Middlebrow Madness

Isabelle Arf and Derek Godin

Isabelle Arf and Derek Godin use the tried and true method of the single-elimination bracket to find out which movie from the IMDb Top 250 is the best one.

  1. 07/10/2024

    It Was Ingmar Bergman Who Killed John Lennon

    Recorded 14 April 2024 This episode contains discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation during the Persona segment Sports fans, I know we've said this before, but this episode contains one of the toughest matchups we've encountered yet; that 122-minute runtime bears that out. We also get to talk about Wes Anderson for the first (only?) time. Also contained herein: both hosts' all-time Alien franchise power rankings, Derek's hottest Wes Anderson take, an attempt at cataloguing the many facets of an all-time art film, and only slightly defamatory talk about Stephen King. In short, another classic episode! RIP to the great Shelley Duvall. This week's matchups: Aliens v. The Grand Budapest Hotel The Shining v. Persona Searching for Shelley Duvall: The Reclusive Icon on Fleeing Hollywood and the Scars of Making ‘The Shining’ See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Bluesky: @lilieswithout Check out Derek's stuff at derekgodin.com Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

  2. 04/06/2024

    Serial Killer Gachapon

    Recorded on 23 February 2024 Derek must've angered one or another of the Computer Gods, because part of this episode was garbled beyond recognition. But never fear, sports fans! Thanks to Isabelle's considerable skills as an editrix, the seams on the episode are nary audible. So you will hear in the highest fidelity our intrepid hosts debate the pros and cons of your dad's favourite movie, Derek's favorite character actor joke, and of course, the entirety of Isabelle's online b******t fire sale. We also mention in passing two titans of the American arts who have recently passed. In short, another classic episode! This week's matchups: Good Will Hunting v. Dial M for Murder Saving Private Ryan v. The Terminator Further reading: "Everyone Is Beautiful and No One Is Horny" by RS Benedict "F/X Porn" by David Foster Wallace (via Michael S. Fuchs) See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Bluesky: @lilieswithout Check out Derek's stuff at derekgodin.com Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

    Serial Killer Gachapon

  3. 02/04/2024

    Tom Hanks Strikes Again

    Recorded on 24 November 2023 Sports fans, Isabelle brought the thunder with her reading this week, which threatened to swallow this episode whole, so to speak. But as all episodes must, we eventually get to the matter at hand, which in this case includes one of the most whiplash-inducing matchups in the bracket thus far. We also have some metagaming, a lot of fawning over the classics, and a short discussion of what we mean when we call something "good." In short, another classic episode! This week's matchups: Toy Story v. The Deer Hunter Casablanca v. Barry Lyndon See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Bluesky: @lilieswithout Check out Derek's stuff at derekgodin.com Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

  4. 19/03/2024

    I Think We Go to Different Libraries

    Recorded on 15 September 2023 Well that goofball Derek up and forgot to upload the new episode last week, so can chastise him via your medium of choice. Sorry about that! But here it is, one week late but no worse for wear. Sports fans, we invite you to take a trip back in time with us, a trip back to the fall of 2023, where your intrepid hosts dusted off their microphones and open-source audio software and recorded an episode of this very podcast for the first time in over two years. This is worth noting because we make a few references that place it in that time span (I think Derek literally refers to "2023" as the present within the opening five minutes). It's an episode full of hot takes, celebrity investment regrets, and more skimming the plot of the movies we're covering that usual (we will get better at this, I promise). We also disparage a bunch of sacred cows and fawn over one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching movies of all time. In short, another classic episode! This week's matchups: Some Like It Hot v. On the Waterfront Forrest Gump v. Paris, Texas -- See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Bluesky: @lilieswithout Check out Derek's stuff at derekgodin.com Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

  5. 27/02/2024 ·  Bônus

    An Oasis Appears in the Desert; It's One of Isabelle's Fucking Things

    tap tap Is this thing on? Your eyes and ears do not deceive you, sports fans! We are back from our long hibernation, but instead of overwhelming you with takes so hot they break the Scoville scale, our intrepid hosts return with a super-sized life update spectacular, filling you in on the details of what exactly they've been doing with their lives since mid-2021. Spoiler alert: a lot of hobbies were indulged in and a lot of media was consumed. Derek and Isabelle tell stories, recommend art, and go off on tangents. It's like we never left! The quest for the Greatest Movie of All Time* resumes March 12th. -- See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Bluesky: @lilieswithout Check out Derek's stuff at derekgodin.com Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

    An Oasis Appears in the Desert; It's One of Isabelle's Fucking Things

  6. 10/08/2021

    Randy Quaid Pride Flag

    Now I'm not one for boasting, sports fans, but this one is a corker. We have an instant-classic opening bit, a huge upset (wink), and an all-time difficult opening round matchup pitting two masterpieces that have a surprising amount in common despite the 75 years that separate them. Also Isabelle makes her co-host laugh the hardest he ever laughs, and Derek does a dramatic reading of an old film review of his. In short, another classic episode! This week's matchups: Reservoir Dogs v. The Bandit The Great Dictator v. Mad Max: Fury Road NOTE: During our discussion on The Great Dictator, Isabelle says that in Nazi Germany "Jewish people were fine with the Nazis" when she meant to say "The Nazis were fine with Jewish people." As ever, the context of the episode clarifies this. We trust your intelligence, dear listener, but we thought we'd point it out anyways just so we're crystal clear. Kick a few bucks Palestine's way: iF Charity Palestine Children's Relief Fund See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Twitter: @spacejamfan Follow Derek on Twitter: @derek_g Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

  7. 06/07/2021

    It Has Nutrients

    NOTE: This episode contains discussions of suicide. Sometimes the Universe gives you a gift, and sometimes that gift is a poisoned chalice. Sports fans, I have to tell you, our second matchup in this episode has no business happening in Round 1. But the Bracket Gods are capricious, and they will do as they please. In between discussing four very good-to-masterful movies, our intrepid hosts take the time to talk about Oddworld, arena football, #WhiteBoySummer, bar bands, and noted Isabelle reclamation project, Renny Harlin. There's even metagaming in this one.; In short, another classic episode! This week's matchups: The Apartment v. Mission: Impossible — Fallout Star Wars v. Jaws See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Twitter: @spacejamfan Follow Derek on Twitter: @derek_g Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

  8. 04/05/2021

    We're Gonna Cancel Abraham Lincoln

    Sports fans, as we being a-tumblin' down towards the end of round one, we encounter in these matchups a couple of mirrored pairs. We have two movies that our intrepid hosts revisit for the first time in a long time, and two masterpieces of their form, each close to one host's heart. Who will gracefully bow out? Who will live another day to possibly become the Greatest Movie of All Time*? What the fuck is up with Cluck Klosterman? The answer to these questions, dear listener, is yes. This week's matchups: Amélie v. Shutter Island Raiders of the Lost Ark vs. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Orson Welles vs. John Landis | @JFrankensteiner on Twitter See the bracket [SPOILERS AHEAD] Drop us a line: middlebrowmadness@gmail.com Follow the show on Twitter: @middlebrowpod Follow Isabelle on Twitter: @spacejamfan Follow Derek on Twitter: @derek_g Join the Middlebrow Madness Discord

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Sobre

Isabelle Arf and Derek Godin use the tried and true method of the single-elimination bracket to find out which movie from the IMDb Top 250 is the best one.

Informações

  • Criado por
    Isabelle Arf and Derek Godin
  • Anos de atividade
    2018 - 2024
  • Episódios
    46
  • Classificação
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Site do podcast
    Middlebrow Madness