2 Fast 2 Forever: The Fast and Furious Podcast

Starship Troopers is our first pit stop in the war lap, and we're joined by Leesa Charlotte to talk all about it! After Joy talks about the overabundance of IMDb trivia for this movie (which is almost all about the shower scene), we take a stand: war is bad! We hear about an interesting wrinkle on our war (no pun intended) on adaptations, discuss Starship Troopers' ties to Titanic (including being an Oscar-nominated film), and how Leesa's undergraduate degree ties into this film.

We identify our favorite "dated futuristic" elements, talk about the surprisingly banal co-ed shower scene, and wonder how Mazzy Star made its way onto the soundtrack. We watch the trailer (which is very tonally different from the film) and introduce Leesa to the Letterboxd game.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

Our first Life in the Fast Lane from Lap 17 will be a gift to the world... and to those, who aren’t even born yet...

Anyway, we open with a Tokyo Drift Minute filled with models (and not much else) before uncovering a slow week to Run the VIN - however! - that we deduce what that may actually mean. We let the free feed in on a Patreon-exclusive podcast perk, read one good (and one bad) Apple Podcasts review, and learn that the French have overtaken our YouTube comments.

We talk about a bunch of horror movies we've seen recently. We also talk, mostly spoiler-free, about Primetime and Resident Evil. Joey forgets to talk about a Phoebe Bridgers concert, so maybe he'll talk about that next time.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

We're kicking off Lap 17 with The Fast and the Furious, and we're joined for tuna, no crust, by Aaron Neuwrith! Aaron shares memories from seeing this movie in theaters in 2001, as well as the Hollywood premiere for the re-release this past summer! We kick off our new segment ("Where the women at?"), talk about whether or not this movie seems "orange," and discuss the screen presence of Dom vs. Brian in this movie (and the series as a whole). What does the Family do after they jack a truck? Why is Danny racing against Dom? What is the best Dom and Brian in a movie? We discuss.

Joe asks a war-inspired question. Joey brings up Brian's "criminal audition" (and the weirdness therein). We try to make sense of the Family's ages in this movie. Joey asks: you're just going to... throw a party? Without Dom?

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

We’re closing out Lap 16 with the lap’s final Life in the Fast Lane, and we’ve got a big idea: Director… Hmmm…

We begin with the Tokyo Drift Minute where we see Justin Lin’s filmmaking flair on full display, as well as Han’s flowy coolness and his mob-esque “meet and greet” behavior.

Then, we Run the VIN to see that Vin’s thinking about directing, but don’t worry: we solve the mystery of what he’s really directing. Also, Vin shares the music he works out to, we check in with our Hannibal expert (Walt Hickey) on Vin’s workout apparel, and we break down what Vin’s 9/11 post is really about. (You already know the answer: Kojak.)

Then, we talk about F&F news (which is just tabloid fodder at this point), like: Sung Kang teases… more F&F movies, maybe? Cody Walker teases… a murky future for the Brian O’Conner character?

We again vent about Hollywood production. Joey talks about this presentation. We open a stunning mailbag and catch new listeners up on the two things that happened since the start of the podcast. Is this podcast actually a psychological experiment? We discuss. Joe talks about some new release movies, and we talk about Widow’s Bay and prestige TV.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

We’re closing out our Classic Car Movies #2 lap (aka Kickin’ It Old School) and welcoming in Lap 17 in our mechanic-prescribed Lap 16 Tune-Up. After reflecting on the movies we covered this past lap (where in Joey asks Joe to give quick takes on all the movies we watched), we talk about Intermission, a French short film from 2020 that has fun ties to the Fast franchise. (Thanks again, Austin, for supplying us with a copy!) We talk about how hard it is to get momentum for endeavors later in life, how we wish Intermission got F&F details right, and the sin of referencing better art in your art. Joey asks Joe: did Carmela ever have a second installment of her film club in The Sopranos? We then announce the Lap 17 theme: (spoilers) war.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

It's another installment of Life in the Fast Lane! We've only gone thing to say, really: that we... just... love you... We kick off with a really good Tokyo Drift Minute, featuring lots of fun stuff, including our first (only?) NOS in Tokyo Drift! (How much does it cost? We find out.) Then, we Run the VIN to sadly find AI text slop, but also... perhaps the greatest post ever made on Instagram. After we tease an upcoming exciting thing for the patrons, we decline a plea from a listener and vent about seasonal menus at chain restaurants. We get a new submission for what a vehicle could be, talk about the re-release of The Fast and the Furious (and how it hit different), and discuss Camp Miasma, Tony, and Buddy.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

Austin Wolf-Sothern returns to the show to close out the series and talk about Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby! First, we have questions, including: What is a trickbaby? What is the Hansel and Gretel story?

After Joey offers a podcast-wide disclaimer, we compare this movie to the first Freeway, talk about this film's problematic elements (including Vincent Gallo), and wonder how much of this movie was shot and deleted. We once again praise Matthew Bright for showing a level of compassion to his characters far beyond what you'd expect in an exploitation film and how this film portrays empathy. We discuss the connective tissue between these movies, except maybe there isn't any? Joe talks about the best way to enjoy a shower beer. We watch the bizarre trailer for Freeway II. Austin makes a guess for Hobbs's screentime in Fast Forever and then takes the character quiz.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

It’s a Toretto Summer… and you know what that means… it’s time for Life in the Fast Lane! We kick off with a Tokyo Drift Minute wherein Joe has nothing to do, although it is our first reference to Uncle Kamata, so we talk about him for a while. Is Joey’s urge for Vin Diesel Instagram media literacy finally spreading? Probably not, but we Run the VIN anyway, and wonder: how old are some of these photos that Vin is sharing? How does Vin Diesel write his text messages? Is Vin Diesel one of the biggest figures in the car world? We watch a very long video with Vin and Michelle, where they are (maybe) impaired.

Then, we run through a few of our notes from Dan Hassler-Forest’s book before asking: is Fast Forever actually filming in December? What is “the request from the studio” that Vin needs to see if he “can make good on”?

Joe invites Vin Diesel to a dinner party and guesses that The Rock will have to lose a fight in Fast Forever. We talk about how we are teetering on a brink on the Patreon (in a good way), then discuss The End of Oak Street (and Anne Hathaway’s all-time run in 2026) before Joey talks about Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend Planetarium Experience.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

We’re heading to another cliffhanger as we talk about Fast X with Dr. Dan Hassler-Forest, author of Fast and Furious Franchising: How the Serialized Blockbuster Remade Hollywood! Joey starts things out by asking a tough question: does Dan like these movies? After getting confirmation (yes, yes he does), Dan explains how he could like them even more, why he wrote his book, and what he wanted to explore with the franchise.

We talk about how Hollywood has changed — and how Fast & Furious is a reflection of that — who Dan wrote this book for, and what Dan left out that will “haunt him to [his] grave.” Joey talks about ideas for future laps (based on the book), we break down petromasculinity and automancers, and we talk about Dan’s academic analysis of Spy Racers (and what Netflix was trying to do with the series).

Then, Dan talks about what he doesn’t like about Fast X and what he’d do if he was in charge of Fast Forever before he takes the character quiz.

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.

It’s time for an installment of Life in the Fast Lane that is jam-packed with news about the Fastiverse, and I am still crying… well, I guess we are. Anyway, we kick off with the Tokyo Drift Minute (#41), which features our first real conversation between Sean and Neela. Then, we start Running the VIN, where Vin Diesel “officially confirms” a new project he’s working on and is “underwhelmingly normal” in one post. We also get to the really big (non-) news via his Instagram and related interviews: is there a tearjerker of a Fast Forever script? Is Louis Leterrier directing the film? Is Alan Ritchson in it? No one seems to know! We briefly discuss Sung Kang’s upcoming film DRIFTER (you can watch the trailer here) and ask whether or not Vin Diesel could tell the end of the franchise’s story without the help of Universal Pictures. We also talk about Her Private Hell, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and I Want Your Sex. (Spoiler-free!)

Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/2fast2forever⁠⁠⁠⁠. 
⁠⁠⁠⁠Show your support at the 2 Fast 2 Forever shop⁠⁠⁠⁠!
Extra special shout-out to Alex Elonen, Brian Rodriguez (High School Slumber Party), Jason Rainey, Wes Hampton, Josh Buckley (Whole Lotta Wolves), Michael Moser, Terra New One, Aaron Woloszyn, and Randy Carter for joining at the “Interpol’s Most Wanted” level or above!
Intro music by Nico Vasilo. Interlude and outro music by Wes Hampton.