Tales From the Rec Room
61 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★ - 4 ratingsHello from Peak Show! Our new series is Tales From the Rec Room – a podcast that uses nostalgia as a jumping-off point for a discussion on pop culture, context, rabbit holes, pop psychology and more! Movies, TV, music, video games – did you first consume it via physical media in a rec room? Then we’ll cover it.
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Episodes
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
December 29, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 126 MBWe close out the week with Bree’s all-time fave, 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – and our good friend, Rachel Kellogg, has joined us! Yes, Dunst is a supporting player here, but she might be the most tragic supporting actor of all time. We discuss the timelessness of this movie, whether or not this movie is hopeful about love, how Dunst herself influenced the popular character analysis lexicon, and why Elijah Wood is the perfect Weird Lil Guy. Also, we’ve got a Mark Ruffalo Fal...
Bring It On
December 28, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 143 MBBrr, it’s cold in here! Bree and Liz head on down to Rancho Carne to revisit Bring It On. We talk about how this movie permeated schoolyard culture, how it taught all us dorky white people about cultural appropriation, how well this would work as a 21st century Netflix series, and how this movie respects its teen audience. Plus, is there a male equivalent of the Bechdel test? Because this movie does not pass it, and we love it.
Drop Dead Gorgeous
December 27, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 120 MBWe’re off to Minnesota for this episode of Home for the HoliDunst! Kelsey Goldman stops by to discuss this cult classic – why does it appeal to queer people so much? Is there a universe in which the Will Sasso stuff has aged well? What is the magic sparkle dust that makes this movie so amazing and has allowed it to go from a critical and commercial flop to a total cult classic? We discuss it all – and also take some time to nod to the maybe-almost-a-good-movie Sugar and Spice.
Spider-Man 2
December 26, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 132 MBLet’s take a trip back to 2004 against the backdrop of a whole lot of bad stuff happening in the world, but a great time at the air-conditioned cinema. Patrick Hamilton stops by to talk Spider-Man 2, one of Dunst’s last significant blockbuster movies. Does Dunst elevate Mary-Jane from being a really hot redhead? Is it hard to write a Spider-Man screenplay? Is this the last time emo will ever make it to a blockbuster OST? We detail the best parts of this movie, the few things that fall flat (...
Small Soldiers
December 25, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 128 MBHappy HoliDunst, everyone! Welcome to five days of continuous podcasts about our favourite Kirsten Dunst movies. On the first day, Bree and Mike Stephens take a stroll through the toy aisle and into a simpler time – a time when we were weirdly casual about guns, bomb threats and abject cruelty. Joe Dante’s Small Soldiers was famously panned, but as Bree and Mike look back at this movie, they find that it might be… almost good? There’s some brilliant one-liners, an absolutely charming final p...
Majora’s Mask
November 02, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 129 MBHappy Halloween! Bree is joined by her old friend Jason Edwards on this special occasion to discuss a spooky, scary… video game? In 2000, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask took players by surprise and alienated a generation of Zelda fans. Or did it? While Majora’s Mask was certainly a departure from the familiar formula due to its altered structure, uncanny valley characters and, of course, its horror elements, the retroactive portrayal of Majora’s Mask as a video game that was unappreciate...
The Dark Knight
August 24, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 140 MBOn the season finale of Tales From The Rec Room, Bree is joined by We Hate Movies co-host and film critic Chris Cabin to discuss one of our favourite “dadfernoon” movies, The Dark Knight. Where does this movie fall in the big picture of Nolan’s films? Could he ever take on another superhero movie? Why do dads love this movie so much? Does this movie’s take on surveillance age poorly? Is this movie about good versus order? Also, Eric Roberts!
Titanic
August 17, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 139 MBAll aboard the S.S. Hubris! Bree is joined by Chelsea Jupin (chelseajupin.bsky.social) to go to the intersection of Chick Flick Ave. and Disaster Movie Blvd. to re-explore Titanic. We discuss the seemingly endless power of Leonardo DiCaprio, 90s superhunk, being “second VHS” girlies, and how James Cameron is really just girlie in a Titanic phase who was given a blank cheque. Plus, Bree talks about her first movie boobs, while Chelsea reflects on the love of historical dramas sparked by this ...
Juno
August 10, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 115 MBBree hangs out with friends of the show Frederick Blichert and Mynt Marsellus for a look back at the highly affected, 2007 indie darling Juno. What was the experience like watching this movie as a high schooler versus middle schooler versus young adult? Why did people turn on this movie and the screenplay so much – and was it justified? Is there a possible queer reading of this movie? How does the fall of Roe V. Wade affect the viewing of this movie in 2023?
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
August 03, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 165 MBBree is joined by self-professed book nerd Maggie Taylor (@maggieolsontaylor) to discuss the coming-of-age book series that shaped us all and then abandoned us, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Is the fifth book a betrayal of the characters? Is Carmen Lowell all of us? Should Eric Richman be in jail forever? Do teenagers even like jeans anymore? And why aren’t there more books about girls just being supportive of their friends? Also, jail for Eric.
Get Over It
July 27, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 143 MBStrap in as Bree and Kelsey discuss the okay-est teen movie of 2001 – which might have very well been so okay that it killed the genre all together. We discuss Get Over It, fawn over Kiersten Dunst, ponder what kind of messed up name Berke Landers is and wonder if teen movies are even allowed to be so okay anymore.
Miracle
July 20, 2023 10:00 - 2 hours - 178 MBHockey expert Liz stops by the Rec Room with her DVD copy of Miracle. We break down what is generally regarded as one of the best sports movies of all time and discuss why exactly it is regarded as such – and yes, acknowledge the propaganda as well! We break down the Brooksisms, fawn over the f**kboys and ponder: where have all the modern sports movies gone?
Chrono Trigger
July 13, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 125 MBOttawa-based journalist and former Nintendo Power aficionado Ted Raymond joins Bree as they settle into the rec room for a time-travelling adventure with Chrono Trigger! Largely regarded as one of the best RPGs, if not video games, of all time, we discuss how this game influenced our love of video games and storytelling, follow the careers of the Traveling Wilburys of video game production and determine which Final Fantasy game was the undisputed best. “Timeless: A History of Chrono Trigger”
Clone High
July 06, 2023 10:00 - 2 hours - 181 MBWay way back in the early ‘00s, Mike and Bree discovered a cartoon. Friend of the show and cartoon expert Michael Stephens pops by to discuss the short-lived series Clone High. The series came at a perfect trifecta of sketch comedy, adult animation and teen dramas. And yet, no one watched it. Then some people wanted it back and it came back and was bad. But that doesn’t change the beauty that was Clone High, which might be the best MadTV sketch that never happened. We discuss the animation h...
Center Stage
June 29, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 160 MBEpisode 2 features writer, social media pro, dancer and mom Rachel Kellogg talkin’ Center Stage. We continue riding this late-90s/early-00s wave of teen movies and discuss the highly specific genre of the “elite academy movie,” ponder the difference between this and male-targeted sports movies, dissect the glory days of stunt and dance doubles, make the inevitable Save The Last Dance comparisons, get very alienating as we talk about our dance histories and wonder if this movie is both incred...
10 Things I Hate About You
June 22, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 137 MBEpisode 1 features blogger, author and all-around movie-lovin’ guy Kyle Martinak to discuss the millennial classic, 10 Things I Hate About You. We go back to the glory days of movie original soundtracks, reminisce about the days when teen characters were allowed to be jerks and look 30, ponder the enduring power of Save Ferris and discuss how this movie shaped not only our lives, but also the “high school movie” wave of 99-00.
The Breaking Bad-iverse
March 30, 2023 10:00 - 2 hours - 172 MBGuess we got what we deserved: an episode on Vince Gilligan’s two triumphant series, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, as well as El Camino, featuring Soundtracker’s (@soundtracker_) Eric Peacock (@uwebollocks). How do you find the peak of such a high-quality franchise? Does it really matter that there’s really only one female character in Better Call Saul? Does anyone get a more raw deal than Nacho Varga? Are Howard Hamlin and Marie Schrader perfect foils? And most importantly: which is th...
Millennial Pop Divas
March 16, 2023 10:00 - 2 hours - 130 MBIt’s Peak Show, b*tch! Bree is joined by show bestie Liz (@yanoforsure) to talk about the rise, peak and fall (and peak, and fall, and peak, and fall) of Britney, Christina, Jessica and Mandy. But it doesn’t stop there! We discuss the foundation laid by the VH1 divas, what the anti-Britney era of Avril, Fefe, P!n and others said about our stockpiled societal misogyny, how European (and ESL) producers created confounding hits and how Newlyweds convinced us we were all better than Jessica Simp...
The X-Files
March 02, 2023 11:00 - 2 hours - 125 MBBree is joined by We Hate Movies host and film programmer Andrew Jupin to take a trip back to the 90s and discuss The X-Files – the lasting legacy of conspiracy theory content, the magic of the Mulder/Scully dynamic, the delicate balance of mytharc vs. MOTW, the (maybe slightly anticlimactic?) mystery of Samantha Mulder, and Bree’s unhealthy obsession with X-Cops.
This Is Us
February 16, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 103 MBGet out your tissue boxes! Bree is joined by writer, critic and Role Calling podcast host Caroline Siede to talk about the recently concluded NBC family drama, This Is Us. Is this show mushy schmaltzy emotional manipulation, or is it much smarter, more layered and self-aware than people think? We detail the best stars (Hi, Mandy Moore! Hi Sterling K. Brown!), the unsung heroes (What’s up, Justin Hartley?), the amazing use of guest stars (Hey, Pam Grier!), the totally baffling (Randall is a l...
BoJack Horseman
February 02, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 104 MBBree is joined by TikTok essayist Lucky Leftie, to discuss the Netflix original series BoJack Horseman. With a show so layered, complex and controversial, sometimes a 90-minute discussion is necessary. We discuss mental illness, forgiveness, self-punishment, relationships, addiction, the entertainment industry, childhood trauma and the secret joke about Sextina Aquafina that a lot of people don’t seem to get. Let’s binge it! Please note: Due to some technical difficulties during recording, ...
Season 2 Finale: Flop Culture
September 15, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 81.3 MBBree gets together with Mynt, Liz and Frederick to bid farewell to Peak Show Season 2 and summer 2022 with a look at the best things that have been released so far this year. What do Bob Odenkirk and Isabelle Fuhrman have in common? What the hell are people on re: Us all of a sudden? Was this album Kendrick’s first miss? How dare the Duffer Brothers create characters people are emotionally invested in and then give that emotional investment payoff? Is Prey not being released theatrically one...
Star Wars – Episode 3
September 01, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 99.8 MBYou’re all nerds! Bree is joined by Ottawa-based digital journalist and former radio man Ted Raymond to round out Super Month. Together, they trash the nerds (sorry, nerds), discuss the origins of Wookieepedia, call BS on George Lucas, lament the gatekeeping, defend The Last Jedi and more. Utini!
Star Wars – Episode 2
August 18, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 110 MBBree is joined by her pal Mike Stephens (@bymikestephens) build a better Star Wars universe starring David Cross, Jennifer Coolidge and more – which might be better than everything we’ve gotten from this series from 1999 on. We discuss what’s gone wrong, if the sequel trilogy was really that good, how underused Mace Windu was, moral ambiguity, lack of tension in the TV series and, of course, toys. Get ready for some nerdy talkin’, some belching and some unhinged begging for Disney to tell a ...
Star Wars – Episode 1
August 04, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 98.9 MBPeak Show’s 2022 Super Month is here! We take a month-long journey into Star Wars. For the first episode, Eric Szyszka of the awesome We Hate Movies joins to discuss the prequels, Clone Wars, re-casting (and lack thereof), standalone movies, genre, Disneyfication and more. We also talk about Target, tilling and Tim Hortons. Oh, and Star Wars isn’t a Western.
Kevin Smith
July 21, 2022 10:00 - 2 hours - 110 MB“Bluntman” Bree and Kyle “Chronic” Martinak team up to talk about the Gen X Jersey slacker king himself, Kevin Smith. We discuss Smith’s pivot to podcasting, the secretly sweet aspect of his marriage, his wannabe Judd Apatow phase, the impact that pot had on his humour and more. Plus: is Tusk secretly amazing?
Mel Brooks
July 07, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 108 MBKelsey Goldman is in the driver’s seat for this special episode! Kelsey and her pal Jason Edwards lead the episode for a discussion on Mel Brooks. What was special about the way Mel wrote men – and women? Has anyone come close to Mel Brooks in terms of movie spoofs? We also discuss the specificity of Jewish humour versus New York humour, power and influence, how music makes him a better filmmaker and more. Content warning: Bree may or may not poop herself, and also there’s some disturbing ta...
The Babysitters Club
June 23, 2022 10:00 - 2 hours - 126 MBSay hello to your friends! Bree is joined by pop culture enthusiast Chelsea Jupin to discuss the books, movies, graphic novels and TV iterations of the Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club. They discuss being late bloomers, the power of female friendships, themes of chosen family, age-appropriate life lessons and, of course, Claudia’s style. Listen through for their dream Netflix series episodes, which baby-sitter they think they are, and some very important discussion about almonds.
Matt Stone and Trey Parker
June 09, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 108 MBBree is joined by Eric Peacock, host of the Soundtracker podcast, to discuss the varied and highly musical stylings of Matt Stone and Trey Parker, two of the most frustrating creators to ever come up on Peak Show. But despite our South Park-related misgivings, there’s a surprising deal of appreciation for their work. We discuss Gen X cynicism, the art of parody and, uh, a lot of 9/11 stuff. Oh, and Bree starts talking about AMAs and TV trading. Indiewire article on South Park’s most transph...
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
May 26, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 109 MBWhat up!!! Bree and Liz (@yanoforsure) are two cool girls doing a podcast for other cool people who want to hang out in our party mansion. Nothing sexual. People in good shape encouraged. If you are fat you should be able to find humour in the little things. Again, nothing sexual.
Adam Sandler
May 12, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 108 MBExit light, enter night! Bree and Ruin My Life co-host Kelsey Goldman (@kelseyrebecca) discuss the Sand-man himself, Adam Sandler! What should have been a straightforward episode about the gradual Flanderization and downfall of a beloved comedic actor turns into a multifaceted discussion about pain, masculinity, sports movies and a whole lot about Uncut Gems you just plain can’t understand if you’re not Jewish. Are Sandler’s Netflix movies really that bad? Does he give hope to the average lo...
David Fincher
April 28, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 99 MBU of T cinematic studies PhD student Mynt Marsellus returns to the show to discuss one of their favourite directors, David Fincher. Bree and Mynt discuss how Fincher gets the most out of his actors, how he uses space, time and movement uniquely, his blind spots for female characters, whether or not it matters that he’s a “difficult” director and what his most overrated movies are. Also, what would Spider-Man (2002) look like if it had been directed by David Fincher?
King Of the Hill Redux
April 14, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBUh-oh! A Peak Show emergency has forced Bree to go back into the archives and bring back the best episode you never heard! Friend of the show Mike Stephens and Bree discuss the all-timer that is King of the Hill, from the inherent way in which comedy ages like milk to the tragedies that are Bill, Dale and Peggy. If nothing else, marvel at how far the show has come.
Peak of March
April 04, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBBree returns for another month-end pop culture recap with friend Laura Alix (@lauraalix) to discuss March in terms of pop culture disc horse – Turning Red, Netflix prices, the CEO of Goldman-Sachs DJ-ing Lollapalooza and everything but the Oscars slap. And if you listen closely, our old friend Mike Stephens just might stop by to discuss Peggy Hill.
Taylor Swift
March 31, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBBree and culture writer/podcast host Elamin Abdulmahmoud (@elamin88) detail the chronology and evolutions of country/pop/everything in between queen Taylor Swift. They discuss everything from the Kanye controversy and Taylor’s victim/survivor image to how the discourse around her dating life has influenced her musical direction. Also, there’s a lot of gushing about bridges.
Final Destination
March 17, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBBree is joined by the lovely Patrick Hamilton of the Kill By Kill podcast (@killbykillpod) to determine the peak of the formulaic but utterly fun Final Destination franchise. They compare box office receipts, analyze what happens when Scream and Nightmare on Elm Street influence meet a group of X-Files writers, gush about Tony Todd and one of the hosts reveals their dubious connection to noted sixth-billed Keegan Connor Tracy. Is the gymnastics death really that great? Can we stop with the s...
M. Night Shyamalan
March 03, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBBree chills out with travelling podcast bad boi Justin Case (@ceJustinCase) to discuss the rise, fall and subsequent flailing of semi-disgraced Hollywood wunderkind M. Night Shyamalan. After a good decade of stinkers, has Shyamalan really come back? Does anyone have any business comparing him to Spike Lee or Quentin Tarantino? Can he absolutely please cool it with the cameos? If you say The Happening was supposed to be a B-movie enough, do you have to believe him? Also, Justin gets really be...
Peak of February
February 28, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBIn a surprise/experimental mini episode, Bree sits down with friend of the show and Owatanna News editor Annie Granlund (@anniegranlund) to discuss the various February pop culture discourse – from Wordle and Arthur to the Oscars and the Olympics – and discuss peaks and predictions for where these will go.
Mike Myers
February 17, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 80.7 MBBree is joined by We Hate Movies co-host Stephen Sajdak (@stephensadjak) to discuss the meteoric rise and rather confounding fall of Canadian wonder-boy, Mike Myers. As Bree and Steve explore his career from the humble beginnings of late-night CBC content to some of the most memorable characters and skits of SNL’s 90’s glory days and his frustrating descent into franchise town, they touch on key comedy moments like the former glory days of the Second City-to-SNL pipeline, the rise of the 200...
Brooklyn 99
February 03, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 90.7 MBBree and Real Gud Pros co-host Helen Marukh get together to gab about comedy and copaganda with Brooklyn 99. Can you still enjoy the show despite its unignorable propaganda? Just how badly did NBC screw up the show? Did the show engage with criticisms of policing properly? Is there anyone more deserving of a happy ending than Rosa Diaz? (The answer is no). Get ready for some uncomfortable discussions about the way we engage with the show, the way the show attempts to engage with the real wor...
Season 1 Finale
December 16, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 81.8 MBAnd just like that, Peak Show Season 1 has come to a conclusion! Bree and some of the guests from the past year reunite virtually to discuss the year that was, the highlights from their episodes, what their favourite media events of the year was and what they’re looking forward to next year. Plus, Sam wants Jarrod to be his dad and Bree to be his… stepmom?
Arrested Development
December 02, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 90.5 MBTake a look at podcast, audience! Bree is joined by her two swell pals Liz (@yanoforsure) and Mike (@bymikestephens) to discuss the incredibly high peaks and unfortunately low and kind of depressing valleys of the millennial staple Arrested Development. Is the show harder to enjoy with the Tambor of it all? Did the show get away with punching down a lot? How adorable and punchable is Michael Cera? And, is Jessica Walter the most gif-able performer of all time?
Judd Apatow
November 18, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 87.7 MBBree is joined by her friend, podcast hobbyist/sandwich lobbyist/author Kyle Martinak (@kylemartinak) to discuss the portfolio of comedy juggernaut Judd Apatow. Did Katherine Heigl have a point about his movies and the gender of it all? Was working with the same actors over and over limiting, or did it create magic? Did he seriously not have anything to do with I Love You Man and we’re all just nuts? Plus, we answer the question nobody asked: Undeclared, or Freaks and Geeks? Buy Kyle’s book...
Seinfeld
November 04, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBBree and Armchair Reactions co-host Gowsh (@GowshiganS) put on their bright white sneakers and take a trip back to NBC’s powerhouse Thursday nights in the 90’s with a look back at Seinfeld. There’s some clashing over their lasting impression of Season 4 and the NBC plot, discuss the meta-tragedy of Susan, reflect on how Michael Richards’ outright racism affects the Kramer character, unveil a sort-of-secret connection to the 00’s comedy romp Eurotrip and try to envision a version of Jerry and...
America’s Next Top Model
October 21, 2021 10:00 - 2 hours - 127 MBBree and her birthday twin, journalist and editor Annie Grandlund (@anniegranlund) outline their high school fave, America’s Next Top Model as they discuss Tyra’s personality, traumatizing contestants, the difference between a fun bitch and a tragic bitch, the gimmicks and more. We talk about what made the series go sour (was it the show, or the industry?) and what kind of legacy Top Model has left in its wake.
Arkells
October 07, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBBree and producer/photographer Sam Brooks (@samuelgbrooks) crack open a cold one around the (virtual) campfire to discuss known good dudes and uber-millennial Hamiltonian scamps, (the) Arkells. We dive into the band’s evolution from college rockers to stadium fillers, the odes to southern Ontario, the difference Tony made in the band and whether the band is in dad-rock territory. We also talk extensively about Hamilton, shitmalls and Kyle Dubas, and somehow (we swear) it’s all relevant.
Radiohead
September 23, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 73.7 MBBree chats with Twitter Canada head of comms Cam Gordon (@cam_gordon) about the prolific, influential and seemingly contemptuous toward their own fame, Radiohead. We discuss the musical influences of Radiohead, whether or not they evolved enough between In Rainbows and King of Limbs, the band’s relationship to the capitalist hellfire of the music industry and more. As a Gen X-er, Cam can verify what a live Radiohead show in the 90s was like. However, he can’t get you verified.
Scream
September 09, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 83.6 MBEntertainment journalist and author Frederick Blichert (@FABlichert) joins Bree for the long-anticipated Scream takedown. The highly meta franchise re-ignited the teen slasher genre in the 90’s before being derailed by real late-90’s mass tragedies – and then kinda-sorta coming back. When could Scream have stopped? When should it have stopped? Which characters should have survived? What, as a society, made us so obsessed with these movies? Fred discusses how the “survivor” aspect of Scream s...
Parks and Recreation
August 26, 2021 11:00 - 2 hours - 113 MBBree and screenwriter/performer Kristy LaPointe (@kristylapointe) grab some JJ’s waffles and discuss the highs and lows of Parks and Recreation. Kristy brings her perspective as a comedy writer to discuss the places where Parks & Rec came up short, but also the ways that it comforted us throughout the years. We look at the positives – like the amazingly weird supporting characters – and the negatives – like this show’s seriously weird issues with fat people. Join us as we search through Pawn...
The Mighty Ducks
August 12, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 87.1 MBBree and podcaster/hockey fan Kelsey Goldman (@kelseyrebecca) discuss the highs and lows of the Mighty Ducks trilogy and the recent live-action follow-up series. Does D2 undermine the underdogs premise? Would D3 have worked better as a Disney Channel movie? Has Aaron Lohr had the best post-Ducks life? Would Emilio Estivez have been Zdeno Chára’s snack? Plus, there’s a loooooot of naive, pre-draft, pre-free agency talk about hockey. You’ve been warned.