Suburban Commando

The year was 1991 and Hulkamania was running wild in cinemas across America with the release of Suburban Commando! The film stars professional wrestler Hulk Hogan as an outer space warrior of some sort who finds himself having to blend in on Earth while living with a suburban family. Shenanigans, as they say, ensure. Christopher Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, and Larry Miller are also in this nonsense.

While it's true that the Hulkster does ride a skateboard in this film, Kevin and Mike lament having to watch something so terrible for the podcast. Kevin tells Mike a bizarre story about the time Hulk Hogan ran around the backstage area of the tv morning show he used to work on chasing a mouse, Mike and Kevin discuss a weird character they've been performing for each other since the late 90s, and we try and figure out if the special effects in this movie were made by a Video Toaster or an actual toaster.

Grease 2

Grease 2 brings us back to the Rydell High from the popular 1978 musical film Grease but this time instead of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John we’ve got a new set of Pink Ladies and T-Birds, including a young Michelle Pfeiffer in her first starring role! Pamela Adlon on a skateboard! The guy who played Rex Manning! Cool riders! Strange songs! It's a rare sequel that's better than its predecessor and this sure ain't one of them but we watched it anyway.

Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Y2K

Y2K from 2024 is an apocalyptic comedy science fiction horror coming of age film directed by Saturday Night Live alum Kyle Mooney in his directorial debut. It follows a group of high school students who attempt to survive on New Years Eve when the year 2000 comes and all technology comes to life and turns against humanity. It's also got skateboarding! Kevin and Mike didn't like this movie all that much so spend a lot of time talking about skateboarder Eric Koston and his shoe line (which are referenced several times in the film), how much they hate rock music from the 1990s (particularly Limp Biskit), the time Mike gave Limp Biskit frontman Fred Durst a tattoo, and the time Kevin spent NYE 2000 hiding in a bathroom. It's one of those episodes, in other words.

Acast: Y2K
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Pretty Woman

Kevin and Mike are back for 2025 to tackle a movie that's synonymous with skateboard culture - 1990's Pretty Woman! Learn the mysterious identity of the skateboarding teen who appears briefly in the film! Hear how we think the film has held up! Julia Roberts! Richard Gere! Jason Alexander! Opera! Is there anything this movie DOESN'T have? (Aside from a consistent tone, that is.) Find out in the latest pulse-pounding episode of GLEAMING THE TUBE!

Acast: Pretty Woman
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Didi

Dìdi is a 2024 coming-of-age film, written, directed, and produced by Sean Wang in his directorial debut. The film follows a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy as he navigates the challenges of adolescence, his relationship with his mother, and his love of skateboarding. In a departure for movies covered on this podcast, it's really good.

Kevin and Mike discuss the film and then go on some weird semi-related tangents around deathbed summons and snack cakes, the Scottish pop band Belle & Sebastian (who are featured on the movie's soundtrack), and their own embarrassing adolescent memories. This episode is messy and all over the place, kind of like how being 13 years old feels like. So yeah, we meant to do that. It's conceptual.

Acast: Didi
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

So I Married An Axe Murderer

1993's So I Married An Axe Murderer finds Mike Myers, hot off the success of the Wayne's World movie, playing a commitment-phobic beat poet who falls head over heels in love with a woman who may or may not have murdered her previous three husbands.

There is a profoundly tiny amount of skateboarding in this movie, but that doesn't stop Michael and Kevin from discussing the movie, the career of Myers, the baffling use of an inferior cover version of "There She Goes", beat poetry as a career path and the skateboarding scene in San Francisco, CA (where the film is set.)

So break out your most enormous cup of coffee, strike up the jazz band, and let's dig into So I Married An Axe Murderer! Piper down!

Acast: So I Married An Axe Murderer
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Deck Dogz

2005's DECK DOGZ is an Australian film about three skateboarding teens who are trying to escape the law, school, parents, their demons and a couple of criminals to realise their burning ambition; to meet world class skating champion, Tony Hawk and compete in his skating competition.

We watched the heck out of this terrible movie and also discuss the larger implications of what having Tony Hawk in your skateboarding film meant circa 2005. Our conclusion - go watch BMX BANDITS. At least that movie has a young Nicole Kidman in it.

Acast: Deck Dogz
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Hackers

1995’s Hackers is a shockingly accurate portrayal of the rollerblading hacker subculture of the time and stars darn near everybody, most notably a skateboarding Fisher Stevens who plays an evil hacker called "The Plague." The film also stars Angelina Jolie in one of her first starring roles, Lorraine Bracco, and the dude who played Sick Boy in Trainspotting. Kevin and Michael discuss the film, the skateboarding, hackers they have known, that moment in early 90s Providence when people would declare "I'm not a raver! I'm a club kid!", and many, many other tangents that are both related and unrelated to this deeply silly movie. Hack the planet, y'all!

Acast: Hackers
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

1989’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids stars the great Rick Moranis as a nutty inventor and father who accidentally, well, shrinks his kids. And his neighbor kids. A whole lot shrinking happening and a tiny bit of skateboarding, which is why Kevin and Mike watched this movie.

Acast: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

PCU

1994’s PCU, directed by Hart Bochner, tells the story of college life at the fictional Port Chester University, and represents "an exaggerated view of contemporary college life in the 90s" - according to the filmmakers. There are slobs, there are snobs, there is the specter of POLIITICAL CORRECTNESS and there is a little bit of skateboarding. The film features Jeremy Piven in his first lead role, a young Jon Favreau, David Spade, and George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars.

Kevin and Mike talk about the weird Jeremy Piven performance at the center of this movie, whether or not they liked this movie, the things the movie gets wrong, the things the move got right (P-Funk being awesome, basically), and the dawn of inline skating - and there's a brief side discussion of Kevin's college radio show. So grab the t-shirt of the band you're going to go see and BE THAT GUY on the latest pulse-pounding episode of GLEAMING THE TUBE!

Acast: PCU
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest
Kevin was a guest on the Dragon Con Digital Media Track’s live stream! Watch here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2128776808
Check out Kevin’s new podcast, THE BEST STUFF IN THE WORLD!

Shredder Orpheus

1989’s SHREDDER ORPHEUS is a dystopian science fiction skateboard retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Euridyce. And it's exactly as good as that description makes it sound.

Kevin and Mike enjoy this movie in spite of itself and discuss the skateboarding, the connection to Hadestown, the Providence, RI rave scene of the early 1990s, and how their knowledge of members of Ronald Reagan's presidential cabinet is entirely due to Bloom County comic strips and/or Dead Kennedys songs.

Join us as we dive into the genuinely bizarre SHREDDER ORPHEUS!

Acast: Shredder Orpheus
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Minding the Gap

Minding the Gap is a 2018 documentary film directed by Bing Liu, which chronicles the lives and friendships of three young men growing up in Rockford, Illinois who are united by their love of skateboarding.

Kevin and Mike watched this (pretty amazingly great) movie and discuss, in an atypically heavy episode of what is normally a deeply silly podcast, how the movie manages to weave together themes of cycles of violence, growing up in America, race, class, and more. We watch a lot of dumb movies for this podcast so it was a refreshing change of pace to be presented with something so well-made and meaningful. The movie also has a shit-ton of skateboarding in it, so we talk about that, too.

This episode has a content warning for discussion of domestic violence.

Acast: Minding the Gap
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Hot Rod

2007’s HOT ROD tells the story of aspiring stuntman Rod Kimble, played by Andy Samberg, and his attempts to pull off his most impressive stunt yet to help raise money to save his stepfather, played by Ian MacShane. And there's some skateboarding.

Kevin and Mike are joined by their pal Guy Benoit to discuss this deeply silly movie. So strap on your best false mustache and check out this exciting installment of Gleaming the Tube! Cool beans!

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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

The Greatest Night In Pop

There comes a time when you heed a certain call, like the call Kevin and Mike had to watch and discuss 2024’s THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP - a documentary about the making of the iconic 80s charity single WE ARE THE WORLD, as told by the people who put it together. (Mainly Lionel Richie.)

How'd it come together? Is the song any good? Where the eff are Prince and Madonna? What the eff is Dan Aykroyd doing there? How drunk was Al Jarreau? These questions and more are asked and answered in the latest pulse-pounding episode of GLEAMING THE TUBE!

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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Chalet Girl

2011’s CHALET GIRL stars future Rebel Alliance soldier Felicity Jones as a former skateboard champion who goes to work at a posh ski resort in the alps where she discovers snowboarding, romance, and montages about snowboarding and romance. Not necessarily in that order.

Kevin and Mike talk about the film, the relationship between skateboard and snowboard culture, and why you should really just watch Blue Crush instead of this thing. Welcome to 2024 - it's an all-new episode of GLEAMING THE TUBE!

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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Special Episode: Our Favorite Holiday Specials!

Kevin and Mike take a break from the world of skateboard movies for the holidays to discuss some of their favorite Christmas specials - they're joined by Kevin Eldridge from The Flopcast to talk about the storied classics everyone knows (Rudolph, Charlie Brown), some lesser-known gems (A Cosmic Christmas, Muppet Family Christmas), and some holiday disappointments (looking at you, Opus special.) From the very first animated Christmas special ever shown on American TV (Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol) to otter jug bands to Pee-Wee's Playhouse we cover a whole lot of ground - give a listen to see if your favorite gets name-checked by the gang.

We'll be back in 2024 with more skateboard movie action! Happy holidays, y'all!

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Air (If you only see one sneaker-related movie from 2023, see this one)

The young stars of the 90s are middle aged men in the 80s in 2023’s AIR, a film based on the true story of the AIR JORDAN sneaker and NIke’s attempts to woo then-basketball rookie Michael Jordan. 

Kevin and Mike discuss the film, the one character in it who skateboards, how the Air Jordan sneaker fit into 1980s skateboard culture, and many, many other tangents. If you listen to one podcast episode this year that has two dudes who know next to nothing about basketball try and pontificate about the sport and one of its most famous players make sure it's this latest installment of GLEAMING THE TUBE!
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Special Episode: Our Favorite Vampire Movies!

Kevin and Mike break format for another special episode in honor of the Halloween season and are joined by Hanako Ricks from the Fandom Hybrid Podcast and filmmaker and bon vivant Guy Benoit to discuss our favorite vampire films!

Old, new, cult, and classic - Bram Stoker's Dracula, Blade, Near Dark, Underworld, The Lost Boys, Nosferatu, Horror of Dracula, Priest and more - our panel of film enthusiasts cover a lot of ground and discuss a lot of movies involving thinly veiled metaphors for sex and addiction in this vampire movie special edition of GLEAMING THE TUBE!

Spotify: Listen here!
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Check out Hanako on the Fandom Hybrid Podcast!

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

2014’s A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, was promoted as The first Iranian Vampire Western, although when I have been describing it to people I’ve said it’s the first Iranian Skateboarding Vampire Western. It’s in black and white, all the dialogue is in Farsi, and there's a skateboarding vampire.

Kevin and Mike talk about the film, artsy vampire movies, and spend more time than is probably necessary on a tangent about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Happy spooky season, y'all!

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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest

Coming to America

This time out we discuss Eddie Murphy's late 80s hit Coming to America, a film that is packed with stars (James Earl Jones! Arsenio Hall! John Amos! Louie Anderson! Samuel L. Jackson!), packed with laughs, and packed with romance and heart. What it's not packed with is skateboarding but there's juuuuuust enough to justify our covering the film for this podcast.

Our discussion also finds us discussing Eddie Murphy's career as a whole - his meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s and the highs and lows of his career since. Is Coming to America his best film? You'll have to decide for yourself after listening to the episode. Just make sure to sow your royal oats first.
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Theme music is by Kissing Kontest