Ted Lasso is Dave's favourite TV show of all time - in fact, he says it's the best show ever made in the history of humankind! Justin had never seen it, but watched all three seasons. So, do Justin and Ashley agree with Dave? Listen to find out!
In honor of Eurovision 2025 (which is happening this week) we watched Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga! Justin shares his enthusiasm for this film and all things Eurovision. Ashley is on board and has been on board with Eurovision for a few years now. Dave, who is brand new to Eurovision, seems to have been charmed both by this film AND Justin's Eurovision evangelism and maybe, just maybe, will watch this year's contest. Dave also picked the next thing we're going to be watching: Ted Lasso. Which Dave describes as "the best television show ever made."
This week Ashley chose Severance as the show we should be watching. But in this episode we barely even mention Severance! So don't worry - no spoilers. Instead, we take a super deep dive into the problem of escapism! To counteract all this deepness, Justin has chosen Eurovision as the film we're watching next week. Just in time for the 2025 Eurovision finals!
We are back baby! Justin, Dave, and Ashley are re-booting Why Are People Watching This? after a short hiatus. And we've got a new format! Instead of watching whatever schlock happens to be #1 on Netflix this week, we are giving each other the opportunity to choose what to watch (on any platform and from any time period) and then justify why we should be watching it! It was Dave's turn to start, and he picked Canadian Bacon, the 1995 "comedy" written/directed by Michael Moore. Dave's reason? Because this film was bizarrely prescient in predicting the ludicrous situation of a US president threatening to invade Canada. The movie wasn't exactly what you might call "good" but there are a few parallels with what's happening politically right now, which is why Dave chose it. In this episode you get to hear three Canadians discuss the silliness of this movie and of the concept of vilifying/invading Canada, but in a polite, Canadian way (of course). And for those of you following along with what we're up to next, Ashley has recommended we watch Severance, which is what we'll be doing in the next episode. It's nice to be back, friends!
This week, Dave, Justin, and Ashley watched A Quiet Place: Day One. Here’s the official synopsis: “When New York City comes under attack from an alien invasion, a woman and other survivors try to find a way to safety. They soon learn that they must remain absolutely silent as the mysterious creatures are drawn to the slightest sound.” Ashley cried. Justin ranted about alien biology. Dave learned about some missing/edited footage that was vital for understanding the movie's plot!
This week, Dave, Justin, and Ashley watched Dune 2. Here’s the official synopsis: “Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.” Ashley isn’t convinced that Christopher Walken should have been in this film. Dave relived some childhood lamprey trauma. Just had a lot to say about angry anuses.
This week, Justin, Dave, and Ashley watched Holiday in the Vineyards. Here’s the synopsis. “While on a secret job for his mother's wine company, a man falls for the widow whose place he's renting. She is struggling to keep the local vineyard running, but the truth may spoil their yuletide romance.” Justin was bothered by the chin-kissing, and the unnecessary slandering of Fiat. Dave was amazed that everyone was so quick to forgive the morally bankrupt lying liar protagonist. Ashley was freaked out at the wanton destruction of snowboards, and the obvious shoehorning of Christmas into this film.
This week, Justin, Dave, and Ashley watched Rumor Has It. Here’s the synopsis. “Living in New York City, Sarah (Jennifer Aniston) must make the cross-country trip back to her home state of California for the wedding of her younger sister (Mena Suvari). Once with her family, Sarah learns some interesting things from her grandmother (Shirley MacLaine), including the family's inspirational ties to the famous film "The Graduate." But all this leads to millionaire Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), and Sarah wants answers -- especially since Burroughs might be her real father.” The team is joined this week by Jake and Ranke for the LAST EVER regularly scheduled episode of Why Are People Watching This?. Everyone found this to be a.... problematic film. Whether it's the incest or the gaslighting, there were lots of reasons to squirm. Dave tried to find some sort of message in the film, but even an extra large bag of red yard couldn't help him connect the dots. Jake was befuddled and confused. Ranke found all of the characters to be irredeemable - especially Jennifer Aniston. Ashley was amazed by the "old tech" and couldn't believe that there was a time when people used to "call" the "operator" to ask the names/address of people in the "directory". Justin could not believe that the main plot point of this film was the "hilarious" problem of whether the people having sex were possibly father and daughter.
This week, Justin and Dave watched Jexi. Here’s the synopsis. “Phil has a major dependency issue -- he's addicted to his cellphone. He has no friends and his love life is nonexistent. Forced to upgrade to a new phone, Phil soon learns that the latest model comes with Jexi -- an artificial intelligence life coach, virtual assistant and cheerleader. With its help, he begins to get a real life. But as he becomes less dependent on the phone, Jexi starts to morph into a tech nightmare that's determined to keep Phil all to itself." Justin hated the film, labelling it "incel wish fulfillment". Dave didn't like the part with the genitals.
This week, Justin and Dave watched You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah. Here’s the synopsis. “Stacy and Lydia are BFFs who've always dreamed about having epic bat mitzvahs. However, things start to go comically awry when a popular boy and middle school drama threatens their friendship and their rite of passage.” Dave was fascinated by DJ Shmuley, and did a deep dive on the ritziest bat mitzvahs. Justin thought the main character was irredeemable, and didn’t understand why innocent little Mateo was in the film.
This week, Justin and Dave watched To Catch A Killer: Here’s the synopsis: "A troubled police officer is recruited by the FBI's chief investigator to help profile and track down a disturbed individual terrorizing Baltimore, Maryland." The main character (Eleanor) in this film behaved so strangely that both Dave and Justin thought she might be a ghost or figment of Lammark's imagination - not actually a real character in the film. That's how fundamentally flummoxing this film was.
This week, Justin, Ashley, and Dave watched Heart of Stone. Here’s the official Netflix synopsis: “Rachel Stone is an intelligence operative, the only woman who stands between her powerful global peacekeeping organization and the loss of its most valuable -- and dangerous -- asset.” Justin did not understand the AI's probability calculations that seemed utterly meaningless. Dave disagreed with the film's idea of what a "field agent" was supposed to be. Ashley loved the message of the film (that Justin and Dave apparently missed altogether).
This week, Justin, Ashley, and Dave watched Fatale. Here’s the official Netflix synopsis: “After a wild one-night stand, a successful sports agent watches his perfect life slowly disappear when he discovers the sexy and mysterious woman he risked everything for is a determined police detective who entangles him in her latest investigation. As he desperately tries to put the pieces together, he falls deeper into her trap, risking his family, his career, and even his life.” Dave coined a new term: side-bum. Ashley found a million plot holes. Justin is pretty sure the screenwriter has some skeletons in his closet.
This week, Justin, Dave, and Ashley watched Happiness for Beginners. Here’s the official Netflix synopsis: “A year after her divorce, 32-year-old Helen Carpenter lets her brother persuade her to sign up for a wilderness survival course. Through this experience she discovers that you have to get lost to find yourself.” Dave was captivated by the smouldering gaze of Luke Grimes. Ashley was flummoxed by beards. Justin was offended at the statement that “grown men don’t go study sea life.” Everyone felt that something was a bit off about this film, but Justin had some trivia that cleared up the confusion.
An encore presentation of Never Have I Ever, Season 3, Episode 1, recorded on Aug 22, 2022. This week, Justin and Dave watched was Never Have I Ever, Season 3, Episode 1. Here’s the Netflix synopsis “At last, Devi is dating her dream guy, but some catty gossip makes her worry about taking things slow and Nalini urges Kamala to rethink a decision.” Dave does not really enjoy the overly-slick and rapid-fire dialogue, making it difficult for him to connect to the material. Justin, however, connects more deeply with the material than would be excepted for someone in his age demographic. Matt comes in smoking hot with a number of hot-takes on the show, and creates a hilarious new trivia game! Tory knows her stuff, is is there to provide everyone with Indian name pronunciation tips.
An encore presentation of our episode on Yes Day from Mar 22, 2021.
Dave and Justin discuss the #1 show on Netflix Canada for the week ending March 21, 2021: Yes Day. Here’s the official Netflix synopsis of Yes Day: A mom and dad who usually say no decide to say yes to their kids' wildest requests with a few ground rules on a whirlwind day of fun and adventure. Justin dives deep on crows, kablowey, and the word "fleek", while Dave counts balloons and questions people's résumés.
An encore presentation of our episode on Spiderhead from June 26, 2022.
This week, Justin, Dave, and Ashley watched Spiderhead. Here’s the Netflix synopsis: “Two inmates form a connection while grappling with their pasts in a state-of-the-art penitentiary run by a brilliant visionary who experiments on his subjects with mind-altering drugs.” Dave really enjoyed the airplane in this movie. And the car. And the boat. Ashley has a bone to pick with Chris Hemsworth's involvement in the production side of things. Justin was annoyed by most everything in this film for some reason.
This week, Justin and Dave watched Black Mirror season 6, episode 1. Here’s the official Netflix synopsis: “ An average woman is stunned to discover a global streaming platform has launched a prestige TV drama adaptation of her life - in which she is portrayed by Hollywood A-lister Salma Hayek.” Dave was surprised that this episode of Black Mirror had a happy ending. Justin gushed over Annie Murphy’s performance. They both agreed that Kayla Lorette deserves fame and fortune!