Episodes

Album
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  • Movie

    Dead Poets Society

  • Movie Release Date

    June 9, 1989

  • Tagline

    Carpe Diem! Seize the Day, Boys!

If you are a teacher today, there is probably a small part of you that wanted to be as inspiring and passionate as John Keating.  And if you were a student – ever – you probably yearned for a teacher who stood on desks, encouraged you to rip pages out of the text book, and enticed you to read poetry in dark caves.  Join Bill and Carla for a walk through Dead Poets Society as we discuss these and many other questions:

  • Was John Keating responsible for the death of Neil Perry?
  • Was he a “progressive” educator?
  • Is there such a thing as “pedagogical charisma”?
  • How is it that nobody ever smells the cigarette smoke in the dorm rooms?
  • Is standing on desks an essential quality for inspiring teachers?

Not everybody loved this movie, including Roger Ebert who wrote “Dead Poets Society” is a collection of pious platitudes masquerading as a courageous stand in favor of something: doing your own thing, I think.”  You can read his full review of the movie here.  Kevin Dettmar, English Professor at Pomona College, composed an inspired hate letter to the movie in the Atlantic Monthly in 2014 writing, “I’ve never hated a film quite the way I hate Dead Poets Society.”

What do you think about the film?  Take a watch,  then tune in as we discuss the good, bad, ugly and ridiculous of Dead Poets Society in Episode 02!

And. . . be sure to watch the SNL parody, Farewell, Mr. Bunting, if you have an extra few minutes.  Gruesome but hilarious.

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  • Movie

    Ferris Bueller's Day Off

  • Movie Release Date

    1986

  • Tagline

    How could I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?

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Welcome to our first official episode! And there was no debate on our pick to kick off  this podcast.

It’s spring in Chicago and Ferris Bueller opens his shades, peers out at a glorious blue sky and asks, “How could I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?” Thus begins his adventure – a day off of school with his best friend, Cameron, and girl friend, Sloane. The 1985 John Hughes film, which portrays high school as pointless, dull, and filled with adults who are unimaginative buffoons, was an instant cult classic. So join us,  Bill and Carla, as we relive the moments you loved and talk about Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Never seen the movie?  (Have you been living in a cave under a rock?) Here is the original trailer.

Carla mentions swooning over Matthew Broderick, having seen him perform the previous summer in Brighton Beach Memoirs on Broadway. Here is her signed program that she has save for 35 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Greetings, and welcome to Heads Down, Two Thumbs Up, a new podcast. We like to talk about movies that talk about school, and we bet you do too. Take a listen to our trailer to hear what it’s all about. We’ve picked an iconic school movie to kick off Episode One about one young man’s heroic effort to avoid school on one beautiful spring day in Chicago. We think you can guess which movie we picked. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer and stay tuned for our very first episode, coming soon!

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