1-Week Rental: A Movie Podcast
Matt and Laci spend a week with a movie, and take you along on the journey. They spend the week watching, re-watching, researching, reading interviews, and reading the source material of the week's movie. Whether it's a blockbuster from the past, an all-time flop, or a cult classic, they unpack the history behind its production and the people who made it, then discuss, review, and make fun of the movie itself. New episodes every Friday. Formerly known as Load Bearing Beams.
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Marty Supreme | Sinners | Bugonia (Oscars Special - Part 2)
03/13/2026
Marty Supreme | Sinners | Bugonia (Oscars Special - Part 2)
1WR continues helping you prepare for Hollywood's Biggest Night(TM), as Laci and Matt stir the pot and catch up on awards season before going deep on Marty Supreme. Then, Matt is joined by his friend Caleb Hogan to discuss Sinners, and the show closes with a conversation about Bugonia with returning guest Cinema Coconut. Next week (March 20, 2026): Nothing But Trouble, where Dan Ackroyd plays dual roles: a judge with a penis for a nose and also a big diaper baby. Time stamps: 00:15:30 — Marty Supreme 00:50:45 — Sinners (with Caleb Hogan) 01:22:55 — Bugonia (with Cinema Coconut) Follow Neophyte Reviews! TikTok: Instagram: YouTube: Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has a monthly spin-off podcast covering the James Bond films! Check out PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (). 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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KPop: Demon Hunters | Train Dreams | If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Weapons | Frankenstein | One Battle After Another (2026 Oscars Special - Part 1)
03/06/2026
KPop: Demon Hunters | Train Dreams | If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Weapons | Frankenstein | One Battle After Another (2026 Oscars Special - Part 1)
Hollywood's Biggest Night is almost upon us, and 1-Week Rental is gonna help you get ready by discussing the movies nominated for the biggest awards. In this, the first of our two-part series previewing the awards, Matt talks to his friends about six films: Frankenstein, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, KPop: Demon Hunters, One Battle After Another, Train Dreams, and Weapons. Next week (March 13, 2026): Part 2 of our Oscars special continues reviewing huge Oscar movies! The week after that (March 20, 2026): Nothing But Trouble, where Dan Ackroyd plays a judge with a penis for a nose, and also a big diaper baby. Time stamps: 00:01:40 — KPop: Demon Hunters (with Neophyte Reviews) 00:16:00 — Train Dreams (with Drewbie Doobie's Movies) 00:32:40 — If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (with Austin Proctor) 01:00:35 — Weapons (with Smash Trivia John) 01:27:27 — Frankenstein (with Spooky T & HFK) 01:45:45 — One Battle After Another (with Wade Hymel) Follow Neophyte Reviews! TikTok: Instagram: YouTube: Follow Drewbie Doobie's Movies! TikTok: Instagram: Follow Austin Proctor! Listen to Frightmares on Apple Podcast () or Spotify () TikTok: Instagram: Follow Smash Trivia John! Listen to Smash Trivia Presents: The Gamma Analysis on Apple Podcast () or Spotify () TikTok: Instagram: YouTube: Follow Spooky T & HFK! Spooky T on TikTok: HFK on TikTok: Follow Wade Hymel! Listen to PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast ( or Spotify ( Dash Rip Rock's new album, A Song In Everyone ( A Song In Everyone on vinyl ( Wade's solo album, Who Said That? ( Lilli Lewis ( Incubators ( Rural Route Nine () Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has a monthly spin-off podcast covering the James Bond films! Check out PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (). 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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185. True Lies
02/27/2026
185. True Lies
Laci and Matt go through True Lies (1994), James Cameron's "normal" movie. The most expensive movie ever made at the time of its production. It could've just been a straightforward spy thriller, but instead Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to put in every action movie idea they'd ever had. And the results are glorious. Well, okay, the movie goes on for one act too long, and Jamie Lee Curtis steals the show and is then shown the door. But it's fun as heck, is what we're saying. Next week: Our Oscars previews begin, as we talk about every movie nominated for a major award. Next week (March 6) is part one, and the following Friday (March 13) is part two. Time stamps: 00:03:30 — History segment: Original French film La Totale!; Arnold Schwarzenegger options film and brings his buddy James Cameron aboard; Jamie Lee Curtis's career; Eliza Dushku's allegations of abuse against a True Lies crewmember; legacy of True Lies and attempts at a sequel 00:37:25 — Movie discussion 01:39:07 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "I’ll Be Bond: Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron’s Everything or Nothing Shot at the James Bond Title" by Tim Pelan | Cinephilia Beyond - "Arnold Schwarzenegger “Shocked and Saddened” by Eliza Dushku’s ‘True Lies’ Assault Claims" by Abid Rahman | The Hollywood Reporter (2018) - “James Cameron addresses Eliza Dushku's claim True Lies stunt coordinator molested her" by Natalie Abrams & Dan Snierson | Entertainment Weekly (2018) - "Eliza Dushku Says ‘True Lies’ Stunt Coordinator Sexually Assaulted Her When She Was 12" by Katie Kilkenny & Jackie Strause | The Hollywood Reporter (2018) - "Jamie Lee Curtis Plants a Kiss on Arnold Schwarzenegger as They Have a True Lies Reunion 29 Years Later" by Tommy McArdle & Colleen Kratofil | People (2025) - "James Cameron Reveals the Challenges of Casting Jamie Lee Curtis in 'True Lies' by Rahul Malhotra | Collider (2025) - "How James Cameron Convinced Leonardo DiCaprio to Make Titanic" by John Ross | Vanity Fair (2025) - "Every James Cameron Movie, Explained by James Cameron" | Vanity Fair (2025) - Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger (2012) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has a monthly spin-off podcast covering the James Bond films! Check out PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (). 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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184. High Fidelity
02/20/2026
184. High Fidelity
Laci and Matt pay a visit to Championship Vinyl to hang out with Rob, Barry, Dick, Laura, Ian, Marie de Salle, and all the fine folks in the music scene of that windy city we like to call Chi-Town. That's right, it's High Fidelity (2000)! It's a great music movie. It's an even greater romantic comedy. In fact, it's kind of an anti-romantic comedy, because the lesson in the end is: The most romantic thing in life is being a grown-up. Plus: Our top-five songs we want played at our funerals, AND fierce debate about whether DJs are musicians and if a singer's vocal chords count as an instrument. Next week: True Lies (1994)! Time stamps: 00:03:00 — History segment: Original novel by Nick Hornby; John Cusack hired to produce, write, and star in adaptation; hiring director Stephen Frears; casting Jack Black and Iben Hjejle; legacy of High Fidelity and TV series remake 00:33:40 — Movie discussion 02:06:40 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "Top Five: An Oral History of High Fidelity" by Andrew Buss | Consequence (2025) - "John Cusack: ‘Hollywood is a whorehouse and people go mad’" by Henry Barnes | The Guardian (2014) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has a monthly spin-off podcast covering the James Bond films! Check out PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (). 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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183. When Harry Met Sally...
02/13/2026
183. When Harry Met Sally...
Laci and Matt dive deep into When Harry Met Sally (1989), one of the all-time great romantic comedies. In a movie that could easily be dismissed as a clone of Woody Allen’s early rom-coms, the film makes its mark with two superstar lead performances from Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, an electric script by Nora Ephron, and breezy, hilarious direction from Rob Reiner. We tell the story of how this movie came together, how it evolved during development, and how it became the classic we all know today. Then, your favorite husband-and-wife podcasting duo have a lengthy discussion about the movie itself, and folks, there are some heated battle-of-the-sexes arguments in this one. Because men do be like this, while women do be doing woman stuff, like makeup. Will they ever learn to get along??? Next week's episode (Feb. 20, 2026): High Fidelity (2000) Time stamps: 00:03:00 — History segment: Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron's initial meeting; their careers before and after When Harry Met Sally; casting Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan; the script's original, less-happy ending; legacy of When Harry Met Sally 00:40:40 — Movie discussion 01:46:45 — Final thoughts & star ratings Source: From Hollywood With Love: The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of the Romantic Comedy by Scott Meslow - Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has a monthly spin-off podcast covering the James Bond films! Check out PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (). 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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182. She-Devil (1989)
02/06/2026
182. She-Devil (1989)
Roseanne Barr is now known as a reactionary cancel-culture warrior, but she was once a beloved comedian and champion of working-class politics. What exactly happened? And, in the middle of her rocketship ride to the moon of superstardom, she co-starred in a movie with Meryl Streep! What?! And the movie is really good???? Laci and Matt tell the story of She-Devil (1989), director Susan Seidelman's black comedy that pits Barr against Streep and Ed Begley Jr., with Barr as an avenging angel for neglected and forgotten women everywhere. It's a very funny and poignant comedy that critics largely dismissed at the time. Especially British critics, who compared it unfavorably to the 1986 BBC miniseries adaptation of The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. That's right, this all starts with a seminal work of feminist literature by author Fay Weldon. We also tell that story, including her 2017 legacy sequel to She-Devil and her sad eventual evolution into a TERF. Then, we dive into She-Devil the film, heaping endless praise of Meryl Streep's hilarious physical comedy, Ed Begley's smarmy nice-guy evilness, and Roseanne's up-and-down performance in her first film role. Next week's episode (Feb. 13, 2026): When Harry Met Sally... (1989) Time stamps: 00:03:00 — History segment: Original She-Devil author Fay Weldon, an important British feminist writer, and her later unfortunate turn toward TERFdom; director Susan Seidelman's career and experience working with Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr; career overview of Roseanne Barr, from early working-class comedy roots to sad turn toward reactionary pro-Trump politics and cancel culture warriordom 00:52:06 — Movie discussion 01:58:07 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "Fay Weldon: ‘Feminism was a success, but then you lose a generation’" by Claire Armistead | The Guardian (2017) - "She-Devil returns: Fay Weldon writing 'transgender' sequel to feminist classic" by Sian Cain | The Guardian (2016) - "Transgender people become women for 'fashion or clothes', says novelist Fay Weldon" by Niamh McIntyre | The Independent (2017) - "Fay Weldon: transgender people become women for 'frivolous' reasons such as 'fashion' and 'clothes'" by Rozina Sabur & Olivia Rudgard | The Telegraph (2017) - "Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls" by Susan Seidelman | "Roseanne: My Life As a Woman" by Roseanne Barr | Review of She-Devil by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (1989) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has a monthly spin-off podcast covering the James Bond films! Check out PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (). 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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181. Groundhog Day
01/30/2026
181. Groundhog Day
We often say it's a miracle any movie gets made, but some movies are actual miracles. Groundhog Day (1993) is a perfect example of this, because its three primary creative voices (director Harold Ramis, writer Danny Rubin, and star Bill Murray) were each pulling in different, conflicting directions throughout the movie's production. Somehow, all that dissension led to a perfect object of a film, a hilarious comedy that gets at huge philosophical questions, but not in an annoying way. And it's also a sweet and lovely little romantic comedy... so why did it ruin the decades-long friendship between Ramis and Murray? Plus: Learn all about actual Groundhog Day! Time stamps: 00:02:40 — History segment: The actual Groundhog Day holiday; screenwriter Danny Rubin writes Groundhog Day on spec and then re-lives his movie for the rest of his life; the intertwining careers of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, as well as their falling out and eventual reconciliation 00:56:06 — Movie discussion 01:50:00 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "Harold Ramis Gets the Last Laugh" by Brett Martin | GQ (2009) - "Comedy First: How Harold Ramis's movies have stayed funny for twenty-five years" by Tad Friend | New Yorker (2004) - “Going Back to ‘Groundhog Day.’ Again.” by Bruce Fretts | New York Times (2017) - "When Every Day Is ‘Groundhog Day’" by S.I. Rosenbaum | New York (2017) - "How To Write Groundhog Day" by Danny Rubin (2012) - "Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever" by Nick de Semlyen "Ghostbuster's Daughter: Life with My Dad, Harold Ramis" by Violet Ramis Stiel Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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Dr. No
01/23/2026
Dr. No
1-Week Rental is launching a brand-new spin-off, a monthly podcast hosted by Matt and Wade Hymel going through the James Bond franchise, one movie at a time! Introducing PodJob: A James Bond Podcast. 1-Week Rental returns next week (January 30, 2026) with an episode about Groundhog Day (1993). Subscribe to PodJob: A James Bond Podcast: Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube | They really had it figured out right away—the look, the sound, the feel of James Bond. Sean Connery just walking through the airport and collecting his luggage is the coolest human being you’ve ever seen. Bond dusting his attache case with talcum powder and putting a hair between his doors is exhilarating. Quarrel and Honey Rider are all-time great Pals of Bond. Unfortunately, the titular Doctor No, M.D., is kind of a let-down after all the exciting build-up. Still, the first Bond film is one of the all-time best. Time stamps: 00:02:28 — Our histories with and relationships to the James Bond franchise 00:11:06 — Our favorite eras of James Bond, favorite and least favorite movies 00:17:42 — History segment: Author Ian Fleming; attempts to adapt his novels; the strange saga of Thunderball; Dr. No, the novel 00:29:40 — History segment: Producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman partner with United Artists to launch the Bond movie franchise 00:31:15 — History segment: Director Terence Young 00:33:55 — History segment: Sean Connery 00:41:55 — Movie discussion 01:44:56 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "Ian Fleming: The Complete Man" by Nicholas Shakespeare | "When Harry Met Cubby: The Story of the James Bond Producers" by Robert Sellers | “James Bond actor breaks 60-year silence to claim Dr No director sexually assaulted her” by Alex Binley | ITV News (2022) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Produced by Matt Stokes. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to 1-Week Rental, Matt’s weekly movie podcast with Laci Roth on Apple Podcast () or Spotify (), and watch it on YouTube (. Listen to Wade's music: Dash Rip Rock’s new album, A Song In Everyone ( A Song In Everyone on vinyl ( Wade’s solo album, Who Said That? ( Lilli Lewis ( Incubators ( Rural Route Nine (
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180. Den Of Thieves
01/16/2026
180. Den Of Thieves
Matt brings Laci into the glorious world of Gerard Butler, who is single-handedly trying to save American movies by making throwback '90s-feeling thrillers that are actually playing in movie theaters. The best of these is Den of Thieves, a wonderful heist movie from 2018 in which the cops who chase the bad guys are maybe less honorable than the bad guys themselves, if you can believe it. Time stamps: 00:09:30 — History segment: Career overview of Gerard Butler; production and reception of Den of Thieves 00:36:15 — Movie discussion 01:42:55 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "Christian Gudegast Interview: Den of Thieves" by Alex Leadbeater | ScreenRant (2018) - “Gerard Butler Talks 'Den Of Thieves,' Box Office And The $13K Paycheck That Changed It All” by Simon Thompson | Forbes (2018) - "I Think I Love Gerard Butler" by Bilge Ebiri | Vulture (2019) - “The Ordinary-Guy Action Movie Lives On, Thanks to Gerard Butler” by Bilge Ebiri | Vulture (2021) - “Gerard Butler interview for The Ugly Truth” by Chloe Fox | The Telegraph (2009) - "The Man Who Cracked the Code of L.A.'s Notorious Sheriff Gangs" by Ethan Brown | New York Magazine (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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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Get Out (2017)
01/09/2026
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele's modern horror-comedy classic Get Out (2017) is the subject of this bonus episode to tide you over while Laci and Matt take the week off. This discussion originally aired on our Patreon, one year ago. But here it is for the first time ever on the free feed! The show shall return in one week with a brand-new episode about Den of Thieves (2018)! 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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179. The Shining (1980)
01/02/2026
179. The Shining (1980)
Matt and Laci go through the The Shining, probably the best English-language horror movie ever made. Is it the story of a man’s battle with alcoholism, a complicated metaphor for the American ruling class’s many sins, or is it just a simple haunted house story? What if I told you… yes? The Shining started life as Stephen King’s third novel. It was a very personal novel for King, inspired by his own life and his struggles with alcoholism and fatherhood. It’s understandable that he wouldn’t like Kubrick not centering those issues in his film, but Kubrick saw something completely different in The Shining. The podcast tracks the history of their very public disagreement and King’s criticisms of the film. The Shining’s production was shrouded in secrecy and mystery. The cast and crew filmed in England for more than a year, and while Shelley Duvall was open in the press about the difficulty of the assignment, she never thought Kubrick treated her unfairly or unprofessionally, and she always pushed back whenever anyone said Kubrick mistreated her during production of the movie. Time stamps: 00:02:43 — History segment: Stephen King’s early career; early disagreements between Stanley Kubrick and King; Kubrick’s career overview; Kubrick and co-writer Diane Johnson adapt the novel; casting Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers; Shelley Duvall’s career overview 00:58:30 — Movie discussion 02:11:30 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: The Stephen King Companion: Four Decades of Fear from the Master of Horror by George Beahm (2024) - A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King - TCM documentary (2011) - “Kubrick Films 'The Shining' In Secrecy in English Studio” by Aljean Harmetz | The New York Times (1978) - Kubrick: The Definitive Edition by Michel Ciment | "How Stanley Kubrick protected child actor Danny Lloyd while creating ‘The Shining’" by Swapnil Dhruv Bose | Far Out (2020) - "'No arc at all': The reason why Stephen King hated Stanley Kubrick film ‘The Shining’" by Swapnil Dhruv Bose | Far Out (2024) - "Searching for Shelley Duvall: The Reclusive Icon on Fleeing Hollywood and the Scars of Making ‘The Shining’" by Seth Abramovitch | The Hollywood Reporter (2021) - Interview with Shelley Duvall by Roger Ebert | RogerEbert.com (2012) - “No, Shelley Duvall was not traumatized by Stanley Kubrick on The Shining – she embraced it” by Tom Murray (2024) - 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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178. Elf (with In Love With Horror)
12/19/2025
178. Elf (with In Love With Horror)
Laci and Matt are joined by their friends AJ and Kristie from the In Love With Horror podcast to go through the history of the modern Christmas classic Elf (2003). First, the podcast goes through the history of the movie, starting as a spec script in the '90s with Jim Carrey vaguely attached. It entered development hell for years before being revived with Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau, before ultimately becoming the classic it is today... one that you just know Warner Bros is threatening to turn into a cinematic universe at any second. Time stamps: 0:00 — Episode opening 4:30 — History segment: Screenwriter David Berenbaum originates Elf in the '90s; Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau come aboard; working with James Caan; reception, legacy, and potential sequel 32:00 — Movie discussion 1:39:28 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "‘Elf’ Turns 15: Behind the Scenes of Making the Will Ferrell Holiday Classic" by Rebecca Rubin | Variety (2018) "Elf: Meet the man behind the movie" by Mia Elkins | The Merionite (2024) - https://bit.ly/3XVTVIa "Jon Favreau Reflects on Buddy's Magical Legacy" by Gary Susman | Rolling Stone (2013) - “How Elf built a winter wonderland out of paper and department store goods” by Maureen Lee Lenker | Entertainment Weekly (2018) - “Will Ferrell” (2024) - MeSsy with Christina Applegate and Jamie Lynn Sigler podcast - Follow In Love With Horror! YouTube | Apple Podcast | TikTok | Instagram | Twitter | 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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177. Stephen King's It (1990)
12/12/2025
177. Stephen King's It (1990)
Content warning: We talk about child abuse as part of our discussion of both the 1980s “Satanic Panic” craze in the history section, and extensively in the discussion of the movie itself. Laci and Matt hop on their bicycles and rush home in time to see American Bandstand on the TV set while scarfing down mayonnaise sandwiches and whole milk. That’s right, we’re talking It! No, not the hit movie from 2017, but the made-for-TV miniseries from 1990 that traumatized a generation. Next week (Dec. 19, 2025): The lovely AJ and Kristie from In Love With Horror return to the show to meet us at the North Pole for a discussion of the Christmas classic Elf (2003)! Time stamps: 00:02:42 — History segment: Quentin Tarantino’s dumb critique of Stephen King for not originating the “fear monster” idea; the Satanic Panic of the 1980s; the origins of It; development of It for TV; reception and legacy of the TV movie; the “child orgy” scene from the book, explained 00:39:08 — Movie discussion 02:22:36 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "Back to Derry: An Oral History of 'Stephen King's It'" by Ethan Alter | Yahoo! (2015) - Eli Roth's History of Horror: Uncut | Season 1, Episode 3 - "Quentin Tarantino" (2019) - "Interviewing Tim Curry, aka Pennywise, on the set of Stephen King’s IT" by Steve Newton | Fangoria (1990) - "Steve's Explanation For Loser's Sex Scene" | Stephen King Official Message Board (2013) - "Stephen King's It: 25th Anniversary" | SciFiNow Annual. Vol. 2 (2015) 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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176. The Cabin In The Woods (with Cinematic Joshua)
12/05/2025
176. The Cabin In The Woods (with Cinematic Joshua)
Laci, Matt, and returning guest Cinematic Joshua pay a visit to The Cabin In The Woods, where things are not quite as they seem. We get the feeling somebody’s watching us, and pumping chemicals into our scalps to make us stupider and hornier than we usually are, and suddenly we’re tossing around the old pigskin and vroom-vrooming on our dirtbikes. What’s going on???? Next week (Dec. 12, 2025): We revisit Derry, Maine by talking about Stephen King’s It (the 1990 TV movie starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown)! Time stamps: 00:02:44 — History segment: HP Lovecraft and cosmic horror; the intertwined careers of Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon; MGM’s financial troubles delay the release of Cabin for three years; accusations against Joss Whedon; Drew Goddard’s career after Cabin in the Woods 00:26:39 — Movie discussion 01:46:355— Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Joss Whedon talks The Cabin In The Woods” | Total Film (2012) - "Life Goes On: Drew Goddard on The Martian" by Christopher McKittrick | Creative Screenwriting (2016) - “The Undoing of Joss Whedon” by Lila Shapiro | Vulture (2022) - Follow Cinematic Joshua! TikTok: YouTube: Instagram: 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: “Your Ambition” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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BONUS: Darkness Falls (with AJ from In Love With Horror)
11/21/2025
BONUS: Darkness Falls (with AJ from In Love With Horror)
Matt and AJ discuss the 2003 tooth fairy/darkness horror film Darkness Falls. Support In Love With Horror: YouTube: Apple Podcast: Spotify: Instagram: Twitter: TikTok: Follow 1-Week Rental! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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Nickelodeon's Doug (with Wade Hymel & Patrick Perot)
11/14/2025
Nickelodeon's Doug (with Wade Hymel & Patrick Perot)
As Matt and Laci work on the transition from Load Bearing Beams to 1-Week Rental, they are unlocking some episodes from behind the Patreon paywall to hold you over. First up: Matt is joined by his friends and bandmates Wade Hymel and Patrick Perot to cover two episodes of Nickelodeon's Doug. “Bangin’ On A Trash Can” is one of the best songs ever written for a fictional character, right? We gush endlessly about it, as well as its “Think Big” remix, and try to find parallels between Doug’s band and our own individual musical endeavors. Plus, you’ll learn way more than you could possibly be interested in learning about the history of Rural Route Nine. And of course, it’s a larger discussion of Nickelodeon’s Doug and the wider history of Nickelodeon and Nicktoons, plus the sad migration of Doug into the greasy maw of the Walt Disney Company, where he was badassified with baggier clothes and a dog who rides a motorcycle. We also discuss the original Doug pilot, “Doug Can’t Dance.” There’s a fake Quailman at the school dance, a girl wearing a physics-defying donut costume, and Roger Klotz condemned to eternal torment like a slug on the ground. Also, we ponder how bad Doug would be at having sex for the first time. If you haven’t revisited Doug since the 1990s, you might be surprised to find how well it works on every level — it looks great, it sounds incredible, and it’s kind of hilarious. A great time is had by all, is what we’re saying. Source: "You Don't Know Doug" by Mathew Klickstein | Vulture (2012) - Time stamps: 00:02:40 — Our histories with Doug and the early Nicktoons; opening thoughts on “Doug Can’t Dance” and “Doug’s Garage Band” 00:12:01 — History of Doug: Jim Jinkins develops Doug in his head, then as a character for TV commercials, then as a children’s book star, and finally as a TV show for Nickelodeon; after its run at Nickelodeon ends, Jinkins reboots the show for Disney starting in 1996 00:35:35 — “Doug Can’t Dance” 00:58:00 — “Doug’s Garage Band” 01:26:40 — Final thoughts 01:31:28 — Impromptu “Bangin’ On a Trash Can” at band practice (2014) Follow Wade’s band Dash Rip Rock on Spotify (). And hey, while you’re at it, give a listen to Wade's amazing solo album WHO SAID THAT? on Apple Music (), Spotify (), or wherever else music is streamed. You can also purchase the album from Bandcamp (. Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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So, We Made This Change To Our Podcast...
11/10/2025
So, We Made This Change To Our Podcast...
Load Bearing Beams is no more. Say hello to 1-Week Rental! Honestly, it's pretty much the same show. We've just been trying to find a better way to explain what our show is, and we've realized (based on listener feedback and our own feelings on the matter) that what we do well is dive into a movie in terms of both unpacking its history and then analyzing and discussing how well it works as a movie. And since we do this with a different movie each week, you can think of it like we're renting a movie from the video store and getting to keep it for a week. You remember that, right? You'd watch it over and over, and you'd become a temporary expert on it, before saying goodbye to it, maybe forever. The show is largely staying the same, but we are going to try to make the episodes slightly shorter and we are doing away with the lengthy preambles that begin each episode before we get to the history segment. Thank you for your support of Load Bearing Beams, and here's to at least eight years with 1-Week Rental! Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams.
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175. Saw (with HFK & Spooky T)
10/17/2025
175. Saw (with HFK & Spooky T)
Laci Goth and Matt Chokes welcome their friends Tiera ( on TikTok) and Derek ( on TikTok) join the show to play the game of Saw. We all have varying degrees of affection for this franchise, and we get into the long history of its development under James Wan and Leigh Whannell first in Australia and then in Hollywood, and the major series it spawned. Then we go through the movie at length, wondering, at the end of the day, what exactly Jigsaw is trying to teach us. Watch this episode in full: Follow Tiera and Derek’s filmmaking on YouTube: Elevated Cryptid Productions ( Next week: The Cabin in the Woods (2012) with Cinematic Joshua! Bonus video: Matt talks about Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007) for 20 minutes Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:03:05 — Our histories with the Saw franchise / opening thoughts on the first Saw 00:16:30 — History segment: James Wan and Leigh Whannell develop Saw, shoot a short film as proof of concept, and sell it to Evolution Entertainment; the film is bought by Lionsgate, becomes a huge hit, and spawns a major franchise 00:44:50 — Movie discussion 01:35:20 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Saw creators Leigh Whannell and James Wan” by Scott Tobias | The AV Club (2010) - "Blumhouse Buys Rights to ‘Saw’ Franchise" by Brent Lang | Variety (2025) - 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: “Your Ambition” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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28 Years Later (with Screen Time Kota)
10/10/2025
28 Years Later (with Screen Time Kota)
We had some scheduling snafus that caused the delay of our Saw episode, so our schedule is getting pushed back a week. Luckily, we had this beautiful podcast about 28 Years Later set to release on the Patreon later this month, and instead, we’re putting it out for free for all the fine folks out there. Matt and Kota have a very spoiler-filled discussion about Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later. Like all zombie movies, it’s not actually about zombies, it’s about…. Well, it’s about a lot of stuff. This is a meaty, hefty movie. Not unlike what the Alpha carries around with him. Watch this episode in full: Next week: Saw with HFK & Spooky T! Bonus video: Matt reviews the 1980s Disney movie The Great Mouse Detective and wonders if it’s secretly the best Disney movie of the era Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:05:35 — Opening thoughts on 28 Years Later 00:10:07 — Mini-history segment on the careers of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland 00:23:45 — Movie discussion 01:52:20 — Final thoughts and star ratings Follow ScreenTimeKota: TikTok: Instagram: YouTube: Facebook: Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (). Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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174. Interview With The Vampire (1994)
10/03/2025
174. Interview With The Vampire (1994)
Laci and Matt revisit Interview With The Vampire (1994), a movie the podcast covered back in 2018, in the Old Testament days. Much more care and attention is given this time, because there’s so much to love… and so much to be confused by. Has a movie ever been dragged down so much by its whiny-baby lead character as this movie is by Louis (Brad Pitt)? Rather than spending eternity partying with his good buddy Lestat (Tom Cruise), he just putters around and around, moaning and complaining like some unholy combination of Charlie Brown and Eeyore. And rest assured, he will tell you, at length, about how conflicted he feels about the whole “vampire” thing. So get ready. Other than that, the movie’s a blast. Tom Cruise is wonderful, Kirsten Dunst gives an all-time great kid performance, and the Stan Winston makeup can’t be beat. Watch this episode in full: Next week: 28 Years Later with Screen Time Kota! Out now on the Patreon: Matt and Austin Proctor from the Frightmares podcast discuss David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive Time stamps: 00:03:04 — Opening thoughts on Interview with the Vampire 00:16:30 — History segment: The career of Anne Rice; development of a movie adaptation of Interview with the Vampire; Rice’s feud with the production over the casting of Tom Cruise; reception and legacy of The Vampire Chronicles on film 01:00:50 — Movie discussion 02:31:47 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "Anne Rice: The Extended 1995 Interview" by Mikal Gilmore | Rolling Stone (1995) - “You Asked, Anne Answered — ‘How is it that your birth name was Howard Allen?’” - “Interview with a Vampire director Neil Jordan: I had a great time making this movie, but there's a dark Catholic guilt underneath” by Una Brankin | The Belfast Telegraph (2014) - “The Anne Rice Reader” edited by Katherine Ramsland (1997) - “A look inside Hollywood and the movies: Interview With the Vampire’s Picky Creator” by Elaine Dutka | Los Angeles Times (1993) - Cruise's Vampire Turns Off Oprah - She Walks Out | The Orlando Sentinel (1994) - 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: “Your Ambition” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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173. Dennis the Menace (1993)
09/26/2025
173. Dennis the Menace (1993)
In the origin story of Michael Myers, the slasher killer from the legendary Halloween series of horror films, young Michael sees his sister….. Wait, what? Oh, this is Dennis the Menace? In which a little slingshot punk from the 1950s rides around on a tricycle in 1993 and torments an innocent old man? And you're telling me it’s not about Michael Myers, it was just directed by the man who originally played Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s Halloween (Nick “The Shape” Castle)? Gotcha. I see where the confusion started. Unregardless, here is our long-awaited discussion of the 1993 Dennis the Menace starring Walter Mathau as Mr. Wilson and Christopher Lloyd as a hobo killer who rides the rails and skins children alive, even though we never get to actually see that. And this was written and produced by John Hughes, during his “Let’s just do Home Alone again and again and again” period. Laci loves it, Matt does not, so this is the two-hour therapy session that results. Watch this episode in full: Next week: Our October Extravaganza begins with Interview with the Vampire (1994)! Bonus video: Matt and Laci reveal their blindspots from the IMBD Top 250 movies of all time list - Out now on the Patreon: Matt, Wade, and Patrick dive deep into Nickelodeon’s Doug, discussing its history and reviewing the episodes “Doug Can’t Dance” and “Doug’s Garage Band.” Time stamps: 00:03:15 — We read this week's Dennis the Menace newspaper comics 00:11:08 — Opening thoughts on Dennis the Menace (the movie) 00:17:30 — History segment: The Dennis the Menace comic strip created by Hank Ketcham and its long afterlife; the 1950s Dennis the Menace sitcom; the production of the 1993 movie and John Hughes’s pivot to cranking out family movies with very similar premises 00:39:45 — Movie discussion 02:00:20 — Final thoughts and star ratings Source: "Dennis the Menace and ADHD" by Matthew Smith | Psychology Today (2018) - 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: “Your Ambition” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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Nickelodeon’s Doug (Patreon Preview)
09/22/2025
Nickelodeon’s Doug (Patreon Preview)
Matt has assembled his friends Wade Hymel and Patrick Perot to do a deep dive into Nickelodeon's Doug—specifically, the episodes "Doug Can't Dance" and "Doug's Garage Band." In this free preview from the longer premium episode (available on Patreon: , Matt, Wade, and Patrick explore the long history of the TV show and of Doug himself, both before, during, and after his show on Nickelodeon. Created by Jim Jinkins, Doug is a show that looks great, sounds even better, and its humor and sensibilities have aged beautifully. We chart the history of Doug himself—his long pre-series life as a character Jinkins used an avatar for himself to process his world; as a pitchman for Florida grapefruit juice and the USA TV network; and then as the star of one of the three original Nicktoons. Then, in a very unique situation, Doug switched networks and was given a mild retooling to make it more radical and extreme for the late '90s as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning lineup of children's programming on ABC. Catch the full episode on Patreon: Source: "You Don't Know Doug" by Mathew Klickstein | Vulture (2012) - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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172. Charlie’s Angels (2000)
09/19/2025
172. Charlie’s Angels (2000)
The year is 2000. You are a 12-year-old boy. You spend your days watching Total Request Live and hoping they’ll man up and play “Stellar” by Incubus. You spend an inordinate amount of time choosing the coolest song lyrics to leave as your AOL Instant Messenger away message. And you head out to the cinematorium to see three women kick ass in Charlie’s Angels. You like it a lot, but you have difficulty explaining why. Well, revisiting it 25 years later, it’s actually pretty easy to see why: It’s kind of just a straightforward, fun, slightly silly action movie. In Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz, you have three extremely likable and charismatic performances. And, in the biggest shocker of all, the much-maligned McG is able to direct some fairly competent action sequences. Who knew? Watch this episode in full: Next week: Dennis the Menace (1993) Bonus videos: Review of the new Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk: Review of FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue: Watching The Godfather with a 14-year-old: Time stamps: 00:04:08 — Opening thoughts on Charlie’s Angels 00:19:15 — History segment: The 1970s Charlie’s Angels TV show and the advent of “Jiggle Television”; the movie’s development with Drew Barrymore as producer and the hiring of McG; the “complicated legacy” of the 2000 movie as the 2019 reboot movie starring Kristen Stewart came out and was then poorly received 00:43:00 — Movie discussion 01:59:45 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "The Complicated Legacy of the 2000 Charlie’s Angels" by Ashley Spencer | Vanity Fair (2019) - “Drew Barrymore: I Need to Be the Person to Rescue Myself in Life” by Alyssa Bailey | Elle (2016) - “Bill Murray says 'Charlie's Angels' director 'deserves to die'” by Chris Nashawaty | Entertainment Weekly (2009) - "Post-Godzilla: Broad Sony agenda shows there's life after lizard" by Dan Cox & Benedict Carver | Variety (1998) - Review of 'Charlie's Angels' by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (2000) - “Charlie's timeless angels: Women who transformed television” by David Usborne | The Independent (2006) - "Elizabeth Banks Thinks This Interview Is Dangerous for Her" by David Marchese | The New York Times (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: “Your Ambition” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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171. FernGully: The Last Rainforest
09/12/2025
171. FernGully: The Last Rainforest
They thought they were making a movie that would save the environment and destroy extractive industries. Instead, they made a generation of millennials horny as hell for cartoon trees. FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a fascinating mid-budget animated film that presents a mighty counterweight to the Disney behemoth of the early 1990s: Modest in scope, budget-level pop songs, and an anti-capitalist message Disney would never allow (unless James Cameron does it). And it’s not a great movie, but it’s very good, and the animation is extremely impressive. And everyone jokes that Avatar lifts the story of FernGully…. But man, it really seems like Avatar has seen FernGully. Or maybe it’s just that there are so few anti-capitalist movies made by Hollywood studios that the few that exist all seem to resemble each other. Also: Seriously you guys, there is some legitimately horny stuff going on in this movie. Avatar also seems inspired by that part. Watch this episode in full: Next week: Charlie’s Angels (2000) Bonus video: Matt reviews the 1980s Yugoslavian animated film The Elm-Chanted Forest. 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: 00:02:23 — Welcome to “season three” of Load Bearing Beams 00:05:50 — Opening thoughts on FernGully 00:21:32 — History segment: Producer Wayne Young and his wife Diana steward the FernGully project; animation lifer Bill Kroyer directs; Robin Williams’s hiring creates a feud with Disney and Jeffrey Katzenberg 00:39:27 — Movie discussion 01:17:42 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "FernGully at 25: How an Upstart Disney Rival Created a Millennial Silent Spring" by Chantel Tattoli | Vanity Fair (2017) - "Ferngully an enchantment" by Jamie Portman | The Calgary Herald (1992) - "Robin Williams's Change of Life" by Jesse Kornbluth | New York Magazine (1993) - “Technological Threat” (Bill Kroyer’s 1988 animated short) - 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: “Your Ambition” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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Final Thoughts on The Rock + Answering Listener Questions!
09/05/2025
Final Thoughts on The Rock + Answering Listener Questions!
We weren’t expecting this miniseries on Dwayne Johnson to be so relevant, but as he debuted his “new look” at the Venice Film Festival and began his awards season campaign, Laci and Matt react to the news of the week and unpack his public comments. Johnson reflected on his own career with many of the thoughts we’ve had as we’ve gone through his filmography. Is he sincere about it, or just being a good politician trying to win an award? Does he mean it when he says he was ready to pivot to “serious acting” or he was forced to by having so many consecutive box office failures? And is Emily Blunt really his best friend? Does it matter? We take the new information and give our concluding thoughts on the acting career of The Rock, and then rank the nine movies we covered during the summer. And then, we answer some mailbag questions, including: Fuck/Marry/Kill: The duck who shows her tits in Howard the Duck, tiny Dwayne Johnson in Tooth Fairy, and the Thanksgiving turkey from Spider-Man? What relationship from any movie sums up our relationship? Is there a movie that strikes both of us in such a way that we connect over it? What are some underrated movie sequels? What makes us passionate about movies and TV? What movie makes us fight? 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! Next week: FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992). Bonus video: Matt does a deep dive into Tower of Terror (1997), the made-for-TV movie starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst and based on the Disney theme park ride English-language: Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 01:00 — Dwayne Johnson at the Venice Film Festival 34:38 — Ranking the Summer of Rock movies 37:02 — Mailbag Sources: “Dwayne Johnson Gets Choked Up Discussing ‘The Smashing Machine’ in Venice” by Patrick Brzeski | The Hollywood Reporter (2025) - "Dwayne Johnson Uncontrollably Sobs as ‘The Smashing Machine’ Gets 15-Minute Venice Standing Ovation and Generates Oscar Buzz" by Rebecca Rubin & Ramin Setoodeh | Variety (2025) - Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (), Apple Music (), or YouTube (). "Summer of Rock" theme song credits:Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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170. Jungle Cruise (Summer of Rock)
08/29/2025
170. Jungle Cruise (Summer of Rock)
This is the end, beautiful friends. We conclude the Summer of Rock with the much-better-than-I-remembered Jungle Cruise, a movie we abruptly pivoted to covering after trying to watch Black Adam and giving up out of boredom. We cover the history of movies based on theme parks, the rocky production of Jungle Cruise, its unfortunate failure at the box office, and then we go through the movie itself, trying to figure out if this is one of The Rock’s better late-career performances or if he’s being carried entirely by Emily Blunt. 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! Next week: We’ll have a shorter bonus episode to wrap up the Summer of Rock, and we’ll answer a few mailbag questions. Our next proper episode will be September 12, 2025, about FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992). Bonus video: Matt does a deep dive into Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, the 1989 English-language anime: Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:02:59 — Wrapping up the Summer of Rock (sort of) 00:15:40 — General thoughts on Jungle Cruise 00:22:45 — History segment, part 1: The Jungle Cruise Disney theme park attraction and the craze of adapting theme park rides into movies 00:37:50 — History segment, part 2: the production and COVID-hampered release of Jungle Cruise; the production gets attention for featuring Disney’s “first” “openly gay” character 00:58:40 — History segment, part 3: The Rock’s movie career after Jungle Cruise: Red Notice, Black Adam, Red One, and The Smashing Machine 01:16:00 — In-depth movie discussion 02:10:50 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Disney's 'Jungle Cruise' Movie Coming Out Scene with Gay Character ... But Avoids the Key Word” | TMZ (2018) - “Dwayne Johnson & Chris Evans’ $200M+ Christmas Action Movie ‘Red One’ Opens To $34M: Is It A Bomb Or A Streamer’s Rounding Error?” by Anthony D'Alessandro | Deadline (2024) - 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: “Summer of Rock” - https://youtu.be/dvRY72jNIEE “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ "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: @wadealready Follow TJ on Instagram: @baresoundstwitaj Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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169. Hobbs & Shaw (Summer of Rock)
08/22/2025
169. Hobbs & Shaw (Summer of Rock)
They went and made a dang spin-off to the Fast & Furious franchise, and it made a ton of money, and there's no chance it'll ever get a sequel because no one liked it. Especially not Matt. Matt is utterly miserable talking about Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), but Laci's able to help him get through it by diving in to all the messy drama surrounding Dwayne Johnson's feud with Vin Diesel that led to Luke Hobbs getting exiled from the main Fast & Furious series of movies. Next week: Jungle Cruise (2021) 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! Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! — Time stamps: 00:02:20 — General thoughts on how The Rock is evolving, his chemistry with Jason Statham, and broad reactions to Hobbs & Shaw 00:22:10 — History segment, part 1: Career overview of Jason Statham and director David Leitch 00:31:30 — History segment, part 2: The feud between The Rock and Vin Diesel 01:03:35 — In-depth movie discussion 02:13:40 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Inside The Rock and Vin Diesel's 'Fast 8' Feud: 'Tension Has Been Building for Months,' Says Source” by Mike Miller | People (2016) - “Vin Diesel talks Rock feud: 'In my house, he's Uncle Dwayne'” by Bryan Alexander | USA Today (2017) - “Vin Diesel Is 53 and Still Shifting Up” by Ryan D'Agostino | Men’s Health (2021) - “Dwayne Johnson Lets Down His Guard” by Chris Heath | Vanity Fair (2021) - “Dwayne Johnson reflects on his record-breaking year, becoming the tequila king and whether he’ll run for the White House” by Chloe Melas | CNN (2021) - 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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168. Baywatch (with Caleb Hogan) (Summer of Rock)
08/15/2025
168. Baywatch (with Caleb Hogan) (Summer of Rock)
There were big expectations in 2017 for the Baywatch movie. 21 Jump Street had shown that raunchy, irreverent takes on cheesy '80s and '90s TV shows could earn bofo box office, and with the dual star power of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, it looked as if Baywatch couldn't miss. But critics hated it and the movie was a flop at the box office, canceling Paramount’s big plans for a Baywatch Cinematic Universe. So, what happened? And is the movie really as bad as its reputation? What does this movie think it is? Is it a raunchy R-rated comedy that wants to mock its source material? Or is it a loving tribute to the most-watched series in the world in the 1990s? It’s… kind of neither. Does The Rock make any sense in the lead role of Lieutenant Mitch Buchanan, or has he fully entered the “most boring actor in every movie he’s in” portion of his career? Why does the movie suddenly start working as a surprisingly functional comedy when The Rock inexplicably disappears from the movie for 25 minutes and Efron takes over as the lead? Join Laci, Matt, and our official Zac Efron correspondent Caleb for a spirited debate about a movie we’re actually pretty divided on. Plus a deep dive into the history of Baywatch and an in-depth look at Dwayne Johnson’s extended business empire. 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 takes us through movies (like Baywatch) that explicitly promise a sequel and then never end up getting a sequel: Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:04:03 — Our personal histories with Baywatch the TV series AND the movie 00:17:55 — History segment, part 1: The creation of Baywatch (the TV series), and its unlikely rise to become the most-watched show in the world 00:30:30 — History segment, part 2: The production of Baywatch (the movie) under director Seth Gordon 00:47:45 — History segment, part 3: An in-depth look at Dwayne Johnson’s business empire, insatiable appetite to own the world, potential presidential ambitions, and relationship with Vince McMahon 01:11:20 — Discussing the 2017 Baywatch movie at length 02:41:10 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “The Drive (and Despair) of The Rock: Dwayne Johnson on His Depression, Decision to Fire Agents and Paul Walker’s Death” by Stephen Galloway | Hollywood Reporter (2014) - “Dwayne Johnson lets his guard down” by Chris Heath | Vanity Fair (2021) - “How ‘Baywatch’ Went From an Early Belly Flop to the Big Screen” by Chris Lee | New York Times (2017) - (reprinted in the Austin American-Statesman: “The Inside Story Behind Baywatch, The TV Phenomena That Owned The '90s” by Brian Boone | Looper (2023) - “‘Baywatch’ Origin Story: How One Lifeguard Turned His Dream Into A Hassle That Paid Hoff” by Michael Schneider | IndieWire (2017) - “How ‘Pirates’ & ‘Baywatch’ Are Casualties Of Summer Franchise Fatigue At The Domestic B.O.” by Anthony D'Alessandro & Anita Busch | Deadline (2017) - “Dwayne Johnson once fired his agents because they didn't agree he could be bigger than Will Smith and George Clooney. Now his movies have made more money than theirs.” by Ayomikun Adekaiyero | Business Insider (2024) - “Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson bemoans 'woke culture,' declines to endorse presidential candidate” by Naledi Ushe | USA Today (2024) - "Boss of the Beach: For 40 years, the city’s lifeguard corps has been mired in controversy, and for 40 years it’s been run by one man: Peter Stein" by David Gauvey Herbert | New York Magazine (2020) - 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
08/08/2025
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
We're off for the week but here's an extensive chunk from our premium episode to tide you over till then. It's a spoiler-filled discussion of The Fantastic Four: First Steps with our guests Neophyte Reviews and Screentime Kota. The Summer of Rock resumes in one week with an episode about Baywatch (2017)! Another MCU movie has arrived, and Matt’s being a real Ebeneezer Scrooge about it. Neophyte Reviews and Screen Time Kota join the show to try to convince him not to be such a grump and to welcome things like light and joy into his heart. And so, we have for you a spoiler-filled discussion of Matt Shakman’s THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, in which an angry mob tries to steal a baby. (Matt’s on the mob’s side.) Meanwhile, Kota fills several chalkboards with equations to demonstrate the multiverses upon multiverse contained within this movie, and Neo explains the most powerful being in all of existence: Franklin. Follow Neophyte Reviews: TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@neophyte_reviews Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/neophyte_reviews/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@neophyte_reviews Follow Screen Time Kota: TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@screentimekota Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/screen_time_kota/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ScreenTimeKota
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167. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Summer of Rock)
08/01/2025
167. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Summer of Rock)
Sony made a sequel to Jumanji, that sad Robin Williams movie from the ‘90s, 22 years later? And it made a billion dollars? And everyone liked it?? It’s true. And as a result, every time a movie studio makes a questionable legacy sequel this is why. They’re telling themselves: “It worked with Jumanji.” It’s why Disney is putting out a Tron movie this year. Well, the thing is, the movie needs to be good! And Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle IS good. It’s a very likable and winning comedy. It’s just kind of a lackluster blockbuster. But what a fun cast! The Rock is once again able to have fun playing a guy who feels very awkward looking like The Rock. Kevin Hart is very funny, Karen Gillan kicks ass, and Jack Black gives maybe his best ever performance. Nick Jonas is also here. And this movie has us asking the big questions. What makes you you and me me? Are our personalities completely predetermined? Do NPCs have a right to privacy? If you’re popular in high school, will you be popular for the rest of your life? And are dicks just the tits of the man? There’s also an unexpected 10-minute Blade Runner digression. 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! Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! Time stamps: 00:02:45 — Our personal histories with Jumanji and its haphazard franchise 00:15:25 — History segment: Jumanji the book by Chris Van Allsburg; the original Joe Johnston movie starring Robin Williams; and the long path to the 2017 sequel directed by Jake Kasdan 00:33:00 — In-depth movie discussion 01:43:30 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “How Producer Matt Tolmach & Sony Revived The ‘Jumanji’ Franchise 22 Years After The Original” by Anthony D’Alessandro | Deadline (2017) - “Jumanji Overtakes Spider-Man as Sony's Biggest Domestic Box Office Release Ever” by Michael Domanico | IGN (2018) - 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: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky:
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