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PODCAST

2 Cents Critic

What"s new, folks? If you"re in the mood to listen to Arthur Howell (creator of the blog 2 Cents Critic) give his thoughts on books, movies, and TV shows, then join in! Podcast Twitter and Instagram: @two_centscritic Personal Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, and Letterboxd: @arthur_ant18 Website: www.2centscritic.com Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144101970-arthur-howell

tv & film

All Episodes

02:12:06

#121 - The Talented Mr. Ripley | Directed by Anthony...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/09/13

Tune in as Paul Jordan and Pablo Escobar (Scared Gay!) hang out on 2CC to discuss The Talented Mr. Ripley, the 1999 film adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel of the same name. Discussing the varying facets of all the queer-coding and homoerotic tension, unpacking the layers of Tom’s sociopathy, and expressing distaste for Gwyneth Paltrow as a person (not as an actor, though, because she’s got true talent there) are just a few of the topics that get coverage here. Written and directed by

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02:09:44

#120 - Salt | Directed by Phillip Noyce (with Sharai...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/09/06

Tune in as Sharai Bohannon (A Nightmare on Fierce Street, Blerdy Massacre) joins in to break down the 2010 spy action thriller Salt. There’s plenty for the hosts to discuss here, including the movie’s ample amounts of flashbacks and bad wigs, whether or not Clint Eastwood is capable of defending the US president, the hilarity of naming a spider species after Peter Best, and the ways in which power-hungry Hollywood studios and rich people like Oprah and Dwayne Johnson are out of touch with the real

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01:41:15

#119 - The Cabin in the Woods | Directed by Drew...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/08/30

Tune in as Robert “Stew” Stewart (STEW World Order) hangs out on 2CC this week to dive into the 2011 meta horror-comedy The Cabin in the Woods. Talking points include the hosts’ contrasting feelings toward Malignant, their shared aversion toward torture porn, and the deconstruction and subversion of horror tropes that Cabin provides. Directed by Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods stars Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins, Bradley

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02:17:51

#118 - A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/08/23

Tune in as Jessica and Saunya (Opinionated Lushes) return to the show for a breakdown of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, the 2019 YA mystery thriller novel by debut author Holly Jackson. The hosts do plenty on this episode, where they theorize that Pip is neurodivergent, express their varying tolerances for heavy and disturbing content in thriller and horror media, vent their ACAB attitudes, and wonder just what the hell calamity parties are supposed to be. TW: Murder, suicide, statutory rape,

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03:05:09

#117 - Beach Read by Emily Henry (with Anna)

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/08/16

Tune in as Arthur’s buddy Anna hops into the guest chair for a review and recap of Beach Read, the 2020 rivals-to-lovers and grumpy/sunshine contemporary romance novel by Emily Henry. There’s tons for the hosts to chat about on this episode of 2CC, including speculation over whether or not the Netflix Christmas rom-com Love Hard stole its premise from real life, the gender stereotyping that‘s baked into how books are marketed, dysfunctional family baggage, and a reminiscence on Peet’s Coffee. TW:

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01:39:25

#116 - The Mitchells vs. the Machines | Directed by...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/08/09

Tune in as Trace Thurman (Horror Queers) stops by the show to discuss The Mitchells vs. the Machines, the 2021 Netflix animated road trip movie that, if we’re being honest here, should have won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature over Encanto. The topics that are getting coverage on this episode include the subversively written nuances of the Mitchell family dynamic, how this movie handles its casual queer rep, Arthur explaining the NPC trend to a TikTokless Trace, and multiple mentions of Pixar’s

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02:08:46

#115 - Disney+'s Secret Invasion | Created by Kyle...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/08/02

Tune in as pod friend Guy Bradford comes back to the show for a review and recap of Secret Invasion, the first Disney+ MCU series of 2023. The show’s horrible and lifeless AI-created opening credits, MCU fatigue, Guy mixing up Nic Cage and Nick Fury’s names numerous times, and the apparently gut-wrenching film that is Requiem for a Dream (which remains on Arthur’s watchlist) comprise just a few of this episode’s talking points. Created by Kyle Bradstreet, Secret Invasion stars Samuel L. Jackson,

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02:43:53

#114 - Death Note | Directed by Tetsurō Araki (with...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/07/26

Tune in as the program returns from its two-week hiatus to invite back previous guests Clayton Jones II and Shawn Murphy (Men Who Like Men Who Like Movies Podcast) for a breakdown of Death Note, one of Arthur’s all-time favorite anime series. Complex moral and philosophical questions, the show’s Quentin Tarantino-level obsession with feet, the smoldering love that clearly burns between Light and L, and a presentation of the hosts’ Scream rankings comprise just a few of the talking points on this

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02:47:30

#113 - The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/07/05

Tune in as Torry (Ready to Be Petty) rejoins Arthur for a review and recap of The Bromance Book Club, the 2019 second chance romance novel by Lyssa Kay Adams that explores what happens when a guy embarks on a plan to save his collapsing marriage by joining a club full of men who read romance books to educate themselves on love, women, and healthy masculinity. All the sexism that our society has aimed at the pumpkin spice latte, the pleasure of meeting side characters in a romance book who you

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03:02:02

#112 - Love, Simon | Directed by Greg Berlanti (with...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/06/28

Tune in as the program wraps up Pride Month by dropping its final queer media-focused episode of June! Arthur’s friends Jared and Misty Rose return to 2CC to break down Love, Simon, the 2018 film adaptation of the 2015 queer YA book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. A few of the topics they discuss include guesstimating the queer youth population of Atlanta, sneaking onto the Internet via incognito mode, the huge missed opportunity for a Leah on the Offbeat adaptation, and Jared

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01:43:05

#111 - The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/06/21

Tune in as the show continues to celebrate Pride Month and cover queer media on this third episode of June! Ryan Kinney (Brother Ghoulish’s Tomb) hops into the guest seat for a review and recap of the 1994 queer road trip comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Talking points for this episode include what a theoretical series reboot of Priscilla could accomplish, wrestling with the surprisingly mean-spirited gags that are scattered throughout a generally heartwarming film, and the

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01:40:00

#110 - Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner (with...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/06/14

Tune in as the show continues to celebrate Pride Month and cover queer media on this second episode of June! Arthur’s buddy Logan returns for their third guest spot to discuss Something to Talk About, the 2020 sapphic contemporary romance novel by Meryl Wilsner. Talking points include just how vehemently slow-burn this gets, the book’s nimble handling of risky tropes like employee-boss relationship and age-gap, and wishing for a big woman/small man rom-com novel. Spoilers start at 10:50 Good

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02:09:11

#109 - Prime Video’s Anything’s Possible | Directed...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/06/07

Tune in as the show kicks off Pride Month by covering queer content for the next four episodes of June! On this first week, Meggie Gates, a returning guest who cohosts the book podcast YA, We Read It! with Laura Petro, hops back onto 2CC for a discussion on Anything’s Possible, the queer coming-of-age rom-com that dropped on Prime Video back in 2022. Talking points for this episode include questioning the movie’s generous portrayal of Reddit, the pitfalls of policing queer labels, and all that

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02:54:47

#108 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Directed by...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/05/31

Tune in as Arthur’s filmmaker friend Connor Kujawinski returns to the program for a breakdown of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the 32nd movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the long-awaited finale to the GOTG saga. Talking points for this particularly lengthy episode include the subtle character arcs, comparing a confusing moment from the movie to Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the one-take hallway fight scene, how the High Evolutionary holds up as an MCU villain, and all the emotional

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02:21:10

#107 - Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (with Mel B. and...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/05/24

Tune in as Mel B. and Jackie D. (Read, Watch, or DNF, DNF Happy Hour) join Arthur to discuss Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, the 2001 fantasy middle-grade novel that weaves in some sci-fi and asks the question, “What if Die Hard, but with fairies?” A quick digression into To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, nefarious antiheroes, speculating as to why Judi Dench agreed to be in the horrendous Artemis Fowl movie, and complex time mechanics make up a few of the subjects that the hosts chat about here. TW:

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01:48:08

#106 - The Proposal | Directed by Anne Fletcher (with...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/05/17

Tune in as Adam Avitable (Dating Kinda Sucks, The Angel at the Starlite Motel) hangs out on the program for a discussion on The Proposal, the 2009 engagement-of-convenience, enemies-to-lovers, boss-employee rom-com starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Talking points for the episode include the numerous parallels this shares with While You Were Sleeping, Adam’s Rosario Dawson story, whether or not this movie had originally cast Indigenous actors, and the varying levels of its clichés and

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01:59:42

#105 - What Lies Beneath | Directed by Robert...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/05/10

Tune in as Kat and Jazz (Girl, That’s Scary) team up with Arthur for a discussion on What Lies Beneath, the 2000 supernatural domestic thriller that gave us Michelle Pfeiffer’s velvety delivery of the iconic “Your Wife” line. Hitchcockian vibes, how spicy Atomic Fireballs truly are, gorgeous cinematography, and just what the hell is going on with the Feurs are some of the topics that the hosts cover. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, What Lies Beneath stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford, Diane

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02:45:03

#104 - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | Directed...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/05/03

Tune in as my friend Daxh Alanis hops into the guest seat for a breakdown of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is not only the 31st movie in the MCU, but is also the movie that’s kicking off Phase 5 of the superhero franchise. The parallels that this flick shares with pop culture media like Star Wars and Rick and Morty, whether the MCU is being written like a TV show, the Jonathan Majors situation, and using the Kardashev scale to classify a highly intelligent ant colony make up just a few of

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02:22:11

#103 - Disney+’s The Mandalorian, Season 3 | Created...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/04/26

Tune in as return guest and fellow Star Wars nerd Brojem joins Arthur for a review and recap of Disney+’s The Mandalorian, Season 3. The ways in which the hosts like and dislike the evolution of Star Wars, the franchise’s dubious stance on droid slavery (a topic that the hosts had previously covered in last year’s podcast on Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi), a mini-discussion on The Book of Boba Fett, and Disney’s decision to scrap the Star Wars Legends comprise just a few of this episode’s talking

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01:50:56

#102 - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by...

2 Cents Critic ·

2023/04/19

Tune in as Christy (X Knows All) hangs out with Arthur for a breakdown of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award-winning novel by Gabrielle Zevin (The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry) that covers over three decades of a complicated friendship between two ingenious and flawed video game designers. Talking points for the podcast include the messy and endearing nature of the lead characters, comparing this book to Ready Player One, and what it’s like to consume this from gamer

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252 results

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