In which Thom & Andru swap stories with filmmakers David Barras and Scott MacKay about the vast joys and perils of Comic Con 2012, the creation of the duo's geektastic film Electric Man, and their adventures in combining the two. Plus, the importance of fantasy, the bonding power of 2% jokes, and the rare times when meeting one's heroes doesn't suck.
In which Thom & Andru pre-funk for 2012's San Diego Comic Con with the help of Amanda Lynne Shafer and Lauren Matesic Bregman (aka Phoenix and Diamond Dove from Birds Of 'Play) who are more than happy to share their con-related ambitions, anecdotes, and advice for the overwhelmed first-timer (aka Thom). Also, the joys of extended editions and second breakfasts, and drawing the line on nerd hipsterism. Again. Music by Kielen King.
In which Thom & Andru search for verisimilitude in a sea of Sorkinisms, facial prosthetics, deus ex viruses, anachronistic ratings data, and unexpected Tatum reevaluation. Travis J Coleman is also on hand to offer opinions and anecdotes concerning Ted, Brave, Haywire, and Magic Mike, then delves a little deeper for the pilot episode of The Newsroom (moderate spoilers, as well as some for the first season of Farscape.)
In which Thom & Andru surf a tsunami of 80s nostalgia whilst catching up with Bernie Bregman of Nerds Like Us on their next midnight movie, new adventures in shadowcasting, and healing the jock/nerd divide. Then, Thom chats with Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery about the power of crowd-sourcing, the art of a great set list, and the redemption of progressive rock, whilst mostly managing to curb his inner fanboy. Mostly.
In which Thom & Andru roll out the red carpet for the return of Brian Peck, who is more than happy to discuss science fiction without the science, Charlie Sheen without the dysfunction, and how he ended up on the DVD commentary for X-Men, amongst other topics. Then, a brief chat with Joel McCrary on the music and mayhem of Fellowship!, the musical parody of Fellowship Of The Ring, which is ending it's LA run this month.
In which Thom & Andru frisbee-dog their way through fandom frustrations, pretty puzzle-boxes, cinematic shame lists, semi-intended sequels, and more with movie uber-geek Travis J Coleman. Plus, 4th week favorites, multiple calls, and a dose of Mac love (not to mention Mac & Me love.) Mild spoilers for Prometheus (go see it already!) and Dark Shadows.
In which Thom & Andru catch up with Aaron Duran on the state of Portlandian pop-culture, the continuing saga of La Brujeria, and a special focus on All Things Alien, including the admonishment that one should avoid viewing Prometheus through xenomorph-colored glasses. Plus, 4th week favorites, the importance of 1963 in nerd culture, and a spoiler-free review of Snow White And The Huntsman.
In which Chris Jackson, Robbie Rist, and Travis Coleman team up with Andru to give Thom the best birthday present ever: an episode of the show where he barely has any verbal weight to lug around at all. A chaotic cornucopia of conversation ensues, much of it concerning ruination in pop culture -- what has been ruined, how it was ruined, who deserves blame for ruining it -- all leading up to a question which pops the soap bubble of the premise, and leaves us all wondering if fandom simply boils d...
In which Thom & Andru join forces with Amanda Lynn Shafer of Birds Of ‘Play and Bernie Bregman of Nerds Like Us to shine a light on shadowcasting, de-sharpen the LED spearhead, direct traffic at the intersection of cons and cosplay, and spend an inordinate amount of time reviewing a film that none of them have seen. Plus, 4th Week favorites, the Visa Theater’s latest 35mm adventures, and Thom commits geek heresy...twice.
In which Thom & Andru set out to separate the high-performing from the user-friendly, the hipster from the reactionary, the Young Avengers from the Tiny Toons, the Ds from the 3s, the ETX from the IMAX, and, perhaps most crucially, the battleships from Battleship. Plus, the danger of conflating an artist with their fan base, the great strides being made in the fields of phantom keyboards and carbonite effigies, and the importance of remembering that no matter what our differences, everyone i...
In which Thom welcomes movie ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary Grae Drake back to the show, to regale one and all with tales of drunken junkets, star-power subversion, and the thin line between critic and journalist. Then, our dynamic duo searches in vain for superlatives potent enough to describe the joy that The Avengers hath wrought. If you haven't yet seen the movie (yeah, right) beware of random acts of spoilers. And swooning.
In which Thom & Andru get TV-centric with Chris Jackson, beginning with Hulu’s latest exercise in self-destruction and ironic attempts to pull digital art back from the future, then analogizing the similar journeys of LOST and Battlestar Galactica. Somewhere in between, the show’s original mission statement is invoked while examining how the popularity of Game Of Thrones is warping the fabric of what is considered mainstream, while revealing prejudicial cracks that still exist in the larger ...
In which Thom & Andru purge their cinematic binge from the celebration of Andru’s birthday, dropping major spoilers for Lockout, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, Wrath Of The Titans, American Reunion, and Rubber ...but staying 99% spoiler-free for Cabin In The Woods, which is discussed generally, but won’t be thoroughly dissected - so to speak - until a later date. And as we offload our outline of other observations, we humbly beg your indulgence if there is any stumbling over matters metap...
In which Thom & Andru meet with Nerds Like Us impresario Bernie Bregman for a cinematic summit on midnight movie memories, the nerfing of childhood entertainment, the relative rituals of Repo vs Rocky Horror, and keeping the 35mm flame burning in an increasingly digital landscape. Plus, 4th week favorites with a twist, the show's dearth of tech-savvy is causing Thom formatical angst, and learn how you can celebrate Andru's birthday TGA-style!
In which Thom & Andru consult with Ryan Morris of UFO Radar about everything from the latest in extraterrestrial invasion prep to the preferred distance at which to stand back whilst observing Bigfoot mating season. Also, Bernie Bregman of Nerds Like Us calls in with details on The Vista’s upcoming screening of The Dark Crystal, and a spirited roundtable on the adaptation and nerfing of genre source material, starring Gollum, Kuato, and the T-800. Dig in!
In which Thom & Andru are paid a visit by their dark, whimsical overlord Johnny Dam (henceforth known as Johnny Darko) who flashes his bona fides with references ranging from Thunderbirds Game of Thrones, then blazes discursive trails into politics, infotainment, and the need for Dish Network to stop ratting out spoiler addicts to their spouses, all while painting the show’s language a lovely shade of indigo. Plus, memories of Kurt Cobain, and a review of Wrath Of The Titans.
In which Thom & Andru take stock of the show’s first year and speculate on its value as a post-apocalyptic artifact, while also debating the nigh-impossible to thread needle of fan expectations, the relative and pluralistic value of mash-up culture, the funhouse mirror of first-person shooters, and a theory explaining the connection between politics, vampires, and colorblindness. Not bad for an hour’s work. Music by Kielen King.
In which Thom & Andru are joined once again by Robbie Rist and Chris Jackson of The Spoon for a pop-culture potpourri roundtable which is equal parts thoughtful analysis and raging nerd fight. The topics are staggeringly numerous - foley, spoilerphobia, foot-shaving, and hoverboards, just to list a random two minute sample - but the conversational sea refuses no river. Plus, the best opening jam yet! (NSFW language abounds, for the record.)
In which Thom & Andru are back to being a duo after an unprecedentedly long string of guest episodes, and immediately begin deconstructing their own show. Amid all manner of curtain-pulling and audience-polling, they also wax on (and off) about recent movie adventures, including reviews of John Carter and The Fall, a midnight screening of Serenity, the HDTV learning curve, and entertainment/food combos with unfortunate consequences. All this, plus a tease of upcoming listener events, and mor...
In which Thom & Andru attempt to re-write history with Aaron Lyons and Jordan Monsell of Pulp Shakespeare, talking remix culture, meta-humor, artistic multitasking, and using Tarantino as a gateway drug to the world of the Bard. Also on the menu: the shrinking of action stars, the mathematics of viral videos, the incomprehensible weapons policy of Renaissance Faires, and the latest attempt by the sun to destroy us all (Emmerich film to follow). Music by Her Majesty’s Secret Players.
In which Thom & Andru bond with movie ubergeek Travis J Coleman over the benefits of a big screen, shared theatre student experiences, a deep and abiding love of MST3k, and a collective shrug in the general direction of Oscar Night 2012. Plus, the razor thin line between A and B movies, horrifying candies of the American Southwest, the reason for having two tables in the studio, and which film earns the official designation of "Andru bait"? The answer... won't surprise you at all. Music by T...
In which Thom & Andru are joined by special guest Helenna Santos Levy of Geek Girls Create to chat about the zombie future, the mix tape past, voca lcompetition shows that don't suck, and making one's own breaks in the world of new media. Plus, a recap of TGA's adventures at Gallifrey One, and the latest round of geek/nerd nomenclature navel-gazing. Music by Jonathan Coulton & GLaDDOS
In which Thom & Andru welcome back the dynamic Whovian duo of Ingrid Oliansky and Joshua Lou Friedman, to discuss the many-splendored glories that await attendees of this year’s Gallifrey One convention. Also up for discussion: action figure nostalgia, suspension of special effects disbelief, and a slew of demoralizing comics news with a single bright spot to offset it, plus a review of Red Tails and Valentine’s Day serenades from The Wonderstrucks and Jean-Luc Picard.
In which Thom & Andru chat with filmmaker Josh Levy about Canadian comedy, Hutt anatomy, the delicate tightrope of back story, and the rabidfranchising of story in general. Also, Andru watches his first Super Bowl, Thom reviews Chronicle, Lucasfilm is fooling no one with their 3D marketing, and the show experiences that rarest of phenomena: a live caller!
In which Thom & Andru discuss fairy tales, fanboyisms, and the magic of Portland with author / podcaster / one-man nerdcyclopedia Aaron Duran, whose indie comic La Brujeria is heading into its 3rd issue. Also on the docket: catching up on old TV shows and new Disneyland rides, and the origin of the show’s title is revealed. Plus, a technical meltdown that is not heard due to some last-minute Lucasizing, but continues to haunt Thom throughout the episode regardless. Fun! Music by Paul & S...
In which Thom & Andru attempt to inject more structure into the show, which only throws the episode's frequent and severe digressions into sharper relief. Meandering side roads include new rules that all award shows should be made to honor, the danger of dead reckoning in pop culture analysis, and another spate of iPhone talk (which we promise will slow to a trickle eventually.) Also, we watch things! And actually enjoy some of them! And then share that enjoyment you! What a world.
In which Thom and Andru are joined by Chris Jackson and Robbie Rist of The Spoon for a conversational preponderance of pop culture potpourri, bemoaning the devolution of geek culture into empty hipsterism, even as they themselves play to the back of the room relentlessly. Other topics include EVERYTHING. This is about as ADD as we’ve ever been folks... strap in and hang on!
In which Thom & Andru begin the new year with a flurry of film reviews, a bevy of book talk, a recounting of their holiday recreations, and an overage of obstinate opinions on everything from mo-cap to online vigilantism to pie. Also, the debut "4th Week Favorites", Andru cautions on the dangers of the Netflix Wall, and Thom pays tribute to talk host Rick Emerson, without whose influence this show would not exist.
In which Thom & Andru celebrate Boxing Day with a present comprised of conversations passed. Included in this best-of episode are interviews with Kielen King, Michele Ivey, Robbie Rist, and Brian Peck. Thanks for listening, we'll be back with brand new nerdery in 2012!
In which Thom & Andru battle capricious cinema catalogs, flummoxing font-snobbery, mis-aimed marketing decisions, and rebellious radio gear in their attempt to sum up the best and worst of 2011's genre entertainment. Also, the new Mission Impossible is improbably good, the Dark Knight Rises teaser is visually beautiful and verbally muffled, and Thom finally jumps on the Netflix train, just as it may be pulling out of the station for good.
