Mudville

In the first half of our annual Best of the Year episode, Nolan and Toney share their favorite films of 2024 and how they approach their lists. Movies discussed include the newest releases from Harmony Korine, Denis Villenueve, Pascal Plante, Luca Guadagino, Leos Carax, Brady Corbet, and more. The second half of this episode, about our Top 5 of the year, will be released later this week. To be continued...

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Timestamps:

(2:07) How we make our lists

(9:50) Nolan's honorable mentions

(12:07) The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox

(22:00) Red Rooms

(30:32) Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

(33:30) It's Not Me

(37:37) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

(43:37) Challengers

(47:40) Seed of the Sagred Fig

(53:00) The Brutalist

(1:00:27) Aggro Dr1ft

(1:06:30) Dune: Part Two

(1:14:00) Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

Between Tr*mp, David Lynch dying, the pitcher from Japan, and general chumpfuckery, this has been one cromulent fuckcrustable of a week. Nolie and Brody needy drinky. We discuss Monday's inauguration, a decade of maddening incompetence, the loss of a great American filmmaker, this year's inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Roki Sasaki & Tanner Scott signing with the Dodgers, and the dwindling chance that anyone outside of Los Angeles wins a World Series title anytime soon.

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(1:00) The second inauguration of Donald Trump & a reflection on the last 8 years

(28:55) Takeaways from the life & career of David Lynch

(38:15) CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, & Billy Wagner inducted into the HOF

(51:45) Roki Sasaki to the Dodgers

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

Nolan and Toney discuss their favorite discoveries of 2024, including films by Jonathan Glazer, Josef von Sternberg, Peter Watkins, Bertrand Bonello, Brian De Palma, Milos Forman, Oliver Stone, Ken Kwapis, Dennis Hopper, and many, many more.

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Timestamps:

(0:00) A Tribute to David Lynch

(9:08) Intro

(17:30) Saturday Night Fever

(26:18) The Blue Angel

(31:38) La Commune (Paris, 1871)

(38:23) Birth

(43:20) Finally Got the News

(46:10) Nocturama

(50:35) House of Tolerance

(54:53) Redacted

(59:00) Taking Off

(1:02:30) They Live

(1:06:28) Nixon

(1:11:15) Dunston Checks In

(1:17:48) The Man Who Wasn't There

(1:23:10) Not a Pretty Picture

(1:25:00) The Killer

(1:28:30) Acapulco Gold

(1:32:38) Seconds

(1:36:50) Colette and Justin

(1:39:40) Out of the Blue

(1:44:00) Giant

(1:49:30) Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover art by Brody Staub

How does it feeeeeeel? The boys welcome back frequent guest and Dylan-ologist Morgan Staub for a discussion on the new Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, starring ball-knower Timothee Chalamet as the man himself, Ed Norton as Pete Seeger, and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez. We dig into Dylan's life, career, and legacy; his portrayal throughout decades of American cinema (particularly D.A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back and Todd Haynes' I'm Not There); his enigmatic personality, antagonistic behavior, and seismic impact on our own understanding of personal creativity and what it means to be a great artist.

Also: Corbin Burnes signed a 6 year/$210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, establishing the snakes as legitimate contenders and leaving the Baltimore Orioles with a mess of a rotation, 41-year-old Charlie Morton, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom; plus a speed round of takes on some recent trades and signings (Gleyber Torres to Detroit, Walker Buehler to Boston, Christian Walker to Houston, Paul Goldschmidt to the Yankees, Gavin Lux to the Reds, and more).

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(0:45-5:30) Intro

(5:31-25:49) Corbin Burnes to Arizona

(25:50-40:29) Speed Round - Free Agency & Trades

(40:30-1:22:35) A Complete Unknown

(1:22:36-1:26:15) Outro

Produced & Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

Some of the best nights of our lives were spent in parking lots. We discuss a double feature for the ages as Molly (@angelinrealtime) joins the three-timers club by bringing Conner O'Malley's RAP WORLD and Sofia Coppola's THE VIRGIN SUICIDES to the show. Also: Robbie Williams, Helen Keller, the Sixers are in Hell, the Bucks won the NBA cup, and Molly's LFF recap

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(1:00-8:30) Robbie Williams: the British Helen Keller?

(8:30-25:59) Sixers in Hell, Bucks defeat Thunder in NBA cup final

(26:00-42:50) Molly's LFF Recap - Good One, Anora, Nightbitch, We Live in Time, Queer

(42:51-1:00:59) Rap World

(1:01:00-1:19:00) The Virgin Suicides

(1:19-1:20:36) Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

It's been a chaotic offseason. Garrett Crochet was traded to Boston, Kyle Tucker is a Cub, and the Yankees pivoted away from Soto by bringing three All-Stars to the Bronx. There are so many trades and free agent signings to discuss, and we've got you covered for all of them.

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(1:00-14:50) NBA Cup & Trae Young therapy session

(14:51-16:09) Intro

(16:10-19:45) Willy Adames to SF

(19:46-31:39) Tyler O'Neill to BAL

(31:40-33:33) Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes to NYM

(33:34-46:47) Garrett Crochet to BOS for Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Wikelman Gonzalez

(46:38-55:29) Kyle Tucker to CHC for Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith, Hayden Wesneski

(55:30-1:02:14) Devin Williams to NYY for Nestor Cortes & Caleb Durbin

(1:02:15-1:06:39) Max Fried to NYY

(1:06:40-1:10:50) Cody Bellinger and $5m to NYY for Cody Poteet

(1:10:51-1:16:00) Andres Gimenez to TOR, Spencer Horwitz to PIT, trio of pitchers to CLE

(1:16:01-1:20:00) Blake Treinen back to LAD & Nathan Eovaldi back to TEX

(1:20:00-1:22:01) Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

Step aside, Kevin James, for there's a new King of Queens. Steve Cohen had a much better week than other NYC-based CEOs, as on Sunday night he finally landed a superstar and signed Juan Soto to a record-shattering 15-year, $765 million contract. We break down the contract, what it means for the future of baseball in New York, how Soto's arrival impacts the Mets roster, and which moves still need to be made for this to be a legitimate World Series contender. Then, we look next steps for the Yankees: how they look without Soto, who they can target to win another pennant in 2025, and which superstars they may shift their long-term attention to now that Soto is off the market.

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(1:00-8:14) Timothee Chalamet Knows Ball

(8:15-22:00) Juan Soto to the Mets - 15 years, $765 million

(22:01-43:30) Mets in 2025 and Beyond

(43:31-1:23:00) Next Steps for the Yankees

(1:23:01-1:29:00) Outro

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

We discuss Sean Baker’s 2021 film Red Rocket. Simon Rex stars as Mikey Saber. a D-list porn star who returns to his hometown in rural Texas, steamrolls the lives of his family and neighbors, grooms a 17-year-old girl he meets at a donut shop, and lies to anyone and everyone. Thought of upon release as one of the smartest and least obnoxious Trump Movies, we're curious how this holds up three years later, now that DJT's second term is on the horizon and a new Sean Baker movie (Anora) is currently in theaters.

Also: Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer traded to KC for Brady Singer, Yusei Kikuchi signed with the Angels, and our live reaction to Blake Snell signing a 5-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers.

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Breaking news! Snell to LAD (1:00-13:14)

Intro (13:15-15:00)

India-for-Singer trade, Angels sign Kikuchi (15:00-34:29)

Red Rocket (34:30-1:29:30)

Outro (1:29:31-1:32:00)

Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

In 2013 Matt Farley and Motern Media created Local Legends, a film that has since achieved a cult status as one of the definitive works about working as a creatively and financially independent artist in the 21st century. Eleven years later, he returns with Local Legends: Bloodbath, a metatextual satire that takes aim at celebrity and the image he's created of and for himself. Nolan and Toney watched the film and try to piece together what it means for the Local Legends lore, Motern Media as a whole, and independent filmmaking in 2024.

Also: Toney issues a PSA from All We Imagine as Light director Payal Kapadia, Nolan had polar opposite reactions to Here and Emilia Perez, and an off-the-cuff conversation about anti-war cinema.

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Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub

We review Conclave, a new Oscar contender starring Ralph Fiennes that asks questions old and new about the consolidation of power and the intersection of religion & politics. Did they Trojan horse a Politics Movie into a Pope Movie? How does this fit into the canon of religious cinema? Then, we make our official predictions for MLB free agency: estimating which star players will sign where, for how long, and for how much money. How will the Soto sweepstakes shake out? The Mets will sign a bunch of big names, but who? And which lucky team will sign Roki Sasaki? The top 20 available players per FanGraphs are all covered here.

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Intro / Conclave (1:00-17:19)

Rays at Steinbrenner Field for 2025 (17:20-20:44)

Free Agency Predictions (20:45-1:16:35)

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Produced and Edited by Nolan Rabine

Cover Art by Brody Staub