Dear Movies, I Love You – Episode Summary

Episode: KPop Demon Hunters (2025)! Plus, ‘What Went Wrong’ Hosts Chris Winterbauer and Lizzie Bassett!
Date: September 9, 2025
Hosts: Millie de Chirico & Casey O’Brien
Guests: Chris Winterbauer & Lizzie Bassett ("What Went Wrong" Podcast), Sandra O’Brien (Casey’s mom)

Overview:

This episode is a vibrant, deep-dive into Netflix’s animated smash KPop Demon Hunters—a film that fuses K-pop spectacle with supernatural action. Millie and Casey unpack the movie’s cultural resonance and the sometimes murky ethics of “fan service,” while also welcoming Chris and Lizzie from the “What Went Wrong” podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about catastrophic movie productions and the reality behind infamous Hollywood disasters. The episode opens with an on-air “podcast exorcism” courtesy of Casey’s Catholic mom, designed to keep the show Annabelle-free (inspired by stray comments about the infamous ‘Conjuring’ doll).

Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. A Blessed Beginning: The Podcast Exorcism (02:07–17:44)

• Context: The hosts joke about drawing a supernatural curse by discussing Annabelle, the haunted doll, and bring on Casey’s Catholic mom, Sandra O’Brien, for a podcast blessing/exorcism.
• Sandra’s Spiritual Safety Measures:
  • Checklist of spiritual protections: Bible, crucifix, new Pope card, angel figurine, Mother Teresa action figure, sage, holy water, salt, and rice (09:12–10:44).
  • “I'm pulling out all the stops. I have them all here.” – Sandra O’Brien [09:28]
• Exorcism Procedure:
  • The hosts and Sandra repeat Latin phrases, “Ecce crucis... Signum fujiant... Phantasmata canta” (13:54–14:12); Sandra explains, “Let all specters flee.”
  • Famous movie line: "The power of Christ compels you!" (14:30)
  • Prayer against spirits: "Spirit, this is not your home." (15:18–15:26)
  • Custom St. Michael prayer, adding “Annabelle demon... And podcasts. Amen.” (16:07–16:47)
• Reassurances:
  • “You spread love, joy, humor, entertainment, education...It's not a podcast where an evil demon would feel very welcome.” — Sandra O’Brien [08:01]
• Memorable Moment:
  • Sandra’s proposed future podcast segment: “All men who insist on taking their shirts off in movies. That should not." — Sandra O’Brien [18:07]

2. Film Diary: Recent Watches (22:23–32:42)

• Millie’s List:
  • Fitzcarraldo (Herzog, 1982) & Burden of Dreams (Les Blank, 1982)—discussing synergy with their guest podcasters.
  • Night of the Juggler (1980): “This movie is an absolute fucking ride, dude. I loved every second.” — Millie [24:47]
  • Praise for Dan Hedaya’s unhinged performance, likened to grimy, guerrilla filmmaking of ‘70s NYC.
• Casey’s List:
  • Weapons (Peele-esque horror): “Got under my skin in a way that Jordan Peele's movies do.”
  • The Quick and the Dead (Sam Raimi, 1995): “Fun Western...zoom-ins on faces.”
  • Violent Saturday (1955): Noted for its half-melodrama, half-violent tone.
  • The Lawnmower Man: Tale of King vs. the studio, legal saga explained.
  • (31:53) “Stephen King successfully sued to have his name taken off the home video release.”

3. Main Discussion: KPop Demon Hunters (2025) (35:04–83:22)

The Movie’s Massive Appeal

• Viewership & Cultural Penetration:
  • All-ages hit: “My nephews watched it five times in a day... the idea that everybody loves it regardless of gender is so awesome to me.” — Millie [38:22]
  • Taps into childhood excitement: “If I saw this when I was a kid, it would have made me go insane, like, with excitement.” — Casey [35:47]
• Why Is It So Big?
  • Discussing Netflix’s shifting strategy—a move from Oscar-bait “prestige” to streaming-centric, accessible animation (41:07–42:37).
• K-Pop Context + Accessible Parody:
  • Movie fills pop culture gaps without needing in-depth K-pop familiarity; the hosts break down the K-pop “factory” and idol roles: leader, maknae (youngest), visual (the hot one), rap and vocal lines (51:12–52:14).
  • “K-Pop is a factory... Every K-pop group has roles.” — Millie [49:43]
  • Playful debate: Millie wants to be the rapper; Casey, “I want to be the little baby one.” [52:09–52:12]

Fan Culture, Capitalism, and ‘Fan Service’

• Fan Service Explained:
  • “Part of the training of K-pop is to give fan service... look at [fans] in the eye, tell them that they love them, do things on stage that suggest love and appreciation and maybe even like, sexual or romantic attraction. To me, that feels kind of underhanded and weird.” — Millie [61:08]
  • Parallels with Taylor Swift’s audience relationship and western pop machinery (66:55–67:42).
  • The tension with indie roots: “We were raised on American independent music... where [bands] don’t owe you anything.” — Millie [58:07]
• The Hyper-Capitalist Side of Fandom:
  • “They are... nickeling and diming you. These are huge companies, pumping out bands.” — Millie [64:04]
  • Segment on official fandom names (“Deadhead,” “Blink” for Blackpink, etc.) and the pressure to consume (61:31–64:36).

Work Ethic, Burnout, and Movie Logic

• No Rest for the Wicked:
  • Recurrent runner in the film about Huntrix never getting downtime, paralleling real idol grind: “The idea that Huntrix gets no time off seems accurate... they’re working so hard they're not eating.” — Millie [72:12]
  • Casey’s observation: “If someone did that to me, I would have, like, murdered them. Can you imagine such a thing?” [71:55]
• Plot and Unresolved Issues:
  • Noted darkness: “So many people are killed in this movie... They don't come back.” — Casey [77:09]
  • Unresolved subplots (Rumi’s demon parentage, Ginu’s redemption arc, Celine’s lack of apology) suggest sequels (76:29–79:00).

Animation, Visuals, and Characters

• Animation praised:
  • “Almost had a stop-motion quality... artistic and thoughtful.” — Casey [47:57]
  • Focusing on character design and K-pop archetypes, including thirst for leader Ginu (“He is so attractive for a cartoon character.” — Millie [53:09])
  • Favorite Hunt Tricks (girl group) members: Mira (the goth angsty one) and Zoe (the maknae) [54:54–55:59].

Cultural Moment & Representation

• Korean Wave:
  • Noting Asian pop culture’s global prevalence, from Parasite to BTS and Squid Game: “Asians are having a moment... I like to milk that.” — Millie [44:33]
  • The movie’s ability to transfer culturally-specific references without being exclusionary.

Millie’s “Prescription” for Casey’s K-pop Journey

• Concludes Casey is a “TXT guy” for sensitive, poetic pop; brief K-pop group recs (82:14–83:05).

4. Special Segment: My Area of Expertise – Chris Winterbauer & Lizzie Bassett (83:22–117:00)

Podcast: "What Went Wrong" – dissecting troubled film productions and the improbable odds of finishing even a bad movie.

• Ethos: “We’re not here to shame any movies. We are here to celebrate the fact movies get made, period. Because it is so incredibly difficult to make a movie and so much can go wrong.” — Lizzie [84:07]
• Key Anecdotes/Rules from Their Show:
  • Never Film With 150 Untrained Lions or Tigers:
    • Roar (1981): “A 90-minute movie of people being mauled by lions...” — Lizzie [92:33]
    • Injury Tally: “No animals were harmed... 70 cast and crew were. However, that appears to be an understatement. It is likely closer to 100 cast and crew.” — Lizzie [93:21]
    • “If you’ve ever lifted a rock and seen a swarm of bugs under it, it looks like that... but with lions in a room.” — Chris [93:02]
    • Jan de Bont, future director (Speed, Twister), was “scalped by a lion” and needed 220 stitches.
  • Never Try to Change Your Whole Movie in the Edit:
    • Gigli (2003): Recap of epic behind-the-scenes retooling. The film’s original script a gritty mob drama; post-Bennifer romance, reshot into a rom-com (104:49–111:02).
    • “They had to retcon the whole movie... She’s still a lesbian in the movie, but somehow falls for Ben Affleck.” — Lizzie [109:34]
    • Industry advice: “It’s really hard to adjust tone.” — Casey [114:42]
  • General Wisdom
    • “Everything goes wrong. That's the real lesson. Everything goes wrong.” — Chris [117:07]
    • Respect the unexpected labor & risk, and don't glamorize unsafe film set behaviors (101:47).

5. Employee Picks: Movie Recommendations (119:16–123:50)

• Millie: Jem and the Holograms (2015, live-action by Jon M. Chu) — see K-pop parallels with group dynamics and secret identities.
• Casey: Picnic (1955) — his mom’s favorite (“steamy, sexy; Labor Day classic; William Holden looking ‘conservatively 52’ playing 25”) [122:42].

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "We're not one of those evil film podcasts." — Millie [08:16]
• “If someone had done that to me, I would have literally, like, killed them... Can you imagine such a thing?” — Casey [71:55]
• “This is propaganda for big K-pop.” — Casey [56:17]
• “The love that their fans give them is what propels them and that's who they want to save at the end of the day.” — Millie [56:49]
• “I think our fandom should be called the Shitheads.” — Millie [62:33]
• “We were raised on American independent music... Indie rockers hate their fans.” — Millie [58:48]
• "Everything goes wrong. That’s the real lesson. Everything goes wrong." — Chris [117:07]
• “You did it. Like, holy shit. It’s like finishing a marathon. You got to the finish line.” — Chris [89:08]

Timestamps: Essential Sections

• Exorcism/Blessing: 02:07–17:44
• Film Diary: 22:23–32:42
• KPop Demon Hunters Deep Dive: 35:04–83:22
• What Went Wrong Segment: 83:22–117:00
• Employee Picks: 119:16–123:50

Episode Tone & Style

• Reliably irreverent, intimate, and candid: hosts use humor, self-deprecation, and genuine curiosity to dig below surface fandom.
• Confessional and playful banter, full of pop culture references, digressions, and deep film-nerd knowledge.
• Guests provide both industry war stories and film-bro commiseration, but with an empathetic, anti-snobbery spirit.

Conclusion

This episode is a passionate, multi-faceted celebration of why and how we love movies—from K-pop spectacle to doomed Hollywood productions to fandoms, labor, and the weird line between art and commerce. It’s as much about the joy of immersion as it is a tribute to cinematic struggle, all wrapped in the conversational, ‘film crush’ energy that defines Dear Movies, I Love You.