We have a new podcast called Peak Viewing, and the first episode is coming out March 4th! You can subscribe now on your podcast platform of choice, or check us out at peakviewing.net

Today we talk about what is perhaps the most beloved Mummy film, 1999’s The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser! We discuss how much of a right-place-right-time vibe this film has, how Rick O’Connell is basically the coolest person in the world when you’re twelve, and draw some surprising similarities between our titular character and a certain shapeshifter from Star Trek.

Also, why we hate parking in the free air spot. (Recorded October 15th, 2023.)

Today we’re talking Spielberg and his most personal film, The Fabelmans. We discuss the wonderful performances, the smart way this film adapters true-life stories, and we briefly wonder if Steven Spielberg knows his way around a modern computer.

Also, why we hate the snow making us feel old. (Recorded February 19th, 2023.)

This week we’re talking about All Quiet on the Western Front, the German-language Netflix production that’s getting a lot of Oscar buzz. We discuss some lukewarm takes for this lukewarm movie, the striking cinematography, and ponder how sometimes war is just throwing a goose with the boys.

Also, why we hate winning on a technicality. (Recorded February 14th, 2023.)

Today we’re talking about our favorite art from last year! We recap some of our favorite things that we’ve covered on the podcast before, as well as discuss some of our favorite games, movies, mangas, podcasts, bits of code we wrote, a great essay on the subject of art criticism, and the greatest dance sequence ever put to film.

Also, why we hate solving our own problems immediately before asking for help. (Recorded February 6th, 2023.)

This week we’re talking about another one of our favorites from the past year, Robert Egger’s The Northman. We discuss the cold, unflinching style, the mythological and legend-like qualities, and how our experience watching this relates to the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year.

Also, why we hate eating soup with chopsticks. (Recorded January 22nd, 2023.)

Today we’re talking about the greatest whodunit of yesteryear, Netflix’s Glass Onion. We discuss our thoughts on this movie in relation to the first, the extravagant and excellent vacation island aesthetic, and also get confused at the sheer number of actors named Hugh.

Also, why we hate the subtitle for this film. (Recorded January 15th, 2023.)

This week we’re making some bold claims about the calendar year, and looking back on all the predictions we made for last year. Join us as we discuss and reflect on house prices, game awards, box office numbers, beloved animated revivals, celebrity death (that we DON'T WANT TO HAPPEN), and much more.

Also, why we hate time sensitive sign-ups. (Recorded January 8th, 2023.)

This week we’re continuing our conversation on Andor and covering the last six episodes of season one. We discuss all the perfect little details that make this show so amazing, the Narkina 5 arc (which is definitely both our favorites), and the explosive finale that keeps us waiting anxiously for the next season.

Also, why we hate being caught up on media. (Recorded December 10th, 2022.)

(Also also, we accidentally call Tay Kolma—the banker from Chandrila—Corv this entire episode. So every time we say Corv, we probably mean Tay Kolma.)

This week we’re talking about Netflix’s anime adaptation of Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. We discuss our favorite aspects of this genre, the cyclical thematic elements, and praise the visual style of the SANDEVISTAAAAAN.

Also, why we hate a lack of good internet jokes. (Recorded November 27th, 2022.)

This week we’re talking about Glengarry Glen Ross, a great movie about a not-so-great sales office. We discuss the amazing performances from literally every actor, the stellar straight-up-just-a-play script, and the toxic and demanding nature of sales.

Also, why we hate logos on glasses. (Recorded October 19th, 2022.)

This week we’re continuing our series on Al Pacino with the 2002 film Insomnia. We discuss the two great performances at the center of this movie, the missed opportunities with the setting and style, and question where it fits into the rest of Christopher Nolan’s filmography.

Also, why we hate shopping bags. (Recorded September 21st, 2022.)

This week we’re talking about Goodbye, Eri, a manga one-shot from earlier this year. We discuss the beautiful “movie within a movie” structure, what we think literally happened in the third act, and also Henry goes on a very long tangent about The Rehearsal. 

Also, why we hate taking care of house plants. (Recorded September 7th, 2022.)

Today we’re talking about The Meyerowitz Stories, Noah Baumbach’s Netflix original from 2017. We discuss the fantastic performances, the unique story structure, and the very strange way this movie makes Henry feel.

Also, why we hate autocorrect. (Recorded August 31st, 2022.)

This week we're reviewing Wingspan, the hit game about building beautiful bird biomes. We discuss the satisfying gameplay loop, the relaxing and happy aesthetics, and the bizarre disconnect that we felt between the two. 

Also, why we hate WebMD. (Recorded August 26th, 2022.)

Today we’re reviewing the highly-rated but criminally-underseen film City of God. We talk about the fantastic style of storytelling, the incredible editing and sense of place, and come up with a reason to call this movie the “Anti-Expendables”.

Also, why we hate the death of HBO Max (aka the Discovery merger/takeover). (Recorded August 17th, 2022.)

This week we’re reviewing the only FBI agent-turned-surfer movie in existence, Point Break. We discuss Bodhi’s questionable philosophy on life, the ultra violence in the second half, and tear apart virtually every part of the writing in this movie.

Also, why we hate Google Home speaker pairing. (Recorded August 10th, 2022.)

This week we discuss the 1986 follow-up to last week’s film, Aliens. We talk about how the plot of this sequel is essentially the same as the first, complain about the worst doomer character ever written, and try to make sense of the extensive Alien lore beyond these first two films.

Also, why we hate getting notifications after you’ve gotten in bed. (Recorded July 27th, 2022.)

Today we’re talking about Top Gun: Maverick, the action-packed sequel that is decades in the making. We talk about the plot’s obvious parallels to Tom Cruise’s career, the messy timeline compared to the first movie, and also write another sequel starring BOB.

Also, why we hate the AC being broken. (Recorded June 15th, 2022.) 

Today we’re ranking out personal top five favorite video game soundtracks. Join us as we go to outer space, the depths of hell, a big blue ocean, a haunted mansion, and many more!

Also, why we hate radio station genres. (Recorded March 21st, 2022.)

This week we’re reviewing the critically acclaimed Netflix movie Marriage Story. We go through the movie and discuss the excellent acting, the deep and varied characters, and ponder why the son is named after one of our hosts.

Also, why we hate the IMDb page for Marriage Story (and IMDb in general). (Recorded July 26th, 2021.)

Today on the pod, we go back an look at 2017 and discuss some of the best and worst things about this year. The good things? We got a lot of great movies and video games. Plus, our podcast got professional. The bad things? Basically everything else.

Also, why we hate the new table tennis table. 

Today we continue our Review Review series, where we take a look at all the stuff we’ve reviewed in the past and rank order it for no reason at all. And this time, we’re taking a look at books. There are robotics teams! Nuclear fallouts! Demons! Cats and dogs living together!

Here’s the list thus far (spoilers!)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy 

The Hobbit

The Book Thief 

Wolf in White Van

Gone

Gregor the Overlander

The Great Gatsby

Variant 

Rot & Ruin

True Grit

The Hunger Games

Insignia

Ender’s Game

Percy Jackson

Lunatics

Everlost

Lost in the River of Grass

The Name of This Book Is Secret 

Unstoppable

After the Bomb

Ungifted

This week, Henry and Samuel cover the ultra-violent western film Django Unchained. We cover the well-cast and well-written characters, complain about a lack of substance, and try to define what an “artsy” movie is.

Also, why we hate technological blight.

Join Henry and Samuel as we talk about our favorite movie of 2015, The Big Short. We talk about how well this movie handles its confusing plot, praise the “artsy” editing style, and wish the characters were fleshed out a little more.

Also, why we hate broken traffic lights. 

SPECIAL EPISODE #23, wherein Henry and Samuel discuss the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We talk about the pros and cons of all of these movies being interconnected, the quality of said movies, and rank our favorites and least-favorites. 

Also, why we hate Spiderman. 

Join Henry and Samuel as we rave about a game that isn’t even out yet, Overwatch. We go over the unique and diverse characters, point out all the little things this game does right, and figure out why all multiplayer games aren’t quite this fun right off the bat.

Also, why we hate dew.

SPECIAL EPISODE #6. Henry and Samuel have both prepared lists of their top five characters from popular media. So join us as we go through that list, argue a bunch, then spend far too long talking about some honorable mentions.

Also, why we hate most t-shirts that have references.

Join Henry in Samuel in critiquing and over thinking Christopher Nolan's latest (but not greatest), Interstellar.

Also, why we hate battery life.

Henry and Samuel were both big fans of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Does the new one for the Wii U live up to their lofty expectations?

Also, why we hate plastic figures for video games.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the young-adult survival book, Lost in the River of Grass.

Also, why we hate New Year's Resolutions.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a grumpy night. Join us in our 5th Special Episode as we discuss everything Christmas, including music, traditions, shopping, mall Santas, and more.

Also, why we hate sequels.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the Gamecube classic, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. A game Henry likes far more then Samuel. For good reason.

Also, why we hate people misinterpreting song meanings.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the insane, hilarious, unpredictable, and also really really offensive book that is Lunatics.

Also, why we hate poorly made erasers.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the unpredictable thriller movie, A Simple Plan.

Also, why we hate yippie dogs.

SPECIAL EPISODE #4. For this one, Henry and Samuel each chose an album for the other to listen to and talk about here. Samuel chose Boston's "Boston," and Henry chose Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea." Join us as we talk about each album track by track and come up with theories about everything. (Apologies for the poor audio quality this week, it won't happen again.)

Also, why we hate coming up with things to review.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the clearly horror series, Gone. (Spoilers ahead!)

Also, why we hate people who cannot fathom picky eaters.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the Gamecube classic, Super Mario Sunshine.

Also, why we hate ambiguous answers in political campaigns.

Join Henry and Samuel in (finally) talking about the latest Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy.

Also, why we hate repeating commercials.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about LEGO Star Wars, and the LEGO video game series in general.

Also, why we hate when people compare different varieties of media (e.g. movies are better than books).

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about John Darnielle's debut novel, Wolf in White Van.

Also, why we hate the shrinking size of instructional manuals in modern video games.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the 1992 "comic heist action thing", Sneakers.

Also, why we hate people who say realistic graphics in video games are more important than aesthetics.

SPECIAL EPISODE #3. In this one, we play through the entirety of Journey, a game Henry loves, and one Samuel is pretty sure he'll hate.

Also, why we hate sand (again).

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the peak of Luigi's existence, Luigi's Mansion.

Also, why we hate Random Rants.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the Robin Williams movie, Good Morning, Vietnam.

Also, why we hate unconditional brand loyalty.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about Unstoppable by Tim Green, a book that practically drowns in its own stereotypes.

Also, why we hate horoscopes.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the bizarre little darling, Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi.

Also, why we hate people that refer to this year as "Two-Thousand-and-Fourteen".

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the 2011 superhero movie, Captain America.

Also, why we hate purses, and their complex relationship with pockets.

In this episode, Henry and Samuel talk about Samuel's all-time favorite book series, The Bartimaeus Trilogy.

Also, why we hate people in online games that refuse to surrender.

In honor of our second special podcast, we talk about the ups and downs of the Harry Potter franchise, from the movies to the books to the cult following.

Also, why we (mostly Henry) hate fiddling.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the classic 90s movie, Groundhog Day.

Also, why we hate pop music. (Part 4: Shock Value.)  

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the sic-fi thriller, Variant.

Also, why we hate pop music. (Part 3: Radio Stations.)

Join Henry and Samuel in reminiscing about the very bizarre DS game, Ninjatown.

Also, why we hate pop music. (Part 2: Repetitive.)

Join Henry and Samuel this week in talking about the awful Michael Bay movie, Transformers.

Also, why we it when people say pop music is relatable.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the zombie apocalypse book, Rot & Ruin. (WARNING: In this one, we spoil a lot plot-wise. If you want to read this book, do NOT listen.)

Also, why we hate it when people say eSports isn't a sport.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the classic Nintendo game, Metroid Prime.

Also, why we hate headphones and earbuds.

We've decided every seventh episode is going to be a special episode where we don't talk about and review any particular piece of media, we just talk about our opinions and views on a certain subject. So today, join Henry and Samuel in talking about Nintendo multiplayer, specifically Mario Party, Mario Kart, and DS Download Play, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Also, why we hate modern art.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the great World War II era book, The Book Thief.

Also, why we hate Life.

Also also, sorry we didn't upload this on Sunday, we had some technical issues.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the sci-fi puzzle video games series, Portal.

Also, why we hate time estimates on loading bars.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the classic Sonic game Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, which even with nostalgia for it, it's rough by today's standards.

Also, why we hate sand.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the awful, awful book that is Ungifted, by Gordon Korman.

Also, why we hate books with weird fonts.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking about the 1999 action movie The Matrix.

Also, why we hate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

Join Henry and Samuel in talking  about what we like and dislike about the 1994 movie Forrest Gump.

Also, why we hate birds.