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PODCAST

Midday Movies

Laura Fones and Stephen Frothingham

Welcome to the Midday Movies podcast, provider of fun, funny, and thoughtful media reviews 2-3x a week. Streaming on @radiotacoma101.9 every Tues/Thurs/Sat at 3pm.

tv & film

All Episodes

00:23:20

Ep 117: Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal (2024)...

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/31

Today we are doing part 2 of 2 on the Netflix’s docuseries, “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal.” We will be concluding our Ashley Madison series with a discussion of an unconventional couple featured in the docuseries, the supposed discretion of user data on the site, the fallout of the 2015 hack, and what influences people to cheat. We discuss the possible reasons that so many Christian couples were impacted by the Ashley Madison hack. We share issues we’ve encountered as a couple in a decade

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00:25:32

Ep 116: Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal (2024)...

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/30

Today we’re discussing episode 1 of Netflix’s docuseries, “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, and Scandal.” This is part 1 of 2, where we will be covering the founding of the site (during the 2000s-era dot-com boom), the marketing and monetization model of the product, and two of the most famous people impacted by the 2015 Ashley Madison leak (Nia and Sam Rader). We’re discussing infidelity as a married couple and the pitfalls of traditional marriage that can lead to affair ideation. Join us for the drama,

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00:22:06

Ep 115: Cats, Rats, and the Met Gala

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/29

Today we’re talking about cats, rats, and the Met Gala. We answer the questions, how well traveled is the average cat? Why is New York the global center of ambition and pizza rats? And what even is the Met Gala for? Learn fun facts about bacteria-based pandemics vs. viral-based pandemics, and how cats are relevant to both. Reflect with us on the Legend of Pizza Rat, who lives forever in our hearts but also in the nooks and crannies of the New York City subway. And, finally, get a Google-level

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00:23:51

Ep 114: Real Life Red Flags Retrospective

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/28

Today we’re talking about taking Grim Rabbits’ card game “Red Flags: the Game of Terrible Dates” into the wild and playing it with friends. What is revealed about people in a 6-person game where not everyone knows each other? What secret superpowers do singles have that relationshipped players lack? How do different people confront different dating scenarios based on personality, experience, and preference? We spent 4 hours playing with 6 people and learned loads (about ourselves and others). Join

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00:20:29

Ep 113: House-Hungry Millennials & Zillow Gone Wild...

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/24

Today we’re talking about “Zillow Gone Wild” — the new HBO MAX show hosted by Jack McBrayer and featuring the most exciting, wackadoo house listings available across the US. Two house-hungry millennials (our co-hosts) talk Nietzsche, Camus, and Matthew McConaughey in the context of the American housing market, and walk you through the details of a renovated missile silo, a storybook cottage, and an artist-created motor lodge in Las Vegas. Laura gives us a retrospective of the Obama-era

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00:18:33

Ep 112: Managing Change

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/23

Today we’re talking about change and how to manage it. Are you always operating at max capacity — and does that make change throw you for a loop? How much obligation is too much obligation? And how can you use fun to supplement your energy around getting things done? Special shout-out to Marc from the BoomBox Music podcast for his insight that running at 80% is the zen way to live. Change is life’s only constant and, as it impacts the Midday Musings household, our co-hosts examine the potential ways

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00:24:00

Ep 111: All About Animals!

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/22

Today we’re talking about the best, brightest, and most beastly of the animal kingdom! Starting with Stephen’s blind-as-a-bat insights on echolocation, we dovetail into a discussion of which internet animals are most like us (and the people we know). What is the evolutionary story of our favorite aquatic animals? What patriotic animal is not-so-secretly terrifying? Would an elk make a good cult leader? We talk about Stephen’s raw animal magnetism (to other men) and Laura’s tiger-like energy (as long

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00:19:51

Ep 110: Motivation & Mental Health

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/21

Today we’re talking about building up motivation when you feel a bit mentally drained. Social exhaustion is very real, and sometimes you need something extra to feel zesty. We share personal strategies for regaining momentum when you’re in a rut. Laura champions the benefit of short-term projects, and we discuss the mental health benefits of being well-rounded. We lay out the differences between the science of success (material wins) and the art of satisfaction (individual wins), and how the

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00:24:18

Ep 109: Red Flags Friday — A Game of Terrible Dates

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/17

Today we’re celebrating another Red Flags Friday 🚩🚩🚩! Unboxing, once again, Grim Rabbit’s game of terrible dates, we’re investigating two potential dates with one huge white flag and several disruptive red flags. What would you endure if your date allowed you to use their penthouse suite in your favorite city? How much juggling can be tolerated if you can access an endless bag of cheese? Is vigilantism ACTUALLY a white flag (rather than a red flag)? Whether it’s Batman or cheese-man, we’re

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00:22:00

Ep 108: Nature, Technology, and Human Civilization

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/16

Today we’re talking about nature, technology, and human civilization. Referencing Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden Pond” and History channel’s 2000s-era classic, “Life After People,” we study the Millenial/Gen Z phenomenon of “cottagecore” as a reaction to our vast technological proliferation. What is the nature of nature? How are we like the 19th-century citizens who longed to return to an imagined agrarian utopia? How long would it take ivy, if left un-gardened, to cover the entirety of human

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00:21:06

Ep 107: Paranormal Activity & Ghost Encounters

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/15

Today we’re discussing the paranormal — haunted experiences, ghost-Gnosticism, and whether or not to download an EKG monitor onto your smart phone. Between paranormal circuses and an eternal Halloween, we ask important questions such as “are ghosts real?” “Should we become paranormal investigators as a midlife crisis activity?” and “Why does my mom keep getting haunted?” Stephen and Laura chat about life as a believer versus a skeptic, and whether you should keep a ghost-shaped space open in your

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00:25:47

Ep 106: Strategies for Staying Positive

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/14

Today we’re sharing our strategies for staying upbeat in the face of inconvenience and crisis. We’ll discuss keeping perspective on hard days and every day, with a special emphasis on detaching your happiness from external outcomes. Mental health hygiene, finding the benefit in negative situations, and allowing your resilience to carry you through expected and unexpected hurtles are among the topics covered in today’s very special episode of Midday Musings. Join us!And if you are listening for a

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00:25:30

Ep 105: Entertainment Culture and the TikTok Ban

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/10

Today we’re discussing entertainment media — from movies, to television, to theater, to social media. Delving into nostalgic pieces of media (90s-era cartoon/live-action world crossovers a la “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Cool World”) and into the contemporary media space that bleeds analog and digital media, Laura and Stephen chart the differences between eras and cultures (British vs. American entertainment traditions). Juilliard, Shakespeare, and the seriousness of unserious artistic disciplines

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00:24:57

Ep 104: Deep Work and Growth Mindset

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/09

Today we’re discussing productivity and mindset, with special reference to Cal Newport’s book, “Deep Work.” Our cohosts are talking about routine disruption and how to recover from the light chaos that comes with existing as an adult human in adult society. Focusing on strategies that cultivate deep work and relying on a growth-oriented mindset to help you level up (or just keep up) in modern life, we encourage you to forgive yourself for being distracted and provide suggestions for reducing the

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00:22:32

Ep 103: Setting Boundaries

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/08

Today we’re talking about boundaries — how to set them, what to protect by setting them, and how much space it is reasonable to expect from the establishment of boundaries. The co-hosts’ household is currently the epicenter of a territorial dispute between two domestic predators, informing this conversation around healthy boundaries. How does one create relationships that balance intimacy and distance, when one is so used to creating intimate space? How do you relate to people in a way that is both

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00:21:43

Ep 102: Dissecting Disney’s “The Lion King” (1994)

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/07

Today we’re talking about our favorite Disney movies — “The Lion King” (1994) specifically! On this rainy/sunny midday, our co-hosts begin with a conversation on skin care that dovetails into “The Little Mermaid” (1989) — Laura’s favorite childhood Disney movie, based thematically on “Doctor Faustus” (by Christopher Marlowe). Stephen’s favorite childhood Disney film is “The Lion King,” based broadly on William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. Our co-hosts analyze this Disney animated classic

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00:00:59

Midday Musings (Trailer)

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/07

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/midday-musings/message

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00:20:02

Ep 101: Reviewing “Everybody Dance” (2022, dir. Dan...

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/03

Today we are honoring a fan request from Dan Watt and reviewing his film festival-selected documentary, “Everybody Dance.” Steaming currently on Freevee and Tubi, “Everybody Dance” follows the 4-month journey of recital preparation for a very unique ballet studio in Agora Hills, CA. Ballet for All Kids is a nonprofit organization run Bonnie Schlachte aimed at supporting neurotypical, neurodivergent, and differently-abled children as they collaboratively learn discipline and dance techniques under

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00:23:13

Ep 100: Midday Musings’ 100th Episode Celebration

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/02

Today marks our 100th episode!!! Thank you for being here for 6 months of Midday Musings — and thank you for being here now. Stephen and Laura perform a retrospective of their favorite top 5 episodes from 51-100. From a politically charged episode that champions the 4-day workweek to broad analysis of some of the most intellectually chewy media pieces from the last six months, we’re enumerating pod numbers and content contents. Stephen shares his love of the ancient internet, Laura hypes Bioshock’s

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00:24:11

Ep 99: What’s Your Favorite Afterlife

Midday Movies ·

2024/05/01

Today we’re talking about heaven, hell, and other afterlife options. Stephen shares stories of watching, “Hazbin Hotel,” an adult animated musical that takes place south of the earthly realm. Asking questions about morality and offering answers set to melodic beats, this animated series dovetails our cohosts into a deeper discussion of which afterlife is meant for you. What would be your afterlife job? What theology fits your favorite posthumous aesthetic? How does Laura’s Mormon background

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298 results

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