Load Bearing Beams: A Movie Podcast

They thought they were making a movie that would save the environment and destroy extractive industries. Instead, they made a generation of millennials horny as hell for cartoon trees. FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a fascinating mid-budget animated film that presents a mighty counterweight to the Disney behemoth of the early 1990s: Modest in scope, budget-level pop songs, and an anti-capitalist message Disney would never allow (unless James Cameron does it). And it’s not a great movie, but it’s very good, and the animation is extremely impressive. And everyone jokes that Avatar lifts the story of FernGully…. But man, it really seems like Avatar has seen FernGully. Or maybe it’s just that there are so few anti-capitalist movies made by Hollywood studios that the few that exist all seem to resemble each other. Also: Seriously you guys, there is some legitimately horny stuff going on in this movie. Avatar also seems inspired by that part. Next week: Charlie’s Angels (2000) Bonus video: Matt reviews the 1980s Yugoslavian animated film The Elm-Chanted Forest. 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! https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:02:23 — Welcome to “season three” of Load Bearing Beams00:05:50 — Opening thoughts on FernGully00:21:32 — History segment: Producer Wayne Young and his wife Diana steward the FernGully project; animation lifer Bill Kroyer directs; Robin Williams’s hiring creates a feud with Disney and Jeffrey Katzenberg00:39:27 — Movie discussion01:17:42 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: "FernGully at 25: How an Upstart Disney Rival Created a Millennial Silent Spring" by Chantel Tattoli | Vanity Fair (2017) - https://bit.ly/4m3oZj9 "Ferngully an enchantment" by Jamie Portman | The Calgary Herald (1992) - https://bit.ly/3JKjxnM "Robin Williams's Change of Life" by Jesse Kornbluth | New York Magazine (1993) - https://bit.ly/4gbu8UQ “Technological Threat” (Bill Kroyer’s 1988 animated short) - https://youtu.be/t-IbidkpD74 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: “Your Ambition” - https://youtu.be/ZHudVTCkrQY “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 | @LRothConceptsInstagram: @loadbearingbeamsTikTok: @load.bearing.beams | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @loadbearingbeams.bsky.social

We weren’t expecting this miniseries on Dwayne Johnson to be so relevant, but as he debuted his “new look” at the Venice Film Festival and began his awards season campaign, Laci and Matt react to the news of the week and unpack his public comments. Johnson reflected on his own career with many of the thoughts we’ve had as we’ve gone through his filmography. Is he sincere about it, or just being a good politician trying to win an award? Does he mean it when he says he was ready to pivot to “serious acting” or he was forced to by having so many consecutive box office failures? And is Emily Blunt really his best friend? Does it matter? We take the new information and give our concluding thoughts on the acting career of The Rock, and then rank the nine movies we covered during the summer. And then, we answer some mailbag questions, including: Fuck/Marry/Kill: The duck who shows her tits in Howard the Duck, tiny Dwayne Johnson in Tooth Fairy, and the Thanksgiving turkey from Spider-Man?What relationship from any movie sums up our relationship?Is there a movie that strikes both of us in such a way that we connect over it?What are some underrated movie sequels?What makes us passionate about movies and TV?What movie makes us fight? 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! Next week: FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992). Bonus video: Matt does a deep dive into Tower of Terror (1997), the made-for-TV movie starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst and based on the Disney theme park ride English-language: https://youtu.be/kQf9FbCcbn4 Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 01:00 — Dwayne Johnson at the Venice Film Festival34:38 — Ranking the Summer of Rock movies37:02 — Mailbag Sources: “Dwayne Johnson Gets Choked Up Discussing ‘The Smashing Machine’ in Venice” by Patrick Brzeski | The Hollywood Reporter (2025) - https://bit.ly/487IeV4 "Dwayne Johnson Uncontrollably Sobs as ‘The Smashing Machine’ Gets 15-Minute Venice Standing Ovation and Generates Oscar Buzz" by Rebecca Rubin & Ramin Setoodeh | Variety (2025) - https://bit.ly/466fCsG 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). "Summer of Rock" theme song credits: Words and music by Matt Stokes Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds

This is the end, beautiful friends. We conclude the Summer of Rock with the much-better-than-I-remembered Jungle Cruise, a movie we abruptly pivoted to covering after trying to watch Black Adam and giving up out of boredom. We cover the history of movies based on theme parks, the rocky production of Jungle Cruise, its unfortunate failure at the box office, and then we go through the movie itself, trying to figure out if this is one of The Rock’s better late-career performances or if he’s being carried entirely by Emily Blunt. 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! Next week: We’ll have a shorter bonus episode to wrap up the Summer of Rock, and we’ll answer a few mailbag questions. Our next proper episode will be September 12, 2025, about FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992). Bonus video: Matt does a deep dive into Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, the 1989 English-language anime: https://youtu.be/nkFqlLFebn8 Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: Sources: https://bit.ly/3UPda4Whttps://bit.ly/47R1iH9 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: Follow Wade on Instagram: @wadealready Follow TJ on Instagram: @baresoundstwitaj Follow the show!

They went and made a dang spin-off to the Fast & Furious franchise, and it made a ton of money, and there's no chance it'll ever get a sequel because no one liked it. Especially not Matt. Matt is utterly miserable talking about Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), but Laci's able to help him get through it by diving in to all the messy drama surrounding Dwayne Johnson's feud with Vin Diesel that led to Luke Hobbs getting exiled from the main Fast & Furious series of movies. Next week: Black Adam (2022) 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! Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! — patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:02:20 — General thoughts on how The Rock is evolving, his chemistry with Jason Statham, and broad reactions to Hobbs & Shaw 00:22:10 — History segment, part 1: Career overview of Jason Statham and director David Leitch 00:31:30 — History segment, part 2: The feud between The Rock and Vin Diesel 01:03:35 — In-depth movie discussion 02:13:40 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Inside The Rock and Vin Diesel's 'Fast 8' Feud: 'Tension Has Been Building for Months,' Says Source” by Mike Miller | People (2016) - https://bit.ly/4lB8SJg “Vin Diesel talks Rock feud: 'In my house, he's Uncle Dwayne'” by Bryan Alexander | USA Today (2017) - https://bit.ly/4lB9Ntc “Vin Diesel Is 53 and Still Shifting Up” by Ryan D'Agostino | Men’s Health (2021) - https://bit.ly/4lx5fUv “Dwayne Johnson Lets Down His Guard” by Chris Heath | Vanity Fair (2021) - https://bit.ly/45qy3rI “Dwayne Johnson reflects on his record-breaking year, becoming the tequila king and whether he’ll run for the White House” by Chloe Melas | CNN (2021) - https://cnn.it/4mIWwj2 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

There were big expectations in 2017 for the Baywatch movie. 21 Jump Street had shown that raunchy, irreverent takes on cheesy '80s and '90s TV shows could earn bofo box office, and with the dual star power of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, it looked as if Baywatch couldn't miss. But critics hated it and the movie was a flop at the box office, canceling Paramount’s big plans for a Baywatch Cinematic Universe. So, what happened? And is the movie really as bad as its reputation? What does this movie think it is? Is it a raunchy R-rated comedy that wants to mock its source material? Or is it a loving tribute to the most-watched series in the world in the 1990s? It’s… kind of neither. Does The Rock make any sense in the lead role of Lieutenant Mitch Buchanan, or has he fully entered the “most boring actor in every movie he’s in” portion of his career? Why does the movie suddenly start working as a surprisingly functional comedy when The Rock inexplicably disappears from the movie for 25 minutes and Efron takes over as the lead? Join Laci, Matt, and our official Zac Efron correspondent Caleb for a spirited debate about a movie we’re actually pretty divided on. Plus a deep dive into the history of Baywatch and an in-depth look at Dwayne Johnson’s extended business empire. 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 takes us through movies (like Baywatch) that explicitly promise a sequel and then never end up getting a sequel: https://youtu.be/2pUm5aHkssE Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:04:03 — Our personal histories with Baywatch the TV series AND the movie 00:17:55 — History segment, part 1: The creation of Baywatch (the TV series), and its unlikely rise to become the most-watched show in the world 00:30:30 — History segment, part 2: The production of Baywatch (the movie) under director Seth Gordon 00:47:45 — History segment, part 3: An in-depth look at Dwayne Johnson’s business empire, insatiable appetite to own the world, potential presidential ambitions, and relationship with Vince McMahon 01:11:20 — Discussing the 2017 Baywatch movie at length 02:41:10 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: https://bit.ly/3JdxLgyhttps://bit.ly/45qy3rIhttps://bit.ly/41yxmePhttps://bit.ly/45gTDjT)https://bit.ly/4fyTaNbhttps://bit.ly/40Y00WMhttps://bit.ly/412Na9Ghttps://bit.ly/3UpMUhahttps://bit.ly/4mnSP2Dhttps://bit.ly/3Jy86PK 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

We're off for the week but here's an extensive chunk from our premium episode to tide you over till then. It's a spoiler-filled discussion of The Fantastic Four: First Steps with our guests Neophyte Reviews and Screentime Kota. The Summer of Rock resumes in one week with an episode about Baywatch (2017)! Another MCU movie has arrived, and Matt’s being a real Ebeneezer Scrooge about it. Neophyte Reviews and Screen Time Kota join the show to try to convince him not to be such a grump and to welcome things like light and joy into his heart. And so, we have for you a spoiler-filled discussion of Matt Shakman’s THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, in which an angry mob tries to steal a baby. (Matt’s on the mob’s side.) Meanwhile, Kota fills several chalkboards with equations to demonstrate the multiverses upon multiverse contained within this movie, and Neo explains the most powerful being in all of existence: Franklin. 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

Sony made a sequel to Jumanji, that sad Robin Williams movie from the ‘90s, 22 years later? And it made a billion dollars? And everyone liked it?? It’s true. And as a result, every time a movie studio makes a questionable legacy sequel this is why. They’re telling themselves: “It worked with Jumanji.” It’s why Disney is putting out a Tron movie this year. Well, the thing is, the movie needs to be good! And Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle IS good. It’s a very likable and winning comedy. It’s just kind of a lackluster blockbuster. But what a fun cast! The Rock is once again able to have fun playing a guy who feels very awkward looking like The Rock. Kevin Hart is very funny, Karen Gillan kicks ass, and Jack Black gives maybe his best ever performance. Nick Jonas is also here. And this movie has us asking the big questions. What makes you you and me me? Are our personalities completely predetermined? Do NPCs have a right to privacy? If you’re popular in high school, will you be popular for the rest of your life? And are dicks just the tits of the man? There’s also an unexpected 10-minute Blade Runner digression. 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! Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:02:45 — Our personal histories with Jumanji and its haphazard franchise 00:15:25 — History segment: Jumanji the book by Chris Van Allsburg; the original Joe Johnston movie starring Robin Williams; and the long path to the 2017 sequel directed by Jake Kasdan 00:33:00 — In-depth movie discussion 01:43:30 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “How Producer Matt Tolmach & Sony Revived The ‘Jumanji’ Franchise 22 Years After The Original” by Anthony D’Alessandro | Deadline (2017) - https://bit.ly/472moSn “Jumanji Overtakes Spider-Man as Sony's Biggest Domestic Box Office Release Ever” by Michael Domanico | IGN (2018) - https://bit.ly/4l5htUm 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

Pain & Gain is Michael Bay’s magnum opus, a razor-sharp dissection of the American id. This movie has it all: Con artistry, prosperity gospel, and drugs, drugs, drugs! It also features career-best performances of Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, and Anthony Mackie, and it’s easily Bay’s best movie. Indeed, it’s a look at an alternate career for Johnson where he could play interesting, complicated, vulnerable characters like he does in this movie. Instead, he made a bunch of movies with big cars and/or gorillas. Still, Pain & Gain is an absolute blast and we had a great time breaking it down, marveling at how much fun it is and how well it predicted what America would feel like in 2025. Next week: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) 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: Families in movies are always eating breakfast together, but nobody in real life actually does that, right? https://youtu.be/DwJNZkJ_SzA Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Time stamps: 00:12:07 — Our personal histories with Pain & Gain and Michael Bay 00:27:08 — History segment: The Rock returns to WWE from 2011-2013 for two matches against John Cena; Michael Bay’s relationship with the American military; the real-life Sun Gym Gang 00:42:43 — In-depth movie discussion 01:51:42 — Final thoughts and star ratings Sources: “Pain & Gain” by Pete Collins | The Miami New Times (1999) - https://bit.ly/4f1U30B “Pain & Gain: Where the Real-Life Sun Gym Gang Characters Are Now” by Francisco Alvarado | The Miami New Times (2013) - https://bit.ly/4kQFmyQ “‘Pain & Gain’ killers spared from death by Miami juries. They’ll still spend life in prison” by Charles Rabin | The Miami Herald (2024) - https://bit.ly/44Z5ukX “MICHAEL BAY - Understanding A True American Auteur (PART 1)” by Patrick H. Willems | YouTube (2019) - https://youtu.be/pyx7YRU4trs?si=y6YVZjRKXzld8ipA “MICHAEL BAY - Understanding A True American Auteur (PART 2)” by Patrick H. Willems | YouTube (2019) - https://youtu.be/kzzO14E-NLg?si=YYq1-nCEaT2_AGVl 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

Time stamps: 00:14:24 — Our personal histories with the Fast & Furious franchise 00:30:55 — History segment: The history of the Fast & Furious franchise; director Justin Lin; on the weekend of Fast Five’s release, Dwayne Johnson Tweets the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed 00:49:55 — In-depth movie discussion 02:02:15 — Final thoughts and star ratings Laci and Matt hop in a go-fast car and head for Rio de Janeiro to join up with Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), and their whole extended family, as they attempt the heist of the century. All while trying to evade federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), the deadliest agent you’ll find in Hillary Clinton’s State Department. We discover how fascinating Vin Diesel is for Laci, who has had startlingly little exposure to the man of the vast empire he controls. We try to figure out what it is he does well… because it’s hard to say what it is, there’s just something about him. Honestly, that’s true for Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Tyrese Gibson as well. It’s not that they’re captivating actors. They just have a certain quality that you can’t help but love. We also get into the history of the Fast & Furious series and the strange journey it took to becoming a Star Wars-level international blockbuster franchise. Next week: Pain & Gain (2013) 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 reviews Planet 51 (2009), the bonkers science fiction family film that was Dwayne Johnson’s first animated movie: https://youtu.be/-lG6Gnwe1GY?si=0gOccnMr7Pev3PPd Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams Sources: “'Fast Five' Will Transition Franchise From Street Racing To Future Full Of Heist Action” by Nikki Finke | Deadline (2011) - https://bit.ly/4kqBbtm “How Paul Walker nearly quit the ‘Furious’ franchise” by Amy Kaufman | Los Angeles Times (2015) - https://lat.ms/4kpmqH6 “The remarkable evolution of the Fast and Furious movie franchise” by Zach Harper | CBS Sports (2015) - https://bit.ly/3IaSYHF 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

It is with heavy hearts that we have to push back our release schedule one week. Actually, no, our hearts are light and full of joy. A new baby has been added to House Stokes in the form of past guest Elliott (from the Home Alone 2 episode) and his lovely wife having a baby. Said baby was just very inconsiderate in arriving at precisely the time we were set to record our Fast Five episode. So, it'll be here in a week. All will be well. In the meantime, we're flashing back to last summer when it was the Summer of Spielberg, and we're giving you one of our most popular episodes, the Jurassic Park episode featuring AJ and Kristie from the In Love With Horror podcast. The Summer of Spielberg continues as Laci and Matt were able to buckle their seatbelts in time for their helicopter to land on Isla Nublar, where they meet up with AJ & Kristie from the In Love With Horror podcast to talk about Jurassic Park (1993). The four team up for a rollicking podcast so good it’ll have you shouting “Hello John!” at total strangers. First of all, this famous action/horror/sci-fi/disaster epic has like 50 incredible lines of dialogue! So we just spend some time saying these lines at each other. But eventually we get into it, talking about the history of Michael Crichton’s novel and its adaptation by Steven Spielberg. Then we take a close look at the movie, wondering just how bad of a boss John Hammond must be and what exactly is the nature of his relationship with Ian Malcolm. Also, apparently John Hammond was originally intended to sing a song explaining how Jurassic Park works? Instead they did the Mr. DNA thing, but we would love to hear that song. Who knows... maybe we will. Please check out the great In Love With Horror podcast on Apple Podcast (https://apple.co/4b80RX2), Spotify (https://bit.ly/3KYfbXe), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/4btwtqp), and support them on Patreon (https://bit.ly/3VV0jzy). Watch this episode in full: https://youtu.be/o2RueFt2rC8 Time stamps: 00:09:41 — Our histories with Jurassic Park 00:30:05 — History segment: Career overview of Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton; overview of Spielberg’s career since 1982; and a brief overview of the production of the movie 00:48:16 — In-depth movie discussion 01:13:14 — John Hammond's deleted musical number 01:54:35 — Final thoughts and star ratings 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 Spielberg” - https://youtu.be/yglAqqLEaoI “Winston-Salem” - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM “Snake Drama” - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg “The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ “Summer of Spielberg” theme song credits: Words and music written by Matt Stokes Performed by Wade Hymel (drums/guitar), Laci Roth (vocals), and Matt Stokes (vocals/guitar/bass) Produced by TJ Barends, Wade Hymel, and Matt Stokes Engineered and mixed by TJ Barends at Bare Sounds Studio in Ponchatoula, Louisiana Sources: Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride - https://amzn.to/3xzYOx1 “'Jurassic Park' screenwriter David Koepp reveals the origin of the film's most quoted line” - by Tom Butler | Yahoo! Entertainment (2019) - https://yhoo.it/3VySSwv

Hey folks, we're off this week, but we'll be back next week with our Fast Five episode, as the Summer of Rock rolls on! In the meantime, enjoy some samplings from the additional bonus material available on our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@loadbearingbeamspod). Time stamps: 1:30 — Top-Five Jurassic Park Movies (excluding Jurassic Park) 9:06 — Revisiting Gareth Edwards's Godzilla (2014)

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