Ep. 045 – The Bittersweetness of John Candy
There’s a dearth of genuine people in Hollywood; Canadian actor-comedian John Candy was surely one of them. Larger than life on the screen, Candy passed away from a heart attack in 1994. But in his formidalbe wake he left a library of quality movies and television, so in this episode Bill and Chad remember such classics as Uncle Buck, Summer Rental, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and others.
Show Notes:
03:39 – Uncle Buck.
06:03 – The language of real life.
07:08 – By way of comparison: Uncle Buck vs. Parenthood.
11:38 – Really hits home watching the movie after having kids.
13:56 – Losing John Candy was like losing a close friend.
14:53 – Johnny LaRue
16:04 – The toothpick guy.
18:30 – One problem with Uncle Buck.
19:25 – Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
21:37 – YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!!
24:43 – Summer Rental.
30:49 – Stripes.
36:13 – The Great Outdoors. (I meant to say spin cycle, not rinse cycle – Bill)
43:13 – Only the Lonely + the unbearable ‘acting’ of Ally Sheedy.
46:19 – By way of comparison: Molly Ringwald.
49:55 – The Canadian Conspiracy.
Thanks for listening!
The Canadian Conspiracy on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEaFLdK_e64
Uncle Buck trailer:
https://youtu.be/JQaeUz7K83w
By way of comparison, the inevitable Uncle Buck TV show pilot from 1990, starring Kevin Meaney:
https://youtu.be/h7s-nSto28M
And don’t look now, here’s the pilot of the 2018 Uncle Buck TV reboot:
https://youtu.be/68XCav_ivY4
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. 044 – Toxic Star Wars Fandom/Best TV and Movie Picks
After appearing in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi in a major role as rebel technician Rose Tico, Kelly Marie Tran has supposedly removed all of her posts on Instagram due to intense harassment and racist comments on her feed. But is this really the case? And is it the best course of action in the face of Internet trolls and a-holes? We talk it out in this episode, and for a positive spin Chad also points out some quality movies and TV shows he’s been watching.
Show Notes:
03:33 – Don’t accentuate the negative and eliminate the positive.
04:49 – The Deadpool hypothesis.
07:32 – The power of the dark side.
08:51 – The problem of anonymity.
13:05 – Case in point: How Nerdstalking handles criticism in its feeds.
16:51 – Was trolling the REAL reason for Tran to drop off Instagram?
21:09 – The price of stardom.
22:52 – The democracy of numbers.
25:18 – Chad’s entertainment choices starts.
25:28 – Remake of The Magnificent Seven.
25:55 – The Killjoys.
27:36 – You can’t watch TV shows with your Mother these days.
29:07 – Curb Your Enthusiasm.
31:04 – Orphan Black.
40:18 – John Wick 2: Electric Boogaloo.
43:07 – The movie of the Planet of the Apes.
Thanks for listening!
Nerdstalking’s review of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi:
https://nerdstalking.podbean.com/e/ep-26-why-star-wars-the-last-jedi-is-a-lousy-lead-in-to-episode-ix/
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi trailer:
https://youtu.be/TYRy5bCsWF8
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. 043 – Sick Movies by Sick People for Sick People: Some Nicolas Roeg Films
Although grossly unsung, Nicolas Roeg is one of the more interesting filmmakers in the history of cinema. Unsung, but in this episode Chad and Bill sing his praises loudly. Join us, won’t you?
Show Notes:
01:57 – The Man Who Fell to Earth.
06:41 – We throw a wrench at Rip Torn.
12:29 – Hello, Thin White Duke.
13:45 – Not quite as much death as Rogue One.
15:03 – Don’t Look Now.
19:07 – The Bad Timing of Art Garfunkle.
21:21 – All aboard for Track 29.
25:59 – The significant Insignificance.
30:52 – We uncover the shocking link between Roeg’s The Witches and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.
36:57 – Roald Dahl.
Thanks for listening!
Trailer for The Man Who Fell to Earth:
https://youtu.be/KUtJ5FnwfCk
Trailer for Don’t Look Now:
https://youtu.be/AUWB-Kw4FiM
Interview with Donald Sutherland about Don’t Look Now.
https://youtu.be/wKbjATtxS6w
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. 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. 40: Post-Apocalyptic Films
Killah cockroaches! A new ice-age! Blossoming mushroom clouds! This episode, Bill and Chad crawl out of their underground bunker and survey the blasted and irradiated landscape of post-apocalyptic films. You maniacs! You blew it up!
Show Notes:
01:11 – The end is nigh! The apocalyptic Doug Ford.
02:44 – Chad reveals the horrific political skeleton in his closet.
04:24 – A definition of the term “post-apocalyptic”.
05:45 – Environmental apocalypse: The Lorax.
07:07 – The inevitable zombie apocalypse: 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead.
16:17 – Escape from New York.
17:45 – Still trying to get a grip on the meaning of “post-apocalyptic”.
20:45 – A Boy and his Dog.
30:40 – The Mad Max films.
34:48 – Damnation Alley.
39:00 – Snowpiercer.
45:09 – Yet more defining of “post-apocalyptic”.
47:39 – The 70’s Charlton Heston post-apocalyptic cycle.
53:01 – Mortal Engines.
Thanks for listening!
A Boy and his Dog trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkJV19sxKgc
Official video for Tina Turner’s We Don’t Need Another Hero:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq4aOaDXIfY
Dawn of the Dead (1978) trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-z5wBeFTU
Trailer for Mortal Engines:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fupYIggOq38
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/
Ep. 037 – Worldbuilding in Movies
So, have you ever walked out of a movie theatre thinking you just didn’t like that film, but you’re not sure why? It could be that the filmmakers didn’t put enough thought and effort into good worldbuilding. In this episode of Nerdstalking, we ponder what worldbuidling means, and look at some examples of it in action, good and bad.
Show Notes:
03:03 – What worldbuiding means.
04:33 – The future world of Back to the Future.
05:46 – The worldbuilding of Star Wars.
09:26 – Not ready for the crappy worldbuilding of Ready Player One.
11:44 – The mythology of Middle Earth in Lord of the Rings.
13:08 – Game of Thrones.
15:21 – Minority Report.
24:46 – The Fifth Element.
25:56 – Heavy Metal.
29:22 – Why is so much worldbuilding just Arabian markets?
32:24 – Blade Runner.
34:04 – A dystopian future built on still photos: La Jetee.
36:06 – Bill calls Chad by Bill’s son’s name.
37:22 – An example of lousy worldbuilding: Tron.
42:31 – Yet more crappy Ready Player One.
43:58 – The Alien movies.
Thanks for listening!
La Jetee captioned in English on YouTube:
Back to the Future Part. II trailer:
Blade Runner (1982) trailer:
The Fifth Element 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. 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/
