We move into the eighth inning of our baseball season. This time, Dan and Lex follow a coulda-been-a-contender pitcher in 2002’s The Rookie. Hot topics include Disney movie formulas, offscreen plot developments, and how this is basically two movies in one. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’...
Nov 01, 2024•23 min•Season 10Ep. 7
Back from our checks scores fifth-inning stretch, our baseball season continues! This time, rookie freshman Lex Friedman is taken under the wing of (very!) veteran Dan Moren in 2016’s Everybody Wants Some!! Hot topics include repercussions (or the lack thereof), how this differs from our college experiences, and whether this movie is even really a baseball movie. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch alon...
Oct 18, 2024•22 min•Season 10Ep. 6
As we hit the middle of our tenth season, Lex journeys to Dan’s hometown for a momentous historical baseball event with a so-so love story in 2005’s Fever Pitch. Hot topics include an unlikeable lead, when the sport overshadows the story, and missing comedy. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If yo...
Aug 02, 2024•24 min•Season 10Ep. 5
It’s the top of the fourth, and grizzled veteran catcher Dan Moren is trying to corral wild pitcher Lex “Wild Thing” Friedman as they watch 1989’s Major League. Hot topics include a terrible romance based on stalking, a surprising lack of comedy, and how exactly a team this offensive lasted so long. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available i...
Jul 19, 2024•25 min•Season 10Ep. 4
We return for the third inning of our baseball season, where intrepid reporters Dan Moren and Lex Friedman try to get to the bottom of a cheating scandal in John Sayles’s 1988 film, Eight Men Out. Hot topics include ticker-tape simulcasting, playing good baseball badly, and so many character actors. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available i...
Jul 05, 2024•25 min•Season 10Ep. 3
For the second inning of our baseball season, newcomer (?) phenom Lex Friedman joins the down-and-out team of grumpy manager Dan Moren in 1984’s The Natural. Hot topics include allegories, villainous villains, and whether the main character is a ghost. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re n...
Jun 21, 2024•20 min•Season 10Ep. 2
We lead off the tenth(!) season of our podcast with a fastball right up the middle as veteran minor leaguer Dan Moren takes prodigal but wild talent Lex Friedman under his wing in 1984’s Bull Durham. Hot topics include what to get a couple for a wedding gift, why it’s called Bull Durham, and whether a certain character is too annoying. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full...
Jun 07, 2024•30 sec•Season 10Ep. 1
As season 9 draws to a close, naturally born Dan Moren and genetically superior Lex Friedman must work together to overcome a discriminatory society in 1997’s Gattaca. Hot topics include: when is a metaphor just a metaphor, so many surprise actors, and whether Uma Thurman is a superhero. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the member...
Sep 08, 2023•23 min•Season 9Ep. 8
Finally, a movie musical that tells the truth: dentists are jerks. Lex Friedman sits down Dan Moren to watch 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors, a movie based on a musical based on a movie (that wasn’t a musical). Hot topics include: Can a puppet be both impressive and unsettling? Has Rick Moranis ever been more Rick Moranis? And how do you ride that line between too weird and not weird enough? Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the f...
Aug 25, 2023•23 min•Season 9Ep. 7
The Rock-a-who? Crotchety old inventor Dan Moren and handsome flying ace Lex Friedman team up to watch 1991’s Disney adventure flick, The Rocketeer. Hot topics include what makes a superhero, the joys of central casting, and why no one can twirl a mustache like Timothy Dalton. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only Firs...
Aug 11, 2023•23 min•Season 9Ep. 6
Not listening to this is a big mistake—huge. Dan Moren and Lex Friedman sit down to watch Julia Roberts’s star-making turn in 1990’s Pretty Woman. Hot topics include surprising agency, corporate raiders with a heart of gold, and Jason Alexander’s affinity for playing jerks. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First C...
Jul 28, 2023•26 min•Season 9Ep. 5
Who are these guys? Why, they’re wily outlaw Dan Moren and taciturn gunslinger Lex Friedman, who are fleeing their relentless pursuers while watching the 1969 classic, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Hot topics include a dynamite rapport, the death of the West, and so much smoldering. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the membe...
Jul 14, 2023•31 min•Season 9Ep. 4
Damn, it doesn’t always feel good to be a gangster. Mobster Lex Friedman takes young up-and-comer Dan Moren under his wing as they watch the 1990 classic GoodFellas. Hot topics include cameras that won’t stay still, the way you get whacked, and so many drugs. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If y...
Jun 30, 2023•30 min•Season 9Ep. 3
Follow the podcasts! Intrepid journalists Dan Moren and Lex Friedman unravel a ripped-from-the-headlines presidential conspiracy with 1976’s All the President’s Men. Hot topics include which reporter is which, barging into people’s houses, and eerie resonances. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If...
Jun 16, 2023•21 min•Season 9Ep. 2
It’s time to embark upon a brand new season of Not Playing! This time, popular high schoolers try to make Lex Friedman and Dan Moren cool by showing them 1995’s Clueless. Hot topics include cellphone size, family religion, and Jane Austen. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a ...
Jun 02, 2023•24 min•Season 9Ep. 1
To bring this mini-season of Not Playing to a close, we have to go back to the beginning. Time traveler Lex Friedman encounters asylum inmate Dan Moren as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of 12 Monkeys. Hot topics include timey-wimey logic, Brad Pitt’s disturbing eye prosthetic, and all the Terry Gilliaming Terry Gilliam can Terry Gilliam. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan ...
Aug 12, 2022•20 min•Season 8Ep. 4
We’re past the halfway point in our abbreviated season and this time hotshot programmer Lex Friedman has been sucked into a computer where he meets heroic program Dan Moren and they watch 1982’s Tron. Hot topics include glossaries of computer terms, frisbee playing, and the power of metaphors. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the ...
Jul 29, 2022•23 min•Season 8Ep. 3
In our second episode of this abbreviated season, high school basketball coach Lex Friedman is on a winning streak with star player (and werewolf) Dan Moren as they watch 1985’s Teen Wolf. Hot topics include terrible parties, dangerous stunts, and is this all a metaphor? Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Clas...
Jul 15, 2022•21 min•Season 8Ep. 2
It’s a brand new (mini) season of Not Playing as we take on a quartet of otherworldly movies starting with the letter ‘T’. We kick it all of with amnesiac Lex Friedman facing off against diabolical politician Dan Moren as they watch the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic Total Recall. Hot topics include the boring nature of constant shooting, Jerry Goldsmith’s bombastic score, and like, what is real, man? Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before...
Jul 01, 2022•24 min•Season 8Ep. 1
To close out season 7 of Not Playing, we check in on Keanu Reeves once again, as surfer/bank robber Dan Moren and undercover FBI agent Lex Friedman sit down to watch the 1991 film Point Break. Hot topics include bad FBI agents, not enough heists, and why you always remember your first time jumping out of a plane with no parachute. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-leng...
Oct 28, 2021•24 min•Season 7Ep. 9
In the first installment of Keanu Reeves duology, mad bomber Lex Friedman forces SWAT officer Dan Moren to watch 1994’s Speed, or risk being blown up. Hot topics include other actors floated for Reeves’s role, Dennis Hopper taking it to 11, and whether or not a bus really could jump a 50-foot freeway gap. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, avail...
Oct 14, 2021•21 min•Season 7Ep. 8
Rounding out our Harrison Ford trilogy, former CIA analyst Lex Friedman is beset by vengeful Irish terrorist Dan Moren as they watch 1992’s Patriot Games. Hot topics include dense plotting, similarities with other Ford characters, and the complexities of the Ryanverse. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class ...
Sep 02, 2021•23 min•Season 7Ep. 7
We’re flying the friendly skies once again this week, as President Dan Moren’s plane is hijacked by Russian terrorist Lex Friedman, who forces him to watch 1997’s Air Force One. Hot topics include the evolution of the Die Hard genre, casual deaths of innocents, and Harrison Ford’s vetting processes. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available i...
Aug 12, 2021•26 min•Season 7Ep. 6
We’re going Dutch this week—Pennsylvania Dutch, that is, as Philadelphia cop Lex Friedman and Amish kid Dan Moren watch 1985’s Witness. Hot topics include Harrison Ford’s star power, Amish representation, and a lot of fake blood. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, wh...
Jul 29, 2021•18 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Is it nature or nurture? We attempt to find out this week when a couple of old rich white guys swaps the lives of successful executive Dan Moren and down-on-his-luck Lex Friedman in 1983’s Trading Places. (As a note: please be aware that the movie itself contains more than a few extremely problematic and offensive moments.) Hot topics include the excellent comedic talents of the leads, a surprising season’s theme with female characters, and the racism, oh god, the racism. Programming Note: In ad...
Jul 15, 2021•24 min•Season 7Ep. 4
There’s nothing we can’t handle this week, as cocky military lawyer Lex Friedman and his assistant (with no responsibilities whatsoever) Dan Moren go to court with 1992’s A Few Good Men. Hot topics include Sorkinisms, the conflict over the military, verisimilitude, and a murderer’s row of talented actors. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, avail...
Jul 01, 2021•25 min•Season 7Ep. 3
Come fly the not so friendly skies with Lieutenant Dan “Gambit” Moren and his wingman Lieutenant Lex “Snuggie” Friedman as they watch 1986’s seminal fighter jet treatise, Top Gun. Hot topics include surprising comedy, solidly workmanlike craft, and whether or not Tom Cruise will ever sing on film again. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, availab...
Jun 17, 2021•25 min•Season 7Ep. 2
We’re back for season seven, and a whole host of popular movies that one or both of us haven’t seen. To kick things off, innocent teens Lex Friedman and Dan Moren are left home alone, and naturally start a burgeoning-if-illicit enterprise while watching 1983’s Risky Business. Hot topics include Tom Cruise’s star power, the lack of any moral discussion, and a surprising amount of tact for an ’80s sex comedy. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion befo...
Jun 03, 2021•21 min•Season 7Ep. 1
We’ve reached the Super Bowl of Football Season, but can we win it all? Heavenly administrator Lex Friedman takes reincarnated quarterback Dan Moren under his wing (eh? ehh?) as they watch 1978’s Heaven Can Wait. Hot topics include Warren Beatty’s storied career, whether this is really a football movie, and some existential questions about the ending. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex a...
Sep 24, 2020•24 min•Season 6Ep. 9
In our penultimate Football Season movie, unconventional coach Lex Friedman partners up with devastated assistant coach Dan Moren to revitalize a college football program as they watch 2006’s We Are Marshall. Hot topics include the tricky balancing act of a movie about a tragedy and a movie about football, a hot take on Matthew McConaughey, and the sidelining of female characters. Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, memb...
Sep 10, 2020•25 min•Season 6Ep. 8
