The Rolling Tape

Apologies everyone, there’s been a slight shift in programming. Hayden Christensen backed out of his guest spot for this episode. He told us he was down to make a guest appearance, but sent a text backing out at the last second saying, "I don’t like podcasts. They’re long and rough and irritating, and they get everywhere." Oh well, maybe next time.
Welcome to another episode of RETRO//RANKED, the Rolling Tape podcast series in which we discuss various franchises and filmographies that we love and rank their individual entries leading up to some of the biggest new releases. We’re continuing our journey across the Star Wars galaxy. We’ve already covered A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Phantom Menace. Today we wrap up the prequel trilogy as we keep forging the path toward the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Our current collaborative ranking so far:
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
On this episode:
Evan Miller
Sara Ciplickas
Paul Rai
Support the show
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Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
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Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

RETRO//RECAP is a spin-off series from RETRO//RANKED where we hit pause on the rankings and rewind the tape to catch you up on everything that’s happened in a franchise or filmography before the next entry hits theaters. Last time, we dove into the Scream franchise, but today we’re trading in the knives for Dolce & Gabbana in the 2006 workplace comedy classic The Devil Wears Prada ahead of the sequel set to release in theaters on May 1. 
Released two decades ago, The Devil Wears Prada is directed by David Frankel, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, and based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, who had previously worked as an assistant to Anna Wintour. The film has a rich legacy in the cultural lexicon for its depictions of workplace culture, the fashion industry, and noted performances from Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. 
Throw on your Met Gala fits because the devil is wearing prada once again, and let’s recap.
On this episode:
Danny Jarabek
Mariana Fabian
Timmy Lee
Support the show
Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms
Have questions? Email [email protected]
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree
Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

It's another year and you know what that means, another music biopic. This weekend saw the release of Michael, the latest of the popular trend of famous musician biographies hitting the big screen, this time focused on the early life and 80s peak of pop star Michael Jackson. The first thought for many Oscar pundits' brains was, is Michael an awards contender? Does it matter if critics dislike the film if it's so popular with the general public? And what is the history for music biopics at the Academy Awards? 
We answer all these questions and more examining the awards prospects for Antoine Fuqua's film starring Jaafar Jackson (Michael Jackson's nephew) and Juliano Valdi portraying the King of Pop. The film has been welcomed with low critics scores including 38% on Rotten Tomatoes and 39% on Metacritic, but a $97 million domestic opening weekend and an A- Cinema Score have made it a hit with general audiences.
In addition to our Oscars analysis, we think through which musician biopics we'd still like to see in the future.
On this episode:
Paul Rai
Danny Jarabek
Jacob Diedenhofer
Support the show
Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
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Have questions? Email [email protected]
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree
Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

We are finally stepping outside of our usual HBO bubble at The Rolling Remote because today we're heading to Netflix to talk about Beef Season 2. If you're not familiar with Beef, it's a Netflix anthology series created by Lee Sung Jin. At its core, it's about conflict, something usually small, impulsive, almost meaningless, that spirals into something way bigger than it should. It's super messy, uncomfortable, funny, and usually ends up revealing a lot about the people who are involved. 
Season 1 starred Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as Danny Cho and Amy Lau, two strangers involved in a road rage incident. The anthology series went on to an awards run at the Emmys where it won in all three of its nominated categories, including Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film. 
We discuss Season 2 which stars Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan as Joshua Martin and Lindsay Crane-Martin and Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton as Ashley and Austin, two couples, with the poor latter two blackmailing the rich former two into not releasing footage of a heated argument the two had, which similarly escalates into a prolonged feud.
On this episode:
Jake Fittipaldi
Kasey Dunifer
Bobbi Miller
Danny Jarabek
Ethan Dayton
Support the show
Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms
Have questions? Email [email protected]
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree
Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

Consider it a music festival weekend here on The Rolling Tape podcast because we’re discussing both real and fake pop stars alike with Michael, Lionsgate’s long-awaited Michael Jackson biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua and Mother Mary, A24’s deconstruction of its titular fictional music icon directed by David Lowery.
Michael follows the life of the American singer Michael Jackson, covering his involvement in the Jackson 5 in the 1960s to the 1980s Bad tour. Jackson is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson and as a child by Juliano Krue Valdi, both in their film debuts. The supporting cast includes Nia Long, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Laura Harrier, Jessica Sula, Mike Myers, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo. Mother Mary on the other hand is a psychological fictional drama that follows how long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer, Sam Anselm, on the eve of her comeback performance. It stars Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, FKA Twigs, and Kaia Gerber.
After reviewing each, we do a collaborative blind ranking of the best fictional bands and artists in movies. 
To watch this episode on video with our pre-episode exclusive conversation on the following, subscribe on Patreon:
Euphoria and Beef on TV
Erupcja Q&A
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Resources:
Review of "Mother Mary" by Adam Patla
Review of "Michael" by Joshua Mbonu
Blind Ranking Fictional Bands and Artists Letterboxd List
On this episode:
Danny Jarabek
Adam Patla
Risa Bolash
Paul Rai
Mariana Fabian
Support the show
Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon
Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms
Have questions? Email [email protected]
Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree
Credits:
Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
Artwork: Danny Jarabek
Editor: Danny Jarabek
Assistant Producer: Evan Miller