Adaptive Difficulty

If I had a nickel for every time Jack Black starred in a movie based on a kid's beloved video game franchise that involved traveling to an alternate dimension through a portal hidden in an abandoned industrial sector, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Join as we explore 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https...

What's the most you've ever lost on a coin toss? Does Chigurh vote? And who would he vote for? Is this podcast lucky, since it travelled all this way to your ears? Join us as we ruthlessly chase down No Country for Old Men , the 2007 film based on the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy.

Nothing is more alluring than a big hole in the earth. Anything could be inside: buried treasure, dangerous monsters, the friendship we made along the way. Those big holes call to us, and we answer the call. Join us as we dig down deep into Holes , the 2003 movie adaptation starring Shia LaBeouf, based on Louis Sachar's 1998 novel of the same name. Make sure to fill up your canteen and thank Mr. S...

Is it cheating if your AI girlfriend invites them into the bedroom? A question for the ages that this film offers but stubbornly refuses to answer. I guess it also explores questions of what it means to be alive and human. But mainly the first one. Join us with what we're tentatively calling New Pod Plus for a return to the world of Blade Runner in this somewhat sequel, Blade Runner 2049 .

Do you remember those robot dogs from the early 2000s? This is basically the same thing. With more violence, existential questions, and sexy robots, of course. Join us as we explore Blade Runner (1982) based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? from 1968.

Inconceivable! We finally made it to The Princess Bride, and it's got everything. Fighting, death, rodents of unusual size, true love, mawage, an evil life sucking machine. Most importantly: an enduring mockery for literary criticism! Join us as we examine 1987 film The Princess Bride based on William Goldman's 1973 book The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adven...

The Princess Bride is in another castle. We'll get there one day. In the meantime, let's chase some cultural... relevance feels too strong a word for 2025's A Minecraft Movie based on, of course, the video game Minecraft . It's more buzz than anything, and I hate bees! And this movie! We strongly advise listening to this while you mine and you craft and even while you minecraft! Music Credit: Musi...

A dead rabbit; a hard-boiled detective; Jessica Rabbit. Need I say more? This week we are focusing on 1988's film Who Framed Roger Rabbit based on the 1981 novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, written by Gary Wolf. I never considered that a book and movie about Toons would cause such existential dread. Imagine being stuck as a baby for your entire life? Imagine being witness to your own murder? H...

Sometimes you make poor choices, but you can take comfort in knowing that you never agreed to let someone chop off your head. Right? This time, we are focusing on the 2021 film The Green Knight , a surreal reimagining of "Gawain and the Green Knight", the 14th century anonymous poem. It's quite the journey! MUSIC CREDIT: Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/f...

There's no place like home, especially when listening to your favorite podcast. While you walk the yellow brick road, enjoy a lively discussion about 1900's The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and it's classic 1939 adaptation starring Judy Garland. Plus some important information about the future of this show. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/monument-music/...

A long time ago, in 1977, George Lucas gifted the world with Star Wars, eventually renamed to A New Hope . But even before then a book was published that would earn the ire of two friends like never before. Join us as we examine the 1976 novelization of Star Wars, credited to Lucas, but ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster.

Wonka! Wonka! Wonka! Wonka! Wonka! Wonka! Wonka! Wonka! Two brave boys, Josh and Cameron, must take on their greatest challenge yet: the Wonka Verse! With three films - 1971 and 2005 and 2023 - and its original source material itself, they got their hands full and a hatful of dreams!

Man! These women sure are little! Until they're not, I guess! But that's life. This week Cameron and Josh, along with a special guest, tackle the wonderful work of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of the same name. Join us and maybe we'll give you a pickled lime.

Look, strange letters anonymously delivered is no basis for a dinner party. Clue (1985), a black comedy murder mystery, stars Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren. They are sucked into a mystery that gets stranger and more confusing the longer they investigate. To make a long story short ( TOO LATE!) , this film's got it al...

Lemme see what you have? A Knife! No! Betrayal, power, and a severed head can sum up Macbeth the play and Macbeth the (2010) film, starring Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood, but everyone knows Shakespeare preferred an hour and fourteen-minute podcast as the medium to discuss his work. Thankfully, we're here to provide what Billy needed.

Stay gold with this first episode of Adaptive Difficulty! In this episode, we explore the works of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and its 1983 adaptation of The Outsiders, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.