1989’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids stars the great Rick Moranis as a nutty inventor and father who accidentally, well, shrinks his kids. And his neighbor kids. A whole lot shrinking happening and a tiny bit of skateboarding, which is why Kevin and Mike watched this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

1994’s PCU, directed by Hart Bochner, tells the story of college life at the fictional Port Chester University, and represents "an exaggerated view of contemporary college life in the 90s" - according to the filmmakers. There are slobs, there are snobs, there is the specter of POLIITICAL CORRECTNESS and there is a little bit of skateboarding. The f…

1989’s SHREDDER ORPHEUS is a dystopian science fiction skateboard retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Euridyce. And it's exactly as good as that description makes it sound. Kevin and Mike enjoy this movie in spite of itself and discuss the skateboarding, the connection to Hadestown, the Providence, RI rave scene of the early 1990s, and how their k…

Minding the Gap is a 2018 documentary film directed by Bing Liu, which chronicles the lives and friendships of three young men growing up in Rockford, Illinois who are united by their love of skateboarding. Kevin and Mike watched this (pretty amazingly great) movie and discuss, in an atypically heavy episode of what is normally a deeply silly podca…

2007’s HOT ROD tells the story of aspiring stuntman Rod Kimble, played by Andy Samberg, and his attempts to pull off his most impressive stunt yet to help raise money to save his stepfather, played by Ian MacShane. And there's some skateboarding. Kevin and Mike are joined by their pal Guy Benoit to discuss this deeply silly movie. So strap on your …

There comes a time when you heed a certain call, like the call Kevin and Mike had to watch and discuss 2024’s THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP - a documentary about the making of the iconic 80s charity single WE ARE THE WORLD, as told by the people who put it together. (Mainly Lionel Richie.) How'd it come together? Is the song any good? Where the eff are…

2011’s CHALET GIRL stars future Rebel Alliance soldier Felicity Jones as a former skateboard champion who goes to work at a posh ski resort in the alps where she discovers snowboarding, romance, and montages about snowboarding and romance. Not necessarily in that order. Kevin and Mike talk about the film, the relationship between skateboard and sno…

Kevin and Mike take a break from the world of skateboard movies for the holidays to discuss some of their favorite Christmas specials - they're joined by Kevin Eldridge from The Flopcast to talk about the storied classics everyone knows (Rudolph, Charlie Brown), some lesser-known gems (A Cosmic Christmas, Muppet Family Christmas), and some holiday …

The young stars of the 90s are middle aged men in the 80s in 2023’s AIR, a film based on the true story of the AIR JORDAN sneaker and NIke’s attempts to woo then-basketball rookie Michael Jordan. Kevin and Mike discuss the film, the one character in it who skateboards, how the Air Jordan sneaker fit into 1980s skateboard culture, and many, many oth…

Kevin and Mike break format for another special episode in honor of the Halloween season and are joined by Hanako Ricks from the Fandom Hybrid Podcast and filmmaker and bon vivant Guy Benoit to discuss our favorite vampire films! Old, new, cult, and classic - Bram Stoker's Dracula, Blade, Near Dark, Underworld, The Lost Boys, Nosferatu, Horror of D…

2014’s A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, was promoted as The first Iranian Vampire Western, although when I have been describing it to people I’ve said it’s the first Iranian Skateboarding Vampire Western. It’s in black and white, all the dialogue is in Farsi, and there's a skateboarding vampire. Kevin and…

This time out we discuss Eddie Murphy's late 80s hit Coming to America, a film that is packed with stars (James Earl Jones! Arsenio Hall! John Amos! Louie Anderson! Samuel L. Jackson!), packed with laughs, and packed with romance and heart. What it's not packed with is skateboarding but there's juuuuuust enough to justify our covering the film for …

1988’s BIG, directed by Penny Marshall, stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a pre-adolescent boy whose wish to be "big" transforms him physically into an adult. Kevin and Mike discuss Hanks' performance, the wave of "kids who turn into adults" films that swept cinemas circa 1987/1988, Hanks' made-for-tv classic of Dungeons & Dragons-related hysteria "M…

2023’s BARBIE, directed by Greta Gerwig (who also co-wrote the film), is based on the long-running and popular doll line from Mattel. In the film Barbie (Margot Robbie) has to travel from Barbieland to the real world after suffering an existential crisis. And someone on Venice Beach has a skateboard. Kevin and Mike are joined by children's book aut…

We're joined by Joe Crowe, co-director of DragonCon's American Science Fiction Classics Track, to discuss 1984's Gremlins (an American science fiction classic if ever there was one)! Kevin, Mike and Joe discuss the film, the creation of the PG-13 rating, the movie's tie-in novelization, Joe's experience interviewing Zach Galligan onstage at DragonC…

2009’s Observe and Report, directed by Jody Hill, tells the story of mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt (played by Seth Rogen), who is called into action to stop a flasher from turning a shopper's paradise into his personal peep show. But when Ronnie can't bring the culprit to justice, a surly police detective played by Ray Liotta is recruited to…

1976’s THE SHAGGY D.A., the 19th and final film directed by Robert Stevenson for the Walt Disney Company, finds Dean Jones (the king of 60s and 70s live action Disney) playing Wilby Daniels who, for reasons too complicated to get into during this episode description, keeps transforming into a dog while trying to run for district attorney. And his s…

Kevin and Mike are taking a break from watching and discussing a terrible skateboard movie and instead invited their friend Christian Campagna from the Talk About the Passion podcast to join the show this week. The three of them then proceed to rattle off their top 5 instances of popular songs being played in films. It's a wide-ranging discussion t…

1995’s GLORY DAZE tells the story of Jack Freeman, played by a young Ben Affleck at his most sour and unlikeable, and his four college housemates as they face graduation and make an attempt to prolong their carefree lifestyles before going their separate ways. At one point Affleck's character says “Wanna get a 12er and shred?" and then skateboards …

1994’s THE CROW, based on the comic series by James O’Barr, tells the story of ERIC DRAVEN who is resurrected one year after he and his fiance’ were brutally murdered and does the only sensible thing: paint his face like a mime, don his tightest leather pants, and then exact revenge on those who done wronged him. Kevin and Mike are joined by Gary M…

1976’s CAR WASH, directed by Michael Schultz from a screenplay by Joel Schumacher, tells the day in the life of the employees of the titular CAR WASH as they engage in what can only be described as SHENANIGANS APLENTY. The film has a great ensemble cast, cameos from Richard Pryor and George Carlin, one of the catchiest theme songs ever put to cellu…

2000's NEXT FRIDAY is a sequel to the popular 1995 film FRIDAY - it was written by and stars rapper turned actor Ice Cube, directed by Steve Carr and is inferior to the first FRIDAY by every possible quality metric one can imagine. Still, this one has skateboarding in it so Kevin and Mike endeavor to discuss it. In between lamenting that this film …

2004’s SAVED!, directed by Brian Donnelly (who also co-wrote the film) follows a teenaged girl played by Jena Malone who attends a Christian high school and, as part of an attempt to “cure” her boyfriend of his homosexuality, winds up pregnant and facing the ostracization of her classmates, most notably the self-righteous Hillary Fae, played by Man…

2010’s NIC AND TRISTAN GO MEGA DEGA tells a day in the life of two 10 year old skateboarding twins - this is an obscure film (it doesn't even merit its own Wikipedia page) aimed at very young children, so Kevin enlists his young daughter to give her thoughts on the film as well. What it DOES have is a ton of skateboarding, animated cockroaches, bro…

In this short special episode, Kevin and Mike build off their discussion of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure to discuss other weird characters from the 1980s - like Max Headroom, Mr. T, and Sgt. Slaughter. What's the difference between a character and a comedic persona? Where does professional wrestling fit into all of this? Why would anyone spend this much…

"Pee-Wee's Big Adventure", directed by Tim Burton and starring Paul Reubens as the iconic man-child Pee-Wee Herman, is an absolute delight and - despite containing a minimum amount of skateboarding - Kevin and Mike will use any excuse to rewatch it. Pee-Wee returned in the Netflix original movie "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" a few years ago (Pee-Wee hims…

High Fidelity, based on the novel by Nick Hornby, tells the story of Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a thirtysomething record store owner and living embodiment of a certain type of insufferable pop culture obsessed dude (I TYPED WHILE HOSTING A PODCAST ABOUT SKATEBOARD MOVIES) as he navigates love, ex-love, and maybe – JUST MAYBE – figuring out that what…

1986’s Chopping Mall tells a story as old as time: three high-tech security robots turn into maniacal killing machines and start murdering the teenage employees of a shopping mall after dark. Also: someone skateboards inside the mall. Kevin and Mike are joined by Gary Mitchel (of the horror podcast A Podcask of Amontillado) and Shaun Rosado (of Pop…

1976’s KENNY AND COMPANY, written, directed, produced, shot and edited by Don Coscarelli tells the story of young Kenny as he comes of age in 70s southern California, fighting bullies, having his first crush, and dressing up as a horrific bear-pig hybrid for Halloween. And he skateboards! Kevin and Mike are joined by pop culture writer Chris Cummin…

1991’s The Commitments, directed by Alan Parker and based on the book by Roddy Doyle, tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte, a young music fanatic who assembles a group of working-class youths to form a soul band named, in case the title of the film didn't tip you off, The Commitments! We see the band come together and then fall apart and also someone …

2008’s RIGHTEOUS KILL pairs legendary thespians Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as two maverick chess-playing and little-league-coaching cops who are trying to solve a string of vigilante murders that one of them might be behind? Or the other? This movie sucks, is the synopsis. Oh, and it has a skateboarding pimp character - hence why we're covering i…

1986’s Pretty in Pink, written by John Hughes, tells a story of life, love, and social cliques among 80s high schoolers in the suburbs of Illinois. The film stars Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer and James Spader and has the bare minimum amount of skateboarding to qualify being covered on this podcast. Kevin and Mike a…

2010’s SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD, directed by EDGAR WRIGHT and based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, presents us with the adventures of Michael Cera’s slacker musician Scott Pilgrim - who discovers that in order to win the heart of foxy new girl in Toronto Ramona Flowers he must fight and defeat her seven evil exes in combat! Kevin an…

Kevin and Mike are back and watching "Jackass Forever", the latest installment in Johnny Knoxville and company's ongoing efforts to engage in the most ludicrous stunts imaginable. Discussed in this episode: the Jackass franchise as a whole and its roots in skateboarding culture, what this latest installment says about aging, our favorite Jackass se…

Blue Crush tells the story of Anne Marie Chadwick (Kate Bosworth) and her friends as they prepare for the Pipeline surfing contest and navigate life, love and surfing the waves of Hawaii. Kevin and Mike are joined by the great Guy Benoit to discuss the intersection of surf and skateboard culture and lay out the reasons why Blue Crush is one of the …

2012's The Amazing Spider-Man may not be the most beloved cinematic outing of the popular comic book hero but it's the only Spider-Man movie that has our Friendly Neighborhood crime fighter doing some sweet kickflips on a skateboard. This time out Kevin and Mike are joined by special guests Joe Crowe (co-director of Dragon Con's American Science Fi…

2016's "La La Land" is a musical about an aspiring actress and a jazz bro who sing and dance while chasing their Hollywood dreams and falling in love, and it has the bare minimum of skateboarding in it to qualify it for discussion on this podcast! Kevin and Mike talk about the movie's relation to the grand tradition of movie musicals and settle int…

Kevin and Mike are joined by special guest Shaun Rosado to discuss 1989's time-travel classic Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure! Together they cover the film, the very tiny bit of skateboarding contained therein, its two sequels, Jane Wiedlin, Mike's experience living in San Dimas, Spicoli, "surfer talk" and quantum mechanics. Strange things are afo…

Bad Santa stars Billy Bob Thornton as a department store Santa who is, as the title suggests, bad. Bad at being Santa and bad at being a person. Will he discover a modicum of holiday spirit? Kevin and Mike investigate and discuss the great performances by John Ritter, Bernie Mac, and Lauren Graham, mall security, and what all of this has to do with…

2003’s GRIND, directed by Casey La Scala, tells the story of four skateboarding pals who try and get sponsored and go pro by roadtripping through various competitions and discovering that the real sponsorship is FRIENDSHIP ITSELF! Kevin and Mike discuss how much they hated this movie, how representative of skateboarding in the early 2000s it is, an…

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child finds the be-sweatered nightmare killer Freddy Krueger attempting to enter people's dreams through the unborn child of Alice the Dream Master. We think. The movie doesn't make a ton of sense but Freddy does briefly ride a skateboard in one sequence which is why we're covering it on our show. Beth VanDuse…

We're breaking format a little bit this week and discussing an episode of a tv show instead of a movie but we think you'll feel it's justified: Kevin Eldridge from The Flopcast joins Kevin and Mike to chat about "The Skateboard Wiz", from the third season of Wonder Woman, which finds the amazing Amazon (played by Lynda Carter, who is unimpeachably …

It's a double feature this week as we take a look at the seminal 80s skateboard crew The Bones Brigade! Kevin and Mike watch the famous 1987 skate video "The Search for Animal Chin" (the first video of its kind to have an overarching plot) and also check out Stacy Peralta's 2012 documentary "Bones Brigade: An Autobiography" to get a larger overview…

We're back for season two! And we've got a doozy of a skateboarding movie for y'all: 1978's SKATEBOARD is a "Bad News Bears" ripoff featuring skateboarding instead of baseball and Allen Garfield instead of Walter Matthau! Garfield plays a down-on-his-luck talent agent who sees dollar signs when he starts a professional skateboarding team with Leif …

For our season finale we take a look at 1980's "Foxes", which has a young Jodie Foster trying to navigate the world of high school and boys and a young Scott Baio trying to navigate the world of Vans t-shirts and skateboard car chases. Also discussed: Mike's crush on Sally Kellerman, Randy Quaid's giant KISS poster, the keytar, and where this film …

2021's Skater Girl tells the story of Prerna, a teen in rural India who discovers a life-changing passion for skateboarding. How do the tropes of skateboard cinema work when transposed to a different continent? Is this movie any good? And what happens to the goat who mysteriously disappears partway through the film? Kevin and Mike tackle these ques…

2021's North Hollywood tells the story of Michael, who wants to become a pro skateboarder despite his working class Dad's objections - it's a plot unlike anything we've yet seen here on GLEAMING THE TUBE! Rejected from Sundance and spurned by distributors, North Hollywood went on to become a surprise hit on iTunes. Kevin and Mike dig into Illegal C…

2007's "The Simpsons Movie" took the beloved television program to the big screen - Kevin and Mike chat about how the movie compares to the show, engage in the time-honored tradition of figuring out when the show stopped being as great as it was at its height, and work in some skateboarding talk both around Bart's big skating moment in the movie an…

1993's "City Hunter" features the great Jackie Chan in a bonkers action comedy based on a popular manga series. (And yes, Jackie does jump on a skateboard at one point.) The film is sort of like a live action cartoon with impressive stuntwork and martial arts - it sounds great on paper but is it any good? Tune in to see what Kevin and Mike think of…

1993's "The Skateboard Kid" has everything you'd want in a movie about a magical talking skateboard voiced by Dom DeLuise - Timothy Busfield playing a hapless television station manager, the mom from "My So-Called Life", disputes about whether or not a water tower should be classified as a utility or a dwelling, YOU NAME IT - and yet it's somehow s…