Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi

This is part 2 of our holiday special to be broadcast on December 25th, 2021. This episode looks at speculative movies. [Please listen to Part 1, which is season 2 episode 5, if you want to listen to David and Troy talk about holiday TV, books and comics.] There are two movies that we will look at in much more detail in this episode: Black Christmas - 1974 Krampus - 2015 These two films will take...

This is part 1 of our holiday special to be broadcast on December 11th, 2021. This episode looks at speculative TV, books, and comics. [Please listen to Part 2, which is season 2 episode 6, if you want to listen to David and Troy talk about holiday movies. Episode 6 is set to be broadcast on December 25th, 2021] The holiday season is replete with references to the holidays, in TV and books and com...

On Writing is a classic book (published just 20+ years ago, in 2000) by Stephen King. It is part memoir, part writing instruction, part how King did what he did, and does what he does. What does Stephen King say about writing? about what it takes to be a writer? about what you need to do to be a writer? Listen, and find out! Here are four quotes from the book: = = = If you want to be a writer, you...

Nearly one hundred years ago Universal Pictures got into the monster business, and created a legacy that has not been matched. The Mummy; Dracula; Frankenstein; and The Wolf Man were four characters that cemented Universal as the studio where monster movies were made, and audiences thrilled. Dracula Frankenstein The Mummy The Wolf Man Universal also added The Invisible Man ; and The Creature from...

This is the second episode of our two-part Exorcist episode. We will continue our look at The Exorcist (the book by William Peter Blatty and the film by William Friedkin). We will do our Dream Cast and Schrödinger's Cast for the 1973 film. We will look at six key characters in the movie, and pick the actor/actress that would have best fit that role, and also an outside-the-box cast: Regan MacNeil...

The Exorcist is a book by William Peter Blatty, a film by William Friedkin, and there were sequels. The novel (1971) and movie (1973) tell the story of demonic possession. An actress's daughter is the victim, and after exhausting all medical and psychological possibilities, they are left with a Catholic ritual to "exorcise" the demon from the child. The book received a lot of praise, and the movie...

"The trouble with Jim was he looked at the world and could not look away. And when you never look away all your life, by the time you are thirteen you have done twenty years taking in the laundry of the world." Chapter 9, page 40, Something Wicked This Way Comes, this selection is from ISBN 0-380-97727-3. Avon Books, Hardcover, June 1999. copyright (c) 1962, 1997 by Ray Bradbury. This episode of T...

Maaja Wentz Maaja Wentz is a Toronto teacher-librarian who writes mystery and speculative fiction. School closures inspired Maaja to write the  Saltwater Spy School  series. Imagine Sponge Bob Squarepants meets James Bond featuring a wannabe spy hermit crab overcoming childhood fears. Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer won a Watty award. In the sequel, a rival magic faction has taken control...

   "They peered in at the merry-go-round which lay under a dry rattle and roar of wind-tumbled oak trees. Its horses, goats, antelopes, zebras, speared through their spines with brass javelins, hung contorted as in a death rictus, asking mercy with their fright-colored eyes, seeking revenge with their panic-colored teeth." Chapter 18, page 73, Something Wicked This Way Comes, this selection is fro...

“Shrinkage” could not be held to one episode. The smaller something becomes, we guess, the more you need to to talk about it. For those who missed part 1, Shrinkage is another term for miniaturization. making things small. Imagine if you are an inch tall, and you have to fight off a spider, or a cat. Troy Harkin and David Clink are at the cottage, but this time they are at a campfire, as they cont...

Why “Shrinkage”? Miniaturization by any other name wouldn’t smell so sweet. Troy Harkin and David Clink are at the cottage, on the dock, in this installment of Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi, discussing Shrinkage. From Alice in Wonderland and The Borrowers , The Master from Doctor Who , Irwin Allen’s Land of the Giants , Honey I Shrunk the Kids , and Richard Matheson’s The Incredible Shrinking Man , wh...

Shakespeare. Star Trek. The combination seems a bit odd. From Wikipedia : William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist. Star Trek, the original series, was set in the 23rd century, created by Gene Roddenberry. From Wikipedia : In creating Star T...

Plan 9 from Outer Space is considered by many to be one of the worst films of all time. Is it, though? Does it really deserve that distinction? It is not in the list of the 100 lowest rated films in the IMDB database. So why do people think that? It is not listed in the Medved’s The 50 Worst Films of All Time , that was published in 1978, but it is listed as their choice of worst film in their boo...

The Dead Zone was a 1979 book by Stephen King. It was his first book to rank among the top ten best-selling novels in the United States, and the first story that he set in the fictional town of Castle Rock. The Dead Zone then became a 1983 movie with a deep Canadian connection, directed by David Cronenberg and starring, in order of billing, Christopher Walken; Brooke Adams; Tom Skerritt; Herbert L...

Blade Runner is considered an SF classic, one of the best films of the last 50 years. Why is that? What is it about it that makes it endure? The setting, the soundtrack, the story, the acting? Was 2019 close to what was predicted? Have you ever thought of yourself as a replicant? Have you taken the Voight-Kampff test? Troy Harkin and David Clink will do a deep dive on Blade Runner , with special g...

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is many things, but most of all, it is Douglas Adams. It was a radio play, a book, a series of books, a stage show, a TV series, a comic book series, a video game, and a movie, among other things. This international multi-media phenomenon has sparked legions of fans to devour all things Hitchhiker, fans who are aware of the importance of the number forty-two, a...

The Prisoner series from 1967-68, is the topic of this episode. The Prisoner series ran 17 episodes, and is considered one of the greatest series of all time. Its star, Patrick McGoohan, came up with the concept: a secret agent, not unlike John Drake, the character McGoohan played in “Danger Man” (1960 – 1968) retires, and those in charge want to know why he retired. He is drugged and wakes up in...

Troy Harkin and David Clink discuss recent and current speculative (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, …) movies and TV. They will also provide info on what is upcoming. There is no special guest for this episode. Spoiler alert: specific plot points may be discussed.

The 1968  Planet of the Apes  film brought Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel to the big screen, and nothing has been the same since. From the first appearance of apes, right up to the final climactic scene, Troy Harkin and David Clink, with special guest Robert J. Sawyer (see author bio below), will talk about the film, its importance, its legacy, and where it fits in with the ACE (Ape Cinemati...

Troy Harkin and David Clink grew up in the '60s and '70s, so if you have fond memories of these times, perhaps they can rekindle these, bring back recollections of the shows you grew up with. What were your favourites? This is their first podcast. Enjoy!