Idiocracy (2006)

"Idiocracy" is 20 years old THIS MONTH! Anyone else know this one?

A textbook "cult classic", Idiocracy made less than half a million dollars when it was first released in 2006, but it's seen been hailed by some as not only an insightful comedy but a terrifyingly prescient prediction of modern society's downfall. But does it hold up? Float along with the manatees as they get waaaay more political than usual. The fed rolled back protections for wild manatees this last month and we're mad! Skip this one if you're already saturated with mentions of current societal problems, but otherwise float along with the manatees as they discuss the classics, like: how much of this has actually already happened? Is president Camacho even a bad president? Is this scenario possible without some kinda Morlock situation going on? And, does anybody still think IQ actually means anything? (One of the manatees has tested higher than Einstein and is living proof that, no, it doesn't.) Have a listen! Or, don't. No judgment if you've had a bit much already.

Robocop (1987)

Sometimes you just wanna watch an old favorite, you know? For us, that's Paul Verhoeven's 1987 genre-making classic, Robocop. Starring Peter Weller and Kurtwood Smith and made for a much smaller budget than you'd think, Robocop's a slim hundred minute satire of US corporatism and creates one of the most iconic characters in American sci-fi.

Set in the near future, Robcop contemplates an unthinkable world where an enormous corporation is endeavoring to gentrify major urban areas and replace human workers with AI, set against a backdrop of increasingly militarized police and privatized public services. Can you imagine?

Float along with the manatees as they enjoy this old favorite once again, snark about modern politics, and of course discuss child-rearing and the appropriate age at which ultra-violence can help a child be better adjusted, among other important topics. Float along and have a watch, it's Robocop.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

It's a Patreon poll winner! Well, technically, it tied, but this was the one that didn't have subtitles, so, same same. Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) was a commercial flop, but will it perform better with an aquatic audience than it did with land-based audiences? Do you need to have seen Jacques Cousteau's films to get the jokes? What the heck is an IMU? These and others are the questions that, uh, we ask, while, you know, watching this movie. And talking about it. On a podcast.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

This time we're delving into the... is it alright to call it a cult classic? The reviled-in-it's-theatrical-cut-but-beloved-in-it's-director's-cut-version Ridley Scott epic, Kingdom of Heaven, form 2005, starring Orlando Bloom and Eva Green.

A period drama about the crusades, Kingdom of Heaven tells the story of a guy who's somehow just a bit better at everything than everybody else who shows up in the middle of a bunch of crazy religious people and is asked to fix everything and then angrily ignored until it's unsalvageable. As a relatively lucid American living through the early 21st century, I have never felt more seen. Put your parallel-recognizin' hats on and float along with us, will you?