The Cold Open Podcast

In the Cold Open Mini #35, the third of our seven pods dissecting each of part of Director Zack Snyder’s 4 hour (re)cut version of DC’s The Justice League, Kynde Kiefel and Robert Sickels examine Part 3: Beloved Mother, Beloved Son. We discuss a variety of things, including our thoughts about the daddy and mommy issues that apparently haunt all super heroes, the parallels between Ezra...

In the Cold Open Mini #34, the second of our seven pods discussing each of part of Director Zack Snyder’s 4 hour (re)cut version of DC’s The Justice League, Kynde Kiefel and Robert Sickels examine Part 2: The Age of Heroes. We discuss a variety of things, including our thoughts about Zack Snyder’s love affair with slow motion, the glorious fetishization of Jason Mamoa, and the id...

In the Cold Open Mini #33, the first of our seven pods looking at each of part of Director Zack Snyder’s 4 hour (re)cut version of DC’s The Justice League, Kynde Kiefel and Robert Sickels examine Part 1: “Don’t Count On It, Batman.” We discuss a variety of initial responses, including our thoughts about the choice of a 4 x 3 aspect ratio, the excellent use of music th...

In The Cold Open Mini #32.2, Robert Sickels and Kathryn Frank rank the top 5 of the more than 60 movies to date that feature Marvel Comics’ characters. This pod includes only one crossover pick and a lot of great discussion about a ton of fantastic movies and their roots in the comics as well their cultural and industrial impact! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spoti...

In The Cold Open Mini #32.1, Robert Sickels and Kathryn Frank rank the bottom 5 of the more than 60 movies to date that feature Marvel Comics’ characters. This pod includes surprisingly little crossover and a controversial top pick from Kathryn! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #31, Matt Reynolds and Kathryn Frank discuss media that is unexpectedly particularly relevant to our present cultural moment, touching on Watchmen, Blockers, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, and a variety of other things along the way. The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #30, Matt Reynolds and Robert Sickels have a VERY SPOILER HEAVY discussion about the delightful romantic comedy Palm Springs, which is currently available to stream on Hulu. The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #29, Kynde Kiefel and Kathryn Frank discuss their top 5 lists of Movies or TV shows that deserved a sequel or an additional season.  R.I.P. F/X’s beloved but little seen Terriers. And Sense8.  And Princess Jellyfish.  And Lady Dynamite.  And all kinds of other great movies and shows! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, revie...

In The Cold Open Mini #27, Kathryn Frank and Robert Sickels discuss underrated media from otherwise widely celebrated artists, including works by Alfonso Cuarón, Sofia Coppola, John Waters, Spike Lee, David Simon, and Steven Soderbergh. The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #26, The King of Staten Island Edition, Kynde Kiefel and Robert Sickels break down the new Judd Apatow film, which features Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, and Marisa Tomei. In addition to delving into the film’s many merits, they also place it in the context of Apatow’s career and consider what its being released for purchase directly into homes might portend for the m...

In The Cold Open Mini #25, Kathryn Frank and Robert Sickels discuss their favorite bits of cultural consumption during their recently ended time of sheltering in place. The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

What makes for a complex protagonist on a TV show?  Kynde Kiefel and Kathryn Frank grapple with this question on The Cold Open Mini #24–The Top 5 Most Complex TV Protagonists Edition.  These are fascinating lists, running the gamut of characters from animated shows and mainstream genre shows, to those featured on prestige series and even reality TV! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podc...

In the Cold Open Mini #23, Matt Reynolds and Kynde Kiefel rank the best/weirdest/most riveting/off the rails Nicolas Cage performances. The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #22, Kathryn Frank and Robert Sickels name their top five favorite English language remakes of foreign films, which includes remakes of films from all over the world! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #21, The Top 5 Pop Culture Blindspots Part #2 Edition, Kynde Kiefel and Robert Sickels name their top 5 pop culture blind spots, which includes, among other things around which there’s an inexplicable cultural hubbub, reality TV singing competitions, Twitter, the Kardashians, Twitch, and one hugely popular TV sitcom that made both of their lists! The Cold Open Podcast i...

Despite an unexpected dusting of morning snow covering the Blue Mountain foothills to the east of Walla Walla, the weather is definitely turning for the better. The valley is in bloom and summer is rapidly approaching.  With that in mind, in The Cold Open Mini #20,  Matt Reynolds and Kathryn Frank name their top 5 songs in anticipation of summer. The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcast...

When the nominees for the 81st Academy Awards were announced, there was an immediate uproar surrounding The Dark Knight’s failure to secure a Best Picture nomination.  After that initial uproar and the subsequent poorly rated Oscars’ telecast, the Academy revamped the rules to include up to 10 Best Picture nominees in the hopes of including more audience friendly box office hits, à la...

In The Cold Open Mini #18, The Top 5 Songs About Art Edition, Matt Reynolds and Kynde Kiefel reveal their wildly eclectic lists.  And in an expected turn of events, one of them shares their singing voice!!! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

It’s been argued that great books make for bad movies, so does that mean that bad books make for great movies?  Or is the truth stranger than fiction?  Find out the answer to these questions and more in The Cold Open Mini #17–The Top 5 Best & Worst Movies Based on Books Edition–in which Kynde Kiefel names the worst ever literary adaptions while Kathryn Frank names the best.  And ne...

In The Cold Open Mini #16–The Don’t Remake That Edition–Matt Reynolds and Robert Sickels each name their top 5 worst movie remakes. While there are no shared choices, there is a recurring figure (hint: his name rhymes with “Rickolaus Mage”) and a recurring genre (hint: there is singing and dancing). The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so...

In The Cold Open Mini #15, The Top 5 Reasons to Watch, or Not Watch, The Tiger King Edition, Robert Sickels and Kynde Kiefel give their reasons, with Kynde being pro and Robert being con. The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #14, The Top 5 Pop Culture Blindspots Part #1 Edition, Matt Reynolds and Kathryn Frank go over their lists, which include some jaw dropping choices. Friends? Yup. K-Pop. Yessiree. Harry Potter????? The Simpsons????? How is that even possible!!! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #13, The Top 5 Best Movies Adapted from Comic Books Edition, Kathryn Frank and Robert Sickels give their super intriguing lists, highlighted by Kathryn’s very surprising #1! The Cold Open Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, so please rate, review, and subscribe!

In The Cold Open Mini #12, The Navel Gazing Edition, Matt Reynolds names his top five episodes from mostly other podcasts named The Cold Open, whereas Kynde Kiefel names her top five episodes of this Cold Open podcast. You get the added bonus of hearing Matt’s dog bark in the background and a dishwasher being unloaded. Welcome to podcasting remotely from our respective houses! The Cold Open...

You’re home. A lot. And you need something to watch. But not Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, or the usual suspects people suggest. You want something . . .  different. Enter The Cold Open Mini #11, in which Kynde Kiefel and Kathryn Frank name their top 5 non-canonical TV shows to rewatch (or watch for the first time) during our time of lockdown. Anime! Sitcoms! Comedy shows! All kinds of aweso...