Podcast appearances and mentions of miracle max

In this thought-provoking episode of the Expert Speaker Podcast, host Majeed Mogharreban sits down with Max Stossel, a poet, storyteller, and advocate for digital well-being, to explore the power of words, creativity, and the hidden impact of social media on our minds and relationships. Max shares his journey into poetry and performance, the inspiration behind his upcoming play, and how he uses spoken word to ignite meaningful conversations. He also dives deep into the psychological effects of social media, the challenges of being a modern artist, and the balance between passion and profitability. If you're curious about art as a tool for transformation, the business of creativity, or how to navigate social media more mindfully, this episode is for you. Key Takeaways ✅ From Fear of Death to Fear That There is No Death – How a psychedelic experience transformed Max's understanding of consciousness and the afterlife. ✅ The Power of Poetry & Performance – How hearing a spoken word poem changed Max's life forever and set him on a creative journey. ✅ Social Media & Mental Health – The hidden dangers of smartphone addiction, how it affects kids' development, and practical strategies to set healthier boundaries. ✅ Parenting in the Digital Age – Why delaying a child's first smartphone leads to better mental health outcomes, and how parents can navigate peer pressure around technology. ✅ The Business of Art – Max shares his unique approach to funding creative projects, why he separates art from income, and how he balances financial sustainability with artistic freedom. ✅ "It's a Miracle" – Max's Upcoming Play – An Off-Broadway-inspired performance that explores death, birth, psychedelics, and consciousness through storytelling and poetry. Memorable Quotes

 What's up, dudes? It's time for another Christmas-adjacent episode! This time, I've got the Saturday Morning Mafia with me to talk about “The Princess Bride!” Yep, it's Christmas time, and Columbo—erm, Peter Falk—reads his sick grandson a fantasy story. There's fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles... in other words, it doesn't sound too bad.   Westley the farm boy falls in love with Buttercup. When he goes off to seek fortune to marry her, his ship is lost at sea. Years pass, and Buttercup is now betrothed to Prince Humperdinck. Suddenly, she's kidnapped by a giant, a Spaniard fencer, and a criminal mastermind. A mysterious man in black eventually rescues and reclaims her, and reveals himself to be her Wesley.Unfortunately, it's all a plot to start a war, and Buttercup's murder will be the inciting scapegoat. Consequently, Westley is mostly killed, and the Spaniard and giant revive him with help from a disgraced Billy Crystal…I mean, Miracle Max. With their assets combined, they bluff their way into the castle, get revenge on all the baddies, and escape to live happily ever after. Oh, and there's some kissing in it too.Fred Savage? Yep. Andre the Giant? Got him. Masters of the Universe toys and Santas in the background! Inconceivable!! So grab your sword, put on a holocaust cloak, and hop in your wheelbarrow to this episode on “The Princess Bride!”Christmas ClatterFB: @christmasclatterIG: @christmasclatter Twitter: @XmasClatterThe Wonderful World of NothingGive us a buzz! Send a text, dudes!Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Totally Rad Christmas Mall & Arcade, Teepublic.com, or TotallyRadChristmas.com! Later, dudes!

He's just not that into you! Or maybe he is? Or maybe we all need to just snuggle up with a good mug of tea, put on some comfy pants and watch ourselves some romantic comedies. In this episode, join Lexi and Ben and maybe Nora Ephron to really get into the world of funny romance movies. (Please note that Nora Ephron is not actually IN this episode). Are you more of a "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" kinda person, or maybe a "The Notebook" person? Listen now and pick your romantic poison!Jess Says:- I was going to say Swedish berries but like is that a gummy??? idk- Rooked is mommy, thanks for the shout out - Ryan is so tickled- You missed When Harry Met Sally!!! I just think it's iconic and the diner scene is so good- Ryan and I's song is The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys (idk why, it's a song that Ryan always liked and I didn't know it until we started dating and we both love it)Transcript:Keywords: gummies, candy, romantic comedies, romcom, chick flick, relationship, breakup, puppet, MuppetLexi 00:01 Just regular gummy bears. Ben 00:03 Oh, I guess that's all right. I'm partial to real fruit gummies. Lexi 00:09 I like a bear in a gummy.Ben 00:11 Yeah. Lexi 00:13 Or a coke bottle. I like a good cola bottle. Ben 00:13 Coke bottles are good. What's your ultimate gummy? I don't think we've ever talked about gummies.Lexi 00:19 Iced tea.Ben 00:19 There's an iced tea gummy?Lexi 00:19 There's an iced tea gummy by the makers of the... Haribo?Ben 00:27 Haribo, yeah. Lexi 00:29 They also make an iced tea gummy. Ben 00:30 I don't think I've ever seen that one, but I'm down with some Haribo. Lexi 00:32 I've only ever found it in the candy store in Banff.Ben 00:36 Wow, I like their mixed gummies. I'm a gummy stan.Lexi 00:41 Me too. I can say no to a lot of candy, but a gummy? I have a hard time passing up a gummy. Ben 00:48 It just feels right.Lexi 00:49 It does.Ben 00:49 Okay. Taking away any sort of extra-special types of gummies, what's like a normal gummy go-to for you?Lexi 00:58 Um...Ben 00:59 If you had to choose sort of the run-of-the-mill, you can find them at the drugstore, Shoppers Drug Mart. Lexi 01:04 Coke bottle. Any type of coke bottle. Ben 01:06 All right, all right.Lexi 01:06 A blue shark. I like a blue shark. Ben 01:07 Ooh. Lexi 01:07 I like a gummy bear.Ben 01:12 Mm, mm, mm.Lexi 01:12 And then, if I'm hard pressed, I'll do a gummy worm. Ben 01:12 Mm.Lexi 01:17And then, everything else, I can kind of say no to. What about you?Ben 01:20 I'm partial to sour gummies. Lexi 01:23 Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Ben 01:23 I do like them. So, a sour soother is pretty good. Dina-sour, if you will. Lexi 01:29 Yeah. Very good. My mom used to have those in bulk when she was a high-school principal, and I would just eat them off of her desk all the time. Yep. Ben 01:36 Yeah. I used to hang out in a hot tub with my older brother when we were finished high school, but hadn't moved on with life yet, and we'd sit in the hot tub out back, and just eat sour soothers till, like, 3 in the morning. Lexi 01:50 Well, you know, there's worse things. Ben 01:51 Yeah, right?Lexi 01:53 Do you have a favourite colour of gummy? Ben 01:55 Oh, no. I've never really worried about that. I do like those fried egg looking ones though from Haribo, as well. Lexi 02:00 Mm. Like the 10-cent candies, which are more like a dollar, like just the mix of things.Ben 02:05 Yeah, I like a mix, as well, like a little mix bag, but I like the sour packages. If we are talking about king of gummies, for me, it's a jube-jube.Lexi 02:14 Really? Ben 02:15 Or a Jujube. Yeah, I mean, I'll eat them fresh or not fresh, but they are definitely better when they're fresh. They haven't gone all hard and shit. Lexi 02:23 Yeah. I miss the pink package of gummy bears. That was the king of gummies--Ben 02:29 Oh, I don't know that package. No, I don't. Lexi 02:31 Do you remember that? Like, I remember being a child in going to see The Lion King in theatres and my mom was like, "You can get a snack," and I was like, "I want gummy bears," and it was in a pink package.Ben 02:45 Huh.Lexi 02:45 And the gummy bears—the bears themselves—spelled out the word "gummy". Ben 02:47 Wow, I do not recall those at all, but that's dope. Lexi 02:51 And they were my favourite. Oh, they were... I'll see if I can find pictures of them, but my god, it was my favourite. Ben 02:57 There's a period from 14 to 16 where I was convinced that I liked wine gums, but now, as a more cultured individual, I realize that those are kind of trash. Lexi 03:07 Yeah, they're not...Ben 03:07 Yeah. They're bottom-of-the-barrel gummies, if we're being honest.Lexi 03:11 Yep.Ben 03:11 You know, I can still appreciate a run-of-the-mill, like a frog or, you know, even a fuzzy peach.Lexi 03:17 Mm-hmm.Ben 03:17 They're a little too sweet for me. Lexi 03:20 You know, sometimes, I don't like a whole package of fuzzy peaches, but I'd like, like, two or three.Ben 03:25 Yeah, if they're mixed in. Yeah, if they're thrown in with, like, a little dime bag. Lexi 03:27 Yeah, if they're mixed in, perfect. Little dime bag.Ben 03:31 Little bag of candies.Lexi 03:34 Sounds nice.Ben 03:34 Apparently, when the previous generation was younger, those were one cent, and then when we were kids, they were like 5 cents, and now they're like a quarter a candy.Lexi03:42 Yeah, it's wild.Ben 03:42 It's inflation, motherfuckers. Nobody's earning anymore, but those gummy prices just keep risin'. [Lexi laughs] Lexi 03:48 Gotta pay the gummy toll... the gummy tax?Ben 03:51 Something like that. I've always wanted to make my own gummies at home, but it seems like a complicated process. Lexi 03:56 Oh, god, no. No, I don't wanna see what the sausage is made of. I just wanna eat the gummy.Ben 04:01 I mean, out of sausages to make, I feel like a gummy's a pretty benign sort of thing to see. [chuckles]Lexi 04:08 Well, it's gelatin, so it's like ground hoof.Ben 04:10 Yeah, yeah, you put-- a little hoof or... No, I guess it's just ground-up hoof, isn't it? [laughs]Lexi 04:14 It is. It's ground-up bone and hoof and--Ben 04:16 You know what? Would you prefer we didn't use the entirety of the horse?Lexi 04:19 No, you know... [both laugh] Is it...? Can you...? Is it pig or what type of hoof is it? [laughs]Ben 04:25 I straight up don't fucking know. This is a perfect opportunity for Jess to jump in and educate us.Lexi 04:34 What type of hoof is in gelatin?Ben 04:34 Yeah, what's the most prominent type of hoof in gelatin? If you know, please write in. That e-mail address again is everyone@dorkmatterspodcast.com. Lexi 04:44 I hope the answer is fish bones or something really weird.Ben 04:47 Yeah, it's fish bones.Lexi 04:47 Chicken beaks. The answer is chicken beaks. Like, "Ah, yes."Ben 04:50 You know what it is? If we're being honest, it's probably all these things – everything that you can't put in anything else, yeah. Lexi 04:54 Ah, it's a mishmash. All the hoofs and beaks.Ben 04:58 And some big anus for good measure, you know? [Lexi laughs] That's where you get the tart from. You need a little pucker? [both laugh] We're terrible. Lexi 05:10 We're terrible. [both laugh]Producer Jess 05:12 [magical chime] Really bad news. I did not want to look this up because I wanted to continue enjoying gummies, but then my curiosity got the better of me. Okay, so this is from snopes.com, fact-check gelatin source. I'm going to just read this verbatim. "Sometimes the most innocuous of foodstuffs contain constituents whose origins are less than appetizing. Such is the case with JELL-O, a dessert that has graced millions of dinner tables since its 1897 debut.Underneath JELL-O's jiggly wholesomeness lurks a secret many consumers are disconcerted to learn: JELL-O is made from gelatin, an animal product rendered from the hides and bones of animals, typically pork skins, pork, horses, cattle bones, and split cattle hides." So yeah, you were right, Ben and Lexi; it's all of the above. No fish bones. Sorry if gummies are ruined. They are for me. [magical chime]Ben 06:13 We had some other intro topics. Did you still want to do that or is this good enough? Lexi 06:17 Oh, yeah. No, this is good. Let's punch it. Ben 06:20 All right, let's do the theme song then. [Dork Matters theme music, Dance by YABRA plays]Voiceover 06:51 [echoing] Dork Matters.Ben 06:53 Welcome back to the podcast. This is Dork Matters, a dorky podcast for dorks, and I'm your Dad Dork host, Ben Rankel. And, with me every time we do the show, is your Edorkater, Lexi Hunt. Yeah. Irreplaceably. With us, irreplaceably, Lexi Hunt. Lex, what are we doing today? We're not talking about pig anuses anymore. Lexi 07:14 We're not talking about pig butts. I mean, maybe we are. I mean. Ben 07:16 Maybe. Lexi 07:19 [both chuckle] I mean, anything is possible. We're talking about romantic comedies. Ben 07:25 There's gotta be a pig butt or two in there.Lexi 07:28 You gotta kiss a couple of pig butts to find the right one. Is that right? Ben 07:31 Yeah, to find a good one. Well, won't you bring us here?Lexi 07:36 This was really popular on Instagram. A lot of people were chiming in. Ben 07:39 Yeah, romcoms are a thing. It's interesting to me because I feel like the romcom is kind of gone. Lexi 07:49 The romcom is gone.Ben 07:49 Like the good one, like the blockbuster, like the big-release romcom is gone.Lexi 07:53 Yeah.Ben 07:53 That was a thing of the '90s and it's gone now.Lexi 07:56 Yeah, it's a Hallmark...Ben 07:56 Like, they just can't make bank anymore, can they? Yeah, it's a Hallmark Channel exclusive.Lexi 08:01 Yeah.Ben 08:01 Speaking of, I've got a fun game for you to play a little bit later. Lexi 08:03 Oh, okay. I'm looking forward to that one. Ben 08:05 Surprise for you after the break. Lexi 08:06 Okay. Well, a romantic comedy is just what it sounds like. It is a comedic movie that is centred around the relationships, typically between a man and a woman, although we're starting to see more movies branch out into other types of relationships. And so, it's nice to see. Ben 08:21 Bros. Lexi 08:22 Yeah, but it's also romantic comedies can be associated with negative stereotypes, one might say – a "chick flick", perhaps?Ben 08:32 Mm.Lexi 08:32 I found a great article actually called The Problem with Chick Flicks and I thought it kind of sums it up quite nicely with this quote from Deborah Barker. In the book literally titled Chick Flicks, she says, “The chick flick has been defined variously as escapist entertainment for women, simply as films men do not like, as examinations of capable independent female characters and their empowerment, as emotional ‘tearjerkers,' as tales of female bonding, and as the antithesis to male-oriented action films”.Ben 09:05 Well, we got a lot going on there and I think the primary one is the outdated sort of gender norms.Lexi 09:13 Mm-hmm.Ben 09:13 But also, there's the malignment of female-centric media, you know, the same way that things that women like in very many different aspects of media are kind of talked down to, like, you know, boy bands, etc. "Well, it's not good music. It just appeals to girls," and it's, you know, been used, I think, to malign a lot of different culture that could be engaged with more sincerely by dismissing it because it's femme-centric.Lexi09:46 Mm-hmm. Well, and it's not unheard of... I think it was Chevy Chase who actually said, like, "Women aren't funny," and so romantic comedies--Ben 09:56 Old racist, misogynistic Chevy Chase.Lexi 09:59 Old Chevy.Ben 09:59 The guy too racist to stay on Community. Lexi 10:04 Just, there's so many issues with him and there are so many great examples from Saturday Night Live of funny women, but so, you know, romantic comedies aren't exactly touted for being great examples of writing or even comedic writing, or even of, like, great romantic writing. They're kind of like the stereotype is they're these trashy, kind of like fun films that a bunch of gals get around and drink a bottle of pink wine and cry and laugh and have a good time. Ben 10:35 We call it rosé. Lexi 10:37 Rosé. Like, part of me is like, "What the hell's wrong with that? If that's what you're doing with a group of pals..."Ben 10:41 Absolutely.Lexi 10:42 ...who cares? Do it.Ben 10:43 Again, and this is like it's okay for dudes to get together and watch UFC, but you know, femmes can't get together and watch a romcom that's somehow... Like, we're supposed to think less of that than a bunch of guys watching people hit each other. Lexi 10:54 If you like the movie, watch the movie. And some of the movies, we'll talk about in a little bit. One of them was actually suggested to me by a dude friend of mine because he was like, "This movie makes me laugh every single time. It's hilarious So..."Ben 11:07 Hmm. Is it Bridesmaids? Lexi 11:10 It is not, actually. The other thing that I was reading about too, in doing research for this here episode, was about the--Ben 11:18 Research? Not on Dork Matters. Lexi 11:22 Yeah. Dork, dork, dork. Nerds!Ben 11:23 We have show notes, folks. We actually do way more work on these than I think comes across when we record them. [both laugh]Lexi 11:32 "The guy with the... What's the name of that guy? [snaps fingers] The guy with the face." [laughs]Ben 11:35Oh, that's a personal failing. [chuckles]Lexi 11:38 But, I was reading about the Bechdel Test. Ben 11:41 Alison Bechtel, comics legend. Lexi 11:43 Mm-hmm. The Bechdel-Wallace test is a test that measures the representation of women in film and other fiction. It's a test that asks whether a work of fiction basically features at least two female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man on screen or in the book, or whatever. Ben 12:01 Right. And it's been expanded since that original definition, but I don't know where we're at now to include some other criteria. But, yeah.Lexi 12:08 Yeah.Ben 12:08 Yeah, and again, the thing that some people forget about the Bechdel Test is that it is the lowest bar that you could step over.Lexi 12:16 Yes. [laughs]This is not meant to be like, "Hold your head up high and fly a flag." Like, this was the bare minimum. You had enough female representation in a film to have two people talk to each other, that are femme, that were not talking about the masc character in the film and, like, is a very low bar to clear [whispers] and a lot of media does not clear it.Lexi 12:41 Well, and especially romantic comedies because, so often, romantic comedies are typically centred around like the heteronormative man-woman, cis relationship, and so--Ben 12:51 Man-woman, man-man relationship.Lexi 12:55 Yeah, it's typically that triangle of--Ben 12:58 Yeah, M-F, M-M.Lexi 13:00 --man dates woman, woman has problem with man for some reason, starts dating other man. Original man wants to get her back with something very...Ben 13:07 Grandiose?Lexi 13:10 ...grandiose. Gets her back. There's usually some type of rain. Ben 13:13 Oh, yeah, you gotta have rain. Lexi 13:15 And then everything ends hunky dory. Ben 13:18 Yeah, happily ever after. There are a few that subvert that trope, and one of those is on my list...Lexi 13:26 Yep. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.Ben 13:30 ...of favs, which is what I call faves, which is short form for favourite.Lexi 13:33 That is true.Ben 13:35 Can you hear the "u" when we say favourite? Lexi 13:37 Fav-our-ite.Ben 13:38 [chuckles] I feel like we can. We're Canadian, so we say the "u". Fav-our-ite col-our.Lexi 13:44 Col-our. [laughs]Ben 13:47What else we got? Although I do get tripped up because I want to add one to major. Lexi 13:51 Mm, mm-hmm. Ben 13:52 Trips me up. Lexi 13:54 Can't do it.Ben 13:54 I can't just put a "u" in whatever I want, but I want to. That "u" is important to me. Where were we? Lexi 14:01 Uh, we've talked about what they are. Let's get into it. Let's talk about what's your favourite-- your top three. Ben 14:07 Our top three? Okay, let's go. Why don't you lead us off here? Lexi 14:11 Yeah. Okay, I'm going to start with--Ben 14:14 Give me your favourite. Tell me why it's your favourite, and then let's chat about it. Lexi 14:17 So, this is the one, I was going through a breakup. I was very, very, very sad, having a hard time. Ben 14:24 Do you want to give us more details on your personal life? Lexi 14:26 Nope. I was very sad.Ben 14:27 Who did you break up with? How long were you going?Lexi 14:30 Don't want to talk about it, but I was very, very sad and my friends, Jillian and Dylan—as I like to call them, Dillian because they're a couple—Ben 14:37 Or Jillan.Lexi 14:38 Jillian... Nope. Jillan?Ben 14:40 J--J--Jillon.Lexi 14:40 I like to call them Dillian.Ben 14:41 Dillon? Dillian is better.Lexi 14:45 They are huge fans of the romcom, and Dylan was actually like, "You have to watch Forgetting Sarah Marshall." It is so ridiculous and over the top, and this was right around the time Forgetting Sarah Marshall came out. That was, like, what? 2007, 2008, in and around there. Ben 15:03 Earlier than we'd like to admit. [Jason Segel sings Peter You Suck, from Forgetting Sarah Marshall]Lexi 15:05 Yes, but it was hilarious. Now, okay, in hindsight, yes, Russell Brand. Now, by today's standards, not a good dude. Also, Jonah Hill.Ben 15:14 There was a long while there, where we're like, "Hey, this dude's telling it like it is in a more progressive bent," and...Lexi 15:19 And now we're like, "Oof." But, at the time, so you have people-- it was kind of like that frat pack group of dudes.Ben 15:27 Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.Lexi 15:28 So, you got Jonah Hill. Who else is there? Mila Kunis, Russell Brand... Oh, my god. I've completely.Ben 15:37 Star of the show. [song continues]Jason Segel 15:38 [sings] It's so self-loathing, go see a psychiatristI hate the psychiatristWell go see one anywayI don't like the psychiatristYou need to go see oneSee a psychiatristI'm not going.Lexi 15:48 Jason...Ben 15:50 You got this.Lexi 15:50 Segel.Ben 15:52 Yeah. I was gonna do a caw for you, like [caws]. Is that seagull or is that...? [laughs]Lexi 15:57 'Cause, in my head, I could see him, but I was like, "It's not Sudeikis. That's--Ben 16:00 No.Lexi 16:03 So basically, there's a breakup. He takes it hard. He has to get over Sarah Marshall. He goes to Hawaii, and hilarity ensues.Ben 16:12 Guess who's there?Lexi 16:12 Bill Hader's in it, and Sarah Marshall is there. They have this great time of, like, one-upping each other and being sad on the island. But, what I really liked about the movie was, after they leave Hawaii and things don't end well, he goes back and it shows him kind of pushing through his depression and still coping with it, still being sad, and still trying to work on himself, versus trying to get back to a relationship that, as the movie kind of goes on, you see he keeps having all these flashbacks of Sarah, and then they're so perfect at first, and then as the movie goes on, the flashbacks kind of show how the relationship actually wasn't that perfect. Ben 16:50 Rose-coloured glasses--Lexi 16:52 --start to come off. Ben 16:54 Yeah, yeah, the idealization or, you know, turning somebody into an idea as opposed to dealing with them as they actually were. Lexi 17:02 Yeah. And, seeing it from her perspective too, because she points out that he was actually quite depressed and she was trying to help him through it, but eventually had to save herself because he was not taking care of himself and she had to make this hard call. And so, then you start to empathize with her, that she's not just this bitch that she's been cheating on him. She's a person who also was really struggling. And then, it really wraps it up with, like, yeah, he kind of dates Mila Kunis to kind of get over her, but they both kind of separate and become buds in the end, and it just culminates in the funniest, cutest Muppet/puppet Dracula musical. [Jason Segel sings Dracula's Lament from Forgetting Sarah Marshall]Ben 17:43 You know we love-- we love puppets here.Lexi 17:44 And it's just so funny. We love puppets and so that--Ben 17:47 With the exception of part-time guest host, Stephanie Gerk, who is afeared of puppets.Lexi 17:52 --is not a fan of puppets. Jason Segel 18:05 [sings] And I've been living too hard to believeThat things are going to get easier nowI'm still trying to shake off the painFrom the lessons I've learnedAnd if I see Van Helsing, I swearTo the Lord I will slay him! (A-ha-ha-haa!)Take it from meI swear I will let it be so! (A-ha-ha-ha!)Blood will run down his faceWhen he is decapitated... (Aah!)His head on my mantle is howI will let this world knowLexi 18:31 But, I just love that, at the end, he wants to do this ridiculous musical and he does it. He finds a way to bring it together and I just love that movie. [song ends] There's one specific line, Ben, that I think about constantly and it's from Russell Brand's character is missing a flip flop and he's trying to find it and he's like...Russell Brand [18:45] [with Lexi quoting along sporadically] "Excuse me, missus. I lost a shoe-- like, this one. It's like this one's fellow. It's sort of the exact opposite. It's not like it's evil or something. Just, you know, a shoe like this, but for the other foot. Otherwise, I'd have two right...Lexi 19:07 And I think that is so funny. [laughs] Ben 19:12 I knew it was going to be that part. Lexi 19:13 He was funny in it.Ben 19:13 He was funny. It's too bad it didn't work out for him to be a good person, overall.Lexi 19:16 So, forgetting Sarah Marshall, I love you. Ben 19:20 A fantastic pick and that idea of focusing on oneself as a means of growth, as opposed to focusing on a relationship that didn't work and obsessing over it, is something I think I appreciate from that film as well, which leads me into my first pick, in a similar vein, which is 500 Days of Summer. [500 Days of Summer Main Title by Mychael Danna Rob Simonsen plays]Lexi 19:40 Ooh.Ben 19:40 We got Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zoe Deschanel, who I'm generally not a New Girl fan. Lexi 19:47 No. I go back and forth on her but, yeah.Ben 19:50 Yeah. Yeah. So basically, you know, guy meets girl, guy and girl have relationship, relationship seems great to one, not to the other. Eventually, it falls apart and JGL's character spends a lot of time just being like, "What went wrong? Why didn't this work out? What did I do wrong? What did she do wrong?" obsessing over this failed relationship until eventually somebody kind of is like, "Hey, you are being a bit of a loser about this. You need to stop and actually think about how this relationship was going," and it's a similar situation to FSM, if you will, as we call it – us Marshall-heads.Lexi 20:29 Mm-hmm. [both chuckle]Ben 20:29 In that he realizes that he has built up this sort of idealized version of the relationship, and even himself and Zooey's character, in the relationship as well. And then, you get... It's told out of order, as well, so you kind of start with the breakup and then work back to sort of how that happened and you start with more of his perspective on things and kind of him as the protagonist and like the victim. But then, as you get through it more, you realize how much JGL's character has pushed this other character into something she was very clear about not wanting to start with.Lexi 21:06 Mm-hmm. Ben 21:08 And we eventually find out that basically she wanted to keep things casual, and then eventually they clicked enough that, you know, he pushed her and sort of not nagged but, you know, insisted upon a relationship that she wasn't comfortable with. And then, it somehow shocked Pikachu-face when it doesn't work out the way he wants. And then, she goes off and finds a thing that he wanted with her, with somebody else and, you know, it kind of culminates in a moment where he's like, "Why? Why did you tell me you didn't want this?"Lexi 21:33 Yeah.Ben 21:33 "And yet, you immediately went out and found it with somebody else," and she said, "I didn't want it with you. It didn't work with you. You know, you weren't the right person for me."Joseph Gordon Levitt 21:43 I mean, it doesn't make sense. Zooey Deschanel 21:47 It just happened. Joseph Gordon Levitt 21:49 Right, but that's what I don't understand. What just happened? Zooey Deschanel 21:53 I just... I just woke up one day and I knew. Joseph Gordon LevittKnew what? Zooey Deschanel 22:03 What I was never sure of with you. Ben 22:03 And it's a very honest and humbling moment. And then, you know, the end of this movie is him finding a way to move on past his obsession over this failed relationship and better himself. And, that leads to sort of the culmination of his movie, which is like, you know, finding a way to be a better person and healthier relationships in the end. And, I like that as well.Lexi 22:26 Yep.Ben 22:26 Did you ever watch it? Lexi 22:27 I did watch it and I found it not my favourite of his work. Ben 22:36 So, I think for me it was a zeitgeist thing, as well, like same for you for Sarah Marshall. I had gone through a relationship and had found myself sort of obsessing over, like, "Why didn't this work out?"Lexi 22:48 Yeah.Ben 22:48 "I thought we had all of this," and then going back and being like, "Oh." Eventually, after spending some time working on myself and getting some distance and feeling better about where I am as a person, I can look more objectively at the relationship and be like, "Oh, here's some places that I pushed when I didn't need to," or when they didn't want me to and seeing some stuff that was there that you don't want to see when it breaks up initially. Lexi 23:11 They do a really good job in that movie of showing how a relationship can really bring out the worst in decent people, because I found his character, he really ran the gamut in that movie because there's moments where I was like, I understood him, I related to him, and then other times where I was like, "God, you are like an incel," because he was so angry. [Ben laughs]Ben 23:32 Yeah. Lexi 23:32 And I was like, "God, get over it." And it was right around the time that the friend is kind of like, "You're not doing well.”Ben 23:39Yeah, it's his little sister, I believe, who's like, "You're kind of an asshole about this."Lexi 23:42 Yeah. And I think we all have that in us. Like, we've all had a relationship—maybe not a romantic relationship, even a friendship—that's brought out not good things in us. And, sometimes, it takes a person who's really brave and really cares about you to be like, "You're not well." That's a hard thing to say to someone. Ben 24:01 Do you respond well to that? I find, not for me. I think I have to, like, live five to six years afterwards and be like, "Oh, fuck."Lexi 24:08 I do when it comes from certain people. Like, I have a couple of friends in my life, like if they were to sit me down and be like, "I'm concerned about you," then I'd be like, "Oh, shit." Like, I would take it super seriously because, for the most part, those people would not get involved in my problems. So, if they were to sit down and say like, "I'm concerned," I would be like, "Okay, I'm taking this seriously," and that's basically what happened with Forgetting Sarah Marshall. [both laugh] Dillian was like, "Hey, bud, you're sad. You okay?"Ben 24:40 Yeah. [Lexi laughs] Yeah, yeah, 500 Days, as well. His little sister's like, "You're only thinking about happy stuff. I saw a lot of stuff that was not very happy."Lexi 24:49 Yeah.Ben 24:49 There's the part where I think it's a party where he finds out she's engaged and he turns into a real piece of shit there. And, there's a quote during the, like, press junket from this movie where Joseph Gordon Levitt himself is like, "I need people to understand that I am the protagonist of this film. I am not the hero, and I don't think anybody should be looking at me as a heroic person in this movie."Lexi 25:09 Yeah.Ben 25:12 And I just get that. Yeah. I felt that at the time, the obsession, the confusion, the anger.Lexi 25:18 Mm-hmm. Totally. Love it. Ben 25:20 And that's what that makes that one stick for me.Lexi 25:22 That's a good pick. Ben 25:22 The title, though, not my favourite. It's a little twee. 500 Days of Summer... Oh, because her name is Summer and they're together for 500 days.Lexi 25:29 Yeah. Oh!Ben 25:32 Wow. That's a year and a half. That's a long time.Lexi 25:33 That's a good long time for a relationship that...Ben 25:36 It's not nothing, but it's also not enough to be like, it's worth your everything--Lexi 25:42 Well, and it's also, if you think about it from the other side of it, 500 days to be in a relationship that you never wanted to be in, in the first place, like, ooh.Ben 25:49 Oh, my god. Yeah, it's rough. When you start moving back through that movie and realizing that she was like, "I want to keep it casual," and he just sort of--Lexi 25:55 --like, forces her into a relationship. Ben 25:57 Pushes. Just pushes. Yeah, he just pushes and is never cool or chill about it.Lexi 26:00 No. Hence the incel part where I'm like, "Okay." [laughs]Ben 26:05 Yeah, absolutely. No, absolutely. And it was before we had a word for that or, you know, a bunch of people watched that movie and we're like, "Oh, god. She's bad to him."Lexi 26:14 She should have just said, "Yes," and gone along with it. Ben 26:15 Yeah. "Why didn't she marry him even though she didn't feel like he was the right person for her?" [Lexi laughs] "He loved her so much, and he treated her really good, and when you treat someone good, they have to give you anything you want."Lexi 26:27 Like, "Oh, boy." Reminds me of a friend from art school. [Ben laughs] I've said it before – best piece of dating advice I ever got from them was, "You don't date nice." Like, it's not a good enough reason to stay with someone. Like, "They're nice to me." Like, "So what? Everyone should be nice to you."Ben 26:41 Yeah. Everybody should be nice to you.Lexi 26:43 Yeah.Ben 26:43 Yeah, absotootly, as they say on Thomas and Friends: All Engines Go, because they're trains and they toot. [steam train whistle blows] Yep. Absotootly. [Lexi sighs] Sorry about that. Should we keep going or do you want to do mid-break? It's your call. Lexi 26:59 Let's do one more and then we'll go mid-break. We'l do three and three. Okay.Ben 27:02 All right. All right, I'm gonna do the next one.Lexi 27:04 Oh, okay.Ben 27:06 Is that okay with you, or do you wanna do the next one?Lexi 27:07 No, no. You go. You go. Ben 27:09 All right, I'm launching into a problematic fave... Lexi 27:13 Okay.Ben 27:12 ...which is You've Got Mail.Lexi 27:15 Yeah.Ben 27:15 It's a Nora Ephron flick. It's Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's re-starring together again after their first tilt at Sleepless In Seattle, which is another favour of mine, but we'll do that some other time. [Over the Rainbow by George Fenton from You've Got Mail plays] You've Got Mail, I loved. I watched the hell out of this movie. I thought it was romantic as heck until somebody confronted me and, like, this entire movie is based off of a premise of complete power imbalance towards the male character who lies and manipulates the other person and then puts her out of fucking business, all while being very callous and still trying to court her surreptitiously.Lexi 27:56 Yeah.Ben 27:57 But it still has a special place in my heart because I liked it for so long. And then, so after I was confronted with how terrible the relationship in this movie actually is and being like, "Oh, fuck, they're right," I still like the film and I had to slow down and be like, "What is it that I actually really loved about this film?" and I realized it's the character of New York in You've Got Mail. I am in love with this version of New York that they show, which admittedly is very twee and non-existent. It's almost a Friends version of New York.Lexi 28:33 [chuckles] Yep.Ben 28:33 Almost. But, it's just this really romantic version of New York, to me, where like people just stroll around and there's a Joni Mitchell soundtrack to this thing that kind of slaps, and it's just one of my favourites, and I like Parker Posey a whole lot. Lexi 28:49 Parker Posey is an absolute treasure. Ben 28:52 So, she's a delight in this as an executive who gets kind of dropped by Tom Hanks' character and is just sort of like, 'Fuck it. I don't care. I'm successful and awesome. I don't need... Like, this doesn't matter to me."and just sort of shrugs him off. And, you get a great Greg Kinnear as a nut who is really obsessed with typewriters.Lexi 29:11 Mm-hmm.Ben 29:12 I love that bit. [music continues] And... Whats his name? Steve Zahn plays a character that works in this, like, little independent bookshop who is just--Lexi 29:20 He's always like a zany--Ben 29:22 --zany, bonkers weirdo. Yeah.Lexi 29:23 He always plays a zany kind of like, "What are we gonna do with him?" kind of character.Ben 29:28 Yeah, we get a great line from him in this film, which is, "I'm going to the nut shop where it's fun." It's a real classic.Lexi 29:37 I will say, the Nora movies, they do a great cozy vibe.Ben 29:43 Yeah.Lexi 29:43 Like, everybody's got a good scarf, the kitchens always very nice.Ben 29:46 Yeah, the lighting is good.Lexi 29:46 Like all of the Father of the Bride movies, they just feel like you're having a cup of cocoa and a big-- Ben 29:54 They're very white, though. Lexi 29:55 Yeah, they're super white. Yeah.Ben 29:56 Yeah. Lexi 29:57 Very like Connecticut. Ben 30:00 Yeah, we get what's-his-face in You've Got Mail as the bestie, which is Chris... Oh, my god. This is gonna kill me. Fucking, now he's come back as a comedian again and he's very transphobic and nobody's a big fan of him returning.Lexi 30:17 Oh, who is it?Ben 30:17 Dave Chappelle. God, that took me enough.Lexi 30:19 Oh. Dave Chapelle is in that? No.Ben 30:18 Yeah, he's the best friend. Lexi 30:22 Are you sure?Ben 30:23 Not anymore. You're making me really question myself. I've watched this movie, like, 3,000 times. Lexi 30:27 I feel there's no way Dave Chappelle is in You've Got Mail. [music continues]Ben 30:30 I'm almost positive he is. To Google! [old-school computer bleeping] [scratching record, DJ-style]Lexi 30:39 Looking at it right now. Oh, my god, you're right. Ben 30:42 He's in it. Yeah, he plays Tom Hanks' best friend/assistant/whatever his job is. Lexi 30:48 I find that shocking. It has been so long since I have seen that movie. Ben 30:54 Yeah.Lexi 30:57 My goodness. Ben 30:57 It's been a minute now for me too, 'cause I don't have time to do anything anymore, but yeah. Yeah, so the whole premise is manipulative and wrong, and he treats this woman like shit, in person, and then, via these emails that they're sending is just romantic and nice. And for, like, two thirds/three quarters of the movie, he knows who she is, she doesn't know who he is, and he never bothers being like, "Hey, I'm actually the guy you're emailing with. Let's deal with this relationship on an equal footing." He just fucking manipulates her. Yeah. Lexi 31:32 No, he catfished her before it was catfishing and this was the precursor to shitty social media relationships where it's like, "Don't talk to me in public, but online we can, like, sext, and it'll be cool."Ben 31:42 And then they meet up in the park and she's like, "I hoped it would be you." And then I'm like, "Nah, real life, she'd be like, 'You motherfucker.'"Lexi 31:50 "No, you didn't." Ben 31:50 Shove him in the water.Lexi 31:51 Yes, she should. That's how it should have ended – just, "Fuck you," right in the water.Ben 31:56 "You fucking piece of shit," and just shoves him into the water. [both laugh] Yeah. Lexi 32:01 "You've ruined my life. But don't worry, you can be the little honey bun at home."Ben 32:04 Yeah, "You destroyed the shop that my mother started," and that's supposed to be a great release for her, according to this movie.Lexi 32:12 Hey, she finally let her mother go. Ben 32:13 Yeah, "You troubled yourself too much with this shop. This shop wasn't really for you. It was for your mom." No, it's for her, too. It's her business. And now what? She gets to go edit books or something for Parker Posey? I guess that's not that bad.Lexi 32:25 No, it sounds kind of nice too, but...Ben 32:26 Yeah, Parker Posey hires her in the end, which I think is great. [chuckles]Lexi 32:30 [sighs] Yeah.Ben 32:30 [Dreams by The Cranberries from You've Got Mail plays] Anyhow, I still like the film from the version of New York, we get to the Joni Mitchell opening. Greg Kinnear is great. Steve Zahn's awesome in it. And then, you also have this like story where Tom Hanks' character's father is on his third wife and he's got these two little siblings from, like, his grandfather's just disgusting relationship with a younger woman and his father's disgusting relationship, and then eventually the nanny leaves with the second or third wife or whatever. It's amusing.Lexi 33:01 Yeah, there's some jabs in there, but okay.Ben 33:03 Anyhow, I can't do faves without talking about it, even though it is problematic and, you know, I now see a lot of issues with that film's writing, but... [both chuckle] I had a huge crush on Meg Ryan for a long time. [music fades out] What is your second one? Do you have a great lead in? Lexi 33:23 I do because actually, as you were talking, I changed my mind about--Ben 33:29 Oh, my goodness. What?!Lexi 33:29 I did.Ben 33:32 I saw that a pop up on the screen here that said, "Lexi has edited the show notes."Lexi 33:35 I made a change. So, I've changed my second one to others to kind of chat about, runner up, whatever. The next movie romcom that I'd like to talk about is Baby Mama. Sorry.Ben 33:47 So, I've never heard of this.Lexi 33:47 [Stay Up Late by The Talking Heads from Baby Mama plays] Oh, Benjamin. It is awesome. Okay, so we've got Tina Fey, we've got Amy Poehler, we've got Greg Kinnear, and Dax Shepard. So, the whole premise is Tina Fey... Again, this movie was recommended to me by Dillian. Ben 34:07 Oh, it's coming back to me now. Lexi 34:09 And it's about Tina Fey, who's this corporate lady who she's getting up there in age and she wants to have a baby, but she's not in a relationship. So, she decides to just hire a surrogate who turns out to be Amy Poehler, who kind of plays this like white trash crazy lady. Ben 34:28 Yeah. Yeah. Lexi 34:28 And the two of them forge this, like, really unlikely friendship, and meanwhile are having their own, like, issues with men on the side. And I feel like it's a romantic comedy about friends and, like, yes, there's male love interests in both of the ladies' lives, but it's more or less like it's the coming together of two unlikely friends to form a really strong relationship. Ben 34:48 Mm-hmm.Lexi 34:49 And it is funny as shit. I loved it. To this day, still makes me LOL. I love it. Ben 34:56 Yeah, laugh out loud for the younger generation. Lexi 35:00 Just, there's one scene because. I worked at--Ben 35:02 Wafflecopter.Lexi 35:02 I worked at a well-known grocery store...Ben 35:07 We all know by now, if you listen to the show.Lexi 35:07 I worked there, and we used to joke about it all the time that this movie came out 'cause it kind of felt like working in this, like, corporate, natural grocery store, where the owner of the store is, like, fabulously rich and wealthy and very like, not down to earth, but then is also pretending to be this hippy.Ben 35:26 Only hires granola people. Lexi 35:28 Well, no, but like is pretending to be this hippie and kind of is, but absolutely so disconnected from life, and there's one minute, and it's they played by Steve Martin and he plays such a good wacky, hippie billionaire. He rewards Tina Fey's character with five minutes of uninterrupted eye contact [Ben laughs] and it's just so good. Ben 35:52 My god, I can't do a three count of eye contact with anybody. Five minutes is  fucking torture. It's like staring into the sun. Lexi 35:58 It's so funny and the whole thing, it starts with Liz Lemon-- [laughs] Tina Fey's character--Ben 36:05 I feel like when you have a prominent actor, you can call them anybody from their oeuvre of films or whatever. Lexi 36:12 Yeah. Tina Fey's character is looking for a new location for one of their new grocery stores, which is basically like a Whole Foods, and she scouts out a place which is Greg Kinnear's juice shop and they forge a bit of a romantic relationship that way. That man plays a good romantic lead. Ben 36:29 Yeah, he's unthreatening and has sort of big eyes.Lexi 36:32 Yeah. Very gentle, deer-like qualities.Ben 36:36 [laughs] Yeah, he's a deer man.Lexi 36:38 He is a dear man. But, if you haven't seen it, Ben, you need to watch Baby Mama. It's hilarious. [song continues]Ben 36:42 Yeah, I'll check it out. I'll put it on the to-watch list, for sure. Awesome. [music fades out] Well, if that wraps up the second, I think it's time for us to go to our mid-show break. [sings along with "Who's That Pokémon?" theme music] Da-na, na-na... [record scratches off record] No, no. What? Da-na... [record scratches off record] No, we're not doing it, not this time.Lexi 36:56 Whaaaat?Ben 36:57 [sings along with "Who's That Pokémon?" theme music] Da-na, na-na... [record scratches off record] We're not doing Who's that Pokémon? [gasps] We're playing a game I've stolen from another podcast called My Brother, My Brother and Me, in which I offer you a Hallmark rom comedy description.Lexi 37:11 Okay.Ben 37:12 I'm going to give you a romcom title and description. You tell me if it's Hallmark or AI [Lexi laughs] in a segment I like to call... [playful music plays] Hey, I?Lexi 37:23 Oh, wow.Ben 37:25 Hallmark or AI?Lexi 37:25 AI.Ben 37:27 AI, question mark. I don't know. So, that's the game we're playing today. Lexi 37:31 Okay.Lexi 37:31 Yeah, let's do it. Ben 37:31 Let's get into it. You ready for your first one? [romantic music plays] The title of this romcom is Love Notes and Bookstore Blunders. "In a quaint bookstore nestled in the heart of a bustling city, a shy and reserved librarian finds herself caught in a whirlwind romance with a charming but disorganized writer who accidentally swaps their notebooks, leading to a series of comedic mishaps and unexpected connections as they embark on a journey to retrieve their misplaced musings and maybe find love along the way." AI or Hallmark? [music ends]Lexi 38:03 I'm going to go with AI.Ben 38:04 Ding, ding, ding! That is AI. Well done. Lexi 38:07 Yay!Ben 38:07 [laughs] What gave it away? Lexi 38:11 It's a little too on-the-nose.Ben 38:12 Is it too on-the-nose?  You just wait. Some of these Hallmark ones are very...Lexi 38:16 Okay. Well, no, I mean like I don't have... Yeah, okay. Give me the next one. Let's do this. Ben 38:20 The next one here is Cupid's Catering Chaos. [romantic music plays] Lexi 38:24 Oh, god. [Ben laughs]Ben 38:26 "When an ambitious but overwhelmed chef reluctantly agrees to cater her ex's wedding, she finds herself entangled in a comedic web of mistaken identities, culinary calamities, and unexpected romance when she collides with the charming wedding planner determined to make the event perfect, forcing her to confront her past and maybe find a second chance at love." [music ends]Lexi 38:49 I'm going to say that's Hallmark. [wrong buzzer sounds]Ben 38:50 It's AI. Lexi 38:53 Agh. Okay, okay.Ben 38:57 All right. All right, let's do one more.Lexi 38:59 Okay.Ben 38:59 Let's see if you'll land this one. The next one is called Dater's Handbook. [romantic music plays] "Cass is searching for the man of her dreams, except she thinks she has found the ideal man. She finds out she's wrong after a few dates and decides to read The Dater's Handbook, a guide that outlines the expectations a man should achieve. George follows all the expectations in the handbook, whereas Robert doesn't, but he's equally charming. Blah blah, blah blah blah." Basically, should you follow your heart or the expectations of others? That's it. [music ends]Lexi 39:29 I'm gonna go with AI. [wrong buzzer sounds]Ben 39:31 It's Hallmark.Lexi 39:32 No! Oh, my god. Ben 39:35 Dater's Handbook, 2016m starring Meghan Markle in this cast.Lexi 39:40 No.Ben 39:40 Yeah, and two people I've never heard of as the other competing men. [Lexi sighs] Anyway, I could play this game all day, but it does lead you to wonder if perhaps AI is writing everything that comes out of Hallmark. [Lexi laughs] Lexi 39:56 I mean, reading some of the titles that came out around Christmas-time, I was just like, "My god. This is awful."Ben 40:04 I'm not going to do the full thing, but here's a couple more. There's one called Finding Normal.Lexi 40:08 Ooh.Ben 40:08 So boring. Summer Villa, generic as hell. Hidden Gems. Lexi 40:12 Yeah, I've heard of that one. Ben 40:13 Deliver by Christmas--Lexi 40:16 I've heard of that one too. Ben 40:15 Just My Type.Lexi 40:18 Oh. Ben 40:18 So, I think the thing I'm taking away here is that the more specific the title is, the more likely it is to be AI. The actual Hallmark ones are boring as hell. Lexi 40:28 We should write one of these. Ben 40:30 We absolutely should. Lexi 40:32 Like, "Man in sweater likes pie." Like, "Oh."Ben 40:34 Yeah, it's called Pie of my Eye. [laughs]Lexi 40:38 Pie of My Eye.Ben 40:39 When an artisanal sweater maker accidentally has their yarn delivered to the equally artisanal pie maker next door, hilarity ensues.Lexi 40:52 Basically, there's so many ones like The Truth About Cats and Dogs. Ben 40:56 Yeah. Lexi 40:56 Like, that's another one of like the dogs meet in the dog park.Ben 40:59 Well, that's not Hallmark.Lexi 40:59 40:59 No, but I'm just saying that lie they could definitely do one where it's like, "The people at the puppy store are next door to the kitten store and they fall in love, but will cats and dogs ever truly get along?" Like, "Eugh." Puke.Ben 41:13 Yeah, because cats are the opposite of dogs. Lexi 41:16 Cats are girls and dogs are boys. [both laugh]Ben 41:17 Yeah. There's a term for that stupid thing in psychology, but I don't remember what it is, so fuck that. Anyhow, [sings along with "Who's That Pokémon?" theme music] Da-na, na-na-na. [speaks] AI? The worst fucking title for that.Lexi 41:33 That's a good one.Ben 41:35 All right, I'm glad we got to switch it up a little bit. Let's go into our final choices here.Lexi 41:40 Yeah.Ben 41:40 Why don't you take it away? Lexi 41:42 Okay, for my final romantic comedy shout-out of the evening, I'd like to... [laughs] It makes sense to me. My movie pick is Idiocracy. Ben 41:55 Okay. Yeah. [Buckaroo by Buck Owens from Idiocracy plays] This is a strange one for me. I don't necessarily think of Idiocracy as a romcom or as a prescient look into the future that we now live in. Lexi 42:06 Yeah, it's a documentary about our current day and age.Ben 42:10 Yeah.Lexi 42:10 No. I just find like the two-- well, I guess there's three main characters in. it. So, you've got Maya Rudolph and then one of the Wilson boys--Ben 42:19 Luke.Lexi 42:19 Luke Wilson, fall in love in a hopeless place, Ben.Ben 42:25 A hopeless place being what amounts to now, 2024 America. Lexi 42:32 The future. It's just so funny because both of them are kind of like useless in the present day, but then they wind up--Ben 42:38 But really shine.Lexi 42:38 But then they wind up-- they're absolute geniuses—geniusi?—in the future. Ben 42:44 Yeah, geni.Lexi 42:44 Geni. And they come together to, like, have a really positive relationship that's built on respect and kindness, and I think that's something that we should all aspire to is just like doing the best you can, be nice to each other, look out for everybody around you, and be respectful. And that movie is so hilariously bad and so much of it, Terry Crews, as the president who rides a motorcycle, and my favourite is when he--Ben 43:17 They're spraying Gatorade on all the lawns. Lexi 43:19 When he's doing the state of the address and he's walking up and down the stage and just like into the microphone is like, "Shit." Like, that is so funny. That entire movie is amazing and it is a great romantic comedy. I don't care what anyone says. Ben 43:35 No, we ain't here to judge. You get to choose what you like, and I think that's a fantastic choice. Lexi 43:41 Other favourite part of the movie is when he's in prison—Luke Wilson's character—is in prison and he goes up to the guards and he's like, "Hi, excuse me. I'm actually I'm supposed to be getting out," of jail and the guards are like, "Then you're supposed to be in that line, stupid." [laughs] "Yeah, right. Sorry." [laughs] Ah, it's so good.Ben 43:59 The idea that, you know, a completely sort of average to below-average intelligence like myself could someday be useful or possibly a genius is very appealing to someone like me, so I get it. Lexi 44:15 Great movie. Ben 44:17 Idiocracy, apparently a romcom. Lexi 44:19 Yep. It is. It is.Ben 44:20 I'm letting you have it. I ain't challenging that. Lexi 44:22 Prove me wrong, world. Prove me wrong. Ben 44:24 None of us want to take the time to do that. We're all very busy.Lexi 44:27 Busy. Well, I definitely have a lot of shout-outs about runners up, but I think we'll probably talk about them in just--Ben 44:32 Let's do it. Let's go around in a minute. I'm going to do my next one quickly here and it's Music and Lyrics. [Main Theme from Music and Lyrics by Adam Schlesinger plays] After I started my relationship with [imitating Borat] my wife, [in usual voice] we decided to exchange romantic comedies that we enjoyed, and I presented You've Got Mail to Fiona and I was like, "Did you love it? Did you love it?" and that's when I got the, "Actually, it's fucked up and here's why" back from Fiona. [Lexi laughs] And then, she's like, here's a romantic comedy where the two main people are on a more even footing with each other and it was Music and Lyrics. This is a movie starring everyone's favourite British dude--Lexi 45:17 Hugh Grant. Yep.Ben 45:18 High Grant. I can't believe I just blanked on his name, who is a sort of washed-up or retired pop star from the '80s – think like George Michael from Wham, but he's straight. So, he was a young pop megastar and now he's sort of washed up and then Drew Barrymore as a... What is she? A house sitter in this movie, if I'm remembering correctly? She ends up watering his plants for some reason while he's busy taking jobs, writing shitty lyrics for shitty pop stars that he doesn't really care about, and he's just in it for the pay check and they come to a point where she starts meddling with his lyrics, and they get together and they start working on the music and lyrics together and they form this really lovely relationship where they are equals in it and they're both contributing to all aspects of it and we get this great fake Shakira in the movie that I think is just wonderful. Lexi 46:15 Mm-hmm. Ben 46:17 And it was the juxtaposition of the romcom that I'd offered up as a fave versus this one that has made it a fast fave for me, and also came from the person that I chose to spend the rest of my life with--Lexi 46:30 Aw, that's sweet.Ben 46:30 --which makes it a very special movie to me that I've watched many, many times, but it's just a lovely, wholesome romantic comedy full of laughs because Drew Barrymore is, generally speaking, charming when she's not crossing picket lines. Writers' strike reference there, for everybody.Lexi 46:47 That's true.Ben 46:50 And, you know, Hugh Grant is charming, always charming, and that makes this my third pick. Music and Lyrics – go watch it if you haven't watched it yet. I think you'll enjoy it. Lexi 46:59 He's kind of like the British, Greg Kinnear, isn't he? Ben 47:04 Yeah, yeah. Lexi 47:05 Or Greg Kinnear is the American Hugh Grant. Ben 47:08 Yeah, that sounds better. I think that's the way we put it. Greg Kinnear is an American Hugh Grant, with less staying power. Lexi 47:15 Yes. Yeah.Ben 47:18 I mean, what's that new movie that's Guy Pearce that was like Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant and is like a... [pause] Woof. We're bad at this. It's like a a crime movie.Lexi 47:33 Is it, like, The Gentlemen?Ben 47:33 A British crime. Is that what it's called? The one with the blond guy that looks like Thor that isn't Thor.Lexi 47:39 Yeah, that's Charlie...Ben 47:41 Yeah, yeah.Lexi 47:42 The Gentlemen.Ben 47:42 Yeah, Charlie Hunnam and is that called The Gentlemen?Lexi 47:46 Yeah.Ben 47:46 Yeah, it's a great one and Hugh Grant's playing this like smarmy-ass tabloid reporter. Lexi 47:53 I'm just double checking. Ben 47:54 It's great. He's wonderful.Lexi 47:55 Matthew McConaughey's in it.Ben 47:57 Yeah. Lexi 47:58 Colin Farrell. Oh, yeah. That's a great... Have you seen the TV show?Ben 48:02 There's a TV show based off of this?Lexi 48:05 Yeah, it's on Netflix. There's a series now that's kind of in the same universe. It is excellent. Ben 48:09 Oh, wow. No, I haven't, so there's a drop. Lexi 48:10 Yeah, Guy Ritchie also works on that one too. It's wonderful. Ben 48:16 Hugh Grant's very likeable and hilariously this is not Notting Hill, which other people might choose as his more prominent romcom adventure, but...Lexi 48:27 I'm just making sure. Yeah. Charlie Hunnam, Michael McConaughey...Ben 48:32 Is he in Love Actually?Lexi 48:32 Who? Charlie?Ben 48:35 No, Hugh Grant.Lexi 48:37 Yes, he is. He's the prime minister.Ben 48:37 Is he the president or I mean the premier-- yeah, prime minister. [chuckles] And he's the one that basically has the really inappropriate relationship with his staffer. Lexi 48:45 There's a lot of inappropriate relationships in that whole film, but yes. Ben 48:50 What I wanted to do, since we were talking about how great the response was on Instagram, is just shout out some of the favourites from the listeners here.Lexi 48:58 Yeah, do it.Ben 48:58 Somebody suggested that... Oh, username... I'm bad at this. We don't usually actually remember to call people out on the show, so... @timothywinchester offered up a classic romantic comedy called I've Got Your Number, and they suggested that it's more fun than they expected. For worse, the same person—Timothy Winchester—offered up Holiday in Handcuffs, which looks like a Hallmark movie with that dude from Saved By the Bell and, for some reason, they're handcuffed together.Lexi 49:30 Oh.Ben 49:30 I don't know. Let's keep going. What else we got? The F Word is a recommendation from somebody.Lexi 49:36 Ainsley? Ben 49:36 Was it Ainsley?Lexi 49:38 Yes, Ainsley suggests The F Word. Ben 49:41 Also known as What If? in other countries. Yeah, for some reason I can't see who actually sent these in to me anymore. Lexi 49:46 Oh, I can kind of see here, I can see Dave, who was just recently on the podcast, Dave Stone, said PS I Love You is a great romantic comedy. Ben 49:54 Oh, cool. We got...Lexi 49:58 Ryan Webb says the worst is Love, Actually. Ben 50:02 Of Rooked podcast – our homies over at Rooked.Lexi 50:05 Of Rooked podcast.Ben 50:05 I would say sister podcast. Mother podcast? Brother podcast. Anyhow, Ryan. Lexi 50:11 Yeah, probably mother podcast. The best is She's All That. Ben 50:15 As they posit, it's a prequel to the Scooby-Doo movie. Lexi 50:19 What else do we have here? We have @photoguy79 says How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is the best, but only for the bullshit scene. Matthew McConaughey 50:27 Lexi I think you're running away. Drew Barrymore 50:32 Why don't you save your mind games for your next bet? Okay, I am not running away.Matthew McConaughey 50:36 Bullshit.Drew Barrymore 50:36 [softly] Excuse me. Matthew McConaughey 50:39 [softly] You heard me. [romantic music plays] [softly] Bullshit.Lexi 50:44 What else we have? Ling Zena has a couple – While You Were Sleeping, probably the biggest one, Irish Wish, is a cool premise but with zero chemistry and the friendships make no sense. Ben 51:02 It's a Lindsay Lohan romcom.Lexi 51:03 Yeah. And, I feel like that was like her comeback movie.Ben 51:07 Her attempted revival.Lexi 51:07 Like, she wanted... This was going to be... Yeah.Ben 51:10 Yeah. Did not work. And the same user gave us While You Were Sleeping, which I enjoyed, I remember watching that, but it is a weird premise, as well...Lexi 51:20 It is.Ben 51:21 ...where Sandra Bullock is so in love with--Lexi 51:24 --a person she doesn't even know because she's--Ben 51:25 With Peter Gallagher. Yeah, because she sees him at the train.Lexi 51:30 Yeah. She's made up this fake world for themselves. Ben 51:31 This delusional relationship, and then eventually, that all comes to light and it's terrible, but she falls for his brother, Bill Pullman... RIP.Lexi 51:38 [laughs] Aw.Ben 51:40Peter Gallagher, if you don't recall, is Sandy Cohen from The OC. [sings along with OC theme song] Dana-nana-na-na-na. California, here we come. [speaks] Right, that's enough. So, thank you for submitting those. Lexi 51:52 Yeah.Ben 51:52 I think that's everybody. Lexi 51:53 Yeah, yeah. And we have some runners-up to kind of throw down. We won't go into big detail, but there's a lot of really great ones. I'm going to throw out there 10 Things I Hate About You. Ben 52:03 Yeah, yeah. That's on my list of runners-up as well. 10 Things I Hate About You is fantastic. We got some Joseph Gordon Levitt and his brother, Heath Ledger. Have you ever seen those memes where they put like their faces together and it looks like the same guy? [Heath Ledger sings Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You]Lexi 52:16 Yeah, if they're the same person. Julia Stiles.Ben 52:18 Julia Stiles.Lexi 52:17 There's Alexis from... Well, Alex, from Alex Mack.Ben 52:24 I don't know.Lexi 52:24 You never watched Alex Mack?Ben 52:27 No.Lexi 52:27 [gasps] Ben, what were you doing in the '90s?Ben 52:30 It's the blonde one, though, but I--Lexi 52:31 It's The Secret World of Alex Mack. Like Alexis...Ben 52:34 But I I mean, I know who you're talking about and I had a huge crush on her when I was younger. Yeah. 10 Things I Hate About You is just fantastic because of Heath Ledger's bleacher scene. Lexi 52:44 Larissa Oleynick. Thank you. Sorry.Ben 52:46 No. Please.Lexi 52:46 There we go.Ben 52:48 Heath Ledger's dancing up and down the bleachers bit is pretty fantastic. Lexi 52:54 Yeah, it's a great one. So, 10 Things I Hate About You, Bridesmaids – another one about, like, finding yourself before you can care for others. You have to care for yourself.Ben 53:04 Yep.Lexi 53:05 Really great. And another one where a friend comes forward and says, "You're not doing well. I care about you. You got to get your shit together," so great, great movie.Ben 53:15 Maya Rudolph plays the friend who comes forward and is like, "You are effing this all up."Lexi 53:20 Well, she's actually-- there's a couple of people that go forward and kind of say that. Sookie St. James actually sits her down and says, "Get your shit... Better get your poop in a group." Maya Rudolph shits in the street. Ben 53:31 Yep. Yep. Yes, diarrhea. [blows raspberry] Diarrhea. If you're sitting in a Chevy and you're feeling something heavy...Lexi 53:38 Oh, what have I done?Ben 53:40 Diarrhea. [blows raspberries]Lexi 53:40 I'd also like to throw out The Princess Bride. That was what I swapped out Baby Mama for.Ben 53:46 Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.Lexi 53:47 I love The Princess Bride. I think that it is--Ben 53:49 [imitating Peter Cook] Mawage. Twoo wuv.Lexi 53:52 There's so many great moments in that movie about love and friendship. Ben 53:56 "Witch, get out of here!" "I'm not a witch. I'm your wife."Lexi 54:01 Perseverance. Whenever anybody asks me to like, "Hey, what are you up to? You never post pictures of yourself on Instagram," I always send them a picture of Miracle Max and I say, "I'm not looking my best these days," and then I post that, and people... I like to laugh, Ben. I like to laugh.Ben 54:17 I wouldn't say you look that much like Miracle Max. Passing resemblance at most. Lexi 54:22 Thank you, but I feel like I do, at my best. But anyway, great movie. Andre the Giant. Delightful.Ben 54:24 Yeah. Uh-huh. Absolutely. It is a delight. Another one I wanted to talk about is The Notebook. It's not one of my faves. I just like the fact that Ryan Gosling apparently did not get along so much with Rachel McAdams that they hate each other to this day.Lexi 54:43 Really?Ben 54:43 Yeah, they apparently just did not gel on set. Because it was everybody's favourite romance movie when it came out. It was a huge hit and I just love that little factoid that they apparently just did not work well together to the point that they still dislike each other. Lexi 54:59 [laughs] Hey, whatever. The working relationship--Ben 55:04 The Wedding Singer. Drew Barrymore is a great romcom star. Lexi 55:07 Ah yes, she is. And Adam Sandler is a really good opposite for her. Ben 55:11 Yeah. And we get a redo with them as well, later on, in kind of the same way that we got Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. We've got 50 First Dates, which is actually a super charming film. Lexi 55:20 It is.. And there's a song in there that I sing to myself in the car all the time. Ben 55:25 Which song is? Lexi 55:28 [sings along to Forgetful Lucy by Adam Sandler] Cracked her head like Gary Busey. [Ben laughs] Bum, bum, bum. [speaks] It's such a great little. He's a good singer, Adam Sandler. Ben 55:37 The more I think about it, the more I really like that film, the way that it ends with just sort of like finding a way forward together, even though things can't be the way they were initially, and I think that's--Lexi 55:47 Yeah, or the way they want it.Ben 55:50 Yeah. And I think that's kind of sweet and beautiful is that it's still worth having, [song continues] even though it's changed and it's harder and there's more to it. There's more difficulty. It's kind of about-- I mean it's literally about an injury, a life-altering injury for a person, but it's, you know, kind of about the idea of like for better or for worse sort of idea of a relationship and caring for a partner as their health needs change. And, that's kind of-- that's romantic.Lexi 56:16 Yeah. Well, it's unconditional love. Ben 56:19 Yeah. There you go. Thank you for summing that up in two words [chuckles] what took me about 50 paragraphs? I am AI. You can tell that we live in an AI because I am just spewing out nonsense that I've heard before.Lexi 56:33 What else we got? Ben 56:34 Groundhog Day, I want to talk about because I love Groundhog Day. I think it's funny. As a romcom though, it is disgusting. Lexi 56:43 It's all about manipulation, but...Ben 56:46 Yeah, exactly. Again. He never learns. Bill Murray's character never learns to be a better person. He learns how to game the system to get what he wants.Lexi 56:54 Yes. Yeah.Ben 56:54 It is literally the wrong message to be sending to people that want to find a healthy relationship. Lexi 57:01 But, at the same time, too, I feel like he's punished for it because he's basically in purgatory. Like, somebody did the math and something like he lived 9,000 years or something.Ben 57:10 Yeah. Yeah, to get all these things right. Lexi 57:12 He is a horrible person, but, yeah, he's stuck in his own personal hell. Ben 57:18 I don't feel like this movie gives us a change for him.Lexi 57:21 No.Ben 57:21 More that he just finally gets the game right and presses all the controls in the right way.Lexi 57:24 Yeah, absolutely. Ben 57:26 He never engages. I mean, I guess the idea is that he finally, when he stops trying and actually engages, is sort of the premise, but I never really felt that way. I felt like he's just trying. Lexi 57:37 Figured out how to game it. Yeah.Ben 57:38 Yeah, exactly. But anyhow, it's still a fun film and I quote what's-his-name who plays Ned. "Ned? Watch out for that step. It's a doozy."Lexi 57:53 That's a good one.Ben57:55 Gross Point Blank is a blast. I like the idea of an assassin romcom.Lexi 58:00 Where he goes back to his high school reunion, trying to make something of himself.Ben 58:02 Yeah. Yeah. Assassin is in the doldrums because he's like, "Oh, I never saw myself being an assassin. Let me go back to my hometown and see if I can find myself again."Lexi 58:14 Tom Cusack is a is another good romantic comedy guy. Ben 58:16 Did you just call him Tom Cusack? Lexi 58:17 What did I say? Ben 58:18 I think you said Tom. But, I like Tom Cusack. He's like his evil twin brother...Lexi 58:23 What's his actual...? John Cusack.Ben 58:24 ...for Johnny, Johnny. Lexi 58:25 Oh, god.Ben 58:30 Yeah, and you get Dan Ackroyd as a kind of menacing villain. Lexi 58:30 Yeah. Mm-hmm.Ben 58:31 With a bad haircut. Lexi 58:34 Many levels to hi

"See that little doeling?  She's not dead, she's just mostly dead" as Miracle Max would say...And so kidding begins...  Triplets, twins, twins, and an eight pound miracle single.Second batch of goose eggs in the incubator, cold snap moving in tonight.Blind Hog has been splitting firewood, Acorn playing the midwife.  All and all, a tiring week on the farm!

In 1692 in the town of Salem Village, Massachusetts, two young girls started acting very strangely. The girls suffered from uncontrollable fits, bouts of incoherence, and odd outbursts including barking and choking sounds. A physician summoned to examine them concluded that the only explanation was that the girls were "under an evil hand." They were bewitched. This sparked a full fledged witchcraft panic that ended up claiming the lives of 25 people and destabilizing the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony. The ensuing Salem Witch Trials have been pointed to as a pivotal moment in American colonial history, but so much of the incident remains mysterious and clouded by mythmaking. How do you explain one of the strangest events in American history? Tune-in and find out how Black Sabbath, Cunning Folk, and the Miracle Max all play a role in the story.

Anybody wanna peanut? It's time for one of the most beloved films of the '80s, and our next audience pick--The Princess Bride (by S. Morgenstern!). Join Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Andre the Giant and a host of others in the exciting tale of Princess Buttercup. (Warning--it's kind of a kissing book.) And we're making the famous MLT, Mutton Lettuce and Tomato as recommended by Miracle Max. Have fun storming the castle! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cinemasnackbar/message

SYNERGY! Yes, it's time to try and coordinate an episode of Casual Trek with the start of one of the new shows. Specifically it's Strange New Worlds, a show which has been fantastic so far. Being Charlie and Miles, we do have some difficulty keeping to the point and ultimately this is more of an episode where we talk about Balance of Terror and how very good it is. 11:48 Strange New Worlds “A Quality of Mercy” 43:37 The Original Series “Balance of Terror” 1:16:45 Strange New Worlds “The Broken Circle” Talking points include: Mass Effect, Void Rivals, Transformers, Robert Kirkman's Ouvre, The Walking Dead, Miles appeared on Breakfast in the Ruins, the Bioshock series, DIE The Roleplaying Game, A general appreciation of Kate Bush, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Grange Hill, Vampire Diaries, Jim Carrey doing Kirk in In Living Colour, The Dungeons & Dragons Movies, Miles pushes his Dr Who cred, Star Wars space fights, Night Witches, This War of Mine, Legion of Super-Heroes' Super Stalag of Space, Harlan Ellison, Ke$ha, Venom from Batman (not the Spider-Man foe), Modern Who, Carol Kane's credits, Across the Spider-Verse, . Oh, and occasionally Star Trek. Pedantry notes: Ship captains can't marry people just because they're captains, they need to be a priest or notary or something as well. Carol Kane played Miracle Max's wife, not husband Casual Trek is by Charlie Etheridge-Nunn and Miles Reid-Lobatto Music by Alfred Etheridge-Nunn Casual Trek is a part of the Nerd & Tie Network https://ko-fi.com/casualtrek Kitsune Kon is here: https://kitsunekon.com/ Miles' blog: http://www.mareidlobatto.wordpress.com Charlie's blog: http://www.fakedtales.com

He sings, he acts, he dances, and he shticks! It's the masterful Billy Crystal who has been a beloved presence on the standup and theater stage, on tv, and in movies since the 1970s. From a groundbreaking role on the ABC show "Soap" to joining a cast of heavy hitters to save Saturday Night Live to an amazing string of hit movies to an award winning Broadway show - - it would proably be easier to list what he hasn't done! As always, find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows! Want more Billy? Even if you have never seen one of Billy's movies, tv shows, theater appearances, or stand up gigs you almost certainly know him -- from his many appearances as the host of the Oscar telecast. Known for flamboyant entrances and gentle pokes, Billy's hosting spots still are held up as a gold standard for other hosts. Here's his monologue from the 1993 telecast. https://youtu.be/CF6fpn8Ts68 Soap was a revolutionary soap opera satire and Billy was part of the revolution, playing the first unambiguously gay characters on a prime time show -- with his customary affectionate irreverence. https://youtu.be/vudJivvHWqI After the original Saturday Night cast left in the late 70s the show floundered for a while, and it looked like it might be canceled. The call went out for a group of proven sketch comedy stars and Billy answered it. One of his breakout bits was as latin lothario Fernando Llamas hosting a talk show that had one thing on its mind -- looking Mahvelous! https://youtu.be/9NdcinOjbPI Billy was a legit leading man after a string of romantic comedy hits, but one of his most beloved roles is a small but pivotal one in The Princess Bride. Billy plays Miracle Max, a wizard of dubious skills, who reminds us a lot of Mel Brooks! https://youtu.be/d4ftmOI5NnI

October 9th, 1987 audiences everywhere were treated to the greatest love story ever told. Westley and Buttercup's love is one for the ages and will go down as all timer, but let's not forget all the wonderful people who helped along the way. Inigo Montoya, Fezzik the Giant, Vizzini, Prince Humperdink, Count Rugen, Valerie, and Miracle Max. Each character played perfectly by the respective actor. This movie set off to satirize all romance fantasies that had come before it. But in doing so, it might have become the most beloved romance fantasy of all time. That was then and this is now. And now, we want to know; The Princess Bride...does it hold up? Thank you for the support. If you've read the description this far, please check out all our socials by clicking the link below. We would love a follow/subscribe. you won't regret it. I think. Thanks for listening.  linktr.ee/doesitholdup

In this BONUS EPISODE Zo once again teams up with Jenn from My Streaming Bubble, but in a twist of fate: Zo is the guest and Jenn is in the driver's seat! We're so excited to have you check out the My Streaming Bubble Podcast that we have selected this episode to showcase Jenn's amazingly comforting show, and we cordially invite you to check out this re-broadcast episode from My Streaming Bubble: Ep. 103: The Princess Bride with Back Look Cinema Podcast. Check it out and you'll see why we love it so much!Recording from her most excellent Pod Basement, Jenn talks about her favorite TV shows and movies that she streams from the comfort of her home. She's joined by the people that she . . . tolerates.  Listening to My Streaming Bubble is like spending time with some of your best friends, so join Jenn and her guests and get in on the discussion of your favorite shows from your own streaming bubble! My Streaming Bubble Podcast Links:Podbeam:  https://www.podbean.com/pa/pbblog-8cbk3-bddf23Pod.link:  https://pod.link/1471803231Twitter: @StreamingBubble  https://twitter.com/StreamingBubbleFacebook: @MyStreamingBubble  https://m.facebook.com/mystreamingbubble/?__xts__%5B0%5DInstagram: @MyStreamingBubble https://www.instagram.com/mystreamingbubble/?hl=en Back Look Cinema: The Podcast Links:www.backlookcinema.comEmail: fanmail@backlookcinema.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/backlookcinemaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/backlookcinemapodcastInstagram: https://instagram.com/backlookcinemapodcastTicTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@backlookcinemaMastodon: https://mstdn.party/@backlookcinemaBack Look Cinema Merch at Teespring.com (https://back-look-cinema-merch.creator-spring.com/)Back Look Cinema Merch at Teepublic.com (https://www.teepublic.com/user/back-look-cinema-podcast-merch?utm_source=designer&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=G1VQNMthhSg)

This week we discuss fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. . . the greatest story ever told! The Princess Bride is one of those movies that we have all seen, loved, and made us laugh, and boy did we laugh. We learned Brennan had an odd role model from a young age, Erin of course owns the book, and together as children they have screamed Inigo's famous line much to the annoyance of their neighbors. From Fezzik rhyming and Inido fighting, to Miracle Max and his MLT sandwich (when the mutton is nice and lean, and the tomato is. . .), we can all agree that this is possibly the most quoted movie of all time. Thank you Void for one hundred episodes of support, letting us work through our own corner of being quarantined apart, and we look forward to the next one hundred episodes.I wish there was a good transition for us to write "As you wish."As you wish. 

Have fun storming the Castle! We're closing out our series with Miracle Max! The hilarious hermit healer is all set to aid your adventuring party! Grab a copy of Miracle Max on D&D Beyond here!

Last night I watched the 1994 film Maverick, starring Mel Gibson, with our youngest son, 8-month-old Andrew. It had been a long time since I'd seen it - long enough to forget precisely how Maverick is not moral in the sense that fine, upstanding Christian folk expect and demand. Yet he is moral in an Old Testament book of Judges sort of way. He admits to being a coward, and is sexually loose. But then he does the brave and upstanding thing anyways, and gives the money back to the women and children waylaid and robbed on their way to start a mission. Come to think of it, the only folks Maverick cheats are the ones without any boundaries – who either had just cheated or bullied someone, or were about to. And that is so downright chivalrous of him, it may remind me of what Jesus said about being wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Naturally, one can be too careful in seeing this as a good example to follow, but there is a slippery slope to studying snakes. My point is not to recommend that we all emulate the card shark, but to talk about Jacob and Esau, and the kinds of men God has loved and established covenants with, as well as those He has hated and rejected. Speaking of love and hate, yesterday was a slow enough day for an extended conversation with a friend of mine where I still work for just a little while longer. He describes himself as a kind of universalist, but I must apologize again to Rosie, who sits one office over from mine, as she was on a conference call in the afternoon, and had to come out and shush us for being too loud. But in my friend's view, Hell is a kind of refining fire. And like Miracle Max might say, the damned are only mostly damned. And look at you who knows so much. 'Such were some of you' will be said to all mankind, on the other side of varying cook times, after which all the sin and rebellion against King Jesus is burned away. Even if they didn't accept Jesus before the first death, these will get another chance, at some point, to pledge allegiance to Christ, and join the ranks of the heavenly host in Paradise. This is admittedly a perspective which I am very troubled by. But my perceptive friend doubtless knows this from the look I was giving him when we talked about it. Unlike Brett Maverick, I am not a particularly good bluffer. Only with great concentration and effort do I keep my opinions off my face when someone is telling or showing me their ideas and sentiments, or when a situation is unfolding or better or worse. I will borrow the book he is offering me, which promises to expand, I think, on how the early church prior to the domination of Rome by virtue of its wedding with imperial power held to all three views in various quarters. Origen, for instance, is said to have held to a kind of universalism in eternity. Yet Origen also, according to Eusebius, misread Matthew 19:12 and concluded he should make himself a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven. And we should take any man who would do that with a grain of salt on everything else they hold to as well. Yesterday was also the last day of my second-to-last hitch of seven days as a contract Systems Integrator for Chevron, and it does not embarrass me to say that it was an emotional one. Several very great compliments, congratulations, and expressions of grief touched me deeply, and will make my final day of October 19th both sweeter and sadder for that fact, since all wished me well, and told me whatever company I join next is gaining a great asset, and is very fortunate. Speaking of last days, let's turn our attention to the back-and-forth between Elon Musk and Lindsey Graham over how best to bring peace in the Ukraine. Senator Graham made threats against electric vehicle tax credits, and that is bad form. But that is not to say Mr. Musk should go unanswered like Tony Bobulinski at the FBI. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/support

We're rereleasing our episode on The Princess Bride (1987) in honor of the movie's 35th anniversary! This was a long time coming. Jim has avoided seeing this movie for going on 30 years. Today, he has no where to run, no where to hide. He's locked in a steel cage match with "The Princess Bride", directed by Rob Reiner and based on the novel of the same name by William Goldman. Confronted by the beautiful faces of Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, the absurdist comedy of Miracle Max, how will he react to this crazy mashup of farce, swashbuckling, and heart? Special thanks to Zan from Melbourne, Barry C from the UK, Allicyn Wilde, Robot-K, Brian S, John H, Stefan G, Mark S, Denise T, Lesley W, Jay R, Ryan L, S Duncan, Geoffry B, pmmonnat, and WeezerWes for banding together and storming the castle. A few links of interest that were mentioned in the podcast... Cary Elwes interview on NPR Andre the Giant holding a beer can Andre the Giant with Arnold Schwartzenegger Andre the Giant being a pimp... ... again... ... and one more Cary Elwes' behind the scenes book "As You Wish", also available in audiobook You can get your very own custom commissioned podcast by visiting https://support.baldmove.com/. Join the discussion: Email | Discord | Reddit | Forums Follow us: Twitch | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Leave Us A Review on Apple Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Mario Sikora, TJ Dawe and TJ Ingrassia discuss the 1987 film, “The Princess Bride,” and reveal how easy it can be to look at a film and interpret it differently. The hosts examine the Enneagram Types for each character, at times not agreeing. Is Iñigo Montoya a Type Three or Type Four? What Enneagram Type do they see for Wallace Shawn's Vizzini? Why was Andre the Giant's character, Fezzik, the perfect Type Nine? Listen as the hosts share their thoughts on these and other characters.“I thought Count Rugen was maybe the one of the best Fives I've ever seen in a movie. Talk about detached.” - TJ Dawe [29:18]“The Navigating One, I think, is a subtype that's often misunderstood. Other people call this the Social One, and people have a tendency to think the so-called Social One is a reformer. Somebody who wants to change the world. That's not what's going on here.” - Mario Sikora [33:24]“If I had a thousand years with this movie, I never would have guessed One. I had her as a Four all day long, and maybe part of this is because… I might be biased, because my wife is a Four. And I felt like I was watching my wife through the course of this film.” - TJ Ingrassia [35:53]TIMESTAMPS[00:01] Intro[00:29] This week's movie: “The Princess Bride”[07:52] About the movie[12:44] The director, Rob Reiner, and the casting[19:01] Andre the Giant as Fezzik, a Type Nine[23:10] Wallace Shawn as Vizzini[29:15] Count Rugen as Type Five[32:04] Robin Wright as Buttercup[39:55] Westley's Enneagram Type[44:26] Iñigo Montoya: Type Three or Type Four?[51:59] Miracle Max's Enneagram Type[52:41] Overall tone of the movie[55:42] William Goldman and his Enneagram Type[57:57] Westley and Buttercup as a One, a Four, or an Eight?[1:02:21] OutroConnect with us:Awareness to ActionEnneagram on Demand The Awareness to Action Enneagram PodcastMario Sikora: IG: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comTJ Dawe:Web: tjdawe.caTJ Ingrassia:Web: tjingrassia.comYouTube: @TypeCast

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. It's good to have you with us today as we continue our study of the book of Acts together. But before we get into our passage today I'd like to first ask you if maybe at some time in your life you have fallen asleep at time or in a place you shouldn't have; and then maybe things got a little awkward? Nudged to Pray— At the Christian college I attended, in chapel on time, one of the students fell asleep during the preacher's message. And his buddy, noting that he was fast asleep, nudged him and said, “Hey, wake up. The preacher just called on you to pray.” And, startled awake and not yet coming to his full senses, the young man quickly stood up and began praying right there in front of several hundred other college students. Now imagine his embarrassment when he realized what had happened; and what his friend had done to him. I'm not sure they were friends after that. Now something very similar happens in our story today; only this time there are deadly consequences. And yet it gives God an extraordinary means of showing His power through the apostle Paul. Go ahead and look with me at chapter 20 of the book of Acts. You may remember from our episode last week how Paul and a group of pastors from various churches that he had helped plant are making their way towards Jerusalem with an offering for the church there. And they stop at the city of Troas, of which Luke writes in verse 6: and there we stayed seven days. And on Sunday they gather for a local evening worship service in a house likely belonging to one of the believers. They eat, have communion together, and then Paul begins teaching them. It says in… Acts 20:7 (LSB)— 7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began speaking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. A Final Message— Now Paul knew that this would likely be his last meeting with these Christians here in Troas. And so, understandably, he preaches a longer sermon because he wants to make sure that he leaves them with as much as possible that can help them in the days ahead when they will no longer have him. And it is in the context of that prolonged message that something very unexpected happens. It says… Acts 20:8-9a (LSB)— 8 Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. 9 And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the windowsill, sinking into a deep sleep. Young Man— Now the word used to describe Eutychus' age here in verse 9 (manias) [means a man from twenty-four to forty years of age.] However, the word in verse 12 (pais) means [a young child or youth. Dr. Howard Marshall, an eminent Greek scholar, says he was a “young lad of eight to fourteen years.] My son falls within that age range, and so this could have been him! Now [Since the word pais can mean “a servant,” Eutychus may have been a young man who was also a servant.] So he might very well have been weary from working hard that day. That coupled with the fact that it was late in the evening (and the possible stuffiness of the room) caused him to be very tired. Plus all those oil lamps (which is what they were) combined with a lot of people served to make the room nice and warm. It was most likely not because Paul's sermon was boring, as everyone else (including those who probably should have been watching Eutychus) seemed to be so engrossed, they don't even notice Eutychus falling asleep next to a window he could potentially fall out of. And poor Eutychus; he's trying his best to stay awake. [The tense of the Greek verb indicates that he was gradually overcome, not suddenly.] But he just can't stay awake. Now his name adds to the humor of the story because his name actually means [“lucky, fortunate.” {And so} The "many lamps" (v. 8) and long sermon likely led "Lucky" to seek air in the window {(where there was better ventilation and the cool air might help to keep him awake)}, but he fell asleep anyway]. It says in… Acts 20:9b (LSB)— And as Paul kept on talking, he sunk into that sleep and fell down from the third floor Falling Out— And so, no doubt leaning and then tipping out the window, Eutychus fell three stories to the ground below. Now I don't know if you've ever had a dream before where you are falling and you suddenly wake up. But it's terrifying!!! Well here Eutychus is, awakened by that sensation, and (to his horror) it's not a dream. He hits the ground and is killed. It says of him that he… Acts 20:9c (LSB)— fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. All Dead, Or Just Mostly Dead— Now some of your translations may say “as dead”. And so the question obviously arises, was he completely dead or just mostly dead? Just recently I watched one of my favorite scenes in one of my family's favorite movies The Princess Bride. This scene came to my mind when I was reading this passage because in this scene a man who has died recently is being carried by his friends to somebody who they think  might be able to restore him to life; a miracle-worker by the name of Miracle Max. And when Miracle Max looks at him he says, “The good news is that he's not all-dead, just mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all-dead.” What's the difference, one of the friends asks. “Well, if mostly dead, he's slightly alive. But with all-dead, there's really only one thing you can do.” What's that, asks the friend. “Go through his pockets and start looking for loose change.” All Dead— So was he “mostly dead” or “all dead”? Well, there is actually less room for misinterpretation in the Greek; as the Greek word is νεκρός, which in its adjectival form here means “dead/lifeless”. As a noun it would mean “a dead body/corpse”. And so he is picked up νεκρός/dead (not "as dead”). He has actually died. His life is in him— Now this story has a touch of humor because of the circumstances involved (and plus we know how it ends). But keep in mind what a horror this must have been to the boys mother and father, who were no doubt there; and even to Paul. I mean we don't know if it was the scream of somebody who say Eutychus fall or if it was the scream of Eutychus himself that alerted everyone. But when Paul realizes what has happened (maybe even seen it himself) he obviously stops teaching and (in horror) quickly runs down the stairs, which keep in mind ran outside the house. And it says… Acts 20:10 (LSB)— 10 But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” Fell Upon— Now as I was reading Paul's response here “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.”, I was really hearing him say, “Don't worry, he's not all-dead; he's only MOSTLY dead.” And so which is it? Is Paul lying or bending the truth a little? No, because before he says that, it says first that he went down and fell upon him. And that phraseology is key because remember God had also performed resurrections through Elijah and Elisha after they had fallen upon and embraced two young boys who had died. So Paul's falling upon Eutychus was the means through which God brought him back to life, after which Paul (seeing the boy alive) then cries out “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” Acts 20:11-12 (LSB)— 11 And when he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. 12 And they took away the boy alive, and were not a little comforted. He kept preaching!— By the way, I love how Paul went right back to preaching. And I guarantee you Eutychus was now awake the whole time; partially because of what had happened, but also because when God brings you back to life, you come back refreshed, walking and leaping and praising Him. He had a lot to be thankful for. Sacred Spots— You know, sometimes you don't know what you are thankful for until you don't have it. Now this story has a happy ending because Eutychus lived to die another day (perhaps as an aged man after having live a rich and full life). We don't know. But can you imagine being his mom or his dad that day? You know, I often worry about my kids. I'm not a put-your-kid-in-a-bubble parent, but I am very protective of my kids. And almost every day I worry about them having a Eutychus moment; losing attention for that split second; that little blip of time that can end or forever change the course of their lives. And that's compounded by the fact that I know there's no Apostle Paul to bring them back if anything like that happens to them.     Our kids and I were in a car accident now about two years ago, right near their school. Another car (not watching) veered into us and hit us very hard; every airbag in the car deployed. Airbags came out of places I didn't even know airbags could be. The one that deployed just left of my head knocked my hearing out for a little while. And after impact I (ears ringing) turned to see my kids; and I saw the fear written all over their faces. And for months afterwards, often when I would drive through that spot (now extra-cautiously), I had this kind of gut-clenching, physical reaction. Now I know we are not to live in fear; and on the other side of that I have seen so many times how God has protected them, as He did then. But I am also aware of how quickly life can change. And whenever I go through that spot I feel this overwhelming gratitude for my kids' lives; and for my life too.     There is another spot that holds similar significance to me; and I know it does to you as well. It is the site of the cross. What a horrible place to be; at the foot of a cross. And yet was there that Jesus (in such a brief window of time) gave us back everything we might have lost; eternal life in fellowship with God. I don't know what your plans are this week, but I would like to encourage you to make time to give thanks to God for saving you in that sacred place. Like these early Christians did, orient yourself around a remembrance of what God has done for you in and through Jesus. Let's do so. Amen.

"Love is the greatest thing in the world!" So says Miracle Max of the classic movie, "The Princess Bride." How many songs, movies, books, and so much more talk about these 4 English letters? The Lord has a LOT to say about love. But the love the Lord speaks of is far and away different than what the current cultural climate says about it. What does God consider love to be? How is it to be expressed among his people and especially to him by his people? Come with the Grace United crew as we discover the amazing holy, omniscient, omnipotent love of the only true and living God.

"Love is the greatest thing in the world!" So says Miracle Max of the classic movie, "The Princess Bride." How many songs, movies, books, and so much more talk about these 4 English letters? The Lord has a LOT to say about love. But the love the Lord speaks of is far and away different than what the current cultural climate says about it. What does God consider love to be? How is it to be expressed among his people and especially to him by his people? Come with the Grace United crew as we discover the amazing holy, omniscient, omnipotent love of the only true and living God.

Do you wanna make a movie better put Canadian sweetheart Ryan Reynolds in it

Content Warning: Suicidality On this episode we head into the country of Florin to discuss The Princess Bride! Jen discusses crisis management with Princess Buttercup; while Tyler explores meaning making after the loss of a career with Miracle Max. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

These characters left a huge impression in just one scene. Gareth Morgan presents 10 More Best Movie Characters Who Only Appear In ONE Scene... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

King Solomon said that if we cast our “bread” upon the waters, we will find it after many days. Something tells me he wasn't extolling the virtues of soggy toast…although a good piece of sop with a beefy stew is one of greatest pleasures in this life. That and a nice MLT, to quote Miracle Max from The Princess Bride - mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomatoes are ripe. No, I'm pretty sure “bread upon the waters” is a metaphor. But what does it mean? And how can we apply it to working with struggling teenagers? On this inaugural podcast, we examine bread cast upon the waters. It may not sound all that appetizing, but we're offering food for the mind – something to chew on, even if you feel like all your teeth have been kicked out. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/time-to-sharpen/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/time-to-sharpen/support

John 4. Jesus is back in Galilee and everyone wants Jesus to be Miracle Max  

We're halfway through our September to Remember here at Movies that Make Us and this week we are talking about the classic film The Princess Bride. This week, we'll also be all over FanX, so please come say hi and hang out with us!This fantasy/family/comedy/action film is directed by Rob Reiner and was one of those keystone films for our childhoods. Princess Buttercup, Westley, Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, Miracle Max - so many great characters but the movie never feels overstuffed. We had a lot of fun revisiting this film and can't wait to hear your feedback.What are your thoughts on the film? As always, you can reach us at podcast@moviesthatmakeus.com. Did you miss the video premier of this episode? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and then click the little bell to receive notifications when we add a new video or go live.You can also follow our Facebook page so you can receive notifications for new audio or video of our episodes. Sometimes we are even live on Facebook, so you can give us feedback right then and there. It's pretty sweet.As always, thank you for listening, and for now, we won't see you at the movies… See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Quick sand, giant rats, Miracle Max…inconceivable! This week we review the 1987 classic, The Princess Bride! The Princess Bride (1987) - IMDb The Princess Bride on Rotten Tomatoes Listen to our bonus episodes on Patreon! Social Links: MOTS Instagram MOTS Twitter MOTS Facebook Support the show and access our weekly bonus episodes! Suggest a Bad Movie!

This week, we watched The Princess Bride a beloved classic that somehow missed the majority of our crew. The Princess Bride is currently sitting at #243 on the IMDb's Top 250 movie list, and it is the story of: While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies, and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love. In the episode, Dylan buys the hype for this movie, we recast the movie for a modern remake, and Cameron tests our knowledge of Andre the Giants drinking habits in the latest Trivia Quiz. Miracle Max's M.L.T. (Mango/Lime/Tequila) (From Reel Drinks By Dizz) 1.5oz/45mL Reposado Tequila (Drizly/Caskers) .5oz/15mL Dry Curacao (Drizly/Caskers) .75oz/23mL Fresh Mango Purée .5oz/15mL Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice .75oz/23mL Homemade Ginger Syrup (or Ginger Beer if you want a highball) Support those who sponsor us: Follow the affiliate links above to shop at Drizly, Your Online Liquor Store, and use code DRIZLYDEAL for $5 off your next order, or You can also use Caskers, to find the liquors that we use and have them shipped to your door. They each have different shipping restrictions by state, so check them out! Surfside Sips makes high-impact glass straws & more for your cocktail & bar needs. For 20% off, use the coupon "CocktailsandClassics" at checkout. If you would like to try out the leading name in audiobooks with a free 30-day trial, Audible. Our Instagram Merch Music Used: ModulationStation -80's riff

When reading the Fathers, one has to be prepared to be challenged; and at in times in ways that are discomfiting. Letter 60 of Theophan's  correspondence with Anastasia presents us with such a challenge. The title of the Letter is “Cleansing the Heart.”  Theophan focuses on the eruption of passions that come with great force; feelings, desires, thoughts come upon us like a wave or erupt like a volcano. Our response to such circumstances is to be consistent with all that he has taught her. We are to turn these thoughts and feelings out again and to do so repeatedly until they cease. However, Theophan warns Anastasia that despite how these thoughts and feelings come upon us, that is, seemingly unintended, they are in reality a reflection of impurity still present within our hearts. Although at the moment we may not have given an assent to such thoughts, feelings, and desires, the presence of such passions bear witness to the fact that there is still impurity within our heart; that is, at some point, we were guilty through negligence, a lack of prayer, or laziness in the ascetical life. And in  all of this we must not conceal ourselves or cover our nakedness, as it were. Rather, we are to humbly blame ourselves and acknowledge our sin and our participation in the sin and its emergence. To do so is to fail to embrace the truth in the sight of God and to ignore the voice of our conscience. It is to hold on falsely to our self-esteem and vainglory. Humility means “truthful living” and acknowledging the truth in an unvarnished way before God.  In this and in this alone will we find healing. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:28:30 renwitter: As Mother Mectilde de Bar would tell us, our practice of virtue is not just for the sake of securing our salvation and moving on. We ought always to be seeking to bring greater and greater glory to God. 00:33:16 renwitter: Ya'll are gonna think I'm crazy, but the image that just came to mind is me telling myself that I can watch a certain tv show, or engage in idle conversation without being in danger, and suddenly Miracle Max's wife from The Princess Bride runs in shouting “Liar, Liar!!” 00:33:37 Ashley Kaschl:

Welcome, discerning listeners, to our Season 2 Premiere! :) Thank you for stepping through the portal with us, not just for another episode but a whole new season. We hope our next 50 episodes are even better than our first 50, and we're off to a great start. This week, we are reviewing the timeless and beloved 1987 classic fantasy-romance fairy tale..."The Princess Bride." We discuss trivia and behind the scenes information, including things about Andre the Giant's involvement in the movie. We talk about favorite moments, which for some co-hosts were pretty much...everything...just, the whole movie. We also discuss the witty & funny dialogue, the ad-libbing performed by Billy Crystal & Carol Kane in the Miracle Max sequence, and yes, even a few minor nitpicks (well, by one co-host anyway -- guess which one). But, mostly, we just quote the movie...a lot. Which co-hosts loved this movie? Did anyone just like it or even...hate it?!? Inconceivable! If one or more co-hosts didn't totally love this movie, just how low does their rating go? How many times have some of our co-hosts watched this movie? Can any of our co-hosts quote practically the whole movie from memory (spoiler: yes, they can)? Prepare for adventure, swashbuckling, tests of intellect, romance, and giant rodent extermination. Grab your storybook, sword, pirate mask, chocolate-covered miracle pills, holocaust cloak, and witty comebacks, as we prepare to engage...The Princess Bride. What is your favorite quote from the movie? Is it one we actually missed? Let us know your favorite quotes, moments, or behind-the-scenes tidbits. Contact us for those or any other reasons at the following... - E-Mail: DiscerningGeeks@gmail.com - Twitter: @DiscerningGeeks - Facebook: Discerning Geeks Portal Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. Would you like us to give you another season of thoughtful discussion? Do you want a nice balance of praise, criticism, and neutral analysis? Do you want a variety of movie reviews, TV discussion topics, "Whatcha' Doin'?" episodes, and maybe the occasional book review or roleplaying game session? ...As...you...wish. ;) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/discerninggeeks/message

We were only MOSTLY dead! After a trip in The Machine, Kyle and Tony paid a visit to Miracle Max so they could dust off the recording gear to taste some beer and blathe on about where in the heck they've been!Beers tasted from:North Brewing2 CrowsBad Apple BrewhouseNiche Brewing (RIP

Inconceivable! Nick has torn his Achilles, but sadly doesn't have Fezzik to help carry him to Miracle Max's. Our name is the Movie Ruiners, you killed our father, prepare to die. 

In this Extra Bit Henry tells us about Miracle Max   Dan's Pick: Superman Smashes The Klan Henry's Pick: Scrapyard Wars

Miracle Max has another break-in.

In the second episode on this topic I talk about another NPC you should use in your game - the Eccentric Holy Man/Alchemist. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radio-grognard/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/radio-grognard/support

It's your unofficial Disney+ podcast, reviewing the most popular stuff on Disney+! Today on the show, we’re reviewing The Princess Bride, the cult classic adventure comedy from 1987 starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre' the Giant, Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn and Billy Crystal. We get into spoilers! So, definitely watch the movie before listening to this episode or continue on if you don't care! We get into all the details: Vizzini's brains, the giant loves to rhyme, those awesome sword battles, the Fire Swamp, rodents of unusual size, the Pit of Despair and The Machine, Miracle Max, that incredible "mawidge" scene and more! Also, is this a kissing book? And stay to the end for a discussion on upcoming movies coming straight to Disney+! Write the show at disneyplusreviews@hotmail.com Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe so that you can automatically get future episodes.

Pop a top! My father was gracious enough to spend some time with me rehashing our journey from NJ to the ESVA. Enjoy! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

By request, this week we take on a classic movie which is basically Community meets fantasy D&D adventure: 'The Princess Bride.' This movie is jam packed with Christian themes that help us understand the love and sacrifice of Christ as He pursues His Princess Bride; the Church. Could Inigo Montoya reflect aspects of Peter's papacy? Is Fred Savage's character a metaphor for Christian conversion? Join us in our discussion this week and let us know what you think! #WelcomeToTheAdventure Media References: When They See Us (Netflix Miniseries) Mature Content Waco (Netflix Miniseries) Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World (Podcast) Black Mirror (Netflix Series) Riverdale (TV Show) Flash (TV Show) Yugioh (Anime) Hamilton (Musical Soundtrack) Dear Evan Hansen (Musical Soundtrack) "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson (Book) "Star Wars: Thrawn Treason" by Timothy Zahn (Book) 'The History of Ancient Greece' (Podcast) 'The History of Egypt Podcast' (Podcast) "The History of Rome' (Podcast) The Princess Bride (Movie) Batman (Comic) Avengers: Infinity War (Movie Challenges: Assess your spiritual, physical, and mental health. Then ask yourself "are they balanced?" and "What am I doing to grow in each of these areas?" Honestly evaluate your relationship with the Gospel and determine which of the stages you find yourself in. (Dislike, Passive, Actively Invested, Acceptance) If you find yourself in one of the first two, what is keeping you from taking the next step? Check Us Out Website Twitter Facebook Youtube

Great branding impacts your entire brand presence, including everything you say and do. Your brand's personality is an important — and very visible — part of your that presence that builds favor and trust with your customers. These 4 principles for discovering your brand personality will help you as you nail down your own unique, authentic brand personality. Good Shortcuts and Bad Shortcuts can be good. As a kid, I was always looking for a shortcut to the store, so I wouldn't have to walk around the block. But branding is a process. And when you don't understand the process, the shortcuts you choose could actually waste your time and money, at best. And at worst, they could sabotage the whole process, stealing punch and conviction from your results and from the buy-in you'd otherwise get from your stakeholders. The good news is that most of us have a head start. We see our brand personality traits peeking out every once in a while. But just as soon as that happens, we worry we'll be criticized for being quirky. "Stakeholders want to see responsibility," we say. And then part of our unique personality dies. But not permanently. It turns out that when this happens, your personality is only mostly dead (thanks, Miracle Max). And a solid process for discovering your brand personality can bring that personality back to life and organize your traits in such a way as to make them usable. Even powerful. Our Goal: 4 Pitfalls to Avoid and Make You Look Smart With Your Brand Personality Traits In fact, it's more than that. Because these are just some basic, but high-leverage, rules to make you smarter about branding. Why Do You Care? We almost forgot the most important question. For some of you, this is just a refresher. But have you ever worked with someone who consistently communicated confusingly and it made you not trust them? You could tell they didn't have the character to really follow through on what they were promising. You don't want to be that brand. Then there are those people who seem solid and trustworthy, but they don't seem to really be that savvy with their communication. They might even have a ton of experience in their field, but they just don't seem to quite understand you. They struggle to sort out what you know and don't know and how you think. Although it is a much better situation than dealing with people who lack morals, it's not ideal. It's especially not ideal for a consultative relationship where you'll need to communicate and develop a sense of understanding so that you're not constantly clarifying things for them. Because that's tedious and takes forever. You don't just want competent people; you want people who get you and who you get in return. Your personality is what tells potential customers that you are competent and understand them. Brand personality pays dividends. But is it Really Relevant in B2B? We might think brand personality matters more for Business-to-Consumer brands. And it definitely has its own character - B2C brands can get away with more because of sheer numbers in their advertising. Their niches can be smaller in proportion to the total world population, while still being large enough to sustain a business. You can see how a B2C company can hyper-specialize with a sense of humor that can gain a cult following. This is a little harder to do in B2B. But it is possible. In fact, there are some brands that have built a following not because they just happen to be in the right place at the right time, but because they really know who they're talking to and they're not afraid to talk in their language. For instance, in the defense industry, they might talk about things like "lethality." But you might not talk in such frank and blunt terms if you're talking to a general audience of business people who are more concerned with developing cultures of empathy. But whatever industry you find yourself in you know how your particular audience talks and whether or n...

Great branding impacts your entire brand presence, including everything you say and do. Your brand's personality is an important — and very visible — part of your that presence that builds favor and trust with your customers. These 4 principles for discovering your brand personality will help you as you nail down your own unique, authentic brand personality. Good Shortcuts and Bad Shortcuts can be good. As a kid, I was always looking for a shortcut to the store, so I wouldn't have to walk around the block. But branding is a process. And when you don't understand the process, the shortcuts you choose could actually waste your time and money, at best. And at worst, they could sabotage the whole process, stealing punch and conviction from your results and from the buy-in you'd otherwise get from your stakeholders. The good news is that most of us have a head start. We see our brand personality traits peeking out every once in a while. But just as soon as that happens, we worry we'll be criticized for being quirky. "Stakeholders want to see responsibility," we say. And then part of our unique personality dies. But not permanently. It turns out that when this happens, your personality is only mostly dead (thanks, Miracle Max). And a solid process for discovering your brand personality can bring that personality back to life and organize your traits in such a way as to make them usable. Even powerful. Our Goal: 4 Pitfalls to Avoid and Make You Look Smart With Your Brand Personality Traits In fact, it's more than that. Because these are just some basic, but high-leverage, rules to make you smarter about branding. Why Do You Care? We almost forgot the most important question. For some of you, this is just a refresher. But have you ever worked with someone who consistently communicated confusingly and it made you not trust them? You could tell they didn't have the character to really follow through on what they were promising. You don't want to be that brand. Then there are those people who seem solid and trustworthy, but they don't seem to really be that savvy with their communication. They might even have a ton of experience in their field, but they just don't seem to quite understand you. They struggle to sort out what you know and don't know and how you think. Although it is a much better situation than dealing with people who lack morals, it's not ideal. It's especially not ideal for a consultative relationship where you'll need to communicate and develop a sense of understanding so that you're not constantly clarifying things for them. Because that's tedious and takes forever. You don't just want competent people; you want people who get you and who you get in return. Your personality is what tells potential customers that you are competent and understand them. Brand personality pays dividends. But is it Really Relevant in B2B? We might think brand personality matters more for Business-to-Consumer brands. And it definitely has its own character - B2C brands can get away with more because of sheer numbers in their advertising. Their niches can be smaller in proportion to the total world population, while still being large enough to sustain a business. You can see how a B2C company can hyper-specialize with a sense of humor that can gain a cult following. This is a little harder to do in B2B. But it is possible. In fact, there are some brands that have built a following not because they just happen to be in the right place at the right time, but because they really know who they're talking to and they're not afraid to talk in their language. For instance, in the defense industry, they might talk about things like "lethality." But you might not talk in such frank and blunt terms if you're talking to a general audience of business people who are more concerned with developing cultures of empathy. But whatever industry you find yourself in you know how your particular audience talks and whether or n...

Our thoughts, prayers, and hearts go out to all of those affected by the Australian brushfires.  DeathVirus Survivor! Remakes suck We’re not talking about Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday again Dimpled orange and white balls If it’s a Boeing, I ain’t going.  Headlines *sigh* Then an unforeseen and rambling convo on healthcare *bigger sigh* What kind of funny is it? Healthcare repossession More headlines *bigger sigh* Douchebag partners Cold War shenanigans  Missed opportunity for a Michael Keaton/Joe Piscopo reference (dagnabbit) Anonymous much, chickadee? The folks at Bellingcat are badasses And, as Miracle Max would say, “Have fun storming the castle!”

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Important work is done this week! Culturally significant, paying the bills, have a cigarette afterwards work! Without Alex to keep them in check, Chamberlain and Chance successfully cast a gender bent remake of The Princess Bride: The Prince’s Bride! It just needs to be made before Billy Crystal dies because recasting Miracle Max is madness. Also Greedfall, Blasphemous, Borderlands 3 and a little bit of Overwatch.

This sermon helps answer Miracle Max's question from the Princess Bride, "What do you have that's so worth living for?"

It's a story of "Miracle Max", "Mary Make it Happen", "Big Red", and "Little Des". What kind of Bible story is this? One in which God is the hero. Through this family we can see His faithfulness, His sovereignty, His glory, His grace. Where is this family found in Scripture? What legacy did they leave behind? Join the Grace United Crew as we continue to tell the story of Isaac.

On this episode of FTW, Erik and James go an a cult classic adventure and discover the theories surrounding The Princess Bride.  Join them as they discuss theories such as, Humperdink won, Grandpa was the last Dread Pirate Roberts, Vizzini was poisoned much early than we thought and even the Miracle Max is a timelord. […]

Day 18: We are not nice, not kind, and not wonderful to 1985’s “He-Man/She-Ra: A Christmas Special,” in which Skeletor’s heart grows three sizes. On This Episode Mike Westfall (@fallwestmike), annoying flying wizard who never shows my face even to those who trust me with their secret identity. Brandon Medley (@brandmed) from Blessed are the Geek, the only thing left on Tumblr. Chad Young (@horrormoviebbq) of the Horror Movie BBQ and TPIF: Thank Pod It’s Funny. Topics and Tangents He-Man and She-Ra are between 18 and 21 years old and gave children unreasonable expectations of what they’d look like when they grow up. Thank goodness Chad is here to identify everyone at Eternia’s Christmas party. Greyskull Wiki has an entire section of Queen Marlena’s entry dedicated to speculating about her religion. The Christmas story conveniently cuts out right after “A long, long time ago…” and cuts back in by briefly mentioning the Wise Men. Still, it’s one of few to reference the birth of Christ at all. Brandon’s dog is back because he heard us talking about the Beast Monster! The Monstroids exist because the makers of He-Man toys want you to believe giant robots that can transform are evil. Skeletor and Hordak are basically Miracle Max and his wife from “The Princess Bride.” This may have been the first time I’d ever seen someone yank off Santa’s beard. Pro wrestlers Candice LeRae and Joey Ryan’s Christmas T-shirt inspired by this special is real, and it’s spectacular. You can visit the Advent Calendar House on the web at adventcalendar.house, on Twitter @adventcalhouse, and on the Christmas Podcast Network.

Inconceivable! Patrick, Zion, and Xavier explore the romantic, action, comedic, fantasy classic. There is nothing like passing on the joy of Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, Dread Pirates Roberts, Miracle Max and the like to your children.

Book Vs Movie Podcast “The Princess Bride”  The Margos(once again) dissect the differences between the 1973 William Goldman novel from the 1987 cult classic film directed by Rob Reiner (RIP William Goldman 1931-2018) Inconceivable! The Margos decided to redo, replay and honor the late, great William Goldman in this Book Vs. Movie podcast ep by taking on one more time (and even better) the book/movie The Princess Bride. We are always surprised to find that our listeners did not realize that the beloved classic movie was at one time a book. And that said book is very meta and multi-layered. Spoiler--we love BOTH of the versions of The Princess Bride and are so excited to be able to talk about it all once again! In this episode we discuss: The origins of the novel and its long history in turnaround The plethora of differences between the book and movie How the movie eventually became a cult classic The incredible cast including Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Chris Sarandon and Billy Crystal. Andrea the Giant’s real proportions and the experience he had making the movie Clips used: The Princess Bride TV trailer “Miracle Max” scene Mandy Patinkin and Christopher Guest final battle Vezinni and Iocane powder duel Outro Music: “Storybook Love”  by Mark Knopfler   Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/ Find us in Apple Podcasts Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R   Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/  

Thank you for listening and downloading Warp My Tardis Podcast, here on the Geek Culturecast Network. For more information find us on Twitter @WarpmyTardis or @GeekCulturecast, or www.geekculturecastnetwork.com.In another long awaited episode, KJ and Chulak reminisce on the fond memories of Miracle Max, Prince Humperdink and the Princess Buttercup. 30 years ago was the premiere of The Princess Bride staring Carry Elwes, Robin Wright, Chis Sarandon, Christopher Guest, andy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn and many more (Mel Smith, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Cook, Peter Faulk, Fred Savage...)Along with all the most common catch phrases from the movie, KJ and Chulak also talk about the other key roles that these actors, and their director Rob Reiner brought to us over the years. Our rating: Must see, a great PG movie and 9.5/9.6 out of 10.Next time on Warp My Tardis, the crew will be reviewing the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie (1992, Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens) Join us live on Appear.in and watch for more updates on our Twitter and facebook accounts (@WarpMyTardis and http://www.facebook.com/WarpmyTardis/ )

Thank you for listening and downloading Warp My Tardis Podcast, here on the Geek Culturecast Network. For more information find us on Twitter @WarpmyTardis or @GeekCulturecast, or www.geekculturecastnetwork.com.In another long awaited episode, KJ and Chulak reminisce on the fond memories of Miracle Max, Prince Humperdink and the Princess Buttercup. 30 years ago was the premiere of The Princess Bride staring Carry Elwes, Robin Wright, Chis Sarandon, Christopher Guest, andy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn and many more (Mel Smith, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Cook, Peter Faulk, Fred Savage...)Along with all the most common catch phrases from the movie, KJ and Chulak also talk about the other key roles that these actors, and their director Rob Reiner brought to us over the years. Our rating: Must see, a great PG movie and 9.5/9.6 out of 10.Next time on Warp My Tardis, the crew will be reviewing the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie (1992, Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens) Join us live on Appear.in and watch for more updates on our Twitter and facebook accounts (@WarpMyTardis and http://www.facebook.com/WarpmyTardis/ )

Eight selflessly sacrifices his health for you, Frozen is Dead!, and a correction about bear nipples. Miracle Max approved. Feedback: Feedback@thewardpodcast.com Subscribe: Itunes, Stitcher, or at https://theward.libsyn.com Twitter: @TheWardPodcast_

Miracle Max is on the job! Valerie and him quickly whip something up for Westley and even have the time to wrap it in delicious chocolate. Good thing they were quick about it, because it's time to storm the castle. First though, we wave bye bye to Alex & Pete The Retailer.

Miracle Max finds his motivation as his witch, eh..his wife Valerie joins him to make sure everything goes as planned. Once again, the gentlemen from Star Wars Minute stop by to show us how it's done. Professionals all around!

Miracle Max pulls out his bellows and gets to work, though it sounds like he'd prefer another trip to Katz's. Pete The Retailer & Alex Robinson from The Star Wars Minute have also stopped by. You guys want to try the mutton?

Gerry Porter finishes out the week with us and we couldn't be happier to have him. Unfortunately, Miracle Max does not seem nearly as enthusiastic about Westley.

Pastor Rus Says:   Welcome to the weekly sermon podcast for Apr 2, 2017 from First Lutheran in Shelby, Ohio with Pastor Rus Yoak. This week we look at Jesus' relationship with one of his best friends, Lazarus, and why (unlike Miracle Max) mostly dead and entirely dead are no problem for Jesus' miracles.    John 11:1-45 11:1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 11:2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 11:3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 11:4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 11:5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 11:6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 11:7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 11:8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" 11:9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 11:10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." 11:11 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." 11:12 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." 11:13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 11:15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 11:16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 11:17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 11:18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 11:19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 11:20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 11:21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 11:22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." 11:23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 11:24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 11:27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." 11:28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 11:29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 11:30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 11:31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 11:32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 11:34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 11:35 Jesus began to weep. 11:36 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 11:37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" 11:38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 11:39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 11:40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 11:41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. 11:42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." 11:43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 11:44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." 11:45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

“Inconceivable!” We’re not sure that word means what we think it means, but nevertheless, we decided to record a whole show about The Princess Bride, and the results are only mostly unfunny, nothing one of Miracle Max’s pills can’t fix. Darrell professes his undying love for his favorite Aussie, Jared sticks to podcast recording kayfabe, Greig gives new meaning to ROUS, and Tim laments his lack of fencing skills. We even dared to recast the movie for our very own remake. Just like Rob Reiner’s classic film, this episode has something for everyone, so sit down with a nice cup of iocaine powder, hit play with your six-fingered hand, and check out Unfunny Nerd Tangent Episode 16. “As you wish…” Hosted by: ‘Captain Boomerang’ Greig (@GreigT13). Featuring: ‘SuperJew’ Jared Robinovitz (@Superjew75), Tim Agne (@timagne) & ‘The Beast from the Middle East’ Darrell Johnson (@zazzumplop). Music by Willie DeVille & Mark Knopfler. Follow our NEW official Twitter account @unfunnyntangent

“Inconceivable!” We're not sure that word means what we think it means, but nevertheless, we decided to record a whole show about The Princess Bride, and the results are only mostly unfunny, nothing one of Miracle Max's pills can't fix. Darrell professes his undying love for his favorite Aussie, Jared sticks to podcast recording kayfabe, Greig gives new meaning to ROUS, and Tim laments his lack of fencing skills. We even dared to recast the movie for our very own remake. Just like Rob Reiner's classic film, this episode has something for everyone, so sit down with a nice cup of iocaine powder, hit play with your six-fingered hand, and check out Unfunny Nerd Tangent Episode 16. “As you wish…” Hosted by: ‘Captain Boomerang' Greig (@GreigT13). Featuring: ‘SuperJew' Jared Robinovitz (@Superjew75), Tim Agne (@timagne) & ‘The Beast from the Middle East' Darrell Johnson (@zazzumplop). Music by Willie DeVille & Mark Knopfler. Follow our NEW official Twitter account @unfunnyntangent

This was a long time coming. Jim has avoided seeing this movie for going on 30 years. Today, he has no where to run, no where to hide. He's locked in a steel cage match with "The Princess Bride", directed by Rob Reiner and based on the novel of the same name by William Goldman. Confronted by the beautiful faces of Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, the absurdist comedy of Miracle Max, how will he react to this crazy mashup of farce, swashbuckling, and heart? Special thanks to Zan from Melbourne, Barry C from the UK, Allicyn Wilde, Robot-K, Brian S, John H, Stefan G, Mark S, Denise T, Lesley W, Jay R, Ryan L, S Duncan, Geoffry B, pmmonnat, and WeezerWes for banding together and storming the castle. A few links of interest that were mentioned in the podcast... Cary Elwes interview on NPRAndre the Giant holding a beer canAndre the Giant with Arnold SchwartzeneggerAndre the Giant being a pimp...... again...... and one moreCary Elwes' behind the scenes book "As You Wish", also available in audiobook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This was a long time coming. Jim has avoided seeing this movie for going on 30 years. Today, he has no where to run, no where to hide. He's locked in a steel cage match with "The Princess Bride", directed by Rob Reiner and based on the novel of the same name by William Goldman. Confronted by the beautiful faces of Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, the absurdist comedy of Miracle Max, how will he react to this crazy mashup of farce, swashbuckling, and heart? Special thanks to Zan from Melbourne, Barry C from the UK, Allicyn Wilde, Robot-K, Brian S, John H, Stefan G, Mark S, Denise T, Lesley W, Jay R, Ryan L, S Duncan, Geoffry B, pmmonnat, and WeezerWes for banding together and storming the castle. A few links of interest that were mentioned in the podcast... Cary Elwes interview on NPRAndre the Giant holding a beer canAndre the Giant with Arnold SchwartzeneggerAndre the Giant being a pimp...... again...... and one moreCary Elwes' behind the scenes book "As You Wish", also available in audiobook Join the discussion: Email | Forums Follow us: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Leave Us A Review on Apple Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the podcast this week: Game of Thrones Finale - Jon Snow is he ALL dead or just MOSTLY dead? Miracle Max weighs in. Cersei wasn't the only one taking the walk of shame this week. We talk about the timing and comparisons to the Rachel Dolezal media shaming frenzy with a special shout to Jon Ronson and his book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed. Plus, Jurassic World - Doom or Justice, listen for our full review. Here's a clue, we were rooting for the dinosaurs. Also! E3, it happened and we've got the best of the best new games as well as a recap of the Nintendo World Championships.

Where does the DeLorean take us this week: It's the Miracle Max episode. Max and Sanch finally come together to record an episode that's long been over due. This week they travel back to June 3, 1988 to talk about the Tom Hanks classic, Big. But before that, Max brings us his Video Game Retro review on the NES "Konami Code" Classic, Contra.   Hop into our DeLorean and go back in time with a podcast that talks about the past, including pop culture, video games, random life stories, but mostly about the movies from our past.

What if I told you there is a power source you can tap into that would make you unbeatable? Undefeatable? Invincible to the problems that confront you in your daily life? What if I revealed that “secret power source” to you in this very podcast… Fully and completely… And you were never the same again? That is my goal for our 52nd episode of the Ray Edwards Show. Here's what else is up in this week's podcast episode: $460 device now available on your iPhone for 99 cents. Why your problem – whatever it is – is never about the problem. Podcast birthday wishes and surprises. Plus, our feature presentation… The Unbeatable You. Special Announcements My  conference, the 3-Day Live Intensive, is April 5-7 in Phoenix. Get your early-bird ticket discount right now – click here. What happened to Spiritual Foundations Podcast? Get your questions (and plugs) in for next week's episode using the voicemail tab on the website or the phone at  (509) 713-2679. Would you like to have me speak at your event or church? I am accepting a limited number of engagements for 2013.  Click here to visit my speaking page and get details on my availability. Tip Of The Week Large LED countdown clocks are a staple of the broadcast industry. They're also useful for live events. The best deal I've found is this clock for $460. But recently I discovered an app for my iPhone and iPad that does the same thing for 99 cents. Check out the Timer On Fire app. Spiritual Foundations In the Princess Bride, our hero Iniga Montoya faced a big problem. The dread pirate Roberts, aka “Wesley”, whose help he desperately needed, was dead. So Inigo turned to the one guy who might have a solution, Miracle Max. When Inigo  explained the problem, Max's response was a dramatic shift in perspective (listen to the audio to hear the full story). Whenever my wife and I are sending one another off to go tackle the day, we sometimes use the same words that Max gave the guys… “Have fun storming the castle!” Miracle Max saw a completely different problem. But, you might say, that is a movie. What about real life? So here's another example. I used to suffer from something commonly referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder. At least that is what I told myself. I even had a solution figured out – move! Only the weather wasn't really my problem. A key strategy to facing difficulties in life-whether those difficulties are with your physical health, your relationships, money, or anything else-is to realize the problem is never really about the problem. “It's never about the weather.” ~ Lynn Edwards Depression and despair, or joy and happiness are a choice. A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22 I do recognize that there are clinical conditions that cause depression and anxiety, as well as other mental disturbances. I am not suggesting that anyone for grow appropriate medical care. I am saying that God providesHealing, even in those situations. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Feature Segment: The Unbeatable You The key to being unbeatable is really rather simple: it's understanding your identity and everything flows out of that. In fact, terms like “mission”, “vision”, and “purpose”Get thrown around carelessly as if they were synonymous with one another. They are not. The key to being unbeatable is not that you never suffer a setback or problem. It's that you have an effective strategy for snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat.  In my view, there are three ingredients to achieving this: 1. Set up the game so you cannot lose. 2. Understand and be able to articulate your identity, purpose, mission, vision, values, and goals. 3. Decide in advance how you will handle adversity. Set up the Game so You Cannot Lose How is this even possible? You use the same approach Captain Kirk used when he faced the Kobayashi Maru simulation. You change the rules. My rule that makes every scenario a no-lose scenario is: There are no failures, there are only results. But I do with the results is up to me. Know Your “Big Reason Why” It has been said that if you have a big enough “why”, you will always discover the answer to “how”. Most people have nowhere near enough clarity about their own beliefs and values. And herein lies the key to being unbeatable. You need to understand, and be able to articulate the following: your identity, purpose, mission, vision, values, and goals. Let's use my own answers as examples… Identity. Who are you? My answer: One who follows Jesus; a royal priest. Purpose. Why are you here? My answer: To bring about God's will on earth, as it is in heaven. Mission. What is your specific assignment? (Strategy) My answer: Business for the Glory of God. Vision. What does the accomplishment of your mission look like? (Tactics) My answer: To teach and empower people to claim their own Divine Destiny and live a life of Freedom, Joy, and Love through Jesus Christ. We do this by providing quality services (including books, audio and visual programs, home study materials, speeches, seminars, trainings, coaching and consulting delivered with love, excellence and integrity in Christ). Values. What qualities, characteristics, and states do you value most? (Compass) My answer… A commitment to the following spiritual, ethical, and corporate values: Faithfulness to Jesus Christ. “His will, on earth as it is in Heaven”. With God all things are possible. Passion for our work, dedicated to the Lord. Love and acceptance of others and of ourselves. Christ-like responses to all situations, events and people. Truth and honesty in all things. Continued spiritual growth. Clarity of purpose and communication. Speaking only that which imparts Grace to the listener. Impeccability in our actions and the quality of our work. Accountability. Harmony. Continuous and never-ending improvement. Profitability. Generosity of heart and spirit. Fun. Joy. Gratitude. Goals. What are your specific objectives (both strategic and tactical), and what is your timeline for accomplishing them? State your goals in the positive/affirmative, present tense, connected to an emotion, and anchored to a date and time. Some examples: I am enjoying the satisfaction of having added 100,000 new subscribers to our email list by 5pm, December 1, 2013. I am relishing the stress-free systematized business that permits me to work only 20 hours per week by 12 Noon, November 1, 2013. I am enjoying my healthy weight of 185 pounds, which I achieved on or before 9am October 1, 2013. These should be articulated on paper. Take some time and write them out. Invest yourself in this process. Decide in Advance How You Will Handle Adversity This is a condensed summary of an entire podcast, from episode 007. We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond – and what we believe about the setback. Knowing how to face trials proactively is one of the top skills in business… and in life. Here are 10 steps to transform setbacks into comebacks.  See it for what it is. Remember God’s plan for you (Jer 29:11 and Romans 8:28) Ask good questions – questions that lead to helpful answers. Be careful what you think, see, and say. Notice what works; do more of that. Notice what doesn’t work; stop doing that. Live in the now. Avoid depression and anxiety. Move your body every day. Put good fuel in the machine. Fill your eyes with solutions. Remember that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. (Matthew 6:34) Listener Calls We heard from lots of listeners this week. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please send me an email. And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. 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