Ozone Nightmare

Today on the 5: In the wake of the latest round of YouTube screwing over the creators who make it successful, a familiar yet utterly garbage justification came up again: the platform simply cannot handle moderation in any way but deeply flawed automation. It occurred to me that if this is true, it does not place Google's technical prowess in a particularly posiitive light.

Today on the 5: I came across a Soviet science fiction fantasy film from 1988 titled The Purple Ball , and I felt like it might be worth watching with Lando. It ended up being a very entertaining movie with some wild special effects and wildly imaginative storytelling. Best part, you can watch it for free right now!  

This week we're talking about  The Shrouds ,  Steele Justice ,  Iron Angels 2 & 3 , and  Download: Devil Circuit . Show music by  HeartBeatHero  and  OGRE .  Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code  OZONE

Today on the 5: One of our selections for a comminual movie this week was one neither of us had every heard of 1992's Download: Devil Circuit . For a movie about an amazingly horny monk chasing after an exotic dancer while battling an evil corporation, it's both extremely funny and suprisingly restrained! 

Today on the 5: Via an accident of me picking the wrong movie Lando watched Steele Justice , a Martin Kove Vietnam revenge action film from 1987. It ended up being a happy accident as we got a farily entertaining movie with a few noticeable flaws that left us wondering why Kove didn't have a higher profile career.

Today on the 5: While I was sick with COVID I decided to watch David Cronenberg's latest film, 2024's  The Shrouds . The movie has seen a very mixed response, which is typical for Cronenberg. What sets this movie apart is how clear a way of working through his wife's death this film is, and that gives it a weight far different than any of his other work.

Today on the 5: For many years I avoided reading work by Hunter S. Thompson because I got the sense that the mythology of the man eclipsed the reality of his life. After seeing a video about his work that made a good argument as to why that might be a mistake, I tried reading a few of his books.

This week we're talking about  the NRA defending trans gun rights ,  Matt Snedecor ,  Alien: Earth , and Beyond The Door III . Show music by  HeartBeatHero  and  OGRE .  Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code  OZONE

Today on the 5: Don't panic from the title! I just need to take a short break from 5s because my voice is shot thanks to COVID.

Today on the 5: Lando and I have watched the first 4 episodes of 2025's  Alien: Earth series. We were both skeptical that it would be much beyond another forgettable IP product, but that cynicism disappeared pretty quickly. This review covers the first half of the 8 episode season, and while there's no guarantee things won't go south this is a boldly original take on a nearly 50 year old franchise...

Today on the 5: In the past I've talked about my absolutely amazing Oakley Juliet X-Metal sunglesses , which are now well over 20 years old. While the frame itself is in remarkably great shape, the lenses are finally losing their original coatings. As Oakey no longer supplies spare parts or servicing for them, I tried out Revant lenses . After an ordering error on my part, Revant delivered some of...

This week we're talking about  The Long Earth ,  Wallender ,  Alien: Earth ,  N[eon] , At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul and Witch From Nepal . Show music by  HeartBeatHero  and  OGRE .  Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code  OZONE

Today on the 5: The latest spin of the movie wheel landed on Witch From Nepal , an early Chow Yun-Fat vehicle that is loaded with magic, mysticism, and some questionable morality. While the movie has some good moments and is generally enjoyable, it has the bad luck of following the far superior The Boxer's Omen in our viewing history. 

Today on the 5: This week Lando and I watched a pair of shgortr films fore one ofd ourc eommntary videos. We followed 1988's  Dragon's Heaven with something much more dreamy and atmospheric, 2002's N[eon] . A short movie from illustrator Dave McKean , this one leaves a lot for you decide on once it ends.

Today on the 5: This week Lando and I did something a little different. Instead of a commentary on one film, we did one on a pair of short films! First up, 1988's Dragon's Heaven , a wonderful animated film that blends giant mechs with Mœbius in a story that gets straight to the point.

Tonight I'm joined again by professor and musician Doug Bielmeier for another Late Night Series Review! In this episode, we're continuing our analysis of the incredible 2020 limited series DEVS by Alex Garland . In this video, we're talking about parts 5 and 6! YouTube Censored Version Join our Patreon to watch the uncut version! Show music by  OGRE .  Support the show!

This week we're talking about  Jhostynxon Garcia ,  Superman , The Clones , Mystere , and Dead Or Alive Final . Show music by HeartBeatHero  and  OGRE .  Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code  OZONE

Today on the 5: In the last few days there has been a lot of attention news and discussion over an "experiment" YouTube has been running on their Shorts segment of the platform . When this alteration to user videos started getting a lot of response, an explanation was issued . I think it might have made things worse.

Today on the 5: While talking to Lando about my experience watching Superman (2025),  he questioned whether I have an inherent bias against things that are popular. I thought about that for a while, and in the end I don't think it's simple popularity that makes me wary.

Today on the 5: I've been looking forward to watching the newest iteration of Superman from James Gunn, 2025's Superman . After the depressing and fundamentally flawed version of the character that Zack Snyder delivered, the concept of a hopeful superhero was exactly what I needed. It's a shame I couldn't make it more than 30 minutes into the movie.  

Today on the 5: For one of our communal movie selections this week, Lando and I watched 1973's The Clones . The film has a lot of elements and themes that are highly tied to the time it was made, but it also functions in a way that keeps you interested despite the flaws. 

This week we're talking about  Wednesday ,  Death Stranding 2 , Ex Machina , Class Of 1999 , Iron Angels , and  Demons . Show music by  HeartBeatHero  and  OGRE .  Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code  OZONE

Today on the 5: Recently one of the former execs for Playstation made some comments about video game pricing that got some predictably angry responses. Read the article yourself, but the general opinion of this person was that prices have been too low for too long because of how expensive games are to make. Let's examine that argument shall we?

Today on the 5: If you've heard me talk about Gradius before, you probably knew I was punching the "Buy" button for Gradius Origins hard enough to break my controller. I've been playing the games since the collection released, and if you've been considering picking this title up, you should!

Today on the 5: You may have heard that OpenAI rolled out their new ChaptGPT 5 product in a weirdly creepy "fireside chat". During the announcement, they featureed a cancer survivor talkimng abnout hwo the tool hlped her deal with a cryptic diahnosis.