Episode 57: Wrinkles the Clown and Bottom Five Punishments

Tackling something entirely new for Filmjitsu, Mike slaps Jay with the huge cinematic tortilla that is the 2019 documentary/mockumentary Wrinkles the Clown. And Jay, mouth full of water and brain full of contempt, does his best to keep himself together while discussing clown fear, parenting and Inuit folktales. This is a weird one for sure, but the guys return to their usual shenanigans while counting down their Bottom Five Punishments, a collection of bizarre, frequently upsetting, and often cruel diegetic disciplines that include being slapped with a VHS tape, cursed with inexplicable paralyzation and forced to eat... chocolate cake? If that's not enough, during a raucous round of Dueling Double Bills, Mike and Jay pay their respects to Robert Redford while pairing some of his movies with the likes of... Shakes the Clown. It's clowns and punishment this week, a three-ring cinema side-show served-up with a side of Greek auteurism and the discovery of a 1981 nexus of talent! Step right up, folks—because this episode again proves the harshest punishment is usually just hitting ‘play.’