Can you tell from a trailer whether a movie is going to be great, terrible, or so ridiculous you have to see it?

Mike, Robert, Derek, and Ruby watch upcoming movie and TV trailers together and give their completely unfiltered first reactions.

Some trailers leave everyone confused. Some spark arguments about remakes, recycled ideas, gratuitous violence, tired comedy, and whether Hollywood has officially run out of things to make. And then one comes along that reminds everyone exactly why a great trailer can still make you want to buy a ticket immediately.

From Ali G and strange horror discoveries to Wicker, Spa Weekend, another version of Carrie, and I Play Rocky, we rate what we would actually watch, what we would skip, and which trailers completely changed our expectations.

What upcoming movie trailer has you excited, confused, or asking, "They're making THAT?"

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links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 On This Episode...
1:55 Ali G Returns
8:31 Horror, Action and Immediate Regret
13:25 Wicker Changes the Mood
20:55 Action Movies and Familiar Ideas
24:39 Spa Weekend and Tired Comedy
27:31 Remakes, Carrie and Hollywood Originality
30:41 I Play Rocky Wins Everyone Over
36:17 What Should We Watch Next?

Can you actually be creative on demand, or do your best ideas show up when you stop forcing them? Derek, Ruby, Robert, and Mike compare how they get unstuck, find ideas, and do creative work when deadlines do not care whether inspiration has arrived.

From blank pages, writers' rooms, editing, problem solving, and collaboration to showers, driving, music, dog walks, and simply starting before you feel ready, we explore why creativity looks completely different from one person to the next.

Robert shares how he works through screenwriting blocks, imagines movie trailers to shape a story, and keeps moving when a deadline demands a draft. We also get into analysis paralysis, bad ideas that lead to better ones, using AI to organize the creative process, and whether people do their best thinking alone, together, at home, or in the office.

What gets you into a creative headspace when the ideas are not coming?

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 On This Episode...
0:31 Theme Song and the Earbud Debate
7:33 Can You Be Creative on Demand?
11:38 Blank Pages, Focus and Collaboration
21:46 Where Great Ideas Come From
28:46 Writing Through Creative Blocks
34:15 AI and the Creative Process
38:49 When and Where Are You Most Creative?
49:27 Final Thoughts

Why do some great movies flop at the box office, only to become cult classics years later? Mike, Robert, Derek, and Ruby debate underrated movies, box office failures, forgotten films, and the movies audiences eventually realized deserved a lot more love.

Robert makes the case for Watcher, Derek defends The Prestige, and Mike goes to bat for Donnie Darko and Adventureland, including what it was actually like being an extra on the movie.

We also get into Blade Runner, Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, The Shawshank Redemption, and other movies that struggled commercially or were overlooked before finding devoted audiences. Plus, reality TV rabbit holes, superhero fatigue, Spider-Man debates, and whether even a lifelong Star Wars fan can finally have too much Star Wars.

What movie do you think everyone else got wrong?

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 Welcome to Can We Be Frank?
10:40 Our Biggest "I Told You So" Moments
16:04 Underrated Movies Everyone Got Wrong
26:31 Donnie Darko, Adventureland and Mike's Movie Story
32:14 Box Office Flops That Became Cult Classics
40:20 Reality TV and Superhero Fatigue
46:32 Has Star Wars Finally Gone Too Far?
49:32 Final Recommendations

When do sex, nudity, violence, gore, and profanity make a story better, and when are they just there for shock value? Robert, Derek, Ruby, and Mike debate how far movies and TV should go, asking one question throughout: Does it serve the story?

From the suspense of Halloween and Jaws to the violence of Saving Private Ryan and Pulp Fiction, we explore when showing more strengthens a story and when restraint can be far more effective.

We also get into sex and nudity in Game of Thrones, Twilight, and Saltburn, censorship, sound design, personal limits, and whether "too much" ultimately depends on the viewer.

Where is your line?

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 Welcome
7:55 When Entertainment Goes Too Far
16:42 When Violence Serves the Story
24:06 Sex, Nudity and Shock Value
34:41 The Power of Showing Less
43:44 Saltburn and Personal Limits
50:46 Final Thoughts

What makes a story unforgettable, and why do some movies, TV shows, and characters stay with us for decades? Mike, Derek, Ruby, and Robert break down what makes great storytelling work, from emotion, structure, surprise, performance, and world building to the deceptively simple question behind countless memorable ideas: What if?

Using E.T., Star Wars, Breaking Bad, The Twilight Zone, and more, we explore why familiar stories can still feel original, why some ideas connect more deeply than others, and what makes a story stay with an audience long after it ends.

Robert also takes us inside professional screenwriting, including pitching ideas, writing 19 drafts, receiving studio notes, deciding which feedback actually improves a story, and protecting the heart of an idea throughout the creative process.

What story has stayed with you for years, and why?

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 Welcome to Can We Be Frank?
12:09 What Makes a Great Story?
17:16 Why Storytelling Tropes Work
24:22 Fantasy, Escapism and Adventure
29:54 The "What If?" Writing Process
34:11 Inside Hollywood Pitch Meetings
39:27 Writing 19 Drafts
43:50 Scripts, Studio Notes and Feedback
51:24 Taking Creative Criticism
55:28 Final Thoughts

Why do great TV shows get canceled while others somehow survive forever? Mike, Derek, Ruby, and Robert dig into why beloved TV series disappear, what keeps others alive for years, and the business decisions that can matter just as much as whether a show is actually good.

From Freaks and Geeks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Office to Breaking Bad and The Simpsons, we debate canceled-too-soon favorites, shows that ended at the right time, and the ones that may have stayed around too long.

Robert shares what cancellation looked like from inside network sitcoms, while Derek breaks down animation, ratings, streaming, merchandise, production costs, and what really determines whether a TV show gets another season.

What TV show do you wish had never been canceled?

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 Welcome to Can We Be Frank?
12:57 Why Do Great TV Shows Get Canceled?
21:39 Canceled Too Soon vs. Ending Well
28:30 Why TV Shows Lose Another Season
36:26 Which Shows Stayed Too Long?
39:09 Reality TV and What Keeps Us Watching
55:36 Final Thoughts

Can AI create real art, or does creativity still depend on the human behind the technology? Dru of INDRUWORLD joins Mike, Robert, Derek, and Ruby to debate AI music, human creativity, artist ethics, transparency, and what artificial intelligence means for the future of musicians.

Dru explains how she combines original songwriting, production, AI tools, live performance, and community building as an "AI hybrid musician," while keeping the human story behind the music at the center of the work.

We ask whether AI is replacing artists or expanding what they can create, whether AI-generated music can truly be art, when creators should disclose its use, and how independent artists can embrace new technology without losing authorship, emotion, or trust.

Listen to Trucks Broke Down:
dru.indruworld.com

Follow Dru:
TikTok: @indruworld
Instagram: @indruworld

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Guest: Dru of INDRUWORLD
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 Meet Dru and AI Music
5:44 How Dru Makes Music With AI
12:20 AI Ethics and Ownership
25:04 Creativity and Community
33:59 Can AI Music Be Real Art?
54:52 Trucks Broke Down Live

What happens when the thing you love becomes your job? Derek, Ruby, Robert, and Mike debate whether turning a passion into a career is really the dream we are told it is, or whether deadlines, clients, money, and pressure can slowly take the joy out of something you once loved.

We get into creative burnout, side hustles, perfectionism, finding purpose in your work, and the complicated truth behind "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

Plus, what everyone is watching, Taylor Sheridan-style storytelling, reality TV, and The Pitt, including how sound, music, realism, and creative choices can completely change the way a story feels.

Would you turn the thing you love most into your career?

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 What We're Watching
8:45 The Pitt and Realistic Storytelling
14:35 Passion, Creativity and Work
22:32 Should You Turn Your Passion Into a Career?
26:18 When Creative Work Stops Feeling Fun
33:32 Why Simpler Can Be Better
44:12 Final Thoughts

What if Hollywood's next big filmmaker is already building an audience from a phone? Mike, Robert, Derek, and new co-host Ruby debate whether creators still need Hollywood, why remakes and familiar franchises dominate, and how TikTok, YouTube, and social media are changing who gets discovered.

In the Season 2 premiere of Can We Be Frank?, we explore independent creators, niche audiences, the creator economy, original ideas, and whether the traditional path into entertainment still matters.

From Ruby's unconventional path into entertainment to breakout filmmakers, horror hits, comfort movies, franchises, and remakes, this is a conversation about who gets to create entertainment now and whether anyone still needs permission to begin.

Watch, Listen and Follow:
links.canwebefrankpodcast.com

Credits
Hosts: Mike Axe, Robert Zappia, Derek Kedell, Ruby Dorkings
Producer: Mike Axe
Editor: Derek Kedell
Theme: Paul Zappia
Logo: Lee Wiley

Chapters
0:00 Meet Ruby Dorkings
7:05 Breaking Into Entertainment
14:58 The Creator Economy
26:02 Has Hollywood Run Out?
31:54 Horror, Rom-Coms and Remakes
44:43 Grade Your Career

Take a trip down memory lane on Can We Be Frank? as we revisit the iconic films and TV shows of the '90s. We'll discuss our top picks, the era's biggest box office hits, and vent about today's shrinking TV seasons. Plus, we tackle the topic of nepotism in Hollywood, spotlighting the critical reception of Kanye West's daughter in The Lion King tribute. Join us for a mix of nostalgia, critique, and candid conversation!