Discerning Geeks Portal

The holidays are upon us.  In this special quasi-Thanksgiving-themed episode we (eventually) discuss things we're thankful for in the geek realm.  We discuss some of our favorite movies & TV shows that made an impression on us this year, potential upcoming projects we're thankful are in development, and even some YouTube pages and other podcasts that we're thankful for.  - Which...

Based on a real story & an article in the Wall Street Journal, we review the movie "Tag."  In real life, 10 friends from Spokane, Washington, continue playing tag every February, even into adulthood, as a way of staying in each others' lives.  In the movie, Hogan, Bob, Chilli, and Sable, work together in the month of May to tag their other best friend Jerry before he gets married and...

This week we venture into a realm of discovery, vision, and innovation, as we review the (somewhat?) inspirational sci-fi family film "Tomorrowland."  The film is based on the future-themed attraction that has a version at each of Disney's resorts in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.  - Did this movie's message go deep enough or remain "surface level"?  - As o...

In this week's Whatcha' Doin'? episode for early November 2021, we cover a lot of TV and movie topics, including things we've watched recently and things we're looking forward to in the near future. Here's our list of main topics...  - “Foundation”  (Apple TV+)  - “Legends of Tomorrow”  (The CW)  - “Fear Street” trilogy  (Netflix)  - “Dune” (2021)  (in theat...

This week, we take a slight departure from science fiction & fantasy as we review the Las Vegas heist film, "Ocean's Eleven" -- a movie that's a remake, not a sequel, despite what a number in the title might imply (even the original 1960 version had the number). Continuing our recent and unintentional tradition of contentious reviews, opinions were further apart on this movie than you might ex...

This week, we review the 1990s sci-fi action-comedy, "Men In Black."  - Which co-host was seeing the movie for the first time, and was it what he expected?  - Which co-host(s) disliked the movie, and what aspects of it did he/they find to be redeeming qualities?  - How well did the special effects hold up?  - Which co-star in this movie allegedly had a reputation for being hard...

We continue our new special mini-series, Alpha-Movie-Bet, with our 2nd installment covering our favorite movies starting with the letters E, F, G, and H. Among our favorites and honorable mentions, we list...  - 7 science fiction movies  - 5 fantasy movies  - 7 dramas  - 4 comedies  - 2 animated movies  - 1 horror movie  - 2 horror-comedies  - And, 2 horror...

Listen now as we take a discerning look into the 1984 science fiction (or maybe fantasy) film "Dune" -- one of our most divisive movie reviews since "The Space Between Us" (who am I kidding; no review is more divisive than "The Space Between Us").  This 92 minute review is overflowing with opinion and analysis.  At a running time this unintentionally epic, we possibly could have split th...

BREAKING NEWS...  Babylon 5, the all-time favorite TV show of one of our co-hosts, is getting a reboot that, basically, no one ever expected.  Or, technically, it's being developed.  There's still a chance it might not happen, but it least it's possible. We discuss our cautious optimism about the news, the long tweet from show creator J. Michael Straczynski confirming and clarifying...

In this episode, Dave asks Todd how Dragon Con 2021 went.  The discussion takes place a few days after it was over.  We discuss how well the COVID safety measures worked, how well people followed the safety rules, what were some of the best panels & guests, what Dave would like to do when he finally gets to go to Dragon Con, and more. Check out episode #069 for Part 1 of the discussi...

This week's episode was recorded on Wednesday 01 September, the day before the start of Dragon Con 2021.  Todd had arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the con, and discussed with Dave what Dragon Con is all about. Topics covered...  - The size & scope of the con (5 host hotels & two buildings of the AmericasMart in downtown Atlanta)  - COVID safety measures taken to have...

This week, we review "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."  While previous on-screen incarnations have existed as TV movies or mini-series, this is the theatrical film from 2005.  This is the first of three Narnia movies and is based on the first of seven Narnia children's novels written by C. S. Lewis in the 1950s.  - Is it a product of our era that it'...

This week, we conclude our discussion about the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, a special topic too epic to contain in just one episode. Last week we focused on characters.  This week, we focus on what Dave calls Moments of Awesomeness -- and, there are many.  Two moments were so awesome, in an emotional way, one co-host's voice cracked a bit just describing them. This topic was too ep...

We're finally doing it...  We're finally taking a discerning look into one of the greatest (if not *thee* greatest) film trilogies of all time, "The Lord of the Rings." We discuss the theatrical versions vs. the extended editions, the movies vs. the books, and the awesomeness of the characters.  Much of this first part is taken up with the following character superlatives.  - Cooles...

This week, we review the classic middle installment of an almost-certainly-never-to-be-rebooted trilogy, "Back to the Future, Part II." We discuss the movie's story structure, tone, pacing, character focus, and the excellent cliffhanger ending.  How much (or how little) does the movie's depiction of 2015 hold up to the 2015 we now know in our real world past?  Do the special effects depi...

And, this week, something completely different.  Again. This week, one of the Daves couldn't make it, so we postponed our review of (spoilers) "Back to the Future, Part II" and improvised with something we're calling...eh...Alpha-Movie-Bet.  (There are mixed feelings about the name.) The concept is simple.  We took turns discussing 2 or 3 of our favorite movies beginning with a cert...

This week, we have another Whatcha's Doin'? episode, where we talk about anything we're watching, reading, playing, or thinking about in the geek sphere (okay, admittedly no reading or playing this particular week, but we've covered books & games in other Whatcha' Doin'? episodes; check those out).  In an effort to catch up after our two-week hiatus, we recorded this the same night as our...

And...we're back!  Sorry for the unexpected hiatus, but a couple of co-hosts were out of town on a vacation.  This week, we are back on track with a review of the 1982 sci-fi classic film, "Blade Runner." Does this film stand the test of time?  How well do its story, characters, and dialogue stack up against its impressive visuals?  Are its visuals good enough to make up for an...

And, this week, something completely different… We’ve chosen TV Series Premieres as the inaugural topic in our new series we tentatively refer to as…”What Should Andruw Watch?”  (Let us know by e-mail or social media whether you prefer “Educating Andruw” or have an even better name.) You see, three of us on this podcast have been geeks longer than Andruw has been alive.  We’ve accepted t...

This week, we review the last two episodes of the Disney+ MCU series "Loki." We discuss how episodes 5 & 6 stack up against the other four episodes, the relationship between Loki & Sylvie, the major new character introduced in the finale, and the nature of the timelines.  What was the creature in the jar buried in the ground on the alien world?  Where did all the lunch trays come...

We started podcasting exactly 12 months ago in the midst of the pandemic, but finally, FINALLY, we have, FOR THE FIRST TIME, a review of not a years-old classic but a BRAND NEW RELEASE, in theaters, RIGHT NOW, in July 2021.  This week we review the 24th MCU film, "BLACK WIDOW." And...  Eh, it's okay. We discuss the overall feel of the movie, its value & placement within the larger Ma...

This week, we journey back to 1985 and 1955, in our review of the period piece, teen coming-of-age story, bizarre family drama, and yes, sci-fi time travel classic, "Back to the Future." We discuss the film's extremely well-crafted story, the music and sound, some of the changes from the original premise to the finished story, the replacement of the lead actor weeks into production, and comparison...

This week, we review the culmination of the MCU Phase 1 and the first Marvel movie to earn $1 billion, "The Avengers." We discuss the movie's moments of humor, our favorite moments, Loki as the antagonist, and the visuals.  Does "The Avengers" hold up over time?  How strong (or weak) is the story compared to the visuals and the coolness factor?  Do parts of the plot even make sense?...

This week, we review the first four episodes of the Disney+ MCU series, "Loki." We discuss the series' surprising turning points, the witty humor, and the buddy-cop-like chemistry between Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Owen Wilson as TVA agent Mobius. How does the "Loki" series compare to "WandaVision" and "Falcon and the Winter Soldier"?  How do we think this TV show and the other shows are clai...

This week, we review the World War II historical drama -- and the 5th movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- "Captain America: The First Avenger." We discuss the story, pacing, characters, excellent casting of characters (not just in this movie but for the entire MCU), the movie's handling of 1940s technology, and the portrayal of the friendship between Steve and Bucky. We also continue to spin...