The Sticky Floors Podcast

Major spoilers this week as we reviewed the sequel, Joker Folie a’ Deux starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. We discuss the vision of Todd Philips for this film and whether it is executed. We also break down the movie history of Harley Quinn, what the Joker actually represents, inspirations for the movie and its characters, the sad story of Arthur Fleck, whether there are easter eggs to other B...

This week, we review the Michael Mann classic, Heat, featuring an ensemble cast and starring Al Pacino, Robert Dinero, and Val Kilmer. We discuss how the characters and families reflect concepts of pragmatism and pessimism, the interplay between Pacino and Dinero, why we love Val Kilmer’s character in this film, the necessary loud acting of Pacino, the Mt. Rushmore of gangster movies, what happens...

We celebrate our 50th episode with 2012’s Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy, Richard Jenkins, and Ben Mendelsohn. We talk about the movie as an allegory for the 2008 financial crisis, the crimes of desperate people, how much or how little a life is worth, this movie as a condemnation of the mafia movie, and the difference between a cliffhanger and...

This week we review the 1980’s classic, Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, and Jesse Ventura. We discuss the 80’s movies as a vibe, Schwarzenegger vs Stallone, the best Arnold Schwarzenegger films, the fun of randomly shooting big guns in the jungle, what Predators do when they go on vacation, and who would star in a remake of this movie.

This week we review the movie Dark Waters, starring Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, and Tim Robbins. We discuss corporate malfeasance and responsibility, the real-life story this movie is based on, what makes a person a success, whether this movie should be a documentary, real-life heroes, and who should be held responsible when corporations do harm to people.

As we get closer to the start of the football season, we review the college football classic, The Program, starring James Caan, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer, Andrew Bryniarski, Duane Davis and Halle Berry. We discuss how this movie has aged, what it would look like in the NIL world of today, the stereotypes in the movie, what conference ESU actually plays in, whether its ever ok to be a side-dude, and...

We kick off Season Five with the 2013 horror movie, The Purge, starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. We discuss whether the Purge makes people violent or stops them from being more violent, what the rules mean for crimes outside of murder, the major therapy the kids are going to need, why these movies are so popular and have created the Purge cinematic universe, what happens the day after the Purg...

Major spoilers ahead as we close out Season 4 with the newest Marvel Studios release, Deadpool & Wolverine starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. We discuss the state of the MCU up to this movie (again), the Deadpool movie history, all the cameos in this film, whether the story works as a movie or as a parody of a movie, how much these characters mean to the fans and if this movie delivers fan s...

This week, we discuss The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, and Winston Duke. We discuss the main themes in the movie, the way the male and female characters are depicted and whether this reflects outdated tropes, if the movie has too much going on for it, whether this movie is a parody of the movie business, give flowers to the cast, and ponder whether the love story would hold up once...

This week, we discuss The Bike Riders starring Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, and Austin Butler. We discuss the habits of men from the “greatest generation”, what happens to men that are forgotten by the society they live in, the allure of bad boys, why everyone needs a good villain, whether this movie will be seen differently 5 years from now, and what it means when you own a minivan.

This week, we discuss the latest installment in the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys 4: Ride or Die, starring Wil Smith and Martin Lawrence. We discuss the history of the franchise, the changing form of masculinity exhibited by Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowry, the stereotypes throughout the film, how the film restores the public images of a few celebrities, what a Bad Boys 5 might look like, and whether...

This week, we close out our movies about fathers with Boyz n the Hood starring Laurence Fishburn, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, and Nia Long. We discuss the lasting trauma of gun violence and it being recently identified as a public health crisis. Of course we get into the parenting skills of Furious Styles, the significance of the success of this movie, the love John Singleto...

This week, we review the coming-of-age story, A Bronx Tale, starring Robert Dinero, Chazz Palimnteri, and Lillo Brancato. We discuss the career of Robert Dinero, the attraction of gangsters, what it means to lead your family as a father, the benefits of wisdom over time, love vs fear and of course, wasted potential vs nobody caring.

This week we reviewed He Got Game, starring Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, and Rosario Dawson. We discuss the themes of absentee fatherhood, survivor’s remorse for those who are able to leave the neighborhood, if this is really a story about domestic abuse, what happens to the characters the years after this movie is over, and the secrets women keep.

This week we review 99 Homes starring Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield, and Laura Dem. We discuss what happens when a father is not present, how young men will search out and find manhood models for better or worse, the housing crisis of 2008, whether rich people go to jail, who gets blamed when your car gets towed, and the differences between a house and a home.

This week, we review the Denis Villeneuve instant classic, Dune 2, starring Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, and Christopher Walken. We discuss the themes of family, greed, and belief, the journey of Paul Atreides from boy to man to something else, how prophecies and love lift people up and hold them down, the Black woman...

This week, we review the revenge flick, Monkey Man, written, directed, and starring Dev Patel with Makarand Deshpande, Sikandar Kher, and Sobhita Dhulipala. We discuss the reimagined revenge story, how this movie isn’t quite like a John Wick film, bad guys that deserve their fates, the inculcation of Hindu culture and spirituality into this film, why power corrupts so thoroughly, whether the kid i...

This week, we discuss the stunning and unsettling movie, Civil War, starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, and Stephen McKinley. We discuss the possibility of civil war in America, the tonal decisions in the movie, the question of what kind of American you are, if this movie will have a prequel or a sequel, the moviegoer fascination with the collapse of society and make some Wu-Tang...

This week we kick off season 4 on May the 4th with Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith starring Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Natalie Portman, and Sam Jackson. We discuss the love Star Wars fans have for these moves (us included), how Palpatine is always 50 steps ahead, the complicity of the Jedi in their own destruction, Mace Windu’s revenge plan, the potential of a Darth Vader ser...

This week, we close out season 3 with one of the all-time greats, The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburn, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano. We discuss why the Matrix is so impactful, the implications of a potential reboot in the future, if Cypher was right, how this movie set up the 2nd career of Keanu Reeves, philosophical points made in the movie and how they matter...

This week we discuss Enter the Dragon, the great Bruce Lee and co-stars John Saxon and Jim Kelly. We discuss how Han is the father to so many styles in so many movies, the history of Black people in the martial arts, our top 5 martial arts movies, how gambling on insect fights is the sign of a problem, the functionality of martial arts are in real classes, and what we would do if we owned an islan...

This week we discuss the 2011 movie, Margin Call, which gives a glimpse into the early signs of the economic collapse of 2008. The movie stars Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, and Sam Baker. We discuss the climate of 2008 during the economic crisis, the ideas of “fair play” in the banking industry, how good villains are memorable in movies, wheth...

This week we discuss 2023’s, The Kill Room, staring Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Joe Manganiello. We break down the basics of supply and demand in the art world, the bigger fool theory, who gets to define what is art, which kind of criminal you would not want to sit next to on a plane, Sam Jackson’s last, best role, and how long the main characters live after the movie ends.

This week we discuss the 2007 Best Picture winner, No Country for Old Men, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem.  We share our thoughts on the institution of the Academy Awards, the foreshadowing of the main characters' names, and the underlying themes of change, purpose, destiny, and death in the film.  We also discuss what the changing times mean for old men (like us), what w...

This week we discuss the film, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, starring Matt Czuchry, Jesse Bradford, and Geoff Stults. We compare it to the first Hangover movie, share our thoughts about bachelor parties and strip club etiquette. Then we break down the character arcs and share what this movie has to do with the Greek myth of Narcissus and try to determine if Mr. Will is, in fact, a ghostwriter fo...