104: Wilde for ‘The Invite’

104: Wilde for ‘The Invite’

While everyone else is podding about ‘The Odyssey’, all the cool kids are talking about the funniest film of the year, ‘The Invite’! G+J are joined by their two favorite guest hosts, Ben and Brandy, for this conversation about Olivia Wilde’s latest. The foursome also tackle a trailer for the new Tom Cruise film ‘Digger’, the potential for live TV channels on Netflix, and this year’s World Cup. Buckle up for this in person recording, listeners—much like Hawk and Pína, we love a contentious environment! Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:32 Welcome Ben & Brandy/Catch-Up 10:03 Tom Cruise is Gunning for an Oscar in ‘Digger’ 17:12 Netflix Is Considering Live TV Channels 25:43 How We’re Feeling About the World Cup 37:40 An Extended Sidebar About… Baseball? 40:39 PSA: Wash Your Produce 43:01 The Invite (Spoiler-free) 56:32 *SPOILERS* for The Invite 01:28:29 Justin’s What’s Good: The God of the Woods 01:33:46 Geoff’s What’s Good: Pieces of Me & La La 01:38:55 Ben’s What’s Good: Nowhere Fast 01:42:18 Outro What’s Good: Geoff: “Pieces of Me” (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/track/7yXibbAYi4to5oQTeO738f?si=e9c40105d8df4718]) and “La La” (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/track/0i3XYGG0zbHDjnuxO3Sads?si=a12dd2f8320e40dd]) by Ashlee Simpson Justin: The God of the Woods (Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-god-of-the-woods-a-novel-liz-moore/c3cbf4f80cbe4a47]) Ben: Nowhere Fast (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/track/2p6y4R0mIqjr919ASPeFh8?si=8c793898bc3046b1]) Links: Digger (Official Trailer) (YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORTe1wW3Wg]) Netflix Is Exploring Live TV and Bundles as It Struggles to Keep Viewers Hooked (The Wall Street Journal [https://www.wsj.com/business/media/netflix-is-exploring-live-tv-and-bundles-as-it-struggles-to-keep-viewers-hooked-e1eb28f6]) Socials: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bantspod/] • TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bantspod1?_r=1&_t=zt-97uqcseryka] • YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bantspod] • What’s Good on Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/jbenz1213/list/whats-good/] • What’s Good on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2AbReiQNSybSVB1WuIEqmI?si=EtvC7oK8RsqfkqfH1J4NJA]

103: Ladies We Love: Britney Spears, Julianne Nicholson, Kate O’Flynn

Awards Season has returned after four short months! The boys are digging into the Emmy nominations this week, and so many of their favs have been honored: the Pitt, Widow’s Bay, Task, Hacks, Beef, and more!! Before that, G+J share their excitement for an upcoming Britney Spears biopic and the newly minted Brad Ingelsby cinematic universe. They’re more skeptical about a new ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ prequel from Bradley Cooper. And let’s not forget about the annual Bants Award Show Competition—let the games begin! Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:16 Catch-Up 07:10 Jon Chu Is Directing a Britney Biopic 15:29 Julianne Nicholson Joins ‘Task’ as Her ‘Mare of Easttown’ Character Lori  20:29 ‘Ocean’s’ Prequel in the Works from Writer/Director Bradley Cooper 32:41 Emmy Nominations  01:11:03 Justin’s What’s Good: Stonelands (Deluxe) 01:21:58 Geoff’s What’s Good: Total Eclipse of the Heart 01:28:28 Outro What’s Good: Geoff: “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/track/7wuJGgpTNzbUyn26IOY6rj?si=d5e36bd2ce4742e8]) Justin: ‘Stonelands (Deluxe)’ by Paark (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/5vLN20v6gmKky0RpFkHcwZ?si=QzA09GbETS-HK6WTKxL_mQ]) Links: Britney Spears Biopic Movie to Be Written by ‘New Girl’ Creator Liz Meriwether (Variety [https://variety.com/2026/film/news/britney-spears-biopic-script-liz-meriwether-new-girl-1236803830/]) ‘Task’ Season 2 Becomes ‘Mare of Easttown’ Crossover With Julianne Nicholson Reprising Emmy-Winning Role (Variety [https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/task-season-2-mare-of-easttown-crossover-julianne-nicholson-1236805635/]) ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Prequel: Vicky Krieps, George MacKay, Omar Sy Joining Margot Robbie (The Hollywood Reporter [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oceans-eleven-prequel-cast-vicky-krieps-george-mackay-omar-sy-1236636566/]) BANTS! Award Show Competition 2026 (Google Sheets [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pORJRlUjAhidbfmRNpXy-ymbQv4rrGRxnV1RtOde0zQ/edit?usp=sharing]) Emmy Nominations 2026 (Deadline [https://deadline.com/lists/emmy-nominations-full-list-nominees-scorecard/]) Socials: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bantspod/] • TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bantspod1?_r=1&_t=zt-97uqcseryka] • YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bantspod] • What’s Good on Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/jbenz1213/list/whats-good/] • What’s Good on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2AbReiQNSybSVB1WuIEqmI?si=EtvC7oK8RsqfkqfH1J4NJA]

102: Madge Summer (Confessions II)

Listeners dear, have no fear: the summer of sultry dance is here! Madonna has done it again with an incredible retrospective dance album to get the kids off the streets and into the club. The boys confess[ions] II having a crush on the Empire State Building climbers; discuss Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding; cover Beyoncé's surprise drop, “DONK”; and chat about Sony halting production of physical video games! It’s not okay—we don’t fuck with it! Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:32 Catch-Up 06:07 Neon Picks up ‘Artificial’ ft. Lost Media 12:25 When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace 19:03 Sony’s Cancelling Physical Media 28:53 Beyoncé Drops Her First Single in Two Years 35:53 Taylor & Travis Are Married 41:06 Confessions II 01:25:49 Justin’s What’s Good: Palaces of the Crow 01:31:08 Geoff’s What’s Good: U 01:36:50 Outro What’s Good: Geoff: ‘U’ by Baauer (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/7q301yxHP0Ct6EmfRO88FK?si=tOlRZQLqQYOzwrVhPQCNJQ]) Justin: ‘Palaces of the Crow’ by Ray Nayler (Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/p/books/palaces-of-the-crow-a-novel-ray-nayler/10e3c4317fb6d5cc?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&utm_content=%7Badgroupname%7D&utm_term=aud-1721779758455:dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12440232635&gbraid=0AAAAACfld41W6M-TZZ_FsH7KBTtRKx9En&gclid=CjwKCAjwpK3SBhASEiwAtV1SPJxpRfZWgt4ngxq5hXddY-bQIFAEGZEs8qHi6OVje2_xbNwP_YUf8RoC9vwQAvD_BwE]) Links: Neon Acquires Global Rights To Luca Guadagnino’s Sam Altman Movie ‘Artificial’ (Deadline [https://deadline.com/2026/06/artificial-movie-luca-guadagnino-eyes-neon-distributor-1236971435/]) Coyote vs. ACME (Official Trailer) (YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-43VeYGiPM]) 2 arrested, arraigned after scaling top of Empire State Building (CNN [https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/01/us/empire-state-building-banner]) Sony’s PlayStation Puts a Nail in Physical Media’s Coffin (Wired [https://www.wired.com/story/sony-playstation-puts-a-nail-in-physical-medias-coffin/]) MORNING DEW (DONK) by Beyoncé (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/5RfHUCfMuzunNhUZslZfjJ]) Socials: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bantspod/] • TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bantspod1?_r=1&_t=zt-97uqcseryka] • YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bantspod] • What’s Good on Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/jbenz1213/list/whats-good/] • What’s Good on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2AbReiQNSybSVB1WuIEqmI?si=EtvC7oK8RsqfkqfH1J4NJA]

101: We’re Beefing

Listeners, this week G+J are discussing a buzzy anthology series that doubles as a recurring theme of this podcast: Beef! The boys are impressed with this darkly comic Netflix project starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny, and Charles Melton. Before they venture into the intergenerational battlefield, they break down Amazon MGM dropping Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial’, A24 accepting money from Google in a new AI partnership, and an all-women festival from Olivia Rodrigo. Sis, are we unc chopped? Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:54 Catch-Up ft. Shampooing Redux 06:44 Amazon MGM Drops ‘Artificial’, Citing $50B Investment in OpenAI  12:19 Google Invests $75M in A24 in an AI Research Partnership 18:13 Olivia Rodrigo Launches Daisy Chain Fields Festival with an All-Woman Lineup 23:03 Charli xcx Releases “Wink Wink”, the 3rd Single off ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ 28:38 Beef s2 (Spoiler-free) 52:34 *SPOILERS* for Beef s2 01:13:40 Pet Owner Sidebar 01:20:26 Justin’s What’s Good: MIO: Memories in Orbit 01:23:25 Geoff’s What’s Good: missladysalad, Taryn Delanie Smith & Olivia Nicole Hoffman 01:30:47 Outro What’s Good: Geoff: missladysalad (Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/missladysalad/?hl=en]), Taryn Delanie Smith (Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/taryndelaniesmith/?hl=en]) & Olivia Nicole Hoffman (Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/itsmeolivianicolehoffman/]) Justin: MIO: Memories in Orbit (Nintendo eShop [https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/mio-memories-in-orbit-switch-2/?srsltid=AfmBOorSe9I-7N6XEhhVbCpaJlDBT8nzR7FgFoEzwFC9hxrjfijZsmJh]) (Playstation Store [https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10010037]) (Xbox Store [https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/mio-memories-in-orbit/9np86k57sqm3]) (Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/app/1672810/MIO_Memories_in_Orbit/]) Links: Bants! on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bantspod1?_r=1&_t=zt-97uqcseryka] Luca Guadagnino’s Sam Altman, OpenAI Film ‘Artificial’ Dropped by Amazon MGM Studios (The Hollywood Reporter [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/luca-guadagnino-sam-altman-artificial-dropped-amazon-openai-1236626073/]) Netflix, Focus Pass on Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial’ (The Hollywood Reporter [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/netflix-focus-pass-openai-sam-altman-movie-luca-guadagnino-1236626845/]) A24 and Google DeepMind to Form an AI Venture (The Hollywood Reporter [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/a24-google-deepmind-ai-venture-backrooms-1236627228/]) Olivia Rodrigo Launches Music Festival Daisy Chain Fields (Pitchfork [https://pitchfork.com/news/olivia-rodrigo-launches-music-festival-daisy-chain-fields/]) Wink Wink (Official Music Video) (YouTube [https://youtu.be/BAp4q27hTOc?is=JWYCBQ9Mv3u3sx8Z]) Socials: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bantspod/] • TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@bantspod1?_r=1&_t=zt-97uqcseryka] • YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bantspod] • What’s Good on Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/jbenz1213/list/whats-good/] • What’s Good on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2AbReiQNSybSVB1WuIEqmI?si=EtvC7oK8RsqfkqfH1J4NJA]

100: The 100th Episode Mailbag

Listeners, we did it! One hundred episodes! Tune in to listen to us answer your questions as we dig into our mailbag. What are our three desert island albums? Who’s in our ‘Survivor’ pantheon? And most importantly, do we really need another podcast hosted by men?? Tune in to find out. Here’s to a hundred more! Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:44 Catch-Up 10:40 ‘Shrek 5’ Has a Trailer  15:06 Mike Myers Says ‘Austin Powers 4’ Is Coming 18:52 Jim Carrey Is Returning to Play the Grinch ft. Reboot vs. Sequel Debate 29:38 What’s the Best Way to Support the Pod? 33:17 What Are Our Drag Routines?  36:19 What Are Our Desert Island Albums? 40:32 Sidebar: Top 3 Beyoncé Albums 41:47 What Are Our Favorite Names? 44:00 Who Is in Our ‘Survivor’ Pantheon? 50:17 Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Advice ft. Darren 01:00:04 Do We Really Need More Podcasts Hosted by Men? 01:04:59 What’re Our Optimal Bagel Orders? 01:08:57 A Gentrification Situation 01:15:56 What Would Zendaya’s Music Career Look Like? 01:18:53 What Are Our Nighttime Routines? 01:32:03 Drawing Straws 01:33:40 Which of Us Would Win a Fight Using Only Our Feet? 01:34:54 When Is the Bee Mix Dropping? 01:37:21 Justin’s What’s Good: car crash & thumbs 01:38:43 Geoff’s What’s Good: Shrill 01:40:37 Outro What’s Good: Geoff: Shrill (Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/82171049]) (Disney+ [https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-54eab813-3a9b-496d-9d7e-908597ad8d1a]) Justin: “car crash” & “thumbs” by jigitz (Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/49sl0vtr7UGlAlqPNi1UG8?si=ByzbF0eQRv-HjLy3E0v1AQ]) Links: Shrek 5 Teaser Trailer (YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swiz1XyfhcI]) Mike Myers Says, “Yes,” There Will Be An ‘Austin Powers 4’ (Deadline [https://deadline.com/2026/06/mike-myers-confirms-austin-powers-4-1236958119/]) ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ Sequel in the Works with Jim Carrey, Ron Howard (The Hollywood Reporter [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/grinch-sequel-in-the-works-jim-carrey-1236595265/]) Socials: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bantspod/] • YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bantspod] • What’s Good on Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/jbenz1213/list/whats-good/] • What’s Good on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2AbReiQNSybSVB1WuIEqmI?si=EtvC7oK8RsqfkqfH1J4NJA]