Mind Gap

2 East 8th Productions

For years Doug Cochrane and Justin Strandlund have been good friends and frequent improv partners. They share a love of debating any topic, although their discussions usually come back around to two things: movies and space. Their most infamous debate involved a 2 hour discussion (while at work) about the actual possibility of time travel and it's potential ramifications on mankind; this included a full diagram drawn on a wall-sized whiteboard. Time well spent. MindGap is what happens when they sit together in front of a microphone and press record.

  1. -5 дн.

    Episode 544 - Avengers Doomsday, The Odyssey & Every Movie We're Losing Our Minds Over Right Now

    Justin has one free movie pass left before the month ends and needs to use it tonight,  so Doug helps him choose between Supergirl, Disclosure Day, and Masters of the Universe. This somehow turns into a 45-minute deep dive on everything happening in Hollywood right now, and honestly, it's one of the best movie conversations they've had in a while. First: the online hate for Supergirl is examined, dissected, and found to be exactly what everyone already knows it is. Same goes for the discourse around casting in The Odyssey, the Little Mermaid live action, and Dune. The pattern is not subtle and Doug has words. Then things get genuinely interesting. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is coming and Doug is all the way in — Greek mythology, massive ensemble cast (Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Elliott Page), and the first narrative film ever shot entirely on IMAX cameras. The IMAX conversation goes somewhere unexpected. Spider-Man Brand New Day gets the full breakdown: the Punisher's role, what the One Last Kill special means for his arc, and why having Frank Castle in a PG-13 Spider-Man movie is either brilliant or insane depending on how you look at it. Then: Avengers Doomsday. Are Doug and Justin cautiously optimistic or quietly terrified? Both. RDJ as Doctor Doom, the Jonathan Majors pivot, what the comics actually did with colliding dimensions, and why the Magneto limited series is the template they should be following. Plus, Marvel forgot Shang-Chi exists. It has been four years. Someone needs to answer for this. Also: Jared Leto — what happened? A genuine conversation about acting as a craft, why celebrity corrupts the thing that made people good at it, and how a handcrafted maple dresser at a consignment store connects to all of it somehow. Then: Doug and Justin review Backrooms (A24). Justin gives it three stars. Doug is closer to three and a half. They agree the production design is stunning, the acting is strong, the jump scares land, and the story leaves too many character motivations unresolved. A making-of documentary is urgently needed. Also also: Million Dollar Nannies on Hulu is a show that exists. Beth found it. They did not make it past the intro. And a brief, uncomfortable look at Love Island, reality TV, and why some people unwind by watching train wrecks. Movie audio clip guessing game: Justin goes three for three on Hook, Elvis (Baz Luhrmann), and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective — including a line from Ace Ventura that lands very differently as an adult than it did at age ten. This week's recommendations: Justin — Backrooms (A24). Not perfect, but worth seeing. The environment alone justifies the ticket price. Doug — Mecha Chameleon on Steam. Six dollars. Prop hunt where you paint yourself to blend into the scenery. Alpaca wants a professional digital artist league. We're here for it.   Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7  Listen everywhere you get podcasts  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184

    1 ч. 2 мин.
  2. 26 июн.

    Episode 543 - Doug's Been Waiting 10 Years to Show His Daughter The Dark Knight. It Finally Happened.

    It's one of the greatest films ever made. Doug has seen it more times than he can count. And for years, he's been waiting for the moment his daughter was ready. This Father's Day weekend, it happened, but not before they worked their way through Batman Begins first. The Batman Begins debrief alone is worth the price of admission: Natalie still doesn't understand why Bruce Wayne's parents had to die and genuinely wondered whether Batman was going to kill Rachel and Alfred in the film. She also thought that Batman can, apparently, talk to bats. Then came The Dark Knight. Doug prepped her on the Joker's philosophy, the importance of Batman's no-kill rule, and the practical effects behind the hospital explosion, which Doug and Jill actually witnessed being filmed when they lived downtown Chicago. Natalie handled the pencil scene with more composure than expected. She processed the ferry sequence. She understood the stakes, and spent the entire climax waiting for Bane to show up. And when it was over, she looked at her dad and said: "I see why you like it." Ten years. Worth every second. Also this episode: a genuinely great question — if you could go back to high school or college and take one class again with everything you know now, which class would you choose? Justin picks social studies, psychology, astronomy, and a very specific European history class he completely wasted. Doug picks management 101 with a professor he truly despised and would absolutely challenge every single day, and seventh grade PE, where his coach regularly called him names that would end careers today. Plot twist: years later, that same coach applied for a job at Doug's brother's school. Doug's brother said no. Justice is real. Plus: a dump truck parked in front of a blind hill with "Trust in the Lord" written on the back, Jesus as a Marvel Rivals support player, and Meccha Chameleon — a $6 Steam prop hunt game where you paint yourself to blend into the scenery and it is immediately one of the best six dollars Doug has ever spent. Justin needs a PC. Doug has thoughts. The movie audio clip guessing game returns with quotes from Wall Street, The Big Short, and The Golden Child including one of the most specific movie pulls in the history of this show. This week's recommendations: 🎬 Justin — Pressure (2025). Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Damian Lewis. A WWII film about the meteorologist who had to get the D-Day weather right. You know how it ends and it still keeps you on the edge of your seat. That's the mark of great filmmaking. 📺 Doug — Watchmen (HBO). Nine episodes. Genuinely one of the best limited series ever made. Also the first time Doug learned about the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, which tells you everything about the American education system. Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7  Listen everywhere you get podcasts  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184

    1 ч. 10 мин.
  3. 19 июн.

    Episode 542 - If You Could Call Yourself 10 Years Ago for 60 Seconds, What Would You Say?

    Just 60 seconds. One phone call to your past self. What do you say? Doug's answer is immediate and unapologetic: buy Bitcoin. Justin agrees — and then they both go deeper than expected, landing on advice that's somehow funnier and more meaningful than any financial tip: walk more, stop shaving everything off, brace for the subscription apocalypse, and enjoy social media while you still can because it is about to get a lot worse. The conversation spirals into a genuine reflection on June 2016 — what life looked like before the darkest timeline arrived, before every business demanded an app download, and before two-factor authentication became a personality trait. Plus: Doug makes a passionate, sincere case for mobile ordering as the single greatest innovation of the last decade. He's not wrong. Then things get messier. Doug ripped a significant fart at grocery store self-checkout and had a moment of clarity about it. He also sat Natalie down to explain something important about her school's girl squad — specifically that every single one of them takes painful s***s, and they are not better than her. Justin tells the story of Benny and the Birds — a harrowing account of his dog chasing a fledgling robin while an increasingly large coalition of robins, finches, a starling, and a squirrel formed a perimeter and launched a coordinated aerial assault. They have maintained that perimeter for four days. Justin cannot use his own backyard. Doug responds with his own bird story: Bruno has now claimed his third life, this time on a Michigan rental property, approximately 30 seconds after Doug told Natalie that nature is brutal and you simply have to accept it. Then: Doug takes Justin to Korean BBQ and hot pot for the first time. Justin immediately eats a large slice of raw pork belly with complete confidence. It tastes great. They use every second of their 90-minute window and already have a game plan for the next visit. Some food poisoning anxiety. No actual regrets. The movie audio clip guessing game returns. Justin picks three of seven clips and must identify the film from the quote alone. This round covers Aliens ("They mostly come at night. Mostly."), Donnie Brasco, and Lucky Number Slevin — and the one-legged man line lands exactly as hard as Doug hoped it would. This week's recommendations: Justin — Obsession (2025). Corey Barker made this horror film for $750K. It has since grossed over $250 million. A unique concept, edge-of-your-seat tension, and the kind of filmmaking that gets a 26-year-old handed the Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot without blinking. Go support it.   Doug — The Wire (HBO). Five seasons. Rewatched it. Still one of the best shows ever made. Young Idris Elba, young Michael B. Jordan, and the most honest portrait of policing, crime, and politics ever put on television. A commitment worth making.   Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7  Listen everywhere you get podcasts  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184

    1 ч. 9 мин.
  4. 5 июн.

    Episode 541 - Final Fantasy VII, StarCraft & the PC Games We'll Never Get Over

    Justin's got the week off, so Seth steps in as co-host and the conversation does not disappoint. Doug and Seth dig into a Reddit question that sent them both deep into the nostalgia rabbit hole: of all the computer games you played between 1985 and 2010, what's the one you still think about today? Seth goes back to the PC port of Final Fantasy VII — the game that defined the RPG genre for a generation of players who couldn't afford a PlayStation — and StarCraft, the game that proved the internet was both a gift and a curse once Korean players started annihilating everyone on Battle.net. Doug lands on Diablo, Counter Strike, Half-Life, and Team Fortress from what he describes as the best summer of his life, plus Warcraft II and the legendary dorm-vs-dorm Counter Strike leaderboard that consumed an entire semester. Seth adds Morrowind and the Halo 2 university network wars, including the top-ranked player named Mixomatosis who turned out to live three doors down and was simply a different kind of person. The gaming conversation rolls naturally into a deep dive on Marvel Rivals, Overwatch, and hero shooter culture — the difference between quick match and competitive, the rage of random teammates, why role-locking exists, and why you absolutely should not be trying out a new character in ranked. But first: Doug's mom has a long history of purging spices from the family pantry, and it explains a lot about his childhood. From there Doug and Seth debate overrated recipes (the dump-and-bake casserole situation has gotten out of hand), wage war over cottage cheese, and discover halloumi together in real time. Underrated picks include millionaire shortbread and candied pecans — two things that deserve far more attention. Plus fair food: dirty, suspect, and somehow perfect. A quick Clair Obscure Expedition 33 check-in leads into the episode's new game: AI or LinkedIn? Doug reads posts and Seth has to guess whether each one is a genuine LinkedIn post or AI generated. The results are both funnier and sadder than expected — especially the guy who timed his lunch at four minutes and 37 seconds because what isn't measured doesn't improve. This week's recommendations: Seth — Taskmaster (free on YouTube, 21 seasons). Five comedians, bizarre tasks, Greg Davies and Alex Horne hosting. One of the best shows you haven't watched yet. Doug — The Backrooms (A24). Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons based on the viral liminal space internet lore. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars. One of A24's highest-grossing films. Go see it. Plus: what even is SCP? Seth explains, and the answer sends Doug down a rabbit hole he didn't budget time for.   Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7  Listen everywhere you get podcasts  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184

    1 ч. 11 мин.
  5. 29 мая

    Episode 540 - Things That Were Attractive at 18 But Are Embarrassing at 30

    Doug and Justin dig into one of the most relatable questions on the internet: what was cool, attractive, or impressive at 18 that is straight-up embarrassing by the time you hit 30? The answers get deeply personal, very funny, and honestly a little painful. Stories include: Doug's era of competitive eating and genuinely bragging about how much food he could put away in one sitting, Justin serenading girls with acoustic guitar and firmly believing it was working, Doug entering a male beauty pageant at Augustana College specifically to wear David-statue underwear in the swimsuit competition and performing an original heartfelt song called "Chill" in front of a full auditorium, Justin spending his UPS paychecks exclusively on throwing stars and nunchucks from the mall, and both hosts processing the cringe of house party concerts they gave while extremely over-served. The community and Reddit weigh in with their own entries: basement dates at your parents' house, wearing overalls when you're not a farmer, bragging about how often you drink, living with a mattress on the floor and no groceries like it's a personality, getting into street fights, decorating your apartment with empty booze bottles, and refusing to put your shopping cart back. Also this episode: Doug has big news — he got a new job. And even bigger news — Natalie finally watched Top Gun Maverick and her reaction did not disappoint. Sweaty palms, wide eyes, hand-holding during the final act, and the ultimate compliment: "Why did you wait so long to show me this?" Plus a discussion of what's next on Natalie's movie journey: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Hunger Games, and the story of what happened when Daredevil Born Again Season 2 was accidentally too intense for a 10-year-old. And Justin still hasn't watched Arcane. Doug is working on it. Then it's time for The Verdict: the Letterboxd review guessing game. This round features reviews for The Mandalorian and Grogu, Obsession, The Florida Project, How to Train Your Dragon (live action), Silence of the Lambs, The Lighthouse, Don't Worry Darling, and the new Superman. This week's recommendations: Justin — Win Win (2011). Paul Giamatti and Bobby Cannavale. Underseen gem. Rent it for $3.99. Doug — Daredevil Born Again Season 2 on Disney+. Charlie Cox is phenomenal. Go watch it. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/mindgappodcast  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7  Listen everywhere you get podcasts  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184

    59 мин.
  6. 22 мая

    Episode 539 -The Stupidest Things People Have Ever Said That We Still Think About Today

    Doug and Justin dig into one of Reddit's greatest questions: what's the stupidest thing you've ever heard someone say that still lives rent free in your head? The answers (from the internet and from their own lives) do not disappoint. Stories include: the college roommate who saw cubed chicken and asked if it was pancakes, the hotel coworker who was convinced a rocket launch in Florida made it hotter outside, the customer service caller who had never heard of a browser and genuinely believed she didn't use one, the hotel guest who compared being asked for ID to being interrogated by the Gestapo, the anatomy student who used Coca-Cola as contraception, the woman who signed her name differently every time so no one could forge it, the person who applied for a job and chose the word "ominous" to describe herself, and the woman who planned to bring her TV from home when she moved to Italy so she could still watch her shows. Plus a collection of "Bobisms," hard-earned one-liners from a former baseball ump and retail manager that absolutely hold up, and Doug's dad's legendary if somewhat exhausting burn about brains and trains. Then Doug takes Natalie to an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and hot pot restaurant for the first time and comes away a changed man. Justin butchers a 125-pound half hog with his two best friends as a birthday surprise and walks away with 40+ pounds of pork and zero regrets. And the movie audio clip guessing game returns with quotes from Kung Fu Panda, Heat, and Minority Report. This week's recommendations: Justin: Marty: Life is Short on Netflix. Martin Short operates at the speed of joy. Watch it. Doug: Potion Seller's debut album Buzzard is out now. Ten songs, zero filler. Grab it on Bandcamp for $7. Also, Parade of Horribles (Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 8) by Matt Dinniman. Jeff Hayes narrates the audiobook. The series is incredible. Potion Seller Album Release Show — July 25th, 2026 at The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids, MI. Get there. pyramidscheme.com Subscribe: youtube.com/mindgappodcast  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7  Listen everywhere you get podcasts  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184

    1 ч. 6 мин.
  7. 15 мая

    Episode 538 - Frog Fractions, Psycho Mantis & the Most Unexpected Video Game Mechanics Ever Made

    What happens when a video game stops playing by the rules? Doug and returning guest Noah (Gunchpot) go deep on the most creative, bizarre, and genuinely brilliant video game mechanics ever designed — from games that fake-crash your console to math games that secretly turn into space jail simulators. Games covered include Shenmue (the 1999 Dreamcast game that made boredom part of the experience by giving you an actual forklift job), Seaman (raise a fish with a human face that insults you, narrated by Leonard Nimoy), Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (the GameCube horror game that fake-deleted your save file and muted your TV on purpose), Metal Gear Solid (Psycho Mantis reads your memory card and comments on your other games), Facade (a 2005 AI couples therapy simulator where typing the word "melon" gets you thrown out of the apartment), Frog Fractions (a browser math game that secretly turns into a completely different game — then hid its sequel inside an entirely separate game for years), Doki Doki Literature Club (the anime dating sim that deletes characters from your hard drive as part of its horror), Disco Elysium (where your skills literally argue with you and you can fail a check just trying to get out of bed), and WarioWare (five-second micro games with one-word instructions and zero hand-holding). Plus: QWOP, Baby Steps, Superhot VR, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, I Am Bread, and more. Before all that: Noah is working through 800 of 1,000 movies on his Letterboxd watchlist, watched Ghostbusters and Jurassic Park for the first time this year, and is deep in the David Lynch rabbit hole. Doug's dog Bruno had a very eventful Mother's Day morning involving a rabbit, a shovel, and a crow. Then it's time for The Verdict — the Letterboxd review guessing game. This round covers The Mummy, Devil Wears Prada 2, Nosferatu, Longlegs, Conclave, Barbie, Glass Onion, and Andor. This week's recommendations: Noah: Casino Royale. One of the best action films ever made, full stop. Doug: Potion Seller's debut album Buzzard is out now. Go listen. Brainsynthesizer.com for merch and physical copies.   Subscribe: https://youtube.com/mindgappodcast  Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/T3HwyEw5v7  Listen everywhere you get podcasts  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mindgappodcast Merch on Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/67768184

    1 ч. 2 мин.
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For years Doug Cochrane and Justin Strandlund have been good friends and frequent improv partners. They share a love of debating any topic, although their discussions usually come back around to two things: movies and space. Their most infamous debate involved a 2 hour discussion (while at work) about the actual possibility of time travel and it's potential ramifications on mankind; this included a full diagram drawn on a wall-sized whiteboard. Time well spent. MindGap is what happens when they sit together in front of a microphone and press record.