X/Z: Cross-Generational Cultural Discourse
By XZCrossGenerational
X/Z: Cross-Generational Cultural DiscourseFeb 13, 2023
Found Family and Melancholia: Unpacking Early Wes Anderson
Amanda and Emma uncover the common themes of Wes Anderson's Rushmore (1998) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).
Looking Through a Glass Onion: Rian Johnson's Whodunits and Late Stage Capitalism
Amanda and Emma consider capitalist critiques in Rian Johnson's delicious whodunits, "Knives Out" and "Glass Onion".
Persuasion; Or, How Things Can Go Very Wrong (or Very Right) When Adapting Austen
Amanda and Emma do a bit of compare and contrast, as they discuss three adaptations of Jane Austen's Persuasion: 1995 starring Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds, 2007 with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones, and the ill-begotten 2022 version featuring Dakota Johnson and Cosmo Jarvis.
This Ship is Sailing! Why We Love Our Flag Means Death
Amanda and Emma consider the sweet wonders of piratical love at sea in Our Flag Means Death.
CODA: An Amazing Movie with a Bad High School Musical Subplot
Emma and Amanda script doctor the Oscar contender CODA. There's a great movie in there somewhere, but the High School Musical stuff has to go.
No More Ross Hate: Joel Cohen's The Tragedy of Macbeth
Amanda and Emma analyze Joel Cohen's Oscar-bait film, The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). The witch(es)! The crows! And is Ross actually the protagonist of the play? What?
Succession Season 3: The Rise of Roman and Tom
Welcome to Season 2 of X/Z. It's sequel time. We return to Succession and the world of horrible rich people.
BBC's Ghosts: What Will It Take To Move On?
Join Amanda and Emma for a Halloween-inspired discussion of the BBC comedy show Ghosts. We explore the traumas that are keeping these spirits earthbound and speculate about what might set them free.
Just Make a Pro-Shot! When Film Musicals Go Wrong
Inspired by the recent blow-up over Dear Evan Hansen, Amanda and Emma do a deep-dive into film adaptations of stage musicals that have gone terribly wrong (we're looking at you, Phantom, Les Mis, and Cats).
HBO's Succession: These people are really, really bad.
Amanda and Emma spoil Seasons 1 and 2 of HBO's Succession in all its Shakespearean glory. And you'll learn why it takes a lot of Gregs to make a Tomlette.
All the Young Dudes: Is this Wolfstar/Marauder Fanfic Better than Harry Potter?
Join Amanda and Emma for a discussion of MsKingBean89's epic Harry Potter Marauder prequel "All the Young Dudes." In this episode, we'll discuss fanfiction, what happens when a derivative work surpasses the original, the ethics of Harry Potter love, and the Wolfstar fandom.
Fire Walk With Me! A Deep Dive into the 90s Twin Peaks-verse
Mother and daughter team Amanda and Emma deconstruct Twin Peaks, 90s-style. All the trigger warnings, because it's Twin Peaks and David Lynch. Also be forewarned: there are serious spoilers for Fire Walk With Me and the original TV series of Twin Peaks.
Welcome to the Internet! Bo Burnham's "Inside"
Mother and daughter team Amanda and Emma chat about Bo Burnham's Netflix comedy special, "Inside." Is it brilliant? Disturbing? Self-indulgent? All of the above?