Cinemaball Feminist Frequency, Ebony Aster, Carolyn Petit,

On this, our inaugural episode of Cinemaball, Carolyn and Ebony dive deep into the 1985 cult classic Highlander! This quintessential 80s film gives us no shortage of topics to discuss, from French actor Christopher Lambert’s performance as a Scottish nobleman to Scottish actor Sean Connery’s performance as a Spanish (or perhaps Egyptian?!) immortal. We delve into the rich contrast between Lambert’s introspective hero, Connor MacLeod, and Clancy Brown’s scenery-chewing villain, The Kurgan; share who we would cast in our own personal Highlander remakes; and rate the film on Ebony’s brother’s patented 100-star scale. Finally, Carolyn kicks the cinemaball over to their next film.

On this episode of Cinemaball, Ebony and Carolyn find themselves embroiled in the deadly underground Thai kickboxing scene of Kickboxer Retaliation! Join us as we go toe-to-toe with the film’s fight choreography, its representations of masculinity, and Mike Tyson’s acting skills.

Don’t look behind you, but on this episode of Cinemaball, Ebony and Carolyn talk about the terrifying horror film It Follows. (Caro is still recovering from her viewing experience.) We discuss the ways in which the film taps into some of our deepest fears around sex and death, the power of the various forms “it” takes, how the film uses its Detroit setting to great effect, and the small details that make its world feel just slightly displaced from our own. We end by each rating the film and Carolyn announces what we’ll be watching on next week’s show!

On this week’s Cinemaball, Ebony and Carolyn discuss the complex family drama Louder Than Bombs, which stars the captivating actor Gabriel Byrne as Gene, a man still trying to fully process the death of his wife, war photographer Isabelle. His sons, high-schooler Conrad and professor Jonah (played by Jesse Eisenberg) each have their own struggles, and over the course of the film we gain insight into the different meaning that Isabelle had for each of them.

Our conversation touches on what makes Gabriel Byrne such a fascinating actor, the use of video games as an easy shorthand for “this kid is troubled,” the prioritization of the inner lives of white men over just about anyone else as a pattern in cinema, and the ways in which photography works as a metaphor in the context of the film’s narrative. In the end, Ebony announces our next film, and the selection makes Carolyn very, very happy.

View the basic rules of Cinemaball and a history of all episodes at goo.gl/ePDPuQ

This week, Cinemaball goes all stylish and dark as Carolyn and Ebony dissect the 1997 neo-noir classic, L.A. Confidential. Our hosts wax rhapsodic about the film's masterful evocation of a peculiarly Hollywood glamour; the seedy underbelly of the LAPD; and the dangerous allure of power.

Adventure! Romance! Racism! On the latest Cinemaball, Ebony and Carolyn swing into the 1984 swashbuckler Romancing the Stone, starring Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas and a very funny Danny DeVito. Our conversation covers the interesting way in which the film depicts a scene from a romance novel, what was happening in actual romance novels at the time this film was released, the deeply racist depiction of Colombia and its people, the gleeful absurdity of the film’s plot, and much more.