In the second episode of All Mike’d Up, the Mikes dedicate the show to listener mail—reading and responding to letters from several friends of the pod. The discussion covers everything from movie rating philosophy and steak portion sizes to toxic masculinity and the challenges of translating Japanese film genres to the West. Along the way, they debate anonymity on the internet, nerd out over Paul Schrader’s Mishima, and digress into personal Letterboxd rankings and the “vibes” factor in movie ratings.

• Ghost in The Shell
• 2001: A Space Odyssey

• The Sator Square

This week on Our Hero De Niro, the Mikes take on Raging Bull—Martin Scorsese’s brutal, black-and-white character study of boxer Jake LaMotta, played by Robert De Niro in one of his most iconic performances. They dig into the film’s punishing tone, disorienting boxing cinematography, and the way it portrays violence as both performance and punishment. Plus: Paul Schrader appreciation, libertarian time machines, and a new challenge for the citizens of De Niro Nation.

Wikipedia page for Raging Bull.

Films recommended this episode:

• Foxcatcher
• Lenny

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd: @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, email them at [email protected], and follow them on Instagram at @ourherodeniro.

Next week: The Matrix

This week on Our Hero De Niro, Mike and Mike are joined by their friend Andrew for a deep dive into Mean Streets, Scorsese’s raw, Catholic guilt–soaked breakthrough and Robert De Niro’s first iconic role as the chaotic Johnny Boy. Together, they discuss the film’s wandering structure, evocative street-level style, and what it means to live with sin when absolution isn’t coming. Plus: the nature of expressionism, needle drop overload, and Tyler Perry vs. Ernest Films.

Wikipedia page for Mean Streets.

Films recommended this episode:

• Bad Lieutenant
• The Godfather
• Empire Records

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd: @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, email them at [email protected], and follow them on Instagram at @ourherodeniro.

Next week: Raging Bull

Supplemental Link:

• MikeBackAtYou, Andrew, and Mikethefab
• Caroline's Mean Streets episode fan art

In the first episode of All Mike’d Up, Mike and Mike ditch De Niro and settle into a looser, anything-goes conversation. They read listener emails from friends of the pod, cover Shark Week memories, and discuss proper theme park bathroom etiquette. It’s the podcast-within-a-podcast that's part catching up and part comedy free-for-all.

Supplemental Link:

• Mikethefab's Seattle sushi dinner

This week on Our Hero De Niro, the Mikes dive into Guilty by Suspicion, a sobering drama about the Hollywood blacklist era, starring Robert De Niro as a principled director navigating loyalty, fear, and career collapse during the Red Scare. They examine the film’s historical framing, De Niro’s restrained performance, and how the story avoids big courtroom theatrics in favor of quieter moral tension. Plus: Breaking Bad montages, the war on TikTok brain rot, and whether or not the Mikes would flip during the Red Scare.

Wikipedia page for Guilty by Suspicion.

Films recommended this episode:

• Oppenheimer
• Hail, Caesar!

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd at @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, email them at [email protected], and follow them on Instagram at @ourherodeniro.

Next week: Mean Streets

Supplemental Links:

• MikeBackAtYou’s 10 Best Films of the 21st Century
• Mikethefab’s 10 Best Films of the 21st Century
• Chronol-Oppenheimer

This week on Our Hero De Niro, the Mikes discuss Men of Honor, the inspirational military drama starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carl Brashear, the first Black U.S. Navy Master Diver, and Robert De Niro as his grizzled, racist-turned-mentor. They unpack the film’s classic biopic formula, its effective performances, and the tension between its uplifting message and Hollywood gloss. Plus: inspirational yelling, underwater acting, and military racism as a fixable personality flaw.

Wikipedia page for Men of Honor.

• Ali
• Six Days Seven Nights

Next week: Guilty by Suspicion

This week on Our Hero De Niro, Mike and Mike tackle Shark Tale, DreamWorks’ aggressively early-2000s animated mob comedy where Robert De Niro voices a mafia shark and Will Smith plays a fast-talking fish with debts to pay. They unpack the film’s wild tonal dissonance, endless pop culture references, and questionable audience—while asking: who exactly was this movie for? Plus: DreamWorks vs. Pixar, cursed animation choices, and the eternal mystery of how this thing made $375 million.

Our Hero De Niro is now on Instagram @ourherodeniro!

• Enemy of the State
• The Incredibles

Next week: Men of Honor

Follow Mike and Mike on Letterboxd: @mikebackatyou and @mikethefab, and email them at [email protected].

Next week: Shark Tale

• Zoey’s Shark Tale fan art
• Chant by The Benedictine Monks
• A Bane Grindset TikTok

• Beverly Hills Cop
• Blue Collar