The veil has thinned. The leaves have fallen. The pumpkin guts line the garbage bins streetside, where swarms of masked adolescents march in unison in pursuit of sweet confections. The Twin Geeks, now aged 7, continues our annual tradition of Halloween specials with Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) — an inflection point where the now long-running series must either find a new direction or face imminent cancelation. As Fall sets in, the skies fill with darker clouds, and the rain clears the streets, a shadowy figure emerges. It's The Kentucky Gentleman! None other than Jesse Sparks, resident Halloween superfan and Radiohead connoisseur. As is our tradition, we run through the best of the year's horror movies, discuss the next film in our Halloween series, and review Radiohead-adjacent albums. It's 2024's best double-feature this time: two albums from the Radiohead and Sons of Kemet off-shoot band The Smile. The albums are Walls of Eyes and Cutouts. Come join us by the fire and warm up a nice autumnal tea.

And suddenly, Halloween was another word for mayhem.

Felicia Maroni (Seeing Faces in Movies) joins the show to discuss the first half of John Cassavetes' filmography: Shadows (1958); Too Late Blues (1961); A Child is Waiting (1963); Faces (1968); Husbands (1970); and Minnie & Moskowicz (1971). When we talk about John Cassavetes, we're talking about the history of American independent movies, from what preceded and influenced the movement, to how the format adapted and was deeply influenced by the style of indie auteurs like Cassavetes. By studying this filmmaking tradition, we can give shape to a whole world of cinema crafted outside the system and trace every step of contemporary productions back to their root source. By working outside the system and against the market, Cassavetes created a new system and a new market. We explore the eccentricities of this improvisational and naturalistic filmmaker who changed movies forever, one Opening Night, one Face, one Husband, one Chinese Bookie, and one Woman Under the Influence at a time. Stay tuned as Felicia will return for the second half of our series, and some of the most influential indie films of all time, next month.

Paul Thomas Anderson's exquisite Phantom Thread (2017) is our New Year's movie of choice, as our friend Renee (follow on LB: Pixie_Bomber) sits in for a discussion that weaves discussions of terrific costume design with subjects who are driven to become experts in their field. Phantom Thread is one of the reasons this site came to exist and we'll always have time for PTA's tightly-wound precision. Meanwhile, George Clooney has directed The Boys in the Boat, the story of the UW rowing team who beat Hitler's team, and Renee has brought her expertise as a former coxswain to weigh in on the new locally-focused movie. All this and more as we enter another year of delightful cinema ahead.