Married to the Idea

We entered March with a dream. A hope. To definitely rank the eight shows in the MCU's Phase 4 television lineup. And we knew we'd need some help. Two months later, we emerge with our friends Paige and Sam, to deliver the first of a three-part series dedicated to answering that question. First up in our bracket: The Falcon & The Winter Soldier VS Miss Marvel, and Hawkeye VS MoonKnight. If you'd like to follow along with your own bracket and see if you reach the same conclusions as the four of us do, check out our Facebook @marriedtotheideareviews to snag your own copy, and get a sneak peek at the next episode's matchups.

It's the month of love and we're celebrating with a look an underrated classic from 2006, Penelope! This modern fairytale stars Christina Ricci and James McAvoy and it's enthralled both Aaron and Elizabeth. Take a listen as they discuss why the movie is well done, that it explores some deeper themes and turns fairytales on their heads!

In the first episode of 2023, Aaron and Elizabeth take a look back at 2022 and the offerings, cinema-wise, that were presented. Yes, they missed a lot. Yes, they watched movies that were regrettable. Yes, they feel bad about it. Come take a listen and see which movies they missed, and which movies they skipped.

Aaron and Liz are Back Bay-Bee! It's felt like no time at all has passed! And it still feels like Christmas.... Right??? The talks-way-too-much couple explores what qualifications actually Make a movie into a Christmas Movie and Liz premieres her (patent-pending) Christmas Movie Venn Diagram! Come take a listen and leave your predictions below!

We promise...we aren't trying to be controversial. But we've got opinions, and we brought in our Marvelous Married cohosts Sam and Paige once more to try and offer perspective on the latest entry in the MCU. Spoilers abound, so tread carefully.

We're finally to the elite eight in the DAMM bracket, and we needed all the help we could get. So we reassembled the Marvelous Marrieds and brought in Sam and Paige to help us figure out who will be the winner! Some high points - the ever-present threat of mimes, using math to solve our problems, and explaining the concept of the waifu to the uninitiated Paige.

We're back for Part Two, and we're on a roll now! We're charging through the Sweet Sixteen and we get down to the Elite Eight, which we will tackle in next week's conclusion to the D.A.M.M. bracket. It's already hurting to see some of our favorites go head to head, and those vetoes are going to become very powerful, so join us and see how your bracket's doing.

Welcome to D.A.M.M., or the Disney Animated Movie Madness bracket! We pit 64 of the best and brightest from Disney and Pixar to find the top seed. This took much longer to record than we originally thought, so join us every week this March as we go through another round of contenders, trying and failing to be objective the whole way through. You can download the bracket for yourself on our Facebook page at @marriedtotheideareviews and fill out your own to see how much you disagree with our choices. This will get controversial, unless you all agree with us, in which case, aren't we so smart?

We promise not to make the obvious joke here in the written description. We promise no such thing won't happen within the episode. It's time to take a look at the amazing Madrigals in Encanto, Disney's 60th animated movie. Choreography, characters, music, and more to gush about, as well as theories to propose and lessons to be learned. *Spoiler free for the first half, and if you want to learn more about Nirvana's plan to purchase a copy of Maus for every student, check out the link https://www.gofundme.com/f/nirvana-comics-knoxville-project-maus *

You know why we're here - there's a whole Part One explaining it - so let's get right into the movies coming out in summer 2022. Positivity only, and no spoilers - just excitement and good vibes. This was a huge undertaking, and we're glad we had Rich to hold our hand along the way. Be on the lookout for him when we take on the second half of 2022 later this year!

We return to you in the Year of our Lord 2022 with a truly epic first episode! Movie guru and returning guest Rich joins us to take on the first three months of the year and talk about which movies we can't wait to see. Positivity only, and no spoilers - just excitement and good vibes. If you're excited about summer movies, make sure you join us in our next episode for Part Two!

New Dune? New guest! Dune enthusiast J.J. (yes, he's played the board game) guides us through the newest adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel, a novel neither Aaron nor Elizabeth has ever read. Does the movie work both on its own merit and on the basis of adaptation? What are Herbert's and Villeneuve's thoughts on feminism, classism, and colonialism? Why does Zendaya pull a Sephiroth from FF7 remake? All this and more lie before you, spread out in this episode like so much spice on the surface of Arrakis. *Of course, you should read Dune. Probably also Game of Thrones. But the biggest thank you goes to Lucky 13's tattoo aftercare, our sponsor.*

We're tackling a big bucket of candy for our final Halloween 2021 episode - ranking every Bob's Burgers Halloween episode! Going from worst to best, we also discuss our favorite B-plots, our top picks of the kids' pun-tastic costumes, and why this episode grouping is a must-watch during the spooky season. * Big thanks to our Sponsordome winner, Lucky 13's Tattoo Aftercare, and come check out Liz's art at Marble City Sweets this Saturday from 2-4! *

Has Disney finally done right by their red-headed stepchild? We watch the newest Muppets special, Muppets Haunted Mansion, and see if we can add a new viewing experience to our yearly Halloween watch list. We also discuss the 90s Muppets Halloween special that almost was, the truly unsettling horror of old man muppet makeup, and distinct lack of Eddie Murphy cameos. Thanks to our Sponsordome champion Lucky 13's Tattoo Aftercare - protectyourink.com - and our challenger Hekreations, online creator of polygonal-paper mask kits.

We're back after a much-needed break! But we experienced so much during that that we couldn't talk about just one thing: We had to talk about all the things! We run through the movies and tv shows we watched during our summer in 5 minutes or less (or more)!

Paige and Sam return for another edition of The Marvelous Marrieds as we enjoy the camp, emotionality, and origins of the first Spider-Man movie. We also tell the "I'm an adult" story. We're gonna have some fun. Thanks to our Sponsordome champion Audibletrial.com/marriedtotheidea (our recommendation is "The Greatest Love Story Ever Told") and our challenger NourishSavannah.com, for all your hand-washing, bath-taking, relaxation needs.

It got three seasons, so we brought in a third to talk DuckTales (woohoo!). Rich (from our episodes on Blues Brothers, Tangled, and many more) joins us to discuss favorite villains, characters, and episodes, play a game of Who WASN'T A Voice Actor In This Show, and state our case for why this reboot deserves to be in the pantheon of good kids content. Also, Elizabeth says woohoo! far too many times.

Time for Sony to atone for the Emoji Movie again - we have the delightful Netflix animated movie The Mitchells vs. the Machines! We talk about Sony's fall from grace and its subsequent renaissance, as well as Illumination's steady decline from day one; the madcap humor of Lord and Miller; and the interesting wrinkle added to the overplayed and underdeveloped "technology=bad" storyline. (Our thanks to Mad Jack from the Tennessee Pirate Festival - https://www.tmfaire.com/ - and check out our recommendation The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo on audibletrial.com/marriedtotheidea)

For our second entry in The Marvelous Marrieds, Paige and Sam return for the newest Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. This time around, we compare WandaVision apples to Falcon/Winter Soldier oranges, choose whether to be blipped or left behind, debate direction and cinematography, and talk about the societal impact of a culture recognizing its failings through media. And just like a mullet, we're spoiler-free in the front, spoiler party in the back. (Thanks to our reigning Sponsordome champion, Audibletrial.com/MarriedotheIdea, and our local East Tennessee challenger, Colby Photography.)

On another book vs. movie adaptation review, we journey back to Elizabeth's childhood for the O.G. magic girl, Matilda. We talk behind-the-scenes trivia, first impressions from Aaron's first viewing, and who is truly the worst family - the Wormwoods or the Dursleys. *Thanks to our reigning champion Audibletrial.com/MarriedtotheIdea and our Sponsordome challenger #bards4bards supporting the Artist Relief Tree.*

We love to hate them, and now we're gonna rank 'em! Join us as we travel through the Villainous catalog and decide whether our big baddies deserve redemption or not, and why it's definitely okay if they don't. We'll even give you a taste of what movies based on these villains might look like, and we're pretty sure they're all better than their live-action counterparts. *Shoutout to Audibletrial.com/marriedtotheidea - this week's book recommendation is "Women and Other Monsters" by Jill Zimmerman*

Now in glorious technicolor, it's WandaVision! And, as with any big Marvel release, we had to bring in our ringers Paige and Sam, from Paige and Sam Plan a Wedding. We discuss our thoughts on returning viewing experiences to a weekly scheduled program, the utter lack of setup for the next Marvel property (and what that's a good thing), and muse on the nature of grief by laughing at stupid jokes. (Thanks to our reigning Sponsordome champion, Audibletrial.com/MarriedotheIdea, and our challenger, Lorica Clothing, armor-inspired fashion for the warrior woman.)

He's Liz, she's Aaron, and we're Married to the Codpast! Dang it, we'll get it right one of these hundred times. ANYWAY - we return to the lovely world of Hilda for its second season, joined by superfan Ollie to discuss our favorite eps, the gutwrenching emotional trauma, and that Wha? season finale, as well as some fan theories and John Cena references. In our Sponsordome this week: the reigning champ AudibleTrail.com/MarriedtotheIdea (we recommend The Deep by Rivers Solomon) and the challenger, new K-Town local Knox Box Karaoke.

We're trying something new in Season Five - going through our fave animated content on Youtube. If you're looking to expand your scope of animation, as well as humor, horror, and genuine FEELINGS, we'd recommend any of these fine creators: PlumbobMillionaire - https://www.youtube.com/user/PlumbobMillionaire/videos Zero Punctuation - https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/category/zero-punctuation/ Fraser McConnell - https://www.youtube.com/c/FraserConnell/videos geothebio - https://www.youtube.com/c/JaymeeHgeothebio/videos Simon Macko - https://www.youtube.com/c/shoocharu/videos Knights of the Light Table - https://knightsofthelighttable.com/ Vivziepop - https://www.youtube.com/c/SpindleHorse/videos Long Gone Gulch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmSx5Ywc_YI&ab_channel=LongGoneGulchOFFICIAL

To kick off our first episode of Season Five, we needed a ringer. So we called upon one of our guests (Rich) from one of our most popular episodes (Blues Brothers) and picked a movie that the three of us not only love, but may love the most of any Disney, or indeed animated, film (Tangled). We hope you all enjoy hearing some of the behind-the-scenes trivia, discussions on proper parental villainy, and the chef's kiss vocal delivery of Zachary Levi. Also, you seen the animated show yet? You really should. Thanks to our sponsor Audible (audibletrial.com/marriedotheidea) - check out The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea - and the challenger in the Sponsordome, Cobra Kai, now streaming on Netflix.

Happy New Year! We're not quite done with 2020 yet, so let's finish off our fourth season with Part Two of our Choose Your Own Rom-Com Christmas Extravaganza! It's a LONG one, but definitely worth the time, and we even tell you a few of the unpicked options we pass along the way to finding Chrissy's happily ever after. If you want to make your own Hallmark holiday movie, we recommend Riane Konc's "Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance" book, and if you want to join Audible at audibletrial.com/marriedtotheidea, we recommend "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell. Also, check out our Sponsordome challenger Bookshop.org - shop online and support local bookstores.

We're back, just in time for Christmas! We wanted to give you all a gift, and what better present is there than creating your very own Christmas movie romance! Follow along with us as we sip our festive drinks, wear our fabulous pjs, and enjoy Married to the Idea's version of "That's-a Christmas to Me" as listeners weigh in with their choices in this choose-your-own Christmas adventure. If you want to make your own Hallmark holiday movie, we recommend Riane Konc's "Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance" book, and if you want to join Audible at audibletrial.com/marriedtotheidea, we recommend "The Queens of Animation" by Nathalia Holt.

It's post 100th episode - we do what we want now. So let's just talk about a really sweet animated movie, from the same people that brought you Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and The Breadwinner. Strangely, the first half-hour is why Tangled is a superior film to most other contemporary Disney movies. But AFTER ALL THAT, we talk about enjoyment vs. engagement, the mark of a challenging film, and why dads just don't understand their kids in Cartoon Saloon features. *SPOILERS*

Looks like we made it! Join us for a fun reflection on the movies and tv that we've reviewed over the past 99 episodes, including- the best, worst, and most forgettable, the top ten episodes in under ten minutes, our pick for best adaptation, how many times we managed to keep the episode under an hour, and some fun messages from our many guests along the way!

On the 30th anniversary of the 1990 version, and the 3-year anniversary of our review of it, we return to Roald Dahl's story of a secret world of child-hating witches and the plan to stop them with the 2020 adaptation of The Witches. Does an all-star cast, genuinely creepy body horror, and the return of the book's bittersweet ending make for a better version of the original source material? Or do the CGI mice, abandoned racial tension plotlines, and seriously amateur editing make it less memorable than its predecessor? Let's find out with our final Halloween 2020 episode!

Have you been bored with nothing to do? Then The Phantom Tollbooth is for you! We discuss this amazing work of children's literature that everyone loves but no one knows about, as well as its animated Chuck Jones adaptation. We talk about how the author blew off work to write a story about a boy who asked too many questions, why so many kid movies have unnecessary musical numbers, and what improvements could be made in adaption to bring it to the witty, wise, wordplay-filled heights of the source material. Shout out to our Sponsordome contenders - Audible (try your 30-day free membership at audibletrial.com/marriedtotheidea) and Cult of Dracula, a comic by Richard Davis.

To celebrate the trailer drop for Wolfwalkers, we're talking about Cartoon Saloon's first two animated movies - The Secret of Kells & Song of the Sea, a couple of fantastically beautiful entries in the "animation is NOT a genre" argument. We compare these two Irish tales in the way they use their animation, tell their story, and comment on the themes of expression, magic, family, and hope. *SPOILERS! Also, check out our Sponsordome challengers: audibletrial.com/marriedtotheidea, www.tables4games.com and TheMakerCity.org *

Welcome back to another great television series about kick-ass females that you should definitely be watching, but only if you can see an NC-17 rated movie. For some reason, we spend the first twenty minutes naming our signature vodka and talking about Ryan Reynolds (seriously, skip to 19:00 if none of that interests you), but eventually we get to talking about the new modern take on this historical figure of import, as well as what Hogwarts house she would be in. *Warning: this episode containins tons of filthy language and female empowerment, as well as some minor spoilers for the first season of The Great.*

We're back! Did ya miss us? While recuperating, we've been watching a TON of quality couch content, and we've gotta talk about our girl Harley Quinn in her two most recent outings - Birds of Prey, and the Harley Quinn animated series (season one). We talk about the crazy wide cast of side characters, the villains both dastardly and loveable, and the character arc of Harls in both live-action and animated form. *MINOR SPOILERS*

We know we said we were gonna take a breather between the first run of the Steven Universe and the movie. After all, fans had to wait for a few years, surely we could wait a month or two. We didn't even last a week. But what can we say - we missed all of you! So enjoy a SPOILERific episode of Keep Beach City Quarantined as we talk about the awesome music, the new characters, and a familiar story that nonetheless warms (and breaks) your heart.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing the final episodes of Season Five, and the end of the original run of Steven Universe - The Question, Made of Honor, Reunited, Legs from Here to Homeworld, Familiar, Together Alone, Escapism, and Change Your Mind. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing episodes 11-20 of Season Five of Steven Universe - Lars of the Stars, Jungle Moon, Your Mother and Mine, The Big Show, Pool Hopping, Letters to Lars, Can't Go Back, A Single Pale Rose, Now We're Only Falling Apart, and What's Your Problem. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing the first ten episodes of Season Five of Steven Universe - Stuck Together, The Trial, Off Colors, Lars' Head, Dewey Wins, Gemcation, Raising the Barn, Back to the Kindergarten, Sadie Killer, and Kevin Party. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

Well, if Disney+ is gonna give it to us, of course we had to talk about it. But Aaron and I were going in blind, so we needed some help. Sarah, both a musical fan and specialist, joins us in the recording booth for this special episode as we gush, dissect, and theorize about the musical that has been on everyone's minds and playlists for the past five years - Hamilton. *SPOILERS, but we're pretty sure everyone in the world except us already knew everything about it.*

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing the last ten episodes of Season Four of Steven Universe - The New Crystal Gems, Storm in the Room, Rocknaldo, Tiger Philanthropist, Room for Ruby, Lion 4: Alternate Ending, Doug Out, The Good Lars, Are You My Dad?, and I Am My Mom. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing episodes 6-15 of Season Four of Steven Universe - Last One Out Of Beach City, Onion Gang, Gem Harvest, Three Gems and a Baby, Steven's Dream, Adventures in Light Distortion, Gem Heist, The Zoo, and That Will Be All. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

For Aaron's birthday, we're celebrating with a movie he hated until he loved it - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! We discuss the history of this movie, from its directors to its (multiple) source materials, the zany humor that was the precursor to The Lego Movie, and take a bite out of the sequel for even more food puns.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing the last five episodes of Season Three and the first five episodes of Season Four of Steven Universe - Bismuth, Beta (Part 1), Earthlings (Part 2), Back to the Moon, Bubbled, Kindergarten Kid, Know Your Fusion, Buddy's Book, Mindful Education, and Future Boy Zoltron. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing the next nine episodes of Season Three of Steven Universe - Beach City Drift, Restaurant Wars, Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service, Monster Reunion, Alone at Sea, Greg the Babysitter, Gem Hunt, Crack the Whip, and Steven vs. Amethyst. Why just nine? We couldn't end this on Bismuth - you'll see why next week. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

We're not angry, just disappointed. Well, maybe we're angry too. We're deconstructing the movie adaptation of Artemis Fowl beat for beat, so *SPOILERS AHOY* but don't worry, we also play a fun game that you can try at home too! Beware: nerd rage, anime references, and several mentions of the movie Cats ahead.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing the first ten episodes of Season Three of Steven Universe - Super Watermelon Island, Gem Drill, Same Old World, Barn Mates, Hit the Diamond, Steven Floats, Drop Beat Dad, Mr. Greg, Too Short to Ride, and The New Lars. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we're discussing the final five episodes of the second season of Steven Universe - The Answer, Steven's Birthday, It Could've Been Great, Message Received, and Log Date 7 15 2. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

It's Liz's birthday, and we're celebrating with a beautiful animated movie - Long Way North! We discuss French animation and bande dessinee culture, as well as the gorgeous yet terrifying landscapes, the cost-cutting measure of removing linework that somehow heightens the realism, and why you should see it too without spoiling it.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we discuss Nightmare Hospital, Sadie's Song, Catch and Release, When It Rains, Back to the Barn, and Too Far. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

Welcome back to Keep Beach City Quarantined! This week, we hit our third StevenBomb with Cry for Help, Keystone Motel, Onion Friend, Historical Friction, and Friend Ship. Join us for the live stream every Tuesday night at 5 PM on our Facebook page @marriedtotheideareviews and be a part of the conversation on our chill appreciation fancast.

For our long weekend extravaganza, we're tackling not just one or two movies, but all four of Dreamwork Studio's 2-D animated movies - The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. We talk about the big middle finger that led to the formation of the studio, which of the four deserved a lot more than they got, and the evolution of 2-D animation, both from big screen to silver screen, and from apparent death to welcome revival.