Open World Chat

Settle in as we review nearly 20 of the best (or at least the best as we see them) death scenes in film and TV. Some obvious ones, some not so obvious ones - and Mark and John's lists are surprisingly different.

It's tick season! We talk our favorite science fiction parasites (and a few symbiotes) in this episode honoring the return of the clingy bloodsuckers. Like James Gunn's "Slither?" We've got you covered. Have you ever thought of the Borg as parasites? We're on that conversation too. Give a listen!

Let's call it the Hank Pym effect - one single choice by one writer making one character kind of wrecked forever. There are quite a few and we talk about some of them in this week's episode.

It's March Madness folks, get your brackets out and pick the winners -- of the best sci-fi movies and TV! Thirty-two "teams" over four quadrants: Cyberpunk & AI, Space & Exploration, Aliens & Horror, Blockbusters & Franchises - all vying for the right to be the one true champion. Who's gonna win? Who's gonna get eliminated? Will there be a cinderella team? Only way to know is to LISTEN to Mark, John, and special guest Robert Heil!!!

For the first time in a decade there's no Star Trek series currently in production. John and Mark take a look at the state of the Star Trek franchise in terms of stories and corporate status, and what we might expect going forward.

Mark and John get into the political once again in an analysis of resistance movements in Sci-Fi on the big and little screens.

There are favorite movies, and there are the movies you wish you could have that 1st-viewing experience with again. Sometimes they're your favorite movies, but sometimes they're movies that just hit you in a time and place. Heck, some of them might be movies you don't even like! Join us for a talk about those cinematic 1st times we wish we could repeat. Ah, nostalgia...

Not quite our "dumb" sci-fi.... more the embarrassing ones. The ones that will make you cringe when we finally meet the extraterrestrials, sit down on the couch with them, and stumble on.

Mark and John look at what makes a movie a horror movie (surprisingly complicated!) and apply that to movies that aren't generally considered to be horror. What movies pass the test of horror-that-doesn't-know-it's-horror?

There are mad scientists aplenty in science fiction, but somethimes - perhaps ironically - it's the science itself that science fiction is demonizing. Mark and John look at the science that sci-fi hates and wind through some examples that you all know, and maybe a few you don't.

"Look at Us Now: A Comic Book Movie" Filmmaker Vee Rodriguez has a conversation with Mark and John about what comics mean to readers and how they've shaped us over the years. As per imdb: "Based on the poem by VRO, The Poet, LOOK AT US NOW: A COMIC BOOK MOVIE follows a diverse group of urban comic book lovers, and tells the story of how geek culture went from being a punchline to a global phenomenon." 

Baddies are a dime a dozen, but the really good ones are the ones that have a point and demand you listen. Mark and John discuss them (and go off on a couple tangents, but that happens...).

There are way too many TV themes to call Mark's list and John's lists definitive, but they've got some good ones (and just to make the point, there was no overlap between the lists). That adds up to 20 awesome things ranging from the 1960s to the 2010s! We've left out a LOT but take a listen and see if you agree!

Mark and John go apocalyptic. What's the difference between an apocalypse and a dystopia in TV and film? Do they have to be scary or can they be silly? Cute? Join us for a discussion of the big booms and why we love them.

You ever watch a movie of a particular genre and have it flip genres right in front of you, leaving you wondering what the heck just happened? We have! And we talk about them for an hour! Some are on the bubble, while others make your head explode - and while it could be a recipe for disaster (or at least crappiness), these are the films where it works. Have a listen!

Mark and John break out what the heck fascism is and then find it in Sci-Fi. Who gets it right?

Mark and John look at examples of time travel across a broad range of movies, TV and other fiction to examine it's logic (or - more often - lack thereof) and it's use as a storytelling tool. Have a listen!

Mark and John start of with the grandaddy of all Utopias (that would be "Utopia") and segue into a discussion of our utopian fiction, or just fiction where utopia shows up, even if it's not the star. We may surprise you with some of our choices.

Mark and John review and compare their favorite fight scenes and discuss what it is that makes a fight scene really stick with you (hint: it's not just choreography).

With James Gunn's Superman still in theaters, Mark and John try to understand why the modern Right hates it so much - not just the movie, but the character. Why do they fixate on words like "refugee" in their anti-"woke" hysteria and why is Superman just not Homelander enough for them? 

Mark and John go through a whopping and eclectic list of movies to help you deal with these dark times. They deliver catharsis, escape, inspiration, education and more. It's a long one for sure, but worth it.

Mark and John are joined by Reinhard Denke, co-founder of RNDM ORDR and founder of award-winning  commercial sound-design studio firm Stimmüng to discuss sound in film; what's good, what's bad, and why it's so important.

On the passing of legendary writer and former Marvel Editor-in-Chief, John and Mark discuss his complicated legacy in the 70s, 80s, and beyond. While his impact on comics is unquestionable, some of his decisions, both creatively and editorially, may not have been so noble. We have a no-holds-barred conversation about this well-loved and well-hated leader.... genius or jerk (or both)?

From the mindbending epiphany to the hero's journey, knowing or finding out who you really are (AI? Hero? Simulation?) has always been a big part of genre fiction and Mark and John touch on what could easily be the topic of its own ongoing podcast all by itself. Amazingly we don't mention The Matrix. Oh well. The Matrix too.

Mark and John share their personal favorite, if not the "best" per se, songs from film soundtracks and why. Lots of fun!! 

Mark and John go through the disappointingly large list of films consigned to production hell (and maybe a couple where - so they say - Satan himself joined the production team). Wanta know what the hell (haha) that might mean? Give a listen!

Mark and John wander down the broad and deep history of horror in film and TV to pick out some of their favorite moments, from the more "objectively" scary, to the disturbing, to the crap that freaked us out as kids. I guarantee you we've come up with some you haven't seen (as well as plenty you have, no doubt).

In part 2 of our "directors" series, Mark and John look at great movies from legendary directors that have flown WAY under the radar, and should be viewed immediately!!

Mark and John look at directors who are generally accepted as having a particular masterwork and explain why - no - a DIFFERENT movie is actually their masterpiece and why. Part 1 in our 2 part director series.

Mark and John go full pundit and talk about the current state of elections and democracy in the US. Are our rights safe? Are our systems safe? What policies help us or hinder us? The answers, of course - complicated in the details, but maybe not so much at the end of the day. Join in for a break from our usual fare.

When Jesus turns up in your favorite stories! Mark and John talk about the archetype of the "Christ Figure," and it turns out it pops up everywhere.

The war on DEI is hitting companies like Disney and Warner Brothers and they've have already begun to alter their policies in response. Will this backlash affect our favorite movies, books, and comics?

It's the flip side of last time - this time Mark and John go through a bunch of movies that should never be remade, as well as several that should never have been remade (and the trainwrecks that came of it).

Mark and John throw out some ideas of movies that scream to be remade (in some cases remade again), while also reviewing some remakes that have been made and made well.

Mark and John look at so-dubbed "franchise fatigue" and its cousins superhero fatigue, sequel fatigue, and throw in some multiverse fatigue. We discuss what genre franchises are doing better than others, and why.

One episode after talking about dumb sci-fi, we return to talk about excellent sci fi and fantasy that doesn't get enough love, be it from critics, fanboys, general audiences, or just due to the fog of the passage of time.

Dumb sci fi. The title says it all. Not just bad, not just ill-considered. Dumb. Come on, see if we mention your favorite book or movie We dare ya.

It's the AI era! You want to know how bad it can get? Check out the list of most evil artificial intelligences. Come on and tell us what (who?) we missed, even if some of them are a little obvious (we're looking at you Stanley Kubrick).

Mark and John get on drugs for an episode that looks at the different way drugs, drug culture, and addiction in general are treated in science fiction over the decades, and there turns out to be quite a bit to talk about. Come on in and get your OWC fix!

Love. Exciting and new. etc.Come on aboard as we look back at love and romance in sci-fi over the decades, along with how it reflects society. Do we mention your favorite couple? (probably not since we forgot Han and Leia... oops). But that's okay. It's still super cool. From Flash Gordon and Dale to Willow and Tara, we've got it all (or at least all that could fit into 40 minutes).

Dr. Leigh McKagen comes back - willingly, even - where we discuss the often disappointing but always interesting topic of the imperial nature of Star Trek and the Federation! Join us for a little Trek tough love.

John and Mark tell you how it is as they go down their list of the 18 most influential sci-fi movies. Give a listen and nod your head, roll your eyes, or scowl at the picks and the reasons why.

Mark and John examine stories in sci-fi and comics that are simply retellings of classical mythological stories. Turns out they're everywhere.

What is the nature of power and military strategy in Star Trek's Federation? Our own Mark Card examines this question. John just kind of goes "mm-hmm" a lot.

We always hear about those paranoid 70s political thrillers, but a similar phenomenon was happening in the sci fi of the era - and it set the pace for many of the sci fi movies to come. Come on in and join us for a heaping helping of Soylent Green and more...

I don't know that it's an eternal one, but courtesy of Joss Whedon and Angel it is a debate - one that Mark and John bisect, trisect, and just all around sect. It turns out, as you might expect, to be a complicated question.

Mark and John give you an underachieving top 10 list - 9 movies that don't realize they're actually science fiction. Or are maybe in denial. We define sci fi and dive right in, perhaps taking a few liberties, which only makes it more fun. Have a listen and yell at the speaker when you don't agree!

Mark leads John and the audience on a discussion of the seminal sci-fi novel "A Canticle for Liebowitz" and the questions it raises about cycles of history, Catholicism, and the role of the state in it all. Highbrow stuff guys! Jump in!

From Nosferatu to Angel to Lestat and Blade and - oh yeah, that Dracula guy. What is our obsession with vampires?

Mark and John look at the ways fears of "the other" have informed the horror genre in the context of immigration - and it's a lot more than you think!