Radio vs. the Martians!

We’re back with a Frankensteinian Fun Size double feature! First, we continue our chat with Kit Laika , where a discussion about Lords of Chaos , the recent semi-fictional Norwegian death metal movie, leads into a talk about how music biopics in general — and Bohemian Rhapsody , specifically — usually aren’t….very good. Then we talk to Greg Hatcher about how the histo...

An all-new adventure down the yellow brick road. In our latest Single Serving Selection, we return to the Emerald City and dig into some nostalgic childhood nightmare fuel with librarian and friend of the show, Kit Laika . This month’s topic is Disney’s weird and often terrifying continuation/quasi-sequel to the 1939 MGM classic: Return to Oz . Dorothy Gale finds herself back in the La...

In our latest episode, we empty the basement. Mike has been a dedicated, lifelong comics book and superhero fan. And he’s been thrilled to see these characters and stories play out on the big screen… or he did. So he sits down with Casey to talk about how superhero cinema — even most of the “good stuff” — is leaving him feeling pretty blase and desensitized. It&...

He will erase your past to protect your future. This month, we burn our drivers’ licenses and take refuge in the City Zoo with returning guest Greg Hatcher of the Atomic Junk Shop blog, to dig into the mid-90s high tech action thriller: Eraser . U.S. Marshall John Kruger is the world’s greatest witness protection specialist. He “erases” the people he protects, faking their...

We’re back! For this month’s off-topic dive, we look at the tale of two recent franchise spin-offs: Bumblebee and Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald. Why does the former succeed out of the wreckage of a totally maligned series, while the latter squanders the potential of its predecessor? What do we want out of a spin-off, prequel or sequel to a beloved media property? What sep...

In the afterglow of WrestleMania, we rejoin Morgan Lambert to talk about the mixed results of professional wrestlers becoming Hollywood actors, and wonder why it’s so hard for Dwayne Johnson to get a movie project worthy of his charisma. Plus, we talk about the latest in wrestling scandals, including Hulk Hogan’s bigotry, and the WWE’s continued business relationship with an auth...

Dare to Dream. We’re back! And in our first double-sized Single Serving Selection of the new year, we’re diving our way back into the world of sleeper holds and suplexes with the program director for RadioTacoma 101.9 , Morgan Lambert!   This month, we’re grappling with pro wrestling’s premier pay-per-view event, broadcasted live from Seattle, Washington on March 30, 2003:...

In our latest episode, it’s Halloween for Christmas! Recorded back in October, we dip into the horror genre, as Casey was watching one scary movie a day, often for the first time. As a horror novice, Casey relates the experience of his maiden voyages into classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street , Child’s Play , the Conjuring and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time. We dig in...

In our latest episode, we join Sam Mulvey to dig into the question of adapting properties that we care about, and whether it’s important to even attempt fidelity to the source material. From Watchmen to Dune ; from Starship Troopers to Ready Player One . Is it sometimes the wisest choice to take a giant critical poop on a property when we translate them to a new medium? Plus, Mike saw Venom,...

We continue our talk with Sam Mulvey and dig into the questions that try men’s souls. We ponder the repeated use of various firearms in movies, and why laser weapons aren’t nearly as numerous these days. We dive into the insane and definitely-not-okay animal stunt work of movies past, and marvel at how Donald Pleasence’s pain threshold can be so impossibly high. Plus, we asked ou...

They stole his mind, now he wants it back. It’s time to get our asses to Mars and regain our buried identities with returning guest Sam Mulvey of the Ask an Atheist radio show. This month, we’re plunging into the hyper-violent science fiction mind-bender: Total Recall . Douglas Quaid is haunted by dreams of Mars. Becoming obsessed with traveling to the red planet, Quaid buys a virtual...

In our latest episode, a trip to a computer museum prompts a mind-breaking discussion about the mechanics of time travel in the Back to the Future movies. When we return to a present that we’ve created by altering the past, are we killing our alternate selves and inserting ourselves into their lives? Was the elderly Biff Tannen’s master plan with the sports almanac actually pretty stup...

It’s Back! So Tug down your on shirts and put your party shoes on! Join Mike and Casey for our third annual Holiday Season gathering! We’ll be at the Poodle Dog restaurant in Fife, in their Board Room for good food, good conversation, general cheer, and nerdity. Where: Poodle Dog Restaurant in the “Board Room” 1522 54th Ave E, Fife, WA 98424 When: Saturday, December 15th, 2...

“Spirals…This town is contaminated with Spirals…” In our latest Single Serving Selection, we descend into a mind-bending and stomach-churning modern classic of Japanese manga horror with librarian and friend of the show, Kit Laika , but perhaps you’ll wish we hadn’t. Because this month, we’re descending into madness and body horror with Junji Ito’s U...

We sit down with Tom Satwicz to muse on how various fictional interpretations of New York City and New Yorkers have shaped our perceptions of the place and its people. And does Detroit get a bad rap in fiction, or is Michigan part of the Mad Max universe? We all but plead with you to watch AMC’s Lodge 49,  the greatest television show you’re not watching. How can it be about so many he...

We’re back to dive into an overstuffed grab bag of off-topic nonsense with Roz Townsend , and we grapple with the important questions that keep us up at night. Is Colonel Sanders the closest thing we have to an American Time Lord? What are our favorite fictional restaurants? Are self-published fan zines a lost art? Are skunks a form of Pokémon? Did Freddie Mercury go super saiyan in the &#82...

This isn’t the movies anymore. We’re back. This time we’re traveling to the world behind the silver screen with artist Roz Townsend to dissect the meta-fictional cult action/comedy movie that many at the time considered Arnold’s first box office flop, Last Action Hero . Teenager Danny Madigan is the world’s biggest fan of the Schwarzenegger-helmed Jack Slater series o...

We jump back into the fray with Greg Hatcher , to talk debate the merits of Star Trek Discovery, the future of the franchise and what we want from a Trek property. We also look at the trailer for the new streaming Titans series, and wonder why such a fun property would want to be dour and overserious. Why do so many fans –and even creators — just miss the point?

“There can be only one.” This month, we feel an irresistible pull towards a far away land to test our blades against those of Atomic Junk Shop ‘s Greg Hatcher and David “Ace”  Gutiérrez of Emmys.com . The field of battle, the Highlander franchise. It started as a 1986 cult fantasy film starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, about a small group of sword-wieldin...

In what is an ultra-MEGA-sized two-and-a-half hour episode, we really run the gamut. First, we talk about  popular culture we loved as kids, but are afraid to revisit, because we fear it won’t survive adult scrutiny. In Mike’s case that means a series of epic fantasy novels that he suspects both really hold up in some way, and really really really don’t in other. We then talk abo...

We continue our chat with Patrick Johnson , and finally give our mixed opinions on the latest Disney opus, Solo: A Star Wars Story . We go over the promise and the pitfalls of the prequel concept and ask ourselves what we really wanted from this movie. We talk about a recent internet rabbit hole: a legendary and notorious New Jersey water park that many have called the most dangerous amusement par...

“There’s no excuses, Paul. No one has ever, ever paid admission to see an excuse. No one has ever faced a black screen that says: “Well, if we had these set of circumstances, we would’ve shot this scene… so please forgive us and use your imagination.” In another of our Single Serving Selections , we’re going somewhere that the show has never gone before: n...

Who truly owns a piece of art, a character or a media franchise? The artist, or the audience? We sit down with Sean Duncan to seek the answer to that and many other questions. We (finally) talk about Star Wars: the Last Jedi and the tug-of-war between fans who want the familiar comfort of wish fulfillment and fan service, and those who want to see the series take some serious risks, even if it ali...

The most powerful legend of all is back in a new adventure. Know, o listener, that we return to an age undreamed of, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under our sandalled feet with returning guest and musician , Sean Duncan , to talk about the much-maligned epic fantasy sequel, Conan the Destroyer . Conan of Cimmeria, now living as a vagabond thief, is hired by the Queen Tamaris to escort...

While Casey has to run upstairs and be a dad, Mike continues his talk with Joe Preti and Tobiah Panshin for a full-throated bitch-sesh about the state of the comic book industry. From Marvel and DC’s refusal to change its accessibility, sales methods and whether its time to give up the ghost of the monthly issue, we wonder if the current superhero output from those two great companies just i...