Upper Middlebrow

Upper Middlebrow


Latest Episodes

Digression: Underdogs, Comebacks, and Seafood Substitutes, or Baseball Movies with Jason Herbert
March 28, 2024

Jason Herbert, from the Historians at the Movies community and podcast, joins us to talk about favorite baseball films. We share an uncomfortable moment when Chris learns who Jasons favorite team is

Episode 46: “So Long, and Thanks for All The Squid,” or Viet Than Nguyen’s The Sympathizer, Part I
March 18, 2024

Viet Thanh Nguyens narrator tells us right off the bat that hes a sympathizer. He can see any issue from both sides, he claims, a dubious virtue in the chaotic Vietnamese history following the fal

Digression: Literary Theologies with Beatrice Marovich
March 04, 2024

Theologian Beatrice Marovich reacts to our discussions of Octavia Butlers Parable of the Sower, exploring the relationship between theology and fiction. We talk about her book Sister Death: Politic

Episode 45: “Yelling ‘Racism’ in a ‘Post-racist’ World,” or Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, Part II
February 22, 2024

The second half of The Sellout does feature a MacGuffin and resolution of sorts, although the plot is minimal compared to the satire and world building. The UMBs struggle to understand the book, but u

Episode 44: “Faintly Dickensian?” or Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, Part I
February 12, 2024

Chris and Jesse are thrown into Paul Beatty's 2015 Man Booker Prize Winner The Sellout, because this novel seems to try to take the upper hand with its reader. Our two heroes agree that it's beautiful

Episode 43: “Put On Your Seatbelt,” or Alexander Payne’s Sideways
February 01, 2024

A rebroadcast of our Live recap and discussion of Alexander Paynes Sideways (2004). The UMBs admire Miles Saab, la costa perdida, and enjoy the rustically simple cinematography, and marvel at the c

Digression: Demented Whimsy with Joshua Mohr.
January 25, 2024

Writer Joshua Mohr joins us to talk shop about his recent book Farsickness. The idea began with watching his daughter and her friends create short dramatic productions for his neighborhood, during COV

Episode 42: “Waiting for Prima,” or Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci’s Big Night
January 18, 2024

The UMBs went in expecting a quietly great film, and their expectations were exceeded. Big Night is at times BIG and LOUD, even though the characters spend much of the film not saying what they mean.

Coming Soon: A Live Discussion of Sideways!
January 08, 2024

On Thursday, January 11th, join Upper Middlebrow for a live (independent) watch party. We'll all watch the movie starting at 4:05PM PST, and then our live video episode will begin promptly at 6:30 PST

Episode 41: “Borrowing the Bigness,” or Sandra Nettlebeck’s Mostly Martha
January 01, 2024

Sandra Nettlebecks 2001 film is beautifully shot and carries its narrative in a bucket effectively, following its fiery protagonist into the thickets of surrogate parenthood. Martha is a brilliant ch