Cinematic Underdogs

It's been a good minute! We're excited to drop our latest conversation on Bookie, an underrated sitcom-series on Max created by Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay. The show basically follows Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco), a bookie, and Ray (Omar Dorsey), his muscle, as they deal with an unorthodox profession in Los Angeles. Shenanigans ensue in the form of unstable clients, greedy family members, and random imbroglios. It's funny, filled with clever banter, and quite observant of Los Angeles culture; sadly, it was cancelled prematurely. We talk about its merits and lament the impatience of modern studios/platforms when it comes to letting shows find their audience. Enjoy!

The one and only Matt Belenky joins the pod to chat the Safdie's sports gambling masterpiece, Uncut Gems! We talk Adam Sandler's underrated brilliance, the ever increasing reach & budgets of A24 films, the long and winding creative development of this film, the split-up of the Safdie's, and why this film has captivated audiences of all ilk. Enjoy!

On this episode, we discuss Sean Durkin's American epic, The Iron Claw, which chronicles the Von Erich brothers as they make history in the burgeoning industry of entertainment wrestling and endure a series of tragedies under the hex of a family curse. Next up: Uncut Gems! Enjoy!

We're back and we're pile-driving into the dark, messy history of the WWE/WWF. Under the ownership of the polarizing Vince McMahon, wrestling went from feudal territories to cable TV mania. We examine the dueling identities of its greatest promoter, trying to unpack the Vince McMahon/Mr. McMahon split personality. You also want to tune in if you're interested in a nostalgic celebration of all the eras of the WWE/WWF, including the Attitude era, the Ruthless Aggression era, as well as the WCW vs. WWE heyday where every Monday night Raw and Nitro squared off on cable TV (giving everyone a reason to flip back-and-forth between USA and TNT). Enjoy!

On this episode, we invite Mikey from Screen Nerds Podcast (an avid Tennessee Titans superfan since their arrival in Nashville) to discuss the return of Untold with "The Muder of Air McNair." Part crime-doc and part sports-recap, this episode felt vexingly conspiratorial and disjointed. We break down why we feel it is one of the weaker entries in the docu-series and wonder if it's an anomaly or a harbinger of things to come. We also chat about the never-ending slate of 2024 streaming content, from Netflix's Receivers to HBO Max's return of Hard Knocks with the Chicago Bears. There is certainly no shortage of content available to whet our appetites for another dramatic season of America's most beloved sport, the NFL. Enjoy!

Join your friendly underdogs as we chat Bronx Zoo '90: Crime, Chaos and Baseball, Peacock's 3-part docuseries on one of the worst NY Yankee's teams in franchise history. Based around a series of Joel Sherman articles first published in the NY Post, the doc covers everything from the exile of George Steinbrenner to the downfall of Mel Hall. The 1990 season was one for the record books for all the wrong reasons: a train wreck you can't help but to look at, even as you're cowering away. From a no-hitter that ended miraculously in a 4-0 loss due to a calamity of fielding errors, to Pascual Perez playing backgammon in the Caribbean instead of showing up to Spring ball, to Mel Hall's open relationship and prom date with a teenage girl, to the back-and-forth contract feud between Steinbrenner and Dave Winfield, to the extortion and blackmail saga with Howie Spira (a NY felon, gambling addict, and all around low-life, to Deion Sander's dollar sign antics and terrible batting average, to cougars (yes, the feral felines!) in the locker room, this iteration of the Yanks was a carnivalesque free-for-all that you can't look away from. Enjoy our recap of this wild tale of shenanigans in the ballpark and beyond!

Welcome to the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs (Or should I say, Cinematic Underska? Or is it Cinematic Under Sophisti-Pop? Perhaps Cinematic Under-Christian Jangle Pop?)... Whatever cinematic multiverse you choose to join us in, you're welcome to a frothy treat! We're joined by ska and sophisti-pop connoisseur Oye Oye Estaban for a look back at BASEketball, the 1998 sports parody directed by David Zucker (Airplane, Naked Gun, Scary Movie) and starring two of the 90's premier enfant terribles, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (creaters of South Park, duh). So get out that hemorrhoid cream and get ready for some soapy psyche-outs, hot takes on ska, Real Big Fish fandom, breakdowns of "Beer" (the song, of course), and analytic tangents on the now-obsolescent juvenilia of a bygone era, because we're coming in hotter than Jenny McCarthy buffing the lobby. Enjoy!

On this episode, Sarah Curci and Juan Hernandez join the pod to talk about the rise of Track & Field as a sport, and more specifically, how its uptick in popularity nicely coincides with teh arrival of Netflix's latest docuseries, Sprint, which follows Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas, Fred Kerley, Marcell Jacobs, Sha'Carri Richardson, the Jamaican trio (Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Elaine Thompson-Herah), and many other elite speedsters as they prepare for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Collectively buzzing from the highs of 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, we also share some of our favorite moments: celebrating everything from Trinity Rodman's exhilarating OT goal vs. Japan in the quarterfinals, to Mando Duplantis' WR pole vault before a crowd of 80k cheering fans, to the camaraderie of Fiji surfing. We also champion the unexpected flurry of American medal performances in Track & Field during these Olympics: citing Stanford standout Grant Fisher's breakout bronze in the 5000m & 10000m, Cole Hocker & Yared Neguse's thrilling podium finishes in the 1500m, Quincy Hall's mad dash in the 400m, and on and on. We hope ya'll enjoyed the '24 Olympics as much as we did; and if you became overnight diehard fans of all things Athletics like us, you'll not want to miss this episode! Enjoy!

On this episode, we leap back to medieval times to cover the anachronistic, rennaisance-era, sports comedy and period piece A Knight's Tale with Seth Troyer, cohost of the Unwatchables pod and director of Vertigo II. Led by the romantic chivalry of Heath Ledger, the poetic panache of Paul Bettany, and some spicy pixie-girl charisma from Shanynn Sossamon, A Knight's Tale is a fun spoof film with literary wit, sportive flair, and a romantic tongue. We have a blast digging into this anacrhonistic romp featuring a wily bard that goes by Chaucer, a squire-turned-jouster masking his peasant past, a female Scottish blacksmith, a comedic sidekick who loves to use the word "fong" in every aggressive exclamation, and an evil Count Adhemar. Enjoy our conversation of this idiosyncratic, unorthodox sports film! Enjoying our podcast? Give us 5 stars, tell your friends, and preach the joy of our little underdog podcast!

We're back and we're championing Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby! On this episode, we talk about the satirical underbite of the film's rampant product placement, the sanctity of capitalist spaces, American vs. French tensions in the early 00's, Sasha Baron Cohen's pitch perfect casting, the odd conversion of Walker and Texas Ranger, and the backstabbing innocence of Cal Naughton. Shake and Bake, baby!