1-Week Rental | Behind the Scenes Film Analysis

Behind the scenes look at a beloved movie every week, followed by an in-depth review and discussion, giving film lovers and pop culture enthusiasts a complete deep dive with every episode. Matt Stokes and Laci Roth rent a movie from the video store, spend the week obsessing over it, and then tell you all about it. 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.

203. Interstellar (2014) | Is This Christopher Nolan's Masterpiece? | Behind The Scenes Of Interstellar | Interstellar Film Analysis 08/07/2026

203. Interstellar (2014) | Is This Christopher Nolan's Masterpiece? | Behind The Scenes Of Interstellar | Interstellar Film Analysis We said The Prestige is the "most" Christopher Nolan movie, and that Inception is his most autobiographical... but it turns out we were wrong, because both apply to Interstellar. It's a movie where a character literally says, "I'm not afraid of death. I'm afraid of time." It's a movie about a man who desperately wants to return home to his children, except that he wants even more to go do some cool stuff in outer space. The movie's working title was Flora's Letter, referring to Nolan's real-life 11-year-old daughter Flora, the inspiration for the character of Murph. And it's probably Nolan's best movie. Laci and Matt spend more than three hours celebrating this masterpiece, and talk a lot about whether you should even care if the human race got resurrected via a tube of sperm on another planet hundreds of years in the future. Watch this Interstellar podcast in full on YouTube: Get more 1-Week Rental on Patreon: Next episode (Aug. 14, 2026): Tenet (2020)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife. Time stamps: 00:01:41 — What have we learned about Christopher Nolan so far? And how does it apply to Interstellar? 00:20:00 — History segment: Producer Lynda Obst and physicist Kip Thorne develop Interstellar for Steven Spielberg, with Jonah Nolan as the screenwriter; Spielberg leaves, Christopher Nolan comes aboard; the science of Interstellar is always emphasized during the movie's development; Nolan works with composer Hans Zimmer on the movie's music before shooting begins; casting Matthew McConaughey; release, reception, and legacy of Interstellar 01:24:43 — Movie discussion + Interstellar film analysis 03:10:55 — Star ratings + final review of Interstellar INTERSTELLAR (2014) was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy, Matt Damon, David Gyasi, Bill Irwin, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, Timothée Chalamet, and Michael Caine as Professor Brand. Sources: "Interstellar: How Christopher Nolan’s Space Exploration Movie Achieved Lift-Off" by Dan Jolin | Empire (2014) - "The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan" by Tom Shone (2020) - Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales from the New Abnormal in the Movie Business by Lynda Obst (2014) - "Wrinkles in Spacetime: The Warped Astrophysics of Interstellar" by Adam Rogers | Wired (2014) - "Writer with real stars in his eyes" by Jay Fernandez | The Los Angeles Times (2007) - "All About Christopher Nolan’s 4 Kids, Who All Worked on ‘The Odyssey’ With Him" by Bailey Bujnosek | InStyle (2026) - "Meet the Woman Behind Dunkirk" by Rebecca Keegan | Vanity Fair (2017) - "Christopher Nolan on Dunkirk, Taking His Kids to Phantom Thread" by Christina Radish | Collider (2018) - "Steven Spielberg Worked on ‘Interstellar’ for One Year and Says ‘I Became Fascinated With It’ Before Dropping Out: ‘It Was a Much Better Movie in Nolan’s Hands’" by Zack Sharif | Variety (2026) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts! PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap 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: “Summer of Nolan” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/42349620

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) (Patreon Preview) | Has Marvel Studios Finally Turned Things Around? | Spoiler-filled Discussion 08/06/2026

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 (1987) (Patreon Preview) | Celebrating One Of The Best Horror Sequels Ever 07/31/2026

202. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) | Does Christopher Nolan's Third Batman Movie Deserve More Credit? | Behind The Scenes Of The Dark Knight Rises | Film Analysis 07/24/2026

202. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) | Does Christopher Nolan's Third Batman Movie Deserve More Credit? | Behind The Scenes Of The Dark Knight Rises | Film Analysis When The Dark Knight Rises came out in 2012, expectations were sky high. After all, Christopher Nolan had shattered all box office records and blown critics away with The Dark Knight… what would he be doing now to dazzle audiences everywhere? Maybe it’s inevitable that the reception would be mixed. For the first time in his career, a Nolan movie was given generally negative reviews. And while it ultimately made more money worldwide than The Dark Knight did, it didn’t become the biggest movie of all time. Earlier that year, in fact, The Avengers had pulled that off, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s reign had officially begun. Nolan said the only reason he would ever consider making a sequel to The Dark Knight was if he came up with a story that was so good it justified its own existence. So… does The Dark Knight Rises do that? Laci thinks so; Matt doesn’t. In this episode, 1-Week Rental takes you behind the scenes of The Dark Knight Rises to give you the story of how Nolan developed this idea along with his collaborator David Goyer and his brother Jonah. Then, how Bane was selected as the villain, and how world events like Occupy Wall Street gave the film a fortuitous sense of timing. But is Nolan giving himself too much credit by saying Bane foreshadowed Donald Trump? What exactly is Nolan saying in this movie, anyway? And is he trying to say one thing but accidentally saying something else, instead? Then, Laci and Matt review The Dark Knight Rises. Is Bane ultimately a letdown? Would the Joker have made more sense carrying out Bane’s exact plan? Anne Hathaway is excellent as Selina Kyle, but does her character make sense? And is Marion Cotillard as “Miranda Tate” the least developed of all of Nolan’s female characters? All this and more in a supersized episode as the podcast concludes its coverage of Nolan’s trilogy of Batman films. Watch Matt's video about The Road to El Dorado: Watch this Dark Knight Rises podcast in full on YouTube: Get more 1-Week Rental on Patreon: Next episode: We're off on July 31, but we shall return on August 7, 2026 with an episode about Interstellar (2014)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife. Time stamps: 00:01:24 — Opening thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises 00:20:15 — History segment: Nolan searches for a sequel to The Dark Knight; how they decided to use Bane and cast Tom Hardy; the politics of The Dark Knight movies; production, release, and legacy of The Dark Knight Rises 01:04:29 — Movie discussion + The Dark Knight Rises film analysis 02:56:20 — Star ratings + final review of The Dark Knight Rises THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012) was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah; screen story by Nolan with David Goyer. Starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Tom Conti, Matthew Modine, Ben Mendelsohn, and Glen Powell as a stock trader. Sources: "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture" by Glen Weldon (2016) - "Christopher Nolan (Iconic Directors)" by Dan Jolin (2026) - "The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan" by Tom Shone (2020) - "The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Complete Story Of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Films" by Dan Jolin | Empire (2012) - "Heath Ledger was planning to return as the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises before his death, say family" by Jacob Stolworthy | The Independent (2018) - "For now, Nolan and Batman will rest in 'Dark' glory" by Scott Bowles | USA Today (2008) - "Christopher Nolan on ‘Dark Knight’ and its box-office billion: ‘It’s mystifying to me’" by Geoff Boucher | The Los Angeles Times (2008) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts! PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap 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: “Summer of Nolan” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/42190030

The Odyssey (2026) (Patreon Preview) | How The Odyssey's Themes Connect To All Of Christopher Nolan's Previous Films 07/23/2026

201. Inception (2010) | Making Sense Of Christopher Nolan's Most Autobiographical Film | Behind The Scenes Of Inception | Film Analysis Of Inception 07/17/2026

201. Inception (2010) | Making Sense Of Christopher Nolan's Most Autobiographical Film | Behind The Scenes Of Inception | Film Analysis Of Inception Movies are dreams, and directors are like the ultimate dreamweavers, if you think about it. Christopher Nolan certainly thinks so, and in his most autobiographical movie, he has Leonardo DiCaprio play man named Dom Cobb (come on, that's not a real name) who is dressed and styled to look a lot like Christopher Nolan, and he must assemble a team of creatives to help a billionaire in his feud with another billionaire. But actually, it's a movie about uncertainty. No one ever really knows whether they're in a dream, or in the Matrix, or being controlled by a demon. And when you understand that the movie is actually about giving you the experience of living with uncertainty, a lot clicks into place. Or at least it did for Matt. Laci might need to watch Inception a few more times. Before the movie discussion of Inception, Laci and Matt take you behind the scenes, giving a look at the evolution of Inception from Nolan's days as a student at uni all the way to the final version that made nearly a billion dollars at the box office. Watch Matt's video about Fantasia 2000, the "Trump's Ballroom" of Disney movies: Watch this Inception podcast in full on YouTube: Get more 1-Week Rental on Patreon: Next week (July 24, 2026): The Dark Knight Rises (2012)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife. Time stamps: 00:01:24 — Opening thoughts on Inception 00:18:15 — History segment: Christopher Nolan conceives of "dream thief" idea in early '90s and writes early version of screenplay in early 2000s; he rewrites it after The Dark Knight; casting Leonardo DiCaprio; reception & box office; interpretations of Inception 00:57:55 — Movie discussion + Inception film analysis 02:28:35 — Star ratings + final review of Inception INCEPTION was written and direct by Christopher Nolan. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Eliot Page, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine, Pete Posthlethwaite, Lukas Haas, and Talulah Riley as a woman. Sources: "The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan" by Tom Shone (2020) - “A Man and His Dream: Christopher Nolan and Inception” by Dave Itzkoff | The New York Times (2010) - “Crime of the Century” by Dan Jolin | Empire (2010) - "Christopher Nolan: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work" by Ian Nathan (2026) - "Inception and Philosophy: Because It's Never Just a Dream" edited by David Kyle Johnson (2011) - "Why Christopher Nolan gave in and helped a critic interpret his movies" by Josh Rottenberg | The Los Angeles Times (2020) - "This Time the Dream’s on Me" by A.O. Scott | The New York Times (2010) - "Dream Factory" by David Denby | The New Yorker (2010) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts! PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap 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: “Summer of Nolan” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/42070270

200. The Dark Knight (2008) | Christopher Nolan Made The Biggest Movie Of All Time | Behind The Scenes Of The Dark Knight + Movie Analysis 07/10/2026

200. The Dark Knight (2008) | Christopher Nolan Made The Biggest Movie Of All Time | Behind The Scenes Of The Dark Knight + Movie Analysis Few movies have penetrated the general pop culture landscape like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. And few characters have resonated the way the Joker, as brought to life by Heath Ledger, did when Nolan's movie came out in the summer of 2008 and became the biggest movie of all time. For their 200th episode, Matt and Laci dive deep—and I mean deep—into The Dark Knight. And in a surprise that could have been conceived by the Joker himself, it turns out Laci loves this movie. Matt, meanwhile, continues to feel extremely mixed about all three of Nolan's Batman movies—there's so much to love, and so much more to be confused and baffled by. For the history segment, the podcast goes behind the scenes to talk about the casting of Heath Ledger and his process for becoming the Joker. Ledger famously isolated himself in a hotel room for a month, journaling his weird thoughts to turn into a version of the Crown Prince of Crime we'd never seen before. We also talk about the history of the Joker as a character, going all the way back to the 1940s. What exactly is it about the Joker that appeals to so many people? And, even putting aside the tragic circumstances behind Ledger's performance, what about the Nolan Joker resonated with so many people? Then, we talk for two hours about the movie itself, celebrating what we love, rubbing our temples about what we hate, and ultimately trying to figure out what exactly Bruce Wayne believes. How has he become so enchanted by a tough-on-crime prosecutor? Isn't Harvey Dent just Rudy Giuliani, but handsome? And the Joker's philosophy was extremely appealing to people, but does it actually make sense? We spend a lot of time unpacking it, and theorizing about where the Joker would have gone in a sequel, and if he would have done some maturing in between movies. If we have a contrarian take on The Dark Knight, it is this: The Joker isn't a reaction to Batman, he's a reaction to Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne rules the world of this movie so insivisbly that he poisons everything without anyone noticing. Watch this episode in full on YouTube: Get more 1-Week Rental on Patreon: Next week (July 17, 2026): Inception (2010)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife. Time stamps: 00:01:24 — Opening thoughts on The Dark Knight 00:15:10 — History segment: Initiatal development of the Batman Begins sequel; a brief history of the Joker; Heather Ledger and the Joker; the legendary viral marketing campaign Warner Brothers ran to introduce the world to Ledger's Joker; Ledger's tragic death and the pall that cast over the movie; the release and legacy of The Dark Knight and the Ledger Joker 01:12:28 — Movie discussion + The Dark Knight film analysis 02:51:15 — Star ratings + final review of The Dark Knight The Dark Knight was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah; screen story by Nolan with David Goyer. Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Eric Roberts, Chin Han, Nestor Carbonell, Joshua Harto, Michael Jai White, Ritchie Coster, Colin McFarlane, Monique Curnen, and Anthony Michael Hall as a news anchor. Sources: “Dark Knight Review: Nolan Talks Sequel Inflation” by Anne Thompson | Variety (2008) - "Batman’s Burden: A Director Confronts Darkness and Death" by David M. Halbfinger | The New York Times (2008) - "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture" by Glen Weldon (2016) - "Christopher Nolan (Iconic Directors)" by Dan Jolin (2026) - "The Making Of The Joker" by Dan Jolin | Empire (2009) - "A look inside Heath Ledger’s sinister ‘Joker journal’ for The Dark Knight" by Christopher Hooton | The Independent (2015) - Interview with Christopher Nolan by Steven Weintraub | Collider (2008) - "Why is the Joker so popular?: A psychological look" by Byron Lafayette | Bam! Smack! Pow! (2019) - “Why So Serious? Warner Bros.’ Use of the Joker in marketing The Dark Knight” by Kim Owczarksi | from "The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime" edited by Robert Moses Peaslee & Robert G. Weiner (2015) - "Christopher Nolan: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work" by Ian Nathan (2026) - "Heath Ledger died of accidental overdose" | The Associated Press (2008) - "Showdown in Gotham Town" by Manohla Dargis | The New York Times (2008) - "The Joker Didn’t Inspire the Aurora Shooter, but the Rumor Won’t Go Away" by Yohana Desta | Vanity Fair (2019) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts! PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap 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: “Summer of Nolan” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/42022610

Insomnia (2002) (Patreon Preview) | Reviewing Christopher Nolan's Least Christopher Nolan Movie | Insomnia Film Analysis 07/03/2026

199. The Prestige (2006) | Breaking Down Christopher Nolan’s Magic Trick | Behind The Scenes Of The Prestige + Film Analysis 06/26/2026

199. The Prestige (2006) | Breaking Down Christopher Nolan’s Magic Trick | Behind The Scenes Of The Prestige + Film Analysis Christopher Nolan fully became Christopher Nolan with The Prestige—a masterpiece that juggles seven interweaving timelines, multiple perspectives, and red herrings that all snap into focus. Join Laci and Matt for a behind-the-scenes deep dive into how Nolan transformed Christopher Priest's novel into cinema's ultimate puzzle box, plus the career impact this movie had on everything he made after. Laci and Matt go through the history of this movie, starting with the novel by Christopher Priest that inspired it. Then they go behind the scenes of the movie and talk about the Nolan brothers' yearslong struggle to adapt it. One issue for Nolan: Magic on screen is not exciting like magic is in person. So instead, After that, a look at Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, and how each of their upbringings and acting styles informs the characters they play. Not only that, Jackman, Bale, Angier, and Borden all reflect parts of Christopher Nolan's schizophrenic directorial personality, torn between a populist, a puzzle maker, a hoity-toity artiste, and a crowd pleaser. Then: The Prestige. We discuss it in depth, theorize about all kinds of weird crap that's going on in the background of the movie, and gush over Bale, Jackman, Michael Caine, and Rebecca Hall, and marvel at how Nolan managed to pull off this magic trick of a movie. Watch this episode in full on YouTube: No new episode next week (July 3, 2026). We'll be back on Friday, July 10, 2026 with episode 200, about The Dark Knight (2008)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife. Time stamps: 00:01:39 — Opening thoughts on The Prestige 00:09:19 — History segment: Christopher Priest writes the novel The Prestige; Nolan and his brother adapt the novel; career overviews of Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, and how each informs the character they play; reception and legacy of The Prestige 00:55:00 — Movie discussion + The Prestige film analysis 02:30:45 — Star ratings + final review of The Prestige The Prestige (2006) was directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Nolan with his brother Jonah, based on the novel by Christopher Priest. Starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, David Bowie, Piper Perabo, and Ricky Jay as Milton the Magician. Sources: "Ten Years Later, Why We're Still Obsessed With 'The Prestige'" by Colin Biggs | Screen Crush (2016) - "‘Out of the Furnace’ Star Christian Bale on His ‘Love-Hate’ Relationship with Acting (Q&A)" by Scott Feinberg | The Hollywood Reporter (2013) - "Pressure as a child formed 'love/hate' relationship with acting" by Ben Child | The Guardian (2013) - "Christian Bale on suffering from insomnia and running into Viggo Mortensen in Rome" by Jonathan Heaf | British GQ (2012) - "Christopher Priest obituary" by John Clute | The Guardian (2024) - "Christopher Nolan (Iconic Directors)" by Dan Jolin (2025) - "Christopher Nolan: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work" by Ian Nathan (2026) - “Behind the Magic with Prestige Cast” | Access (2006) "The Prestige: Inside Christopher Nolan’s Movie Magic Trick" by Dan Jolin | Empire Magazine (2006) - "Christian Bale: 'I was asked to do a romantic comedy. I thought they’d lost their minds'" by Rory Carroll | The Guardian (2018) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts! PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap 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: “Summer of Nolan” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41797570

198. Batman Begins (2005) | Christopher Nolan Invented The Modern Blockbuster | Behind The Scenes Of Batman Begins + Film Analysis 06/19/2026

198. Batman Begins (2005) | Christopher Nolan Invented The Modern Blockbuster | Behind The Scenes Of Batman Begins + Film Analysis Nine years into this podcast and we finally talk about a Batman movie. That seems illegal. We explain why Batman is the pop culture figure who is most like a religion, debate whether he is the most popular fictional character in the world, and go through the various toggles from dark to light to dark to light to dark again, and why this drives fans nuts. Christopher Nolan wanted to make a grounded, realistic Batman. He succeeded. But was this a good idea? And was this good for culture? Does Nolan have much to atone for? Is this movie his Bat Bomb? Watch this episode in full on YouTube: Next week (June 26, 2026). The Prestige (2006)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife. Time stamps: 00:01:39 — Opening thoughts on Batman (the guy) and Batman Begins (the movie) 00:22:33 — History segment: The many lives of Batman; the rise and fall of Batman movies in the '90s; Nolan and Warner Bros succeed in revitalizing the franchise with Batman Begins; casting Christian Bale as the Masked Manhunter 00:55:00 — Movie discussion + Batman Begins film analysis 02:29:30 — Star ratings + final review of Batman Begins Batman Begins (2005) was directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Linus Roache, Ken Watanabe, Mark Boone Junior, and Rutger Hauer as Mr. Earle. Sources: "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture" by Glen Weldon (2016) - "Christopher Nolan (Iconic Directors)" by Don Jolin (2025) - "Rescuing Batman" by James Greenberg | The Los Angeles Times (2005) - Interview with Christopher Nolan by Anwar Brett | BBC (2005) - Review of Batman Begins by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (2005) - "From Batman to Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy discuss their epic movie partnership" by Clark Collis | Entertainment Weekly (2023) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts! PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap 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: “Summer of Nolan” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41690500

197. Memento (2001) | Christopher Nolan’s Breakthrough Movie Has All His Favorite Tricks and Tropes | Behind The Scenes Of Memento + Film Analysis 06/12/2026

197. Memento (2001) | Christopher Nolan’s Breakthrough Movie Has All His Favorite Tricks and Tropes | Behind The Scenes Of Memento + Film Analysis Laci and Matt kick off the Summer of Nolan with a look at Nolan’s early career—his feature debut Following (1998) and then his breakout hit Memento (2001). But first, we share our big-picture thoughts on Christopher Nolan: Why is he the world’s most popular director? Does he identify too much with J. Robert Oppenheimer? Is he too boring and well-adjusted to make a good subject for a podcast miniseries? Like his hero Steven Spielberg, Nolan didn’t attend film school. Instead, he taught himself to make movies by making movies. He self-financed and produced Following a few hours at a time, but it already showed his gifts as a director and the writing and editing styles that would become hallmarks of all his future films. Working on a considerably larger budget, Nolan then made Memento, which became an indie sensation on the late-90s/early-2000s film festival circuit. It then became a surprise hit at the box office and an even bigger success on home video, launching Nolan’s storied Hollywood career. 1-Week Rental tells the story of Memento before diving deep into a discussion and analysis of the movie itself. Watch this episode in full on YouTube: Next week (June 19, 2026). The Summer of Nolan continues with Batman Begins (2005)! The Summer of Nolan is our summer 2026 miniseries covering the movie career of Christopher Nolan through nine movies on the main feed (plus additional episodes on the Patreon!), presented in chronological order, starting with Memento and going through Oppenheimer. And don't be surprised if our old pal Odysseus drops by to tell us about his long journey home to his wife. Time stamps: 00:01:39 — Opening thoughts on Christopher Nolan 00:14:45 — History segment: Christopher Nolan's early life; the criminal career of his older brother Matt; Following; and the production, release, and legacy of Memento 00:53:46 — Movie discussion + Memento film analysis 01:52:50 — Star ratings + final review of Memento Memento (2001) was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie-Anne Moss, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harriest Sansom Harris, Mark Boone Junior, and Callum Keith Rennie as Dodd. Sources: "Batman, robbin’ and murder" by Christopher Goodwin | The Sunday Times (2010) - "Fact Check: Is Christopher Nolan’s Brother a Suspected Hitman Called ‘Oppenheimer’?" by Jamie Burton | Newsweek (2023) - "I was there at the Inception of Christopher Nolan's film career" by Matthew Tempest | The Guardian (2011) - 18-Minute Analysis By Christopher Nolan On Story & Construction Of Memento - "Christopher Nolan: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work" by Ian Nathan (2026) - "Guy Pearce On Why Working With Christopher Nolan Was One Of His Greatest Life Experiences" by Alex Godfrey | Empire (2020) - "Memory Swerves" by Daniel Fierman | Entertainment Weekly (2001) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts! PodJob: A James Bond Podcast on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap 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: “Summer of Nolan” - “Winston-Salem” - “Snake Drama” - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - The "Summer of Nolan" theme song was written by Matt Stokes. Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends. Performed by: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums, percussion, and backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals, guitar, and bass Follow 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41572350

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) (Patreon Preview) | Discussing A Zombie Movie With Very Few Zombies | The Bone Temple Film Analysis 06/05/2026

196. Gone Girl (2014) | How David Fincher & Gillian Flynn Defined A Genre For A Generation | Behind The Scenes Of Gone Girl + Film Analysis 05/29/2026

196. Gone Girl (2014) | How David Fincher & Gillian Flynn Defined A Genre For A Generation | Behind The Scenes Of Gone Girl + Film Analysis Gillian Flynn’s novel Gone Girl defined a literary niche when it first came out in 2012, and it still defines it to this day. David Fincher’s great 2014 adaptation—written in collaboration with Flynn—is one of the greatest and most fun movie thrillers of the 21st century. Now I want to present you with a terrifying scenario: What if this book had come out three years later, and instead of this glorious 2.5-hour film, we got a boring 12-hour streaming series? Come on, you can see it right now in your mind: Episode 3 is a flashback to Amy’s life as a child, with none of the regular actors in it. Episode 9 is the Desi episode, and Amy finally arrives at his door right before the closing credits. No thank you. And so 1-Week Rental is here to take you through the history of that movie. How Gillian Flynn wrote her novel and then worked closely with Fincher on the production, how perfect the casting of both Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike was, how Reese Witherspoon produced the movie with the intention of playing Amazing Amy herself only to be told by Fincher she was all wrong for the part, and how this movie is loosely based on the lives of Laci Roth and Matt Stokes. Did you know that? Watch the history segment in full on YouTube: We're off next week (June 5, 2026). The next episode will be out on Friday, June 12, 2026 when our summer miniseries begins. The Summer of Nolan opens with a podcast about Christopher Nolan's Memento (2000)! Time stamps: 00:05:50 — History segment: Gillian Flynn writes the Gone Girl novel; movie optioned by Reese Witherspoon and David Fincher is hired to direct; career of Rosamund Pike; career of Ben Affleck 00:51:40 — Movie discussion + Gone Girl film analysis 02:38:20 — Star ratings + final review of Gone Girl Gone Girl (2014) was directed by David Fincher. Screenplay by Gillian Flynn, based on her novel. Starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Patrick Fugit, Missi Pyle, Emily Ratajkowski, Casey Wilson, David Clennon, Lisa Banes, and Scoot McNairy. Sources: "Kansas City native Gillian Flynn emerges as a literary force with her twisted mystery 'Gone Girl'" by Steve Paul | The Kansas City Star (2012) - "Gillian Flynn on Adapting ‘Gone Girl,’ Being Too ‘Wimpy’ for Crime Reporting and Her Best Advice to Writers" by Kimberly Nordyke | The Hollywood Reporter (2012) - "Gillian Flynn Peers Into the Dark Side of Femininity" by Lauren Oyler | The New York Times (2018) - "Gillian Flynn on her bestseller Gone Girl and accusations of misogyny" by Oliver Burkeman | The Guardian (2013) - "A Surprise Hit Spawns a Movie Deal" by Stafanie Cohen | The Wall Street Journal (2012) - "Author Gillian Flynn says filming ‘Gone Girl’ went much better than expected" by Robert Butler | The Kansas City Star (2014) - "David Fincher Talks 'Gone Girl,' Avoids Spoilers (Hooray!)" by Audie Cornish | NPR (2014) - "Movie Sneaks: Thrills, chills for Gillian Flynn in adapting ‘Gone Girl’" by Gina McIntyre | The Los Angeles Times (2014) - "Gone Girl film director David Fincher on his potential Oscar contender" by James Mottram | The Independent (2014) - "Reese Witherspoon Says David Fincher Told Her ‘I’m Not Putting You’ in ‘Gone Girl’: ‘He Was Totally Right’ and ‘Rosamund Pike Is So Diabolical’" by J. Kim Murphy | Variety (2015) - "Ambition" (w/ Reese Witherspoon) | Las Culturistas podcast (2025) - "Building a New Ben" | GQ (2004) - "An Actor-Director Above Suspicion" by Cara Buckley | The New York Times (2014) - "Jon Hamm Confirms He Almost Starred in Ben Affleck’s ‘Gone Girl'" by Carly Thomas | The Hollywood Reporter (2023) - Transcript: Artwork by Laci Roth. Check out Laci's coloring videos on YouTube! Matt has two monthly spin-off podcasts: PodJob: A James Bond Podcast | Check it out on Apple Podcast (), Spotify (), and YouTube (. The Sign Post Up Ahead: A Twilight Zone Recap Podcast | Check it out 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 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41432915

195. Drop Dead Fred (1991) | Explaining a Misunderstood Cult Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Drop Dead Fred + Film Analysis 05/22/2026

195. Drop Dead Fred (1991) | Explaining a Misunderstood Cult Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Drop Dead Fred + Film Analysis Drop Dead Fred has an 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics absolutely hated it. But it’s really good! Seriously. Let Matt and Laci tell you all about it... ...for the second time. That's right, it's time to return to a movie we've covered already. The first time was nearly a decade ago, on the tenth episode of this podcast. Back then, the show was called Load Bearing Beams and it came out every 73 days. We've gotten more consistent since then. Back then we were stunned at how sweet, funny, and insightful Drop Dead Fred is... and it still is! It's nice when that happens. Before diving into an in-depth discussion of the movie, we go through its production history, and then look at the careers of stars Rik Mayall and Phoebe Cates. The Rik Mayall portion shows us how badly we need a Britain Correspondent (email us!) to understand television over there. Then, while going through Phoebe Cates's career, we saw some, uh, interesting stuff that may have informed her performance as a woman who's spent her life being handed from controlling adult to controlling adult. Remember, this show contains irresponsible psychoanalysis for which we are wildly unqualified. Watch the history segment in full: Next week (May 29, 2026): In our last episode before we begin our summer miniseries, we're treating ourselves to David Fincher's Gone Girl (2014). Time stamps: 00:06:35 — History segment: Critical reception of Drop Dead Fred; development of the movie; career overview of Rik Mayall; career overview of Phoebe Cates; legacy of Drop Dead Fred 00:39:10 — Movie discussion + Drop Dead Fred film analysis 01:54:25 — Star ratings + final review of Drop Dead Fred Drop Dead Fred (1991) was directed by Ate de Jong. Starring Phoebe Cates, Rik Mayall, Ashley Peldon, Marsha Mason, Tim Matheson, Carrie Fisher, and Rod Eldard as Michael “Mickey” Bunce. Sources: "Paradise star Phoebe Cates hangs her own film with a one-word review--'rip-off'" by Josh Hammer | People (1982) - "Drop Dead Fred: Looking Back On A Cult Classic" by Mark Harrison | Den Of Geek (2017) - Interview with Paul Webster & Ate De Jong | Drop Dead Fred blu-ray Obituary of Rik Mayall by Michael Coveney | The Guardian (2014) - Transcript: 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 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41377600

194. Sweet Home Alabama (2002) | Reese Witherspoon Carries This Routine Rom-Com On Her Back | Behind The Scenes Of Sweet Home Alabama + Film Analysis 05/15/2026

194. Sweet Home Alabama (2002) | Reese Witherspoon Carries This Routine Rom-Com On Her Back | Behind The Scenes Of Sweet Home Alabama + Film Analysis 1-Week Rental heads down to Pigeon Creek, Alabama, where things are just a little bit different than we're used to up in the big city. Will Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) choose Jake (Josh Lucas), her rugged old flame with a take-no-prisoners attitude? Or will she choose Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), the son of a billionaire who's literally being groomed to be president? Either way, this movie's gonna make you laugh, and it's gonna make you think. But before examining Sweet Home Alabama in detail, Laci and Matt go through the history of its production, and then take a long look at Reese Witherspoon's movie career and her recent pivot into business mogul and champion of private equity and artificial intelligence. It's the way of the future, y'all! Watch this episode in full: Next week (May 22, 2026): We take another look at Drop Dead Fred (1991), a movie we originally covered back in 2017! Time stamps: 00:09:45 — History segment: Reese Witherspoon's early career; development and production of Sweet Home Alabama; Witherspoon's career after Sweet Home Alabama, including her fall and resurgence; Witherspoon's business ventures and embrace of artificial intelligence and private equity 01:00:28 — Movie discussion + Sweet Home Alabama film analysis 02:07:50 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sweet Home Alabama (2002) was directed by Andy Tennant. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, Candice Bergen, Fred Ward, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Ethan Embry, and Melanie Lynskey as Lurlynn. Sources: “'Sweet Home Alabama' at 20: Director Andy Tennant and star Josh Lucas reveal never-before-told stories about the rom-com classic and their hopes for a sequel” by Jason Guerrasio | Business Insider (2022) - “How Reese Witherspoon Has Become The World's Richest Actress” by Madeline Berg & Dawn Chmielewski | Forbes (2021) - "Reese Witherspoon: behind-the-scenes revival of Hollywood’s unlikely feminist" by Andrew Pulver | The Guardian (2015) - "Face to Face With Reese Witherspoon" by Meg Grant | Reader's Digest (2005) - "Playing It Straight" by William Booth | The Washington Post (2005) - Review of Legally Blonde by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (2001) - Review of Sweet Home Alabama by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (2002) - "A down-home dilemma" by David Sterritt | The Christian Science Monitor (2002) - "Interview with Reese Witherspoon" by Scott B. | IGN (2002) - "C. Jay Cox: Man With A Mission" by Steven Housman (2004) - "Reese Witherspoon: Ready for a change" by Charlie Rose | CBS News (2014) - "The Girlbossification of AI" by Angelina Chapin | New York Magazine (2026) - "Check out Reese Witherspoon's new Southern-inspired fashion line" by Rheana Murray | Today (2015) - "Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream―An Exposé of Private Equity's Devastating Impact on American Lives, Communities, and the Economy" by Megan Greenwell (2025) - Transcript: 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 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41295110

193. Bride Of Chucky (1998) | How The Child’s Play Franchise Evolved Into Something Bigger | Behind The Scenes Of Bride of Chucky + Film Analysis 05/08/2026

193. Bride Of Chucky (1998) | How The Child’s Play Franchise Evolved Into Something Bigger | Behind The Scenes Of Bride of Chucky + Film Analysis Matt and Laci take a long look at the 1998 horror-comedy film Bride of Chucky. The Child’s Play franchise stands out among the classic horror movie series because it has, from the beginning, largely been stewarded by one man: screenwriter Don Mancini. The show goes through Mancini’s inspiration for writing the original 1988 film as a critique on the advertising industry, and the diminishing returns of the two sequels that caused the franchise to go dormant for most of the ‘90s. Then, the success of Scream led to a revitalization of horror, so Chucky was brought back from the dead, and this time, he’d have a manic gothic dream girl in the form of Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly). The history segment closes with a look at Jennifer Tilly’s legacy, and how she had no idea how much playing Tiffany would define her career, or how much love people had for her character and the Chucky franchise. Then, Laci and Matt review Bride of Chucky itself—how well does it serve as a soft reboot of the franchise? Does the humor work? Does it successfully juggle its tones? Can puppets carry a movie on their own? And does something like this even need to try to be scary? Watch this episode in full: Next week (May 15, 2026): Sweet Home Alabama (2002)! Time stamps: 00:05:50 — History segment: Don Mancini and Child's Play origins; American horror struggles in the early '90s; Scream leads to a genre renaissance, and Chucky is revived; Mancini intentionally pivots the series into a humorous and queer-friendly direction; the career of Jennifer Tilly; Tilly's horror legacy 00:41:08 — Movie discussion + Bride of Chucky film analysis 01:28:50 — Final thoughts & star ratings Bride of Chucky (1998) was directed by Ronny Yu and written by Don Mancini. Starring Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Katherine Heigl, Nick Stabile, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Alexis Arquette, and John Ritter as Uncle Warren. Sources: “Reign of Chucky” by Dustin McNeill & Travis Mullins (2022) - "Your Friend 'Til the End: An Oral History of Child's Play" by Jake Rossen | Mental Floss (2019) - "Chucky Returns to Terrorize TV. His Creator Couldn’t Be Happier." by Erik Pipenburg | The New York Times (2021) - "210 Minutes With Jennifer Tilly" by Jada Yuan | New York Magazine (2012) - "Ay, Caramba! Jennifer Tilly Scores 'The Simpsons' Earnings From Late Ex's Estate" | Radar Online (2018) - "'It’s Not All Diamonds and Roses': Jennifer Tilly Takes on the Beverly Hills Housewives" by Emily Sandstrom | Interview Magazine (2024) - Transcript: 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 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41208020

192. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) | The Story Of A Millennial Workplace Classic | Behind The Scenes Of The Devil Wears Prada + Film Analysis 05/01/2026

192. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) | The Story Of A Millennial Workplace Classic | Behind The Scenes Of The Devil Wears Prada + Film Analysis Gird your loins, folks! We’ve accepted the low-paying position of assistant to Miranda Priestly, the legendary editor-in-chief at Runway Magazine, the fashion crown jewel of the Elias Clarke publishing empire. A million other people would kill to have this job, but it’s sure to open up big doors for us in the future. Ms. Priestly’s a little demanding, and doesn’t like us to ask questions, and doesn’t like when we don’t understand things, and calls us fat, but all things require a learning curve. On an unrelated note: The podcast is covering The Devil Wears Prada (2006), the millennial classic about a hard-working striver who doesn’t think she can please her boss, before wouldn’t you know it, she pleases her damn boss? It might end up being the role Meryl Streep will be best remembered for, and she’s truly electric in this movie. But Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are also incredible! And Anne Hathaway’s doing her thing. Now, about that: During the history segment, we really try to unpack why people don’t like Anne Hathaway. Including one of the people who hosts this podcast. Also in the history segment: The life and times of Vogue editor Anna Wintour; Lauren Weisberger working for Wintour and then writing a thinly veiled novel about it; how that novel was adapted into a movie; and how playing Priestly catapulted Meryl Streep into being a box office sensation for the first time in her career. Watch the history segment in full: Next week (May 8, 2026): Bride of Chucky (1998)! Time stamps: 00:06:33 — History segment: Anna Wintour; author Lauren Weisberger works as Wintour's assistant for 10 months, writes a novel about it; the novel gets adapated as a movie by director David Frankel; casting Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway; why do people hate Anne Hathaway? 00:51:55 — Movie discussion + The Devil Wears Prada film analysis 02:05:15 — Final thoughts & star ratings The Devil Wears Prada was directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna, based on Lauren Weisberger's novel. Starring Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Tracie Thoms, Rich Sommer, Gisele Bundchen, and Adrian Grenier as "Nate." Sources: "Anna Wintour's legacy and who might replace her as Vogue editor" by Steven McIntosh | BBC (2025) - "Anna Wintour Embraces a New Era At Vogue" by David Remnick | The New Yorker (2025) - "What’s Wrong With Vogue?" by Cathy Horyn | The New York Times (2008) - "The White Issue: Has Anna Wintour’s Diversity Push Come Too Late?" by Edmund Lee | The New York Times (2020) - “When personal assistants attack!” by Elizabeth Spiers | Salon (2003) - "‘Every minute at Vogue felt like an emergency’: Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger on igniting a scandal" by Jess Cartner-Morley | The Guardian (2024) - “‘It was a year of being yelled at’: How much of The Devil Wears Prada really happened?” by Megan Agnew | The Sydney Morning Herald (2026) - "The Devil Wears Prada oral history: Cast reunites to dish on making the best-dressed hit" by Joey Nolfi | Entertainment Weekly (2021) - "‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Turns 10: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt Tell All" by Ramin Setoodeh | Variety (2016) - “Anne Hathaway on Tuning Out the Haters and Embracing Her True Self” by Julie Miller | Vanity Fair (2024) - "Anne Hathaway Can’t Win" by Anne Helen Petersen | BuzzFeed (2015) - "A Tale of Two Oscar-Winning Actresses: Why Has Jennifer Lawrence Become a Media Darling by Breaking All the Rules, While Well-Behaved Anne Hathaway Is Getting Flack?" by Julie Miller | Vanity Fair (2013) - "How Annoying Is Anne Hathaway: A Scientific Inquiry" by Billy Kimball | HuffPost (2013) - "The Cult of Hathahaters: Will It Hurt Anne Hathaway’s Oscar Chances?" by Kevin Fallon | The Daily Beast (2013) - Transcript: 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 1-Week Rental, a movie podcast: Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/41064205

191. Showgirls (1995) | Paul Verhoeven’s Cult Classic Is Not The Movie You Think It Is | Behind The Scenes Of Showgirls + Film Analysis 04/24/2026

191. Showgirls (1995) | Paul Verhoeven’s Cult Classic Is Not The Movie You Think It Is | Behind The Scenes Of Showgirls + Film Analysis Content warning: Showgirls depicts sexual violence as a central theme, and this is discussed in the podcast. The podcast tackles Paul Verhoeven's misunderstood masterpiece Showgirls (1995), and celebration the singularity of Elizabeth Berkley's incredible performance as Nomi Malone, the eternal cowboy of America. And then we bring Sex Month to a close by doling out some expert sex advice. Next week (May 1, 2026): The Devil Wears Prada (2006)! Watch Matt's video essay about Paul Verhoeven: Time stamps: 00:10:17 — History segment: The career of Paul Verhoeven; Verhoeven and Joe Eszterhas's collaboration leads to Showgirls; the career of Elizabeth Berkley; the legacy of Showgirls; a brief history of the NC-17 rating 01:02:10 — Movie discussion + Showgirls film analysis 02:30:25 — Sex advice questions 02:45:20 — Final thoughts & star ratings Showgirls was directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. Starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Gina Ravera, Glenn Plummer, and Robert Davi as Al. Sources: "‘Showgirls’: Paul Verhoeven on the Greatest Stripper Movie Ever Made" by Jennifer Wood | Rolling Stone (2015) - "How ‘Showgirls’ Became a Queer-Movie Classic" by Jeffrey McHale | The Daily Beast (2020) - Review of Showgirls by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (1995) - "Interviews | Vulgar Moralism: Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book" by Robert Koehler | Cinema Scope (2006) - "The Naked Truth About 'Showgirls' by Kenneth Turan | The Los Angeles Times (1995) - "Interview with Elizabeth Berkley" by Danielle Cantor | Jewish Women International (2011) - "Farmington Hills' Elizabeth Berkley so excited for 'Saved by the Bell' reboot" by Kurt Anthony Krug | The Detroit News (2020) - "The Staggering Transformation Of Elizabeth Berkley" by Cassie Daigle | Nicki Swift (2024) - Transcript: 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” - "24 Hours Is Like Three Weeks!" - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40999640

190. Hellraiser (1987) | Diving Deep Into Clive Barker's Iconic Horror Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Hellraiser + Film Analysis 04/17/2026

190. Hellraiser (1987) | Diving Deep Into Clive Barker's Iconic Horror Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Hellraiser + Film Analysis Matt and Laci dive deep into Hellraiser (1987). Matt, a long-time fan of the movie, and Laci, a first-time viewer, discuss the film's production history and the life and philosophy of its creator, Clive Barker. They explore Barker's background, including his early work in theater, his time as a male escort, and his unique perspective on integrating explicit sexuality and body horror into his work. Two prior adaptations of his work led Barker to want to take tight control of a third adaptation, which meant he would need to direct it himself. And what an incredible feat the film is for a first-time filmmaker. 1WR tells that story, including how Barker recruited his longtime friend Doug Bradley to play the iconic role of Pinhead. Then, a long breakdown of the movie itself. How does it play for a first-time viewer? How well do its practical effects hold up? Do its themes make sense? Has any movie character ever hated their spouse as much as Julia hates Larry? And is Hellraiser as scary as we assumed it would be when we saw the VHS box in the video store as children? Is anything? Finally, Pinhead himself joins us to give some sex advice. Next week (April 24, 2026): SEX MONTH concludes with Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls (1995)! Time stamps: 00:10:00 — History segment: The life and times of Clive Barker; production of Hellraiser; Doug Bradley; the Hellraiser franchise and its legacy 00:49:15 — Movie discussion + Hellraiser film analysis 02:03:23 — Sex advice questions 02:11:13 — Final thoughts & star ratings Hellraiser was written and directed by Clive Barker. Starring Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Oliver Smith, Sean Chapman, and Doug Bradley as the "Lead Cenobite" (Pinhead). Sources: The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy by Paul Kane (2015) - "How we made Hellraiser" by Phil Hoad | The Guardian (2017) - "Queer Sexuality in Clive Barker’s ‘Hellraiser’ (1987)" by Bash Ortega | Horror Press (2024) - “Eroticising The World” | Cut, Vol 2, No 10 (1987) - (republished on Clive Barker’s website) “All The Gory Details” by M. Kent Black (1989) - (republished on Clive Barker’s website) "‘Hellraiser’ Author Clive Barker on Almost Dying, Hustling, and Killing Pinhead" by Sean T. Collins | Grantland (2015) - Clive Barker on Loveline (1996) - (republished on Barker’s website) Transcript: 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” - "24 Hours Is Like Three Weeks!" - “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - Follow the show! Twitter: | | Facebook: Instagram: TikTok: | Letterboxd: | Bluesky: 1-Week Rental used to be Load Bearing Beams. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40897370

189. Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) | Reviewing A Teen Movie Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Can't Hardly Wait + Film Analysis 04/10/2026

189. Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) | Reviewing A Teen Movie Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Can't Hardly Wait + Film Analysis In the late '90s, there was a revival of the teen comedy, and Can't Hardly Wait stands as one of the classics of the era. The premise couldn't be simpler: It's one night at a party, the night of graduation. We follow a handful of crazy kids and see what kind of sexy trouble they get into. And it's a lot of fun! Surprisingly, this movie is rated PG-13 and is way less raunchy than we remember, so maybe not an ideal fit for Sex Month. So we try to lewd it up in our discussion for you. Next week (April 17, 2026): SEX MONTH continues with the '80s horror-sex classic Hellraiser (1987)! Time stamps: 00:07:30 — History segment: A brief history of the "teen movie"; the writing, casting, production, and legacy of Can't Hardly Wait 00:39:50 — Movie discussion + Can't Hardly Wait film analysis 01:45:41 — Sex advice questions 01:50:43 — Final thoughts & star ratings Can't Hardly Wait was written and directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. Starring Lauren Ambrose, Seth Green, Ethan Embry, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Charlie Korsmo, and Peter Facinelli as Mike Dexter. Sources: "The Beer Has Not Gone Bad: How ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ Became a Teen Cult Classic" by Andrew Gruttadaro | The Ringer (2018) - "Whatever: a history of teen movies" by Killian Fox | The Guardian (2009) - Transcript: 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40796635

188. Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015) | How A Twilight Fanfic Changed Hollywood | Behind The Scenes Of Fifty Shades Of Grey + Film Analysis 04/03/2026

188. Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015) | How A Twilight Fanfic Changed Hollywood | Behind The Scenes Of Fifty Shades Of Grey + Film Analysis Laci and Matt fall into the world of Christian Grey, a mysterious and mercurial billionaire (age: 27) who enjoys flying his helicopter and tickling womens' tummies. First, the show explores author E.L. James and how her Twilight fan fiction evolved into the worldwide bestselling Fifty Shades trilogy. Then, a cultural industry grows like a weed, trying to figure out what exactly it says about our society that we love these books, ya know? The 2010s is also when fandom completely seizes control of the production of its favorite intellectual properties. Author E.L. James was not happy with how far the first Fifty Shades film deviated from her book, and she kept a much tighter leash on the subsequent entries. But what exactly was she unhappy with? Is Fifty Shades of Grey conservative or progressive, sex-positive or prudish, feminist or retrograde, pro-BDSM or anti-BDSM? The answer, of course, is yes. I'll bet you five you're not alive if this movie about transactional law doesn't turn you on. Plus, we answer a sex advice question! Next week (April 10, 2026): SEX MONTH continues with the '90s sex comedy classic Can't Hardly Wait (1998)! Time stamps: 00:05:06 — History segment: Author E.L. James writes a Twilight fan fiction that then gets turned into Fifty Shades of Grey; the novel becomes a blockbuster, leading to huge movies and a huge cultural industry; the production of the movie is difficult; Dakota Johnson still confuses us; the #notmychristian backlash to Jamie Dornan's casting; director Sam Taylor-Johnson later expresses regret that she did the movie, claims E.L. James doesn't like her 00:43:05 — Movie discussion + Fifty Shades Of Grey film analysis 01:55:19 — Sex advice question of the week: "Help! My girlfriend wants to pee on me!" 01:59:15 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: "Unexpected Lessons From ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’" by A.O. Scott | The New York Times (2015) - "‘Fifty Shades’ Sequel: Author E.L. James Demands Control Over Script" by Justin Kroll & Ramin Setoodeh | Variety (2015) - "Mommy porn?: Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James: review" by Laura Barnett | The Telegraph (2012) - "Sir Salman Rushdie: 'Fifty Shades of Grey makes Twilight look like War and Peace'" by Chris Irvine Chrisirvine | The Telegraph (2012) - "Sam Taylor-Johnson reveals Fifty Shades regret: 'EL James didn't like me'" by Alice Vincent | The Telegraph (2017) - "‘Fifty Shades’ Casting: Shailene Woodley and Other Surprise Names That Passed" by Tatiana Siegel & Borys Kit | The Hollywood Reporter (2013) - “50 Shades film: Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson cast” by Ben Child | The Guardian (2013) - “Jamie Dornan fled to rural hideaway after ‘ridicule’ over Fifty Shades of Grey” by Vanessa Thorpe | The Guardian (2024) - "Fifty Shades Of Green: How Fanfiction Went From Dirty Little Secret To Money Machine" by Hayley C. Cuccinello | Forbes (2017) - "Christian Grey Began His Fictional Career As A Vampire" by Neda Ulaby | NPR (2015) - "Is Fifty Shades Of Grey Twilight Fan-Fiction? Origins & Inspiration Explained" by Adrienne Tyler | Screen Rant (2024) - "Fifty Shades of Grey: what BDSM enthusiasts think" by Anna Smith | The Guardian (2015) - Transcript: 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40712535

187. Sideways (2004) | Uncorking The Movie That Ruined Merlot & Celebrated Friendship | Behind The Scenes Of Sideways + Film Analysis 03/27/2026

187. Sideways (2004) | Uncorking The Movie That Ruined Merlot & Celebrated Friendship | Behind The Scenes Of Sideways + Film Analysis Laci and Matt take a trip to Santa Barbara County, California, for a glass (or 12!) of wine with their favorite pinot-slurping pals: Miles (Paul Giamatti), Jack (Thomas Haden Church), Maya (Virginia Madsen), Stephanie (Sandra Oh), and a friendly flock of ostriches. That's right, people, we spent the week with Sideways (2004), Alexander Payne's hilarious look at two codependent losers who have one of cinema's all-time great friendships. Next week (April 3, 2026): 1-Week Rental's official SEX MONTH begins with a podcast about Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)! Time stamps: 00:08:45 — History segment: Author Rex Pickett (the real-life Miles) writes a book; it gets adapted by Alexander Payne; the wine industry will never be the same; the little-known Sideways Extended Universe 00:44:00 — Movie discussion + Sideways film analysis 02:06:00 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: “Taste of Success” by Oliver Burkeman | The Guardian (2004) - "A drink with… Rex Pickett" by Jonathan Cristaldi | Decanter (2024) - https://bit.ly/4rUAegu "The Hitching Post Toasts 20 Years of the Surprise Hit SIDEWAYS" by Bonnie Graves | Golden State (2024) - "'The Sideways Effect': How A Wine-Obsessed Film Reshaped The Industry" by Kristen Hartke | NPR (2017) - "The Full Giamatti" by Scott Raab | Esquire (2007) - "They’re still toasting ‘Sideways’ in Santa Barbara wine country" by Hugo Martin | The Los Angeles Times (2009) - "After 20 years, 'Sideways' has aged like a fine . . . well, you know" by Rob Thomas | Not That Rob Thomas (2024) - Transcript: 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40638640

186. Nothing But Trouble (1991) | Making Sense Of Dan Aykroyd's Insane Video Store Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Nothing But Trouble + Film Analysis 03/20/2026

186. Nothing But Trouble (1991) | Making Sense Of Dan Aykroyd's Insane Video Store Classic | Behind The Scenes Of Nothing But Trouble + Film Analysis It's one of the most unpleasant movies we've ever covered: Nothing But Trouble, starring Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John Candy, and Dan Aykroyd, who also wrote and directed the picture. Like a comedy version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (but less funny), it's a movie that's difficult to put into words, or even comprehend. But one way to understand it is to think of it like Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell taking a country drive into New Jersey and facing way more justice than they would in the real world. Next week (March 27, 2026): Sideways (2004)! Time stamps: 00:05:35 — History segment: Dan Aykroyd and his brother Peter are inspired to turn a story about his upstate New York traffic violation into a horror-comedy; they can't find anyone to direct, so he directs it himself, and it doesn't turn out well for anybody 00:29:30 — Movie discussion + Nothing But Trouble film analysis 01:21:30 — Final thoughts & star ratings Sources: Interview With Dan Aykroyd | The Woody Show (2023) - “‘King Ralph,’ ‘Nothing But Trouble’ just for laughs Aykroyd effort lacks wit to balance the grossness” by Jay Boyar | The Orlando Sentinel (1991) - Exploring Nothing but Trouble - The Untold Story Behind Dan Aykroyd's Notorious Production | GoodBadFlicks - Transcript: 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40516775

Marty Supreme | Sinners | Bugonia (Oscars Special - Part 2) 03/13/2026

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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40317955

185. True Lies (1994) | A Long Look At James Cameron's Only “Normal” Movie | Behind The Scenes Of True Lies + Film Analysis 02/27/2026

185. True Lies (1994) | A Long Look At James Cameron's Only “Normal” Movie | Behind The Scenes Of True Lies + Film Analysis 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 + True Lies film analysis 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) - Transcript: 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40074115

184. High Fidelity (2000) | One Of The Best Movies Ever Made About Music, And One Of The Best “Anti-Romantic” Comedies | Behind The Scenes Of High Fidelity + Film Analysis 02/20/2026

184. High Fidelity (2000) | One Of The Best Movies Ever Made About Music, And One Of The Best “Anti-Romantic” Comedies | Behind The Scenes Of High Fidelity + Film Analysis 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 + High Fidelity film analysis 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40074040

183. When Harry Met Sally (1989) | How Rob Reiner & Nora Ephron Made Everyone's Favorite Rom-Com | Behind The Scenes Of When Harry Met Sally + Film Analysis 02/13/2026

183. When Harry Met Sally (1989) | How Rob Reiner & Nora Ephron Made Everyone's Favorite Rom-Com | Behind The Scenes Of When Harry Met Sally + Film Analysis 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 + When Harry Met Sally film analysis 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/40073925

182. She-Devil (1989) | Roseanne Barr And Meryl Streep Were In A Movie Together?? | Behind The Scenes Of She-Devil + Film Analysis 02/06/2026

182. She-Devil (1989) | Roseanne Barr And Meryl Streep Were In A Movie Together?? | Behind The Scenes Of She-Devil + Film Analysis 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 + She-Devil film analysis 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/39992065

181. Groundhog Day (1993) | A Deep Dive On Bill Murray & Harold Ramis's Miracle Movie | Behind The Scenes Of Groundhog Day | Groundhog Day Analysis 01/30/2026

181. Groundhog Day (1993) | A Deep Dive On Bill Murray & Harold Ramis's Miracle Movie | Behind The Scenes Of Groundhog Day | Groundhog Day Analysis 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 + Groundhog Day film analysis 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. /episode/index/show/loadbearingbeams/id/39909745

1-Week Rental | Behind the Scenes Film Analysis

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