Discerning Geeks Portal

Our podcast may be heavenly, but this week's review is for a movie called "From Hell."  ;)  Based loosely on a graphic novel of the same name, written by Alan Moore, this is one version of the unsolved Jack the Ripper mysteries that theorizes a greater conspiracy at work.

 - Which co-host put this movie on the Wheel of Insanity, and is he the one that ended up liking it most?

 - Which co-host was the most outspoken about their extreme opinion of this movie?

 - Which co-host(s) felt like his/their objectivity & subjectivity were at odds when judging this movie?

 - Which co-host has had several opportunities to take Jack the Ripper themed walking tours but didn't?

 - Which co-host really enjoys "The Book of Eli" and "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," two other movies based on graphic novels by Alan Moore.

 - Is the movie "Clue" on the Wheel of Insanity as at least one co-host thinks it is?

 - Was cinematography pronounced cinnamonnn-tography this time intentionally or by accident again?

 - Which co-host(s) enjoyed the historical aspects of this film the most?

 - Which co-host(s) "enjoyed" (that's not exactly the right word for it) the movie's exploration of classism in Victorian London?

 - Which co-host felt like the movie didn't do a great job keeping its big secret a surprise?

 - Which co-host felt like the movie was too visually dark, beyond the necessity of the setting & mood but to the point that he couldn't actually see what was going on?

 - Which co-host felt like the main character's seemingly psychic visions went nowhere?

 - Which co-hosts felt like unlikable or underdeveloped characters and a rushed romance were some of the movie's flaws?

 - Which co-host gave this movie his lowest rating ever?

 - Which co-host felt like if Jack the Ripper himself were to watch this movie, he'd find it to be...well, from an entirely different genre?  Listen to find out which one.

Listen now to find out the answers to these and other slashing & eviscerating questions.

Grab your grape vine, Liston knife, coins for the ferryman, and carriage with switchblade steps -- but *not* laudanum because we're *not* advocating that kind of thing -- as we perform an investigation into a horrific operation...From Hell.

And, stay tuned for our special 88th episode where we review "Back to the Future, Part III" (get it?...88th episode for 88MPH), the conclusion to our "Back to the Future" trilogy reviews.  Check out episodes #058 & #065 for our reviews of Parts I & II.

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.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain music includes...

 - Intro/outro:  "Dawn of the Apocalypse" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - Lightning Round countdown clock:  "Asking Questions" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - "Wakka Wakka" by Brian Teoh via FreePD.com

 - "Action Strike" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

This week, we review the under-rated and under-appreciated military sci-fi, alien invasion thriller, "Battle: Los Angeles."  And, we have a lot of nice things to say about it.  No, really, we do.  The four of us like or love it to varying degrees, but I think we're all a bit baffled as to this movie's low scores & negative reviews.

 - How many cast & crew names does Todd butcher during the rundown?

 - Which co-host(s) agreed that this is not a deep or thoughtful movie (at least not all the time) but that it does have great moments & depicts people being well-trained, skilled, and working well together?

 - Which co-host(s) appreciated the movie's small mission for its protagonists, rather than the save-the-whole-world-at-once missions common in more typical Hollywood action movies?

 - What strategies & other military aspects of both the humans & the aliens did the co-hosts appreciate.

 - Which co-host brought up the movie's appreciable lack of shaky-cam, and how many co-hosts immediately agreed?

 - What other cinematic techniques & narrative aspects did the co-hosts like in the movie?

 - There's one scene that is a favorite of 3 or 4 of the co-hosts because of how smart & well-trained it depicts a main character.  What is the scene, and who was the first one to bring it up?

 - Which co-host teared up a little bit upon the last line of dialogue in the movie, and which co-host had the last line of the movie as a major nitpick?

 - And, which co-host gave this a top rating?

Listen now for the answers to these and other questions.

Grab your 8 to 10 magazines of ammunition, first aid kit, combat rifle & bayonet, bivy shelter & sleeping bag, poncho, knee & elbow pads, multi-tool, helmet with night vision optics, 3 MREs, 1 gallon of water, extra socks & undergarments, 2 to 4 grenades, a white smoke grenade, a yellow smoke grenade, a thermite grenade, a phosphorus grenade, handgun, and assorted maps & compasses -- all 65 pounds of typical Marine gear -- as we face off against aliens in Battle: Los Angeles.

And, be careful.  That's "Battle - colon (:) - Los Angeles."  "Battle *of* Los Angeles" is a TV movie made for Syfy by The Asylum.

Stay tuned in future weeks for our reviews of Jack the Ripper thriller, "From Hell;" one of the best conclusions to one of the best trilogies, "Back to the Future, Part 3;" and the romantic time-travel fantasy, "About Time" (probably in that order, but BttF3 definitely episode #088).  We have to discuss it more internally, but hopefully we'll have another installment each of Alpha-Movie-Bet and What Should Andruw Watch? before our season 2 finale (episode 100).

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.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain music includes...

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

- Lightning Round countdown clock:  "Kings Trailer" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

This week, we review the 1987 sci-fi comedy spoof, "Spaceballs."

 - Which co-host(s) can quote practically the whole movie?

 - Which co-host was viewing this movie for the first time, and what did he think about it?

 - Which co-host was less thrilled with the movie?

 - What happens to a human body in the vacuum of space?  No, seriously, what happens, because we made it pretty obvious we're just guessing?

 - Which relative of two co-hosts made a contribution to the lightning round, and why does he refer to himself as a "bad boy"?

 - Which co-host had nice things to say about a family member after probably getting in trouble for a negative comment in a previous episode?

...And, that's about it this time around.  Seriously, it's just a bunch of quoting the movie and one person saying it wasn't that funny.

Grab your spacecraft, half-canine co-pilot, shiny android, and your Schwartz...as we explore the upside & downside of...Spaceballs.

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.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain music includes...

 - Intro/outro:  "Heroic Adventure" by Rafael Krux via FreePD.com

 - Science vs. Cinema segment:  "Sciencenet Theme" by Kevin MacLeod via FreePD.com

 - Lightning Round countdown clock:  "Fireworks" by Alexander Nakarada via FreePD.com

Happy New Year!  Welcome, discerning listeners, to 2022 of the Discerning Geeks Portal.  Going since mid-2020 and approaching 100 episodes, we begin the year by reviewing the year behind us, with 2021 being our first full calendar year of podcasting.

In this episode, we discuss (or at least mention)...

 - Betty White  :(

 - "WandaVision" on Disney+

 - "Lost In Space" on Netflix

 - Other Marvel shows on Disney+

 - "For All Mankind" on Apple TV+

 - "Spider-Man: No Way Home" & Venom (possibly slightly spoilery, but barely, I think)

 - "Eternals"

 - "Shang-Chi"

 - "No Time to Die"

 - "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"

 - "Black Widow"

 - "Zack Snyder’s Justice League"

 - "Godzilla vs. Kong"

 - "Matrix Resurrections"

 - "Dune" (2021 film / part 1)

 - "Fear Street" trilogy on Netflix

 - Our favorite episodes of this podcast, "The Discerning Geeks Portal"

 - "CreepyPasta" on YouTube

 - Dave's re-read of "Dune," the novel

 - "Ender's Game Alive" audioplay on Audible  (For our review of the "Ender's Game" book & movie, check out episode #050.)

 - "Re:Engage," a Star Trek: The Next Generation re-watch podcast

 - "Yum Yum Podcast" and "White Rocket Babylon 5 Review Podcast," two podcasts currently reviewing episodes of Babylon 5 (something we'll be doing soon too; see below)

 - "Fandom Hybrid," another podcast that reviews TV shows & movies, especially in the MCU, founded & co-hosted by a fellow Dragon Con attendee

We also talked about what we're looking forward to and hoping for in 2022.

 - One of the Daves & Andruw joining Todd for Dragon Con in 2022

 - COMING SOON:  "Discerning Lurkers Portal: A Babylon 5 Podcast," our first spin-off

 - Our hopes to start playing "Monster of the Week" RPG again in 2022, which we're recording with plans/hopes to release as podcast episodes, like we did with D&D in episodes #034 to #036

 - Season 3 of "The Orville" comes in March, with Babylon 5's Bruce Boxleitner playing the role of a blue-skinned alien president.

 - A possible Babylon 5 reboot

 - More of "The Book of Boba Fett" (one episode already released at the very tail end of 2021)

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain intro/outro music is "Relaxing Ballad" by Alexander Nakarada via FreePD.com.

This week, we take our discerning look to a new level.  We do our usual good-stuff/bad-stuff style review of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, "Children of Men," but first, we debate the contentious question, "Is it a Christmas movie?"

 - Which co-host(s) said that "Children of Men" is a Christmas movie, and which co-host(s) said it wasn't?  What were the reasons for their opinions?

 - What elements of the nativity story were undisputed as inspiring part of this movie's premise?  Which co-host(s) felt that still wasn't enough?

 - Was the hope provided by this movie's premise enough to make the movie's universe have a promising future and, therefore, make it uplifting enough to qualify as a Christmas movie?

 - Which co-host used a Spock quote from "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" in his counter-argument to another co-host's point?

 - Did any co-hosts change each other's minds, or did opinions remain unshaken?

 - Which co-hosts were particularly impressed by several segments of the movie each filmed as one long, fluid camera take?

 - Which co-host points out the tendency of people in the movie to live amongst animals and for one character to never finish a cigarette?

 - And, how many times was the word cinematography mispronounced in this episode?

Listen now to find out the answers to these and other fertile questions, as we debate the hope, faith, love, and future, of...Children of Men.

Check out our other holiday themed episodes:  reviews of "Muppet Christmas Carol" (#028) and Gremlins (#026); our 3-part, radio-play-style, Scrooge-themed Dungeons & Dragons one-shot (#034 to #036); and reviews of "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (#080), "Klaus" (#081), and "Home Alone" (#082, released just one day before this episode).

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  :)

Be well, be safe, continue enjoying whatever makes you a Discerning Geek, and join us in the new year as we continue with sci-fi & fantasy movie reviews and hopefully get back on track with Alpha-Movie-Bet, What Should Andruw Watch?, Whatcha' Doin'?, and other special topics.

Also, look out for our first spin-off...The Discerning *Lurkers* Portal: A *Babylon 5* Podcast.  :)  We hope to start publishing those in January or February.

Update (23 December 2022):  Today is the one-year anniversary of our review of "Children of Men."  It has now been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.  Also...  I'm still curious...  Do *you* think "Children of Men" is a Christmas movie or not?  Let us know.

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- LinkTree:  https://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.  Those other stars do not work. ;)

Public domain music in this episode includes:

 - Intro montage:  "we-wish-you-a-merry-christmas-traditionally-16th-century-english-christmas-carol-sheppard-flute-and-xmas-waltz-8848" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com

 - Opening music:  "Silent Night (Unholy Night)" by Alexander Nakarada via freepd.com

 - Lightning Round clock music:  "Deck the Halls" by Alexander Nakarada via freepd.com

 - Closing & outro:  "silent-night-stille-nacht-heilige-nacht-piano-christmas-carol-traditionally-german-piano-version-from-1912-1791" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com

This week, we continue our holiday trend with a review of the classic Christmas movie, "Home Alone."  It would seem the sequels didn't do as well, but don't worry folks; this is the first movie in the Home Alone Cinematic Universe.

 - Which co-host was most surprised to like this movie?

 - Which co-host(s) appreciated the amount of story & character development that occurred outside the house-rigging scenes?

 - Which co-host was not that impressed with the movie, except for the house-rigging scenes?

 - Which co-host(s) particularly liked the scene where Kevin goes to church?

 - Did the co-hosts "buy" the various chaotic circumstances that lead to the family leaving Kevin behind?

 - Which co-host gave praise to the actors Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern, plus the writer, John Hughes?

 - Which co-host(s) had some information about how the film almost didn't happen?

 - Which co-host had information on what happened to the house used for the McCallister house exterior shots in the film?

 - Which co-host expressed his annoyance at the notion of "cheese pizza"?

 - Which sick, twisted co-host(s) like pineapple on pizza (Hint: Not the person typing this)?

 - Which co-host gets sick...literally...somehow...when eating chicken on a pizza?

 - Which co-host(s) like chicken on pizza?

 - Should Chipotle make a pizza, and should beans be included on it?

 - Why are we asking so many questions about pizza?

 - And, what movie did we spin for a future review on the regular Wheel of Insanity (in preparation for the end of the Christmas season)?  Hint:  We're back to science fiction...sort of, and it's very quotable...by two of the co-hosts anyway (think back to how our "Princess Bride" review went).

Listen now to the answers to these and other festive holiday questions you didn't even know you were asking.

Grab your Micro Machines, tarantula, blowtorch, flatiron, tar, heating element, paint cans, and a bunch of string, tripwire, and rope, as we rig up this podcast to keep out the burglars (but welcome the listeners) and enjoy being...Home Alone.

Check out our other holiday themed episodes:  reviews of "Muppet Christmas Carol" (#028) and Gremlins (#026); our 3-part, radio-play-style, Scrooge-themed Dungeons & Dragons one-shot (#034 to #036); and reviews of "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (#080) and "Klaus" (#081).  Stay tuned for a review of "Children of Men" where much of our discussion is whether that movie should be considered a Christmas movie to start with.

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- LinkTree:  https://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.  Those other stars do not work. ;)

Update (Friday 23 December 2022):  Our review of "Home Alone" reached its one-year anniversary yesterday.  It has been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality. 

Public domain music used:

"we-wish-you-a-merry-christmas-traditionally-16th-century..."

"ambient-christmas-angel-choir"

"o-come-all-ye-faithful-adeste-fideles-herbei-o-ihr-glaubigen..."

...by JuliusH on Pixabay.com

"o-holy-night-full-orchestra-436s"

...by Geibral on Pixabay.com

"deck-the-halls-christmas-piano-background-music"

"the-first-nowell-christmas-piano-background-music"

"christmas-knocking-to-the-door"

...by Lesfm on Pixabay.com

We continue our 2021 holiday season with a review of "Klaus," the award-winning animated movie for Netflix which takes a new and unexpected spin on the origin of Santa Claus, involving a postman, a woodsman, and a frigid island town.

 - Who called out one co-host for the mispronunciation of "cinematography" (it wasn't Joanna this time)?

 - Which co-host enjoyed the "family feud" aspect of the movie?

 - Which co-host appreciated the new animation techniques which led to this movie's unique & amazing visual style?

 - Which co-host appreciated the sound design of the movie (surround sound made good enough for one week in theaters before its move to Netflix)?

 - What did Dave's kids Evangalyne (8) and Josephine (4) think about the movie?  *** They join us briefly to let you know.  :) ***

 - Who is she talking about when one child says, "I think he's _____"?  Oooohh, what's the missing word?  You'll have to listen to find out. ;)

 - What exactly happens to Klaus in the end?  We discuss.

 - Which co-host was disappointed that, after this movie got considerably better, it then fell into a massively formulaic cliche, over-done by way too many movies & TV shows (but then recovered again soon after)?

 - Which two co-hosts had separate issues with the music in the movie?

 - Just how bad were the lightning rounds this week?

 - What exactly is Todd's job (still not revealed, so more accurately, what is his job...not)?  Which two co-hosts got it wrong?  And, who really cares?

 - What result of the Christmas Wheel of Insanity was so controversial we re-rolled the wheel for the first time ever (other than repeats)?  How many of us weren't happier with the 2nd spin?  And, did we keep the 1st spin, 2nd spin, definitely both, or maybe both?

Listen now for the answers to these and other snow-covered questions.

Grab your stamps, envelopes, paper, writing utensils, sleigh, reindeers, and toy-making tools, as we spread the cheer of...Klaus.

Check out our other holiday themed episodes:  reviews of "Muppet Christmas Carol" (#028) and Gremlins (#026); our 3-part, radio-play-style, Scrooge-themed Dungeons & Dragons one-shot (#034 to #036); and a review of "The Man Who Invented Christmas" (#080).  Stay tuned for our reviews of "Home Alone" and one or both of things we spun on the wheel this week (listen to find out what).  (Note:  Between a few random wheel spins and now the holidays, we may have gone a little "off-genre" recently.  Trust us, there's plenty of science fiction & fantasy topics to explore in 2022.)

Update (Friday 23 December 2022):  Our review of "Klaus" recently reached its one-year anniversary.  It has now been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

- LinkTree:  https://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.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain intro/outro music is "enchanting-christmas-carol-with-shepherd-flute-and-humming-angel-choir-10494" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com/music.  The lightning round clock music is "quiet-eve-christmas-advent-winter-music-1772" also by JuliusH via Pixabay.com/music.

This week, we kick off the holiday season with a review of the 2017 biographical Christmas film, "The Man Who Invented Christmas."  We've all heard or seen the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, but this movie takes a different approach and depicts the author, Charles Dickens, in his conceptualization, writing, and publishing of his famous novella, "A Christmas Carol."

 - Which co-host is the big Charles Dickens fan?

 - Which co-host couldn't join us because he was sick?  And, did we go ahead without him at least partially because it sounds like he didn't enjoy the movie anyway?

 - Which co-host eventually liked the movie but had some issues with the pacing, especially in the beginning?

 - Which co-host(s) considered the focus on the author instead of Scrooge to be a refreshing change?

 - Which co-host most appreciated the depiction of the writing and brainstorming process?

 - Which co-host(s) believe in the importance of grammar lessons in school and which one(s) don't?

 - This one's not hard...  Which co-host found a way of comparing the movie's version of Charles Dickens to J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5 (the best TV show ever).

 - Which co-host got us on a tangent talking about creating & playing characters in role playing games?

 - Which co-hosts are distantly related to each other?

 - Which co-host felt another co-host's lightning round was the worst lightning round ever?

 - Which co-host has four Christmas trees, and why?

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

Grab your parchment, quill, inkwell, and Christmas tree, as well we celebrate and get inspired by...The Man Who Invented Christmas.

If you're a fan of Charles Dickens and "A Christmas Carol," we reviewed the stellar family film "Muppet Christmas Carol" last year.  That's episode #028.  We also played a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot that ended up being an adaptation of the Scrooge story.  That's a three-parter across episodes #034 to #036.   And, while not related to Dickens and not your typical holiday movie, we also reviewed "Gremlins."  That's episode #026.  Stay tuned in December for our reviews of the holiday movies "Klaus" and "Home Alone."  (Note:  Between a few random wheel spins and now the holidays, we may have gone a little "off-genre" recently.  Trust us, there's plenty of science fiction & fantasy topics to explore in 2022.)

Update (Friday 02 December 2022):  Just a couple days ago, Wednesday 30 November 2022, was the one-year anniversary of our review of "The Man Who Invented Christmas," the first of several Christmas-themed episodes we released in 2021.  This episode has now been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain intro/outro music is "o-come-all-ye-faithful-herbei-o-ihr-glaubigen-adeste-fideles-classic-flute-christmas-carol-11221" by JuliusH via Pixabay.com/music.  Other music is "Krampus's Workshop" by Kevin MacLeod via FreePD.com.

The holidays are upon us.  In this special quasi-Thanksgiving-themed episode we (eventually) discuss things we're thankful for in the geek realm.  We discuss some of our favorite movies & TV shows that made an impression on us this year, potential upcoming projects we're thankful are in development, and even some YouTube pages and other podcasts that we're thankful for.

 - Which movies did the co-hosts pick as their favorites of 2021 so far (not that there are many to choose from)?

 - Which co-host brought up "Critical Role" from YouTube?

 - Which co-host has already seen "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"?

 - Which co-host brought up "Red Notice" on Netflix and "Finch" on Apple TV+?

 - Which co-host brought up the TV show "Evil"?

 - Which co-host(s) said they were thankful for this podcast?

 - Which co-host said some family members recently questioned his opinions on one of our recent reviews?  And, which movie was it?

 - Which co-host brought up the potential "Babylon 5" reboot for The CW next year, if the pilot script gets greenlit?  Greenlighted?  Which is the grammatically correct word?

 - Which two co-hosts are starting a real spinoff podcast reviewing "Babylon 5," episode by episode?

 - Which two co-hosts are starting an imaginary (?) spinoff podcast about politics in the "Star Wars" universe?

 - Which two co-hosts had Disney+ on their list of things they're thankful for?

 - Which co-host brought up other podcasts, including the D&D role-playing podcast "The Adventure Zone" by the McElroy family?

 - Which co-host brought up the YouTube channel "Caspersight"?

 - Which co-host brought up the possibility of a new "Stargate" show in the future, depending on Amazon buying MGM?

 - Which co-host brought up the upcoming 3rd season of "The Orville"?

 - Which co-hosts got into a debate on which is/are the biggest problem(s) with recent "Star Trek" shows?

 - Which co-hosts discussed the recent Apple TV+ show "Foundation"?

 - Which co-host mentioned upcoming changes to "Doctor Who"?

 - Which co-host brought up the MCU Phase 4 feature films?

 - Which co-host brought up Leverage: Redemption?

 - Lastly and possibly most importantly, can Andruw eat tacos or not?

 - Well, actually, really really lastly, how will Joanna and one of her robo-voice colleagues be spending the Thanksgiving holiday -- and, is that too personal a question to be asking?

Find out the answers to these and other turkey-gobbling questions as we feast on a harvest of geeky topics in our special, "What Are We Thankful For? - Geek Edition (2021)."

Update:  Today, Thanksgiving Day 2022 (November 24), just happens to be the one-year anniversary of this Thanksgiving-themed episode.  That's a nice coincidence.  We hope everyone has had a happy, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving.  This episode has been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain intro/outro music is "Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - Autumn - 1st Movement - Classical Remix" by Nesrality via Pixabay.com/music.

Based on a real story & an article in the Wall Street Journal, we review the movie "Tag."  In real life, 10 friends from Spokane, Washington, continue playing tag every February, even into adulthood, as a way of staying in each others' lives.  In the movie, Hogan, Bob, Chilli, and Sable, work together in the month of May to tag their other best friend Jerry before he gets married and retires from the game.  But, Jerry is a master of evasion & has still never been tagged three decades into the game.

 - Which co-host compared Jerry to Hawkeye from the MCU, both characters played by Jeremy Renner?

 - Which co-host loves the movie but then got concerned that a couple parts might have made his co-hosts or certain listeners uncomfortable?

 - Which co-host compared this movie to "The Replacements" and watches that movie every couple months?

 - Which co-host felt that the real life story was more compelling than the zany comedy delivered by the movie?

 - Which co-host compared the game of Tag to Capture The Flag (in Boy Scouts) and Assassin (which some people played in high school)?

 - Which co-host ended up in a "chuckle cul-de-sac" over a scene with an office chair?

 - Which co-host noticed the intentional homage to the movie "Predator" during the scene in the woods next to the golf course?

 - Which co-host said that Sable & Anna (a.k.a. Chantelle) are his favorite characters in the movie?

 - Which co-host appreciated the occasional slow motion as opposed to action via shaky-cam?

 - Which co-host(s) appreciated the performances elevating the comedy & emotional content beyond what was probably on the page?

 - Which co-host is glad Will Ferrell and Jack Black were not cast in the movie as originally intended?

 - Which co-host said the cast of this movie would be perfect as a team in a Ghostbusters spinoff?

 - Which co-host(s) would have preferred the movie be adapted for a PG or PG-13 rating, minus some profanity & adult humor?

 - Which co-host(s) felt one long-running "joke" near the end of the movie was more uncomfortable than funny, and which co-host felt it was a necessary step in showing a character going too far -- and that the other characters' reactions to it was appropriate?

 - Which co-host defended the movie's immature humor during the lightning round?

 - Which co-host compared this movie to a Taco Bell taco?

 - Which co-host would put black olives in a burrito bowl?  (Gross!  And, there are no black olives at Chipotle.)

 - And, what holiday-themed movie or TV episode did we roll first on our special 2021 *Christmas* Wheel of Insanity?

Listen now for the answers to these & other burning questions as we chase down the movie...Tag.

And, remember the wise words of Benjamin Franklin(?):  "We don't stop playing because we grow old.  We grow old because we stop playing."

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.  Give us 5 stars if you love us, 4 stars if you hate us.  If you give us 1, 2, or 3 stars, your computer will get a nasty virus.

Public domain music "Gotta Keep on Movin'" for the intro/outro is by Bryan Teoh via FreePD.com, and "Hip Hop Beat" for the lightning round is by John Sib via Pixabay.com/music.  "Hail to the Chief" is also in the public domain.