Guilty Pleasures

Welcome to Guilty Pleasures, the show where we give in to pleasure, rising from our coffins to discuss a modern horror film and debating just how guilty we need to feel about loving or hating it. 

It was Steph’s pick this month, and she was once again desperate for any excuse to talk about the (according to her) greatest actor of our generation and possibly of any generation, Nicolas Cage.

We asked our adoring fans to choose between 2021’S PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND and 2023’S RENFIELD.

In an absolute bloodbath of an online vote, RENFIELD eviscerated the competition to earn its time in the light of this podcast.

So welcome us into your ears as we find out if RENFIELD glamours us with its charms or sucks the life out of us.

Join us for Steph's pick as she introduces Kelly and Jack to one of her favorite films in recent years, starring the cinematic love of her life, Nicolas Cage, who must venture out from his life as a reclusive truffle hunter to recover his stolen beloved truffle pig — forcing him to confront a life he left behind and grapple with the nature of art, passion, grief, and life after loss.

As Stephanie argues for the film's place in the hallowed halls of cinematic perfection, she says:

“At times gut-wrenching and at other times soul-stirring, PIG touched my heart in a truly profound way.”

Join us for Kelly's pick as she serves up an all-time holiday classic, the unspeakably great Planes, Trains & Automobiles. So grab a glass of wine or even some premature eggnog, and join us as we dive into an unmissable Thanksgiving/holiday favorite on this episode of NO NOTES.

As Kelly argues for the film's place in the hallowed halls of cinematic perfection, she says:

"I've been, I've seen a million Hallmark Christmas movies that don't understand what this movie comprehends at a bone-deep genetic level. Every action is more compelling and more moving when it's anchored in fully realized and developed characters. John Hughes wrote a beautiful movie. One that has moments that make me laugh incredibly hard while also reducing me to tears every time I watch it. Each component is astonishing on its own, but combined, they create something transcendent."

Welcome to NO NOTES, the show where three cerebral cinephiles take a break from chatting guilty pleasures to discuss cinematic treasures. Each month, we’ll take turns selecting a film we believe to be virtually flawless, one that had a significant impact on our lives and/or helped shape the film lover we became. 

For our third episode, it was Jack’s pick. He picked a film thundering with two-person tension, one that fills in the blockbuster gaps with small-stakes storytelling, and one that proves that sticks and stones may NOT be the only harmful things, after all.

Whether you’ve been keeping time with this podcast from the very beginning or are just now finding the tempo, we are happy to have you with us as we strike the gong and focus our percussive pontification on this No Notes pick, featuring a decidedly un-Christmas-like little drummer boy, 2014’s WHIPLASH.

Join the Guilty Pleasures crew as we continue the conversation, hanging out after the show, shooting the shit, and talking about all our thoughts and feelings on this month's featured film that we couldn't fit into our regular, hour-long episode.

We had an amazing time recording our BAIT episode (if you missed it, don't forget to tune in for a killer conversation). On this after-show, we talk a little about the shark film you didn’t pick, MEG (though, it’s mostly just a Jason Statham love fest). For the MEG talk, you’ll want to dive in about the 30-minute mark.

Prior to that, we discuss movies and filmmakers we love that are problematic. Plus, we talk about the good, bad, and ugly when it comes to romantic comedies and teen dramedies, new and old. We also bemoan the disrespect for goths in films like BREAKFAST CLUB and THE FACULTY. 

Towards the end of the show, you’ll get some big hints about what’s coming to future NO NOTES and GUILTY PLEASURES episodes. We wrap with an ode to perfect films and briefly chat about why we love horror so much. 

Welcome to NO NOTES, the show where three cerebral cinephiles take a break from chatting guilty pleasures to discuss cinematic treasures. Each month, we’ll take turns selecting a film we believe to be virtually flawless, one that had a significant impact on our lives and/or helped shape the film lover we became. 

For our second episode, it was Kelly’s pick. She put the spotlight on the criminally underrated 1974 rock-musical-comedy-horror film PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, directed by Brian De Palma and scored by and starring Paul Williams. 

As Kelly argues for the film's place in the hallowed halls of cinematic perfection, she says:

“This movie means EVERYTHING to me. It’s so fearless and bold. Paul Williams is so funny. The visuals are so striking. The soundtrack is so catchy. There’s no lesson, and I love every goddamn second of it.”

Tune in to hear us wax poetic about this spellbinding work of renegade art and find out why we unanimously grant it NO NOTES status. 

Join the Guilty Pleasures crew as we continue the conversation, hanging out after the show, shooting the shit, and talking about all our thoughts and feelings on this month's featured film that we couldn't fit into our regular, hour-long episode.

We had an amazing time recording our Dead Silence episode (if you missed it, don't forget to tune in for a killer conversation). But we had so much to say on the subject that we needed more than our scheduled hour. On this after-show, we dig deeper into this polarizing early Aughts horror film and continue to argue its merits (or lack thereof).

Then we transition into nerdy film talk, including a discussion of our new spinoff NO NOTES podcast. We also discuss anime, real-life haunted (maybe) dolls, our love of shark horror, what we've been watching and what we're excited to watch, and more!

For Wahlberg Horror Month, we asked our adoring fans to choose between Donnie doing battle with a killer doll in James Wan’s DEAD SILENCE and Marky Mark battling killer trees in the beleaguered Shamalan flick THE HAPPENING. In an online vote, DEAD SILENCE easily took center stage, leaving THE HAPPENING flapping in the wind.   

So take a seat, boys and girls, as we start the show and find out if DEAD SILENCE is a killer pleasure or a guilty sin that we’re better off staying silent about.   

THIS MONTH'S THEMED SPIRIT: DONNIE'S DELIGHT

Shaek 1 1/2 ounces of vodka, 1 ounce of Irish Cream, 2 ounces of chocolate liqueur, and a dash of vanilla extract in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the contents of the shaker into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.

Welcome to NO NOTES, the show where three cerebral cinephiles take a break from chatting guilty pleasures to discuss cinematic treasures. Each month, we’ll take turns selecting a film we believe to be virtually flawless, one that had a significant impact on our lives and/or helped shape the film lover we became.

For our premiere episode, it was Steph's pick. In honor of its 35th anniversary, she selected MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, the 1988 Studio Ghibli animated classic by Hayao Miyazaki.

As Steph argues for the film's place in the hallowed halls of cinematic perfection, she says, "As a tribute to childhood innocence, wonder, and familial love, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO contains so many moments of pure cinematic magic. This is the kind of joyful work of art that makes you fall in love not just with a movie but with cinema itself."

Tune in to hear us wax poetic about this breathtaking work of art and find out why we unanimously grant it NO NOTES status.

Join the Guilty Pleasures crew as we continue the conversation, hanging out after the show, shooting the shit, and talking about all our thoughts and feelings on this month's featured film that we couldn't fit into our regular, hour-long episode.

We had an amazing time recording our Crimson Peak episode (if you missed it, don't forget to tune in for a killer conversation). But we had so much to say on the subject that we needed more than our scheduled hour. On this after-show, we dig a little deeper into this gothic gem, continue to argue its merits (this one was polarizing!), and share more fascinating BTS info.

Then, about 20 minutes in, we just start getting into nerdy film talk. Join us as we discuss our shared love of Crispin Glover, the horror of Lovecraft (both fictional and real), our favorite cosmic horror films, the separation of art from the artists (are all geniuses monsters?), our favorite films and filmmakers, and what we hope (and fear) we might be talking about on our next episode. If you listen, you'll get a much deeper understanding of who we are and what makes us tick as cinephiles. Plus, get some hints about what we might be covering in future episodes.

For Gothic Horror Month, we asked our adoring fans to choose between two star-studded but polarizing productions: 2012’s THE WOLFMAN and 2015’s Guillermo del Toro helmed CRIMSON PEAK. In an online vote, CRIMSON PEAK won by a blood-soaked landslide.  

So don your Victorian PJs and grab your candelabra as we explore these haunted halls to find out if CRIMSON PEAK seduces us with its gothic charms. Is it the peak of pleasure or the decaying stink of pure guilt?

THIS MONTH'S THEMED SPIRIT: CRIMSON COCKTAIL

Fill two large glasses with a few cranberries and a small piece of rosemary, and muddle slightly. Fill with ice. Add 2 ounces each of vodka and 1/8 cranberry juice. Add ¼ cup each sparkling apple juice. Fill the rest of the way with ginger beer, and stir slightly to combine. If you don’t like ginger beer, you can replace it with apple juice. Garnish with fresh cranberries and/or apples and rosemary if desired. You can sub gin or tequila for vodka or leave it out entirely for a fun mocktail.

We asked our adoring fans to choose this month's revenge horror film, between the 1974 rock opera horror film PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE and the 1989 slasher PHANTOM OF THE MALL: ERIC'S REVENGE. You chose the Mall over Paradise, which, back in the 80s and 90s, was pretty much the same thing!

Join us as we dive into the gory details, dish about sneaky snakes and awkward love affairs, wonder why the hell everybody was kung fu fighting, and ask, "Is this really a Guilty Pleasure?"

THIS MONTH'S THEMED SPIRIT: SWEET REVENGE (STRAWBERRY CURE)

If desired, rim an old-fashioned glass with sugar by rubbing a lemon wedge around the rim, then dipping it into a small plate of sugar. Fill the glass with ice, and pour one ounce of Sweet Revenge (strawberry liqueur), 2 ounces of club soda, and a splash of lemon juice. Stir well. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Enjoy!

Welcome to Guilty Pleasures, the show where we dive into the horror films we can’t help but devour…even if they do raise our cholesterol and expand our waistlines. These films may not be good for us, but they make us forget the misery of existence for just a little while.

And that’s especially important as we’re dealing with the horror of Valentine’s Day. Or, as douchebag Detective Axel Palmer aptly describes it: the stupidest fucking holiday a greeting card company ever invented.

That’s right, we’re talking about 2009’s campy 3D spectacle and 80s horror remake, MY BLOODY VALENTINE. We let our social media followers pick this month’s V-Day-themed episode, and it was a landslide 2-to-1 victory for MY BLOODY VALENTINE, beating out 2001’s VALENTINE.

Join us as we dive into the gory details, dissect all the highlights and lowlights, drool over Jensen Ackles, and ask, "Is this really a Guilty Pleasure?"

Our cocktail of choice for this killer anti-love day episode is the easy-to-make and quite tasty 'Bloody Valentine'. If you'd like to imbibe alongside us, here's how to do it.

Place 2 ounces of white rum, 3/4 ounces of peach schnapps, and 3 ounces of black cherry juice, along with 2 tsp Grenadine, in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for about 10 seconds to mix—strain into a martini glass or pour over ice into a rocks glass with a sugared rim. Garnish with a fresh or maraschino cherry, if desired.

We are thrilled to announce Guilty Pleasures 2.0, a reboot of the popular podcast on the Morbidly Beautiful network. When the show’s original host, Scott Murphy, decided to retire his jersey, he passed the torch to three new players: Morbidly Beautiful writers Stephanie Malone, Kelly Mintzer, and Jack Wells.

In this brief mini-episode, Stephanie’s Cheer and Loathing co-host, Casey Chaplin, was kind enough to join as a special guest host, leading the Guilty Pleasures crew through a series of rapid-fire trivia and get-to-know-you questions. He even helps psychoanalyze the trio based on their questionable answers, and it’s terrifying!

Our cocktail of choice for our Game Day episode is a Gatorade Margarita. It’s sinfully good and so easy to make. So, if you’d like to imbibe alongside us, here’s how to do it.