Film series can have a rocky start out the gate: maybe there are tone problems, or maybe it's so clunky / irrelevant that it should be stricken from the record. With 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Wolverine, you can ignore the preceding entries and be much happier. Completists be damned, just start the canon with these second movies! Guest: Jon.

Six years before Game of Thrones, there was another sword and shield epic on HBO called Rome. Nudity? Check. Violence? Check. Political machinations? Check. Rome (2005-2007) did it better; while the series only lasted two seasons, it was spared the controversy and enmity that GoT engendered in its fandom. Guest: Stacey.

Foreign languages can be barriers, but everyone can relate to childhood struggles like being the new kid or having trouble connecting with parents. Let's dig into El Sur and My Life as a Dog—youth trauma, here we come! Truly, universal themes that transcend cultural boundaries. Guests: Max, Andrew & Jon.

Sometimes you've spent all day thinking hard and just want something ridiculous to watch—a movie you can latch onto in a few respects and ignore the rest of it in favor of pure entertainment. Baywatch, Road House, and Die Hard 2 didn't win Best Picture, but who cares? They're fun! Guests: Pat & Andrew.

It's rare that a movie captures a time, place, and culture all in one go like the Ice Cube classic Friday (1995). It represents South Central, the '90s, and black culture for many. When you want to see a different perspective, watch this comedy and get immersed! Guest: Stacey. 

What ingredients are in a movie's failure? Let's do a postmortem on a trio of critical and commercial losers (Conan the Destroyer, The 13th Warrior, and Speed Racer). Perhaps thy're misunderstood victims of circumstance. Or maybe we're the ones committing crimes against cinema by defending them. Guests: Andrew & Jon.

Suffer through one final guest-less rant before the new season hits! The film is Executive Decision (1996), and the topic is suspense in action movies. Once again, the Host complains about new movies not being as well made as their (much) older counterparts. Big surprise.

In this solo article, I recommend two contrasting T.V. shows starring the versatile actor Lee Pace: Pushing Daisies (2007-2009) and Halt and Catch Fire (2014-2017). One is very sweet and the other is very bleak, so why not pair them together for an even better viewing experience?!

Another refined solo in-betweener episode, the Host shares a recommendation that came out of nowhere. Even if it sounds outside of your tastes at first (like it did his), give him a chance to convince you to watch The Purple Rose of Cairo.

Finally, an interim bonus episode that isn't just the Host! Jon and Mitch join in to discuss Total Recall (1990) as part of a never-before-released podcast pilot, Watch It Again, from 2015.