337: Justin Halpern, On Critical Consensus And Creative Differences

comedy, movies

This week on the Frotcast, Justin Halpern, recently of Powerless, joins to talk about his cancelled show being Adam West’s final screen credit, accuse Vince of being the new Armond White, and tell apocryphal stories about Lord and Miller on the set of Method Man shows. We talk about the critical hive mind, what Lord and Miller must’ve done to get canned from the Han Solo movie, DC fans, Marvel, and more. This week’s hosts are Vince Mancini from FilmDrunk/Uproxx and Matt Lieb from AJ+/The Star Wars Show. Frot on! 

4:55 – The Return Of Fake Bret
6:30 – Talkin’ Otto Warmbier
11:30 – Talkin’ All Eyez On Me and music biopic tropes
15:25 – Justin Halpern joins via Skype
28:00 – Justin’s story about Lord and Miller and Method Man
30:00 – Speculating about the Lord and Miller/Star Wars split
31:40 – Justin brings in RESEARCH, to bolster his Vince Mancini/Armond White theory.
55:00 – The Mummy, and Justin’s incredible story about getting negged by Brendan Fraser’s publicist.
1:00:00 – The Case Against Keith Olbermann
1:26:00 – Royalty Freestyle for Emmett
1:29:33 – Royalt Freestyle for Matthew C.

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336: Book of Henry, The Week’s Worst Takes

comedy, movies

This week on the Frotcast, we break down Colin Trevorrow’s Book of Henry (the worst film of the year?), the week’s worst takes (both Cosby and Kevin Durant-based), and Uber’s disastrous board meeting. Panel includes Vince Mancini, Matt Lieb, Brendan, and fresh from the Giants game, Joey Avery.

3:00 – Uber’s awesome press conference

16:15 – Is ‘Book of Henry’ the worst movie of the year? And how much of the plot can Brendan predict without having seen it?

40:00 – The Worst Takes Of The Week

1:25:00 – Emails

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Frotcast 335: Demetri Martin, Wonder Woman, The Mummy

comedy, movies

THIS WEEK ON THE FROTCAST:
I interview Demetri Martin. “Sexist” Wonder Woman reviews? The Mummy, and the rise of the “shared universe.” Tom Cruise’s ageless asexuality. Is the Babadook gay?Your email questions. Your panel includes Vince Mancini from FilmDrunk/Uproxx, co-host Brendan, and comedians Matt Lieb and Allison Mick. Donate at Patreon.com/Frotcast!

Intro – Is Wonder Woman a Zionist?
5:33 – Edelstein’s Wonder Woman review: deserved dragging or unfair?
10:15 – American Gods/We imagine what different celebrities’ dicks might look like
12:00 – The Mummy, and how it made Wonder Woman look that much more groundbreaking.
22:30 – Demetri Martin talks about his new film ‘Dean,’ starting out as a stand up, and more.
59:21 – The ouvre of Tom Cruise

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Frotcast 334: Drew Magary and ‘Get Me Roger Stone’

comedy, movies

Drew Magary from Deadspin/GQ (whose latest novel, The Hike, drops on paperback in July) by this week to talk Big Summer Camp, Fargo, and whether sports reporters are more obnoxious than film critics. We also talk Netflix’s Roger Stone documentary, Get Me Roger Stone. Is it not ironic that the guy who brought the “cuck”-shouting alt-right to national prominence was once run out of Washington over a scandal about letting other men have sex with his wife? Why do all of the bad things seem to come from Nixon? And what the hell is going on with the guy’s skull? Naturally, we finish off with the Royalty Freestyle. Frot on and enjoy, donate at Patreon dot com slash Frotcast.

1:00 – Drew Magary joins, to complain about Big Summer Camp
19:00 – Talking Baywatch, and the idea of the self-referential movie
29:00 – Fargo
35:00 – More tolerable, group of film critics or group of sports reporters
52:33 – ‘Get Me Roger Stone’
1:01:50 – We find out about Ben Jacobs getting bodyslammed by congressional candidate Greg Gianforte in real time and can’t stop laughing.
1:12:10 – The Royalty Freestyle. “Everything is a twist in this life.”

 

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333: Lost City Of Z, Killers Of The Flower Moon Author David Grann, Alien

books, comedy, movies

Lost City of Z author David Grann’s new book, Killers of the Flower Moon, is about the mass murder — through gunshots, bombs, and poisoning — of almost the better part of an entire generation of Osage Indians in the teens and 1920s, carried out in order to inherit their lucrative mineral rights. Originally hailed as one of the FBI’s first and defining successes, Grann’s investigation uncovers for the first time the true extent of the “Osage Reign Of Terror,” which wasn’t just a single plot, but rather an interlocking web of conspiracy and corruption that sought to usurp American Indian wealth and was only possible through collusion at every level of society. One of the first examples of the FBI investigating corruption among local police, Grann’s book comes out at a time when Attorney General Jeff Sessions is actively trying to weaken the federal government’s mandate to police local police (“it is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal law enforcement agencies” read a Sessions memo from April). This week I talk to Grann about his book’s relevance, the relationship between racism and greed, and the dying art of shoeleather reporting. In addition to that, it’s Alien: Covenant week on the Frotcast, so we’re watching and breaking down the 1979 original, Alien. Panel includes Vince Mancini, Frotcast co-host Brendan, and comedians Joey Avery and Matt Lieb.

 

 

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Frotcast 332: The Fifth Element

comedy, movies

Would Guardians Of The Galaxy even exist without The Fifth Element? The Luc Besson classic turns 20 this week, the same week as Star Wars Day, which is fitting, because The Fifth Element is my Star Wars. We’re talking Fifth Element this week with Matt Lieb from AJ+, Brendan (who thinks the Fifth Element is dumb!) and Vince. We also talk Fyre Festival, hockey names, and play the Royalty Freestyle, with Matt Lieb. Donate at Patreon.com/Frotcast.

1:55 – Breaking down the Fyre Festival because we didn’t get to last week.
12:45 – Hockey names, and our Name Of The Year pick for next year, Tait Purk.   
24:07 – The Fifth Element
53:00 – Emails
1:09:05 – The Royalty Freestyle

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Frotcast 331: Alan Sepinwall, Peak TV, and Peak Conspiracy

comedy, movies, TV

This week on the Frot, I chat with TV critic Alan Sepinwall about Breaking Bad and Peak TV, and we talk about Alex Jones and the Berkeley bike lock bandit conspiracy (or not). We also talk Veep, Silicon Valley’s Papa Roach joke, and The Leftovers. Panel includes Matt Lieb from AJ+, Brendan, and comedian Jane Harrison, who had her first lesbian experience this past week and is now a squirting truther. Hooray! Enjoy and Frot on! Donate at Patreon dot com slash Frotcast. Produced by Vince Mancini. 

1:11 – Jane immediately derails the show with her lesbian experience.
5:55 – We talk about Alex Jones and his Chobani lawsuit with former Chobani spokes person Matt Lieb.
10:44 – A brief appearance by El Chapo
13:00 – Talkin’ TV with Alan Sepinwall
38:00 – Talkin The Leftovers
44:33 – We play the Leftovers-inspired “F, Marry, Depart” with right wing news personalities.
56:26 – We segue from 9/11 trutherism into Jane becoming a squirting truther.
1:01:10 – The Silicon Valley Papa Roach joke, and was it just a magnificent coincidence?
1:11:55 – Emails! Specifically, a question about the Berkeley bike lock attack guy.

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Frotcast 330: Fate Of The Furious, With Joanna Robinson And Brian Grubb

comedy, movies

As our former co-host Bret says, “I don’t actually believe most people want freedom or fulfillment. Most people want to die barfing from eating a thousand Doritos Locos Snickers Icecream Tacos while jerking off to a giant bug zapper that says ‘TITS.'” It seems to me that this observation applies especially well to The Fate Of The Furious, a movie so excessive it’s kind of exhausting. At least, that’s what I think. My guests Brian Grubb (formerly Danger Guerrero) of Uproxx and Joanna Robinson of Vanity Fair are still onboard for all of Dom Toretto’s shenanigans, no matter how fast nor furious. This week we talk the value of Roman and Tej, Russian submarine hacking, racing for pinks, and ultimately, Juicero and the saga of Silicon Valley’s strange $700 juice squeezing machine. Hack the planet and keep frotting a quarter mile at a time. Donate at Patreon.com/Frotcast

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Frotcast 329: Matt Ufford, United Guy, Big Little Lies

comedy, movies, TV

SB Nation’s Matt Ufford joins the Frot-fun this week, to talk the United incident (we couldn’t help ourselves!), celebrity encounters, and the Big Little Lies finale. The rest of the Frot crew includes Vince Mancini, Matt Lieb, and Joey Avery. Donate at Patreon dot com slash Frotcast, and frot on!     

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Frotcast 328: Murdercast, with ‘Down City’ Author Leah Carroll

books, comedy, movies

Leah Carroll’s mom was murdered when she was four by a man who would go on to receive protection from the Rhode Island Police, until he died himself just a few years later of a heart attack during a road rage incident on his way to go skydiving while carrying a pocket full of cocaine. And that’s not even the craziest part of the story. We hear the tale first hand from Leah, who just published Down City: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Memory, and Murder. This week’s Frot-crew includes Vince, Brendan, and comedians Joey Avery and Matt Lieb. We also try to cast the inevitable S-Town movie, and talk Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad. Donate at Patreon dot com slash Frotcast. 

 

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