Read it and Weep: Bad movies and books

Wake up shot out of a canon

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/dad-pod-02-the-nature-of-sleep

While Best Thing Ever is on break, we checked in with Anthony about being a new dad including lack of sleep, low expectations, and declawing babies. Parenting is fun and not that hard! 

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/dad-pod-01-declawing-babies

Alex Falcone and Ezra Fox accidentally became mummy romance experts when they wrote their best-selling young adult novel (http://unwrapmyheart.com). For Spooktober they're reviewing three classic...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/mummy-minute-03-warm-bodies

Part two of our mini-series about mummies for spooky month. This time we talked about the most famous mummy romance novel (besides ours ): The Mummy or Ramses the Damses by Anne Rice. Next week...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/mummy-minute-02-anne-rice

Alex and Ezra accidentally became mummy romance experts when they wrote their best-selling young adult novel (http://unwrapmyheart.com). For Spooktober they're reviewing three classic pieces of m...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/mummy-minute-01-the-mummy-1932

All good things must come to an end and so must all okay things! With that, we're calling this the official end of season 1. We talked about 27 things all of which could have been the best thing ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/season-1-wrap-bte-129

Since 2017 our boy Hunter has been one of the most famous players of the uber-complicated boardgame Twilight Imperium. His show Space Cats Peace Turtles chronicled the game's evolution from 3rd ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/twilight-imperium-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-128

The bad news is that you're dead. The good news is that you're part of an exceptional cast on a surprisingly high-concept NBC sitcom with a high jokes-per-minute and good moral center.  📊 ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/the-good-place-is-best-thing-ever-bte-127

In 1969 two men walked on the surface of the moon (and their friend waited in the car). It was without a doubt the greatest publicity stunt of all time. But even more than that, it was the only t...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/the-moon-landing-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-126

They outnumber us 3-to-1, they make breakfast possible, and they're cute as heck. They're chickens and they're everywhere. We welcome back comedian and writer Phoebe Bottoms to talk about her lov...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/chickens-are-the-best-thing-ever-bte-125

Look, this definitely isn't an episode we slapped together because of a guest mishap. It was the plan all along to talk about the joys of taking the easy way out, of minimizing effort, of doing e...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/half-assing-it-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-124

What's uld is nu again as everybody's favorite mashup of hip hop and metal music (and costumes) is gaining in popularity for the first time since the 90s. Anthony takes us on a deep dive of the m...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/nu-metal-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-123

This week we've got comedian Monica Nevi here to tell us why women's basketball is the best thing ever. Along the way we'll learn about Iowa 6-on-6 and why Brittney Griner was in Russia in the fi...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/womens-basketball-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-122

We're not going to tell the story of how the movies were made (mostly) and we're not going to talk about whether or not their good (except a bit) but instead Anthony's going to tell the story of ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/star-wars-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-121

If there's one thing Ezra loves it's human children. In particular, his children. Ezra loves his children. Over the last 10 years he's learned a few things about raising kids that he'd like to sh...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/human-children-are-the-best-thing-ever-bte-120

The world has seen many heros over the years. But it has never seen a puzzle-solving sword-wielding short king constantly dressed for a night at a gay dance club until Link came along. We discuss...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/zelda-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-119

Are arcades the best thing ever? For three guys raised in the 90s, we definitely think they could be. They've got games, they've got yelling, they've got variety. Lots of the things that are high...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/arcades-are-the-best-thing-ever-bte-117

We've got TikTok sensation and creator of wild projects Kyle Scheele on but he disagreed with the entire premise of the show. So instead of picking one best thing ever we just talked about four r...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/variety-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-117

Brilliant comedian Myq Kaplan and RiaW favorite Amanda Leinbaugh joins us to talk about his favorite thing, advice columns. We do a shallow dive into the history from the first one ever to the si...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/advice-columns-are-the-best-thing-ever-bte-116

Comedian Liz Glazer loves the NordicTrack Ski Machine. She's bought and sold many over the years, has received them as gifts, and worked out on one this morning. Why does she like it so much? Yo...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/the-nordictrack-sky-machine-bte-114

The podcast just keeps getting hotter and hotter and this week we tackle a job that can cool things off in just the right places: firefighters. The most respected civil servants, the rescuers of ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/firefighters-are-the-best-thing-ever-bte-114

The sun AKA the Evil Day Star AKA Sky Daddy. It shapes our days and burns our noses. There's nothing more powerful in our solar system (except maybe Emma Thompson). But is it the best thing? Find...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/the-sun-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-113

What is the best thing ever? We’ve got 8 new nominees forged in the fire of a topic draft. Okay, it was more a friendly discussion but I think it was really interesting. Watch now to find out w...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/topic-draft-ii-bte-112

What do you bench, bro? Can you dead lift me? If I'm dead? It's powerlifting and it's good for you body and mind, apparently. At least Rachel likes it, and she's here to tell us why. Learn the ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/powerlifting-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-111

It's our first ever Hunter episode and he takes things in a slightly different direction, deeply personal journey across state lines to his favorite late night eatery, the one and only Waffle Hou...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/waffle-house-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-110

Writer Sarah Hatheway joins us to talk about a thing that's brought her so much joy over the years, romance novels. She loves them so much she's written her own (more on that soon, we hope). We l...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/romance-novels-are-the-best-thing-ever-bte-109

If there's one thing that's a shoe-in for Best Thing Ever it's the thing that our hosts have pursued for a combine 20+ years. But after a great history of standup comedy from Anthony, we prove th...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/standup-comedy-is-the-best-thing-ever-bte-108

Trees. They're everywhere. Watching. Biding their time. Providing us everything we need to live but always threatening to take it away. They're the beauty and the danger, but are they the best th...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/trees-are-the-best-thing-ever-bte-107

It's the moment you've been waiting for, that Anthony has been saving all his political capital for, it's time for the pro wrestling episode. Along with special guest Jamie Carbone , we go on a j...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/is-pro-wrestling-the-best-thing-ever-bte-106

As a beverage goblin I'm thrilled to present my strongest application for best thing ever so far, warm beverages. We give you a brief history of coffee and tea as well as a guide for how to find ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/are-warm-beverages-the-best-thing-ever-bte-105

Everybody connect to your LAN and settle into your hunched-over position so we can tell you the tale of a transformational video game (and masculinity both good and bad). We're talking about comm...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/is-playing-halo-with-the-boys-the-best-thing-ever-bte-104

Our search for the best thing ever continues with a deep dive into one of the cuddliest movies of all time, Studio Ghibli's "My Neighbor Totoro." Will it unseat bread and cat videos? It's a tough...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/is-my-neighbor-totoro-the-best-thing-ever-bte-103

We’re back for our second episode ever and the first one where we actually have a tough time ranking the topic. And this topic is a strong possibility for Best Thing Ever, it’s fresh baked br...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/bte-102-fresh-baked-bread

It's the first episode of our new show! After months of work we’re here to launch our brand new podcast investigating all things to find the best one. And our first contestant out of the gate i...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/bte-101-cat-videos

And that's it. We've finished one full year of playing the game we made up, Kevin Bacon's Exquisite Corpse. It's a mixed success, so we spend the episode talking about how we could have improved ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-543-season-5-wrap

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS! Well maybe it doesn't since weather prevented Hunter from joining us today. But we watched his movie choice anyway, the Tom Cruise orgy movie Eyes Wide Shut and it was ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-542-eyes-wide-shut-1999

After much controversy, we travel back to PT Anderson's 1992 epic about chance and fate, Magnolia. It earns a pretty high place on our list of best films of all time. Plus in the news, Alex's v...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-541-magnolia-1999

Our second Batman movie of season 5 is also our third time visiting the 90s Batman series and it's probably our best stop on the bat train.  Plus in the news, Alex is performing in Austin, TX ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-540-batman-returns-1992

Alex chooses Anthony's movie and Anthony chooses violence. Plus in the news, a very important month is over, Alex posts a video, and the Wall Safe Wallsafe is on sale now . Next up: Ezra move...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-539-the-virgin-suicides-1999

Hunter had to leave for the Holidays early so we did a special bonus about the just-wrapped Disney+ Star Wars series Andor. Alex is less enthusiastic than the others would like but it's always ni...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-5b-andor-disney

From a princess who wants to be a wolf to a princess who just wants to know her own name, we watch another 90s animated film not made by Disney, this one the oddly a-historical Bluth joint Anasta...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-538-anastasia-1997

Alex comes roaring back onto the score board with a complete 5-point play as we watch the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke and talk about it's greater meaning about how many bullets it takes to ki...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-537-princess-mononoke-1997

Hunter's back in tiptop so we can finish our journey down the Lost Highway to spooky David Lynchville. Plus a long discussion of Halloween decorations and the long-awaited exercise update. Next...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-536-lost-highway-1997

Hunter's out sick so the rest of the crew does a six-topic lightning round in slow motion. Topics include "What would media like look if we lived in a world with a Purge" and "Who took the Devil ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-5bonus-hunters-sick-day

Anthony takes the free point for picking a spooky movie as he moves via Cathy Moriarty to the 90s childhood crowd pleaser Casper, which holds up pretty well as long as you don't overthink the mec...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-535-casper-1995

Alex comes roaring back onto the leaderboard with his fourth target movie, the 1999 classic of queer cinema, But I'm A Cheerleader. It's funny and heart warming and maybe we don't talk about it a...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-534-but-im-a-cheerleader-1999

After what feels like ages, Hunter scores his second points movie of the year with the Wong Kar-wai movie Happy Together. Anthony loves it but Alex and Ezra both feel like they're not smart enoug...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-533-happy-together-1997

I need a hero. He's gotta be brave, and he's gotta be bold, and he's gotta be sponsored by the propaganda arm of the Chinese Government. That's right, after 2 weeks of strategic slogging we final...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-532-hero-2002

A guy who's good at fighting and a horny guy go on a racially insensitive journey across the world. There are two Jackie Chan stunts that briefly make the movie watchable but overall, it's clearl...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-531-rush-hour-2-2001

Chances are you haven't seen this 80s reincarnation rom-com that's like if Old Boy was an uplifting comedy. It's WILD. Ghost dad is in a random kid's body and he's in love with his former-wife bu...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-530-chances-are-1989

Shrek is the most important movie of all time, there's no denying that. But is it good? Who knows. It's impossible to tell. But it is farty, that part is known. Alex forced everybody to travel ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-530-shrek-2001

We're all kindof having a Steve Martin reawakening right now because of Only Murders in the Building, so we traveled through him to a film he wrote and Ms. Piggy Herself directed (Frank Oz). It's...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-529-bowfinger-1999

The constitutional crisis behind us, we plow ahead with Ezra's 5th point scoring movie but with a twist! He gets no points. Instead we just enjoy an 80s comedy that aged better than most and sadl...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-528-planes-trains-and-automobiles-1987

We’ve sorted through all the potential outcomes of the constitutional crisis kicked off by Ezra’s sneaky but clever play yesterday. Next up: Planes, Trains And Automobiles (1987)

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-5b-the-constitutional-crisis

It finally happened. Ezra's clever play and good partnerships helped him bring the game around to Alex's nightmare superhero clusterfest that is the last (for now) Avengers movie. Although nobody...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-526-avengers-endgame-2019

How should I feel about the ad for the US military that is Top Gun: Maverick? Should I feel better or worse knowing that the movie is a really good movie? We process these questions in real time ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/still-processing-top-gun-maverick2022

Ezra and Hunter are away for the week so Alex and Anthony sat down to discuss a movie they just watched in a new segment we're calling "Still Processing". They puzzled through several theories ab...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/still-processing-nope-2022

We've got another scoring update as Ezra carries Alex along to his 2nd movie, the Brad Bird animated feature about a Jesus-gun-robot. In the news: Alex is back from the Netherlands and has some...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-525-the-iron-giant-1999

From oogie and tense to adorable and triumphant, we may be the first people to ever watch Dead Ringers and The Lion King back to back. But both feature terrific performances from Jeremy Irons. ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-524-the-lion-king-1994

We take our first dip into Cronenberg with his movie about twin guy-necologists. It's divisive like black licorice. In the news: Alex has a new web series about futurism plus our very own feat...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-523-dead-ringers-1988

Anthony convinces Alex to travel via one Clinton Eastwood to his 1992 revisionist western Unforgiven.  Next up: Anthony uses a power card to ruin our lives with Cronenberg's Dead Ringers (1988...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-522-unforgiven-1992

It's Spaghetti Night on the podcast as the boys visit Sergio Leone's classic movie about three shit heads doing crimes in the old west. And we argue mostly about how hot they are.

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-521-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-1966

Before he made Ocean's 11, Steven Soderbergh made another rom-comy caper film starring George Clooney. This one had Jennifer Lopez and as soon as you don't look at it, it's out of mind. Plus Anth...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-520-out-of-sight-1998

Despite Alex's very clear and public dislike for comic book movies, he seems pretty amenable to this Tim Burton vision with all the dirty sets and matte paintings and Jack Nicholson having a ton ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-519-batman-1989

It's Anthony's big week as his first scoring movie gets picked. His five points come along with a fun action movie with some weird 70s remnants. Next up: Anthony draws first again and moves us ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-518-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three-1974

A third week of scoring happens as Ezra slowly reveals his master plan. We watch his 2nd movie, The Princess Diaries (2001) and also set up another score next week. It's not a great movie but it'...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-517-the-princess-diaries-2001

After weeks of dry spells, the points keep coming as Alex crosses out his first point movie. The panel is split on this cult 90s comedy but somehow the episode turned out really good. Also you ca...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-516-the-cable-guy-1996

Anthony's evil plan to make us watch pretty good movies instead of helping people score points. So we watched Ocean's Zero, the George Clooney joint Michael Clayton about the fixer who is broken ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-515-michael-clayton-2007

We finally travel via Mark Ruffalo to the 2004 Charlie Kauffman film ESotSM. Points are scored. Enemies are made. It gets crazy. Next up: Anthony chooses hate and moves via Tom Wilkinson to Mic...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-514-eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind-2004

Alex was on TV this week! And since Ezra was sick, we sat down and did a little bonus about Alex's chance to lie to Steve Urkel. Next up: Ezra scores again with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-5bonus-to-tell-the-truth

With Ezra still on vacation, the boys take a week off the game to watch one of the best movies of 2021, just don't watch it while you're eating soup. Next up: Ezra scores again with Eternal Sun...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-513-drive-my-car-2021

We go through a Kevin Bacon reset and end up in a 2003 erotic thriller directed by Oscar Winner Jane Campion. It's currently undergoing a reevaluation even as we speak. Next up: we take a week ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-512-in-the-cut-2003

It took 11 episodes but Hunter blew the scoring wide open by achieving his impossible movie before anybody else. Also there was that thing with the baby on the staircase. Next up: Alex resets t...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-511-battleship-potemkin-1925

We watched this movie in Russian and have very little idea what's going on. And you can too! Next up: Hunter scores some points! We're climbing aboard the Battleship Potemkin.

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-510-a-girl-with-character-1939

It's absolute chaos as Hunter's gambit continues. We watch the German/Soviet movie Hard to be a God which isn't great but does feature excellent wigs. Next up: IT'S ALL COMING UP HUNTER! We're ...

https://readitandweep.libsyn.com/riaw-509-hard-to-be-a-god-1989