Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah discuss Zhang Yimou's near Gothic-tale about how power corrupts.

In this episode of Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics, Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at the Japanese Zombie-Rockabilly tale of WILD ZERO.

Thad and Jeremiah discuss two alien encounters movies that dare to ask what if Aliens didn't travel all this way to invade us?

The gang's all here. Back from a hiatus and ready to talk about all the ways not to watch movies. Because, believe it or not, some people are doing it wrong.

This month we hand the reigns over to Kara as we look at two of her picks: Nightbreed (Director's Cut) and Return to Oz.

Kara, Thad, and Jeremiah take a look at two Nick Hornby adaptations: "High Fidelity" and "Juliet, Naked", and look at how they portray fandom and toxic masculinity.

The trio discusses two films by creature designer and director Keita Amemiya: Zeiram (1991) and Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995).

Y'all really thought January 1 was going to be your clean slate to hear no more about "Christmas movies". HAH. Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara kick off 2023 by arguing about Batman Returns and The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah sit down and look at two similar movies with drastically different tones. This week we look at Shane Black's 2016 THE NICE GUYS and Steven Soderbergh's 2021 NO SUDDEN MOVE.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a look at THE HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS, and FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at the strange phenomenon of Godzilla and its American counterpart Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Thad and Kara are out this episode, so it's Jeremiah and Molly as they explore the ride-or-die sub-genre of bootlegging car chase movies with Smokey and the Bandit and White Lightning.

This month, the gang kicks off summer with baseball movies. Join Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah as they take a swing at The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings and A League of Their Own!

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah compare and contrast the 1974 Sidney Lumet Murder on the Orient Express with the 2017 Kenneth Branagh version.

One day, four people made a fateful decision to watch The Country Bears. They were never the same again. Join Jeremiah, Thad, Kara, and special guest, Molly, as they deal with the fallout.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah discuss how going to the movies, and watching movies, has changed during these wild and turbulent times.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look to celebrate Halloween by looking at Clive Barker's Hellraiser and Wes Craven's People Under the Stairs.Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics is a proud member of the Fandomentals Network.

We discuss the striking similarities between the mockumentary "Incident at Loch Ness" and the real documentary "Creature From Big Muddy: An Illinois Bigfoot Legend". Joined by guest Dustin Blakeman, who also composed a special intro for this episode."Human Clicktrack" - Dustin Blakeman: I think it's only fitting for an episode about monsters and ecstatic truth to peel back the layers of artifice that permeate our era of digital perfection and overproduction. Here is a both "natural" yet, still specifically produced opening... fitting with this episode's subject matter.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah explore alarmist propaganda in film. First, they look at the 1984 red scare WWIII fantasy RED DAWN followed by a deft exploration of the effects of cold war paranoia in WARGAMES.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at three fantasy films and discuss how they seem particularly structured and geared towards children.Beneath the Screen of the Ultra-Critics is a proud member of the Fandomentals Network.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at how movies about the civil rights movement have been framed via Mississippi Burning (1988) & Selma (2014).

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a breather and assess their series on Propaganda and Antifa themes. The trio tries to figure out how they've succeeded and how they can do better moving forward.

The trio looks at David Simon's HBO 6 part miniseries, "Show Me a Hero" (2015). Starring Oscar Issac, Alfred Molina, Catherine Keener, and Ilfenesh Hadera, and directed by Paul Haggis, the series looks at a Yonkers Public Housing project and the ups and downs of getting it built.

Just in time for the Holidays, the crew discusses Tokyo Godfathers and Groundhog Day.

This episode we look at Too Big to Fail and The Big Short, two movies about the 2008 market crash. Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah discuss and analyze how effective each movie is in structuring its message.

Just in time for Halloween, Beneath the Screen discuss THE OTHERS and CRIMSON PEAK. They also briefly discuss the evergreen question of "What is horror?". 

In this episode, Jeremiah, Kara, and Alejandra take a look at thematic statements in Marvel films.

Jeremiah, Kara, and Thad look at two stories about immigration. Both stories are set in England and deal with the struggle of trying to bridge two cultures.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah are joined by Alejandra as they discuss Fascism in the Sci-fi and Fantasy genres. The four discuss Starship Troopers, Pan's Labyrinth, and Thor: Ragnarok

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a break from talking about propaganda, sort of, and look at the Western genre. The trio look at Johnny Guitar, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and the 2013 Japanese remake of Unforgiven.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah look at movies critiquing capitalism both in broad terms and specifically. The trio looks at '9 to 5', "Two Days, One Night', and 'Support the Girls'.

Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara discuss what will happen to movie theaters as well as other fractures in the industry exposed by the pandemic.

The crew look at three films, THIS LAND IS MINE, CASABLANCA, and HANGMEN ALSO DIE! to discuss the style and themes of each film.

Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara gather 'round to discuss which films made the top 10 for them in 2019, and that little Oscar thing as well.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah take a look at animated musicals that are so bad, they're just bad.

Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara take a look at America's Game through film.

Jeremiah and Molly discuss three movies with bonkers twists and turns throughout.

Thad, Kara, and Jeremiah discuss how Cabaret, Popeye, and Yentl are unabasehedly musicals but in unusual and atypical ways.

Jeremiah, Thad, and Kara take a look at movies starring the duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Thad, Jeremiah, and Kara compare and contrast Seven Brides for Seven Brothers with The Greatest Showman

Thad, Jeremiah, and Kara discuss the trajectory and evolution of the screen musical.

Jeremiah, Thad, Kara, discussed the new slate of Disney live-action remakes of animated classics and whether they're worth the time, money, and effort.

Thad and Jeremiah discuss Jordan Peele's latest movie as well as how violence is often misinterpeted within the genre.

Thad and Jeremiah discuss the importance of inclusivity and the necessary ramifications that come from allowing more diverse choices in story telling.

Thad and Jeremiah, along with special guests Kara and Molly, explore the female gaze and discuss what it actually is.

Jeremiah and Thad, along with special guests Kara and Molly explore the "male gaze" in media.

Thad and Jeremiah discuss Into the Spider-Verse and Bumblebee both as movies and as late installments into already exhausted franchises. They also look at how, by utlizing animation, the two movies afford themselves new freedoms in both story and technique.

Thad and Jeremiah discuss bad movies and the cult that surrounds them as well as problematic aspects within those fandoms.

Jeremiah and Thad discuss the workplace, office politics, and economic issues as they're depicted in film.

Thad and Jeremiah discuss the how to critcally watch and interrogate film. Rants against rants about plotholes and broadsides against digital abound.