Episode #992: Weird Popcorn Eaters
First Broadcast: 6/24/24
In an article titled Movies may soon use AI to change the story each time you rewatch by Joshua Hawkins on bgr.com, this question is posed to the reader:
What if each time you watched a movie, it played out differently? That's the idea behind generative film, a new genre that some filmmakers are starting to experiment with. The idea is to use AI to mix up scenes and create completely different versions of the same movie each time it is played.
If you're anything like Camwerawoman Kim, your reaction to this might be "Fuck that," and then some. According to the article, only one movie fits this description so far: Eno, a "documentary" about Brian Eno that allegedly has 52 quintillion variations on how it can be seen. Is this a bona fide work of art, or just a souped-up version of "Nothing Forever," the neverending simulacrum of a Seinfeld episode in computer animation generated by A.I.? Does this represent writers' fears come to life, the hypothetical A.I. showrunner that creates custom episodes on demand and never needs to be paid? Couldn't all the time spent developing the code to come up with this stuff have been better used to LEARN HOW TO WRITE/DRAW/ACT/ETCETERA? Only time will tell, I guess; but how much time do we have left??
Episode #993: Hoarse Voice
First Broadcast: 7/8/24
Like many of you, we here at Free New York also watched the out-of-season debate between presumptive Presidential nominees Donald Trump and Joe Biden on June 27, 2024, and yeah, we had our complaints about it too. However, unlike so many people out there who seemed all too ready to "panic" over President Biden's performance--with even The New York Times calling for him to "leave the race" the very next day--we were much more concerned about the near constant stream of lies and delusions coming from Donald Trump's mouth, a far bigger issue than someone who more or less had his facts right while also having some trouble getting his words out. That, combined with the proposed second-Trump-term agenda of "Project 2025" (no matter how much Trump absurdly denies any knowledge of it), ought to motivate anyone who still favors democracy over dictatorship to, as Senator John Fetterman puts it, "chll the fuck out" and vote for Biden in November, instead of fantasizing about replacing him with someone else who might face an even more uphill battle than he does at the moment. I mean, you wouldn't want to take a chance that people like the ones who made it a law to display a version of the Ten Commandments in Louisiana public schools would get back into the White House, would you? People whose knowledge of Christian denominational conflicts and the religious motivations of this country's founders are so shallow that they forgot why the Constitution doesn't mention god or have a religious test for office in the first place? No, me neither. Maybe people will calm down by the time the nominations are set? And maybe it'll snow in Southtown...
Episode #994: Real Life Doesn't Always Make Sense
First Broadcast: 7/22/24
We recorded this episode only one day after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, and about all we knew at the time was that Trump survived with minor injuries, and that the alleged shooter was dead, having been shot & killed by the Secret Service after the attempt. We didn't know what exactly was going to happen at the Republican National Convention that following week, and we sure didn't know who exactly was going to be Trump's Vice Presidential nominee, so there was only so much we could discuss that would remain timely. Since the alleged shooter used an AR-15 type rifle to commit his crime, I think this is yet one more reason why these types of weapons should be banned nationwide, but you'll probably never hear today's Republicans advocating for that, even after the head of their party was nearly killed by someone using one of them. On top of that, even though the alleged shooter was a registered Republican who shot at a Republican candidate at a Republican rally full of an audience of Republicans, somehow Republicans are trying to blame all this on Democrats--which is absurd, especially considering that Trump and his supporters have been way more bloodthirsty talking about their opponents than today's Democrats have ever been, so in that sense it shouldn't surprise them that some of the hate they've been promoting is now turning itself on them. Then again, logic has never been Trump supporters' strong suit. Why can't more people be like the late Dr. Ruth, one of the most empathetic people who ever lived? Listen to one of her old radio shows to hear what we've lost! I hope we don't lose anything else in the meantime!
Episode #995: Interesting Times
First Broadcast: 7/29/24
Recorded mere hours after President Joe Biden announced, via social media, that he was withdrawing from the 2024 Presidential race and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris, for the Democratic nomination instead, we wondered out loud what this would mean for the party, the convention, and the election, and if any of the history of other less-organized campaigns would come back to repeat itself. We didn't know what was in store for the following week, so we took inspiration from those who weren't discouraged, even if we were a little nervous about what this would all mean for the future. Hear us talk it out in real time, then tune in next week for even more armchair analysis!
Episode #996: Minus Five
First Broadcast: 8/5/24
In the week after President Joe Biden announced, via social media, that he was withdrawing from the 2024 Presidential campaign and then endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris, for President instead, during which time he expanded further on his reasons why in an address to the nation the following Wednesday, Harris not only raised a record $80 to $100 million in campaign donations in a single day and a total of $200 million by the end of that week, but also recruited 170,000 volunteers to her campaign and boosted her favorability rating higher than those of her Republican challengers Donald Trump and JD Vance. Practically overnight, all of Trump and thr GOP's anti-Biden messaging became instantly useless, almost every prominent Democrat you can name is now publicly supporting Harris, and the one (ex-Democrat) Senator who briefly flirted with the idea of challenging her for the Democratic nomination almost immediately backtracked just as quickly as he initially speculated about it. This exceptional display of party unity, support, and a take-no-prisoners campaign strategy that unapologetically calls out Trump, Vance, and their supporters on their out-and-out weirdness gives me some very positive vibes, and the feeling that perhaps this nation is going to throw Trump and Project 2025 into the trash heap where they belong this November--knock on wood! So don't despair! Things might be looking up!
Episode #997: Type Type Type
First Broadcast: 8/19/24
Repeated: 9/23/24
"JD Vance is a bad nerd." I mean, what else would you call someone who reads the Lord of the Rings books (or watches the movies based on them) and thinks, "Yeah, I should help someone I once called 'America's Hitler' become the most powerful man in the country one more time?" Someone who missed the point, for starters. Someone who understood Tolkien about as much as Paul Ryan understood Rage Against The Machine, perhaps? Someone who's also very weird compared to Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota who's running for Vice President on the Democratic ticket with Kamala Harris. So, will a Harris/Walz victory in 2024 finally put an end to this weird cult once and for all? I certainly hope it does, but let's keep the lawyers on speed dial nonetheless.
Episode #998: Whale Juice
First Broadcast: 9/2/24
Repeated: 10/14/24
"Independent" Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who at one point, like his late father, once sought the Democratic nomination for President, has now endorsed the Republican candidate Donald Trump, despite having roundly condemned Trump as having "scammed American workers" (along with a litany of other complaints) just three months earlier, possibly because Kennedy is rumored to expect a place in Trump's cabinet should Trump win another term. Some people have interpreted this turn of events as a sign that perhaps Trump will drop out of the race and be replaced by RFK Jr. at the top of the ticket, similar to how Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Biden for the Democratic nomination--never mind how JD Vance seems to be ignored in this scenario. Perhaps that's a backhanded acknowledgement of how weird and creepy JD Vance is, although it doesn't say much if people would prefer someone who has no qualms about dumping a bear corpse in Central Park, or decapitating a whale carcass and strapping its disembodied head to the roof of his car for a 6 hour drive instead. Is it any wonder that so many potential voters are flocking to the fun. and joyfulness of the Harris-Walz campaign, and hopefully consigning the demented rants, perpetually unfulfilled promises, and cult-like supporters of Donald Trump to the ash can of history where they all belong? Heck, maybe we can use that energy to pass the National Popular Vote bill in enough states to render the Electoral College irrelevant, so we never again have to deal with asshats like Rudy Giuliani who are willing to trash their entire career in the service of a man who doesn't give two shits about anyone other than himself! Fingers crossed!
Episode #999: That's Thrilling
First Broadcast: 9/16/24
Repeated: 11/25/24
Did you enjoy your summer movies from the smaller selection this year? Did you see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Deadpool & Wolverine, Alien Romulus, or Robot Dreams? Did you see any revivals, like Easy Rider, Jaws, The Godfather, or Duck Soup? Are you streaming anything, and is anyone making any money at it? Do studios care about quality, or do they only care about butts in the seats? Remember: The more movies you see, the less you're liable to think they all have "Boss Baby energy," or something like that!