Ruminations

Happy Halloween from Ruminations! For the first half of our 15th episode, we chat about the latest movies we’ve seen in theaters, from the ground-shaking sounds of Dune to the earth-shattering disappointment of The Many Saints of Newark. Then, for the main portion of the episode (28:00 on), we break down our experiences watching two of Netflix’s recent shows, the stressful South Korean juggernaut Squid Game and Mike Flanagan’s latest horror slow-burn, Midnight Mass. Why was Matt Damon’s hair so silly in The Last Duel? Will Dune get a sequel (the answer’s yes, but we didn’t know that at the time of recording)? Was Squid Game better in Korean or in English? Was Midnight Mass a good Catholic show, as one Vox reporter lamented? Listen to find out!

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/15.-ruminations-episode-xv-squidnight-mass-2.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

For Episode XIV, Chris and Steve discuss the ins and outs of the 59-year-old James Bond franchise, which just saw its 25th movie, and the fifth and last of Daniel Craig’s run as 007, No Time to Die,  premiere in theaters this month. Well, it’s less of a discussion and more of Steve talking about a series of movies and books near and dear to his heart while Chris feigns interest. (To Chris’s credit, he has a better grasp on Bond than Steve does many of his esoteric religious interests.) What’s the best Bond song? Who’s the worst Bond? Why did George Lazenby only do one movie and later intimidate a teenaged Steve at a nerdy movie convention? Who will the next Bond be? Most importantly–to Chris at least–what aspects of the franchise directly influenced Austin Powers? Ruminations will return!

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/14.-ruminations-episode-xiv-on-her-majestys-secret-agent-1.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

For Episode XIII, Chris and Steve discuss … not Star Wars for the 4th episode in a row! Instead, due to recent AMC 4K re-releases, they talk about their favorite piece of popular culture ever, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson’s seminal film adaptations, the first of which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary later this year. For the episode’s first half, Steve, having watched 15 hours of behind-the-scenes footage and read a 560-page book on Jackson’s journey through Middle-Earth, focuses on the making of the trilogy and The Hobbit, its much, much worse prequel series. For the second half, Chris channels his inner Elrond and fields Steve’s questions on Tolkien’s themes, alleged plot-holes, and the Bible of Tolkien’s legendarium, The Silmarillion. Altogether, it amounts to 2 hours of Middle-Earth content! A day may come when Ruminations releases a short podcast … but it is not THIS day.

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/13.-ruminations-episode-xiii-the-podcast-of-the-rings-1.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

Chris and Steve discuss a range of topics relating to Christmas movies with Lou, Ruminations’ second-ever guest host. Questions like: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Is Ron Howard’s Grinch movie worth its two-hour runtime? Why can’t Steve keep the Rankin/Bass movies straight? Will Mel Gibson’s Fatman become a perennial Christmas watch? How many times has Lou seen Jingle All the Way? How does it feel to spit up whiskey and/or to record half of a podcast with the hiccups? All of this and more in the messiest, most laugh-filled episode of Ruminations so far! Give us a listen, and merry Christmas to all of our listeners!

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/12.-ruminations-episode-xii-christmas-all-the-way.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

Just in time for the strangest Halloween in memory, we’re back to talk about three underrated horror movies we seem to revisit every year around this time: Wes Craven’s Haiti-set The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), the ’80s pastiche The House of the Devil (2009), and the Nicolas Cage mystery Pay the Ghost (2015). Along the way, we reminisce about Burger King’s Universal horror action figures from our childhood, 10th grade speeches, and our vastly different experiences watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time. Chris is in his element discussing voodoo and Samhain, and Steve enjoys telling Chris off for not knowing directors by name. Lastly, we list our top moments in scary movies! Give us a listen. (We know you all have nothing better to do.)

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/11.-ruminartions-episode-xi-underrated-horror.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

Ruminations is finally back and, boy, did we miss a lot over the last 6 months! We start off Episode X with a discussion of our experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown and what we’ve been watching to pass the time as society crumbles around us, but the main event is much more fun. In a companion piece to our first-ever episode, we rank the best and worst of Pixar Animation Studios, once the baby of Apple’s Steve Jobs and now an integral part of Disney’s galactic empire. In a departure from our first episode, however, we stick to our own rankings, which means there are some fireworks!

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/10.-ruminations-episode-x-onward-and-up-ward-1.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

Happy New Year from Ruminations! To celebrate the start of 2020 and the end of the 2010s, we talk* about 10 of our favorite movies from a decade that wasn’t all that great when it came to cinema. (At least in our opinions, but our opinions are Correct.) Stick around for some honorable mentions!

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/09.-ruminations-episode-ix-the-2010s.mp3

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*To avoid spoilers, check out the timecode for each of our movie discussions:

Lastly, here is that horrifying photoshopped picture of Chris in his attic that we mentioned while discussing Hereditary:

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

For our Halloween-themed episode, the Ruminations team talks about the Catholic Rite of Exorcism and the movies that have made it famous. Learn the differences between demonic infestation, oppression, and possession, what it’s like to talk to a 90-year-old exorcist IRL, and why even modern Hollywood can sometimes treat Catholicism respectfully!

(In order to get Episode VIII out in time for, you know, Halloween, our show notes will be posted at a later date. Stay tuned!)

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/08.-ruminations-episode-viii-what-an-excellent-day-for-an-exorcism.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

After what seems like an eternity, Rum-inations is back with our seventh episode! As promised at the end of Episode VI, this one is all about pirates and rum. To prepare for such an undertaking…we bought a whole bunch of rum and rewatched all 5 Pirates of the Caribbean movies with our friend Ruben, who now joins us as our first guest! 

In addition to our episode, check out our show notes full of movie and musical clips, historical tidbits, and mucho rum recommendations!

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/07.-ruminations-episode-vii-a-pirates-life-for-us.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/

Ruminations is back with its most historical episode yet! In Episode VI, Chris and Steve recount their April trip to Rome, the Eternal City, highlighting the history and splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica, the glory witnessing the Capitoline Wolf and Augustus of Prima Porta statues in person, an unexpected visit to an actual medieval castle, and more. This episode is a bit on the long side, folks–if you make it through the first 45 minutes, you’ll at least be rewarded by two superb anecdotes that practically had the hosts in tears!

Stick around until the end and check out our show notes full of historical tidbits, book recommendations, and lots of pictures!

https://ruminationspod.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/06.-ruminations-episode-vi-urbs-aeterna.mp3

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Ruminations is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://ruminationspod.com/