Episode 231 - FREDDY GOT FINGERED

One of the most anarchic studio comedies of all time, Freddy Got Fingered represented both the peak of Tom Green's comedic powers and the end of his mainstream relevance. But does the movie deserve its infamy, or did it just arrive too early in the comedy landscape? Better throw on your backwards suit and start dealing with your daddy issues, because we're committed to the bit of mining this critical flop for precious jewels.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Directed by Tom Green
Written by Tom Green and Derek Harvie
Starring Tom Green, Rip Torn, Marisa Coughlan, Julie Hagerty, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Harland Williams, Anthony Michael Hall, Drew Barrymore, and Shaquille O’Neal

Episode 208 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION

It's that time...Christmastime is here...and we're saying hip hip hooray to the holiday hijinks of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. No yuletide tradition is safe from the film's combination of sardonic wit and slapstick hysteria, creating the perfect storm of holiday stress that feels exhaustingly relatable to this day.

But don't despair - there's still plenty of genuine Christmas spirit too! Our buddy Jake Beal returns to offer his perspective on the highs and lows of all our cherished holiday rituals. Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Directed by Jeremiah Chechik
Written by John Hughes
Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, William Hickey, Mae Questel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Randy Quaid

Episode 135 - UNBREAKABLE

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

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

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

Episode 29 - TV DADS

There are many different types of dads.

One type of dad might endure the constant bruising of his ego by pitting his flailing masculinity against ill-advised home repair projects, all while he struggles to relate to his strong-willed wife and three rambunctious sons.

Another type of dad might endure the constant bruising of his ego by pitting his flailing masculinity against various Sisyphean attempts to raise a family with dignity, all while he struggles to relate to his strong-willed wife and three rambunctious sons.

Just in time for Father's Day, we spend some time with two of our favorite sitcom dads - Tim Taylor of Home Improvement and Hal Wilkerson of Malcolm in the Middle - as we recount their lessons about life, love, failure, and how to act like you know what you're doing.

Home Improvement (1991-1999)
Created by Carmen Finestra, David McFadzean, and Matt Williams

"Super Bowl Fever"
Directed by Andy Cadiff
Written by Rosalind Moore and Howard J. Morris
Aired January 31, 1995

"The Feminine Mistake"
Directed by Peter Bonerz
Written by Laurie Gelman
Aired May 6, 1997


Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006)
Created by Linwood Boomer

"Bowling"
Directed by Todd Holland
Written by Alex Reid
Aired April 1, 2001

"Hal Coaches"
Directed by Jeff Melman
Written by Ian Busch
Aired March 10, 2002

Episode 14 - JINGLE ALL THE WAY

Not your typical heartwarming holiday tale, Jingle All the Way is an alternative Christmas classic that pokes fun at that most sacred value of the season: materialism.  Surprisingly cynical for a family film, it’s a skewering of crass consumer culture (thanks to an uncredited rewrite by Home Alone director Chris Columbus) that includes bomb threats, brawling Santas, and a suburban lothario played by the late, great Phil Hartman.  The bug-eyed, grunt-y performance of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a harried dad who’ll do anything to nab the perfect gift for his son is simply icing on the cake.

Jingle All the Way (1996)

Directed by Brian Levant

Produced by Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, and Mark Radcliffe

Written by Randy Kornfield

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Rita Wilson, Jake Lloyd, Jim Belushi, and Phil Hartman