Load Bearing Beams: A Movie Podcast

Well, a movie finally broke us. Horror and mortal terror have a face. In the absolutely dreadful “family film” Tooth Fairy (2010)—quite possibly the worst movie our podcast has ever covered—Dwayne Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a hockey player who specializes in knocking out opponents’ teeth. He has a lot on his plate: He’s dating Ashley Judd, who has two kids: An adorable little girl who loves him and a punk teenage boy who thinks he’s full of crap (Because he is.). At the same time, Derek has some hotshot new competition in the form of Mick “The Stick” Donnelly, a hot-shot new prospect who is described in the span of 25 seconds by the team’s coach as both “the future face of this (minor league) franchise” and “only here for a cup of coffee before he makes the NHL.” Then he becomes the Tooth Fairy. Hilarity ensues. Next week: We're off! We return on July 11 for an episode about Fast Five (2011). The Summer of Rock is our summer 2025 miniseries covering the movie career of Dwayne Johnson through nine movies, presented in chronological order. Starting with his attempt at crossing over from the world of wrestling, The Rock’s career got off to a bumpy start before finally taking off in the 2010s. But it wasn’t long before the bumps returned, and we’ll be telling the story for you all summer long! Bonus video: Matt explains how director Paul Verhoeven could predict how the future would feel, through examining three of his movies: RoboCop, Total Recall, and Starship Troopers. Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pzK6CiMUMxM Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:09:30 — History segment: The Rock’s wrestling career winds down in 2003 and 2004 as he turns heel and embraces his “Hollywood Rock” persona; his acting career sputters as he tries a number of lead roles that don’t work out; he pivots to family films, where he becomes much more successful; genesis of Tooth Fairy under writer Jim Piddock and director Michael Lemdeck 00:36:15 — In-depth movie discussion 01:59:45 — Final thoughts and star ratings Source: “Interview with THE TOOTH FAIRY's Jim Piddock” by Clint Morris | Geek Week (2010) - https://bit.ly/4kVx6hL Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - https://youtu.be/dvRY72jNIEE “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ "Summer of Rock" theme song credits: Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds Personnel: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass Follow Wade on Instagram: @wadealready Follow TJ on Instagram: @baresoundstwitaj Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Dwayne Johnson followed up his debut lead performance in The Scorpion King with The Rundown. Released as Welcome to the Jungle outside America, The Rundown might be his very best movie. Along with Seann William Scott, Rosario Dawson, and a deliciously hammy Christopher Walken, The Rock is firing on all cylinders as both a physical and emotional actor. He can be funny when called to be, but leaves most of the humor to Scott and Walken, and he really shines as a stoic badass. It's no mistake that Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a cameo at the beginning of this movie, passing by The Rock and telling him to "have fun." It was his world now. As The Scorpion King was The Rock's version of Conan the Barbarian, The Rundown was his version of Commando. Unfortunately, the world had changed since the 1980s, and the public appetite for throwback action-adventure movies was waning. We were robbed of a world where he made a movie of this quality every year. But we’re also robbed of a world where dozens of movies like this get made every year. We had it all, we just didn’t know it. Bonus video: The Rundown should’ve had a sequel! The Rock and Seann William Scott have excellent chemistry, and their partnership could easily have fit into all kinds of different sequel scenarios. Really, there should have been 10 Rundowns. We name a few other movies we think should’ve gotten sequels as well: https://youtu.be/PlL4FK8U8J4 Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:4:40 — Our personal histories with The Rundown 00:14:00 — History segment: The Rock’s wrestling career in 2002 and 2003, including his feud with Hulk Hogan and the fans turning against him; brief history of the production of The Rundown under director Peter Berg 00:32:20 — In-depth movie discussion 01:20:30 — Final thoughts and star ratings Source: “Man of Action! ** Former Bethlehem resident The Rock is on a roll with ‘The Rundown’” by Amy Longsdorf | The Morning Call (2003) - https://bit.ly/4kNkxoz Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - https://youtu.be/dvRY72jNIEE “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ "Summer of Rock" theme song credits: Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds Personnel: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass Follow Wade on Instagram: @wadealready Follow TJ on Instagram: @baresoundstwitaj Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

The Summer of Rock begins as Laci and Matt dive into the movie career of Dwayne Johnson with his first leading role in The Scorpion King (2002). The Rock first graced the big screen a year earlier in The Mummy Returns, in a brief prologue in which he plays a character who seemingly has nothing to do with the sturdy nice fellow he plays in Scorpion King. And now he gets to lead a picture. And what a picture. An old-fashioned picture, you might say. One refreshingly free of irony, self-awareness, or any of the oppressive trappings of modernity. This movie’s kinda great, actually. And so is The Rock. Is it possible his career peaked with his first feature? We shall find out in the weeks and months ahead. Bonus video: Matt explains why all movie studio CEOs are basically the exact same guy and why they all make the exact same decisions. Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MC1dxeLQrgY Next week: The Rundown (2003) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:11:28 — Our personal histories with The Scorpion King 00:28:20 — History segment: Brief career overview of Dwayne Johnson; development and production of The Scorpion King and the surprisingly long direct-to-video franchise it spawned 00:47:45 — In-depth movie discussion 01:32:00 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage by Nick de Semlyen (2023) - https://bit.ly/4kDH4V3 “Hiding Out with Dwayne Johnson: The GQ Video Cover Story” by Zach Baron | GQ (2024) - https://bit.ly/3HB2Lq4 Review of “The Scorpion King” by Roger Ebert | The Chicago Sun-Times (2002) - https://bit.ly/3SIJ3em Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - https://youtube.com/shorts/nLe3DMwryiQ “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ "Summer of Rock" theme song credits: Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds Personnel: TJ Barends - backing vocals Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals Laci Roth - vocals Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass Follow Wade on Instagram: @wadealready Follow TJ on Instagram: @baresoundstwitaj Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

We're off this week, preparing for the Summer of Rock, which starts next week with an episode about The Scorpion King (2002). In fact, here is our schedule for the rest of the month: June 13 - The Scorpion King (2002) June 20 - The Rundown (2003) June 27 - Tooth Fairy (2010) In the meantime, please enjoy Matt's semi-spoiler-y review of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. And please follow us on YouTube to get all kinds of bonus content: https://youtube.com/@loadbearingbeamspod

Friend of the Show Wade Hymel makes his triumphant return to the podcast, and he’s brought with him I Love You, Man (2009). So what’s up with men, huh? With their man caves, and their jam seshes, and their pizza pies. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t help but love ‘em, am I right? And how do adults make friends anyway? It’s pretty weird. Somebody should make a movie about it. Oh, that’s what this movie is. Hear Wade's amazing album WHO SAID THAT? on Apple Music (https://bit.ly/4kinkpJ), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3SoQnM3), or wherever else music is streamed. Or you can purchase the album from Bandcamp (https://bit.ly/3I2Syje). Bonus video: Matt unpacks the story of The Black Cauldron, Disney’s biggest ever flop. Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rHeypRjToic Next week: We’re off. Our Summer of (redacted) miniseries begins the following Friday (June 13) with an episode about (redacted… listen to the episode to learn what it is!). Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:01:45 — Our MAJOR summer miniseries announcement 00:06:08 — Summer miniseries theme song debut 00:10:15 — Our personal histories with I Love You, Man 00:18:20 — History segment: The Male Loneliness epidemic — why is it so hard for men to make friends? We definitively answer the question. Then we talk about the origins of this movie under original screenwriter Larry Levin in the 1990s, and how it was finally brought to life by director John Hamburg in 2009 00:32:00 — In-depth movie discussion 01:59:35 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Younger Men in the U.S. Among the Loneliest in West” by Benedict Vigers | Gallup (2025) - https://bit.ly/4kGZcgk “John Hamburg Says I Love You, Man” by Edward Douglas | ComingSoon.net (2009) - https://bit.ly/3HeoyUo Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Summer of Rock” - https://youtu.be/dvRY72jNIEE “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Join us at Stan Mikita’s for crullers, dear listener, as we go through one of the very best comedies of the 1990s: It’s Wayne’s World. Excellent. But is it truly Wayne’s world? How much control does Wayne really have? What does he want? What does he stand for? And will he ever transcend the limitations of his corporeal space? We definitively answer these and so much more, as we cover both the making of the movie (including what sounds like a very difficult experience for director Penelope Spheeris in having to work with Mike Myers) and the movie itself, reading very closely to divine its message. Bonus video: Matt tells you about the ONLY Disney Animated Feature that you won’t find on Disney Plus, and why that is. Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/upu6z3Zyf40 Next week: I Love You Man (2009) with special guest Wade Hyel Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:03:00 — Our personal histories with Wayne’s World 00:14:45 — History segment: Mike Myers & the origins of Wayne Campbell on 1980s Canadian television; “Wayne’s World” debuts on SNL with Myers and Dana Carvey; production of Wayne’s World led by director Penelope Spheeris 00:37:57 — In-depth movie discussion 01:52:45 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "Comedy in the ’90s, Part 1: ‘Wayne’s World’ Starts the Party" by Alan Siegel | The Ringer (2019) - https://bit.ly/3YQzoG3 “Gentle Reminder: ‘Wayne’s World’ Was, and Will Always Be, a Totally Canadian Thing” by Greg Hudson | Sharp (2017) - https://bit.ly/3H2rKlP “Mike Myers: Man of Mystery” by Josh Rottenberg | Entertainment Weekly (2008) - https://bit.ly/43BD5lD Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Laci and Matt are broadcasting to you from a cabin in the woods, where they're eating canned cat food with oven mitts, trying to dodge that pesky Grim Reaper. But the rats need their cheese, so here’s a new episode about Final Destination (2000). (You’re the rat, I guess.) It’s the movie that launched one of the great horror franchises. A franchise that Matt posits is Friday the 13th for the decade of the 2000s. This series has it all: Primitive cell phones! Internet research on big ole computers! And nu-metal, nu-metal, nu-metal. And it all started here, with this movie that began life as an X-Files spec script and, even in its final form, has forgotten to take the X-Files out. That’s not a bad thing. Next week: Wayne’s World (1992) Bonus Video: We suggest scenarios we’d like to see in future FInal Destination sequels. Check it out on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:01:28 — Our personal histories with the FInal Destination franchise 00:13:00 — History segment: How Final Destination began as an X-Files spec script by Jeffrey Reddick, and instead was turned into a feature film helmed by X-Files writers James Wong and Glen Morgan 00:28:52 — In-depth movie discussion 01:28:25 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Final Destination: the definitive oral history by the people who made it” by Ian Sandwell | Digital Spy (2022) - https://bit.ly/43cBq4w “How Final Destination Went From Real-Life Premonition to Horror Phenomenon” by Jack Beresford | Den of Geek (2021) - https://bit.ly/4jPo0T4 Final Destination press kit (2000) - https://bit.ly/4kfcTmg “Devon Sawa: ‘I had to smoke pot in movies and be in a hip-hop video to get away from Casper’” by Rachel Brodsky | The Independent (2022) - https://bit.ly/3GQ3sLU Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Matt's declaration that he was forever finished with the Marvel Cinematic Universe lasted all of one movie, once Thunderbolts* started getting good reviews. So he went out and saw it, and thought it was..... okay. But to go through it, he needed to bring on two big-time fans of the movie, so Neophyte Reviews and Screen Time Kota join the show for a discussion of Thunderbolts* and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. This CLIP features the first 35 minutes of the discussion. You can get the rest of the discussion by subscribing to LOAD BEARING BEAMS: COLLECTOR'S EDITION on Patreon: https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Follow Neophyte Reviews: TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@neophyte_reviews Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/neophyte_reviews/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@neophyte_reviews Follow Screen Time Kota: TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@screentimekota Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/screen_time_kota/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ScreenTimeKota

Please note: Like how Death Proof uses fake film grain to make it seem like it’s an older movie, only to stop doing it halfway through, Laci and Matt’s audio improves halfway through this episode. You might not even notice, but if you do, just know it gets better eventually. Friend of the Show Cinema Chris joins Laci and Matt to talk about Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (2007). Originally a 90-minute movie presented as part of a double feature alongside Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, Death Proof now stands on its own (in an expanded edition) as one of the more fascinating entries in Tarantino’s filmography. We discuss the beautiful animal that is Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan’s captivating pronunciation of “chocolate milk,” and how much joy there is to be had in a car going vroom-vroom real fast. Follow Chris on TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@cinemavault), Instagram (https://bit.ly/3GKiYc9), and Letterboxd (https://bit.ly/4m5AGqr). Next week: Final Destination (2000) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:02:40 — Our personal histories with Death Proof 00:13:00 — History segment: The history of grindhouse; the history of Grindhouse 00:31:21 — In-depth movie discussion 01:30:00 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “House Party: Girls! Zombies! Serial killers! Step inside Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's down 'n' dirty double feature, 'Grindhouse’” by Mike Cotton| Wizard Universe (2007) - https://bit.ly/42SuIR0 “Online Exclusive: Horror Film Directors Dish About 'Grindhouse' Trailers” by Gavin Edwards | Rolling Stone (2007) - https://bit.ly/43fCx3J “Hungry zombies! A psychopath in a killer car! It's ‘'Grindhouse’!” by Chris Nashawaty | Entertainment Weekly (2007) - https://bit.ly/43fN52O Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Hey folks, we had to make a programming change this week because one of our bodies did a medical oopsie and we ended up in the emergency room. Everything's fine... but wait till the bill comes, am I right?? Anyway, we had to push back our Death Proof episode, so now, we have unlocked our Royal Tenenbaums episode from behind the Patreon paywall. See you in a week! Love you goodbyeeee.

Friend of the Show Jen (@JenWalksN2Walls on TikTok) joins us to cover Sister Act 2. We once again follow the misadventures of Deloris (Whoopi Goldberg), a Las Vegas headliner who selfishly abandons the backup dancers, crew members, and support staff who rely on her show to make their living, all so she can go be a substitute teacher at a Catholic school for some reason. Seriously, is she paying all these people out of her pocket while her show is on hiatus? Or is she like Jimmy Fallon during the 2023 strikes, sending them each a $20 gift card and best wishes? Anyway. This movie’s a lot of fun, but it is all over the place. Looking into the production history, we see it’s a hastily produced sequel that seems almost as if it started as an original, unrelated script about a high school choir competition and then had the Sister Act nuns awkwardly grafted onto it. Still, Whoopi Goldberg is her usual delightful self, but she’s outshined by these delightful kids, including a just-about-to-be-a-superstar Lauryn Hill as Rita, a high schooler whose mom hates choirs more than anything else. Next week: Death Proof (2007) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get extra episodes! In April, we’re covering the pilot episode of the American Office, Matt has thoughts on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and we’re reviewing M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening. Subscribe at patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:06:42 — Our personal histories with Sister Act 2 00:21:45 — History segment: Production of Sister Act 2 under director Bill Duke and its lasting legacy 00:39:30 — In-depth movie discussion 01:30:30 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Bill Duke on ‘Deep Cover,’ ‘Sister Act 2,’ and Reshaping What Black Movies Could Be in the ’90s” by Robert Daniels | IndieWire (2022) - https://bit.ly/3RNWPvw “How did ‘Sister Act 2’ become a classic musical?” by David Dennis Jr. | Andscape (2019) - https://bit.ly/3Yz9Xse “Sister Act 2 Cast Reunites to Sing 'Joyful, Joyful' and 'Oh Happy Day,' 30 Years After Film — Watch” by Dave Quinn | People Magazine (2024) - https://bit.ly/3G80r98 “A Fresh Take on Black America: On ‘Sister Act 2’” by Brandon Tensley | Los Angeles Review of Books (2023) - https://bit.ly/4iiL9vS “‘Sister Act 2’ Set the Gold Standard for Bad Sequels” by Caspar Salmon | Vice (2018) - https://bit.ly/3RkxkSv “Whoopi Goldberg looks back on Sister Act” by Mary Sellosi | Entertainment Weekly (2017) - https://bit.ly/4ig3Obm Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Enjoy nine free minutes from our Patreon-exclusive episode about the pilot of the American Office. Hear the full thing by subscribing at https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams for $5/month. Matt and Wade go through the pilot episode of the American Office. They compare their personal fandoms of the show and how deep their knowledge runs, and then briefly discuss how the show was adapted from the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, its rocky first season and slow ascent into a megahit, and its lasting cultural legacy. And as for the pilot itself, which is generally not well regarded, Matt is surprised at how solid it is, how good a job it does at setting up the series, and how fully formed the main characters already are. The Office was created by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, and developed by Greg Daniels. It stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer The pilot is directed by Ken Kwapis & written by Greg Daniels (adapted from a teleplay by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant) Original air date: March 24, 2005 Source: The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History by Andy Greene (2020) - https://amzn.to/4juDN9i Hear Wade's incredible album WHO SAID THAT? on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever else music is streamed. Or you can purchase the album from Bandcamp. Follow Wade on Instagram: @wadealready Music credit: "Never Trust a Bat" by Rural Route Nine. Listen on Spotify (https://bit.ly/3QBjavP), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/49PunSv), or YouTube (https://youtu.be/o7SivxabpYI). Live cover of The Office theme song by Better By Design, one of Wade's bands. Watch it in full: https://youtu.be/y4gVPgdVWY4

Hoppy Easter. We're taking the week off but don't want to leave you hopping. So here's our eggsipode about The Truman Show, in its entirety, previously available only to our Patreon subscribers. We'll be back next week with an all-new episode about Sister Act 2.

We welcome Hal (@shestructured on Letterboxd) and Craig (@gentlemanbaby on Letterboxd) from the Red Rose Film Club podcast to cover American Psycho (2000), the Wall Street horror/comedy starring Christian Bale as Patrick "Justin" Bateman. This movie’s got a lot going on, folks. And we get to it all—we determine who has the best business card, we explain why you wouldn’t want Christian Bale as your co-worker at Whataburger, we try to figure out what’s going on with Justin Theroux’s hair, and we marvel at Patrick Bateman’s chainsaw math. Also, is American Psycho Jared Leto’s villain origin story? But more than anything, we're trying to identify what exactly Patrick Bateman represents. Is he the embodiment of toxic masculinity? A victim of America’s addiction to competition and consumption above all else? A misunderstood baby boy? An iconic slasher villain? What if our answer was…. Yes? Next week: We are the nation’s top fun-havers, so we’re taking the week off for Spring Break. We'll unlock our The Truman Show episode from our Patreon archive, and we’ll be back on April 25, 2025 with a brand-new episode about Sister Act 2 (1993) with our friend Jen Walks N2 Walls. Subscribe to Red Rose Film Club: Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/42qrGU6 Spotify: https://bit.ly/4ieGX0b Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:08:00 — Our personal histories with American Psycho 00:16:30 — History segment: Bret Easton Ellis and his American Psycho novel; development of the film under director Mary Harron; star Christian Bale 00:41:45 — In-depth movie discussion 02:02:39 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “American Psycho: An Oral History, 20 Years After Its Divisive Debut” by Tim Molloy | Movie Maker, 2020 - https://bit.ly/44e4Kd2 “Blood, Boycott, and Body Bags: An Oral History of ‘American Psycho’” by Tatiana Tenreyro | Vice, 2020 - https://bit.ly/4i61CmW “Snuff This Book! Will Bret Easton Ellis Get Away With Murder?” by Roger Rosenblatt | The New York Times, 1991 - https://nyti.ms/3G0emOE Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

We bid a tearful farewell to our favorite actor, Gene Hackman, by discussing his hilarious evil Lex Luthor in Superman (1978). Richard Donner started the whole superhero movie idea with this film, but we won’t hold that against him. How electric are Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder? How great does this movie look? And why are so many children getting smacked by their mothers? Bonus video: We each give our most contrarian film opinion. Watch it on our Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram, or TikTok. Next week: American Psycho (2000) with the Red Rose Film Club podcast Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:01:16 — Our personal histories with Superman 00:09:40 — History segment: A very brief history of Superman (the character); development of Superman (the movie); career overview of director Richard Donner; career overview of star Christopher Reeve 00:31:50 — In-depth movie discussion 01:33:45 — Final thoughts and star ratings Source: “‘Superman,’ The Inside Story: Director Richard Donner Remembers Meeting Stallone to Play the Lead, Working With Brando, and a Near-Fatal Knife Attack” by Stephen Galloway | The Hollywood Reporter (2016) - https://bit.ly/4lezkt2 Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Enjoy 12 minutes from our Patreon-only bonus episode about The Royal Tenenbaums! Subscribe to Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5/month at https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams

Laci and Matt head to Palm Beach, Florida, to con some rich geriatrics out of their money with their best pals, Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt. That’s right, it’s the perfectly cromulent 2001 crime-comedy Heartbreakers, brought to you by director David Mirkin (showrunner of seasons 5 and 6 of The Simpsons, and director of previous episode Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion). Bonus video: Most awkward experience seeing a movie with a parent. Watch it on our Twitter or on our TikTok. Next week: Superman (1978) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:05:56 — Our personal histories with Heartbreakers 00:09:27 — History segment: Brief overviews of director David Mirkin and stars Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt; Laci and Matt listen to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s highest charting single to determine if they’ve ever heard it 00:21:00 — In-depth movie discussion 01:36:41 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Interview with David Mirkin” by Steve Head | IGN (2001) - https://bit.ly/3FEKirv “Jennifer Love Hewitt Answers Every Question We Have About Heartbreakers” by Ilana Kaplan | Vulture (2021) - https://bit.ly/42gS3g9 Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Our coverage of the late, great Gene Hackman begins with Laci and Matt getting sucked into the vortex of legal intrigue that is The Firm. And, okay, it’s not exactly a Gene Hackman movie, but he’s wonderful as always as part of this ensemble cast that is one of the all-time great ensemble casts. Seriously, this movie is a warm bath you can just slip into, not unlike Gene Hackman’s character Avery Tolar at the end of this film. Bonus video: We talk about things people do in the movies that are weird, very much unlike things that people in real-life do. Watch it on our Twitter, BlueSky, Instagram, or TikTok. Next week: Heartbreakers (2001) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:01:42 — Our personal histories with The Firm and the legal thriller sub-genre 00:16:54 — History segment: John Grisham and the ‘90s legal thriller boom; brief overview of director Sydney Pollack; production of The Firm movie 00:34:17 — In-depth movie discussion 02:07:57 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “John Grisham Is Still Battling His Southern Demons” by David Marchese | The New York Times (2022) - https://nyti.ms/3FB3E0G “Boxers, Briefs and Books” by John Grisham | The New York Times (2010) - https://nyti.ms/4kZ37WE “John Grisham Talks About ‘The Firm’” 2011 interview with NBC - https://youtu.be/5THJBePAbHc?si=9Wf7gicHtKL1zLUs Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.socia

Friend of the Show Screen Time Kota (https://www.tiktok.com/@screentimekota) returns to discuss the 1985 sci-fi film Enemy Mine. This hidden gem of an ‘80s sci-fi film has everything you want: practical effects, elaborate sets, miniature spaceships, matte paintings, and incredible makeup. Even more impressive is the performance of Louis Gossett Jr. underneath the intricate alien makeup. He and Dennis Quaid (a human) get stranded on a planet together; their species hate each other more than anything else… but somehow, they’ll need to learn to get along if they want to survive this. (They do.) Next week: The Firm (1993) Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:01:34 — Kota’s history with Enemy Mine 00:11:10 — History segment: Development of Enemy Mine, from novella to production under original director Richard Loncraine, to Loncraine getting replaced with Wolfgang Petersen; brief career overviews of stars Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr. 00:28:25 — In-depth movie discussion 01:13:35 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Wolfgang Petersen, the creator of Das Boot, ventures into outer space” by Michael Blowen | The Boston Globe (1985) “Gossett makes his own breaks” by Jay Scott | The Globe and Mail (1985) Artwork by Laci Roth. Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC). Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode: “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ Follow the show! Twitter: @LoadBearingPod | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Instagram: @loadbearingbeams TikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

Matt has a new podcast! Don't worry, Load Bearing Beams shall be unaffected. In fact, it can only grow stronger. The new podcast will come out once per month and it's about the classic Twilight Zone series. Along with Friend of the Show Patrick Perot (the 10 Things I Hate About You episode, the Blair Witch Project episode, Rural Route Nine), Matt will go through each episode of The Twilight Zone—one episode per podcast—in chronological order. And you can try out that podcast now: The Sign Post Up Ahead. To catch episodes 2 and 3 of The Sign Post Up Ahead, you can subscribe to the show: Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3DA3Z3c Spotify: https://bit.ly/4kEEvlM YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thesignpostupahead In the debut episode of the podcast, Matt and Patrick go through the very first episode of The Twilight Zone: "Where Is Everybody?" An amnesiac wanders through a town, unable to find a single human being, but always feeling like somebody is just out of reach. Creepy! How well does this episode serve as an introduction to The Twilight Zone? How well does it stand on its own? And how much does it hold up now? Plus, there's a lot of talk about the space race, the Cold War, and America's obsession with going to the moon. "Where Is Everybody" originally aired October 2, 1959; directed by Robert Stevens; written by Rod Serling; starring Earl Holliman.