Today we explore the dark recesses of the human soul with Agnes Callard (Chicago). We discuss von Trier's minimalist staging, the movie's parable, the duality of human nature, the lies we tell ourselves and others, the film's political angle, and the role of anger in response to true evil. Cows on Twitter ..read more

John Milius's 1984 film Red Dawn has a reputation as being a jingoistic conservative fever dream, but we talk with Nat Hansen, who argues that its political outlook is more complex and more interesting. Along the way, we also discuss the film's portrayal of masculinity, the toll of war, the film's many references, from The Battle of Algiers to Alexander Nevsky. Follow us on Twitter: @cowspod Buy a t-shirt or mug: cowspod.threadless.com ..read more

Join us and critic Sean Burns to give out silly meaningless awards to our favorite films of 2023! Who will take home the top prize? Who will win best lisp? Tune in to find out ..read more

We go BACK to Arrakis, desert planet, homeworld of the spice and the Fremen and keeper of Shai Hulud. We're joined again for the journey by major spice-head John DeVore to discuss Villeneuve's two films in relation to Lynch's 1984 version and Frank Herbert's book. Along the way, we consider the worm Uber, the possibility of bad trips with the Water of Life, the lack of St. Alia of the Knife, the deliberate backgrounding of the more mystical elements of the novel, and the film's magnificent score. Repeat after us: "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion... fear is the mindkiller... long li ..read more

Join us to give out silly meaningless awards to our favorite films of 2023! Who will take home the top prize? Who will win best lisp? Tune in to find out ..read more

We are joined by Fran Hoepfner (BW/DR, Fran Magazine) to experience the triumph and tragedy of the Von Erich family. We discuss wrestling (duh), Zac, brothers, fathers, bodies, cults, the American political circus, all while trying to figure out our wrestling names and signature moves ..read more

Take the plunge with us and Veronica Fitzpatrick (BW/DR, Brown University) as we explore the moral complexities of narratives, relationships, and justice. Justice for Sandra? Justice for Samuel? Tune in to find out ..read more

We're joined by two philosophers of art to discuss how they've helped each other come to a greater appreciation for this quirky but lovable entry into the Fast and Furious franchise. We discuss how art can change depending on the context in which it is embedded, and the ways the franchise could have gone after this film. We also compare notes on the different ways we've come to appreciate this film over time. This episode is sponsored by The Art of the Trailer. Learn how to become a professional trailer editor today. Use promo code "COWS" for 20% off ..read more

The cows look back on 2023 with a Cows in the Field super-quiz -- how many questions can you get right?? Then, we reprise our Blair Witch episode, wherein we explore why the Blair Witch Project was the tenth highest grossing movie of 1999, why it took so long for Hollywood to capitalize on found footage horror, the nature of horror itself and why we desire to be horrified, as well as what makes the Blair Witch Project so especially horrifying ..read more

Join us and Emily St. James to discuss Fred Claus (streaming now on Max)! We marvel at the film's strange and unnecessarily complicated backstory about the cosmology of sainthood, discuss Santa Claus's moral epistemology, elf-yourself levels of CGI, why everyone deserves a second chance, and somehow spend five minutes discussing the phenomenon of "ugly hot ..read more