Episodes

  • 779: Not a Hugo

    779: Not a Hugo
    Aug 15 2025
    Our Awards Book Club closes up shop for 2025 with a final set of rankings, the presentation of an award we made up, and an overview of all the Hugo-nominated short fiction.

    Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Scott McNulty, Aleen Simms and Heather Berberet.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • 778: Oops! All Batman

    778: Oops! All Batman
    Aug 8 2025
    We celebrate the tenth anniversary of our Summer Superhero Spectacular tournament with something slightly different: A draft of our favorite superhero movies.

    Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Chip Sudderth, James Thomson, Annette Wierstra, Tony Sindelar, Moisés Chiullán and David J. Loehr.
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    1 hr and 49 mins
  • 777: The 44% Rule

    777: The 44% Rule
    Aug 1 2025
    2025 Awards Book Club nears the end with award nominees “Asunder,” “The Ministry of Time,” and “The Tainted Cup.” Plus: What else are we reading?

    Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Heather Berberet.
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • 776: Next Stop Black Hole City

    776: Next Stop Black Hole City
    Jul 25 2025
    We went to the theater to see James Gunn’s “Superman” (2025) and are back to report about the pleasant experience. Gunn sets a new direction for DC superheroes, and fans of Zack Snyder may want to look elsewhere. From Krypto the Superdog to a surprising squirrel save, from The Marvelous Miss Lane to that Elemento guy, we’ll break the whole thing down.

    Jason Snell with Tony Sindelar, Dan Moren, Shannon Sudderth, Chip Sudderth and Brian Warren.
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • 775: Herring Salad

    775: Herring Salad
    Jul 18 2025
    We remain submerged for a very long time to watch a very long film, 1981’s “Das Boot.” This certifiable classic is certainly long and German, encompassing almost everything you might expect in the genre. There’s action, suspense, a lot of character moments, and long periods of tedium spent listening for bad sounds, punctuated by moments of terror as the boat goes to eleven (and beyond).

    Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Brian Warren, Casey Liss, Dan Moren and Philip Michaels.
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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • 774: A Very Photogenic Submarine

    774: A Very Photogenic Submarine
    Jul 11 2025
    The Summer of Submarines joins forces with Old Movie Club to take on 1958’s “Run Silent, Run Deep,” starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. It’s a tense thriller that has inspired sub and sci-fi movies for many decades. Erika’s gleeful reaction to the film’s abrupt ending may surprise you!

    Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Philip Michaels, Shelly Brisbin, Dan Moren and Casey Liss.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 773: One Dog Is Too Many

    773: One Dog Is Too Many
    Jul 4 2025
    The summer of submarines kicks off with 1995’s “Crimson Tide,” a taut character drama that pits a captain (Gene Hackman) against his XO (Denzel Washington) in a conflict that escalates as global tensions rise outside their nuclear submarine.

    Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Lisa Schmeiser, Dan Moren, Casey Liss and Erika Ensign.
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • 772: The Compulsion of Art

    772: The Compulsion of Art
    Jun 27 2025
    With the guiding hand of Prof. Siracusa choosing the curriculum, we watch select animated shorts from the Netflix series “Love, Death + Robots.” John’s quest to find the perfect photorealistic CGI animation continues. Tony does his companions a solid if he’s ever killed on a moon. The others debate if they represent love, death, or robots. We try to reconnect with our inner pool-polishing robots. It’s a real team effort.

    Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Annette Wierstra, Brian Hamilton and Tony Sindelar.
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    1 hr and 25 mins