It's spooky season! As October comes to a close, we reflect on some of Brandon's favorite spooky movies, and Nick's (a scared boy) favorite anti-spooky movies. Newton's first law of spookiness: for every spooky movie, there will be an equal and opposite anti-spooky movie. For every bloody slasher, there's a wholesome musical. For every ghosty, there's an adorable animated fish girl. All is fair and balanced in this spooky season recap. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

Happy Tears

035: Spooky Tears

A Chinese & Taiwanese fusion episode. An anniversary episode. A great, great movie episode. In The Mood For Love from director Wong Kar-Wai is a seductive visual masterpiece about the painful beauty of longing and heartbreak. Edward Yang's Yi Yi is a generational family story about the under-appreciated beauty of our ordinary, messy lives. Both are visionary works of art released 20 years ago and they are two of cinema's greatest achievements from master filmmakers.  Through some technical difficulties on this episode, we have some fun discussion and Nick achieves possibly the ultimate happy tear? What does that even mean? In the Mood For Love starts at 6:45 Yi Yi starts at 32:15 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

034: In The Mood For Love // Yi Yi

Taylor Swift! SAULT! Fleet Foxes! Other musicians! Our favorite albums of the months of July, August, and September in the year of Corona: 2020. Despite an absolute dumpster fire of a year, there has been some wonderful and uplifting music to help us cling desperately to our collective humanity. If you're looking for hope and levity, there's some here. It's not much, but it's something. <3 Catch the playlist of our highlight tracks here! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

Taylor Swift! SAULT! Fleet Foxes! Other musicians! Our favorite albums of the months of July, August, and September in the year of Corona: 2020. Despite an absolute dumpster fire of a year, there has been some wonderful and uplifting music to help us cling desperately to our collective humanity. If you're looking for hope and levity, there's some here. It's not much, but it's something. 

033: Q3 Music Review (July-Sept)

This week on the pod we revisit Stillwater and the Band-aids for the 20th anniversary of Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. Come sing "Tiny Dancer" with us as we cry happy tears and remain uncool. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

032: Almost Famous

We finish our deep dive of the career of the incomparable Fiona Apple with an exploration of her albums Extraordinary Machine, The Idler Wheel, and Fetch The Bolt Cutters. Drinking game: take a shot any time you hear the words: genius, stunning, striking, or "she's just SO GOOD!" Extraordinary Machine starts at 1:55 The Idler Wheel starts at 27:40 Fetch The Bolt Cutters starts at 51:30 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

031: Fiona Apple Deep Dive Pt. 2

The release of Fiona Apple's stunning 2020 album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters inspired us to take a look at the career of the incomparable Fiona Apple. In this episode we examine the state of the mid-90s music industry that Fiona exploded onto, as well as her first two albums Tidal and When the Pawn... Music Industry background starts at 8:46 Tidal starts at 10:50 When the Pawn... starts at 30:30 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

030: Fiona Apple deep dive (part 1)

On this episode, we discuss the comic book sensation, Saga. This sprawling space opera is one of the most celebrated comic books of the last decade. From its incredibly imaginative character design, to it's detail-rich worlds, and it's incredibly charming ensemble, this universe has captured the hearts of millions of readers and just might belong among the greatest sci-fi stories of all time...(?) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

029: Saga

Despite being an ongoing, seemingly never-ending train wreck in every other sense, 2020 has been an incredible year for music. We go through our favorite albums, month by month from January to June. We discuss such artists as Andy Shauf and Fiona Apple and SAULT and Denzel Curry and Jeff Rosenstock and Phoebe Bridgers and many, many, (maybe too many?) more!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

028: 2020 Mid-Year Music Review (Jan-June)

028: 2020 Mid-year music review (Jan-June)

Bed-Stuy, do or die! We're spending some time in pre-gentrified Brooklyn this episode to discuss James McBride's new novel Deacon King Kong and Spike Lee's legendary film Do The Right Thing. These works both feature wacky ensembles, uproarious humor, love, hate, a lot of light, a little bit of darkness, and they're both really, really good. WAKE UP! Deacon King Kong starts at 4:35. Do The Right Thing starts at 19:05. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

027: Deacon King Kong // Do The Right Thing

026: March by John Lewis // SAULT Congressman John Lewis was a civil rights activist and an American hero. We honor him in this episode as we discuss the comic book series MARCH (written by Congressman Lewis, Andrew Aydin, illustrate by Nate Powell) which is a three-part graphic novel about the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Then, we explore the incredible, afrocentric, new album UNTITLED (BLACK IS) by the UK collective SAULT.  As a work of revolutionary art that explores the black experience, often as it relates to police and the establishment, this album may have arrived precisely at the moment that it was most needed. Rest in peace, John Lewis. March starts at 6:30. SAULT starts at 26:15. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

026: March by John Lewis // SAULT

On this episode, we revisit two great albums released 10 years ago. First, we get down and dirty with The Black Keys breakthrough album Brothers. Then, we go on an abstract sci-fi, indefinable, dystopian adventure with Janelle Monáe's The ArchAndroid. Two albums. that have virtually nothing in common besides the fact that they were landmark moments for each artist both released on the same date in 2010 and they are super super good. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

025: "Brothers" by The Black Keys // Janelle Monáe's "The ArchAndroid" (10 year anniversary)

What came first: the Happy Tears or the misery? Our friend Chad Kerski joins us to discuss the book, movie, and tv series, High Fidelity. Chad shares stories of running into the production of the movie in late 90's Chicago, we discuss favorite top-5s, and of course share our happy tears moments. "It's good." "I know." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

024: High Fidelity (with Chad Kerski)

Look, it's a stressful time for everyone right now. We don't always need a reason to cry, but sometimes a beautiful movie can help give you that release. We're Zoom-ing into your ears to give you our top 5 (currently streaming) movies that will give you some much needed happy tears. Some are sad, some are hopeful, some are funny, all are great. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/happytears/message

023: Top 5 happy tear-jerkers (currently streaming)

Pop culture commentary by two sensitive boys that love movies, music, TV, and literature so much that it often brings them to tears. Each episode we examine and discuss a double feature of either new releases, classic favorites, or thematically relevant media exploring a wide range of genres, formats, subjects, and themes. Our in-depth analysis always culminates with the most important question: “Did you have happy tears?” Our main objectives are to spread our love of art, push positivity, and CRY HAPPY TEARS TOGETHER!

hubhopper

Happy Tears

hubhopper