Paragon Marathon

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they travel back in time to humanity's simple, idyllic origins: 1950s-style American capitalism, but it's cavemen in dinosaur-times. That's right, this week we're watching the 1994 boomer-nostalgia classic, "The Flintstones." The marathon engages in a Socratic Dialogue on whether Fred Flintstone is a hero of the working people or a neoliberal golem before...

Hear me heathens, and wizards, and serpents of sin: all your dastardly doings are paaast! Now a holy endeavour is about to begin, when you listen to this podcaaast! Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah in a surprisingly musical exploration of Cervantes' 17th century adventure, "Don Quixote." Beginning with an overview and a patented Paragon Marathon Quizzy, Dan takes the siblings through Cervantes' intentions...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they survive the intro wars and cast their minds forward to that far off day in 1997 when Skynet saw fit to deal humanity its killing blow; that's right, they're watching James Cameron's incomparable action sci-fi classic, Terminator 2! Beyond heaping accolades on Cameron's subtle, revealing, immaculately-tuned writing and trading undeniably flawless Schwa...

You don't need to Shout at the Devil, he's right here. God . Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah as they are eternally chewed in the triple-mawed jaws of the Damned One in the deepest circle of Hell. Continuing from their exploration of Satan's Origins and a devilish quiz on Demonic monikers in Part One, the Marathon sprints through Dante so as to take a more luxurious pace through Milton's "Paradise Lost,"...

The greatest trick the devil ever played was getting you to listen to this podcast episode. Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah as they blunder right into the Evil One’s hands by talking about the origins of Satan as a literary figure, legendary mythic adversary, and embodiment of evil. Beginning with some origins in the Hebrew Bible and moving quickly into some apocryphal texts and medieval reinterpretation...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they travel to the far of world of a completely historically accurate England in 984 AD; that's right, they're watching 1996's "DragonHeart!" Dennis Quaid proves once again that he has absolutely no business acting in anything as he drags down real fantasy names like Pete Postlethwaite and Sean Connery in this CG-heavy mid-90s adventure film about a humble...

Do you know what the Sanskrit word for "war" means?  Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah as they unpack the philological puzzles of "Arrival" (and the Ted Chiang short story it's based on) and address the deeply human desire for more cows. Beginning with an examination of what may be the best sci-fi film of the last decade, the Marathon uses this text as a jumping-off point for a discussion of how langu...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they sneak a peek into the (pig’s) ball-room to cover 2005s “Pride and Prejudice." Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen take the RomCom back to it’s gilded roots, giving us the original tsundere couple. Featuring a jam-packed cast of England's finest, (and Donald Sutherland giving us the distant father with a heart of gold we go bug-wild over) Pride &...

HWAET! Gather close that ye might hearken, dear listeners, to the story of the original Geat GOAT, the wily and worldly Honey Bear himself, Beowulf! Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah on a literary quest through dusty Anglo-Saxon tomes as they explore the Old English legend of the titular hero’s quest to beat mega monster ass and earn eternal renown. Contained within is a discussion of the source text and i...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they unearth the TRUE origins of Smash Mouth's "All Star" in 1999's "Mystery Men." Turns out Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria and William H. Macy were deconstructing superheroes long before multiverses, The Boys, and... ( looks around ) these flavourless, unremarkable Marvel movies! Featuring a remarkable cast of 90s powerhouses, a bizarre and unexplained cyberpun...

We’re taking the hobbits to Isengard: Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah in part one of a marathon analysis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” along with a broad look at Tolkien’s life, philosophy and the companion texts that build out the LotR universe. In the first part of our analysis, we examine the creation story and some Silmarillion background before embarking on the dank adventures of Load...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they put on their Edgar Suits and watch the 1997 classic "Men in Black" in an attempt to feel at peace in a chaotic universe. Featuring the diverse talents of beloved actors like Will Smith and Tomas Leeroy Joins, this sci-fi comedy classic would set the tone for the 2000s moviegoing experience through its liberal application of CG aliens, dead-eyed bureau...

Hey tall, dark and handsome; let’s have another cup off coffee, let's have another piece of pie. It’s time to discuss one of the most beautiful and complex series on television: Mad Men. Join Tom, Dan, and Sarah in their focus group on Don Draper, Impostor-King of Madison Avenue, and the Anti-Hero phenomenon. Digressions include seccret-best-character Pete Campbell, tears for sweet Peggy, and othe...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they watch the beloved Coen Bros. film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000) and come to grips with the fact that they just can't escape the Homeric Orbit. Join us as we discuss the film's vivid mythic action, whether or not this movie's a musical, (it is), and share our finest Tim Blake Nelson impressions.

Tell us, O Muse, of a particularly complicated Ithacan. The Marathon takes a jog through Homer's "Odyssey," one of the oldest texts in the Western canon; Tom, Dan, and Sarah, armed with a few decades of pop-culture connections and some modern, less-stuffy-than-most translations of the 3,000+-year-old-poem, find a way to cram in discussions of crypto, mom-guilt, and of course, Super Mario (wahoo!)....

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they find their happy thought and/or marbles through a deranged viewing and discussion of Steven Spielberg's criminally underrated classic, "Hook" (1991). Found within: Julius Robert's idiosyncratic Tinkerbell, Thud Butt Cheese, and the inescapable power of Dustin Hoffman's eyebrows.

Serf's up milords! Join your sibling hosts on the marathon as they follow King Arthur into the mists of Avalon for the conclusion to the Arthur Mythos and a deep dive into the story of Gawain and the Green Knight. Fasten your seatbelts (and don't cum on them); this is a wild ride into surrealist Arthuriana.

Hail, milord! Fall in with the Marathon as it bounds across the shimmering fields and glittering spires of Camelot while Tom, Dan and Sarah take a closer look at the stories of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In Part One we take a look at the origins of the pseudo-historical Arthur, and try to reckon with some of the more well-known tales of this great Warrior-King, Bringer of Peace, an...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they come to terms with their entire sense of humour and identity, and discuss Jim Carrey's "The Mask (1994)". We discuss the power of Cuban Pete, the brief swing resurgence of the 90s, and learn that "we all wear masks" (thanks Ben Stein). 

Keelah se'lai! The Marathon hits the relay and (finally) moves into the sphere of video games as Tom, Dan and Sarah discuss the influential "Mass Effect" series, chronicling the exploits of player-hero Shepard's attempts to navigate the tough decisions of galaxy-saving. Is submission not preferable to extinction? Discussions of narrative mechanics, romance, sci-fi tropes, and character-building in...

MOVIE NIGHT! Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they deny the world and retreat into the icy holiday nostalgia of "Batman Returns!" This is Movie Club #1, and we've got the absolute hottest 29-year-old takes on Tim Burton's bizarre origins for the Dark Knight.

The worm has (re)turned. Join Tom, Dan & Sarah as they return to Paul Atreides, deep in the deserts of Arrakis in a full-on sprint to Messiahdom. Dan will guide us through the second half of the original "Dune" story, and we'll explore some of the themes from the subsequent novels. Also included: hot trailer-based takes on the new movie, and a preview of some of the Paragon Plans we've got coo...

Join Tom, Dan & Sarah on a trek through Arrakis; desert planet in the Dune-iverse. Paul Atreides is a Cambellian hero's journey wet dream. Find out what author Frank Herbert thinks about eugenics, religious destinies, and psychedelic drugs (spoiler, he's a fan of the last one). Let the spice–and this episode–flow. 

We're back! This week Tom, Dan and Sarah discuss one of our favourite heroines and all around baddy Imperator Furiosa of Mad Max Fury Road. We cover George Miller's fascination with necropolitics, how to tastefully present trauma, and how to have more than one female character in an action movie (it IS possible). Digressions include vulvas, babe pig in the city, and Rictus Erectus impressions.&nbs...

This week Tom, Dan and Sarah end Jesus, unfortunately. Covering the BRUTAL crucifixion, Christ's western pop culture influence, and just how far this story is coded into our media. Topics include how bad Mel Gibson sucks, spiders, and the ever dangerous nationalism of Captain America.