On this episode, we discuss Sean Durkin's American epic, The Iron Claw, which chronicles the Von Erich brothers as they make history in the burgeoning industry of entertainment wrestling and endure a series of tragedies under the hex of a family curse.

Next up: Uncut Gems!

Enjoy!

We're back and we're pile-driving into the dark, messy history of the WWE/WWF. Under the ownership of the polarizing Vince McMahon, wrestling went from feudal territories to cable TV mania. We examine the dueling identities of its greatest promoter, trying to unpack the Vince McMahon/Mr. McMahon split personality. You also want to tune in if you're interested in a nostalgic celebration of all the eras of the WWE/WWF, including the Attitude era, the Ruthless Aggression era, as well as the WCW vs. WWE heyday where every Monday night Raw and Nitro squared off on cable TV (giving everyone a reason to flip back-and-forth between USA and TNT).

Enjoy!

Matt Belenky joins the pod to breakdown Luca Guadagnino's Challengers, a breakout 2024 hit about a steamy tennis threesome. We discuss Zendaya's star power, the nuanced dynamic of the film's central love triangle (in comparison to other love triangle movies: Vicky Christina Barcelona, Yu Tu Mama Tambien, The Dreamers, Bull Durham, etc.), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's thumping and ecstatic electro score, how this fits into the pantheon of great tennis movies, Luca's incremental acclimatization to shooting suburban America, the refreshing arrival of an adult romantic/sports drama with palpable buzz and fervor, whether the film is kinky/erotic or a giant marketing tease, and the use of tennis as a sublimated metaphor for sex.

Enjoy!

In preparation for our discussion on "The Queen's Gambit", Aaron White of Feelin' Film and I (Paul Keelan) went on a bender with chess movies. In under a week's span, we both watched "Pawn Sacrifice," "Searching for Bobby Fischer," "The Coldest Game," "Queen of Katwe," and "Computer Chess" (on top of "The Queen's Gambit" miniseries). 

After this whirlwind of research, it quickly dawned upon the both of us that the content stored in our brains would inspire way too much dialogue to fit into a single podcast discussion. Thus, we decided to create extra-special 'chess extravaganza' episode so that we could dissect this eclectic selection of chess films and the sub-genre at-length. 

Moving at a rapid-fire pace—as fast as a game of speed chess—we talk about everything from Toby Maguire's odd portrayal of Bobby Fischer, to the poignant focus on parenting in "Searching for Bobby Fischer," to the idiosyncratic & polarizing curio that is "Computer Chess" (Beware: it is not (I repeat it is not!) a documentary about computers playing chess). 

We also outline the various tropes common to chess films: including the themes of madness, addiction, paranoia, Washington Sq. Park, and Cold War / Soviet vs. US politics that pervade nearly all of these movies. Finally, Aaron and I both rank all of these chess films (with "The Queen's Gambit" included in the mix): separating once and for all the blundering pawns from the promotable queens to-be. 

One of the more succinct Cinematic Underdogs episodes to date, this episode packs a ton of insights and canny commentary that you will not want to miss.  

Enjoy! 

On this very exciting episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we welcome a very special guest to the pod: Feelin’ Film’s very own Aaron White!

Given that Feelin’ Film is itself an amazing resource for passionate sports movie conversation, and a formative influence on the genesis of Cinematic Underdogs, Aaron's guest appearance on the podcast is a very special one. 

Over the course of our heartfelt discussion about movies, podcasts, and sports in general, you will get an inside scoop on the origin story of Feelin’ Film, Aaron’s impressive regimen that allows him to watch a ton of movies, and also his favorite five (well, sort of five—you’ll see) sports films / tv series of all time! 

In the episode, we swoon over an epic and diverse array of powerhouse sports movies (including “Free Solo,” “Warrior,” “Creed,” “Rush,” “Miracle" and “Happy Gilmore,” to name just a few), and ultimately cap the episode off with an in-depth analysis of what we loved and didn’t love so much about Netflix's breakout hit, “The Queen’s Gambit.”

Aaron is a true aficionado of the sports film genre, and his enthusiasm is utterly infectious. This is definitely one episode you will not want to miss!

For those who would like to hear a particular topic described above, there are three distinct segments:

Start - 45min — the origin story of Feelin’ Film  

45min - 1:43min — Aaron’s Top 5ish Favorite Sports Films of All Time

1:43 - Finish — "The Queen’s Gambit"

Finally, if you are enjoying the podcast, please share it, like it, add it, subscribe to it, and comment on whatever platform you are engaging with Cinematic Underdogs on!

You can also find us on Twitter, Anchor, and Letterboxd by clicking those hyperlinks, or just by searching for 'Cinematic Underdogs' on each platform!

Part II of our official breakdown of “The Last Dance” is here and it doesn’t disappoint. 

In it, the Underdogs talk the latter half (episodes 6-10) of ESPN's comprehensive look at Michael Jordan’s iconography and the Chicago Bulls’ epic run in the 1990s.

Nothing is left on the cutting room floor here as we waltz through all the juicy gossip at the heart of this doc: touching upon gambling addiction, impromptu WCW Nitro appearances, incinerated haikus, managerial backstabbing, flu games, the “Space Jam” basketball summer camp, practice fistfights, premeditated slights, and temper tantrums.

Don’t forget to like / subscribe / review our Podcast on iTunes / Spotify / where you stream / listen to it. 

Most of all, enjoy!

On this episode of the podcast, Cinematic Underdogs welcomes a very special guest—Justin Khoo. 

Philosophy professor at MIT and podcast host at Cows In The Field (https://cowspod.wordpress.com/), Justin is someone who is never at a loss for edifying insights. His capacity to parse the complex ethical and structural elements of cinema elevates the medium well beyond the realm of mindless visceral entertainment. And yet, his intellectual focus is anything but dry—a pure giddiness radiates whenever he reflexively contemplates and tests out a new way of seeing something.

Given that Justin is steeped in the analytic tradition of philosophy, whereas I (Paul) was primarily schooled in continental philosophy, we amicably challenge one another in the best of ways throughout this episode: bringing both of our respective interpretative sensibilities and epistemological predilections toward cinema and morality and life in general to the table. Throughout, we actively attempt to clarify, exemplify, and reconcile our erudite philosophical divide using movies as idealized examples. Our shared passion for language, human psychology, and ontology directs most of the conversation, becoming the primary focal point of this particular episode's relationship to sports films. 

The discussion is very much steeped in movies, nevertheless. In particular, Justin reveals his top five sports films (the wildly brilliant Diamantino made the list, amongst other gems!), and we ultimately embark upon a meticulous dialectic about whether or not the arc of pathological competitive success—as ostensibly illustrated in the case of Michael Jordan's portrayal in The Last Dance—is conducive for a rich and fulfilling and happy life. 

It is a lovely and emergent conversation, and a pleasure to share with all of you! If you enjoy Cinematic Underdogs, don't forget to like / subscribe / spread the word and love with all your friends! 

On this special edition episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we cover the first half (episodes 1-5) of our first Wild Card Flick: "The Last Dance"! 

Given that "The Last Dance" is a sports documentary series and thus veers outside of the realm of feature films (it is actually not even a flick, come to think of it), your friendly Underdogs will be the first to acknowledge that we outright broke an explicit rule outlined in the introductory podcast: that we would not deviate from the insular domain of 'cinematic' sports movies. 

But for Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, and the superlative 1990's Chicago Bulls dynasty, an exception felt more than warranted: all rules were made to be broken anyways, right? 

Even more integral to our decision to go renegade with this episode was the craze surrounding "The Last Dance" after it was released on ESPN at the start of the pandemic, in late April 2020. Without any live sports to occupy our restless energy, and claustrophobically confined to our houses (piled ceiling high with toilet paper and surgical masks), this documentary was expedited with the same zealous celerity that drove companies like Pfizer to so swiftly concoct, test, patent, and manufacture the Covid-19 vaccine. In a similar vein, the Powers-That-Be knew that sports addicts like ourselves needed an antidote, and so they offered us this addicting 10-part documentary that quickly became the cynosure of the digital 'water-cooler' squabbles:

• Was MJ a megalomaniac? Should we trust the hagiographic aggrandizement of himself, given that his production company had the rights and last word on the editing of "The Last Dance?"
• Should athletes be praised solely for taking a route of political activism, or can the stance of apolitical neutrality itself be a moral virtue? 
• Was Jerry Krause fairly portrayed in the documentary as being the squat, bumbling, evil overlord?  
• Did Scottie Pippen get screwed over by his lowball contract, or did he simply not know his own worth when negotiating? And did Pippen get screwed over again by being marginalized in this documentary? 
• Were the Detroit Pistons the dirtiest team of all time?

These are just a smattering of the many controversial contretemps that we cover, squeezing out countless juicy subplots from the almost 10-hour running time of the immersive exploration of basketball greatness and high-stakes drama in "The Last Dance." 

Finally, if you enjoy the Cinematic Underdogs podcast, please share it, like it, add it, subscribe to it, and comment on it wherever you are engaging with it. 

You can also find us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CinematicUnder) or Letterboxd (https://letterboxd.com/synemastehsia/) by clicking those links or just searching for 'Cinematic Underdogs' on the websites.  

A quick side note: this episode's audio admittedly oscillates between hi-fi & lo-fi. Due to a buzzing microphone, lots of post-production techniques had to be implemented to silence the feedback. Fortunately, with some help from tutorials on YouTube, our raucous 2-hour celebration of "The Last Dance" was salvaged. That said, when listening you will likely notice conspicuous shifts in sonic quality. Our advice is simple: think of it as no different than how "The Last Dance" leaps between grainy footage of old NBA Playoff clips and glossy interviews with the now retired Bulls players & coaches / the bevy of other cultural icons & talking heads (Obama / Justin Timberlake / ESPN analysts). What truly matters is that the content of our conversation is absolutely discernible, and our conjectures, nostalgic riffs, and playfully combative debates are as fully fleshed out as ever.

Enjoy!

On this special bonus episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we have the always sincere, insightful, & poignant Don Shanahan (https://www.everymoviehasalesson.com/ — Twitter: @casablancadon) on the podcast. If you are looking at the running time, your eyes are not lying: we dauntlessly enter Joe Rogan territory, enthusiastically chatting for nearly 3 hours. Don’t let this be intimidating though: you won‘t want to miss a single second of this ever engaging conversation that touches upon how auteurism, film criticism, American politics / socioeconomics, the shifting nature of popular mores, & the rise of technology is changing the landscape of sports / sports movies. Ultimately, our focal point is the 2011 film “Moneyball”, but this podcast episode far transcends the goings on of baseball diamonds / stats sheets—swinging at huge societal & existential questions. 

To those of you who are inclined to jump around in search of certain topics, we’ve provided a cursory chronological breakdown of the episode below so that you can fast forward to segments that sound most appealing.

Enjoy!

0:00 Introduction / The Often Unrecognized Art of Film Criticism

We talk about film critics we idolize, the immense intellectual demands & productivity of the profession, & our own habits / regimens in regards to watching films.

23:30 Tree of Life Debate: Pretentious or Earnest Masterpiece / What If Terrence Malick Made a Sports Movie?

We discuss Don’s “Hot Take” on Terrence Malick’s polarizing “Tree of Life” as he posits that highbrow cinema, like overpriced whiskey, can be gratuitous overkill & repulsively off-putting.

34:45 Creatively Versatile vs. Redundant Auteurs

We deliberate and enumerate those auteurs who repeat themselves with each film, those who have a handful of narratives they recycle, those who reinvent themselves with every feature film.

45:45 Don’s Top-5 Sports Movies: Rudy, Field of Dreams, Rocky, Slap-shot, The Sandlot 

While discussing Don’s top five sports movies of all time, we repeatedly dive into the greater context of cinema and auteurism: debating the ethical pitfalls of inaccurate biopics, the gradual conflation of documentary & fiction filmmaking, the redemptive quality of directors who return to their aesthetic roots vs. those we believe still need to, the sad state in which cancel culture infantilizes our individual prerogative to engage with art with intellectual autonomy, & the most carnivalesque barfing scene ever (hint: chewing tobacco is involved).

1:28:15 The Powerful Life Lessons, Nostalgic Allure, and Socioeconomics of Sports/Sports Films

We discuss the rise of a mercenary ethos in pro sports, the decline of blue collar sensibilities, & how the capitalistic narrative of sports in real life has affected sports movies.

1:39:15 The Negative Consequence of Politics Pervading Sports

We discuss sports as a cathartic release valve that traditionally brought people together, & how the heated intrusion of politics into the national pastime is detrimental to our collective psychological health & civic sense of togetherness. We also discuss the need for social programs that employee ex-athletes & serve underprivileged youth.

1:47:00 Moneyball

From here on out, we discuss the relevancy of “Moneyball’s” themes within the greater framework of American society and the MLB. Do the mathematical strategies / concepts behind “Moneyball” work? Is Billy Beane a hero or anti-hero? Was he successful or a failure? Should we rely on statistics instead of human intelligence / intuition? How do we adapt as data upends human skill, rendering us obsolete? Tune in to find out!

With technology and mathematics continuing to replace the human workforce, the relevancy of "<I>Moneyball<I>" far supersedes the baseball park. Nevertheless, while the plot of this Oscar-nominated film can feel numerically engineered at times, it never forgets its more sentient roots as a veritable sports movie. With statistically-driven montage sequences, an ecstatic portrayal of the Oakland A's record breaking twenty-game win streak, and the depiction of a ragtag team replete with unorthodox personalities, "<I>Moneyball<I>" balances its heady & arithmetical proclivities by adding all of the classic sports tropes we've come to love in this traditionally 'feel good' genre.

From the opening shots of the Oakland A's forlorn front office to its moody final close-up of a General Manager's staring straight ahead with bittersweet tears outlining his eyes, "<I>Moneyball<I>" is much more emotionally complex than your ordinary baseball flick. Written by Steven Zaillian ("Searching for Bobby Fisher") and Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network"), directed by Bennett Miller ("Capote" / "Foxcatcher"), and starring Brad Pitt (playing Billy Beane) and Jonah Hill (as Peter Brand), the film is a truly ensemble effort: with each member of the all-star roster pulling their weight. Even the smaller roles in the film—from Phillip Seymour Hoffman performance as the beleaguered A's coach Art Howe to Chris Pratt's performance as an aging catcher relocated to first base—fill in the margins of "<I>Moneyball<I>" with the necessary layers of subtext and texture the film needs to drive its philosophical home. 

Recognizing the impact and moral weight that these players give the film, Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan analyze the many philosophical and ethical predicaments that are provoked by the growing popularity of SABRmetrics in baseball and beyond:

Have we become too consumed with empirical data and lost our instinctive human edge? 

Was Billy Beane's all-in bet on the hypothesis that OBP trumps all other factors the predominant factor in spurring the Oakland A's toward their miraculous turnaround season? 

And if the money is simply reallocated to overpaying GM's and sabermetricians in the aftermath of the growing prominence of this practice, has anything really been circumvented or changed? 

These are big-time questions, and "<I>Moneyball's<I>" ambivalent ending—leaving the viewer stewing and pensive at best—serves as the ideal catalyst for meaningful discourse: providing a ton of existential pickles to be scrupulously parsed and pondered over. 

-

As always, thanks for listening! 

Please follow us on Twitter (@CinematicUnder) or Letterboxd (Search: Cinematic Underdogs, or just click on this link https://letterboxd.com/synemastehsia/)! 

And don't forget to subscribe, review, and like the podcast via whatever platform you are listening to it on. 

 

On this very special bonus episode, Paul geeks out with the ever entertaining Jed Bookout (Twitter / Instagram: @jedbookout) as Jed enumerates and extrapolates upon his top seven sports films of all time. Jed's list is tailor-made for cinephiles, straddling the eclectic margins of the genre: a celebration of genre-defiant game-changers like "<I>Speed Racer<I>" & "<I>Shaolin Soccer<I>" & "<I>The Wrester<I>" to name just a few.

From here, we segue into a fruitful discussion revolving around Jed's favorite Soderbergh films (spanning from "<I>Magic Mike XXL<I>" to "<I>Sex, Lies, & Videotape<I>" to "<I>Out of Sight<I>") before finally delving into some intriguingly hot takes on "High Flying Bird": likening moments in the 2019 Netflix film to everything from John Ford's "<I>The Searchers<I>" to Sidney Lumet's "<I>Network<I>" to Spike Lee's "<I>Bamboozled<I>" the snappy, dialogue-heavy style of Aaron Sorkin's works.

Do not let the title of this episode fool you. A comprehensive overview of quirky / under-appreciated sports movies & Soderbergh's immense oeuvre, the conversation dribbles all over the court in the best possible way! 

Thanks for listening, and don't forget to subscribe / like Cinematic Underdogs on whatever platform you are using! 

Spearheaded by Steven Soderbergh's resourceful / expedient directorial ingenuity (producing a gorgeous motion picture from nothing more than an iPhone & some affordable stabilizers / lenses), Tarell Alvin McCraney's lean screenplay (seething with a biblical heft and a savvy subversiveness toward the capitalistic status quo), and a crackling cast (led by the smooth and silky André Holland, playing the ever clever sports agent Ray Burke), "High Flying Bird" is a disruptive game-changer on many levels. 

Released directly onto Netflix—and bypassing just about every buffer / middle-man possible—the production of this film nicely mirrors the core message of the movie: preaching the power of intellect & cunning in circumventing the hegemonic powers that be. Sure, the aforementioned streaming service is a hegemonic power in its own right; but in many ways, a film like "High Flying Bird" would hold a very small probability of being made if it sought out funding & a platform in the superficial movie-scape of modern Hollywood. 

Leading by example, "High Flying Bird" thus showcases just how invaluable the schemings of a sharp mind can be in terms of bringing the big boys (whether that be the NBA or major studios / producers) to the negotiation table. With zingy dialogue, a taut / melodious pace, and a few unexpected twists that boast the rewards of outsmarting one's adversary in the internecine marketplace of modern capitalism, there is not a boring or vapid moment to spare.

Devoid of excess & superfluity, "High Flying Bird" is truly a feat of economic filmmaking; and though sports are never directly depicted in action, the philosophical, fiscal, and even spiritual elements of what it means to have a love for the game—and what it means to position oneself in a way that demands and earns respect from the game that has been placed "on top of the game"—are ever palpable: sermonized onscreen from the pulpit of pointed cynicism and adroitness. 

Suffice to say, if you have not yet seen this film, do not let "High Flying Bird" burrow too deeply into the catacombs of Netflix's bizarre algorithm; and as always, it is recommended that you watch "High Flying Bird" first if you do not want key plot developments to be spoiled. 

Finally, if you enjoy the podcast, please like / subscribe / share the word with your friends!! And we look forward to seeing you again when we publish our final episode of this segment of sports movies (the "Behind the Scenes" sub-genre), which will analyze on the recent classic, "Moneyball".

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone! 

If you enjoyed the last Cinematic Underdogs podcast episode on "Jerry Maguire", and were craving just a little more content on what is inarguably one of the most iconic 90s flicks, today is your lucky day: here is a bonus, heartfelt thirty-minute interview with J.B. Huffman! On this special episode, we manage to cover some totally new territory about the film, and deconstruct the characters' arcs—thematically, tonally, and emotionally—from an entirely different perspective.

Don't forget to subscribe / like on whatever platform you listen on! 

Thanks, enjoy, and happy holidays!

We've finally found our home on the putting green and covered Happy Gilmore, the seminal millennial sports comedy classic that largely inspired us to start this podcast.

If you love Happy, Chubbs, Shooter, Subway ad placements, hockey shenanigans, and the rest of the 90s Happy Madison crew as much as we do, then you've stopped by your happy place!

Grab a pitcher of beer and gallop that horse-y around your own personal heaven cause you've hit jackpot! And stay tuned, because Happy Gilmore is the first in a bracket of Sandler vs. Ferrell sports comedies coming your way this spring and summer!

Cheers!

From #MeToo indictments (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to scientology scandals & Covid-19 fulminations on set (Tom Cruise) to excessive plastic surgery (Renee Zellweger) to fading into cultural irrelevance (Cameron Crowe) to a tragic death due to breast cancer (Kelly Preston) this year, pretty much everyone involved with “Jerry Maguire” (except for Regina King & some smaller bit characters—Jay Mohr / Bonnie Hunt / Jerry O'Connel) has aged neither smoothly nor gracefully.

Nevertheless, as  children of the nineties and proud fans of the self-indulgent romanticism of Cameron Crowe flicks, this little film about an unhinged sports agent, a midlife crisis, and the difficulties of confronting the tumultuous daily battles of adulthood in a cutthroat world never ceases to win over even our most cynical, irony-oriented hearts.

Between the flamboyant antics of Cuba Gooding Jr’s Rod Tidwell, the headstrong composure of Regina King’s Marcee Tidwell, the kinky feistiness of Kelly Preston’s Avery Bishop, the earnest quixotism of Renee Zellweger’s Dorothy Boyd, the obligatory cuteness of her son Ray’s loquacious asides about head sizes, and the manic vulnerability of Tom Cruise’s clearly unstable Jerry Maguire, Crowe’s outstanding web of characters undoubtedly live on as one of the most quotable, histrionic, and memorable ensembles from the decade of cinema where Blockbuster Video dominated the industry.

So pull out those dusty VHS tapes from your closet, toss on this obliquely holiday-related movie, enjoy its maudlin majesty, and then listen to our in-depth discussion on everything about there is to say about this film—from the generic music choices to the overtly plastic metaphors to why the swooping sentimentality of its biggest moments still works.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe / like this podcast on whatever platform you are enjoying it on! 

No need to show us the money—a simple click will do!

Ivan Reitman's "Draft Day," our first foray into a group of films that illuminates the behind-the-scenes worlds of sports, is an absolute winner. Written by the playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman, this film is a lovely moral play. Filled with complex characters, the film centers around Kevin Costner's Sonny Weaver, the GM for the Cleveland Browns, and follows him from the moment he puts on his suit's cuff links until the annual draft comes to its nightly conclusion. 

Beleaguered from all sides by imbroglios and conundrums - a mistress / co-worker (Jennifer Garner) who is pregnant and wants to get the verdict on whether to have the baby or not, an owner (Frank Langella) threatening to fire Weaver if he doesn't make a "splash," a head coach (Denis Leary) who is combative and headstrong about the players he wants, a current QB (Tom Welling) struggling for job security, a mother (Ellen Burstyn) who wants to spread his late father's ashes on the Browns's practice field (apropos, given it is named after him - he was, after all, the former Browns coach),  and a trio of primary prospective players (Chadwick Boseman / Josh Pence / Arian Foster) who all have different blemishes, flaws, skills, and character traits - Sonny endures a day for the record books.  

Filled with dramatic last-second negotiations, witty dialogue, and lots of interpersonal revelations that offer insight and poignancy, "Draft Day" is gripping and unpredictable and always well written. With comedic aspects (Rick the intern!), a realistic romance (grounded by the always wonderful Garner), and in-depth explorations of all that goes into the draft, this film earns the viewer's respect and attention. Intermingling real life NFL personalities, and lots of references to classic NFL trivia, "Draft Day" does a spectacular job of interweaving its fictitious world with the real one: creating an end product that feels both elevated yet mostly credible.  

The Replacements came out at the turn of the millennium as a strange follow up for Keanu Reeves to The Matrix. Also starring Jon Favreau (in ridiculously aggro / full-throttle mode), Orlando Jones (bug-eyed / timorous / hilarious in every scene), and Gene Hackman (oddly sentimental for the otherwise goofy film), the movie boasts an all-star cast, off-the-wall humor, and a great comeback narrative inspired by a real life replacement team (the 1987 Washington Redskins) that filled in for the players on strike and who won three games at the tail end of the season; many even credit these wins for securing  a top seed and enough momentum heading into the playoffs that the original team, after settling with the NFL and returning, ultimately won the Super Bowl.  

Both silly and serious, absurd and heartwarming, and filled with an all-star but totally jarring 90's soundtrack (Lit, The Wallflowers, The Offspring), The Replacements is a quintessential composite of sports films that dominated cineplexes over the course of the decade that preceded it. Sure, there are moments that come off as borderline misogynistic and slightly racist and just simply in poor taste. During these moments, it is perhaps best to just wince or cringe, and to be grateful for how quickly our culture has changed and matured for the better.

Flaws and spiders and quicksand notwithstanding, the film can be as fulfilling, if in the right mood, as a bowl of hard boiled eggs (shout out to the diet of the Sumo wrestler linesman). With the sound of John Madden broadcasting, a juicy side-plot love story cheesy enough to win over the ironic romantic within us all, some circus-like brawls and melees, and lots of impromptu renditions of "I Will Survive" (accompanied by 400 lbs. dudes line-dancing), The Replacements will shamelessly pull everything out from its dated bag of tricks to win you over. 

Best watched with a six pack and a few sarcastic friends.

Starring Mark Walhberg, Greg Kinnear, and Elizabeth Banks, and tracking the unbelievable story of Vince Papale - a Philly bartender and substitute school teacher who somehow earned a spot on one of Dick Vermeil's late 70's Philadelphia Eagles teams -  Invincible has all the ingredients to be a bonafide feel good underdog sports movie. 

Unfortunately, something went afoul with the recipe of cliches on display here as the film came up bland and lacking in flavor. Detailing the unpalatable qualities of Invincible, we discuss Disney's sugar-coated depiction of the economic woes of the late 70's, the diluted depiction of the iconically vulgar Philly fanbase, how much more tangy the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia spin-off episode of the film is, and just the overall lack of sport's movie 'feels' that left us more craving for something less neutral, lackluster, and unsatisfying.  

Whether it was due to its criticism for being Oscar-bait, or Will Smith's valiantly manufactured but still awkward Nigerian accent, Concussion never really got hold of the cultural zeitgeist. A slick legal and scientific procedural, filled with tons of exposition and salacious exposés about the damning evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and the iniquitous cover-up antics of the National Football League (NFL), Concussion is a smooth way to cram in a cognitive overload of information.

Sure, it is a bit syrupy; and sure, the dialogue feels stilted and manufactured for most of the movie. But as an indictment of how corporate America will shamelessly shield the truth from its employees and customers, even at the detriment to their physiological well-being, the film is as timely as ever. If anything, it is pretty amazing to note how little of a dent Concussion and the controversies around CTE made on the thick skulls running and celebrating the NFL. Nevertheless, as incriminatory as this synopsis sounds, we do our very best to empathize and consider the arguments of all sides while unpacking the pros and cons of this somewhat predictable but also easily digestible little guy vs. big corporation entry into the canon. 

Visceral, gritty, immersive, oversaturated, raw, unfiltered, cynical, decadent, cutthroat: telling from the frequency of descriptors such as these in this podcast episode,  Any Given Sunday is in no way a film for the feint of heart. Oliver Stone's reimagining of a war film on a football field, this film is unlike any other in the genre in that it delves into the dirty backstories and underbelly of the sport is has chosen to probe: the NFL. 

With epic performances by Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Aaron Eckhart, and Al Palcino, to name just a few, Any Given Sunday also serves as a time stamp on a the pop culture sensibilities of the late 90's, and as a marker for what Oliver Stone was up to in a year in which filmmakers went big. Criminally underrated, and marginalized by many critics simply for being about football when it is really is about the rich tapestry of capitalism and greed and insecurity and ambition via the milieu of professional athletics, this is one of the most ambitious and sprawling and aesthetically intriguing sports films ever made. 

Also: we speak about how authentic this film is with J.B. Huffman, a former football player and a podcaster / host on SEC Tavern Talk.

Starring Rick Moranis, Ed O'Niell, and a very young Devin Sawa (so young, in fact, he had not yet proliferated the cover of Teen Bob), there are few other kids' based 90's sports films as quintessentially 90's as the little gem: Warner Bro's 1994 entry, Little Giants. 

Produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by the man who brought you Homeward Bound & Halloweentown, inspired by a 1992 McDonald's Super Bowl commercial, featuring cameos by Emmitt Smith and John Madden, and based upon a budding sibling pee-wee football rivalry (the fraternal foes here are the coaches) in the small Ohio town of Urbania, this film is as about American as apple pie. 

The only non-Disney entry in our bracket/cluster/tournament of movies about underdog pre-teens who valiantly triumph over evil (whether that invidious force appear in the guise of The Hawks / The Knights / Iceland /  Tony Perkins / Shitty Dads / Eden Hall Academy's Varsity Squad), the Little Giants is a worthy inclusion: a seminal kids' film from this wickedly rich decade of the genre. 

Revolving around familial conflict, the culture of bullying, and the obnoxious stereotypes of gender-based prejudice, Little Giants exudes a realism and naturalness that feels fresh, and yet it still makes sure to pile in all of the usual juvenile antics for a welcoming bevy of laughs: including snot bubbles, concussions, go-kart races, pratfalls, crappy / eclectic equipment choices, milquetoast warriors, and chubby kids who hide food in unlikely places (a PB&J in a football helmet) / torment their environment with hilariously puerile bouts of unstoppable flatulence. 

So get a PB&J yourself and perhaps a roll of toilet paper to toss around with a friend, and treat yourself to our very personal breakdown of this incredibly nostalgic film: a dissection that is hopefully as brilliant and elaborate as the ingenious Annexation of Puerto Rico trick play. Plus, enjoy a mid-episode interview with Michael Visy, a fellow Little Giants enthusiast, a lifelong NY Giants fan, and a co-host from the wildly charming Michael Scott Guarantee Podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/908746). 

On this episode of Cinematic Underdogs, Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan are confronted with a film that exists on the threshold of the podcast's dedicated genre: should Heavyweights be considered a sports film at all? Beyond this dilemma, we are also perplexed by the assortment of tones and sensibilities in this strange curio. Produced, created, distributed, and marketed by Disney as a kid's comedy, Heavyweights veers into foreign territory and is certainly not the expected lightweight fare that its brand name is so famous for. The reason for this incongruity is plain and simple: Ben Stiller's character Tony Perkins.

A sociopathic fitness guru celebrity without a shred of compassion in his overzealous, caloric-obsessed brain, Tony Perkins is a riot from the moment he steps onto the screen: disrupting the otherwise hackneyed screenplay of a misfit group of obese kids enjoying a summer camp with similarly built peers. Zany, intense, unpredictable, and hard to pinpoint, Heavyweights is anomalous in almost every way one chooses to look at it. And that is what precisely makes the film so irresistibly intriguing, flaws and all. 

So grab a sub sandwich, a glass of wheatgrass, enjoy our dialectic about a film that has slowly attracted a cult following, and decided for yourself: is Heavyweights an overrated or an underdog entry into the universe of 90's Disney Kids Sports Movies?

In this episode, Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan delve deeper into The Mighty Ducks trilogy, geeking out the world of Gordon Bombay and his quack attack. We compare and contrast the pomp and pizazz of D2, which is set in Los Angeles and features the iconic Iceland team as the primary rival, with the juvenile pranks and mopey adolescent moodiness of D3, which finds the Ducks back in Minneapolis at Eden Hall Academy (a fictional, prestigious prep school). 

More importantly, these films allow us to unpack our nostalgia for childhood and the 1990's: summer days playing roller hockey in the streets, our admiration for some of the great NHL players of this era, our love for the snacks and slang and pop culture references of the time, and our enjoyment in rewatching unforgettable scenes and reciting entire lines from this often absurd and silly albeit always cherished trilogy.

The Mighty Ducks may have dated awkwardly, but our love for it still soars high in the sky and glides along the ice: embedded in knuckle-pucks, flying-v's, Fulton's deathly slap-shot, and Goldberg's timely farts.

On this episode, Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan look at the film that really started the fad of Disney-based 90's Kids Sports Movies: 1992's The Mights Ducks. Written by Steven Brill, directed by Stephen Herrick, and staring Emilio Estevez and Joshua Jackson, amongst many other recognizable actors, this cult classic has some of the most memorable scenes and quotable lines of its decade. 

The film not only spawned a lucrative box office trilogy (with a soon to be released series about to premiere on Disney +), it also inspired an era of youth recreational hockey and led to the creation of a second professional hockey team in Southern California. Like other Disney Kid's films, The Mighty Ducks blends pathos and poignancy with silly narrative hijinks and incredulous scenarios. The clash of tones, plot development, and believability only makes the film all the more entertaining to watch, scrutinize, and celebrate.  

Plus: this episode includes a fun conversation / interview with Justin Peterson (@MovieJustin198), another The Mighty Ducks aficionado with a lot of insights on why this film is such a lasting success. Check out his podcast / youtube channel: The Average Joe's Movie Club Cast  and his Letterboxd (/petersonj198) to see / hear more of his thoughts on film. 

We’ve officially been Bingo-pilled and there’s no going back. Seriously ya’ll, this episode with Bingo-superfan Jed Bookout is bonkers. Completely unhinged. We talk Bingo playing cards, Bingo revolutions, Bingo’s wine drunk slutty dog shenanigans, potential Bingo sequels, Bingo sex-capades, Bingo legacy media, Bingo’s Schrödinger's box theory, Bingo merchandise, and so much more Bingo! 

Enjoy! 

On this episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we discuss how our memory of The Big Green was upended by our adult viewing experience of the film. Nevertheless, there was a lot to take from this film, despite the fact that it doesn't have the same emotional payoff as other classic Disney 90's Sports Movies. 

In some ways, The Big Green is more politically relevant than ever: dealing with issues of immigration / deportation, the plight of rural America, the urgency for narratives that cultivate self-worth and belief, and the warring biases between cosmopolitan and small-town mindsets. However, despite being an effective underdog film in celebrating the margins of American society, we also critique how The Big Green may be relevant politically, but still comes off as ultimately lackluster due to its  derivative and haphazardly patched together narrative and character development. 

Given the fact that this was a 90's children's classic that sat in VHS boxes on thousands of living room shelves, The Big Green is a uniquely forgotten time capsule that elicits a lot of emotions: nostalgia, annoyance, mild laughs, incredulity, and curiosity. Look past the 0% Rotten Tomatoes score, and the film's perpetual place on the bottom of miscellaneous "best of 90's" lists, and there are a lot of silver linings in exploring this strange Disney release. 

On our first podcast for the Disney Kids' Sports Movie bracket, Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan discuss why they still find the 1994 Angels in the Outfield so adorable. With a stellar cast, a heartfelt story, and a whole lot of angelic hijinks, Angels in the Outfield is a film that is ripe for analysis. Exploring the themes of faith, family, and the complicated dynamics of being a child in the foster care system, this episode delves into the humane themes and very fun and silly conceit at the center of this fun children's sports movie.  

This episode also touches upon the ethics of a baseball team being handicapped by divine intervention and the uncomfortable parallels the plot-line has with major cheating scandals (steroids / sign stealing) that have tarnished the MLB in recent years, the "woke" nature of the progressive screenplay and diverse cast, and the strange experience of reconciling one's rational critiques with emotional generosity. 

Finally, Jordan and Paul decide whether or not they consider Angels in the Outfield to be an "Underdog" or an "Overrated" film. 

On the very first episode of Cinematic Underdogs, Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan discuss, debate, and circumscribe the scope of what their podcast will focus on: sports movies.  What exactly defines a sports movie? Is it the setting? Is it simply any film with an athlete or a sports franchise in it? Are skateboarding movies sports films? What about chess films? The Big Lebowski? Ace Ventura? 

The outline of the podcast is also established: Cinematic Underdogs will entail monthly clusters (Adam Sandler sports movies, female-centered sports movies, chess movies, etc..) in which Jordan and Paul will debate the merits and compare and contrast films within similar sub-genres within the broad scope of "sports films". Finally, they go over a few of their favorite sports films going into the podcast and discuss some of the tropes, curiosities, and ambitions they hope to pursue through cataloguing and analyzing at length a new sports film each week.  

Jed Bookout joins the pod to discuss A24’s early breakout hit of 2024, Love Lies Bleeding: a sapphic, bodybuilding, ultra-violent fever dream of a movie. Set in a scuzzy and sordid 1989 New Mexico setting, and tracking a pair of lesbians turned serial killers by necessity, Love Lies Bleeding is a tonal tour de force evoking the likes of Paul Schrader, Lynne Ramsey, & David Cronenberg. Perhaps the best synopsis of her sophomore entry: Imagine Nicolas WInding Refn directing a Coen Bros script. 

Over the course of the episode, we also discuss Rose Glass’ promising future, Kristen Stewart’s best career performances, the film’s moral neutrality toward ‘roid rage and its juxtapositions between the seedy and the sultry, the unorthodox structural brilliance of Vox Lox, the underrated sub-genre of vagabonds going on vacations in hell (namely, Spring), and the many influences of Love Lies Bleeding’s neo-noirish, black comedy beats.

And yes, we make sure the conversation veers podcast relevant by intermittently debating whether it could be considered a quasi-sports movie, likening it to everything from Black Swan to The Wrestler (although, upon further reflection, Stallone’s arm-wrestling masterpiece Over the Top or the Farrelly Brothers’ bowling romp Kingpin may serve as better reference points).

Enjoy!

It's Oscars season and so we're back with Matt Belenky to spar with a Best Picture winner: Million Dollar Baby. Starring and directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Paul Haggis a year before he penned yet another Best Picture Winner in Crash, this pugilistic take on euthanasia is a classic tearjerker. It is also a mixed punching bag: filled with melodramatic fetishization of the southern bumpkin archetype, brilliant cinematography, a florid narration by none other than Morgan Freeman (channeling strong Shawshank Redemption vibes), and a plucky Best Actress performance (earned or not) by the always endearing (if not a little cloying) Hilary Swank (to be fair, everyone in this is a maudlin caricature, to degrees). Though nowhere near as bad as we make it out to be (one might say it's more appropriately "between nowhere and goodbye"), Million Dollar Baby received a good old-fashioned beatdown on this episode. If you're in the mood for some Academy Award-adjacent schadenfreude, you've come to the right place. Enjoy!!!

We're back to the basics this week, covering Charles Stone III's "The Underdoggs," starring Snoop Dog, Mike Epps, and George Lopez. This is a film we've been barking for: a kids' centered sports movie in the vein of The Might Ducks, Little Giants, or The Big Green, only raunchier. Filled with direct callbacks to each of movies (including a scene where a Hummer arrives on the football field just as Emilio Estevez infamously had his limo driver park on the ice, an Annexation of Puerto Rico-inspired trick play, and an asthmatic kid with an overbearing, neurotic mom a la the nose-bubble dweeb in Little Giants), The Underdoggs fills like a giant homage to his 90s predecessors.

For what this 90-minute comedy offers, we found it a success. As most know, boys are a puerile bunch. They curse, they say dirty jokes, they're rowdy. The Underdoggs leans into this reality, and it does so with winks that let us know that the kids sports movies we grew up loving still have a niche place in the culture today. Sure, the dramatic beats and attempts at poignancy feel rushed and hasty (lost in the glib pastiche of surface sentiment and elision by way of meta winks), but The Underdoggs' rehashes the tropes and archetypes we know so well at the same time, reviving this little subgenre with blunts, runts, and unfiltered glee.

Enjoy!

Bilge Ebiri joins the pod to talk Michael Mann's Ferarri! We chat about the film's multidimensional themes, its subtle subversion of conventional sports tropes, and the powerful way its irreconcilable conflicts and philosophical tensions linger long after the initial viewing. We also discuss Bilge's Top 5 Sports Movies and the state of the genre. *A preemptive apologies for the mixed vocal quality. There was a mic issue that caused a postproduction headache.* Enjoy!

On this episode, Chad Lott of Scary Thoughts Podcast joins us to talk about the Netflix documentary Beckham. We chat about Brit fashion, culture's uncouth obsession with exhuming salacious details on celebrity affairs, and the remarkable resilience of Posh and Becks, both on and off the pitch.

Enjoy!

Gene Lyons of Shat the Movies joins the pod to talk about Apple TV's bingeable MLS puff-piece Messi Meets America! We also chat about the differences between the USL and MLS, the amazing championship run of the Phoenix Rising, the origins of Shat the Movies, Messi's GOAT-qualities, Gene's Top 5 Sports Movies, and much, much more!

Enjoy!

On the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we chat about Gran Turismo, Neill Blomkamp's rousing, kinetic, feel-good hit racing flick released at the tail end of the summer box office rush in 2023. Much more than a video game IP-grab, Gran Turismo is an unbelievable true story about a young SIM-racer, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), who is chosen to compete at an academy and become a real-life racer.

Much like Yann's transition from simulation gaming to actual racing, Blomkamp showcases his versatility, adapting a screenplay that is packed with heartwarming albeit cliche sports tropes and mainstream beats. Glossy and tidily packaged, the film uses platitudes to achieve an high-octane pacing that hits a lot of beloved sports movie beats.

All the actors are on their A-game. David Harbour plays a has-been racer turned mechanic who begrudgingly plays a mentor with a tough outer shell that slowly melts away. Orlando Bloom plays Danny Moore, an entrepreneurial maverick who concepts a madcap marketing ploy to turn SIM-racing GT gamers into professional racers. Geri Halliwell (yes, of the Spice Girls) plays a supportive mother who cooks lentils. Djimon Hounsou plays a blue-collar ex-soccer playing father who worries about Jann's future and chides his son for excessively gaming.

Mixing tragedy with inspirational zeal, and commenting on the symbiotic nature of digital/virtual SIM-racing and physical/analog race car driving, Gran Turismo has enough heart and subtext to satisfy one's emotional and intellectual needs. It's narrative is filled with spoon-fed exposition to maximize mass-appeal and some of the story beats are predictable and manipulatively rearranged, but overall it does the trick, creating a film that entertains and motivates in equal measure.

Enjoy our episode as Mikey from Screen Nerds Pod joins us to celebrate and champion this underdog of a movie (which is now streaming on Netflix!).

On this episode, we invite Mikey from Screen Nerds Podcast (an avid Tennessee Titans superfan since their arrival in Nashville) to discuss the return of Untold with "The Muder of Air McNair." Part crime-doc and part sports-recap, this episode felt vexingly conspiratorial and disjointed. We break down why we feel it is one of the weaker entries in the docu-series and wonder if it's an anomaly or a harbinger of things to come.

We also chat about the never-ending slate of 2024 streaming content, from Netflix's Receivers to HBO Max's return of Hard Knocks with the Chicago Bears. There is certainly no shortage of content available to whet our appetites for another dramatic season of America's most beloved sport, the NFL.

Enjoy!

On this very festive Christmas special, we debate whether Jack Frost (1998) could be categorized within the sports movie genre, celebrate the phony performances by Henry Rollins and Michael Keaton, recite Roger Ebert's iconic/scathing review of the Jim Henson's snowman suit, and discuss the entire canon of holiday-centered sports films (A Christmas Fumble, A Wrestling Christmas Miracle, and A Karate Christmas Miracle pretty much sum up the extent of this paltry subgenre). We also each handpick a yuletide-sports films to cover in the future, and determine which film we'd see in theaters the weekend of Jack Frost's release, on December 11th 1998.

The 100 Foot Wave is truly must-watch TV for anyone who appreciated big wave surfing. Following Garrett McNamara and his lifelong quest to catch the world’s biggest wave, the 1st season tracked his dual romantic elopements—both to his wife, Nicole, and to Nazaré, a small Portuguese port town where he stumbles upon an undiscovered swell of mythic proportions. 

Season 2 picks up in the decline of Garrett’s dominance, chronicling his transition to family life and his maturation into a mentor figure. It also tracks the monstrous swell created by Hurricane Epsilon, the ramifications of COVID-19 on surfing, and the emerging big-wave parvenu, an endearing cast of relatable characters: Andrew "Cotty" Cotton, Justine Dupont, Antonio Laureano, Michelle Bouillons, Kai Lenny, CJ Macias, Lucas “Chumbo," and more. This niche community of big wave surfers is inspiring and likable, conquering extraordinary feats on the surf board with stupefying temerity and tenacity.

This episode, covering the 2nd season of HBO’s Emmy-winning docuseries The 100 Foot Wave has sat in the vault for quite some time. We were hoping to record the 1st season and release it first, however, fate keeps interrupting those plans, so the time has come to finally let this ride free (before the box office talk that kicks off the episode feels too outdated).

Thus, without further ado, the time has arrived for us to let this totally rad conversation hang ten. Join Michael Burgett of Screen Nerds Podcast and I (Paul Keelan) as we work backwards from the sophomore season, waxing awestruck about our amazing watching this gem of a show. And don’t fret: our episode on the sublime inaugural season will emerge when the oceans calm and the swell is ready.

For our hundred and first episode, we are back with the classics. Baseball classics to be precise! Join us as we discuss 1989’s hit sports comedy Major League and 1993’s hit kids’ sports film fantasy Rookie of the Year. We also talk about the disappearance of Pauly Shore, the growing fervor around 90s spy/thriller film revivalism, box office gems from the time of both releases and debate the merit and trickiness around deeming anything an instant classic. It's a long episode but you can split it into two distinct listens!

We made it! Our 100th episode is here, and we couldn’t be more stoked to share it with everyone. First and foremost, a huge shoutout to everyone who’s listened and appeared on our podcast over the last 99 episodes. We feel blessed to have met so many awesome people, enjoyed many fun recordings of memorable conversations, and received a ton of positive feedback along the way! 

We had an absolute blast recording our first Sports Movie Draft with an all-star cast of previous guests, which included Justin Khoo from Cows in the Field,  Justin Peterson from The Average Joe’s Movie Club Cast, Matt Belenky (film critic + frequent podcaster + producer), Don Shanahan of Cinephile Hissy Fit & Every Movie Has a Lesson, Michael Burgett of Screen Nerds Podcast, and of course, your two cuddly, charming, adorable underdogs, Jordan and Paul. 

In total, we drafted from eight categories: 

1. Best Sports Biopic (About an individual athlete - not a team)
2. Best Heel/Villian In a Sports Movie 
3. Best Locker Room Speech In a Sports Movie
4. Best Fictional Sports Announcer(s) in a Movie
5. Best Soundtrack/Score In a Sports Movie
6. Best Nickname or Character Name in a Sports Movie
7. Best Futuristic Race, Game Show, or Sport Invented in a Movie
8. Best Romance in a Sports Movie

Everyone's picks were amazing. Our conversation was even better! Now it is YOUR TURN TO VOTE!

So what are you waiting for? Listen to our 100th podcast episode, check out our draft board, and vote below (if you're on Spotify) for the draftee whose picks you dig the most! 

Oh, and thanks for listening! Cheers to the next 100! Woof, woof!

Matt Belenky joins us for a double feature as we discuss Tony Scott's "The Fan" and D.J. Caruso's "Two for the Money". We talk the decline (or not) of "hack" studio directors, Robert De Niro's unhinged portrayal of a psychopath in "The Fan," and Al Pacino's twilight years as a leading man, among many other box office topics.

Enjoy!

We finish out our football season with another docuseries, jumping back into the world of Untold with Swamp Kings. On this episode, we talk abut what makes college football uniquely special, why this documentary is wrongly maligned, and why it is fairly criticized. In terms of leaving out the dirt on Urban Meyer and his Florida Gators, this four-part series is a head-scratcher — omitting the juicy, salacious controversies one is ostensibly expecting to see. But in doing so, we get another intriguing tale of militant style training camps and college football sincerity. For the Meyer and Tebow hates, this is pure hagiography, and it is. But for those more neutral to the players and subjects of this series, this is a raw look into what it takes — psychologically and physically — to be a powerhouse college football team. 

We are still in the thick of football season and back with an episode on Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets, or The Aaron Rodgers Show as we called it. Hear us discuss our likes, dislikes, and takeaways from this season. Next episode — and our final pigskin themed docuseries for the kickoff of football season — will be Untold: Swamp Kings.

Please share, rate our pod, and share some more! Enjoy!

On this episode, we continue with our (un)cinematic streak of sports-themed streaming docuseries. This time, we’re talking Netflix’s Quarterback (2023), produced by none other than Peyton Manning and featuring 3 of QB’s at very different junctures of their career: Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota. Justin Peterson of the Average Joe’s Movie Club Cast joins us discuss their work ethic, weekly regimen, off-the-field personalities, legacies, pregame preparations, football IQ, perseverance, in-the-pocket ingenuity, and behind-the-snap theatrics. It was a magically “scripted” season and Quarterback captures all of the fun, striking gold by picking arguably the most entertaining in-season QB (Cousins) and then chronicling one of the most impressively gutsy playoff runs of all time with Mahomes unflappable quest to hoist the Lombardi trophy. 

On this episode, we compare and contrast two docuseries on American Gladiators released in 2023: Muscles and Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators (Netflix) and The American Gladiators Documentary (ESPN/30 for 30). American Gladiators was always one of our favorite TV programs from childhood and we had a blast recounting our memories of the toys, the ‘roided up gladiators, the madcap fun of 90s Trash TV, the exploits of the athletes bodies for meager pay, the scab-like underpinnings of the series (which gets aired every time there’s a picket-line), and the dubiously murky origins of this gaudy, ostentatious product of pop entertainment. Enjoy!

On this episode, we talk about the rise of Jake Paul in the ring. From a YouTube hellion and obnoxious Influencer to a boxing star, Jake Paul has become one of the truly improbable sports transformations of the 21st century. He may be polarizing and milage varies greatly on his likability. But as a celebrity committed to a sudden calling after a quarter life crises and cultural cancellation, Jake Paul is a pretty remarkable figure, who has only proved himself time and time again as a formidable contender against a ragtag albeit talented group of ex-MMA fighters and seasoned athletes. 

Is this a puff piece? If the ubiquity of Prime drinks is any indication, the Paul brothers’ trademark self-mythology and promotional acuity is all over this thing. And there’s no doubt the Jake Paul has some warranted behind-the-scenes stains on his past — along with some overblown controversies. He’s played the heel, the villain, the antihero, and the problem child for years, making a killing out of marketing himself as the person people want to see being pummeled in the ring. What’s crazy is that the opposite happens, repeatedly, putting the likes of Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, the Fury family, and Dana White on blast as they’re forced to chew their words, eat crow, and watch in awe. 

Whether you’re frothing at the bit to see where Paul’s boxing career goes next or prefer to hate watch one of Influencer culture’s prime public enemies, there’s no denying that the entertainment factor is off-the-charts. He may be a douchebag, a shameless self-marketer, a chauvinist, or whatever, but he’s also chosen a wise venue to pursue: a space of pugilistic primality where one’s moral shortcomings and social pretenses are stripped away by the savage ferocity of sparring and spectacle. Carrying the dying sport of boxing on his bulky tattooed back, Jake Paul is a bleach-haired pug with a rabid will to power. He’s as American, for better and worse, as an acidic apple pie smashed straight to the jugular. 

Join your friendly underdogs as we chat Bronx Zoo '90: Crime, Chaos and Baseball, Peacock's 3-part docuseries on one of the worst NY Yankee's teams in franchise history. Based around a series of Joel Sherman articles first published in the NY Post, the doc covers everything from the exile of George Steinbrenner to the downfall of Mel Hall. The 1990 season was one for the record books for all the wrong reasons: a train wreck you can't help but to look at, even as you're cowering away.

From a no-hitter that ended miraculously in a 4-0 loss due to a calamity of fielding errors, to Pascual Perez playing backgammon in the Caribbean instead of showing up to Spring ball, to Mel Hall's open relationship and prom date with a teenage girl, to the back-and-forth contract feud between Steinbrenner and Dave Winfield, to the extortion and blackmail saga with Howie Spira (a NY felon, gambling addict, and all around low-life, to Deion Sander's dollar sign antics and terrible batting average, to cougars (yes, the feral felines!) in the locker room, this iteration of the Yanks was a carnivalesque free-for-all that you can't look away from.

Enjoy our recap of this wild tale of shenanigans in the ballpark and beyond!

Untold: Johnny Football represents an iconic era of college football, and offers an astute examination of one of the most immature quarterbacks to ever win a Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel. An affable, perennial partier, Manziel was notorious for his off-the-field antics and partying. He played the game with the same freewheeling sense of intuition and exigency he seemed to live, transplanting his unhinged frat boy personality onto the field. He also transformed the Texas A&M program into a powerhouse over the course of a critical two year stint, pulled off a ridiculous heist to get drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft, and  became a mythic bust for the Cleveland Browns.

In the episode, we discuss Johnny’s wild shenanigans, the WTF moments of the documentary (his father faking a cardiac arrest, his friend planting a story about a false oil inheritance to deflect attention from under-the-table side hustles that violated the NCAA, his infamous bender in Vegas), and our letdown that the doc didn’t press Johnny harder with pointed, direct questions about his insane life of drugs, celebrities, and debauchery. For those who know nothing about Manziel, this is a great place to start. For those who’ve been fascinated by his mythic downfall, this is a bit too broad and breezy. Nonetheless, it’s a great conversation starter on one of the most stupefyingly immature yet likable athletes of the 21st century. 

Enjoy! 

A bonus episode consisting of two separate interviews of Jordan & Paul on The Average Joe's Movie Club Cast. We discuss or movie tastes, preferences, and habits. Enjoy!

This week, we return to the world of Manga adaptations & join our friend Matt St. Jack of Anime Talk! to chat SK8 the Infinity (you can watch it on Crunchy Roll!). In the episode, we discuss the series' nostalgic tone, ardent-hearted appreciation of skateboarding, controversies surrounding queer-baiting, technical/scientific descriptions of boarding, quirky biblical allusions, and notable popularity. Check it out!