When you’re having a dialogue about what kind of movie you want to see, that is Megalopolis. Sam and Rocky are here to break down the most polarizing and endlessly fascinating film in theaters right now. Persons of interest include Paul Newman, Jon Hamm, and Spike Lee.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Yes, that’s “hundred” with an “H”. Thanks to listeners like you, we’ve hit a huge milestone, and we’re celebrating the only way we know how: by being unfettered haters. Annas will be Invented, Jacobs will be Defended, we’ll find out which forgotten MCU property outlasted Endgame, and we’ll spend the length of an Avengers movie complaining. There may even be a post-credits scene? Persons of interest include Karl Rove, Morbius, and Disney Facebook groups.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Thank you all for your support, and expect more exciting things in the very near future. And as always, send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

On-set feuds. Studios collapsing. Tragic celebrity deaths. Real-life vampirism. The story of how AMC’s Anne Rice’s Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire came to be is undoubtedly one of the most harrowing we’ve ever covered. But what about the end result? Myles says yay, Rocky says… fine. Persons of interest include Cher, Bryan Fuller, and #JaredLeto.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Let’s look back on a time when superhero comedies could be, y’know, funny. First-time guest Lily joins Rocky to talk about a modern animated classic that may or may not stand in the shadow of another modern animated classic. Is it the big screen’s best Batman? Was it the death knell for the super-serious era of capeshit? Persons of interest include Ryan Reynolds, Michael Jackson, and Gob Bluth.See Lily introduce Dracula’s Daughter at the Los Feliz Theater this Sunday!Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Pulp Friction, Rocky and Ruth are cancelling themselves before Gen Z gets a chance as they look at the latest record from hip-hop’s incorrigible clown prince, Eminem. The rapper has spent the better part of the past 15 years trying to relive his old glory, but has he finally managed it here? Persons of interest include Spider-Man, Caitlyn Jenner, and Juvenile.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

We asked for your riddles, and you failed to deliver. Now, our intrepid heroes (Rocky, Sam, and Leon) find themselves at their lowest point, playing skiffle for scraps on the Universal Studios backlot. That won’t stop them in their quest to solve the Beatles’ riddle once and for all as they look at the band’s 4th studio album, Beatles for Sale. Persons of interest include Berry Gordy and his beam attack.Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Rocky and Alex come together once again to discuss Pixar in the A.D. (After Death) (of Steve Jobs) era. In some ways, it’s the depressing and slow death of a once-cherished creative force in American culture. In other ways, it’s an inevitable and much-deserved reckoning with the Great Man theory. In other ways, maybe things are on the right track? Persons of interest include John Lithgow.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Turns out, it takes way more than 90 minutes to talk about all the epic highs and lows of Pixar. That’s why it’s getting 2. This time, Rocky and Alex cover the legacy of Pixar in the B.C. (Before Cars 2) era. Persons of interest include Michael Eisner, Francis Ford Coppola, and Shrek.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Hey, did you guys know there was a Met Gala last week? We did, and we’re giving you a primer on some of the night’s best and worst fits, from lettuce to chips and princesses to pince-nezes. Who popped, who flopped, and what was the theme anyway? Persons of interest include Taylor Swift, Ice Spice, and Katy Perry, none of whom were in attendance for obvious reasons.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Find Simone on Twitter @parasocialyte. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

A few years ago, Taylor Swift said everybody was a sexy baby. Today, she says everyone smells like either weed or little babies. What is the truth, TayTay? This week, Rocky is joined by resident Swiftie Brig to discuss what may be Taylor’s least defensible album to date. Is she bad? Is she mad? Is she… wise? Persons of interest include Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey, and DRAAAKE???Intro (0:00)Fortnight (17:10)TTPD & My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys (25:28)Down Bad (31:11)So Long, London (33:13)Florida!!! (34:59)But Daddy I Love Him (36:10)Fresh Out the Slammer (39:09)Guilty As Sin? (41:50)Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? (44:28)I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) (45:58)loml (49:03)I Can Do It With a Broken Heart (51:03)Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (53:43)The Alchemy (55:11)Clara Bow (57:21)The Black Dog (59:07)imgonnagetyouback (1:04:47)The Albatross (1:06:06)Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus (1:07:25)How Did It End? (1:09:08)So High School (1:10:37)I Hate It Here (1:13:11)thanK you aIMee (1:16:15)I Look in People’s Windows (1:21:11)The Prophecy (1:21:47)Cassandra (1:22:08)Peter (1:23:50)The Bolter (1:24:43)Robin (1:25:51)The Manuscript (1:27:09)Outro (1:28:34)Pulp Friction can be found wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Noted Brit Alex Garland makes a film about American politics. What could go wrong? This week, Rocky (she/her) and Ruth (he/him) are fresh out of the theater to address the elephant in the room: Civil War is kinda interesting? Persons of interest include Jean-Claude Van Damme, Andy Ngo, and Brian De Palma.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Send riddles to pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Niche internet celebrity Natalie Wynn is back in the niche internet news, and Rocky is joined by Cody, our resident expert on the online left (and right), to tell Contra’s side of the story. If her screen name leaves a bad taste in your mouth, this episode invites you to ask, “Why?” Persons of interest include Rian Johnson, Hillary Clinton, and the Westboro Baptist Church.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

This is the big one, folks. Rocky and Blurry are talking about Zoomer Nickelback themselves, the band everyone loves to hate, Imagine Dragons. Were they always this bad? Were they lightning before the thunder? Is there actually something of value in their catalog? And most importantly, are they still Mormon or what? Persons of interest include Brendon Urie, Jesus, and Spider-Man.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Find Blurry’s animations @ Paranimate Productions on YouTube. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

What if you could watch a whole movie… on a screen? The screenlife films of Timur Bekmambetov imagine this twisted world, and Rocky is joined by Violet this week to look at the likes of Unfriended, Unfriended: Dark Web, Searching, and Missing. Persons of interest include Justin Bieber, Drake, and Roger Corman.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Each year, dozens of teens all over the world are driven mad with beguilement by the Beatles’ riddle. Rocky, Sam, and Leon are within a country mile of cracking it, and we need your help to continue our Beatle studies. For just riddles a day, you can promote this vital academic work.Pledge a recurring riddle donation, or simply share whatever riddles you have, by reaching out to Rocky, the Pulp Friction Discord server, or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com.You can donate riddles on a weekly, monthly, or even quarterly basis. Every riddle you submit will be read live on-air by our esteemed experts, and high-volume donors will receive special perks like:* A one-of-a-kind custom tote bag* A chance to appear on a future episodeOr whatever. So give a riddle. Just a little. Today.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

[CORRECTION: The song featured in Anatomy of a Fall is 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.,” not Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’”.]The movies are back in a big way this year, and Rocky (she/her) and Ruth (he/him) are looking back at a great year for cinema. Superheroes will die! Beau will be afraid! Canada will be nominated for Best International Feature!Check out the full list of winners below, or listen to the episode if you don’t want it spoiled. Listen to Pulp Friction wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Worst Picture: Haunted MansionBest Sequel: Magic Mike’s Last DanceBest Action: John Wick: Chapter 4Scariest Movie: SkinamarinkFunniest Movie: Dicks: The MusicalBest Animated Picture: The Boy and the HeronBest International Film: BlackBerry (Canada)Best Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos (A Haunting in Venice)Best Use of an Existing Song: “Push” by Matchbox Twenty (Barbie)Best Original Song: “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)” (Asteroid City)Best Score: Leo Birenberg & Charli XCX (Bottoms)Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola (Asteroid City)Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)Best Cameo: Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)Best Ensemble: Killers of the Flower MoonBreakout Performer: Alyssa Sutherland (Evil Dead Rise)Best Supporting Actress: Catalina Saavedra (Rotting in the Sun)Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)Best Lead Actor: Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City)Best Lead Actress: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)Best First Feature: A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One)Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)Best Picture: Oppenheimer This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

We’re baaaack!2023 is over, Rocky’s moved in to her new place, and she and Claire are breaking down the past year in music. There will be live changes! There will be bad opinions! Rocky will misremember the name of a Kesha album! Claire will mistakenly refer to Flyana Boss as one person! Slowthai!Check out the full list of winners below, or listen to the episode if you don’t want it spoiled. Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Biggest Earworm: “Hollywood Baby” by 100 gecsBest Comeback: Everything But the GirlBest Experimental Album: SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA and Danny BrownBest Country Album: Strays II by Margo PriceBest Jazz Album: The Omnichord Real Book by Meshell NdegeocelloBest Alt Album: Heavy Heavy by Young FathersBest R&B Album: Lahai by SamphaBest R&B Song: “Good Good” by Usher, Summer Walker, and 21 SavageBest Electronic/Dance Album: That! Feels Good! by Jessie WareBest Electronic/Dance Song: “Nothing Left to Lose” by Everything But the GirlBest Rock Album: Black Rainbows by Corinne Bailey RaeBest Rock Song: “Johnny johnny johnny” by underscoresBest Hip Hop Album: Welcome 2 Collegrove by 2 Chainz and Lil WayneBest Hip Hop Song: “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation” by Danny Brown feat. Kassa OverallBest Pop Album: Desire, I Want to Turn Into You by Caroline PolachekBest Pop Song: “One of Your Girls” by Troye SivanProducer of the Year: JPEGMAFIASongwriter of the Year: underscoresBreakout Artist: hemlocke springsSong of the Year: “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation” by Danny Brown feat. Kassa OverallAlbum of the Year: Wallsocket by underscores This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

It’s the last podcast of 2023, but Rocky (she/her) and Brig (she/he) couldn’t make it too easy on themselves. We covered Taylor Swift’s most seminal album to date, 1989, plus its recent rerecording. Is it as good as music journalists from roughly 2016-2019 said it was? How does Taylor’s version hold up with Max Martin on the ones and twos? Persons of interest include Mariska Hargitay, Welvin Da Great, and Henry Kissinger.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries. Stay tuned in January for the 2023 Pulpy Awards!Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

We all remember where we were when Fall Out Boy dropped their first-ever hip hop remix album, Make America Psycho Again. And if you don’t, Rocky, Sam, and Emily are here to jog your memory. The ill-fated album is a who’s who—and in some cases, a who’s that?—of 2015’s famous-but-not-too-famous rappers. Is it terrible? Take a wild guess. Persons of interest include two guys named Gabe, the extended Wilco family, and my mom who was studying spiders in the Amazon right before she died.Pulp Friction is available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe

Halloween is over, but Hollywood is here to stay! This episode, Rocky takes a look at one of the most beloved and divisive Best Picture losers in recent memory, La La Land, with the help of Flop Soup’s own Cassandra Kyriazis! You hate it, Cassandra loves it, Rocky’s ambivalent about it, but hey… that’s showbiz, baby! Persons of interest include Channing Tatum, Max Martin, and Lyle, Lyle Crocodile.Pulp Friction and Flop Soup are both available wherever pods are cast. Subscribe and share to support the show. Reach out to Rocky or pulpfrictioncast@gmail.com with any inquiries.Pulp Friction is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pulpfriction.substack.com/subscribe