Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
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).Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Film analysis with philosophy/art-history guests •Themes: politics, ideology, class, gender, masculinity •Genre dives: horror, sci‑fi, crime, romance •Cinematic form, style, ethics, technology/AIThis podcast is a film discussion show hosted by Justin Khoo, a philosophy professor, and Laura Khoo, an art historian turned fundraiser, and it treats individual movies as opportunities for close reading and bigger-picture reflection. Across the episodes, the hosts—often joined by critics, filmmakers, and academics—dig into how films create meaning through form as well as story, with conversations that move between craft details (structure, genre conventions, performances, cinematography, practical effects, and stylistic “rules” like diegetic camera perspectives) and interpretive frameworks drawn from philosophy, psychoanalysis, politics, and cultural history.
The movies covered range widely across eras and genres, including horror (from body horror to found-footage and Lovecraft-inspired tales), thrillers and noir, science fiction, war and espionage stories, crime films, sports movies, and romantic comedies. Recurring interests include violence and resistance, morality and complicity, class and ideology, masculinity and gender norms, sexuality and the pursuit of beauty, and the pressures of striving—whether in art, work, or competition. The show also returns to questions about memory, nostalgia, regret, and second chances, as well as family life and parenthood.
Several discussions connect films to contemporary concerns such as AI and digital media, celebrity and parasociality, hyper-connectivity, and the social conditions that shape belief, perception, and identity. The overall tone is analytical but wide-ranging, mixing thematic interpretation with attention to what cinema can do as a medium.
