Ben and Rob head back to Forks for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third (and somehow most openly unhinged) entry in the glittery supernatural mega-franchise. The one where the love triangle becomes a war movie, the subtext becomes text, and everyone suddenly starts giving speeches like they’re in a fantasy epic instead of a rainy teen melodrama. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner (now operating at full shirtless protector mode), Eclipse finds Bella caught between eternal vampiric marriage and extremely mortal werewolf abs, while Seattle is being terrorised by an army of newborn vampires and the franchise quietly pivots into X-Men: Forks Edition.

But what is Eclipse, exactly? A romance? A war film? A lore dump disguised as a graduation party? Why does this chapter feel like the moment the series decides it has important things to say especially when the Mormon coded themes of chastity, marriage, and forever commitment stop being coy and basically grab a megaphone? Mormon Subtext becomes Mormon TEXT, and Ben and Rob dig into how that shift reshapes Bella’s choices and the series’ worldview.

Along the way: questionable battle strategies, bizarre backstories, accidental comedy, and the way Eclipse retroactively changes how the whole franchise works. Which choices genuinely land? Which feel baffling? And which make you pause the movie just to ask if that’s how that really works?

Most importantly, beneath the speeches, the slow-motion running, and the aggressively chaste yearning, what does Eclipse really mean?

CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!

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Ben and Rob hit the road with Rain Man (1988), and this week they’re graciously joined by dear friend, Amber of the Ctrl Alt Critique podcast to unpack one of the most celebrated (and complicated) Best Picture winners of the late ’80s. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, the film follows a fast-talking yuppie who discovers he has an estranged autistic brother with extraordinary abilities, then drags him on a cross-country trip that slowly turns from a selfish cash grab into something resembling a family reunion.

The gang are getting into; How did this movie go from beloved Oscar juggernaut to a performance many now see as a damaging stereotype? What was the real-life inspiration for Raymond Babbitt? and how close does the film come to capturing or flattening that reality? Why, outside of Star Wars, might this be the only other major pop-culture ripple we have George Lucas to thank for? and what behind-the-scenes twists and wild early casting choices almost turned the movie into something completely different? How do Cruise’s slick desperation and Hoffman’s hyper-specific, heavily mannered performance play off each othe?; what still works beautifully, what feels dated, and what sparks bigger conversations about representation in cinema? and finally, beneath the road-trip structure and awards-season prestige, what does Rain Man really mean?

CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!

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Ben and Rob return to Forks for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), the moodier, louder, and somehow even more emotionally chaotic sequel that turned a teen vampire romance into a full-blown blockbuster franchise. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner (now with significantly more screen time and significantly fewer shirts), New Moon finds Bella Swan reeling from heartbreak, spiraling into supernatural depression, and discovering that if one dangerous immortal boyfriend disappears, there’s always a pack of extremely buff werewolves waiting in the wings.

What is New Moon, exactly? a breakup drama, a monster movie, or two hours of staring out rainy windows set to indie rock? how does the film immediately escalate the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob love triangle into a full-on cultural battleground? and how does the sequel double down on the series’ Mormon coded ideas about chastity, eternal commitment, and “don’t even think about it” desire (aka Mormon Subtext 2: Chastity Boogaloo)? With a bigger budget and bigger expectations, what changes behind the camera and on screen? Does the expanded action, globe-trotting vampire politics, and slow-motion wolf running actually improve things? and at what point does this movie quietly turn into Top Gun for werewolves? Which choices genuinely work, which are baffling, and which feel completely unhinged? How did New Moon transform teenage longing into an international event movie? And finally, beneath the angst, abs, and apocalyptic romance, what does New Moon really mean?

CONSUUUME to find out all this and much, much more!

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