Podcasts
Slurping Up Emerald Fennell’s Class Critique with ‘Saltburn’ [Horror Queers Podcast]
Short Murder King.
Trace and I are nearing the end of Pride month, which has included the tepid adaptation of Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned (listen), as well as Ben Stiller’s homo-tinged black comedy The Cable Guy (listen). Now it’s time for British writer/director Emerald Fennell‘s “Eat the rich” thriller/satire Saltburn (2023).
In the film, Oliver (Barry Keoghan) struggles to fit in at Oxford until he befriends ultra-rich Felix (Jacob Elordi), who takes him on as a kind of poverty project. This doesn’t sit well with Felix’s cousin Farleigh (Archie Madewke), who perhaps sees a little too much of himself in the bootlicker/social ladder climber.
Tensions explode when Oliver is invited to spend the summer at Felix’s palatial family home, Saltburn. Overseen by flighty but cruel mother Elspeth (Rosamund Pike) and slightly loony father James (Richard E. Grant), with promiscuous sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) lurking on the periphery and outside windows, it’s a world of rich opulence where Oliver doesn’t understand the rules.
Or does he? The further the film progresses, the clearer it becomes that not everything about Oliver adds up. As Catton members fall by the wayside, it’s clear that Oliver will stop at nothing (and sleep with everyone!) to fit in among the elite.
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Episode 391: Saltburn (2023)
Slurp up that cummy bath water because we are talking about writer/director Emerald Fennell’s divisive satirical thriller Saltburn (2023).
From its sublime cast to its gorgeous visual aesthetic, there’s a lot to love here. But does Fennell push her class critique hard enough and are these characters too despicable?
Plus: “pug faced” (hung) king Barry Keoghan; Trace’s hatred of Farleigh; wanting more Rosamund Pike; and debating why the film is so polarizing.
Cross out Saltburn!
Coming Up Next: We’re covering the pod’s first William Castle with the 1961 Psycho rip-off, Homicidal.
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On the DL.
After spending June on explicitly queer texts like Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (listen) and William Castle’s Homicidal (listen), it’s only appropriate that Horror Queers celebrate the American holiday with a blockbuster film with a not-so-secret gay connection.
In Independence Day, an unlikely group of people come together when the human race faces extinction from a threatening alien race. After spaceships destroy every major city, pilot Steven Hiller (Will Smith) must team up with secret tech genius David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), as well as the US President (Bill Pullman), to execute a daring plan to save the planet from annihilation.
Along for the ride are the two saviors’ romantic partners – WH Communications Director Constance (Margaret Colin) and stripper Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) – plus eccentric scientist Dr. Okun (Brent Spiner), who is at the center of the film’s most horrific set piece.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and RSS.
Episode 393: Independence Day (1996)
Today, we celebrate our Independence Day…courtesy of gay German director Roland Emmerich.
As the summer blockbuster celebrates its 30th anniversary, we’re looking back on an alien disaster film that scared young Trace (thanks to that alien autopsy scene) and turned Will Smith into a star.
Plus: the death that upsets the most; bemoaning Vivica A. Fox’s career; pondering what could have been with the casting; why Smith’s bravado and the film’s patriotism doesn’t always work for Joe; and plenty of riffing on the atrocious sequel.
Cross out Independence Day!
Coming Up Next: We’re retreating to the country for some questionable therapy courtesy of Joe Dante’s 1981 classic, The Howling!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 503 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Forbidden Fruits, Saccharine, Evil Dead Burn, an audio commentary on the utterly ridiculous sequel Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf (1985), and the conclusion of our Requel Tier coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat.