I've developed an unhealthy obsession with the Real Housewives, let's face it. But for as much vapid bickering over white wine as there is on any iteration of this show, every once in a while it gets refreshingly real. This week I'm diving into all the micro-moments of RHONY icon Bethenny Frankel's Season 11 meltdown in Miami over LuAnn's caba-razy…

In the Details is back this week/month/year to queen out on Pedro Almodovar's homage to mothers, actresses and the modern melodrama, 1999's "All About My Mother." Joining me this week is the always brilliant Leanne Kubicz to help me dive into the world of Almodovar, his themes and references and of course, his chicas, as well as his nuanced and com…

Just in time for Halloween, I've curated a fantasy movie marathon of some of the more questionable choices in the horror movie aisle of yesteryear's video store. These are not just bad movies (though I don't know if any of them would qualify as good), they're surreal and delirious and sometimes totally fascinating. And they're all available on Yout…

One of the rings of hell is likely a New York City subway station in the 80's. And it probably looks like the 59th Street stop depicted in 1980's super sleazy "Maniac." I can't say I recommend the movie, but the subway scene with the nurse is a terrifying glimpse into a bygone era of the MTA. (Subway station bathrooms!) But first: I have attended "…

I’m kicking off a month of Spooky Nuances with the 1950 film noir classic “In a Lonely Place,” a tense and twisted vehicle for superstars Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame that also features a face journey by actress Jeff Donnell as the suspicious Sylvia, the amazing Hadda Brooks as a lounge singer who gets a Moment, and Martha the no nonsense mas…

After an extended spring break and summer vacation, I'm back this week with some thoughts on Malignant, Bernard Hermann's score for Sisters, the shows Work in Progress and The Other Two, and Sarah Paulson's Linda Tripp, before a necessary celebration of the best 8 and a half minutes you'll see all year, "Brenda Vaccaro is having a good time."Brenda…

I was quick to write off both "The Undoing" and "The Flight Attendant" only months ago, but after finally bingeing both, I found reasons to appreciate both shows--specifically, some fine actressing from Nicole Kidman, Lily Rabe, Noma Dumezweni, Rosie Perez, Zosia Mamet and most of all, Kaley Cuoco. Expect plenty of spoilers of "The Undoing" and no …

The much anticipated next chapter of "Cherishing Valerie" is here! This week we're breaking down Val's biggest meltdown, the Season 2 desert monologue. And perhaps it's perfect timing--never more have I identified with a woman in a track suit making beef rollatini and completely losing her shit.Get in touch with me!Email: inthedetailspod@gmail.comT…

Awards season has officially begun this year! My fake award show looking back at a years' worth of episodes, plucking out the highlights, then ranking them on a purely emotional basis is back for a third year. The Nuancies are bigger than ever, even if my episode output in 2020 was smaller than ever. We're not just counting down the top five acting…

Few actors can play drunk as convincingly as Eileen Heckart does in 1956's "The Bad Seed." Heckart won the Golden Globe and was nominated for both the Oscar and a Tony in the Broadway production a couple years earlier for her heartbreaking portrayal of Mrs. Daigle, grieving the death of her son and in desperate need to find out what happened to tha…

1956's "The Bad Seed" is most well-known for being a pioneer of the "killer kid" horror sub-genre. But it also features three Oscar-nominated female performances--Patty McCormack as the pigtailed psycho Rhoda Penmark, the brilliant Eileen Heckart as drunk, grief-stricken Mrs. Daigle, and Nancy Kelly as Rhoda's poor suffering mother Christine. Kelly…

One of my favorite things about "The Stepford Wives" is the dynamic duo of Joanna and Bobbie--two former city girls turned suburban moms who find refuge in each other's humanity in the sinister utopia of Stepford. This week I'm queening out on Paula Prentiss's wacky charm as Bobbie before breaking down my favorite micro-moments during Joanna's desp…

If "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is the filet mignon of horror movies, this is boiled bologna at best. Today I'm digging into the ultra-obscure shot-on-video, zero budget 1987 slasher "Lunch Meat," and specifically, it's bizarre and oddly fascinating ending--and music that scores it. This Texas Chainsaw rip-off is by no means worth an entire watch, but…

It's just too much! This episode I'm queening out on Meryl Streep and Jeff Daniels' emotionally precarious minutes together in "The Hours." Julianne Moore's talking through tears and Nicole Kidman's raspy grasp of an Oscar get moments of appreciation, but it's an un-nominated Meryl melting down in her kitchen much to Jeff Daniels' effortlessly fey …

There are few things I love more than an over the top movie soundtrack. This week I'm highlighting some insanely good Italian horror movie soundtracks that are all over 30 years old but could have been recorded last year, and are bonkers in the best way. Plus I queen out about "Dead to Me" (all that talking through tears!), some classic child beaut…

This week, I correct a grievous error from last week's episode that, well, no one would probably notice but me, and highlight some Blanche Devereaux nuances I forgot to mention! Plus: some thoughts on the 2007 revival of "Company," a re-appreciation of JoBeth Williams in "Poltergeist," some thoughts on the strange experience of grief and a few nuan…

I've been wanting to celebrate Rue McClanahan's nuanced Golden Girl Blanche from the moment I first watched her figure out what "lesbian" meant. Blanche is more than just the original Samantha Jones--while she's best known for being a vivacious sexpot, Blanche has moments of wackiness, dismay, anger and confusion that make me love her even more. Th…

Rose Nylund may seem like the least nuanced of the Golden Girls gals, but in one Season 6 episode, she got a whole scene to herself to prove otherwise. Betty White hand acts and self-interrupts and eventually even talks through tears in a brilliant flashback to her final birthday in St. Olaf, and this week I'm breaking it down beat by beat.Watch it…

The North Avenue Irregulars is an admittedly obscure 1979 Disney family film, and an unlikely source of nuance. But not only is the movie teeming with double entendre and a delightfully 70's color palette, it's filled to the brim with wackadoo set pieces featuring pitch-perfect comedic actressing from like Cloris Leachman, Kim Valentine, Virginia C…

Canadian cult favorite "Schitt's Creek" went out on a high--not only with a satisfying final season but a post-series documentary/love letter "Best Wishes, Warmest Regards." (I spend the whole episode calling it "Best Wishes, Warm Regards," I know.) My Best Supporting Podcast co-host Nick Kochanov joins me this week to queen out on the most emotion…

Strange times call for strange content! This week I'm queening out on some recent favorite nuances that have found their way into my life in lockdown. From a perplexing Sylvia Miles in "Midnight Cowboy" to some really wackadoo Italian horror movie soundtracks to Best Supporting Actress winner compilations on YouTube, this is an odd sampling of what…

I'm certainly empathetic to poor Mrs. Hilyard in 1964's sweaty, sleazy "Lady in a Cage"--trapped like a caged animal while the world outside seems to go mad. This week I queen out on some of my favorite acting choices from star Olivia DeHavilland, who sinks her teeth into one of the better "mature lady in peril" roles of the 60's and 70's. Plus: a …

Von Colin Drucker

Von Colin Drucker

Von Colin Drucker

Von Colin Drucker

Von Colin Drucker

Edith Massey is a nuance in and of herself. A quintessential best supporting actress in the world of John Waters, her deliriously batty, busty, forward-thinking Aunt Ida in "Female Trouble" is a queen ahead of her time. Johnny from the podcast "That's Spooky" joins me this week to sing the praises of Massey's inherent kindness, as well as her denta…

Patricia Clarkson takes a 3 minute cameo in an episode of "Broad City" and turns it into a masterclass in how to play genuine pathos and genuine bananas all at once. This week, I'm breaking down her monstrous mother-son showdown beat by beat, nuance by nuance. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/uNHoQ4Nii4wGet in touch with me!Email: inthedetailspod@gm…

How about a Halloween bonus episode, whaddya say?! One of my favorite gaylords of darkness, Stacie Ponder, joins me to point and scream at Ruth Gordon's wacky and wicked turn as Minnie Castavet in "Rosemary's Baby." We also queen out on Mia Farrow in a phone booth, Patsy Kelly out of the closet, and then just a full on tangent about Texas Chainsaw …

I could probably dedicate an entire podcast to 1974's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"--this is already my second full episode focused on how much I love this movie. But this week I'm not alone--Brooklyn drag king Vigor Mortis joins me to dive deep on what we agree is a beautiful piece of American cinema. We explore the history of Ed Gein, the sociopoliti…

The 1987 slasher "Blood Rage" had no idea how perfectly wackadoo it was, and in large part due to Louise Lasser's committed performance (and the film's award-winning theme song!). This week, I queen out on Lasser's epic aria of a phone call with a seemingly bemused operator, the surprisingly charming final girl Karen and some real humanity (and tra…

Watching a mother and her son try to wait out a rabid dog from the relative safety of a broken down Pinto in "Cujo" wouldn't be so compelling if not for Dee Wallace's intensely emotional performance as Donna. This week, I queen out on some of her most powerful nuances and how she exemplifies the Final Mom archetype. I also highlight a similar showd…

Fosse/Verdon is, first and foremost, an amazing showcase of Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon. And the episode “Nowadays” really lets her shine--but the devil in the details is Chita Rivera (Bianca Marroquin) lending incredible emotional nuance to the series’ best scene, which we’ll dive into beat by beat. But first, I queen out on Olivia Colman’s t…

Schitt's Creek is flooded with comedy gold--Catherine O'Hara, we see you--but this week I'm queening out on Alexis (Annie Murphy) in a brilliantly nuanced scene from Scene 4's "The Barbecue." But first, my continued thoughts on Broadchurch as I make my way into Season 2, including some questions about Charlotte Rampling, some love for a Best Suppor…

Fun Mom Dinner and Broadchurch--just a couple of modern meditations on grief, denial and facing the looming inevitabilities of one's fate. Well, okay, not really--Fun Mom Dinner is actually a meditation on mediocrity, but just as compelling as Olivia Colman trying to solve a seaside murder. Joining me this week is Jonathan Foster, the artistic dire…

One's a boozy girls trip gone wrong, the other's a trippy backpacking excursion gone wrong, but otherwise, Midsommar and Wine Country really have nothing in common, except for some really effective emoting from Florence Pugh and Amy Poehler. This week, my initial thoughts on Ari Aster's pagan fever dream and the uneven Netflix original full of SNL …

This week, I'm joined by Leanne Kubicz to queen out on 1994's Muriel's Wedding! We share our love for Toni Collette and ABBA, our appreciation for Rachel Griffiths' presence in this movie, and of course, we celebrate the deeply nuanced performance of Muriel's mother Betty by Jeannie Dryden. We go deep on Muriel's journey from lonely pathological li…

A couple months ago, I scripted an episode about a viral video from five years ago of an older woman in Coventry, Rhode Island, recording a local ad the Quality Curtain Outlet--and doing a bang-up job, by the way! It was almost to the archives of my Google Drive, but alas--this week I am proud to present to you a wackadoo exploration of a woman nam…

Squirrel Friend of the podcast Nick Kochanov (Very Bad Gay Podcast, Squirrel Friends Cocktail Hour) joins me this week to celebrate this generation's quintessential Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams!And specifically, in what we both agree is her best performance (and her first nomination!), 2005's Junebug. We queen out on co-star Celia Weston, bre…

So many troubled teens--and one kooky middle-aged woman--to discuss this week! My thoughts on Greta, the reign of Best Supporting Actresses in horror right now, the AARP Movies for Grownups awards, some bad child acting in Child's Play, some great child and adult-as-child acting in Pen15, magical music in the equally magical Eighth Grade, a moment …

You may not know the name Barbara Harris, but you probably should. She is not only a founding member of the Second City and a Tony Award winning stage actress, but she's also given some of the most nuanced performances in 20th century American cinema--and especially in her Oscar-nominated role (for Best Supporting Actress!) in the relatively obscur…

"Jane? Jane? Sound familiar?"Jane Benson returns to Valerie Cherish's life because she needs to. She needs the money, first of all, but she also needs an opportunity to tell the truth about Valerie. The truth, however, is something Valerie does not always need to see, especially if it makes her look ugly or old. But what if it's seen as brave?Also:…

I didn't really expect Toni Collette to get recognized by the Academy for "Hereditary," but a girl can dream. This week, my thoughts on the five performances that were nominated for Best Actress instead, as well as--OF COURSE--the 2019 nominees for Best Supporting Actress. (Also, the first 15 minutes of this episode are just me talking about things…

We're knee-deep in awards season and about a week too late for a 2018 Year in Review episode, so I'm combining both for The 1st Annual Nuancies, looking back on some of my favorite nuances from 2018's episodes of In the Details, as well as the first recipient of the Beatrice Straight Award for Excellence in Nuance!Get in touch!Email: inthedetailspo…

How exactly did Valerie Cherish get back on TV after almost a decade of circling the drain? The first episode of Season 2 does an amazing job of navigating the narrative nuances that take Valerie from desperately seeking stardom to nailing an audition at HBO playing, well, herself. This is truly her Comeback. Get in touch!Email: inthedetailspod@gma…

At the end of the first season of "The Comeback," Valerie Cherish is on top of the world--or so she thinks. Her time in the spotlight fades out steadily--but not immediately. Valerie tries many different things to stay relevant before "Seeing Red" propels her into stardom again. This week, we'll take a look back at her other failed attempts at real…

Meryl Streep’s Oscar-nominated turn as ice queen Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” may belong in a better movie--or this might be the perfect vehicle to let Streep shine, with pitch-perfect support from Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, and even Anne Hathaway. This week, I’m joined by writer/director Jonathan Minton (“Everyone Else Has”) to que…

It's a very "Hereditary" themed episode, even though what we're really talking about today is the 1982 TV movie "Don't Go to Sleep," which hits very similar notes. Both movies feature surprisingly powerful performances by grief-stricken mothers--and speaking of which, Toni Collette just won Best Actress at the Gotham Independent Film Awards! So pre…

One of my favorite movie nuances, especially in horror movies, is the soundtrack. A good score can elevate even the worst movie,(which I discovered just recently). This week, I'm queening out on some surprisingly effective and somewhat obscure soundtracks, and especially the early use of synths in movies like "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" and my n…