Is it Good? - An exercise in kicking movies while they're down! Each episode, Nic and Mia pick a box office bomb/critical failure, to watch, mock, and see if there are any redeeming qualities. (There probably aren't.) New episodes every Friday. And if you have a film you'd like us to watch, or if you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, feel free to email us.
That dastardly duo takes a trip down under with Frog Dreaming, or The Go-Kids, or The Quest, or The Spirit Chaser, or Fighting Spirits, or The Mystery of the Dark Lake, or The Boy Who Chases Ghosts. Aw heck, call it whatever you want, I just call it home! Why did a movie that performed this poorly get so many different titles? Maybe because "Frog Dreaming" is really hard to translate in a way that makes sense.
Look out for:
The kid from ET, but he's worse than you remember.
The lead guitarist from Queen, but he's more Australian than you remember.
The Loch Ness monster, but he's more metallic than you remember.
A surprising lack of frogs.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
14 Feb 2025
Ep. 16 - Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire
So, tragically, this is another musical, which means that I can't include sound clips (music rights are much more strictly policed). That being said, I recommend finding the songs that we talk about as we talk about them. I mean... as THEY talk about them. I usually write these in the third person, right? Anyways, Mia and Nic are delving into the dark, depraved, downright violent world of professional snooker. If that sounds crazy, just wait until you learn what baize is!
Things to look out for:
Zoot Money, baby, that's my name, don't wear it out!
Mostly mid songs, some really good ones, some really bad ones.
An unnecessarily complicated plot that also seems very simplistic?
Nic's new catchphrase
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
1 Feb 2025
Ep. 15 - Bubba Ho-Tep
Whatever you think that title is about, you're wrong! I think this might be one where even a description is taking away some of the fun, just go in and be surprised, and get ready to meet the king!
Things to Look For:
Unnecessary anal entry
Repetitive descriptions of the main character's genitals
A complex and heartfelt take on the difficulties of aging
Really cool fight scene with a bug
Mediocre fight scene with a cowboy mummy
Yet another rant on theater etiquette
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
10 Jan 2025
Ep. 14 - The House of Yes
Do you like idiosyncratic dialogue? Eccentric rich people? Semi-sexual assassination reenactments? Then The House of Yes might just be for you! What goes on behind closed doors in the upper crust of DC? Mia and Nic are investigating just that, but will they like what they find? Tune in to see!
Things to look out for:
Repeating dialogue
Parker Posey, not Posie Parker
Neglected heartthrob Freddy Prinze Jr
Dialogue that repeats
A genuinely interesting dissection of America's obsession with the Kennedys
Characters repeating the same dialogue, but in different ways
Fantastic costumes that we didn't even talk about
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
6 Dec 2024
Ep. 13 - The Myth of Fingerprints
Actors Mia and Nic dissect the underwhelming film The Myth of Fingerprints, exploring its themes of family trauma and repression amidst a facade of warmth and kindness.
Film expert Mia discusses Douglas Trumbull's directorial career, exploring his innovative visual effects and the factors that hindered his success as a director.
8 Nov 2024
Ep. 11 - Chairman of the Board
You know the drill, and hopefully you find comfort in routine. This week, they watched 1998's Chairman of the Board, a comedy aimed at nobody in particular. This episode was recorded before election night, which is pretty fun because you get to listen to two people who don't know how bad your current world is! Anyways, this is a really dumb movie so maybe it'll distract you for a few short minutes. Also Mia predicted the election, which is cool but not that difficult.
Highlights include:
Carrot Top, on the silver screen at last!
Fred the Horse from Over the Garden Wall (well, his voice actor).
Sex jokes that seem a little too explicit for a PG-13 movie, but hey, what do I know?
A discussion of Werckmeister Harmonies, Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr's bleak meditation on the death of hope.
Umm Chia Pet Hair? Now THAT'S funny.
A mutual headache.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
31 Oct 2024
Ep. 10 - Dead Alive/Braindead (NSFW)
Happy Halloween!
We hope you enjoy the 2024 Is it Good? Spooktacular! This year, we're checking out one of the goriest horror comedies of all time, one that desperately deserves a second chance. Also, it's directed and written by Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. So that's fun!
Look out for:
A Nazi & Zombies, but no Nazi Zombies
The rare stop-motion animated Sumatran Rat Monkey
An appreciation for practical effects
A brutal, bloodthirsty take-down of Aaron Sorkin
The ideal Halloween party movie
Just like, a normal regular guy who's not doin' nothin' weird
Zombaby!!!
This episode is definitely lighthearted and fun, but it is absolutely NOT acceptable for all audiences, as it's even more explicit than usual! So consider yourself warned. If that wasn't enough though, here's some content warnings for you:
Mentioned: Sexual assault (briefly), bestiality (extremely briefly), animal death (briefly), gore, blood, offensive portrayal of Pacific Islanders.
18 Oct 2024
Ep. 9 - The 13th Warrior
WELCOME TO IS IT GOOD? v2.0
We've gussied it up with a new coat of shiny lead paint, and we hope you enjoy! This week, a little bit of film festival discussion (more on that later), Antonio Banderas wearing an agal, bear-people or perhaps just people disguised as bears, it's unclear. From the minds that brought you Die Hard and Jurassic Park, comes something surprisingly mediocre.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
12 Oct 2024
Ep. 8 - S. Darko
Yet another sequel, but this time, one to a movie you've actually heard of! Probably the most relevant any movie on this podcast has ever been to anybody listening, but if relevancy was the goal, then we were damned from the beginning.
Things to look out for:
Characters who don't care, and why should you?
Bunny mask!! Like from Donnie Darko!!
2009 liberal critique of 1995 bigotry, I think?
The same car crash, twice, except a different girl dies, this time on purpose.
Nostalgia in its worst form.
Crushed by falling object!! Like from Donald Darko!!
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, Selling Out.
4 Oct 2024
Ep. 7 - The Fastest Guitar Alive
Sorry, no movie clips this week! Copyright strikes for music tend to be pretty harsh, so it's best to stay away from using them here. Use your imagination! Or don't! Either way it's probably not as disappointing as the real thing. This week, your hosts discuss Roy Orbison's first and only film foray, The Fastest Guitar Alive. I'll let you in on a secret: There's a reason it was the only one.
Some stuff in this one:
Deep ignorance about the history of popcorn (from the movie, not the hosts).
Redface, but they actually didn't know (except for the guy doing it).
Some of Orbison's worst lyrics.
Confederate apologia.
A really dumb gun.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
27 Sept 2024
Ep. 6 - Suicide Kings
Ready to listen to a T4T trans woman contemplate whether or not she can say the F-slur? God it's so late when I'm editing these. Anyways, the kids are back, and this time Christopher Walken is there. This is probably the best thing we've seen so far, so you're in for a treat.
Highlights include:
Johnny Galecki is so bad, man. Always.
A genuinely well-constructed plot.
Lots of slick style.
Fish boots? Fish boots.
Yeesh, they died for no reason. That's kinda sad.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, Selling Out.
13 Sept 2024
Ep. 5 - Lifeforce
In this episode, Nic and Mia still can't really get away from misogynistic films. I guess it's a good sign that all these misogynistic films failed, but it'd be nice to hear about a less gross film once in a while, yaknow? Anyways, still plenty of fun to be had, and in case you didn't notice, it's weekly episodes now!
Things to look out for:
A genuine discussion of the sex scene discourse.
Things that are similar to other movies we like, but don't work here.
An extremely different movie from Tobe Hooper's other work
A pretty shameless rehashing from Dan O'Bannon, like cmon man, you're just re-using your work from Alien.
Horny movie, but in a bad way.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, Selling Out.
6 Sept 2024
Ep. 4 - Phantoms
Sorry for the delayed upload, travel plans got in the way.
This week, Mia and Nic dive into Laurence of Arabia star Peter O'Toole's finest gift to cinema, Phantoms (1998), wherein he performs against acting genius Benjamin G. Affleck. Yes, it's true, and yes, it's fun. Why are you still reading this?
Things to watch out for:
A big macho cowboy Ben Affleck!
A bunch of scientific explanations that don't actually explain anything at all.
Utterly wretched sound mixing (don't worry, I fixed it).
Surprisingly, zero phantoms.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, "Selling Out".
16 Aug 2024
Ep. 3 - Reminiscence
This week, Nic and Mia delve into the bygone year of 2021, where Lisa Joy is releasing an extremely forgettable movie. Hugh Jackman stars as a mind reader! An honest-to-goodness mind reader, in a cyberpunk neo-noir flick no less! But no matter how hard he acts, it's still not cool. This episode is dedicated to the veterans of the Border Wars.
Highlights include:
Explaining incels to Nic.
Hugh Jackman's Batman audition.
The women are written better!! (Note: the writing is still bad.)
A legitimately cool aesthetic.
A story that doesn't take advantage of it.
Dead eels.
2 Aug 2024
Ep. 2 - Lady in Cement
This week, Nic and Mia talk about the 1968 film Lady in Cement!
This episode features:
Queer subtext.
More misogyny.
An inaccurate poster.
An antiquated murder.
Frank Sinatra
11 shipwrecked Spanish galleons, stuffed full of gold doubloons, ripe for the taking!
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, Selling Out.
19 Jul 2024
Ep. 1 - Cherry 2000
On the debut episode, Nic and Mia talk about the 1988 film Cherry 2000.
This episode features:
An awful protagonist.
A wonderful antagonist.
Gynoids.
Melanie Griffith, for some reason.
Thanks to Tom Lehrer for the use of our theme song, Selling Out.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 36 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
59
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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