Bring Your Own Movie

Two episodes in and I’m already hooked! A casual fun podcast talking about movies, with little bits of trivia and alcohol thrown in, saluté! (Love to hear the first ration as anyone brings up something that was supposed to be a trivia question LOL)

It's like Netflix and Wine night with your friends! Hilarity ensures.

This long-form podcast is like being at a party late at night, when a few somewhat inebriated friends are hanging around, and then they start spitballing about their favorite movies. Younger movie buffs will feel right at home, while older listeners will get to see what growing up with movies-on-demand has done to the psyches of Gen Xers and millennials. As a podcast, it is best for long rides and cooking! The show consistently makes me laugh and helps me to see movies that I mostly have either never seen or never liked from a new perspective. I appreciate the spontaneity of it, the trivia games, the trivia game buzzers that use movie quotes, and the way the whole show demonstrates how connected we can feel to movies, storytelling, and other people. The podcast is still a work-in-progress, and I think sometimes the energy and ideas bubble over the top in awkward and even cringe-worthy ways, but you sense that they are on to something real here. There’s a rhythm that works better each time. The various segments are taking shape: the intro to the show cocktail, the guest’s “elevator pitch,” the hosts’ reaction “round robin,” the spitballing around fav movie moments, the review of “serious” reviews, the review of Rotten Tomatoes reviews, the trivia game, and the guest lightning interview. It works best when there is a rotation of hosting duties, and the guests get supported to share insights and memories about their movies. The host personas are taking shape well: Sam’s random entertaining observations and occasional flub, Tonya’s thoughtful research and good-natured guidance of the whole enterprise, and Ryan’s unvarnished honesty and occasional corrections of Sam’s flubs. There’s something fresh here for the art of movie reviews—which traditionally focus on oh-so-rehearsed movie erudition and oh-so-packaged celebrity PR. This opens up the movie review genre to a much wider set of connections—more Id and less Ego. Keep going BYOM team!

Y'all, if you like movies, even if a little bit, listen to this podcast NOW! It is so much fun to listen to, it brings a smile to your face, and you learn new things about some of the best movies ever! I appreciate the discussion of film, and the trivia bits at the end were delightful. This podcast is really great to have in the background of your house, or on your drive. So easy to listen to, and entertaining. I can't wait to continue listening!