Category Archives: movies

Frotcast: The Reboot Episode (302)



It’s the reboot episode, where The Frotcast becomes simply “Frotcast.” Clean, rad, powerful. Hey, remember your childhood? It’s back! This week on Frotcast, we’re talking all about nostalgia — reboots, prequels, gender swaps, and homages — starting with Stranger Things. Is it even an homage or is it just a fun show? Then, Sympathy For The Drivel, where we name our favorite prequels and try to decide what other thing could use a prequel. Regulars Vince Mancini, Bret, and Brendan are in the Frotquarters this week, with Irregular Regular Matt Lieb joining via phone (LA Matt, #Squib). Old favorite Laremy Legel even drops by with a list, and Millennial Correspondent Joey Avery pops in to explain why Millennials aren’t having the sex anymore. 

6:25 – Stranger Things (no spoilers!)
16:44 – Matt Lieb’s tragic story about being left out of the “suck and blow” game in seventh grade
18:30 – Does a bland or simple narrative help world building/execution
21:12 – The Night Of (again, no real spoilers)
30:00 – Sympathy For The Drivel
37:30 – Jared Leto corner
48:00 – “Okay, Shut Up,” with Brendan’s choice, The Naked Gun
54:22 – The new bumper for Matt Lieb Improvises Lyrics To Royalty-Free Songs (followed by him actually doing a song)
1:02:00 – Email question: What music did you listen to as a youth that you still do, and what did you grow to love?
1:13:13 – Laremy Legel joins us with a brand new list


Frotcast: Joe Sinclitico, Bobby Hacker, Trump University, and the Tony Robbins Movie



FilmDrunk’s Vince Mancini is joined by comedian Joe Sinclitico (Adam Devine’s House Party), Matt Lieb (Flophouse), and filmmaker Bobby Hacker (Cars 1-3, not the Pixar one) for an LA edition of the Frotcast. The sound of Joe vaping throughout really ties the Frotcast together. We discuss comedy, and We Are Not Your Guru, the Netflix Tony Robbins documentary. 

Joe reveals that he used to work at Trump University, and how that relates to the specific brand of dog-eat-dog masculinity that Tony Robbins promotes. Bobby Hacker reveals that he used to work in a Boiler Room situation, and we talk about the rich history of movies like Wall Street, Boiler Room, and Wolf of Wall Street, where people who love wealth porn miss the entire point of the work. Matt and Joe rap battle, we play Matt Lieb improvises lyrics to royalty-free music, and we discuss Revenge of the Nerds and American Pie as evidence of rape culture. 

Intro – Matt introduces us to “LA Matt.” #Squib
7:30 – Bobby Hacker explains “digital make-up” in production.
9:19 – Blood Father, with Mel Gibson.
13:20 – Did Louis CK ruin comedy by being too good?
15:30 – Joe’s comedy rap battle. Joe and Matt rap battle for some reason
24:00 – Back to Louis CK without the rap battle distraction
40:00 – Discussion of I Am Not Your Guru, the Netflix Tony Robbins “documentary” (concert video). 
38:58 – Joe’s anecdote about working for Trump University.
49:42 – Bobby Hacker worked on a cruise ship
1:02:32 – Matt Lieb improvises lyrics to royalty-free music
1:11:10 – Your emails.


Frotcast 299: Is Ghostbusters A Net Good? Plus Tales From NPR, Crystal Corner



You’re either with Paul Feig’s new Ghostbusters or you’re with the misogynists, or so the internet has decreed, which is at least mildly annoying to those of us who don’t really care about a big budget reboot either way. It feels wrong to divert activism energy towards a ghost movie. I mean, where were the people crowing about proving the misogynists wrong during the release of Maggie’s Plan (insert other movie written and directed by a woman here)? But then people share pictures of smiling little girls at the premiere and you have to concede they have a point. I mean, those little girls probably weren’t going to show up to Maggie’s Plan. And Hollywood was going to make dumb reboots anyway, right? Maybe this one will at least be a “net good,” even if you don’t particularly care to argue with some dumb neckbeard? That’s my question to the Frotcrew this week (Me – Vince Mancini, Matt Lieb, Bret, and Brendan), though we also talk the most NPR thing we’ve ever heard (Tales From NPR), a 14-year-old’s woke slam poem, Crystal Corner, and of course, force Matt Lieb to sing fully-improvised royalty free songs. Enjoy and frot on.

00:00 – Ghostbusters (also Preacher, Matt’s tuna sandwich)
15:20 – Lebowski fest, and encounters with the real-life Dude, Jeff Dowd.
24:03 – Tales From NPR. 
37:49 – Wokest slam poem
52:20 – Fully improvised royalty-free music jams with Matt.
1:09:31 – Crystal Corner
1:23:00 – Bret introduces us to ASMR, which is Bret’s quicksand porn, basically.
1:30:00 – Your emails. 


Frotcast 297: Matt Ufford, Anomalisa



Matt Ufford of SB Nation joins Vince Mancini from Uproxx and the rest of the Frotcrew (Bret and Brendan) to discuss the Game of Thrones finale. After that, we discuss Charlie Kaufman’s stop-motion cunnilingus masterpiece Anomalisa. Other topics include Brexit, the world’s worst relationship column, Harambe memes, and of course, Crystal Corner. 

4:55 – Harambe memes. Why so good?
7:30 – Breaking down the world’s worst relationship blog, a divorce between Burners. “This is seriously the new dark ages.” -Bret
19:00 – We crowd source our script for “Cuck to the Future”
19:40 – Matt Ufford joins for some Game of Thrones talk.
26:25 – End Game of Thrones spoilers. Aaand we’re back to the burner article again. 
32:36 – Back to Game of Thrones!
47:00 – How to deal with street petitions, and #DadBrands
55:50 – How your married friends talk to you when you’re the only single one.
58:00 – Mr Robot
1:03:00 – We talk Anomalisa, which was my favorite movie of last year but Brendan did not like.
1:15:00 – CRYSTAL CORNER, with Katy Perry. 
1:21:48 – I discuss my rewatch of The Fast and the Furious, and how awful everything was in 2001. 
1:32:18 – Your emails. Bret’s relationship advice: “You’re not gonna meet someone and it’s gonna be okay. It’s never going to be okay.”


Frotcast 295: Primer, OJ: Made In America, Vince’s Staph Infection, and Megan Fox



Big topics this week include Primer (2004), Megan Fox in Crystal Corner, OJ: Made in America, and of course my staph infection, and also getting in a car accident on the way to the hospital to be treated for said staph infection. But of course, most of the brilliance was off-topic, including Matt Lieb’s improvised song about eczema, a collaborative Beach Boys song about Jewish conspiracies, and a return visit from El Chapo, who has become addicted to heroin. Que pena. 

Intro – Matt reading mommy blogs to learn about his allergies, leading to a spirited rendition of “The Job Interview Song (Tie Sharona)”
5:30 – I talk about my staph infection, and becoming the Staph Curry of bursa infections. (Fun fact: I got in a car accident on the way to the hospital for my staph infection)
17:55 – Matt had scabies on his penis
21:10 – Brendan got crabs when he was 10. 
23:50 – Beginning of “Okay, Shut Up,” with this week’s topic, Primer (2004). Or, “Bret Explains The Plot of Primer, A Movie The Rest Of Us Didn’t Understand.” 
28:50 – Do we call this style of characterization “human adjacent?”
39:07 – Crystal Corner: Megan Fox
53:00 – Emails, and our new Crystal Corner theme music
56:43 – Matt Sings Songs
1:00:40 – A wonderful improvised song about eczema
1:14:00 – Brief thoughts on OJ: Made In America
1:24:25 – More of your emails
1:34:37 – An Irish listener schools us on some Irish misconceptions surrounding circumcisions.
1:46:03 – We get a visit from heroin addict El Chapo


294: Chappie, and Brian Grubb, The Artist Formerly Known As Danger Guerrero



In his EXCLUSIVE FIRST PODCAST APPEARANCE (sort of but not really), Brian Grubb, the Uproxx writer formerly known as Danger Guerrero, sits in for an interview mostly about TV shows, but also his journey from lawyer to writer, using his disability to score restaurant tables, and more. Before that, we introduce our new segment, “Okay, Shut Up,” which the Frot members finally watch a movie one of us won’t shut up about. This week’s movie, Chappie. We also have a new Crystal Corner, with this week’s celebrity lover of magic crystals, Jenna Dewan Tatum (wife of Channing Tatum, aka C-Tates). There’s even a Royalty-Free Music Improv with Matt Lieb. Enjoy!

Time-Stamped #Content

5:34 – Matt Lieb is locked in a Facebook beef with a guy with a funny name. 
10:36 – Matt explains his gig on “The Star Wars Show” and opening for Gabriel Iglesias
19:25 – The inaugural run of “Okay, Shut Up,” in which we all watch a movie one of us won’t shut up about. This week in Okay Shut Up, Chappie, a movie I (Vince Mancini) never shut up about. 
30:00 – Matt Lieb, on Yolandie Visser’s sex appeal. “It’s like she could rip out your heart and eat it and you’d still have a boner somehow.” 
42:35 – CRYSTAL CORNER! This week’s celebrity who loves the power of healing crystals, Jenna Dewan Tatum. 
53:00 – Royalty-Free Musical Improv, with Matt Lieb
57:40 – The EXCLUSIVE first podcast interview with The Artist Formerly Known as Danger Guerrero, Brian Grubb
1:00:00 – Better Call Saul Vs. Breaking Bad, with Brian Grubb 
1:38:55 – We read your emails, about Jewishness, and Matt’s beef with the anti-circumcision lobby. 


293: Game Of Thrones & Crystal Corner, with Jeff Bayer



Film critic Jeff Bayer from Movie BS and FilmSchoolRejects joins FilmDrunk’s Vince Mancini, comedian Joey Avery, and Frotcast co-host Bret to review Game Of Thrones, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Alice Through The Looking Glass. Plus our new segment, Crystal Corner, where we talk about which celebrities are into magical healing crystals this week. Then it’s onto your email questions, which, as usual, are all about relationships and pooping. frotcast@gmail.com, 415 275 0030. Review us on iTunes! 

3:23 – Game of Thrones Talk. Hodor! Zombies! Boobies! Wieners! The Iron Born! Children of the Forest! 
16:44 – Joey Avery and Jeff Bayer arrive.
25:29 – Jeff tells us about Alice Through The Looking Glass
31:00 – Bret polls us on how we don’t kill ourselves, being film critics and all. 
45:00 – X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Captain America: Civil War, with Vince and Jeff.
48:20 – Anthony Weiner, and trying to remember why people were mad at him.
56:30 – CRYSTAL CORNER! This week’s believers in the healing power of magic crystals include Alanis Morisette and a guy from 10 Things I Hate About You. (Bret loves crystals)
1:11:07 – Jeff tells us about his child, who one day decided that he wasn’t going to poop anymore. 
1:23:00 – Charlie Daniels’ NRA video, in which he calls Obama a “fresh-faced flower child.” 
1:30:00 – Answering email question, AND our BRAND NEW EMAILS THEME SONG! 


292: Laremy Returns From Australia, And Neighbors 2 With Joey Avery



“Film Critic” author Laremy Legel and comedian Joey Avery join the Frotcast this week, as we talk Laremy’s trip to Australia, Neighbors 2, “feminism” as a selling point, doing acid at Coachella, and of course, Spencer Pratt’s love of magic crystals. It’s a “cask strength” podcast this week, as I’m drinking Maker’s 46 cask strength (Bret is sipping a double-oaked Woodford Reserve). Help us monetize our #friendship, and be part of our #brand. 

4:26 – “Previously on the Frotcast…”
6:36 – Laremy bloops in via Skype, fresh from Australia, where Garry the Goat lives. He went to a shark museum and the world’s largest IMAX screen.
14:00 – Some Neighbors 2 talk, including whether a movie written by five dudes can be called “feminist.” Also, the new Ghostbusters, and whether we have to cheer something solely because whiny sexist nerds hate it. Does not contain any real spoilers. Except that Laremy has a black friend named Brad.
21:15 – Joey Avery has some great ideas for Frat party themes
23:30 – Why do sororities have so many more rules than fraternities? Is it a substitute for physical hazing?
28:45 – Laremy talks about having the same name as Laremy Tunsil and being off the grid when Laremy Tunsil got caught with his bong video.
35:47 – We talk Captain America: Civil War (SOME LIGHT SPOILERS UNTIL 38 MINUTES) 
42:00 – Does the media market allow critics, pundits, writers whose opinions don’t easily fit into a category anymore? Matt Taibbi’s Rolling Stone piece about safe spaces


291: Captain America Civil War, with Matt Lieb and Patrick Schumacker



We dedicated an entire Frotcast to one movie this week — Captain America: Civil War! Comedian Matt Lieb (Flophouse) and TV writer Patrick Schumacker (Sh*t My Dad Says, Surviving Jack, iZombie) join Vince Mancini to talk Cap, the superhero genre in general, Marvel vs DC and everything else. Afterwards, we talk about Beyonce and Jay-Z for some reason, cheating, and the usual dose of weird sex talk with Matt Lieb. 


289: Kaseem Bentley and Jane Harrison



Jane Harrison and Kaseem Bentley (named one of San Francisco’s best comedians by SF Weekly) join the FilmDrunk Frotcast to discuss Game Of Thrones, Ted Cruz, and Beyonce’s Lemonade. Also, we take our first live calls listeners. Patreon.com/Frotcast, Our #Brand Is #Content.

3:50 – The mystery of Matt Lieb being in my house.
9:06 – Game of Thrones talk begins (fairly light on spoilers, but if you want to skip, the segment is five minutes)
14:00 – Jane and Bret watched The Guest.
17:03 – The Ted Cruz soup story is a continuing source of fascination for us.
25:00 – Are we going to watch Captain America: Civil War? Bret and Jane talk Daredevil.
31:00 – Kaseem shows up.
43:30 – Our first live phone call! Listener calls in while watching Fathers and Daughters, starring Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried.
53:00 – Life advice for a listener who has just lost his virginity at 26 but is now hooking up with a girl who has a boyfriend.
1:09:59 – We talk about Beyonce’s Lemonade, in a classic, let’s-only-get-serious-in-the-last-third-of-the-Frotcast moment. Is the story real?! Did Jay-Z really cheat on Beyoncé or is she just a marketing genius?