We sat down with Chad’s old Virginia Tech classmate Kevin Hershner to discuss his film Normal Accidents. Kevin is a writer, director, and actor living in Los Angeles who is currently pitching the movie—his first feature—to festivals. Normal Acc

XV – You Used to Laugh with the People, Adam McKay

Nov 28th, 2023

We love Adam McKay movies. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby embraces the Americana of rednecks and NASCAR culture, innocently pitting our uncouth heroes against the French liberal elites. Step Brothers is two losers resisting the urg

XIV – Barbenheimer

Sep 18th, 2023

The boys celebrate the podcast’s 10th anniversary by digging into the whole “Barbenheimer” thing. Show Notes: Mission Impossible 7 bombs because theatres are dead again:https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/mission-impossible-7-ends-its-domest

XIII – Darren Aronofsky: Capriciously Comparing ‘The Whale’ and ‘The Wrestler’

Jul 24th, 2023

Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale and The Wrestler are very different films, but both center on a broken person, unable to achieve their former high, estranged from family and facing a new, less satisfying reality. Yet, one of these films sucks whil

XII – There Should be More Beat-the-Clock Movies about the Asteroid that Killed the Dinosaurs

Apr 11th, 2023

Everything Everywhere All at Once swept the Oscars, but Hollywood seems incapable of talking about the movie on its merits. After discussing the struggle between art and identity politics, Brad and Chad both fail to remember the plot to Operati

XI – It’s About a Bear that Does a Lot of Cocaine

Apr 3rd, 2023

Cocaine Bear is based on the true tale of a bear who ate cocaine and died. The movie adaptation is about a CGI blob that mauls people to death – with some admittedly cool traditional effects. After sobering up, Brad and Chad go deep on M. Night

X – Oscars So Blue

Feb 21st, 2023

From The Fabelmans to Avatar: The Way of Water, Hollywood feels increasingly out of touch, both in its ability to capture what it means to be a person – and to re-capture what it meant to watch a Blockbuster in the theatre. Opining on their gro

IX – ‘Bad Santa’

Dec 22nd, 2022

This is the deepest dive into Bad Santa that you’ll find anywhere. The “Santa” that made it into theatres – and conned its way onto DVD and streaming services – is an imposter, with the cut approved by director Terry Zwigoff hidden away (at the

VIII – “Marilyn Monroe” Gets Pwnd

Nov 14th, 2022

In a world where a cartoonishly evil cabal of men exploit damaged women from cradle to grave, Blonde takes the heroic position that that is bad. The highly sensational, fictionalized Marilyn Monroe “biopic” from Andrew Dominik is the first film

VII – Like This Podcast to Cancel ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’

Nov 1st, 2022

Let’s play a game of Bodies Bodies Bodies – a new viral TikTok sensation for upper-middle-class woke kids who kill each other in manic witch hunts! After, we can all find Jesus through the (very entertaining and solidly made) gospel of Black Ph

VI – Narratologists Approve of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

Oct 24th, 2022

In part 2 of a 2-part adventure, Chad and Brad finally have a civil conversation about Everything Everywhere All at Once. And then they stammer through a chat about George Miller’s Three Thousand Year of Longing. Show Notes: Freddie deBoer on

V – Why Does Modern CGI Suck?

Oct 18th, 2022

In part 1 of a 2-part adventure, Chad and Brad attempt to unravel a great mystery: How in the hell does Star Wars (1977) still look amazing when Spider-Man (2002) is aging like a Thor: Love and Thunder joke? Show Notes: Vulture piece on how Mar

IV – God Damn, that Tom Cruise Fella Sure is a Movie Star

Jul 19th, 2022

With audio now in the proper human-sounding bit rate, The Cinematic Tangent returns to discuss why Top Gun: Maverick is uniquely American. Plus, Brad and Chad mull over the themes of Crimes of the Future, while acknowledging CGI sex-violence is

III – Everything is Wrong With This Show All at Once

Jun 7th, 2022

Audio issues and circular arguments abound, Chad and Brad bicker over Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Northman. Show Notes: Amplifying 4Chan Posts for Woke Takes: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/22/norse-code-white-supremaci

II – Shit is so Corporate, Man

May 10th, 2022

Chad and Brad discuss Uncharted and Jackass Forever. With a bittersweet take, Chad pontificates on how the Internet’s shift from anarchy to sanitized corporate product mirrors the evolution of Jackass. Show Notes: Chad referred to Poopies as “P

I – Cut the Bullshit

Apr 5th, 2022

Welcome to the podcast from a real-life Brad and Chad duo. Now, what the fuck happened to film? It really sucks. Show Notes: The Substack of Marxist writer Freddie deBoer that Chad is clearly a reader of: https://freddiedeboer.substack.com An e

Episode 67 – ‘Isle Of Dogs’ in the Age of Outrage

Jun 25th, 2018

Brad and Chad discuss Ready Player One and Isle of Dogs, the latter of which has angered some kids on Twitter.

Episode 66 – Netflix and ‘Black Panther’

Mar 16th, 2018

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is breaking records – but how good is it, really?

Episode 65 – Teddy Bears and Fish People

Jan 29th, 2018

The Cinematic Tangent spoils The Post, Paddington 2, Shape of Water, and I, Tonya.

Episode 64 – Not a ‘Last Jedi’ Show

Dec 31st, 2017

Chad maintains his boycott of all things Star Wars movies, while Brad quickly brushes past Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. After that, the guys talk Coco, Last Flag Flying, and Lady Bird. Why is Twitter mad about a Frozen short? Is it

Episode 63 – ‘A Ghost Story’

Nov 29th, 2017

The guys talk Murder on the Orient Express, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and A Ghost Story. Also, are you tired of sequels yet?

Episode 62 – You’re Killing Me, Smalls!

Oct 19th, 2017

Just in time for the World Series, the Cinematic Tangent reflects back on The Sandlot, Little Big League, and other baseball films from the good ol’ days.

Episode 61 – Random Reflections

Aug 2nd, 2017

A re-direct from last episode on the value of comedy is followed by talk of Baby Driver and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Also, from cushy chairs at a high price to cushy chairs that shake, are you tired of “luxury” theatre gimmicks yet? Bring back S

Episode 60 – Fighting Words

Jun 30th, 2017

After a … passionate (Chad was raging.) battle over Fist Fight that leads into a larger discussion about film criticism and philosophy, Brad and Chad talk Wonder Woman, The Lovers, and It Comes at Night.

Episode 59 – Mel Gibson

Jun 19th, 2017

From the brand new Cinematic Tangent production studio (a laptop and a mic), Chad and Brad talk the complete filmography of writer/director Mel Gibson: Braveheart, Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge.