7.7: Patriot Games

As season 9 draws to a close, naturally born Dan Moren and genetically superior Lex Friedman must work together to overcome a discriminatory society in 1997’s Gattaca. Hot topics include: when is a metaphor just a metaphor, so many surprise actors, and whether Uma Thurman is a superhero. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

Finally, a movie musical that tells the truth: dentists are jerks. Lex Friedman sits down Dan Moren to watch 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors, a movie based on a musical based on a movie (that wasn’t a musical). Hot topics include: Can a puppet be both impressive and unsettling? Has Rick Moranis ever been more Rick Moranis? And how do you ride that line between too weird and not weird enough? Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

The Rock-a-who? Crotchety old inventor Dan Moren and handsome flying ace Lex Friedman team up to watch 1991’s Disney adventure flick, The Rocketeer. Hot topics include what makes a superhero, the joys of central casting, and why no one can twirl a mustache like Timothy Dalton. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

Not listening to this is a big mistake—huge. Dan Moren and Lex Friedman sit down to watch Julia Roberts’s star-making turn in 1990’s Pretty Woman. Hot topics include surprising agency, corporate raiders with a heart of gold, and Jason Alexander’s affinity for playing jerks. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

Who are these guys? Why, they’re wily outlaw Dan Moren and taciturn gunslinger Lex Friedman, who are fleeing their relentless pursuers while watching the 1969 classic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Hot topics include a dynamite rapport, the death of the West, and so much smoldering. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

Damn, it doesn’t always feel good to be a gangster. Mobster Lex Friedman takes young up-and-comer Dan Moren under his wing as they watch the 1990 classic GoodFellas. Hot topics include cameras that won’t stay still, the way you get whacked, and so many drugs. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

Follow the podcasts! Intrepid journalists Dan Moren and Lex Friedman unravel a ripped-from-the-headlines presidential conspiracy with 1976’s All the President’s Men. Hot topics include which reporter is which, barging into people’s houses, and eerie resonances. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

It’s time to embark upon a brand new season of Not Playing! This time, popular high schoolers try to make Lex Friedman and Dan Moren cool by showing them 1995’s Clueless. Hot topics include cellphone size, family religion, and Jane Austen. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

To bring this mini-season of Not Playing to a close, we have to go back to the beginning. Time traveler Lex Friedman encounters asylum inmate Dan Moren as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of 12 Monkeys. Hot topics include timey-wimey logic, Brad Pitt’s disturbing eye prosthetic, and all the Terry Gilliaming Terry Gilliam can Terry Gilliam. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.

We’re past the halfway point in our abbreviated season and this time hotshot programmer Lex Friedman has been sucked into a computer where he meets heroic program Dan Moren and they watch 1982’s Tron. Hot topics include glossaries of computer terms, frisbee playing, and the power of metaphors. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks! Lex Friedman and Dan Moren.