Load Bearing Beams: A Movie Podcast

One host loves a movie, the other has never seen it. They watch. They discuss. Why do we call it a Load Bearing Beam? Because it's a movie you love so much that it holds up the foundation of the very structure that is you. Laci Roth and Matt Stokes are a married couple that needs to find stuff to watch together. On this show, they take a look at movies loved by one but unseen, disliked, or forgotten by the other. With open hearts but exhausted and cynical minds, they will get to the bottom of whether or not the movies they love so much are actually good.

Jurassic Park Franchise Rankings + Godzilla (2014) 07/04/2025

164. Tooth Fairy (Summer of Rock) 06/27/2025

164. Tooth Fairy (Summer of Rock) Well, a movie finally broke us. Horror and mortal terror have a face. In the absolutely dreadful “family film” Tooth Fairy (2010)—quite possibly the worst movie our podcast has ever covered—Dwayne Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a hockey player who specializes in knocking out opponents’ teeth. He has a lot on his plate: He’s dating Ashley Judd, who has two kids: An adorable little girl who loves him and a punk teenage boy who thinks he’s full of crap (Because he is.). At the same time, Derek has some hotshot new competition in the form of Mick “The Stick” Donnelly, a hot-shot new prospect who is described in the span of 25 seconds by the team’s coach as both “the future face of this (minor league) franchise” and “only here for a cup of coffee before he makes the NHL.” Then he becomes the Tooth Fairy. Hilarity ensues. Next week: We're off! We return on July 11 for an episode about Fast Five (2011). The Summer of Rock is our summer 2025 miniseries covering the movie career of Dwayne Johnson through nine movies, presented in chronological order. Starting with his attempt at crossing over from the world of wrestling, The Rock’s career got off to a bumpy start before finally taking off in the 2010s. But it wasn’t long before the bumps returned, and we’ll be telling the story for you all summer long! Bonus video: Matt explains how director Paul Verhoeven could predict how the future would feel, through examining three of his movies: RoboCop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers. Watch it on YouTube: Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:09:30 — History segment: The Rock’s wrestling career winds down in 2003 and 2004 as he turns heel and embraces his “Hollywood Rock” persona; his acting career sputters as he tries a number of lead roles that don’t work out; he pivots to family films, where he becomes much more successful; genesis of Tooth Fairy under writer Jim Piddock and director Michael Lemdeck 00:36:15 — In-depth movie discussion 01:59:45 — Final thoughts and star ratings Source: “Interview with THE TOOTH FAIRY's Jim Piddock” by Clint Morris | Geek Week (2010) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - "Summer of Rock" theme song credits: Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds Personnel: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass Follow Wade on Instagram: Follow TJ on Instagram: Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/37170915

163. The Rundown (Summer of Rock) 06/20/2025

163. The Rundown (Summer of Rock) Dwayne Johnson followed up his debut lead performance in The Scorpion King with The Rundown. Released as Welcome to the Jungle outside America, The Rundown might be his very best movie. Along with Seann William Scott, Rosario Dawson, and a deliciously hammy Christopher Walken, The Rock is firing on all cylinders as both a physical and emotional actor. He can be funny when called to be, but leaves most of the humor to Scott and Walken, and he really shines as a stoic badass. It's no mistake that Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a cameo at the beginning of this movie, passing by The Rock and telling him to "have fun." It was his world now. As The Scorpion King was The Rock's version of Conan the Barbarian, The Rundown was his version of Commando. Unfortunately, the world had changed since the 1980s, and the public appetite for throwback action-adventure movies was waning. We were robbed of a world where he made a movie of this quality every year. But we’re also robbed of a world where dozens of movies like this get made every year. We had it all, we just didn’t know it. The Summer of Rock is our summer 2025 miniseries covering the movie career of Dwayne Johnson through nine movies, presented in chronological order. Starting with his attempt at crossing over from the world of wrestling, The Rock’s career got off to a bumpy start before finally taking off in the 2010s. But it wasn’t long before the bumps returned, and we’ll be telling the story for you all summer long! Bonus video: The Rundown should’ve had a sequel! The Rock and Seann William Scott have excellent chemistry, and their partnership could easily have fit into all kinds of different sequel scenarios. Really, there should have been 10 Rundowns. We name a few other movies we think should’ve gotten sequels as well: Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:04:40 — Our personal histories with The Rundown 00:14:00 — History segment: The Rock’s wrestling career in 2002 and 2003, including his feud with Hulk Hogan and the fans turning against him; brief history of the production of The Rundown under director Peter Berg 00:32:20 — In-depth movie discussion 01:20:30 — Final thoughts and star ratings Source: “Man of Action! ** Former Bethlehem resident The Rock is on a roll with ‘The Rundown’” by Amy Longsdorf | The Morning Call (2003) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - "Summer of Rock" theme song credits: Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds Personnel: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass Follow Wade on Instagram: Follow TJ on Instagram: Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/37086005

162. The Scorpion King (Summer of Rock) 06/13/2025

162. The Scorpion King (Summer of Rock) The Summer of Rock begins as Laci and Matt dive into the movie career of Dwayne Johnson with his first leading role in The Scorpion King (2002). The Rock first graced the big screen a year earlier in The Mummy Returns, in a brief prologue in which he plays a character who seemingly has nothing to do with the sturdy nice fellow he plays in Scorpion King. And now he gets to lead a picture. And what a picture. An old-fashioned picture, you might say. One refreshingly free of irony, self-awareness, or any of the oppressive trappings of modernity. This movie’s kinda great, actually. And so is The Rock. Is it possible his career peaked with his first feature? We shall find out in the weeks and months ahead. The Summer of Rock is our summer 2025 miniseries covering the movie career of Dwayne Johnson through nine movies, presented in chronological order. Starting with his attempt at crossing over from the world of wrestling, The Rock’s career got off to a bumpy start before finally taking off in the 2010s. But it wasn’t long before the bumps returned, and we’ll be telling the story for you all summer long! Bonus video: Matt explains why all movie studio CEOs are basically the exact same guy and why they all make the exact same decisions. Watch it on YouTube: Next week: The Rundown (2003) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:11:28 — Our personal histories with The Scorpion King 00:28:20 — History segment: Brief career overview of Dwayne Johnson; development and production of The Scorpion King and the surprisingly long direct-to-video franchise it spawned 00:47:45 — In-depth movie discussion 01:32:00 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage by Nick de Semlyen (2023) - “Hiding Out with Dwayne Johnson: The GQ Video Cover Story” by Zach Baron | GQ (2024) - Review of “The Scorpion King” by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (2002) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - "Summer of Rock" theme song credits: Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds Personnel: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass Follow Wade on Instagram: Follow TJ on Instagram: Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/36969735

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 06/06/2025

161. I Love You, Man (with Wade Hymel) 05/30/2025

161. I Love You, Man (with Wade Hymel) Friend of the Show Wade Hymel makes his triumphant return to the podcast, and he’s brought with him I Love You, Man (2009). So what’s up with men, huh? With their man caves, and their jam seshes, and their pizza pies. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t help but love ‘em, am I right? And how do adults make friends anyway? It’s pretty weird. Somebody should make a movie about it. Oh, that’s what this movie is. Hear Wade's amazing album WHO SAID THAT? on Apple Music (), Spotify (), or wherever else music is streamed. Or you can purchase the album from Bandcamp (. Bonus video: Matt unpacks the story of The Black Cauldron, Disney’s biggest ever flop. Watch it on YouTube: Next week: We’re off. Our Summer of (redacted) miniseries begins the following Friday (June 13) with an episode about (redacted… listen to the episode to learn what it is!). Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:01:45 — Our MAJOR summer miniseries announcement 00:06:08 — Summer miniseries theme song debut 00:10:15 — Our personal histories with I Love You, Man 00:18:20 — History segment: The Male Loneliness epidemic — why is it so hard for men to make friends? We definitively answer the question. Then we talk about the origins of this movie under original screenwriter Larry Levin in the 1990s, and how it was finally brought to life by director John Hamburg in 2009 00:32:00 — In-depth movie discussion 01:59:35 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Younger Men in the U.S. Among the Loneliest in West” by Benedict Vigers | Gallup (2025) - “John Hamburg Says I Love You, Man” by Edward Douglas | (2009) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/36783745

160. Wayne’s World 05/23/2025

160. Wayne’s World Join us at Stan Mikita’s for crullers, dear listener, as we go through one of the very best comedies of the 1990s: It’s Wayne’s World. Excellent. But is it truly Wayne’s world? How much control does Wayne really have? What does he want? What does he stand for? And will he ever transcend the limitations of his corporeal space? We definitively answer these and so much more, as we cover both the making of the movie (including what sounds like a very difficult experience for director Penelope Spheeris in having to work with Mike Myers) and the movie itself, reading very closely to divine its message. Bonus video: Matt tells you about the ONLY Disney Animated Feature that you won’t find on Disney Plus, and why that is. Watch it on YouTube: Next week: I Love You Man (2009) with special guest Wade Hyel Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:03:00 — Our personal histories with Wayne’s World 00:14:45 — History segment: Mike Myers & the origins of Wayne Campbell on 1980s Canadian television; “Wayne’s World” debuts on SNL with Myers and Dana Carvey; production of Wayne’s World led by director Penelope Spheeris 00:37:57 — In-depth movie discussion 01:52:45 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "Comedy in the ’90s, Part 1: ‘Wayne’s World’ Starts the Party" by Alan Siegel | The Ringer (2019) - “Gentle Reminder: ‘Wayne’s World’ Was, and Will Always Be, a Totally Canadian Thing” by Greg Hudson | Sharp (2017) - “Mike Myers: Man of Mystery” by Josh Rottenberg | Entertainment Weekly (2008) - https://bit.ly/43BD5lD Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/36683080

159. Final Destination 05/16/2025

159. Final Destination Laci and Matt are broadcasting to you from a cabin in the woods, where they're eating canned cat food with oven mitts, trying to dodge that pesky Grim Reaper. But the rats need their cheese, so here’s a new episode about Final Destination (2000). (You’re the rat, I guess.) It’s the movie that launched one of the great horror franchises. A franchise that Matt posits is Friday the 13th for the decade of the 2000s. This series has it all: Primitive cell phones! Internet research on big ole computers! And nu-metal, nu-metal, nu-metal. And it all started here, with this movie that began life as an X-Files spec script and, even in its final form, has forgotten to take the X-Files out. That’s not a bad thing. Next week: Wayne’s World (1992) Bonus Video: We suggest scenarios we’d like to see in future FInal Destination sequels. Check it out on , , , and . Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:01:28 — Our personal histories with the FInal Destination franchise 00:13:00 — History segment: How Final Destination began as an X-Files spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, and instead was turned into a feature film helmed by X-Files writers James Wong and Glen Morgan 00:28:52 — In-depth movie discussion 01:28:25 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Final Destination: the definitive oral history by the people who made it” by Ian Sandwell | Digital Spy (2022) - “How Final Destination Went From Real-Life Premonition to Horror Phenomenon” by Jack Beresford | Den of Geek (2021) - Final Destination press kit (2000) - “Devon Sawa: ‘I had to smoke pot in movies and be in a hip-hop video to get away from Casper’” by Rachel Brodsky | The Independent (2022) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/36581110

Thunderbolts* Review + MCU Roundtable 05/12/2025

158. Death Proof (with Cinema Chris) 05/09/2025

158. Death Proof (with Cinema Chris) Please note: Like how Death Proof uses fake film grain to make it seem like it’s an older movie, only to stop doing it halfway through, Laci and Matt’s audio improves halfway through this episode. You might not even notice the audio isn't great in the first half... but if you do, just know it gets better eventually. Friend of the Show Cinema Chris joins Laci and Matt to talk about Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (2007). Originally a 90-minute movie presented as part of a double feature alongside Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, Death Proof now stands on its own (in an expanded edition) as one of the more fascinating entries in Tarantino’s filmography. We discuss the beautiful animal that is Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan’s captivating pronunciation of “chocolate milk,” and how much joy there is to be had in a car going vroom-vroom real fast. Follow Chris on TikTok (), Instagram (), and Letterboxd (). Next week: Final Destination (2000) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:02:40 — Our personal histories with Death Proof 00:13:00 — History segment: The history of grindhouse; the history of Grindhouse 00:31:21 — In-depth movie discussion 01:30:00 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “House Party: Girls! Zombies! Serial killers! Step inside Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's down 'n' dirty double feature, 'Grindhouse’” by Mike Cotton| Wizard Universe (2007) - “Online Exclusive: Horror Film Directors Dish About 'Grindhouse' Trailers” by Gavin Edwards | Rolling Stone (2007) - “Hungry zombies! A psychopath in a killer car! It's ‘'Grindhouse’!” by Chris Nashawaty | Entertainment Weekly (2007) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/36493105

The Royal Tenenbaums 05/02/2025

157. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (with Jen Walks N2 Walls) 04/25/2025

157. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (with Jen Walks N2 Walls) Friend of the Show Jen ( on TikTok) joins us to cover Sister Act 2. We once again follow the misadventures of Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg), a Las Vegas headliner who selfishly abandons the backup dancers, crew members, and support staff who rely on her show to make their living, all so she can go be a substitute teacher at a Catholic school for some reason. Seriously, is she paying all these people out of her pocket while her show is on hiatus? Or is she like Jimmy Fallon during the 2023 strikes, sending them each a $20 gift card and best wishes? Anyway. This movie’s a lot of fun, but it is all over the place. Looking into the production history, we see it’s a hastily produced sequel that seems almost as if it started as an original, unrelated script about a high school choir competition and then had the Sister Act nuns awkwardly grafted onto it. Still, Whoopi Goldberg is her usual delightful self, but she’s outshined by these delightful kids, including a just-about-to-be-a-superstar Lauryn Hill as Rita, a high schooler whose mom hates choirs more than anything else. Next week: Death Proof (2007) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get extra episodes! In April, we’re covering the pilot episode of the American Office, Matt has thoughts on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and we’re reviewing M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening. Subscribe at Time stamps: 00:06:42 — Our personal histories with Sister Act 2 00:21:45 — History segment: Production of Sister Act 2 under director Bill Duke and its lasting legacy 00:39:30 — In-depth movie discussion 01:30:30 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Bill Duke on ‘Deep Cover,’ ‘Sister Act 2,’ and Reshaping What Black Movies Could Be in the ’90s” by Robert Daniels | IndieWire (2022) - “How did ‘Sister Act 2’ become a classic musical?” by David Dennis Jr. | Andscape (2019) - “Sister Act 2 Cast Reunites to Sing 'Joyful, Joyful' and 'Oh Happy Day,' 30 Years After Film — Watch” by Dave Quinn | People Magazine (2024) - “A Fresh Take on Black America: On ‘Sister Act 2’” by Brandon Tensley | Los Angeles Review of Books (2023) - “‘Sister Act 2’ Set the Gold Standard for Bad Sequels” by Caspar Salmon | Vice (2018) - “Whoopi Goldberg looks back on Sister Act” by Mary Sellosi | Entertainment Weekly (2017) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/36303835

The Office (U.S.) - "Pilot" (Patreon Preview!) 04/21/2025

UNLOCKED: The Truman Show 04/18/2025

156. American Psycho (with Red Rose Film Club) 04/11/2025

156. American Psycho (with Red Rose Film Club) We welcome Hal ( on Letterboxd) and Craig ( on Letterboxd) from the Red Rose Film Club podcast to cover American Psycho (2000), the Wall Street horror/comedy starring Christian Bale as Patrick "Jason" Bateman. This movie’s got a lot going on, folks. And we get to it all—we determine who has the best business card, we explain why you wouldn’t want Christian Bale as your co-worker at Whataburger, we try to figure out what’s going on with Justin Theroux’s hair, and we marvel at Patrick Bateman’s chainsaw math. Also, is American Psycho Jared Leto’s villain origin story? But more than anything, we're trying to identify what exactly Patrick Bateman represents. Is he the embodiment of toxic masculinity? A victim of America’s addiction to competition and consumption above all else? A misunderstood baby boy? An iconic slasher villain? What if our answer was…. Yes? Next week: We are the nation’s top fun-havers, so we’re taking the week off for Spring Break. We'll unlock our The Truman Show episode from our Patreon archive, and we’ll be back on April 25, 2025 with a brand-new episode about Sister Act 2 (1993) with our friend Jen Walks N2 Walls. Subscribe to Red Rose Film Club: Apple Podcast: Spotify: Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:08:00 — Our personal histories with American Psycho 00:16:30 — History segment: Bret Easton Ellis and his American Psycho novel; development of the film under director Mary Harron; star Christian Bale 00:41:45 — In-depth movie discussion 02:02:39 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “American Psycho: An Oral History, 20 Years After Its Divisive Debut” by Tim Molloy | Movie Maker, 2020 - “Blood, Boycott, and Body Bags: An Oral History of ‘American Psycho’” by Tatiana Tenreyro | Vice, 2020 - “Snuff This Book! Will Bret Easton Ellis Get Away With Murder?” by Roger Rosenblatt | The New York Times, 1991 - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/36085250

155. Superman (1978) 04/04/2025

The Royal Tenenbaums (Patreon Preview) 04/01/2025

154. Heartbreakers (2001) 03/28/2025

153. The Firm 03/21/2025

152. Enemy Mine (with Screen Time Kota) 03/14/2025

Matt has a new monthly podcast about The Twilight Zone! 03/13/2025

151. The Devil’s Rejects (with Austin Proctor) 03/07/2025

A Very Special Oscars Special 02/28/2025

150. Spice World 02/21/2025

149. Twilight (with Fiction Fixation) 02/14/2025

149. Twilight (with Fiction Fixation) For Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating the greatest American love story of all time: Isabella Swan and Edward “The Bad Guy” Cullen. That’s right, after years of threatening to turn the podcast into a full-time Twilight show, we’re finally doing it. For one episode, at least. But how to tackle such an enormous endeavor? Well, we’ve found the two perfect people to help us in our quest: Courtney and Rose from the great Fiction Fixation podcast. The four of us unpack our different Twilight journeys, discuss the odd figure that is Stephenie Meyer, try to determine the connection between Twilight and Mormonism, unpack the demented sexual politics of this franchise, and, finally, we all confess how much we’d want Edward to bite our necks. Listen to Fiction Fixation on Apple Podcast (), Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow them on TikTok: Next week: Spice World (1997) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:07:10 — Our personal histories with the Twilight franchise (books AND movies) 00:25:58 — History segment: Joseph Smith founds Mormonism in the 1820s; Stephenie Meyer grows up in the LDS Church, writes Twilight; Twilight-mania takes off and a movie is developed; career overview of director Catherine Hardwicke; brief overviews of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson 00:46:38 — In-depth movie discussion 02:23:43 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Mormon Vampires in the Garden of Eden” by John Grander | Touchstone Magazine - “Stephenie Meyer on Twilight, feminism and true love” by Kira Cochrane | The Guardian (2013) - “Twilight's Author and Director Talk About Bringing The Film To Life” by Christina Radish | Media Blvd. (2008) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/35280935

148. The Truman Show (History Segment) [Patreon Preview] 02/13/2025

147. The Legend of Billie Jean (Listener Choice) 02/07/2025

147. The Legend of Billie Jean (Listener Choice) The winner of our recent Listener Choice Lottery was our friend Monique (of Monique’s Movie Madness, on TikTok). Her movie? The Legend of Billie Jean (1985). Not only had neither of us ever seen this movie, we'd barely even heard of it. But boy is it a hidden gem. Pure sleazy '80s goodness. Helen Slater plays our hero: Billie Jean, a 17-year-old resident of Corpus Christi, Texas. The year is 1985, and she’s going up against the many injustices life throws at her, with the help of her spunky younger brother Binx (Christian Slater), the live-action Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith), and a hunky movie nerd named Lloyd (Keith Gordon). Spoiler alert: She wins. But the real winner is YOU, the viewing public. Bonus video: We each name an actor we just can’t stand. Who can’t you stand?? Watch it on our , , , or . Next week: Feb. 12 - The Truman Show exclusively on Patreon! Feb. 14 - Twilight with special guests, Rose and Courtney from the Fiction Fixation podcast! Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:03:05 — Monique’s history with The Legend of Billie Jean 00:13:00 — History segment: A brief history of The Legend of Billie Jean via original screenwriter Walter Bernstein, director Matthew Robbins, and star Helen Slater 00:20:16 — In-depth movie discussion 01:26:22 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (. Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/35182480

146. Baby Boom (1987) 01/31/2025

BRRRR it's cold. Here's a message from Laci & Matt. 01/24/2025

145. Mortal Kombat (1995) 01/17/2025

Load Bearing Beams: A Movie Podcast

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