Open World Chat

Mark and John continue the conversation about First Contact, this time speculating on what it would do to our religion and culture, including the philosophy and culture of capitalism.

Mark and John start their path down a rabbit hole they'll dig into in a multi-part series "When We Make Contact" where we consider the implications to the world of an actual First Contact scenario. In Part 1, we do some stage-setting and move into a conversation about the potential impacts to our political economy.

Diving back into the world of villainy, Mark and John discuss sociopathy and their favorite examples in film and TV.

For obvious reasons, environmental doom is an increasing theme in sci-fi. So much so that the term "Cli-Fi" (with the "Cli" for "Climate," obviously) is an actual thing now. Mark and John dive into it, looking at some of the more well-known examples out there, with some discussion of other instances in sci-fi history where environmentalism has been at the heart of the...

Settle in as we review nearly 20 of the best (or at least the best as we see them) death scenes in film and TV. Some obvious ones, some not so obvious ones - and Mark and John's lists are surprisingly different.

It's tick season! We talk our favorite science fiction parasites (and a few symbiotes) in this episode honoring the return of the clingy bloodsuckers. Like James Gunn's "Slither?" We've got you covered. Have you ever thought of the Borg as parasites? We're on that conversation too. Give a listen!

Let's call it the Hank Pym effect - one single choice by one writer making one character kind of wrecked forever. There are quite a few and we talk about some of them in this week's episode.

It's March Madness folks, get your brackets out and pick the winners -- of the best sci-fi movies and TV! Thirty-two "teams" over four quadrants: Cyberpunk & AI, Space & Exploration, Aliens & Horror, Blockbusters & Franchises - all vying for the right to be the one true champion. Who's gonna win? Who's gonna get eliminated? Will there be a cinderella team?...

For the first time in a decade there's no Star Trek series currently in production. John and Mark take a look at the state of the Star Trek franchise in terms of stories and corporate status, and what we might expect going forward.

Mark and John get into the political once again in an analysis of resistance movements in Sci-Fi on the big and little screens.

There are favorite movies, and there are the movies you wish you could have that 1st-viewing experience with again. Sometimes they're your favorite movies, but sometimes they're movies that just hit you in a time and place. Heck, some of them might be movies you don't even like! Join us for a talk about those cinematic 1st times we wish we could repeat. Ah, nostalgia...

Not quite our "dumb" sci-fi.... more the embarrassing ones. The ones that will make you cringe when we finally meet the extraterrestrials, sit down on the couch with them, and stumble on.

Mark and John look at what makes a movie a horror movie (surprisingly complicated!) and apply that to movies that aren't generally considered to be horror. What movies pass the test of horror-that-doesn't-know-it's-horror?

There are mad scientists aplenty in science fiction, but somethimes - perhaps ironically - it's the science itself that science fiction is demonizing. Mark and John look at the science that sci-fi hates and wind through some examples that you all know, and maybe a few you don't.

"Look at Us Now: A Comic Book Movie" Filmmaker Vee Rodriguez has a conversation with Mark and John about what comics mean to readers and how they've shaped us over the years. As per imdb: "Based on the poem by VRO, The Poet, LOOK AT US NOW: A COMIC BOOK MOVIE follows a diverse group of urban comic book lovers, and tells the story of how geek culture went from being a punchline...

Baddies are a dime a dozen, but the really good ones are the ones that have a point and demand you listen. Mark and John discuss them (and go off on a couple tangents, but that happens...).

There are way too many TV themes to call Mark's list and John's lists definitive, but they've got some good ones (and just to make the point, there was no overlap between the lists). That adds up to 20 awesome things ranging from the 1960s to the 2010s! We've left out a LOT but take a listen and see if you agree!

Mark and John go apocalyptic. What's the difference between an apocalypse and a dystopia in TV and film? Do they have to be scary or can they be silly? Cute? Join us for a discussion of the big booms and why we love them.

You ever watch a movie of a particular genre and have it flip genres right in front of you, leaving you wondering what the heck just happened? We have! And we talk about them for an hour! Some are on the bubble, while others make your head explode - and while it could be a recipe for disaster (or at least crappiness), these are the films where it works. Have a listen!

Mark and John break out what the heck fascism is and then find it in Sci-Fi. Who gets it right?

Mark and John look at examples of time travel across a broad range of movies, TV and other fiction to examine it's logic (or - more often - lack thereof) and it's use as a storytelling tool. Have a listen!

Mark and John start of with the grandaddy of all Utopias (that would be "Utopia") and segue into a discussion of our utopian fiction, or just fiction where utopia shows up, even if it's not the star. We may surprise you with some of our choices.

Mark and John review and compare their favorite fight scenes and discuss what it is that makes a fight scene really stick with you (hint: it's not just choreography).

With James Gunn's Superman still in theaters, Mark and John try to understand why the modern Right hates it so much - not just the movie, but the character. Why do they fixate on words like "refugee" in their anti-"woke" hysteria and why is Superman just not Homelander enough for them? 

Mark and John go through a whopping and eclectic list of movies to help you deal with these dark times. They deliver catharsis, escape, inspiration, education and more. It's a long one for sure, but worth it.