Episode 234. To start a festive December, we watched 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol. Michael Caine stars as Scrooge, confronted by three fantastical ghosts to help him look back on the lost joys and sorrows of Christmases in his life, and look forward to how he can change and help his community for the better. Gonzo plays Charles Dickens, joined by Rizzo the Rat to follow the action and narrate this heartfelt classic. Click here to watch a video of this episode. ★ Support this podcast on Patr...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 234
Episode 233. We're concluding our discussion on Zander Cannon's comic series Kaijumax, talking about the final two volumes! We expand our view on Kaijumax, visiting the court system, death row, and victim reconciliation programs at the prison. But business as normal grinds to a halt when an alien attack threatens Earth, and the kaiju are encouraged to volunteer for the war effort, in exchange for reduced sentences. On the outside, Electogor is able to reunite with his daughter, and other inmates...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 5Ep. 233
Episode 232. We read the first half of the comic series Die, from Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans. In 1991, a group of teenagers play a tabletop RPG, and find themselves sucked into the dangerous fantasy world. Decades after their escape, they return to try and find the gamemaster who didn't make it out. Time has passed as normal in the world of Die, and these adults have to face the consequences of the desperate choices they made in their youth, especially as they realize this may be a place w...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Season 5Ep. 232
Episode 231. This week we watched Megamind, a 2010 animated film from Dreamworks. Megamind is an alien supervillain who lives to wreak havoc on Metro City and fight the superhero Metro Man. When his plans finally succeed and he destroys his enemy, he feels more empty than victorious. He trains a new superhero so he has someone to fight again, but as the would-be hero turns to the dark side, Megamind has to step up and become the hero his city needs. Click here to watch a video of this episode. ★...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Season 5Ep. 231
Episode 230. We're continuing our coverage of Zander Cannon's comic series Kaijumax, talking about volumes 3 and 4 this week, and finishing up the series at the end of the month! Electogor is back in prison, this time accompanied by his young son. To protect himself and his family, he puts a hit out on an old foe -- who turns up dead before any other monsters can get to him. Meanwhile, Electogor's ferocious daughter is in the women's wing of Kaijumax, which sees its own share of threats from the...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 5Ep. 230
Episode 229. We finish off the Halloween season this year by discussing a selection of episodes from The Twilight Zone! We cover the mysterious isolation of Where Is Everybody?, the mob panic of The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, the wandering mannequins of The After Hours, the devilish twists of The Howling Man, the threats from beyond in Long Distance Call, and the omnipotent terror of It's a Good Life. Click here to watch a video of this episode. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★...
Nov 02, 2022•2 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 229
Episode 228. We watched season one of the Apple TV+ show Servant, produced by M. Night Shyamalan! After the death of their baby, a family uses a lifelike doll to help the distraught mother out of a catatonic state of grief. She believes this doll to be her real son, and hires a shy young woman as a live-in nanny. The girl keeps up the act, even when the mother isn't around. The husband is suspicious of the girl's origins and motives, and the unusual effects she's having on the household. After a...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Season 5Ep. 228
Episode 227. We watched the 1971 film The Abominable Dr. Phibes, starring horror icon Vincent Price! Everyone believed that Dr. Phibes died in a car accident while rushing to the aid of his wife, who died in surgery. But Dr. Phibes survived, disfigured and set on revenge. He's murdering each of his wife's doctors using schemes inspired by biblical plagues, with the help of his PhD in theology, his stylish assistant, an animatronic band, a vat of brussel sprouts, and other inexplicable details in...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 5Ep. 227
Episode 226. We read Shiver, an anthology of short stories by the manga master of horror Junji Ito! These nine unconnected stories show us everyday feelings and fears blown up into striking terror. A model taunts her painter, saying he'll never capture even a fraction of her unnatural beauty. A man's dreams start to feel like they're taking years and he barely remembers the previous day when he wakes up. Fans are willing to kill for the rare recording of a song that was sung from beyond the grav...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 55 min•Season 5Ep. 226
Episode 225. We're kicking off our spooky month with the horror-comedy films Happy Death Day (2017) and Happy Death Day 2U (2019), directed by Christopher Landon. Tree is a college student who already hates dealing with her birthday, and then she's murdered by a mysterious masked figure. She finds herself stuck in a time loop, living this birthday over and over again until she can figure out her killer's identity. In the sequel, just when she's managed to escape, a campus science experiment thro...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 5Ep. 225
Episode 224. We're starting a new monthly ongoing series reading the Kaijuxmax comics by writer and artist Zander Cannon! Kaijumax is a remote island prison for huge monsters of all kinds: aliens, robots, nuclear disasters, and creatures from myth. Electrogor is a giant orange bugman and single father just trying to stay under the radar and keep his kids fed. When he's thrown into prison, he has to deal with gangs, prejudice, unscrupulous guards, the uranium drug trade, and the struggle to escap...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Season 5Ep. 224
Episode 223. We read the first two volumes of the comic Once and Future, by Kieron Gillen, with art by Dan Mora and colors by Tamra Bonvillain. Hardened monster-hunter Bridgette has to bring her unsuspecting adult grandson Duncan into the family business when a magical artifact manifests the legendary King Arthur, bent on conquering modern-day Great Britain. In a world where myths can be brought to life, the family has to embody these archetypal characters to gain their power and turn the tide o...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 5Ep. 223
Episode 222. This time in Shametember, we watched the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, a movie Kyle had never seen and Melissa had never finished because she was a child and the sinking scenes were too scary! An elderly woman tells her story to a modern-day diving team exploring the shipwrecked Titanic, immersing the audience in her experience as a passenger on the ship, her realization of its doom, her fight for survival, and the whirlwind romance that helped save her life. Click here to watch a video...
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 5Ep. 222
Episode 221. It's Shametember again, when we pick movies from our "list of shame" of influential films we can't believe we've never seen. This week, we watched all three Godfather films, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel by Mario Puzo. Spanning the twentieth century, we see the Coroleones struggle to build and keep their place in the organized crime world, turning against each other and abandoning their moral codes as they attempt to protect the family legacy. Click here to wa...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 5Ep. 221
Episode 220. We conclude our monthly coverage of Fringe by talking about the fifth and final season! Stuck in a dystopian future where the Observers have taken over, the team struggles to stay under their radar and uncover a forgotten plan that Walter created years ago. As they deal with both losses and reunions, the team confronts their greatest fears and how much they're willing to sacrifice to return to the world to what they knew before. Click here to watch a video of this episode. ★ Support...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Season 5Ep. 220
Episode 219. We watched season one of the Apple TV+ comedy The Afterparty, created by Christopher Miller! Following their 15-year high school reunion, a group of alumni have gone to an afterparty at the home of former student and current pop star Xavier. The night turns to chaos and Xavier is murdered. As a detective interviews the party attendees, they tell their story of the night's events, each seeing the world through the lens of a different film genre. Click here to watch a video of this ep...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 5Ep. 219
Episode 218. We watched the new Netflix action movie from the Russo brothers, The Gray Man! A man code-named only "Six" is a secret assassin for a branch of the CIA. When he learns he's being used to kill enemies of his corrupt boss, he goes rouge, and a cruel mercenary who failed out of the program is brought in to hunt him down. Six tries to stay ahead of death, while also trying to save the kidnapped niece of mentor, the only man in the CIA who believes he can still trust. Click here to watch...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 5Ep. 218
Episode 217. Melissa is on vacation visiting Kyle for our first episode recorded in person! We're discussing a classic road trip story, 1979's The Muppet Movie. Kermit the Frog leaves behind his swamp with just a banjo and a dream to make it big in Hollywood. He gathers friends along the way, who will help him escape from a frog leg restauranteur who wants to turn him into a new mascot. Click here to watch a video of this episode. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★...
Aug 11, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 5Ep. 217
Episode 216. We're continuing our monthly discussion on Fringe, talking about the penultimate fourth season! The Observers have erased Peter from the timeline, but that isn't enough to remove Walter and Olivia's subconscious memories of him. Peter finds his way back to existence and struggles with rekindling his relationships with these alternate versions of his loved ones, as the team also faces the return of familiar old threats we thought were defeated. Click here to watch a video of this epi...
Aug 03, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 5Ep. 216
Episode 215. We watched a German drama series on Netflix called The Billion Dollar Code, based on true events. In 1990s Berlin, a programmer and a digital media artist create software to virtually fly the user around the world and let them zoom in to see anywhere they want. They think they can make this program a success -- until Google Earth debuts. Years later, the team takes Google to court to prove the massive company infringed on their patent for this revolutionary software. Click here to w...
Jul 27, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Season 5Ep. 215
Episode 214. We read the 2015 Starfire miniseries from DC Comics, written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti. Starfire is an alien princess, a superhero, and now a citizen of Key West, Florida. She goes to the vacation town to try to live a normal life and better understand human customs and relationships. She's still called into action to fight monsters and save people from hurricanes, while she struggles with everyday problems like flirtatious suitors, job hunts, and grocery shopping. Click ...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Season 5Ep. 214
Episode 213. We watched the 1968 Japanese kaiju movie Destroy All Monsters! Godzilla and other infamous monsters are living in the protected habitat of Monster Island, until they escape and begin attacking world monuments. The scientists trace this disaster back to mind-controlling aliens who want to distract the world so they can start their takeover in Japan. The scientists may be able to bring the monsters back to their side, but can they also defeat the aliens' secret monster weapon, King Gi...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 5Ep. 213
Episode 212. It's 4th of July weekend and we promised ourselves a Nicolas Cage movie at some point this year -- of course we're watching the National Treasure movies. Ben Gates's family has been mocked for generations for their belief in a hidden Freemason treasure trove, and he's determined to solve the clues to bring those treasures to the world, and bring a good name back to his ancestors. He has to face the unthinkable, stealing the Declaration of Independence to access its hidden puzzles, a...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 5Ep. 212
Episode 211. We're continuing our discussion on Fringe this month, talking about season three! Olivia fights her way back home from the alternate universe, as "Fauxlivia" secretly takes her place, infiltrating the team and continuing Olivia's blossoming romance with Peter. Walter struggles to keep up with "Walternate" and his plans for revenge, while Peter deals with a mysterious machine that responds only to him and his unique role to play in both of these universes. Click here to watch a video...
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Season 5Ep. 211
Episode 210. This week we watched the 2022 blockbuster action film from India, RRR! In a tumultuous time of colonialism and revolt, two strangers team up to save a community from a freak accident and become instant friends. One is on a secret mission to rescue a young girl who was abducted by the British general, and another is one of the general's top soldiers, sworn to find the man who is rumored to attack the manor. As the two men learn of each other's pasts, they find that their friendship m...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 5Ep. 210
Episode 209. We watched the 2003 HBO miniseries Angels in America, based off the Broadway play. It's the mid-1980s in New York City, the height of the AIDS crisis. A young man is dealing with his illness and a breakup with his boyfriend when a terrifying ethereal angel comes to him in a vision and proclaims him to be a prophet. As he struggles with his path forward, and how he can even survive to follow that path, his journey intertwines with other New Yorkers experiencing their own illnesses, s...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 42 min•Season 5Ep. 209
Episode 208. We read the first five volumes of the manga That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime by Taiki Kawakami, based on the light novel by Fuse and illustrator Mitz Vah. A bored 37-year-old salaryman dies and finds himself reincarnated as a slime orb in a magical realm. He can absorb creatures to gain their powers, and he soon amasses a library of skills he barely understands. As he adjusts to his new life, he forges friendships and a community of loyal allies who see him as the hero he nev...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 5Ep. 208
Episode 207. We're continuing the sci-fi drama Fringe with a discussion on season two! As shapeshifters and other threats travel from the alternate dimension to signal the coming war, Peter struggles with his own origin story in that dimension. Walter deals with the long-overdue aftermath of some of his worst decisions as a scientist and a parent. Olivia hones her psychic powers and tries to keep her team together. Also, a musical episode! Click here to watch a video of this episode. ★ Support t...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Season 5Ep. 207
Episode 206. We watched the HBO Max comedy series Our Flag Means Death! Stede Bonnet is an aristocrat who leaves behind his unfulfilling domestic life to become a pirate. He brands himself as the first Gentleman Pirate, dressing in finery, avoiding violence, and encouraging his crew to talk about their feelings. When the fearsome Blackbeard boards his ship, he stays to teach the inexperienced Stede how to fight, and Stede teaches him the more gentle pursuits of life. As they co-captain the ship ...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 5Ep. 206
Episode 205. We read the first two volumes of the sci-fi Western comic East of West, from Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta. In a futuristic America broken up into different nation-states, three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse collaborate with a secret council of national leaders to enact a prophecy of destruction. The fourth horseman, Death, married and had a son with a human woman, and this child will be the harbinger of doom. Separated from his wife and trying to redeem his reputation...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 5Ep. 205
