Pass the Golden Popcorn - Friendly Mushroom Productions

Best Villain 2017: The Negan Apology Tour

Pass the Golden Popcorn

Best Villain 2017: The Negan Apology Tour

00:00 / 2:07:45

The TV era of Best Villain is here and Kenny and Ben are about to realize that it is much more challenging to judge a TV villain than a TV kiss. Jeffrey Dean Morgan won for his role as iconic Walking Dead villain Negan. But is he better than the villains of American Horror Story Roanoke, Stranger Things, Suicide Squad and Get Out? Kenny and Ben get into it while also talking about how much sustained misery they can handle, a timely when it was recorded tangent on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the incredible structure of Roanoke, cool creature design, disjointed editing, and the moment Kenny realized his summer boss in 2018 was deeply conservative. All this PLUS a special message from Negan himself PLUS a rebuttal to Negan from a friend of the show! It’s a wild one y’all

May 17, 2023May 18, 2023Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2016: Juvenile But in a Good Way

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Best Villain 2016: Juvenile But in a Good Way

00:00 / 2:15:56

Kenny and Ben return from another hiatus (that will not be addressed on air for a few weeks) with the February-recorded Best Villain 2016! The […]

May 4, 2023May 3, 2023Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2015: Really Nailing These Transitions w/ Andy Germuga

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Best Villain 2015: Really Nailing These Transitions w/ Andy Germuga

00:00 / 3:00:50

In this supersized episode, Kenny and Ben are joined by their friend Andy for a look at Best Villain 2015 with both iconic and unexpected nominees. Meryl Streep won this one for her role as The Witch in Into the Woods, but was she really better than the villains of 22 Jump Street, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Gone Girl and Whiplash? The boys discuss it at length while also talking about adaptation changes and eclectic structures, Ice Cube’s death glare, the Quicksilver superspeed montage, the cool girl speech, if Whiplash understands that J.K. Simmons is the villain or not and much much more. It’s a real corker of an episode so buckle in for a wild ride!

March 16, 2023March 16, 2023Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2014: Whips, Apes, and Other Connections

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Best Villain 2014: Whips, Apes, and Other Connections

00:00 / 1:50:48

Kenny and Ben take on one of the most eclectic groups of Best Villain nominees of the decade led by Mila Kunis, who won for her performance in Oz The Great and Powerful. Sure, Oz the Great and Powerful is a great movie and everyone can agree with this but is Kunis really better than the villains of Captain Phillips, Star Trek Into Darkness, Twelve Years A Slave and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The boys get into it while also discussing how James Franco is also good in Oz, how little of Captain Phillips is actually set on the boat, the bungled attempt to hide Khan, the ethics of nominating a movie as serious as 12 Years A Slave for Best Villain, recurring features across the movies, and much more! It’s a very normal episode with very normal takes that won’t be controversial in the slightest!

March 1, 2023March 1, 2023Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2013: We Barely Even Talked About Fandom W/ Evie Stark

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Best Villain 2013: We Barely Even Talked About Fandom W/ Evie Stark

00:00 / 2:21:29

Kenny and Ben are rejoined by their friend Evie to talk about Best Villain 2013. Tom Hiddleston won for his iconic turn as Loki in The Avengers but was he a better choice than the villains of Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises or Django Unchained? The gang gets into it while also discussing various YA franchises, superhero battles moving away from populated areas, the overuse of the trope where the villain is captured intentionally, Bond title sequences, what the Dent Act does, if Bane is supposed to be barely audible, Django Unchained lead performance rankings, and more! It’s a smaller amount of movies but a bigger amount of fun!

February 15, 2023February 15, 2023Leave a Comment

Best On-Screen Dirtbag 2012: With Apologies to Wheatus

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Best On-Screen Dirtbag 2012: With Apologies to Wheatus

00:00 / 1:25:20

For one year only, villains are out and dirtbags are in! Not sure what the difference is? Don’t worry, Kenny and Ben are here to walk you through it. Jennifer Aniston took the dirtbag crown for her performance in Horrible Bosses but is she more of a dirtbag than Colin Farrell in the same movie or the dirtbags of Project X, The Help and Bridesmaids? Kenny and Ben get into it while also talking about how glad they are the 3rd Horrible Boss wasn’t nominated, Miles Teller dancing, movies about racism where most of the White characters are “the good ones,” self-actualization in the 3rd acts of comedies and more. Plus a very special intro!

February 2, 2023February 1, 2023Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2011: Lotso Villains but Few Good Options

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Best Villain 2011: Lotso Villains but Few Good Options

00:00 / 1:45:57

Kenny and Ben face their toughest challenge yet: finding a worthy winner in a sea of weak options. Tom Felton won a second time for what amounts to an extended cameo in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. But are the villains of Toy Story 3, The Roommate, Iron Man 2, and The Green Hornet much better? The boys try to figure it out while also discussing a Clickhole article about Dobby the Elf, how the furnace scene isn’t really that sad, unnecessary feline deaths, unnecessary “not bad after all” fathers, weird adaptation choices and more. The villain quality is low but the episode quality is high on this one!

January 18, 2023January 18, 2023Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2010: Quaritch in Leather Pants

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Best Villain 2010: Quaritch in Leather Pants

00:00 / 1:56:08

It’s the start of a new year for the podcast and a start of a new decade for Best Villain! Tom Felton wins his first of two consecutive Golden Popcorns for his portrayal as Draco Malfoy but is he really a better choice than the villains of Alice in Wonderland, The Hangover, Avatar, and Inglorious Basterds? Kenny and Ben investigate while also talking about the fandom around the character of Malfoy, the weird Futterwacken music, how young Kenny was thwarted from seeing The Hangover in theaters while young Ben thrived, inaccurate information about the villain of Avatar: The Way of Water being red, Christoph Waltz’ meteoric rise and more! New year, same us!

January 11, 2023January 11, 2023Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2009: A Dark Knight for a Prom Night

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Best Villain 2009: A Dark Knight for a Prom Night

00:00 / 2:18:08

At long last Kenny and Ben have reached arguably the most iconic villain honoured by the MTV Movie Awards: Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. Do the villains of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Get Smart, Friday the 13th, and Prom Night even remotely stand a chance? The answer is obvious but listen anyways because you’ll also hear them talk about Kenny’s epic struggle to see The Dark Knight in theatres, Seth MacFarlane’s performance as gas man Johann Krauss, when nominations spoil twist villains, a great horror remake, an awful horror remake, and so much more. Plus! This episode was recorded back in October so expect some slightly outdated cultural references I think! It’s the perfect way to end your year!

December 29, 2022December 29, 2022Leave a Comment

Best Villain 2008: The Not Literal Demon of Fleet Street

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Best Villain 2008: The Not Literal Demon of Fleet Street

00:00 / 1:54:08

After their second lengthy hiatus of the year (unplanned this time), Kenny and Ben return to finally discuss Best Villain 2008! Johnny Depp takes the […]

December 22, 2022December 21, 2022Leave a Comment

Podcast: Pass the Golden Popcorn