Welcome to the Poddy

Clay loves Norm Macdonald, laughed throughout his new Netflix documentary and cried during its final act. He also thinks Judd Apatow delivered a two-hour YouTube compilation with almost no new insight. Also: a sold-out Gin & Comics, Halloween bartending, Batman trick-or-treating and why sharing a kitchen is the real relationship test. Final rating: 3 YouTube searches out of 10.

Netflix’s No. 1 movie made Clay rewind 18 minutes searching for an explanation that apparently never existed. He reviews Ben Affleck’s Animals, its disclosed AI use, Gillian Anderson’s scene-stealing fixer and a flying-child rescue that broke whatever seriousness remained. Also: catastrophic basketball injuries, Clay’s knees and Kenny’s first basketball lesson. Final rating: 3 Mexicans with guns out of 10.

Clay and Rachel are engaged—and Kenny may be the most efficient proposal planner on the Gold Coast. Clay also reviews Netflix’s The Four Seasons, a painfully relatable comedy about marriage, divorce, intimacy and friends who refuse to mind their business. Final rating: 7 couples’ vacations out of 10, paired with a different taco for every season.

The Whisper Man gives Clay a killer father-son premise, strong Adam Scott and Michelle Monaghan performances, and Robert De Niro playing the most Robert De Niro version of Robert De Niro. Unfortunately, Netflix also delivers fading momentum, familiar serial-killer tricks and lighting dark enough to trigger a television warranty claim. Final rating: 5.5/10.

Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? understands the addictive joy and public humiliation of starting stand-up. Clay reviews Will Arnett and Laura Dern’s marriage comedy, revisits killing at his first open mic and bombing at the second, then explains how he briefly became the comedy Ben Simmons. Final rating: 7/10.

Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent in Presumed Innocent, but Clay isn’t convinced this murder mystery needed eight episodes to reach three minutes of truth. Also: broken knees, an audience that laughed exclusively through email, the AFL Grand Final and a Z Boys trip now powered by Hydralyte and emotional honesty.

No numerical rating or snack pairing was stated in the recording.

Kate Beckinsale’s Wildcat gave Clay what he wants from an action movie: fights he can actually see. He reviews James Nunn’s new-to-Prime Video thriller, its familiar rescue mission, uneven tonal shifts and surprisingly rewatchable action, then compares it with Normal and Reacher. Final rating: 7/10. He forgot his actual snack, but recommends Jelly Babies after the fact.

Seven episodes of suspects and The Watcher still couldn’t give Clay the closure he wanted. He reviews Netflix’s Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts mystery, the unsolved true story behind it, and why its fictionalised ending earned 3.5/10—even with his extra point for a true story. Also: Kenny learns to ride on two wheels and helps deliver Bung Bung Coffee flyers. Spoilers and explicit language.

Bob Odenkirk shoots his way through Normal, a Prime Video action-comedy with entertaining violence and barely enough plot to sustain a plot hole. Clay also survives a $264 Henley Beach lunch, identifies a suspected college thief and debates whether children’s birthday parties have finally become enjoyable. Snack pairing: Froot Loops. Final rating: 5.5/10.

Jack Black and Paul Rudd should be able to make a giant-snake comedy work, but Anaconda left Clay with weak effects, a thinner story and almost nothing worth remembering. Also: Clay lands a speaking role in a movie, Kenny discovers Derrick Rose, and a king brown snake ends the Couchboys’ pool era. Final rating: 4.5 Killer Pythons out of 10.