Best Banded Pines Podcasts (2024)

1
Twisters and what's making us happy 27:04

19m ago27:04

27:04

Twister was one of the biggest disaster movies of the '90s. Now, it's finally got a sequel — one with an all-new cast, state-of-the-art effects, and a whole lot of tornadoes. The new film stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones as rival storm-chasers who have a habit of running into tornadoes while everyone else is fleeing. Twisters was directed by…

1
We unpack the 2024 Emmy nominations 25:29

27m ago25:29

25:29

The nominations the Emmy Awards were just announced, and it was a good day for The Bear, which set a new record in the comedy category. And plenty of our favorites also got Emmy nods, including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shōgun, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. We'll help you unpack this year's the notable nominees and snubs. Subscribe to P…

1
Pyrotechnic Battles, Cliff Hangers, and the Top Five Stupidest Things We've Ever Done 1:06:38

2h ago1:06:38

1:06:38

Send us a Text Message. This episode’s PULLS... Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor (again) / Boll Weevil’s / Souplantation / Body Shaming Regrets / Rock Fights / Lord of the Flies / Pellet Gun Fights / Palm Springs / Foster’s Freeze / Square Pan Pizza / Riding in Open Truck Beds / Bottle Rocket Fights / Bic Lighters / Mazatlan / Para Sailing / The Zipper (…

1
Exploding Kittens is a simple card game turned wild cartoon 15:45

26m ago15:45

15:45

The best-selling card game Exploding Kittens has been adapted into a new Netflix animated series. It does plenty of its own world-building: God (Tom Ellis) and the devil (Sasheer Zamata) are sent to earth, where they take the form of talking cats — and meddle in the lives of a struggling family. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoi…

1
"From Bertha to Walkin' Blues: An Iconic Grateful Dead Setlist" 1:18:25

11m ago1:18:25

1:18:25

"Cannabis, COVID, and Concerts: A Grateful Dead Fan's Journey" Larry Mishkin is back from a break spent in South Carolina with his granddaughter he shares his experience of contracting a mild case of COVID, attributing his quick recovery to his cannabis use. He references studies suggesting that certain strains of sativa marijuana may mitigate COVI…

1
Longlegs is a (satanic) panic 14:28

27m ago14:28

14:28

They're calling it the scariest movie of the year. The new horror film Longlegs follows FBI special agent Lee Harker (Mika Monroe) tracking a serial killer in the 1990s. If that sounds like familiar ground, consider this – the clues she follows hint at the involvement of the occult in general and Satanism in particular. And the killer in question: …

1
Fly Me to the Moon and what's making us happy 17:47

1d ago17:47

17:47

The cheeky new romantic dramedy Fly Me to the Moon stars Scarlett Johansson as a NASA publicist at the height of the space race. She must stage a top-secret fake version of the moon landing as backup, just in case the real attempt fails. No one else at NASA can know about it — especially the upstanding launch director, played by Channing Tatum. The…

1
Three great sports documentaries 9:34

2d ago9:34

9:34

Sports aren't just games. They're intertwined with epic stories about struggle, human behavior, historic greatness and grand emotions. In other words, sports make for great documentaries. And if you're looking for some good ones, we've got recommendations: Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, The Armstrong Lie, and Athlete A. Learn …

1
Despicable Me 4 serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem 16:43

3d ago16:43

16:43

Despicable Me 4 is the latest film in an animation franchise that made household names of reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carrell) and his army of nattering Minions. The franchise has grossed billions of dollars, and the latest movie topped the weekend box office. But are these films growing up with their audience, or continuing to cater to young …

1
Teenage Hijinks South of the Border, Tequila Poppers, and the Legendary Donkey Show 46:16

4d ago46:16

46:16

Send us a Text Message. This episode’s PULLS... M-80s / Piccolo Pete’s / Mr. Wilson / Fireworks vs. Firecrackers / Tijuana / Pig Cowboy / Monkey on a Surfboard / Switch-blade Comb / German Soldier Skull / Brass Knuckles / Nun Chucks / Butterfly Knife / Calimex / Caesars Restaurant / Bull Fights / The Exorcist (again) / Alpha Beta / Avenida Revoluci…

1
How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip 11:54

5d ago11:54

11:54

It's summer, so we're talking all about road trips. Should you blast music that's familiar or unfamiliar? What makes for a good road trip audiobook? What are some road trip games we hate? Pop Culture Happy Hour talked all about how to entertain and amuse ourselves in the car way back in 2012. Today, in this encore episode, we're revisiting that con…

1
MaXXXine and what's making us happy 20:49

12d ago20:49

20:49

The new movie MaXXXine stars Mia Goth as an adult-film actress who gets her big break in Hollywood, only to be revisited by horrors from her past. Set in 1985 Los Angeles, it's the final film in director Ti West's beloved horror trilogy that began with the movie X. MaXXXine also features performances from Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, and Giancar…

1
Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated 28:04

9d ago28:04

28:04

The Pop Culture Happy Hour team is off today, so we're bringing you an episode of the NPR podcast Wild Card with Rachel Martin. This episode is an interview with Bowen Yang. He is the first Chinese American cast member on SNL, the co-host the podcast Las Culturistas, and he starred in the rom-com Fire Island. He talks to Rachel about living too muc…

1
Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on Megan 19:59

10d ago19:59

19:59

A lot has happened to rapper Megan Thee Stallion over the last couple of years including a highly publicized trial after being shot by a former friend, a messy breakup, and a feud with artist Nicki Minaj. She confronts all of that and more on her boastful and vulnerable new album Megan. But she also has fun on playful tracks like 'Down Stairs DJ' a…

1
Thomas Guides, Token Wars, and that time Chris got a "B" on his Buzzer 46:34

11d ago46:34

46:34

Send us a Text Message. This episode’s PULLS... The Summer of 1980 / Huckleberry Hound (again) / Latchkey Kids / Cheerios / hose water / parental neglect / Otter Pops / Space food Sticks / LIFE cereal / plaster casts / Family Fun Center / Video Arcades / Token Wars / Asteroids / Missile Command / Tank Battle / Pacman / Pinball / Drama Class / “sard…

1
Yes, chef: The Bear has a lot going on in its third season 24:48

11d ago24:48

24:48

The Bear just returned for its third season and it's still one of the most stressful and most interesting shows on TV. Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) are launching their new fine dining restaurant, but he's estranged from some of the people who are closest to him just as he sneaks up on a new level of success. The series is str…

1
Dungeons and Dragons, Satan Worshippers, and that time Jeff made an Illegal Purchase from an Arms Dealer 40:32

12d ago40:32

40:32

Send us a Text Message. This episode’s PULLS... Stormtroopers / Spiderman / Star Wars / Cosplay / Comic-Con (again) / Wolverine/ Wonder Woman (again) / Jedi Knights / Seinfeld / Transformers / Iron Man / Darth Vader / Tie Fighter / Ant Man / Lucasfilm / Pulp Fiction / Nerf Blasters / Uncle Owen / Bat Girl / Yvonne Craig / Cat Woman / Julie Newmar /…

1
1984: Last Night In Ann Arbor Partying With The Dead at Pine Knob, “It’s all over now baby blue” 1:19:39

12d ago1:19:39

1:19:39

"Celebrating July 4th with Grateful Dead Memories and Rolling Stones Reverence" Larry Mishkin highlights a memorable Grateful Dead concert from July 1984 at Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan, which holds special significance for Larry and his friends who attended the University of Michigan. He reflects on how attending this concert was…

1
In A Quiet Place: Day One, Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden 16:49

12d ago16:49

16:49

In the post-apocalyptic world of A Quiet Place, aliens kill anyone who makes a sound, forcing humans into a near-silent existence. The new movie A Quiet Place: Day One takes us back to the beginning, but this time through the eyes of a terminally ill cancer patient played by the excellent Lupita Nyong'o. Learn more about sponsor message choices: po…

1
Kinds of Kindness and what's making us happy 23:25

15d ago23:25

23:25

Kinds of Kindness is a weird, dark, and bleak film. It's directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) and it re-teams him with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, along with Jesse Plemons. Each actor plays different characters in three different stories — which all involve someone going to extreme measures to regain something they've lost. Learn more about …

1
Lily Gladstone's Fancy Dance is a road trip worth taking 17:18

19d ago17:18

17:18

The new film Fancy Dance offers something all-too-rare on screen: contemporary Indigenous perspectives, front and center. Lily Gladstone plays a woman trying to keep it together under stressful circumstances. Her sister's gone missing, and she steps in to look after her young niece (Isabel Deroy-Olson). The pair take what turns out to be a rocky ro…

1
Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question 23:08

18d ago23:08

23:08

Jim and Pam. Mulder and Scully. Janine and Gregory. Carmy and Sydney. Meredith and McDreamy. You know how it goes: two television characters with obvious chemistry who fight or look at each other longingly. You know that there's only one question: will they, or won't they? Today, we break down the different types of will-they-won't-they couples and…

1
The Dead Rock Madison, 1983. Larry and Harold go on tour. 1:11:41

19d ago1:11:41

1:11:41

From Shakedown Street to Hackney Diamonds: Music Memories and News Larry Michigan reminisces about a Grateful Dead concert he attended on June 24, 1983, at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin. Larry describes the memorable experience of seeing the Grateful Dead open with "Shakedown Street" for the first time. He recounts his journey to t…

1
Is Star Wars' The Acolyte a force to be reckoned with? 23:18

20d ago23:18

23:18

The new Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte is a murder mystery. Someone is killing great Jedi masters, and while we learn the killer's identity early on, the real mystery driving the series is why they're doing it. It stars Amandla Stenberg as Force-sensitive twins Osha and Mae, and Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae as Osha's former Jedi master. By the t…

1
Thelma And What's Making Us Happy 18:14

22d ago18:14

18:14

Financial scams are an unfortunate phenomenon, but what happens when a fraudster messes with the wrong grandma? The very fun action-comedy Thelma imagines exactly this scenario. The movie stars June Squibb as a woman scammed by someone pretending to be her grandson. She then enlists her old friend (the late Richard Roundtree) to help get her money …

1
HBO's Fantasmas is new and different and uniquely itself 17:58

25d ago17:58

17:58

The brilliant and idiosyncratic new HBO series Fantasmas has a simple plot. Creator and star Julio Torres searches New York City for an earring he lost at a club. In the execution, that quest gets transformed into something epic and surreal and queer in every sense of the word. He keeps bumping into random New Yorkers whose stories play out in a se…

1
Flying Cars, Jetpacks, and that time Chris was Almost Murdered 45:06

26d ago45:06

45:06

Send us a Text Message. This episode’s PULLS... Flying cars / Jetpacks / Teleportation / Moon Bases / The Space Shuttle / Mars Missions / Space Stations / Six Million Dollar Man (again) / Ark II / The Sharper Image / A.I. / Electric Cars / Star Trek / Black Mirror (again) / The Big Blue Marble / Phaser Pistols / Lightspeed Travel / Hypo Spray / The…

1
Bridgerton closes out a crowded third season 18:48

27d ago18:48

18:48

The second half of Bridgerton's latest season just dropped on Netflix, and naturally the course of true love continues to not run smoothly. Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) may have finally declared their feelings for each other, but there's still a lot left to figure out. We previously talked about the fi…

1
Live in 1988: Hell in a Bucket and Beyond, A Summer Tour to Remember 1:18:45

27d ago1:18:45

1:18:45

"Deadhead Adventures: From Minneapolis to Alpine Valley" Larry Mishkin delves into a nostalgic recount of a Grateful Dead concert he attended on June 17, 1988, in Minneapolis, part of their Midwest Summer Tour. He reminisces about attending the show with friends Mikey and JT, detailing their travel adventures and the concert's setlist, which includ…

1
It's getting hot. So what's sweatiest movie ever made? 22:10

1M ago22:10

22:10

Whether they're lightly perspiring, gently glowing, or soaked through from sweltering, people in the movies sweat a lot. But what movie has had people sweat the very most? With summer underway, we are debating what is the sweatiest movie of all time — including Do the Right Thing, Dog Day Afternoon, Y tu mamá también, and Body Heat. Learn more abou…

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