There are a lot of noir crime thrillers in the world, but most modern ones have a problem digging too deeply into the noir part of the equation. “Killing them softly” does away with the winding plot and instead gives a simple premise, with a simple resolution, and a world so real in its crappiness you can kind of smell it. Maybe it’s a grime thriller? It’s certainly the best at it if you’re into this sort of thing. 0:00 - Intros 3:30 - Monster: The Ed Gein story (Netflix, 2025) 7:35 - Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock, 2025) 9:35 - Little Evil (Netflix, 2017) 12:45 - Palm Royale (Apple TV) 20:00 - Dune pts. 1 and 2 (2021, 2024) 33:45 - Killing Them Softly

Join us for a look at the underrated Troma classic from 1992, Frankenhooker! What could a movie called Frankenhooker possibly be about, you ask? Don’t be stupid, it’s literally about a STEM weirdo from New Jersey who loses his girlfriend in a freak accident, only to bring her back by sewing her head onto a body stitched together from the parts of dead prostitutes. Duh. And it is one of the more astoundingly entertaining things we have all watched in months! Like, stupidly entertaining. Like, more enjoyable than any movie this dumb has a right to be. Let it wash over you like a sea of calm… and gore… and bare breasts for no reason other than this is a B-movie with the ingenious title of Frankenhooker. Wanna date? 0:00 - Intros 4:50 - Fantastic Four: First Steps and Thunderbolts 14:30 - Legion 21:20 - Prey 25:25 - Alien Earth 31:35 - Frankenhooker

This week, we view Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)—a film that dares to ask: what if Dracula were horny, operatic, and deeply confused about accents? With Keanu Reeves giving the most unintentionally British performance ever committed to celluloid (bless him, he tried), Winona Ryder looking vaguely confused but still cashing checks, and Gary Oldman chewing scenery like it’s soaked in blood and Oscar nominations, this movie is a visual fever dream you almost forgive for being a narrative mess. We unpack the lush production design, jaw-dropping in-camera effects, shadow puppetry, Monica Bellucci's succubus cleavage, and that iconic armor that looks like a walking anatomy chart. Oh, and monster rape. Because apparently, that was necessary? So join us as we ask the eternal questions: Was this movie genius or a hot mess? (Spoiler: Yes.) And should anyone ever let Keanu attempt an accent again? (Spoiler: No.) Grab your blood goblet, adjust your shadow, and renounce God—it’s time for another Magnificently Huge Podcast! 0:00 - Intros 6:05 - Cosmic Devolution Tour 7:05 - Lene Lovich 8:00 - DJ Cummerbund 8:45 - DEVO 11:20 - The B-52s 15:10 - TRON Ares (2025) 28:55 - Hell or High Water (2016) 30:55 - Tulsa King 33:50 - Horror Express (1972) 37:10 - Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

What do you get when you take a creatively brilliant director, give him all the leeway he wants, resulting in a film that is a commercial failure but a sleeper hit? You get a very pissed off John Carpenter is what you get. Despite a career of culturally significant awesomeness - “Starman,” “The Thing,” being Adrienne Barbeau’s husband - all it took was some big trouble in Little China for funding to dry up. With that comes the shot-on-a-shoestring horror classic, “Prince of Darkness.” It is an acquired taste, as you will see. As usual, we also talk about a bunch of other stuff we’ve been watching, because this is a podcast, and that’s what you do. 0:00 - Intros 7:25 - Superman (2025) 18:45 - Hacks (HBO) 23:20 - The Studio (Apple TV) 27:00 - Strange New Worlds (Paramount) 29:30 - Robocop: Rogue City (Xbox) 36:00 - John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness (1987)

We’re gonna Thelma & Louise the shiznit out of this show with our picks for Best Onscreen Duos! That’s right, from Abbott & Costello to Matthau & Lemmon to Rick & Morty and everything in between, it’s a quasi-intelligent chat about our favorite duos from film and television. What makes a duo dynamic? Which duos are garbage? And how can we possibly cram a reasonable number of onscreen duos into one podcast without making it seem like we came utterly unprepared and instead shout out listicles? From our trio of pieholes direct to your ears, the magic unfolds like Tango & Cash at baby’s first communion… monster trucks and all! 0:00 - Intros 8:20 - Walking Dead Sequel Shows 10:25 - Marvel Zombies 14:00 - Honey Don’t (2025) 20:25 - The Roses (2025) 25:55 - Sisu (2025) 30:55 - Best On-Screen Duos

James Bond is on the menu this week, as Brian winds down his journey to watch every canonical movie in sequential order. That means we finally hit up the first appearance of Daniel Craig in the 2006 throwback/reboot/reset adaptation of the very first Ian Fleming novel - Casino Royale! Or did we do the very terrible star-studded psychedelic comedy trainwreck from 1967? Or maybe the Americanized, made-for-TV version from 1954? Confused yet? You won’t be once you listen to our take on the GOOD Casino Royale. 0:00 - Intros 3:35 - LCD Soundsystem 7:50 - Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV+) 10:50 - DEVO Documentary (Netflix) 21:30 - Weird Al Bigger and Weirder Tour 27:55 - Taskmaster 34:20 - Casino Royale Here is the Patrick (H) Willems take on the Craig Bond Years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bNXqwpm-rk&ab_channel=Patrick%28H%29Willems

Ever watch a TV show and simply think, WTF? Oh, sure, there are plenty of new programs out there that make you go hmmmmm…. But we’re focusing more on the ones from further back in the historical record that have managed to become part of the zeitgeist despite (or because of?) their best and weirdest efforts not to. These are the shows that may not have aged well, may not make any sense using a modern context, or simply have no clue how amazingly weird they really are. For every Hill Street Blues, there is always a Cop Rock. For every Modern Family, there is a Brady Bunch. For every… well you get the idea. So here is our very arbitrary, very lazy, and incredibly haphazard look at The Weirdest TV Shows in History! 0:00 - Intros 5:45 - Liarmouth (Book. Waters, John) 13:25 - Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies 39:05 - Weirdest TV Shows to get made, but are popular anyway 40:20 Hogan’s Heroes 50:40 Gilligan’s Island 56:20 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 1:03:10 - Friends 1:05:50 - Three’s Company

This week, we dissect Death of a Unicorn, the 2024 indie-horror-fantasy-corporate-satire you didn't know you needed. Follow the bizarre journey of a father-daughter duo who hit a unicorn—yes, an actual one—and are promptly dragged into a corporate scramble over who gets to exploit the thing’s magical healing powers first. Because what better metaphor for late-stage capitalism than weaponizing purity, bottling it, and selling it to shareholders? It beats reality anyway. Also, Alien Earth and more James Bond!

0:00 - Intros 7:30 - The Truth About Jussie Smollett 15:30 - Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025) 25:45 - The Naked Gun (2025) 33:10 - Marc Maron - Panicked (2025) 40:45 - Sinners (2025) SPOILER DISCUSSION

Do the Muppets even carry the same cultural heft now as in their 70s heyday? Who cares? Because there is no movie as pure and joyful and fun as The Muppet Movie, so say us. Jim Henson and Co. took what was best about their TV show and turned it into a road-comedy with heart, an erstwhile origin story of how the Muppets became THE MUPPETS. With lots of classic, catchy bangers by Paul Williams thrown in among the (now dated?) cameos by stars you may not even remember if you are younger than 50. This thing is peak Gen-X, kids. It is also a movie guaranteed to lift your mood - a 90-minute shot of dopamine, serotonin and positivity mainlined into your brainpan by cute and cuddly puppets, all wrapped in a giant, fuzzy warm hug. 0:00 - Intros 5:28 - Old Henry (2021) 12:15 - Jason Statham movies 19:50 - Friday Night Dinner (BBC) 23:55 - Starfleet Academy trailer 25:30 - The Paragon (2023) 28:5 0 - The last 3 Roger Moore James Bond Films (For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill) 41:55 - The Muppet Movie

1988’s “I'm Gonna Git You Sucka,” directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, was a sleeper hit at a time when there weren’t a lot of sleeper hits yet. This had a cast of greats from the 70s blaxploitation era, as well as future comedy legends only just getting their first job on a movie. In our ongoing search for comedies from decades ago to see if they’re still funny, we pick this movie apart in painstaking detail. We also talk about James Bond, the MCU, Amazon’s “Heads of State,” and all sorts of cultural silliness. Because that’s our beat. You’re welcome. 0:00 - Intros 3:15 - Loki season 2 5:15 - The Franchise 10:40 - Heads of State 21:50 - The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker 35:30 - I’m Gonna Git You Sucka

Michael Mann helped create the 80’s neon-noir & pastel music video aesthetic in TV and films with Miami Vice,Thief and Manhunter. Obviously this would lead to his 1992 movie adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans, a very dull and nigh-unreadable 19th Century adventure romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It’s a costume drama set during the French and Indian War starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, a white dude raised by the Mohicans who gets embroiled in the conflict to save the woman he loves (Madeleine Stowe) from becoming collateral damage. With gorgeous forested vistas, well-staged action, and a sweeping score by Trevor Jones, this one is a weird passion project for Mann, to be sure. But it did surprisingly well at the box office, so I guess that’s something. So stay alive, no matter what occurs… we will podcast about it for you! 0:00 - Intros 9:35 - Parks and Recreation 16:20 - The Traitors NZ 20:00 - Thunderbolts* (2025) 31:45 - 28 Years Later (2025) 39:00 - The Last of the Mohicans (1992) Here’s the Ben Stiller Show clip Eric referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaAC3OppG94

So how does a band like Eagles have such a bad reputation for sucking… and sell THIS MANY ALBUMS!?! The mind boggles. The Beatles sold a lot of records, and people still love those guys. Michael Jackson sold a lot of records, and people forgave him for some really awful stuff I won’t mention lest I get some kind of “flag” from Apple. I’ll just say, “Jesus juice.” Google it. Anyway, Eagles (not “The” Eagles, because reasons,) didn’t interfere with any children, but people hate them all the same these days. Why? With such an impressive list of songs that were not only hits but are still cultural touchstones, how does this band still get the high hat from music fans? Glad you asked, because that’s what we’ll be talking about this week. Plus a lot of other stuff like Star Wars, The John Wickiverse, Wes Anderson, and probably more than you want to know about. 3:15 - Andor season 2 17:20 - Reacher season 3 23:00 - Ballerina 35:50 - The Phoenician Scheme 41:20 - Eagles (1:12:00 - Heartache Tonight) End on Don Henley must Die

Let’s quiet things down a bit and hit some introspective vibes with 2003’s indie comedy-drama, The Station Agent. It is the breakout role for Peter “Don’t Call Me Tyrion” Dinklage, as a loner who just wants to remain alone but doesn’t because other humans are around who eventually become his friends… or something. Not a lot happens in this movie, to be honest, but so what? It is supposed to be quiet and sweet and why do you have to make it so difficult to forge new relationships in adulthood? Huh? Because the real journey is the friends we make along the way. Also starring Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Williams, The Station Agent is our Movie of the Week. 0:00 - Intros 5:43 - The White Lotus (season 3) 12:23 - Captain America Brave New World 16:00 - Monster: Humanoids from the Deep (1980) 19:00 - Thunderbolts* (2025) 30:25 - Daredevil Born Again 32:13 - Ball of Fire (1941) 39:27 - The Station Agent (2003)

So there’s this movie about a woman who’s a spy and kicks a lot of ass and kills people. No, not “Atomic Blonde.” No, not “Ballerina.” And not “Alias” or “Red Sparrow” or “Black Widow” or… okay, maybe not the most original concept. But before all of these things there was “The Long Kiss Goodnight” - the Geena Davis/Renny Harlin attempt to keep working despite one of Hollywood’s most disastrous bombs the year before (Cutthroat Island). Like all of our shows, it’s a wild ride this week! We also cover some music, some James Bond stuff, Mission: Impossible, and America’s attempt to reject monarchy. 5:30 - Trump parade vs No Kings 17:35 - Mission: Impossible the Final Reckoning vs the worst of Roger Moore’s James Bond (Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me) 33:30 - Negativland: The World Will Decide, Helter Stupid 38:50 - Shrek and Madagascar 44:25 - The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

It may not be the day-in-the-life movie we wanted, but it was the one we deserved. A 90s-era nostalgia trip to the early 80s, “200 Cigarettes” is notable mostly for its cast of future stars. We also talk about dead parents, nuclear war, James Bond and shooting people to Lionel Ritchie. Because we’re just that freakin’ good. 4:40 - Gen Alpha linguistics professor 7:00 - McCurdy, Jennette - I’m Glad My Mom Died (book) 13:10 - Jacobsen, Annie - Nuclear War: A Scenario (book) 18:00 - Peter Hook and the Light 21:20 - James Bond revisited (You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever) 38:50 - 200 Cigarettes

Ruthless People is a hilarious gem from the 80s that gets the bizness this round! The last comedy directed jointly by the Airplane! guys, from a script by the guy who wrote Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and My Cousin Vinny, with one of the strongest casts you will ever have the pleasure of seeing perform, it should have become an instant classic. So why did this one get so unceremoniously memory-holed? Is it because, in spite of its tight script and screwball antics, that it happens to also be one of THE MOST 80’S MOVIES EVER MADE? From the production design and costumes to the music that screams 1986, Ruthless People has been forever unable to escape the gravitational force of the Me Decade to languish in semi-obscurity. Which is a damn shame, and we are here today to wrest it from the pit of Lost VHS Classics!

Back in the year 2000, before Vin Diesel exploded into worldwide superstardom with all those car movies, he did a mid-budget B-movie sci-fi oddity called Pitch Black. It’s sort of like if someone remade Aliens with Snake Plissken as the main character, but definitely not as cool as a movie with that description. Oh don’t get us wrong… it has moments of pure fun, to be sure,and it is made well. Faint praise, to be sure. However, it knows exactly what it is at every step of the way, and that is most deserving of our faint praise. Is it an ageless classic? No, but it did somehow spawn several sequels and video games, which is way more than most films of this ilk can say. Pitch Black is a good way to kill 90 minutes, and it will certainly leave you entertained. What more do you want? 0:00 - Intros 5:10 - You (Netflix) 8:50 - Watch the Twister: Caught in the Storm (2025) 13:30 - F1 Trailer 15:00 - Sinners 20:55 - Moon Walker - Ban This Song 22:55 - Puretone - Addicted to Bass 23:50 - Drew Behm 26:30 - Kanopy streaming service - 50’s comedies (Lavender Hill Mob, The Ladykillers) 29:30 - Pitch Black (2000) (35:10 - STROW) (43:00 - Slam song drop - look for earlier instance)

This week, we turn our attention to one of the most gloriously idiotic masterpieces ever committed to film: Steve Martin’s The Jerk (1979). It's a story of rags to riches to rags to a thermos, starring a man who was born a poor Black child and somehow got even more confused from there. We revisit this iconic comedy that launched Martin from stand-up absurdist to full-blown movie star, and unpack why a film this aggressively stupid remains so brilliantly sharp. From Navin Johnson’s wide-eyed journey into the cruel, ridiculous world—complete with disco suits, dog heroism, and the invention of opti-grip—we ask the important questions: Is this still funny? (Yes.) Does it still make us cringe? (Also yes.) And how did they get away with that line? Expect vintage references, a shocking lack of subtlety, and deep appreciation for a movie that manages to satirize class, race, capitalism, and loneliness—mostly by accident. Come for the jokes, stay for the gas station sniper, and leave with a new appreciation for the rhythm method of filmmaking. Because sometimes, you just want to watch a man lose everything except his paddleball game and a chair. And sometimes, that’s enough. 0:00 - Intros 7:35 - OK Go - “Love” video 9:20 - Lady Gaga - Mayhem album 15:05 - Thunderball (1965) 21:30 - Midcentury Modern (Hulu) 25:55 - Vicious (ITV) 27:35 - Sexy Beast (Paramount+) 33:20 - The Jerk (1979)