Headcanon - podcast cover

Headcanon

James Taylor and Marco Sparksmynameistrouble.com
A podcast discussing narratives and the creative process in film, tv, books and video games, hosted by James Taylor (aka Benjamin Light) and Marco Sparks.

Episodes

No. 059 | “I have a bad feeling about this”

The 2010s come to an end with an extra long Headcanon podcast! First, we talk some recent TV, including Watchmen, His Dark Materials, Mr. Robot, The Mandalorian, The Witcher, and You (2:03). Then, our Top 5 and Top 10 lists for the decade (24:22). Finally, we settle in to break down Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a movie we did not like (59:22). How could you, JJ?? You were the chosen one!!!

Dec 30, 20194 hr 5 min

No. 058 | “Fidelio”

This Christmas, smoke some pot and reveal to your spouse the time you emotionally cheated on them in a dream! Or, watch Eyes Wide Shut (30:32), the last film from master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. How do you not get divorced after making this movie? The guys also check in on Watchmen, The Mandalorian, and His Dark Materials (01:21). Warning: we are frisky in this one.

Dec 09, 20192 hr 21 min

No. 057 | “The Horseman comes, and tonight he comes for you!”

Nothing says Thanksgiving like the Headless Horseman. The bros are back this week for a deep dive on the 1999 semi-classic Sleepy Hollow (25:09). But first, we do a little spoiler-free talk on Charlie’s Angels, Knives Out, Watchmen, The Mandalorian, His Dark Materials, and more. Happy Thanksgiving.

Nov 25, 20192 hr 55 min

No. 056 | “…I gave you my heart”

The guys are back for a quickie episode to talk about some recent TV like Mr. Robot, Watchmen, and His Dark Materials, as well at the films The Lighthouse and Parasite. Then, we have a chat about Last Christmas (32:44), the George Michael jukebox rom-com with a twist. There will be a spoiler warning, so heads up.

Nov 09, 20191 hr 17 min

No. 055 | “Get this hothead out of here!”

After a little break, the bros are back to wrap up Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy with a long, fireball & cider-fueled talk on The Dark Knight Rises. Join James and Marco as we break down this odd mishmash of a movie with too many characters and plots and maybe not enough Batman. But we still love it, and we do bad Bane impressions approximately 50,000 times.

Oct 13, 20193 hr 2 min

No. 054 | “Some men just want to watch the world burn”

Please join agents of chaos Marco and James as we dive into the middle film of The Dark Knight Trilogy (8:12). Bad joker impressions and plot dissections abound, but let’s be clear: we love this movie. The Dark Knight is somehow convoluted and absurd and also a masterpiece that defined a decade, even if the plot doesn’t make any sense.

Aug 19, 20193 hr 47 min

No. 053 | “Swear to me!”

This week on the podcast, we start our discussion of The Dark Knight Trilogy with Batman Begins (14:19). Listen for our bad Bane impressions, our worse Michael Caine impressions, and our general gushing over Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne. Other topics include: is Batman a virgin? How did Bruce have enough money to buy his own company? Why do you have to lie down inside the Bat Tumbler to fire its missiles? Also, some light Veronica Mars Season 4 spoilers up front (01:49), so fair warning.

Aug 05, 20192 hr 10 min

No. 052 | “Utah! Get me two!”

Marco and JT return to talk the pinnacle of 90s macho bullshit with Point Break (17:07). Gary Busey is an animal, Lori Petty awoke something within us, and Johnny Utah and Bodhi spoke to us, man. This movie rules.

Jul 15, 20192 hr 11 min

No. 051 | “Pain Don’t Hurt”

This week on Headcanon, Marco and JT celebrate Independence Day by looking back 30 years to the legendarily so-bad-it’s-good film Road House (16:11). Dive into this problematic fave and learn about coolers, wholesale liquor distribution, the fragrance of nature, and Sam Elliott’s pubes.

Jul 01, 20192 hr 27 min

No. 050 | “We’re going to be okay”

This week on the pod: MASSIVE SPOILERS!! We’re talking Game of Thrones s08e03 “The Long Night” (1:37) and Avengers: Endgame (51:46). We’re all full of hot takes on Arya, Jon, Dany, Tony, Cap, Nat, Gendry, Jaime, Nebula, Rhodey, Rocket, Melisandre, Grey Worm, Jorah, Tormund, The Night King, Thanos, Thor and a hundred other characters featured in last weekend’s geek-pocalypse.

May 02, 20193 hr 38 min

No. 049 | “I'm so out of love with you”

Blue Valentine is definitely a feel bad movie of the year. Yikes. What a great hang this Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams joint is. The boyfriend from Roma has a challenger for worst BF ever. Join the guys as they discuss this expertly-crafted, incredibly unpleasant movie. Old Joel from Eternal Sunshine doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

Feb 27, 20192 hr 33 min

No. 048 | “She was disarming”

This week on the pod: Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist, wrapped in blood!! The guys are doing 2004’s Closer, the adaption of the play by Patrick Marber. What a delight. Clive Owen is a gleeful savage and Natalie Portman shakes off years of green-screen franchise drudgery to shine. Adultery has never been so captivating. Oh, and then James and Marco blather about the Oscars for a while at the end.

Feb 19, 20192 hr 5 min

No. 047 | “It’s called Blue Ruin”

This week on the pod, Romance Month continues with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Michel Gondry/Charlie Kaufman joint from 2004. Back in the day, Kate Winslet’s Clementine raged against being a Manic Pixie Dream Girl before we even had a term for them. Has JT ever been in love? Will Marco cry? Find out! Happy Valentines Day!! XOXO

Feb 13, 20192 hr 58 min

No. 046 | “That’s marriage”

It’s Romance Month on the podcast! Kicking things off is David Fincher’s Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamond Pike. What a happy couple! Join us as we celebrate our crushes on Amy Dunne, praise Gillian Flynn’s writing, and dunk on Scoot McNairy.

Feb 06, 20192 hr 11 min

No. 045 | “You can put it anywhere”

This week on the pod, another 1999 classic: Cruel Intentions. Marco and James reminisce about that halcyon era when Joshua Jackson kept showing up in supporting roles with bleached hair, and Sarah Michelle Gellar shocked us all with a decidedly un-Buffy villainous turn in the adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses. Also, Ryan Phillippe is here, stealing Hayden Christensen’s lunch money. Plus, some spoilery talk at the end about 2019’s Serenity.

Jan 27, 20192 hr 18 min

No. 044 | “She’s without”

This week on the pod, an old teen classic from the end of the last millennium: 10 Things I Hate About You! You guys voted for it, and we watched it. Time travel with us, back to a land of ska bands, Nice Guys, crazy high school stadiums, and paintball make out sessions.

Jan 14, 20192 hr 17 min

No. 043 | 2018 Holiday Party Q&A

Happy New Year! James and Marco are in high spirits for this Holiday Party Q&A that somehow went like four hours. We’re sorry in advance. Thanks for listening!

Jan 01, 20194 hr 35 min

No. 042 | “Meow”

Happy Festivus, bitches. This week on the pod, we’re celebrating the holidays by watching the anti-Christmas film Batman Returns. Raquel Miranda joins us as we break down the weird Tim Burton aesthetic, Selina Kyle’s apartment, the Penguin’s awfulness, and whether or not Bruce Wayne can get it.

Dec 21, 20183 hr 42 min

No. 041 | “(Everything I do) I do it for you”

This week on the podcast, Marco and James are revisiting an old favorite: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. We’ve both loved this movie since we saw it as kids, and have a great time returning to Sherwood Forest with Kevin Costner’s non-existent accent, Morgan Freeman being awesome, and Alan Rickman hamming it up all over the place.

Dec 07, 20183 hr 37 min

No. 040 | “Grindelwald Vapes WWII”

We started this podcast off with eight straight Harry Potter movies, so I guess we have to do Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald too. Ehh. What a mess. Please join Marco and JT as they rant about all the incredibly dumb things in this movie — and especially Credence, who sucks. JK Rowling: we know you can do better. David Yates: we know you can’t, get lost.

Nov 21, 20182 hr 27 min

No. 039 | “Super-lame Goth Youth Group”

This week on the pod, James and Marco are joined by Kaitlin Reilly of the Riverdale Register podcast to talk about the new Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (18:20). Some of us liked it more than others. Marco is obsessed with Madam Satan, James would rather watch a show about Totally Rad Gay Warlock Undertaker Ambrose, and Kaitlin is here for soft boi Harvey Kinkle. Also discussed: a little bit on You and Halloween, and what we’re watching/reading/listening to lately (6:05).

Nov 17, 20182 hr 54 min

No. 038 | “Communism was just a red herring”

This week on the pod, an absolute classic: Clue! (18:32) This is a movie James and Marco unapologetically love, so prepare yourself for a lot of gushing and quotes. JT also talks about his new video game Spider-Man (4:53), and the guys discuss what they’re watching, listening to and reading (8:56). At the end of the pod, we do some fantasy casting for a Clue reboot (1:25:10), which we both agree probably shouldn’t happen.

Oct 23, 20182 hr 6 min

No. 037 | “Majestic Waste”

This week (month?) on the pod, Marco and …not Benji (00:45) return to talk about Hailee Stanfield in The Edge of Seventeen (15:11). Also on the pod, our media diets (02:41), and what JT and Marco watch on Youtube (1:30:07).

Oct 04, 20182 hr 48 min

No. 036 | “T on Z”

Headcanon is back from hiatus to talk about the Netflix romantic comedy, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before… based on the novel by Jenny Han. And we’re joined by friend of the pod Krystal Pearson. We all really liked it. Also, this is a really filthy episode. You’ve been warned.

Sep 06, 20183 hr 50 min

No. 035 | “You use a scalpel, I prefer a hammer”

The guys just went to see Mission: Impossible - Fallout in the theater and we are hype. After a brief discussion of our media diet (02:39), the guys dive in to the latest installment in the M:I franchise (11:18), which just might be the best. We talk the incredible stunts, the insane set pieces, the surprising drama, and the weird quiet morality at the heart of this film. If you like action/spy movies: go see this.

Jul 29, 20182 hr

No. 034 | “Sergei, are you not Sergei?”

This week on the pod, a little Sharp Objects (01:46) conversation at the start (don’t worry, no book spoilers) before we cover some of the recent big trailers at San Diego Comic-Con (08:08). And then, a big discussion of a movie Marco and Benji both love, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (25:18). The guys talk the IMF team dynamic, the insanity of Ethan Hunt, favorite set pieces, Bad Robot fingerprints, and all the gonzo stunts.

Jul 25, 20182 hr 21 min

No. 033 | “I know now why your cry”

This week on the pod, Marco and Benji take a little time to talk about Skyscraper (01:28), and the current state of The Rock and his movies. Then we get to our main event, Terminator 2: Judgement Day (13:02). What a delightfully violent thrill-ride.

Jul 19, 20183 hr 41 min

No. 032 | “I used to hate the water”

This week on the podcast, Marco and Benji talk a little Sharp Objects (02:20), and a little Ant Man and The Wasp (10:35) before diving into the main discussion, 1975’s Jaws (15:12). We both really like this movie and had a great time talking about the shark, the mayor, the dumb subplots that got cut from the book, and the escalating masculinity brinksmanship one they get on the boat.

Jul 11, 20182 hr 59 min

No. 031 | “I’m Pickle Dick!!”

This week on the pod: which Skywalker bro has the most game? (01:35) Also, Benji and Marco discuss what they’re watching, listening too and reading (08:00) before moving on to the main topic, Netflix’s Set It Up (14:30), starring Zoey Deutch and Finnegan from Everybody Wants Some!! Spoilers: we like Zoey.

Jul 05, 20182 hr 49 min

No. 030 | “Secret Weapon Zoey Deutch”

This week on the pod: the 2016 film by Richard Linklater, Everybody Wants Some!! (09:08) Marco and Benji go deep on the mustaches, the music, and the McReynolds. This is a fun one.

Jun 25, 20182 hr 6 min