Trash Talk

What I'm Listening To: We Hate Movies

The podcasts I listen to regularly are in constant rotation. If a couple of episodes grab my attention, I'm quick to subscribe, and if a few consecutive episodes bore me, I'm just as quick to drop it. A podcast that has longevity on my subscription list is something special, and that goes double for a podcast that only exists to mock bad movies. There are tons and tons of shows dedicated to tearing crappy movies to shreds, and I've given most of them a try. Apparently, it's more difficult than it sounds. Sure, it's fun to gather with your friends and unload on some piece of Hollywood garbage, MST3K-style, but that doesn't mean that your jibes will be entertaining to anyone else.

That's the trap a lot of the bad movie podcasts fall into. It should be easy to just make fun of something dumb, but it's not. One problem is that the hosts can be overly nitpicky in a vitriolic way. I mean, these shows are supposed to be nitpicky, but it's also supposed to be fun. Still, that issue pales in comparison to the bigger problem of shows that eventually drive me away because the hosts are head-over-heels in love with their own wit. It takes talent to balance insults, jokes, chemistry, and likability, and that's why my podcast of choice in this field is We Hate Movies.

This podcast is hosted by four guys who manage to grind through movies that would reduce me to a quivering mass of hate in ten minutes flat. Not only are they funny, but they can somehow manage to make entertaining episodes about movies that I've never even seen. The episodes are also well-organized, in that they have useful rules about what movies they tackle, and know how to trade jabs without talking over one another. It's also fun when they get into pretty apt impersonations of the actors in the movie of the week, be it Wilford Brimley or David Schwimmer.

Of all the podcasts I listen to each week, this is the only one dedicated to straight-up derision. That sort of thing can get old in a hurry, but somehow the We Hate Movies guys manage to make the never-ending wellspring of Hollywood trash engaging each time. Give them a listen if you'd ever like to wallow in the muck. Be careful, though. You may end up finding yourself in front of the television, watching Vampire in Brooklyn or 976-EVIL.