I've Been Meaning To Watch That

🌟 Unlock special gifts with our latest podcast highlights and full VODS. Gain early access on our Patreon: patreon.com/ivebeenmeaningtowatch. 🌐

Host Manika sits down with TikTok film commentator Amaris for a clear and uncompromising look at intimacy in Hollywood, celebrity culture, and the politics running through Bong Joon-ho’s work. The conversation begins with the rise of intimacy coordinators and Jennifer Lawrence’s remarks about filming explicit scenes for Die My Love, leading to a frank discussion on safety, liability, and the shrinking tolerance for actors working without proper protection on set.

Manika and Amaris examine how celebrities speak about politics, why so many rely on performance instead of understanding, and how social media rewards confidence over accuracy. The episode then moves into a deep analysis of Bong Joon-ho, covering his influences, class themes, and the lasting relevance of Parasite, Snowpiercer, Okja, and Mickey 17. Their breakdown of Snowpiercer explores the train as a controlled society, Curtis as a compromised leader, Edgar as innocence lost, and the painter as the keeper of exploited memories. They also look at how propaganda, resource scarcity, and child labor shape the film’s critique of power.

Amaris's Socials

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@amaris_simone

Podcast Socials

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ivebeenmeaningtowatchthatp2316

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeenMeaning2Pod

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivebeenmeaning2pod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ive-Been-Meaning-To-Watch-That-113280083760521/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivebeenmeaning2/

🌟 Unlock special gifts with our latest podcast highlights and full VODS. Gain early access on our Patreon: patreon.com/ivebeenmeaningtowatch. 🌐

Host Manika sits down with TV writer and critic Latasha for a focused look at doubling, obsession, and the Jungian shadow in TV and film. They start with Sydney Sweeney’s “good jeans” campaign, how eugenics-adjacent language slips into glossy branding, and why audiences fixate on the star instead of the marketers, executives, and soft celebrity journalism that protect power from real accountability.

From there, they unpack persona, shadow, and projection through specific characters: the damaged detective and his obsessive double in Department Q, Rust Cohle’s self-annihilating focus in True Detective, Nina’s unraveling in Black Swan, Pearl’s break from the “good girl” role, and hitmen in Mr Inbetween and Patriot who cannot escape the violence that feeds them. The conversation widens to Watchmen, Tulsa, white supremacy, masks, and what it means when a Black woman takes on godhood on screen.

This episode is for anyone interested in character psychology, shadow work, and politically aware TV and film criticism.

00:15 – Manika welcomes listeners, introduces Latasha and the episode theme01:33 – Sydney Sweeney “good jeans” ad backlash and GQ interview overview

06:05 – Sydney Sweeney’s politics, MAGA family, and power with no consequences

07:44 – Soft celebrity journalism, influencers vs reporters, Barbara Walters/Wendy Williams

13:08 – Jungian persona vs shadow and why it matters in film/TV

20:11 – Department Q: Carl Mørck’s trauma, guilt, and obsession with cold cases

29:32 – Black Swan deep dive: Nina’s double, control, and unraveling

36:40 – Pearl: the “good girl” mask, denial, and a violent shadow self

39:24 – Defining the shadow self in media and how characters split themselves

43:00 – Mr Inbetween, Patriot, and hitmen: double lives and compartmentalized violence

55:43 – Watchmen (HBO): Tulsa massacre, white supremacy, and policing

1:03:21 – Why thinking critically about media doesn’t ruin enjoyment

1:04:12 – Watch list segment: One Battle After Another, The Vince Staples Show, The Patient

Podcast Socials

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ivebeenmeaningtowatchthatp2316

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeenMeaning2Pod

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivebeenmeaning2pod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ive-Been-Meaning-To-Watch-That-113280083760521/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivebeenmeaning2/

Vivi (Vicky), character design analyst and video essayist, joins the podcast to break down how fame is built, sold, and protected. After a clear-eyed look at the “next big thing” machine around actors like Mason Thames, we examine how Hollywood favors familiar, marketable faces, how race and colorism shape visibility, how listicles and PR language disguise old hierarchies as meritocracy, and why certain careers are pre-selected long before the audience thinks it has chosen.

From there, we move into fame as a system through To Be Hero X, Oshi no Ko, and My Hero Academia: trust scores and hero towers, idol factories and weaponized fandom, rankings and school pipelines that turn human beings into managed brands. We connect how these stories show image as currency, audiences as enforcement, and corporations as the final arbiter of who is celebrated, discarded, or sacrificed.

All this, plus the content creator pipeline, sponsorship logic, scandal management, selective cancellation, and what it means to live as a product in an attention economy that never switches off. This episode is direct, detailed, and unromantic about what modern fame demands—and what it quietly costs.

• 0:00 – Intro
  Show open, “I’ve Been Meaning To Watch That” intro, this week’s topic preview.

• 0:26 – Meet Vivi (Vicky)
  Vivi introduces herself, her character design work, and how she reads visual choices and tropes.

• 1:21 – Episode Overview
  Framing the three texts (To Be Hero X, Oshi no Ko, My Hero Academia) and “fame as a system.”

• 2:07 – Media Mania: Mason Thames & Manufactured Stars
  Vulture article, Mason Thames’ three #1 films, “ordinary” palatable whiteness, comparison to Jim Carrey, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, Caleb McLaughlin vs co-stars, listicles, casting patterns, race and colorism in who gets momentum.

• 25:00 – What Is Fame As A System?
  Defining fame beyond Hollywood: power in a name, internet volatility, person-to-product pipeline.

• 36:29 – Enter To Be Hero X (Context + Why It Hits)
  Underrated status, production, anthology structure, trust value system, Hero Tower explained.

• 40:53 – Style, Structure, and the Hero Factory
  Visual language, hero/villain PR, reality show framing, shipping, consent, system manufacturing crime and narratives.

• 51:05 – Trust vs Fear & Who Gets Protected
  Heroes as controlled assets, commission, balance of worship and terror, parallels to scandalous but untouchable figures.

• 1:12:04 – Oshi no Ko: Idol Industry and Weaponized Parasociality
  Pilot, reincarnation hook without plot spoiling, how the show dissects exploitation, image labor, fans as enforcement.

• 1:54:04 – My Hero Academia: Hero Rankings and Marketable Morality
  Series summary, school-as-industry pipeline, quirks as brandable assets, Class 1-A vs 1-B, children groomed into a hero economy.

• 2:22:15 – Endgame: Systems That Eat Their Own
  Closing on endings discourse, systemic rot, why To Be Hero X reads like Oshi no Ko + MHA pushed to its logical conclusion.

• 2:31:48 – Watchlist
  Upcoming watches: Chainsaw Man movie, My Hero Academia catch-up, other anime on the radar.

🌟 Unlock special gifts with our latest podcast highlights and full VODS. Gain early access on our Patreon: patreon.com/ivebeenmeaningtowatch. 🌐

Host Manika sits down with critic Vicky Chen for a clear, spoiler-heavy audit of 2025’s boxing biopics. They open with The Smashing Machine and explain why it left them cold. Starting at Mark Kerr’s peak dulls the underdog arc, addiction is rushed, and the “gentle giant” framing keeps the character at arm’s length despite Dwayne Johnson’s transformation and Emily Blunt’s precision. They pivot to Sydney Sweeney’s Christy and dig into why this boxing vehicle sits far outside her current on-screen brand.

The conversation cuts through trailer promises and awards chatter to what audiences actually respond to in a star makeover and what gets mistaken for depth. They spotlight The Fire Inside and why Clarissa Shields’s story rises above the trend. The film’s focus on identity, sacrifice, and life after the medal gives the genre real stakes and a viewpoint that lasts longer than opening weekend buzz.

In Media Mania, Manika and Vicky break down studios hiring TikTok editors, the capture of fan edits, Radiohead’s edit-fueled chart return, and how engineered discourse shapes shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty. It is a sober look at algorithmic marketing, labor, and why fan culture cannot just be manufactured.

00:14 Manika welcomes film critic Vicky Chen and sets up a conversation on boxing biopics that will challenge recent hype and marketing narratives.

02:02 Media Mania begins as Manika spotlights studios recruiting TikTok editors and asks what this means for fan edits shaping taste and demand.

25:04 The Smashing Machine becomes the centerpiece as Manika outlines why sports biopics are surging and how physical transformation work is marketed as craft.

27:02 The discussion examines Dwayne Johnson’s Mark Kerr transformation and how aesthetic bulk differs from embodying an athlete’s movement and interiority.

01:12:37 The hosts break down Emily Blunt’s portrayal and the script’s treatment of her character, arguing the film frames her as unreasonable without enough context.

01:43:09 Christy enters the conversation as a Sydney Sweeney vehicle, with a frank assessment that the marketing swing outpaces the fit of her screen presence.

02:00:38 The episode widens to Sweeney’s brand strategy, contrasting star image with character immersion and why audiences still see the celebrity instead of the role.

02:10:47 The Fire Inside takes center stage with praise for its structure beyond the first gold medal and for Brian Tyree Henry’s warmth anchoring the drama.

02:11:42 Vicky explains how the film rejects easy uplift to show systemic barriers after victory and why that choice deepens the sports narrative.

02:13:51 Manika connects Clarissa Shields’ underdog arc to resilience and support gaps, arguing this biopic earns emotional payoff more honestly than recent studio fare.

02:32:50 The conversation returns to The Smashing Machine to underline where the script’s relationship beats feel underwritten and how biopics can confuse conflict with depth.

02:34:55 Watch List closes the show as Manika and Vicky trade film and TV picks that expand on the themes of craft, image, and audience expectation. Follow Vicky on TikTok! https://www.tiktok.com/@chickyvenManika's SocialsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1CmokqeLIagz7nYQJfeRIwTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manika3000?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1Podcast SocialsYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ivebeenmeaningtowatchthatp2316Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeenMeaning2PodTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivebeenmeaning2podFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ive-Been-Meaning-To-Watch-That-113280083760521/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivebeenmeaning2/

🌟 Unlock special gifts with our latest podcast highlights and full VODS. Gain early access on our Patreon: patreon.com/ivebeenmeaningtowatch. 🌐

Host Manika and guest Cam take on Hulu’s Paradise: a political-sci-fi thriller where President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) is assassinated and Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) uncovers a manufactured reality inside a sealed bunker. We cover the premiere’s genre pivot, why the flashbacks matter, Samantha Redmond’s power play, performances, themes (control, grief, complicity), and season-two stakes. Up top, a frank Media Mania segment on the Riyadh Comedy Festival—censorship rules, who accepted/declined, and the paycheck-vs-principles debate—followed by a Watch List of films/series we’re eyeing next.

Keywords: Paradise Hulu review, Paradise recap, Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, Dan Fogelman, political thriller, bunker mystery, dystopian TV, Hulu originals, Samantha Redmond, Media Mania, Riyadh Comedy Festival, comedy censorship, pop culture news.

00:00 — Intro & returning guest
Who we are; why Cam’s here; what this episode covers.

00:26 — Guest intro: Cam’s shows and focus
Cam’s “Jacked Up Review Show,” pop-culture coverage, and new true-crime/history project.

03:02 — Media Mania: Riyadh Comedy Festival explained
What the festival is, why it’s controversial, platform rules/censorship claims, who spoke out, who went/declined, and the ethics of “cash vs. principles.”

22:27 — Main review begins: Paradise (Hulu)
Premise and pivot: assassination investigation becomes a bunker reality; tone/genre set for the series.

27:00 — Story craft: why the flashbacks matter
How backstory and structure build stakes, clarify loyalties, and pace reveals without stalling momentum.

37:00 — Characters & performances that carry the show
Xavier vs. Bradford dynamic; Samantha Redmond as power behind the throne; supporting players who elevate tension.

1:03:00 — Mystery mechanics & takeaways (no “mystery-box” bloat)
How the show plants clues, avoids gimmicks, and sets up season-two conflicts without losing plausibility.

1:30:00 — Season 2 outlook: stakes, villains, open threads
What could shift topside vs. in-bunker; who holds power; what we expect to be answered next season.

1:32:22 — Watch List: what we’re excited to watch next
Recent/coming releases and series on our radar (films, prestige TV, anime), and why.

1:45:37 — Where to find Cam
Cam’s platforms and community plug.

1:46:21 — Plugs & outro

Cam's Links

The Jacked Up Review Podcast Apple Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jacked-up-review-show-podcast/id1494236218

Podbean https://jackedupreviewshow.podbean.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jacked_up_podcast/?hl=en

Twitter https://x.com/jackedupreview?lang=en

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Eg8w0DNympD6SQXSj1X3M

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIyMawFPgvOpOUhKcQo4eQQ

Podcast Socials

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ivebeenmeaningtowatchthatp2316

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeenMeaning2Pod

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivebeenmeaning2pod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ive-Been-Meaning-To-Watch-That-113280083760521/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivebeenmeaning2/