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Movie Night Extravaganza’s Oscar month continues with Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things.
Forrest Miller, Conan Neutron, J. Andrew World and Kristina Oakes are joined by friend of the show Renee Ruin of Australia and the Night Shift podcast to discuss this bawdy and low key controversial adventure based sci-fi sex and empowerment romp.
Who hasn’t had the urge to punch a baby?
This film is definitely not for people who are squeamish: there are surgeries, grotesque characters, blood, and many many sex scenes.
oppenheimer’s sex scene got NOTHING on this movie
Bawdy, hilarious, beautifully shot and acted. Almost every film that is even slightly influenced by Frankenstein shows that influence worse than a Tuesday Blues rock band playing Aerosmith. Not this! Fearless and extraordinary, audacious and exhilarating. Bella’s arc is astounding, you start off thinking it is one thing and it ends up something absolutely different. Including an almost… bonus round?
It’s a subversive reimagining of a Feminist version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which is obviously pretty ironic, as Mary Shelley is probably one of the most famous Kinda Feminist Icons of Literature and this is written and directed by men and adapted from a book written by a man.
But, Bella Baxter is infused with the spirit of Mary Shelley, a famous Free Spirit, On and Off Feminist, Philosopher, Romantic.. all things embodied by a remarkable Emma Stone performance.
This film, HILARIOUS too. Is this France? Because some of those funnier moments are SEX related! So much sex. Prudes begone! Disney Adults take warning! The Production design on this is first rate and the direction of Lanthimos has not only never been better, it might be the best version of anything he is done.
Shades of Lynch, Gilliam, Jeunet, Kaufman and… a unique thing too.
The aesthetics combine Victorian Gothic design that would make even Tim Burton jealous… and classic Futurism.
Also: Emma Stone. Hell yeah! What seems at first like doofy sexbot baby cosplay evolves into something incredibly special. How funny that our movie show is going through films about artificial intelligence.
Ruffalo at his sleaziest and most delightful. Topping Brothers Bloom or anything else he’s done by a lot.
Bella is taken on a journey, learning about suffering.. becoming a Socialist.. kindness, cruelty, philosophy, sexuality..
Quite the journey for a “creature” who can’t string a sentence together in the beginning.
In the end, it’s a story about liberation. The men in the film all try to possess and own Bella Baxter, and they all fail.. as she learns to take complete ownership of herself.
in our opinion: It is amongst the best of a very strong year, and every nomination is EARNED. Even if Renee (and especially Renee’s dad!) thought that there were a few more sex scenes than where strictly necessary.
We are also sponsored by Yebiga, a Traditional Balkan Rakija, Serbian Plum Brandy. Go to Yebiga.com to see where it’s available near you. #poorthings #emmastone #oscars2024 #yorgoslanthimos