Read it and Weep
270 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 217 ratingsRead it and Weep used to be a podcast about books. Now we talk about movies and other pop culture with a confidence level unearned by our actual knowledge.
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Episodes
RiaW 2.34 - Hawaii #SummerOfFun
September 18, 2019 18:53 - 59.3 MBAloha! It's the official end of the #SummerOfFun. We ate lollies, caught a baseball game, hung out at the mall, and lots more. We've got a bunch of great episodes and even more great memories. But it all has to come to an end. For our final episode of the summer, we talked to comedian and writer for Full Frontal w/ Samantha Bee, Mohanad Elshieky, about his recent trip to Hawaii. It's not the kind of thing everybody can do for the summer, but Ezra's been a couple times so the two of them ta...
RiaW 2.33 - Australian Lollies #SummerOfFun
September 11, 2019 21:41 - 64.6 MBEarlier this year we did a whole episode about candy from our childhood. Inspired by that, our Australian fanbase Rhiannon offered to send us over 3kg of candy and snacks from the earth's nether regions. So we sat down with Jordan Casner (@jordancasner on all paltforms) on a Tuesday morning and consumed that candy. These are the results. Here's what we ate: Arnott's Shortbread Cream Tim Tam Shapes Cheezels Cadbury Special Treats - Cherry Ripe, Turkish Delight, Crunchie, and Boost ...
RiaW 2.32 - Water Balloon Fights #SummerOfFun
September 04, 2019 23:28 - 73.4 MBThe SummerOfFun is fading out and being replaced by autumn, which will last for a week or two before it's basically Christmas. But we caught one of our last remaining sunny days and used it for the violent childhood classic, the water balloon fight. Sponsored by Shannon, Anthony and I embarked on a woodland balloon rumble, surrounded by his extended family. It was an absolute blast. But that's not all! Ezra had a separate water balloon fight with his whole family, so we chat with him and ...
RiaW 2.31 - Baseball Game #SummerOfFun
August 29, 2019 20:23 - 21.7 MBI was traveling for comedy in LA this week so I took the opportunity to fulfill another Meat Buddy request and go to a baseball game! Bri (@bripruett) and I recorded a live mini-episode while watching the New York Yankees taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's kindof a weird one so let us know what you think and of course, no refunds! Mentioned in this episode MLB apologizes for blown call
RiaW 2.30 - Drive-in Movies #SummerOfFun
August 21, 2019 18:42 - 66.5 MBIt's our first ever sponsored Summer of Fun episode. Meat Buddy TJ asked us to take in a movie car-style. Anthony and I went to the pop-up drive-in in Portland and watched Little Shop of Horrors while Ezra... did his best. Sponsor TJ does a web show where he reviews movies along with his whole family. It's really charming. Watch a review below and throw them a subscribe. They really want to get to 100 subs, so please help them out. http://bit.ly/moviefamily
RiaW 2.29 - Dave and Busters #SummerOfFun
August 14, 2019 19:46 - 64 MBOne of the most popular suggestions for the Summer Of Fun was Chuck E Cheese, but we couldn't go there because we didn't have a kid and it seemed weird to borrow one. So we went for a slightly more upscale adventure turning money into worthless tickets: Dave & Busters. Will it hold up? Or will we be beaten down by all the giant iPhone games? On this episode Alex Falcone (@alex_falcone) Anthony Lopez Andrew Sleighter (@andrewsleighter) Kirsten Kuppenbender (@kupptastic)
RiaW 2.28 - Summer Beverages #SummerOfFun
August 07, 2019 21:31 - 74.2 MBNothing is more important to power your summer of fun than staying hydrated. So we went back through all our favorite nostalgic beverages, mostly red sugar water, to see how they held up. And then we pitted them against each other to determine the official beverage of summer. The answer won't surprise you at all! On This Episode Alex Falcone (@alex_falcone) Anthony Lopez Ezra Fox Sarah Hatheway (@sarahhatheway)
RiaW 2.2 – Public Pools #SummerOfFun
July 31, 2019 19:39 - 59.8 MBWhat’s more summer than the smell of chlorine and falling asleep in the car while your wet suit ruins the upholstery? But hanging out at the pool feels decidedly more creepy without a kid present. Does it hold up for adults? Find out! Featuring Alex Falcone Anthony Lopez Elena C. Hayden (@elenasabetch) Tiffany McGuire (@tiffanynogood)
RiaW 2.26 - Laser Tag #SummerOfFun
July 23, 2019 18:56 - 53.1 MBAnother classic of my teenage years was laser tag. I spent many a party with a wrist band on going game-after-game at Qzar in Reno. But will it hold up for adults? And can we beat the local kids? Find out! Mentioned in this episode Adam suggests Speed Golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhFLF3G-ebg Father-of-the-show My Dad recommends we watch Holey Moley, the Steph Curry produced miniature golf show.
RiaW 2.25 - Pinball #SummerOfFun
July 10, 2019 22:59 - 87.2 MBI spent a lot of time in arcades as a kid, but I was never much for crises of time or the dancing revolutions. I loved the clanging physicality of pinball. But in a world with a million games to play, does it hold up? We brought in nationally ranked tournament pinball player, founding member of Chicago's fabled squad Extra Ballsy, and longtime guest Nick Delehanty to talk about the silver ball. What we look like Check out Nick from Chicago competing against the best in the world at a pin...
RiaW 2.24 - Miniature Golf #SummerOfFun
July 03, 2019 21:00 - 67.3 MBWe can all agree that full sized golf is lame. It's a giant business meeting ruining a perfectly good public park. But miniature golf is brilliant, it's got tiny windmills and minimal walking. At least that's what I thought as a kid. But has my opinion changed now that I'm all growed up? Find out! Mentioned in this episode Mike Bennett is an artist who's gotten a bunch of attention recently for hiding giant memes around Portland. Mike & Michele have a podcast about 90s cartoons called...
RiaW 2.23 - Late Night Denny's #SummerOfFun
June 26, 2019 21:10 - 75.8 MBWhen you're not old enough for bars, finding a place to hang out at night can be tricky. But one reliable place is Denny's. Sure, it's not better than literally any other restaurant, but it's better than a Walmart parking lot. So does the experience of hanging out at Denny's hold up? Find out! New Denny's Slogans We came up with a bunch of great new slogans for Denny's during this episode, collected below. Delicious. In a bad way. You can't wreck a Denny's! Whatever you're wearing, y...
RiaW 2.22 - Eating Fast Food #SummerOfFun
June 19, 2019 22:26 - 72.8 MBI wasn't allowed much fast food as a kid, so a classic activity from my youth was driving to Carl's Junior (pronounced "Hardees" by east coasters), cramming a full 2,000 calorie meal in the middle of the afternoon, and then pretending I was still hungry when I got home for dinner. Other people got more fast food as kids, but the question remains, does that kind of dining hold up? We brought on the Internet's favorite fast food reviewer Bill Oakley on to talk us through a feast of grease. B...
RiaW 2.21 - Hanging Out At The Mall #SummerOfFun
June 12, 2019 23:52 - 72.5 MBThe summer of fun continues with a classic activity from our youths: hanging out at the mall. Whether you're drinking smoothies or playing the games at Game Stop or stealing earrings from Claire's, it was a part of so many summers. But does it hold up? We brought in mall expert Paige Weldon to find out. Also mentioned in this episode Paige has a super fun podcast about the mall called Mall Talk. Check it out!
RiaW 2.20 - Bowling #SummerOfFun
June 05, 2019 20:32 - 75.4 MBIt's June, so it's time to kick of Read it and Weep's Summer of Fun! We're doing a bunch of stuff we used to do during the summer as kids and checking to see if it holds up. First up, we're going bowling! Grab your dorky shoes and let's get a lane. Sponsored by David from Scottland David teaches jazz guitar. Here he is improvising a piece he calls Hail Bossa. If you like jazz guitar, you'll like it! He also recommends you check out the podcast Jake This on All Things Comedy. It's hosted b...
RiaW 2.19 - Classic Dr. Who (1975) #DoesItHoldUp
May 29, 2019 20:20 - 97.1 MBDespite the show being on since the dawn civilization, I'd never watched a single minute of it. So on the consensus of the Meat Buddies who voted, it was time I tried it out. We watched the 6-episode arc "The Genesis of the Daleks" so at least I would understand why I keep seeing those bumpy trashcan robots in various memes. Mentioned in this episode Anthony's razor: "If you don't understand the function of an object, it is probably a weird sex thing." Libraries are great! If you aren't...
RiaW 2.18 - Napoleon Dynamite (2004) #DoesItHoldUp
May 22, 2019 20:39 - 79.1 MBWe checked in the with early 2000s cringe-comedy Napoleon Dynamite. We had mixed feelings about it the first time around but did it hold up well or not at all? Mentioned in this episode This episode is sponsored by the new book The Devil's Guide to Managing Difficult People by Robyn Bennis. It's a funny novel about the devil, who is just as I always expected, an old lady. Check it out now! I mentioned angrily that not everything can be alive, but Leigh Ann disagrees. She recommends th...
RiaW 2.17 - Brave Little Toaster (1987) #DoesItHoldUp
May 07, 2019 22:27 - 89.6 MBIf you thought Toy Story was a compelling story of stuff that can talk, you're right. But before humanity came up with that idea, we had a much worse idea. A talking toaster. It's the hero nobody asked for mixed with the darkness guaranteed to haunt your childhood. But does it hold up?
RiaW 2.16 - Queer As Folk (US) #DoesItHoldUp
May 01, 2019 18:15 - 61.2 MBIt's the early 2000s Showtime show about a group of gay friends in their late 20s and a child they take care of. Mentioned in this episode Amanda recommends the polyamory song
RiaW 2.15 - Lucky Number Slevin (2006) #DoesItHoldUp
April 24, 2019 19:32 - 78.7 MBOf all the fake numbers ever created, the best one is definitely Slevin. And that is the entirety of what I knew about this movie before I watched it for this pod. Anthony and Ezra hadn't seen it either but Mohanad loves it because he loves movies with twists, and Slevin is the twistiest.
RiaW 2.14 - The Music Man (1962) #DoesItHoldUp
April 17, 2019 20:17 - 76.9 MBThere's trouble right here in podcast city, as RiaW favorite Sarah Hatheway chooses to investigate whether the 1962 Broadway musical turned film adaptation starring slick-talking not-singing Rex Harrison holds up to modern scrutiny. Is this movie still her shapoopi? Find out!
RiaW 2.13 - The West Wing (1999) #DoesItHoldUp
April 10, 2019 00:35 - 92.5 MBRead it and Weep legend Stephen Carter takes his turn figuring out if something holds up. For him, it's the thing that helped him decide on a career path, The West Wing. How has it aged as the world has caught on fire.
RiaW 2.12 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) #DoesItHoldUp
April 02, 2019 01:16 - 89.2 MBIt's the second to last crusade Indiana Jones goes on, and the first one that's an apology for the second one. It was also a big part of Ezra's life because his dad designed the video game based on the movie for Lucas's game division. So we called Mr. Fox up and talked a lot about this movie about fathers and sons sharing stuff.
RiaW 2.11 - American Psycho (2000) #DoesItHoldUp
March 27, 2019 20:53 - 89 MBIn the second of two super sponsorships, we investigate the 2000 satire/horror Wallstreet Murder comedy. Does it hold up? And can Anthony convince Alex he's wrong?
RiaW 2.10 - Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) #DoesItHoldUp
March 20, 2019 18:54 - 87.5 MBIt's the first ever Super Sponsorship of Season 2 and we're exploring two films dear to listener Alexis from the UK. First up, the 2001 workplace sexual harassment comedy Bridget Jones's Diary. Does it hold up? Our three panelists come down in pretty different places on this important question.
RiaW 2.09 - Three Amigos (1986) #DoesItHoldUp
March 13, 2019 00:13 - 70.1 MBIt's Anthony's turn to pick something from his childhood, and this time we're going back to the oft-rerun Steve Martin it al picture, Three Amigos. Alongside two (two!) Caitlins of Comedy, we dove deep into the singing cowboy dad-comedy. Did it hold up? Find out!
RiaW 2.08 - Rounders (1998) #DoesItHoldUp
March 06, 2019 23:57 - 113 MBIt's easily the movie I've watched the most in my childhood, and the one that's had the biggest effect on my life. And yet it's been over 10 years since I've watched it. Will it hold up? To help me answer the question I brought on poker writer Zachery Elwood for some insight into the pokeriest parts. This is one of our longest episodes ever, but it'll breeze right by, hopefully!
Our other podcast: Pack Your Mics
February 27, 2019 14:00 - 94.9 MBI haven't mentioned it in a while, but I run another podcast called Pack Your Mics, about the Bravo cooking show Top Chef. Since we didn't have a new episode this week, I thought I'd throw you this for you to check out. It's from season 16 episode 2 of the show and we're joined by very special guest, Chef Jim Smith who competes on the show! If you like it, make sure to subscribe. And we'll be back with more Read it and Weep next week.
RiaW 2.07 - Disney's California Adventure
February 20, 2019 23:37 - 89.8 MBIt's the most special, most magical episode of Season 2! Alex visited a theme park he hasn't been at since he was 16, Walt Disney's California Adventure, to see if it holds up. It's got new rides, new branding on old rides, and old rides that are still weird. And it's not quite Disneyland.
RiaW 2.06 - Candy. A Bunch of Candy.
February 13, 2019 14:00 - 96.8 MBIn another very special episode of Read it and Weep Season 2, we ate a bunch of candy from our youths and tried to decide if it held up. Some of it definitely didn't. And by the end of the episode, we weren't holding up well either.
RiaW 2.05 Groundhog Day (1993) #DoesItHoldUp
February 06, 2019 22:10It's our easiest quest of season 2: does the 1993 Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day hold up? (Yeah of course but let us have this, we have six more weeks of winter to get through.)
RiaW 2.04 - Soul Man (1986) #DoesItHoldUp
January 29, 2019 22:18When Candice was a kid her and her family used to laugh and laugh at the 1986 film Soul Man. Will we still laugh at the light-hearted black-face comedy? Or just cringe ourselves to death? Find out!
RiaW 2.03 - Nickelback's Silver Side Up #DoesItHoldUp
January 23, 2019 23:06And this is a first. Comedian Phoebe Bottoms choose her #DoesItHoldUp topic from a genre we've never discussed before on our TWO seasons of the show. An album. Specifically the breakout album from often-a-punchline Canadians Nickelback. Does it hold up? Or is it sad because of the way it reminds me of high school?
RiaW 2.02 Fight Club (1999) #DoesItHoldUp
January 16, 2019 21:54Season 2 continues with our focus on movies as biography. We explain the game "What is this song about?" that's shaping season two. Guest of honor Hunter Donaldson picked Fight Club to find out if it holds up. Alex and Anthony had similar history's with it. So does it? Uh...
RiaW 474: Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) #DoesItHoldUp
January 10, 2019 00:00Big announcement! This is the first episode of Season 2 of Read it and Weep. We're going to be experimenting a bit more with the format of the show to try to create something better and more exciting. As always, we'd love to hear what you think! To start out the new season, we're doing a series of episodes on the theme, Does It Hold Up? We're inviting really cool, funny people on, asking them to pick a topic that meant a lot to them as a youth, and trying to decide if they still feel the s...
RiaW 473 - It's a Wonderful Life (1946) #GRIZZMASS
December 23, 2018 14:30It's the most often played Christmas movie in America and it's undoubtedly a classic. But is it good? Or is it just a 2+ hour GoFundMe for a banker who doesn't communicate with his wife? We've got an esteemed panel to discuss it including a first time guest who's never seen it before!
RiaW 472: Paddington (2014) #GRIZZMASS
December 20, 2018 00:45People kept raving about how delightful this little British bear is but I had to see for myself. Our one and only bear movie of Grizzmass 2018, we watched and completely adored this movie. Plus! The invention of the new game FAN FACTS. Super fun. Keep em coming!
RiaW 471 - Home Alone (1990) #Grizzmass
December 12, 2018 23:31It's the Christmas movie that has kids everywhere raving, "I like when the bad guys get hit in the face." But does the facial-abuse comedy hold up to adult scrutiny? Find out!
RiaW #470 - Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas (2014) #Grizzmass
December 05, 2018 06:15We all know Christmas needs to be saved. No, not from commercialism, paganism, secularism, and the conspiracy of atheists who insist we acknowledge the existence of other people but saying "happy holidays." Oh no. Kirk Cameron thinks Christmas is perfect the way it is, it just needs to be saved from religious people not enjoying it enough. So he's helped produce a movie where he uses the power of insane logic to justify everything he was going to do anyway. Is it dumb or evil? Is it annoyi...
RiaW #469: Austin Powers (1996) #DrNOvember FIXED
November 29, 2018 22:13What better way to end our first ever James Bond month than with the parody that changed the Bond franchise. So we dug up the low-budget comedy from our childhoods that was quoted to death, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. We wonder aloud whether or not it holds up, and settle on kinda. Grab your nostalgia hats and Swedish penis pumps and dive in.
RiaW #468: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) #DrNOVember
November 21, 2018 23:17James Bond hasn't always been a famous international man of mystery. Briefly, he was a mysterious Australian international man of mystery. For one day and one day only, he was played by George Lazenby (peach), a model with an ocean-deep chin notch. Is he the worst James Bond? The best? Underrated? Not Yet Rated? Find out! Also of note, this includes the saddest James Bond scene, the weirdest, the most uncomfortable daughter-auction, and an allergy based harem.
RiaW #467: Dr. No (1962) #DrNovember
November 14, 2018 18:13It's in the name of the month, and it's the first ever James Bond movie. We watched the 1962 film Dr. No! It's got a lot of the elements we love about James Bond (tuxedos, weird card games, bonkers villains) and a lot of the elements we hate about James Bond (sexism, harassing women at work, having sex in front of military personnel). It's got its upsides (Sean Connery, peach variety of James Bonds, not nectarine) and some downsides (a really hard to watch rear projection car chase scene). ...
RiaW #466: GoldenEye (1995) #DrNOvember
November 07, 2018 23:30Welcome to our first-ever Dr No-vember! We're bonding all month over the classic spy who sexually harassed us, starting out with Pierce Brosnan's debut in the 1995 film that revitalized the series, GoldenEye. Yes we talked about the video game too. The movie is interesting for almost recognizing all the problems with the series but then doing nothing about them. Also it's got a really cool tank chase. Mentioned on the show New guest Corina Lucas is on Twitter!
RiaW #464: Skyscraper (2018) #TheRocktober
October 31, 2018 20:22We all know The Rock reaches high heights. but just because you can physically jump all the way from that tower crane to the tower, that doesn't mean you you should. You might land the jump, but be worse for wear afterwards. That's what happens here. It turns out the rock isn't quite strong enough or fast enough or charming enough to save a really boring script from working. This is a movie about a really tall tower and The Rock, and I thought that would be enough for me, but it turns out I'...
RiaW #463: Central Intelligence (2016) #TheRocktober
October 23, 2018 19:56We talk during the Jumanji 2 episode about how creating a movie from a marketing idea and working backwards is not a great way to make a movie. It worked in that case, but in this one, it seems like they came up with the idea for the tagline, and then really slappe together a movie to fill it out. Whoever came up with the line, "Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson," deserves a raise. Everybody else on this movie deserves a demerit. Mentioned on the show October 28th is ...
RiaW #463: Rampage (2018) #TheRocktober
October 17, 2018 20:58This is what it looks like when you make a movie backwards. You've got a video game franchise. You gotta get the Rock in it. You have to blow up Chicago. Unlike Jumanji, this doesn't 100% work. It's fine. It's got some good parts. There's a giant cartoon monkey. But it's not amazing. Mentioned on the show Thanks to our new Meat Buddy TJ from the DC Area. Drive safe! First time guest Amber Preston is on Instagram and Twitter and is a complete delight!
RiaW #462: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) #TheRocktober
October 10, 2018 13:00Everything about this shouldn't work. If you described it to me I'd say it's terrible. But then, basically everything about it works. It's so fun! Happy #TheRocktober, everybody! Mentioned on the show Thanks to our new Meat Buddy Bridget from Baltimore!
RiaW #461: The Princess Bride (1987) #Sponstember
October 03, 2018 16:00Does it hold up? Yes. Yes it does. To close out #Sponstember, we dove into the 80s cult classic of high adventure, true love, and giant rats. It was completely delightful. All we ask is maybe cut back on quoting it. Mentioned on the show Thanks to our sponsor Eion for bringing this joy to our lives and our new Meat Buddy John from the Philippines.
RiaW #460: Choose Your Own Adventure #Sponstember
September 26, 2018 19:02We dipped into another classic series from our youths. You know, the one where you skip to page 49 and find out you died but then you go right back to page 12 because you secretly held the break with your finger and now you're ready to try to other option. To find out if they hold up, we read two books: The Magic of the Unicorn and Prisoner of the Ant People. You can probably tell from the titles which one we really liked and which one we hated. Thanks to our returning sponsor Jake Montz...
RiaW #459: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator #Sponstober
September 19, 2018 19:42After 9 years, we've finally broken down and allowed a sponsorship of a video game. And it's a real interesting one. Dream Daddy is in the genre of dating sims, but it's also a very sweet story about raising children, all around an LGBTQ-friendly and pun-heaving packaging. It's fascinating.