We Celebrate 200 Episodes with Academic Rigor!

9/27/2021

Ambiguous at best, misleading at worst

Finally, our obsessions are validated in episode 200, now that we know we're not the only ones who seek deeper meaning via The Boss Baby. It's a real conference, in the way that anything is real once it's posted on the internet. We suppose the important question is how we found out about this at all... probably that Google alert for "boss baby discourse".

More Boss Baby discussion, and rankings!

You can see our old Star Wars rankings here. You can adjust them in your head by switching the positions of 4 and 8 for Charlie, and putting 9 at the bottom of the list for everyone.

While a Gobeski/Wallace Report/Fortnite crossover event would be baffling, it would likely not be as cringe-inducing or mismatched in spirit as Fortnite's MLK "March Through Time" event.

And speaking of marches, we've added a few new ones!

We Swing Around Microphones and Endanger Our Audience in Episode 199!

9/13/2021

A famous comedian, obviously

Those of you waiting for another Merry Marvel Movie March episode will have to wait a tiny bit. Due to scheduling issues, episode 199 is mostly about the 2021 Sparks musical Annette.

So... that scene. Apparently we weren't the only ones talking about it!

"Million Dollar Quartet" is indeed a real musical that Adam is really in! Pure statistics ensures that you are more likely to enjoy it more than the movie Annette. In fact, it reportedly has NO PUPPET BABIES WHATSOEVER! Plus, Adam sings and plays guitar, so it's also got that going for it as well!

We Bring Out the Bits in Episode 198!

8/30/2021

Proving, once again, that inspiration is everywhere!

It's been a full 98 episodes [it's only been 81 episodes; apparently someone's forgotten Blade: Trinity... –Adam], but we're finally back together to record a podcast in person! Shenaniwilliamstowntownshipza was everything the title implies: hilarious, exhilarating, within the border of Williamstown Township... a perfect recipe for fun! But not a perfect recipe for potato chips, as usual.

Brianne talks a little bit about The Stuff. So does our buddy Nathan Rabin, if you want to dive deeper!

Paul wants to express officially that he is pro-vax, and Adam wants to clarify that his vaccine card is not forged. They both want to leave open the possibility that some day they can host Jeopardy!, in case someone decides to listen to every episode of this podcast.

Wait... this just in! Paul got a mini-fridge! Tony knew someone who was giving theirs away and... well that's pretty much the whole story. It remains to be seen how far Paul is willing to go to fully utilize it, though we do approve of Doug's idea to fit the mini-fridge inside a regular fridge (you know, for improved efficiency).

We Invite the CIA into Our Home in Episode 197!

8/16/2021

OK, yep, this also works for us.

Finally, the Merry Marvel Movie March is up to 2018's Black Panther, a movie that Tony waited to watch specifically for this occasion! Although we are admittedly a bunch of white dudes watching this movie more than 3 years after it was first released, we hope that our commentary isn't completely irrelevant. But even if it is, that's never stopped us before!

Kevin mentioned a Luke Cage comic that seemed questionable. You can view those two panels here.

We had to cut it for time, but we did discuss the Oscar-nominated song "All the Stars" as part of our Merry Marvel Movie March Song-Off. We all agreed we enjoyed it, but it seems nothing will replace "Home of the Brave" at the top of the Marvel charts for Paul.

When rich corporations fight against rich celebrities, we side with... celebrities, we guess? Because they have less money? Because they're not necessarily evil by design? While the results of this suit may have larger (and relevant) implications for the movie industry, we'll reserve our tears for Colin Jost and Colin Jost only (that poor, poor, exceedingly lucky man).

We Banish an AI into Orbit in Episode 196!

8/2/2021

Good morning, Frankie.

While we discuss the merits of "may" vs "might" in the actual episode, we don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that we DID have a special guest on the podcast this time around. He's a billionaire, very into space travel, and is responsible for technology that will have an outsized impact on the Earth's future environment – but it's not the one you're thinking of. (Unless you were thinking of a certain oil magnate/friend of the podcast, in which case, congratulations, it IS the one you're thinking of!)

OK, Probability of Precipitation (PoP) is actually kinda difficult to pin down, in part because meteorologists just don't think it matters that much! We think it's a ploy by Big Umbrella to confuse the public into living life in fear of rain.

We're here to remind you, again, that David Lynch likes the weather.

Here's a fidget cube. It's unlikely that it will open up a portal to a torture dimension à la Hellraiser, but Charlie still wants nothing to do with it!

We Unleash the Balrog Surtur in Episode 195!

7/19/2021

OK, yep, this look works for us

Who knew that destroying a whole world could be this much fun? Taika Waititi, that's who! We're of course referring to 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, which we reviewed for the 59th installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March.

AMC may not be doing so well, even with much better box office numbers now that some folks are going back to the movies. And Disney/Marvel is paving the way! [Late-breaking edit: Well, maybe; this weekend's box office reports include some rather telling omissions regarding Black Widow, which may therefore point in the other direction. AMC has their fingers crossed!]

Some background on World War Hulk, which we've provided mainly as an excuse to include the Mini Marvels comics that best sum up the impetus behind Planet Hulk.

Who else wants to see a Mark Ruffalo and Tom Holland host a show where they accidentally spoil every movie they review? There, we put that out in the universe!

Tessa Thompson doesn't seem to think Disney had ulterior motives for cutting Valkyrie's lesbian love scene from the film. Since then her character has been officially confirmed as LGBTQ+ (although, as with all things regarding LGBTQ+ representation in Disney films, we'll believe it when we see it (and don't blink and miss it)).

As per Kevin's recommendation, Team Thor Part 2 and Team Darryl.

It's hard to have a conversation with us and not mention Tim and/or Eric. Here's the background on the fallout of the Electric Sun Festival in case you missed it (and if you're still alive, you probably didn't attend).

We Reassess Our Heroes in Episode 194!

7/5/2021

He may be a war criminal, but that's the curriculum!

Now that Black Widow is coming to theaters this Friday (and your home for extra charges, if you're not into the whole "reopening the economy maybe too soon" thing), we are once again doomed to forever chase the end of our Merry Marvel Movie March. But the fun is in the journey, so here's our newest episode where we review 2017's action/teen comedy spectacle Spider-Man: Homecoming!

Our deep dive (aka first Google hit) on flag fringe shows this Wikipedia entry. So I guess no court case has ever meant anything in this country! Makes perfect sense.

Yes, yes, yes, the MCU has a somewhat inconsistent timeline. But there's also this thing from Doctor Strange called the "Time Stone" which means we can do whatever, whenever, and it's all just fine. So lighten up! And speaking of timelines, the convergence of all of our favorite movies and shows has already happened and most of us didn't even know (except Adam, as usual).

Tony Always Wins in Episode 193!

6/21/2021

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like winning!

While we refuse to acknowledge any Piscopo news more recent than the 1990s, we will continue to observe Piscopo Day as an arbitary signifier of ALL June birthdays. We may one day run out of non-racist SNL sketches to perform, but new streamers are being born every June, so those "Celebrity birthday" webpages will allow us to induct new members into the Piscopo Hall of Fame indefinitely! Congrats to this year's winner, Keith David!

Good things grow in Ontario, if you weren't aware. We rate this commercial as "Slightly Better than Charlie Sings a Song About It" in both pitch and repetitiveness, but it has a high catchiness quotient! [Charlie WISHES he were as good as this. –Editor Adam]

Adam found some eBay Chi-Chi's memorabilia and then kept going.

Grimes's rant about about socialism and AI may have confused everyone, but to be fair she was probably just as confused about her boyfriend's Wario sketch.

We Tell Past Explainers in Episode 192!

6/7/2021

I can't deliver these Reuben Sandwich chips until you agree to pay the charges! (Original photo by Aaron Doucett on Unsplash)

The past and the future catch up with us in episode 192, as we both tease upcoming episodes and discuss things that have happened recently, a situation we've dubbed "Past Explainers"! It's weird that there wasn't already a word for that, but I guess that's why we're pioneers! And we apologize for the lack of exciting chip segments this time around, but that just leaves us more room to ensure all those COD deliveries arrive on time!

For all our Gen Z listeners, Alastair Cooke was the presenter of a PBS show called "Masterpiece Theatre" who introduced British dramas to the audience. There, now you can say you learned something today. And for our older listeners, it turns out the Masterpiece Theatre theme is a rondeau from the first suite of symphonies by French composer Jean-Joseph Mouret. Have a listen and see if it brings back any memories.

The Wisconsin Film Festival has wrapped up for the year. The movies Charlie mentioned were: Luzzu (guy on a boat), The Inheritance (fictional story about a community center, but centered on the real-life MOVE organization), The Passing On (the word Charlie was looking for was "mortician", not "embalmer") and Strawberry Mansion (a weird 70's sci-fi pastiche with dream-like narrative structure; it was weird).

Are there things you'd like us to do in episode 200? Send us a tweet and let us know! Or stop us in the grocery store if you see us, that works too.

And yes, Bond Voyage is coming soon! Here's what we have to look forward to!

Our Walkman Gets Trashed in Episode 191!

5/24/2021

The context of this joke will soon be lost to time!

We've had a good run, but now that theaters are opening back up it looks like we'll soon be losing ground in our Merry Marvel Movie March. Oh well, we're still bringing you our review of 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 anyway. We guess we'll never have to worry about that "Coyote who finally caught the Roadrunner" problem!

Adam's computer is unruly this time of year (actually true!) so his sound quality is a bit tinnier than usual. We were aware, but there wasn't much we could do at the time. Please forgive us!

And also apologies are in order for the background noise of Charlie listening to Guardians Inferno at various speeds during the "Marvel Movie March Song-Off". Discover for yourself the best playback speed for listening and for... other things.

We secretly hoped that one day our "Nick Bronson: Dinosaur Hunter" franchise would take off and have the main character voiced by Nick Offerman. Apparently, it's better that the material be imagined by an actual 5-year-old boy rather than two adults with the sensibilities of 5-year-old boys. We're talking, of course, about Axe Cop.

Yes, someone is serious about Zunes!

We Develop a New Streaming Service in Episode 190!

5/10/2021

No! Absolutely no children allowed!

Come to think of it, we create more than one cool business idea in episode 190! We're pretty sure that by releasing the recording, we hold all rights to said concepts forever and ever. And ever! So no one had better come up with a new streaming platform or baby vaudeville act or they'll be hearing from our lawyers!

While this photo makes Adam's realtor look intimidating, we assure you she is very approachable and excellent at her job, so if you need a realtor in the Chandler, Arizona area, you should contact her!

A palomino!

Perhaps the biggest tipoff that the hardcore music concert in NYC was not a 9-11 memorial event was the fact that it was in April. Something to think about when attempting to commit fraud next year!

More Nathan Rabin shilling, but we're happy to do it as usual!

And The Sparks Brothers are coming to a theater near you, assuming you're vaccinated, or care that you're vaccinated, or that theaters near you are open, or that you have a theater that considers the movie profitable... anyway it'll be out there somewhere.

We Take a Trip to the Casino in Episode 189!

4/26/2021

Future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!

We say goodbye to beloved characters (or at least the particular actor portrayals) in episode 56 of our Merry Marvel Movie March with our review of the 2017 film Logan. Tony tried to get more creative than we'd like with his rating, but we'll forgive him since he had a Week.

Doug mentions the first Logan trailer in the episode, so if you wanna watch it again, here you go.

Much like its Masked Singer counterpart, the candy bar Thingamajig was exciting, until it suddenly was over. I guess when life gets you down, you just repackage and move on!

James Mangold will be directing the fifth Indiana Jones film, which, if it's like James Mangold's other movies that we've seen, will be about Indy wishing for his own death, possibly by snake bite.

Logan wasn't originally designed to be in black and white, but as Adam pointed out, the first few episodes of WandaVision were! As was The Addams Family tv show.

And finally:

When the poster you want doesn't exist, you improvise!

We Convert to a Cooking Format in Episode 188!

4/12/2021

You guessed it!

After perhaps the most bizarre year of all our lives to date, we decide to catch up with old friends Alex and John in episode 188. It's been over 100 episodes since John was last on the podcast, but some things never change (as evidenced by the blog photo).

Charlie couldn't decide whether comparing John to Bean Dad was too mean or not... but when in doubt, leave it in the podcast and have the public decide!

Turns out Shrimp Tail Guy, in addition to being Topanga's Husband, is also a Milkshake Duck. We're sure he's got a real name too, but who can be bothered in this day and age?

Alex brought the old memes to the show this week (explicit lyrics warning); we're sure Paul would approve.

We invite ol' Big Brother technology into our home, and all he can muster the energy for is targeted advertisements in our "smart" televisions? We were promised the Panopticon! Oh well, here's how to disable that junk.

And finally, as much as we are loath to link to rival podcasts (we consider ALL podcasts to be in direct competition with us), here is a link to the Plague Inc interview Adam mentions in the episode.

We Improvise with Artifacts in Episode 187!

3/29/2021

I dunno, I'm not sure I'm a "cape" guy...

Merry Marvel Movie March Madness draws to a close with nary a COVID-forced no-contest forfeit, as we review the 2016 film Doctor Strange. Great job guys, we did it despite the odds!

Adam is still threatening to do a Merry Marvel Movie March Appendix, which would potentially include Doctor Mordrid. So familiarize yourself with it now!

Since recording, Another Round has been nominated for Academy Awards in the "Directing" and "International Feature Film" categories. Charlie recommends it, and Doug probably will soon too!

We didn't really discuss how Rachel McAdams's character isn't even a Doctor Strange character: Christine Palmer's from a short-lived 70s book called "Night Nurse" (meant to appeal to female readers), and then she doesn't make another appearance until 2004's "Nightcrawler" book (and basically nothing since then). It's not really clear why she was picked for the movie at all, unless they just went with a Marvel character who was a nurse. But we love Rachel McAdams, so who cares!

We Perform Amazing, though Imperfect, Feats of Engineering in Episode 186!

3/15/2021

Sometimes it feels like the whole movie looks like this

We've hit the middle (nadir?) of Merry Marvel Movie March Madness with our review of the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse. But it's maybe not the low point of the X-Men franchise, so we all have that to look forward to in the future. We wouldn't want the post-pandemic world to look too rosy, now would we?

Generally we wouldn't advocate for adding more scenes of teenagers at the mall, but here we might make an exception. See, it's not bad, right?

You missed your chance to be a graduate of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Of course, why you'd want to go to a school that gets attacked or destoyed every few months is beyond us...

But 50 cents off White Castle? Sign us up!

A deal so good, it's expired!

And just a reminder that Steve Ditko was doing psychedelia before it was cool.

We Initiate an Elaborate Revenge Scheme in Episode 185!

3/1/2021

It may have been a draw, but at least we got our lunges in for the day!

It just so happens that the episode release schedule allows us to get in three episodes for Merry Marvel Movie March Madness this year! What better way to kick that off than by reviewing the 2016 team-up extravaganza Captain America: Civil War? Some sort of elaborate team sports tournament involving schools from all over the nation? This ain't that type of podcast, dummy!

Another major milestone in the March: we're finally free of Ike Perlmutter!

Here's the link to Team Thor to watch at your leisure. It's directed by Taika Waititi, so we assume you now feel compelled to view it!

Oh yeah, and thanks, Paul for giving us the opportunity to bring this up again!

We Hemorrhage Water in Episode 184!

2/15/2021

Real question

This week, Charlie couldn't be bothered to show up, but luckily we were apparently able to get Tim Daly and Steven Weber of "Wings" fame to talk with us in episode 184 at the last minute! Like the rest of us, their lives are currently filled with a plethora of tragedies and opportunities. Unlike the rest of us, that includes unusually high water bills and 500 foot tall sentient sponges.

David Lynch doesn't like watching movies on phones. But he does like the weather.

Hopefully we'll see a "Frasier" reboot greenlit soon, but if not, it's nice to know there are plenty of opportunites for Kelsey Grammer to play a sky pirate if he so chooses (including on the "iCarly" reboot, we assume).

It turns out "The Daly Show" is a thing, so we're not sure how "The Daly Weekly Monthly" fits into the puzzle. I guess we'll have to ask Tim the next time he's on the show.

Also, be a little less douche.

We Forget our Arsenal in Episode 183!

2/8/2021

Does this count as a cameo?

Merry Marvel Movie March installment number 52 covers the 2016 movie Deadpool, and it couldn't have come at a better time. And by that, we mean a week late! Sorry for the delay, sometimes quality takes time! But we'll be back right on schedule with another episode next week, with two very special guests and one notable absence...

Here's the leaked test footage of Deadpool, which just goes to show that you can run afoul of NDAs as long as the suits are happy with the results!

And because we mention Tony's "woo" again, here you go. If we post it enough, maybe it'll eventually be the first Google hit for "startled Miles Teller".

There's a brief conversation that was cut from the podcast about Negasonic Teenage Warhead's powers. Here's a CinemaBlend article that goes over that in detail.

Also, marvel at the success of this film despite the slashed budget!

It may be worth brushing up on your Cable history before we get to Deadpool 2.

And we'd have to deep-dive a bit more to find out why Deadpool and Wolverine might be feuding in the comic universe, but here's a little background on how their respective actors brought that feud into real life.

We May or May Not Have Made It to 2021 in Episode 182!

1/18/2021

Not actual size

We ostensibly get together to talk about Christmas presents in episode 182, but reality gets in the way. But don't worry - we presently assure you of the presence of present presentation within the present episode.

The fate of Parler is still in flux. Since the episode, the service was thrown out of multiple app stores, had its Amazon web-hosting shut down, and then has found a new home. So a hearty "well done" to the folks who tried to capitalize on the few days in that timeline where "Parler loaded" phones were relevant. We will not link to any of those things nor should you search for them. We're only mentioning it at all because it came up in the podcast and maybe you're in the future doing a history report on the Capitol Insurrection and for some reason you've decided to use us as a source? I mean, we're flattered, but you might want to rethink your scholarly research strategies.

The Obama Library is pretty on brand, in that it earns both the genuine and sarcastic intonations of the phrase "Thanks, Obama".

And finally, the sort of schadenfreude we live for.

We Make Interdimensional Travel Boring in Episode 181!

1/4/2021

Uh... did someone just yell "Woo"?

What to say about the 2015 film Fant4stic? That it's the 51st movie in our Merry Marvel Movie March? That's just about the best thing it has going for it! We guess it does have Tim Heidecker in it, technically (just make sure you don't blink). But I guess what do you expect from a movie called Fant4stic? What's that, it's technically called Fantastic Four? Not according to any posters or $2 used Blu-rays WE'VE seen!

Oh yeah, the film did make this classic Tony Huff moment possible! (In that Miles Teller is an actor who is sometimes invited onto television talk shows!)

Apparently it was Vox, not AV Club, who called Fant4stic an "unmitigated garbage fire". We regret the error, albeit not the sentiment.

A lot has been speculated in writing about why this movie failed, although it's not really clear that Josh Trank's tweet is what sank it. A little time has given some perspective to both the world and the director (even to the point of Trank reviewing his own film on Letterboxd!), and we're happy to report that the reviews for Capone were... marginally better than for Fant4stic. Keep at it, fellow white male! You're bound to strike gold again on the 7th or 8th try!

We May Have Put an Old Lady in a Coma in Episode 60!

12/21/2020

Excuse me sir, but have you heard the Word of Lowell?

Episode 60 of our Wings review show brings us another Nantucket Christmas, this time without the music licensing problems that make the season 2 Christmas episode inaccessible via most legal methods. As usual, it has us pining for the days where whole physical seasons of TV series were available for rent at video stores.

Yes, the Feast of Seven Fishes is a real thing! Once again, the writers of Wings are extremely committed to cultural accuracy and in no way are playing on broad stereotypes. No easy laughs here!

Phil Buckman actually is a very talented bassist, and you can contact him here via his LinkedIn profile.

We Crash Our Daughter's Birthday Party in Episode 179!

12/7/2020

This movie almost makes us forget that ants are totally gross and scary

We're finally on installment 50 of our Merry Marvel Movie March and we can hardly believe it! Thanks for sticking with us over the years; your reward is listening to us talk about Gregg Turkington for longer than probably necessary in episode 179 while discussing the 2015 film Ant-Man.

On Cinema has its own universe, which is nearly impenetrable to the uninitiated. Luckily, Vulture tries its best to help!

Per Wikipedia, Doug has the correct pronunciation of Dastmalchian. Apologies for cutting the discussion of that from the podcast - riveting stuff, but something had to go!

Here's that "so-famous-we-didn't-know-it-existed" SNL sketch of Garrett Morris as Ant-Man. [Charlie, you're a philistine. -Adam]

Paul Rudd was great in Ant-Man, but he's at his greatest in short-form videos and sketches. Check out some of his greatest hits, including Anyone Can Quantum (and the Star Trek Beyond sequel Quantum is Calling!), the "Ants! Ants! Ant-Man!" promo, Celery Man, and a whole playlist of Mac and Me trolls.

We Create Our Own Biggest Problem in Episode 178!

11/23/2020

Tell me again how great you think shields are, I dare you

It's a very special day as Adam cajoles us into celebrating the 57th anniversary of Doctor Who today! Will you watch some classic Doctor Who on Pluto TV to celebrate? Will you listen to some audio stories? Or will you simply hope that Doug comes by holding a TV playing the latest season above his head? The choice is yours!

Despite Adam's best efforts, however, we actually spend most of the episode discussing the 49th installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March, the 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron! Sure, it's a sequel to the previous Avengers movie, but what about all the other MCU movies in between? And how does it stack up against the rest of the MCU? Listen to hear what we think!

As Adam mentions, this isn't the last we'll hear of the Marvel Creative Committee, and much like Hydra their deeds are as sinister as they are soul-crushing!

It turns out Doug's disdain for Ultron's plan is more widely held and therefore justifiable.

And maybe we're gonna get a "do Scarlet Witch and Vision copulate?" answer next year?

We're Scared of Trees in Episode 177!

11/9/2020

The movie that robbed a generation of future arborists

We're here to prove it's never too late for a Halloween themed episode - or maybe never too early? I guess that depends on your perspective. Look, if you listen to episode 177, you'll get a peek into our darkest nightmares, so that should be motivation enough for you to join us!

We always complained that potato chips had too many nutrients. Turns out iron may be the worst offender and also the cause of Charlie's surprise chip update.

More Tim and Eric comin' at ya with "Tim's Test Kitchen". Spoiler: he never adds a reuben.

In case you were confused like Adam was, here's a video where Howie Mandel sticks a glove on his head and blows it up... not sure we have much to add to that description.

RIP Quibi, we hardly knew ye.

Buy your own copy of the X-Files book Adam mentions! (And actually Adam is in every Outside In book so far if you want to complete the set!) And it's worth reminding you to also buy Alex's books Trivia Showdown Vol. 1 and Trivia Showdown Vol. 2!

Adam has a point about Logan Marshall-Green looking similar to Tom Hardy, so he'll probably mention it every episode from now on just to annoy Doug.

We Vomit at All the Violence in Episode 176!

10/26/2020

Look, I think we ALL would benefit from more scenes like this.

Don your bespoke suits and ostentatious top hats as we review Kingsman: The Secret Service in episode 176. This may be our only Kingsman outing in our Merry Marvel Movie March, so enjoy!

Doug's assertion about the varying levels of spice in Cheetos Flamin' Hot bags bears out in this Cracked article. The true reason is still a mystery though!

Felix Baumgartner's world record space jump is quite impressive, but he conspiciously never shot a rocket at an orbiting satellite. Amateur!

We Deplatform Each Other in Episode 175!

10/12/2020

Written by Bob Shea, illustrated by Zachariah OHora, available wherever books are sold.

It really seems like just yesterday that we were passing off cut material as new content... but here we are again dropping our very own October Surprise with "A Beautiful Tag Show"!

But seriously, thanks to everyone who has participated in our show over the years. Their names are in the archive page on every episode, if you haven't had a chance to peruse that yet.

For all y'all who were wondering what Charlie's mom thought of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: on a scale of "Awful" to "Best Movie Ever", she rated it slightly below "Meh". Sounds like she agreed with the popular critical reception!

Wes mentions a Chris Farley SNL sketch about switching coffee, which we present here for your viewing pleasure.

We Don't Go To Alcatraz in Episode 174!

9/28/2020

Big Hero 6 underwear merchandizing opportunity: seized!

Unfortunately, Charlie miscounted, and so we only had 5 guests for our Merry Marvel Movie March episode about Big Hero 6. Fortunately, we did have Aislinn, who had not only seen the movie many times but was much closer to the target demographic for the film. Not that we don't recommend it to everyone; besides the bird-maiming technology depicted, it's fun for all ages!

The original Nashville hot chicken joint (according to legend, at least) is Prince's Hot Chicken, and Doug wasn't joking when he said it was intended to be punitive!

The box office numbers for New Mutants aren't great. WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED??

Adam and Fred from Big Hero 6 both seem to have a special place in their heart for Monark Starstalker. So now you know what the deal is!

And finally, "Where's My Chippy" (or at least one of them) for reference. Totally worth the 28 seconds.

We Further Discuss Birthday Gifts in Episode 173!

9/14/2020

Yeah, the mirrors were kind of expensive and unnecessary, but I figure you gotta spoil yourself sometimes, am I right?

More movie discussion coming at ya in episode 173. If you're not into that, we're not sure how you've made it to episode 173! But seriously, as self-deprecating as the description of the episode is, we had a lot of fun discussing Kiss Me Deadly and World on a Wire, and we think you'll have fun listening!

Here's at least one of the lists of best sci-fi films that may have lead us to World on a Wire. Roger Ebert's review may not entirely support its spot at #27, but he still liked it!

As much as we swoon over the Criterion Collection, Black directors are significantly underrepresented. Here's a recent NYT article addressing the problem which they will hopefully move to rectify soon.

Turns out Mike Nichols has an EGOT! Though none of those awards were for the movie Regarding Henry, to Charlie's disappointment.

We Try to Remember Our Birthday Swag in Episode 172!

8/31/2020

My money's on Frenchy

We apologize for the delay on the traditional Recounting of the Gifts - Birthday Edition 2020. As an act of contrition, Adam reviews the breakfast cereal no one knew they needed, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros! Because whenever we eat churros, we always wonder why we can't eat them immediately when we wake up. But now we can.

Morton and Hayes is real! Well, not REAL real. But it was a thing. (From Rob Reiner, with Christopher Guest and Michael McKean directing? That's quite a pedigree!) Here it is on YouTube!

It's not a question of whether Wisconsin Republicans are dickheads at all, it's more a question of what took them so long?

Adam ate Jet's Pizza for his birthday dinner. Make note of it.

We Try to Skip to the Ratings in Episode 171!

8/17/2020

Sometimes the censored version is better

Tony and Paul do a great job of helming the ship in episode 171, the 46th installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March! And they manage to keep our unruly guest Otto in line (well, most of the time). Also, we are well aware that we've already reviewed Guardians of the Galaxy, but the old episode is heavier on providing background about the comics, whereas the new episode has our thoughts that fit within the framework of the March. We think you'll find them quite complementary!

The specific scene from the blooper reel Adam mentions is here, but watch the whole thing whydoncha?

Reason #35 why it's sad that the Sega Dreamcast folded: Power Stone.

The Princess Bride "fan-film" is available on Quibi, so I guess it's destined to remain unviewed by anyone ever (I would say that Jeffrey Katzenberg might watch it, but he's on record as not actually watching any TV). Oh, and TIL: the score for the original film was arranged by our second-favorite Knopfler! (Mark)

We Become Cabin Men in Episode 170!

8/3/2020

Successful haul from a post-apocalyptic wasteland supply run

We have an old-fashioned chat in episode 170, where we just sit around and talk about things. But we bring topics (and editing), so we hope you find it as enjoyable a diversion as we did in these uncertain times.

Looks like our Chinese fans have finally taken note and decided to symbolically insult Ted Cruz rather than take any actual action against him. Effective? No. Fun? Most definitely!

Apparently, Topix (which you might remember from episode 116) was a website "where community members could go and post local news and gossip relevant to their own town" and "for your town's latest news and hottest takes". We can only assume they were run out of business by Nextdoor.

If you would like to murder computers, you can play the awkwardly punctuated 2000:1: A Space Felony here.

We mention an episode of Sherlock, so here's the relevant Wikipedia article. As of this post, it's also available on Netflix and we highly recommend it! Plus some info on Stalker and The Conqueror as it relates to crew members maybe getting cancer from the experience.

Dear listener, you too can listen to the Sparks album Adam mentions on YouTube for free! Although, if you're Swedish, I'm sure you already knew that.

We humbly propose that the East Lansing bar Harper's change its name to Super Spreaders.

Updates from Adam re: the Criterion Sale!

We Record Every Network (and PBS!) in Episode 169!

7/20/2020

OK, we don't have much time... in 2003 you order some takeout that gives you really bad food poisoning. I can't remember the name of the place, but it starts with a "J" I think... Jerry's Pub? Jenna's Pub...? Anyway, it's something like that...

We exhausted ourselves to bring you the newest episode in our Merry Marvel Movie March, our discussion of 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. We watched the theatrical cut AND the Rogue Cut in order to be as informed as possible. That's over 270 minutes of X-Men! And that doesn't even count the episode recording (we won't reveal how much material we cut from the episode, but we can assure you it was more than 11 minutes).

Nixon did visit the Lincoln Memorial to talk to protesters, rather than retreating into the White House bunker. However, early press reports described him as an "exhausted and overwrought president engaging students in nonsensical banter". So some comparisons to the current president still hold.

There were references to Cypher, Hate-Monger and House of M in this episode, so here you go! Now Charlie (and maybe also you!) can genuinely understand these references, instead of just pretending!

We Play Social Distance at The Price is Right in Episode 168!

7/6/2020

Apparently our understudy host played this 2000 times last night and it isn't working right now, so I'm just going to give you the money

After an intense legal battle, we were finally able to release episode 168 with the express written consent of Dru Karey. After that, Shaun White had no problem rescinding his request that we not break his confidence. We found it surprising that Dru had no idea what "The Price is Right" is, and that he lives in Portland, Maine. What a commute!

So "Street Sharks" and "Extreme Dinosaurs" are real, in case you needed further proof that everything in this episode was based in fact.

"The Price is Right" hasn't taped since March, so I'm not sure what Shaun White has been doing... maybe they just roll without turning on the camera to keep him busy? As long as he's entertaining folks at CBS Television City by playing old video games, I guess everyone wins! Oh, and he no longer needs to hot swap those PS2 discs!

It's also worth noting that the actual world record right now is a quad cork 1980. Shaun insists that he skip right to that 2700 though. If you achieve actual liftoff though and never land, it counts as a perfect run (rotation is infinite) – at least this is one of the potential rule changes that is proposed by Muniz Industries.

We Make Joe's Favorite Food in Episode 167!

6/22/2020

The only known photo of James "Jim" Varney

Whether you celebrated June 17th by relaxing and eating a quintessential New Jersey treat, or reading an SNL skit of your own, I think that we can all say it was a successful Piscopo Day! And here's an episode that records our revelry, as usual!

Alex mentions in the episode that he took part in the "n-1" annual Piscopo celebration. But he did not! It was in fact n-4, but we can see why he may have been so traumatized that he's relived it every year since! This seems consistent with the behavior of the Ghost of Piscopo Past, who is quite the trickster. Hopefully his participation this year won't haunt him!

If you're anything like us, you can never get enough ALF. Enjoy!

Someone made a Criterion Closet playlist for us. It's actually kinda fun to watch sometimes, if you're into that sort of thing! (You can watch Bill Hader be fun or Michael Cera be smug!)

As much as we are loath to promote any news to do with Martin Shkreli, there's the counterbalance of seeing him get more comeuppance that forces us to link to this article.

We Witness the Failure of a Cinematic Universe in Episode 166!

6/8/2020

Looks like Spider-Man is in for a SHOCKING experience! ...no? No one? What if I said "electrifying" instead?

It's back-to-back episodes for our Merry Marvel Movie March with 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2! We discuss how this movie tries to get a full cinematic universe off the ground and fails at it rather spectacularly! I suppose it just wouldn't be a bad Spider-Man movie if it weren't overstuffed with villains and an excessive running time!

The reasons as to why this movie failed are rather extensive, but Andrew Garfield has suggested that the original storyline may have gone through too many changes. Was there originally an explanation why Max Dillon, apparently a gifted electrical engineer, was also doing low-level maintenance work? I guess we'll never know!

Still, it also seems like the part of the reason this movie didn't launch a franchise was due to...jet lag???

Unsure what Paul's talking about when he mentions Junji Ito and "it was made for me"? Good thing Know Your Meme's got you covered!

And finally, the oral history of Cabin Boy that Doug mentions. It's genuinely worth your time, so check it out!

Charlie's Dream Becomes a Reality in Episode 165!

5/25/2020

The Winter Soldier is prepared to enforce social distancing

It's Memorial Day, so it's only fitting that we should celebrate by reviewing Captain America: The Winter Soldier for our Merry Marvel Movie March! It was certainly not a random coincidence that this episode came out today... no sir! Is this Charlie's favorite movie of all time? You'll have to listen to find out, but all we're saying is that maybe Mission: Impossible – Fallout should be worried...

It may not be clear what the bullet count is in The Winter Soldier, but here's a video suggesting the body count at least is 177! Impressive, Cap.

Turns out Tony wasn't just all talk in the tag. When confronted about his mask use at his local golf course, he did indeed tell the offender to go f*** themselves! He rose to the challenge in a way that would make Steve Rogers proud, and for that we salute him!

We Commit to the Bit in Episode 164!

5/11/2020

Just 6,999,999,998 more people, and we got a record, boys!

The bits come flying at you pretty fast in episode 164, so strap in! You'd better expect an intense experience when the essence of 5 days of Shenanigalactica is compressed into less than an hour. Some say it's a blessing, others a curse. But rest assured, it's an experience like no other, thanks to Adam's fastidious notetaking. No bit was lost, even the ones that were relegated to Shenanifailedza.

If the blog post photo is to be believed, it appears that Paul and Tony may have already set a record! No relevant results appear under Grand Canyon or defecation! However they fell just a little short of the largest peaceful gathering ever (2 vs 60 million) and the slightly more obscure record of largest gathering of people dressed as landmarks (0 vs 684).

We Find Shoes in Unexpected Places in Episode 163!

4/27/2020

The Shy Guys have really updated their look

Our respective stay-at-home orders may have slowed the release of Marvel films, but they haven't slowed our Merry Marvel Movie March! This means we may catch up yet! In that spirit, please listen to episode 163, in which we discuss Thor: The Dark World. I mean, what else have you got to do?

Behind-the-scenes drama was a bit more heightened than usual (though not to Blade: Trinity levels). Natalie Portman was furious over Patty Jenkins' departure, while the erstwhile director herself explains while she chose to leave. And the always plain-spoken Christopher Eccleston did not hold his tongue about his disdain for his hours spent in makeup. (Although he's not the only somewhat disgruntled MCU actor.) And as we mentioned in the episode, it turns out audiences refused to believe Loki died.

Cut from this episode: references to the Adult Swim Show Beef House! If a Tim and Eric multi-cam sitcom sounds appealing to you, you will likely be satisfied.

And finally once again Adam has made a meme for us below, so please credit us if you use it!

March 1 vs. March 31

We Fill the Grand Canyon in Episode 162!

4/13/2020

Foggy Canyon and the IMAX Experience

Last month was the fifth anniversary of the original Shenaniganza Grand Canyon trip, and what better way to celebrate it than with a whole episode about this year's Shenanigalactica! As you'll hear, the raw "bit" material was molded into a plethora of comedic gems, although they aren't all contained herein. But don't worry, all will be recounted in detail in a future installment!

Turns out that if you stockpile hand sanitizer, maybe it ISN'T a good idea to have the New York Times write an article about you. Lesson learned!

And to continue the thread of "stories that quickly changed after we discussed them on the podcast", GameStop tried to claim it was an essential business but then quickly had to shut down. Lesson learned, again!

Have you seen the videos of cats being scared by cucumbers? No? I don't believe you, but fine, here you go.

We Wish the Shark Would Have Killed Us in Episode 161!

3/30/2020

The citizenry needs more of him! (Less of everyone else)

It's with great fanfare that we give to you the final episode in this year's Merry Marvel Movie March Madness, the 2013 "film" Kick-Ass 2. It's been a wild ride, but now we'll have to dial it back from a rolling boil to our more typical light simmer, Marvel-wise. But fear not; that's how some of the best sauces are made! And surely that translates to movie reviews.

Amazon reviews for Kick-Ass 2 run the gamut from bitter and pedantic to thoughtful and hilarious. However, none of them get us any closer to figuring out WHO this movie was FOR...

If you doubt that we were Pepsi Max-shippers from the get-go, audio proof exists. I mean, you could simply take our word for it, but that wouldn't be nearly as entertaining as listening!

Yes, yes, Union J is a real group which has a Facebook page that's updated sometimes. And THAT VIDEO! *swoon*

Mark Millar licks goats? Machine Man made a sign, so seems legit!

The Simpsons episode that Adam refers to is called Blood Feud (S2E22). Doug actually mentioned this in the original recording, but since we try not to leave anything in the final cut that makes Doug look good, it was removed.

We Perform Autosurgery in Episode 160!

3/16/2020

What's the point of getting this jacked if she's immune to my manly charms??

Is your March suddenly lacking Madness? It may only be slight consolation to you sports fans, but our Merry Marvel Movie March Madness won't ever be canceled because we're never in the same room together! Episode number two of three for the month features 2013's solo Wolverine movie, efficiently titled The Wolverine.

Doug wasn't kidding when he said he was conditioned to think this was a remake of Superman II. I mean, just watch the trailer!

While it was used as a backdrop for our entertainment, it's always worth realizing that, you know, atomic bombs are bad. Here's a little reading on the Hibakusha, the folks who were most affected.

But on a lighter note (though still death-related), here's the "Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru" meme Paul was referring to during the episode.

We Kidnap the President Again(!) in Episode 159!

3/2/2020

When Frank told his therapist that he was afraid of heights, drowning, AND robots, they decided together that exposure therapy was the only recourse.

It's time once again for MERRY MARVEL MOVIE MARCH MADNESS! *AIRHORN* We've got three MMMM episodes for you this month, starting with episode 159, in which we discuss 2013's Iron Man 3. Catching our march up to modern times is seeming more likely, unless someone comes up with an AI that analyzes and greenlights scripts - or even the entire movie-making process!

Iron Man 3 has many setpieces, not the least of which is the skydiving scene. There's some interesting info we didn't get into in articles here and here.

Doug chastised us for not calling a soda by its proper name: Mountain Dew Zero Sugar. Honestly, how are we (the uneducated public) supposed to keep up with advancements in Soda Technology, let alone the technical names these scientists come up with? All we know is it has black can art, so it must be low calorie!

We Recount the Gifts and Do the Dew in Episode 158!

2/17/2020

Those looking for less than 100% Dew will not find it here

For whatever reason we just had too much to talk about before our The Amazing Spider-Man episode, so we spun off our discussion into episode 158. But since it happened first, Charlie refers to it as episode 157 in the actual recording. He wasn't wrong at the time, but does that make him wrong now? That's up to you, the listener, to decide (especially since Charlie didn't want to record the line over again).

Finally: a chance to bring up the exclusive KFC Dew flavor Sweet Lightning. Although I think I'm more impressed that there's a dedicated Mountain Dew wiki.

OK, so, soy sauce... testicles... sigh. We can't even...

And even though the existence of the Space Force proves we are in the darkest of timelines, Cracked at least did a little work to determine whether or not the logo was stolen from Star Trek as Doug suggests.

We Grab for the Gun in Episode 157!

2/3/2020

Since you seem to have developed super strength and agility, I just thought I'd take this opportunity to express my sympathies

We introduce Tony to his first Spider-Man movie in our 38th installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March as we review The Amazing Spider-Man. We must admit, the replacement of Tobey Maguire with Andrew Garfield may have been a factor in Tony's decision to watch this.

As Adam mentioned in the podcast, our old pal Nathan Rabin actually liked The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (contains spoilers). Well, he enjoyed it ironically, but that's still enjoyment! Perhaps for that episode Doug will have to break out his scale that involves negative scores. But we digress!

We tried to find some cool behind-the-scenes stories for this movie, but unsurprisingly, most of those deal with the ill-fated sequel instead of this. So while we've got a bunch of fun links lined up for when we reach installment 44 of our March, for now you'll have to be content with this 2012 interview with director Marc Webb.

Alex Tries to Wipe His Memory in Episode 156!

1/20/2020

Rey, I just finally remembered that thing I said I was going to tell you! I guess I'll wait 'til you get back, if I still remember!

Episode 156 has all the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker content you still must be craving a full month after the movie's release. But seriously, give it a listen, especially if you're looking for a less, ah, indulgent viewpoint of the movie. I mean, I can't think of any other source than us for formulating a better script.

Poor Nien Nunb! Or not? After all, he's really not dead as long as we remember him. (And I don't mean in that stupid "emotionally impactful Star Trek" way, I mean literally!)

In this YouTube video created seemingly with Tony Huff specifically in mind, we see all the scenes from the prequels that spawned memes. Which is more comprehensive than you might imagine. And with some bonus Rogue One at the end!

And Adam made a meme, just for us!

I mean, he's got a point.

We Almost Get a Dinosaur Movie in Episode 155!

1/6/2020

You know, you really remind me of someone...

It's safe to say that we were all pleasantly surprised with Men in Black 3 in episode 155 -- edition 37 of our Merry Marvel Movie March. And our eagle-eyed fans will notice that this episode instigated a re-rate of a previous film... FROM CHARLIE. Wow!

In Doug's defense, everyone is more prone to crying on planes. And if you don't get a tear in your eye near the end of this movie, that doesn't NECESSARILY make you a monster... but you're halfway there.

We didn't really know anything about Rip Torn's life before this episode, but this is pretty much exactly what we imagined it would be. Of course, that didn't stop Air New Zealand from hiring him for this safety video.

Charlie has been thinking about it, and wants to say that he now understands the spontaneous healing of Will Smith when he time travels near the end of the movie. When Smith travels back, the healing indicates his victory is inevitable, and thus the spikes never hit him in the first place! (Either that, or it's just a fun movie and we shouldn't think about it too hard.)

We're Not the Only Ones Last-Minute Shopping in Episode 154!

12/23/2019

EXACTLY why you stay open on Christmas Day!

The Gobeski/Wallace Report wishes you and your family a Happy Holiday season and a prosperous New Year! Now that we've done that, the least you can do is force everyone you know to listen to episode 154. It's the podcast that brings people of all creeds and languages together in harmony, after all! Are you opposed to love, unity, and peace on Earth? Well, are you?!

Frankie may not SAY that his Clone Oil is made from people, but I mean, c'mon. But is it sustainable? We can't imagine humans, even cloned ones, aren't a burden on the environment. But cannibalizing wild caught humans? That's bound to be a net boon for Mother Earth! (Curse you Paul Wilcox, for making us think about this...)

Richard Karn was lying - he hasn't been on the Home Impodcast since June of 2017! WE... ARE... FURIOUS!

We May or May Not Be Possessed by an Asgardian in Episode 153!

12/9/2019

Guys, just make sure you arrange yourselves so Loki can see ALL of us

We're finally finished with Phase 1 of the MCU now that we've reviewed The Avengers for our Merry Marvel Movie March. Now on to Phase 2, which based on dialogue in this movie we believe to be a bunch of weapons in some boxes... Plus we mourn a certain character who is now DEAD FOREVER and certainly doesn't come back as the lead of a spin-off series lasting seven seasons.

Even though the selection on the website eTHAICD is extensive, please note that the sixth search result for "avengers" is a movie called Scavengers. So, maybe not the most intuitive search algorithm ever devised...

As much as Charlie would rather have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s duties be taken over by the Department of the Interior, there's reason to believe that they may not keep the plot of their Marvel movies on the rails either.

Don Cheadle is Captain Planet.

Robert Downey Jr. rolling his eyes and Chris Evans understanding that reference are just two of the memes that come from this movie. I'm sure we'll talk about lots more MCU-specific memes in future episodes.

We cut a tangent where we all stop and watch the trailer for the 1977 horror film House, so now that means you have to watch it since you didn't hear us explain it. Similarly, you'll have to watch The Avengers gag reel for the same reason.

We Travel Through a Black Hole Underwater in Episode 152!

11/25/2019

Leisure time optimization

seaQuest DSV has always been our passion, but we get a little bit off-topic in episode 152, despite Adam's best efforts. We promise to be more focused next time!

There's a Planet Money episode about beating the lottery that Paul mentions in the episode. Also: this "60 Minutes" episode about a couple who found a flawed lottery game and won millions.

Doug sent us a couple comics relating to Veterans Day restaurant deals, which you can find here and here.

Buying retro games for display-only? DUMB!

Apparently "sticking to sports" means "diving into an uncontrollable tailspin from which you will never recover". RIP Deadspin.

And finally, here's the photo of Darwin that Paul sent us:

This isn't a real dolphin? So disillusioned!

Episode 151 Has More Nic Cage Than Usual... Again!

11/12/2019

Why mess with the perfect photo?

At the risk of repeating ourselves, we reviewed Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance for our Merry Marvel Movie March. Turns out we already did this in episode 33 as well, but I guess that was a different podcast... with different hosts? This universe switch sure is disorienting, but as long as there are Gobeskis and Wallaces present, I think we're on the right track.

A quick Google search of "nic cage bare-assed" results in many things you'd expect, but surprisingly also this Guardian interview he did while promoting Frozen Ground (which Charlie has seen!) (It was not good).

And an MTV article which addresses the fire pee. At least no one can say we didn't get exactly what we were promised...

We Reinvent Ourselves Again and Again in Episode 150!

10/28/2019

I felt compelled to use this picture, but I'm not sure why...

Wow, can't believe we made it to episode 150! Too bad we end up cutting the episode short and talking about nothing... or did we talk about EVERYTHING? We can't help but feel like everything will be different from now on... or will it be exactly the same? But rest assured, the next 150 episodes will have the same stellar content you've come to expect from us, minus one specific topic.

As you may you recall, this rat, perhaps inspired by Mr. Chuck himself, stole a piece of pizza (and our hearts) back in 2015.

Sorry, short blog post this time around! But that makes sense, given how short the episode was. I think? It's tough to remember...

We Ride Motorcycles into Secret Bases in Episode 149!

10/14/2019

It belongs in a museum!

Our Merry Marvel Movie March takes us back in time with episode 149, all about the 2011 period adventure movie Captain America: The First Avenger! We talk about The Rocketeer, the Red Skull, and whether all those people shot with fancy Hydra weapons were killed or teleported. And we learn that Charlie's favorite movie titles are the ones that don't leave any surprises for the audience to discover!

Our very own correspondent Douglas Gobeski had the opportunity to visit the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, where he saw all sorts of neat things, including the bike that Captain America rode in this movie! And that's his photo up there at the top!

So how DID they make Chris Evans so small in the first part of this movie? As Adam says in the episode, it was a combination of CG and a body double; FX Guide has the lowdown on how the magic happens! (A couple thumbnails on that link aren't working, but if you click the thumbnail the full image will appear.)

And if we're gonna discuss the super soldier augmentation of Captain America, we're legally required to include this image:

From this article

We Compare Degrees in Episode 148!

9/30/2019

Even worse than it looks

Episode 148 is a celebration of many things: new degrees, a boyz reunion, and food experiments, to name a few. Many bits were born and much snacking was partaken in! Listen all the way to the end for an extra "Chippin' with Charlie" segment!

Here's a primer on Mixer. Oh, now I know where I've seen that Ninja guy - he was The Ice Cream on "The Masked Singer" this week!

Adam and Doug were talking about the TV show "Secrets of the Dead", not to be confused with "Ancient Aliens".

Doug mentions this textbook in the episode, which describes this phenomenon.

Nazis ruin everything, and Old Kinderhook himself would be ashamed of how they've appropriated his hand symbol. Blech.

People still mention this meme to Charlie occasionally. Yep, he was alive 14 years ago, so he's definitely seen this before – no need to remind him!

In case you forgot: Hey Paul. Dat pizza dough.

Here's the Red Letter Media podcast about streaming services in case, like the rest of us, you just can't seem to keep up with this sort of news anymore.

Doug uses this invisible oil on his own body, and hasn't been mauled by eMules yet. They must have done a good job of disguising the taste of the bittering agent when consumed by humans!

And since our podcast has evolved into its own version of an extended meme reel, here's the context for the egg that's bigger than before.

We Discover eMules in Episode 147!

9/16/2019

CHONK CHONK CHONK!

We adjudicate many things in episode 147, but Muniz Industries continues to steamroll all regulatory authority. You're probably covered in invisible oil right now! If it weren't so nutritious and calorie-dense, we'd probably be really concerned right now.

Our new episode has a misophonia warning from 21:22-30:28 (Chewin' with Charlie). Hey, we actually warned you this time!

Judge John Hodgman has ruled, but does he get final say? Well on OUR podcast it can be appealed. Of course, the appeals process is likely to take YEARS and render anything but the original ruling moot. Kara is ok with this.

While it's almost impossible that Mr. B (BeeJay) hasn't been adopted yet, you should at least read up on the big chonker himself. He's a hefty boy, for sure!

And PLEASE, check out "The Fanbeing's Guide to Star Trek" as completed by our own Adam Gobeski. Also I guess he completed his PhD, which is also cool. But we'll discuss that more in a future episode!

We Fall in Unison in Episode 146!

9/2/2019

Yes, ALL of the X-Men assembled on this beach have MANY adventures to come, WITHOUT EXCEPTION!

It's a blast from the past in episode 146, as our Merry Marvel Movie March continues with our 33rd installment, all about X-Men: First Class and not, as Charlie originally thought, Captain America: The First Avenger. That'll have to wait until our next Marvel movie! Instead we talk about Kevin Bacon's German accent, montages, and how every single woman in this movie removes her clothing at some point. And should this win an award for "Best Use of the F-Word in a PG-13 Movie"? We certainly can't think of a better one!

In case you're not familiar with the 2005 meme classic that we reference in the podcast, we've got you covered.

Adam wants you to know that he's finished the first season of Legion, and while he's slightly mollified by the visual reference to Professor X, he's no more certain when the show is meant to be set. Clearly, THIS is the biggest mystery that the show presents us!

Finally, here's an article about how flat earthers tried to derail this Kickstarter campaign's Facebook ads! It's nice to know that there's nothing the internet can't make worse!

We're a Little Creeped Out by Paul in Episode 145!

8/19/2019

Some things are better left a mystery

OK, we admit that episode 145 doesn't start out on the right foot, but hang in there for a couple minutes and it's worth your while! And we do (eventually) get some context for Paul's almost TOO extensive knowledge of birds.

I'm sure you all know about the 30-50 feral hogs thing by now, but here is the specific meme Doug was referencing which... I dunno, I think some day an advanced species will find the wreckage of our civilization and spend decades trying to decode this one image, to no avail.

It looks like the Wisconsin Dells drive-in theatre didn't make it on to this list of the best drive-in theatres in America; I can only assume it's because Wisconsin isn't cracking down hard enough on people who leave all their lights on in their car while other people are just trying to watch creepy fake lions reenact Hamlet!

We Fight in the Mud in Episode 144!

8/5/2019

I'm so dejected, I just wanna rip my shirt off!

There's something for everyone to like in episode 144: binge drinking, hot men and women (but we would rather they didn't kiss, please!), and Sir Anthony Hopkins! Our Merry Marvel Movie March is really cooking now, especially since we're coming up on our THIRD iteration of Captain America in just two movies!

I'm sure by the time we finish this March, everyone will already know who Beta Ray Bill is. But for now, educate yourself!

It was cut from the podcast, but it turned out Charlie didn't know what Chekhov's gun was. Well, according to Wikipedia, it's a dramatic principle from Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, who's quoted as saying: "Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there." Wikipedia goes on to state that Anton Chekhov is the brother of Star Trek's Chekov, and that after the show ended the two of them went off to fight crimes together in the lawless American West of the 1880s, thus inspiring the long-running History Channel series Chek(h)ov Another Outlaw Off Your Wanted List. See, look at all the fun things we're learning together!

We Recount All of Human History in Episode 143!

7/22/2019

We'll teach our own kids about the space race some time in 2043

No special guests this week - just regular old guests Alex Clark and Paul Wilcox. But we do recount this year's June birthday gifts and give Charlie some much needed advice about his progeny, and since Alex is on it's not a question of WHETHER Charlie will sing a song, only how many!

The first expansion of Doctor Who - Time of the Daleks actually came out between the recording and now, so we've dated this episode in an entirely new and unexpected way!

We mention the Chonk Chart in passing; here it is in all its glory in case you haven't seen it!

Charlie was slightly incorrect about the Ice Cream Lick Challenge; the girl who originated it is a minor and thus hasn't been charged yet, but this guy was!

We did a deep dive into Star-Wars-As-a-Silent-Film, but that segment was cut for time and also interest. But here is the fruit of that search, which is definitely worth checking out!

A story about parenting advice, from Adam:

We Discover a New Element in Episode 142!

7/8/2019

I am sooo good at science!

This week's episode has us continuing our Merry Marvel Movie March with the 2010 film Iron Man 2. There's certainly a lot going on in this film, plot-wise, so our episode's a bit longer than usual. But if a podcast's quality is measured by sheer volume of content, surely we are knocking it out of the park this week! (Just kidding, it's a good episode!)

Nothing is quite as hilarious as promotional writing for sodas and junk food, so here's Liberty Dew!

Well, if you believe in retconning even the briefest of moments in 7-year-old movies, I guess that little boy was Peter Parker. Wait, does this mean Adam's "theory" about Peter's parents is right???

We Go Full Piscopo in Episode 141!

6/17/2019

Anyone would be proud to place this on their mantle

Happy Piscopo Day everyone! We couldn't resist releasing an episode on the great day itself, so here you go, a new episode, a week early! Joe himself would approve, we're sure. And so would Dojo Joe, Zombie Joe and Danny DeVito Joe!

The "Piscopo or No" segment was a rousing failure! Charle would like to point out that all the actual owners of the factoids stated were from New Jersey, and the person who appeared with Taylor Swift at the CMT awards was David Copperfield, and he made her disappear!

We need YOU! to go to Famous Birthdays.com and click the Boost button on Joe Piscopo's page! Help Joe make it on to the June 17 page!

We Go to Robin's Revenge in Episode 140!

6/10/2019

As long as they don't have knives or guns, I should be fine!

We eventually manage to talk about the 2010 movie Kick-Ass in the 30th installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March. We just had a lot on our minds I guess and even more material was cut, including an extended section where Adam eats Popeye's for dinner which you may hear in an upcoming tag show!

I'm glad we picked Ted Cruz as our official mascot of the GW Report, because he always delivers.

Adam is pretty sure the garage sale in question was at Bishop and Grovenburg on the east side of Grovenburg, near Dimondale. More details to follow on the next episode, I'm sure!

Vanuatu was featured in the 9th season of Survivor. I'm sure you were dying to know this.

Quicksilver was HAWKEYE'S shield, not Thor's shield. We regret the error.

Fun fact: October Sky is an anagram of "Rocket Boys". Universal didn't think women would go see a movie called Rocket Boys so they changed the title. Despite the inherent sexism they were right because NO ONE would go see a movie called Rocket Boys.

We Light Our Backpacks on Fire in Episode 139!

5/27/2019

Casting call

Finally, we managed to get celebrated actor Q Jackson in the studio to discuss his part in the Wolfsmarine movie series. I say "celebrated" because I'm pretty sure he's had a birthday party before – at least I think he knows when his birthday is... all those mysterious van rides have thrown off his sense of time, though. But we're thankful Q was able to introduce us to his movies, from Eckqs Man Originals - Wolfsmarine to Teacher's Assistant Eckqs: The First Eckqs-Man to We Wish You a Wolfsmarine Christmas. Almost makes us want to start a Merry 'Marine Movie March...

Almost.

In any case, I was only able to track down some of the HD-DVDs myself. They are as follows:

• Teen Wolfsmarine
• The Wolfsmarine of Wall Street
• Brogan
• When Harry Met Wolfsmarine: A Romantic Horror Buddy Cop Film
• Mighty Morphing Power Wolfsmarine
• Wolfsmarine Visits Wolf's Marine: A Promotional Video
• AvPvW: Alien vs. Predator vs. Wolfsmarine
• The Death of Wolfsmarine
• Wolfsmarine Lives!
• The Death of Wolfsmarine II: This Time It's For Real
• Wolfsmarine Still Lives 2!
• Abbut & Kostillo Work Together With Wolfsmarine to Fight Frankenstein and Also Godzilla But Then They All Team Up to Punch and Stomp Nazis: A Love Story

We Fight in Every War in Episode 138!

5/14/2019

Was this Plan A...?

We've got our next installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Hugh Jackman made a good decision in making this film. Everyone else? Not so sure...

This movie actually turned Kara off from Marvel movies, many of which she had seen up to that point. She didn't like this movie for the following reasons:

• A waste of Ryan Reynolds
• Waste of the character Deadpool
• Was too ridiculous
• Not enough Ryan Reynolds

When Charlie was talking about Patrick Stewart's agelessness, he was thinking of this meme.

Hey, our government has been doing weird and horrible things for its entire existence. Exhibit A: MKUltra. But at least it's not just the US! Here's the footage of British soldiers after they were unknowingly dosed with LSD that Adam mentioned.

We Travel to Foreign Lands in Episode 137!

4/29/2019

I don't care if it's only been in the fryer for 10 seconds, get that orange chicken out here now!

Paul really gives us all the highlights of his trip to Japan in episode 137, but first we discuss the restaurant that you've probably all been to: the Manchu Wok in the Chicago O'Hare airport! Come for the 2 star meal, stay for the low ceilings and dim lighting!

Adam mentioned fighting on top of the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan, and was mostly thinking of this scene, which is a taste of what's to come in our Merry Marvel Movie March!

Miso Kit-Kats do exist (although you'll probably never get your hands on one)!

Want to watch all five Souls games completed without any hits? Check out this Kotaku article which links to The Happy Hob and his amazing run.

Here's that physics crap that Adam was talking about... Nerd.

We Roll Around in a Vat of Broken Glass in Episode 136!

4/15/2019

The best way for the Church to connect with the youth these days is to string up colored lights

We may have found our favorite director so far in Lexi Alexander with installment 28 of our Merry Marvel Movie March, the 2008 movie Punisher: War Zone. Too bad the movie was hamstrung by studio notes and then buried with basically no advertising at Christmas time. Oh well, I'm sure the Marvel Movie Universe will have another female director sometime soon! Let's take a look.... hmmm... uh well I guess it took 11 years to get a female co-director again.

At least it appears that some folks have finally found this movie. After reading this, I truly wish I existed in the universe where this was successful enough that Lexi Alexander was given the reins for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

We Celebrate All the Days in Episode 135!

4/1/2019

Fun Fact: The band Sparks didn't know they were posing for this photo!

We all know that "April Fool's Fatigue" is a real thing, so we keep it short, sweet, and earnest in episode 135. Well, as much as usual anyway!

Hey, James Gunn is back, and he gets to direct even more than before! Since he ultimately has more work, I'm not sure what the lesson is here. Draw your own conclusions I guess?

Oh Taika, you devil you! On a related note, can I please get a job writing articles about celebrity tweets?

One Day at a Time was actually pretty entertaining and tackled weightier subjects than its premise required, for which I give it credit. Netflix, however, doesn't deserve that credit anymore.

Here's a Matt Nathanson performance, and I'd just love to see Jason King try and stop us from posting it. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

They didn't do the full song, but the Top of the Pops appearance for "This Town Isn't Big Enough For Both of Us" is really amazing. Just watch Ron Mael (the keyboardist). The legend is that when this aired in 1974, John Lennon called up Ringo and told him to turn it on, because Marc Bolan (of T.Rex) was on Top of the Pops with Hitler.

Here's the Rugburns song "Dick's Automotive" on which Weird Al's "Albuquerque" is based. And Weird Al's Sparks style parody "Virus Alert"!

We Feel Sorry for a Disposable Love Interest in Episode 134!

3/18/2019

Tastes Great, and Rarely Causes Gamma Poisoning!

In case you weren't aware, it is the third month of the year. That means we're smack dab in the middle of Merry Marvel Movie March Madness! Hence, our newest episode is a review of the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk. This movie is so ambitious, it attempts to be all genres simultaneously!

Paul mentions that many high quality films carry a wheat symbol on the promotional material, or symbols from other organizations attempting to confuse the average film goer. Turns out this is a Palme d'Or palm branch, not wheat. But as Paul clarifies, it really is just the presence of wheat in the movie itself that impresses him, so no harm no foul.

Adam clues us in to a Rick Jones reference in the film's intro. Here's who that is in case you are interested. He's a professional sidekick - no shame in that!

We Indulge in Extrajudicial Killing in Episode 133!

3/4/2019

No courts, no rules!

We've got a LOT of guests in installment 26 of our Merry Marvel Movie March as we review the 2008 movie Iron Man. That's no surprise - it's a beloved movie and may denote a general upward trend in the March! Our worst days may be behind us, as long as we live in willful ignorance of things like Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and Fant4stic...

Ike Perlmutter finally lost control of Marvel Studios in 2015, and he wasn't well-liked. Good riddance!

And another article from Joanna Robinson over at Vanity Fair, this time an interview with Kevin Feige, Jon Favreau, Avi Arad, and Robert Downey Jr., looking back at the making of Iron Man!

Iron Man kills people - it's documented fact!

Terrence Howard is a unique fella, and has developed the science of Terryology. I mean, I don't get it, but you do you, Terrence.

And in case you didn't know who the Corruptor was when Doug mentioned him, well, now you do!

We Stomp Our Feet in Episode 132!

2/18/2019

They fly all over the place

We've nabbed our most famous guests ever as the members of the 70's anthem band Cuiin join us in episode 132! Well, I suppose the ghost of Aaron Burr is pretty famous, now that he's the co-subject of a popular musical. And Frankie Muniz is no slouch either! I guess we've been attracting some exciting folks onto the show recently...

By the way, the gag order in place that kept us from talking about those lawsuits and playing those songs has been lifted! Maybe next time we have Cuiin on they'll be a little more forthcoming about their activities. More of a "yes and" attitude, perhaps.

Before you feel compelled to post pics of your Super Bowl dip on social media: a cautionary tale.

Is it weird that when everyone else was talking about Ultra Instinct Shaggy I thought they were talking about the musician? I guess the origin of the name is the same...

And it just wouldn't be a full episode if we didn't talk about multiple memes, so here's Big Chungus!

We Yell at Space Clouds in Episode 131!

2/4/2019

Hello, anybody in there?!

Our Merry Marvel Movie March is right on the cusp of the MCU, but first we've got to get through our episode on Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Not sure why they call the movie that? Neither are we, so we spend more time than is probably required speculating on just that subject!

The movie's director, Tim Story, talked a bit with ScreenCrush in 2014 about the tone of superhero movies and the fact that he may not have been able to go full Galactus in this iteration of the franchise.

Oh yeah, remember when Charlie was doing webcomics for Adam's birthday? We still have those, and one is currently relevant to this episode!

We Improve Ourselves Via an Evil Symbiote in Episode 130!

1/21/2019

Double finger guns?? This guy gets it!

For those of you nostalgic for the old Tobey Maguire Spider-Man after watching either Venom or Into the Spider-Verse, our Merry Marvel Movie March has got you covered with episode 130, all about Spider-Man 3! Not the movie you were hoping for? Well at least the movie is only... 2 hours 19 minutes?!

And while we may have decided Spider-Man 3 isn't the worst of all movies, apparently Sam Raimi doesn't agree! But at least Thomas Haden Church had a good time, as this interview from 2018 makes clear. (Although the interviewer somehow neglects to talk to him about Wings...)

We've probably mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: Emo Spider-Man Without Music!

We Try to Juice the System in Episode 129!

1/7/2019

No time to stop, just throw it in the back and take an Uber home!!

Charlie finally did it; he deleted an account! Aren't you excited? Well you can get his intense take on social media in episode 129, and hopefully you won't be quite as dismayed as Adam!

Are you juicing Limes or Birds? Enquiring minds want to know!

And we know that you rely on us for all your breaking ROM news, so read this article, and this one! And that sweet Pokemon meme ca. 2016, just in case you'd rather see the visual representation than listen to Paul's description.

ALF's Special Christmas!!!!

12/24/2018

ALF wore it better

Welcome back, ALF-coholics! We've finally made it!! This week on ALF-a and Omega, Chip and I review "ALF's Special Christmas", my favorite episode of the series! This one also contains two of my "Top Five Most Heartwarming ALF Moments", but you'll have to wait for our end-of-the-year round up to see which moments those are. Which are YOUR favorite moments?? Send us some Tweets or Instagrams to let us know, or send your pick on a postcard to the usual P.O. box that we announce at the end of each show.

I'm sorry that it took this episode so long to get to you; I had some ransomware I had to deal with for several months. A very special THANK YOU to my parents who let me use their Mastercard to unlock my laptop! During the Holiday Season it's always good to remember that bad credit is temporary, but the love of your son is forever! <3

I am also proud to announce that in the New Year ALF-a and Omega is starting its very own Patreon account! We are hoping that we can reach our goal of $1500 per month so that we can continue to deliver content to you at the same stellar quality that you've become accustomed to. Guest fees for someone like "Dimebag" Dennis aren't cheap, and I've found that they also sometimes accidentally leave with my audio recording equipment. Oh well, it's really my fault for not telling him not to take it!

We Literally Blaze a Trail in Episode 127!

12/10/2018

Modeled on Nic Cage's actual skull. (That's true!)

Apparently we needed a little break after X-Men: The Last Stand, but we're back in episode 127 to talk about Ghost Rider, the 23rd edition of our Merry Marvel Movie March! The actual MCU is right around the corner, so thanks for hanging in there with us! Not that you don't love all these movies too, of course.

In this installment of "Paul's Meme corner": The Cop Who Likes Space Jam

Adam says no one really asked Charlie what he meant when he referred to the "comic book style" of the film Ghost Rider. He was referring mostly to the overall visual aesthetic, especially color palette and color tone. While not going as far as the literal "panelling" of Ang Lee's Hulk or as stark color contrast as something like Sin City, the influence of the illustrated page definitely seemed to be there. At least, in his opinion.

Here's an article about different extended cuts that you might find interesting (and at the very least explains why we passed on watching the extended cut of this movie, even though we went to the trouble watching the director's cut of Daredevil).

We Talk To Two Frankies in Episode 126

11/26/2018

And the tweeting wouldn't even be that bad by itself... it's all the RE-tweeting!

The newest Skype update appears to have bridged the gap between various realities, which is on display in episode 126. Now if they'd just bring back the old GUI it might not be a horrible program!

Alex makes reference to an Anthony Jeselnik routine, and we always give proper attribution!

Ah yes, Tay, the Microsoft conversation bot! Proving once again that there's nothing that trolls can't ruin in 16 hours!

Now that I'm aware Ed Balls Day exists, we'll probably have to commemorate it on the podcast in April.

We Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in Episode 125!

11/12/2018

They're harder to eat when you know they had a personality...

We've gotten into the habit of having fun conversations BEFORE we start the podcast proper, but luckily Charlie is always recording! That's how we got our latest clips episode, so it's all for your benefit! And while he also does keep all incriminating sound bites, he saves those as potential blackmail, so you won't find any of that here. Maybe in episode 175...?

And you may have noticed that this, our third tag show, is called "Tag Show 2". This is definitely because we don't consider episode 50 to be a true tag show and most assuredly not at all because Charlie forgot about that episode when he named this one.

The Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie played in 877 theaters - United Passions only played in 10. And to be fair, Solo: A Star Wars Story did better than both of those.

Here's that link again for the despecialized versions of the Star Wars trilogy.

While personally we feel like "spider milk" is disgusting and needs no further explanation, here's some info on BioSteel and goat milk with silk in it for those of you who are weirdos.

If you missed one particular day in Twitter history, you can read about the "funded" "remake" of The Last Jedi.

And finally, the full sandwich chart that you see above.

We Compartmentalize Our Untapped Potential in Episode 124

10/29/2018

10% of the main characters in this film

In an attempt to fight against the ceaseless tide of the Merry Marvel Movie March we present to you episode 124! It's not nearly our highest-rated film, but it is certainly the next chronologically. You would have a hard time arguing with that!

Here's that Juggernaut proto-meme that Paul knows so much about. It turns out we stumbled into a segment of "Paul Explains the Internet" and didn't even realize it!

Doug mentioned it in the podcast, but we ended up cutting it for time, so here's a piece of info for you: Shohreh Aghdashloo, who plays Dr. Kavita Rao (one of the mutant cure scientists) would go on to play Agent Madani's mother Farah in the Netflix series The Punisher, thus continuing her Marvel connections! Oh, and you may have seen her in Star Trek Beyond (she's the commander of Starbase Yorktown) or The Expanse – so now you know why she seems familiar to you!

We Preorder Vanity License Plates in Episode 123!

10/15/2018

Did I also mention I'm the ruler of Latveria? Yes, that's a thing!

While none of the Fantastic Four films is a top tier Marvel movie, it is interesting to see which one will be the best of the bunch. Is it the 2005 version? Listen to the episode to see what we think! Or I guess you could just look at our Merry Marvel Movie March scorecard which is easier but less entertaining...

Simpsons reference alert! Here's the Juice Loosener!

We don't know much about Phase 4 of the MCU, but we do know that one of the projects actively being worked on is an Eternals movie. Eternals! That alone should give hope to the thought of some day doing 2099 stuff...

We Eventually Introduce Ourselves in Episode 122!

10/1/2018

The strip really is like "Goofus and Gallant", but for dogs

How will we ever explain the never-ending pantheon of failed junk food products to our children? I guess episode 122 is a good start. And along the way they can learn about "Nancy" and "Marmaduke".

Here's a link to the Mournin' Pete's Barbeque shirt that Doug is talking about, created by artist Branson Reese.

Although Charlie was joking, it appears the original formula for Coca-Cola had coriander oil in it. So it WAS cilantro-based!

Pepsi Blue is still available in Indonesia! We have a Reddit link to prove it!

We'd like to point out that "Disenchantment" runs about 25 minutes per episode, with about 3 minutes after that of strictly international credits. More importantly, by the end of the first season Doug was a big fan!

Arby's actually has a secret menu. That the public can access via their website. In any case, here is the fabled Meat Mountain. It isn't actually listed in their nutrition facts but the individual items are, so you can add them up yourself! Nothing like a little calorie accounting to build up your appetite and make you aware of your own fragile mortality. However, the Arch Deluxe only has a Wikipedia page to continue its legacy. (I assume; I'm too lazy to actually go looking.)

We Discuss a Giant-Size Man-Thing in Episode 121!

9/17/2018

The Man-Thing wins again! Shame we can't say the same for the audience...

Our Merry Marvel Movie March carries on with a special BONUS episode: that's right, our 20th installment of the March covers the 2005 direct-to-Sci-Fi-Channel "hit" Man-Thing! Should the movie have gone to theatres, the way they originally intended? Absolutely not, and we have a grand time discussing why! The movie may have sucked, but our discussion was a success!

And yes, this is a bonus episode, partly because we didn't want to devote a regularly-timed episode to such a poor film, but also because we wanted to try and gain some ground in the March. Well, it's always nice to dream, I feel. But hey! Somewhat surprisingly, our Merry Marvel Movie Song-Off is back! How was the song? Listen and judge for yourself!

There was indeed a comic called Giant-Size Man-Thing! Sometimes it's the sophomoric joys of life that make it all worthwhile...

So given that he seems to be a hybrid of man and plant, why isn't he just called Plantman? Well, probably because the name was already taken.

And in case you're not up to speed on your Papa Roach memes, we're here to help.

We Flip the Script in Episode 120!

9/10/2018

Are there Photoshop awards??

You asked for it, and now you've got it! The Gobeskis Report returns with not-special guest Charlie Wallace from the podcast Cinematic Respect. Haven't heard The Gobeskis Report before? Perhaps you've stepped into the wrong universe. So whatever portal you passed through, or genius invention gone awry you've used, or evil witch you've double-crossed... just do the opposite of that and you should be back to where you came from. Or succumb to some fate worse than Death, but in either case it won't be our problem anymore!

And of course, we only get this episode out AFTER Laura Dern and Steven Spielberg save the Earth, yet again. Take that, general movie-going public!

The identity of the Masked Magician has finally been revealed! And as is custom amongst the magic community, he was beheaded for his Crimes Against Illusion. But beheaded in the "Magic Show" sense, so he's just fine.

We Forget About Christmas in Episode 119!

8/27/2018

This isn't the first -- or last -- archery we'll see in the MMMM...

Installment 19 of our Merry Marvel Movie March has us reviewing the 2005 film Elektra and Adam had our expectations set low on this one. But, I think it's safe to say this movie exceeded those expectations! Just barely!

Here's a little primer on Typhoid Mary, though I'm not sure it's necessary since the movie has a character who is nothing like this.

At the beginning of the episode, we hear some "Neko Atsume" in the background. It's a fun adorable mobile cat game, and definitely more worthwhile than Elektra.

I talk about the intro to Dracula Untold which is actually interesting visually, but pretty stupid from a screenplay standpoint. Work it into the script, dummies!

We Test Our Wits in Episode 118!

8/13/2018

I am not an answer in Trivia Showdown Volume 1. Perhaps Volume 2...?

Alex Clark is back to tell us about his new book Trivia Showdown in episode 118! Adam and Charlie go head to head in a no-holds-barred trivia brawl! Only one can end up in the winner's circle: who will be victorious?? (Probably the Rock.)

And yes, obviously you should buy Trivia Showdown! Charlie put his money where his mouth is and bought his copy last week, so you should too! And we'll make sure to let you know when Volume 2 arrives next month!

Want to annoy your pedantic friends? Well now you can do so without saying a word with an annoying shirt!

We considered linking to the "Remake the Last Jedi" campaign, but decided at best it would be "feeding the trolls", at worst "feeding the delusional fanboys". You can Google it if you really care to find it.

Remember when Charlie talked about Henry Cavill's mustache in another episode? Here's the story behind that, and sorry for the late link!

We Deal with a Bored Dracula in Episode 117!

7/30/2018

Let me explain to you, a half-vampire, how vampires work!

Our most recent Merry Marvel Movie March installment comes to you thanks to frequent guest Doug Gobeski, who graciously allowed us to hang out with him for the weekend and record episode 117. As a result, there were a lot of bits that weren't recorded and simply went out into the aether. What a waste, right? If the Surveillance State picked up any of that and could give us a copy it would be much appreciated.

Here's that AV Club article where Patton Oswalt talks about the production of Blade: Trinity. He makes it sound like fun though!

As we mention in the show, Ryan Reynolds did his own fight scenes and was slammed into a concrete floor multiple times. Why not a rubber floor you ask? Because it didn't look believable! I think it woulda looked cool if he had bounced a few times though. I mean, he IS fighting against a vampire!

Wesley Snipes memes courtesy The AV Club again. I don't see Blade IRL yet though! We'd better get started though, it is the logical progression of things.

After looking it up, Adam now knows that Stealth is not really "The Fast and the Furious with planes", though you'd be hard pressed to make the distinction simply from the trailer.

I have no idea what the Skarp Laser Razor is, but it sure is fun to say out loud!

Here's at least part of the reason we keep saying "hella sick" during the show.

And proof that "izzle" was at its height around 2005. Don't ever say we aren't expert trend archivists!

We Argue About Clipping in Episode 116!

7/16/2018

Why does he keep looking in there and then saying "Milk truk just arive"?

We come up with a stable, profitable business model in episode 116 but it's not without its problems. After all, there's a lot of overhead in those sweet transparent screen overlays. Plus, you want just the right level of crappy coffee to keep your customers jacked-up on caffeine and irritable!

In case you need conversation topics, here's Topix! If I knew I could have made a living photoshopping fake animals, that's what I'd be doing right now, but c'est la vie.

These birds are jacked!!!

Ever wonder what the world would be like if humans were replaced with pigeons? And you had to date them? Hatoful Boyfriend is the game that no one asked for, but we all need in times like these!

Turns out that you have to be an avid reddit user to understand this episode. Here's the context for "milk truk just arive". And an article on the state of Japan's video game bars will help provide some additional context.

Tony makes a quick reference to searching "Jeremy-style", which refers to an acquaintance who thought that his search history couldn't be accessed as long as he never typed anything into the search bar. Thus he would find his way to YouTube videos by clicking through the suggested other videos until he found the one he wanted. (So searching via dead reckoning, essentially.) If it were only so...

The bonkers trailer for Mandy is widely available. It really is something.

Tim Allen may have forgotten about his Home Improvement family, but now you'll never forget about him with this Tim Allen Doom mod!

There is only one TV show ever, and this proves it!

We Get All Warm and Fuzzy About New Yorkers in Episode 115!

7/2/2018

Finally, we can begin the Hal Sparks cinematic universe

We continue our Merry Marvel Movie March with episode 115, in which we discuss Spider-Man 2! Once again, this is one that is vying for best-reviewed Marvel movie so far! Is it better than the first Spider-Man film because Peter Parker's angst is more justified this time around? Or is it those sweet octopus arms, which are arguably more impressive than nuclear fusion?

If you're wondering what the difference is between the extended and theatrical cuts of the film, you can check that out right here. And it turns out that pivotal Hal Sparks scene is different in the original version versus the extended version! Just more Hal Sparks coming at ya!

Oops, we forgot that Aisha Tyler hosted "Talk Soup" for a bit, before it was converted to "The Soup" with Joel McHale. Also, the first host was Greg Kinnear, which we never really brought up but we thought was cool!

The podcasts we talk about in the show are called "U Talkin' U2 To Me?" and "R U Talkin' R.E.M. RE: ME" (all of it is in the same podcast feed). In those shows, Scott and Scott run down everything you need to know about those two bands, including the names of all the members!

We Revisit the Clone Facility in Episode 114!

6/18/2018

Turns out sports fans are superstitious and prone to scapegoating. Who knew?

Hooray, it's Piscopo Day once again and we're celebrating with our newest episode! And we've got a very special guest who's a clone of one of our other guests. It almost seems like too much to pack into one episode. I assure you though, IT IS NOT!

If you are some sort of monster who doesn't have every panel of every Calvin and Hobbes comic memorized, here is what Adam refers to in the episode.

Paul mentions Uma Musume which an anime that chronicles "the story of aspiring Horse Girls". Umm, "aspiring"? So they aren't already horse girls? Then how does one become a horse girl? Is it the result of intense training, or some sort of magical spell...? OR BOTH? I can see why this is so compelling!

Adam's mention of Jet Bradley is from Tron 2.0, so here's a little context. I guess it's short for Jethro, so maybe there are more Jets out there than we thought!

In case you don't know who Wally Pleasant is, here's his homepage.

And when you want Ted Cruz schadenfreude, where better to go than HuffPo?

We (Eventually) Avenge Our Family in Episode 113!

6/4/2018

The explosives only took him 3 working days to set up!

More MMMM action coming at you with the 2004 smash The Punisher! Wait, did I say smash? I meant we hated it. What was wrong with it? Listen and find out! And don't worry, Spider-Man 2 is up next!

Turns out audiences went for The Bourne Supremacy over Catwoman for some reason... who knew? If only they hadn't come out on the same weekend, presumably all those people who saw Bourne would've watched Catwoman instead and made it a huge success! It's the only possible explanation!

Doug apparently made a jet-ski reference that none of us picked up on. Here's the context, though the advice contained within seems somewhat obvious to me...

Yes, Ben Affleck is keen to dismantle the things that made him famous, including this takedown of Armageddon. Geez, the guy gets ONE Best Picture win and it goes to his head!

We Forget Important Things at Burger King in Episode 112!

5/21/2018

This is gonna be an epic road trip!

We step out of our wheelhouse with episode 112, which sees us talking about icing, vaping, and other subjects we don't actually know anything about! We also discuss lying to strangers in order to avoid feelings of shame in front of them, which unfortunately IS a situation we're all too familiar with...

You may not remember the hottest frat trend of 2010, but the White House Office of Presidential Personnel does! And while it seems that the Bros Icing Bros website itself only lasted for about 71 days, some people still carry the flame. And fortunately for you, Know Your Meme has you covered. I particularly like the Ice Block, mainly because of the absurdity of frat boys being forced to constantly carry bottles of Smirnoff Ice around with them.

You may not know who Boris Johnson is, but the short version is that he's a former mayor of London who became the UK Foreign Secretary and was pro-Brexit. This link might be more useful; the most surprising thing to me was the correlation with Taylor Swift fans...

Adam's pretty sure this was the story he read about the problems with digital film preservation. He also wanted to make it known that Paul's mention of a "social credit score system" reminded him of this episode of The Orville, as well as this episode of Community. (Yep, it's MeowMeowBeenz; was there really any doubt?)

We Get Angry and Smash Things as Expected in Episode 111!

5/7/2018

So do I use the tangent of theta to calculate the force on this lever arm... oh well... HULK SMASH!

We're back from our reboot with the next installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March with the 2003 film Hulk! It's great to get back to the grind, because we've decided MMMM is part of the "New Canon"! And the summer will NOT be kind to us as far as getting to the end of the March; it'll be hard to keep up, what with all the new Marvel releases!

We mention Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which we already did an episode about! Does that mean we have to review it again? Please say no... [Maybe we can con persuade Kara and Brianne to do that episode instead. –Ed.]

Here's some info on Big Mood. In case you were wondering. Is it clear now?

And here'a a link to the definition of "lampshading", so that everyone understands what it means and Adam never has to explain it again!

We Celebrate a New Canon in Episode 110!

4/23/2018

Oh yes, I DID just say that! I'm such a bad little boy!

Everyone deserves a fresh start now and then... so we present to you episode 110! I assure you it is WILDLY different from previous episodes. For instance, we talk about VIDEO GAMES and MOVIES and CHARLIE SINGS SEVERAL SONGS... well, I guess the more things change the more they stay the same – but this does give us a chance to spruce up the look of the site here and flesh out our back stories!

(Does our site not look radical(ly different) to you? You may need to force a hard refresh!)

We were mostly correct in our assumptions about Steven Spielberg's comments about Netflix, although he is making a broader statement about Hollywood as well. Still, if Spielberg says it, it's news!

In case you were a little lost with our Star Wars references, here's some info on Mara Jade and Luuke Skywalker. But who am I kidding; if you're listening to our show you probably already know who they are!

Adam has talked enough about the Despecialized Editions of Star Wars that we feel like we should now include a link. And yes, it IS a Google doc...

Speaking of fixing things that are broken, here's a way to play the Atari 2600 version of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in a way that actually ain't half bad!

Good Lord, here is QWOP. It would be frustrating if it weren't so hilarious. Adam's record is currently 3.7 meters. Charlie's is -2.1 meters.

The font in the new header for the website is called "Neon" by Fenotype; credit where credit is due.

We Cruz into the Future in Episode 109!

4/9/2018

We've wrestled with this snake long enough, time to move on!

We welcome our youngest guest ever in episode 109! You'll have to forgive him for not disclosing his location of origin - if Logan has taught me anything, it's that secret genetic experimentation facilities are secret for a reason! But hopefully his nanny can sneak him out at some point in the future for another visit...

Adam thought about it long and hard, and here are his favorite Ruffles flavors in order from best to worst for you to contemplate!

• All-Dressed
• Cheddar & Sour Cream
• Jalapeño Ranch
• Sour Cream & Onion
• Mozzarella 'n Marinara
• Original
• Flaming Hot
• the de-seasoned version of Ruffles, licked off by hand, left to dry in the sun, and then re-crinkled
• no Ruffles at all
• Queso

Here's that link to Ted Cruz's Google + Page for those of you who didn't manage to write down the link when listening to the episode!

Trapped in the Closet does need to be at least partially experienced, if only to better appreciate Trapped in the Drive-Thru. And here is a link to that handy-dandy chart that you can use while you are watching these epic hip-hoperas!

Another shout-out to Nathan Rabin's Happy Place and The Weird Accordion to Al, keep doing the good work Mr. Rabin!

We Link Brains with Everyone on Earth in Episode 108!

3/26/2018

So I guess we're friends now...? We're not happy about it either.

It's the final episode of Merry Marvel Movie March Madness, our review of X2. We've definitely got a candidate for best Marvel movie so far; will it make the cut?

Adam was looking around for a link to the "Bad Dudes" ending and found this website. That's some old school internet action going on! I'm still holding out hope for an update any day now...

Lucky you, here is Bernard and the Genie on YouTube! Adam would like you to know that it's legitimately one of his favorite Christmas films. Also, Alan Cumming was in GoldenEye, which we somehow failed to mention in the show!

Comic Lady Deathstrike is indeed a cyborg. Doug, unsurprisingly, was correct.

I guess we were wrong about Patty Jenkins not controlling the ending of Wonder Woman, and here is an article detailing her justification of it. We regret the error!

Finally, here's a link to the Cinematic Respect episode where we discuss Solaris!

We Discuss the Value of Sex Scenes in Episode 107!

3/19/2018

Box-office tested, Charlie approved

Merry Marvel Movie March Madness continues with a special BONUS podcast added to the schedule: the 2003 movie Daredevil! And not only do we discuss the rather maligned theatrical release, but we also take the time to watch the somewhat-less-maligned Director's Cut as well! Lucky us, but more importantly, lucky you!

We had to cut it from the finished podcast for time, but we did do a Merry Marvel Movie March Song-Off for this movie. However, once we realized that the song in question was in fact Fuel's "Won't Back Down" and not actually Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life", we all became much less enthusiastic about the prospect, and we all decided it was at the bottom of our list of songs as a pretty generic nu-metal song. Or, as Paul put it, "You know it's bad when you're like, 'Yeah, I definitely like "Hero" more than this. I definitely prefer Chad Kroeger.'" Maybe as a society we could collectively agree that the Daredevil song should just be "Bring Me to Life" instead?

We briefly mention the existence of Matt Murdock's "twin" brother Mike. Here's a link if you want to learn more about that particular storyline. Or you could just look at the image, that does it justice as well.

From Daredevil #25 (Feb. 1967)

Oh, and by the way, this is actually Adam writing the blog this time around instead of Charlie. He's off leveling up his Uncle skill, which I think means he can craft nephews out of Dragon Scales now? I'm a bit hazy on the details. But! He still took the time to give us the physics calculation mentioned in the podcast, of how much force it would take for Bullseye to kill Elektra's dad the way we see in the movie! So take it away, Charlie:

tl:dr; Very improbable, unless Bullseye has the throwing strength of a roided-out Hercules.

We Make a Strong Case Against Sequels in Episode 106!

3/12/2018

Not so much thought-provoking as... dumb.

We're back with the 12th installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March! And it's the start of our Merry Marvel Movie March Madness, meaning March will be filled with Marvel movie goodness! We'll resume non-Marvel things in April, in case Marvel's not your thing for some unfathomable reason.

I don't suppose anyone was really expecting us to rate Men in Black II very highly in episode 106. But that's what you get when you get rid of the best thing about a movie (Patrick Warburton) in the first 10 minutes. Though stick around to the end, since there is a contender for best Merry Marvel Movie March Original Song!

Paul has explained the internet again, and you should watch Dear Stephanie Meyer by Lindsay Ellis on YouTube!

Here's the links to Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head) and Hero (again). Remember to play them at faster speeds, the way the artists (should have) intended!

We're Ambivalent About Midnight in Episode 105!

2/26/2018

5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Happy New... oh wait...

Adam decided to celebrate New Year's a little bit late, hence episode 105. Of course, we were all together on Skype for ANOTHER reason, one which will be apparent to you in the coming weeks. But I guess ideas just flow like delicious Welch's Sparking Grape Juice when we're all together, so bang, another episode in the bag!

You should definitely be following us on Twitter... but you should also definitely be following the official account of Moon Pies.

Paul's Saturn V rocket!

Oh no, turns out those rumors about 50 Cent's Bitcoin were just rumors! Also, I just got to use the phrase "50 Cent's Bitcoin"!

Have any ideas for Hollywood Pokemon evolutions? Let us know! Here are some examples:

Beau Bridges >> Jeff Bridges >> Lloyd Bridges

Rob Schneider >> Kevin James >> Adam Sandler

Randy Quaid >> Dennis Quaid >> Skyler Quaid

We're Angstier Than We Remember in Episode 104!

2/12/2018

When you're this good an actor, your mirror image is the only scene partner that will do!

Welcome back to installment 11 of our Merry Marvel Movie March - this time we review the 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man! Now that we're getting to the middle of this March, it's gonna feel slower. No more huge time jumps; this is actually the second of three movies in 2002 that we're reviewing! And with 7 Marvel movies coming out in 2018, we'll be at this forever. Not to worry, we'll get to Black Panther some time in 2024!

Turns out Bruce Campbell is NOT in every Sam Raimi movie, but he is in a lot. He beats Ted Raimi, surprisingly!

Uncle Ben's killer does not have an official name; he's apparently referred to only as "The Burglar". Except, in some media, he is called Dennis Carradine, but not in the main comics! And in the Sam Raimi movies, he's called...but we'll get to that when we talk about Spider-Man 3.

Adam had meant to bring up that the World Trade Center actually featured in the original trailer, because it was made pre-9/11. It's a specially-filmed trailer, so if you want to see it, here you go.

We Mourn Admiral Snackbar in Episode 103!

1/29/2018

Eight...?

Apologies that episode 103 is not exactly "ripped from the headlines". Turns out there is a production schedule and sometimes we can't get these episodes out instantaneously! But we've got a lot lined up for you in 2018, including a special podcast project and perhaps some Merry Marvel Movie March Madness!

Here's a list of the highest points in each of these United States! Delaware is number 49 in terms of elevation; only Florida is lower. I think the only list Florida tops is the list of "Most Frequently Appearing at the Bottom of Lists".

Rotten Tomatoes still has The Last Jedi with a greater than 90% critic score as of this posting. The audience score is quite a bit lower, if you care what rabid internet trolls think.

And the Anakin meme we discuss in the show, if you're interested in the visual form. I always enjoy our audible descriptions better though (I may be in the minority there).

Finally, our list of the Star Wars episodes, from favorite to least favorite.

• Alex: 5, 4, 2, 6, 7, 1, 8, 3, R1
• Doug: 5, 4, 3, 6, 8, R1, 2, 7, 1
• Adam: 5, 4, 6, 8, 3, R1, 7, 1 / 2 (tie)
• Charlie: 5, 8, 4, 6, 7, R1, 3, 1, 2

We Betray Each Other in Utterly Predictable Ways in Episode 102!

1/15/2018

The source of unimaginable power

We're back from our holiday hiatus with our 10th installment of our Merry Marvel Movie March, our discussion of Blade II! That means Spider-Man is up next, and we really get into the thick of this Movie March.

Adam put together a quick list of what a DC-related Movie March would look like, which you can access here. That's... a lot of serials. Hopefully they have as much wanton killing as Captain America!

io9 agrees that Blade II is an important Guillermo del Toro work, but they don't agree that it's any good. Well, not everything can be Pan's Labyrinth, so I don't know what they're complaining about. Plus, how could anyone predict that the betrayers would betray the other betrayers or... wait, what was the plot of this movie?

In case you were confused about Paul's Olsen twin reference, here's John Oliver discussing the conspiracy. Every good show has a conspiracy segment these days!

We Create the Most Amazing App in Episode 101!

12/17/2017

**WARNING: SKYLERS INCOMING!!**

Unfortunately, episode 101 was actually recorded BEFORE episode 100, so you won't be hearing any The Boss Baby references. Although you'll be hearing plenty about boys and daddies, in case you were worried...

As Adam pointed out, the band Right Said Fred is named after a song... which is actually pretty catchy? It's all about taking the time to think about how to approach a problem ahead of time, which is a lesson I think is very useful in this busy universe!

And as I was Googling "right said fred photos" I kept seeing Taylor Swift, and was intrigued. In the interest of letting you know about all of the internet rabbit holes I go down, here's why that is.

So Skylert is still in beta, but there's still some keys available! Unfortunately, we need more Skylers to sign up, and we're all out of keys for the Sky-curious/non-Skylers. We MAY even accept some S'kylers, though we will have to review your application thoroughly. The integrity of the app is important to us, and we think it shows! We've also now realized that the app can help you AVOID Skylers if that's your thing, but we can't imagine those folks would be a large portion of our user base...