This week, we discuss Shane Black’s recently-released-on-DVD stooge noir, The Nice Guys, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Is it an action movie? A comedy? Does believability matter? Is Ryan Gosling playing Wile E. Coyote? We ponder all those questions as well as our recent news obsessions, like the cinematic rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, Apple headphones, and The Night Of. Panel includes comedian Joe Sinclitico from Adam Devine’s House Party, and Joey Avery, fresh off his one-episode arc on Fox’s Coupled.
The Nice Guys, The Night Of, And Elizabeth Holmes (Frotcast 307)
Snowden, Back From TIFF (Frotcast 308)
This week on the Frotcast, LA Matt aka Matt Lieb returns from his ban to join Vince, returning from TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival) to talk Adrien Grenier’s NY Mag profile, Snowden and Oliver Stone, Nate Parker and Birth of a Nation, and of course perform a few segments of the “Royalty Freestyle.” Brendan joins about 30 minutes in. We’re sorry.
The Debate, Matt Lieb’s Anti-Semitic Girlfriend (Frotcast 309)
Comedians Matt Lieb and Joey Avery are in the Frotquarters this week, to talk about the first presidential debate between Trump and Hillary, the saga of Matt Lieb’s possibly Anti-Semitic Bumble girlfriend, and this week’s homoerotic job postings (as well as a discussion of homoeroticism in general, which we’re all, not shockingly, in favor of). Oh, and how the South is apparently in the midst of a clown epidemic. Enjoy!
Westworld, Dreamforce, and the VP Debates (Frotcast 310)
Comedians Joey Avery and Jane Harrison join Vince Mancini in the Frotquarters with Flophouse’s LA Matt (Matt Lieb) blooping in through Skype. This week, we’re talking the season premiere of Westworld on HBO. Yeah or nah? What’s up with Ed Harris’s character? Is Anthony Hopkins a great actor or is he just great at playing Anthony Hopkins? Also, the big Salesforce circle jerk, Dreamforce is in San Francisco this week, and Joey even had a comedy gig during an afterparty. So we rip on Salesforce and tech for a while. We also get into the VP debate, introduce a brand new segment of Crystal Corner, and answer your emails. Enjoy! Patreon.com/Frotcast
Frotcast 311: The Ballad Of Ken Bone (With Matt Lieb & Joe Sinclitico)
This week on the Frotcast, we decided to talk about Ken Bone. His story seems emblematic of some of the worst of the internet, where we decide you’re a certain thing one day and celebrate you for it, and then the next day try to destroy for not being that thing we decided you were good enough. This leads us into So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, Justine Sacco, and Melissa Villaseñor. After that we talk some Westworld, diverge into “grab that pussy”-gate, and finish off discussing the Amanda Knox documentary on Netflix. This week’s Frotcrew includes Brendan, Flophouse comedian Matt Lieb, and Joe Sinclitico from Adam Devine’s House Party. Enjoy, and Frot responsibly.
Frotcast 312: Soul Man (With Matt Lieb & Allison Mick)
This week on the Frotcast, we’re discussing the classic 1986 blackface comedy, Soul Man, starring C. Thomas Howell. Did this film “predict Obama’s rise,” as Armond White believes? Comedians Matt Lieb and Allison Mick join Brendan and me (Vince Mancini) in the studio. Soul Man’s assertion that the 80s were “the Cosby decade” also lead us into a discussion of Cosby and 80s movies. We finish off with NPR corner and “The Royalty Freestyle,” in which we force Matt Lieb to improvise lyrics to royalty-free music. This week’s offerings include a song about SIDS. Enjoy, and Frot on.
Intro - Soul Man, and Armond White’s assertion that it predicted Obama
45:42 - Tales From NPR
57:00 - Matt Lieb imagines Hailee Steinfeld’s slap bass album, leading to this week’s Brendan Uncontrollably Laughing segment.
1:08:00 - Soul Man’s assertion that the 80s are “the Cosby decade” leads to a Cosby discussion.
1:15:20 - The Royalty Freestyle, including a very special song about SIDS, and “I’m Gonna Bring A Gun To School”
1:33:08 - Matt Lieb is angry about California’s marijuana-legalization proposition.
Frotcast 313: ‘Weiner’ And Borat, With Matt Lieb And Joe Sinclitico
Anthony Weiner was back in the news recently, sort of, so we take a look back on the incredible political documentary ‘Weiner,’ and see if it feels any different now, knowing what we know about him. After that we discuss ‘Borat,’ which turns 10 years old this week. Then we have Crystal Corner, which isn’t strictly about crystals this week, but adult Summer camp, which seems at least crystal adjacent. Guests include comedian Matt Lieb from Flophouse and the Star Wars Show, and Joe Sinclitico from Adam Devine’s House Party, with Vince Mancini and Brendan in the studio. Other topics include: whose bloated corpse does Ted Cruz most resemble, and would Rachel Dolezal be considered a f*ckboy.
Frotcast 314: ‘Arrival,’ Trumpocalypse 2016
Election 2016, we couldn’t *not* talk about it. Is this the worst thing that could’ve happened? Who’s to blame, besides everyone? How do we cope with President Trump? This week’s guests include comedians Matt Lieb and Joe Sinclitico. Joe and I both saw ‘Arrival,’ and offer our no-spoilers reviews. We also try to break down the multiple timelines theory of Westworld, answer your emails, and of course, Crystal Corner, the segment about people who’ve turned to magical crystals.
3:00 - Trump is president, ‘wop’ is back.
7:00 - Matt’s tale of the sad mariachi band hired to celebrate a Clinton victory trudging home without playing a note.
10:00 - We’ve had dipshit idealogues, and smart demagogues, but is this our first dipshit demagogue?
18:39 - Aaron Sorkin’s open letter. Ya think?!
21:18 - Speaking of smugness, more “out of the mouths of babes” tweets of people assigning profound thoughts to their 8-year-olds.
32:15 - Listener email backing up and expanding my point about 80s comedies being obsessed with people eating weird food.
35:30 - Joe and I discuss Arrival (a no-spoiler discussion)
39:45 - Movie theater etiquette
57:20 - Westworld and the multiple timeline theory, and also what Joe would do in Westworld.
1:10:35 - Because he’s been driving and off the grid, we get to break the news to Matt that Leonard Cohen is dead and get to hear his fresh reaction to the news.
1:15:30 - EMAILS. How to deal with talking politics with shitty relatives and co-workers
1:28:10 - Crystal Corner
315: Army Of One, With Jen Yamato & Evan Saathoff
This week on the Frotcast, Brendan, Matt, and Bret are off, but Jen Yamato from the Daily Beast and Evan Saathoff from Birth, Movies, Death are on the line to discuss ‘Army of One,’ this week’s Nic Cage release. Is this Nic Cage’s craziest performance to date? What other movies are in the conversation? What the hell is going on with this bizarre movie? We also discuss Gary Faulkner, the real-life “Rocky Mountain Rambo” upon whom the movie was based, and his life traveling to Pakistan to hunt Osama Bin Laden while on dialysis. Also, the fact that Nic Cage’s insane voice in Army of One sounds nothing like Gary Faulkner’s. Enjoy.
316: Nocturnal Animals and Butt Stuff, with Matt Lieb and Laremy Legel
It’s Thanksgiving week, and since you’ll probably be going home to your families, we discussed Nocturnal Animals, Tom Ford’s accidental parody of how yuppies view rednecks and vice versa. Also, to help you work up an appetite, we talked a lot about impending butthole surgeries. Pretty typical Frotcast, really. Guests include Seattle’s finest film critic Laremy Legel and the Star Wars Show’s Matt Lieb (also of Flophouse and Newsbroke) joining Brendan and Vince in the studio. Thanks, and Frot on. Patreon.com/Frotcast
2:46 - A butthole teaser
3:30 - Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, and the yearly “men shouldn’t wear shorts” news cycle.
7:00 - Matt Lieb attempts to explain the plot of Nocturnal Animals
9:32 - The first suggestion of a Joe’s Crab Shack bib (it becomes a thing)
17:00 - How Nocturnal Animals ruined Matt’s date.
20:20 - An update on the new butthole I’m getting. Bonus #content: Laremy’s fistula.
24:00 - The Brendan laughing fit of the week, upon finding out about Matt’s adolescent experimenting with butt stuff.
31:00 - More sad details from Matt Lieb’s dating life.
33:18 - Laremy discusses the Oasis movie, which leads us into Matt and Laremy’s troubled relationships with their own brothers, which is hilarious to me as an only child.
45:16 - Matt talks Skype sex
48:00 - About the point at which I stopped adding time stamps
317 - ‘Monsters’ With Joe Sinclitico and Ashley Burns
This week on the Frotcast, we’re watching Monsters, Star Wars Rogue One director Gareth Edwards’ first feature (timely!), which is also on Netflix (accessible!). Joining Vince and Brendan in the Frotquarters, we have comedian Joe Sinclitico (Adam Devine’s House Party) and Uproxx’s own Ashley Burns via Skype (from LA and Orlando, respectively). Joe tells us about how glamourous his life has gotten after his Comedy Central debut, and interviews the dishwasher during his catering gig (which he is also podcasting during). As a bonus, Burnsy is coming to us direct from Orlando, which means any time there’s dead air you can hear actual crickets. Talk about color! We discuss The Intern, Mark Wahlberg, Deepwater Horizon, and more. Enjoy and Frot responsibly.
3:40 - Joe tries to scare Angel the dishwasher
6:08 - News update: Mark Wahlberg explains why other Hollywood celebs live in a bubble, but not the guy from the Funky Bunch
10:00 - Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg’s American hero/movies about tragedy tour
15:00 - Joe attempts to explain the plot of The Intern
20:00 - Burnsy describes the “zero G flight” he’s about to go on.
25:00 - Brendan on having to talk Kaepernick at Thanksgiving, and why 72-year-olds shouldn’t know the acronym “SJW”
26:00 - Joe quizzes Angel the dishwasher on pop culture
31:57 - We talk Monsters
318: Comedy Between Enemies
Between Trevor Noah’s interview with Tomi Lahren and Adult Swim cancelling Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace (because of its alleged association with the alt-right), we wondered, can comedy exist between political enemies? Moreover, if you find someone’s views objectionable, is it better to engage them or ostracize them? Do you win hearts and minds or deny a platform? We cover Adult Swim, Brett Gelman, Sam Hyde, and Buzzfeed; and Van Jones on engaging Trump Voters. After that we get silly again, with another installment of the Royalty Freestyle and a brief discussion of the Westworld finale. Guests include comedians Matt Lieb and Joey Avery.
00:00 - 5:00 - Trying to explain to Matt the ol’ make-people-think-two-guys-are-sitting-right-next-to-each-other-on-a-bench-seat joke.
6:10 - Talking Adult Swim cancelling Million Dollar Extreme: World Peace supposedly because of its association with the Alt-Right
11:00 - Van Jones explaining why we should talk to Trump supporters: is it applicable to this Adult Swim thing?
29:10 - Sam Hyde’s Buzzfeed interview
44:21 - Our parents’ generation being totally ill-equipped to deal with clickbait
52:00 - The Royalty Freestyle, which begins with song about Levi’s jeans
1:00:00 - Westworld Finale talk
319: Rogue One, with Joanna Robinson
Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars! The Frotcast gets professional this week, with real guest Joanna Robinson from Vanity Fair coming on to talk a real movie that we all actually saw, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But the Frotcast being the Frotcast, we pre-empted that with 20 minutes of talk about Vince’s recent butthole surgery and followed it with Matt Lieb improvising lyrics to royalty-free songs in the latest installment of The Royalty Freestyle. Could this be the last Frotcast of 2016?! Maybe! Get it while it lasts! This week’s Frotcrew includes your host Vince Mancini, comedian Matt Lieb from AJ+/The Star Wars Show, and comedian Joey Avery. Star Wars spoiler talk from about 29 min to 1:20.
Best Of 2016
Did you miss a Frotcast in 2016? We’ve got all the best bits from the past year, compiled into a single, massive podcast. It’s much funnier with all the unfunny parts edited out. Edited by “Token,” guests include Justin Halpern, Jane Harrison, Joey Avery, Jeff Bayer, Allison Mick, Kaseem Bentley, Joe Sinclitico, Francesca Fiorentini, and Laremy Legel. Named one of Podbean’s top 10 comedy podcasts of 2016 and described by Splitsider as “regularly the grossest, least politically correct bunch of dudes on the internet that you’d still feel totally comfortable hanging out with,” you can get a full description of this episode at uproxx dot com slash filmdrunk slash frotcast-best-of-2016. Donate at Patreon dot com slash frotcast, or to Token at paypal dot me slash tokenaudio.
Frotcast 320: La La Land, Lacrosse Names, and Meryl Streep, with Jane Harrison
The Frotcast rings in 2017 with a spirited breakdown of Donald Trump and urine-gate, Meryl Streep’s sports-dissing Golden Globe speech, Dan Nainan the 52-year-old millennial comedian, the year’s best lacrosse names, La La Land, and of course, the Royalty Freestyle. Comedian Jane Harrison guests, joining Matt Lieb from Viceland/AJ+/The Star Wars Show, FilmDrunk’s Vince Mancini, and Frotcast co-star Brendan. Laugh hard, Frot on.
Live From Sundance, With Jeff Bayer And Dan Mecca, Plus Interviews With Jack Black, Brett Gelman
This week we have a special edition Frotcast, recorded at the Sundance Film Festival, in which I, Vince Mancini, am joined by Jeff Bayer from Movie BS, with Bayer and Snider, and Dan Mecca, from The Film Stage. We chat about the Oscars and about Sundance — namely, what’s it like when 100,000 assholes from the coast cram into a tiny mountain town for a week? After that, I have some excerpts from my interviews with Jack Black, who stars in The Polka King, and Brett Gelman, who stars in Lemon. Back to regular Frotcasting next week! Patreon.com/Frotcast
Intro
4:00 - Are we good with Mel Gibson now? Is all forgiven?
9:30 - We rate the free food and hors d’ouvres we gorged on at after parties for movies we may or may not have seen.
14:30 - Our bus encounter with David Arquette
36:00 - Jack Black interview
50:15 - Brett Gelman interview
Frotcast 321: Fifty Shades Darker, and Chemo Couch Time With Ben
This week on the Frotcast, we talk Sundance, Kellyanne Conway’s lost stand-up set, Fifty Shades Darker, this season’s top five TV shows, and of course, the Royalty Freestyle. Matt Lieb and Vince Mancini are in the Frotquarters, joined by comedian Jane Harrison in her last Frotcast before she moves to Chicago for her big new job at The Onion. Also, it’s the return of Ben! Ben’s been out having some cancerous organs removed, but on the upside, he’s been watching lots of TV while recovering — hence, Chemo Couch Time, with Ben, in which he names this season’s best television shows, from Westworld to Taboo. Enjoy, and Frot on! Donate at Patreon.com/Frotcast
Frotcast 322: Joe Sinclitico and Lee Keeler
This week on the Frotcast, comedian Joe Sinclitico (Adam Devine’s House Party) joins hosts Vince Mancini (FilmDrunk) and Brendan (former NFL practice squad member) to discuss North Korean assassinations, Taboo, and the genius Norm MacDonald. Later, we’re joined by Lee Keeler of Devastator Press, who’s publishing a memoir written in the style of a trading card price guide. Enjoy and frot on! Patreon.com/Frotcast
1:53 - Donald Trump’s epic non-answer to the two-state solution.
6:00 - Joe Sinclitico joins the party.
7:00 - North Korea’s assassination of Kim Jong-nam and how it’d make a great movie.
23:00 - Talking Taboo, aka The Tom Hardy Telly Program
32:00 - Bald guys who wear hats: at what point do you take the hat off?
55:15 - The genius of Norm MacDonald
1:04:00 - We’re joined by Lee Keeler of Devastator Press, to promote Ryan Bartoski’s Emotionally Relevant Trading Card Guide
1:27:30 - Emails!
Frotcast 323: Oscars Preview w Matt Ufford
It’s Oscars week, and the Frotcast is breaking down the nominees, the history, the betting odds… haha just kidding, we’re helping you plan your drinking games and breaking down the last movies we saw. Joining hosts Vince Mancini from FilmDrunk and Brendan are Matt Lieb from AJ+/The Star Wars Show and SB Nation’s Matt Ufford. We discuss whether liking La La Land makes you super white, the possible Anti-Semitism-washing of Cinderella Man, and whether Brendan was wrong for loving Braveheart. Finally, we answer your emails about life choices and baldness. Enjoy and Frot on! Patreon.com/Frotcast
Frotcast 324: Oscars Recap, With Laremy
Was this the craziest Oscars ever, or what? We relive the insanity, with Seattle film critic Laremy Legel, joining comedian Joey Avery, Vince, and Brendan in the Frotquarters. Was it Warren Beatty’s fault? Will those Price Waterhouse Cooper accountants commit seppuku in penance? What if it had been Moonlight that had their award taken away mid-speech? We discuss that, Fifty Shades Darker, Jason Whitlock’s terrible JFK take, and Mike Pence looking like a Lego man. Enjoy and Frot on. Patreon.com/Frotcast