Cinematic Underdogs

Paul Keelan / Jordan Puga
  • 4.9 (10)
  • FILM HISTORY
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY
Cinematic Underdogs

Cinematic Underdogs is a joyful, intellectual, and nostalgic look at sports movies of all forms, shapes, and sizes. Hosted by Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan, this overlooked genre is re-evaluated with the sincerity that it deserves.

  1. OCT 14

    122. Mr. McMahon

    We're back and we're pile-driving into the dark, messy history of the WWE/WWF. Under the ownership of the polarizing Vince McMahon, wrestling went from feudal territories to cable TV mania. We examine the dueling identities of its greatest promoter, trying to unpack the Vince McMahon/Mr. McMahon split personality. You also want to tune in if you're interested in a nostalgic celebration of all the eras of the WWE/WWF, including the Attitude era, the Ruthless Aggression era, as well as the WCW vs. WWE heyday where every Monday night Raw and Nitro squared off on cable TV (giving everyone a reason to flip back-and-forth between USA and TNT). Enjoy!

    1h 24m

  2. SEP 25

    121. Untold: The Murder of Air McNair

    On this episode, we invite Mikey from Screen Nerds Podcast (an avid Tennessee Titans superfan since their arrival in Nashville) to discuss the return of Untold with "The Muder of Air McNair." Part crime-doc and part sports-recap, this episode felt vexingly conspiratorial and disjointed. We break down why we feel it is one of the weaker entries in the docu-series and wonder if it's an anomaly or a harbinger of things to come. We also chat about the never-ending slate of 2024 streaming content, from Netflix's Receivers to HBO Max's return of Hard Knocks with the Chicago Bears. There is certainly no shortage of content available to whet our appetites for another dramatic season of America's most beloved sport, the NFL. Enjoy!

    1h 16m

  3. SEP 11

    120. Bronx Zoo '90: Crime, Chaos and Baseball

    Join your friendly underdogs as we chat Bronx Zoo '90: Crime, Chaos and Baseball, Peacock's 3-part docuseries on one of the worst NY Yankee's teams in franchise history. Based around a series of Joel Sherman articles first published in the NY Post, the doc covers everything from the exile of George Steinbrenner to the downfall of Mel Hall. The 1990 season was one for the record books for all the wrong reasons: a train wreck you can't help but to look at, even as you're cowering away. From a no-hitter that ended miraculously in a 4-0 loss due to a calamity of fielding errors, to Pascual Perez playing backgammon in the Caribbean instead of showing up to Spring ball, to Mel Hall's open relationship and prom date with a teenage girl, to the back-and-forth contract feud between Steinbrenner and Dave Winfield, to the extortion and blackmail saga with Howie Spira (a NY felon, gambling addict, and all around low-life, to Deion Sander's dollar sign antics and terrible batting average, to cougars (yes, the feral felines!) in the locker room, this iteration of the Yanks was a carnivalesque free-for-all that you can't look away from. Enjoy our recap of this wild tale of shenanigans in the ballpark and beyond!

    1h 6m

  4. AUG 27

    119. BASEketball (1998)

    Welcome to the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs (Or should I say, Cinematic Underska? Or is it Cinematic Under Sophisti-Pop? Perhaps Cinematic Under-Christian Jangle Pop?)... Whatever cinematic multiverse you choose to join us in, you're welcome to a frothy treat! We're joined by ska and sophisti-pop connoisseur Oye Oye Estaban for a look back at BASEketball, the 1998 sports parody directed by David Zucker (Airplane, Naked Gun, Scary Movie) and starring two of the 90's premier enfant terribles, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (creaters of South Park, duh). So get out that hemorrhoid cream and get ready for some soapy psyche-outs, hot takes on ska, Real Big Fish fandom, breakdowns of "Beer" (the song, of course), and analytic tangents on the now-obsolescent juvenilia of a bygone era, because we're coming in hotter than Jenny McCarthy buffing the lobby. Enjoy!

    1h 51m

  5. AUG 15

    118. Sprint (2024)

    On this episode, Sarah Curci and Juan Hernandez join the pod to talk about the rise of Track & Field as a sport, and more specifically, how its uptick in popularity nicely coincides with teh arrival of Netflix's latest docuseries, Sprint, which follows Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas, Fred Kerley, Marcell Jacobs, Sha'Carri Richardson, the Jamaican trio (Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Elaine Thompson-Herah), and many other elite speedsters as they prepare for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Collectively buzzing from the highs of 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, we also share some of our favorite moments: celebrating everything from Trinity Rodman's exhilarating OT goal vs. Japan in the quarterfinals, to Mando Duplantis' WR pole vault before a crowd of 80k cheering fans, to the camaraderie of Fiji surfing. We also champion the unexpected flurry of American medal performances in Track & Field during these Olympics: citing Stanford standout Grant Fisher's breakout bronze in the 5000m & 10000m, Cole Hocker & Yared Neguse's thrilling podium finishes in the 1500m, Quincy Hall's mad dash in the 400m, and on and on. We hope ya'll enjoyed the '24 Olympics as much as we did; and if you became overnight diehard fans of all things Athletics like us, you'll not want to miss this episode! Enjoy!

    2h 2m

  6. AUG 5

    117. A Knight's Tale (2001)

    On this episode, we leap back to medieval times to cover the anachronistic, rennaisance-era, sports comedy and period piece A Knight's Tale with Seth Troyer, cohost of the Unwatchables pod and director of Vertigo II. Led by the romantic chivalry of Heath Ledger, the poetic panache of Paul Bettany, and some spicy pixie-girl charisma from Shanynn Sossamon, A Knight's Tale is a fun spoof film with literary wit, sportive flair, and a romantic tongue. We have a blast digging into this anacrhonistic romp featuring a wily bard that goes by Chaucer, a squire-turned-jouster masking his peasant past, a female Scottish blacksmith, a comedic sidekick who loves to use the word "fong" in every aggressive exclamation, and an evil Count Adhemar. Enjoy our conversation of this idiosyncratic, unorthodox sports film! Enjoying our podcast? Give us 5 stars, tell your friends, and preach the joy of our little underdog podcast!

    1h 27m

  7. JUL 12

    116. Talladega Nights (2006)

    We're back and we're championing Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby! On this episode, we talk about the satirical underbite of the film's rampant product placement, the sanctity of capitalist spaces, American vs. French tensions in the early 00's, Sasha Baron Cohen's pitch perfect casting, the odd conversion of Walker and Texas Ranger, and the backstabbing innocence of Cal Naughton. Shake and Bake, baby!

    1h 21m

  8. JUN 14

    115. The Longest Yard (2015)

    The Longest Yard is a total smorgasbord of tones, jokes, and cultural winks, whiffing at laughter from start to finish. We get a jail yard-sized salmagundi of half-baked jokes. Wet Willies. Terry Crewes peddling McDonald's cheeseburgers, fries, and McAssholes. Pegging the refs in the nuts. Dan Patrick cameo as a cop, clowning on Frodo. Goldberg rockin' an XXL jockstrap. Tracy Morgan as a prison yard Ladyboy. Adam Sandler drinking a six-pack during a high-speed chase. Chris Rock riffin' on white guys and Prozac. James Cromwell acting much too prestigiously for a Happy Madison project. Rob Schneider yelling, "You can do it!" as a callback to The Waterboy. Burt Reynolds hired as a nod to the much-superior original. Bob Sapp doing his best Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile impression. The Great Khali looking huge. Nelly, band-aid on his cheek and all. Jim Rome and Chris Berman being themselves, offering tongue-in-cheek color commentary. Kevin Nash, Brian Bosworth, and William Fichtner doing their best as prison guards, trying to infuse redemptive nuance into their villiany. Joey Diaz being chubby, homophobic, and unfunny. Steve Austin being stone-cold silly. Suffice to say, this one wasn't for us. But we do our best to tackle it anyway. Enjoy the smackdown!

    55 min
See All (122)

4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Cinematic Underdogs is a joyful, intellectual, and nostalgic look at sports movies of all forms, shapes, and sizes. Hosted by Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan, this overlooked genre is re-evaluated with the sincerity that it deserves.

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Keelan / Jordan Puga
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    122
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Paul Keelan / Jordan Puga
  • Show Website
    Cinematic Underdogs

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