After concluding our long patreon-exclusive retrospective on the series, we arrive at last back in 2023 with Fast X, the bloated, messy, chaotic beginning of the end for the 'Fast Family'. Along the way we discuss Justin Lin's sudden exit, too much bluescreen, Vatican pinball, Jason Momoa as an evil gay guy, sticking Michelle Rodriguez in a concrete room for most of the movie, alternate storylines, Vin Diesel's social media carnival barking, giant ego and allegations -- it all comes to a big, bald head here with the penultimate installment of this strange, misshapen, yet often lovable mutant of a movie series. Note: We relied heavily on the books Fast and Furious Franchising by Dan Hassler-Forest and Welcome to the Family by Barry Hertz to inform our research and discussion of this series.

An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook, Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2.

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Cole's back and they've learned the secret of the orient: not being that mad anymore.

An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook, Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2.

If you can, please lend some support to these organizations:

• Gaza Funds

• PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund)

• MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians)

• National Networks of Abortion Funds

• Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

If you enjoy the show please consider:

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Fellow Canucks Remember Shuffle join Stu and a hopelessly outnumbered Nicole for a lively and in-depth discussion about Blackberry, and the seething neurotic resentment that comes from living in the Great White North. Subscribe to the Patreon to hear the full episode and more! And while your at it, please support the Shuffle Bois.

Cole was too busy watching actual basketball, so Nicole and Stu are left to fend for themselves in alien territory as we enter the worlds of shoes and sports with the Affleck/Damon brand-biopic. Is it a fleeting microgenre, or are products the new comic books? We discuss what makes the film hollow and irritating, the limits of slipping 'subversive' messages into hyper-corporate movies, the odd way it handles Michael Jordan as a figure, it's success with xillennials, endless 80s nostalgia, and how the film doubles as a pitch for Affleck and Damon's revenue-sharing based studio 'Artists Equity'.

An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook, Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2.

If you can, please lend some support to these organizations:

• Gaza Funds

• PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund)

• MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians)

• National Networks of Abortion Funds

• Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

If you enjoy the show please consider:

• Subscribing to our Patreon, where you can enjoy exclusive subscriber only episodes.

Before we (Nicole and Cole) fulfill their contractually obligated second Patreon Raffle pick on Trần Anh Hùng's under-appreciated neo-noir I Come With the Rain, we pay our respect to Stu, who at the time caught the hantavirus from that cruise. Remember when that happened?

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An excerpt from our conversation with Jane Altoids about Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin, adapted from the novel by Scott Heims. Support us on Patreon to hear the full episode and much more!

Boston Hassle film critic, animation enthusiast, and co-host of Hawke Cast Kyle Amato joins Stu, Nicole, and Cole to dissect the second highest grossing toy commercial of 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It's your stock standard low-effort kiddie fodder reskinned for Nintendo IP and jam packed with as many Easter eggs and Top 40 needledops as algorithmically possible. If animation actually wants to be cinema then Illumination should hire actual some real European perverts for a change.

Follow Kyle on the Projects Substack and read his reviews for Boston Hassle.

An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, ultimatetotoro, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook, Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2.

If you can, please lend some support to these organizations:

• Gaza Funds

• PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund)

• MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians)

• National Networks of Abortion Funds

• Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

If you enjoy the show please consider:

• Subscribing to our Patreon, where you can enjoy exclusive subscriber only episodes.

As of 2025, Warner Brothers officially lost the rights to make a live action feature film adaptation of Akira, ending over 20 years of a development hell for something nobody wanted or asked for. But god, did they try. Nicole takes Stu on a deep dive through each and every painfully misguided iteration of what thankfully will never be.

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