The Malling of America

Another movie night

Hi everyone!

I’m going to keep this brief: I’m doing another movie night for paid subscribers. This one’s going to be a little different. Later this week, paid subscribers can expect some optional reading in their inbox to prepare ahead of time, and some thought-starters to help guide their viewing.

The movies we’ll be discussing are:

• Mallrats (1995)

• Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

• It’s a Mall, Mall World

The time: May 31, 2022 | 07:00 PM, Central Time

Narrowing down just three mall films was tough. The last one is a TV special, so not a full film, but I think it provides some interesting context.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how the Internet replaced the mall. And as much as we bitched about malls, maybe they were a happy medium.

It’s not about retail—at least, that’s not the full story. What about how we socialize? How teen subcultures are expressed? The natural limitations physical spaces impose? And yes, yes, I know, I’m frozen in amber from 1997. Keep it moving!

Sign-up link under the cut.

Preview of upcoming movies here (it’s an evolving list).

P.S. Got some exciting eps of the pod coming up. Hopefully some interesting writing, too.