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Load Bearing Beams

Relationship Podcasts

A movie you love so much that it holds up the foundation of the very structure that is you... we call it a Load Bearing Beam. Laci Roth and Matt Stokes are a married couple that needs to find stuff to watch together. On this show, they take a look at movies loved by one but unseen, disliked, or forgotten by the other. With open hearts but exhausted and cynical minds, they will get to the bottom of whether or not the movies they love so much are actually good.

Location:

United States

Description:

A movie you love so much that it holds up the foundation of the very structure that is you... we call it a Load Bearing Beam. Laci Roth and Matt Stokes are a married couple that needs to find stuff to watch together. On this show, they take a look at movies loved by one but unseen, disliked, or forgotten by the other. With open hearts but exhausted and cynical minds, they will get to the bottom of whether or not the movies they love so much are actually good.

Language:

English

Contact:

5046030360


Episodes

108. Evolution

3/22/2024
As the world prepares to embrace its new Frozen Empire, lovingly brought to us by the good people at Ghost Corps, we take a look at a movie that was kind of Ivan Reitman’s unofficial Ghostbusters 3: 2001’s Evolution. Um, so… yeah, this movie is something else, I tell you what. David Duchovny trying to be Bill Murray. Julianne Moore falling down. Selenium sulfide. A magical periodic table. But hey, Phil Tippett did the creature designs! And Seann William Scott’s always a fun addition. Next week: The Producers (1968) with Harry Marks from Let’s All Go to the Lobby Watch every episode of Load Bearing Beams on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@loadbearingbeamspod Time stamps: 00:03:07 — Our personal histories with Evolution and also Ghostbusters 00:09:24 — Pre-movie predictions 00:16:31 — History segment: The evolution of Evolution; career overviews of director Ivan Reitman and designer Phil Tippett 00:40:05 — In-depth movie discussion 01:34:57 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Sources: “Don Jakoby wrote a science-based thriller but Hollywood had another idea” by Gloria Goodale | Christian Science Monitor, 2001 - https://bit.ly/3Tv6esj “Who you gonna call? Not Bill Murray for 'Ghostbusters 3'” by Courtney Garcia | NBC News, 2012 - https://nbcnews.to/3x6pxAW “The Writers Of ‘Evolution’ Reflect On The Film’s Adaptability 18 Years Later” by Josh Weiss | Forbes, 2019 - https://bit.ly/4a245f3

Duration:01:38:57

107. Heart And Souls

3/15/2024
The week Robert Downey Jr. has finally secured his coveted Oscar, we take a trip back in time. The year is 1993. A movie called Heart and Souls is released, in the aftermath of what Downey must have assumed was his Academy Award for the movie Chaplin (1992). We take a big long look at RDJ's career and also examine the curious '90s phenomenon of angel movies. Next week: The movie that was supposed to be Ghostbusters 3: Ivan Reitman’s Evolution (2001). Watch every episode of Load Bearing Beams on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@loadbearingbeamspod Time stamps: 00:01:04 — Our personal histories with Heart and Souls 00:08:04 — Pre-movie predictions 00:12:23 — History segment: Career overviews of director Ron Underwood and star Robert Downey Jr. 00:47:41 — In-depth movie discussion 01:43:37 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Sources: "The Star In Cell 17" by Steve Garbarino | Vanity Fair, 2000 - https://bit.ly/48Qsq5W "More Than Skin Deep" by Jon Wilde | The Guardian, 2003 - https://bit.ly/3wSYusL "May God Bless and Keep Robert Downey Jr." by Scott Raab | Esquire, 2007 - https://bit.ly/4cinVUH "Been Up, Been Down. Now? Super." by David Carr | New York Times, 2008 - https://nyti.ms/3IFieT8 "Robert Downey Jr: return of the hero" by Murphy Williams | The Telegraph, 2008 - https://bit.ly/3Vko04f "Robert Downey Jr.’s Third Act" by Anthony Breznican | Vanity Fair, 2023 - https://bit.ly/3TzEioC

Duration:01:48:25

106. The Pagemaster

3/8/2024
The written word... that's the real magic, isn't it, you guys? Don't you just love cracking open a great book and being transported to a wondrous world? The Pagemaster (1994) is going to insist that you do love this. Loudly, and repeatedly. Laci and Matt take a look at this bizarre '90s live-action/animation flop and try to figure out exactly what Turner Feature Animation was going for. There's also a lot of discussion about the sort-of-forgotten genre of made-for-kids-not-families movies. Next week: The Robert Downey, Jr. vehicle Heart and Souls (1993) Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/A8pJpwKGKuY Time stamps: 00:01:00 — Our personal histories with The Pagemaster 00:10:25 — Pre-movie predictions 00:19:53 — History segment: Turner Feature Animation; career overviews of animation director Pixote Hunt, live action director Joe Johnston, and star Macaulay Culkin 00:32:47 — In-depth movie discussion 01:15:41 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:01:21:14

Back in one week with our 'The Pagemaster' episode

3/1/2024
Hey folks, as we announced previously, we are taking this week off due to work requirements. We're coming back and better than every on March 8, 2024 with a brand-new episode about the wild Macaulay Culkin book movie The Pagemaster (1994). As always, thanks for supporting our dumb podcast. If you haven't already, please check us out on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@loadbearingbeamspod And why not check us out on TikTok, where Laci is producing great videos, including her popular 'coloring' series: https://www.tiktok.com/@load.bearing.beams

Duration:00:01:08

105. Dogma

2/23/2024
In what is quite possibly the most snoogans episode we've ever recorded, we examine Kevin Smith’s Dogma (1999). At Laci's behest, we take our maiden voyage into the View Askewniverse to see what this controversial, transgressive, downright RUDE film has to say about religion, politics, and the state of things in Clinton’s America at the end of history. Next week: We’re taking a week off. We’ll be back on March 8, 2024 with an episode about (...reads notes...) ... The Pagemaster? Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i67IeCrBlNE Time stamps: 00:04:19 — Our personal histories with Kevin Smith 00:27:14 — History segment: Career overview of Kevin Smith 00:41:12 — In-depth movie discussion 01:40:32 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film by Peter Biskind — https://amzn.to/42Q2wOo Kevin Smith on Surviving a Heart Attack: ‘It’s Like I Got to Attend My Own Wake’ - by Matt Wilstein, The Daily Beast — https://bit.ly/3URl7rp A Practicing Catholic on the Religious Storm of 'Dogma' - The Chicago Tribune — https://bit.ly/4bRnPDt Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:01:46:56

BONUS: Songwriting, collaboration, and life as a working musician (with Wade Hymel)

2/21/2024
Wade Hymel and Matt Stokes sit down for a free-wheeling discussion about different approaches to songwriting, creativity, collaboration, and recording. Wade also talks about his experience as a working musician, what going on tour is like, and what it's like to play music on a cruiseship. Then they talk about Wade's great new album Who Said That? Hear Wade's amazing new album WHO SAID THAT? on Apple Music (https://apple.co/49xiC29), Spotify (https://bit.ly/3I2SwYE), or wherever else music is streamed. Or you can purchase the album from Bandcamp (https://bit.ly/3I2Syje). Watch this conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z3pf0N858yA Time stamps: 00:44 — What is a typical day like for a working musician? 05:37 — Wade's experiences playing on cruiseships 08:50 — Van life 11:39 — How have things changed over time for touring musicians? 16:58 — The importance of the producer in recorded music 19:24 — Different approaches to songwriting 22:57 — How did Rural Route Nine's song "Winston-Salem" go from an extremely fast punk song to a slower-tempoed dream pop suite? 29:24 — How does Wade record demos? 36:55 — Who Said That? album discussion 43:06 — How important are lyrics? 51:02 — Wade's song "Letter From Home"

Duration:00:55:52

104. GoldenEye (with Wade Hymel)

2/16/2024
Hear Wade's amazing new album WHO SAID THAT? on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever else music is streamed. Or you can purchase the album from Bandcamp. Load Bearing Beams welcomes back Number 1 Friend of the Show, “Jack” Wade Hymel, to reconsider GoldenEye (1995). Wade first brought this movie to the show's attention on an episode in 2017, when both Laci and Matt panned it. Have their hearts thawed? Will James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) catch that falling plane in time? Will the villainous Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) successfully pull off his illegal electronic ACH bank transfer? Will the power of Bond's tender kisses ever bring a woman to climax? Will Laci like any of this? Next week: Kevin Smith's Dogma (1999)! Watch all episodes of the show in full on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@loadbearingbeamspod Time stamps: 00:05:04 — Fierce debate: Are movie posters part of a movie? 00:12:44 — Our histories with James Bond and GoldenEye 00:29:02 — Pre-movie predictions 00:34:29 — History segment: Brief history of James Bond; casting Pierce Brosnan; career overviews of Brosnan and director Martin Campbell 00:48:04 — In-depth movie discussion 01:41:13 — Final thoughts and star ratings 01:46:19 — Wade's song "Book Off The Shelf" 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: "This Is A Blackout" - https://youtu.be/98Vf3itk2qc “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:01:49:45

Laci and Matt were guests on another podcast!

2/14/2024
Hey folks! Laci and Matt here to tell you that we were just on the great In Love With Horror podcast, and you can catch that episode right now! It's a deep dive into the classic 1981 slasher My Bloody Valentine and its 2009 remake. If you're not already listening (In which case: the fuck?), it's a show hosted by a married couple, the lovely Kristie and AJ. They cover all things horror—movies, TV, games, books. Like our show, their show can go a little off the rails, but a good time is had by all. You can watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rS3Dt1g_liw?si=5VEJrJ2dq7iCr-Uv Or else listen to it on Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/48cDqKN ...or Spotify: https://bit.ly/48mzEhM And why not give them a follow on Twitter while you're at it? @nlovewithhorror

Duration:00:02:04

103. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (Listener Choice!)

2/9/2024
At the suggestion of our friend StitchAndStoryTime, we take a look at 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. This movie was a colossal hit in its day, and it's got a little something for everyone—tree houses and homemade gadgets and traps for the kids, sword battles for Dad, romance for Mom, and a healthy amount of the Dark Arts for Matt Stokes. This movie is nuts and we had a lot of fun talking about it for over two hours (sorry/you're welcome). Next week: Friend of the Show Wade Hymel returns, and we reconsider GoldenEye (1995)! Watch all episodes in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Cu55CX78ga8?si=g2frpAKZeH5xf_nj Time stamps: 00:06:23 — Our personal histories with Kevin Costner and movies about Robin Hood 00:20:40 — Pre-movie predictions 00:25:00 — History segment: The Robin Hood folklore, movie adaptations of Robin Hood, and career overviews of star Kevin Costner and director Kevin Reynolds 00:37:56 — In-depth movie discussion 02:00:20 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:02:05:40

102. Casablanca

2/2/2024
We head back to good old Hollywood, USA: Golden Era for a look at one of the most beloved American films of all time, 1942's Casablanca. You hear this all the time about old, black-and-white movies, but this thing feels incredibly modern, and with much to say about the world of 2024. We discuss our personal histories with it, Matt's story of getting into classiv movies after watching it for the first time as a teenager, what audiences would have understood watching the movie in the 1940s that we might not understand now, and, of course, that beautiful friendship between that scoundrel Rick Blaine and that scamp Louis Renault. Next week: It's a Listener's Choice selection of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)! Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Cu55CX78ga8?si=g2frpAKZeH5xf_nj Time stamps: 00:11:35 — Our personal histories with Casablanca 00:28:01 — History segment: The Second World War, Vichy France, and American neutrality in the early 1940s; the development and production of Casablanca 00:43:33 — In-depth movie discussion 01:33:41 — Final thoughts and star ratings Source: Inside Warner Bros. (1935-1951) by Rudy Behlmer Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:01:37:39

101. The Whole Nine Yards

1/26/2024
We take a trip to Montreal, to check in with the mild-mannered Dr. Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky (Matthew Perry) and his scary neighbor, Jimmy the Tulip (Bruce Willis). Can you even imagine what shenanigans these two get up to? We'll tell you all about them in our discussion of the 2000 hitman/dental comedy The Whole Nine Yards. Most of this episode is a fierce argument about whether or not all the Matthew Perrying Matthew Perry does in this movie is good or bad. Next week: Casablanca (1942)! Watch full-video episodes of Load Bearing Beams on our YouTube channel. Time stamps: 00:03:16 — Our personal histories with The Whole Nine Yards 00:14:57 — Pre-movie predictions 00:18:50 — History segment: Career overviews of director Jonathan Lynn and star Matthew Perry 00:36:33 — In-depth movie discussion 01:16:22 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:01:22:02

Back in one week with our "The Whole Nine Yards" episode

1/19/2024
We have to postpone our episode this week because of some ridiculous weather events that basically threw our lives into chaos. Here's what happened: It got cold in Louisiana. No one knew what to do, so they shut down the schools, the roads, everything. Three days at home with the kids, unable to work, or think, or podcast. So we have to push back our schedule and do our episode on The Whole Nine Yards on Friday, January 26; our episode on Casablanca will follow on Friday, February 1, 2024. Thank you for your support of Load Bearing Beams. We love you, bye!

Duration:00:01:14

100. Star Wars

1/12/2024
Once there was a time when Star Wars was just the name of a movie, and not the most toxic subject ever to hit the internet. Well, we yearn for that time, listener... so go with us on this journey back to the Skywalker homestead and get ready to harvest some moisture as we return to the very first movie we ever discussed on the show: Star Wars (1977). Among other things, Matt reiterates for the thousandth time that this movie should only ever be called Star Wars. You may be tempted to call it something else, perhaps some sort of chronological designation, or a fragmentary expression of some sort of new hopeulness. Resist this temptation. Also: We unpack why Laci has never been able to get into the original Star Wars movies, and why that is perfectly reasonable. Next week: The Whole Nine Yards (2000)! Time stamps: 00:01:51 — Big-picture thoughts on the Star Wars franchise 00:10:25 — Our personal histories with Star Wars 00:22:28 — Pre-movie predictions 00:25:25 — History segment: Career overview of George Lucas and the development of Star Wars; career overviews of stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guiness; quotes taken from George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones 00:56:46 — In-depth movie discussion 02:01:34 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Sources: George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones — https://amzn.to/47xTVk3 Power of Story: Visions of Independence at 2015 Sundance Film Festival (George Lucas interview w/ Robert Redford) — https://www.youtube.com/live/YX-9QCkwHiI?si=7wj7qgLqQhKRLIQo

Duration:02:09:20

99. Dirty Dancing

1/5/2024
To celebrate finally getting to episodes 99 and 100, we're going back to the very first two movies we covered on Load Bearing Beams and give these two classics the full LBB treatment they deserve. First up, it's Dirty Dancing (1988), one of Laci's favorite movies. It's a charming dancey melodrama with some surprisingly poignant political commentary that is much easier to see in 2024 than it was back in 2017. Matt gave this movie a big fat thumbs-down on his first viewing for that first episode. Have his feelings changed? Can Laci teach him to mambo in time for the gig? And what exactly happened to Baby and Johnny after that memorable summer of '63? Find the answers to all these, and so much more, in our first episode of 2024. Next week: We're revisiting Star Wars (1977)! Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aWtYOXKQoB4 Time stamps: 00:05:49 — Our personal histories with Dirty Dancing 00:09:58 — Pre-movie predictions 00:16:58 — History segment: The history of abortion in America; career overviews of screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein, director Emile Ardolino, and stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey 00:53:14 — In-depth movie discussion 01:51:27 — Final thoughts and star ratings 01:53:38 — Bonus listener question: What were our best ever movie theater experiences? Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:01:59:47

Our very first mailbag!

12/29/2023
Happy New Year, y'all. We're ringing in what promises to be the most cursed year ever with our very first mailbag! Time stamps: 00:04:40 — What are our new year's resolutions for the podcast and for our movie watching? 00:12:08 — Where's the weirdest place we've made whoopee? 00:12:57 — Which movie or TV show was the biggest waste of our time? 00:19:11 — What was the most surprisingly good movie we've covered on the podcast? 00:22:24 — What movie did someone hype up so much that it ruined the experience for us when we finally watched it? 00:29:58 — What is one movie that takes us straight back to childhood and gives us instant comfort? 00:35:40 — What are our criteria for movies that are not Load Bearing Beams? 00:39:00 — What was the first R-rated movie that we each saw all the way through, and how old were we? 00:42:25 — How many movies named Casino Royale count as official James Bond canon? 00:43:40 — What are some of our favorite recent movies? 00:46:02 — What were some of our biggest fights over movies? 00:48:13 — If we role played, which movie character would we each want the other to be? 00:52:06 — If we had to be any movie hero, who would we be? Same question but villain? 00:57:48 — What was the initial moment/idea that led to the creation of Load Bearing Beams? How do we manage to work well together and also be married to each other? 00:59:52 — Does either of us have a best friend, and if so, what are they like? 01:00:05 — What is our dream crossover or mashup? 01:03:36 — Which movie would we like to see remade as a completely different genre? 01:03:30 — What is our favorite holiday movie? 01:04:40 — What is our favorite movie decade? 01:04:52 — Most underrated movie of all time? 01:06:15 — What's a movie we never thought we would see? 01:08:10 — What are our favorite comedy movies? 01:10:20 — What is our favorite movie genre? 01:11:10 — What are our favorite scary movies? 01:12:09 — What are our favorite '80s movies?

Duration:01:16:14

BONUS: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (the movie)

12/18/2023
Fine. Fine. No problem at all. We'll talk about the actual movie. Also: Happy holidays! Thank you for a great year! We'd normally have an episode coming out on Friday, Dec. 22, but we're taking a break and shall return on Friday, December 29 with a very special mailbag episode. And after that, we're on to episodes 99 and 100, where we'll revisit the movies covered on our very first episode (Dirty Dancing and Star Wars). It only took us seven years to get to a hundred episodes. Time stamps: 00:02:15 — Thoughts about the new movie Wonka, which we haven't yet seen 00:08:59 — Our histories with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 00:11:43 — Pre-movie predictions 00:23:23 — History segment: Roald Dahl (author of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory), the strange development of this movie and its entanglement with the Quaker Oats company, director Mel Stuart, and star Gene Wilder 01:00:47 — In-depth movie discussion 02:12:06 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Sources used in this episode: Roald Dahl: A Biography (1994) by Jeremy Treglown - https://amzn.to/4amizqz Storyteller (2010) by Donald Sturrock - https://amzn.to/3GRMw44 Inside Charlie's Chocolate Factory (2014) by Lucy Mangan - https://amzn.to/3tlQVcB Kiss Me Like a Stranger (2005) by Gene Wilder - https://amzn.to/3RzxG7E The New York Times - "The Real Story Behind Roald Dahl’s ‘Black Charlie’" by Maria Russo (Sept. 22, 2017) - https://nyti.ms/3uWi3ze The Washington Post - “‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ at 50: The tender yet terrifying movie that never lost its flavor” by Annabel Aguiar - https://wapo.st/41zpLvC

Duration:02:18:48

98. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

12/15/2023
When Laci wins a Golden Ticket, she invites Matt as her plus-one for her super-secret tour of Willy Wonka's factory... and she's violating her NDA by bringing you along too! Have you ever wanted to know the functional purpose of the Chocolate Room, where everything is edible? Or why the city of Munich seems to have such fanatical attachment to the Wonka Corporation? And what exactly Mr. Wonka is doing behind those walls, and what his products are doing to our libidos? And, uh... If you want to hear us actually talk about the 1971 Gene Wilder movie, we have a whole 2-plus-hour episode about coming out on Monday (Dec. 17, 2023) for you. Happy holidays!

Duration:00:39:20

97. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

12/8/2023
Get out your stapler gun and empty your shitter, because it’s time to look at the holiday classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) in extraordinary detail. Laci’s seen this film dozens of times, while Matt had only seen it once, decades ago. To prepare, he watched the entire Vacation series, and he has much to say about the merits of the individual Vacation films, despite no one asking him to do this. Plus, we admire Clark Griswold’s aptitude for concealing his boners and Randy Quaid’s aptitude for lifting giant bags of dog food. Happy holidays, everybody! Watch this episode in full: https://youtu.be/MNhh7EfxV_4 Next week: We’re doing a very normal episode about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). At the end of the month, we’re doing a mailbag. Please submit questions to us. We’ll answer them! Here’s where you do it: https://youtu.be/yzFA8dTPYsI Time stamps: 00:03:19 — Our personal histories with Christmas Vacation 00:07:45 — Pre-movie predictions 00:18:46 — History segment: The Harvard Lampoon & National Lampoon magazines; overview of writer John Hughes and the Vacation series; career overviews of director Jeremiah Chechik and stars Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo 00:50:34 — In-depth movie discussion 02:08:53 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Sources mentioned on this episode: Rolling Stone’s oral history of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/xmas-or-bust-the-untold-story-of-national-lampoons-christmas-vacation-173969/ Chicago Magazine’s oral history of Home Alone: https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/december-2015/home-alone/ Art of the Title’s interview with Christmas Vacation opening titles animator Bill Kroyer: https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/national-lampoons-christmas-vacation/ New Yorker profile of Donald Glover: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/05/donald-glover-cant-save-you Peter Biskind’s Pandora’s Box: How Guts, Guile, and Greed Upended TV: https://www.amazon.com/Out-Box-Greed-Upended-Television/dp/B0BJ17328C/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=peter+biskind&qid=1702012570&sr=8-1

Duration:02:15:03

96. Jingle All the Way

12/1/2023
Matt had Laci watch the “beloved” “family” Christmas-present-hunt movie Jingle All the Way (1996). So… did she have a good time? Listener, she did not. But you’ll have a good time hearing them commiserate about the experience for two hours. Why would a movie cast Arnold Schwarzeneggar to play a normal man? When is it inappropriate to buy a Christmas tree? And wouldn't this movie have been better if the quest for a coveted Turbo Man figure sent Howard (Schwarzeneggar) deep into the seedy Santa-sexual Christmas underbelly of Minneapolis? It's there in this movie if you look for it. Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QvybI1j61us Next week: We’re covering Laci’s all-time favorite Christmas movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) We’re doing a mailbag! Please submit questions to us. We’ll answer them! Here’s where you do it: https://youtu.be/yzFA8dTPYsI Time stamps: 00:02:36 — When did Christmas start to suck? 00:10:11 — Our personal histories with Jingle All the Way 00:14:33 — Pre-movie predictions 00:20:05 — History segment: The Cabbage Patch Riots of 1983, director Brian Levant, and stars Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Sinbad, and Jake Lloyd 00:40:04 — In-depth movie discussion 01:53:38 — Final thoughts and star ratings Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Duration:01:59:14

Back in one week with our "Jingle All The Way" episode

11/24/2023
Hey folks! If you hadn't heard, we took this week off (on account of Thanksgiving). We'll be back in one week (Friday, December 1, 2023) with our episode about the Arnold Schwarzenegger family comedy Jingle All the Way, co-starring Future Darth Vader. Thank you so much for supporting our ridiculous show. Matt's been doing some video reviews of recent movies on our YouTube channel. Check out: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakeshttps://youtu.be/C4rMMOPdZ6IThe Marvels https://youtu.be/ZIBdcn_c7ZsKillers of the Flower Moonhttps://youtu.be/9kLdXLaXlsM ALSO: We'll be doing a mailbag episode at the end of the year. Please send us your questions about movies, episodes we've done, or anything else, I guess. Tweet them to us @loadbearingpod or leave a comment on one of our YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/@loadbearingbeamspod

Duration:00:01:02