The Rad Carpet

Thom and Tom discuss the year that was in film in 2018, reveal and compare their respective top 10 lists, and lament some of the more disappointing films of the year. Stick around until the very end for a few words on the future of The Rad Carpet.

The Rad Carpet takes one last pass through the red velvet curtains for the final two episodes of David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return. Thom and Tom grapple with the various conclusions presented in Parts 17 and 18 before wrapping up some big picture thoughts on the 18-part Showtime series in their Wall to Wall Carpet segment.

The Carpet wraps a bow on 2018 with a Rad Ticket segment on a number of late-year new releases, with Whalen and Siblo discussing Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse and Pawlikowski's Cold War, Siblo unfurling quick takes on Mary Poppins Returns, If Beale Street Could Talk, Vice, and Bohemian Rhapsody, and Whalen waxing ecstatic about the return of horror host Joe Bob Briggs (3:40). Then your Carpeteers approach the home stretch of David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return, discussing parts 15 and 16 of the Showtime limited series (55:30).

Enjoy a very Rad Christmas as the Carpet is visited by three spirits and two beloved Dickens adaptations, with Thom and Tom snuggling up to the 1983 short feature Mickey's Christmas Carol and the 1993 Brian Henson film The Muppet Christmas Carol in their Carpet Compares segment (3:20). Then your Carpeteers crash their sleighs into the majestic firs of Washington state, covering parts 13 and 14 of the Showtime limited series Twin Peaks: The Return(38:40).

After Siblo and Whalen Carpet Stain perhaps the stinkiest dud they've yet encountered, David Lynch's famously mind-numbing 1984 sci fi epic Dune (3:05), your Carpeteers hunker down for an extended session on Twin Peaks: The Return, covering Parts 10, 11, and 12 (40:20). Here's the DFW article mentioned in the Dune segment: https://longform.org/posts/david-lynch-keeps-his-head

Thom and Tom have reached the juicy center of David Lynch's Showtime limited event series Twin Peaks: The Return, here covering Parts 7 through 9, including the instantly infamous psychedelic nuclear freakout that is Part 8 (24:00). But first, many a Rad Ticket is punched as your Carpeteers catch up on a busy holiday season at the theater, dishing takes on Yorgos Lanthimos' offbeat Oscar frontrunner The Favourite (3:30), two eastern critical darlings in Burning and Shoplifters (11:00), the Cohen Bro's Netflix anthology film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (15:04), and Steve McQueen's Widows (18:30).

Thom and Tom reel from the world premiere screenings of Lars Von Trier's masterfully cruel serial killer film The House That Jack Built (2:40), while dishing quick takes on Shudder's saucy psychological horror film Cam (26:20) and the Wreck It Ralph sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet (30:25), before rejoining David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return for a discussion of parts five and six (38:00).

The long-awaited conclusion to the Carpet's year-by-year discussion of 1990s favorites has Thom and Tom welcoming Matt Siblo and Noisey's Dan Ozzi to discuss Toy Story, Jackie Brown, The Big Lebowski, Heat, Being John Malcovich, and many, many more.

The Carpet's David Lynch deep dive continues as Thom and Tom gobble up parts 3 and 4 of Twin Peaks: The Return (29:15), but not before welcoming Sensitive Evan on for a round of the old In or Out?, where the trio dish takes on Lynch players Naomi Watts, Bill Pullman, and Matthew Lillard (3:10).

The Rad Carpet parts the red curtains to begin its episode by episode discussion of David Lynch's 2017 Showtime limited series, Twin Peaks: The Return, beginning here with episodes 1 and 2 (33:55). But first, Thom and Tom welcome special guests Ryan Williams from the Fringe Drinking podcast and Sensitive Evan from Rad Carpet infamy for reactions on the splatterific new WW2 action film from Julius Avery, Overlord (02:40). ***Note: the discussion of The Return Part 3 that we mention up top got stranded in the Black Lodge, but we'll rerecord our thoughts on that episode very soon!

October may be through but the screams keep coming on the the Carpet, as Thom and Tom talk through two of the freakiest films they've discussed all year, beginning with a Rad Ticket discussion of Luca Guadagnino's utterly gonzo Suspiria remake (2:40), with a section for spoilers (19:50). Then the two-month Twin Peaks: The Return deep dive begins with a Carpet Stain segment on David Lynch's harshly received prequel feature, Fire Walk With Me (43:20).

A super-sized Halloween edition of the Carpet finds Thom and Tom considering Paul Schrader's steamy 1982 Cat People remake along side the more austere 1942 original in Carpet Compares(4:10). Your Carpeteers then crow about the film that marks the consensus end of Dario Argento's peak period, 1987's Opera (35:50). Finally, Argento month draws to a close with a long discussion of director's giallo work at large in Wall To Wall Carpet (52:30).

Thom and Tom continue their month-long excursion into the stylish murder mysteries of Italian horror legend Dario Argento by getting lost in his knotty and ultra-violent 1982 film Tenebrae (20:10). But first, your Carpeteers unfurl a brand new segment, Carpet Compares, considering the atmospheric 1942 Val Lewton horror classic Cat People (3:45) before wrapping their rugs around the steamy 1982 Paul Scrader remake next week.

Thom and Tom catch up after a long layoff, reacting to their screenings of the new Halloween sequel (1:40) and coming to blows over the Panos Cosmatos' instant cult classic Mandy (13:30). Plus, Whalen raves A Star Is Born (31:00)and Thom reports back from a major TV binge, including Netflix's Maniac (1:07:20), among many, many other sordid takes and digressions.

David Gordon Green's Halloween remake hits theaters this weekend, and the positive buzz for the 2018 film might have us forget that this isn't the first return to Haddonfield we've seen century. Dreadlocked metalhead turned horror auteur Rob Zombie tried his hand at resurrecting Michael Myers in 2007, and the result is one of the more outright reviled horror properties of recent memory. Thom and Tom revisit Zombie's Halloween remake: is it really that bad?

All those high hats and funky bass licks can only mean one thing: the blood flows and the Carpet unfurls for Dario Argento's giallo-to-end-all-gialli, Deep Red (37:50). But first, Thom and Tom warm up for their upcoming deep dive on Twin Peaks: The Return but winding back to where David Lynch's cult fave series began, Carpet Cleaning 1990's feature-length Twin Peaks pilot (2:40).

The Carpet welcomes the most blood-curdling month on the calendar by beginning its discussion of Dario Argento's stylish murder thrillers. Where else to start than with the film that made the giallo form an international craze, his 1970 debut The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (26:35). But first, Thom and Tom dig up another horror icon, Carpet Cleaning the hit 1989 Stephen King adaptation Pet Sematary (3:40).

Thom and Tom wrap Seijun Suzuki month by discussing Youth of the Beast, Toyko Drifter, and Branded to Kill side by side in their Wall To Wall Carpet segment (26:40). But first, your Carpeteers assess Takashi Miike's infamously brutal cult classic yakuza gore-fest Ichi the Killer in perhaps their ickiest Carpet Cleaning job yet (3:10).

Just when you thought Suzuki month couldn't get any weirder, Thom and Tom watch and discuss the film that got Seijun Suzuki blacklisted from the Japanese film industry for a decade, the utterly bonkers Branded To Kill (26:40). But first, Siblo takes Whalen deep for a Hole In The Carpet segment on Disney's 1954 FX landmark 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (2:50).

Siblo and Whalen check in for a quick mini episode reviewing Aneesh Chaganty's new screen-to-screen thriller Searching, then Siblo offers some quick thoughts on Let The Corpses Tan, Juliet Naked, and John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection.

The Carpet unfurls across Japan's technicolor streets and snow-kissed valleys as Tom and Thom whistle their way through Seijun Suzuki's wild 1966 film Tokyo Drifter (41:40). But first, your Carpeteers are joined by Rad design man and Fringe Drinking co-host Ryan Williams to play a little In or Out?, dishing takes on Zack Snyder, found footage films, and watching movies with subtitles(2:30).

Siblo and Whalen begin a month immersed in Seijun Suzuki's esoteric crime films with 1963's Youth of the Beast (30:40). In Rad Ticket, your Carpeteers wrestle with the puerile pleasures and harsh critical reception of Brian Henson's The Happytime Murders (4:25) while Siblo dishes quick takes on Andrew Bujalski's latest, Support the Girls (22:20).

Siblo and Whalen close the book on Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker month with a Bad or Rad? segment on David Zucker's FOX News-approved Dickens riff An American Carol (49:00) as well as a broad discussion of the trio's work in Wall To Wall Carpet (1:08:55). But first, your Carpeteers punch a couple few Rad Tickets by discussing The Meg (3:15) and BlacKkKlansman (14:00), with quick takes on Are We Not Cats, Madeline's Madeline, and Crazy Rich Asians (38:05).

Siblo and Whalen pivot from the vintage ZAZ classics Airplane! and Police Squad! to the trio's minor fare, including the troubled 1984 cult fave Top Secret! (24:00) and the Devito/Midler pairing Ruthless People (42:40). But first, patch up a Hole in the Carpet as Siblo catches Whalen up on Paul Feig's 2015 send up Spy(4:05).

The Carpet follow Lynne Ramsay month with some much-needed levity by yucking it up with the comedy trio Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker, beginning with their uproarious 1980 hit Airplane! (38:00) and their short-lived cult favorite TV series Police Squad! (1:05:25). But before that, Siblo and Whalen Carpet Clean what may be the most widely seen ZAZ-related film of all: Jerry Zucker's Oscar-winning 1990 fantasy romance Ghost (3:55). Looks like we picked a bad week to quit film clubbing!

Join Siblo and Whalen as they careen at dangerously high speeds into the latest Mission: Impossible entry, Fallout, discussing their reactions to the rapturously hyped new film as well as their thoughts on the series as a whole.

Siblo and Whalen put a nail in Lynne Ramsay month by discussing her 2018 arthouse thriller You Were Never Really here (19:05) before hashing out their thoughts on the director's work at large in the Wall To Wall Carpet segment (49:15). Your Carpeteers begin the show with a small slice of Carpetspondence concerning mental health themes in Hereditary and checking facts on Alyssa Milano and Marisa Tomei (5:35). Be sure to poke around in this feed for our special Sorry To Bother You spoiler episode, published earlier this week.

Siblo and Whalen poke into your feed for a special mini-Carpet episode to discuss one of 2018's most bizarre, confrontational, and imminently spoilable films, Boots Riley's weird slice of agitprop satire Sorry To Bother You. Your Carpeteers go full bore with spoilers here, discussing the film's plot--including its utterly wild final act--in serious detail, so be sure you've seen Sorry To Bother You before you tune in. Keep an eye out later this week for our regularly scheduled Carpet episode, wrapping our month of Lynne Ramsay with a discussion of her 2018 arthouse thriller You Were Never Really Here.

Siblo and Whalen continue Lynne Ramsay month with a discussion of perhaps her most widely admired film, 2007's troubling and hypnotic We Need To Talk About Kevin (33:45). But first, as an aggressively dumb palate cleanser, your Carpeteers subject themselves to the easy-ridin' mid-life-crisis road comedy Wild Hogs in a new segment with a self-explanatory title: Bad or Rad? (4:20).

In a mini-Carpet episode, Siblo and Whalen key off a particularly insightful piece of listener feedback to present a mid-year movie going roundup for 2018. Among the many topics discussed: the baffling blockbuster status of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the chilling box office fate of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the Oscar prospects of Black Panther, horror breakouts A Quiet Place and Hereditary, our favorite theatrical releases and some recommended streaming deep cuts, and much, much more.

Siblo and Whalen trade their summer blues for the grey skies of Glasgow in their first foray into the work of Scottish auteur Lynne Ramsay, covering her youth squalor debut Ratcatcher (37:15) and her impeccably soundtracked grief essay Morvern Callar (1:03:10). But first, your Carpeteers punch their Rad Ticket to discuss the new Ant Man film, the unexpected Sicario sequel, the "once in a lifetime bad" Gotti, and more (4:15) before shaking out the Rad Carpet mailbag for some Carpetspondance regarding moms, dads, and John Waters and further, pizza-themed explorations of the biopic (27:20).

Whalen and Siblo wrap an incredible month of Brad Bird by filling in the gaps of the Disney heavyweight's filmography. First they wrestle with his poorly received live-actioner Tomorrowland (4:00) and then fry up some takes on his strange unlikely hit Ratatouille (30:20) before wrapping Bird at large in their big-picture segment, Wall To Wall Carpet (47:50).

Siblo and Whalen sink their giant dino teeth into the new Jurassic Park sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (34:50), and they genetically engineer a new Rad Carpet segment, Carpet Stain, revisiting the complexly titled, critically maligned 1997 Spielberg joint The Lost World: Jurassic Park (4:15).

Siblo and Whalen don their super suits to watch and discuss Brad Bird's 2004 smash hit heroes-at-home yarn The Incredibles (39:15) before digging into to its recently released sequel, Incredibles 2 (1:08:25). But first, the fellas welcome hometown Carpet die hard Keith onto the show for a special in-person edition of In or Out?, unfurling takes on notable Pixar voices Billy Crystal, Joan Cusack, and Tim Allen (2:55).

In anticipation of this week's Incredibles 2, Thom and Tom take a giant metal bite out of the films of Brad Bird, beginning with his beloved 1999 feature debut The Iron Giant (32:40). But first, your Carpeteers tear a few Rad Tickets, doling out takes on the re-re-boot Oceans 8 (3:30), the college heist film American Animals (20:00), the Paul Schrader's critically lauded First Reformed (23:30), and the sci-fi thriller Upgrade (29:50). Poke around in this feed for a special bonus episode, where we go full spoilers on Ari Aster's super hyped and divisive debut feature Hereditary.

Thom and Tom log on to talk in depth with full spoilers about Hereditary, the debut film from Ari Aster that comes with much critical hype, divisive audience reactions, and a seemingly instantaneous rep as one of the most unsettling horror films in recent memory. Needless to say, you'll want to have seen Hereditary before you tune in--we pull no punches with plot details here. But if you have seen the film, you're probably itching to talk about it, so tune in and get rad! Keep an eye on this feed for another new episode of the Carpet, where we discuss Brad Bird's Iron Giant, with spoiler-free discussions of several other new releases, including First Reformed, Oceans 8, American Animals, and Upgrade.

Siblo and Whalen punch their Rad Ticket to Solo: A Star Wars Story, and one of them has a bad feeling about the beleaguered prequel (3:30). Your Carpeteers are also split on John Waters' ode to cinema terror, Cecil B. Demented (33:45), though in the Wall to Wall Carpet segment they both find plenty to gush over from the late career of the elder statesman of filth (57:25).

Siblo and Whalen take yet another jaunt through the superhero franchise tentpoles as they punch their Rad Ticket to Marvel's new blockbuster Deadpool 2 (3:41), before enjoying some more refined fare with Jordan Reisman's maternal character study Tully (21:10). Your Carpeteers then continue their month-long look at late-career John Waters, discussing his cult favorite horror comedy Serial Mom (35:50).

Siblo and Whalen celebrate one full year of the Rad Carpet by returning to sunny, filthy Baltimore to watch and discuss select films from John Waters' late-career ascent to the mainstream, beginning with 1988's sock-hopping underdog breakout Hairspray (33:10), and continuing to his only film for a major studio, 1991's Depp-starring rockahillbilly riff Cry-Baby (56:45). But first, your Carpeteers welcome CJ5000 on for the Hole in the Carpet segment, where CJ chops it up about his first ever viewing of the 1978 American musical institution that is Grease (4:15).

Siblo and Whalen run the proverbial gauntlet, reporting back from their respective screenings of Marvel's ambitious new Avengers: Infinity War (3:10). Then your Carpeteers put a bow on Sophia Coppola month by spinning the recent Criterion release of her debut film The Virgin Suicides (37:40) and wrapping Coppola month with a discussion of the director's work as a whole in Wall to Wall Carpet (1:05:00).

The Carpet is heading to Toyko... and to the Hollywood Hills... oh, and to 18th century France. Yes indeed, the fellas are globe-hopping with Sophia Coppola, as CJ5000 logs in to help Carpet Clean her breakout hit Lost In Translation (4:00), and then Siblo and Whalen unfurl takes on two of her more divisive films, Marie Antoinette (41:30) and The Bling Ring (1:11:40).

We can't keep this one quiet: the new Rad Carpet is live and loud! After digging into some listener feedback in Carpetspondence (3:50), Whalen and Siblo tear their Rad Ticket by unfurling takes on the hit John Krasinski horror film A Quiet Place, Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs, with some quick thoughts from Siblo on Aaron Katz's Gemini and the teen sex comedy Blockers (12:20). For the main event, the fellas begin their month long Sophia Coppola curriculum, starting with 2017's The Beguiled (32:20) and 2010's Somewhere (50:00).

We've reached the final level of our Sci Fi Spielberg month: it's time to talk Ready Player One! Siblo and Whalen were somewhat split on Spielberg's new CG-intensive gamer adventure yarn, so there's plenty to unpack here, from its referential design to its alleged anti-corporate ethos to its thorny gender politics to its wild action set pieces (3:45). And once your Carpeteers emerge from their RPO deep dive, they go right back under for a big picture look at Spielberg's sci fi work at large in their Wall to Wall Carpet segment. What is Spielberg's legacy as a sci fi director? Has Spielberg successfully adapted across his four decades of sci fi work or does he simply skate by on his early success? An oasis of takes awaits--hit play and get rad!

Many a long finger is aglow in Carpetland as Siblo and Whalen continue their immersion in everything Sci Fi Spielberg! Your Carpeteers warm up with a quick chat on some recent new theatrical new releases, including Unsane, The Death of Stalin, and Thoroughbreds (2:50). Then in Carpet Cleaning, the fellas revisit Spielberg's iconic 80s smash E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, with the help of Ryan Williams from the Fringe Drinking podcast (20:50). And finally, they return to the Carpet curriculum to discuss the extremely expensive, perhaps unfairly maligned 2005 alien actioner War of the Worlds (53:00). Hear more from Ryan Williams on the Fringe Drinking podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/user-252620616

Watch the skies, cause a new Rad Carpet episode is hovering your way! Siblo and Whalen are boarding the Spielberg mothership in anticipation of the director's forthcoming Ready Player One, here discussing Spielberg's seminal UFO drama Close Encounters of the Third Kind as well as his heralded “mature” sci fi effort Minority Report. But first, CJ5000 makes an appearance for a round of “In or Out?”, wherein your Carpeteers unfurl takes on studly New England superstar Mark Wahlberg and, well, on Steven Spielberg himself. The truth is out there--and it's very rad!

The Rad Carpet's Bogdanovich month takes one more bumbling trip around the roller rink, this time tackling a pair of the director's box office bombs, 1974's Daisy Miller (27:15) and 1981's They All Laughed (45:50). Siblo and Whalen discuss those two vexing entries in the erstwhile New Hollywood stud's filmography before wrapping a bow on Bog's work at large in Wall to Wall Carpet (1:11:30). But first, your Carpeteers tear their Rad Ticket, spending a good chatty chunk dishing their thoughts on some new releases, including theatrical notables Annihilation (4:00), Game Night (10:40), Red Sparrow (14:40), and Foreign Language Oscar winner A Fantastic Woman (19:00), as well as the Netflix exclusives Mute (21:00) and Veronica (24:20). You can find the excellent Teresa Carpenter piece on the death of Dorothy Strattan that we discuss during the They All Laughed segment here: https://goo.gl/REq1ee. Be forewarned, the Carpenter essay does contain some graphically violent and sexually explicit material.

Do I listen to the Carpet because I'm rad? Or am I rad because I listen to the Carpet? Any way you slice it, Siblo and Whalen are here to reappraise the beloved 2000 record store romcom High Fidelity (3:30), with special guest Dan Ozzi from Noisey in the mix to comb the stacks and wallow in the Cusackian angst. Plus, your Carpeteers continue their month-long dive into the work of erstwhile New Hollywood luminary Peter Bogdanovich, this time falling hard for the Depression-era charmer that is 1973's Paper Moon (43:30). Don't get conned--get rad!

What's up, Bogs? Siblo and Whalen dip back into the Rad Carpet curriculum by watching and discussing some of the key early films of ascotted New Hollywooder Peter Bogdanovich, beginning here with his revered coming-of-age drama The Last Picture Show and the smash hit screwball throwback What's Up, Doc? But first, the Carpet unfurls for the return of CJ5000, who hops on the mic for a fresh round of In or Out?, with the trio dishing takes on biopics and on somber star (and soon to be Joker?) Joaquin Phoenix. Siblo and Whalen also share their thoughts on 2018's biggest release to date, Marvel's Black Panther. It's an absolutely jam packed episode: hit play and get rad! 4:37--In or Out? 35:00--Black Panther 56:00--Bogdanovich Intro 59:12--The Last Picture Show 1:23:00--What's Up, Doc?

The Rad Carpet year end blowout is live! Join Siblo and Whalen as they parse the many rich and varied thematic undercurrents of an incredibly generous year at the movies. You'll get your Top 10 fix for sure, but first your Carpeteers spend the bulk of the episode bundling the countless notable 2017 films not via numerals but via themes and through lines, hashing out the year in immersive blockbusters, coming out and coming of age dramas, Trump-era button pushers, and so much more. The fellas even dip their toe back into The Shape of Water in response to an articulate piece of listener feedback. The year that was in 2017 is getting one last ride on the Carpet--hop on and get rad!

We might be through with 2017, but 2017 ain't through with us! The Rad Carpet is rewinding the tape for two episodes on their movie faves from The Big 17, starting here with a discussion of non-2017 films that made an impression over the past calendar year. Join Siblo and Whalen as they catch up on notable films from 2016, report back on some recommendations, make some new recs, and generally chop it up by covering almost 20 films in just over an hour, including Toni Erdmann, The Salesman, Out of Sight, Unfriended, the early films of Denis Villeneuve, Romero's Dawn of the Dead, and many, many more. The ball may have dropped, but you better not drop the ball--tune in, get rad!

What's that bubbling up from the depths? It's the latest episode of The Rad Carpet! Join Thom, Whalen, and CJ5K as they strap on their flippers for a second episode on Guillermo del Toro, soaking in his acclaimed new amphibian romance The Shape of Water, as well as his earliest brush with the hype train, 2001's horror fable The Devil's Backbone. Your Carpeteers also have an overview of this month's four del Toro horror fantasies in their monthly Wall to Wall Carpet segment. Before all that, let's play some In or Out?, this time keying off of Netflix's new Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond documentary to discuss in-character Method Acting. You won't need to get in character to dig on this episode--touch play and get rad!