Episode Title: Friendship (2025): A Birthday Review of Awkward Comedy & Acid-Tripping Frogs

Episode Summary:

In this special episode, the host is joined by guest Alondra to celebrate her 30th birthday and review the 2025 dark comedy, Friendship, starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd.

Before diving into the movie, the hosts share their appreciation for Tim Robinson, reminiscing about their favorite skits from his Netflix show I Think You Should Leave. They then break down the plot of Friendship, where a new friendship between neighbors (Rudd and Robinson) sours after Robinson’s character becomes weirdly obsessive, leading to a series of painfully awkward and funny attempts to win his friend back.

Key discussion points include:

• The Tone: The film is described as a "cringe-comedy" filled with anxiety-inducing social situations, dark humor, and a surprisingly sad undertone involving a character's wife who has survived cancer. The hosts compare its awkward vibe to the movie Napoleon Dynamite.

• A Horror-Adjacent Film: They explain why this comedy is included in a 31-day horror movie challenge, noting its unsettling, "not right" psychological elements that create a unique sense of dread.

• Favorite Scene: The hosts highlight a bizarre scene where Tim Robinson's character licks a hallucinogenic frog and has a vision of being at a Subway restaurant where Paul Rudd is his sandwich artist.

The episode ends with two distinct ratings for the film.

Truman and Ben are back, and this week they're trading in their usual topics for glitter, catchy hooks, and supernatural smackdowns as they review the hit animated movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters!

Get ready for an in-depth, spoiler-filled discussion on Netflix's latest obsession, where our hosts break down the best songs, the coolest choreography, and whether this demon-slaying K-pop girl group has what it takes to save the world. Does the film capture the true essence of K-Pop fandom? Are the Saja Boys really the villains? And which HUNTR/X member is their bias?

But wait, there's more! This is a super-special episode because it's Truman's birthday! Tune in as Ben tries (and maybe fails) to keep the review on track while celebrating a very happy day.

Happy Birthday, Truman! We hope you have the most 'Golden' year ever!

Key Words to Search:

• K-Pop Demon Hunters

• Netflix

• Movie Review

• HUNTR/X

• Saja Boys

• K-Pop

• Animation

• Birthday Podcast

• Truman and Ben

• Family Review

Rear Window: The Perfect Play with a Camera (9.6/10 Windows)

Join us as we revisit Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 masterpiece, Rear Window, and examine how the film uses one of the simplest settings in cinematic history to create paralyzing suspense.

We discuss how the Greenwich Village courtyard becomes a live theatre stage, with the neighbors as the unwitting cast, drawing parallels to the brilliant single-location staging of the musical Chicago, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Lead actor James Stewart (L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies) gives a masterclass performance, confining the audience to his unique, voyeuristic perspective. We trace the rising conflict—the suspected murder, the missing wife, and the crucial clue of the dog and the garden—wondering right up until the final confrontation with villain Lars Thorwald (played by Raymond Burr) whether Jefferies is truly crazy.

This episode also explores the "Watcher" subgenre, contrasting Hitchcock’s original with the modern homage Disturbia, directed by D. J. Caruso and starring Shia LaBeouf. Plus, we compare Rear Window's use of limited space to other single-setting classics like Sidney Lumet's intense courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men, starring Henry Fonda.

We also touch on the film's surprisingly excellent cinematography for its age, and a quick mention of another favorite Hitchcock work, Rebecca.

Don't miss our final verdict and the highly coveted rating of 9.6/10 Windows!

Keywords/Search Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window, James Stewart, Jimmy Stewart, Raymond Burr, Classic Film, Thriller, Suspense, Single Setting, Disturbia, Shia LaBeouf, 12 Angry Men, Henry Fonda, Sidney Lumet, Chicago Musical, Voyeurism, Cinematography, Rebecca.

Welp, there is always a tomorrow.

Description:

(SPOILER-FREE FIRST HALF! 😈) Five strangers. One elevator. One of them is the Devil.

Join us as we step inside the claustrophobic world of Devil (2010), the hit supernatural thriller based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan. We break down the incredible high-concept plot, the suspenseful direction by John Erick Dowdle, and the tense performances from actors like Chris Messina and Jenny O’Hara.

What We Cover:

• The chilling setup and the film's strongest gimmick.

• How the film uses claustrophobia and narration to build lore.

• SPOILER ALERT at the halfway point! ⚠️

• We discuss the major twist and the reveal of the Devil's identity.

• Our biggest criticism: why the old lady reveal is a tired horror cliché.

• Our final rating: 4/10 elevators.

Tune in for a deep dive into this modern cautionary tale!

Keywords: Devil, 2010, M. Night Shyamalan, Horror, Thriller, Supernatural, Chris Messina, Elevator, Suspense, Review, Plot Twist, Cliché, John Erick Dowdle.

Hello everyone, and welcome to a very off-track (as usual) episode of Because I'm John Sellmeyer! John and Alondra kick off this October horror review series with the 2014 vampire action film, Dracula Untold!

In this episode, we dive into the question: Can the world's most famous vampire be a sympathetic action hero? Alondra, a fan of the "sparkly like diamonds" variety, offers her perspective on the grimier, more "twisted and gross" Vlad the Impaler. We break down the general plot—a tragic Faustian bargain to save a son from the Ottoman army—and discuss the movie’s unique lore, like a vampire who is temporarily immune to a cross.

John reviews his new "Never Seen Before" October Horror Challenge and Alondra gives her final rating in drops of blood. Plus, we celebrate the incredible, multi-talented main actor, Luke Evans, (Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and the incredible singing voice of Scrooge in the animated A Christmas Carol) and shout-out other incredible cast members like Charles Dance (Papa Lannister in Game of Thrones).

Tune in to find out if Vlad finally finds peace with his wife's modern-day reincarnation, Mina, or if he's doomed to repeat history.

Keywords and Search Terms:

• Dracula Untold

• Vampire Movie Review

• Luke Evans

• Vlad the Impaler

• Horror Movie Review

• October Horror

• Gary Shore

• Alondra

• Charles Dance

• Sarah Gadon

• Dominic Cooper

• Nosferatu

• Movie Spoilers

• Action Horror

• Gaston

Welcome to the 10th episode in 10 days! It’s been chaotic, but we’re here, and today, we're diving into a very special treat: Lucio Fulci's 1981 horror masterpiece, The Beyond.

After covering everything from weapons and heretic to sinners Plus (and that one lame one, The Carnival), host John Meyer is ready to discuss the ultimate campy, gory, old-school horror flick. This movie, starring Catriona McCall and David Warbeck, is about a young woman who inherits a hotel that happens to be one of the seven gateways to Hell.

If you love real effects—we’re talking eyes being torn out and faces melting into bone with fantastic fake blood and makeup—this movie is for you. The Beyond is equally scary as it is gory, featuring classic slow-walking, zombie-like tropes, yet still feeling unique and fresh.

John discusses why he was so happy he finally watched this film, its success despite its age (Rotten Tomatoes: 73%, IMDb: 6.6/10), and why it fits right into his favorite category of campy old horror movies (think The Evil Dead or Satan's Little Helper). Tune in for the full review and John’s final score: 8.4 out of 10 eyeballs!

What did you think of the film? Let us know!

What happens when you take away everyone’s phones, drop them in the woods, and throw in a generic slasher? You get Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020). A movie that tries to be scary but mostly just checks boxes on the “teen horror” worksheet. In this episode, John breaks down why this film is more stale marshmallow than spine-chiller, compares the premise to his old Catholic youth group retreats, and questions whether “serial killers in the woods” should just be retired as a trope.