The Hip Pocket #405 - David Lawson Jr.

This one’s just plain fun.

My original idea for this podcast was that I would surprise my co-host and my bandleader every week with the guests, but that was more of a hindrance than a help. Once we opened it up, both Aundria and Craig started thinking about who we could invite to do the show, and Aundie in particular started getting aggressive about locking in guests for us.

I'm so, so glad I decided to open it up, too. This week was one of her bookings, and as soon as we got the list from the guest, I started laughing. I love it when people come in with big heavy movies that matter to them, and we’ve certainly had some weighty conversations as a result. We’ve talked about movies like Network, Ikiru, A Streetcar Named Desire, Michael Clayton, Aftersun, and River’s Edge, just to name a few. It is one of my favorite things about movies, the way those conversations can spin out of sharing a piece of art.

But we’ve also talked about It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World and Tommy Boy and Action USA and Uncle Buck and Hellzapoppin’, and those conversations were just as fun, just as rich, just as rewarding. I love movies that are here to entertain me, first and foremost, and can fully appreciate that kind of line-up as well. This is why I’m so delighted by what our guest put together, and by the reaction they had to our pick.

DAVID LAWSON JR. is one of the founders of Rustic Films, and along with his partners Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, he’s helped shepherd a dozen fascinating, independently-minded movies to the screen since 2017. He is a guy who gets personal, difficult visions made at a time when it feels impossible to get personal, difficult visions made, and I thought perhaps he would give us a list of personal, difficult visions.

Instead, his first choice was Hal Needham’s BMX biking film Rad, his second choice was the 1989 Christian Slater skateboarding/murder mystery Gleaming the Cube, and his final choice is the delightfully goofy Airborne. And when I tell you that I was delighted by this line-up, I am underselling my reaction.

Especially because it inspired our response film, BMX Bandits, an ‘80s delight from the director of Stunt Rock, featuring a very early performance by Nicole Kidman.

This week, we’re delighted to welcome The Bad News Bears to the Hip Pocket Hall of Fame.

This was such a good time, and a kind of giddy overload. That’s good, because next week, it’s just the three of us, and we’ve set a real challenge for ourselves. If you heard The Soft Episode from a few weeks ago, then you probably know what’s coming next. Yes, it’s time for The Hard Episode, where we intentionally picked brutal emotional experiences to inflict on one another. I think all three picks ended up drawing blood, so buckle up when we drop that one in exactly a week! If you like what you're hearing, please rate and review us in all the places people get their podcasts. It helps!

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The Hip Pocket is hosted by Drew McWeeny and Aundria Parker.

Craig Ceravolo is the show’s bandleader and producer.

It is a Formerly Dangerous Production.

100% HUMAN-MADE © 2026 by Matt Kindt, LLC is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0