Tag: movies (Page 1 of 12)

Kind of an odd media month. There was some baseball early, but not much after the Royals were eliminated. A lot of reading The Lord of the Rings. A fall break vacation. But not much long-form stuff. That should shift in November. And there was a changing of the hobbies, a switch that is reflected below with a new section.

Movies, Shows, etc

Halloween Baking Championship
The winner was a bit of a surprise, as Manny rallied in the final three episodes to take the competition. Poor Aaron has now reached the finals of two different holiday shows without getting a win.

A-

Anchorman
As noted before, we watched this as a family with our hosts in Denver. Apparently the kids and moms did not like it as much as the dads. Not sure what is wrong with them.

A

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Bill Self UNFILTERED on the portal, navigating NIL, Kansas as Preseason No. 1 | Goodman & Hummel
Unfiltered is a little strong. I guess he does say “shit” once. But otherwise your standard, solid interview.

Running Australia’s hardest 100km while needing a hip replacement
I got nervous when I saw the title for Beau Miles’ latest bullshit. Turns out it is his buddy who needed the replacement, not him. A touching short, with a sequel to come.

I built a chicken coop for zero dollars
This is some good, and wholesome, Beau Miles bullshit.

Beau Miles takes Cody Simpson on an epic adventure
Hey, Beau now has sponsored bullshit! I had no idea Cody Simpson, who was big on Disney Radio when our girls were in that phase, was a competitive swimmer now.

‘Afternoon Plus’ documentary on the BBC World Service (1982)
Did I watch and enjoy this British doc from 1982 about the BBC’s World Service? Hell yes I did.

We Answer Your Fall Style Questions For 2024
Get your wardrobes correct, fellas.

6 Minutes of the Best Jokes in Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee
Sometimes I like these better than the actual show.

We bought a NEW CABIN ︱ Svalbard
I can’t imagine living like this.

Inside The World’s Most Secret House Built Into a Mountain
This, on the other hand, would be a wild way to spend a shit load of money for a very isolated vacation.

How This Surfer Built His Dream Home on the Nova Scotia Coast
Forget the financial side of this. I wish I had the imagination to conjure up a place like this, then the ability to put it together.

Indianapolis | Cinematic Travel Diaries Shot on Sony FX30 w/ 20mm lens
Not a lot of travel videos about Indy. Makes sense this one is less than two minutes long, although I guess that’s kind of this guy’s thing.

The unique undersea tunnels that link the Faroe Islands
Fascinating. I read an article that mentioned these a few weeks before this video popped up.

Is Colorado a Food Utopia? Exploring Farm to Table Cuisine, Epic Landscapes & UFO’s | DIRT Colorado
Perfect timing, right before our trip to CO, even if it focused on different parts of the state than we did.

First Big Trip in Our New Truck
I know I’ve said this before, but it sure would be cool to be cool enough to live like this. Or, rather, it would be cool to be cool enough that brands sponsored you to live this way.

Leon Bridges Talks New Album, Texas Roots & How He Developed His “Futuristic Retro” Style
I dig Leon’s whole vibe.

Apollo 16 lunar rover “Grand Prix” in HD
Dopeness.

Remembering Fernandomania
A wonderful piece from a couple years back about a legend we lost in October.

Car Content

Lucid Air Pure: The Real Tesla Fighter
If only they were in my price range…

Photography

Welp, I’ve picked up the camera again. Check my Instagram feed. More details later, but here is a sampling of the photo vids I watched last month.
Italy on 35mm
“Street photography is creative freedom” | A Day with Chris Harrison
How to take Great Photos with Patience / Lake Garda on #35mm Film
Journals E28- Fuji XF10 Photography in the South Of France
Spain & Italy
Three weeks of film photography across Japan
Chasing Fall Color in the Eastern Sierra | Pentax 67
One Month Two Cameras
The Photo Dept.

A few changes prompted a new sub-section.

Movies, Shows, etc

US Open, week two
The non-stop action of week one is more fun, but week two still dominated our TV.

A-

The Americans, season four
In general The Americans is a bleak show. I forgot how beyond-bleak season four was. Thirteen episodes of crushing negativity, applied a little heavier each week. Important characters are killed or deported or exfiltrated or question everything about themselves. It wasn’t as flashy as some of the earlier seasons, but perhaps that makes it more like what spying really is like? Also a reminder that this show kept getting better as it progressed.

A

The Americans, season five
When it initially ran, this was the lowest rated season of The Americans aside from the first year. Now, that meant a 94 on Metacritic so “lowest rated” is relative, but people still complained about its slowness and rather restrained finale. Watching it when you know what comes next changes that. This was indeed a slow year, with lots of long, drawn out scenes featuring sad gazes and exhausted sighs. But it was all about setting up the decision the Jennings made near the end, and how that choice would carry over to season six. It also continued to focus on the tedium of being a spy than the cool, James Bond-y parts of the job. And while the finale lacked fireworks, it had a huge emotional impact. Ten episodes to go, which include several of the best in the show’s entire run.

B+

Pearl Jam – Orpheum Theatre, Boston, 04.12.1994
So fun and interesting to go back and watch this, considered one of their greatest shows of the era, and compare it to seeing them in person last month. A lot of experimentation on stage, with songs from Vs. not fully fleshed out yet in the setlist. Dave A on drums, for better and worse. Eddie weird, angry, and distant. Not even three albums into their career they could still bust out a 25-song show. The video quality is about a D-, but the sound is incredible.

A+

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

How an Interior Designer Maximizes Her 650 Square Foot NYC Apartment
This brings back memories of the two small, urban apartments I lived in alone before I got married. Of course, I was a late 20s/early 30s single dude and put zero effort into decorating or where the furniture would go. What a surprise this video was! You can actually put thought and care into your living space, no matter how small it is.

First 4 Minutes of NBC’s New Workplace Comedy | St. Denis Medical | Sneak Peek
There are some connections on the creative side of this show to both The Office and Scrubs, among others. Might be worth a look as my first regular TV sitcom since The Good Place ended.

Golf, Food, Baseball | Tron and Randy Explore Denver
All good things in a city we will be visiting soon.

The Office but just the dated pop culture moments
Not the best presentation, but I did laugh out loud when Dwight kicked his date in the face at Jim and Pam’s wedding.

The Office moments that were NOT scripted
It would be more fun to see how these moments came about, and any breaks they caused in early takes, rather than the finished product, where they don’t stand out as much.

Deeply Inappropriate Office Bloopers
Obviously I’m still a sucker for Office content.

Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder on the road
PJ gets the CBS Sunday Morning treatment.

A Tour of Antarctica by Drone
This is nine years old. I wonder what an updated version of this would look like, between the better drone technology and what elements of the film have changed because of climate change.

The Conet Project – Disc one
After reading the two Jeff Tweedy books, I listened to a bunch of Wilco music, including their 2001 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which took its name from this, a collection of recorded shortwave radio spy transmissions. So, naturally, I had to go listen to the Conet Project. Or at least the first disk. Remember, I had a shortwave radio as a kid so this shit is cool to me.

Car Content

Road To Lucid Gravity Update
1,000 Miles With TWO Charging Stops! Lucid Air Road Trip From California to Colorado

Finally dialing back the car vids, keeping it just to these two Lucid-related pieces.

Photography

Replaced the car stuff somewhat with diving back into photography-related videos. Rather than highlight individual vids, here’s a list of channels I devoted some time to.
Grainy Days
Camera West TV
Willem Verbeeck
Dylan Spitz
Gajan Balan

Podcasts

The Ringer WNBA Show
It took me a while but I finally added a WNBA pod to my collection. In my defense this one, hosted by the fantastic Seerat Sohi, is a new spin off from The Ringer’s NBA pod feed. I really enjoyed the episode that looked at the end of the Fever’s season, what they did right, what they did wrong, and the moves they need to make to improve their odds next year.

Movies, Shows, etc

2024 Summer Olympics
Already much discussed in this space.

A

The Americans, season 3
The re-watch continues. Season three was a tight, excellent set of episodes: I believe every show fell between 43 and 48 minutes. Even in 2015, that was rare in the prestige TV realm. The last four episodes, especially, were crackling with intensity as the Jennings’ secret started to spill out.

A-

Homicide: Life On The Street, selected episodes
One of the all-time great TV dramas finally arrived on a streaming platform last month. I watched a fair amount of Homicide, at least the early years, back in the day. I read the book it was based on. And, of course, I obsessed over its spiritual and thematic successor, The Wire.

TV critic Alan Sepinwall put together a list of 10 episodes he thought best summarized the show. I don’t really have time to go knock out the whole series so instead ripped through his list. Some very dated production, dialogue, and fashion, but the core stories still stand up. The late Andre Braugher was such a force. As jarring as it was to see him play comedy in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it was equally jarring to go back and watch his intense portrayal of Frank Pembleton.

A-

Tourist Sauce, Return to Australia
The NLU crew went back to the location of their first travel series, nearly seven years later, with a bigger budget and crew, and a lot more knowledge of what they were doing. As usual, the result was great.

A

Pearl Jam 2024/05/30 Seattle
Prep for seeing them in person.

A

Ocean’s Eleven
Pretty much a perfect movie.

A

US Open, week one
An annual marker that summer is ending and fall has arrived.

A

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Two Weeks of Exploring Southern Thailand
Beautiful part of the world + interesting film stock + great photographer = amazing images.

Buying The Cheapest Cameras In Japan
OMG!!! You don’t have to know a thing about cameras, or be interested in photography, to find this piece totally hilarious.

Every Olympic 100m Final (1912–2016)
This is pretty cool. It would be even cooler if it noted who won each race. Also, these are only men’s races, so it’s not really every 100m final.

29,000 Feet Up Mount Everest with DJI Mavic 3 Pro
Gorgeous.

I Visited Mount Everest Base Camp
An interesting undertaking: this kid doesn’t try to climb the entire mountain, but rather just get to base camp. Which is way harder than I would have expected, and even this is probably beyond the abilities of 95% of people.

Brad Leone Tries to Eat His Weight in Tacos on a California Roadtrip
I can think of way worse ways to spend your time than driving around cool places and eating tacos for every meal.

Mascots Savage Moments Against Little Kids
This might be the greatest video ever made. Each time I see it, I laugh my ass off. Also fun is finding the full-game videos from these events. The Colts’ Blue is a beast in those games.

Arrested Development moments I think about a lot
Arrested Development moments I think about a lot #2
It might be time to give AD another re-watch.

Redeeming 10,000 bottles and cans because of Seinfeld (Part 2)
It took a year to get there, but finally an end to this chapter of Beau Miles Bullshit.

Apple Computers 1995 Promotional Video “The Martinettis Bring Home A Computer”
Holy mackerel! Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one?

Car Content

I Drive The Fantastic Polestar 3 For The First Time!
I was super intrigued by the Polestar 2 when I was car shopping, specifically used ones, which have plummeted in value. Someone not too far from us owns one, and I keep wanting to catch them at Target or wherever so I can ask questions. However, the closest current service center is in Columbus, OH, I have concerns about the long-term health of the line, and then the difficulty in calculating how much damage the previous owner did to the battery. It looks like the company is continuing to do great things. Now the trick is coming out with one in the $45K range so I can test drive one in three years when I get back into the car shopping game. Another trick will be not going out of business before more affordable models can hit production.

What should an electric car sound like?
I had no idea so much effort had been invested in this space.

The Southern California EV Charging Problem!
Who knew SoCal would be more Chicago than Bay Area when it came to charging your EV?

Posting this early as we head off to Florida for vacation this weekend.

Movies, Shows, etc

Tour de France
A good first two weeks became a rather boring final week as Tadej Pogacar destroyed the field for an easy win. Luckily, that last week was when I barely watched, between travel basketball and the British Open. As always, the Peacock production of the French images was laughably bad at times. My favorite was the day they were convinced a guy that had been leading solo for about an hour had the race won, and literally 15 seconds later five other riders roared past him. But at least we can still watch here in the US.

B+

Shrinking
S pulled this out again when we had visitors over the Fourth, as they had not seen it. We watched two episodes with them, then watched the next eight the next night after they left. As good as the first time.

A

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Sigh. It didn’t make me laugh, there were no Magic Eddie Murphy Moments, some of the cast seemed way too old to have been rolled back out for another entry in the series, the story was pretty much like 8000 other cop movies, the many references to the first three films felt heavy handed, and a lot of the jokes seemed forced and/or straight out of an 80s action film playbook. And what was up with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s accent? His character was born in Chicago then moved to Beverly Hills, yet had some weird, quasi-McConaughey Texas thing going?

C

For All Mankind, season four
This show has found a way to always stick the landing through the first three seasons. That wasn’t the case this time. Kind of a silly season all around, with some extreme silliness in the finale. Not nearly as compelling as the first two seasons, for sure, and lacked the pure drama that wrapped up season three. I read that Costa Ronin will join the cast for season five, making him the third? fourth? fifth? cast member of The Americans to make the jump. We need to find a way to tie the shows’ plot lines together, like he’s still the technology expert who was stationed in the US in the 1980s but is the KGB director in the alternative 2012 USSR of season five.

B-

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Patagonia Gear Expert Breaks Down His One-Bag Travel Essentials and Everyday Carry
This guy has a great job. Working for a company that makes all kinds of cool shit; getting to try that cool shit out and decide what goes to market, what needs improvement, etc.; and getting paid for it.

‘The Bear’ Cast Test How Well They Know Each Other
Or do they know each other well?

When an actor got dumped…and decided to conquer Hollywood
Swingers is one of the five, non-holiday movies I’ve watched the most in my life. It’s been too long since I’ve watched it. Shame it is kind of hard to find to stream for free. Or at least it’s not on any of the platforms we currently pay for. And we pay for a lot of them.

Dave Spends The Day With Richard Simmons
So great. RIP to Richard.

Top Ten Reasons Joe Biden Dropped Out Of The Race
When I first saw this in my feed, I got excited that Dave was putting out new material. Alas, this is from 1987. Still funny, though.

How The Tour De France Is Filmed (It’s A Technical Masterpiece!)
Technical masterpiece is a bit of an overstatement, but it is cool how the images get from the road to the TV.

The Day Remco Evenepoel CHEATED DEATH
Holy schnikies! I would not have been able to watch this if I wasn’t aware that he survived and was riding in this year’s Tour.

Romain Bardet & Kevin Vermaerke ripping canyons in California
I assumed this was on a closed road for some reason. So it freaked me out the first time one of the riders was deep into the opposite lane on a curve and, moments later, a car came by in that lane. 40+ MPH down a hill on a bike is not for the faint of heart.

Descent Disciples ||Vol 13|| Tom Pidcock vs. The Fish
He almost bites it on a curve near the top, and I about pissed myself as his back tire slid.

This really aired
Dig around and you’ll find evidence both for this ad airing once and it never airing. Surely it is the later, right? Regardless, it is hilarious.

The Thrilling Tale of Terry Bolinger: The 13-Year-Old Daredevil of Indianapolis
This is brilliant. How many of us made similar attempts without the harsh glare of the local media?

CHiPs “Roller Disco” – The most Seventies scene in 1970s TV
This is some fun, wild stuff.

Car Content

Electric Family SUV Race To Vegas! Model X v R1S v EV9 v EQS – Part 1 Part 2
Still watching these, and I pick up something new that benefits my EV ownership every time I do.

I Drive A BYD For The First Time! The Seal Is A Direct Tesla Model 3 Competitor In China & Europe
The Chinese are coming.

New Tesla Model 3 Performance Top Speed & Extreme Thermal Stress Test! Yikes, Improvements Needed
Good Lord, some of these autobahn passes are insanely close!

Movies, Shows, etc

The Americans, seasons one and two
I’m finally doing it: devoting this summer to re-watching one of my very favorite TV shows. My original plan was to try to knock all five seasons out in June. But as I can’t watch more than a couple shows a night, even if I love something, and there were a lot of basketball nights in the month, I only got through the first two. Guess what? It still holds up!

A-, A

Tour de France – Unchained, season two
Required viewing to prep for this year’s race. Last year, based on my viewing of season one, I was pulling for Jonas Vingegaard. This time, Tadej Pogacar came across as much more normal and empathetic. Weird.

A

The Bear, season three
I just wrote about this Tuesday!

B+

Pearl Jam – 2024 – Los Angeles, CA – May 22nd
I watched/listened to this and began getting very excited about seeing them in a couple months. Eddie sounds great. Then he got sick last week and they’ve had to cancel the rest of their European tour, which makes me nervous for the Indy show.

A for show, D- for vibes

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

10 Things The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach Can’t Live Without
Bear content season!

Weird Science: 20 Things You Never Knew!
Eighties movie trivia is never a waste of your time.

I’m sick
Not our normal Beau Miles bullshit. An interesting turn of events.

The Victims of Eddie Van Halen
Victims seems a little harsh, but confirms that EVH had some issues dealing with others.

How This Photographer Crafted His Vintage Adventure Van
Ahh to be young and think this was a good idea.

Will Ferrell Acceptance Speech | 2011 Mark Twain Prize
I had never seen this before. My man Sir David V suggested it when I was in KC. It is outstanding, especially the part about his wife. Or wives…

Car Content

Lucid Air Sapphire is The Best Performance Sedan Ever Made!
Newest entry on my If I Won The Lottery car list. I laugh at how so many young reviewers complain that Lucids look like old man cars. I think they look great. I ran that by my buddy who owns a Lucid and he replied, “Well, we are old men now.” Yikes!

My Garage Update – June 2024
Kyle Conner has become a huge part of my media diet since February. I’ve watched tons of his videos and listened to hours of his podcasts in my car journey. I’ve always wondered how many cars he actually owned. Well, if you don’t want to watch over an hour of him breaking it down, I think the answer is 20. And that’s before the loaners he has for reviews and ones his business officially owns. Now I wonder where a dude his age has the money for 20 cars, plus insurance, plus registrations, plus maintenance. Surely not just from YouTube earnings.

Meet The Tesla That Won’t Die: 430,000 Miles On One Battery! Episode 1
Range Test! How Far Can a 430,000-Mile Tesla REALLY Go? Episode 2
Man, what a coup to parlay free Supercharging into a cornerstone of your business! Not sure why they’re being so stingy sharing the next vid in the series.

I Drive The Chevy Equinox EV For The First Time! Full Tour, Software, Comfort, & DC Fast Charging
Chevy is trying. I don’t think they’re there yet. But at least they’re making an effort. Hopefully in a few years their prices come down and their offerings get a little better and we see more decent EVs in the $35–40K range.

My goal for May was to adjust away from so much YouTube back towards more traditional shows and movies. I didn’t do a great job of that. I have started a summer viewing project, so while the hours may adjust in June, I don’t know if the number of entries in each section will change much for awhile.

Movies, Shows, etc

The Gentlemen
Highly entertaining. You can’t go wrong with a collection of fun British accents. Throw in some normal Guy Ritchie stuff and you got yourself a super watchable TV series.

A

John Mullaney Presents Everybody’s In LA
I got through four of these and that was enough. Funny, but also just weird and uneven enough for me to skip the last two. Which means they were probably the best.

B-

Pearl Jam: The ‘Dark Matter’ Interview
An incredible hour with PJ. Remember when Eddie hated to do interviews? Now, if he’s in the right setting, you can’t get him to shut up. This goes beyond the usual new album PR push as it feels like there are some genuine moments of emotion in their conversation, especially near the end. And seeing their rehearsal/storage building is super cool.

A

Hustle
Predictable, formulaic, and manipulative. Yet it was fun, entertaining as hell, and surprisingly well acted. Every time I saw Anthony Edwards in the playoffs, I kept thinking of the grin on his face when he baits Bo Cruz into shoving him. Not sure why it took me so long to watch.

B+

NBA Playoffs
A lot of great games last month. And some great performances in games that weren’t super competitive. Could have used a couple more Pacers wins, though.

A-

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Pearl Jam Clubhouse Tour with Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament
Lot of PJ content this month.

Conan Explains What Happened To His Body After “Hot Ones”
Important follow up from last month.

Can’t Get a X100 VI – Still Worth Waiting For? Here’s 11 Alternatives!
Back when I was really into cameras, I watched a ton of these guys’ vids. Their combination of accents always made me laugh, plus there was good camera content. If I was still into cool cameras, I had the budget, and I could find one, I would 100% get an X100 VI. Although the perfect camera would be 10–20% smaller so you could actually get it into a pocket while getting much better results than from an iPhone.

10 Things Jerry Seinfeld Can’t Live Without
No puffy shirt? No Pez dispensers? No marble ryes? No copy of Tropic of Cancer? I call BS.

Max Velocity
I watched way too much of this dude breaking down severe storms around the country. YouTube is pretty cool sometimes.

The Best Comebacks and Insults in Archer
I can think of about 100 that weren’t in this clip, which shows how freaking funny Archer was.

A Complete Breakdown of ‘The Office’ Basketball Game
How did it take me four years to see this?!?!

TRYING KANSAS CITY’S MOST ICONIC FOODS! 🇺🇸 WORTH THE HYPE?? BBQ, Z-MAN, MOCHI DONUTS & MORE!
Once you get past the title, which could not be more Millennial YouTuber, this was a fun vid. I agree with the person in the comments who said they’ve lived in KC for 70 years and never heard of a cheese slipper. Wondered if something new had been invented in the 21 years since I moved away.

Bound for Nowhere
I think I’ve watched some of this couple’s videos before. They are starting a new series of international travel and kicked it off with three videos about their new truck. Not sure why I’ve never found a bunch of sponsors to finance me custom building my own vehicle.

A visit to Sears with Mom in 1977
“These are on sale, so that’s what we’re going to get, ok. You like these.” What kid in the Seventies didn’t hear that phrase when it was time to buy new shoes? I think I’m going to give this channel more attention.

Car Content

Volvo EX30 vs Volvo C40 | Long Trip Test Battle!
Seems like Volvo needs to simplify their EV lineup. Or at least name them similarly.

Driving the stunning new Aston Martin Vantage
As much as I enjoy the silent power and speed of my Tesla, I freaking love the way Aston Martins sound. If only they made one that cost under $50K…

Podcasts

The Bill Simmons Podcast
I’ve been back into Simmons’ pod since last September. It’s usually pretty good, especially the NBA stuff. Last month he had Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament on to talk about Pearl Jam’s career, the episode the above video was a companion to. But I LOVED this episode, or at least the final segment, when his daughter Zoe was on to review her freshman year of college. I made note of her big observations and ran them by M, who agreed with most of them but very much disagreed with her assertion that boys and girls can’t be friends. But Zoe seems like a serial dater when M is the opposite, so makes sense they would have different perspectives.

Bandsplain
Yasi Salek was a regular guest on 60 Songs That Explain the 90s. I’ve dabbled with her pod, but it often seems too long to really dive into. But a three-part breakdown of Pearl Jam’s career that lasts over 10 hours? Yes, I worked through every minute of that over the course of several weeks.

Back in February I vowed to get my YouTube algorithm re-calibrated so it was sending me more good videos. Jumping into the car-buying process kick-started that process. It might be time to swing back the other way, as I only watched a few “normal” shows in April and my YT feed is overrun with car vids.

Movies, Shows, etc

Curb Your Enthusiasm, season 11
Five foot fence!

B+

Curb Your Enthusiasm, season 12
LD pretty much stuck the landing. I wasn’t sure where the season was going early on, but it slipped into gear in the middle and finished up pretty strong.

I did not like how the finale began. We’re supposed to believe that someone who has harped on societal niceties for 35 years isn’t going to turn his phone off or fasten his seatbelt when a plane takes off? That fit into the broader point of the finale, though: Larry is a terrible person. It was great bringing Jerry Seinfeld back. Any time I see David and Seinfeld interact I think of what it would have been like to see these two bounce ideas off each other back in their writing primes. The final image was just about perfect.

A-

Conan O’Brien Must Go
As you’ll see below, a lot of Conan content this month, mostly because of this new travel show. Every episode is great, but the segment where he learns about common Irish phrases is one of the best moments of the series.

A

Duran Duran: There’s Something You Should Know
My brother-in-music E$ recommended this. It was indeed pretty good. In fact, it might be the perfect, modern rock doc. It was brisk, checking in at exactly an hour. It ripped through the band’s history. Four of the five original members participated. There wasn’t too much attention to the band’s most recent albums. I would have liked to have seen more details of their prime years, when I’m guessing these dudes lived AMAZING lives. I’d rather a flick like this leave me wanting more than dragging on too long, though.

B+

NBA Playoffs
I only watched the Pacers closely, but had them on almost every night there was a game.

B+

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Tyrese Haliburton, Robbie Avila, and the Heart of Indiana Basketball
A fun piece that covers a lot of the state of basketball in Indiana these days. Notably they miss Purdue, but the Boilers were in Ohio the weekend these guys visited.

Conan O’Brien Needs a Doctor While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones
This is outstanding in every way. I laughed so hard I cried multiple times.

Andy Richter Coming Up Clutch Pt. III
Andy Richter’s Best Zingers & Quips Pt. II
Hilarious.

Dave responded to Jay’s “Don’t Blame Conan”
This “commentary” by David Letterman about the Tonight Show mess was terrific.

Can Our Merino Wool T-Shirt Handle Tasmania’s Most Rugged Challenges? 72 Hours: Tasmania, Australia
I’m ok with commercials like this that are just as much travel videos as product pushers.

How the UN is Holding Back the Sahara Desert
This is both awesome and, likely, a relatively cheap project. So I’m sure there are a lot of folks in the political world who want to stop funding projects like it.

Exploring Japanese Street Food and Local Surfing Spots | DIRT Japan Part 1: Kyushu
Incredible scenes and food.

DIRT Host Josh Rosen Unpacks His Essential Gear From His Alaska Adventure
Of course he has cool gear.

Cycling Iceland – 18 Days Bikepacking Iceland’s Ring Road
This journey, and Iceland, look incredible. But I think it would be even more incredible done in a car or SUV. But I’m also almost 53 years old.

STEP BROTHERS – Bloopers
Will Ferrell, Exotic Animal Expert
Don’t Ask Will Ferrell About Professor Feathers
Will Ferrell’s SNL Audition
Will Ferrell rabbit hole.

‘Something had to change’: Larry David gets candid on Morning Joe
The Moment Curb Your Enthusiasm Went From Pretty Good To Great
Larry David Stand-Up Comedy
How Larry David ALMOST Broke Seinfeld
LD rabbit hole.

HOW the HELL Is This Apocalyptic 1979 Anthem MORE Relevant TODAY than it was THEN?-Professor of Rock
TOBTM.

Community 38 Greatest Quotes
I’m not sure about 38 greatest, but these are pretty good. The comments might be even better.
Community having world class writing for 13 minutes straight
Algorithm gonna algorithm.

Dave Franco and Alison Brie Read Thirst Tweets
Dave Franco & Alison Brie Take a Couples Quiz
They are just precious.

Steve Carell making the whole cast break: The Office Bloopers
Has to be some Office content if I’m diving into other classic, TV comedy vids.

Is the iPhone “Illegal?”
I’m no attorney, but I find the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Apple to be quite weird. There are some parts that make sense, while others seem completely illogical. MKBHD’s views largely mirror mine.

Middle Kids Live at WNXP’s Sonic Cathedral
Good stuff.

Walking 90km to work changed my life
Beau Miles bullshit.

Emperor penguin chicks jump off a 50-foot cliff in Antarctica
I love penguins. I hate heights. So I’m conflicted here.

Norm Macdonald Constant Shitting on OJ Simpson
Norm Macdonald Constant Shitting on OJ Simpson Part 2
35 minutes of Norm McDonald destroying OJ.

Car Content

Lucid Air vs BMW i5 | Battle of Electric RWD Sedans
When my buddy drove me around in his Lucid, sadly he didn’t drive like this.

How the 2025 Lucid Gravity Rethinks the SUV for an EV Age
Not in my budget now or probably ever, but still cool to see where the high end of the market is headed.

How Chinese EV Giant BYD Is Taking On Tesla
There are some advantages to the Chinese market the US can’t compete with. But a decade of roughly half of our nation running away from EVs, in terms of political/economic policy and buying choice, has put us woefully behind and now we’re resorting to threatening to ban Chinese cars. Ain’t that America?

18-Month Timeline of the Hyundai/Kia/Genesis EV ICCU Recall Revealed
Maybe they’ve figured out their electrical issues?

I Drive The Taycan Turbo GT For The First Time! Porsche Dials Up Their EV Performance To 11
Sweet Jesus!

I Drive The Porsche Macan EV For The First Time!
If you want a slightly more refined Porsche drive in an electric platform.

How To Ruin Your Electric Car’s Battery – 3 Common Mistakes
A typical YouTube title that overstates things, but some good guidelines for EV owners. I won’t follow these as strictly since I am leasing and am not trying to get the battery to last 10 years.

Podcasts

The Vergecast: The TikTok ban and the iPhone monopoly
This is in my normal podcast rotation, although I don’t always get to it. This episode was terrific for explaining what’s going on with Apple and the Department of Justice, and TikTok and the US government as a whole.

What Kind of a Superpower Is India Becoming?
We think of Russia, China, and the mess in the Middle East as the most important geo-political challenges of the moment. India is fixin’ to buck its head, though, and I found this look at where they are and where they are headed super informative.

How One Small Company Saves Retro Tech
I loved this look at Retrospekt, a company that refurbs and resells old technology products. What a great journey for the owners. Also I listened to this in podcast form, but this link is to the YouTube video.

I said last month that I needed to reset my YouTube algorithm so I was getting better recommendations. I think I’ve accomplished that, spending way too much time on the platform over the last six weeks. Now it is skewed to like 90% car stuff. Which I’m fine with, at the moment. That has caused me to add a new category for at least this month.

Otherwise, not a lot of long form programming in March. Blame basketball and spring break, but the real reason was watching those 8000 hours of car vids.

Movies, Shows, etc

The Tourist, season one
This was one of the strangest shows I’ve watched recently. Equal parts hilarious, bizarre, confusing, confounding, compelling, and off-beat, while always being super Australian. I think I liked it, but there were moments when I almost wanted to turn it off. I guess I’ll give season two a shot at some point.

B+

Griselda
This was promoted as an expansion of the Narcos world, another look at the Colombian-centered drug trade of the 1980s. That’s true to a certain extent, but Griselda suffers from that comparison.

It began well, but in the middle began to take a very strange path. By the final episode I was hoping it would be over. Shows like this, about drug lords, need something compelling about the bad guys to keep you interested. Griselda Blanco comes across as a pure psycho and gives the viewer no real reason to hope she somehow survives. So many of the characters, from Sofia Vergara in the title role to the police who chased her, seemed one-dimensional or cartoonish. That every Narcos season was so good made Griselda’s flaws even more disappointing.

C+

Renovation Aloha
Our home reno show of the month. This couple does amazing things with truly shitty homes in Hawaii. We couldn’t get over the cost of real estate out there. S and I also laughed at the height difference between the couple that hosts. Then we realized that’s kind of what we look like.

A-

Gold
Our first spring break movie, our housemates randomly picked this one night. Interesting story but not a great movie. Afterward I read the true events it was based on and decided that they adjusted the timeframe back a decade just so Matthew McConaughey could play a 1980s oilman.

B

Larry and Marge Go Large
Our second break movie. Our housemates had seen this before and insisted we watch it. Wonderfully charming and fun.

A-

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Oberammergau Alpine Coaster 4k
Imst Alpine Coaster 4k
These look awesome. Since they are German-engineered I’m sure they’re perfectly safe.

Anakeesta’s NEW Hellbender Mountain Coaster in Gatlinburg Tennessee
Next I found this American version. I’m deep into Alpine coaster YouTube now.

Mountain Coaster Oeschinensee Kandersteg Switzerland
Finally – HOLY SHIT! – there’s this one, which basically looks like you’re going down a luge course without ice. This one has to crash occasionally, right?

Building a Dream Home on a Hidden Beach in New Zealand
If we ever buy property in New Zealand I’m going to look up this design team.

These 2 Italian dream homes will make you reconsider your life… Southern Italy, Gagliano del Capo
Or why not buy an existing property in southern Italy?

Our 1960 Mid-Century Glass Home Tour
Then you’ve got these fucking hipsters and their expensive-ass lighting.

DIRT Episode 6— Alaska
Somehow I missed this when it was released. Alaska seems pretty cool.

My Solo Trip to Hanoi, Vietnam
Vietnam looks awesome.

A Photography Trip Turns Prosperous
Photographing Old British Petrol Stations on Expired 4×5 Film
A Week in Thailand
With the weather improving, I’ve been feeling the urge to pick up a camera again. So adding some of my favorite photography YouTubers back into the stream.

How the Dutch SOLVED Street Design
Scratching my urban planning itch. They SOLVED that shit.

I wasted $1,000 on old junk at the Apple Store!
Some weird products on this list.

Glide with Josie Prendergast
Surfing videos are cool. Surfing videos featuring surfers who look like supermodels are even cooler. Don’t tell my wife or daughters.

Surfing With Whales
Travel + surfing = dopeness.

Being Different // Sony A7siii Canada Travel Film
I thought this was going to be a lead-in to a series. So it was refreshing to just be a seven minute video about this guy’s adventures.

Sick of second hand life? So was I.
There comes a time in life where you have to sort your sh*t
Short-form Beau Miles bullshit. “Netflix is gunna be knockin’ after this.” 😂

How He Stumbled Upon The US Government’s Nuclear Bunkers
This wasn’t as interesting as I hoped it would be.

The Paradox of an Infinite Universe
Science!

Here’s the Thing about the M3 Macbook Air…
I’ll save you some time: unless you’re a pro, always buy the cheapest model with the biggest storage.

Car Content

In addition to watching tons of videos from several core channels, mostly on the Out of Spec network, I also caught these.

NEW £80k VW ID Buzz EV Camper Van Overnight REVIEW
Good thing these aren’t available in the US yet or it might be top of my new car list.

Full Tour: Electrify America Flagship Indoor Charging Hub! The Nicest Public EV Station In America
A big issue with EV adoption is that many of the people who are most interested in them live/work in congested urban areas where there isn’t room for chargers, and apartments/condos often don’t allow Level 2 home chargers. This solution seems best suited for tech-savvy cities like San Fransisco.

How Tesla Became The Most Popular Car Brand In Norway
Interesting series of events.

Living with the Tesla Cybertruck So You Don’t Have To!
Sorry, this thing is incredibly dumb looking.

My First Look At The Audi Q6 e-tron! Tech Specs, Quick Tour, & First Drive
Then there’s this, which, HOLY SHIT IS IT SEXY!!! Maybe I’ll win the lottery before it’s time to buy my next-next car and I can afford an e-tron.

How far can electric cars REALLY go??
None of these are on my list of potential cars but I still was interested in the outcome.

Do We Regret Buying a Rivian R1S? 7 Months Later…
I hate how videos like this are titled to generate controversy. This is actually a very fair, honest, mostly positive accounting. The estimate they got for repairing some minor damage was indeed insane, though.

A Tour of the Rivian Plant | Go behind the scenes with founder RJ Scaringe
Kinda cool. I hope they make it.

This $40,000 Tesla Solar & Powerwall Setup Is The Ultimate Home Power Station
Not strictly about cars, but another step on where we should be headed as a society. If we ever build a house – something that seems pretty unlikely – I would 100% roll the cost of adding solar into the project. As it stands, though, we don’t have a spare 40K sitting around to add it to our current home. Unless C or L get full rides to college.

Lucid Air: How to One-up Tesla!
I’ve ridden in a Lucid, and they are indeed awesome. I disagree with his critique of the Air’s looks.

The Vinfast VF8 is…. trying
One of the crazy things about the EV space is that there are some cars out there that are kind of crappy, yet still start in the $50K range. Boggles the mind.

Why Car Insurance Rates Are Skyrocketing In The U.S.
They leave out the most important part: the insurance industry is a scam.

Porsche Macan GTS v BMW X3 M40d v Tesla Model Y: DRAG RACE
I watched a lot of Car Wow videos three years ago, before and after I got my Audi. I’m glad they are showing up in my feed again.

Music/Podcasts

A final reminder that the magnificent 60 Songs That Explain The ‘90s pod came to an end in March. If you’ve never listened to it and love music, I can’t recommend it enough.

Movies, Shows, etc

The Greatest Night In Pop
The funny way to sum up this look at how “We Are The World” was recorded would be to say it was outrageous. Some of you will get that joke.

I’ve read about that night several times, but there were still some terrific little tidbits in this film. I’m on record as not being a fan of the song, but I liked how Bruce Springsteen described his experience: no matter what you think of the song, it was a tool for helping people. That’s probably the best way to remember it. (Chuck Klosterman was on Bill Simmons’ podcast last week and said something along the lines of, “Bruce said the song sucked in the nicest way possible.”)

We still don’t know why Dan Aykroyd was involved. And it kind of ignores Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder singing back and forth to each other near the song’s end. Otherwise very much worth your time.

A

Ed, season two
Year one was better, but I didn’t complain about re-watching 22 more episodes featuring my old pals from Stuckeyville. A few observations. The season premiere was in early October, so a matter of weeks after 9/11. The persistent NBC peacock logo in the corner of the screen included a waving flag graphic for the first half of the season. America! A punch line for many jokes continued to be the word “homosexual” or “gay.” I don’t think the writers were anti-gay, but 20 years ago that kind of stuff was considered normal. I wish these VHS transfers weren’t so grainy because there were some fetching guest stars. Whoever posted these videos also corrected the biggest error of season two. The creators dropped Foo Fighter’s “Next Year” as the theme song. This person put it back in, which is kind of brilliant. On to season three at some point.

B+

Perry Mason, season two
Season one was very good. Everything about season two was better. Despite terrific reviews and decent ratings, it is another victim of mis-management at HBO and there will be no season three. Idiots.

A

Goodfellas
This aired on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, and I watched the whole (edited) thing. Still the best.

A+

Lethal Weapon/Lethal Weapon 2
One night I came across these and watched a decent chunk of each. Say the last 90 minutes of the first and the first hour of the second. These were high rotation flicks for me back in the early 90s. Parts hold up. Parts are kind of fucking stupid. No grades since I didn’t see the entire movies.

Incomplete

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
I thought this had some terrific high points, some slow points that dragged a bit, and then some bits that were just odd/confusing and distracted. Much like The Americans, it is a spy show that is far more about being in a marriage than being a spy. Unlike Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings, who we met nearly two decades into their relationship, we see John and Jane Smith come together and try to navigate a new, forced relationship as they kill people. And, like The Americans, Mr. & Mrs. Smith does a great job at demonstrating that marriage is a tough task to begin with. Throw a bunch of super stressful stuff on top of it, and it gets even harder.

I think the strength of this show became more obvious after completing it, when I had time to contemplate and connect those broader observations about marriage together. I wish it had maintained the trajectory of my favorite episodes, but the less successful ones did not cancel them out.

B

True Detective: Night Country
Most disappointing show I’ve watched in some time. It arrived with the promise of calling back to season one, one of the best years in recent TV history. And there were some connections, but they often felt forced. The bigger problem was the story fell apart as the season progressed. Through much of the final three episodes it felt like the writers were meandering, looking for ways to make the story compelling but always falling short. Much of the dialogue seemed lazy and couldn’t be saved by the fine actors asked to speak it. And then the resolutions to the various mysteries? Some of them seemed flat-out dumb. From what I’ve read this was a highly polarizing season, for a variety of reasons. I’m in the camp that was not convinced.

B-

Help! I Wrecked My House
We got sucked into this one Sunday and watched it for approximately 153 consecutive hours. I like that the host isn’t all over-the-top about things. California chill works for me.

A-

Curb Your Enthusiasm, season 10
Spite store! RIP Richard Lewis.

A

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

I haven’t been using the YouTubes as much lately. Last month I had a goal of watching a little more so I could get my algorithm back to recommending cool, random stuff.

Japan’s Most Terrifying Bridge: Eshima Ohashi
I would never ride a bike or run across this bridge.

The ONE thing keeping this iconic vintage laptop from working…
I love the concept of videos like this, tinkering with old tech tools and getting them to work again. I always question the utility of them, though. How much can you really accomplish with a vintage computer. I guess, like so many hobbies, it’s all about spending time doing something you enjoy.

NA1SS Voice Contact Astronaut
The radio geek in me thinks this is pretty cool, contacting the international space station from your backyard with a handheld radio and antenna.

I knocked the bastard off – Retracing the footsteps of a murderer (Ep 3)
Beau Miles wraps up his hike.

DIRT Episode 7 – Atlanta
I didn’t like this one quite as much as the previous ones in the series. Seemed to lack a bit of focus.

Experience a Recording Studio On the Edge of Iceland’s Arctic Circle
How This Photographer Manifested His Dream Home on the Oregon Coast
An Exclusive Look Inside The Explorers Club’s Members-Only Clubhouse
Inside This Green Beret & Entrepreneur’s GORUCK Home Gym
Explore An Austin Musician’s Bohemian Bungalow
After watching DIRT, I dove into some of Huckberry’s videos about cool homes/hangouts. The recording studio and Oregon house are my two favorites.

Secret cafe in Kyoto
This is very cute and very Japanese.

LiMu Emu & Doug
This was some quality SNL-ing.

Finally, my EV content, which took over my life the last two weeks of the month. Rather than share every video – which would probably make you worry about my mental health – I’ll ID the feeds I spent the most time in.

The Out of Spec community has a bunch of feeds, but I watched their Out of Spec Reviews and Out of Spec Dave ones the most.
Ryan Shaw
Gjeebs

There were lot of other randoms I watched in addition to deep dives in those feeds.

This Is the Biggest Problem With EV Adoption
Actually news related to EVs rather than reviews or road trip vids.

Movies, Shows, etc

Fargo, season five
I loved this season, it is right up there with season two as my favorites in Fargo’s TV run. There were a couple small moments that bugged me which kept it from being a straight A, although after listening to an interview with creator Noah Hawley they made a little more sense.

As always, almost every performance was spectacular, but Juno Temple and Jon Hamm were the clear stars. Temple’s Dorothy was filled with an uncontainable energy for survival. Hamm was brilliant as the evil “America’s Sheriff” Roy Tillman. He radiated pure rage. It’s also amazing how an accent done properly can elevate an actor’s work.

A-

Love Notes to Newton
A quirky film about one of the quirkiest products Apple ever made. I didn’t love some of the production choices but it was still a fun look at the life, death, and semi-resurrection of the Newton.

B

Emily the Criminal
I’ve been thinking about ways to spend my free time. Light credit card fraud was one idea. I’m moving it to the top of the list after seeing how well it worked out for Audrey Plaza in this movie. It was fun to see her play a different kind of psychopath.

B+

Barbie
Family movie night. Delightful, hilarious, both overtly and subverted political, skewers modern society yet is a strikingly positive movie, and is surprisingly touching at times. Plus almost every scene has Margot Robbie in it. Not many complaints.

A-

The Falcon and The Snowman
An 80s spy movie about the 70s. I remember this being released to a lot of hype then kind of being a dud. Turns out ticket buyers didn’t like it but critics did. It was one of the first times Sean Penn played a truly unhinged character. Timothy Hutton is a little over the top, but his performance fits the kind of old-timey vibe of the film. Lori Singer is stunning in her brief moments on screen. It’s an interesting story, based on a true tale of two friends who sold US intelligence to the Soviets. It feels very dated, though, mostly because of the technology of the actual film. The sound and lighting seem primitive compared to today. The colors are muted, and not because of artistic choices. Times have really changed.

B

Curb Your Enthusiasm, season nine
Fatwa!

B

Kingsman: The Secret Service
I pulled up a list of movies to watch if you are into James Bond and this rated pretty highly. I didn’t know until about an hour into it that the movie’s roots are in a comic book series. That might have eased some confusion I had in that first hour. I ended up enjoying the bawdy, sarcastic, satire-ish, escapism but it took me awhile to get there.

B

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
I’d been meaning to re-watch this since last summer, when I read Tarantino’s novelization of it. I finally did, and in maybe the worst way possible: I stumbled across it on FX one night, recorded it, and watched it in bits and pieces over the next three weeks. FX doesn’t edit much, by the way.

Like my first time, B+ for the movie, A+ for Margot Robbie.

The Super Mario Brothers Movie
We watched our four-year-old nephew one night and chose this to keep him occupied. He loved it, but he also told us about his day at daycare and all about his basketball team during the show, so I wasn’t super focused.

B-ish?

Skyfall
Last month was Casino Royale. This month the other contender for best Daniel Craig Bond movie. I feel like I’ve gone back and forth a couple times, but I’m sticking with CR as #1 for now, with this close behind.

A

Only Murders In The Building, season one
A slow, wacky build to a delightful ending. Since our family was in the midst of its Disney Channel days when Selena Gomez first became a star there, it’s really hard for me to view her as an adult. And would she really hang out with Steve Martin and Martin Short? I dig those beautiful New York apartments, though.

B+

The Outpost
When the last roughly 45 minutes depict a single firefight with the Taliban, I think it’s safe to call a movie “intense.”

B+

Shorts, YouTubes, etc

Sears 1982 Christmas Holiday Season
A bunch of B-roll and a bit of an ABC news report about shopping during the 1982 holidays. I love the shots of the kid playing Intellivision in the department store. In the early ‘80s us video game degenerates always knew where the Ataris, etc were hidden in the Jones Store, Dillard’s, etc and you could sneak a few games while your mom shopped. On the good days no one else was around and you might knock out half an hour of play before you had to leave.

Atari Home Computers – Kiosk Presentation
Coincidentally I came across this via another source. It is a truly amazing look at the world of 40-some years ago. As a fellow computer enthusiast said, this feels more like it’s 200 years old.

Cologuard – SNL
Funny shit, literally.

Building the ultimate Tudor BB54 Big Crown
I’m pretty sure I’ve talked a little about how I’ve gotten into watches in recent years. A feed I follow suggested this vid, where for some reason they take a roughly $4000 watch and make a few changes so it resembles a different watch.

Running 220km in the footsteps of a murderer, part 1
Running 220km in the footsteps of a murderer – Part 2
A new Beau Miles series!

Felicien Kabuga: The man behind Rwanda’s hate media
The Rwandan Bishop Who Incited Genocide
After reading Charles Cumming’s Kennedy 35, I fell into am internet rabbit hole reading, and in some cases re-reading, pieces about the Rwandan genocide. Which led to watching videos like these.