podcasting tradition of Derek’s co-host cursing him out. Which of these movies deserved their Oscars? Which ones didn’t? The answers may shock and confound you! – This week’s matchups: Braveheart v. Into the Wild Cinema Paradiso v. Million Dollar Baby – See the empty bracket Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow u...
Nov 20, 2018•43 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Our intrepid bracketeers have returned to take on the next two matchups in the IMDb Top 250 tournament. Which classic film will hang its head in shame? Which kind of neo-noir is superior? How many times is Derek going to assert that a movie “fucks?” Listen and find out! – This week’s matchups: L.A. Confidential vs. The Wolf of Wall Street Paper Moon v. Seven – See the empty bracket Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Michelle on Twitter: @space...
Nov 06, 2018•33 min•Season 1Ep. 2
And they’re off! Michelle and Derek cover the first two matchups of the IMDb bracket’s first round. They also talk about movies from their childhood, Letterboxd pranksters, and that sexy sexy so-and-so Paul Newman. – This week’s matchups: A Clockwork Orange v. Cool Hand Luke Back to the Future v. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – See the empty bracket Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Michelle on Twitter: @spacejamfan Follow Derek on Twitt...
Oct 23, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 1
It all begins here. Michelle Arf and Derek Godin of Dim the House Lights have decided to take on the Herculean task of plugging the Internet Movie Database’s Top 250 films (plus six wild cards) into a single elimination bracket and finding out which one is the real middlebrow champion. In this inaugural episode, they lay out the rules of the tournament, talk about the eccentricities of the list itself, and parse their own biases. – See the empty bracket Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.co...
Oct 09, 2018•18 min
