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Cup of Tea Critiques PodcastThe Short Films that Led to Long CareersFor decades, aspiring filmmakers have used short films as tools for learning their craft. Constrained by tiny budgets, small casts, and limited options for shooting locations, they produce complete stories ranging from five to thirty minutes in length. Visually, the films present like rough cuts. But artistically, they reveal the tendencies of these future auteurs. You might have heard of a few of them: George Lucas, Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino, Jean‑Luc Goddard. In this episode, we explore the short films of famous directors, so you can appreciate the humble beginnings of these filmmaking giants.Be sure to...2025-07-2246 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastWhere’s Hollywood’s Sense of Adventure?You may remember movies like The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. These family‑friendly films incited a sense of adventure and stirred the imagination. So, what happened to them? They seem to have disappeared from the movie landscape over the last generation or so. In this episode of the podcast, we take a deep dive into adventure films and explore the demise of this exciting subgenre on the big screen.Be sure to leave us a comment about your latest adventure!For future updates, subscribe to our podcast wh...2025-07-1547 min
Crimes of the CenturiesReckoning at Penn State: The Jerry Sandusky ScandalJerry Sandusky was a legend at Penn State University. As the right hand of head football coach Joe Paterno, he was known not only as an exceptional coach but also as a big-hearted philanthropist and advocate for troubled youth. So when a 2011 grand jury report exposed decades of abuse, the fallout was immeasurable, bringing to light a story of power, silence, and the cost of looking the other way.
"Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early...2025-07-1454 minCrimes of the CenturiesFaith Vs. Flag: How the Gobitis Case Tested the Limits of Religious FreedomIn 1935, 12-year-old Lillian Gobitas and her little brother William were kicked out of their Pennsylvania public school — not for misbehaving, but for quietly refusing to salute the flag, which they believed went against their Jehovah’s Witness faith. Their dad sued, arguing the school had violated their right to religious freedom. But in a sweeping decision, the Supreme Court sided with the school, saying national unity outweighed First Amendment protections. The ruling sparked a wave of violence against Jehovah’s Witnesses across the country, and fueled criticism the Court had abandoned core constitutional rights.
"Crimes of the Centuries" is a p...2025-07-0749 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastPost‑Apocalypse Now!Let’s say you’re not a vegan and there is suddenly no meat available because the animals were stricken by a virus and died. We recently saw a screening of director R.T. Thorne’s 40 Acres that presents such a scenario and gives us a glimpse of what could happen when we don’t have something we have taken for granted. This got us thinking about how other films have imagined post‑apocalyptic existence and how some of the stories (perhaps many of them) seem quite conceivable. Join us on this week’s episode of the Cup of Tea Critique...2025-07-0244 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastHappy Anniversary Jaws!Did it make you afraid to go into the water? Maybe you remember the frenzy around the blockbuster movie, Jaws. This month is the 50th anniversary of its release, and we are celebrating with personal remembrances and our thoughts on Jaws’ contribution to both movie and mainstream culture. Grab and brew and join us. Don’t worry; you won’t have to go into the water!Leave us a comment with the title of your favorite shark movie.For future updates, subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen. For email updates on all things Cup of...2025-06-2541 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastThe Joy of Hate Watching!Ever hear of “hate-watching?” It is the tendency to watch movies and television shows that do not appeal to you. Some go beyond lacking appeal to making you cringe every time you see them. Indeed, occasionally you watch the shows just for the sake of mocking them. Psychologists say that this strong negativism makes us happy and even strengthens bonds among friends and community. In this week’s episode of the Cup of Tea Critiques Podcast, we take a deep dive into “hate-watching” and passionately discuss the shows we have a strong disdain for but watch anyway!Leave us a...2025-06-1735 minCrimes of the CenturiesThe Siege of Sidney StreetIn late 1910 and early 1911, a band of impulsive Latvian radicals fleeing persecution in Russia unleashed a wave of violence in London that left three policemen dead and part of a quiet city block in ruins. The siege that followed would not only transform British law enforcement but also mark a turning point in media history, as cameras captured the chaos in real time.
"Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab...2025-06-1654 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastWhere are all the Action Movie Heroines?Have you seen the new John Wick movie, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina? Ana de Armas plays the lead and she is a badass in the film! It got us thinking how rare it is to see women presented as the lead in action movies. While they are prevalent in ensemble casts of action productions like Fantastic Four, X-Men, Game of Thrones, and name any Avengers feature you like, women are rarely featured as the focal point in these releases. Also, where we brand productions as “the next Tom Cruise movie,” the new Vin Diesel flick,” or even “...2025-06-1035 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastWhat Makes a Production a Classic?Consider for a moment your go-to movies or television shows. You know, the ones you stream decades (or perhaps just a year or two) after their release and they still make you laugh, make you cry, or just stir something inside you. Would you consider these works to be “classics” and, if so, why? The answers often spur intense debate because the subject is personal. In this episode, we discuss what makes a classic and expound on it with plenty of cinema that exemplifies it. So, what are your criteria for a film industry classic? Send us a not...2025-06-0341 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastHow throwback films take you waayyy back!Last fall, COTC reviewed the Peacock series, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, starring Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and Don Cheadle. The series is based on a true story about a robbery that occurred at a party after the Muhammad Ali‑Jerry Quarry fight in Atlanta in 1970. Big afros, platform shoes, and even plaid suits abound in this story. Seeing the eight‑part series took Terry and I back to our days as children, and Brandon and Chris began to reminisce on films that reminded them of their own childhoods. In this episode, we d...2025-05-2033 minCup of Tea Critiques PodcastWhere are all the Sports Movies?Remember movies like Little Big League, Any Given Sunday, Mighty Ducks, Major League, and Sandlot? From the 1990s to the early 2000s, the film industry released about four sports movies like these every year. But in recent years, we’re lucky to see two such films in theaters. What happened? Why have sports movies all but disappeared from the big screen? Join us as we discuss several contributing factors.For future updates, subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen, and for email updates on all things COTC, subscribe to our website using the link below:...2025-05-1544 min