The Rank

🎬🌎 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John dives into Best Picture Rankings with a look at the acclaimed Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, the film is set in Brazil in 1977, during the height of the country’s military dictatorship. The story follows Armando, a former professor who becomes entangled in the dangerous polit...

🚕🎭 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John returns to Sitcom Rankings with a look at an acting-world misadventure from the classic sitcom Taxi — Season 3, Episode 6: “The Ten Percent Solution.” The story centers on struggling actor Bobby Wheeler, who is frustrated after losing an acting job to someone he believes got the part simply because of the “right look.” During a conversation at the Sun...

🎙️🍝 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John returns to Sitcom Rankings with a look at The Mindy Project Season 3, Episode 15: “Dinner at the Castellanos.” The episode centers on Mindy Lahiri as she prepares to share some life-changing news with Danny. Still, before she can say a word, Danny’s estranged father, Alan Castellano, and his rebellious teenage daughter unexpectedly arrive in New York,...

🎬🏓 On this episode of Best Picture Rankings, John dives into the ambitious 2025 sports drama Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie and starring Timothée Chalamet in one of the most talked-about performances of the year. Set in the gritty streets of 1950s New York, the film follows Marty Mauser, a fast-talking hustler and obsessive table-tennis prodigy determined to transform himself from an unk...

👊🚕 John’s back at the Sunshine Garage for Taxi, Season 3, Episode 5: “Going Home.” This episode veers into Taxi’s more personal territory as Reverend Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd) receives an unexpected message from his past, a private investigator hired by his wealthy father finds him and delivers plane tickets and an invitation to visit home for the first time in decades, opening the door...

🎙️💼 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John dives into Sitcom Rankings with a look at The Mindy Project Season 3, Episode 14: “No More Mr. Noishe Guy.” Mindy Lahiri’s life takes a major turn as she continues her medical fellowship in San Francisco and faces two huge crossroads. When her colleague Rob offers her the chance to start a fertility clinic of her own in the city, Mindy is thrilled, bu...

👊🥊 John’s back with Sitcom Rankings as he dives into Married… with Children Season 3, Episode 15: “The Harder They Fall.” In this riotous installment, a routine drive to the video store turns into a Bundy-level crisis when Peggy flips off a reckless driver who cuts them off in traffic. The offended motorist follows them home, and Steve Rhoades, spooked and convinced the angry stranger is coming...

🎙️🏆 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John takes a deep, emotional turn with Best Picture Rankings as he examines the acclaimed 2025 drama Hamnet — a richly crafted historical film from director Chloé Zhao that’s become one of the year’s most talked-about awards contenders. Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, the story imagines the family life of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wi...

👊🚕 John’s back at the Sunshine Garage for Taxi — Season 3, Episode 4: “Elaine’s Strange Triangle.” In this sharp and hilarious installment, Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) thinks she’s finally found a promising new romantic connection when a handsome man named Kirk approaches her at Mario’s pub. With Tony Banta (Tony Danza) acting totally uncharacteristically as Cupid, Elaine and Kirk start dating...

🎙️💕 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John checks back in with The Mindy Project for Sitcom Rankings as he explores Season 3, Episode 13: “San Francisco Bae.” After settling back into life in New York and navigating the ups and downs of her relationship with Danny, Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) heads out for a night in San Francisco where everything almost goes sideways. While trying to make fri...

🎙️🚂 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John turns his attention to Best Picture Rankings with a look at the acclaimed 2025 Netflix drama Train Dreams, a richly atmospheric adaptation of Denis Johnson’s beloved novella. Starring Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, the film follows a humble railroad laborer whose life unfolds across the rapidly changing American landscape of the early 20th century....

👊💸 John’s back on the couch with Sitcom Rankings for a look at Married… with Children Season 3, Episode 14: “A Three Job, No Income Family.” In this uproarious installment, money troubles hit the Bundy household, and Peggy decides the best way out of the family’s financial rut is to get Al a second job. When she finds a position selling Patty Bright Cosmetics on commission, she insists Al try it...

👊🚕 John’s back at the Sunshine Garage for Taxi, Season 3, Episode 3: “Fathers of the Bride.” In this heartfelt and hilarious installment, Alex Rieger learns from a newspaper wedding announcement that his estranged daughter, Cathy, is getting married, yet he wasn’t invited to the ceremony. Feeling hurt, surprised, and determined, Alex decides he won’t miss it for the world and talks Elaine Nardo...

🎙️📍 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John dives into Sitcom Rankings with a look at The Mindy Project Season 3, Episode 12: “Stanford.” After Mindy Lahiri’s big holiday cliffhanger, where she learned she’d earned a prestigious fellowship at Stanford University, this episode follows her as she actually heads to Stanford and faces the realities of her new academic life. Mindy arrives eager, sty...

👊💃 John rolls into Sitcom Rankings with a look at Married… with Children Season 3, Episode 13: “Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me.” When Kelly (Christina Applegate) finds herself in trouble at Polk High for a prank that disrespected the school’s dance club, Principal Wicker gives her a choice: join the tap-dance club… or face harsher punishment. True to Bundy logic, Kelly reluctantly agrees — leading to...

🎙️🧪 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John dives into Best Picture Rankings with a look at the 2025 Netflix release Frankenstein — a bold, visually striking reimagining of Mary Shelley’s seminal 1818 novel brought to life by acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro. The film follows Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant but obsessively driven scientist who becomes consumed with one of hu...

👊🚕 John’s back at the Sunshine Garage for Taxi — Season 3, Episode 2: “Tony’s Sister and Jim.” In this classic character-driven comedy, Tony Banta (Tony Danza) brings his newly divorced sister Monica to the garage with hopes of playing Cupid, specifically hoping Alex (Judd Hirsch) might be just the guy to help her get back out into the dating world. Tony’s protective instincts and matchmaking am...

🎙️🎄 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John unwraps a holiday favorite on Sitcom Rankings as he looks at The Mindy Project Season 3, Episode 11 — “Christmas.” As the holidays approach, Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) can’t help but wonder if this Christmas will finally be the one — you know, the one where Danny (Chris Messina) pops the question. She’s convinced he’s going to propose, and that belie...

🎙️🍿 John’s back on the couch for Sitcom Rankings with a look at Married… with Children Season 3, Episode 12: “My Mom, the Mom.” In this episode, Kelly invites Peggy to Polk High’s Mother-Daughter Career Day, where Peggy takes the stage to represent what she views as the ultimate career — being a wife and homemaker. With her trademark confidence and zero real domestic skills, Peggy hilariously dis...

🎙️🏁 On this episode of The Rank Podcast, John hits the Best Picture Rankings pit lane with a review of the 2025 sports action drama F1: The Movie — the biggest racing blockbuster of the year. Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes, the film reinvigorates the high-stakes world of Formula One with both heart and velocity. Thirty years after a near-career-ending crash dera...

🎙️🌍 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John tackles Best Picture Rankings with a dive into the wildly unpredictable 2025 sci-fi dark comedy Bugonia — the latest daring film from director Yorgos Lanthimos starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. A surreal blend of satire, science fiction, and social commentary, the story centers on Teddy Gatz (Plemons), a conspiracy-obsessed beekeeper who becomes...

👊🚕 John’s back at the Sunshine Garage for Taxi — Season 3, Episode 1: “Louie’s Rival.” In this season-opening classic, Louie De Palma finds himself lovesick and competitive when his girlfriend Zena Sherman starts seeing someone new — a bartender named Dwight — leaving Louie convinced he’s about to lose her for good. Humiliated and worried, Louie enlists Alex Rieger to help him reclaim Zena’s aff...

🎙️🍽️ John’s back with the Bundys for Sitcom Rankings as he digs into Married… with Children Season 3, Episode 11 — “Eatin’ Out” — a classic tale of dysfunctional family dining with all the bitter humor you’d expect from the Bundy clan. After Peggy inherits $237 from her late Uncle Henry, the family decides to splurge — which, for the Bundys, means heading to an upscale restaurant for a night out....

🎺🎶 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John steps into small-town America for Best Picture Rankings with a look at the beloved 1962 musical The Music Man. Directed by Morton DaCosta and based on Meredith Willson’s hit Broadway show, the film stars Robert Preston as fast-talking con man Professor Harold Hill, who arrives in River City, Iowa, with a suitcase full of schemes and a single goal: swi...

🎙️😂 In this episode of The Rank Podcast, John dives into Sitcom Rankings with a look at The Mindy Project — focusing on Season 3, Episode 10: “What About Peter?” This installment centers on Peter Prentice (Adam Pally) as he struggles to leave behind his frat-house lifestyle and finally become a grown-up — or at least look like one. After Mindy (Mindy Kaling) discovers that Peter still lives in a...