Episode 49: Gladiator

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageIn this season finale, Robb and Patrick take on Starship Troopers, Paul Verhoeven’s bug-blasting sci-fi satire packed with propaganda and Denise Richards. As they dig into the film’s mix of action and over-the-top violence, the podcast itself continues evolving under the brand of Haley Bechtel Inc. LLC, where the discourse in cinema has taken a notably modern turn. Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin and Trav take on Gladiator, Ridley Scott’s sweeping historical epic about betrayal, incest, and vengeance. After a whole dang season of escalating control, Travis and Kevin begin pushing back against Haley’s authority, questioning how far the corporate takeover has gone. Will their resistance hold? Or will there be consequences for next episode's season finale? Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin and Trav cover Red Dawn, the Cold War action classic about teenage resistance fighters pushing back against commie invaders. Haley has grown increasingly frustrated that Kevin and Trav continue to have Southern accents on-air despite her objections. Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin and Trav's bin pull was The Shawshank Redemption, the beloved prison drama about hope, friendship, and sexy lady posters while left to die in a concrete box. At the same time, Haley’s takeover brings yet another major change to the podcast with the arrival of a brand-new theme song, and the guys are still not quite sure how they feel about it. As if that were not enough, some of the new commercials Haley has them reading are beginning to land a little too close to home.Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin and Trav hit the streets with The Warriors, Walter Hill’s cult classic odyssey through a mythic, graffiti-soaked New York where sprinting back home means fighting for survival and passing through empty subway station after empty subway station. But back in the podcast proper, Haley’s corporate takeover keeps tightening its grip, this time with commercial spots now woven into the show, and Kevin has a few very specific complaints about the one he has been saddled with. Meanwhile, Uncle Doug remains out there somewhere on a walkabout and no one has heard from him in weeks.Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin and Trav saddle up for Young Guns, the rowdy, star-packed pop-western that turns the Billy the Kid legend into a sexy, fun, gunblazing romp. Meanwhile, Haley’s corporate takeover continues to reshape the show, this time with a mandate that the hosts work her new motto, “A Discourse on Modern Cinema,” into the episode wherever they can. As they fumble through that, meditating, and just podcasting in general, the podcast’s strange new era starts to feel a little more permanent. Where is Uncle Doug?Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKev and Trav crack open Timecop, the Jean-Claude Van Damme sci-fi action oddity where time travel, splits, and a Swiss cheese plot collide in gloriously ‘90s fashion. But the biggest disruption is actually going down in the present, as Haley’s corporate takeover continues with yet a new mandate. Forced to improvise mindfulness on the fly, Kevin and Trav awkwardly try to adapt to another bizarre change in the show’s evolving new reality.Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin and Trav dive into The French Connection, William Friedkin’s gritty, hard-driving crime classic about Popeye Doyle's obsessive pursuit and the thin line between heroism and recklessness. But the real chase may be happening inside the podcast itself, as Haley’s corporate takeover is no longer theoretical and her demands are already reshaping the show in substantial ways. With the format shifting beneath their feet, Kevin and Trav struggle to adjust to an increasingly unfamiliar new normal.Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin, Trav, and special guest Haley Bechtel hit the road with Little Miss Sunshine, the offbeat tragicomedy about a deeply dysfunctional family chasing a small, strange dream across the American Southwest. As they dig into the film’s mix of melancholy, absurdity, and hard-earned tenderness, the podcast itself faces a major turning point as the corporate takeover begins unfolding in real time. With changes looming over the show, Kevin and Trav are left to figure out what comes next, and what Uncle Doug might have to say when he finally returns.Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!

Send Doug an Anonymous MessageKevin and Travis fire up their engines Days of Thunder, the loud, high-octane NASCAR hit that brought Tom Cruise to the speedway and turned stock car racing into full-blown movie-star spectacle. Along the way, the fellas continue to navigate the season’s ongoing mysteries surrounding Uncle Doug. See, he remains out on walkabout and is nowhere to be found, though Kevin insists he is perfectly fine. Also.... the shadow of a corporate takeover hangs over the show. As the checkered flag waves on one kind of old-school Americana, questions remain about whether this podcast can survive the forces closing in around it.Find more podcasts on the Polymedia Network, Travis on BlueSky, Music by Harvest BlaqueJoin our Subreddit reddit.com/r/polymedia/Come check out the Big Lick Conspiracy!