It's Oscars week and also the 25th anniversary of American Beauty somehow winning Best Picture for the all-time movie year that was 1999. On this week's episode, Seth attempts to suffocate Sam Mendes's dark dramedy with its stupid floating plastic bag (with the help of Jason Baxter). We get into the protagonist being a wannabe pedophile, the script's horrendous scenes, the lack of comedic editing, bad improv scene-level acting, it's regressive nature despite thinking it's super edgy, stolen Austin Powers bits, how many 1999 films do elements of what it's failing at way, way, way better, and more.

Welcome to Consumer Reports: Everyone is Wrong edition. On this episode, noted collegate Apple hater Daniel Ellis comes on the pod to defend one of tech's most notable product punchlines - the digital media player and failed iPod rival that was the Microsoft Zune. We dive into the Zune's design, musician-friendly features, Spotify before Spotify, Allen Iverson crossovers, and *//deep sigh* squirting (NO NOT THAT, GET YOUR MIND OUTTA THE GUTTER). Crack open a can of Crystal Pepsi or New Coke and enjoy listening while playing your Nintendo Virtual Boy.

Can a star of one of film's biggest franchises get memory holed? Jason Baxter returns on a not so secret mission to revive awareness for the James Bond films starring Timothy Dalton: 1987's The Living Daylights & 1989's Licence to Kill. We dive into the influential seriousness Dalton brought to the role, banger theme songs by A-ha and Gladys Knight, some heavy Miami Vice influence, Benicio del Toro and Wayne Newton, Mad Max, J. D. Vance, and more.

May the 4th be with you! With Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace returning to theaters for its 25th anniversary, Jason Baxter returns to defend one of the most openly hated movies in cinema history. We go deep on epic scenes like the podrace (non-war action!) and Duel of the Fates, the whole point of a plot centered around political points like taxation, Nintendo 64 games, the loaded handmaiden cast, overly confident Jedi, and how the Phantom Menace is way better than the film that won Best Picture for the loaded movie year that was 1999.

Much like this episode's titular charachter, the podcast trekked across the Pacific Northwest to deliver a live episode of the podcast from Treefort Fest in Boise. Brennon Poynor joins the show to take up arms for Kevin Costner's 1997 post-apocalyptic Western, The Postman. We dive into the film's cautionary epic scope, Waterworld backlash, Will Paton's wildy going-for-it performance, child armies, Olivia Williams' chaotic waifu energy, Tom Petty, an extremly overly earnest score, mule sword fights, cinema's most cucked man, Dune, and how a rebellion can rise from grifter finding a tooth in the mail.   Since we played clips in this episode, here's links to them: The Trailer Overly Dramatic Boy with Letter Shakespeare Off Tom Petty

I know this might be hard to believe, but Thor battling against people manipulating the soy futures market from behind a keyboard didn't get butts in theatrical seats back in 2015. That's right, another episode about a hacking movie! This time known Michael Mann stan Jason Baxter returns to defend the director's action cyber thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Blackhat. We dive deep into Mann essentially putting out a greatest hits record, the validity of buff computer nerds, extremely late reveals, Suicide Squad, well lit nothingness, what NOT to do with your best friend's sister after he gets you out of prison, a much more logical director's cut, the the God's Lonliest Man contest. #ABlackhatHackerNamedHathawayABlackhatHackerNamedHathawayABlackhatHackerNamedHathaway

It's Oscars week and Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are both up for big awards (and should win) for Poor Things and Barbie. But we're not here to talk about those movies. Instead Nic and Sean come on to tear apart the duo's 2016 Oscar-winning Damien Chazzelle romantic musical, La La Land. We go deep into how their dazzling chemistry stands in for actually written charachters, how the musical numbers are instantly forgettable, the hollowness of any themes and nostalgia Chazzelle gestures towards, Emma Stone being the freakin' best, Across the Universe, and raise a vital question: is this a Spider-Gwen movie?

Everything's coming up podcast! While The Simpsons is an American animated TV institution, the ultra-long running season usually only gets praised for it's early-to-mid '90s seasons. For this episode, Spike Friedman and Jason Baxter swing into Springfield and defend the show's late '90s/early '00s tween years. We deep dive into conversations about Homer's madness, the show's sentimentality shift, George Meyer, 9/11 prognostication, digital animation, Snoopy blogging, and more!

After a Marvel diversion, we dive deep into actual DC comics (our first comic book ep!). 1986 saw the release of two monumental genre-defining works: Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. While both are considered classics, Watchmen is granted more respect and is even considered one of the greatest novels of all time by many top-tier publications. Jason Baxter returns to argue that the Frank Miller-written Batman tome is actually a superior, more revolutionary work than the Alan Moore-penned gem. (To be clear, we think they're both great.) We discuss iconic splash pages, punk aesthetics, painted colors, comic creators' weird politics, paneling for an MTV era, and try not to accidentally call it The Dark Night Rises too many times.

Happy Across the Spider-Verse Day! To celebrate, here's the second installment of Jason Baxter and I taking turns taking shots at cinematic Spider-Man trilogies. This time Jason traps the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man films in his web and sucks their blood dry. We discuss the lack of ties to Spidey's comic origins, why the character works as an underdog and how Tony Stark undermines that, the movies' visual stylings (or lack there of), justified villans, the suspension of Mysterio disbelief, Peter becoming dumb in the third film, the clear comedic sensibility, and if Garfield (the cat, not Andrew) should join the Spider-Verse.

Your friendly neighborhood podcast swings in to talk about Spider-Man before the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. But we're being villainous. Over the next two episodes, Jason Baxter and I will take turns taking shots at the beloved Spider-Man film franchises. First up, I lay out my problems with the Sam Raimi-directed 2000s trilogy. I dive into Tobey Maguire's charisma void, Peter Parker's unlikeability, the lack of a comedic sensibility, and the trainwreck that is Spider-Man 3. We also discuss Star Wars prequel parallels, A+ side character casting, the NYPD being a cockblock, and demand justice for Ursala!

This podcast is not a goof! Alyson McManus returns to the pod to smite those who spoke hearsay against David Wain's 2007 star-studded but little-seen 10 Commandments anthology comedy film, The Ten. We dive into the over-the-top absurdity, in-joke quotes, Winona Ryder lusting after a literal dummy, Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions, the true meaning of family, and more.

Holy live pod episode, Batman! Kurtis from Skating Polly emerges from the Batcave to defend the loathed 1997 Joel Schumacher superhero blockbuster Batman & Robin. In this condensed episode recorded in front of an actual audience at Treefort Fest, we dive into the film's pricey production design, Batsuits with nipples, how many ice puns a human can tolerate, sexy gorilla suit stripping, Arnold Schwarzenegger being extremely over-the-top, Danger: Diabolik, Uma Thurman being a sweet little eco-terrorist, X Games influence, Robin's general unlikability, the glut of fundraisers in Gotham, and an attempt to bribe the crowd with donuts. (Bonus: Count how many times I say "umm" and "uhh" because I'm nervous in front of a crowd and know I can't edit out my flubs!)

Before we both head to Treefort Festival, Naomi from Itchy Kitty comes in through my bathroom window to defend the honor of Julie Taymor's 2007 romantic '60s Beatles jukebox musical Across the Universe. We dive deeper than a Yellow Submarine into the movie's controversial variations on Beatles songs, how damn hot most of the cast is, ambitious visual choices, Bono's weird mustache, the way the film condenses the decade, easter eggs for Beatlemaniacs, the level of nudity and drug use that can be shown in a PG-13 movie, and how the movie inspired Naomi to start singing.

With the first season of HBO's The Last of Us coming to a close, I decided to turn my attention to the source material - the universally acclaimed 2013 PlayStation 3 video game. While this may get me torn apart quicker than a Clicker - I make the counterintuitive case that it's not actually a great game. The Last of Us lover James Battaglia returns to the show to counterbalance my infected rage as we discuss walking simulators, narrative innovation vs engaging gameplay, the importance of teaching kids how to swim, zombie Spidey-Sense, intentional vs unintentional difficulty, and other 2013 Game of the Year contenders. (We also talk about the game's fascinating ending, so maybe wait a few days to listen if you're geared up to watch the HBO show's S1 finale.)

Watch out for that pod! Since it's Oscar week and Brendan Fraser looks poised to potentially take home Best Actor for The Whale, Kevin Parker has decided to swing on in to defend a different Fraser vehicle: 1997's family-friendly comedy George of the Jungle. We get into the sincere idiot charm of '90s Fraser, the expert-level meta jokes the narrator provides, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, modern comedy insistence to be snarky and cool, Top Gun Maverick's script, and more jungle escapades.

*IF YOU'RE READING THIS YOU MAY ALREADY BE HACKED* From the top rope, Kate Meizner and Mike Falcone of wrestling rock band Jobber look to infiltrate our firewalls in order to defend the 1995 teen cyber crime thriller, Hackers. We dive deep into the source code to talk about the style-forward cyberpunk chic, Angelina Jolie's manic hacker dream girl charisma (total nepo baby tho), ways to make typing look cool, electronica, how to visualize the early internet, The Matrix templating, and, of course, Penn Jillette's glasses.

Take a trip to the seedy world of the drug trade on the US/Mexican border... and then talk... and talk... and talk... That's what The Counselor, the 2013 star-studded Ridley Scott narco drama written by acclaimed novelist Cormac McCarthy does... and people hated it for that. Will Baker is not one of those people. Mirroring the film itself, we talk for a looooooooong time about the film's use of dialogue, its nihilistic outlook, its refusal to explain plot, McCarthy's prose, Scott's costuming choices, and being intimate with automobiles. Here's an entirely real list of tangent topics we dive down over the course of 2+ hours: Moby Dick, Emo Nites, My Dinner with Andre, Grand Theft Auto, crypto shills, Top Gun, Inception, Titane, and, of course, Carly Rae Jepsen vs. Taylor Swift. You know... The Counselor.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Why? Because you can now appropriately watch Will Vinton's A Claymation Christmas Celebration! Nic Sommerfeld comes a-wassailing onto the show the make the case that this forgotten '80s Christmas special is actually the GOAT Christmas special with its intelligent all-ages humor, dinosaur hosts, stunning visuals, and (most importantly?) penguins.

♫ Here he comes, here comes P. Richards, he's a demon on wheels! He's a demon and he's gonna be chasing after someone! ♫ The someone(s) Peter is chasing after are the people who panned the Wachowskis' 2008 sensory overload big screen adaptation of the classic anime series Speed Racer. We hop in the Mach 5 and discuss how this is maybe the most live-action cartoon ever created, car punches, superb monkey acting, and how this movie lays some of the groundwork for both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Fast and Furious franchise. Go speed listeners, go!