Matthew Wrather hosts with Peter Fenzel and Mark Lee. They totally had a plan when they started this one. They swear. They do manage to touch on Twilight: New Moon, Thanksgiving pop culture revelations, Christian Reality Shows, and Ninja Assasin. Along the way, some other stuff comes up, like how to market amateur theatricals and whether eating less makes you live longer.

For extra fun, play the Overthinking It Podcast drinking game.

Tell us what you think! Leave a comment, use the contact form, email us or call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401.

Download Episode 74 (MP3)

Matthew Wrather hosts with Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Ryan Sheely to overthink listener feedback. Topics include our troops in Iraq, scary movies, your ICBM address, proving and proving our knowledge, Will Smith, pulling punches in Faust stories, the further meaning of vampires, and how much TV can be good.

Tell us what you think! Leave a comment, use the contact form, email us or call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401.

Download Episode 69 (MP3)

Ryan Sheely and Matthew Wrather overthink the latest Gossip Girl and Glee, including micro- and macro-storytelling and whether Glee hates women.

This is the second episode of a new podcast. We will eventually spin it off into its own feed. If you hate it, just ignore the supplementary episodes and they’ll go away soon. If you love it, sit tight for instructions about subscribing to the new feed.

There will be no spoiler warnings and there will be many naughty words. If either of those things bothers you, don’t click!

Reactions to the show? Suggestions about what to call it? Email us or call 20-FAT-JOG-01 (that’s (203) 285-6401).

Download the Podcast Supplement (MP3)

So today I decided to cash in my Y chromosome once and for all by going to see Twilight.  First, let me share the song I would have played over the opening credits if I were the director.  Just start the clip and let it run in the background while you read the post.

Was the movie any good?  I’ve got no complaints, although I suppose I should warn you that I’m notoriously easy to please.  Compared to other movies reviewed by this site, it’s neither good enough to merit one of our flagrantly overthought rave-ups, nor anywhere near bad enough to deserve an increasingly histrionic series of pans.  Still, there are a couple of things worth examining here.

Matthew Wrather hosts a panel including Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, Josh McNeil and Jordan Stokes to overthink the role and appeal of stories like Twilight and to relate this latest take on the vampire story to the OTI horror muse, the zombie.

Warning: Twilight spoilers. Inconsequential spoilers, since if you care about that kind of thing you’ve probably read the books already, but still.

For another take on vampires, be sure to visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_von_Count

OVERTHINK THIS
Our Weekly Picks Return

• Jordan: Ginger Snaps – http://tinyurl.com/566o6c
• Matt: Schotts Miscellany – http://tinyurl.com/5lo5pb
• Mark: Give Chinese Democracy a Chance – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG2mcOI4oME
• Pete: Series Finale of The Shield – http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/the_shield/
• also: Ninja Warrior – http://www.g4tv.com/ninjawarrior/

Download Episode 21 (MP3)

I did some clicking around on IMDB this morning, and out of the top 100 highest grossing live action films of all-time (U.S. only), not one is directed by a woman.

You’ll notice I said “live action.” That’s because women did co-direct a couple films that break the top 100 when you include animation. Vicky Jenson co-directed Shrek (#38), and Judy Morris co-directed Happy Feet (#92).

And you’ll notice I said “U.S. only.” That’s because on the list of highest grossing films worldwide, a woman is currently at #48 and rising. The English director Phyllida Lloyd helmed Mamma Mia! this summer. Apparently, it did much better internationally than it did here – on U.S. box office chart, it’s only at #183.

And believe it or not, the situation for ladies behind the camera might be getting worse. Dr. Martha Lauzen of San Diego State University compiles a yearly study on women in Hollywood. Her report on the top 250 domestic grossing films of 2007 found that…

Women accounted for 6% of directors in 2007, a decline of one percentage point since 2006. This figure is almost half the percentage of women directors working in 2000 when women accounted for 11% of all directors.

However.

Twilight is directed by Catherine Hardwicke. In order to break into the top 100 domestic, it needs to gross over 187 million. I’m guessing it should do that by December 1.

So feminists — if you were disappointed that Hillary Clinton and/or Sarah Palin didn’t get to the White House, and least you can be proud that the celluloid ceiling is about to get busted wide open.

[I'd tell you to do your part by going to see the movie, but you were going to do that anyway. Or you already have. So I won't bother. --Ed.]