Welcome to the Repertoire Blog! This is a space where we expand on podcast topics or we riff on something yet to be discussed in “Don’t @ Me” or “Play It By Ear.” Read and follow along to get a deeper look into the minds and opinions of the Crispy Boyz.
Top 10 Clips from the "Don't @ Me" Podcast... So Far
“Don’t @ Me” is coming off its brief hiatus with more unfiltered takes on society, current events, pop culture, and relationships. Here are 10 memorable clips from the first 50 episodes of the podcast.
By Mike Silva
By the time October hits, “Don’t @ Me” will be entering it’s “terrible two’s.”
Our podcast about society, culture, and outrage has evolved quite a bit since launching almost two years in late 2019. Since then, we’ve:
Hit 5,000 podcast downloads across Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Surpassed 5,000 video views on YouTube. (Side note: Please subscribe if you haven’t already!)
Launched a sister podcast, “Play It By Ear.”
Encountered a global pandemic with plenty of major life events along the way.
Shaped, reshaped, and reshaped again the show’s format.
Recorded 48 episodes with 48 dockets and some bonus episodes in between.
As we enter midyear, “Don’t @ Me” will be coming off its brief hiatus with a new batch of fresh takes, new debates, and much more commentary on culture and the society we live in today.
While the subject matter and feel will be mostly the same, we’re refining the format a bit to help the conversation flow more smoothly and to invite more guests and listener engagements. Be sure to follow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so you won’t miss a thing.
Until episode 49 drops within the next few weeks, it’s time we reflect on what got us here today.
From funny to serious, trivial to important, light-hearted to controversial, here are my picks for the 10 best “Don’t @ Me” clips so far.
Jay-Z Is Nice... But Definitely Overrated
From Episode 1
The namesake of the first episode and in some ways, the namesake of the podcast, our first major take: Jay-Z is overrated.
Don’t get us wrong, HOV is an all-timer, doesn’t have many skippable tracks in his catalog, and even has some “repeats” to his name. Best rapper alive, though? Far from it.
In this clip, we talk about the hip “pop” of today vs. the hip-hop of old, our favorite all-time rappers, and how moods can dictate your tastes in music:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
Social Media Etiquette and Cries For Help
From Episode 6
This clip comes from an early episode of “Don’t @ Me,” where Chance and Mike deep dive into social media etiquette.
They specifically discuss tweeting song lyrics, how to deal with exes on social media, cries for help, why MySpace was special and the “Top 8” dynamic. They also talk about “pull-up” songs.
Let us know what you think about our takes. We’d love to hear your thoughts on social media etiquette:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
Dating In The 21st Century
From Episode 12
Back in town from then-home San Francisco, Antonio Bonamy joined Mike and Chance on this one to talk about getting outside your comfort zone and meeting new people.
We spend plenty of time talking about relationships in the digital age, like how online dating is just like interviewing for jobs, how to meet people organically, and seeking to check boxes vs. finding a compatible partner.
We also wonder: Are all the good ones taken? Check it out:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
Movie Dates and Dirty Cars
From Episode 17
Nothing is a bigger turn off than a dirty car. At least according to Mike, that is.
An another funny clip recorded with Alan Lucas, this one came from episode 17. We talk about dating turn offs, movie sequels and remakes, movie dates, and what makes an “airplane movie”.
Another one to “lol” on:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
The "Girlfriend Neck" Phenomenon
From Episode 18
Have you ever heard of “girlfriend neck”? Of course you haven’t. It’s not what it seems, though when you hear it you may start to notice it everywhere.
This clip is from episode 18, recorded with Alan Lucas. We also talk about Lizzo, fat shaming, and how every black crew has a “white Mike”. Not to mention, we also talk about the benefits of a good pre-game hookup or “jag”.
Check out this one for laughs:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
Would You Date Someone With An "Only Fans"?
From Episode 33
Friend of the program and star of HBO Max’s “House of Ho,” Sammy Finch joined the Crispy Boyz for a fun episode that went all over the place.
In this clip, we talk about a zeitgeist that really took off in 2020: OnlyFans. We start with Sammy’s genuine reaction to learning about OnlyFans for the first time before we discuss whether or not we could date someone with an OnlyFans account.
We also talk about better uses for the platform and how artists can and should utilize it:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
Wayfair, Pizzagate, and Epstein... Are Connected?
From Episode 41
With an almost infinite amount of free time on everybody’s hands, people started to get a little loopy right in the thick of the COVID-19 “stay at home” era.
The first of two clips on this list from episode 41, this bit focused on a doozy of a conspiracy theory that intertwined several theories into one. A mashup of “Epstein didn’t kill himself,” Wayfair trafficking children, and Pizzagate, we talk about all the crazies out there looking for the puppet masters.
Enter the rabbit hole:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
What's With Teachers Getting Weird With Students?
From Episode 41
This was recorded right around Kanye West announcing he was running for president. 2020, right?!
This was also right around when a former Miss Kentucky was busted for acting inappropriately with an underaged student.
In this clip, we try and dissect why teachers and students "having relations" is so much more common than you would expect, and Gerry shares a theory on why it happens in the first place.
What are your thoughts?
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
Kanye Is In A Bad Relationship and "Free Britney"
From Episode 42’s Leftovers
Ah, “The Leftovers”. Whenever we would have too many things to talk about and they didn’t all mesh, we’d record bonus episodes known as “The Leftovers”. (Side note: We still plan on recording bonus episodes, though we’re going to experiment with a couple different concepts. Stay tuned!)
In this clip, we talk about the “Free Britney” movement and theorize Kanye’s crazy 2020 was driven by being in a toxic relationship.
What makes this episode special is how early we were to both topics. We recorded this specific episode specific episode July 29, 2020. Fast forward to 2021, Britney Spears’ conservatorship drama is front and center and Kanye West is now divorced. Go figure.
Check it out:
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
Ellen Sucks And There's A House Arrest Theory
From Episode 43
A couple months into the pandemic, conspiracy theories, paranoia, and stir craziness levels were all peaking.
During an emotional summer that saw sports resume and racial tensions hit a tense high, Ellen DeGeneres went under fire for allegedly creating a hostile work environment and a toxic culture on her show.
In this clip, we weigh in on the Ellen scandal and a couple crazy theories concerning Hollywood elites under house arrests as a possible cause for the global quarantine.
The full episode can be found on Apple Podcasts here and on Spotify here.
So, what did you think of the list? Were there any moments we missed? Connect with us on social and let us know what you think in the comments.
And don’t forget to follow “Don’t @ Me” wherever you listen to podcasts.
Where's The Netflix We Deserve?
Netflix sucks. Sure the shows are great, but why aren't the movies any good? We have the Netflix we need, but where's the Netflix we deserve?
By Mike Silva
The year was 2010, sometime in the spring. It was a Wednesday afternoon and I didn't have class for the rest of the day (I meant college class, but however literally you want to take that statement is fine since I was probably just sitting around in boxers with the TV remote lost somewhere between couch cushions anyway).
It was a different time and a different me. Between binges of fast food and relentless beginnings and endings to countless Madden franchises, I spent most of my days lying on the couch. My how times have changed…
I digress.
Anyone can attest to how terrible daytime TV programming is. It’s abysmal. As a kid, it was straightforward:
You miss school, you start your morning huddled over a bowl “Cocoa Pebbles” while watching “The Price Is Right.” You can practically cue up simultaneously sipping the rest of your chocolaty, milky, soggy remnants of cereal just as Bob Barker’s declaring someone won “a new carrrrrr!”
Then you watch some of PBS’s “Zoom.” You might throw on some Cartoon Network. A peanut butter-jelly sandwich lunch accompanies Maury and all his guests with all their problems. Just riveting television.
As a 21-year-old, nothing changed. 10ish years after elementary school and the same garbage is on all 100+ accessible TV channels? Isn’t this the land of opportunity? WTF?!
Alas, I found the oasis in the desert, a solution to my TV content problem: I discovered Netflix.
Discover may be the wrong word since, at this point, Netflix had been around for 13 years and had developed into a pretty popular service throughout my college tenure. But I hadn’t actually used it before.
The day I realized I could link my Xbox to a Netflix account and stream directly to my TV set was probably on par with the guy that first figured out the thumb-disappearing magic trick as the greatest discovery ever, minus the thumbs.
I was all in. I scrolled through hundreds of movie titles. There were movies I’d loved that I hadn’t seen in forever, movies I was curious about but never got around to watching, movies I heard about and wanted to check out, etc.
Title after title, I started building my queue. It was kind of like those franchises I got so accustomed to building in Madden:
You have your foundational piece: Inception
Your boom-or-bust pick: Drive
Your seasoned vet: The Warriors
Your “I’m not really sure what I’m getting here but I have a good feeling about this based on the system’s arbitrary rating logarithm”: Kick-Ass
It was wonderful… until it wasn’t.
Before long, I lost interest in Madden. It was a sad (but honestly, very necessary) day when I no longer cared anymore. It was always the same thing: pick a random team, trade away my stars for draft picks, simulate the first season with scrubs, earn a higher spot in draft order, kill it in the draft, sign some free agents, maybe add an old veteran just to “get them a ring," all to finish 19-0 and win the Super Bowl… only to start all over again.
(Side note: So ridiculous I was looking for a sympathetic end to digital football players’ careers...)
In a funny way, that’s ultimately what became of Netflix: same shit, different day.
After a while, my queue was a mess. My number was somewhere in the triple digits. It felt like homework to maintain it and I would struggle with that innate human need for crossing items off a list.
Another common headache: I’d find a movie outside my queue I’d want to watch immediately, only to have a feeling of infidelity to the hundred other titles I was neglecting.
Even with all those Netflix issues, the pros mostly outweighed the cons. The content was primo. Great movies ranging from critically-acclaimed, to indie favorites, to classics were plentiful… until they weren’t.
Wtf happened?! Mediocrity everyone!
When Netflix decided to divide the all-in-one service for a pair of separate services (instant-streaming vs. in-your-mailbox DVD delivery), everyone got pissed, and rightfully so.
The next domino to fall was losing a partnership with Starz, which saw thousands of quality titles fall off. And while a deal with Epix brought in something decent, it wasn’t exclusive. Amazon Video piggybacked the same content.
My answer to shitty television was having great movies to watch instantly, but now, Netflix became an aggregate of shitty movies. I didn’t sign up for a replacement-level Maury substitute. I signed up for a movie theatre at home, on demand.
Right around the same time I was regularly watching straight-to-Redbox caliber movies on Netflix, life as we know it was changing from a screening point-of-view.
The rise of the “Golden Age” of television was upon us. The renowned HBO classic “The Wire” aged like a fine wine. The smashing success that was “Breaking Bad” was right in the thick of its run, as was another AMC drama: “Mad Men.”
Netflix took noticed and followed suit. Not only were tons of award-winning TV dramas (AMC included) added to the library, we also saw the rise of Netflix Originals. First there was “House of Cards.” Then there was “Orange Is the New Black.” “Daredevil,” “Narcos,” “Luke Cage,” “Stranger Things,” “Black Mirror,” etc.
We were in the midst of a screen content paradigm shift. Kind of like the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, the long running dominance of Silver Screen over Small Screen came to an end.
Let’s fast-forward to today. I no longer play Madden, nor do I only get up from the couch to eat cheeseburgers. It’s now quite the opposite, really. I’m in the best shape of my life, I don’t eat junk food, I have more energy than I did 10 years ago, and I’m constantly on the move.
The point is, I no longer have much time for Netflix and I have nowhere near the amount of free time I wasted in college. But I do find time to occasionally watch some things.
I’ll be the first to tell you how much I love all the shows I listed above.
(As an aside, my short-list for best TV dramas, not unlike most the world’s list: 1. Breaking Bad, 2. Sopranos, 3. Mad Men, 4. True Detective: Season 1, 5. The Wire, but this debate is for another day.)
I truly love good television. I do. Who doesn’t love good TV? From a series standpoint, Netflix is doing just fine. There isn’t much debate there.
What hurts me about Netflix is what brought me to the streaming service in the first place. I wanted a movie theatre at home, not another channel of television shows, albeit great ones. TV shows are an investment.
TV series are a lot like blind dates. You decide to spend time with one based on a friend’s recommendation and you go in with minimal details of what the subject is all about and why you may enjoy yourself.
The first encounter is ambiguous, as there were some things you liked, some things you didn’t, and a lot of unanswered questions. You may decide to invest a little more time looking for answers to some of those unresolved plot holes, or you may just decide this isn’t for you.
After a while, you reach a point where you’ve invested so much time, whether you like what you’re getting or not, you continue doing what you’re doing so you don’t feel like your time was wasted. Sometimes it falls flat, sometimes it’s wonderful.
With movies, though, it’s a quick, one-time thing. You go out for one night and one night only. It’s exciting, it's usually of higher grandiose, it can last up to two hours, and if it was terrible, you’re done with it.
In the real world, having a long-term relationship makes sense. Having a companion for life you can share stories and experiences with is something we should all strive to obtain.
For entertainment purposes, I don’t need a relationship with a TV show. I don’t want to fall victim to an insatiable hunger for binge-watching a show to see what happens next. Give me an hour-and-a-half to two-hour production so I can go on with my everyday life.
I promise I’ll make the movie breakfast the morning after.
The sad truth is this: Because of the overwhelming supply and demand for TV shows, cinema is taking a huge hit. You can’t find good movies anymore. I remember the days where there were so many options convenience usually prevailed.
But now? Maybe one or two titles come out each month that I really want to see. Half the ones I only “kind of” want to see end up on Netflix a few months later and are added right to my queue, among other mediocre movies that I’ll probably never get around to watching.
Maybe I'm being unfair to Netflix. Maybe I should blame all the good actors, directors, and producers, who’ve spurned movie deals to pursue the promise of a couple of seasons of a gripping TV drama. Maybe it’s on the other actors, directors, and producers that are actually contributing to the current slate of bad movies.
I'm not being unfair though. Netflix doesn’t deserve a pass. They’ve put together an amazing lineup of original series. Why can’t they make a couple good movies?
Here are a couple of examples of the crap they’ve packaged together for original movies:
Mercy
IMDB Plot: When four estranged brothers return home to say their last goodbye to their dying mother, Grace, hidden motivations reveal themselves.
Memorable Actors: None (lol) but in seriousness, Bob Benson from “Mad Men” (no clue what his real name is)
Special Correspondents
IMDB Plot: A radio journalist and his technician get in over their heads when they hatch a scheme to fake their own kidnapping during a rebel uprising in South America and hide out in New York instead.
Memorable Actors: Ricky Gervais and Eric Bana, the guy who from the shitty Hulk movie.
True Memoirs of An International Assassin
IMDB Plot: After a publisher changes a writer's debut novel about a deadly assassin from fiction to non-fiction, the author finds himself thrust into the world of his lead character, and must take on the role of his character for his own survival.
Memorable Actors: Kevin James up to his usual bullshit.
Admittedly, I’ve only seen one of the three above, so I can’t judge too much, but come on, do any of those scream “must-see movie”?
“Mercy” was an absolute dumpster fire. Those so-called “hidden motivations” never clearly reveal themselves. It’s a horror film, only it wasn’t scary.
Don’t get me wrong, I love shitty scary movies more than anyone. But this had no redeeming qualities. It was boring, the plot was terrible and unappealing, and the only thing interesting about the movie was this whole secret-society type church that was never fully explained.
Want to know more about this creepy cult? Tough shit. They introduce them and spend the better part of 30 seconds diving into what they’re all about.
Save yourself the time: Everyone dies but the “terminal” mom, the cult was responsible, and the black guy in the beginning was at the helm the whole time. I’d say “spoiler alert” but this movie spoiled itself by existing.
And as for the other two movies I listed… So we’ve basically got Mall Cop after a promotion, along with the shitty Hulk and Ricky Gervais dicking around in New York. Feel like you’ve seen these movies before? You have! These plots are some of the most overdone storylines of all time.
Movies today are either:
a) recycled plots,
b) sequels, or
c) artsy enough to where no one understands what’s going.
We need a movie renaissance. There are some really good ones here and there, but not enough. Until we get the product we want back on the Silver Screen, we need the likes of Netflix and original content producers to step up to the plate.
With the great TV shows Netflix provides, we’re no longer prisoner to crappy network television. But with how bad their original movies are, we’re getting shorted. Big time.
We have the Netflix we need, now if only we could get the Netflix we deserve.
4 Takeaways from the Weekend’s Box Office Opens
Another paltry weekend in the box office leaves "Split" in the top spot with a deep movie going under the radar.
By Mike Silva
We’re in a dire time for quality movies.
While 2015 was a blockbuster success, 2016 was pretty flat and 2017 holds more of what we’ve already come to know:
If it wears a cape, it’ll make you money.
If it wears a cape, expect sequels (unless you’re Eric Bana).
Remakes are the way to go!
The few good movies that do come to theaters these days aren’t well covered enough.
Did I mention nostalgia? That sells too!
It looks like this weekend saw a little bit of all the new status quo rules above. Let’s take a deeper look:
1. “Rings” is only worthwhile if you loved the originals
According to reviews, casual moviegoers will not enjoy “Rings.” It’s a blatant redo of the original installments with a couple of updates reflecting our digital world.
It’s crazy to consider the first American installment (not the original “Ringu”) came out in 2002. That was 15 years ago!
Think of how far we’ve come. We went from Xanga to MySpace to Facebook to Snapchat in all that time.
I’d like more of that world shown in movies like “Rings”. More “Unfriended” (decent for what it was) and less boo scares.
I think this one is a stayaway. Maybe a Redbox flick for a “get to the point” date night or something to play in the background while you vacuum and clean house.
Rings is a mediocre horror sequel handicapped by poor writing that will only appeal to die hard fans of the genre and source material. - Chris Agar, Screen Rant
A blah generic ghost story that's half-heartedly built around the premise of a videotape that kills. It's now the file-share that kills. I don't know why that's less threatening, but it is. - Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Rotten Tomato Rating: 5%
IMDB Rating: 4.7/10
2. “The Space Between Us” had potential but just didn’t pan out
It seems like this movie was made for Lifetime. At least it’s in that wheelhouse.
Reviews say it was a nice movie, but nothing special. It sounds a lot like what someone says when they want a platonic relationship.
“I like you as a friend.”
What’s worse is the target audience seems to be unclear. The cast would have you believe this is something for everyone, but the subject matter seems to be a teen flick.
Again, another background movie or something you’d watch to fall asleep to in a hotel on vacation.
This sweet but not particularly out-of-this-world teen romance stars a talented ensemble, but it ultimately lacks the necessary sparks. - Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
The story plays out on two planets, Mars and Earth, while the production follows its own orbit in a state of zero gravity, zero nuance and subzero sense. - Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Rotten Tomato Rating: 18%
IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
3. “I Am Not Your Negro”: Controversy that makes you think
As you can tell by some of the quick reviews, this movie takes an interesting look at the civil rights movement and really has you think about your understanding of race relations.
I’ll do it no justice since I haven’t seen it, but something interesting is the disparity in the Rotten Tomato rating vs. the IMDB rating.
That tells me the movie’s likely a little next-level or requires some further thinking, some of which people may just not get.
If it makes you think and challenges your opinion, “I Am Not Your Negro” seems like the kind of movie you’d want to actually pay attention to. Don’t watch it with a talkative date, if possible.
Also, watch it with an open mind.
Whatever you think about the past and future of what used to be called “race relations” this movie will make you think again, and may even change your mind. - A. O. Scott, The NY Times
Raoul Peck’s stunning look at the civil rights era ends up as the writer’s presumptive autobiography, but it gets there via an unexpected route. - Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian
Rotten Tomato Rating: 97%
IMDB Rating: 5.5/10
4. No movies could take the lead from “Split”
M. Night Shyamalan’s return to prominence is not going unnoticed.
First, he hit us with “The Visit” in 2015, a “found-footage” look at a pair of siblings’ weeklong visit to their creepy grandparents. Excellent movie.
“Split” was even better, and the fans and critics are keeping the film atop the charts.
The movie was great until the very end, when it becomes even better with an incredible twist.
It’s not for the faint of heart but this movie is a must-watch. Catch it quickly, as it’s been playing for about a month now and you’ll want to avoid any kinds of spoiler alerts.
There are plenty of proper twists to follow, none more unexpected than the fact that Shyamalan himself has managed to get his groove back after a slew of increasingly atrocious misfires. - Peter Debruge, Variety
It twists the themes of fate and trauma that have been his stock-in-trade since The Sixth Sense into a very entertaining genre exercise—some of his strongest work since The Village and Signs. - Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, A.V. Club
Rotten Tomato Rating: 74%
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10