Alright, Alright, Alright

This is it - The wrap up of Volume 1! Join us as we look back on the 1st leg of our journey by solidifying our Movie & Character rankings, answer listener questions, look to the past & plan for the future.

If you made it this far - THANK YOU! We look forward to continuing our journey and all we ask is that you Just Keep Listenin...

SPOILER RANKINGS BELOW

Movie Rankings

1. The Lincoln Lawyer - 3
2. Dazed & Confused - 2.5
3. We Are Marshall - 2.125
4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - 1.5 (Tied)
5. Sahara - 1.5 (Tied)
6. The Newton Boys - 1.375
7. The Beach Bum - 1 (Tied)
8. White Boy Rick - 1 (Tied)
9. Larger Than Life - 0.625

Character Rankings

1. Michey Haller (Lincoln Lawyer)
2. David Wooderson (Dazed & Confused)
3. Willis Newton (The Newton Boys)
4. Connor Meade (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past)
5. Richard Wershe Sr. (White Boy Rick)
6. Dirk Pitt (Sahara)
7. Jack Lengyel (We are Marshall)
8. Moondog (The Beach Bum)
9. Tip Tucker (Larger Than Life)

Volume 2 Film/TV Listing

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
• A Time to Kill (1996)
• Contact (1997)
• The Wedding Planner (2001)
• Reign of Fire (2002)
• Failure to Launch (2006)
• Bernie (2011)
• Sing (2016)
• Serenity (2019)
• Saturday Night Live Appearances (2003 & 2015)

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Wait is Jimmy Buffet playing himself? Wait Wait is Snoop Dog not playing himself, but actually just playing himself? How long is McConaughey going to wear that skirt?

The Beach Bum (2019) follows the exploits of hedonistic Key West poet, Moondog (Matthew McConaughey). The (sort of) plot shows Moondog's meandering adventures, while he looks to complete writing his novel. Along the way we are treated to a cast of characters including his R&B Singer best friend (Snoop Dog), his aloof & wealthy wife (Isla Fisher), a pyro christian rock super fan (Zac Efron), and many more.

Following the film discussion, we are joined by Key West based poet Bud Navero. Originally from New York, Bud has experienced the wonders of Key West for decades. He tells tales of his own Moondog-esque adventures, first hand accounts of the filming of The Beach Bum, and how Key West has evolved over the years.

Episode Sections

• (00:00:00) Movie Summary
• (01:02:25) Interview with Bud Navero, Key West Poet
• (01:45:16) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• Bud Navero's Book - Key West Confidential
• OurKeyWest - Free Local Key West Concierge Service
• McConaughey & Snoop on Jimmy Kimmel
• McConaughey Talks About Filming The Beach Bum
• Theories on the ending of the Film via Colossus

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Want fries with that? How about settling for a fascinating tale of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in US history? Where does the real story end and the Hollywood embellishment begin?

White Boy Rick (2018) tells the true story of Rick Wershe Jr (Richie Merritt) – the youngest known FBI informant in history. It takes place in 1980s Detroit, Michigan, where Rick is a teenager living with his family - including father, Rick Wershe Sr. (Matthew McConaughey). Through convincing from the FBI, Rick infiltrates the Detroit drug scene and becomes known as “White Boy Rick”.  As the FBI begins to pull away, Rick is left to fend for himself, which leads him down a spiraling path of being on the wrong side of the law.

Following the film, we are joined by Dawn Wershe – sister of Rick. Dawn was portrayed in the film & lived through the real events. During our discussion she shares her feelings on the film, what her father was really like, and what has been going on recently within the family. We are so grateful that Dawn agreed to share her insights with us – Don’t miss this one!

Episode Sections

• (00:00:00) Movie Summary
• (01:23:20) Interview with Dawn Wershe, Sister of Rick Wershe
• (01:59:18) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• Movie Trailer
• Brad Carter Plays Guiter While Having Brain Surgery
• The 8th By White Boy Rick
• "White Boy" Documentary Trailer

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A film that proves a Rom-Com actor can lead a thriller with a star-studded cast, as well as showing that even lawyers don't need fancy offices to get the job done.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) is a thriller filled with legal intrigue and one of the most charismatic casts you'll ever find. Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a LA based lawyer who runs his "firm" out of the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car. He is hired to represent playboy & real estate heir Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), who is pleading innocent to a murder charge. Haller tries to unravel the mystery with the help of his PI best friend (William H. Macey), DA ex-wife (Marisa Tomei), and an incredible cast of additional characters/actors.

Once the case has been closed, we sit down with Anna Hendrick, Senior Investigator at Quest Research & Investigations (QRI). QRI is a firm of professionally licensed Private Investigators, that specialize in uncovering hidden information through interviews, in depth research, and thoughtful analysis. Anna joins us to discuss how she started her career in investigating, comparing the portrayal of Private Investigators in film, and real-world examples where QRI's work helped serve justice.

Episode Sections

• (00:00:00) Movie Summary
• (01:09:59) Interview with Private Investigator, Anna Hendrick 
• (01:45:26) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• QRI Website
• Three Murder Convictions Thrown Out After 24 Years Served - Case Discussed by Anna
• Michael Connelly Interviews McConaughey on the Character of Mickey Haller
• Collider Article on start of the McConaissance

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Is it a good idea to directly lift a Christmas movie storyline for a movie that has literally nothing to do with Christmas? Is it possible to have such unlikeable characters on paper be charming throughout the entire film? Why did THAT mother-in-law scene exist?

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) follows the story of Connor Meade (Matthew McConaughey) a renowned photographer and womanizer at the wedding of his younger brother Paul (Breckin Meyer). Although Connor has all intensions to convince Paul to call off the wedding, he get side tracked by his childhood love Jenny (Jennifer Garner) and the ghost of his dear Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). Wayne warns Connor that his lifestyle will not end well and in order to prove it Connor will be visited by three ghosts of girlfriends past (get it?)

Following the RomCom, we are joined by the incredibly fun Michelle Tate. Michelle has been a cast member on the popular TV franchise, Ghost Hunters, employed as an onsite paranormal investigator, and is a native Texan. She shares tales of how she got started in her unique line of work, what it was like being on reality tv, and where she would take Matthew on an investigation. Trust us, this just scratches the surface of the discussion!

Episode Sections

• (00:00:00) Movie Summary
• (01:17:20) Interview with Ghost Hunter, Michelle Tate
• (01:57:05) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• Follow Michelle Tate on Twitter
• Follow Michelle Tate on TikTok
• Matthew McConaughey & Jennifer Garner Interview Each Other
• Filming Locations for Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
• New York Times Review of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

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One of the largest sports related tragedies of all time is beautifully explored in this historical drama focusing on Marshall University in 1970.

On November 14th, 1970, a plane crashed in the outskirts of Huntington, WV. To the horror of the town, in addition to the crew the plane contained the beloved Marshall University Football team, athletic staff, and community members - all were lost. After much deliberation from the city, Marshall President Donald Dedmon (David Strathairn) is tasked with reassembling a team. He finds a head coach in the quirky Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) and support from assistant coach, William "Red" Dawson (Matthew Fox). We experience the difficulty of grappling with such tragedy through many members of their community (Anthony Mackie, Ian McShane, and Kate Mara) and see a city rise from the ashes.

Following the film, we are honored to be joined by current Mayor of Huntington, Steve Williams. Mayor Williams shares personal stories of being in Huntington during that time, playing on the Marshall football team, and what Huntington is like today. Thomas says it best, "I wish he was the mayor of my town". 

Episode Sections

• (00:00) Movie Summary
• (01:00:50) Interview with Mayor Steve Williams, Mayor of Huntington, WV & Marshall University Alumnus
• (01:34:20) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• Follow Mayor Williams on Twitter
• Follow The City of Huntington on Twitter
• The Matthews Interview Each Other About "We Are Marshall"
• The Real Life Coach Lengyel Talks About Establishing The New Team
• Archival Footage of the 1970 Plane Crash

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Can Matthew McConaughey's charm, Steve Zahn's zaniness, and a Penelope Cruz romance, overrule a storyline that essentially makes no sense? That is put to the test this week! Based on the best selling Clive Cussler novel, Sahara (2005) is a global trotting action-adventure flick following the treasure hunting escapades of the National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA). The agency is led by the gruff Admiral Sandecker (William H. Macy), who has his two best men Dirk (Matthew McConaughey) & Al (Steve Zahn) search for a lost treasure from the American Civil War. While on the hunt, the NUMA buddies find themselves in the middle of a present day African civil war - which by the way involves a deadly virus and the investigating World Health Organization (represented by Penelope Cruz). Yes, this storyline is a doozy.

Following the film, we sit down with renowned diver & member of the real life NUMA, Dr. Ellsworth Boyd. Dr. Boyd is an expert on underwater exploration specializing in shipwrecks. He shares fascinating tales of multiple wrecks, many of which he has explored personally. Also, we discuss his personal relationship with Clive Cussler and some insight into what was going on behind the scenes during the making of Sahara.

Episode Sections

• (00:00) Movie Summary
• (01:16:45) Interview with Dr. Ellsworth Boyd - Renowned Diver & NUMA Writer
• (01:54:00) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• Dr. Boyd's Writings for N.U.M.A
• Buy the Novel "Sahara: A Dirk Pitt Adventure"
• Find Out What The Real N.U.M.A. Is Up To
• CNN Coverage of McConaughey's Airstream Press Tour
• Sahara Film Trailer

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Matthew McConaughey... playing... himself?

Sex and the City was a phenomenon in the late 90s/early 00s. The show follows Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her three closest friends (Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, and Cynthia Nixon) navigate life, sex, and New York City. Episode 13 of Season 3 (2000) finds the women cross country in LA, as Carrie is set to meet with producers for a potential film option of her print column. Matthew McConaughey shows up in this memorable cameo (playing himself), as he tries to convince Carrie to play the leading man role... or maybe he is actually looking for something else.

We apologize in advance to all the Sex and the City fanatics out there. Mike & Thomas have essentially only watched this episode. This will be apparent as we haphazardly navigatet his conversation.

Show Links

• Full Matthew McConaughey Scene from the Episode
• Vulture's Sex and the City Episode Rankings
• Detailed Account of How Matthew Got The Role - The Wrap

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The return of Linklater with a historcal account of the most successful outlaws of the 1900s! We ask, "but are they like the Ninja Turtles?"

The Newton Boys (1998) is Hollywood's take on the outlaw gang of brothers who became the most successful bank and train robbers in history. McConaughey plays Willis who leads the gang along with his brothers - Jess (Ethan Hawke), Joe (Skeet Ulrich), and Dock (Vincent D'Onofrio) - on a cross country spree to steal from the rich and... keep for themselves.

In order to do some fact checking we sit down with the renouned Dr. T Lindsay Baker, who is one of the best authorities on 1900s Texas history. Dr. Baker's resume includes academia, museum curation, and being the author of many books on the time period. One of his works, Gangster Tour of Texas, gives readers insight into the Newtons, as well as an itenerary if you want to see for yourself! The film ends up being a surprisingly accurate account of what the history books say on the real life Newtons. This interview is the perfect suppliment to this facinating film.

Episode Sections

• (00:00) Movie Summary
• (38:27) Interview with Dr. T Lindsay Baker - Texas Historian
• (01:04:05) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• Buy "Gangster Tour of Texas" by Dr. Baker
• Check Out More of Dr. Baker's Works
• Joe Newton on Johnny Carson
• Matthew McConaughey Press Interview - Asked About Leo

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A crazed trucker hell bent on revenge? Jeremy Piven in a precursor to Ari Gold? Bill Murray and an elephant? SURE!

Larger Than Life (1996) is a comedy road film finding Jack Corcoran (Bill Murray) traveling cross country with his newly inherited elephant. Vera, the elephant, was the show partner to Jack's father - a traveling clown he never knew. Now Jack must travel to California and decide what to do with Vera. Along the way he meets a wacky cast of characters including a paranoid trucker, Tip Tucker. McConaughey's performance (and really this entire film) has to be seen to be believed.

Following our film discussion, we sit down with Todd Montgomery - Operations and Outreach Manager at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. The Elephant Sanctuary provides a home for captive elephants and gives them the opportunity to live out their lives in a safe haven dedicated to their well-being. You can skip the movie, but don't skip out on this interview!

Episode Sections

• (00:00) Movie Summary
• (39:55) Interview with Todd Montgomery, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
• (01:10:13) Ratings & Reviews

Show Links

• The Elephant Sanctuary Website
• The Elephant Sanctuary - YouTube Channel
• Tai, The Elephant's Wikipedia Page
• Siskel & Ebert's Review of Larger Than Life
• Bill Murray On Set Interview

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