Episode 159 - WINTER WARS-A-THON

Happy Hoth-idays, everyone! We're spending our holiday vacation in a galaxy far, far away, and turning our traditional yuletide clip collection into a Star Wars celebration. In this very special Winter Wars-A-Thon, we tackle '80s cartoons, novelty records, fan-created art, and anything with the slightest connection to this festive season.

Marvel Star Wars Explorers co-host Brian Rudloff climbs into our toasty Tauntaun carcass with some special unboxing surprises, and joins us in a final round of Star Wars hot takes before we witness the big-screen conclusion to the Skywalker saga. Merry Christmas to all, and may the Force be with you!

Featured in this episode:

TV Episodes
Star Wars: Droids - "The Frozen Citadel" (aired 11/30/85)
Star Wars: Ewoks - "The Season Scepter" (aired 11/1/86)

Music
Mark Jonathan Davis and the X-Swing Fighters - "The Phantom Medley/Star Wars Cantina" from Naboo Road (1999)
Meco - Christmas in the Stars (1980)

Fan Films
Park Wars - "O Holy Night" (1999)
"How the Sith Stole Christmas, Pt. 1" and the trailer for unfinished parts 2-3 (2002)

Episode 158 - THE SANTA CLAUSE

'Tis the ho-ho-holiday season, and we're kicking off our festivities with Tim Allen's turn as a smart aleck St. Nick in The Santa Clause. Is it a sarcastic and saccharine fruitcake of a movie featuring flatulent reindeer, child custody battles, ugly sweaters, and elves...with attitudes? Or is it an eggnog-laced body horror flick featuring a man powerless to prevent his flesh and blood from transforming into the ageless avatar of Christmas cheer?

Jolly old Saint Nate Tapp cartoonishly squeezes down our chimney to help us examine the fine print on this Santa succession story. Whether you were naughty or nice this year, we gift-wrapped this magical episode just for you!

The Santa Clause (1994)
Directed by John Pasquin
Produced by Robert Newmyer, Brian Reilly, and Jeffrey Silver
Written by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick
Starring Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold, Peter Boyle, and David Krumholtz

Episode 157 - FORREST GUMP

Polish up those back-to-back Best Actor Oscars and pull out those snapshots of lost gloves, because this year WWWW celebrates its first annual Hanksgiving! And what better way to launch this tradition than with the dewy-eyed nostalgia of Forrest Gump? In this episode, we're showing gratitude for unnecessary sprinting, uncanny CGI ventriloquism, and the comedic genius of Thomas Jeffrey Hanks.

We're extremely hankful for all this, plus the always-thoughtful Kev Young—a guest who has a permanent place at our table. The same goes for you, dear listener, so pull up a chair and join our Hanksgiving feast!

And that's all we have to say about that.

Forrest Gump (1994)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Produced by Wendy Finerman, Steve Tisch, and Steve Starkey
Written by Eric Roth
Based on the novel by Winston Groom
Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Haley Joel Osment, and Sally Field

Episode 156 - THE SUPER LONG 'WEEN-A-THON

This year, our annual 'Ween-A-Thon gets Super Long...and we mean it! Prepare yourself for two-plus hours of festive frights with a superhero twist. It's also the culmination of Joke-tober, as the Clown Prince of Crime's maniacal tricks make a special appearance among our platter of pop culture treats. 

With the help of fellow 'weener Sam Stovold, we've engineered a holiday tribute that nature never intended, bursting with one-of-a-kind features and an extended discussion of our favorite Halloween candy. We're holding nothing back on this episode, so get the funk up and don't stop dancing: it's the Super Long 'Ween-A-Thon!

Featured in this episode:

Batman: The Animated Series - "Almost Got 'Im" (aired November 10, 1992)
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends - "The Bride of Dracula!" (aired September 24, 1983)
Prince - "Batdance" (1989)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - "Super Irma" (aired September 26, 1992)
U2 - "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (1995)
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - "Ghosts" (aired November 24, 1996)

Episode 155 - BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

In the midst of the Caped Crusader's first silver screen renaissance, Batman: The Animated Series reinvented the hero yet again, this time on television. Equally steeped in the worlds of a morally grounded crime-fighter and his menagerie of flamboyant adversaries, the show developed a reputation for turning standard villain-of-the-week stories into thoughtful, emotionally bracing mini-dramas. Its timelessness was enhanced by brooding Art Deco visuals and elegant character designs, and helped launch an animated superhero universe that would endure until the Dark Knight's next cinematic reimagining.

Podcaster extraordinaire Jack Stovold joins us to discuss how the show became a cultural touchstone for Bat-fans, and why it continues to inspire the admiration of cartoon connoisseurs. We are vengeance...we are the night...we are going deep on Batman: The Animated Series!

Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995)
Developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian

Episodes featured in this podcast:

"Heart of Ice" (aired 9/7/92)
"Beware the Gray Ghost" (aired 11/4/92)
"Joker's Favor" (aired 9/11/92)
"Perchance to Dream" (aired 10/19/92)
"Mudslide" (aired 9/15/93)
"Time Out of Joint" (aired 10/8/94)

Check out all current episodes in our Batman series:
Batman
Batman Returns
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin

More Jack Stovold:
Reopening the Wormhole
The ApeCast
Jack's Silly Little Friendly Neighborhood Star Trek Discovery Podcast

Episode 154 - BILLY MADISON

The schoolyard bell signals the end of our Summer of Sandler, as we head back to class with the comedy that launched the Sandman to stardom: Billy Madison. And while we struggle to remember the year of the Spanish Armada, so much of Adam Sandler's buffoonery remains firmly entrenched in our minds. But beyond debating the merits of shampoo versus conditioner, this episode inspires us to relive our own school years, when we too dreamed of our crushes, annoyed our bus drivers, and peed our pants. (It's the coolest!)

Daren Sprawls brings his teacher voice back to the pod as we finish our seasonal salute to Adam Sandler. Listen closely, and you may discover that somewhere in this rambling, incoherent episode, we approach something that resembles a rational thought. May God have mercy on our souls.

Billy Madison (1995)
Directed by Tamra Davis
Produced by Robert Simonds
Written by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy
Starring Adam Sandler, Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Larry Hankin, Darren McGavin, Josh Mostel, Chris Farley, Steve Buscemi, and Jim Downey

Episode 153 - PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE

Channeling his gift for comedic rage into a bracing and wonderfully odd character study, Adam Sandler reached his acting pinnacle in Punch-Drunk Love. It's a film that observes Sandler's onscreen persona through a distorted lens, and the Kafkaesque world created by writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson serves as the deconstructed version of a typical Happy Madison comedy. It's the Sandman as we've never seen before--and likely will never see again.

The Summer of Sandler is swerving into auteur territory, so put on your critical studies cap for an episode rich with theories, analyses, and meaningful lens flares.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Produced by JoAnn Sellar, Daniel Lupi, and Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Luis Guzman, Robert Smigel, and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Episode 152 - ROCKO'S MODERN LIFE

Years before "adult" became a verb, Rocko's Modern Life tried to warn us what was in store outside the bubble of childhood. Younger viewers tuning in to laugh at funny talking animals were surreptitiously served a reality check in tidy 10-minute segments. The cartoon's surreal slapstick punctured the perceived glamour of the grown-up world, while also taking aim at the excesses and absurdities of...well, modern life.

Jake Beal returns in this episode of Conglom-O proportions, as we raise Heck in our raucous appreciation of a Nicktoon that was well ahead of its time. This'll be a hoot!

Rocko's Modern Life (1993-1996)
Created by Joe Murray

Episodes featured in this podcast:

"To Heck and Back" (aired 10/10/93)
"Rocko's Happy Sack" (aired 11/21/93)
"Kiss Me, I'm Foreign" (aired 12/4/94)
"Wacky Delly" (aired 1/26/96)
"Zanzibar" (aired 4/21/96)
"Closet Clown" (aired 7/16/96)

Episode 151 - LITTLE NICKY

The lesson of Little Nicky: even the Sandman has limits. This big budget, high-concept comedy busted Adam Sandler's streak of box office success, and the legacy of this daring and wildly unsuccessful risk helped define the boundaries of a comfort zone he's inhabited in the years since (with a few notable exceptions).

The Summer of Sandler takes a detour on the highway to hell as we find the good, the bad, and the butt-ugly in this bewildering story of a bashful Beezlebub. We deserve this!

 

Little Nicky (2000)

Directed by Steven Brill

Produced by Jack Giarraputo and Robert Simonds

Written by Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, and Steven Brill

Starring Adam Sandler, Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette, Reese Witherspoon, Rhys Ifans, Thomas "Tiny" Lister Jr., Robert Smigel, Kevin Nealon, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, and Rodney Dangerfield

Episode 150 - THE LION KING

From the day we arrived on this podcast, we've done our best to honor the spirit of the pop culture we enjoyed as kids. Even after five years and 150 episodes of heroic overthinking and nostalgia-fueled biases, we're still realizing there is more to see than could ever be seen through our younger eyes, and The Lion King is certainly no exception. It is arguably the alpha of contemporary Disney animation: an artistic and technological landmark that audiences continue to find in its lofty place along the unwinding path of cinema history.

It's the perfect subject for this milestone episode, which includes a look back at some of the other topics that moved us through despair and hope, while you--our wonderful listeners--sustained us with your faith and love. We're psyched to keep digging into the past, often ending up back where we started in a journey that's often wistful and joyous and bittersweet, almost as if we were traversing some kind of life-giving sphere. Remember who you are, and soak in our anniversary celebration!

The Lion King (1994)
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Produced by Don Hahn
Written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton
Starring Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Moira Kelly, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, Madge Sinclair, and James Earl Jones

Episode 149 - THE PATRIOT

Some nations have oral histories that tell the story of their ancient origins. Others have sprawling cosmologies that explain how each part of their culture was forged. In the United States of America, we frame our founding myth as a three-hour Hollywood war epic directed by a German and starring two Australians.

On this special crossover episode, the hosts of the Lieography podcast--John Parton, Ace Cordova, and Joanna Phillips--join us to take a comprehensive look at the historical basis of The Patriot. With the help of their meticulous and illuminating research, we grade the movie's factual accuracy (or lack thereof) and celebrate our freedom as Americans to fudge the details. Happy 4th of July!

The Patriot (2000)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Produced by Dean Devlin, Mark Gordon, and Gary Levinsohn
Written by Robert Rodat
Starring Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, Joely Richardson, Chris Cooper, Tchéky Karyo, René Auberjonois, Lisa Brenner, Donal Logue, Leon Rippy, Adam Baldwin, and Tom Wilkinson

Episode 148 - THE WATERBOY

Calling all sentimental goofballs and easily agitated man-children! The Summer of Sandler is upon us, and our celebration kicks off with a look back at The Waterboy. Focused on a sweet-natured hero who taps into an unexpected reservoir of rage, this silly sports comedy echoes the yin-yang appeal of its star, whose comedic creations often boast the capacity to delight and disturb in equal measure.

Our season-long tribute is just getting started, so unless something's wrong with your medulla oblongata, come spend your summer with the Sandman and nourish yourself with some high-quality WWWW! You can do it!

The Waterboy (1998)
Directed by Frank Coraci
Produced by Jack Giarraputo and Robert Simonds
Written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler
Starring Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, Larry Gilliard Jr., Blake Clark, Peter Dante, Jonathan Loughran, and Rob Schneider

Episode 147 - MEN IN BLACK

As a genre hybrid, Men in Black is a masterclass: a buddy cop comedy cloaked in the trappings of a science fiction thriller. They go together like a dark suit and a pair of Ray-Bans, or a grumpy veteran agent and his upstart wiseass partner. From its hilarious deadpan humor to its impressive makeup effects, MIB is beguilingly simple in concept, but remarkably clever in execution.

We had a blast Neuranalyzing this highly influential summer blockbuster. Come and join the conspiracy; no need to don your shades. We are nostalgia defenders, and we will let you remember.

Men in Black (1997)
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Produced by Laurie McDonald and Walter F. Parkes
Written by Ed Solomon
Based on the comic The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tony Shaloub, Tim Blaney, and Rip Torn

Episode 146 - GODZILLA

Before "reboot" entered the average moviegoer's vocabulary, the 1998 American version of Godzilla traded on the appeal of a beloved cultural icon while treading all over its cinematic legacy with Hollywood brashness. And whether you appreciate the big lizard's unapologetic makeover or hate it with the atomic passion of a French nuclear weapons test, most of us can agree: this movie has a kick-ass soundtrack.

Daren Sprawls joins us for a verbal rampage through some skyscraper-sized opinions, and also lends his artistic talents to a medley of songs from Godzilla: The Album. It's our biggest musical bonus to date...because size does matter.

Godzilla (1998)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Produced by Dean Devlin
Written by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin
Starring Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, Arabella Field, Doug Savant, Vicki Lewis, and Harry Shearer

Episode 145 - ALADDIN

Aladdin promised a whole new world of narrative possibilities for Disney's resurgent animation division. It expanded the studio's fantastic point of view beyond traditional European folktales while soaring and tumbling with a freewheeling attitude perfectly suited to the '90s. And with no one telling improvisational genius Robin Williams "no," the film had nowhere to go but into the endless diamond sky of our warmest childhood memories.

It's an indescribable feeling as Sean Davis shares his shining, shimmering, splendid insights on this treasured Disney classic. We've got plenty of new horizons to pursue, so come join us on this magic carpet ride!

 

Aladdin (1992)
Directed and produced by Ron Clements and John Musker
Written by Ron Clements & John Musker and Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
Starring Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried, Douglas Seale, and Robin Williams

Episode 144 - POKÉMON

While the Pokémon phenomenon has been going strong for more than two decades, there's something especially magical about that first batch of 150-plus pocket monsters. A super effective cocktail of animal cuteness, competitive spirit, and pre-social media FOMO, the franchise conquered America--and the world--like few Japanese imports before or since, and left an evolutionary blueprint for others to follow.

Cartoons, video games, toys, trading cards, novelty raps: we catch 'em all in this episode focused on the Big Bang of a synergistic media universe. While we were recording, a wild Josh Lee appeared to make his WWWW debut, so boot up your Pokédex and join us in our quest to be the very best, like no pod ever was!

Pokémon (1998-present)
Based on the video game created by Satoshi Taijiri

Episodes included in this podcast:

"Pokémon, I Choose You!" (aired 9/8/98)
"Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village" (9/21/98)
"Pikachu's Goodbye" (11/20/98)
"Cyber Soldier Porygon" (unaired in the United States)

Episode 143 - THE SANDLOT: Tequila! Edition

The wait for another commentary/drinking game episode has been killin' us (Smalls), but finally the time has come for The Sandlot: Tequila! Edition. We celebrate Eric's birthday with this ageless classic about friendship and the promise of the perfect summer. Nate Tapp joins us in the dugout to sip cold brews, swap childhood stories, and occasionally pay attention to the action unfolding before us. It's just like attending a baseball game!

Drinking game rules:

You're Killing Me, Smalls!
Take one drink whenever Smalls does something embarrassing. This will depend on your personal tolerance for L-7 weenies.

Unleash the Beast
Drink whenever the Beast is seen, heard, or mentioned: including flashbacks!

A Voice Is Telling Me To
Each time adult Smalls chimes in with voiceover narration, take a drink.

I'll Have What He's Having
Timmy loves to ape his brother Tommy. Let's all indulge in groupthink and take a sip whenever he sounds like a broken record.

The Seventh-Inning Quench
Podcast heroes get remembered, but podcast legends never die. Stand up and toast the Great Bambino when he appears in Benny's dream by finishing your current beverage.

Tequila!
Take a shot of your favorite tequila during the carnival ride scene. For best results, do not mix with chewing tobacco.

The Sandlot (1993)
Directed by David M. Evans
Produced by Dale De La Torre and William S. Gilmore
Written by David M. Evans and Robert Gunter
Starring Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Adams, Grant Gelt, Victor Di Mattia, Shane Obedzinski, Karen Allen, Denis Leary, Marley Shelton, Art LaFleur, and James Earl Jones

Episode 142 - THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

The Passion of the Christ was a massive gamble in every sense: a movie in a dead genre, performed in a dead language, portraying a feature-length death march. It only made a truckload of money and launched a new wave of faith-based films aimed at the audience that turned an adaptation of Christian gospels and devotional writings into a global phenomenon.

Our favorite disciple, Jake Beal, arrives just in time for Easter and takes us to (Sunday) school as we examine The Passion's complex legacy as religious theater, epic cinema, and cultural touchstone.  It is accomplished!

The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Directed by Mel Gibson
Produced by Bruce Davey, Mel Gibson, and Stephen McEveety
Written by Mel Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald
Starring Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Francesco De Vito, Luca Lionello, Christo Jivkov, Rosalinda Celentano, Mattia Sbragia, Hristo Shopov, and Monica Bellucci

Episode 141 - MATILDA

Precocious young viewers saw a bit of themselves in Matilda, a dark power fantasy for gifted kids that's softened with eccentric humor and a kind-hearted Mara Wilson performance. It's a movie that delights in the comeuppance of several crooked and cruel authority figures. But the one that really grabs us by our pigtails is Agatha Trunchbull, an iconic villain determined to make sure that you never look at chocolate cake the same way again.

Kevin Chu returns to send us on our way to the golden age of Roald Dahl adaptations. Remember to return your library books, and don't miss this (tele)kinetic episode!

Matilda (1996)
Directed by Danny DeVito
Produced by Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, and Lucy Dahl
Written by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord
Based on Matilda by Roald Dahl
Starring Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Pam Ferris, Embeth Davidtz, Kiami Davael, Tracey Walter, and Paul Reubens

"Episode 141" - SUPERMAN LIVES

In an alternate universe, a movie like Superman Lives would never have been made. Luckily for us, the stars aligned in 1998 to bring us this controversial collision between the minds of Kevin Smith and Tim Burton. The end result is what you might expect from the partnership of a garrulous geek and arty introvert: a very different kind of Superman story for the misfits of the world.

Just as Michael Keaton dusts off the batsuit for a scene-stealing cameo, our man in Gotham Gensho Tasaka returns once more to talk polar bears, giant spiders, gay robot sidekicks, and that surprisingly poignant Jay and Silent Bob scene. It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...




















...April Fool's.

Superman Lives (1998)
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Jon Peters
Starring Nicolas Cage, Courtney Cox, Christopher Walken, Kevin Spacey, Chris Rock, Dwight Ewell, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, and Michael Keaton

Episode 140 - THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS

Everything that has a beginning, has an end: so it is for Matrix March and for The Matrix Revolutions, the Wagnerian grand finale of the Wachowskis' cyberpunk saga. The war between humans and machines comes to a head in this battle-heavy installment, while Neo and company confront a literal deus ex machina. The air of inevitability hangs heavy over this movie: is it an anticlimax, or just a different kind of answer to our questions?

Andrew McNally takes his final bow as our personal Matrix guru, and is joined by new recruit Gensho Tasaka as we all take one final journey down the rabbit hole.  For Zion!

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Written and directed by the Wachowskis
Produced by Joel Silver
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Harry J. Lennix, Harold Perrineau, Nona Gaye, Clayton Watson, Nathaniel Lees, Bruce Spence, and Mary Alice

Follow the white rabbit to our Matrix content:
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Animatrix
The Matrix Revolutions

Episode 139 - THE ANIMATRIX

Matrix March keeps on scrolling with The Animatrix, an anthology that once bridged the gap between big-screen sequels, and today stands as one of the most unique and ambitious tie-ins of a major Hollywood production. The nine segments featured present an up close and personal view of a technology-fueled dystopia, and offer plenty more philosophical questions for us to debate.

Andrew McNally returns as we shift our focus from massive Australian soundstages to Japanese animation studios and American effects houses. The archives of Zion are open and waiting to be explored. A new world awaits you...

The Animatrix (2003)
Segments directed by Peter Chung, Andrew R. Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takeshi Koike, Mahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, and Shinichiro Watanabe
Segments written by Peter Chung, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Koji Morimoto, Shinichiro Watanabe, and the Wachowskis
Starring Kevin Michael Richardson, Pamela Adlon, Hedy Burress, Phil LaMarr, Victor Williams, James Arnold Taylor, John DiMaggio, Melinda Clarke, Clayton Watson, Carrie-Ann Moss, and Keanu Reeves

Follow the white rabbit to our Matrix content:
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Animatrix
The Matrix Revolutions

Episode 138 - THE MATRIX RELOADED

The Matrix was quite naturally perfect, a work of art, flawless, sublime. However, it was the eventuality of an anomaly, which despite our sincerest efforts has led us, inexorably, here: Matrix March. Ergo, we begin our journey through the rest of the groundbreaking sci-fi franchise with The Matrix Reloaded.

Concordantly, we have again recruited one of Zion's most loyal sons, Andrew McNally, to help us reflect the varying grotesqueries of our nature through our reactions to this polarizing sequel and its place in an ambitious multimedia narrative. Apropos, we hope you will join us on our quest to find the source, and enjoy the rest of Matrix March.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Written and directed by the Wachowskis
Produced by Joel Silver
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, Monica Bellucci, Harold Perrineau, Helmut Bakaitis, and Gloria Foster

Follow the white rabbit to our Matrix content:
The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Animatrix
The Matrix Revolutions

Episode 137 - The 5th Annual Dubbie Awards!

Still much shorter than the Oscars, it's our year-in-review award extravaganza! We commemorate another year of watching stuff by recognizing our recent favorites, with an emphasis on special achievements in nostalgia. Follow along in your Dubbies pool as we sound off on the things we'll remember from 2018.

This year's program of awards:

• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Film
• Best New Oldie
• Best Comeback
• Most Unnecessary Throwback
• Future WWWW Candidate
• Most Nostalgic Moment
• Best Performance by a Co-Host
• Best Performance by a Guest
• Best WWWW Episode of 2018

Episode 136 - ANNIE (1982)

Leapin' lizards! The lavish screen adaptation of the timeless Broadway smash Annie is a 1930s nostalgia factory, perhaps the rosiest portrait of the Great Depression ever produced. It's also a valentine to American capitalism in its cinematic excess, and in its portrayal of a billionaire grumbling about the system he is all too eager to exploit.

Two Gay Matts co-host (and plucky redhead) Matt Steele helps up keep smiling through this hard knock life. Bet your bottom dollar that you'll love this episode!

(Note: This episode was completed before Albert Finney's passing on February 7, 2019. Consider it a tribute to his portrayal of Daddy Warbucks as an indomitable softie, and his many other memorable roles.)

Annie (1982)
Directed by John Huston
Produced by Ray Stark
Written by Carol Sobieski
Based on the stage musical by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin, and Thomas Meehan; and the comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray
Starring Aileen Quinn, Carol Burnett, Albert Finney, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, Geoffrey Holder, and Edward Herrmann

More Matt Steele

Febreze commercial - "Super Bowl Party Prep"
Two Gay Matts on YouTube

Episode 135 - UNBREAKABLE

As Hollywood was still casting a wary eye upon superhero films, along came a movie that unapologetically embraced the language of comic books to tell a cinematic story. Unbreakable is still one of the moodiest superhero movies ever: deliberate, somber, and whisper-quiet with a pair of stars playing against type, it stands as perhaps the apotheosis of M. Night Shyamalan's unsettling modern parables.

Sam Stovold and Kev Young join us to ponder the implications of real-life superpowers and an extended Shyamalan-iverse in an episode that ends with a shocking twist! (Or does it...?)

Unbreakable (2000)
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Produced by Barry Mendel, Sam Mercer, and M. Night Shyamalan
Starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, Chance Kelly, and Charlayne Woodard

Episode 134 - MEMORABLE FOOD & DRINK COMMERCIALS

And now, a word from our sponsors...

This mouth-watering medley of memorable food and drink commercials features our biggest, boldest, and most nutritious examination of retro advertising to date! You'll love the flavorful insights on everything from cereal and citrus soda to candy bars and Canadian lager. And this time, we're not just reminiscing about the products being advertised...we're consuming them too!

Satisfy your appetite with this brand-new episode, part of a balanced podcast breakfast.

Ads featured in this episode:
Waffle Crisp
Polaner All-Fruit
Ritz Bits Sandwiches
Surge
Got Milk? ("Oreo Kane" and "Aaron Burr")
Gushers
Sprite
Snickers
Labatt Blue