Episode 37: The Haunting of the Listicle

Episode 41 · September 5th, 2015 · 1 hr 18 mins

About this Episode

Turns out that Josh made it back safely from wherever he was (against Chad's wishes), so the Screeners have returned with a full complement of hosts, ready to take on the (media-related) issues of the day. After a summer full of blockbusters that at least 2 or 3 of our panel enjoyed, we're in a bit of a summer lull as far as movie releases go, so we're going to do things a little differently this time. Stick with us, though; we're sure *someone* will make it worth your while.

This One Weird Trick Will Make People Comment on Your Facebook Page

To start things off easy, the Screeners recap what they've been watching recently, new or not. Pop quiz: What's Chris going to talk about? We'll give you a hint:  It rhymes with "cannibal". Oh, and it has one in it. We think he's seen every episode of that show as many times as a kid raised by TV in the 90's saw every episode of Saved by the Bell. Josh wants to discuss True Detective, but he's the only one who's seen the second season so far. He wanted us to be sure to share that here and stress that he was both proud of and annoyed by this fact.

Next, if you can't get rid of Buzzfeed, embrace it:  The Screeners have found their first listicle to deconstruct as if its opinions were somehow representative of the culture at large. "The 10 Worst Best Pictures of The Last 30 Years" garnered a good bit of discussion on Facebook (at least for the Screeners page), and this can only end in argument—so, really, what are we waiting for? We're pretty sure Chad saw all of these in the theater (Get it? Because he's old!), and we're sure he'll have some good input. Daniel, as the youngest member of the panel...has probably still seen more of them than Josh has, so he should be OK too.

Abstinence or Death!

For the main event, the Screeners decided to skip a current theatrical release (dog days of summer and all) and picked a movie with some cult acclaim that's available through most streaming channels. More than just cult acclaim, really—It Follows currently has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

For those unfamiliar with the etymology, the title of It Follows is a clever play on the Latin phrase non sequitur, or "it does not follow". It's a deeply philosophical piece that, through its exploration of love and loss, manages to inspire its viewers to explore their own decisions while simultaneously drawing us deep into the story of the main character, who...just kidding; it's a horror movie. You either like them, or you don't—or you spend 10 minutes defending the genre as a whole, making excuses for lazy storytellers by saying they're just paying homage to all the lazy storytellers before them, and our collective intellect dies just a little more on the inside. Either way, a few people die along the way, and the rest learn nothing. The end. Spoiler alert!

Well, that was fun. See you next time, but until then, join the conversation over on Facebook; we'd love to hear about your favorite listicles, least favorite Oscar winners, or why (Chris/Melody/Chad/Josh/Daniel) should go jump in a lake. It's hot outside; they might actually do it.