Radio vs. the Martians!

We're like 'the McLaughlin Group' for Nerds!

Episode 24.5 – Not Everybody is You, Grant Morrison!

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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In the shadow of our Batman discussion, Mike and Casey continue their discussion with Joe Preti and Pól Rua. We dig into the weapons-grade weirdness of comic book writer Grant Morrison, and why his work probably shouldn’t be your introduction to the medium.

We get into the contrast of revolutionary artistic experimentation vs. conventional competence that doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

We dive into the stick and meta-textual question of comic book continuity, and whether it’s better to hold a Crisis on Infinite Earths-style event to get rid of story elements you don’t want to keep, or whether it’s better to simply ignore them without explanation.

And finally, how exactly did the Ewoks perceive the Battle of Endor at the end of the Return of the Jedi?

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Episode 23.5 – Do We Need to Get Racist, Casey?

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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In the afterglow of our Star Trek: the Next Generation panel, Mike and Casey continue their chat with Ryan Chaddock and Greg Hatcher for some off-topic conversation.

We dig into why Mike totally doesn’t have pink eye, the use (or non-use) of secondary Star Trek characters, our hopes and fears for Star Wars: the Force Awakens, the Blade Runner and Mad Max sequels, inter-fandom schadenfreude, and 1980s slasher movies.

And we ponder: why don’t we get any hate mail?

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Episode 22.5 – A Loud, Brown Blur

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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On the tail of our BioShock panel, Mike and Casey continue our conversation with Patrick Johnson and Carlos Rodela, to delve deeper into the strengths and weaknesses of this game series in particular and gaming in general.

How big and dense can — or should — a video game’s world be? How much should the player be directing the story, as opposed to the game’s designer? How often should video game franchises release sequels, especially when new installments have only small incremental changes?

Plus, random musings on Star Wars and M. Night Shyamalan.

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Episode 21.5 – The Robots Disagree with You, Edgar Wright!

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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In the aftermath of our Twin Peaks panel, we’re joined again by Roz Townsend and Pól Rua for a continued discussion about how awesome actor Miguel Ferrer is. We also dive into how Twin Peaks‘ Pacific Northwest setting is very familiar to our Seattle-area panelists, and how the show influenced a decade of television.

We get into automated fansourcing of our entertainment, why Godwin’s Law demands you support the arts, and the British science fiction series, Blake’s 7.

Also, Mike argues with a folksy robot.

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Episode 20.5 – I’ve Been Peeing Into a Jar This Whole Time

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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It’s B-roll time, as we wrap up the Watchmen discussion with Sam Mulvey and Rob Kelly.

We get a little bit more into why Zack Snyder’s movies fail — and why they also don’t fail enough to be fun or interesting. We talk about Uwe Boll’s recent crowdfunding meltdown, Steve Ditko’s Objectivist superhero, Mr. A, and why you should be able to hear criticism of your favorite things like a grown-up.

We talk about the possible consequences of Disney’s purchases of Marvel and Lucasfilm, and wonder how truly terrifying it would be to have to repossess the American Nazi Party’s “Hate Bus.”

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Episode 19.5 – Are You a Bad Enough Dude to Beat Up Uwe Boll?

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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We’re back with more B-roll goodness! Mike and Casey are joined in the studio with Sam Mulvey of Ask an Atheist and his brother, Mike Mulvey for a wide-ranging bullshit session.

We dig into contests with pop culture prizes that never materialized, like guests spots on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and the Captain America Broadway musical that never was. We chat about film director/walking human garbage Uwe Boll’s challenges to literally fight his critics and perceived rivals.

We discuss the recent reboot of Archie Comics, as well as the character’s past and current encounters with the Punisher and the zombie apocalypse. We get into why we all dig Netflix’s Daredevil series, even if a lot of the current comic book TV shows aren’t setting our worlds on fire.

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Episode 18.5 – Somebody Destroyed One of Roger Moore’s Horcruxes

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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In our latest collections of panel outtakes and off-topic discussion, Mike and Casey are joined by Greg Hatcher and Ryan Chaddock for a chat about the Logan’s Run television show and the formulaic nature of 1970s science fiction.

We compare the various Bond actors on their ability to dispense post-murder puns, and the pros and cons of grit versus camp. We try to get to the bottom of why Roger Moore continued to play 007 into his senior years, why bleeding heart liberals like us enjoy violent right-leaning vigilante fiction, and why the hell the spinoff Baywatch Nights even existed.

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Episode 17.5 – He’s Kind of Just a Little Bit Weirdo Cultist

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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In our latest bonus episode, Mike and Casey get ready to record our most recent episode and chat a bit about Orson Welles, great actors starring in shitty movies, and some of their favorite fictional cliches.

Later, we’re joined after recording the Spielberg episode with panelists Todd Maxfield-Matsumoto and Scott Kramer to talk about the upcoming Star Wars sequel, more of Steven Spielberg, and the many misuses and strengths of actor/cultist Tom Cruise.

Plus, a random cameo from Sam Mulvey!

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Episode 16.5 – What the Fuck is a Libyan?

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Mike Gillis

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When we took a short break during our recording of this month’s episode on Expanded Universes, we ended up taking a long break. And much of it was really good material that was too good for the cutting room floor, but we couldn’t find a reasonable way to edit it into the main episode without killing the flow of it, or cutting out a lot of fun — but off-topic — discussion.

Herein, Mike and Casey are joined again by panelists Ryan Chaddock and Roslyn Townsend. We talk about Ryan’s reaction as a diehard fan to the death of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Roslyn explains why she just can’t get into Star Wars and how the X-Files comic books taught her about trepanning. Mike tries to figure out why there were terrorists in the first Back to the Future movie, and what he thinks of the new Ghostbusters reboot. And finally, Casey exorcises some of his Star Wars schadenfreude demons.

Let us know what you think! We may make this a regular thing!

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Episode 8.5 – Rise of the Planet of the Nerds

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Mike Gillis

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In an age where jocks wear T-shirts with Iron Man on them, and mainstream audiences pack theaters to watch three-hour adaptations of the Hobbit, the world has become a very different place for geeks over the last few years. Somehow, geekdom has become as mainstream as American football.

So Mike and Casey have posed the question to our listeners on the latest installment of Radio vs. the Mailbag: “What was the turning point that pushed geek culture into the mainstream of popular culture?”

We dig into your answers, and put the question to recent panelists Sam Mulvey and Roslyn Townsend to give us their thoughts on the matter.

And finally, Mike and Casey make an earth-shattering announcement that will forever change this podcast! Listen….if you dare!

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Episode 7.5 – Unlicensed Nuclear Accelerators

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Mike Gillis

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In the latest mini-episode, Mike and Casey aim for the flat top as we puzzle over our last big question: Are drivers legally obligated to pull to the shoulder of the road for the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1?

We read your responses, and ask panelists Ryan Chaddock and Chris Walker their thoughts on the matter.

Is the Ecto-1 a licensed emergency vehicle? Are they breaking the law when they flash blue lights and blare a siren? Do the Ghostbusters even care about the potential danger of wielding totally unregulated, dangerous technology in a major city?

And for the next Radio vs. the Mailbag!: “What was the turning point that pushed geek culture into the mainstream of popular culture?”

We want to hear from you!

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Episode 6.5 – Bustin’ Makes Us Feel Good!

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Mike Gillis

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In our latest mini-episode, Mike and Casey unveil our brand new segment, Radio vs. the Mailbag! We’re tossing open questions to our listeners, and we want to hear from you!

This month: “Are drivers legally obligated to pull their cars over to the shoulder of the road for the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1?”

Also, we answer some listener feedback, look at the legacy of Arnold’s the Last Action Hero, and hope to prove that Lando Calrissian was the real victim of betrayal in the Empire Strikes Back!

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Episode 5.5 – I Wouldn’t Trust Hulk Hogan to Host a Tapeworm

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Mike Gillis

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Hogan Pastamania Get ready to Hulk out with the latest nerd rage-filled mini episode!

Mike and Casey discuss the nuclear fallout of the announcement that Ben Affleck will be wearing the cowl of Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel. We give a spoiler-free look at the ending of Breaking Bad, and marvel at the hordes of the show’s fans trolling Lost‘s Damon Lindelof on Twitter. We anticipate Valve’s new console-free gaming console. And finally, we look on at horror as Hulk Hogan’s new web hosting company puts out an ad that will haunt your nightmares for all time.

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Episode 4.5 – Wilford Brimley Battles an Orc with a Scimitar

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Mike Gillis

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diabeetus In the aftermath of our George Lucas panel, Mike and Casey discover that a certain oatmeal pitch man did star in an Ewoks television movie!

We also look at the total reversal by Microsoft after the backlash the XBOX One received, we discuss the announcement of a new lead for Doctor Who, we debate whether Orson Scott Card’s anti-gay activism should prompt us to boycott the Ender’s Game movie, and we remember a cinematic history of low budgets and high fantasy!

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Episode 3.5 – The Crocodile Tears of Castamere

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Mike Gillis

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In our third mini-episode, Mike and Casey break open a cask of the latest geek news and drink deeply.

We commiserate about the public relations disaster that is the new XBOX One. We experience schadenfreude at the recent fan meltdown over Game of Thrones. We lament the growing wave of post-apocalyptic paranoid fetishism. And, we look at your feedback on the topic of spoiler warnings, the spoiled, and those that spoil them.

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