Mandatory Media

Today we talk about adapting books, why books sometimes aren't better than movies, and what makes Savage the Jane Austen of the West.

Bret takes us on a wonderful journey through an excerpt of Harold Bloom's The Art of Reading Poetry. We discuss poetry (wow!), a U2 album, and the awesome power of poetry.

Today we tackle Adam Robinson-Yu's adorable indie video game A Short Hike. We explore this beautiful love letter to the outdoors and the amazing power of emergent storytelling.

Seth takes us through Elaine May's Ishtar, a film once called "the worst film of all time" that is now having a critical revaluation in the modern era. We talk Beatty and Hoffman, whip smart jokes, and U.S. foreign policy.

Bret takes the guys through a wonderful example of baroque poetry. We cover Saint Teresa, martyrdom, and the wonderfully witty words of Richard Crashaw.

This episode we tackle Verhoeven's cult classic Starship Troopers. We talk military satire, cheesy 90s effects, and the magic of Neil Patrick Harris.

Seth takes us through Beckett's classic tragicomic play Waiting for Godot. We talk the befuddling nature of the play, how there's a Harold Bloom quote for everything, and the real meaning behind Lucky's psychobabble monologue in the first act.

In a special Easter episode, Bret takes us through George Herbert's Prayer One, a wonderful sonnet that meditates on the various aspects of prayer. The conversations spans the Vatican's telescope, battering rams, and even the Eye of Sauron.

This episode we cover Pixar's Toy Story, a classic and historic 3D animated film from 1990. We talk John Lasseter's complicated legacy, the weirdness of early 3D animation, and the stark reality of being a sentient toy in Pixar's world.

Seth leads the guys through Rear Window, one of Hitchcock's masterpiece films from 1954. They talk Grace Kelly, the voyeurism of cinema, Hitchcock's trademark suspense, and more!