Author Archives: mmbsn

We watched the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress, based on the Walter Mosley novel of the same name. We discussed that although it had the same beats as any other 1950s LA-set noir (of which there are many), the added element of a Black lead and Black characters gave new eyes and experiencesContinue reading “Episode 34- Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)”

We watched season 3, episode 10 of Castle, titled “Last Call”, and it was — fine! We discuss the dynamic between Castle and Beckett (and how half of it seems to be smirking), complain about the things that bother us about crime procedurals, wonder who exactly the target audience was for this show, and getContinue reading “Episode 34- Castle”

New episode! We cover our third book, Raymond Chandler’s 1939 debut novel The Big Sleep. We discuss the detective Philip Marlowe and his possible secret life, muse upon the motivations and intentions of Raymond Chandler, read similes and descriptions to each other, and eventually fall into two camps with our enjoyment of this book. WeContinue reading “Episode 33- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler”

New episode! We watched 2009’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. as the famous detective. We discuss the Guy Richie-ness of the film, weigh the balance between Hollywood blockbuster and Holmes adaptation, decide if the anachronisms are acceptable due to the bohemian-steampunkiness of it all, ponder the science vs. supernatural elements, and love that HolmesContinue reading “Episode 32- Sherlock Holmes (2009)”

New episode! We watched the first part of the 8-part HBO series The Night Of, titled “The Beach,” which means we speculate a lot about things we don’t have answers for. We cover how this episode felt like we were just watching the prosecution build a pretty solid-looking case, how tense we felt the entireContinue reading “Episode 31- The Night Of”

It’s our 30th episode, dollfaces! We watched 1941’s The Maltese Falcon and dug into one of Hollywood’s biggest noir movies. We cover the iconic Humphrey Bogart and his literal presence in our lives, get into the vague history of the MacGuffin storytelling device, talk about how this is an actual mystery we traverse along withContinue reading “Episode 30- The Maltese Falcon (1941)”

New episode! We watched 1985’s not-really-a-mystery movie Blood Simple. We discuss the Coen brothers and explore the familiar Coen tropes already present in their first film, get very annoyed at how utterly terrible Ray is at covering up a murder, wish the characters would just use their words, and list out the many, many cluesContinue reading “Episode 29- Blood Simple (1984)”

New episode! We watched 2002’s Red Dragon and cover how this movie fits into the Hannibal Lecter Cinematic Universe™. We discuss the excellent almost-over-the-top-but-not-quite acting choices, the actually good detective work, the confusing but tragic reality that the Dragon lived in, and how this is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations. We also learn thisContinue reading “Episode 28- Red Dragon (2002)”

New episode out now! We watched an episode of The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, “The Case of the Logical I Ranch”, and friends…it was a journey. We talked about the brand (cult?) of Mary-Kate & Ashley and their “Pantheon of Entertainment” (©Mack), growing up entirely in the public eye and how truly young theyContinue reading “Episode 27- The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley”

It’s time to party Mardi Gras style! We watched S1E15 of NCIS: New Orleans,  “Le Carnaval de la Mort” which from the get-go made us realize we cannot speak French. We get into the tropes of CBS procedurals—from their penchant to create spinoffs, to the immediately recognizable character traits, to weird expository dialogue, to tryingContinue reading “Episode 26- NCIS: New Orleans”