Grumpy Octopus

Hello there! Episode 2 of our Meyers Marathon has dropped today, which means your two hosts have gained some exciting insight that a lot of people would love to get their hands on. That's right, we finally know What Women Want! After all these years! 

Listen as we work our way through this mildly off-putting romcom that was honestly better than we expected given that it's a movie from 2000 about a chauvinistic man who can hear women's thoughts and also that man is Mel Gibson. The spirit of Nancy Meyers still peeks through the cracks here for those willing to look for it, and we've done our best to find her.

Good day! Spring approaches, and with it comes a new season of our Auteur Anthology, focusing on the one and only Nancy Meyers! Pivoting away from last year's theme of monsters, death, and depravity, we will now be engaging with the metaphorical monsters of romance and high end real estate. It's a Meyers Marathon, from now through May.

We begin today with Meyers' directorial debut, The Parent Trap (1998), a lighthearted romp where two parents attempt to traumatize their twin children by permanently separating them, and those children later attempt to drown a woman in a lake. There's also a cute butler. Listen and enjoy!

Happy new year! Today we have a (not so) surprising bonus episode of Del Toro Discourse for you! That's right, we're saying goodbye to the monstrous creature of 2025 and welcoming in the newer, more hopeful creature of 2026, as we discuss Guillermo's new Frankenstein adaptation.

Will this new film survive the judgement of our resident Frankenstein expert? What's larger, the Creature's height or his heart? How much of his funding is Victor spending on cute little outfits? These are just a few of the questions we try to wrangle in the extra long (sorry) finale (for now) to Del Toro Discourse.

And see you in a few months for something new!

Season's greetings to you! It's the laziest week of the year, and what better way to spend it than by listening to the final episode of Monster Mash, featuring the Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954). He's a little funny looking, but he won't bite. Unless of course you invade his home, try to steal all his nice fossils, stick harpoons in him, and expose his entire ecosystem to toxic chemicals. Oh dear, it seems that our intrepid heroes have done all these things and more. Well, you can't say they don't deserve what happens to them. 

Please enjoy our discussion, and if you see any lagoon creatures this holiday season, leave them be.

Awooo! What's that? It's only the sound of the horrifying The Wolf Man (1941), being discussed today in the fifth episode of Monster Mash. Listen as we praise his furry feet and criticize his treatment of women, which is actually a lot worse than the whole wolf thing. At least there's a beautiful spooky forest set to get lost in. Fog machines at full blast!

Please enjoy, and if you've been bitten by a werewolf and don't want to kill people, maybe just have a relaxing night inside with the doors locked. Hope you enjoy!

Good end of November to you all. A winter chill has descended upon us, and wait...who's that outlined in the fog? Why, it's the Invisible Man from The Invisible Man (1933)! Come, listen as we discuss his exploits in the fourth episode of Monster Mash. He may not have super strength or the ability to turn into a bat, but he has something far more valuable, an insatiable love for murder! What a scamp.

Stay safe out there, and if you want to be invisible, please don't take the drugs that make you evil. Hope you enjoy!

It's about time for another episode of Monster Mash, this time focused on that most terrifying of spooky creatures, The Mummy (1932)! What are his powers exactly? What do mummies actually do? Why does he wait 10 years to execute his plans for no reason? Hey, stop asking logistical questions, and focus on the reason we're all here: the sizzling chemistry between Ms. Grosvenor and one Ardeth Bey. Although Mr. Bey is displaying some suspiciously mummy-like qualities...

Listen to the episode to hear us dig deeper into all these mysteries, and please refrain from reading aloud from any books of the dead in your own time. Hope you enjoy!

And we’re back with the the latest Monster Mash episode, hanging out with the one, and only Count in Dracula (1931). Listen to us chat all about why if the vibes are spooky you shouldn’t dismiss the locals’ warnings, question how the hell multiple suitors can only have one brain cell between them, discuss the severe lack of cowboys and BAMF / all around MVP in a crisis —aka, Van Helsing, and of course, the OG King of Vamps (and camp), the icon, Bela Lugosi! Hope you enjoy!

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Monster Mash -- our latest "Misc. Mini-cast" series that ties nicely in with our Del Toro Discourse (if we do say so ourselves). We'll be covering iconic / classic horror Universal Monster movies, and first up is Frank in Frankenstein (1931).

Listen to us discuss the horrors of high-cheekboned mad scientist  *Henry* Frankenstein, his pyromaniac-and-slippery-brain-jar-fingers of a lab assistant Fritz, his third wheeling best friend *Victor* and way-too-good-for him fiancé, Elizabeth as he creates life! Aka, the one, the only, the icon Boris Karloff as...."?"

Remember friends, steal your own brains and stay away from windmills. Hope you enjoy!

It's a momentous day! Episode 12 of Del Toro Discourse has gone live, and it's the final installment (for now). For this last episode, we're talking Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022), directed by Guillermo del Toro. And Mark Gustafson. Pinocchio is a new interpretation of that beloved old story of an immortal demon child who terrorizes half of fascist Italy with his yodeling and general disobedience. That's how the Disney version went, right? Guillermo's version doubles down on some of his favorite themes, like grief, difficult fathers, and beating the hell out of innocent crickets. 

Please enjoy the end of our Del Toro discussions, and rest assured, the podcast will be starting up again after a short break.