Discerning Geeks Portal

This week, we review the neo-noir sci-fi film -- and Roger Ebert's #1 movie of 1998 -- "Dark City."

 - Despite the dark setting & tone of a movie called "Dark City," which specific aspects of the movie were sufficiently bright and/or colorful?

 - Which co-host made the excellent connection between this movie and the concept of nature vs. nurture?

 - Were the aliens in this movie still sticking to their goal, and were they making any progress?  Or, did they just come to enjoy messing with us?

 - How & why is John Murdoch special?  How much of his past really happened, and how much was concocted?

 - Why did the Strangers use dead bodies instead of live ones, and why were most, if not all, of them male?

 - Did the co-hosts like the narrative technique of the main character starting with amnesia, and how many other examples of amnesia storylines did one co-host bring up?

 - What is real?  What is imaginary?  Is our reality fake?  Does it even matter?

 - Is science-fiction a valuable tool in exploring questions of existence & reality?

 - How does the main character in the movie get his special ability?

 - Which character had a thoroughly annoying voice?

 - And, which movie based on a classic game did we roll for reviewing in the near future.

Listen now for the asking & pondering of these questions & more as we...tune...in and shine a light on..."Dark City."

You can contact us at...

 - E-Mail:  [email protected]

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 - Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - Intro/Outro:  "Night Attack" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - Lightning Round Clock:  "Dreams of Vain" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Discerning Geeks, where this week, we take a deep dive into the zany navy submarine comedy, "Down Periscope."

 - Which cast member of this movie changed hair colors for this movie between seasons of the TV show she also starred in?  And, who cares about an actress's hair color?  And, will this be the last time Todd finds weird reasons to mention his "Picket Fences" rewatch?

 - Which cast member of this movie was also a three-time contestant of "Survivor"?

 - Which actor/comedian made his film debut as a minor supporting role in this movie, and why was he not in the movie more?

 - What were some of the good & bad things about the comedy in this movie?

 - Which co-hosts appreciated this being an underdog story?

 - How good were the characters in the movie?  Which characters did one co-host say were practically mutants...in a good way?

 - What unexpected way does a Billy Joel reference make its way into the movie and into the review?

 - Which characters' quirks did not work for one co-host?

 - What are the main maneuvers, strategies, and command decisions made by Lt. Cmdr. Dodge in the movie, and which ones did the co-hosts most like or have issues with?

  - What did the Geeks think about the female character in the movie; and when, in real life, did women start serving on U.S. submarines?

 - Which funny quotes made it into the review?

 - How highly did the Geeks rate this movie?

 - And, which divisive MCU entry did we roll this time, to be reviewed in the near future?

Listen now for the answers to these and other depth-testing questions as we submerge for a deep dive into "Down Periscope."

You can contact us at...

 - E-Mail:  [email protected]

 - Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

 - Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

 - Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - Intro:  A 1929 recording of "Anchors Aweigh," in the public domain due to age

 - Lightning Round Clock:  A shorter version of "Anchors Aweigh" via archive.org

 - Outro:  "marching-music-who39s-who-in-the-navy-blue-by-john-philip-sousa-99100" by Nesrality via Pixabay

This week, the Geeks review the sci-if horror film, "The Mist."  This is a movie based on a Stephen King novella, directed and written for the screen by Frank Darabont, the same writer-director who brought us hopeful, inspirational dramas, "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile."  This movie...is a bit of a departure from those previous works.  Buckle up, folks.  This is a rough one.

 - This was a movie left over from Dave Teague's season 2 list.  With him no longer with us, we tried to guess why he may have wanted us to review this movie.  What did we come with?  Did we figure out why, is it still a mystery, or did we have mixed results?

 - Which co-host had the most trouble finding redeeming qualities from the movie?

 - Which co-host ultimately didn't like it, making it clearly, audibly, uncomfortable for him to talk about the redeeming qualities he did find?

 - Which co-host found a few redeeming qualities in the movie...but was pretty comfortable doing so?

 - Which co-host(s) found that maybe this movie works on some level as a character study or as a commentary on society?

 - Which co-host felt this qualifies as a movie that makes you think?

 - Which co-host was most bothered by the movie's depiction of the loss of hope?

 - Which co-host(s) felt the movie's lack of hope is possibly, in a weird way, a lesson about the importance of hope, maybe?

 - So...the movie's ending...how rough was that?  Am I right?

 - Which few movies reviewed by this podcast does one co-host dislike more than this movie -- and, how many of those are probably major hot-takes?

 - And, what sci-fi noir film did we roll for a future episode?

Listen now for the answers to these and other MIST-ifying questions, as we try to survive the horrors of..."The Mist."

You can contact us at...

 - E-Mail:  [email protected]

 - Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

 - Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

 - Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - Intro/Outro:  "cinematic-soundtrack-epic-female-solo-18501" by AntipodeanWriter via Pixabay.com

 - Lightning Round Clock:  "Hidden Truth" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

So much has been going on, the Geeks catch up with each other with another Whatcha' Doin'? episode.  

This week, we discuss...

 - "Moon Knight"

 - "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"

 - "Ms. Marvel"

 - "Thor: Love & Thunder"

 - "Obi-Wan Kenobi"

 - "The Batman"

 - "Outlander" season 6

 - "The Time Traveler's Wife" season 1...and done :(

 - "Stranger Things" season 4

 - "THE ORVILLE" SEASON 3  :)

 - "For All Mankind" season 3

 - "Top Gun: Maverick"

 - Live performance of "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis

 - "Chronicles of Amber" book series by Roger Zelazny

 - "Pilgrim's Progress" modern telling

 - "Save the Cat" scriptwriting book

 - "The Boys" seasons 1 & 2 (Andruw hasn't quite gotten to season 3 yet; Todd isn't bothering)

 - "Umbrella Academy" season 3

 - Dave's rewatch of "The A-Team"

 - Todd's rewatch of "Picket Fences"

 - News & trailers coming out of San Diego Comic Con

 - The Geeks' mutual decrease in enthusiasm for some upcoming movies & TV shows :(

 - DRAGON CON !!!  :)  --  What are the guys looking forward to the most this Labor Day weekend (Dave and Andruw's first time going, Todd's 11th, if you count Dragon Con Virtual 2020)?

...And, well...that's enough, don't you think?!?  Out of the items above that all three of us saw, I don't think we totally agreed on any of them.  So, you'll get a lot of different opinions this time.

OOOHHH!!!  And, this is our 2nd anniversary of podcasting!!!  :)  Technically, our previous episode could have counted as our 2nd anniversary.  We didn't even realize it.  Whoops.  Maybe we'll make a big deal out of it...eventually.  Or, maybe we'll just celebrate on odd-numbered anniversaries.  (?!?)

Note:  Due to the timely nature of some of the reviews in this episode and the news out of SDCC, this episode is coming out before two previously-recorded episodes.  Our reviews of horror movie "The Mist" is almost completely edited, and we have a review of submarine comedy "Down Periscope" in the can (between the creamed corn and deviled ham...you'll get the joke if you've watched that movie).  Episodes we plan to record (hopefully) soon are "Thor: The Dark World," which we rolled on the "Down Periscope" episode, and another showdown of "After Earth vs. Oblivion," which we rolled off-mic when we realized we didn't do it in this episode.  Edit (a week later):  Oh, yeah, we also rolled "Dark City" at some point and still need to record the review for that one too, probably even before "Thor: The Dark World" or the showdown.

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - Intro/Outro:  "I Guess What I'm Trying to Say" by Bryan Teoh via FreePD.com

Journey with us to Free City as we review the 2021 Ryan Reynolds action-comedy, "Free Guy."

Not only was this one an Andruw-hosted episode, but it was Andruw's first time editing an episode.  That makes this the first episode in Discerning Geeks Portal history in which Todd didn't know what to expect.  Todd worried Andruw might make Todd and Dave sound like barking dogs, like Q did to Beverly Crusher in one scene of "True Q," a sixth season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  But, no, Andruw made us sound good.

 - Which co-host(s) really like this movie, and which one(s) had mixed feelings about it?  Spoiler:  No one hated it.

 - How did the geeks like this movie's exploration of artificial intelligence?

 - How did the geeks feel about the narrative differences between Free City and the real world?

 - What were the main complaints about the movie?

Listen now for the answers to these other questions -- some of which Todd doesn't know to ask because he's only listened to this once all the way through before posting.  Not editing an episode is a weird feeling.

Free your minds.  Free your city.  "Free...Guy."

You can let Andruw know how well he did editing this episode at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Todd isn't sure which public domain songs Andruw used.  But, they sound familiar, so he's pretty sure they're from FreePD.com.  Check out that site for public domain songs to use in your podcasts.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event:  The first Discerning Geeks Portal...Showdown!

In the Washington corner...  Coming out of long-term retirement and hailing from a fictional town...  Weighing too much to measure...but capable of spewing thousands of tons of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lava, and pyroclastic material...  Specializing in acid lakes...and known, in the ring, as:  "Lady Killer!!!"  It's the heavyweight veteran of the ring..."DANTE'S...PEAK!!!"

And, in the California corner...a newcomer to the league...  Weighing an indiscriminate tonnage and hailing from downtown Los Angeles...  Specializing in stealth, street fighting, and underground fighting!  You might want to refer to it as the "Lava Bomber!"  But, until the last moment of the movie, it prefers to be known simply as..."VOLCANO!!!"

Your judges are "experts" in the field of cinematic vulcanology...

 - Dave...The Dacite Dictator!!!

 - Todd...The Tectonic Tyrant!!!

 - Andruw...The Ash & Acid Assassin!!!

Tonight's match is scheduled for 10 rounds of cinematic & pyroclastic debate!  Nine of these rounds will be worth one point each!  One round will be worth negative one point!

"Volcano" Vs. "Dante's Peak!!!"  Which movie will be the volcanic victor, and which movie will suffer the deformation of defeat?

Let's get ready to RUMBLE...and run from lava.

Ring the fight bell!  Let the showdown begin!

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - Intro/Outro:  "The Enemy" by Alexander Nakarada via FreePD.com

 - Brought To You By:  "Vintage Party" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - Lightning Round Clock:  "cinematic-dramatic-11120" by AleXZavesa via Pixabay.com

 - Portal (Upcoming Topic):  "Anchors Aweigh" by The Department of Defense via Archive.org

Welcome to Season 3 of the Discerning Geeks Portal!  :)  This week, we review the adventure thriller, "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets."  For our review of the first "National Treasure" movie, check out episode #098.

 - Did Andruw like this sequel any better than the original?

 - Does Dave love the sequel as much as he loves the original?

 - What did the original movie do right that the sequel still does well?  But, did it do it better?

 - Was the Riley character treated well in the movie?

 - What did the co-hosts feels about the characters, in general?

 - Was the risk of collateral damage during a chase scene worth it?

 - What were Andruw's other issues with the movie?

 - Was one part of the sequel too similar to the original?

 - What did the co-hosts put on their respective Mount Rushmores of good & bad things about this movie?

Listen now for the answers to these and other questions as we go on another adventure with our review of "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets."

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

- Intro/Outro:  "chasing-victory-long-9396" by ZakharValaha via Pixabay.com

- Breakdown:  "Brandywine Quickstep from the Minstrel Boy Show" by The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps via FreeMusicArchive.org

 - Paris/London Phase:  "Le Baguette" by Alexander Nakarada via FreePD.com

- Lightning Round Clock:  "Guerilla Tactics" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

WE DID IT!!!  :)  EPISODE 100!!!  :)  ...And, our Season 2 Finale.

After 99 episodes, 1.5 hours of recording this episode, and approximately two weeks of editing, this is our biggest episode yet at 128 minutes.  Join us as Dave, Todd, and Andruw rank their favorite episodes of The Discerning Geeks Portal -- and also give you a peek into what's ahead for season 3.

 - What is "stasis," and how many picks had to be put in it?

 - How many episodes got picked by two co-hosts?

 - How many episodes got picked by all three?

 - What was Todd's #1 pick?  Was it #075 "Ocean's Eleven"? 

 - What was Andruw's #1 pick?  Was it #065 "Back to the Future, Part 2"?

 - What was Dave's #1 pick?  Was it #051 "The Princess Bride"?

 - After combining scores, what was the overall top 11, and which two episodes tied for combined 1st place?

 - What is happening to the "Wheel of Insanity"?

 - What are Andruw's 15 picks for season 3 topics?

 - What are Dave S.'s 15 picks for season 3 topics?

 - What are Todd's 15 picks for season 3 topics?

 - What are the Dave T. season 2 topics that we're carrying over to season 3?

 - And, should I abandon this question-asking format in episode summaries for season 3 (I'm considering it; not sure what to replace it with though)?

Join us as we look back on some of our fondest, funnest, funniest, weirdest, coolest, most nostalgic moments -- so many moments that just when you think the episode is over, there's still 15.56 minutes to go.  Or, maybe it's cooler to think of it as over 20 post-credits scenes -- like the MCU.

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Dedicated in memory of co-host, friend, brother:  David Charles Teague.

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You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

(I'll edit this summary to add the list later.  To be honest, after two weeks of editing this thing, I just want to get it published.)

We're almost there...to episode #100.  But, first, in #099, we take a discerning look at "Iron Man 2," supposedly the 2nd-worst movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  But, do we rate it that badly, or do we kind of like it -- or both?

 - What is the biggest flaw in this movie, stated very early in the review (and again later)?

 - Which co-host(s) appreciated more scenes of Tony Stark making stuff in his workshop?

 - Which co-host(s) enjoyed the introduction of Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in this movie?

 - Which co-host(s) enjoyed the Monaco race track sequence and the Tony/Rhodey fight scene at the party, and which co-host(s) disliked those scenes.

 - What are some of the great quotes from the movie?

 - What is this movie's alternate beginning remembered by one co-host as a deleted scene?

 - Which co-host questions just how long the Stark Expo is and how Justin Hammer and the military are able to prepare and squeeze in a demonstration, especially if the Expo is only one week long?

 - And, was it far-fetched that Tony Stark invented a new element?

Listen now to find out the answers to these and other industrious questions.

Grab your robotic armor, electro-whips, pet bird, drone army, and new element blueprint, as we take our shots at "Iron Man 2."  And, skip the strawberries if you're allergic.

You can contact us at...

 - E-Mail:  [email protected]

 - Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

 - Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

 - Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

 - Intro:  "Epic Boss Battle" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com 

 - Lightning Round Clock:  "Hit n Smash" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - Outro:  "Evil Incoming" by Kevin MacLeod via FreePD.com

This week, we review the Nicolas Cage action/heist drama, "National Treasure."

 - Why did one co-host compare this movie to the TV show "Stargate: SG-1"?

 - Who loved this movie, who disliked this movie, and what did the remaining co-host think?

 - What weird way did Todd find for working in a J. Michael Straczynski reference?  And, could both the other co-hosts pronounce Straczynski?

 - During what tangent did one co-host completely space out?

 - How did one co-host compare this movie to "The Princess Bride," and which co-host seemed offended by that?

 - Which co-host(s) appreciated the American history, lore, and geography, that went into this movie?

 - Which co-host(s) appreciated the clues & codebreaking in the movie?

 - How well did this movie earn its kid-safe PG rating?

 - Which co-host described one aspect of this movie as majestic and the movie as a whole as making the watcher think?

 - Why was there not a third movie in this franchise?

 - Where were Dave, Todd, and Andruw, on vacation at the very start of the pandemic (as in the first weekend that cancellations started and grocery store shelves looked raided).

 - And, which co-host worked in a random reference to "The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened?" a documentary directed by the late John Schnepp about a failed movie written by Kevin Smith, to be directed by Tim Burton, and that was to star Nicolas Cage as a long-haired Superman.

Listen now to find out the answers to these and other historically significant questions.

Grab your meerschaum pipe (smoking not recommended), stolen historical artifact, lemon juice, hair dryer, and Freemason spectacles, as we decode & decipher..."National Treasure."

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- Link Tree:  linktr.ee/discerninggeeks

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  The other stars do not work.

Public domain music used in the episode includes...

- Intro & Outro:  "Rulers of Our Lands" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

- Lightning Round Clock:  "The Drama" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com