Morally Offensive

Morally Offensive

Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast about the movies the Catholic Church tried to warn you about. We revisit films “Condemned” by the Legion of Decency, unpacking the outrage, the censorship, and the cultural shifts behind them. 

  1. hace 1 día

    The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978): Sleazy Sexploitation or An Examination of Conscience? | Part 2 (American Giallo)

    In Part Two of our discussion of The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), Bill and Kevin are joined by Ben Schneider from Reel Beans Podcast, and finally get into the movie itself. As part of the continuing American Giallo series, they walk through the plot, dig into the production and behind-the-scenes history, and see whether the Catholic reviews from Part One actually hold any weight. The crew goes over Faye Dunaway’s performance, Tommy Lee Jones' moralizing detective, the film’s strange blend of murder mystery and 1970s thriller, and the Helmut Newton fashion photography at the center of it all. The crew digs into what the movie might be saying about advertising, voyeurism, Capitalism, and the exploitation of women’s bodies. Is The Eyes of Laura Mars really just sleazy sexploitation ala Helmut Newton and Studio 54, or is there a more interesting argument buried underneath the pile of bodies and haute couture? Were the Catholic reviewers onto something in their critiques, or were they totally off base? Did some of the reviewers get it, or at LEAST seem to grasp part of its meaning? Tune in (are we still saying that in the streaming era?) to find out! Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Follow our guest: Reel Beans podcast: https://reelbeans.com/ Support the show: Merch Store! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  2. hace 4 días

    The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978): Sex, "Twaddle", & One B.F. Dick | Part 1 (American Giallo)

    Bill and Kevin are back with another installment in the American Giallo series, and this time we’re staring directly into The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) with Ben Schneider from Reel Beans Podcast. In Part One, the guys dig through the Catholic reviews and internal memoranda on Irvin Kershner’s Faye Dunaway thriller, and apparently the “Catholics” had some thoughts. One reviewer dismissed the movie as “twaddle,” another wrote it off as grocery store schlock, and then there’s the surprisingly thoughtful review from one B.F. Dick. Yes...that's actually his name. We also get into the bizarre screenwriting history behind The Eyes of Laura Mars, including the long-running rumors about Italian screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi’s involvement, and talk about Faye Dunaway’s absolutely killer run of movies leading up to this one. Along the way, we look at the film as a piece of American Giallo, the Catholic obsession with sex and violence on screen, and the strange path this very strange movie took from hands of John Carpenter, to the Eyes of Laura Mars. Check out episode one, and definitely come back for a deep dive into the movie and behind the scenes tidits in episode two. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Follow our guest: Reel Beans podcast: https://reelbeans.com/ Support the show: Merch Store! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  3. hace 4 días

    Re-release: The Exorcist (1973) - First Impressions of an Exorcist Virgin (Restored)

    Since the Spooky Season is upon us, and we've gained a LOT of new listeners over the summer, we decided to restore one of our best early episodes, which unfortunately experienced technical difficulties during the recording process. Our Exorcist episode was famously interrupted by demons that got into our recording gear and caused a host of tech issues (or so the TikTok Exorcists tell us). As a result, we were never fully happy with the finished product. Now, armed with the very same technology used to restore John Gielgud's big speech in Caligula, we have improved the audio as best we could, given our time and budget. We didn't expect miracles, but we are much happier with the overall sound of this episode, and it really helps the content shine in the way we initially intended. Summary: It shouldn't be surprising that an episode about William Friedkin's The Exorcist would be plagued with technical problems (if you believe in that kind of thing) but the episode is finally live! Cisco makes Bill watch a film that he has put off seeing for years, due to a deep-seated fear of the devil and the demonic. Bill gives his first reactions, and the guys get into the post-Exorcist panic over demons (and consequent spike in exorcisms in the US), the increase in the number of Exorcists in the US, and the film's troubled production. Tangents include why Bill has never played Dungeons and Dragons, Hot priests, New Age synth music as gateway to the devil, the actual Pope's Exorcist, and irrational Catholic fears over yoga. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Support the show: Merch Store! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  4. 16 sep

    Body Double (1984): Relax, Don't Do It...When You Wanna Come | Part Two (American Giallo)

    Bill and Jess continue their American Giallo series with Cisco Scartozzi for the second half of Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984). Once again, Cisco is playing defense for De Palma, and Jess is dissecting some of the less savory subtexts within his films. This time, we dig into the behind-the-scenes stories surrounding the film’s second half, including the casting of Melanie Griffith, De Palma’s obsession with the Hitchcock blonde, and the unexpected Frankie Goes to Hollywood music video that splits the movie in half. We also get into the movie’s wildly uneven tone, its mix of erotic thriller, horror, satire, and whether all those competing ideas ultimately work. Despite its shortcomings, there’s plenty to unpack in Body Double, from its elaborate set pieces and technical filmmaking to the strange collection of ideas that make it such a memorable entry in the American Giallo series. *The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast, its management, or any affiliated organizations. Information provided by guests is their own and does not constitute an endorsement by the show. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Support the show: Merch Store! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  5. 4 sep

    Alice Sweet Alice (1976): When Rigid Catholic Devotion Becomes Psychosis | Part Two (American Giallo)

    In Part 2 of Morally Offensive’s deep dive into Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), Bill and the gang look beyond the film’s Catholic imagery to examine director Alfred Sole’s career and the real-world religious and psychological ideas lurking beneath the movie’s murders, masks, and First Communion. The episode explores Sole’s two later feature films and his career as a production designer, before turning back to the film’s depiction of Catholicism and mental health. The discussion digs into the Catholic fear of therapy and the recurring cultural idea that confession can serve as a substitute for psychological care. The hosts also tackle excommunication and ask whether the extreme punishment actually makes sense within Catholic theology given the film’s known acts of mortal sin. From there, the conversation gets into religious psychosis, scrupulosity, and the ways high-control religious environments can affect people who struggle with ADHD, OCD, and other disabilities. The hosts discuss how an obsessive focus on religious rules and sin can come at the expense of a person’s psychological and physical well-being. Part 2 of Alice, Sweet Alice takes the film’s Catholic horror seriously, asking where religious devotion ends, where psychological distress begins, and what happens when the two become impossible to separate. *The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast, its management, or any affiliated organizations. Information provided by guests is their own and does not constitute an endorsement by the show. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Follow our guest: Janecka Deer: https://www.instagram.com/screamqueenpodcaster Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

  6. 28 ago

    Alice Sweet Alice (1976): A Porno, An Excommunication, and a First Communion | Part One (American Giallo)

    In Part One of their two-part deep dive into Alfred Sole’s Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), Bill and Kevin are joined by Janecka Deer of Scream Queen Podcast to explore a now-classic Catholic adjacent horror films of the 1970s. Set in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1961, Alice, Sweet Alice follows twelve-year-old Alice Spages as her younger sister Karen prepares for her First Communion. When Karen is murdered, a mysterious figure in a translucent mask sets off a disturbing mystery involving childhood, first communion, puberty, family dysfunction, and violence. Bill, Kevin, and Janecka dig into the film’s religious imagery, First Communion iconography, grimy 1960s setting, Brooke Shields’ early role, Paula Sheppard’s unsettling performance, and Sole’s distinctive approach to horror. The discussion also looks back at Sole’s controversial debut, Deep Sleep, which attracted Catholic criticism, the FBI, and got the director excommunicated from the church. While Alice, Sweet Alice had no Catholic reviews of its own, Sole’s history with Catholic censors provides important context for this strange and provocative piece of American horror. And this is only the beginning. Part Two takes the investigation through the rest of Alice, Sweet Alice. Theme song by Bill "Netherlands" Holland Follow our guest: Janecka Deer: https://www.instagram.com/screamqueenpodcaster Support the show: AMERICAN GIALLO T-SHIRTS AND MERCH ARE IN! Merch: https://morallyoffensive.bigcartel.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW JUST BECAUSE Buy Us a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/morallyoffensive Website and Contact info: https://www.morallyoffensive.com Follow and watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorallyOffensivepod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@morallyoffensivepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morallyoffensivepod Threads: https://www.threads.net/@morallyoffensivepod

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Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast about the movies the Catholic Church tried to warn you about. We revisit films “Condemned” by the Legion of Decency, unpacking the outrage, the censorship, and the cultural shifts behind them. 

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