Episodes

  • Time Travel in Film and TV (and what a mess it is)
    Sep 29 2025

    Mark and John look at examples of time travel across a broad range of movies, TV and other fiction to examine it's logic (or - more often - lack thereof) and it's use as a storytelling tool. Have a listen!

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Utopian fiction (and is anybody buying in?)
    Sep 15 2025

    Mark and John start of with the grandaddy of all Utopias (that would be "Utopia") and segue into a discussion of our utopian fiction, or just fiction where utopia shows up, even if it's not the star. We may surprise you with some of our choices.

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Our Favorite Fight Scenes
    Sep 1 2025

    Mark and John review and compare their favorite fight scenes and discuss what it is that makes a fight scene really stick with you (hint: it's not just choreography).

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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • Why does the Right hate Superman (the movie AND the character)?
    Aug 18 2025

    With James Gunn's Superman still in theaters, Mark and John try to understand why the modern Right hates it so much - not just the movie, but the character. Why do they fixate on words like "refugee" in their anti-"woke" hysteria and why is Superman just not Homelander enough for them?

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • 20 Films to get you through the Trump Era
    Aug 4 2025

    Mark and John go through a whopping and eclectic list of movies to help you deal with these dark times. They deliver catharsis, escape, inspiration, education and more. It's a long one for sure, but worth it.

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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • The Sounds of the Movies
    Jul 21 2025

    Mark and John are joined by Reinhard Denke, co-founder of RNDM ORDR and founder of award-winning commercial sound-design studio firm Stimmüng to discuss sound in film; what's good, what's bad, and why it's so important.

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    49 mins
  • Jim Shooter: Superhero or Supervillain?
    Jul 7 2025

    On the passing of legendary writer and former Marvel Editor-in-Chief, John and Mark discuss his complicated legacy in the 70s, 80s, and beyond. While his impact on comics is unquestionable, some of his decisions, both creatively and editorially, may not have been so noble. We have a no-holds-barred conversation about this well-loved and well-hated leader.... genius or jerk (or both)?

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    45 mins
  • Identity in Sci Fi: Who Am I Really?
    Jun 21 2025

    From the mindbending epiphany to the hero's journey, knowing or finding out who you really are (AI? Hero? Simulation?) has always been a big part of genre fiction and Mark and John touch on what could easily be the topic of its own ongoing podcast all by itself. Amazingly we don't mention The Matrix. Oh well. The Matrix too.

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    1 hr and 5 mins