This week we delve into a broader geeky topic...Science Fiction Technology. We discuss some of our favorite ships, weapons, machines, and other applied sciences from some of our favorite movies, TV shows, books, games, and other franchises. Throughout this episode we cover a wide array of technologies including the following. - Artificial Intelligence - Battlemechs - Blink Drive (an instantaneous-travel FTL engine adaptor) - Cloaking Devices - Disintegrator Ri...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the franchise's 2nd installment, the under-rated and sometimes overlooked, "The Incredible Hulk." We discuss the movie's various homages to the 1978 TV series starring Bill Bixby & Lou Ferrigno, the differences between Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo in their portrayals of Bruce Banner, and the movie's overall quality as an under-rated entry in the MCU, especially in its earliest days. Grab your purple stretchy pants and an unhealthy ...
Jun 08, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome, discerning listeners, to our Season 2 Premiere! :) Thank you for stepping through the portal with us, not just for another episode but a whole new season. We hope our next 50 episodes are even better than our first 50, and we're off to a great start. This week, we are reviewing the timeless and beloved 1987 classic fantasy-romance fairy tale..."The Princess Bride." We discuss trivia and behind the scenes information, including things about Andre the Giant's invol...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome, Discerning Listeners, to our 50th episode — our Season 1 Finale (Note: There will be a 2-week hiatus between seasons). For this landmark episode, we’re reviewing both the book *and* movie of the sci-fi classic…”Ender’s Game.” This is a story that has captivated three of us since high school, and now we’ve introduced it to Andruw as well. Join as we discuss the strategy, psychology, story progression, and character development, that goes into a tale about the importance...
May 17, 2021•2 hr 37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just one week away from our season 1 finale, we give you another "Whatcha' Doin'?" episode. Including our lightning round, this episode is packed full with over two dozen topics in bite-size chunks. Our primary topics this week are... - Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+) - Wonder Woman 1984 - Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+) - Star Wars: Biomes (Disney+) - The Simpsons: The Force Awakens From Its Nap (Disney+) - Godzilla vs...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we review the 1979 sci-fi horror classic, "Alien." This is the movie that started the franchise and introduced us to one of the most iconic female science fiction movie characters of all time, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver. We discuss the production quality, pacing, the use of silence instead of music during creepy scenes, performances, and the gradual progression of character development. How many co-hosts thought the first half of the movie was too slow & boring...
May 02, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we review the 1990s period piece, "Captain Marvel." It is the 21st movie released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but the 2nd one chronologically in terms of story, since it takes place in 1995. It is the MCU's first female superhero solo movie and the 2nd MCU movie overall to have a heroine in the title ("Ant-Man & the Wasp" being the first). We discuss this movie’s balance of action and character moments, the development of characters, the movie’s inspirational mome...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we have a full house with the welcome return of Dave, as we review "Stardust," the 2007 fantasy romance film about a teenage boy on a quest to retrieve a fallen star from a magical land...or to find the mother he never knew...or maybe both. The motivations end up…kind of overlapping a little bit. Anyway, the boy jumps over a magic wall, you see, and then...stuff happens, more than the boy could have expected. There are witches, prince ghosts, an airship, a unicorn...  ...
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we conclude our topic of TV series finales with the...downside of the discussion. We cover the series finales that left us disappointed or annoyed in some way. Which TV series finales ended on a bad moment, which ones were frustrating all throughout, and which ones forever affected our feelings about the series overall? Which TV series finales were the lackluster ends to lackluster shows, which ones contained bad decision making by their own writers, and which ones were the...
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we dive so deep into a TV topic that we had to split it into two episodes...TV series finales. :) Here in Part 1, we discuss our most favorite TV series finales. Next week, in Part 2, we cover our least favorite TV series finales and a special topic suggested by Andruw, TV shows that need a series finale soon/now/already (or needed one sooner than it happened if it was a show that did already end). Among the good, the bad, and the ugly, we discuss or at least mention finale...
Apr 04, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest "Whatcha' Doin'?" episode, we discuss a wide variety of movies & TV shows we've watched recently. We cover... - The 4-hour movie, "Zack Snyder's Justice League" (HBO Max) - The series premiere of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" (Disney+) - The 2004 Denzel Washington thriller, "The Manchurian Candidate" (Hulu) - The 2004 Nicole Kidman sci-fi dark comedy, "The Stepford Wives" (Hulu) - Season 1 of "Superman & Lois" &nbs...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we review the last three episodes of WandaVision. We discuss the advantages of the MCU venturing more into television, the weekly episodic format of the show, the hype & discussion generated by the show, the reveal of the show's "big bad," the explanation about Pietro, the question of whether Wanda redeemed herself, the episode titles, the outstanding performances, memorable & emotional quotes, and the possible meaning of the final end credit sequence. Put on your most c...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we review the Marvel-but-not-MCU(yet?), not-a-superhero movie, self-proclaimed-love-story...Deadpool. We discuss the movie's wit, style of humor, creativity, non-linear storytelling, meta-references, and mature content. (That's a lot of hyphens there, Francis.) Is this a comic book movie or a love story (or both)? Did the amount of profanity & violence hit the bullseye, or did the movie's mature content totally miss the mark? Did the romantic element elevate...
Mar 14, 2021•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Well…it had to happen eventually… Our most contentious, surprising, and explosive review yet was not about a book, a divisive Star Wars installment, or even a superhero movie but…“The Space Between Us.” It is a semi-recent, semi-low-budget sci-fi teen romance film about a 16-year-old boy born on Mars and visiting Earth for the first time to seek out a girl he communicates with online and to find out who is father is. We discuss the story, cinematography, pacing, clashes between logic &...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a brief detour into the world of WandaVision last week, we now conclude our discussion of Favorite Sci-Fi TV Characters with Part 2. Our 2nd installment picks up with a segment on Babylon 5 characters, and then we dive into two Top 5 lists and an expanded array of honorable mentions. Between our top picks and further honorable mentions, this episode alone contains discussion (or at least mentions) of 19 characters and 3 ensemble casts from 14 shows. Who ranked the highest, and who ju...
Mar 01, 2021•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we catch up on reviewing the new entertainment phenomenon, WandaVision, the first Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series to debut exclusively on Disney+. We're a little late to the game compared to some reviewers, so we unpack the first six episodes of WandaVision in one giant-sized episode of Discerning Geeks Portal. We discuss the format, the production quality, the pacing, the in-universe commercial breaks, and of course, all the many mysteries. How much is Wanda in ...
Feb 22, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Finally... A topic one of our co-hosts has been itching to talk about and hopefully you've been itching for it too (insert ointment joke here). We have an open discussion about our all-time Favorite Science Fiction TV Characters. :) :) :) Between Parts 1 & 2 of this discussion (this episode is Part 1), we rave about almost 50 amazing, likable, and sometimes important characters and several ensemble casts from over 30 shows. Some characters we discuss more than others,...
Feb 13, 2021•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our holiday heroes conclude their Dungeons & Dragons one-shot adventure, facing off against undead evil and helping to put right what once with wrong and teaching a misguided soul that maybe he really can change his stars (ooh, a "Quantum Leap" reference and an "A Knight's Tale" reference in the same totally unrelated intro; this really is the place for geeks). Listen to Anical Ural, the Eladrin Elf paladin, physically confront evil with full body force. Listen to Ray Myriad, the Kende...
Feb 08, 2021•53 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Our D&D One-Shot continues with Part 2... Anical Ural (the Eladrin Elf Paladin), Dwelvrik Grünmaulkyn (the Forest Gnome Druid), and Ray Myriad (the Kender Arcane Trickster Rogue) face off against shadows from an otherworldly darkness as they continue in their quest to aid benevolent spirits in the redemption of a lost soul. One summons the forces of good & magic, one wild shapes while harnessing the energy of the moon, and the other...just comes out of nowhere when you least expect...
Feb 01, 2021•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast And, this week...a little something different. Welcome to the Discerning Geeks Portal's first Dungeons & Dragons one-shot episode. This is part 1 of a 2 (or maybe 3) part adventure that sees three heroes in a wintery dreamscape, tasked with helping otherworldly spirits change the destiny of a darkened heart (see "Note" below for context on our ongoing campaign and when this one-shot takes place). The players & level 10 characters in this adventure are... Dave T. as Anical "Pi...
Jan 27, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast "Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada." This week, we review the 1984 sci-fi classic, The Last Starfighter. We discuss the movie's use of computer generated special effects, which were groundbreaking at the time, and how much they hold up today. We also discuss great character moments, a difference in opinion about the acting, comparisons between this movie and Star Wars, and how the movie's ...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Happy New Year! :) Thank you for joining us for our first brand new review of 2021. :) This week, we review the 2006 intellectual romantic fantasy film, "The Lake House". Sandra Bullock plays a doctor named Kate in the year 2006, and Keanu Reeves plays an architect named Alex in the year 2004. At different points in time, they live at the same glass lake house, but thanks to a magic mailbox that transmits their letters through time, they meet, correspond, and fall i...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Happy New Year! :) Due to a combination of Christmas celebrations and unexpected issues at work for one of our co-hosts, we're...a little behind on recording. But, never fear! We have a special bonus episode that we already said was on the way sometime anyway... This episode is a portion of episode #023 -- our review of the movie "The Adjustment Bureau" (a good movie and a good review; check it out) -- which ran a little long and had to be cut out of the original review a...
Jan 05, 2021•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast We conclude our episode reviews of The Mandalorian season 2 with "Chapter 16: The Rescue." We discuss the plan of action, the greater display of force by the Dark Troopers, the dilemma of the Darksaber, the machinations of Moff Gideon (and possibly Grand Admiral Thrawn pulling strings behind the scenes), the gradual reveal of who answers Grogu's call, the added treat of a 2nd classic character appearing, the downside of Din Djarin completing his quest, the mid-credit scene (check it out if...
Dec 31, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Almost finished with The Mandalorian season 2, we review the penultimate episode, "Chapter 15: The Believer." We discuss the meaning of the title of the episode, further development of the Migs Mayfeld character and his backstory, the possible ways this series is bridging narrative gaps between the original & sequel trilogies of movies, and Boba Fett's rather quick makeover of his armor. The team is assembled and we're taking off aboard Slave I, and...whoa, is part of the ship rotating...
Dec 29, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we review the family holiday film, Muppet Christmas Carol. We discuss the timeless and feel-good nature of the movie, the immersive production quality, the great decision-making into which Muppet would play each character from the classic Charles Dickens novel, the music (including one song that is cut out of certain versions of the movie), great quotes & moments, how well the themes & lessons of the story apply to real life (especially in the year 2020), and in general, ...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast We continue our Mandalorian season 2 reviews with "Chapter 14: The Tragedy." We discuss the great Grogu moments at the beginning & end, the well done action scenes in between, the confirmation of a classic character returning to the franchise, and predictions on which Jedi would respond to Grogu's call (this was recorded just a few hours before the release of the season finale, so we still didn't know yet). There is also a debate over whether the Dark Troopers are disappointing o...
Dec 20, 2020•35 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we review the 1980s horror comedy, "Gremlins." We discuss the movie's tone, the three...problematic...rules about what *not* to do with Mogwai, whether this movie is suitable for kids, how this movie affected the American film rating system, and the varying levels of intelligence shown by the characters throughout the movie. We even get a little philosophical about whether Gremlins are sentient or not and evil or not. Remember the three rules of Mogwai. 1. Don't expo...
Dec 15, 2020•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are getting back on track with our reviews of The Mandalorian season 2. Next up is "Chapter 13: The Jedi." We discuss the live action debut of a major animated Star Wars character, the beautifully shot & well-choreographed action scenes, the satisfying progression of story & character development, one character getting a name, and another so-far-unforeseen character getting a surprise name-drop. Grab your rifle, jetpack, and Baby Yoda (for luck). And, close your ship...
Dec 14, 2020•27 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we review the sci-fi spoof comedy, Galaxy Quest. We discuss the cult status of the movie, the believability of the premise, favorite characters, continuity issues involving shirts, and how the movie spoofs Star Trek. Never give up; never surrender! And, join us as we review...Galaxy Quest. Update (Monday 05 December 2022): Today is the two-year anniversary of our review of the movie "Galaxy Quest." It has been re-uploaded with slightly improved audi...
Dec 06, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
