Load Bearing Beams

Roseanne Barr is now known as a reactionary cancel-culture warrior, but she was once a beloved comedian and champion of working-class politics. What exactly happened? And, in the middle of her rocketship ride to the moon of superstardom, she co-starred in a movie with Meryl Streep! What?! And the movie is really good???? Laci and Matt tell the story of She-Devil (1989), director Susan Seidelman's black comedy that pits Barr against Streep and Ed Begley Jr., with Barr as an avenging angel for neglected and forgotten women everywhere. It's a very funny and poignant comedy that critics largely dismissed at the time. Especially British critics, who compared it unfavorably to the 1986 BBC miniseries adaptation of The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. That's right, this all starts with a seminal work of feminist literature by author Fay Weldon. We also tell that story, including her 2017 legacy sequel to She-Devil and her sad eventual evolution into a TERF. Then, we dive into She-Devil the film, heaping endless praise

We often say it's a miracle any movie gets made, but some movies are actual miracles. Groundhog Day (1993) is a perfect example of this, because its three primary creative voices (director Harold Ramis, writer Danny Rubin, and star Bill Murray) were each pulling in different, conflicting directions throughout the movie's production. Somehow, all that dissension led to a perfect object of a film, a hilarious comedy that gets at huge philosophical questions, but not in an annoying way. And it's also a sweet and lovely little romantic comedy... so why did it ruin the decades-long friendship between Ramis and Murray? Plus: Learn all about actual Groundhog Day!    Time stamps: 00:02:40 — History segment: The actual Groundhog Day holiday; screenwriter Danny Rubin writes Groundhog Day on spec and then re-lives his movie for the rest of his life; the intertwining careers of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, as well as their falling out and eventual reconciliation 00:56:06 — Movie discussion 01:50:00 — Final thoughts &am

1-Week Rental is launching a brand-new spin-off, a monthly podcast hosted by Matt and Wade Hymel going through the James Bond franchise, one movie at a time! Introducing PodJob: A James Bond Podcast.  1-Week Rental returns next week (January 30, 2026) with an episode about Groundhog Day (1993).  Subscribe to PodJob: A James Bond Podcast:  Apple Podcast | https://bit.ly/4jRL2K1  Spotify | https://bit.ly/4a8jM6E  YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@PodJob007    They really had it figured out right away—the look, the sound, the feel of James Bond. Sean Connery just walking through the airport and collecting his luggage is the coolest human being you've ever seen. Bond dusting his attache case with talcum powder and putting a hair between his doors is exhilarating. Quarrel and Honey Rider are all-time great Pals of Bond. Unfortunately, the titular Doctor No, M.D., is kind of a let-down after all the exciting build-up. Still, the first Bond film is one of the all-time best.   Time stamps: 00:02:28 — Our historie

Matt brings Laci into the glorious world of Gerard Butler, who is single-handedly trying to save American movies by making throwback '90s-feeling thrillers that are actually playing in movie theaters. The best of these is Den of Thieves, a wonderful heist movie from 2018 in which the cops who chase the bad guys are maybe less honorable than the bad guys themselves, if you can believe it.   Time stamps: 00:09:30 — History segment: Career overview of Gerard Butler; production and reception of Den of Thieves 00:36:15 — Movie discussion 01:42:55 — Final thoughts & star ratings   Sources: "Christian Gudegast Interview: Den of Thieves" by Alex Leadbeater | ScreenRant (2018) - https://bit.ly/4aJ75zZ  "Gerard Butler Talks 'Den Of Thieves,' Box Office And The $13K Paycheck That Changed It All" by Simon Thompson | Forbes (2018) - https://bit.ly/4q4WKTB  "I Think I Love Gerard Butler" by Bilge Ebiri | Vulture (2019) - https://bit.ly/4pupnJJ  "The Ordinary-Guy Action Movie Lives On, Thanks to Gerard Butler" by Bil

Jordan Peele's modern horror-comedy classic Get Out (2017) is the subject of this bonus episode to tide you over while Laci and Matt take the week off. This discussion originally aired on our Patreon, one year ago. But here it is for the first time ever on the free feed!  The show shall return in one week with a brand-new episode about Den of Thieves (2018)! 

Matt and Laci go through the The Shining, probably the best English-language horror movie ever made. Is it the story of a man's battle with alcoholism, a complicated metaphor for the American ruling class's many sins, or is it just a simple haunted house story? What if I told you… yes? The Shining started life as Stephen King's third novel. It was a very personal novel for King, inspired by his own life and his struggles with alcoholism and fatherhood. It's understandable that he wouldn't like Kubrick not centering those issues in his film, but Kubrick saw something completely different in The Shining. The podcast tracks the history of their very public disagreement and King's criticisms of the film. The Shining's production was shrouded in secrecy and mystery. The cast and crew filmed in England for more than a year, and while Shelley Duvall was open in the press about the difficulty of the assignment, she never thought Kubrick treated her unfairly or unprofessionally, and she always pushed back whenever any

Laci and Matt are joined by their friends AJ and Kristie from the In Love With Horror podcast to go through the history of the modern Christmas classic Elf (2003).   First, the podcast goes through the history of the movie, starting as a spec script in the '90s with Jim Carrey vaguely attached. It entered development hell for years before being revived with Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau, before ultimately becoming the classic it is today... one that you just know Warner Bros is threatening to turn into a cinematic universe at any second. Time stamps: 0:00 — Episode opening 4:30 — History segment: Screenwriter David Berenbaum originates Elf in the '90s; Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau come aboard; working with James Caan; reception, legacy, and potential sequel 32:00 — Movie discussion 1:39:28 — Final thoughts & star ratings   Sources: "'Elf' Turns 15: Behind the Scenes of Making the Will Ferrell Holiday Classic" by Rebecca Rubin | Variety (2018) https://bit.ly/49ShOYF "Elf: Meet the man behind the movie" b

Content warning: We talk about child abuse as part of our discussion of both the 1980s "Satanic Panic" craze in the history section, and extensively in the discussion of the movie itself. Laci and Matt hop on their bicycles and rush home in time to see American Bandstand on the TV set while scarfing down mayonnaise sandwiches and whole milk. That's right, we're talking It! No, not the hit movie from 2017, but the made-for-TV miniseries from 1990 that traumatized a generation. Next week (Dec. 19, 2025): The lovely AJ and Kristie from In Love With Horror return to the show to meet us at the North Pole for a discussion of the Christmas classic Elf (2003)!    Time stamps: 00:02:42 — History segment: Quentin Tarantino's dumb critique of Stephen King for not originating the "fear monster" idea; the Satanic Panic of the 1980s; the origins of It; development of It for TV; reception and legacy of the TV movie; the "child orgy" scene from the book, explained 00:39:08 — Movie discussion  02:22:36 — Final thoughts and s

Laci, Matt, and returning guest Cinematic Joshua pay a visit to The Cabin In The Woods, where things are not quite as they seem. We get the feeling somebody's watching us, and pumping chemicals into our scalps to make us stupider and hornier than we usually are, and suddenly we're tossing around the old pigskin and vroom-vrooming on our dirtbikes. What's going on????  Next week (Dec. 12, 2025): We revisit Derry, Maine by talking about Stephen King's It (the 1990 TV movie starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown)!    Time stamps: 00:02:44 — History segment: HP Lovecraft and cosmic horror; the intertwined careers of Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon; MGM's financial troubles delay the release of Cabin for three years; accusations against Joss Whedon; Drew Goddard's career after Cabin in the Woods   00:26:39 — Movie discussion  01:46:355— Final thoughts and star ratings    Sources: "Joss Whedon talks The Cabin In The Woods" | Total Film (2012) - https://bit.ly/48sW7xx    "Life Goes On: Drew Goddard on The

Matt and AJ discuss the 2003 tooth fairy/darkness horror film Darkness Falls.    Support In Love With Horror: YouTube: https://youtube.com/@InLovewithHorror  Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/4b80RX2  Spotify: https://bit.ly/4oP9b5r  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inlovewithhorror  Twitter: https://x.com/nlovewithhorror  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@inlovewithhorror    Follow 1-Week Rental!  Twitter: @1weekrental | @MattStokes9 | @LRothConcepts Facebook: @1weekrental Instagram: @1weekrental TikTok: @1weekrental | @mattstokes9 Letterboxd: @loadbearinglaci | @mattstokes9 Bluesky: @1weekrental.bsky.social

As Matt and Laci work on the transition from Load Bearing Beams to 1-Week Rental, they are unlocking some episodes from behind the Patreon paywall to hold you over. First up: Matt is joined by his friends and bandmates Wade Hymel and Patrick Perot to cover two episodes of Nickelodeon's Doug.  "Bangin' On A Trash Can" is one of the best songs ever written for a fictional character, right? We gush endlessly about it, as well as its "Think Big" remix, and try to find parallels between Doug's band and our own individual musical endeavors. Plus, you'll learn way more than you could possibly be interested in learning about the history of Rural Route Nine. And of course, it's a larger discussion of Nickelodeon's Doug and the wider history of Nickelodeon and Nicktoons, plus the sad migration of Doug into the greasy maw of the Walt Disney Company, where he was badassified with baggier clothes and a dog who rides a motorcycle. We also discuss the original Doug pilot, "Doug Can't Dance." There's a fake Quailman at the s

Load Bearing Beams is no more. Say hello to 1-Week Rental! Honestly, it's pretty much the same show. We've just been trying to find a better way to explain what our show is, and we've realized (based on listener feedback and our own feelings on the matter) that what we do well is dive into a movie in terms of both unpacking its history and then analyzing and discussing how well it works as a movie. And since we do this with a different movie each week, you can think of it like we're renting a movie from the video store and getting to keep it for a week. You remember that, right? You'd watch it over and over, and you'd become a temporary expert on it, before saying goodbye to it, maybe forever. The show is largely staying the same, but we are going to try to make the episodes slightly shorter and we are doing away with the lengthy preambles that begin each episode before we get to the history segment. Thank you for your support of Load Bearing Beams, and here's to at least eight years with 1-Week Rental!    Fo

Laci Goth and Matt Chokes welcome their friends Tiera (@SpookyT on TikTok) and Derek (@HFK on TikTok) join the show to play the game of Saw. We all have varying degrees of affection for this franchise, and we get into the long history of its development under James Wan and Leigh Whannell first in Australia and then in Hollywood, and the major series it spawned. Then we go through the movie at length, wondering, at the end of the day, what exactly Jigsaw is trying to teach us. Watch this episode in full: https://youtu.be/MFpl_Kd2JGc  Follow Tiera and Derek's filmmaking on YouTube: Elevated Cryptid Productions (https://youtube.com/@elevatedcryptidproductions) Next week: The Cabin in the Woods (2012) with Cinematic Joshua! Bonus video: Matt talks about Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007) for 20 minutes https://youtu.be/8OhZW4AImYU  Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams    Time stamps: 00:03:05 — Our histories wi

We had some scheduling snafus that caused the delay of our Saw episode, so our schedule is getting pushed back a week. Luckily, we had this beautiful podcast about 28 Years Later set to release on the Patreon later this month, and instead, we’re putting it out for free for all the fine folks out there. Matt and Kota have a very spoiler-filled discussion about Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later. Like all zombie movies, it’s not actually about zombies, it’s about…. Well, it’s about a lot of stuff. This is a meaty, hefty movie. Not unlike what the Alpha carries around with him. Next week: Saw with HFK & Spooky T! Bonus video: Matt reviews the 1980s Disney movie The Great Mouse Detective and wonders if it’s secretly the best Disney movie of the era https://youtu.be/PpWYKmU1KuQ  Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! https://patreon.com/loadbearingbeams    Time stamps: 00:05:35 — Opening thoughts on 28 Years Later 00:10:07 — Mini-history segm

Laci and Matt revisit Interview With The Vampire (1994), a movie the podcast covered back in 2018, in the Old Testament days. Much more care and attention is given this time, because there’s so much to love… and so much to be confused by. Has a movie ever been dragged down so much by its whiny-baby lead character as this movie is by Louis (Brad Pitt)? Rather than spending eternity partying with his good buddy Lestat (Tom Cruise), he just putters around and around, moaning and complaining like some unholy combination of Charlie Brown and Eeyore. And rest assured, he will tell you, at length, about how conflicted he feels about the whole “vampire” thing. So get ready. Other than that, the movie’s a blast. Tom Cruise is wonderful, Kirsten Dunst gives an all-time great kid performance, and the Stan Winston makeup can’t be beat. Next week: We read from the book of Saw (2004) with our friends HFK and Spooky T! Out now on the Patreon: Matt and Austin Proctor from the Frightmares podcast discuss David Lynch’s Mulholl

In the origin story of Michael Myers, the slasher killer from the legendary Halloween series of horror films, young Michael sees his sister….. Wait, what? Oh, this is Dennis the Menace? In which a little slingshot punk from the 1950s rides around on a tricycle in 1993 and torments an innocent old man? And you're telling me it’s not about Michael Myers, it was just directed by the man who originally played Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s Halloween (Nick “The Shape” Castle)? Gotcha. I see where the confusion started. Unregardless, here is our long-awaited discussion of the 1993 Dennis the Menace starring Walter Mathau as Mr. Wilson and Christopher Lloyd as a hobo killer who rides the rails and skins children alive, even though we never get to actually see that. And this was written and produced by John Hughes, during his “Let’s just do Home Alone again and again and again” period. Laci loves it, Matt does not, so this is the two-hour therapy session that results.   Next week: Our October Extravaganza begins w

Matt has assembled his friends Wade Hymel and Patrick Perot to do a deep dive into Nickelodeon's Doug—specifically, the episodes "Doug Can't Dance" and "Doug's Garage Band."  In this free preview from the longer premium episode (available on Patreon: https://bit.ly/47U3oGh), Matt, Wade, and Patrick explore the long history of the TV show and of Doug himself, both before, during, and after his show on Nickelodeon. Created by Jim Jinkins, Doug is a show that looks great, sounds even better, and its humor and sensibilities have aged beautifully. We chart the history of Doug himself—his long pre-series life as a character Jinkins used an avatar for himself to process his world; as a pitchman for Florida grapefruit juice and the USA TV network; and then as the star of one of the three original Nicktoons. Then, in a very unique situation, Doug switched networks and was given a mild retooling to make it more radical and extreme for the late '90s as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning lineup of children's programmi

The year is 2000. You are a 12-year-old boy. You spend your days watching Total Request Live and hoping they’ll man up and play “Stellar” by Incubus. You spend an inordinate amount of time choosing the coolest song lyrics to leave as your AOL Instant Messenger away message. And you head out to the cinematorium to see three women kick ass in Charlie’s Angels. You like it a lot, but you have difficulty explaining why. Well, revisiting it 25 years later, it’s actually pretty easy to see why: It’s kind of just a straightforward, fun, slightly silly action movie. In Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz, you have three extremely likable and charismatic performances. And, in the biggest shocker of all, the much-maligned McG is able to direct some fairly competent action sequences. Who knew? Next week: Dennis the Menace (1993)   Bonus videos: Review of the new Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk: https://youtu.be/SHSZcQFWPGg Review of FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue:  https://youtu.be/mnmMebh9ZT0  Watching T

They thought they were making a movie that would save the environment and destroy extractive industries. Instead, they made a generation of millennials horny as hell for cartoon trees. FernGully: The Last Rainforest is a fascinating mid-budget animated film that presents a mighty counterweight to the Disney behemoth of the early 1990s: Modest in scope, budget-level pop songs, and an anti-capitalist message Disney would never allow (unless James Cameron does it). And it’s not a great movie, but it’s very good, and the animation is extremely impressive. And everyone jokes that Avatar lifts the story of FernGully…. But man, it really seems like Avatar has seen FernGully. Or maybe it’s just that there are so few anti-capitalist movies made by Hollywood studios that the few that exist all seem to resemble each other. Also: Seriously you guys, there is some legitimately horny stuff going on in this movie. Avatar also seems inspired by that part. Next week: Charlie’s Angels (2000) Bonus video: Matt reviews the 1980

We weren’t expecting this miniseries on Dwayne Johnson to be so relevant, but as he debuted his “new look” at the Venice Film Festival and began his awards season campaign, Laci and Matt react to the news of the week and unpack his public comments. Johnson reflected on his own career with many of the thoughts we’ve had as we’ve gone through his filmography. Is he sincere about it, or just being a good politician trying to win an award? Does he mean it when he says he was ready to pivot to “serious acting” or he was forced to by having so many consecutive box office failures? And is Emily Blunt really his best friend? Does it matter? We take the new information and give our concluding thoughts on the acting career of The Rock, and then rank the nine movies we covered during the summer. And then, we answer some mailbag questions, including: Fuck/Marry/Kill: The duck who shows her tits in Howard the Duck, tiny Dwayne Johnson in Tooth Fairy, and the Thanksgiving turkey from Spider-Man? What relationship from an