Episode 106 - Fatal Attraction (w/ Heather Matarazzo)

[Eeeebertinator 0]

 

 

If you thought feminism wouldn't be a large part of the discussion of this movie, given who hosts the podcast, I don't know what to tell you.

 

Art is not so easily divorced from politics. If you find that alienating, maybe examine your own.

I think you misunderstand, talk about the politics of the film all you want, keep personal politics to a minimum. It's a very basic principle of critique.

 

As I said, it would be fine to have a small section but if the podcast is dominated by personal politics there's a problem.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

I think you misunderstand, talk about the politics of the film all you want, keep personal politics to a minimum. It's a very basic principle of critique.

 

I'll be honest: this sounds pretty much impossible and mostly a bit of tortured reasoning in favor of your desire for the damn feminists to shut the hell up already.

[Eeeebertinator 0]

 

 

I'll be honest: this sounds pretty much impossible and mostly a bit of tortured reasoning in favor of your desire for the damn feminists to shut the hell up already.

 

If you're unable to keep personal politics out of something, I'm concerned for your self control. I can very easily keep my personal politics out of discussions about movies with heavily political aspects.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

If you're unable to keep personal politics out of something, I'm concerned for your self control. I can very easily keep my personal politics out of discussions about movies with heavily political aspects.

 

I don't see how you talk about the politics of a film without your "personal" politics being part of that discussion. Even if you aren't trying, it's going to be obvious.

[iamymai 9]

If you're unable to keep personal politics out of something, I'm concerned for your self control. I can very easily keep my personal politics out of discussions about movies with heavily political aspects.

 

 

If anything you've proved your assertion wrong multiple times because all you've done so far is demonstrate your personal politics.

 

There is no such thing as an objective review, and I think it's fair to say that part of the appeal of of reading / listening to professional film critics is to get their personal spin on a movie. It's fun to look up old Roger Ebert reviews because he's Roger Ebert. His worldview is as much a part of it as his knowledge. You're welcome to disagree with Amy and Heather on identity politics, but to ask for them to remove or limit discussion of how their feminism informs their opinions and analysis is a losing proposition.

[LondonCallingRex 33]

Like other people have been saying, this episode was kind of hard to get through. The amount of times that Amy and Heather utterly misread the situation in the film is staggering. The show really needs Devin back, because his insight would have been yugely beneficial in an episode like this.

 

As for the film itself, it's a tough one for me. The movie is good not great but it seems destined to inspire discussion, and the fact that it is still controversial really says something. As for myself, I can say this movie absolutely taps into very real fears of mine, which are centered around these kinds of invasions into my private home life, whether by strangers or by people I know. So it definitely had me jumping and very much on edge. For that kind of reaction and my excitement to discuss it with people, I'll vote Yes. Though it's a soft Yes.

[Itsmedrooms 0]

I loved this podcast back when this show had an antagonist, although I did find Devin a little too bombastic. I just find it too painful now because I disagree with Amy one hundred percent of the time and she only invites guests who agree with her, especially on this episode which was just one long and continuous feminist diatribe. It didn't serve the actual movie discussion well because it was framed in a constraining and narrow filter that informed the whole mode of discourse.

[Threshold 93]

If you're unable to keep personal politics out of something, I'm concerned for your self control. I can very easily keep my personal politics out of discussions about movies with heavily political aspects.

I think that's an interesting angle to take. Can you truly be unbiased with films with heavily political aspects?

I think that's near impossible personally. We as the audience have opinions, and we project onto the film.

 

I really like Devin's phrase (which I will paraphrase) in an earlier episode (can't remember which one)

Films either support the current cultural status-quo or it criticises it.

 

This film creates a dichotomy between the two sexual female characters. With an anti-hero as our POV, it creates an interesting view of women which is pretty hard to ignore.

 

 

 

In a more knowledgable modern time we know that Glenn Close's character is suffering from Borderline Personailty Disorder, and that makes the first half of the film a bit more empathetic on both characters. But yeah- then it devolves into a stalker thriller. It'd be very interesting to see it from the POV of her character.

 

It's an interesting film- especially for the effect it had on the Single White Female films (genre?) but yeah, it's just standard.

Easy, if interesting, 'No' vote.