Citizen Dame

Episode 276: Women on the Job - Working Dame

This week, the Dames are going to work with three great comedies about women in the workplace. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star in Desk Set (1957); Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton team up against their terrible boss in 9 to 5 (1980); and Melanie Griffith squares off against Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl (1988).

Episode 275: Kinuyo Tanaka - The Dame Has Risen

The Dames welcome guest Nannina Gilder to talk about the films of Kinuyo Tanaka, a director who carved out a space for herself in Japan's male-dominated film industry with feminist masterworks such as Love Letter, The Moon Has Risen, and Girls of the Night.

Episode 274: Thelma Ritter - All About Dame

This week, the Dames talk about the career of six-time Academy Award nominee Thelma Ritter. And we dive into three of her great performances: All About Eve (1950), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), and Rear Window (1954).

Episode 273: Raunchy Lady Comedies - Damesmaids

This week, the raunchy ladies are talking raunchy ladies doing raunchy lady things, like failing to go to Vegas, starting female fight clubs, and learning about the importance of female friendships. Spoilers abound for Bridesmaids, Joy Ride, and Bottoms, but we're pretty cool about it.  

Episode 272 - Historical Films and Biopics by Women

This week the Dames look at historical films and biopics directed by women. Strangely rare and often underpraised, we sit down to talk about three great examples: Julie Taymor's Frida (2002), Ana DuVernay's Selma (2014), and Regina King's One Night in Miami (2020).

Episode 271: Female-Directed Best Picture Nominees - Past Dames

We get a little excited this week talking about current (and past) Best Picture nominees directed by women. While we're focusing on three films this year (Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, and Past Lives), we also remind everyone that female directors have been around since the creation of cinema. Come for the trenchant critical commentary, stay for the statistics! 
Some of our past Oscars episodes, with bonus statistics!, can be found here: Oscar and the Dame 
Best Supporting Dame  

Episode 270: Birthday Movies - Happy Dame Day

This week it's Karen's birthday and we're celebrating with a chat about some movies about messed up birthdays! Join us as we dive into Child's Play (1988), The Game (1997), and Happy Death Day (2017). 

Episode 269: Taika Waititi - Next Dame Wins

In an episode that's been a long time in coming, the Dames are here to discuss the films of Taika Waititi, about whom we are very normal. In our chat about Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Next Dame Wins, we cover uplifting humor, childhood trauma, and why everyone needs to just stop being dicks.  

Episode 268: Interdimensional Romance - A Matter of Dame and Death

This week the Dames dive into Criterion's Interdimensional Romance collection with a look at A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Starman (1984), and we break some hearts with our thoughts about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).

Episode 267: Sundance 2024 - Hit Dames

We're back, and we have a special guest! Karen returns from the Sundance Film Festival with Cortland Jacoby of Punch Drunk Critics in tow. Join us for a discussion of the best parts of the festival this year, why Netflix is snapping up all the films, and how Lauren shouldn't be left alone for so long...
You can read all of Karen's Sundance reviews here: https://citizendamepod.com/
And Cortland's here: https://punchdrunkcritics.com/category/reviews/cortland/

Episode 266: Sundance Favorites - Dame Joy

Did you the Sundance Film Festival is celebrating it's 40th anniversary? The festival kicks off this week in Park City, Utah, the Criterion Channel has a selection of festival faves, and we are joining the fun with a chat about a few of our own. This week, the Dames discuss Donna Deitch's Desert Hearts (1985), Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala (1991), and Kelly Reichardt's Old Joy (2006).

Episode 265: Happy Dame Year!

We're back to discuss some of our favorite films (new and old) of 2023, including Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and, uh, Love Birds? 
Happy New Year! We're looking forward to bringing you a lot more fun stuff in 2024!

Episode 264: Holiday Rom-Coms - The Dame Around the Corner

For our last episode of 2023, we chat about some holiday rom-coms (or not-quite-rom-coms) that give us all the feels: The Shop Around the Corner, The Holiday, and the unfairly maligned Last Christmas.
Happy holidays and we'll see you all in 2024!

Episode 263 — Holiday Horror: Dame Exports

This week, the Dames welcome our very special guest, Shannon McGrew of Creepy Kingdom to chat about holiday horror — or more specifically, movies about the darker side of Christmas magic. Join us as we discuss Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010), Krampus (2015), and Violent Night (2022).

Episode 262: Holiday Noir - The Thin Dame

This week, the Dames welcome the holiday season with a look at three holiday noir films: The Thin Man (1934), Repeat Performance (1947), and They Live By Night (1948).

Episode 261: Billy Wilder - Double In-dame-nity

Just us for the last Noirvember episode of the year! The Dames are talking all things Billy Wilder this week, focusing on Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, and Witness for the Prosecution. Just promise not to tell anyone the ending. 

Episode 260: Women Direct Noir - Damewitness

This week, the Dames take a look at three noirs directed by women: Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker (1953), Muriel Box's Eyewitness (1956), and Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky (1976). 

Episode 259: Barbara Stanwyck - Sorry, Wrong Dame

The Dames kick off Noirvember by discussing fast-talking, fast-living dame Barbara Stanwyck in three iconic roles: Baby Face, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, and Sorry, Wrong Number. No man stands a chance. 

Episode 258: Haunted Houses — Polter-Dames

The Dames are wrapping up Spooky Movie Season with a chat about haunted houses. This week we dive into The Changeling (1980), Poltergeist (1982), and The Others (2001).
We also get a wee bit emotional over the end of Our Flag Means Death season 2.

Episode 257: Gothic Horror - Crimson Dames

The Dames carry on with Spooky Season and discuss Gothic horror, where the ghosts are metaphors and the horror is for love. Deborah Kerr goes mad in The Innocents, Vincent Price has an unhealthy attachment to his dead wife in The Tomb of Ligeia, and nothing is OK at Crimson Peak.