Cinematic Underdogs

111. Bingo (1991)

<p>We’ve officially been <em>Bingo</em>-pilled and there’s no going back. Seriously ya’ll, this episode with <em>Bingo</em>-superfan Jed Bookout is bonkers. Completely unhinge...

110. Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

<p>Jed Bookout joins the pod to discuss A24’s early breakout hit of 2024, <em>Love Lies Bleeding</em>: a sapphic, bodybuilding, ultra-violent fever dream of a movie. Set in a ...

109. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

<p>It&#39;s Oscars season and so we&#39;re back with Matt Belenky to spar with a Best Picture winner: Million Dollar Baby. Starring and directed by Clint Eastwood and written ...

108. The Underdoggs

<p>We&#39;re back to the basics this week, covering Charles Stone III&#39;s &quot;The Underdoggs,&quot; starring Snoop Dog, Mike Epps, and George Lopez. This is a film we&#39;...

107. Ferrari w/ Bilge Ebiri

Bilge Ebiri joins the pod to talk Michael Mann's Ferarri! We chat about the film's multidimensional themes, its subtle subversion of conventional sports tropes, and the powerf...

106. Beckham (2023)

<p>On this episode, Chad Lott of <a href="http://scarythoughts.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Scary Thoughts Podcast </a>joins us to talk about the Netflix doc...

105. Messi Meets America

<p>Gene Lyons of <a href="https://shatpod.com/movies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Shat the Movies</strong></a> joins the pod to talk about Apple TV&#39;s...

104. Gran Turismo

<p>On the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we chat about Gran Turismo, Neill Blomkamp&#39;s rousing, kinetic, feel-good hit racing flick released at the tail end of the ...

103. Jack Frost & Sports Christmas Movies

<p>On this very festive Christmas special, we debate whether <em>Jack Frost </em>(1998) could be categorized within the sports movie genre, celebrate the phony performances by...

102. The 100 Foot Wave (Season 2)

<p>The 100 Foot Wave is truly must-watch TV for anyone who appreciated big wave surfing. Following Garrett McNamara and his lifelong quest to catch the world’s biggest wave, t...

101. Major League (1989) + Rookie of the Year (1993)

<p>For our hundred and first episode, we are back with the classics. Baseball classics to be precise! Join us as we discuss 1989’s hit sports comedy <strong>Major League</stro...

100. The Sports Movie Tropes Draft

<p>We made it! Our 100th episode is here, and we couldn’t be more stoked to share it with everyone. First and foremost, a huge shoutout to everyone who’s listened and appeared...

99. The Fan (1996) & Two for the Money (2005)

<p><a href="https://www.thegutterreview.com/author/mbelenky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Matt Belenky</a> joins us for a double feature as we discuss Tony Scott&...

98. Untold: Swamp Kings

<p>We finish out our football season with another docuseries, jumping back into the world of <strong>Untold</strong> with <strong>Swamp Kings</strong>. On this episode, we tal...

97. Hard Knocks: Training Camp w/ NY Jets (2023)

<p>We are still in the thick of football season and back with an episode on <strong>Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets</strong>, or <strong>The Aaron Rodgers Sh...

96. Quarterback (2023)

<p>On this episode, we continue with our (un)cinematic streak of sports-themed streaming docuseries. This time, we’re talking Netflix’s Quarterback (2023), produced by none ot...

95. American Gladiators: Muscles & Mayhem vs. 30 for 30

<p>On this episode, we compare and contrast two docuseries on<em> American Gladiators</em> released in 2023: <strong>Muscles and Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Glad...

94. Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child

<p>On this episode, we talk about the rise of Jake Paul in the ring. From a YouTube hellion and obnoxious Influencer to a boxing star, Jake Paul has become one of the truly im...

93. Untold: Johnny Football

<p><em>Untold: Johnny Football </em>represents an iconic era of college football, and offers an astute examination of one of the most immature quarterbacks to ever win a Heism...

92. Cinematic Underdogs Q&A

<p>A bonus episode consisting of two separate interviews of Jordan &amp; Paul on The Average Joe&#39;s Movie Club Cast. We discuss or movie tastes, preferences, and habits. En...

91. SK8 the Infinity

<p>This week, we return to the world of Manga adaptations &amp; join our friend Matt St. Jack of Anime Talk! to chat SK8 the Infinity (you can watch it on Crunchy Roll!). In t...

90. Blackberry (2023) w/ Feelin' Film

<p>We’re back with our friends <a href="http://feelinfilm.com/hosts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Aaron &amp; Patrick</a> from <a href="http://feelinfilm.com/" ta...

89. Ted Lasso (Seasons 1-3)

<p>In the wake of <em>Ted Lasso&#39;s </em>series&#39; finale, we decided to talk about Apple TV&#39;s feel-good sports-themed sensation by covering the show&#39;s entire 3 se...

88. Netflix's Break Point (Season 1)

<p>On this episode, Harry LaBollita returns to discuss Netflix&#39;s hit series Break Point. Helmed by the same team behind F1: Drive to Survive, Break Point chronicles the wo...

87. Nacho Libre (2006)

<p>We&#39;re back and this time we brought both Justin &amp; Laura Khoo of <a href="https://cowspod.wordpress.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Cows in the Field</...

86. Ready to Rumble (2002)

<p>What&#39;s up, Underdogs!? ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE!? Well, you better be because we&#39;re back, we&#39;re joined by Lou Moon, and we&#39;re diving headfirst into a raunchy...

85. Air (2023) - Feelin' Film Guest Appearance

On this bonus episode, your cinematic underdogs join Feelin' Film for a guest appearance discussion on the feel-good, 2023 dad-flick Air. Directed by Ben Affleck, written by A...

84. Field of Dreams (1989)

<p>Jed Bookout joins us on this episode as we explore Phil Alden Robinson&#39;s 1989 paternalistic, cornfed, heartland classic <em>Field of Dreams</em>. We discuss the film&#3...

83. The Color of Money (1986)

<p>Marc Dottavio of <a href="www.unwatchablespod.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Unwatchables</a> joins us to discuss Martin Scorsese&#39;s 1986 <em>The Color of...

82. Sudden Death (1995)

<p>Hello, fellow underdogs! We're back with Matt Belenky — film producer/film writer/film aficionado/Pittsburgh native — to discus one of the best <em>Die Hard</em> clone movi...

81. Hustle (2022)

<p>On the latest episode, we go back to the basics and cover a newly released yet old-fashioned formulaic sports flick: <em>Hustle</em>. Released on Netflix in 2022, Hustle fi...

80. Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals (2022)

<p>In anticipation of Super Bowl LVII, we're back with a follow up to our episode on Hard Knocks: Training Camp w/ The Detroit Lions, this time tackling Hard Knocks in Season:...

79. Shaolin Soccer (2001) w/ Ashley Naftule

We're back with a classic sports fusion film: Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer! Ashley Naftule (freelance writer, playwright at Space 55, Twitter humorist) joins us to celebrate ...

78. Captains (2022)

<p>We're back and chatting <em><strong>Captains</strong></em>, yet another underrated Netflix docuseries. This 8-episode journey chronicles the heartbreaking lows and glorious...

77. FIFA Uncovered (2022)

<p>On this special bonus episode, Mikey from <a href="https://anchor.fm/screennerdspodcast">Screen Nerds</a><a href="https://anchor.fm/screennerdspodcast"> Podcast</a> &nbsp;j...

76. Welcome to Wrexham (2022)

<p>We're back with another Docuseries. Resembling in ways a real-life <em>Ted Lasso</em>, <em>Welcome to Wrexham </em>chronicles the purchase of Wrexham AFC by Ryan Reynolds a...

75. Hard Knocks: Training Camp w/ the Detroit Lions (2022)

<p>On the latest episode, we continue to explore the long-form format of docu-series by tackling HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp w/ the Detroit Lions. Sure, it's classifiable...

74. California Split (1974)

We're back and joined by Mike Harris (director of Your Heart is a Dark & Rotten Place) to discuss Robert Altman's meandering buddy-comedy, California Split. Chronicling two ga...

73. Untold: The Rise & Fall of AND1

On this episode, we discuss Untold episode on the rise and downfall of the niche streetball brand AND1. After a disastrous sponsorship of Stephan Marbury, which ended unceremo...

72. Poker Movies & Rounders (1998) w/ Matt Belenky

What's up, Underdogs!? Light up a thick cigar, pour a tall glass of scotch, queue up Frank Sinatra on the record player, spread a felt green cloth on that old dingy table in y...

71. Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist (2022)

<p>Season 2 of <em>Untold </em>has arrived and it's more viral than ever! That's right: Our favorite Netflix-produced sports documentary series is officially back! To commemor...

70. The Running Man (1987)

<p>We're back with yet another episode about a film that fits squarely into the surprisingly extensive dystopian/post-apacolyptic game-show subgenre: 1987's mega hit <em>The R...

69. Karate Kid 2 (1986)

<p>On our latest episode, we discuss <em>Karate Kid 2</em> with the prolific and ever-insightful <a href="https://www.denofgeek.com/author/gene-ching/#:~:text=Gene%20Ching%20i...

68. Untold: Caitlyn Jenner

Welcome to our final episode on Season 1 of Netflix’s amazing Untold series. This round, we discuss perhaps the most famous subject in the entire anthology: Caitlyn Jenner. Be...

67. Untold: Deal with the Devil

<p>We're back and chatting about yet another excellent episode of Netflix's <em>Untold</em> series. This time, we enter the purgatory to discuss the insanely tumultuous highs ...

66. Driven (2001)

<p><em>Driven</em> is a notoriously (and criminally) maligned, high-octane car wreck of a movie you have to see to believe. Tracking the CART open-wheel circuit, Renny Harlan’...

65. Over the Top (1987)

<p>On this episode, JB Huffman of Manly Movies joins us to un-ironically champion the many heartfelt virtues &amp; rah-rah moments of Sly Stallone's heartfelt 1987 father-son ...

64. Top Gun / Top Gun: Maverick

<p>Does the Top Gun franchise exist within the domain of sports movies? You bet your callsign it does! On the latest episode, your friendly Underdogs discuss how sports archet...

63. Death Race 2000 (1975)

<p>Our resident sci-fi/dystopian sports film expert, SF Covell, returns to discuss the grind-house, b-movie classic <em>Death Race 2000</em>. Our convo quickly turns as unhing...

62. The Karate Kid (Live at The Majestic)

<p>Enjoy our short, sweet, &amp; trivia-infused live episode, recorded just after a live screening &nbsp;of The Karate Kid at The Majestic Tempe. The recording includes some a...

61. The Karate Kid (1984)

<p>This is a special one! Welcome to the in-depth prelude to our live episode on The Karate Kid! We discuss this everything there is to discuss about this heartfelt, feel-good...

60. Cliffhanger (1993)

<p>On this episode we are joined by <a href="https://strohltopia.com/about/" target="_blank">Matt Strohl</a>, author of <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Why-Its-OK-to-Love-B...

59. Victory (1981)

Hello Underdog Nation! We're back and our bark is louder than ever! On this episode, illustrious cinephile & Sylvester Stallone super-fan Lauren Knight joins us to discuss 198...

58. Baki (2018)

<p>Howdy fellow Underdogs!!!</p> <p>We're back with our second deep dive into sports-themed anime! This time we are joined by Matt St. Jack of <a href="https://podcasts.apple....

57. Yowamushi Pedal (2013)

<p>What's happening, underdogs? We're back and now pedaling into a totally new terrain -- covering our first Japanese sports anime, Yowamushi Pedal. Joining us and holding our...

56. American Underdog (2021)

<p>This week Don Shanahan of <a href="https://www.everymoviehasalesson.com/podcast" target="_blank">Every Movie Has a Lesson / Cinephile Hissy Fit</a> joins us to discuss Amer...

55. Speed Racer (2008)

<p>On our latest episode, we veer slightly off the post-apocalyptic path in our sci-fi / futuristic sports movie extravaganza to discuss <em>Speed Racer</em>!&nbsp;</p> <p>Dev...

54. Rollerball (1975)

<p>We welcome sci-fi maestro SF Covell on the pod to wax nostalgic about the killer 1975 dystopian thriller <em>Rollerball</em>. In perhaps our most off-the-cuff &amp; critica...

53. The 10th Victim (1965) w/ Justin & Joey

<p>Hey fellow Underdogs!!! This week we welcome bak Justin and Joey from The Average Joe’s Movie Club Cast (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOY5GrLQZjyzW3XRNl62LeQ" ...

52. Home Team (2022)

<p>Welcome to our first true foray into the wide world of a Happy Madison sports movies! No, <em>Home Team </em>is not in the same ballpark as <em>Happy Gilmore</em>. Hell, it...

51. National Champions (2021)

<p>This week, your favorite Underdogs get timely &amp; topical -- discussing 2021's <em>National Champions</em>. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh (<em>Greenland, Angel Has Fallen</...

50. Untold: Breaking Point (2021)

<p>This week on Cinematic Underdogs, Harry LaBollita, Nick Morelli, and Aaron White of <a href="http://feelinfilm.com/podcast-audio/episodes/" target="_blank">Feelin Film'</a>...

49. Endgame (1983) w/ Will Johnson

Now this is a wicked fun episode. Will Johnson of Cinephile Hissy Fit joins the pod to geek out on Joe D'Amato's 1980's Italian post-apocalyptic cult classic Endgame: Bronx Lo...

48. Blood of Heroes (1990) w/ SF Covell

<p>On this episode, we briefly flip the script* and begin our Post-Apocalyptic Sports Movie Series with David Webb Peoples’ <em><strong>Blood of Heroes</strong></em><strong>.<...

47. Untold: Crimes & Penalties (2021)

The Dostoevsky allusion in the title of latest Untold episode we cover ("Crimes & Penalties") is apt in more ways than one. Like the hard-hitting Russian novel, this episode a...

46. Untold: Malice at the Palace w/ Aaron White

<p>We have finally finished our Summer Olympics Sports Movie marathon and are excited to begin our much anticipated deep dive into <em>Untold,</em> a riveting Netflix Docuseri...

45. Personal Best (1982)

As Robert Towne's directorial debut, Personal Best is anything but safe. His commitment to realism is impressive, but the results can be maudlin and melodramatic. This is also...

44. Top 5 Sports Films w/ Justin & Joey

<p>On this episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we bring you Justin and Joey from The Average Joe’s Movie Club Cast, which can be found on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/...

43. Race (2016)

<p>As an old-fashioned sports biopic, <em>Race</em> (2016) is serviceable. IT is exactly what one might expect of such a film: a sepia-toned, self-congratulatory, anti-fascist...

42. Flatball (2016) w/ Raj Maitra

On this special episode, we welcome Raj Maitra to the podcast to talk about the niche albeit electric sport known as Ultimate Frisbee. Raj has played Ultimate at a professiona...

41. Prefontaine (1997)

<p>In our last episode on <em>Prefontaine</em>, your fellow Underdogs breakdown the 1997 film starring Jared Leto, Ed O' Neill, and R. Lee Ermey.&nbsp;</p> <p>Enjoy!</p>...

40. Prefontaine Biopics w/ Juan

This extra-special episode of Cinematic Underdogs welcomes Juan — former track star walk-on, unabashed Steve Prefontaine super-fan, and current rockstar psychology PhD student...

39. Tokyo Olympiad (1965)

<p>On the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we welcome <a href="https://cowspod.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cows in the Field's</a> one &amp; only <a href="https://tw...

38. Chariots of Fire w/ Patrick Hicks

<p>Co-founder / cohost of <a href="http://feelinfilm.com/" target="_blank">Feelin' Film</a> and writer at <a href="https://thisispatch.com/" target="_blank">This is Patch</a>,...

37. Chariots of Fire

<p>On this episode, we continue our Summer Olympics themed sports movie mini-tournament with the 1981 Best Picture winner <em>Chariots of Fire</em>. An historical drama, <em>C...

36. Without Limits (1998)

<p>Hey fellow UNDERDOGS!!! This week we welcome the uplifting perspective of Caless Davis (<a href="https://twitter.com/blacknerdmagic" target="_blank">Twitter</a><a href="htt...

35. Space Jam (1996) vs. Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

<p>We heard it all. A shameless commercial grab bag. IP overload. Jumbled tech references. A WB universe that makes zero cohesive sense. Lebron, like Jordan, can't act.&nbsp;<...

34. Indian Horse w/ Kathryn Mitchell

<p>On our follow up episode to <em>Indian Horse</em>, we speak at length with the profound and insightful professor Kathryn Mitchell. Kathryn is of Comanche descent and has sp...

33. Indian Horse (2018)

<p>If you have read any of the new stories about the mass unmarked graves unearthed recently in former Canadian Residential Schools, you will already be slightly familiar with...

32. The Puck Hogs (2009) w/ Warren P. Sonoda

Join us for a very special episode of Cinematic Underdogs where we welcome Warren P. Sonoda, the director of one of the funniest sports comedies you have probably never heard ...

31. Goon (2012)

<p>Witten by Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel, directed by Michael Dowse, and starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, and Alison Pill, amongst o...

30. Mystery, Alaska (1999)

<p>With "<em>Mystery, Alaska</em>," Cinematic Underdogs is officially a year old. Happy anniversary to us! It felt very apropos to celebrate our first anniversary with a perfe...

29. Youngblood (1986)

<p>Welcome to yet another zany podcast episode dedicated solely to shooting-the-sh!t about a classic hockey movie! This time we discuss the 1986 film "<em>Youngblood"</em> wit...

28. Slap Shot (1977) w/ Don Shanahan

<p>On this laid-back, throwback episode of Cinematic Underdogs, the boys welcome <a href="https://www.everymoviehasalesson.com/">Every Movie Has a Lesson's</a> very own Don Sh...

27. Another Round (2020) w/ Justin & Laura Khoo

<p>On this bonus, quasi-sports themed, Oscars-affiliated episode of Cinematic Underdogs, I (Paul Keelan) join Laura and Justin Khoo of the always superb <a href="//pod.wordpre...

26. The Queen's Gambit (2020) Pt. II: Episodes V-VII

<p>On our finale installment of our two-part discussion of "<em>The Queen's Gambit</em>," we really dig into how the coming-of-age narrative at the center of this lovely Netfl...

25. The Queen's Gambit (2020) Pt I: Ep. I-IV

<p>Join your favorite Underdogs, Jordan and Paul, as they deconstruct the definition of chess as a sport, the moral ambiguity of using mental enhancement pills (and how that a...

24. College Basketball Films W/ Aaron White

To get into the spirit of March Madness's long awaited return, Aaron White of Feelin' Film and Paul Keelan of Cinematic Underdogs have combined forces to release a special bon...

23. Chess Movies W/ Aaron White

<p>In preparation for our discussion on "<a href="https://anchor.fm/cinematicunderdogs/episodes/22--The-Queens-Gambit-W-Aaron-White-ert3nm"><em>The Queen's Gambit</em></a>", A...

22. Aaron White's Top 5 Sports Films & The Queen's Gambit

<p>On this very exciting episode of <strong>Cinematic Underdogs</strong>, we welcome a very special guest to the pod: <a href="http://feelinfilm.com/"><strong>Feelin’ Film’s</...

21. The Last Dance Pt. II: Episodes VI-X (2020)

<p>Part II of our official breakdown of “The Last Dance” is here and it doesn’t disappoint.&nbsp;</p> <p>In it, the Underdogs talk the latter half (episodes 6-10) of ESPN's co...

20. Justin Khoo's Top 5 Sports Films & The Last Dance

<p>On this episode of the podcast, Cinematic Underdogs welcomes a very special guest—Justin Khoo.&nbsp;</p> <p>Philosophy professor at MIT and podcast host at Cows In The Fiel...

19. The Last Dance Pt. I: Episodes I - V (2020)

<p>On this special edition episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we cover the first half (episodes 1-5) of our first Wild Card Flick: "The Last Dance"!&nbsp;</p> <p>Given that "The ...

18. Don Shanahan's Top 5 Sports Films & Moneyball

<p>On this special bonus episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we have the always sincere, insightful, &amp; poignant Don Shanahan (https://www.everymoviehasalesson.com/ — Twitter: ...

17. Moneyball (2011)

<p>With technology and mathematics continuing to replace the human workforce, the relevancy of "&lt;I&gt;<em>Moneyball</em>&lt;I&gt;" far supersedes the baseball park. Neverth...

16. Jed Bookout's Top 7 Sports Films & High Flying Bird

<p>On this very special bonus episode, Paul geeks out with the ever entertaining Jed Bookout (Twitter / Instagram: @jedbookout) as Jed enumerates and extrapolates upon his top...

15. High Flying Bird (2019)

<p>Spearheaded by Steven Soderbergh's resourceful / expedient directorial ingenuity (producing a gorgeous motion picture from nothing more than an iPhone &amp; some affordable...

14. Jerry Maguire (1996) - Bonus Interview W/ J.B. Huffman

<p>Hello everyone!&nbsp;</p> <p>If you enjoyed the last Cinematic Underdogs podcast episode on "Jerry Maguire", and were craving just a little more content on what is inarguab...

13. Jerry Maguire (1996)

<p>From #MeToo indictments (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to scientology scandals &amp; Covid-19 fulminations on set (Tom Cruise) to excessive plastic surgery (Renee Zellweger) to fading ...

12. Draft Day (2014)

<p>Ivan Reitman's<em> "Draft Day</em>," our first foray into a group of films that illuminates the behind-the-scenes worlds of sports, is an absolute winner. Written by the pl...