RTFB

Wherein we talk about a seminal Christmas Classic Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, and its movie adaptation Die Hard. We also talk about: If this is a Christmas movie?, 80's Movie Trope Nostalgia, the Inspiration for the book, a much darker ending in the book, favorite scenes, and other Christmas movies to check out this year.

Wherein Travis talks to his mom, an OG Dune fan, about her reaction to the Dune movies and they also discuss: Mom's SciFi Bone Fides, Star Trek reviews, Other SciFi Books, Mom's reactions to reading Dune back in the 70s, if the movies were how she envisioned them, and environmentalist themes.

Wherein we talk about the movie version of The Postman and we also talk about: restarting social media after the apocalypse, Kevin Costner and the female gaze, just rolling all the women into one character, Tom Petty as himself, Bill the pony - master swordsman, Giovanni Ribisi as himself, getting a status made of you for the wrong thing, and Danielle saying her famous catch phrase.

Wherein we talk about the second half of The Postman and we also talk about: Olympic foley artists, if theSociety of Cincinnatus was a real thing, emperor naming conventions, women in STEM roles, conmen and the Big Lie, and what to do with super soldiers after the war.

Wherein we talk about the first half of The Postman by David Brin and we also talk about: Patreon rewards (that no one wants), Predictions of the Future from the Past, reactions to the book, Deceased postmen as ultimate wingmen, Gordon constantly rolling for deception checks, Vague advice from powerful computers, and what might happen next.

Wherein we chat about our new book - The Postman by David Brin, the movie, principally by Kevin Costner, and we also talk about: which government functions we might restart after the apocalypse, Other Chris' ad algorithm, what kind of vibes we can expect from the book, the movie completely bombing, and the absolutely stacked film year that was 1997.

Wherein we talk about the fourth year of our little podcast and the best things we read and watched and also evaluate last year's goals and set some new ones. An automated transcript is available at this link

Wherein we talk about Paul's Return to Arrakis as he grapples with survival and embracing or rejecting revenge for his family and we also talk about: banning TikTok, European holidays, performance enhancement for darts, designing a messiah, infamous popcorn buckets and our own terrible purpose. An automated transcript is available at this link

Wherein we talk about one of the most banned books in America - the classic coming of age tale, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and we also talk about: The benefits of being a regular at McDonald's, 50 years of Hip Hop, first experiences with periods, the death penalty, how Judy Blume is cool AF, Jewish sleep away camp, trying out churches, and make our parties.

Wherein we talk about THE Christmas Adaptation - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and we also talk about: where our ghosts of Christmas past would take us, other Hallmark Movies Danielle watched, shifting the idea of how to celebrate Christmas, why was Scrooge such a dick anyway?, how hard is it to make pudding?, and the various movie versions that we've enjoyed.

Wherein we talk about not one, but two John Carpenter movies - The Thing and They Live, based on Who Goes There by John Campbell Jr and Eight o'Clock in the Morning by Ray Nelson, respectively and we also discuss: if Impossible Burgers are Kosher, selling out your species for money, the best fight scene in cinema history, dunking on 2001 yet again, box office success via scheduling, hating on alie...

Wherein we talk about Kenneth Branagh's latest Hercule Poirot movie - A Haunting in Venice, the Agatha Christie book it was mostly based on - Hallowe'en Party and we also discuss: options for Shofar horns, what Travis can remember from the book, mustaches and Dutch angles, Historic quarantine techniques, comfort shows, and potential business ventures in Venice. An automated transcript is available...

Wherein we talk about the movie version of Starship Troopers and we also discuss: medical treatment biases, Danielle's thoughts on bugs, Football in the future, Neil Patrick Harris' evolving wardrobe, ineffectual training videos, and some bugs we did like.

Wherein we talk about the second half of Starship Troopers and we also discuss: how the government in this book was established, Parallels between bug and military brains, Fighting like a gentleman in the shower, how many lives justify a war, and the Dark Forest theory of alien contact.

Wherein we talk about the first 9 chapters of Starship Troopers and we also discuss: earning citizenship via military service, a modern vision of the military from the 1960s, using force to discourage using force, biblical advice not to follow, and saying 'thank you' as incentive to do jobs we don't want to.

Wherein we introduce our new book, Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, and we also discuss: microchip bit compatibility, Old Man moments at the post office, thoughts on bugs, kids toys for R Rated movies, was Heinlein a fascist?, filming in recognizable cities where the story doesn't actually take place, and how Danielle might react to the movie.

Wherein we talk about the doomed Hulu adaptation of Kindred and we also discuss: Ancestry, Bluey, linguistic surveys, major changes in the show, TV accents, practical reminders about searches and warrants, if the show pulled its punches, and what we might've seen in a season 2.

Wherein we talk about the second section of Kindred and we also discuss: Marvel Fatigue, things that lasted longer than the Confederacy, condescending doctors, the miracle of the ballpoint pen, abusive behavior patterns, when it all just becomes too much (for Dana), and a surprise cameo.

Wherein we talk about the first section of Kindred and we also discuss: bygone bookstores and the death of memory, Reactions to the book, Casual brutality in a casually brutal time, Time travel pranks, Biblical names as plot hints, and the cunning use of not-yet-ancient coins.

Wherein we talk about our new book, Kindred by Octavia Butler and we also discuss: Go Karts, Alumni benefits, movies we watched over break, our prior engagement with Octavia Butler and her works, her life/background and the inspiration for this book.

Wherein we talk about the books we read and movies we watched in our third year, we give ourselves a performance review, and we announce a special giveaway.

Wherein we unwrap our early Xmas / Mid-Hannukah gift, The Noel Diary By Richard Paul Evans and we also discuss: Age gap issues, Other Chris's notes, who are these books even for, Filler Food, if this is even a Christmas book, Road trip as seduction technique, Air BnB'ing your movie sets and connections to Dexter.

Wherein we talk about the movie, Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula and we also discuss: wedding talk, abandoned malls, favorite movie vampires, failed dark universe, the movie being all sexed up, cool costumes, getting married for real for a movie scene, and a more Dracula-y ending.

Wherein we talk about the final third of Dracula by Bram Stoker and we also discuss: Origins of Trick or Treating, other ways they could've organized the story, heavenly fair treatment for non-consenting vampires, Book-to-book connections, exciting slang from the Americas, and where Dracula messed up his escape plan.

Wherein we talk about the middle third of Dracula by Bram Stoker and we also discuss: alternate costumes for Ren Faires, taking your sweet time in telling very important news to people, mourning techniques for men, decapitation as kindness, and creative uses for communion bread.