Baconsale: Hickory-smoked Pop Culture

Buckle up, listener, it’s time for Baconsale to talk about driving etiquette. We’re declaring which rules other drivers should follow, discussing proper protocol when riding in someone else’s car, and we’re giving road trip tips. Along the way, we’ll take a few pit stops to tell personal stories about learning to drive, getting into accidents, and evading the police (wait, what?). We’re also sharing road rules you submitted to us, and deciding which ones get the green light. Check your mirrors. Use your blinker. Press play.

Kent saw The Invisible Man, and he’s ready to get transparent about how he feels about it. Could this movie be the second beginning of Universal Picture’s Dark Universe? Kent’s not sure, but he does resist the urge to get into spoilers, despite Joel’s persistent questions. He also talks about the underlying themes in the film as well as how believable the visual effects are and how scary this thriller is overall. Press play to see what we’re talking about.

Are you looking for the Baconsale episode where we rank Pepsi products? Well, then, you got the right one, baby! Today we’re discussing 27 popular soft drinks, such as Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, 7 Up, Hawaiian Punch, and A&W Root Beer. Each soda pop will get a tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3 ranking. Additionally, we’ll discuss perceived health benefits, Russian conspiracies, corporate sabotage, failed experiments, and weird jingles & slogans—including the song that inspires Kent to go “girlwatching.” I’m a listener! He’s a listener! She’s a listener! Wouldn’t you like to be a listener, too? Press play.

My, my, how the tables have turned. Joel took his kids to see Sonic the Hedgehog last weekend (which explains why it did so well at the box office), while Jacob went with some vague family members, and Kent is the one who hasn’t seen the movie yet. Joel and Jacob do their best to keep their reviews spoiler-free for the first part, then we race through the entire plot of this video game adaptation. Join us as we discuss character redesigns, product placement, and Jim Carrey’s performance as Doctor Robotnik. Hold down, repeatedly press A, then press play!

It’s-a me! Baconsale! And we’re joined by The Listener, Spencer, who is here to help us Pit popular heroes from video games against each other in Mortal Kombat. We’re going to try to fly through this Uncharted territory at Sonic speeds, so sometimes we’ll Crash and Contra-dict each other. However, at other times, we’ll find a Link and Ecco each other’s thoughts. But after the (Cloud) Strife, we’ll declare a winner as The Last of Us is left standing at the end of this tournament. Kick! Punch! I gotta believe you’ll press play! Print your own video game hero bracket at Baconsale.com to play along at home!

Kent would like to introduce Joel, who would like to introduce Jacob, who will introduce our topic for this BaconBit, which is the results of the 92nd Academy Awards! Once again (and it seems like we say this every time), this was the lowest-rated Oscars ever. But Baconsale is here to recap the winners, the losers, the overly long speeches & political rants, the timely musical numbers, and the surprise twist ending! Plus, we’ll also be announcing the winners of our Oscars ballot contest! Press play to hear our acceptance speech in Korean.

Alright, alright, alright. With Valentine’s Day approaching, Baconsale decided to pit two very different romantic comedies against each other: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) & How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003). Why these two movies? Well, Kent and Joel sometimes get the titles confused. Also, they passionately disagree as to which one is better. The guys try to keep the debate structured as they discuss the writing, directing, critical reviews, box office performance, and legacy of both films, but—as tends to happen in these versus-style episodes—the discussion tends to devolve into an argument about who’s interrupting whom. I want you to press play. I need you to press play. I'd love you to press play.

Hey puddin’! It’s time for Baconsale to review Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Kent brought along a guest to the screening of this R-rated Suicide Squad sequel, but no, it wasn’t Jacob or Joel. Our friend Emily is here, as well, and she and Kent are going to try their best to not spoil the movie as they gush about the fight scenes and Margot Robbie‎’s performance. Press play, Mr. J (and everyone else)!

Now that Sundance is over, Kent is ready to talk about it. And he brought our good friend Emily with him to give us a recap of the Sundance movies that were bad, the films that were good, and how many times Emily fell asleep (spoiler alert: she slept a LOT). We also discuss when and where these films will be available for you to view, which will probably NOT be on Disney Plus. Press play to get indie with Baconsale!

Rise and shine, listener! The Academy is getting an early start on award season this year, and they’ve bumped up the Oscars up to February 9th. Therefore, we had to do our annual Baconsale prediction show earlier, as well. Jacob and Joel are mind twins this time, matching on far too many answers, while Kent forges his own path to glory (or utter failure). And with a date night on the line, the stakes have never been higher. Listen as we discuss which films are Oscar bait, memorialize the things we lost in 2019, and try to perfect our Joker laugh. Here’s your statue. Take a breath. Take a bow. Thank your agent. Then press play. Plus, you can make your own predictions for the 92nd Academy Awards for a chance to win a fabulous prize! Visit Baconsale.com or our social media pages to find the link to our official Google Form.

Pose for the paparazzi in your hipster coat, hat & sunglasses, because Baconsale is going to Sundance! Well, we’re not all going. Jacob isn’t that familiar with this indie film event and Joel thinks it’s too cold/crowded. However, Kent has gone for the last ten years and he’s ready to tell you all about it—including how to spot celebrities, where to go to see the movies you want, and why you should bring cash. We also discuss directors who got their big break there, what it means to be an independent film, and our favorite movies to come out of the Sundance Film Festival. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was here about 10 minutes ago, and he said to press play.

Oi, mate! Are you a fan of fast-talking gangsters with thick English accents? Well, then, you may enjoy Guy Ritchie’s latest movie, The Gentlemen. No, this isn’t a film adaptation of that terrifying episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this is an action crime movie featuring Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant and a lot of cursing. Kent went to a screening and he’s ready to give his review. We also spend a while discussing who Guy Ritchie is and why posters of his movies graced the walls of most college students in the early 2000s. Press play to see if Guy Ritchie is back in Kent’s good graces after Aladdin (2019).

Whether you call it clairvoyance, fortune telling, or ESPN, Baconsale is peering deep into the upcoming year and predicting pop culture occurrences for 2020. Jacob has a pretty bleak outlook of the future—and things do get a little dark as we talk about untimely demises, filthy dragons, and the blood of innocents—but Kent and Joel also prognosticate about healthy fast food options, TV show reboots and THREE TYPES of sporting events (#ChiefLife)! Plus, we end the episode talking about films we want to flop and our most anticipated movies of the year. The relative position of the planets and the stars indicate that you should press play.

Woo! It’s been 17 years since the last Bad Boys movie, but without Michael Bay at the helm, will Bad Boys for Life still feel the same? Kent has seen the movie and is ready to tell us all about it. There won’t be any spoilers, but Kent will let us know why he’s unhappy with the name (Joel will try and come up with a better one), and we’ll also look at how these three movies have done at the box office and with audiences. Ride or die, it’s time for a BaconBit review! Woo!

We’re back, baby! And we’re starting our sixth season of Baconsale with a recap of our favorite films of the past year. Kent selects movies that were released in 2019 and Joel picks ones he watched for the first time in 2019. Along the way, we find out what makes Kent smile (HINT: it has something to do with alligators), we discover that Joel can’t do a North Korean accent, and we learn how many cough drops Jacob can consume in a single episode. Press play to get your kicks with our beginning of season six!

Memory, all alone in the dark side. I can dream of the old films. They were beautiful then. I remember the time I knew what Skywalkers were. Will the saga live again? Our season may have ended, but we couldn’t leave you hanging when two of the most anticipated movies of the year were released. So, on this BaconBit, Kent & Joel are going to review both Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Cats. We watched them on the same day, so comparisons are inevitable. But will this final chapter in the sequel right the wrongs Baconsale found in The Last Jedi? And will we ever figure out what “Jellicle” means? Press play to find out. And don’t worry, the first part of this BaconBit is spoiler-free, so even if you haven’t seen either movie, you can still listen!

After an entire year of talking about pop culture topics, it’s time for Baconsale to talk about talking about pop culture topics. We’re looking back at the past season and giving you behind-the-scenes peeks into how this podcast is made. Topics include how Kent makes cover art (more nostril!), tournament matches we regret, learning to play Dungeons & Dragons, recording with Weezer, the surprise popularity of soda pop, and why pumpkin spice stressed Jacob out and almost killed Joel. And while Kent, Joel, and Jacob may not agree on their choices, we do all agree that we’re grateful for you, the listener. Press play to hear how we wrap up the fifth season of Baconsale!

It’s beginning to look a lot like a decade dance! Baconsale has already looked at horror films, action flicks, comedies, and dramas made in the past 10 years, but now it’s time for us to briefly talk about whether or not any good Christmas movies were released between 2010 and 2019. Kent and Joel have picked their top three and they’re ready to (kind of) recommend them to you. However, we also invoke the name of an ancient evil…one that we haven’t spoken of for a long, long time. Press play to get into the holiday spirit with Baconsale!

We're waiting for a train—a train that’ll take us far away. But before our season ends, Baconsale would like to have one last decade dance with you. This time, we’re focusing on the best dramatic movies released from 2010 to 2019. It’s kind of like the Academy Awards on steroids. Kent seems to love the films that hurt him the most, Joel has an alarming affinity for sociopaths, and, for some reason, we try really hard not to spoil movies that came out ten years ago. Here's to the ones who dream—foolish as they may seem. Here's to the hearts that ache. Here's to the ones who press play.

Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who joined Kent and Joel one snowy winter night. TV theme songs was her choice, for the topic, which was a true delight. Here’s the story, of categories, such as “Best” and “Worst” and “Can Stand on Its Own.” Ranging way back, from the 1960s, up until Game of Thrones. It’s not easy to pick favorites from all history, and we knew the kind of stress this would entail. That this show, would probably cause contention, but that’s just that way it is on Baconsale. On Baconsale! On Baconsale! That’s the way we do things on Baconsale! Pick up your remote and press play to hear the episode that Adrienne picked.