Small Beans

Michael and Abe are joined by friend of the pod Vanessa Guerrero to discuss 1971’s Wake In Fright. It’s an Australian movie that follows a school teacher as he kind of descends into the madness of the outback and it’s a pretty unforgettable film (and free on youtube)! This episode is brought to you by Theo. You can be like Theo by heading over to the Small Beans patreon and pledging for the Pick t...

Our limited series with co-hosts Abe Epperson and David Bell digs deep into the internet meme of the “dad movie.” We can all probably name a dad movie, but can we isolate the tropes that really make this a bona fide film genre? Let’s find out! Features: Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/abethemighty David Bell: https://twitter.com/MovieHooligan Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: ht...

In a never-ending quest to both sell books and ruin his own passions and pastimes, Michael Swaim has invited fellow author Jason Pargin (John Dies at the End, Zoey Ashe series) to break down all the hardest aspects of maintaining a career as a novelist, and learns lessons that apply to all of us, especially the ones with jobs or who want things. Buy Michael’s book: https://www.patreon.com/smallbea...

Our three co-hosts are stuck in the multiverse and need to get back to their home universe. Clearly, the only way to do that is to explore our cultural obsession with multiverses, alternate timelines and parallel worlds, and tie it all into a conversation about post-modern art, pop culture, and the lessons these stories teach us. Also, each episode, one of them is an asshole who will probably sabo...

We have another patron-chosen episode! This episode covers Adam and Maggie’s picks for movies that exude female empowerment. Maggie talks about her new cat backpack (she now has a backpack to hold her cat in). They also reveal more details about their new video podcast that will soon release on Maggie’s YT channel. Vote every month on our poll for the topic of the next episode! Email us suggestion...

Michael and Abe are joined by Cody Johnston to discuss 1986’s True Stories, directed by David Byrne. They discuss how David Byrne is an alien, how the movie is an ASMR-like experience, and how great the music is. Features: Cody Johnston: https://twitter.com/drmistercody Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Support Small Beans and access Addit...

Abe and Mike discuss the 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption! Our kings discuss perhaps our most anticipated movie yet! Will it dethrone The Shining on the top of our list? Has Frank Darabont etched his way into the title of Best King Director? Will Red ever learn the harmonica? These things are more, right now! Features: Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https://twitter....

Michael and Abe are joined by Katy “Big Stollhouse” Stoll to discuss 2002’s Bowling for Columbine, directed by Michael Moore. They discuss propaganda, America, and sadly, the enduring legacy of its topic. Features: Katy Stoll: https://twitter.com/katystoll Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Support Small Beans and access Additional Content:...

Sarah and “The Bridge'' have a new trilogy to cover. This time it’s the Cornetto trilogy (aka The Three Flavours Cornetto”) by Edgar Wright! Let’s kick things off with 2004’s Shaun of the Dead! Features: Bridgett Greenberg: https://twitter.com/BridgettTweets Sarah Griffith: https://www.tiktok.com/@sk_griffith Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans Che...

Michael and Abe are joined by Jason Pargin to discuss 2013’s Enemy, directed by Denis Villeneuve. It’s the clone movie with Jake Gyllenhaal that has spiders! What does it all mean? The boys unpack the movie’s metaphors and land on that it probably shouldn’t be taken literally. Features: Jason Pargin: https://twitter.com/JasonKPargin Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https...

Adam and Abe talk about how movies with one location run the risk of becoming stale. John Hughes and his Breakfast Club makes the case for how a visually simple movie can become a classic. Features: Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Adam Ganser: https://twitter.com/therealganz Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans Check our store to buy...

Our limited series with co-hosts Abe Epperson and David Bell digs deep into the internet meme of the “dad movie.” We can all probably name a dad movie, but can we isolate the tropes that really make this a bona fide film genre? Let’s find out! Features: Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/abethemighty David Bell: https://twitter.com/MovieHooligan Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: ht...

Michael and Abe are joined by Billy Wayne Davis to discuss 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite. They discuss how culturally influential this movie was for about six months, the interesting backstory of its marketing, and how 2004 was stacked for comedies. Features: Billy Wayne Davis: https://twitter.com/BillyWayneDavis Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMigh...

Abe and Mike discuss the 1995 drama Dolores Claiborne! Our kings discuss its similarity to Gerald’s Game, the impressive acting chops of Kathy Bates, and the ever elusive Maine accent. Features: Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans Check our store to buy Sma...

The day you’ve been waiting for has arrived. 1Upsmanship returns! New season, new place! This show’s new home is on the Small Beans patreon channel. For a few bucks a month, you will get 2 episodes of 1Ups every month! Pretty cool! The show returns with an episode about games that formed the hosts’ form and shape of what “games should be.” A look into the gaming brains of one Michael Swaim and one...

Our three co-hosts are stuck in the multiverse and need to get back to their home universe. Clearly, the only way to do that is to explore our cultural obsession with multiverses, alternate timelines and parallel worlds, and tie it all into a conversation about post-modern art, pop culture, and the lessons these stories teach us. Also, each episode, one of them is an asshole who will probably sabo...

AN EXCLUSIVE EPISODE ON THE FREE FEED?!?! What will we do next? If you forgot, this show takes a Futurama episode and thematically pairs it with an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which works surprisingly well. This episode covers Futurama episode “Crimes of the Hot.” This show exclusively releases every other episode here on the Small Beans patreon. Wimmy Wam Wam Wozzle! Features: Mich...

Michael and Abe are joined by Vanessa Guerrero to discuss 1974’s Phantom of the Paradise, directed by Brian De Palma. All three weigh in on this cult classic and bask in the glory of Beef. If you enjoy the campy, wild style of films like Rocky Horror Picture Show or Eraserhead, you should watch this movie. Features: Vanessa Guerrero: https://twitter.com/nessguerrero Michael Swaim: https://twitter....

Adam and Abe talk about how the fight scenes in Kingsman: The Secret Service serve as a kind of state of the union of action films, combining multiple genres. They also look at how director Matthew Vaughn puts his unique spin on the action sequence. Just like the movie, it ends in anal. Features: Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Adam Ganser: https://twitter.com/therealganz Support Sm...

Our new limited series with co-hosts Abe Epperson and David Bell digs deep into the internet meme of the “dad movie.” We can all probably name a dad movie, but can we isolate the tropes that really make this a bona fide film genre? Let’s find out! Features: Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/abethemighty David Bell: https://twitter.com/MovieHooligan Support Small Beans and access Additional Content...

Abe and Mike discuss the 2017 horror film Gerald’s Game! Our kings discuss director Mike Flanagan and how he’s well-suited to tell a King story, the flaws of act two, and how survival just comes down to giving to the bag of bones. Features: Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: https://www.pat...

We have another patron-chosen episode! This episode covers Adam and Maggie’s picks for movies that are better than the book they’re based on. Adam talks about his recent run in with a rectal thermometer. They both present some beef with society’s decision to go outside while the world is at its hottest. Also, remember: be friends with everyone; take a pottery class. Vote every month on our poll fo...

Our three co-hosts are stuck in the multiverse and need to get back to their home universe. Clearly, the only way to do that is to explore our cultural obsession with multiverses, alternate timelines and parallel worlds, and tie it all into a conversation about post-modern art, pop culture, and the lessons these stories teach us. Also, each episode, one of them is an asshole who will probably sabo...

This show goes over the short stories of Michael’s favorite speculative fiction author and notable curmudgeon Harlan Ellison. Each episode Michael pairs (read: forces a friend to read) a short story with a guest that it “applies especially to.” This episode it’s the short story Catman and the guests are Stephen Wright and Chase Stowell, the co-editors and writers for Impossible Worlds, a quarterly...

Michael and Abe are joined by Ryan Pequin (Three Word Phrase, Shape Island) to discuss 1996’s Brain Candy. They discuss how influential Kids in the Hall were for each of them, comedy in the 90s, and try to break down KITH’s unique brand of comedy. Features: Ryan Pequin: https://twitter.com/ryanpequin Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP Abe Epperson: https://twitter.com/AbeTheMighty Suppo...