Imitating Art with Don & Chuck

Don and Chuck venture into the world of animation with Chris Miller and Phil Lord's groundbreaking Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Miles Morales already finds adolescence difficult enough. Receiving a radioactive spider bite and gaining difficult-to-control superpowers makes his life even harder. Don and Chuck Marvel (TM) at this tightly-plotted, wonderfully-animated movie and discuss how overcoming your fears, putting in the work, and taking a leap of faith can turn anyone into a hero.

Music by Nathan Terry

Boy meets drums, boy falls in love with drums, boy destroys himself to become the greatest drummer of all time; it's a tale as old as time. This week, Don and Chuck are joined by voice-of-the-podcast Nathan Terry to discuss Damien Chazelle's Whiplash. Nate uses his experience as a drum student to debunk the fiction of the story as the trio discusses self-destruction, striving for greatness, and the catch-22 of seeking perfection.

The Invisible Man is a simple story exploring the complexities of moving on from an abusive relationship and dealing with the trauma that comes with it. Don and Chuck take their time with this one - though, it's mostly an effort to identify as many definitions of "invisible" as they can. Things get weird and go off the rails - but it's all in the name of discovering why, in 2020, the Invisible Man could only be remade the way it was.

Music by Nathan Terry.

Judd Apatow's newest film, a collaboration with SNL's Pete Davidson, is an entertaining-but-flawed coming-of-age story inspired by Davidson's life. Though a tonal departure for Apatow, it still features his signature brand of improvised dialogue - which is an unfortunate detriment to what otherwise may have been a good film. Don and Chuck still find the good within it, though, and muse on the movie's similarities to Good Will Hunting, how Bill Burr is the perfect movie stepdad, and how the lessons learned inform their own creative processes.

Music by Nathan Terry

A Michael Bay movie? What in the name of Zeus' BUTTHOLE are Don and Chuck thinking?!

This past week, the world lost Sean Connery, and while the man may have had many great and iconic performances throughout his decades-long career, Michael Bay's slick action flick The Rock is the one the two hosts grew up with. And, boy, was revisiting it ever a fun ride! Don and Chuck take a break from their weighty and fright-filled Spooky Season (that lasted right up until election day) to turn their thinkers off and sink into this mile-a-minute action film that, at some points, makes something close to zero sense. But, are there lessons to be learned from the king of mindless popcorn films? The results are quite surprising!

Music by Nathan Terry

It's Election Day! And, to celebrate, Don and Chuck watch a film about a young, idealistic political campaign media manager slowly learning that if he wishes to stay in the game and help enact real change, he must compromise his own morality and start backstabbing, blackmailing, and screwing over those he cares about. When it was released in 2011, The Ides of March was an interesting peek behind the scenes of a charming politician on the campaign trail. But, in 2020, it's become a most relevant horror movie; and, when the monstrosity of politics sinks its teeth into a victim, it can be assured that innocence simply can't survive.

Music by Nathan Terry

Don and Chuck are not horror movie people. But, as Halloween draws ever nearer, they dive headfirst into another film that just so happens to have horrifying themes - and is it ever a doozy. On the surface, Jordan Peele's Us is about a family's home being invaded by attackers who appear to be just like them. But, much like the world of the movie itself, there's much more hidden below the surface. As a bonus, in this week's AMA, Don and Chuck are asked about their most embarrassing moment - and, somehow, fail (at length) to answer the question.

Music by Nathan Terry