MediocreMovie.Club - Podcast

Jon and Pierce break down the nominees for the looming Oscars ceremony on March 10. It's a strong Best Picture crop with only a sweaty/thirsty biopic standing out as unworthy. Jon's still upset about the Animated Short winner from last year, while Pierce is focused on next year when Madame Web takes home its statues. 96th_oscars_preview.mp3File Size: 39767 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

For our pseudo-fall preview, Jon and Pierce break down three movies from directors who have, or had, new work coming out in the latter half of 2023. Arrival irritates Jon with its lying prologue, Marie Antoinette gives him an opportunity to talk about how much he thinks about the French Revolution, and Seven prompts Pierce to wonder if any movie was better served by awkwardly jamming a number into its title. seven_antoinette_arrivals.mp3File Size: 65049 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR give a series of raves to three Hayao Miyazaki films: Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, and Kiki's Delivery Service. We praise Miyazaki's grasp of adolescence, though Jon has less interest in Porco's evocation of mid-century Hollywood than JR does. porcos_spirited_service.mp3File Size: 75211 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR talk about some of their favorite movies and TV shows from the first seven months of 2023. Jon's voice gets shaky while talking about Belgian weepie Close, JR laments life imitating art in The Other Two, and Jon's (pretty) sure that his ego isn't as fragile as the characters in You Hurt My Feelings. best_of_2023_so_far.mp3File Size: 76629 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR break down our 2023 catch-up trio of Magic Mike's Last Dance, Creed 3, and Reality. We praise what's probably the last big role for Jonathan Majors, and Jon gives his dirtbag left take on Reality Winner. reality_mikes_last_creed.mp3File Size: 37846 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon's by himself to talk about three of Ben Affleck's movies: his atmospheric debut Gone Baby Gone, his weightless heist film The Town, and Air, his latest film about a large corporation becoming a giant one. the_ben_affleck_show.mp3File Size: 39131 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR revisit the 90's for some adventure movies with The Rocketeer, The Mummy, and Congo. Jon says what everyone is thinking about the scientist-gorilla relationship in Congo and we apologize for hurting Rocketeer star Billy Campbell's feeling. the_cong-eteer-my.mp3File Size: 54767 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, JR, and Bryan talk about the latest three movies from Swedish satirist Ruben Ostlund: Force Majeure, The Square, and Triangle of Sadness. Jon is unprepared to pronounce all these Swedish actor names and he and JR reveal their feelings about modern art (they're anti). the_ruben_ostlund_show.mp3File Size: 49165 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR discuss Love and Basketball, The Woman King, and What's Love Got To Do With It. Lots of praise for Thuso Mbedu and Angela Bassett's arms is interspersed with another sad story from Jon's lonely childhood and repeated dismissals of the Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot. whats_basketball_got_to_do_with_king.mp3File Size: 62068 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

We're on a 2022 movie tear lately, and that continues as Jon and Pierce talk about Everything Everywhere All At Once, RRR, and The Menu. We debate the hotness of Nicholas Hoult, fumble around about Hindu nationalism, and have a lot of negative things to say about a movie we otherwise are fans of. the_everrrything_everrrywhere_menu.mp3File Size: 57941 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

We're back in 2022 in Review mode with our latest trio of movies as Jon, JR, and Bryan talk about The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, and Kimi. Bryan lays down the law about metaphors and JR confesses to a string of arsons. the_banshees_of_elviskimin.mp3File Size: 98612 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR talk about a trio of Guillermo del Toro movies in honor of his long-gestating release of Pinocchio. The Shape of Water and Pan's Labyrinth prove to be a good pairing as all three movies put their protagonists against fascist or fascist-adjacent bad guys, and they're all riffs on fairy tales. We're generally up on Del Toro, but agree that he could use some quality control. the_shape_of_pinocchios_labyrinth.mp3File Size: 92178 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Pierce, and JR break down the long-awaited 2022 update of the Sight and Sound list of greatest movies of all time. They look at the movies the critics included compared to the directors, put new number one Jeanne Dielmann on their watchlists, and wonder what any of this is actually for. mmc_meets_sight_and_sound.mp3File Size: 82481 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Pierce, and Shane talk about Whiplash, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A certain British comedy troupe is not for Jon's comedic tastes, and we wonder if Johnny Depp was ever any good. fear_and_whiplash_in_the_holy_grail.mp3File Size: 64550 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Riley, and Pierce resurrect an old podcast format with What Have You Been Watching and we go long on about a dozen movies and tv shows from late summer, which is when we recorded this and it's been on Jon's to-edit list since then. Things discussed include Mike, Sandman, The Bear, Three Minutes: A Lengthening, Barbarian, Rings of Power, Industry, Welcome to Wrexham, Thor: Love and Thunder, A League of Their Own, Moonfall, and The Running Man. whybw_008.mp3File Size: 96475 kbFile Type: [...]

Jon and JR talk about another three movies on our collective Best Of lists: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Stand By Me, and There Will Be Blood. We surprisingly have the least to say about There Will Be Blood, praise Bob Hoskins' back hair, and JR cannot get interested in the lives of white children. stand_by_rabbit_blood.mp3File Size: 61142 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Riley, and Superfan Megan chop up the finale of House of the Dragon. We mourn a sweet, dumb boy, praise some Dragonstone furniture, and make a rule about the indistinguishable Kingsguard twins going forward. house_of_the_dragon_1.10.mp3File Size: 61231 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Drew, Ashli, and Superfan Megan have two very eventful episodes of House of the Dragon to break down. We ask which of Rhaenyra's children is going to be most like Marty McFly, and one of our castmates says, "I'm pro Larys and his foot stuff." house_of_the_dragon_1.8_and_1.9.mp3File Size: 90109 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Riley, and Superfan Megan have high praise for the one of the last two episodes of House of the Dragon and frustration for the other. We appreciate some recycled window dressing and enthusiastically welcome small children beating the shit out of each other. house_of_the_dragon_1.6_and_1.7.mp3File Size: 74916 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Our monthly themes are movies on our collective top ten lists, and this month, Shane, Jon, JR, and Drew talk about three of our favorites with The Big Lebowski, Team America: World Police, and Menace II Society. Jon leaps at the opportunity to provide an irresponsible amount of historical context. Is that an endorsement of this episode? Depends on your tolerance for his rambling. big_america_menace_to_lebowski.mp3File Size: 82613 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and Drew welcome another prodigal Mediocre member with Ashli's return. House of the Dragon keeps bringing people back, and why wouldn't it with some sexy brothel scenes? The HBO CEO of Tits gets a shout-out, and so does Jon's recurring bit of equating a grand strategy medieval simulator to this TV show. house_of_the_dragon_1.4_and_1.5.mp3File Size: 84219 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Superfan Megan's been gone so long that Jon forgot her last name. She returns to chat with Jon and Riley about the second and third episodes of House of the Dragon. Jon gets recommended some intimate stories about stepmoms and Megan can't get enough of those dragons. house_of_the_dragon_1.2_and_1.3.mp3File Size: 71349 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Pierce, and Riley break down 2022 releases The Batman, Prey, and Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers. They have a lot of praise rapping chipmunks when they're voiced by talented actors, bears getting punched in the face, and anytime a David Fincher movie gets paid homage to. chip_and_prey_batman_rangers.mp3File Size: 71111 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Drew, and Riley recap the first episode of Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon. Still burned from the end of Game of Thrones, they take an arms-length approach but are optimistic about the future in their hope for less conscious surgeries and more palace intrigue. heirs_of_the_dragon.mp3File Size: 47279 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, JR, and Pierce go long on three Taika Waititi films. Hunt For the Wilderpeople is universally praised, Thor Ragnarok gets us talking about the trash the MCU is currently churning out compared to when the movies were pretty good, and during our talk about Jojo Rabbit, the phrase 'this is not allowed' gets used a whole bunch. thor_hunt_for_the_rabbit.mp3File Size: 112582 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Pierce, and Shane talk about some of their favorite things from the first half of 2022, whether that be books, movies, TV shows, or video games. Jon comes up with an all-time segue that he's still super-proud of, Shane mixes up his Skarsgards with his Sarsgaards, and an argument breaks out on if backal is the opposite of frontal. best_of_2022_so_far.mp3File Size: 80245 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

This month, Jon and Pierce watched three of David Cronenberg's squishy, fleshy, head-explodey films. Jon makes a big claim about eXistenZ and its comparison to The Matrix, The Brood makes for a weird exhibit in Cronenberg's 1970's divorce proceedings, and we experience the rare special effect that defines the movie that contains with it in Scanners. david_cast-enberg.mp3File Size: 54145 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon welcomes Phil back from a long hiatus to talk horse movies, specifically Dream Horse, Jockey and Secretariat. Phil's deep knowledge leads to a marathon podcast where Jon pieces together what 'dosage' means in equine world. Listen closely for Phil doxxing his employer. secretariats_jockey_dream.mp3File Size: 98204 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR chat about NASA movies with Apollo 10 1/2, The Right Stuff, and Contact. It's up for grabs which subject Jon rambles on about for longer: his love for Carl Sagan or the loss of reckless freedom that American kids used to have. JR's a good sport and only tells him he's full of shit once or twice. the_right_apollo_contact.mp3File Size: 69637 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Pierce, and JR are overwhelmed with the amount of great TV currently on the air and had to get together to throw out a dozen shows worth watching. Jon raves about The Dropout, JR's knocking out seasons of Better Call Saul over the course of a long evening, and Pierce is itching to get started on Tokyo Vice. out_of_control_spring_tv.mp3File Size: 80832 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR break down three Black female director debuts with Eve's Bayou, Daughters of the Dust, and The Watermelon Woman. Jon reiterates the bottomless charm bomb that is his white-hot hatred of superstition. eve_of_the_watermelon.mp3File Size: 59486 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and Pierce were given a gift, namely the permission to cross a TV show off their list of things to watch. They break apart the second season finale of Euphoria and the many annoying choices made therein. Pierce shores up the future of humanity by insisting that the teens he knows (he's a teacher, it's fine) are just as dismissive of this trash as we are. emergency_euphoria_reaction.mp3File Size: 64977 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR compare and contrast three takes of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Joel Coen's Tragedy of Macbeth proves to be the clear winner, with Justin Kurzel's Macbeth and Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood in its rearview. We missed Pierce and his English degree for all kinds of fun Elizabethan detail, but we cover up that loss with a lot of laughs about dead babies, thus staying on brand. the_macbeth_show.mp3File Size: 73943 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and Pierce get back together to run through the nine films of their mutually favorite director, Paul Thomas Anderson. Frog rainstorms, roller girls, pudding scams, waterbed shops, all that and more in an epic length episode that features more than one multi-minute monologue extolling the virtues of one of the best American filmmakers. the_paul_thomas_anderson_show.mp3File Size: 108518 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Hands are waved and voices are raised as Jon, Shane, JR, and Pierce get into it about Power of the Dog, Matrix Resurrections, and No Sudden Move. Strong feelings are had about who's the moron in the newest Matrix sequel, who's smart and who's dumb in Power of the Dog, and whether or not Brendan Fraser's reemergence is overdue. the_power_of_the_sudden_resurrection.mp3File Size: 77080 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Shane, and Pierce praise and lament some of the best and worst of what's been a pretty great year for movies. Space Jam: Legacy, with its cameos for dystopian English rapists, gets mentioned, but you'll have to listen to find out if it was in the Best or Worst category. best_and_worst_of_2021.mp3File Size: 50050 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and JR have a great back-and-forth going as we break down Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Hero, and The Grandmaster. They both love the wu xia style of martial arts movies, though Jon's less into the politics of Hero. Maggie Cheung is also defined as the anti-goop. Listen for whatever that means! hero_chi_and_the_master_rings.mp3File Size: 70479 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

We are very sorry that an unedited podcast was posted and you, dear listener, had to listen to our otherwise-cut fumfurs and uh's and overlong rambles. Here's the real Dune Show. One of our members has been cast into the maw of Shai-Hulud for the mistake, never to be heard from again. the_dune_show.mp3File Size: 72950 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

It's been Dune month here at the MMC, and Jon, Pierce, JR, and briefly Shane talk about the version that just came out, the version from the 80's, and a documentary about a version that never was. Jon practiced his pronunciation of Kwisatz Haderach, but Shane just referred to the position as King Space Dork, making fools of us all. the_dune_show.mp3File Size: 90439 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Pierce and Jon wish The Many Saints of Newark was more focused, while Jon sticks around til the end to give his thoughts on News of the World and CODA. news_of_the_many_codas.mp3File Size: 35222 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Shane might've ingested a little something before he and Jon talked about the more experimental episodes of the Sopranos (Calling All Cars, The Test Dream, Join the Club, Mayham), but it's never been more appropriate considering all the dream logic present here. the_sopranos_-_experimental.mp3File Size: 48645 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Shane, and Drew go spoof-crazy this month, as we break down the comedic chops of Galaxy Quest, They Came Together, and Clue. Stay tuned for Coach Cast, wherein we check in with Dauber and the gang as they steer their football team to victory! they_clue-st_to-galaxy.mp3File Size: 37160 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and Shane knock out part two of our Sopranos series as we discuss four family-focused episodes. Praise is given to the king, Hugh DeAngelis, and scorn is heaped on the digital replacement of Livia Soprano, although the rest of the episode that contains that abomination is pretty great. the_sopranos_-_family.mp3File Size: 56921 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

We're respecting the pizza parlor for a new miniseries in advance of The Many Saints of Newark. Jon and Shane sit down to talk about The Sopranos from a Mob focus, dissecting four episodes from the landmark series. We talk about who's smart and who's dumb, who's the best liar, and make fun of the Sopranos comment boards from the early 2000's. sopranos_mafia.mp3File Size: 59732 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and Drew listen while Shane loses his shit over Blade, specifically Blade Trinity. Jon's so bewildered that he completely forgets to referee the Movie Game. There is in fact no movie named Eastward Bound, and Owen Wilson's not in it. the_blade_show.mp3File Size: 43437 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Shane, and Pierce talk about our latest trio of movies: Captain Fantastic, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar, and Spotlight. We sing the praises of Jamie Dornan, who in turn sings to seagulls, and Pierce references a meme. cap_and_spot_go_to_liguro_del_fantastico.mp3File Size: 76950 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon and Pierce sit down for another ranking of a director's movies. This time, we're going through the work of Christopher Nolan. We discover that a lot of these movies have third-act problems and Jon fervently hopes this is the absolute last time he'll ever have to think about Tenet. christopher_nolan_show.mp3File Size: 58960 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Shane, Pierce, and JR talk about the horrifying Saint Maud, the hilarious Mitchells vs the Machines, and the confounding Tenet. JR gets in a great anecdote about a family road trip and Jon has a headache. saint_tenet_vs_the_machines.mp3File Size: 85850 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon's by himself to talk about Into the Grizzly Maze, Night in Paradise, and In the Mood For Love. One of these movies is not like the others, and the whiplash makes Jon pretty uncomfortable. in_the_mood_for_grizzly_paradise.mp3File Size: 37070 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Drew, and Pierce talk about Godzilla vs Kong, Mortal Kombat, and Another Round. They realize that they know too little about Danish education and too much about the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero. another_kongbat.mp3File Size: 61680 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]

Jon, Shane, Riley, and JR talk about Sound of Metal, The Handmaiden, and I Care a Lot, two of which we loved and one of which makes Shane moan with rage. Jon doesn't get punk bands or vaping as a thing, but he sure talks excitedly about horny movies. sound_of_hand_care.mp3File Size: 70836 kbFile Type: mp3Download File [...]