Tsai Five Podcast: Recent Episodes
Matthew Tsai
Welcome to the Tsai Five Podcast, where Matthew critically reviews movies and Isabella absent-mindedly talks about who was funny and who wasn't. Matthew's episodes drop each Monday and the joint reviews go up every other Friday!
Dreams are fun. Time capsules are even more fun! Lillian, Meilynn, and Matthew talk about why you should start a dream journal.
Saying no to good things is good. But saying no to good things can be bad. But saying yes to good things can be bad. And saying yes to good things can be good. It's all just really confusing, but we're talking about juggling different aspects of life in the most God-glorifying ways, and today, Josiah, Noemi, and Matthew try to make sense of it all.
"I Have a Question is Back!" Mia, Cris, and Matthew discuss the importance of community and creating it for others to enjoy the fellowship of Christ!
We'reeeeee back... Today, we pick apart the costumes, the feminism, the Kens, the dances, and of course, the Barbies.
No one asked for it, but we're back with another casual podcast! What's your favorite Paparia?
Sorry for some tragic audio, Matthew chose the absolute worst place to record a podcast. But this podcast is on the art of listening and hearing others! Enjoy listening to this crackly audio.
queue intro strumming of "So Good to Me" This episode, we're talking about leading worship with Justin Santos, musician extraordinaire.
There's the almighty, perfect, good God, and we get to talk to Him whenever we want. Prayer is power. Today, Kaleo and Matthew discuss a personal relationship with Jesus and talking with our Father.
A pastor is called to ministry. A wife chooses to team up in that calling. And LOL then there's the kids that didn't sign up for this rollercoaster ride. That's what Kaleb, Grace, and Matthew discuss today: being pastor's kids!
Moving day hits different! Today, Izabella and Mia come onto the pod to discuss the social, physical, emotional ramifications of moving around as a child. Together, we look back on how God has moved through our moves across the globe, nation, and city.
The Tsai Five Podcast's biggest fan finally joins Matthew on an episode! Matthew and Faith talk about USC Christian Challenge and Pepperdine KCM and what it's like living for Christ on a college campus.
I will not lie... I do not remember what this episode is about! But... it's been two years since we've started the Tsai Five Podcast! Today, we look back on 87 episodes of pure entertainment.
It's such a delicate balance and fulfilling calling! Allison, Jenn, and Matthew talk about staying encouraged, teaching about Jesus, and preventing scissor deaths.
This week, Samuel is on the podcast to talk about the art of asking questions. Discussion topics: manipulation, follow-ups, and vulnerability.
Today, we have four "only siblings" on the pod! We talk about sibling dynamics, reflecting God well, and sharing the same blood!
Three USC Trojans come together to reminisce about being South Pasadena Tigers! Jared, Evan, and Matthew talk about the small-town vibe, best farmer's market tents, and more!
This week, Nick and Matthew discuss mental spirals, insecurities, and vulnerabilities, as well as study habits, ordering from a menu, and platonic relationships. Welcome to the random messes of their brains.
Tubs of lemonade! Falling shelves! Crazy mohawks! We promise that this episode has a topic.
Remember Lover Boy from the early days of the Tsai Five Podcast? He finally comes to spill the beans on the Four Corners. Today, Matthew and Dustin talk about crushes, long-distance advice, and stupid things in eighth grade.
In this episode, Matthew talks with his mom, Andrea Tsai, about motherhood. They talk about the dreaded empty nest, parental advice, motherly sacrifice, and more on this episode of "I Have a Question!"
Thor is the first MCU character to get a fourth solo film, and it's definitely... something. Join us as we talk about insane logistical stupidities, Taika Waititi's humor, and the Asguardians of the Galaxy.
Isabella: 49
Matthew: 48
Two of Matthew’s college homies hop on the pod to talk about the relationship between confidence and comfort and how God has become the central provider of both.
We have a new series: "I Have a Question!" Today, Matthew sits down with Elijah Ding to talk about their differing college experiences, best school food, making friends, roommate stories, and fraternities.
We are back!! This time, we're just doing a casual podcast... no movie, no Rotten Tomatoes game, and no ratings! Just the two of us talking. Call it a comeback :)
We're back with more MCU content. This time, it's Moon Knight, a series about dissociative identity disorder, based on the real life events of Obadiah Tsai :) We break down the entire season, try to find a name for our classic game, and talk about other issues that Marvel is currently facing.
Season:
Isabella: 48
Matthew: 72
Matthew's Episode Ratings:
Ep. 1: 80
Ep. 2: 74
Ep. 3: 53
Ep. 4: 50
Ep. 5: 85
Ep. 6: 67
Happy Mother's Day! It's our long-awaited return, and today we talk about moms, Americas, witches, and more!
Isabella: 71
Matthew: 59
We're finally getting around to reviewing our most requested movie: Wind River! Nah, kidding, we just watched this because Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch are here. Fair warning though, this is a graphic and mature rated R movie.
Isabella: 68
Matthew: 81
Hailee Steinfeld is in this and the action is cool and that's about it. Let's walk through this Transformers movie together. Apparently it's supposed to be one of the good ones, so we don't wanna know what the others look like.
Isabella: 48
Matthew: 54
Today, Matthew's reviewing Marvel Studios' "least movie" movie, Avengers: Infinity War. Discussion topics: terrible CGI, useless high school newspapers, interesting wig choices, and how the Russo brothers squandered the Hulk.
Matthew's Rating: 95
"If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?" Come join Matthew as he ponders free will, the meaning of life, time, and the illusion of control that we all believe we have.
Matthew's Rating: 98
¡No me gusta! ¡No me gusta! Today, we're reviewing the latest Disney Animation movie, Encanto, a movie that follows Maribel or Mirabel. We don't know which one it is.
Isabella: 58
Matthew: 75
Wow, if I had a nickel for every time I was farted with my Zoom unmuted, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right? Today's movie is a spinoff of one of the best kid shows of all time, so, Isabella, I know what we're gonna do today.
There's the Rock! There's Alan Tudyk! And there's Troy Polamalu! And surprise, surprise, the best part of this movie is Jemaine Clement's Tamatoa. Today, Matthew reviews 2016's Moana and talks about his rewrite video process.
Matthew's Rating: 74
We freaking love fingerling potatoes. Come for the star-studded cast, stay for Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill playing the Trump family, and leave because Jennifer Lawrence's wig is quite... well, let's just say you don't wanna look up at that.
Isabella: 57
Matthew: 66
Citizens of the Valley of Peace, it is my great honor to present to you: Tigress! Viper! Crane! Monkey! Mantis! Tai Lung! The Seething Six! This is obviously from a leaked first draft of Kung Fu Panda, one of the greatest animated movies ever made! Matthew discusses the illusion of control, peaches, and of course, Jack Black's tenders.
Matthew's Rating: 98
Eat shirt, eat shirt, eat shirt. Definitely eat shirt. This movie has more twists than the small intestine, and Matthew breaks it all down. Not as much gushing this time — he does have some criticisms — but Knives Out is great! Also, he discusses the 2022 movie calendar and his thoughts on major upcoming movies and projects.
Matthew's Rating: 96
Every time someone asks Matthew what his favorite movie is, they're extremely lost when he says, "Short Term 12." Well, now there's no reason to be confused. Here's an episode of Matthew gushing over how good this movie is and why Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is such a huge disappointment.
Matthew's Rating: 100
Welcome to the inaugural Tobys! We are the Academy of Marvel Studios Arts and Sciences (AMSAS), a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of Marvel Studios projects. As of December 2021, the organization was estimated to consist of around 2 qualified idiots. The Academy is an international organization and membership is open to unqualified bingers around the world. The Academy is known around the world for its annual MCU Superlative Awards, now officially and popularly known as "The Tobys." Best Picture: Spider-Man: No Way Home Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision Best Actor: Tom Holland, Spider-Man: No Way Home Best Supporting Actor: Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man: No Way Home Best Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh, Black Widow Most Feeling the Feels: "Kate Translates the Phone Call," Hawkeye Best Chemistry: Peter 1, Peter 2, & Peter 3, Spider-Man: No Way Home Best Action: Spider-Man: No Way Home Best Villain: Agatha Harkness, WandaVision Favorite Newcomer: Yelena Belova, Black Widow Best Fight Scene: 3 Spideys v. Sinister Five, Spider-Man: No Way Home Most Improved Character: Loki, Loki Most Surprising Project: WandaVision Funniest Comic Relief: Kate Bishop, Hawkeye Best Post-Credit Scene: "Wanda Hears the Twins," WandaVision Best Costume: Scarlet Witch, WandaVision The winners were decided by a relative majority, with the people's vote holding 70% weight, Isabella's 15%, and Matthew's 15%.
Hawkeye is over, and so is Matthew's happiness. BUT... this time we actually have some criticisms about this show, so grab your eggnog and tune in!
Ep. 6:
Isabella: 77
Matthew: 82
Season:
Isabella: 86
Matthew: 85
You already know we love Hawkeye, so TLDR: Hailee Steinfeld is a national treasure, Clint Barton is our favorite, and [redacted, spoiler] is amazing.
Ep. 4:
Isabella: 97
Matthew: 88
Ep. 5:
Isabella: 94
Matthew: 89
This is a spoiler review of Spider-Man: No Way Home! Go watch it before you get it spoiled for you!!
Isabella: 91
Matthew: 76
It's only a matter of time... until Andrew Garfield is showered with awards for this Lin Manuel-Miranda-directed movie. Also, Netflix's Christmas darling Vanessa Hudgens is in this, too!
Isabella: 78
Matthew: 80
We take a pause on the reviews to create the definitive movie review rubric.
Isabella (all equal weight): LOL, Feeling the Feels, How Much Longer, Satisfying Ending, Acting, Personal Bias, Rewatchability, Visuals, Originality/Plot/Story, Better/Worse/Same as Expectations
Matthew: Story (30%), Direction (15%), Acting/Characters (15%), Plot (15%), Technical (10%), Entertainment (5%), Personal Bias (10%)
The first episode of the Tsai Five Podcast where it's just Matthew. Yeah, Hawkeye was that good that he wanted to talk about it himself.
Matthew: 94
Take four of Marvel Studios trying to make a good season of television! Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld give us hope that they can.
Ep. 1
Isabella: 77
Matthew: 81
Ep. 2
Isabella: 83
Matthew: 87
Black Adam, Deadpool, and Wonder Woman assemble to create your average Netflix flick. Also, lift with your neck.
Isabella: 50
Matthew: 65
Certain events in this movie make the PhotoShop posters on our Instagram seem really weird now... But who cares? We assemble some of Tsai Five Podcast's greatest guests in this Avengers-level episode as we talk about another superhero team that's not quite as cool: Eternals.
Isabella: 80
Andrea: 80
David: 70
Matthew: 71
Dune fans are rejoicing! Zendaya fans are mourning! Everyone else is staying tuned until 2023 when the second half of this movie is released! Here's our review of the latest Denis Villeneuve movie.
David: 86
Matthew: 81
Oh shoot! That's an old one! Today, our mom is on the show instead of Isabella, and we talk about her newest favorite movie.
Mom: 74
Matthew: 79
"Let me tell you a story. Of a man. Bond. James Bond." Who??? Today we review Daniel Craig's final outing as 007.
Hello, it's player 27 and player 180. We're reviewing the first episode of Squid Game! Isabella: 78 Matthew: 84
Wow, this one's a doozy. Highly recommend, but we are both still pretty puzzled after watching this one.
Isabella: 83
Matthew: 83
Sources:
u/AgraP, u/fupa16, and some unknown users on IMDb! For some more interesting thoughts, go to https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/5exedm/official_discussion_nocturnal_animals_spoilers/
The director of the best movie of all time, Short Term 12, and some lame stock image model guy team up to bring us the first Asian-led Marvel movie! We talk about our spoiler thoughts in today's episode!
Isabella: 72
Matthew: 63
Watch this movie and come listen to our thoughts, and it's very good, and we really like it, and it's complicated, and simple. Also... we need to watch out for run-on sentences.
Isabella: 89
Matthew: 90
Never apologize for an effective kill circle. We're reviewing the second installment of our father's favorite movie franchise!
Isabella: 72
Matthew: 78
Grab your "chips and salso long high school" and "salame being your father was the greatest honor of my life," kick back, and relax while we review Booksmart, the raunchy coming-of-age film that's filled with sex jokes and awkward situations.
Isabella: 75
Matthew: 89
We return from the unofficial hiatus because we couldn't resist talking about our favorite thing... Michael Rooker! Kidding, here's our spoiler review for The Suicide Squad and Vivo.
The Suicide Squad (at 2:36)
Isabella: 88
Matthew: 84
Vivo (at 37:31)
Isabella: 90
Matthew: 75
It was fun... Just like Black Widow, this review of the 24th MCU film is a bit late. Spoiler-free section at the beginning and full spoilers about 20 minutes in!
Isabella: 80
Matthew: 75
Matthew is very stupid. Also, we have a sponsor!!! This episode is brought to you by the "Bludgeoning Matthew Tsai" Cult :)
After exerting our nefariously evil agenda on South Pasadena residents' FaceBook pages through Tiger Newspaper for the last five years, we have still not learned how to write a succinct, easy-to-read sentence.
We have a somewhat real talk today! Also, it's literally just Isabella speaking for most of the episode!
We talk about our extremely depressing lack of friends, and Isabella teases her first single.
Pepperdine class of 2025? Matthew has a mental breakdown? Isabella's transferring to San Diego State?
Today we discuss celebrities, social media, social anxiety, and why we're both so awkward.
We complain about high school! Also, now everyone wants to see Isabella bop up and down.
Special guests Travis and Nicole are on the show! Today, we talk candidly about our heroin addictions and how Disney is pretty cool.
WARNING: This episode contains full WandaVision spoilers three minutes in. But more importantly, we introduce our new theme music today, courtesy of our cousin and future Grammy winner, Lucas!
So... let's think about the way we think of things! Today, we talk about approaching tests and essays, watching movies, and inner monologues.
Isabella and Matthew discuss half genocides vs. full genocides, the upcoming Loki Disney+ show, and why Thor: Ragnarok sucks.
The Tsai Five Podcast has guests, our cousins: Elijah, Lucas, and Jon! On this special episode, we talk about favorite memories, who's getting married last, and what it's like growing up with close-aged cousins.
Hey, showrunners! If you could cast Auli'i Cravalho, Selena Gomez, and Vanessa Hudgens as Matthew's love square, that'd be greatly appreciated.
WandaVision spoilers about 25 minutes in, but we know that no one gets that far, so it's all good.
We have a little Marvel Would You Rather? this episode in honor of WandaVision! Spoiler: Isabella dies in every hypothetical question.
Welcome to Season 2 of the Tsai Five Podcast! Don't come into our house windows, or Isabella will jab your forehead with her stick.
Please excuse the lousy sound editing. It was Isabella's first time. She's still figuring some things out.
If you can't fart after taking the COVID vaccine, there's a problem. Also, Isabella and our dad are scientific proof of human cloning. So that's pretty cool.
Farting is good. Saying "Bless you!" is bad. We talk about pet peeves and normalizing some stigmatized things in episode 7.
Chinese school is terrible, we try to be nice to each other, and Isabella is a poet today!
So... apparently Isabella's an ugly crier, chickens are asexual animals, dirty toilets are lame, and Matthew's the ultimate matchmaker?
Yup, we were those lame kids that didn't dress up for Halloween. On this episode, we talk about favorite holidays and fruits!
Birthdays, hepatitis, little kid dreams, and more! Also, Matthew is a bird killer and Isabella is a five-star volleyball player.
On this episode, we talk about family vacations, haircuts, Dwayne Johnson's muscles, cereal brands, and how beautiful the name Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Tsai sounds.
On the first episode of "Tsai Five," we talk Percy Jackson, Disney princesses, and embarrassing misconceptions.