Ep. 042 – ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Gets Bisected (And its Baby Legs Grow Back)
People are asking, “Why make a Han Solo prequel movie?” Disney answers, “Where is the money, Lebowski?” So here we are reviewing a movie that doesn’t really have a reason for existing. Or maybe, it exists so that we can review it! Like we do down below.
Show Notes:
05:05 – Solo‘s so-low box office performance.
07:37 – So much empty fan service.
08:18 – There’s no reason for this movie to exist.
10:11 – They blew their chance to really inform the character of Han Solo.
15:19 – The fabeled Kessel Run.
19:15 – When Han met Chewie.
22:55 – The weird Lando moment.
27:44 – Is this the Disneyfied Star Wars we all feared?
28:38 – Donald Glover wasn’t that great, but Alden Ehrenreich was pretty good!
31:34 – Mother of Drag-ons.
33:59 – Is Cersei from Game of Thrones a blonde or red-head?
36:22 – Trump Blonde, now in the hair-colour aisle.
37:06 – Shitty cinematography.
38:10 – Han definitely shoots first.
39:09 – Lando needs a smaller card hider.
40:07 – Darth Maul and his baby legs.
47:46 – Han was Han for a brief, shining moment.
49:15 – Final verdict.
Thanks for listening!
Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPEYpryMp2s
We review the disastrous Star Wars Holiday Special, starring Han Solo and Chewie:
http://nerdstalking.com/2016/04/16/nerdstalking-podcast-ep-002/
Harrison Ford reveals his feud with Chewbacca on Jimmy Kimmel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T0vs9gYydo
Harrison Ford and Chewie settle their differences on Jimmy Kimmel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDM4XVrAAgA
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/
Ep. 041 – Pump the Hate Brakes, it’s our ‘Deadpool 2’ Review!
For the love of Yentl, please take some time and listen to our review of Deadpool 2, starring the most potty-mouthed Marvel superhero after Logan, pre-impalement. You’ll totter on baby legs, gasp at the X-Force’s first mission, and laugh all the way to the Xavier mansion. Two disclaimers: We had an audio glitch for the first bit of the podcast, and we explore every nook and cranny of Deadpool and his movie, so SPOILER ALERT!
Show Notes:
01:21 – Baby legs!
02:26 – Better pop-culture references than Ready Player One.
06:44 – A whole crap-load of heart.
12:20 – What happens to the X-Force.
15:16 – Nega Longest-Name-Ever.
18:26 – Audio fixed, all that 4th wall breaking.
20:03 – For the love of Yentl.
22:26 – Them’s the jokes!
27:27 – Oh, Domino.
29:00 – BEST. END. CREDIT. SCENE. EVER.
32:58 – Logan musical figurine, live!
35:09 – Better car chase than Black Panther.
38:00 – Some of Bill’s patented nit-picks.
44:10 – Quick news bits: Mysterio in Homecoming 2, waiting for Solo.
Thanks for listening!
Deadpool 2 trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20bpjtCbCz0
Chad’s Bullshit Origin Story for Cable:
http://nerdstalking.com/2018/05/21/bullshit-cable-origin/
Deadpool 2, The First 10 Years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b5DBQeh1cU
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/
Ep. 039 – The Critics Were Wrong! A ‘Bright’ Review
Movie critics are people (until A.I. takes over), and sometimes people make terrible mistakes… like atomic weaponry, President Donald Trump, and now the movie reviews for Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as a human and orc cop team out to save the world from devious, magical elves. David Ayers’ alternate world buddy-cop film drew heavy fire from critics, but is it deserved? Chad and Bill dive deep to illuminate you on this Netflix original movie. The usual caveat: we give our typical very thorough look at the film and its meanings, so SPOILER ALERT!
Show Notes:
01:23 – Did we mention that critics suck?
06:02 – The Suicide Squad effect.
07:58 – More great worldbuilding.
11:51 – The story of Bright.
14:53 – Will Smith is very Will Smith-ish.
18:04 – A character named ‘Serling’.
19:45 – A very ethereal Noomi Rapace.
21:50 – The Ward vs. his Co-Workers scene.
29:53 – The unused wife.
31:55 – Funny scene: Jakoby spills the beans.
35:18 – True Detective is Putin’s favourite show.
38:15 – David Ayers has redeemed himself.
41:14 – Hoping for more stories in this world.
43:18 – Slight digression: Heath Ledger as The Joker.
Thanks for listening!
Bright trailer:
Alien Nation trailer:
Fox Alien Nation TV show ad:
Alien Nation TV Show opening and closing Credits:
District 9 trailer:
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/
Ep. 038 – ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Deep Review
Bill and Chad felt the hairs on their arms stand up, heeded the call, and ran to the theatre with everyone else in the world to watch the culmination of 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and 18 previous superhero flicks – Avengers: Infinity War. What’s with Cap’s beard? Can a CGI character make you cry? Is this the end of our intrepid heroes? Assemble around your podcast player of choice and join the Nerdstalking team as they drill down into the biggest cinematic event ever! WARNING: as usual for a Nerdstalking movie review, we examine many facets of the film and don’t skirt around plot points to give the most thorough, honest review. So SPOILERS ASSEMBLE!
Show Notes:
02:23 – Your heroes are only as good as your villains.
04:05 – Can a Thanos make you cry? Yes he can.
05:35 – Confusing motivations with Thanos: Movie v Comics.
09:25 – A supremely weird ending.
10:52 – Where’s Hawkeye?
12:41 – Avengers MVP: Thor.
15:41 – A better Wakanda than the Black Panther Wakanda.
17:28 – Why does Black Panther do that cross-your-arms thing?
18:58 – Doctor Strange.
20:40 – Thanos has good backup.
21:50 – Spider-Man continues to be great.
24:37 – Hulk impotence.
27:37 – Some digressions: Robocop.
30:07 – Ready Player One: the book.
30:55 – Donald Trump.
34:24 – Another great Thanos moment.
37:43 – The Vision and Scarlet Which love story.
40:03 – This movie is an amazing achievement.
45:08 – Thor’s new eye.
48:37 – Our final verdict.
Thanks for listening!
Avengers: Infinity War trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwievZ1Tx-8
Avengers: Infinity War blooper reel and funny cast stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GFAd2O_kg8
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/
Your ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Primer
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!
Ep. 036 – The ‘Back to the Future’ Movie Trilogy
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/
Ep. 035 – ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Review, Part 2
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/
Ep. 034 – ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Review, Part 1
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/
Ep. 032 – Lead-Up to ‘Ready Player One’ Movie Release
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/
Chad’s Justice League Song
Chad hypothesizes the Justice League film in song! We’ve seen it now and his prophetic words are eerily Nostradamus-like. Look for his upcoming song prophesying the next hundred-years of Popes! “…And in the year 2024 Donald Trump Junior will contribute greatly to the Vatican’s ivory collection and will be appointed Pope Trump!”
Ep 028 We Declaw Black Panther
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
Ep. 025 Dissing the DC Bleakaverse!
Sure, DC movies have had some hard knocks over recent years, but at least they warned us that Kevin Spacey is, in fact, a real diabolical menace! The two Nerdstalking evil geniuseses Bill and Chad take a journey into Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon’s darkened treatise on super friendship, Justice League, and lo and behold they find that there’s light at the end of the DC tunnel after all! Plus some talk on the first series of TV’s Star Trek: Discovery, and Chad relates his wondrous discovery of the films of SF movie extravaganza pioneer George Pal.
Ep. 024 For Those about to Thor: Ragnarok
What rhymes with 24? Sore, gore, humidor… but also Thor, the God of Thunder! Gaze in breathless wonder, as minor deities Bill and Chad give their takes on the Marvel superhero extravaganza Thor: Ragnarok. What is Jeff Goldblum smoking? What’s the deal with Thor’s hair? Exactly how “big” is Hulk? Your noble quest for answers lies within Episode 24 of Nerdstalking, along with some talk of Stranger Things 2, The Punisher, and American Horror Stories.
Nerdstalking Podcast Ep. 021
In this episode of Nerdstalking, we respond to a message from listener BlueIncandesence, who had some issues with our breakdown of the Wonder Woman movie in Ep. 20. Other topics we cover include Bill arguing against the existence of a god, the firing of Phil Lord and Chris Miller from the Han Solo, uh, solo movie, the 35th anniversary of the original Tron, the demise of Batman’s Adam West, and more. Then there’s a big SPOILER ALERT for our in-depth breakdown of Spider-Man: Homecoming, what we liked and disliked, and our favourite moments from the film.
Show Notes:
01:27 – We answer listener email about our Wonder Woman episode.
12:53 – Nerdly News: Chris Miller and Phil Lord canned from Solo, TRON anniversary, Hellboy reboot, the passing of TV’s Batman star Adam West, OMNI magazine reboot, Daniel Craig signs on for BOND 25.
32:35 – We start our review of Spider-Man: Homecoming.
40:29 – Spider-Man film as John Hughes comedy.
50:28 – Movie gives good MJ.
55:02 – The great Michael Keaton.
1:11:25 – Captain America as high-school health instructor.
1:16:02 – Tony Stark: Biggest douche ever.
1:24:16 – Peter Parker’s hilarious buddy.
Thanks for listening!
Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0D3AOldjMU
Chad’s Spider-Man theme song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89eHN9Uyzds
Michael Giacchino’s official theme song from Spider-Man: Homecoming – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeX8TkHN6mE
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/
