Ep. 76: Coincidence is fair

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Jack of All Graves came about as a result of a super chance interaction on twitter a decade ago, a coincidence that blows CoRri’s mind and leads us into a discussion of some of the wild coincidences that have happened on and around our planet, from life-saving flight changes to multiple atomic bombing survivals.

Highlights:

[0:00] Mark tells CoRri the tale of the Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876
[12:44] This introduction is all over the place. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
[24:40] The book club schedule is up, along with an amazing discount from our partner indie bookstore! Check out http://www,jackofallgraves.com/bookclub for all the info! Plus, we’ve recorded a special Snack of All Graves reacting to the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie which will be up on our YouTube and our Ko-Fi free to all!
[28:52] Somehow we’re watching Reign of Fire for our watch-along this weekend, which leads to a discussion of whether dragon movies inherently suck.
[38:42] What we watched!
[49:50] We discuss the crazy random happenstance of coincidences.

Stuff we referenced:

Stuff we watched:

Movies: The Toolbox Murders, Freddy’s Nightmares, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Sweetheart

Ep. 75: Why don’t we kill god

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From a discussion of the time that Hawaiians ganked British explorer Captain James Cook, to trying to grapple with whether it makes any sense at all for a good god to allow horrific suffering to exist in the world, today on JoAG we’re in the business of destroying gods.

Highlights:

[0:00] CoRri tells Mark the complicated story of the killing of English explorer Captain Cook

[21:40] We talk about why we’re late with the ‘cast this week and Mark’s newfound struggle with insomnia

[33:40] We talk about Mark’s new video rant, our book club, and the next watch-along!

[43:00] What we watched!

[69:18] This week’s “Frightgeist,” as our friend Ben so lovingly dubbed this section of the ‘cast: We’re talking about terrible diseases that afflict human beings and how Christians reconcile a good god with immense suffering.

Stuff we referenced:

Stuff we watched:

Movies: Phenomena, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Big, Killing Ground, Lake Mungo, The Feast, The Deep House, Pig, I Blame Society, High Tension

Ep. 74: Jack of All Grave Mistakes

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Inspired by a story posted in our Facebook group, we decided to look into freak accidents where people’s bum luck got them into horrific situations — from a projectile bear through the windshield to an air hose up the rectum.

Highlights:

[0:00] Mark tells CoRri about the horrifying effects of an industrial chemical leak in Bhopal, India

[19:20] We announce our first Snack of All Graves episode with our pal Anna Martin!

[29:30] We give our Ko-fi shout outs and pick the movie for Mark’s first video rant! Wanna get in on any of this action? Subscribe to our Ko-fi! All the spooky kids are doing it!

[40:46] It’s the what we watched part!

[69:00] We chat about freak accidents — the bonkers ones people survive and the mundane ones that somehow end them.

Stuff we referenced:

Stuff we watched:

Movies: Boiling Point, Yellowjackets, Slapface, Nightmare Alley, Return to Oz, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Tower of Terror

Ep. 73: The head trauma supersode!

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In a moment of drunken fixation, Mark pitched the idea of a full episode dedicated to his favorite subject: Head trauma! And more specifically, decapitation. It is bad things that can happen to noggins from start to finish, so buckle in and hold on to your heads!

Highlights:

[0:00] CoRri tells Mark the story of Phineas Gage, the man who survived a metal rod exploding through his brain

[17:09] We recap this week’s watch-along and talk about our upcoming side-‘sode with Leprechaun historian Anna Martin

[33:19] We dive into our main topic by talking about our favorite onscreen decapitations and beheadings

[1hr1min] Mark talks about some of the decapitation stories that most interest him, from samurai seppuku to self-decapitation

Stuff we referenced:

Ep. 72: Poor

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This week we decided to just shoot the breeze about our lives, so CoRri suggests discussing the economic classes we grew up in and how they made us who we are. Mutual aid is everything, people!

Highlights:

[0:00] Mark tells CoRri about an odd series of similar suicides in Japan

[13:35] We dive right into a tangent about imagining what strangers are doing on the bus and what debts Bruce Willis has that are informing his movie choices

[22:30] Updates on our Ko-fi, book club, and watch-along.

[33:50] We talk about what we’ve watched, but we’re saving Scream for the end of the ‘cast so we don’t spoil it for anyone

[1hr1min] We chat a bit about our different experiences of economic class in our respective countries

Stuff we watched:

Scream, Surge, 5 Mistakes That Caught A Killer

Ep. 71: Xenotransplantation

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A guy who received the first pig-to-human heart transplant set Mark off on a journey this week, and we all benefit from his hyperfixation on the history of transfusions, transplants, and putting monkey balls where they absolutely should not be.

Highlights:

[0:00] CoRri tells Mark about the mindset of people who climb Mt. Everest and about the problem of all the dead bodies up there.

[20:00] Mark declares Coronavirus over, we thank you all for the birthday wishes you sent to Mark’s son Owen, and introduce our brand new Ko-Fi page! Go subscribe!

[37:24] It’s time to talk about what we watched!

[57:00] Mark discusses the mad scientists who’ve attempted to use animals in human medical procedures from blood transfusions to heart transplants.

Stuff we referenced:

Stuff we watched:

Movies: Behind the Mask, Scream, Eternals

Ep. 70: Flappy leg nubbins

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Inspired by a photo from last week’s conversation about Thalidomide, we’re discussing the wild world of prosthetics throughout history, what disability means, and better living through body augmentation.

Highlights:

[0:00] Mark gives a very affecting lesson on why you shouldn’t keep wild animals as pets

[17:10] CoRri is kind of on holiday in the Hawaiian Twin Peaks

[26:16] We talk a bit about wrasslin’ and why everyone should be watching it

[33:20] John Carpenter’s The Thing is the zeitgeist this week, and we talk about the other 1980s horror flicks we consumed over the past few days

[57:00] We look at various prosthetic technologies throughout history

Stuff we referenced:

Stuff we watched:

Movies: Aliens, The Thing, The Kindred

Ep. 69 (nice): Happy new fear

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It’s a brand new year, and with it comes, well, some of the same old anxieties. We’re diving deep into what makes us nervous in 2022, but cutting it with some movie talk and some optimistic thoughts about capybaras.

Highlights:

[0:00] CoRri tells Mark about the devastatingly dangerous 1950s morning sickness cure, Thalidomide

[17:50] We talk about our attitudes toward the new year and go on quite a spiral about capybaras

[31:50] Mark’s annual new year’s dead pool takes a shocking plot twist. Plus, our next book club is January 22nd and our next watch-along is January 29th, so mark your calendars!

[50:20] We face a rare disagreement in the types of movies we like to watch

[1hr8:30] We discuss what we’re anxious about in 2022, and why we respond differently to Don’t Look Up. (we get past talking about the movie specifically at 1hr16)

Stuff we referenced:

Stuff we watched:

Movies: My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To, Trilogy of Terror, Don’t Look Up

Ep. 68: Technologies of murder

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We’re keeping it real festive this post-Christmas week with a deep dive into the circle of life, starting with a discussion of the ways in which evolution does wild things to keep organisms alive, and journeying on to a chat about how steadfastly committed humans are to ending other humans’ lives in creative ways.

Highlights:

[0:00] The wild spread of Omicron has Mark thinking about all the ways in which life finds an evolutionary way — from Inuit Ketosis to viral mutations.

[17:15] We talk about what the fuck is up with Kermit the Frog’s voice, our Christmas experiences

[29:20] We discuss what we watched this week, complete with a tangent on why weird looking actors like Benedict Cumberbatch and Adam Driver are proof we should have more body diversity in Hollywood

[52:40] We opened by talking about how life finds a way, but we’re spending the rest of the episode talking about things people have created in order to kill other people.

Stuff we watched:

Movies: Don’t Look Up, Matrix: Resurrections, Encanto, The Last Duel

Ep. 67: Miracles is it lads

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This week we’re following up on a viewing assignment from last week with Silent Night, and we’re talking about whether or not miracles are all around us (after a cold open about whatever the exact opposite of a medical miracle is).

Highlights:

[0:00} CoRri tells Mark about the medical mystery of the Toxic Lady. Thanks to Ryan Joiner for the story tip!

[21:00] Mark wants jingle bells in our theme tune, we are in the liminal Christmas space and have all the anxiety… but watch CoRri’s Wisecrack writing debut about Hallmark Christmas movies! Plus, book club is coming after the holidays, and perhaps we’ll do a post-Christmas watch-along? Aaaand Omicron is even more of a buzzkill!

[38:00] We talk about what we’ve watched this week, CoRri’s nightmare Spider-Man viewing experience, and the potential repercussions of studios catering the content of films too much to the audience in order to get butts in seats.

[1hr] We get into a spoilery discussion of Silent Night, the movie we tasked our listeners with watching this week

[1hr15] We discuss some supposed modern miracles, what other explanations might exist, and whether we’re too wrapped up in scientism to allow that there might be some things science can’t explain

Things we referenced:

Things we watched:

Movie: Antlers, Better Watch Out, Home Alone 2, Red Snow, Silent Night, Spider-Man: No Way Home