Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

We’re expanding the age range of our musical tastes on this episode on Baconsale, courtesy of our guest, Briggs! Now, Briggs is young, but he has an old soul when it comes to music. And Joel, Kent & Zack are going to try their best to guess what Briggs is going to pick next as we all choose answers for categories such as Always Makes You Happy, Best Vocals, Go-To Artist for a Long Drive, Guilty Pleasure, and One Album Wonder. Listen as we make some broken-record picks, play some sad boy tunes, and offer a lot of apologies to each other.   Press play to see which choices are B.B. and which ones are B.Z.   And visit Baconsale.com to see our official playlist of songs discussed on this episode.

If you like to talk 'bout tomatoes, if a beet can make you smile, have we got an Baconsale episode for you! Since Joel, Kent, and Zack had such a fun time talking about fruit with Babs last year, we invited her back to talk about the savory side of edible plant life. We’ve got a list of 24 vegetables, from artichoke to zucchini, that we’re going to discuss and rank. We’ll be sharing random veggie facts, offering our personal taste preferences, trying our best to come to a culinary consensus, and dancing around the subject of gastrointestinal discomfort.   Press play for your daily serving of healthy podcasting.

Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force have taken on arms dealers, rogue agents, rabbit’s feet, nuclear bombs, terrorists, and the Syndicate, but nothing had prepared them for their most recent obstacle: a global pandemic that shut down filmmaking. However, despite all the delays, Tom Cruise managed to pull together his team for a seventh time to make the first part of a two-part story. Joel was disavowed from the movie screening of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, so Kent and Zack are going to give their reviews, but not before letting Joel guess the plot summary. And don’t worry, we’ll give you a warning before we download & decrypt all the spoilers.   Press play to feel like Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond.

Back in the day, it only cost a quarter to go to the movie theater and you could get an ice cream soda for a nickel! But times have changed, prices have risen, and things are more expensive now. So on this episode of Baconsale, we’re taking a look at the top ten highest-grossing movies of all time, adjusted for inflation. And while these popular box office blockbusters have an objective order, Joel, Kent, and Zack are going to give their personal rankings, share their reviews, offer some A.I. insights, and compare our average top ten with Wikipedia’s.   Press play to learn the difference between flicks, films, movies, and cinema.

O say, can you hear? The Boogie Woogie Baconsale Boys are preparing for their Independence Day celebration by picking some of the most patriotic party tunes of all time. What qualifies a song for our official 4th of July playlist? Well, it has to say the word America, or name cities in the U.S.A., or be about freedom, or mention popular national pastimes, or allude to fireworks, or instill feelings of happiness, or have a good beat… Okay, so we’re a little loose with the theme, but what’s more American than hearing the music Joel, Kent, and Zack are planning to play during our little town’s parade, the family barbeque, and our Canada-shaming fireworks show?   Mayor Bigmustache and his extended family request that you press play.   And visit Baconsale.com to find our official Spotify playlist.

Believe it or not, it’s been 15 years since the last attempt at an Indiana Jones movie, but will this sequel be more well-received than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? That’s what Joel, Kent, and Zack are going to decide as we review Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. We’ll reveal if Phoebe Waller-Bridge makes a good sidekick for Dr. Jones, if Industrial Light and Magic is able to help Indy believably ride again, and if this film may be akin to elderly abuse. The first part of this BaconBit is spoiler-free. Then we’ll let you know before we navigate through the spoiler wormhole, where we’ll discuss specific details, including the original ending that tested poorly with audiences.   Press play to crack that whip one more time.

Lights! Camera! Traction! Last time we talked about cars on Baconsale, Kent & Joel were a little out of their element. Therefore, on this episode, we’ve swerved back into the pop culture lane to discuss famous motor vehicles from movies & TV. We’ll be selecting answers for such categories as Best in a Street Race, Completely Impractical (But We Still Want to Drive It), Family Vacation Car, Non-DeLorean Time Machine, and Wouldn’t Drive It If You Paid Me. As we wildly shift gears and talk about films we’ve never mentioned on the podcast before, we hope you enjoy Joel needing to know the colors, Kent’s constant attempts to impress women, and Zack trying to not laugh at our automobile ignorance.   Press play to cram your car full of NOS and Gushers.

If you’ve been as excited for the sequel to Extraction as we have been, listener, then… you probably haven’t been that excited for it. In fact, you may not have even known that this Netflix streaming movie or Tyler Rake even existed. Nevertheless, we’re determined to review Extraction 2, with or without subtitles, for some reason. Joel, Kent, and Zack watched this movie (at varying speeds) and they’re going to let you know if the plot is as complicated as the original, if the action sequences are as intense, and if any of it actually matters.   Don’t get any arm or hand wounds while pressing play!

We don't know how to put this, but Baconsale is kind of a big deal. We may not have nunchuck skills or bow-hunting skills, but by Grabthar’s Hammer, we are skilled at creating contentious tournaments. On this episode, we have a plethora of infamous comedies that were submitted by you, the really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking listener. Joel, Kent, and Zack have put these humorous movies on a bracket, and you’ll see the violence inherent in the system as we vote for which one is the funniest. Some decisions are so fetch, others are gonna leave a mark, and you may believe we’ve pulled the wrong lever at times, but just when you think our decisions couldn’t possibly be any dumber, perhaps we totally redeem ourselves?   Don’t call us Shirley, just press play, you hoser!   And visit Baconsale.com to print out our official comedy bracket & play along!

It’s been a very slow road getting here, but the fastest man alive has finally arrived on the big screen. But is The Flash worth the wait? On this BaconBit, Kent and Joel are ready to quickly review the speedster’s solo movie. Kent may be a little bitter about the path the DC Extended Universe has taken, and Joel is surprised that this movie wasn’t canceled before it was released. However, is this film the big reset button DC Studios was hoping for? Have Ezra Miller’s extra-curricular activities killed the buzz surrounding this Justice League follow-up? Will Batman save the day? Listen to find out.   Press play to enter the Polar Express Vortex!

Have you ever started to get invested in a TV series, only to have it abruptly end without a satisfying conclusion? That’s what we’ll be venting about on this episode of Baconsale with our guest, Debbie. We’ve each picked five television shows that ended before their time. We’ll share what they were about, why they were canceled, and how we wish they could have ended. No, we won’t be talking about Firefly, because this whole episode is brought to you by that amazing space Western. However, we will be discussing flesh & blood adaptations, sharing some disappointing revelations, and giving spoiler alerts before kind of (but not really) spoiling each show.   Press play before this episode is erased from existence by either FOX or Netflix!

A few years ago, Baconsale confessed our pop culture blind spots to you, the listener. You accepted us, despite our shortcomings, and so we decided to do it again. First of all, Joel, Kent, and Zack follow-up on the films we talked about last time and see how much progress we've made. Then we'll take a look at the gaps in our knowledge about popular bands, books, TV series, and video games. Plus, we have a miscellaneous category where we can confess anything else we know nothing about. Along the way, we'll approve each other's answers, support each other in their endeavors, and plan some very strange sleepovers.   Press play to get blind with Baconsale.

Our words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, and they slither wildly as we review Spider-Man: Across the Universe. Kent & Joel are ready to share their thoughts on this highly anticipated animated sequel, while Zack is going to web sling out of the Baconcave when we enter the BaconBit spoiler-verse because he hasn’t seen this movie yet. But does this film live up to the hype? Or is animation vomit? Will Miles Morales go the distance? And does it all fit into Spider-Man canon?   Everyone keeps telling us how our review is supposed to go. Nah. We’re gonna do our own thing. Press play.

Don’t bother us, we’re eating. Okay, we’re done eating now, so it’s time for Baconsale to talk about our latest menu quest: Carl’s Jr. We ate everything on the menu and are ready to give you all the hand-scooped details! As we chat about the history of this fast-food chain, Joel, Kent, and Zack will reveal the Hardee’s connection, ponder the disappearance of Green Burrito, and try to ignore most of the restaurant’s ads from the 2000s. Then we’ll share our favorite burgers, the worst breakfast menu items, our go-to orders, the biggest surprises we encountered, and more. Along the way, we’ll discover the difference between the Apple and Android apps, discuss the hierarchy of chicken nugget shapes, debate about the Famous Star, and compare almost everything to Cinnabon Maverik.   Press play to hear a Western talk about bacon and cheeseburgers.

Baconsale admits that in the past we’ve been a nasty about live-action Disney remakes. You weren't kidding when you called us, well, cynics. However, nowadays, perhaps we’ve mended all our ways, repented, seen the light, and made a switch. True? Maybe. On this BaconBit, we’re going to review the live-action film adaptation of The Little Mermaid. So is this latest cash grab a poor, unfortunate, soulless remake? Or will we accept this movie as part of our world? You’ll have to listen to find out. And even though there’s not much to spoil about the story, we’ll still keep any major changes under the sea until the end.   Don't be such a guppy, press play!

From a desk in the basement of Kent’s mom’s house, heeeeeere’s Baconsale! On this episode, we’re chatting about late-night talk shows. We’re going to rank fifteen popular TV hosts, including Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert, and the Jimmys. We’ll talk about the history of this type of television programming and discuss why it seems to be in decline lately. We’ll also reminisce about some of our favorite sketches, characters, and jokes from the past. Joel, Kent, and Zack may match answers more than they’d like to, but we hope you’ll stick around to hear the musical act at the end of tonight’s show.   Press play to join our other guests on the couch.

Are you Enchanted by Amy Adams? Our guest Jonathan is, which is why he had no Doubt as to what he wanted to discuss on this episode of Baconsale. Not only does he think that Amy is Drop Dead Gorgeous, but Her movies are his Vice. However, do Amy’s acting chops, red hair, and Big Eyes impress Joel, Kent, and Zack? Do they think this Underdog’s career is Standing Still? Or do they see her as The Fighter Jonathan does, who is On the Road to even more acting success? Listen to the Arrival of our answers to categories such as Most Adorable Performance, She Was Miscast, and Underrated Role as we do our best to not confuse Amy Adams with Isla Fisher.   Press play, Junebug!

It only took 400 episodes, but Baconsale is finally doing an episode all about The Beatles! Joel is riding on a Beatles high (NOT the kind that involves greener grass or fungus) and would happily talk Eight Days a Week about The Fab Four. Zack is Across the Universe on the opposite side of Beatlemania and was yelling “Help!” as he had to listen to all of their albums. Kent is Something in the middle, and prefers the darker, experimental side of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. However, despite our differences, We Can Work It Out as we take The Long and Winding Road of discussing the history of the band. Then we’ll Come Together to reveal our bottom five and top five songs from the best-selling music act of all time.   All you need is to press play to hear the biggest hits of Yesterday.

It’s time for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 to face the music. Joel and Kent saw this delayed conclusion to the GotG trilogy and they’re ready to review it and talk about their feelings for Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket, Nebula, Mantis, and James Gunn. We’ll start off with our spoiler-free thoughts, and then we’ll warn you before we enter the spoiler quadrant. Since this film is darker and heavier than the previous two, will that make Kent like it more, since he, too, dwells in darkness? Will Joel be completely turned off by this MCU movie’s “accomplishment”? Can this franchise stand on its own? And how’s the soundtrack?   You’ll hear all this and more by pressing play and listening to Baconsale’s review of Guardians 3.

Even though the weather might not agree, it seems that the summer season is upon us, and Baconsale is ready to guide you through the cinematic forecast. Joel and Kent have looked forward at Hollywood’s upcoming offerings and will let you know five movies they want to avoid followed by five films they would like to see. Although, to be honest, Kent is only really excited for three of his five picks. And while Joel hopes his choices will fail, Kent definitively knows his films are going to flop. Join us as we unleash our inner-dad hype and speak about sequels, rant about remakes, and babble about Barbie.   Now that release dates are somewhat reliable again (with the exception of the DCEU), it’s time for you press play!