Clearing The Queue

Alex & Matty land themselves a bonafide millennial in the form of Jensen Abler, a milk-drinking, anime-loving, eSports athlete. The trio discuss Australian slang, quotidian magisterium, and the popular font "copperplate gothic bold." Matty begins to fancy himself a "sub guy," while Alex tries to get to the bottom of the Great Penguin Frenzy of the mid 2000s. In the end, we have just one question for Jensen: Do you like apples? QUEUE CONTENDERS: "Good Will Hunting" (1997), "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996), "Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie" (2014), "Trollhunter" (2010)

Happy Birthday to us! In honor of their 25th episode, the guys take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about their favorite tangents from past guests. BONUS: check out the companion Spotify playlist at http://tinyurl.com/ctqmusic to hear a selection of songs inspired by each of the movies we've watched over our first 25 episodes.

Aaron McLane bursts into the CTQniverse with his arsenal of Kung-fu-hip-hop references, encyclopedic werewolf knowledge, and signature midwestern charm. Alex desperately tries to figure out the difference between "camp," "kitsch," and "schlock, " while Matt ponders the question "how many bodies does it take to make a graveyard?" PLUS: One of our hosts finally rented Amelie - what happened next will SHOCK YOU. QUEUE CONTENDERS: "Turbo Kid" (2015), "Cinema Paradiso" (1988), "Late Phases" (2014)

CTQ welcomes in Tad "Don't Make Me Part That Red Sea" Moses for the first ever Skype episode of Queue Beginnings! Tad admits he's never seen the Tim Burton classic "Christmas on Halloween," weighs in on which Steve Jobs biopic is the definitive Steve Jobs biopic, and details how his fear of identity theft led him to accidentally steal John Cusack's face. Meanwhile, Matty struggles with the decision to reveal the KFC secret ingredient, while Alex pitches his new show "Some Hitman I Turned Out To Be." QUEUE CONTENDERS: "In Bruges" (2008). "Must Love Dogs" (2005), "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993), "Hector and the Search for Happiness" (2014)

The CTQ guys get to see how the other half lives as they welcome in the talented Heather Christian - who just so happens to be married to episode 20's Dave Polato! Heather explains why she and Tater keep separate profiles, reminisces about puking during "Godzilla," and drops some deep Jodie Foster "Contact" quotes, while Matty tries to figure out how he got implanted with false memories. QUEUE CONTENDERS: "A Room With A View" (1985), "Robin Hood" (1973), "Laura" (1944), "Batman: The Movie" (1966)

CTQ welcomes in singer Myra Flynn for another round of "Queue Beginnings," helping her build a brand new queue from scratch. Myra professes her love of learning, reveals the name for her theoretical future daughter, and teaches the guys the true definition of the word "melancholy." Meanwhile, Alex is on a mission to figure out who her own "Matthew McConaughey" is - and the answer may shock you. PLUS: By popular demand, our favorite TV pilots of all time! QUEUE CONTENDERS: "We Need To Talk About Kevin" (2011), "Basic Instinct" (1992), "The Fundamentals of Caring" (2016)

CTQ kisses the status-quo goodbye with this week's guest, the lovely Meaghan O'Connor Feiner. As Meaghan explains why growing up abroad resulted in permanent pop culture blind spots, Matty learns the difference between "Footloose," "Flashdance," and "Dirty Dancing." It's business as usual, until Meaghan's choice goes horribly wrong, forcing the guys do something they've never done before -- break the cardinal rules of CTQ. QUEUE CONTENDERS: "Fruitvale Station" (2013), "Nick Offerman: American Ham" (2014), "Last Night" (2010), "Gomorrah" (2008)

The guys have their hands full as their friend, obsessive movie-watcher and iPhone "nester" Mikaal Sulaiman brings his whopping & diverse queue of 136 movies. In this episode Mika breaks down his pathological love of consuming information and his conspiracy theory behind rotten tomatoes scores, while later the guys debate what the proper etiquette for watching graphic movies on airplanes is. AND FOR NO REASON: Matty lists his Top 5 Moustaches and Bald Heads. QUEUE CONTENDERS: "Gomorrah" (2008), "Bronson" (2008), "Braveheart" (1995)

The CTQ guys bring in their friend cult-movie appreciator Brian Bender. As Bender explains how his movie tastes were invariably shaped by the seedy video store in his hometown in Indiana and educates the guys about the sci-fi franchise Dune with a "spicy" elevator pitch, Matty gets hip to "practical" visual FX, while Alex becomes enlightened to fine wordplay and even finer bass guitar-play. QUEUE CONTENDERS: "Jaco" (2014), "The Sting" (1973), "The Hustler" (1961), "The Resurrection of Jake The Snake" (2015)

The blind can see, the lame can walk, and the queue-less can stream as the CTQ guys bring in their good friend "Steampunk" Brian Harris for another helping of "Queue Beginnings." On this week's episode, the guys discuss how Brian got his confusing yet ubiquitous nickname and why "Deadpool" not only breaks superhero movie conventions, but also our increasingly-suspect algorithms. Plus after 15 episodes Matty and Alex FINALLY agree on what a guilty pleasure is -- and it looks an awful lot like Owen Wilson as an action star. QUEUE CONTENDERS: "Spy Game" (2001), "Mac and Devin Go To High School" (2012), "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993), "Primal Fear" (1996), "Heathers" (1988)

It's a "Blessed Union of Podcast Souls" as the CTQ guys welcome in fellow podcasters, cosplayers and Comic-Con regulars "The Nerd Lys" Chris and Rachel! In this hilarious episode the foursome discuss cosplay vs LARPing, shamefully innocent love for Dog the Bounty Hunter and The O.C., cartoon violence, and how they all celebrated the "the Will-ennium" in Dec 1999. QUEUE CONTENDERS: "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), "Galaxy Quest" (1999)

It's the "Film Education Of Clearing The Queue" as cinema-lover and CTQ superfan Oliver Taylor stops by to drop his unique and insightful brand of film-school knowledge. The guys discuss why camera operators are the coolest people on the film set, learn why Tom Cruise makes the perfect empty vessel, and make a oddly-effective analogy using macaroni and cheese with chipotle peppers. ALSO: Oliver forces Alex and Matt to address "the elephant in the room." QUEUE CONTENDERS: "Meek's Cutoff" (2010), "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "The Hustler" (1961)

No queue? No problem! This week on CTQ the guys invite their friend, rom-com expert and Corey Haim-fanclub member Michele Luchese to be the guinea pig as they test run Operation: "Queue Beginnings", a highly-sophisticated and fine-tuned apparatus designed to hack the Netflix algorithms and fashion a brand-new queue from scratch. Queue Contenders: "Pretty Ugly People" (2008), "Confessions of A Dangerous Mind" (2012), "Little Bit Of Heaven" (2011)

Only a sexy midnight encounter with Steve Martin can stop this week's power couple, the hilarious Randi and Drew, who join the guys to tackle their comforting-yet-mammoth shared queue of 80's Action and Comedy. The duo discusses their mutual obsession with Cheers (the Kirstie Alley years), doing tag-team impressions of Madonna from "A League Of Their Own" at the local bar, and the freakishly fowl "Curby Curse." Queue Contenders: "The Burbs" (1989), "Notting Hill" (1999), "Chocolat" (2000), "Liberal Arts" (2012)

The CTQ guys are put to the test when faced with the biggest variety of Queue classics they've ever encountered. They welcome in Bryan Burgan, a card-carrying comic book geek who treats the movie theater experience with church-like reverence but has major holes in his movie-viewing past. Burgan talks about nerd culture finally being "cool," doing the "Pee-Wee Herman Dance" on his parents table as kid, and not quite remembering if he's seen "Half Baked" (which results in an actual CTQ Half Baked popquiz) PLUS: Alex floats out an insidious conspiracy theory about Eddie Murphy's voice-over work on "Shrek." Queue Contenders: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), “Battle Royale” (2000), “Best in Show”(2000), “In Bruges” (2008), “Fruitvale Station” (2013), “Half-Baked” (1998), “The Warriors” (1979)

In a twist of Hollywood proportions, the gang is blindsided as the movie recommended by Jon and Molly's trusted friend Barb turns out to be what Alex calls "arguably the worst movie I have ever seen." As the gang picks up the pieces, breaking down what they just saw in major "How Did This Get Made?" fashion, the plot thickens as they get a passionate email defense from the friend who originally recommended it.

Jon is a sensitive guy who gets misty easily. Molly loves movies about family dynamics and doesn't give a flying F--K about your "Star Wars." Put it together and you get a "so-good-we-had-to-make-it-a-two-parter" episode of Clearing The Queue. The banter flies as they discuss "empathizing" with Richard Dreyfuss in "What about Bob," speech impediments, and shared "awkward parental movie viewing experiences" --- then Matty tops them all when he recounts the legendary aftermath of seeing the movie "Kids" with his parents as a teenager (no bullshit it's amazing). MOLLY AND JON'S QUEUE FINALISTS: "Casa De Mi Padre" (2012), "Being Elmo" (2011), "Outside Providence" (1999)

Attention spans are tested this week as the CTQ guys welcome their friend "Other Alex." In this episode "Other Alex" turns his nose up at the "goofball comedies" starring Jim Carrey and details his love for 6-second Vines and apocalyptic movies. Grab some ritalin and a cup of room temperature water to wash it down, it's gonna be good one! ALEX'S QUEUE FINALISTS: "Goodbye World" (2013), "Reservoir Dogs" (1992), "Prince Avalanche" (2013)

The royal queue gets cleaned as Co-host Matty gets put in the hot seat. In this episode Matty balks at the notion of "guilty pleasures" (although Alex still pulls one out of him), gets a lesson on Red Band Trailers and gets way too excited about Louie Anderson. ALSO: The "All Time 80's Douche Bag" list is born! MATTY'S QUEUE FINALISTS: "Coming To America" (1988), "Hellboy" (2004), "Casa De Mi Padre" (2012)