Conflict Kino

It's a Wonderful Life (THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS SPECIAL)

TRANSMITTING FROM THE TRENCHES OF THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS. Coffee cups that are no longer as Christmas-y as they should be, gingerbread cookies with pronouns, communists who attack the eugenicist politics of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer... we don't talk about those things, BUT we do talk about the 1946 classic, It's a Wonderful Life. Also discussed: group activities to conduct during a screening of Gaspar Noe's Climax, the Federalists (again), and Pat's most liked Letterboxd review. Some links for today's ep: * A thoughtful piece from Parker Molloy on the historical origins of the War on Christmas [https://www.readtpa.com/p/war-on-christmas-origin], which this ep pulls from a good bit * A data story on the War on Christmas as of 2024 [https://today.yougov.com/entertainment/articles/51143-falling-share-of-americans-think-there-is-a-war-on-christmas] If you'd like to write or call in to let us know what you think of the films we're chatting about, reach us at conflictkino@gmail.com

Emilia Pérez (France) ft. Grace from Big White Elephants

This is a BIG ONE, folks. Today we take on the UNIVERSALLY BELOVED OSCAR-AWARD-WINNING French film, Emilia Pérez. We are joined for the very first time by A GUEST: Grace from Big White Elephants [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-white-elephants/id1825662060]. Also discussed: Limp Bizkit roller coaster trauma, Grace's love of WWII, and TWO NEW LETTERBOXD CHALLENGES (Christmas in December [https://boxd.it/Q6SPI] and SEMBÈNEUARY 2026 [https://boxd.it/Qy7hU]). Other links: * Imperial Core directors depicting the Imperial Periphery in ways that aren’t terrible [https://boxd.it/QGoQ4] * A really thoughtful critique of this movie by Alisa Peate for The Conversation [https://theconversation.com/emilia-perez-the-films-wildly-unrealistic-representation-of-mexican-narco-violence-and-trans-lives-is-insulting-249066] If you'd like to write or call in to let us know what you think of the films we're chatting about, reach us at conflictkino@gmail.com

Ashkal (Tunisia)

In our seventh episode, we discuss Youssef Chebbi's Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation (2022) and learn a little about Tunisia. ALSO discussed: David Lynch's bizarre fear of Philadelphia, the naive hope of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, Lynne Ramsay's punk vibes, and Edgar Wright's good cop fantasies. If you'd like to write or call in to let us know what you think of the films we're chatting about, reach us at conflictkino@gmail.com

Don't Burn (Vietnam)

In our sixth episode, we discuss Đặng Nhật Minh's Don't Burn (2009, also known as Đừng đốt) and learn a little about Vietnam. ALSO discussed: returning to Weapons, squelchy vs crunchy horror, exchanging eggs between the mouths of lovers, and PTA's depiction of political violence. This episode is dedicated to Richard Bruce Cheney.   If you'd like to write or call in to let us know what you think of the films we're chatting about, reach us at conflictkino@gmail.com

Pulgasari (North Korea)

In our fifth episode, we discuss Shin Sang-ok and/or Chong Gon Jo's Pulgasari (1985) and learn a little about North Korea. ALSO discussed: found-footage horror, a double-feature of movies about SA allegations, and a shout out to our boy Harry T.   If you'd like to write or call in to let us know what you think of the films we're chatting about, reach us at conflictkino@gmail.com