Is It Wack?: Recent Episodes
Insomniac Film Festival
OMG! We’re back! No, Nara just took forever to get this ep ready. But, WE’RE BACK and we’re talking with our friend Avalon about their debut film HONEYCOMB and TARNATION, a documentary they bought at value village once. Sorry Avalon and Seb for being slow on this one <3
Tarnation CW: Use of hard drugs, discussions of abuse (various sorts unfortunately), candid discussion of mental health
Ethan Eng joins us to discuss 1) a film he directed (Therapy Dogs) and 2) a film he’s been trying to get people to watch for years (Timeless Bottomless Bad Movie). Well… Ethan got Nara and Adam to watch it! And they’re ready to discuss!
CW for Timeless Bottomless Bad Movie: self harm, sexual abuse, police brutality
Seb, Adam, Hannah, Funké, and Nara take a brief look back on the show that was and give an update on the future of Is It Wack. Plus, a clip show of Is It Wack highlights!!
Horror superfan Misha Sofia joins Funké and Seb to discuss the 1989 Japanese sci-fi classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man. As Seb and Funké struggle to wrap their heads around the basics of the story, they discover unorthodox production methods, thematic questions, and that Misha loves Goblin.
“Regular guy in the neighborhood” Daniel Rahbary welcomes the team to Central Asia, for a look at the adrenaline pumping (?) remake, 2002’s Rollerball. From there, Nara, Adam, Seb and Daniel discuss action, editing, and the fascinating fall of director John McTiernan.
Hannah speeds into this weeks episode with a speedy surprise: a mature and leisurely paced high school classic. Funké and Seb join the discussion to unpack the power of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Amy Heckerling, and Spicoli.
Collab alert!! Evie and Emjay, of ponyHAUS, join the team to discuss the Jason Statham trashterpiece, Crank!! Listen to the banger episode and follow @ponyhaus (or @insomniacfest) for more info about another upcoming collaboration!! Exclamation points!!!!!
Insomniac filmmaker (and star) Max Jordison speeds his way into the Wackhundred Miles Per Hour Miniseries with the outlaw classic; Smokey and the Bandit. Adam improvises some country music and Seb practices some hyperbole.
Special guest Noah Gehman has a need… a need for speed. And he’s helping the team kick off their new miniseries: Wackhundred Miles Per Hour!! Nara, Adam and Seb join Noah for a detailed discussion of Micheal Shannon, bike chase photography, and urban food logs.
To cap off our “Wack Into the Club at a Party” miniseries, Adam, Seb and Hannah take an extra brief, and extra hot, look at the definitive (?) party music video.
Get out your windex and treat yourself to a brand new episode discussing Nia Vardalos’ runaway hit: My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
It’s a family dinner party as Seb welcomes in Cousin Rosie who welcomes in Mike Nichols and Elaine May’s tale of welcoming in when you’re not welcome. It’s The Birdcage, of course!
For the next episode of our “Wack Into the Club at a Party” miniseries, Funké pours a gallon of pig’s blood on their co-hosts, with the DePalma directed Stephen King horror classic.
Hannah and Seb team up for a surprisingly civil episode about the vulgar coming of age classic Superbad. The fuck-it two-hosts explore how the movie has aged, it’s flawless casting choices, and their own reign as king and queen of the school.
It’s cinema’s night of nights! All the stars are here: Seb, Nara, and Adam! And they’re putting all their Oscar predictions on the record, regardless of what year the award was given out.
Stop playing your silly games and join the team for a discussion of Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, the second episode of his Small Axe Miniseries. Come for a thoughtful discussion of a quiet masterwork, stay for a loud argument about words.
Eat this, dorkwads! The team reaches maximum Nara with Gregg Araki’s teenage apocalypse flick “Nowhere”. Join the never before teamed trio of Nara, Funké and Seb, as they discuss bugs, music and Scott Caan.
Content Warning: In this episode, we discuss the portrayal of sexual assault, suicide and drug abuse in the film.
Aram & Kelly of Backstory Podcast and Reel Asian Film Festival join the Insomniac team for a bikini beach party. Also present, but not really, Elvis Presley! Adam, Funké and Seb join Kelly & Aram to investigate power boats, jammies, and the cultural black hole that Elvis movies seem to have fallen into.
Yo Joe? More like: no thanks! Seb ill-advisedly puts Adam and Nara through the early-Channing masterwork: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The team talks about it for a while, then pivots to The Black Eyed Peas.
Insomniac host and TV TallBoy Tim Blair joins the gang for a look back at 1998’s Small Soldiers. As Hannah, Funké, Adam, Seb, and Tim dissemble this family movie masterwork, they end up discussing toys, Dunst, and military propaganda.
Nara assembles her own personal rat pack (Hannah, Funké, Adam), to rob a casino… again. That’s right, we’re covering everyone’s favourite Ocean’s movie, Ocean’s Thirteen!!
“It’s a me, Nario!” - Nara.
Nara says her famous catchphrase and begins our episode on Super Mario Bros, a movie she didn’t even pick. Adam makes the case for the famous box office bob-omb, and Seb vows to chuck his smartphone in a river.
Special guest and Insomniac co-founder Luc Mandl takes Seb and Adam on a journey through one of his favourite video games: Super Smash Bros. Melee. Specifically, the trio cover the four hour plus (!) Youtube documentary, The Smash Brothers, which Adam and Luc claim is better than Ken Burns.
CW: brief discussion of sexual abuse from around 33:00-43:00
It’s our scariest episode yet as Funké leads the team down the evil corridors of Dario Argento’s Phenomena. But that’s not all: a history of point-and-click adventure games, a discussion on the ethics of shock, and a monkey giving Seb a close shave. Check it out!!
For the second part of our “Wack in the Box” miniseries on toys and games, Adam, Funké and Nara are joined by longtime listener first-time caller David Silva. Can David and the team decode what exactly is going on in Digimon: The Movie? Can they untangle the mysteries of the Garfield Restaurant? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
Are you a podcaster, or a listener? Find out with the first episode of our “Wack in the Box” mini-series. Hannah invites Funké, Adam & Seb into a frightening world full of dares, stunts, and Machine Gun Kelly. Listen to this episode, if you have the NERVE!!!
The fuck-it-five-hosts drop in to say “hello fantas!” and take a walk through the year that was 2020. Together, they count down the best movies, TV, drinks, kitchens, and pop culture moments that the past 12 months had to offer.
In another lost episode from the beforetimes, Hannah speaks in hushed tones about a cruel conspiracy to control the fate of popular music. From the film’s great soundtrack to it’s pitch perfect villain, no aspect of 2001’s Josie and the Pussycats is left unexplored.
Guest of honour and Is It Wack superfan isi bhakhomen guests for the first time on a very special episode of Is It Wack. Nara, Hannah, Seb and Adam join isi for a look at Dolly Parton’s fractured fairytale: Christmas on the Square. Is Christine Baranski the best Hollywood Chris? Can priests get married? Is Dolly Parton evil? All these questions and more are answered this week.
Gomez, Funké, Morticia, Adam, Wednesday, Seb, Pugsley, Cousin Zoe, the gangs all here! And we’re all very excited to discuss a most Wack sequel, Barry Sonnenfeld’s Addams Family Values! Seb’s Cousin Zoe (and her boyfriend Adam) join us for an in-depth analysis of horny Uncle Fester, movie theme songs, and the Munsters.
They sleep odd hours, hang out in packs, and never talk to anybody. You know what they are, say it! “Podcast Hosts”.
Hannah drags Stephenie Meyer’s paranormal teen romance into the light and makes the case for Kristin Stewart as the best Hollywood Kris.
It’s hard to believe, but this is the 50th episode of Is It Wack. The fuck it five hosts take a stroll down memory lane, but end up strolling way too far. Arriving, much like the titular train, at La Ciotat Station, circa 1896. What follows is an in-depth discussion of cinema, trains, and Hannah’s shaky grasp of history. Also featuring a special mailbag segment from past guest Ryan!
Continuing our Chris it Wack series, the fuck-it-five-hosts discuss the defining work of Chris Rock’s career, Grown Ups 2. Plus, a tour through the finest jokes in the movie, heated commentary on Adam Sandler’s sexism, and a roll call of the 200 famous faces who appear in this film.
Seb, Funké and Hannah get their minds freaked when Adam unveils his newest illusion: a TV special he is pretending is a movie. The team takes a deep dive (longer than the actual special) into Criss Angel as entertainer, magician, and religious figure.
The easiest episode title of all time is provided by Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman’s existential screenwriting comedy, Adaptation. Seb makes the case for one of the least weird movies Nara has ever seen, and for the great Chris Cooper.
Nara skates in with the odd skateboarding/revenge flick Gleaming the Cube. The fuck-it-five-hosts discuss the film’s bizarre title, weird subject matter, and begin their new miniseries “Chris It Wack”.
What’s this? A lost episode??? Recorded in the beforetimes as the beginning of a scrapped Conspiracy Films mini-series, Seb untangles a web of intrigue to arrive at a terrible truth: no one else likes this movie.
On this very special episode, Nara interviews director Amanda Kramer about her claustrophobic coming of age film, Ladyworld. Adam and Seb join for a post interview discussion about isolation, identity, and the stupidest we’ve ever been.
Adam takes the team on a trip to Bad City, with Ana Lily Amirpour’s 2014 Festival hit, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Is the film a comment on changing Iranian culture, a condemnation on American interventionism, or a revisionist feminist western? Tune in to find out. Plus, the first ever Is It Wack? Halftime Handoff.
Special guest Khanh invites Adam, Funké and Seb to ponder Kevin Smith’s divisive midnight movie, Tusk. What follows is a tense discussion on the career of Kevin Smith and the importance of Justin Long. Grab your favourite Walrus and take a listen.
Special Guest Ryan Al-Hage acts as a medium between the team and Olivier Assayas’ melancholy ghost story, Personal Shopper. Is this a horror film? Is Kristin Stewart a good actor? Who produced Ghostbusters? All of this and more answered in this very episode.
An entirely more positive episode about Wes Craven’s 90’s horror classic. Hannah assembles some of today’s hottest young heartthrobs to discuss the central question: do you like scary movies?
Funké looks into the mirror and invokes Bernard Rose’s horror cult classic. In the second episode of our Hallowack series, Adam, Funké and Nara discuss the film’s relative merits, while Hannah and Seb are banished to podcast jail.
Seb refuses to shut up about Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s 2014 slasher-thriller oddity, The Guest. Enjoy the return of the fuckitfivehosts, as they discuss their own belaboured intros, and a film full of what Hannah calls “clever violence”.
Hannah, Nara, Funké and Adam tackle a most excellent threequel with 2020’s Bill and Ted Face the Music. Plus: the conclusion of our “Wack to the Future” series, and the bequeathing of the Golden Time Machine.
In the penultimate episode of our Wack to the Future series, Nara nominates Lizzie Borden’s radical mocumentary Born in Flames. Are Adam, Hannah and Seb equipped to discuss the film’s heady politics, or are they just a bunch of Wackademics? Tune in to find out.
On this episode, Special Guest Fergus Moore asks the team if they want to Do the Dune. Do they Do they Dune? Dune in to find out! Du-ne-finity… and beyond!
Hannah asks the team if Mike Judge’s cult comedy Idiocracy has aged well or proved prophetic. What do they think? Duh… I dunno, I’m stoopid.
Funké subjects the team to Andrew Niccol’s early 2000’s satire (?) S1m0ne. Can Adam, Hannah, Seb and Funké get to the heart of why Al Pacino is dating his big computer??
For the third film in our Wack to The Future series, Adam presents us with Alita: Battle Angel, or as Hannah calls it, Do Androids Dream of Electric Boobs? Join the fuck-it-five-hosts as they wrestle with Alita’s portrayal of a class-conscious, post-racial utopia.
A movie so wack one of our co-hosts couldn’t even finish it, this week the (rapidly shrinking) team take on Richard Kelly’s operatic apocalypse movie, Southland Tales.
Is this Bill & Ted sequel better than the original? What exactly is a Melvin? Will Adam and Seb’s friendship ever recover? The answers to all these questions and more in Is It Wack’s tensest episode yet.
Nara leads our merry band of misfits on a time hopping journey to 80’s California and beyond. One that reminds us to be Wacksellent to each other, and to party on dudes!!!!
The most wackest thing in this life…is the people in this room. Nara and special guest Luca D’A salute their familia with a deep dive into the fastest, fiveiest movie in the Fast and Furious Franchise.
Hannah brings together the nobody, the mean girl, the hacker, and the vegan slut to discuss the mid-2000’s classic (?) John Tucker Must Die. Did the filmmakers John the ranks of the all-time great high school films? Or did they Tuck it up?
Seb forces the five-host team to watch the adventures of Baldy, Blondie, Greedy, Whiny, Daddy, Sleepy, and Creepy, aka The Magnificent Seven (1960)!!! White saviors? More like Wack Saviors.
Adam invites you to a special concert with one of the greatest lineups of all time: Funké, Hannah and Seb! In addition to the 2005 documentary/concert film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, we also discuss Chappelle’s new special 8:46.
Funké tags in Nara, Adam, & Seb to discuss the ensemble comedy Tag. But can they call no tag backs? Or will they get the cheese touch???
Special guest Aman Bhatti takes us to the city of angels for the final film in our isitwack.net series, Ingrid Goest West. Listen as Aman, Funké, Hannah and Seb fawn over Ice Cube Jr for over an hour.
You’ve got mail! But do you want to open it? Your browser is unable to scan the contents. They could be…wack.
Me when my friend Robert asks me if I want to listen to is it wack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUdkM70GNko
Seb’s voice finally changes in an episode that pits the team against a nightmarish cinematic offering best described like this <!--3
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Nara blasts the team into cyberspace for the first episode ever recorded exclusively on floppy disk. Join us for the beginning of our new series, isitwack.net!
Funké presents us with Peter Weir’s existentialist classic, as we say good afternoon, good evening and good night to our One Location Series.
Those we do not speak of (Adam, Hannah, Nara, Funké & Seb) discuss M. Night Shyamalan’s 2004 thriller. But what lies in the forest beyond the village? Can you hear it? It’s wackness.
It’s Superman vs Alfred in this twisty tale that served as inspiration for Knives Out. The perfect continuation of our one-location film series? Or just a big pile of Wack?
Nara drops this 90’s cult classic on the team, but maybe the real Empire Record was the friends we made along the way. CW: if you would like to skip the brief discussions of self-harm, they take place from 35:30-36:00 and 1:00:30-1:00:53.
The Nerd. The Burnout. The Freak. The Princess. They’re all here, and they’re talking about some movie…breakfast something?
Adam throws down Stephen Chow’s weird and wild martial arts cooking parody, but is he the Gordon Ramsey of Wackness? Or just the Fieri?
Hannah takes the team on a trip to the supermarket for a viewing of Sausage Party. Too bad every aisle is stocked full of wackness.
The gang investigates a very french dinner for schmucks. But who is the bigger schmuck, the filmmakers, or Seb?
The crew are joined once again by the TIFF Next Wave committee to discuss Edgar Wright’s action movie musical Baby Driver. Was this Baby wack, or a tasty snack? Listen now to find out.
The first episode of our series with TIFF Next Wave. This week we discover a whole new world of Spice.
Do you recall, the most famous Arnold of all? The gang takes a deep dive into this 90’s sci-fi classic.
This week we tackle the ultra dark 50’s thriller Cape Fear. Is this horrifying tale of violence and woe Wack? Is that term even appropriate in this context? Tune in to find out!
This week we discuss the flagship work of Pepsi Productions, basketball comedy Uncle Drew. Was this movie a wack slam dunk? Listen and find out.
What could be wacker than an experimental film co-written by Jack Nicholson and starring the Monkees? Listen to our second episode to find out!
On our first episode, Hannah nominates Harmony Korine’s controversial party movie Spring Breakers (2012). How Wack did we find it? What does that even mean? Listen below to find out!