In a comprehensive interview with Crystal Fincher of Hacks & Wonks, Seattle City Attorney candidate Nathan Rouse outlines his vision for reforming the office through the lens of his public defender experience, criticizing incumbent Republican Ann Davison's approach while proposing alternative solutions focused on addressing root causes of crime. As…

Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see. One chants out between two worlds... fire walk with me. When David Lynch's megahit series Twin Peaks was cancelled after two seasons, people eagerly awaited the announced feature film. Responses were decidedly mixed, however, on the finished film, controversial as it was for missing lo…

Hey friends, we have a very brief additional interview to share with you for the upcoming film CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD, in theaters as of May 9th. Director Eli Craig sat down with us for a few minutes to discuss his upcoming film. It's a brief chat, but one we hope you'll enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No…

In an extensive interview with Crystal Fincher of Hacks & Wonks, Seattle City Attorney candidate Erika Evans outlines why she is challenging incumbent Ann Davison with a platform centered on community-based solutions, addressing root causes of crime, and protecting civil rights. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at official…

It's a long one, guys, but I really believe it's worth it. Please stick us and listen all the way through. Guaranteed Good News: https://youtu.be/MgtuAeDQ8CABy John Viinalass

In January 2025, the iconic visionary filmmaker David Lynch passed away. His films invite numerous interpretations about humanity, creativity, dreams, fears, and they seem to have given entire generations of people open permission to be weird. Since we had never covered him on the show before, we decided to make David Lynch's films the centerpiece …

Available publicly for a limited time, we present an exclusive Patron B-Side! We have a special surprise for you this week that we'll bet you didn't "see" coming. ("See" what I did there?) Ok, enough of the Matt Murdock puns, we have a special conversation between Nathan Rouse and Brandon Grafius all about our favorite Hell's Kitchen lawyer-by-day-…

On this week-in-review, Crystal Fincher and Robert Cruickshank discuss: 📊 Breakdown of Legislature's state budget 🧐 Ferguson’s first four months 🤔 Mallahan can? What's up with Seattle mayor race 🚔 SPD hiring up but few women + another lawsuit alleging racism As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Fo…

We have another special interview for you this week, this time with director Felipe Vargas, whose new film ROSARIO hits theaters on Friday, May 2nd. Rosario is a richly textured paranormal horror story about a woman who, during a severe snowfall, must spend the night with her deceased grandmother's body while she waits for the ambulance to arrive. …

In a wide-ranging interview on the Hacks & Wonks podcast, Seattle City Attorney candidate Rory O'Sullivan outlines his vision for transformative change in an office he believes has gone in the "wrong direction" under current City Attorney Ann Davison. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us…

Sometimes you just have to face your worst fears, like public speaking, or flying, or rapidly replicating creeping, crawling spiders. Infested is a French horror film about residents in a tenement building who suddenly find themselves facing a massive quarantine inside their building as it is overrun by countless arachnids with swift, predatory, le…

We have a special surprise for you today, an interview with award-winning author Adam Cesare about his novel Clown in a Cornfield and its forthcoming film adaptation, which will be exclusively in theaters on May 9th. Clown in a Cornfield is a remarkably thoughtful and accessible book while also being scary, provocative, and an insane amount of fun.…

On this week-in-review, Crystal Fincher and Donna Blankinship discuss: 💔 State Senator Bill Ramos 🗳️ April ballot results 💵 Seattle Democracy Vouchers 📚 Seattle Education Levy expanded 🧑‍⚖️ Spokane homeless initiative struck down 📈 Sharp increase in homelessness As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com…

We have something a bit different this week that we hope you'll enjoy. For more than two decades, a community known as Arts & Faith have been writing about and curating films (and other media) of great spiritual significance. On at least six different occasions, the community put together a Top 100 Films list, with the most recent endeavor taking p…

I blame Jeff Mitchell's absence for my diminishing ability to write goofball summaries here.By John Viinalass

On this week-in-review, Crystal Fincher and Ryan Packer discuss: 😟 Poll: people are plugged in/worried 🫰 No wealth tax = everyone else pays 🛣️ Transpo budget overview 🤷 Workers’ comp upgrade debacle 🪪 KC AFIS levy pros & cons 🚸 Tacoma Streets Initiative II As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Foll…

In response to sweeping policy changes at the federal level, Seattle City Council has established a Select Committee on Federal Administration and Policy Changes to track and respond to threats to federal funding, executive orders, and civil rights rollbacks affecting the city. The committee, chaired by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, aims to …

It's the first installment of The Fear of God: Ghoul Scouts Edition! This week, Reed and Nathan are lost in the shadows as Vera Goudie and Jess Fischli take over the show with a discussion of the infamous thriller from Karyn Kusama and writer Diablo Cody: JENNIFER'S BODY. Starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer's Body tells a subversive an…

On this week-in-review, Crystal Fincher and Lex Vaughn discuss: 🪧 Thousands protest Trump admin 🧑‍🎓 WA student visas revoked 🐀 Union head blasts “Ratfink” Ferguson 🤞 Progress on rent stabilization 👀 Fingerprint levy on April ballot 💥 Seattle City Council tensions As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.co…

We close a loop from last year this week by covering the concluding chapter in Ti West's provocative horror trilogy that started with X and Pearl: MAXXXINE. We invite back friend of the show JR Forasteros to help us unpack our decisively uneven feelings about a trilogy which started strong, proceeded to get even better, and then possibly completely…

On this week-in-review, Crystal Fincher and Erica Barnett discuss: 🙅‍♂️ Ferguson against wealth tax ⚖️ WA joins lawsuit on public health funding cuts 👩‍💼 Braddock appointed acting KC Exec 💸 Moore skips public bidding process for $1M 🤷‍♂️ Saka denounces “defund” As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.…

So this might look familiar because a couple weeks ago I tried to publish this episode but there was no bumper music. Because I'm great at this, I stretched a 2-minute task into a two-week task. But now it's the launch day for Matt's new graphic novel, God With Us, so it's a great time to finally make it happen!! godwithusbook.com…

Keeping an accidental trend of looking back at some of the most unconventional horror films of 2024, we offer you a conversation about Tilman Singer's CUCKOO. We're joined this week by two friends from Van Ryder Games, AJ Porfirio and Julie Ahern, to discuss this strange and occasionally befuddling examination of exploration of fractured relationsh…

On this week-in-review, Crystal Fincher and Shauna Sowersby discuss: 🌟 Frank Chopp’s legacy 💰 Senate & House budget proposals 📜 Parents’ Bill of Rights initiative 🧯 Natural gas initiative ruled unconstitutional 🚈 Dow Constantine nominated for Sound Transit CEO As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. …

Easily one of the most unconventional films of last year was the French throwback to folk horror tales of the 1970s: THE VOURDALAK. Set in the 18th century, it follows a Marquis who becomes displaced after being robbed and finds his way to the shelter of a strange family. To say too much more would be to rob this unique, surprising, and disarmingly…

For the Christian, and the formerly so; for the hopeful and the heartbroken; for the grieving and the teeth-gritted; for the beloved and the bedraggled; for the pissed off and the prayerful... Submitted humbly is a conversation between Nathan Rouse and Dr. David Gushee -- Christian ethicist, professor, pastor, and friend. It examines the sensibilit…

On this week-in-review, Crystal Fincher and Robert Cruickshank discuss: 🤨 Gov Ferguson’s workplace complaints 😧 More troubling activity around Bruce Harrell 🏘️ SoDo housing proposal passed 👋 SPS superintendent resigns 🙄 Adam Smith is all wrong As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Blue…

Hacks & Wonks host Crystal Fincher and community leader Monisha Harrell have announced their acquisition of KVRU 105.7 FM, a non-profit, non-commercial community radio station based in South Seattle, with plans to preserve it as a trusted resource in South Seattle through community-driven programming. As always, a full text transcript of the show i…

Let us begin by saying thank you to our listeners. This week we published our 400th episode! We can hardly believe it. From nearly 9 years ago when the idea of discussions about faith and fear was little more than a fun thought experiment, to sitting now at 400 episodes (and more than that when we count bonuses and interviews), we're so grateful fo…

Last year was an eclectic assortment of styles, subgenres, and themes in the horror genre but perhaps one of the most stylistically unconventional was a film called IN A VIOLENT NATURE. On its narrative surface, In a Violent Nature is a pretty standard slasher. But the very big distinction is that nearly all of the film is shown from the vantage po…

We continue our look back at some of the most compelling horror films of 2024 with an unconventional enigma. RED ROOMS took the festival circuit by storm with its haunting, unnerving examination of obsession, technology, and commodified violence. It tells the story of the trial of Ludovic Chevalier, on trial for the hideous murders of three teenage…

We continue our look back at some of the most interesting horror films of 2024 by examining a haunting, dread-soaked thriller from Oz Perkins, LONGLEGS. Starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage (in a completely unhinged performance), Longlegs tells the story of an FBI agent in the mid-90s investigating a series of murders that all appear to be connec…

We continue our look-back at some of the most interesting horror films of 2024 with a conversation about Heretic. Heretic has a fantastic premise, featuring Hugh Grant as a charismatic but unsettling man who invites two young Mormon missionary ladies (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) into his home for a conversation about religion. The ladies quickl…

Christine (@cinellejay) is with us today to talk about how much she loves Sam Wilson and hates Thaddeus Ross! Guaranteed Good News: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2DpjcU9/By John Viinalass

We continue our slate of episodes looking back at the films of 2024 by covering two films at once! SPEAK NO EVIL was a Dutch horror nightmare written and directed by Christian Tafdrup that shook audiences with its bold, horrific narrative in 2022. Last year, James Watkins adapted an American remake starring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis that dra…

Seattle voters will decide between two competing social housing funding measures in a special election ending Feb. 11. Proposition 1A, backed by labor and community groups, proposes a payroll tax on high earners to generate $53M annually. Proposition 1B, supported by the Chamber of Commerce, redirects $10M from existing funds. We chat with Rian Wat…

Welcome to 2025 everyone! We are kicking things off with a couple of big announcements, a few special guests, and an over-sized episode about one of the most fascinating horror films of the last few years: Coralie Fargeat's THE SUBSTANCE. Starring Demi Moore in possibly a career-best performance, The Substance is about an aging fitness starlet who …