Wednesday, The Big Brunch, and Sight & Sound's greatest films of all time
The real treasure was the friends we made along the way, plus why film nerds are up in arms about the decennial poll results
Hello!
On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Wednesday and The Big Brunch, two shows that highlight how nice it is to be a part of a community.
Click here to listen to the full episode on the web
Or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, or other podcast apps.
02:14 Wednesday, streaming on Netflix, is a surprisingly great mix of supernatural hijinks, murder mystery antics, and teen boarding school escapades.
Although we have definitely aged out of this show’s core demographic of viewers, we have to admit: Wednesday is a pretty fun time. With a star-making performance by Jenna Ortega — alongside big names and other young newcomers — the series does justice to the Addams family source material, while also bringing those characters and that sensibility into the present. It’s just the right blend of witty, macabre, plucky, and a little bit of camp, with enough misdirects to keep things entertaining, even if you’ve already figured out whodunnit.
16:24 The Big Brunch is HBO Max’s answer to The Great British Bake Off: a cooking competition series where good vibes are paramount.
The Big Brunch stands out in the sea of American cooking competition reality shows, which tend to skew high stakes and high pressure. You could almost fault this series for being too relaxed, especially toward the beginning, when the constant positivity and tension-free setup come off a little bit cloying and boring. But as things ramp up, The Big Brunch reaches its full potential: The challenges are good, the dishes become better and better, and it’s nice to see what talented and friendly people can produce in an environment that is genuinely conducive to their craft. If you’re like us and you love your skill-based competition shows, this one’s for you.
29:47 Plus, culture notes about the controversy surrounding this decade’s newly crowned Sight & Sound “Greatest Films of All Times,” and why it’s good to shake up our notion of the “canon” every once in a while.
Pelin breaks it down in true scholarly fashion on the pod, but here’s a supplementary resource (dataviz!) if you want to catch up on what’s been happening.
P.S. You can find some individual directors’ picks on Sight & Sound’s Twitter or in their magazine. Always interesting to see the selections!
Bonus links
Variety’s “Actors on Actors” supremacy!
Okay fun:
Why America’s railroads refuse to give their workers paid leave, infuriatingly.
Finally, please behold Pelin’s cat:
Thank you and see you next week!
— Jenny
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Please rate/review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, WHEREVER, and tell a friend about us.
Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com.
Some credits:
Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu