Mismatched Texts

Wherein Justice and Andy launch themselves into the conversation about the recently released trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. What does the retro-futuristic setting imply for its space in the MCU? Has anybody ever thought the powers of Marvel's First Family were cool? We sure don't, and we know you don't either. Ultimately, we wonder if this film can redeem the MCU or the failed Fantastic Four adaptations of the past. It probably won't.

2/13/25 • 17:47

Wherein Andy and Justice bemoan the horrifying experience of subjecting themselves to the new film Star Trek: Section 31. This marks the 14th Star Trek film and, given its quality, possibly the last for the foreseeable future. Why does this film exist? How could Michelle Yeoh (an outstanding artist) consent to this film's release? There is no one to blame but Alex Kurtzman.

1/31/25 • 18:02

Wherein Justice and Andy compute the outcome of the first season of Dune: Prophecy on HBO. In these final three episodes, we see even more of a departure from Frank Herbert's Dune lore while at the same time an almost slavish adherence to the original novel. If those things seem in conflict, you're not wrong. And yet, somehow the show remains a compelling experience. More Dune is always good, especially when it's this well-made.

12/31/24 • 32:20

Wherein Andy and Justice slither through a reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a 1957 Dr. Suess classic. Many Marxists see the Grinch as abandoning his Marxist principles, but that is not supported by the text. So what happens instead? What does the Grinch really embrace? Who are the Whos, really? And ultimately, what is the reason the Grinch returns from Mt. Crumpet with myocarditis? Happy holidays Karl!

12/23/24 • 22:08

Wherein Justice and Andy map out the DNA of the new Dune: Prophecy series from HBO. At this halfway point of the series' release, we already see a departure from the style of Frank Herbert and notice some inconsistencies in the source material. While this is clearly meant to be tied to the larger franchise of Villeneuve's Dune parts 1&2 and it matches very well aesthetically, we have some questions about the nature of the prequel texts. What is Desmond Hart? How do the characters know about the connection between worms and the spice ten millenia before the events of Dune? And why can Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson only imagine three families over 15,000 years of human history?

12/7/24 • 41:38

Wherein Andy and Justice examine the "stakes" of remaking old films and stories. Both Salem's Lot and Roadhouse have been remade this year and we're curious to know why. Given their relative success, what does this mean for all of the other shitty movies we wish we could forget? We look at the idea of nostalgia and while we understand why these stories were popular (except for Roadhouse), we marvel at how bankrupt the creative Hollywood industry has become. With Roadhouse 2 just over the horizon, it's difficult to conceive of where rock bottom truly is.

11/26/24 • 42:05

Wherein Justice and Andy punch their way into the celebration of Fight Club's 25th anniversary. Can you believe it's already that old? For us, where Fight Club is part of our history, this anniversary marks a reevaluation of the film and its personal and cultural impacts. What did we use to love about it? Do we still feel the same way? Hint: we do not. It isn't about the message behind it; its about our evolving ideas as we age. (And maybe a bit of the message behind it). Do we need Fight Club at age 40 or 50? Or do we just need parts of it? Or none of it at all?

10/27/24 • 22:32

Wherein Andy and Justice exhume Captain Kirk because of William Shatner's recently proclaimed dissatisfaction with the legendary figure's death. We revisit that scene in Star Trek: Generations and discuss whether or not his opinion holds up. Would Kirk have appeared in NuTrek if he had not died? Would we have even wanted that? Was this an apporpriate end for him and a way to effectively pass the torch to Picard?

9/30/24 • 22:56

Wherein Justice and Andy run screaming from the theater to produce this review of the newest entry in the Aliens franchise, Alien: Romulus. Fede Alvarez daringly returns to the original films' timeline and style, setting it between the first and second films. What do we see in this new entry that distinguishes it from the others? Where does this film hit, and where does it miss? What did you think of the Ian Holmes digital recreation as Rook? (we did not care for it). As a mostly impressive film, we discuss the possible implications for the future of the franchise.

9/13/24 • 30:22

Wherein Andy and Justice slice into the question of whether or not Deadpool & Wolverine and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes can or have revitalized their respective franchises. TLDL: No. But seriously, both movies are worthwhile and Deadpool & Wolverine borders on excellence. Fight us. While Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes made some questionable narrative decisions and Deadpool & Wolverine purposefully criticized and tried to reboot the MCU, neither accomplished their goal of franchise revitalization. In the end, more attention is clearly needed to resuscitate these narrative universes.

8/31/24 • 61:16

Wherein Justice and Andy burn down the final season and really the entire series Star Trek: Discovery. What once sounded promising turned into a catastrophe. From initially placing it just before the original series time and then spore-driving it nearly a millenium into the future where the Federation no longer existed, this show has made an unprecedented series of mistakes in the franchise: focusing too heavily on inner turmoil and questions of trauma, foreclosing on any other possible additions to the intervening time , and basically making pointless the contributions of TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT. Needless to say, we're glad it's finally over. And we're dreading Star Trek: Academy.

7/25/24 • 37:09

Wherein Andy and Justice run the guantlet of Supergiant's Hades franchise of games. While this episode mostly looks at The Hugo Award winning first game, we also talk about Hades 2 which is currently in early access. What makes these games so compelling, even for newcomers to the rougelike genre? For starters, its engagement with Greek mythology makes it attractive to those who encountered those stories early in life. Secondly, this isn't a traditional rougelike, but one that unfolds its story even through failure. Have a listen and get ready to die a thousand horrible deaths.

6/29/24 • 19:37

Wherein Justice and Andy dust themselves off after a trip through the wasteland in the new Amazon Prime series Fallout. How does the franchise adapt itself to this new medium? What is familiar from the games and what is original to the show? Where do we see this series going? And who keeps hiring Kyle MacLachlan?

5/30/24 • 37:10

Wherein Andy and Justice welcome Tony Hoffmann, the man responsible for forcing us to watch Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon (2023) from beginning to end. Together we complain about Snyder's professional cannibalization of Star Wars, Dune, The Lord of the Rings, and so many more superior texts into the cinematic casserole that is Rebel Moon. By way of comparison, we also look at Dan Simmons' novel Hyperion (1989), which pays proper homage to literary texts of the past in a way that results in a science fiction masterpiece. What constitutes copyright violation? We get it, we've all seen 300. How does Snyder keep getting work?

5/3/24 • 54:44

Wherein Justice and Andy lament the news of Larian Studios decision to not pursue a sequel to Baldur's Gate 3. And futher, that they have decided to leave the Dungeons & Dragons setting entirely. Is this a good business decision for the studio? Why leave when you've perfected the formula for a D&D rpg? We're sure their next project will meet the same standard of quality, but why don't they love us anymore?

3/31/24 • 14:08

Wherein Andy and Justice memorialize Akira Toriyama, best known as the creator of the Dragonball franchise. One of his other masterworks is the video game Chrono Trigger, the SNES RPG from 1995. We also mention the recently deceased musical genius Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist from Rush and accomplished author. We look back with some nostalgia on their works and what their deaths mean for their art.

3/9/24 • 09:27

Wherein Justice and Andy draft a roster of monsters to pit against one another. The rules: Only two titans and the human-sized-ish monsters must have a semi-Earth origin. Crystal clear. We each pick five and debate their battles. Come and see who wins!

2/24/24 • 46:14

Wherein Andy and Justice bite into the drama surrounding the cancellation of the Dark Universe franchise and the monstrous success of the Monsterverse franchise. What makes Godzilla and King Kong compelling both individually and together? At the same time, what makes Dracula compelling by himself but not when paired with the wolf man, Frankenstein's monster, or other Victorian/Romantic horrors? Why was the Dark Universe unable to replicate the success of the early MCU when they had at least as many bankable stars already signed? How is it that Tom Cruise signed on to The Mummy and turned down the role of Tony Stark?

1/19/24 • 34:23

Wherein Justice and Andy get turned around in their attempts to define what distinguishes a spinoff from a reboot and whether or not such things are worth the risk to the original work. As ubiquitous as spinoffs have been, how many can compare to the source material? And why do we think of spinoffs mostly in terms of television and not other textual forms? After Mash? Who greenlit that?

12/17/23 • 22:03

Wherein Andy and Justice aim their sights on the right-wing talking point that the upcoming GTA 6 game from Rockstar has "gone woke." That was an excruciating sentence for the two of us to write because the very idea of it is ridiculous. What does the GTA franchise seek to accomplish beyond making money? What do its many entries say about the American story? And wouldn't gendered and racial diversity be expected in a game set in 2025 Miami? Of course it would!

12/10/23 • 18:19

Wherein Justice and Andy endure the agony of the Very Short Treks series on YouTube. Why do these exist? What niche are they trying to fill? Clearly they shouldn't exist and aren't filling any niche. I mean, these are just an embarassment to the Star Trek franchise, and a slap in the face to all True Trek fans. Actors from previous and current shows are participating in this travesty. How could they?

11/30/23 • 11:55

Wherein Andy and Justice embark on a discussion of worldbuilding across the genres of written and nonwritten texts. What is the difference between a top-down and bottom-up approach to worldbuilding and what makes each world feel alive and complete? Is it the landscape? Is it the history? Is it the characters? Who is the player or the audience in the world? Topics range from J. R. R. Tolkien to China Mieville to Stephen R. Donaldson (perhaps the most underrated SF author) to Bethesda's latest miserable failure, Starfield.

10/31/23 • 59:03

Wherein Justice and Andy sneak into the scuttlebut about the end of the Mission Impossible franchise. Is it in fact coming to an end? The lead actor and the studio seem to have different plans in mind. What do you think about a secret agent who can almost collect social security? Does the agency supplement Medicare... or provide supplements? But seriously, what do we think about Tom Cruise as an action star in his 60s? Should the series come to an end or should they James Bond it?

9/27/23 • 16:01

Wherein Andy and Justice harmonize in opposition to the Strange New Worlds episode "Subspace Rhapsody." The first Star Trek episode in history to be framed as a musical, fans around the world were devastated by its departure from fifty-eight years of their expectations. Why was this done? Why such a marked departure from a proven formula? And can we expect more episodes that abandon a serious exploration of cultural issues?

8/31/23 • 15:24

Wherein Justice and Andy stroll into the recent controversy in country music with the release of Jason Aldean's "Try That In a Small Town." Pulled from circulation on CMT, it has ignited a veritable molotov cocktail of protest. What is this song about, really? Do political messages deserve to be treated politically? And does the small town that he imagines in the song really exist?

7/31/23 • 12:39

Wherein Andy and Justice call into question the wisdom and timeliness of continuing the seemingly unending Avatar franchise. Given that there was 14 years between the first and second film, we were hoping that it was finished. Why does there need to be more when the first film told a complete story? And will the next three entries be as predictable as the second film was? Yes they will be. Please make it stop.

7/25/23 • 13:33

Wherein Justice and Andy drill into the anthropocene by way of 2003's The Core and the 1993 episode "Forces of Nature" from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Given that we're confronted with the awesome problem of the climate crisis, we've decided to rewind the clock to look at two early versions of impending ecological disaster. Despite the radically different solutions in each of these stories, both demonstrate a shocking amount of American military hubris. How do these texts envision solutions and have we reimagined those solutions in the last thirty years? And what the hell is a laser impeller?

6/30/23 • 43:24

Wherein Andy and Justice navigate the uneven chracter arc of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher. From a whining beneficiary of nepotism to a valuable member of the bridge crew to an interdimensional cosmic entity and winding up as Wil Wheaton playing himself, we chart the many successes and failures of this character. If the enire bridge crew can endlessly play themselves in the franchise, why can't Wil Wheaton?

5/31/23 • 24:47

Wherein Justice and Andy shuffle into the disappointing realization that there is no history of or cultural references to zombies in the universe of The Walking Dead. And why have the creators of the franchise chosen to do this? For the least interesting reason possible. With centuries of zombie and other undead stories woven into human culture and history and religion, are we supposed to believe that the rest of popular literature and fine arts are exactly the same as ours? I guess so...

5/19/23 • 12:19

Wherein Andy and Justice stomp into the world of Nintendo's Mario. The success of the recent film got us thinking about Mario's character arc, such as it is. Why is he popularly understood to be a plumber when he has never plumbed anything in any game? Isn't he rather an exterminator of various pests and populations? Topics range from the Mario films to the recent open world entries to Hernán Cortés. Why is this man a hero?

5/7/23 • 09:45