What better way to celebrate Christmas than to kick back with a new episode of Reels and Wheels, a podcast hosted by a Jew and an Atheist!?
In celebration of the holidays, Sid and James are going to talk about Gremlins! Yep, Gremlins! Sandwiched in all that cutsy movie-turned horror flick goodness are a few cars. I mean, barely enough to make an episode of Reels and Wheels, but what the hell!
Enjoy this fun discussion of the Volkswagen Beetle's nefarious origins and a good 'ol American plow! Gremlins!
@ReelsAndWheels, @SidBridgeComedy, @S2KJames - subscribe on Stitcher or iTunes and leave feedback!
You just take my advice on a dark and stormy night when the wind is howling and the rain is coming down in sheets thick as lead... Tune into Reels and Wheels as James and Sid are joined by Josh Horowitz to talk Big Trouble in Little China!
Josh is the founder of WingKong.net, a long-running Big Trouble in Little China web site and the cohost of "5 Minutes of Trouble" a podcast that talks Big Trouble in Little China five minutes at a time. Suffice it to say, he knows this movie.
How great is John Carpenter at matching cars to characters? Is the 1986 Pontiac Trans Am a purely awesome vehicle or is it terrible? Were you rooting for the AMC Gremlin?
Learn lots of interesting facts and enjoy as James, Sid & Josh have a blast talking about a movie they all agree is just plain awesome.
Find Josh Horowitz at www.wingkong.net! Follow @ReelsandWheels, @SidBridgeComedy & @S2KJames on Twitter! Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us some feedback!
In this mini-episode of Reels and Wheels, Sid and James give their top ten movie picks for Thanksgiving. Looking for the perfect car movie for your specific Thanksgiving situation? We've got you covered!
Follow Sid (@SidBridgeComedy), James (@S2KJames) and @ReelsAndWheels. Subscribe on Stitcher or iTunes and leave feedback!
Muscle cars, classic rock and not much else. On this Reels and Wheels, James and Sid take a look a Dazed and Confused, an early 1990's movie that literally provided a snapshot of high school life in 1976.
On its surface, it's a two hour car show set to a great soundtrack. Most of us would kill time ogling American muscle cars and listening Black Sabbath anyway, so it's nice to have the excuse of "I'm watching a great movie" to get away with it. Under the surface, it's an anthropological look at high school life that isn't far from accurate.
Will James and Sid survive digging up their own high school past? Is this a sufficient distraction from the culmination of a messed-up presidential election? Either way, you need to relax, get away from it all and get Dazed and Confused with Reels and Wheels.
@ReelsandWheels, @S2KJames, @SidBridgeComedy
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Happy Halloween from Reels and Wheels! Today's episode is about the horror masterpiece, Killdozer! Actually, everybody but Sid hated it and technical difficulties kept this podcast shorter than usual, but you should listen anyway! James and Sid are joined by Autocrosser/Comic/Bulldozer Operator Randall Rutledge to talk about a movie where 4 out of 6 construction workers are killed off by a murderous bulldozer with a top speed of 9mph.
Enjoy Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher, subscribe and leave feedback! Find us online - @ReelsandWheels, @S2KJames, and @SidBridgeComedy!
Automotive journalist and racer Mark Baruth (AKA, Bark M) joins Sid and James because he really wanted the hosts of Reels and Wheels to watch The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Toyko Drift was an attempt to reboot/save a franchise that had gone from terrible to horrendously awful with a movie that was moderately bad. So, sure, it was pretty fun to watch and the driving scenes were quit impressive, but was there anything else to like about it?
Mark and James tag team their way through trying to sort out this movie and sing the praises of Japan's greatest automobiles to muscle-car-loving Sid. Spoiler alert: They don't win him over, but this show is a hell of a ride. Kind of like the movie. It also has the most unique ending we've ever recorded to a podcast.
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Used Cars (1980) is a film with no good guys in it at all. Every character - even the dog - behaves reprehensibly. And it's funny. James and Sid are joined by actor/comedian Thomas Maddin (who also happens to work in car sales) to talk about a movie that pulls no punches when it comes to cars and politics.
Kurt Russell stars as a used car salesman with political ambitions in a corrupt world, caught in the middle of a family feud over the car lot he works on. It's a unique movie for Reels and Wheels in that it has so many cars, it's hard to pick a few to focus on (outside of the iconic Edsel).
What made Edsel synonymous with failure? What can we learn from this movie's take on corrupt politics leading up to this year's ridiculous presidential election? What about those outfits?!
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave feedback! Find us online - @SidBridgeComedy, @S2KJames, @ReelsandWheels and our guest, @ThomasMaddin
On this peculiar edition of Reels and Wheels, James and Sid are joined by... James. Yep, Co-host James Rodatus doubles up as the guest this time as he puts his experience as a lawyer to work so that we can talk about My Cousin Vinny.
This 1992 comedy starring Joe Pesci was lauded for its realistic, positive portrayal of our legal system. So I guess technically this is an episode of Reels and Lawyers and Wheels. Either way, My Cousin Vinny is a thoughtful, enjoyable, and fun movie that uses the inner workings of a 1964 Buick Skylark and a 1963 Pontiac Tempest as a key plot point.
So how accurate was this movie? How unique was the cast? What about the car we didn't see - find out what made the first generation Pontiac Tempest one of the most unique cars GM ever built!
Find our special guest James Rodatus online @S2KJames and find Sid @SidBridgeComedy - leave us some feedback! Subscribe to @ReelsAndWheels on iTunes and Stitcher and spread the word!
The original 1983 National Lampoon's Vacation is considered one of the greatest comedies of all time, and it is. The centerpiece of this saga about a family trip gone horribly wrong is the Wagon Queen Family Truckster - a vehicle that embodies everything that was wrong with the American family car at the height of the malaise era.
James and Sid are joined by comedian Jim Seward to talk Vacation - both the movie and their personal experiences on long trips with kids in the car and every family's love/hate relationship with the American station wagon.
Did the Family Truckster help put an end to the station wagon? Was the Truckster really that different from the Ford LTD Country Squire it was based on? Did the big 3 make these station wagons because they hated their customers?
Enjoy Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher, subscribe and leave feedback! Find us only - @ReelsandWheels, @S2KJames, and @SidBridgeComedy! Jim Seward is a wonderful stand up comic out of Nashville who tours regularly - find him online at www.JimSewardComedy.com or @JimSewardComedy. Photo Credit: Adam Lautenbach, Music Credit: Ben Sounds.
Initial D is the go-to Anime about street racing in Japan, so James and Sid once again welcome comedian Derek Williams to talk about the show. Derek is a huge Anime fan and has plenty of experience with the Initial D arcade game from his time managing an arcade!
Initial D follows the life of reluctant racing prodigy Takumi as he dazzles the local street racing community racing his "8-6" (A Toyota Corolla to Americans, the legendary Trueno in Japan) on the treacherous Akino downhill.
What's so special about the 8-6? Is the racing jargon used in Initial D real? Is Sid going to survive this episode even though he doesn't like Anime?
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us some feedback! Find us online:
Derek Williams: @Naamco003
James Rodatus: @S2KJames
Sid Bridge: @SidBridgeComedy
Reels and Wheels: @ReelsandWheels
The original Ghostbusters - most will agree it's one of the greatest movies of all time. At Reels and Wheels, we love it because of Ecto-1 - a 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor conversion turned into the greatest ghost-hunting machine ever!
...and did we find the best guest EVER to discuss Ghostbusters with?! The conversation goes into overdrive as James and Sid welcome Chris Balassone, owner and founder of Tri-City Paranormal! He's the real deal - a paranormal researcher and part of the TAPS family (of Ghost Hunters fame).
What did Ghostbusters get right? What kind of headaches does the movie cause for real paranormal researchers? Just what are ghosts anyway? How many different angles are there to an investigation?
The conversation swings from scientific to religious to medical to automotive in one of the most interesting episodes we've ever recorded!
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave feedback! Find Sid @SidBridgeComedy and James @S2KJames on social media! Check out what Chris is up to at www.tricityparanormal.com - and find Chris on FaceBook or Twitter @ChrisBalassone.
Reels and Wheels continues its odd relationship with favorite director Hal Needham, talking about what in retrospect was one of his most disturbing movies - Stroker Ace!
Sid and James are joined by JG Pasterjak, comedian and writer for Grassroots Motorsports to take a look at the movie that effectively ruined Burt Reynolds' career.
So how many Ford Foxbody vehicles can you squeeze into one movie? How great was early 1980's NASCAR? How patently disturbing was this movie?
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels (@ReelsAndWheels) on iTunes or Stitcher and leave feedback! Find James (@S2KJames) and Sid (@SidBridgeComedy) on social media! Find JG Pasterjak on social media and at www.grassrootsmotorsports.com!
Why did you do this to us, Hal Needham? We loved you for Smokey and the Bandit and the Cannonball Run. But Megaforce?!
Barry Bostwick leads a team of caricatures in strange "high tech" assault vehicles to help a fictional country win a war against a fictional country. Joining us is comedian and 1980's movie aficionado, Tim Loulies.
This movie was a shining piece of Tim's childhood for kind and innocent reasons. It has a timeless message - war is awesome and nobody dies. The loser just laughs and gives the winner a big ATTABOY!
And there's a Bronco. There's always a Bronco.
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave some feedback! @ReelsandWheels @S2KJames @SidBridgeComedy
Find Tim Loulies online at www.timloulies.com and @thebig44!
Father's Day just happened, so James and Sid thought it would be fun to cover a movie that a father and son could watch together, Pixar's Cars! Joining us for the ride on this one is the host of What Are We Watching and creator of the Plaid Dad Blog, Christian Lee! To make things even more interesting, Christian is joined by his son, Carlin, who gives a kid's perspective on the movie and forces us to keep our mouths clean.
The group discusses the real and unreal characters of cars, the insane uber-geek detail of Pixar's animators, the stories behind the cars, and whether or not Larry the Cable Guy is a great comedian. Carlin is very tolerant.
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on Stitcher or iTunes and leave feedback! Follow James (@S2KJames) and Sid (@SidBridgeComedy)! Find Christian Lee on social media and at PlaidDadBlog.com where you can learn more about all of Christian's great endeavors, including What Are We Watching and his sewing (yes, sewing) show.
On this episode of Reels and Wheels, Movies and cars collide with professional wrestling! Sid and James are joined by Derek Montilla of The Steel Cafe Podcast to discuss Body Slam - a glorious masterpiece of the 1980's complete with The A-Team's Dirk Benedict, Rowdy Roddy Piper and a whole bunch of wrestling Samoans - all directed by Reels & Wheels hero Hal Needham!
As a favor to Sid, who is a huge wrestling fan with a pretty big twitter following in the wrestling community, James gets his first exposure to the world of professional wrestling and finds it surprisingly enjoyable. Helping us sort through everything is Derek Montilla, a podcaster who knows his wrestling.
If you're keeping score, Sid and Derek help James understand wrestling while James and Sid help Derek understand cars. It all makes for a really fun episode of Reels and Wheels and a loving shout out to the Twitter circus that follows Sid and Derek during wrestling shows. Enjoy!
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leaves us some feedback! Find us online, too - @SidBridgeComedy, @S2KJames, @ReelsAndWheels - and find Derek @Cap_Kaveman and his podcast, @TheSteelCage and online www.thesportskave.com - Enjoy!
Who knew mafia intrigue, large scale robbery, massive traffic jams and reckless endangerment could be so fun?! The Italian Job takes it all on with tongue planted firmly in cheek as Michael Caine uses Mini Coopers to make the most adorable getaway EVER.
Sid and James are joined by Steven Duckworth, a champion autocrosser who knows his front wheel drive cars for a fun talk about the original Italian Job and the capabilities of those little Minis.
Can Sid survive a podcast about a movie with cars so far out of his element that it's like being on a different planet? Can a front wheel drive car hang with the rear drive elite? Would you drive a car on the roof of a building if you had the opportunity?
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave some feedback! @ReelsandWheels @S2KJames @SidBridgeComedy
Rain Man was a movie based roughly on a real person that brought attention to the challenges faced by an autistic savant. An unfortunate side effect is that the character came of as silly and led to numerous misunderstandings about autism. Oh, and it's also a great road movie about a gorgeous 1949 Buick Roadmaster and its ability to create and destroy relationships.
Sid and James are joined by Kyle Phalen, a brilliant comedian who also happens to be on the autism spectrum. Kyle talks about how this movie impacted his life and speaks very frankly about the positive and negative impact of the movie.
So is Rain Man a good or bad thing? Can a car really be the driving force (pun intended) in a relationship? Why the hell does the Cadillac Cimarron keep cropping up in our podcasts?!
Enjoy Rain Man on Reels and Wheels! Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher and leaves us feedback! Find @ReelsandWheels hosts Sid @SidBridgeComedy and James @S2KJames, as well as Kyle @KylePhalen1!
Ah, the wedge! Remember when the hottest cars in the world were shaped like a wedge?! No? Remember when Roger Moore was all the rage as James Bond? No?
Sid and James are joined by Reels and Wheels Bond expert Kris Roley to talk about 007 is The Spy Who Loved Me, the movie that brought us an iconic Lotus Esprit that turned into a submarine. How awesome is that?! Many agree that Moore was the silliest actor to play James Bond, but the Lotus is highly regarded as a Bond car, second only to Sean Connery's Aston Martin.
So what's the verdict on the Lotus? What was the fate of the car from the movie? What kind of car would you turn into a submarine?
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave feedback! Follow us, too - @SidBridgeComedy, @S2KJames, @ReelsandWheels and find everything Kris Roley is up to at www.krisroley.com!
Since the dawn of Reels and Wheels, James and Sid have been the victim of a vicious curse, the "Mad Max Curse!" All attempts to record episodes about these beloved movies have met with unexpected technical difficulty, especially when it comes to The Road Warrior... but this time James and Sid stood up against fate, fought the curse head on and are proud to bring you an episode of Reels and Wheels about The Road Warrior!
This movie is glorious. It has one of the greatest villains of all time. And it has some extremely interesting vehicles.
How did James and Sid do fighting the "Mad Max Curse?" What's the deal with post-apocalyptic cars?!
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave feedback! Follow James and Sid on social media - @ReelsandWheels @S2KJames and @SidBridgeComedy and tell your friends!
This is it. This is the car chase that set the bar. This is the car chase that captured our imaginations and made us love it when two muscle cars duel to the death. This is Bullitt.
For this epic occasion, James and Sid are joined by movie stunt driver Christopher Almon, who has worked as a driver/stunt man on numerous car movies.
Do we even need to ask what makes this chase so awesome? Or about how awesome these cars are? The rest of the movie on the other hand... Well, let's just say there's some spirited debate about Steve McQueen's acting.
Listen on iTunes or Stitcher - subscribe and leave feedback! Find James online @S2KJames and find Sid @SidBridgeComedy. Learn more about Christopher Almon here: https://m.facebook.com/Topher170/
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Ridiculous. Hilarious. Outlandish. Real. The Cannonball Run wasn't the first movie about the legendary illegal cross-country race, but it was the most iconic. Penned by Car and Driver editor Brock Yates and helmed by Stunt Driver/Smokey and the Bandit director Hal Needham, The Cannonball Run is one of the happiest accidents in movie history.
James and Sid are joined by comedian Derek Williams to discuss this 1981 ensemble masterpiece that probably should have been terrible. Filmed in only a few weeks with an cast that was basically a bunch of Burt Reynolds' friends hanging out and being drunk, Needham somehow captured lightning in a bottle and set the course for 1980's pop culture.
What was the goal of this movie? What exactly was Roger Moore doing here? How did Derek learn to drive a manual? Enjoy the latest Reels and Wheels!
Subscribe on Stitcher or iTunes and leave feedback! Follow us! @ReelsAndWheels @S2KJames @SidBridgeComedy
Punk rock, drugs, 80's fashion and decaying aliens in the trunk. Only 1984's Repo Man could bring such greatness together and contain it on one screen. Joining Sid and James to help understand this complicated/insane movie is Ed Carden of The Pushers - a renowned sketch comedy group who runs The Push Comedy Theater.
Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton carry this cult classic which also happens to star a sinister 1964 Chevy Malibu with radioactive alien corpses in the truck that vaporize anyone who dares to open it and take a peek.
What was this movie really about? What other magical powers did some of the cars have? Did you know that Ed Carden used to have a Volkswagen Quantum?! Find out more on this episode of Reels and Wheels! Follow us on social media - @TheEdCarden, @ReelsandWheels, @SidBridgeComedy and @S2KJames. Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us feedback!
In the early 1970's, outlaw culture was at its height and car chase movies with jarring endings were all the rage - Like Vanishing Point and Two Lane Blacktop, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry is a chase movie with an outlaw protagonist, fueled by Detroit muscle.
James and Sid are joined by the Educated Redneck Dan Ellison, a touring comic who knows his cars and has plenty of insight about what life was like when this movie came out.
What was the true lesson of this movie? Are we supposed to root for the outlaw? And how about those cars - a sleeper Chevy Impala and a flamboyant Dodge Charger steal every scene in this movie.
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us feedback! Follow @ReelsandWheels on social media and follow Sid (@SidBridgeComedy) and James (@S2KJames), too! Find Dan Ellison at www.educatedredneck.com, @educatedredneck.
Rarely do James and Sid agree that both a movie and its cars are awesome. When it comes to Death Race 2000, both hosts give it a thumbs up and that's pretty disturbing.
Death Race 2000 is Roger Corman's masterpiece of satire - poking fun at the dumbing down of society years before Idiocracy came about. Innocent people are killed with deadpan/slapstick comic timing and characters are ridiculous/off the wall.
And then there's the cars. Customizer Dick Dean goes all out to give us some of the wildest, personality-filled and unreliable cars ever filmed.
Why is this movie so amazing? Why didn't the cars run? Why should a car be an extension of your own personality? Is this movie for real?
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes or Stitcher and leave feedback! Follow us on FaceBook and Twitter - @ReelsAndWheels, @S2KJames and @SidBridgeComedy and leave us feedback!
Quentin Tarantino never misses a detail, so the vehicular choices of the main characters in Pulp Fiction make for a pretty exciting episode of Reels and Wheels. James and Sid are joined by CB Wilkins. CB is a stand up comic, member of Plan B Improv and really knows his Tarantino.
What did the cars say about the characters? Can James talk about an Acura NSX without needing a cold shower? How far off the rails will a discussion go if the word "monocoque" gets used?
Subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes and Stitcher and leave us feedback! Follow @ReelsandWheels on Facebook and Twitter! Also find Sid - @SidBridgeComedy, James - @S2KJames, and CB - @CBWilkinsTweets and let us know what you think!