Sequelcast 2 and Friends

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss Muppets from Space. Gonzo tries to discover his true origins.  Less plot focused than the other Muppet films, Muppets from Space tries to explain why Gonzo is so weird. The answer is not exactly satisfying. Sure, there are cameos like Ray Liotta and Kathy Griffin, but this is not one of the better ones. It's not really a spoof of science-fiction like...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss Survival of the Dead. Irish clans feud over zombie ethics as members of the National Guard step in.  George A. Romero's final entry in his zombie series in a spin-off of a planned trilogy focusing on different characters from the Diary of the Dead. The action mostly takes place on Plum Island off the coast of Delaware. Richard Fitzpatri...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss their favorite books about film and some of the film courses they took in college.  From Hollywood scandals to lengthy dissections of a filmmaker's career, all sorts of film books are discussed. What are some of your favorites?  Sequelcast 2 and Friends is part of the Greenlit Podcast Network Follow the show on Twitter @Sequelcast2 Like...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Jersey Jason discuss Muppet Treasure Island. The Muppets take on Robert Louis Stevenson's literary classic. After the success of The Muppet Christmas Carol, Brian Henson continued the Muppets plundering the classics with Muppet Treasure Island. A kind of polar opposite of the nuanced Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island goes for bombastic with Tim Curry...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss Diary of the Dead. Zombies meet their most feared foe: the shaky cam! A misguided attempt to loop George A. Romero's zombie series into the found footage genre made famous by The Blair Witch Project, Diary of the Dead is a low budget uninspired entry. Characters and the story are a bit flat. There are some interesting visuals here and t...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher have special guest Shawn Mills on to discuss his new book The Sierra Adventure .  The Sierra Adventure is a comprehensive look at the history of Sierra On-Line. Known for such 1980s and 1990s hits as King's Quest, Gabriel Knight, Space Quest, Quest for Glory, and many more, for nerds of a certain age Sierra was computer gaming. Mat, Thrasher, and Shawn Mills...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss The Muppet Christmas Carol. A greedy man becomes a little nicer with the help of some ghosts.  The first Muppets feature made after Jim Henson's death, The Muppet Christmas Carol is a faithful yet humorous adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens story. Paul Williams returns from The Muppet Movie to write the songs, and they're pretty heartfelt. Mic...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss Land of the Dead. Zombies have spread to crowded cities. Land of the Dead has the biggest budget of the whole series. It's nice to see George A. Romero go for a bigger scope this time around. John Leguizamo, Asia Argento, and Dennis Hopper are memorable in their roles. Even though the ending feels a bit rushed, this is a pretty good eff...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss The Muppets Take Manhattan. The Muppets try to pitch a musical to big Broadway producers.  A loose remake of The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan goes over well-trod ground. It's a darker film with all of Kermit's friends leaving him at one point. Cameos are a little weaker this time around, but the songs are nice. Muppet Babies is a spin-off...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss Pilot, the first episode of The Critic. Jay Sherman (Jon Lovitz) is in Manhattan working as a film critic whose life stinks almost as much as the movies he has to review.  One of the best episodes of the show, Pilot has to introduce a boatload of characters and does so with style. The use of CG for part of the Beauty and King Dork sequence was a huge...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss the original Day of the Dead. Soldiers are dispatched to protect scientists trying to find a way to stop the zombie pandemic.    Day of the Dead feels nearly as claustrophobic as the original Night of the Living Dead. Main characters are thrust into close quarters, humans start to betray each other, and a real sense of panic sets in. Th...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss why they are doing a podcast on the short-lived acclaimed animated series The Critic.    Sequelcast 2 and Friends is part of the Greenlit Podcast Network Follow the show on Twitter @Sequelcast2 Like our Sequelcast 2 Facebook Page Listen to Marc with a C's music podcast Discography. Buy One Starry Night, a Cthulhu Live scenario Thrasher contributed to...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss The Great Muppet Caper. A jewel heist is afoot in London.    Featuring guest stars befitting of its London settings, including  John Cleese, Joan Sanderson, and Robert Morley, The Great Muppet Caper tries to have more of a plot than The Muppet Movie. An increased focus on narrative does the movie no favor as it takes away from some of the fun. Musica...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss the original Dawn of the Dead. Zombies attack a shopping mall.   A larger color follow-up to Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead is a more satirical picture. It's also more of an action movie than the original.  Filled with unique zombie kills, intense moments, and a fine score by The Goblins and Dario Argento, this is perhaps th...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss Cranston Manor. A wealthy man is dead and the treasures in his titular manor are yours for the taking.    Originally a text adventure by Larry Ledden, this is a remake with graphics done by Harold DeWitz and Ken Williams. On-Line Systems' most accomplished adventure game to date, this has a simple story, the requisite mazes, and fairly logical puzzle...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss The Muppet Movie. The Muppets travel to Hollywood.    The first of many Muppet movies, The Muppet Movie is an origin story with more celebrity cameos than you can shake a stick at. It overstays its welcome a bit, but solid songs from Paul Williams help move things right along.    Sequelcast 2 and Friends is part of the Greenlit Podcast Network Follow...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss the original black and white Night of the Living Dead. Zombies attack Ben (Duane Jones), Barbra (Judith O'Dea), and the rest of the gang in an isolated farmhouse.  Directed by horror stalwart George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead combines social satire, quarantine horror, and gross-out moments into one delightful cinematic stew. Ju...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss Blockbuster Video.  Video rental stores were a core experience of becoming movie and video game fans in our youth. We discuss late fees and wasting hours browsing walls to pick a movie or game "based on its cover". Mat regales the crew with what it was liking working for Blockbuster Video in the late 1990s. Sequelcast 2 and Friends is p...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and UK fan of the show Stephen Jones discuss Men in Black 3.  Agent J (Will Smith) has to travel back in time to 1969 to prevent Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) from assassinating a young Agent K (Josh Brolin). Etan Coen's smart screenplay for Men in Black 3 elevates the material for a movie that's better than you might expect. Not unlike Austin Powers: Gol...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss Men in Black 2.  Flipping the original film's concept, Agent J (Will Smith) has to bring Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) out of retirement to battle Serleena (Laura Flynn Boyle) and Scrad (Johnny Knoxville). Special effects are an improvement over the original, but the main thrust of the story takes ages to get started. There are too many callbacks to the...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss Leroy & Stitch.  Leroy & Stitch is notable for its focus on action. A wrap-up of sorts for the animated series, this flick has some returning villains and introduces Leroy, a version of Stitch that's all evil and all red.  A finale in a stadium featuring the numerous experiments leading up to Stitch has a fun Pokemon Stadium quality to...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi, Thrasher, and Alex Miller discuss Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch.  A lower key tale than the prior entry, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch retreads the plot of the first film to some degree. Stitch's good and evil balance is out of wack. Stitch feels guilt and anxiety over this, and wants to leave Earth before he destroys those that he loves. It all wraps up i...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss Men in Black. Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) recruits Agent J (Will Smith) to battle the dangerous alien Bug (Vincent D'Onofrio). Loosely based on a short-lived comic book series from Aircel Comics, Men in Black combines humor, science-fiction, and a bit of horror into slick summer entertainment. Part of what makes this original film work so well is the s...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss Highlander: The Source. Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) searches for the source of immortality.  Meant to be the start of a new trilogy, Highlander: The Source feels like it was shot in a basement with awful special effects to boot. An embarrassment to the franchise, Highlander: The Source has little to recommend it other than an unintentionally funny e...

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and Thrasher discuss Highlander: Endgame. Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) team up to battle Jacob Kell (Bruce Payne).  A follow-up to the long-running TV show, Highlander: Endgame has a smaller scope than the sequels up to this point. Locales are often drab, although there are some fun martial arts sequences and Bruce Payne lays on t...