Hopefully, y'all are not getting sick of this Best and Worst series we've got going on...I guess we just wound up down a rabbit hole of sorts, and it's taken off! But we're having fun with it, so if you don't like it you can send us an email to complain. We Live for That Shit!!!!

Today's episode takes on Movie Sequels - not to be confused with Movie Remakes or Reboots. The sequel considers the main characters (or just one central character) and continues to tell his or her story in a new chapter, generation, adventure, or so forth. And today we are ragging on the worst ones. And nothing is off limits - in fact, there is an Oscar-Nominated film on one of our lists. Go figure! Because we don't play around here. And some of our worst sequels are guilty pleasures, too - but we definitely want to know what you think of our lists. Send us an email, seriously! hello@thetopfivepodcast.

Or leave us a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcasts!!!

Happy New Year - again! My mastermind/podcasting/vegan accountant/fellow pop-culture/Gen X buddy is back - and that's my gal-pal Heather Zeitzwolfe. This means - Heartthrobs and Tiger Beat Magazine is back!

This week, Heather and I are talking 80's Heartthrobs you might have seen on the cover of Tiger Beat during the 1980s. Sure, a couple of them possibly carried over from the 70's just a tad, but for me and Heather they were all 80's boys. Now we both made it to college in the later part of the 80's so you can be fairly sure there will not be a '90s edition of Heartthrobs.

It IS pretty interesting what constituted a heartthrob crush for each of us - we have various different reasons and stories behind each of our obsessions and it's HIGHLY Gen X because this was the big age of renting VHS videos from the local video stores. Heather even started her own Fanclub, but we'll let you listen to that story to learn the rest!

There are more livecasts coming up as well, so make sure that you are following me on Instagram (@krismaspeak) and for sure send us an email at [email protected] if you'd like to comment on our lists or pitch an idea for the show!

There are movies that bring tears to your eyes in a pleasant way - see episode 32 - but then there are tearjerkers that you know if you EVER watch again it will completely and totally suck out the guts of your soul.

This is not to say that these are BAD movies - in many, many cases, they are exceptional movies. But WE, the viewer, have personally had such a strong reaction to the experience of viewing these films, that we don't think we can ever go back and have that experience again.

So, Annie and I are here today to talk about the five movies each of us experienced that we absolutely cannot bear to ever watch again. Because if we ever did, I feel quite confident that this podcast would completely and totally blow up since we will both be beyond depressed to do anything else. Ha Ha Ha.

Have you got a Top Five idea you want to float by us? Or maybe you are finally ready to call us out on one or more of our lists? If that's the case, then please send us an email: [email protected]

Yes, we're a little late in posting this but it's mostly because there's been a lot going on in my day job since Veteran's Day happened - but hopefully you were able to catch us LIVE on Instagram that day - Annie, Doug, and Heather helped me out by sharing their Top Five Favorite Movies about Military Veterans - AND we celebrated Annie, who is a US Army Veteran and retired Lt. Colonel.

Now that the day job is calming down for me, I do hope to have a few more live casts with this crew, and with Chris Corral as well. These shows are SO much fun to do together...although the audio is not always the best, it's still a ton of fun to get together and talk about these films and other pop culture stuff.

It was also totally fun to see how our films run the gamut from World War II to Vietnam to present-day conflicts...and we cover everything from PTSD to gays and lesbians in the military. And, yes, there ARE multiple Oliver Stone movies on our lists, ha ha ha.

Enjoy - as usual! And let us know if you have Top Five List ideas! We want to hear them!!!

Happy Holidays everyone!!!! Been trying to get this episode up here for days now but you know how it is - last-minute stuff to do for the holidays, etc.

It was way too much fun recording this episode with my sister and I'm just gonna leave it at that! Happy Holidays everyone - and just know that there's more to come both before and after the New Year!!!!

You know EXACTLY the kind of movie we're talking about today - you know exactly when you're going to cry and what kind of cry it's going to be...and that winds up being totally okay with you. It's the kind of cry that, once it's over, actually makes you feel kind of good because the emotions are heartwarming tales of true love, personal triumph, or a wealth of other things.

Like...the music swell coming up during EVITA when Madonna beings singing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" on the Casa Rosada.

Or...Forest Gump and Jenny in Washington DC.

Or...fill in the blank.

That's what Annie and I are talking about today. Annie brought some amazing context to this show as well so I'm really proud of the conversation. And you know that an episode like this is going to have a flip side - so be on the lookout for the episode featuring Tearjerkers We Will Never, EVER, Watch Again.

Do you have a Top Five list you'd like us to consider? Or maybe you thought this week's episode was shit? That's okay - we still want to hear about it! Send us an email at [email protected]

We'll catch up with you on next week's episode!!

Annie and I grew up with a father who had lived through World War II - and while he was still pretty young in those days, the years after the war were part of my father's formative movie-going years - and my siblings and I hear more than one or two stories about double features, newsreels, and all the things.

But remember that we were also one of the first families in the neighborhood to have a VCR...and our father loved to record the classic films off of television whenever they would air. We have a ton of favorite WWII films; and in this week's episode our clear upbringing becomes evident once again and we do have some overlapping Top Five Films. The fact that Annie is a retired Lt. Colonel from the US Army AND a current instructor of military deception at Leavenworth makes this episode all the more fun for me, and educational, too!!!

ENJOY!!

What in the sam hell did we ever do before Netflix? Well...we watched HBO, we rented a shit-ton of DVD's, and we watched network television (cable?). Nothing wrong with any of this stuff, but for those of us who got a little bit bored with "Must See TV" and never really got into Friends or Seinfeld, Netflix brought some of the most original and groundbreaking stories ever put into a narrative series (or sitcom, for that matter).

Without Netflix, there would probably not be the concept of "binge-watch" and there for sure would not be Netflix and Chill...but there would also not be these really clever, cool, funny, and truly original shows that made our Top Five List. And it's amazing that (a) Annie and I did have a small amount of overlap and (b) she shared shows that I've never heard of and vice-versa. Browsing on Netflix for me is a little bit like going into Amoeba Records in Hollywood - I need to set a time limit and make a decisive choice or I'll be in there all day.

And just to confirm - these are the shows that Netflix has put into SEASONS and that originally aired on Netflix/were produced by Netflix. So, while I think you can still watch most of the seasons of American Horror Story on Netflix, it is not eligible for this week's episode because it's not an original Netflix Series. Furthermore - all of the many LIMITED SERIES (also known as Mini-Series) will be featured on a different show all together.

So - as usual - if you like, hate, disagree, or have any sort of feelings either way about our lists, please send us an email: [email protected]

ENJOY!!!

I've gone LIVE on Instagram before, but mostly with other people and never with THREE guests. But on Election Day 2022 I got to hang out with Doug, Annie, and Heather and discuss our Top Five Favorite Political and Election Films!!!

You're going to see some old favorites that we've discussed before plus some newer films that some of my colleagues had not heard of. We each shared two films from our Top Five list to discuss and we shared our full list at the end of the show.

Keep in mind that Instagram LIVE is not using the same microphone for professional sound, and there's a little bit of overlap/time delay interruptions, but overall this was a really fun time and we are definitely going to do more of these in the future!

Thanks for being part of the Top Five Podcasting Community!

Did I mention that I LOVE doing this show with my sister? And if you'll allow me, I also REALLY love when I can do this episode with my sister AND one or more of her kids. So this week's convo features me, Annie, and Emily and we are breaking down our Top Five FAVORITE Indie Horror Films.

If you think about it, most of the scariest and most disturbing horror films are those that come from independent studios. Because it was the indie studios who weren't necessarily afraid to take things to the next level. To scare us in completely different ways - bigger and rowdier "jump scares," more and more disturbing concepts for horror films, and even just taking on the idea of something truly creepy with a chainsaw or a hockey mask. Although, neither of those props made THIS particular list.

By the way - did you catch our FIRST ever live-cast on Instagram??? It was a total blast! I was joined by Heather, Doug, and Annie to discuss our favorite Election and Political Films in honor of Election Day and it was SO much fun! So there will for sure be more of those! You can catch the Instagram Reel here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CkuCpnHjfzM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

and the recording of this will be available as a show very soon!!!