Pop Culture with Fanboy and Know-It-All Jake Roberson

What's the best way to make a horror movie less scary?

Know-It-All shares one of his favorite pro tips of all-time in this regard in the context of Fanboy forcing yet another horror movie on him since it's October and, y'know, "Halloween season" or some garbage like that. This time around the flick in question is a BBC film called HIS HOUSE (available on Netflix) that brings a fresh take to the haunted house segment of the horror movie genre by also tackling pressing issues of social commentary like the cultural assimilation of refugees. Who knew Halloween could provide such an opportunity for thoughtfulness and nuance?

Elsewhere, the intrepid duo of Fanboy and Know-It-All dig into their review of director Denis Villeneuve's rendition of DUNE -- a classic 1965 science fiction epic written by Frank Herbert. Sporting incredible new visuals and an ensemble cast to die for, was the new DUNE film able to succeed where the original cinematic version of DUNE (1984) directed by David Lynch could not? You know Fanboy and Know-It-All have thoughts on that and more that they are more than willing to share and overshare with you.

("April Showers" by ProleteR is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives [aka Music Sharing] 3.0 International License.)

What is the best propaganda film of all time and why is it not actually REEFER MADNESS?

Know-It-All and a special guest host filling in for Fanboy (friend of the show and CURRENT GEN podcast co-host Tim Nester) have the answer for you as well as their Top 10 Great Propaganda Movies of All Time ranked list in this here episode.

It's what the kids call a "dooby." Errr, "doozy."

("April Showers" by ProleteR is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives [aka Music Sharing] 3.0 International License.)

What is the best martial arts scene that you've ever seen?

The world of cinema is chock full of fantastic martial arts sequences. Whether martial arts scenes take place inside of martial arts films or superhero flicks, it is easy to see why the diverse fighting styles of myriad martial arts disciplines have long been so popular amongst movie goers. That is one of the reasons Fanboy and Know-It-All knew it was high time that they ranked their favorite martial arts scenes in movies.

That and the fact that Marvel's SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS is dropping in movie theaters everywhere.

Fanboy and Know-It-All, in a return to their classic "Riding in Cars with Boys" segment, bring you their very own special deep dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe's explosive martial arts-centric movie, SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, which stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina.

("April Showers" by ProleteR is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives [aka Music Sharing] 3.0 International License.)

What movie desperately needs to become a video game? If you ask one of us, you might hear the answer "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" come out of one of our mouths...

That's right. Movies based on video games are generally terrible. But what about video games based on movies... ? Yeah, they can be pretty terrible as well. But not always. In the hands of the right video game studio, video games based on preexisting movie IP can be pretty great (we're looking at you, Shadow of Mordor). That's why, to celebrate the release of a pretty decent movie (Free Guy) about a video game that doesn't exist (Free City), Fanboy and Know-It-All decided to do a ranking of the Top Ten Movies That Should Be Video Games.

Oh, yeah, we also break down the new Shawn Levy/Ryan Reynold's film: "Free Guy."

("April Showers" by ProleteR is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives [aka Music Sharing] 3.0 International License.)

What Olympic event are you drawn to in ways that make no sense?

We all know about the sports and athletic competitions that draw all the eye and earballs during the Olympic Games, but what about the ones that keep you up at night? Not because you're terrified, but because you can't stand to miss a solitary, strange moment of the action? Fanboy and Know-It-All tackle the best and most compelling Olympic Events currently in the Olympic Games in order to help you find your new obsession.

Also, is Ted Lasso the most likeable television character of all time? We sort of discuss it, but mostly just dig into the show. As one does.

("April Showers" by ProleteR is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives [aka Music Sharing] 3.0 International License.)

What TV show is the most perfectly cast?

That question, posed to us by friend of the show Wes Coburn (@CoburnWesley), animates a passionate debate between Fanboy and Know-It-All as they each bring their respective Top Five Most Perfectly Cast TV Shows of All Time lists to the table. You might be able to guess a few of them that cracked our collective Top 10 Best TV Show Casts Ever rankings, but we're willing to wager there will be a few that surprise -- and maybe even anger -- you as well.

Elsewhere, to do Know-It-All's buddy Chris Pratt a favor, Fanboy and Know-It-All dissect Amazon's "The Tomorrow War" and even swap roles with one another for a robust argument over whether or not this new summer sci-fi blockbuster has a message to sell.

("April Showers" by ProleteR is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives [aka Music Sharing] 3.0 International License.)