Author: William Hunter

Marvel, Movie Review

Your ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Primer

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Why not prepare yourself for the huge mash-up that is Avengers: Infinity War by catching up with the solo efforts of Marvel’s stable of superheros? There’s a podcast for that, namely Nerdstalking and our reviews of the following, more recent heroic outings:

Doctor Strange: http://nerdstalking.com/2016/11/22/nerdstalking-podcast-ep-014/

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: http://nerdstalking.com/2017/05/15/nerdstalking-podcast-ep-019/

Spider-Man: Homecoming: http://nerdstalking.com/2017/07/31/nerdstalking-podcast-ep-021/

Thor: Ragnarok: http://nerdstalking.com/2017/11/08/nerdstalking-podcast-ep-024/

Black Panther: http://nerdstalking.com/2018/02/24/nerdstalking-podcast-episode-028/

Start cramming, peeps! The Avengers exam is just days away!

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Movie Review, Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep. 036 – The ‘Back to the Future’ Movie Trilogy

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Micheal J Fox and the DeLorean from the time travel movie Back to the Future

Forget Ready Player One’s appropriation of the famous DeLorean, Bill and Chad jump in their own time machine and go back to the past and examine the movies of the Back to the Future trilogy. Get ready for 1.21 Gigawatts of rollicking adventure!

Show Notes:
BTTF 1 – 01:51 to 21:38
01:51 – One of those perfect films.
03:08 – Marty McFly invented Chuck Berry.
04:06 – “Is it okay to go back and have sex with your mother?”
05:32 – Examples of how well put-together the film is.
13:47 – How did Doc & Marty start their bromance?
16:56 – Every dog should have a boy.
18:11 – Chad points out some anachronisms in the film.
21:38 – It’s your cousin Marvin. Marvin BERRY!!
BTTF 2 – 25:49 to 43:24
25:49 – Jennifer sleeps through the rest of the trilogy.
31:10 – Some good worldbuilding.
34:54 – A darker film.
36:27 – Chad meets the ape-shit crazy Chrispin Glover.
39:12 – Chad finds a visual homage to the 1960 Time Machine movie.
43:24 – The best part of BTTF 2: Marty goes to 1955. Again.
44:33 – Count Floyd arrives.
BTTF 3 – 48:27 to 55:05
48:27 – Doc Brown’s letter from 1885 doesn’t make sense.
50:19 – At least BTTF 3 doesn’t need a chalkboard lecture.
52:37 – Bill’s insensitive Indian joke.
55:05 – The terrible train ending.


Thanks for listening!


Rocket 88, the first Rock n’ Roll record:


A visit to the Back to the Future filming locations 30 years later:


Doc Brown and Marty reunite on Back to the Future day, 2015 on the Jimmy Kimmel show:


Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

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Movie Review, Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep. 035 – ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Review, Part 2

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This is part 2 of our review of Steven Spielberg’s nostalgia-porn movie Ready Player One. In it we lament the lack of any real danger or even drama in the film, as well as laugh at its lack of knowledge of the actual nature of online gaming, and discuss how the changing nature of copyright and IP management these days has made this film easier to make. All this, and much more in the last of our two-parter on Ready Player One. Plus, it’s dangerous to go alone, so take this warning along with you as you listen to this episode: we take a deep dive into the movie and explore many plot points, so be pepared for MANY SPOILERS!

Here’s a handy link to Part 1 of our Ready Player One review:



Show Notes:
02:50 – The myth of Parzival.
06:14 – The terrible acting of Mark Rylance.
11:34 – Put the f’ing key in the f’ing lock!
12:38 – The ghost in the machine.
16:02 – Is the movie saying video games should be revelled in or regulated?
17:24 – i-R0k!
18:37 – In the future, everyone lives in Columbus, OH.
19:24 – RP1 is an amazing technological breakthrough in drama-less movies!
20:17 – A funny joke in the movie: the Alien bit.
33:24 – Everybody loves to queue in a video game.
38:06 – How copyright has changed in the Internet era.
42:18 – Our final verdict.


Thanks for listening!


Video featuring the real-life Infinadeck VR treadmill featured in Ready Player One: 


If you have the stomach for it, here is a video with over 300 Easter eggs from the movie, the vast majority of which are not actually Easter eggs (protip: Easter eggs are hidden): https://youtu.be/PfeVH2bbzlw


A video review of Ready Player One, by the jerks over at RedLetterMedia:


A reporter from CNET tries out a RealDoll sexbot (in conversation, not what you were thinking, sicko!):



Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

 

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Trailer

Official ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Trailer

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I gotta admit, this one is better than the first. At least you get an inkling of what Han is up to here.

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Movie Review, Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep. 034 – ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Review, Part 1

| by William Hunter | Leave a Comment on Ep. 034 – ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Review, Part 1
Poster for the movie Ready Player One

Ready Player One is so stuffed with pop-culture references, and our derision so strong for this hollow exercise, we can’t even fit our review into one Nerdstalking episode! Log in and listen to Part. 1 of our review as we slag director Steven Spielberg for not understanding video games, knock the world-building of the film as being as shaky as the Stacks, and lament about the lack of heart in the film, among other complaints. And you might even find a couple of positive comments in here too; consider them the Easter eggs you have to search for. As usual here at Nerdstalking, we give the movie a thorough going over and dive deep into what it is and what it means, so also be on the search for MANY, MANY SPOILERS!

Show Notes:
01:19 – Will they start patching movies next?
03:37 – Steven Spielberg: out of touch.
05:59 – Bill’s favourite line of the movie.
07:33 – The real problem with video games these days.
11:27 – A case study in better world-building: Alexander Payne’s Downsizing.
19:58 – Would the kids of this near-future give a shit about all this retro stuff?
29:31 – Missing in action: any character arcs.
36:13 – The movie lacks a solid heart.
41:51 – So much exposition!
43:24 – The best part of the movie: the Shining sequence.

Thanks for listening! Tune in next week for the conclusion!

Trailer for Ready Player One – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixWL1BWi44U

A video detailing 138 different pop-culture references in the movie – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYmfEx3taAM

Author of the novel, Ernest Cline, reveals every video game reference in the book – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zglevXKpJGY

Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

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Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep. 033 – Animated Movie Classic ‘Heavy Metal’

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Chad and Bill take a look back at a cult movie classic: the animated epic Heavy Metal. We examine its impact over the years, and break it down segment by segment. Smoke a bowl and join us on a fantastic magical mystery ride (with boobs!).

Show Notes:
04:05 – The ultimate stoner movie.
08:18 – What does it all mean?
12:13 – Captain Sternn’s Hanover Fiste as Paul Ryan.
14:54 – The movie’s magazine roots.
16:22 – Elon Musk: Big fan of Heavy Metal.
17:00 – Explanation of the central plot.
18:20 – Death rays and taxi cabs.
19:32 – A look at the Den sequence.
21:16 – So Beautiful, So Dangerous, and so much plutonium nyborg.
23:54 – STERNN!!!
27:24 – B-17.
32:08 – The deep impact of Heavy Metal.
32:50 – Help Chad kill a singer.

Thanks for listening!

Trailer for Heavy Metal – 
Soft Landing sequence from the movie, with Elon Musk’s Spaceman edited in:
Oliver Jewellers TV ad: “The Cashman” – https://youtu.be/NSQVVHyvOZU

Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

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Movie Review, Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep. 032 – Lead-Up to ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Release

| by William Hunter | Leave a Comment on Ep. 032 – Lead-Up to ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Release
Poster for Steven Spielberg movie Ready Player One

What happens if you take TRON, mix it with The Last Starfighter, and throw in a pinch of references to every SF movie and video game of the last 30 years or so? You get Steven Spielberg’s latest flick Ready Player One, based on Ernest Cline’s love-letter-to-videogames novel of the same name. We anticipate the release of the film with all the giddy glee of kids waiting in line for Back to the Future in 1985. Plus we celebrate Sam Rockwell’s 2018 Oscar win with a retrospective of his career, and take a look at Steven Soderbergh’s guerilla feature filmmaking iPhone experiment Unsane. 

Show Notes:
01:01 – We start in on Ready Player One.
01:33 – E.T.‘s scrotum sack.
03:47 – Ready Player One compared to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
07:38 – The nostagia train has left the station.
09:43 – Again with the Inception city-folding SFX.
11:58 – Ready Player One as TRON sequel.
15:13 – Where have you gone, Clint Eastwood of our youth?
17:26 – Sam Rockwell: real actor.
30:34 – Is Steven Soderbergh Unsane?
34:40 – Chad’s dangerous obsession with Downton Abbey.
Thanks for listening!
Pure Imagination, from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory –
The electronica version of Pure Imagination as used in the Ready Player One trailer –
Trailer for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? –
Bill’s article on the history of the movie TRON, at The Dot Eaters – 
Bill’s article on the history of The Last Starfighter, at The Dot Eaters – 

Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

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Trailer

‘Deadpool 2’ Official Trailer

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Is it Deadpool’s non-stop stream of hilarious quips? Is it the copious ass-kicking? Is it the chutzpah of Deadpool ripping off the plot of Logan (must protect a mutant kid)? No, it’s the fact that they stole Chad’s joke from our podcast, where he said filmmakers always lose their way with the third movie in a series. Anyhoo, enjoy the vision of restraint and good taste that is the official Deadpool 2 trailer:

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DC, Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep. 032 – ‘WarGames’ Reboot, ‘Black Lightning’ TV Show and More

| by William Hunter | Leave a Comment on Ep. 032 – ‘WarGames’ Reboot, ‘Black Lightning’ TV Show and More
WarGames, a video game movie with Ally Sheedy and Matthew Broderick

This episode looks at the classic cold-war computer hacker film WarGames, and the new interactive reboot based on the property. We also shine some light on the other black superhero, DC’s Black Lightning, found on Netflix. Lastly, Chad latches onto the inexplicable Venom teaser trailer and tries to make some Spidey sense of it.

Show Notes:
00:56 – We start with WarGames.
04:43 – A description of the reboot, and a look at the original movie.
06:53 – Chad starts in with Short Circuit.
08:22 – Dabney Coleman is a dick.
10:36 – Again with Short Circuit?
24:56 – Start of Black Lightning discussion.
29:03 – The unbearable deadness of James Remar.
37:31 – Chad breaks down the Venom teaser trailer.

Thanks for listening!

WarGames trailer – https://youtu.be/hbqMuvnx5MU
WarGames web series trailer – https://youtu.be/ZfObVggo5QE
#WarGames interactive series website (also available on Steam and iOS) – https://helloeko.com/wargames/episode-one-chasing-bryce/?autoplay=true&utm_source=verge&utm_medium=affiliate
Bill’s article on the history of the movie WarGames, at The Dot Eaters: http://thedoteaters.com/?bitstory=games-on-film-iii-wargames
Black Lightning series trailer – https://youtu.be/uoUlGwYa4QE

Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

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Marvel, Trailer

Avengers: Infinity War Official Trailer

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The latest trailer for Avengers: Infinity War has dropped, and it’s only slightly amazingly awesome. Come see Doctor Strange get an acupuncture treatment, and Thanos and Cap arm wrestle:

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Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep. 030 – The ‘USS Callister’ Episode of ‘Black Mirror’

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The cast from Black Mirror's Star Trek episode USS Callister

We focus our tri-corders on USS Callister, an episode of the great Netflix anthology SF series Black Mirror that deftly parodies Star Trek while presenting the usual futuretech dystopia that is the hallmark of the series. We also hold up DTube, a video sharing site that is being hailed as a YouTube killer, as proof that there is no redeeming features of mankind whatsoever. Enjoy!

Show Notes:
00:42 – We start off with our analysis of USS Callister.
01:39 – A detour into The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller.
18:25 – Chad questions what’s wrong with baby-killing.
27:06 – We start talking about the dumpster fire that is DTube.
31:23 – Some choice morons on the DTube short bus.
34:46 – The mechanics of DTube.
42:21 – How to win friends and influence idiots.
44:31 -Deutsche Tube

Thanks for listening!

USS Callister Trailer – https://youtu.be/qgTtyfgzGc0
The Nerdstalking DTube channel – https://d.tube/#!/c/nerdstalking
Jack and Jill trailer- https://youtu.be/oJVv3PBoPMc
I realize this presentation is an assault on the visual senses, but this is the full version of the TV play of Bertolt Brecht’s Baal, by David Bowie. My recommendation to you is to zoom in to the window on the bottom left that contains the video, so you don’t see any of the effects that are designed to throw off the content ID algorithyms of Google. As far as I can see, this is the only post of the TV show in its entirety. And the immense creative power of Bowie is not diminished by reducing the image. No Earthly confinement could ever do that – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_l6jBYsQ60

Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

Continue reading "Ep. 030 – The ‘USS Callister’ Episode of ‘Black Mirror’"
Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep 029 Solo=Meh Deadpool=Yay

| by William Hunter | 1 Comment on Ep 029 Solo=Meh Deadpool=Yay
Millennium Falcon from Star Wars Solo Movie

Bill and Chad can’t conceal that they have a bad feeling about Solo following the first trailers for the next Star Wars story, then Chad hooks us up with a breakdown of the much-anticipated character Cable, soon to light up screens in the upcoming Deadpool 2. Tune in, turn on and drop everything and listen!

Show Notes:
00:08 – Premiering the new Nerdstalking theme!
02:06 – The start of our Solo talk.
19:38 – We talk about the hilarious Deadpool 2 trailers.
22:25 – The start of our discussion of Cable. Who is this Cable guy?
32:30 – The powers of Cable.
37:12 – How will Cable fit into Deadpool 2?
40:11 – Demollition Man: A Retrospective.

Thanks for listening!

Solo: A Star Wars Story Trailer – https://youtu.be/K9PkToULL1c
Deadpool 2 Teaser Trailer – https://youtu.be/I4tFNfROlqk
Moss buys some women’s slacks on The IT Crowd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujGCGZqwaSc
Deadpool 2 “Wet on Wet” Trailer – https://youtu.be/8-Cjsnq8kVU
Demolition Man Trailer – https://youtu.be/0B5v6QZ5R3g

Connect With Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Our Website: http://nerdstalking.com/

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NerdstalkingPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerdstalking/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerdstalking/

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Marvel, Movie Review, Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep 028 We Declaw Black Panther

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We declaw the Black Panther movie.

At the expense of causing fur to fly, Bill and Chad smell something pretty bad in the kitty litter as they do an extensive break-down of the 2018 Black Panther movie from Marvel. Try not to get scratched as you listen! As usual, we examine lots of details of the movie to cover all the bases with our assessment of it, so THERE BE SPOILERS!



Show Notes:
3:00 – We confront the white colonizer elephant in the room.
6:25 – Shortchanging Wakanda
10:55 – Missing impressive set-pieces
16:53 – No buttons at the end of any scene.
22:40 – Talk of not-so-special effects.
26:52 – Female empowerment.
30:45 – The Boko Haram scene.
33:21 – White boys.
38:35 – Weak motivations.
42:23 – Summing up.

Thanks for listening!

Your Nerdstalkers:

Bill Hunter – writer, and creator of video game history website The Dot Eaters

Chadwick Gendron – writer, musician and creator of the Canadian Culture Thing

Continue reading "Ep 028 We Declaw Black Panther"
Nerdstalking Podcast

Ep 027 Wakanda is Wack in the Black Panther trailer

| by William Hunter | Leave a Comment on Ep 027 Wakanda is Wack in the Black Panther trailer

Chad and Bill examine the trailer for Marvel’s Black Panther, and find it wanting. Bill also ponders the Amazonian (or not) nature of Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, we dwell on next year’s Captain Marvel, and other pressing topics.

Show Notes:

00:00 – Intro, and we go right into our breakdown of the Black Panther trailer.

15:25 – The beginning of our thoughts on leaked set pictures of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, as well as Chad sets up some comic book context for the character.

16:02 – Is Gal Gadot tall enough to be Wonder Woman?

23:40 – Chad gives a run-down on Fox’s post-apocolyptic sit-com The Last Man on Earth.

26:10 – More Captain Marvel talk.

30:30 – We ponder what terrible thing Mark Hamill must have done to Rian Johnson to make the director force him to milk a sea cow in Star Wars: The Last Jedi

33:46 – What in the Hell is cryptocurrency?

36:55 – After what Donald Trump would no doubt describe as a “fake sign-off”, we really do sign off.

Thanks for listening!

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Video

Footage of Elon Musk’s Sportscar Being Released in Space!

| by William Hunter | Leave a Comment on Footage of Elon Musk’s Sportscar Being Released in Space!

So cool.

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