Best Jason Herbert Podcasts (2025)

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Mission Impossible: The Reckoningest Pod Ever with Justin Rawlins and Craig Bruce Smith 1:27:21

2d ago1:27:21

1:27:21

This week Justin Rawlins and Craig Bruce Smith drop in to talk about Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and their thoughts on the MI franchise.By Jason Herbert

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Episode 132: Conversations with Women Filmmakers with Kevin Smokler 1:12:08

8d ago1:12:08

1:12:08

Writer and filmmaker Kevin Smokler returns to the pod to talk about his discussions with 25 different women filmmakers. About our guest: Kevin Smokler is a writer, documentary filmmaker and event host focused on our relationship as human beings with pop culture. His most recent book BREAK THE FRAME: CONVERSATIONS WITH WOMEN FILMMAKERS contains 24 c…

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Episode 131: The history of axe murder with Rachel McCarthy James 1:35:41

10d ago1:35:41

1:35:41

Today Rachel McCarthy James drops in to talk about the development of the axe and the myriad of ways it has been used to dispatch people and empires over the years. About our guest: Rachel McCarthy James was born and raised in Kansas, the daughter of baseball’s Bill James and artist Susan McCarthy. She graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, …

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Welcome to Reckoning with Jason Herbert 9:13

11d ago9:13

9:13

It's a new day here at the podcast. Historians At The Movies Podcast is now Reckoning with Jason Herbert. We're opening up our focus and the things we talk about here.

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Emergency Pod: The Majesty of Andor with Dr. Alan Malfavon 1:18:17

14d ago1:18:17

1:18:17

Andor is the greatest Star Wars we've ever seen on any screen and it's not close. My close friend Alan Malfavon joins in to talk about the brilliance of this show, what it means to us, and what we hope to see next. About our guest: Alan Malfavon resituates Mexico’s socio-political, cultural, and economic networks with the Atlantic World and the Gre…

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Episode 130: Robin Hood in film and history with Dr. Amy S. Kaufman 55:39

15d ago55:39

55:39

This week Dr. Amy S. Kaufman drops in to talk about our favorite representations of Robin Hood, how he has changed through history, and her new novel, The Traitor of Sherwood Forest. About our guest: Amy S. Kaufman is the author of The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, a Robin Hood retelling based on the medieval ballads (Penguin Books, 2025). Amy holds …

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Episode 129: Defiance and the Holocaust in Belarus and Ukraine with Dr. Waitman Beorn 1:25:38

22d ago1:25:38

1:25:38

This week Dr. Waitman Beorn drops in to talk about Defiance (2008) and his work researching the Holocaust in Europe during World War II. About our guest: Dr. Waitman Wade Beorn is an associate professor in History at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Dr. Beorn was previously the Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond…

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Episode 128: Dogma and What People Get Right (and Wrong) about the Bible with Dr. Dan McClellan 1:16:01

29d ago1:16:01

1:16:01

This week Bible scholar and TikTok superstar Dr. Dan McClellan drops in to talk about Ken Smith's 1999 thought piece on Catholicism and Dan's new book, The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) about Scripture's Most Controversial Issues.By Jason Herbert

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Reckoning: Making Sense of Slavery with Dr. Scott Spillman 1:16:20

1M ago1:16:20

1:16:20

Today Dr. Scott Spillman joins in to talk about how historians have conceptualized slavery and its role in the development of the United States. Get ready for a history of the history of slavery. About our guest: Scott Spillman is an American historian and the author of the book Making Sense of Slavery: America’s Long Reckoning, from the Founding E…

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Episode 127: Is Sinners the Best Film of the 21st Century with Dr. Zandria Robinson 1:28:38

1M ago1:28:38

1:28:38

Today Dr. Zandria Robinson drops in to talk about Sinners and why it might be the best movie of the 21st century. We have a spoiler free introduction, a pause, and then a spoiler filled conversation about the Jim Crow South, the Great Migration, WWI, Chicago, Mississippi, the Ku Klux Klan, sex, music, and of course THAT SCENE. This conversation is …

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Reckoning: Pope Francis and the History of the Papacy with Dr. Matthew Gabriele 50:38

1M ago50:38

50:38

News broke yesterday of Pope Francis' death at the age of 88. Matt Gabriele joins in to talk about the man, the history of the papacy, and what comes next. About our guest: Matthew Gabriele is a professor of medieval studies in the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech. His research and teaching generally explore religion, violence, n…

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Reckoning: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life with Dr. Mario Livio and Dr. Jack Szostak 1:00:26

1M ago1:00:26

1:00:26

Today astrophysicist Dr. Mario Livio and Nobel-winning chemist Dr. Jack Szostak drop in to talk about the search for extraterrestrial life. About our guests: Dr. Mario Livio is an internationally known astrophysicist, best-selling author, and popular speaker. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Livio has …

1
Reckoning : Gun Violence in America with Sasha Abramsky and Dr. Cari Babitzke 1:05:45

1M ago1:05:45

1:05:45

We're a couple days removed from yet another on campus shooting. Sasha, Cari, and I ask what the hell is wrong with America and how did we get here. About our guests: Sasha Abramsky is The Nation's Western correspondent. He is the author of several books, including The American Way of Poverty, The House of Twenty Thousand Books, Little Wonder: The …

1
Episode 126: Hunger, Bobby Sands, Irish Nationalism, and the Good Friday Agreement with John M. Burney and Andrew J. Auge 1:36:03

1M ago1:36:03

1:36:03

Talking about Bobby Sands, the Troubles, the Irish Republican Army, and the Good Friday Agreement with John M. Burney and Andrew J. Auge.

1
Reckoning: The Far Right's Takeover of Small Town America with Sasha Abramsky 52:21

2M ago52:21

52:21

Today Sasha Abramsky joins in for the first time to talk about why small towns are so susceptible to far right rhetoric and if there is hope for the future. About our guest: Sasha Abramsky is The Nation's Western correspondent. He is the author of several books, including The American Way of Poverty, The House of Twenty Thousand Books, Little Wonde…

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Episode 125: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with Dr. Kate Sheppard, Dr. Julia Troche, and Leah Packard-Grams 1:44:44

2M ago1:44:44

1:44:44

The gang is back together as we return to Indiana Jones franchise to talk about archaeology, British imperialism, representation of India on film, and why Harrison Ford never looked cooler than he did on the bridge.

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Reckoning: Exploring the Origins of the Universe with Dr. Matt Strassler 1:00:07

2M ago1:00:07

1:00:07

Physicist Matt Strassler drops in to talk about the origins of the universe and how we how what we know. About our guest: Dr. Matt Strassler is a theoretical physicist and writer. His research over the past thirty years has mainly been related mainly to the Large Hadron Collider, though he has written many papers on a wide variety of topics in stri…

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Episode 124: Don’t You Forget About Me: The Breakfast Club and Brat Pack America with Kevin Smokler 1:29:53

2M ago1:29:53

1:29:53

This week Kevin Smokler drops in to talk about The Breakfast Club, the Brat Pack, John Hughes, and the legacy of 80s teen movies. About our guest: Kevin Smokler is a writer, documentary filmmaker and event host focused on our relationship as human beings with pop culture. His most recent book BREAK THE FRAME: CONVERSATIONS WITH WOMEN FILMMAKERS con…

1
Reckoning: How the Science of Autism Has Failed Women and Girls with Dr. Gina Rippon 1:02:47

2M ago1:02:47

1:02:47

April 1 marks the beginning of Autism Awareness Month in the U.S. and the U.K. so I invited neuroscientist Dr. Gina Rippon on the pod to talk about what autism is, the history of its diagnosis, and how women and girls have been overlooked in autism research. About our guest: Professor Gina Rippon is Professor Emeritus of Cognitive NeuroImaging at A…

1
Reckoning: What Is the Point of All of This? 16:02

2M ago16:02

16:02

Talking today about why we have to keep fighting and why we must move forward. Because it's not about us.

1
Reckoning: Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender with Dr. Kit Heyam 53:27

2M ago53:27

53:27

This week Dr. Kit Heyem visits from across the Pond to talk about their new book, Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender. This was an awesome conversation to talk nonbinary histories through time and why that is relevant today. About our guest: Dr Kit Heyam (they/them or he/him) is a Leeds-based freelance writer, heritage practitioner, trans…

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Episode 123: Deep Cover with Dr. Walter Greason and Tim Fielder 1:26:35

2M ago1:26:35

1:26:35

In 1992 Bill Duke teamed up with Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum to create one of the best film noirs ever made and a masterpiece of Black cinema. Walter Greason and Tim Fielder join in to talk about it, the rise of hip hop, and the early 90s. About our guests: A native of Mississippi, Tim Fielder is an illustrator, cartoonist, animator and OG…

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Reckoning: "The Most Dangerous Man in the World" with Dr. Emily Herring 59:09

2M ago59:09

59:09

In the early 20th century, the New York Times dubbed French philosopher Henri Bergson as "the most dangerous man in the world." Bergson scared a lot of people in how he brought philosophy to the masses but he also won critical acclaim, receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature and France's highest honor, the Grand-Croix de la Legion d'honneur. Surpri…

1
Episode 122: John Wick in Ireland: Black '47 and a New History of the Irish Famine with Dr. Padraic Scanlan 1:53:33

2M ago1:53:33

1:53:33

Imagine John Wick. Only instead of losing his puppy, he's lost his entire family because the British let them freeze to death. And imagine now that they're all in Ireland and it's the middle of the Famine. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Black '47. Joining us to talk about this film and the misconceptions around the Irish Potato Famine is Padraic …

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Episode 121: Eat, Pray, Love: Talking Good Food and Wicked Sex with Dr. Rachel Hope Cleves 1:26:29

3M ago1:26:29

1:26:29

Let’s talk about sex, baby. And food too. And while we’re at it, let’s talk with Dr. Rachel Hope Cleves about how conceptions of food and sex informed one another in the minds of Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries. Plus, we get into the ideas of food tourism, appropriation vs. appreciation, and our favorite food scenes in movies. About our gu…

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Reckoning: Listen to Your Elders/My Time Working with Tribes 24:05

3M ago24:05

24:05

Thinking about the elders who have guided me in my life and career.

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Reckoning: Jimmy Carter: Rivers & Dreams with Jim Barger, Jr. 1:07:34

3M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

It's time for a critical reappraisal of President Carter. Joining me this week is Jim Barger, Jr., coauthor of the new book Jimmy Carter: River & Dreams, Rods, Reels, and Peace Deals, Plus the One that Got Away. Jim knew the late President and spoke about Jimmy Carter the angler, the environmentalist, and why he deserves another look. We also talk …

1
Reckoning: My Beef with Indiana 10:53

3M ago10:53

10:53

This morning I talk about why Hoosiers has been banned from HATM and why as a Kentuckian I am legally required to hate Indiana.

1
Episode 120: Monsters, Inc. and the Monstrous History of Humans with Dr. Surekha Davies 1:18:15

3M ago1:18:15

1:18:15

This week Dr. Surekha Davies joins in to talk about a different way of seeing human history--through monsters. According to her, Monsters are central to how we think about the human condition. So our conversation reveals how people have defined the human in relation to everything from apes to zombies, and how they invented race, gender, and nations…

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Episode 119: Shakespeare in Love and the Queer World of William Shakespeare with Dr. Will Tosh 1:04:17

3M ago1:04:17

1:04:17

This week Dr. Will Tosh drops in to talk about the many complexities of Shakespeare's relationships, Shakespeare's role as a working writer, and the competitive landscape of playwrights of the time, along with Will's new book, Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare. About our guest: Dr. Will Tosh is interim Director of Educati…

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Emergency Pod: America's First Action Hero- Where Is Our George Washington Biopic? with Dr. Craig Bruce Smith 1:13:37

3M ago1:13:37

1:13:37

Happy birthday Mr. President! Today for George Washington's birthday we invited Washington scholar Craig Bruce Smith to talk about why we still don't have a biopic of the First American, plus Craig's top five presidents ever. About our guest: Craig Bruce Smith is an associate professor of history at National Defense University in the Joint Advanced…

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Episode 118: The Program and the End of College Football with Dr. Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Dr. Derek Silva 1:29:10

3M ago1:29:10

1:29:10

This week Dr. Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Dr. Derek Silva drop in to talk about 1993's The Program, starring James Caan, Omar Epps, and Halle Berry. This movie was way ahead of its time in its discussions of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), concussions, and race and sexual dynamics on campus. We talk about all of this and the cost to college athletes to…

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Reckoning: The Race for a Forested Future with Dr. Lauren Oakes 1:00:43

3M ago1:00:43

1:00:43

Forester Dr. Lauren Oakes joins in today to talk about the urgent need for effective reforestation efforts and the complexities of understanding the state of the world's forests. Plus, we talk about the dual narrative of loss and growth in forest ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of preserving existing forests while also working on reforestati…

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Episode 117: Loving, the 14th Amendment, and Interracial Marriage in the South with Dr. Kathryn Schumaker 1:27:40

4M ago1:27:40

1:27:40

This week we dive headfirst into discussions over the Fourteenth Amendment, birthright citizenship, racial discrimination, families, hope, and love with Dr. Kathryn Schumaker as we talk about 2016's Loving and her new book Tangled Fortunes: The Hidden History of Interracial Marriage in the Segregated South. About our guest: Dr. Kathryn Schumaker's …

1
Reckoning: How We Are Changing How We Think About PTSD with Dr. George Bonanno 58:20

4M ago58:20

58:20

Columbia University clinical psychologist drops in to talk about his research on resilience, PTSD, the importance of understanding resilience in the face of trauma, the biological responses to traumatic events, and the misconceptions surrounding PTSD. About our guest: George Bonanno is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University's Tea…

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Episode 116: License to Ill: Beastie Boys and the History of Hip Hop with Jeff Melnick, Akrobatik, and Dart Adams 1:37:42

4M ago1:37:42

1:37:42

This week Jeff Melnick, Akrobatik, and Dart Adams join in to talk about Beastie Boys’ revolutionary debut album, License to Ill as well as explore the roots of hip hop, it’s tied to urban communities, the evolution of Beastie Boys as people, and the album’s legacy nearly 40 years later.

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Episode 115: Necessary Truths with Ed Zwick 1:16:59

4M ago1:16:59

1:16:59

Ed Zwick is the man behind many of the movies and tv series you know by heart: Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, Shakespeare in Love, thirtysomething, My So Called Life, and more. And this week, he stops in to talk about his 40+ years of working in Hollywood- the hits, the flops, and everything in between. We talk about o…

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Reckoning: Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn't, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies with Dr. Michael Albertus 1:01:25

4M ago1:01:25

1:01:25

How is power tied to land? Who gets to have it and what do people do once they get it? What do we do about climate change and is there a way to preserve the globally lands across the spectrum? These are some of the questions we ask award winning political scientist Dr. Michael Albertus in this episode. About our guest: Michael Albertus is professor…

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Episode 114: From the Vault: Is Chef the Best Food Porn Ever Made with Dr. Emily Contois and Dr. Zenia Kish 1:20:37

4M ago1:20:37

1:20:37

This week we return to the second podcast we ever released here at Historians At The Movies: 2014's CHEF starring Jon Favreau, Sophia Vergara, John Leguizamo, and Robert Downey, Jr. We talk not only about whether or not this is the best food movie ever made, but about the rise of social media and #foodporn. About our guests: Emily Contois, Ph.D., r…

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Reckoning: How to Be An Academic and Still Find Time for the Gym with Dr. Vanessa Miller and Dr. Pat Wyman 1:10:53

4M ago1:10:53

1:10:53

We get a lot of requests around here about how to make time for the gym, how to get started, and what to do when you are there. So I asked Dr. Vanessa Miller and Dr. Pat Wyman to join me to talk about their varied experiences in weight training, still being academics, and what the gym means to them in their lives. About our guests: Vanessa Miller (…

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Episode 113 From the Vault: Lincoln with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Dr. Megan Kate Nelson 1:20:03

4M ago1:20:03

1:20:03

This week we return to one of the first HATM Podcasts about one of the first films we ever did on the Historians At The Movies watch party: Lincoln. Joining us are two of the most dynamic historians working today: Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky and Dr. Megan Kate Nelson. We get into Lincoln's presidency, the role of his cabinet, as well as somehow ranking …

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Reckoning: Bridal Shop Confessions and the Realities of Writing Historical Fiction with Jillian Forsberg 1:05:19

5M ago1:05:19

1:05:19

This week author and bridal shop owner Jillian Forsberg drops in to talk about the stories behind helping people tie the knot, why Bridezillas don't exist, and her favorite memories from 17 years in the business. Plus, she reveals the process behind writing her latest historical fiction, The Rhino Keeper. This is a really fun conversation. About ou…

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Episode 112 From the Vault: Lo There Do I See A Podcast: The 13th Warrior with Dr. Thomas Lecaque and Dr. John Wyatt Greenlee 1:14:57

5M ago1:14:57

1:14:57

This week we return to the Vault and have only one question: IS THERE A CAVE? Two scholars ready to get medieval on us all: Thomas Lecaque and John Wyatt Greenlee. We're celebrating the great epic that wasn't: The 13th Warrior. This movie is so good and so bad at the same time that it's hard to quantify. But we're gonna do it anyway. We're talking …

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Reckoning: The Quest to Understand the Mysteries of the Cosmos with Dr. Kelsey Johnson 1:14:52

5M ago1:14:52

1:14:52

This week astrophysicist Dr. Kelsey Johnson and I talk about how we know what we know, the Big Bang, black holes, and turtles all the way down, all of which can be found in her new book Into the Unknown: The Quest to Understand the Mysteries of the Cosmos. This is a mind blowing conversation with a brilliant and wonderful human. About our guest: Dr…

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Episode 111: From the Vault: "They Mean to Take Us as a Prize": Master and Commander with Dr. Mary Hicks 53:47

5M ago53:47

53:47

This week we reach back into the archive for our first visit from Dr. Mary Hicks to talk about the brilliance of Master and Commander and to talk with Mary about her research into African Mariners in the South Atlantic. About our guest: Mary Hicks is a historian of the Black Atlantic, with a focus on transnational histories of race, slavery, capita…

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Episode 110: From the Vault: Die Hard Is More Than A Christmas Movie with Dr. Annette Gordon-Reed and Dr. Craig Bruce Smith 55:26

5M ago55:26

55:26

This week we venture back to one of our earliest podcast episodes to talk about Die Hard with Annette Gordon-Reed and Craig Bruce Smith. We know Die Hard is a Christmas movie, but is it the quintessential 80s film? Find out when you listen in.

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Episode 109: How A Charlie Brown Christmas Almost Didn’t Happen with Dr. Blake Scott Ball 1:10:54

5M ago1:10:54

1:10:54

A Charlie Brown Christmas is undoubtedly in the pantheon of holiday tv shows. This week pop culture historian Blake Scott Ball drops in to talk about how that almost didn’t happen, as well as the politics of Peanuts in the 20th century.

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Episode 108: James Bond Is A Monk: The Name of the Rose with David Perry, Matthew Gabriele, and John Wyatt Greenlee 1:40:09

6M ago1:40:09

1:40:09

First the first time ever, HATM has a guest host! This week John Wyatt Greenlee steps on the other side of the mic to talk with David Perry and Matthew Gabriele about Sean Connery, Medieval detectives, and their new book, Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe.…

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Episode 107: Reality Bites, the Rise of Reality TV, and the 90s. Whatever. With Emily Nussbaum 1:23:52

6M ago1:23:52

1:23:52

This week Pulitzer Prize winner Emily Nussbaum joins to talk about the 90s, Generation X, and the rise of reality television during our discussion of Reality Bites. About our guest: Emily Nussbaum is a staff writer for The New Yorker, and previously, was the magazine's television critic. She worked as an editor and a writer at New York Magazine, wh…

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Episode 106: We Watched Gladiator II So You Don’t Have To with Dr. Sarah Bond and Dr. Bret Devereaux 1:37:35

6M ago1:37:35

1:37:35

HOO BOY this week Roman historians Dr. Sarah Bond and Dr. Bret Deveraux drop in to talk about Ridley Scott's ode to his first film, uh, ancient Rome, Gladiator II. We talk about the legacy of the first film, our impressions of the new release, and the actual history behind Gladiator II. This discussion is pretty epic. Stay tuned and subscribe. Abou…

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