"Who's in here? NO ONE!"
This week, John Valley, Curtis, and special guest Dr John Bruni honour the legacy of beloved director Rob Reiner with a deep dive into THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984), his first film and arguably the best rockumentary of all time! The boys discuss what they watched this week before diving into the film, talking about its many points of satire, rock celebrity culture, and much more.
Tune in next time for the next David Lynch installment: DUNE (1984)!
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Shout outs
Lots of RIPs (James Van Der Beek, Robert Duvall, Frederick Wiseman. Tom Noonan)
IFFO 2026 slate announced
New releases: Return to Silent Hill; Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie; Dracula; The Strangers: Chapter 3; Wuthering Heights
WHAT WE WATCHED THIS WEEK
Curtis: Wuthering Heights (2025); Spinal Tap II: The End Continues; Task (HBO Miniseries); The Thursday Murder Club
John Valley: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple; Primate (2026); Minnie and Moskowitz; Meet the Feebles; Daddy Longlegs; Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie; Jason X
John Bruni: Marty Supreme; Father Mother Sister Brother; Stalker; Sorry, Baby; McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Peter Hujar’s Day; If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; No Other Choice
TIME STAMPS
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:01:08) News of the Week/What We Watched This Week
(00:48:05) THIS IS SPINAL TAP Discussion
(01:36:06) Our Scores for THIS IS SPINAL TAP
(01:43:49) Coming Up Next!
CREDITS AND PLUGS
Intro: "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You" by Spinal Tap
Outro: "Stonehenge" by Spinal Tap
Follow John on Letterboxd—@johnnycakes91
Curtis: https://www.the-back-row.com/ - check out 'Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month'
https://curtisrunstedler.ca/
Dr Curtis Reads: https://www.youtube.com/@curtisrunstedler
Curtis's forthcoming publication here:
https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-dis-trusting-the-digital-world-in-imaginative-literature.html
