The Skiffy and Fanty Show

Creepy watchers, questionable 90s, and stakes, oh my! Shaun Duke and Trish Matson are joined by the wonderful Tonia Ransom for a hilarious discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , as selected by our patrons! Together, they look at the film’s history, why sexy high school shenanigans are weird, the 90s, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us...

Identify reveals, space travel logistics, and ships, oh my! Righteous Kicks is back! Brandon O’Brien and Iori Kusano put on their spandex bodysuits and head to even more abandoned quarries to kick evildoers until they explode in the final episode on Kamen Rider Fourze (Ep. 33 to the end)! Together, they talk about the show’s big reveals, their favorite ships, the social dynamics of the...

Global corporations, streaming problems, and accessible nerdery, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , and David Annandale collect in an undisclosed location to talk about the trials and tribulations of international streaming. Together, they explore the limits of streaming services, the problems they can create for international viewers, the new and troublesome media environment growing aro...

American crime syndicates, movie rip-offs, and so much walking, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , Paul Weimer , and Daniel Haeusser join forces to discuss the Toei v-cinema production, Lady Battle Cop (1990)! Together, they try to make sense of its crime-ridden world, just what it borrows from RoboCop (1987), why choreography is important, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope...

Space employment agencies, NASA spies, and Oakland, oh my! Shaun Duke and David Annandale turn their eyeballs to Sun Ra’s Space is the Place (1974). Together, they discuss the film’s history and themes, its approach to U.S. racism, the power of music, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions ! S...

Mortars, marabouts, and colonialist briefcases, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien take At the Movies in a truly new direction as they explore Ousmane Sembène’s Xala ! Together, Shaun and Brandon explore the history of one of the earliest and significant works of African SF/F cinema, from its themes of family, pride, and greed to its exploration of French colonialism in Senegal to t...

Tea saunas, detective mysteries, and magical Cairo, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien join forces for an incredible interview with the incredible P. Djèlí Clark! Together, they discuss A Master of Djinn , the wonders of historical research, addressing transnational racism, making Cairo full of magic, wonder, and complexity, and challenging genre and historical practices in fiction, plus...

Bad language, human hand bras, and space lesbians, oh my! Shaun Duke , Alex Acks , and Becca Evans join forces to discuss John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars (2001)! Together, they try to make sense of the bizarre plot, the worldbuilding, why Jason Statham is just so darn handsome, why Martian ghost monsters love saw blades, and some pressing questions about sex toys and the Mall of America&#823...

Highschool shenanigans, friends inside satellites, and secret identities, oh my! Righteous Kicks is back! Brandon O’Brien and Iori Kusano put on their spandex bodysuits and head to even more abandoned quarries to kick evildoers until they explode in their continuation of Kamen Rider Fourze (Ep. 17-32)! Together, they talk about the show’s progression, the wild world of Japanese high sc...

Twisted quotas, questionable empires, and ancient mysteries, oh my! Shaun Duke is joined by special guest Brent Lambert for a neck deep discussion of Acacia by David Anthony Durham! Together, they discuss the influence of the book on Brent’s life, the role of ancestry and legacy in empire, Durham’s treatment of trauma and the fantasy genre, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We ho...

Strange eggs, suspicious mannequins, traumatic youth, oh my! Shaun Duke , Brandon O’Brien , and Iori Kusano join forces with Soup to discuss the controversial anime series, Wonder Egg Priority ! Together, they discuss what the show was trying to do, how it went off the rails, what it’s like for an anime studio to run into production problems, and the show’s approach to its centra...

Traumatic Americans, Blip politics, and vibranium wings, oh my! Shaun Duke and Brandon O’Brien team-up like a Marvel comic book crossover event for a discussion of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ! They’re joined by Allie Bustion and Faiq Lodhi. Together, this crew of Avengers tackle the show’s treatment of race and trauma, what it means to wear the shield, just what makes John...

Lesbian vampires, Ottawa, and bad wigs, oh my! Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer bring on special guest and friend of the show Tonia Ransom for a truly special edition of Torture Cinema! Together, they discuss 2001’s totally absurd parody film, Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter . Just what makes this movie tick? Why are there so many militant atheists? Where does Jesus get his power, and why are vampire...

Electric whips, cruel spirits, and acid lakes, oh my! Shaun Duke and Alex Acks return for the second part of our first “a book and its adaptation” pairing. This time, they discuss Brown Girl Begins , a prequel adaptation of Brown Girl in the Ring , which we covered in episode 420 ! Together, they cover the film’s approach to adapting the novel, the script choices, and the directo...

Invisible men, sexy moss, and gymnastics, oh my! Shaun Duke and Alex Acks join forces for the first ever A Book and Its Adaptation pairing. April 2021’s selection includes Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring and the prequel adaptation, Brown Girl Begins (2017; dir. Sharon Lewis)! In this episode, Shaun and Alex discuss Hopkinson’s novel, diving into the book’s themes, i...

Invisible men, sexy moss, and gymnastics, oh my! Shaun Duke and Trish Matson take a page out of the 60s to discuss Samuel R. Delany’s Captives of the Flame ! Together, they discuss Delany’s approach to plotting, the novel’s themes of the other and war, the strange ending, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your comments, que...

Confused plots, red capes, and superpeople juice, oh my! Shaun Duke and Alex Acks combine their powers to discuss the horrifically questionable Canadian Ventura vehicle, Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1991)! Together, they explore the film’s bizarre sexless vision of the future, how a movie about an impregnating flannel-wearing alien super soldier works, and other topics more Rated R tha...

Gothic abodes, inescapable nightmares, and suckers, oh my! Shaun Duke and David Annandale return for a new edition of our “good movies” subcast. As promised, they’ve joined forces to dig into David’s selection, Lisa and the Devil , with some discussion of its shaky release history! Together, they discuss the film’s surreal and nightmarish horror in narrative and set d...

Trash gremlins, space families, and Elon Bezos, oh my! Shaun Duke and Alex Acks take a trip to South Korea to discuss the totally epic space western, Space Sweepers (2021). Together, they discuss what makes the film so fun, its treatment of trauma, its differences from other blockbusters of its type, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us your co...

Vicious temptation, religious morals, and tap dancing, oh my! Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer take a time machine back to the 1940s to look at the jazz- and swing-infused religious fable, Cabin in the Woods ! They discuss the film’s legacy, its take on black spirituality (as best as we understand it), its themes of temptation and good vs. evil, the wonders of a good jazz number, and so much more!...

Hopeful visions, genre nerdery, and diversity, oh my! Let the shenanigans ensue! Shaun Duke , Jen Zink , and GoH Brandon O’Brien join forces for a live recording of the 3x Hugo Finalist podcast, The Skiffy and Fanty Show! Together, they’ll discuss the power of science fiction to explore the present and uncover hope, from its technological imagination to its approach to social issues an...

Confused plots, red capes, and superpeople juice, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink do the unthinkable: bring on Tonia Ransom to talk about one of our “banned films,” which our patrons selected! Together, these fine young heroes try to make sense of Snyder’s vision, what’s wrong with DC’s heroes, the nature of superhero feefees, and so much more! Thanks for listening. We...

Marsh crabs, magic paint, and the times are a-changin’, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink join forces for this super special interview with Eden Royce on Root Magic . Together, they discuss Eden’s approach to U.S. history and the Gullah-Geechee culture, what makes Root Magic a southern gothic novel, and the wonderful world of middle grade novels. Plus so much more! Thanks for listening. W...

Shiny spaceships, funny aliens, and it’s so 80s, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink return to the Wardrobe for a special conversation about Flight of the Navigator . Together, they discuss the film’s thematic approach to family, abduction, and adolescence, the surprising treatment of 80s culture, and oh so much more! Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes: Send us...

New years, new shiny, and memories, oh my! Shaun Duke and Jen Zink dive into the exciding world of African short films with a look at three exciting projects from the last decade-ish — Afronauts (2017), Z: The Beginning (2019), and Pumzi (2009). Together, they explore their themes of dystopia and hope, their treatment of African culture and familiar ideas from SF, and just what makes these f...