Episode 21: The Death By Octopus Edition

The podcast is turning 21 this week and the poor dear is crying into its beer. Why? Because The Fault In Our Stars, an adaptation of John Green’s YA romance about teenagers with cancer, is poised to become a box-office hit this weekend. This week, we wonder if that movie gets around our cultural resistance to feel-bad cinema, and guess at the source of that resistance. And with the threat of a future where patrons will have to pay a little extra to weep in the middle seats, we discuss the range of amenities (and hassles) that theater chains are devising to increase revenue and keep people coming to the movies. The game this week is “The Crying Game,” in which Dissolvers have their knowledge of tearjerkers—and 1980s TV theme songs—tested. And we sober up as always with our quick-fire recommendation segment, 30 Seconds To Sell.