Monkey Off My Backlog
335 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 months ago -Every week, Tessa and Sam exorcise their personal pop culture demons by going through their media to-do lists one item at a time. Each week involves a discussion about the media they listened, watched, read, played, or experienced that week along with encouragement to continue tackling these backlogs. Plus bonus weekly episodes where one of the hosts reacts to a TV show that the other has forced them to watch.
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Episodes
Björk: Debut, Homogenic, Vespertine, Biophilia, Utopia, and More!
May 08, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 74.7 MBAre you ready for this? I'm not sure we were! Sam, Tessa, and Jarret talk about the Icelandic treasure that is Björk. We talked about several of her albums: Debut, . All is full of love! 16:00 - Debut 25:08 - Homogenic 47:30 - Vespertine 1:11:14 - Biophilia 1:29:00 - Utopia Jarret's YouTube Björk Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6O8R1id6scdxHLL8sC8meHCikCZKoSfe Join our discord community here: https://t.co/VXKe87hY6g
MoMBl Book Club: April 2023
May 01, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 46.4 MBElyse joins us to discuss what they read for the April book club prompt. 00:00 - Book challenge updates from MoMBl regulars and listeners The April Prompt: Read a book written by a comedian, fiction or non-fiction. 00:05:27 - Elyse talks about Just One More Thing: Stories from My Life 00:19:52 - Sam talks about Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation 00:40:47 - Tessa talks about Please Don't Sit On My Bed in Your Outside Clothes 00:58:20 - The Romance Reading Sub-Challenge: Mistakes Were Mad...
Verhoeven: Robocop, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, Elle
April 24, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 81.2 MBWe finally did it...we made an entire episode about four of Paul Verhoeven's films. Matt joins us as we talk through Robocop, 'Showgirls, Starship Troopers, and Elle. 08:40 - Robocop 38:00 - Showgirls 1:07:03 - Starship Troopers 1:32:00 - Elle
Sam Watches Star Trek - Episode 25
April 21, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 48.8 MBIn episode 25 of Sam Watches Star Trek, Sam and Tessa discuss the TNG season 2 premiere "The Child" and "Where Silence Has Lease."
The Expanse
April 17, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBEmily from TVJawn joins us to talk about the first two seasons of the science fiction series, The Expanse. 00:00:41 - What was our previous history/knowledge with The Expanse? 00:12:20 - Character run-down 00:48:13 - Major themes 01:10:49 - The state of TV production today Join our discord community here: https://t.co/VXKe87hY6g
Retro MoMBl: The New Mutants
April 10, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 53.8 MBIn our final Retro MoMBl episode, we revisit the end of the 13 Days of X-Men with 'The New Mutants,' featuring the always delightful Melissa.
Retro MoMBl: Fast Five
April 03, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 45.3 MBSam and Tessa are off again this week, so here's another retro MoMBl. This week, we're getting hyped for 'Fast X' by revisiting our episode on 'Fast Five,' which is the first to feature superfan Megan. 02:23 - Holiday Cheer! 12:53 - Tessa, Sam, and Megan talk about the film. 45:08 - Fast Facts and Furious Stats
MoMBl Retrospective: Camp
March 27, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 54 MBSam and Tessa are off the next three weeks, so they decided to bring you three of their favorite retro episodes. To get you hyped for our upcoming Verhoeven episode with Matt, here is our Camp episode from last year for a refresher course on the camp aesthetic. 3:18 - What is camp? 14:42 - Barbarella 36:50 - Camp icons 42:43 - The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 01:00:00 - Is camp over? 1:07:11 - Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again:
The 2023 Academy Awards: Snubs!
March 13, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 80.3 MBIn the second part of our conversation about the 2023 Academy Awards, our producer Ryan joins us to talk about three films that were snubbed: Decision to Leave, Nope, and The Woman King. 00:00 - What is a snub? The Academy Awards and snubs 11:09 - The rules for nominating the Best International Feature Film catagory 19:14 - Decision to Leave 40:22 - Nope 1:24:11 - The Woman King Join our discord community here: https://t.co/VXKe87hY6g
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 27
March 10, 2023 12:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBThis week, we wrap up season 5 with the two part finale "The Incident."
The 2023 Academy Awards
March 06, 2023 12:00 - 2 hours - 93.3 MBMoMBl goes back to Oscars! Our Academy Award correspondents, Jack and Megan, are back with us to talk about the nominees for the 2023 edition of the Academy Awards. 02:30: Initial thoughts about the nominee field this year 09:09: Triangle of Sadness and Avatar 20:54: Best Animated Feature 27:40: All Quiet on the Western Front and The Banshees of Inisherin 41:00: Best International Feature 48:43: Elvis and Everything Everywhere All at Once 1:06:30: Best Acting - Men 1:18:14: The Fabelmans and ...
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 26
March 03, 2023 12:00 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MBThis week, we're talking about season 5 episodes "The Variable" and "Follow the Leader."
MoMBl Book Club: February 2023
February 27, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBMatt joins us to discuss what he read for the February book club prompt. 00:00 - Book challenge updates from MoMBl regulars and listeners The February Prompt: Read a book about filmmaking of film history. 00: 9:56 - Matt talks about Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood. 00:45: 18 - Sam talks about Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War. 01:03:30 - Tessa talks about Hollywood Harmony: Musical Wonder and the Sound of Ci...
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 25
February 24, 2023 12:00 - 56 minutes - 39 MBThis week, we're talking about season 5 episodes "Dead Is Dead" and "Some Like It Hoth."
The 2023 Grammy Awards
February 20, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBTessa and Sam are here to talk about the nominees (and winners) for the 2023 Grammy Awards. We listened to a lot of music this week, and Jarret, Ryan, and Melissa all popped in to help us out. 00:52 - Do the Grammys matter? Was Beyoncé robbed? 11:10 - ABBA, Adele, and Best New Artist 30:52 - Best Rock Categories 48:33 - Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige 56:24 - Best Pop Categories 1:02:15 - Coldplay, Doja Cat, DJ Khaled 1:07:07 - Best Alternative Categories 1:13:37 - Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Bonn...
Spike Lee
February 13, 2023 12:00 - 2 hours - 98.3 MBRyan joins us again to talk about the one of the all-time great directors: Spike Lee. We discuss three of his early films: Do the Right Thing, Crooklyn, and Clockers. 00:00:00 - Spike Lee and our history with his films 00:17:19 - Do the Right Thing 00:53:50 - Unofficial Delroy Lindo appreciation segment 00:59:56 - Crooklyn 01:33:21 - Clockers Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/BHkfcnNUwV.
The Last of Us
February 06, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 62 MBColby returns to talk with us about The Last of Us--the video game and the HBO adaptation starring Pedro Pascal! 01:06 - Catching up with Colby 07:37 - What kinds of video games we like to play 16:38 - Video game difficulty and gameplay styles 27:40 - The Last of Us (the game, but also the show, but also the zombie horror/survival genre and other things) 54:30 - The Last of Us (the show, but also the game, but also the zombie horror/survival genre and other things) No spoilers in the episode ...
MoMBl Book Club: January 2023
January 30, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 61.1 MB01:10 - Why a book challenge? 06:30 - Things we've learned during the first month of the challenge The January Prompt: Read a book you've been meaning to read for a long time. 10:30 - January picks from Melissa (Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer), Elyse (Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn), Jack (Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon), and Lozy (Raw Spirit by Iain Banks). 17:38 - Ryan talks about The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell 34:15 - Tessa talks about The House of the Spirits by...
'90s British Girl Groups
January 23, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 76.1 MBIf you wanna be our lover...then you gotta get with our friends. Lozy joins Tessa and Sam to talk '90s British girl groups as well as to dissect the stigma of "manufactured" pop. 00:02:19 - Our history with '90s British girl groups 00:06:47 - What are the characteristics of a '90s British girl group? 00:14:10 - Why do ppl look down on manufactured groups/bands? 00:24:44 - More on the characteristics of a 90s British girl group 00:39:40 - Spice Girls 01:02:36 - All Saints 01:17:29 - Sugababes ...
The Sopranos
January 16, 2023 12:00 - 1 hour - 77.8 MBTo continue our mob duology, Elyse joins Sam and Tessa to talk about the HBO drama The Sopranos. Also, we test our new explicit content rating. 00:00 - Previous history with The Sopranos 19:51 - Premise and themes 59:25 - Characters 01:42:29 - Is Tony Soprano a bad person? 01:47:07 - Final thoughts Join our discord community here: https://t.co/VXKe87hY6g
The Godfather (1, 2...AND 3!!!)
January 09, 2023 12:00 - 2 hours - 82.5 MBCall it The Godfather Trilogy. Call it a saga. Call it a duology plus a coda. Call it whatever you want, Melissa is here to talk with Sam and Tessa about Francis Ford Coppola's epic mob saga. 3:52 - First Impressions 19:00 - The Godfather 55:00 - The Godfather Part II 1:15:30 - The Godfather Part III 1:53:30 - Last Thoughts Join our discord community here: https://t.co/VXKe87hY6g
MoMBl 2.0 Trailer
January 02, 2023 12:00 - 15 minutes - 8.93 MBWelcome to Monkey off my Backlog, the podcast where we expand our pop culture horizons by exploring movies, music, television, and books that are new to us. Today’s episode is a preview of what’s to come on Monkey off My Backlog. Or as we’re calling it, MoMBl version 2.0. Don’t worry—we’re still tackling backlogs and exorcizing pop culture demons—but we’re excited for some of the changes that we have in store, and we hope that you will be as well! Please join our Discord community for pop cul...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'The Rise of Skywalker'
December 22, 2022 12:00 - 2 hours - 87.8 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Ryan is back to talk with us about the infamous final film in the Skywalker Saga, The Rise of Skywalker. Plus, find out what next year's holiday limited series will be about! 00:00:59 - Holidays in the After Times 00:25:15 - Is The Rise of Skywalker good? First impressions of Episode IX 00:36:40 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into The Rise of Skywalker 01:51:15 - Meanwhile, Somewher...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'The Last Jedi'
December 21, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 80.1 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven of the 'Star Wars' films. In this episode, Jarret joins us to discuss why The Last Jedi is a sci-fi classic. 00:00:00 - Holidays in the After Times 00:04:59 - Is The Last Jedi good? First impressions of Episode VIII 00:13:41 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into The Last Jedi 01:33:49 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine...Visions 01:...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'The Force Awakens'
December 20, 2022 12:00 - 2 hours - 88.9 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven of the 'Star Wars' films. In this episode, Lozy is back to tell us what he likes so much about The Force Awakens. 00:01:00 - Holidays in the After Times 00:07:06 - Is The Force Awakens good? First impressions of Episode VII 00:27:23 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into The Force Awakens 01:40:56 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine.....
11 Days of Star Wars: 'Return of the Jedi'
December 19, 2022 12:00 - 2 hours - 91.4 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven of the 'Star Wars' films. In this episode, Elyse returns (get it?) to discuss the final installment of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi. 00:02:00 - Holidays in the After Times 00:07:33 - Is Return of the Jedi good? First impressions of Episode VI 00:13:52 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into Return of the Jedi 01:42:50 - Meanwhile,...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'The Empire Strikes Back'
December 18, 2022 12:00 - 2 hours - 86.5 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven of the 'Star Wars' films. In this episode, Melissa joins us to tell us why The Empire Strikes Back is a pretty good movie. Oh, and we're going to talk about The Star Wars Holiday Special as well. 00:00:56 - Holidays in the After Times 00:11:00 - Is The Empire Strikes Back good? First impressions of Episode V 00:24:09 - But really, is it good? ...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'Star Wars'
December 17, 2022 12:00 - 2 hours - 93.1 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven of the Star Wars films. In this episode, Lozy joins the gang to talk about the film that started it all: Star Wars. 00:01:42 - Holidays in the After Times 00:11:34 - Is Star Wars good? First impressions of Episode IV 00:30:48 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into Star Wars 01:29:07 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine...Icons Unearthe...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'Rogue One'
December 16, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven of the 'Star Wars' films. Today, Jack joins us to talk all things Rogue One. 01:30 - Holidays in the After Times 3:32 - Is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story good? 15:47 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into Rogue One 01:12:00 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine...Andor, Rebels 01:35:40 - Max Rebo's Retcon Corner 01:38:35 - The Light(er) S...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'Solo'
December 15, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven films of Star Wars. It's time for Solo with our Christmas elf Megan! 00:00 - Holidays in the After Times 8:11 - Is Solo: A Star Wars Story good? 18:48 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into Solo 01:03:04 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine...Rebels, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Bad Batch 01:22:03 - Max Rebo's Retcon Corner 01:25:11 - The L...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'Revenge of the Sith'
December 14, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 75.4 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven films of Star Wars. It's time for Revenge of the Sith with podcast regular and silent producer Ryan. 1:00 - Holidays in the After Times 5:26 - Is Episode III: Revenge of the Sith good? 19:25 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into Attack of the Clones 1:20:00 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine...The Clone Wars and Obi-Wan Kenobi 1:35...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'Attack of the Clones'
December 13, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBOn the second day of the 11 Days of Star Wars, Elyse is with us to talk about 'Attack of the Clones.' Plus 'The Clone Wars' and 'From Puppets to Pixels.' 1:20 - Holidays in the After Times 6:07 - Is Episode II: Attack of the Clones good? 15:40 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into Attack of the Clones 1:19:36 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine...The Clone Wars and From Puppets to Pixels 1:36:54 - Max Rebo's Retcon Corner 1:39:38 - The Light(er) Side of the Force Our theme song is "...
11 Days of Star Wars: 'The Phantom Menace'
December 12, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 75.9 MBIt's that time of year where Sam and Tessa tackle one of their favorite franchises for the holiday season! Join them this year as they watch all eleven films of Star Wars. First film up is Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Plus Tales of the Jedi and The Beginning. 3:44 - Holidays in the After Times 8:18 - Is Episode I: The Phantom Menace good? 28:24 - But really, is it good? Deep Dive into The Phantom Menace 1:16:47 - Meanwhile, Somewhere that Isn't Tatooine: Tales of the Jedi and The Beginning ...
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 24
December 09, 2022 12:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBThis week, we're talking about season 5 episodes "He's Our You" and "Whatever Happened, Happened."
A Very Special MoMBl Christmas LIVE!
December 05, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBIn this very special Christmas episode, Elyse joins us to talk about 'Christmas in Connecticut,' 'The Muppet Christmas Carol,' and 'Little Women' (1994). 3:30 - The enduring popularity of Christmas movies 11:21 - Christmas in Connecticut 35:15 - What makes a movie a Christmas movie? 46:00 - The Muppet Christmas Carol 1:10:20 - Our favorite Christmas movie 1:20:30 - Little Women
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 23
December 02, 2022 12:00 - 50 minutes - 34.3 MBThis week, we're talking about season 5 episodes "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," "Lafleur," and "Namaste."
Noirvember: The 21st Century
November 28, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 51.7 MBFor our last (for now) week of Noirvember, Jack joins us to discuss three neo-noir films of the 21st century: Drive, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and Brick. 01:00 - 21st century noir 12:17 - Drive 34:30 - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead 47:22 - What do we want noir to look like in the future 57:10 - Brick
Noirvember: The 1990s
November 21, 2022 12:00 - 2 hours - 94.6 MBFor Noirvember Week 3, Matt is with us to talk about the connections between film noir and erotic thrillers as well as to discuss three 1990s noir films: Basic Instinct, Devil in a Blue Dress, and Out of Sight. 3:52 - Noir in the 90s 19:00 - Basic Instinct 1:09:00 - Devil in a Blue Dress 1:38:47 - Elmore Leonard 1:45:30 - Out of Sight
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 22
November 18, 2022 12:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBThis week, we're talking about season 5 episodes "This Place Is Death" and "316."
Noirvember: The 1980s
November 14, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBNext up on our Noirvember series: Ryan joins us to discuss neo-noir and three 1980s noir films: Blood Simple, Body Double, and Blue Velvet. 3:20 - What is neo-noir? 14:21 - Blood Simple 31:16 - Neo-noir tropes and aesthetics 38:50 - Body Double 1:00:52 - Blue Velvet
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 21
November 11, 2022 12:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MBThis week, we're talking about season 5 episodes "Jughead" and "The Little Prince."
Noirvember: The 1940s
November 07, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 64.9 MBMoving on from Spooktober, it's now Noirvember. Join us as we discuss three 1940s film noir classics: Double Indemnity, Laura, and The Lady from Shanghai. 1:30 - What is film noir? 19:36 - Double Indemnity 42:00 - 1940s noir tropes 52:58 - Laura 1:10:54 - The Lady from Shanghai
Tessa Watches LOST - Episode 20
November 04, 2022 11:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBWe're back to talk about Season 5! This week, we're talking about two-part premiere, "Because You Left" and "The Lie."
Son of Spooktober: Anne Rice
October 31, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 67.4 MBTessa and Sam are joined by Emily of TVJawn to discuss Anne Rice and her legacy in vampire and horror fiction, including the Interview with The Vampire novel and AMC adaptation as well as the novel The Witching Hour. 3:40 - Anne Rice and her legacy in vampire and horror fiction 18:04 - Interview with the Vampire (novel) 41:46 - Interview with the Vampire (AMC series) 1:09:34 - The Witching Hour (first novel of the Mayfair Witches trilogy) 1:28:10 - How well has Anne Rice's works aged? Do we t...
Son of Spooktober: Horror TV
October 24, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 47 MBTessa and Sam are by former host Andy to talk about three TV shows that bring Spooktober to the small screen: Evil, The Vampire Diaries, and Scream. 2:15 - What is horror TV, anyway? 7:50 - The Vampire Diaries 31:06 - Big names in horror TV 40:32 - Scream 49:40 - Evil 1:30:43 - The Mummy (1959)
Sam Watches Star Trek - Episode 24
October 21, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 41.4 MBIn episode 24 of Sam Watches Star Trek, Sam and Tessa discuss the TNG episode "Conspiracy" and the season 1 finale "The Neutral Zone." Plus, Lower Decks and the season 2 finale of Picard. Join us next week for Tessa Watches Lost: Tessa watches the first two episodes of season 5 of Lost.
Son of Spooktober: Hammer Horror
October 17, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBTessa and Sam are joined by Elyse of the Pod-wraiths podcast to talk the classic Hammer Horror team-ups of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing: The Curse of Frankenstein, The Horror of Dracula, and The Mummy. 1:55 - Introduction to Hammer Horror 12:57 - The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) 44:31 - Universal v Hammer 52:02 - The Horror of Dracula (1958) 1:20:05 - The beautiful friendship of Lee and Cushing 1:30:43 - The Mummy (1959)
Sam Watches Star Trek - Episode 23
October 14, 2022 11:00 - 49 minutes - 33.9 MBIn episode 23 of Sam Watches Star Trek, Sam and Tessa discuss the TNG episodes "Skin of Evil" and "We'll Always Have Paris."
Son of Spooktober: Creature Features
October 10, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 75.9 MBTessa and Sam are joined by Melissa to talk about creatures--from the Black Lagoon (Creature from the Black Lagoon), from Outer Space (The Thing), and from...dusty formaldehyde bottles (The Host)? 2:30 - Intro to Creature Features and Universal Horror 14:08 - Creature from the Black Lagoon 42:15 - A Brief History of Creatures Features 47:38 - The Thing 1:09:19 - The Host (and a short discussion of kaijus)
Sam Watches Star Trek - Episode 22
October 07, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 42.4 MBIn episode 22 of Sam Watches Star Trek, Sam and Tessa discuss the TNG episodes "Heart of Glory" and "Symbiosis."