This week on the SpitTake Podcast, Adam, Alex, and Stef pay tribute to legendary actor Tim Curry by revisiting Clue, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, IT, and the unforgettable performances that made him a pop-culture icon.

The conversation then dives into Stef’s chaotic journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. The hosts debate the latest Fantastic Four, break down Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, praise the action in Shang-Chi, and attempt to explain the increasingly confusing phases of the MCU.

The episode takes a darker turn with Netflix’s Death of the Pastor’s Wife, the disturbing true-crime documentary about Mica Miller, her toxic marriage, and the unanswered questions surrounding her death. Adam and Alex also unpack HBO’s Lanterns, including the relationship between Hal Jordan and John Stewart, the Guardians’ questionable motives, and whether the series’ social commentary serves the story.

Plus, the crew debates Disney’s live-action remakes, gives Prometheus another chance, explores the tangled canon of the Alien franchise, looks ahead to Yellowjackets, American Horror Story, and the Lizzie Borden season of Monster—and somehow finds time for escape rooms, suburban nightlife, midlife crises, and the proper way to eat apple pie.

Expect spoilers, questionable opinions, dark humor, and enough pop-culture detours to get lost in the multiverse.

School is back in session, and the SpitTake Podcast is celebrating with a hilariously unqualified debate over the best back-to-school movies ever made. Adam, Alex, and Stef revisit comedy classics including Billy Madison, Back to School, Van Wilder, Pitch Perfect, Legally Blonde, Life of the Party, and Harry Potter—while debating what actually qualifies as a “back-to-school movie.”

The conversation also veers into college regrets, sorority stories, the value of trade school, kindergarten parenting, and why Adam made his daughter apologize to a pillow. Then, in “Whatcha Watching,” the crew dives into Lanterns, Supergirl, the Marvel movies leading into Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man’s suspicious web supply, and Stef’s crash course in the MCU.

Plus, the hosts workshop a new SpitTake intro, remember two recently lost entertainment icons, question whether Harry Potter is secretly The Omen, and preview the return of American Horror Story.

Warning: This episode contains spoilers, questionable superhero anatomy, and absolutely no respect for staying on topic.

Spoiler warning: We’re breaking down the Lanterns premiere and the opening episodes of Reacher Season 4!

Adam and Alex dive into the DCU’s gritty new Green Lantern series, including Kyle Chandler’s weary but reckless Hal Jordan, Aaron Pierre’s spot-on casting as John Stewart, the premiere’s shocking ending, and the mystery unfolding in Nebraska. Is Lanterns essentially True Detective set in the DC Universe—and was killing off Hal Jordan the right decision?

Then, the conversation turns to Alan Ritchson’s return as Jack Reacher. The guys discuss Reacher’s unusual personality, his lack of traditional character growth, the new season’s suspicious characters, brutal action scenes, and why watching an enormous man solve nearly every problem with his fists remains so entertaining.

Plus, which Arnold Schwarzenegger movie should Alan Ritchson remake? Commando, Kindergarten Cop, or even Predator?

Join the SpitTake Podcast for spoiler-filled reviews, theories, comic-book discussion, action-movie tangents, and plenty of wildly unnecessary observations.

Stef is back, and the SpitTake crew has plenty to catch up on! Adam reviews Lee Cronin’s The Mummy and explains why this terrifying new take may be one of the franchise’s best entries. The group also discusses whether Mortal Kombat 2 finally gives video-game fans the adaptation they deserve, including Karl Urban’s performance as Johnny Cage, brutal fatalities, and callbacks to the classic games.

Elsewhere, Stef shares her thoughts on The Devil Wears Prada 2 and WWE: Unreal, while Alex recommends the emotional Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck. The conversation also covers Robert Pattinson’s post-Twilight career, Channing Tatum as Gambit, X-Men ’97, House of the Dragon, Lanterns, and the difference between meaningful movie gore and violence purely for shock value.

Plus, Stef recounts a chaotic day on Lake Michigan involving 50-mile-per-hour winds, tangled anchors, an underwater rescue, the Chicago Fire Department, and a boat full of people wondering where their captain went.

From possessed children and wrestling injuries to fashion icons, video-game fatalities, and near-disasters on the water, this episode goes everywhere—and somehow brings it all together.

This week on the Spit Take Podcast, Adam and Alex sit down with writer and director Gregory Pellerito to talk about his new coming-of-age film, Moments of Youth. The conversation starts with the movie's inspirations—from classics like American Pie, Can't Hardly Wait, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off—before diving into what makes Gregory's film stand out from the teen comedies that inspired it.

Gregory explains why he wanted to tell a story that balances outrageous comedy with a thoughtful look at the lasting emotional effects of school violence, focusing not on the tragedy itself but on the lives that continue long after the headlines fade. Adam and Alex discuss how the film captures friendship, grief, and growing up without becoming preachy or political, creating a coming-of-age story that's both nostalgic and surprisingly heartfelt.

The conversation also explores:

• How the film's scavenger hunt became the perfect backdrop for a one-night adventure.
• Casting thousands of actors to find the right chemistry.
• John Farley's standout performance as the principal.
• Writing authentic teenage friendships as an adult.
• Using social media as a storytelling device.
• Why Betsy's scene-stealing character almost deserves a movie of her own.

Of course, it wouldn't be Spit Take without going completely off the rails. The discussion veers into favorite teen comedies, Not Another Teen Movie, Super Troopers, Tacoma FD, sports, fantasy football, horror movies, Taylor Sheridan shows, Nicolas Cage, and plenty of hilarious movie recommendations along the way.

If you love behind-the-scenes filmmaking, coming-of-age movies, or just hearing filmmakers geek out about movies with fellow movie fans, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Adam and Stef are back from vacation, Alex has been holding down the fort, and naturally that means it’s time to talk about one of cinema’s most underrated genres: vacation movies.

But first, Stef has a story about Mercury retrograde, sleepless nights, mysterious voices, shadow figures, and why apparently none of us should be traveling, signing contracts, or trusting the universe right now. From there, the crew asks the important question: What actually makes a movie a vacation movie?

The debate starts with the classic National Lampoon’s Vacation and quickly turns into a showdown when Stef makes her case for Back to the Beach. From the Griswolds and Vegas Vacation to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Dirty Dancing, The Cabin in the Woods, Evil Dead, Mom and Dad Save the World, and more, Adam, Alex, and Stef try to determine where vacation movies end and road trips, horror movies, summer camp movies, and complete cinematic chaos begin.

Along the way, they talk Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Christina Applegate, Ed Helms, John Candy, Paul Rudd, Danny Trejo, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Pee-wee Herman, Brad Pitt, and somehow find themselves discussing everything from From Dusk Till Dawn to the Trojan War.

Plus: Is Dirty Dancing really a vacation movie? Is Back to the Beach better than Vacation? Does going to a cabin automatically qualify? And how far can the definition of “vacation” be stretched before it completely falls apart?

Pack the car, ignore Mercury retrograde, and hit the road with the Spit Take Podcast for an episode full of movie nostalgia, questionable classifications, ridiculous tangents, and the kind of debates nobody asked for—but somebody needed to have.

Movies & shows discussed include: National Lampoon’s Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Vegas Vacation, European Vacation, Vacation (2015), Back to the Beach, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Dirty Dancing, The Cabin in the Woods, Evil Dead, From Dusk Till Dawn, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Mom and Dad Save the World, and more.

🎙️ Spit Take Podcast — Adam, Alex & Stef

#SpitTakePodcast #MoviePodcast #VacationMovies #NationalLampoonsVacation #ChristmasVacation #VegasVacation #BackToTheBeach #ForgettingSarahMarshall #DirtyDancing #MovieComedy #MovieDiscussion #FilmPodcast #80sMovies #90sMovies #ComedyPodcast

Episode Description

Football season is almost here, so we're settling one of the biggest debates in sports movie history: What is the greatest football movie of all time?

With Adam and Stef away, Alex is joined by special guests David Logan and RickDogNetwork for an hour of football nostalgia, hot takes, and plenty of laughs. From Remember the Titans and Any Given Sunday to The Program, The Replacements, Varsity Blues, Little Giants, Friday Night Lights, The Waterboy, Necessary Roughness, Brian's Song, The Longest Yard, and more, the guys break down what makes these classics unforgettable.

Along the way they discuss:

• 🏈 The most inspirational football movie ever made
• 🎬 The best football coaches in movie history (including a very controversial Coach Kilmer defense!)
• 🐻 Chicago Bears memories and growing up playing football in Chicago
• 🎮 RickDogNetwork talks streaming, the White Sox, and Chicago sports
• ⭐ Building the ultimate fictional football dream team from every football movie ever made

Whether you're a die-hard football fan or just love great sports movies, this episode is packed with nostalgia, debates, and plenty of laughs.

What's your #1 football movie? Let us know in the comments!

#FootballMovies #RememberTheTitans #AnyGivenSunday #TheReplacements #VarsityBlues #LittleGiants #FridayNightLights #TheWaterboy #BrianSong #TheProgram #ChicagoBears #NFL #SportsMovies #MoviePodcast #SpitTakePodcast

What happened to Alex Stone after Major Payne? Actor, writer, and filmmaker Steven Martini joins the Spit Take Podcast to answer that question—and reveals exclusive details about Major Stone, his planned sequel centered on the beloved character from the 1995 comedy classic.

Steven shares the inspiration behind revisiting Alex Stone decades later, how military service, PTSD, and comedy can coexist in meaningful storytelling, and why he believes Major Payne was ahead of its time. Adam, an Afghanistan veteran, offers his own perspective on how the film unexpectedly reflected real military life and mental health.

The conversation expands into Hollywood's obsession with legacy sequels, why Cobra Kai succeeded where others failed, and what modern audiences want from nostalgic franchises. Steven also dives into his journey from child actor to independent filmmaker, discusses making his cult indie film Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire, and shares his thoughts on AI's growing role in filmmaking and storytelling.

As lifelong movie nerds, the group also debates the future of Star Wars, George Lucas's original sequel trilogy ideas, Spielberg, independent cinema, and why authentic storytelling will always outlast trends.

If you're a fan of Major Payne, Damon Wayans, Cobra Kai, Star Wars, filmmaking, screenwriting, military movies, or behind-the-scenes Hollywood conversations, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Topics Covered:

• Steven Martini's journey from Major Payne to filmmaker
• The story behind the proposed Major Stone sequel
• Military comedy, PTSD, and authentic storytelling
• Why Cobra Kai became the gold standard for legacy sequels
• Independent filmmaking and creating your own opportunities
• AI in Hollywood: opportunity or threat?
• George Lucas's original Star Wars sequel plans
• Spielberg, cult classics, and the future of movies

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