137. The Smashing Machine (2025)
We're back after a long impromptu hiatus with a discussion of The Smashing Machine. Enjoy!
Cinematic Underdogs
Cinematic Underdogs is a joyful, intellectual, and nostalgic look at sports movies of all forms, shapes, and sizes. Hosted by Jordan Puga and Paul Keelan, this overlooked genre is re-evaluated with the sincerity that it deserves.
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136. Marty Supreme
Matt Belenky joins the pod to chat Josh Safdie's ping-pong hit, Marty Supreme. Enjoy!
135. Shaun White: The Last Run
Just in time for the '26 Olympics, we're back with a doc we should have covered the last round. Shaun White’s final Olympic run wasn’t really about winning; it was about giving it one more shot; it was about being in the halfpipe long enough to know the hard truth that greatness doesn’t last forever; it was about coming to terms with decline and age and the way a legacy is as defined by a timely…
134. It’s In The Game: Madden NFL
On the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs , we’re diving into It’s In The Game: Madden NFL . This four-part documentary traces the unlikely collaboration between Trip Hawkins, a brilliant computer programmer, and the larger-than-life coach John Madden: an odd pairing that somehow ignited one of the most influential sports gaming franchises ever made. The series isn’t a traditional…
133. Happy Gilmore 2
The legacy sequel to end all sequels with more cameos than minutes of runtime hit Netflix this summer. We have thoughts. Enjoy.
132. Pretending I’m a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story
This week we ollie straight into a nostalgia inducing sports documentary: Pretending I’m a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story . On the surface, it’s a low budget tribute to a blockbuster video game franchise—underneath, it’s a wistful time capsule of late-‘90s counterculture, skateboarding’s rise from subcultural rebellion to mainstream phenomenon, and the way digital pixels reshaped…
131. Untold: Volume 5 (2025)
We're back! This week we dive into the latest batch of Netflix’s Untold episodes where sports mythmaking collides with scandal, spectacle, and self-destruction. We break down The Fall of Favre , tracing how a football legend’s reputation unraveled; dissect The Liver King , a surreal portrait of fitness culture’s most theatrical fraud; and reflect on Shooting Guards , a more tragic story of…
130. Enigma + Hard Knocks: AFC North + Untold: Sign Stealer
On the latest episode of Cinematic Underdogs, we step back into the huddle and open our third eye—waxing philosophic about the NFL’s most enigmatic, mystical quarterback: Aaron Rodgers. Enigma isn’t your average sports doc. It’s a new age headtrip wrapped in a spiral. One-part ayahuasca retreat, one-part playoff heartbreak, and all parts quarterback controversy. From MVP highs to media feuds,…
129. The House (2017)
This week on Cinematic Underdogs , we’re betting itall on a suburban fever dream of bad decisions, illicit blackjack, and cameo-toting blowtorches—that is right, we’re rolling our dice on The House , a 2017 comedy wherein Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell turn middle-class desperation into high-stakes chaos. The plot is as plain as poker; When their daughter’s collegefund vanishes, two mild-mannered…
128. Faceoff: Inside the NHL
Lace up the skates and tighten that chinstrap—because Faceoff: Inside the NHL isn’t just a docuseries, it’s a full-speed breakaway into the heart of the world’s toughest league. It’s Drive to Survive meets Slap Shot —minus the charm, plus theconcussions. Prepare yourself to go way beyond the polished post-game interview version of hockey. This is raw ice, open wounds, locker room chaos, and…