Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith dive into Taken (2008), the ultimate dad fantasy: what if you had a very particular set of skills and would burn a country down to save your daughter.

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith dig into the 1991 Sally Field vehicle Not Without My Daughter — a film that’s half thriller, half imperialist fever dream, and 100% propaganda.

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith untangle the world of Texas cheerleading ambition, suburban pecking orders, and one mom’s deadly plan to climb the social ladder.

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith unspool John Waters’ trash masterpiece, where delinquent desires, crumbling families, and gaudy kitsch rule.

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith ride shotgun with Addie and Moze, tracing how necessity forges family in Paper Moon.

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith trace the emotional hauntings of Vengeance is Mine the almost forgotten 1984 film directed by Michael Roemer.

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith explore the Stohler family, their friends, and the Cutters that the sons of Bloomington, Indiana, will never become.

Jim Groom and Michael Branson Smith spend four seasons in Fellini's Rimini, drifting from character to character in this sprawling piazza della famiglia.