Discerning Geeks Portal

This week we venture into a realm of discovery, vision, and innovation, as we review the (somewhat?) inspirational sci-fi family film "Tomorrowland."  The film is based on the future-themed attraction that has a version at each of Disney's resorts in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

 - Did this movie's message go deep enough or remain "surface level"?

 - As one of our rare PG-rated movies, what did Dave's kids think about it?

 - Which co-host made correlations between this and "Atlas Shrugged"?

 - How effective are the theme & message of this movie about "two wolves" and which one you choose to feed?

 - Which co-host(s) related this movie to attending World's Fairs?

 - Which co-host said the opening felt like it was directed by Steven Spielberg?

 - Who is the "old guy talking to the two little girls"?

 - The Eiffel Tower scene...good, bad, weird, or mix?

 - Why were the holographic pins so impractical & unsafe?

 - Which co-host had an issue with the fate of the movie's antagonist?

 - Just how & why was Casey Newton, a high school student, supposed to be so special?  Was it convincing?

 - Which co-host compared this movie to something bad about Christmas?

 - Which co-host is running for class president?  Okay, this one's easy.  Only one of us is in high school.  The rest of us are old.

 - Which co-host deviated from his normal scoring system this week...and, it's not Andruw?

 - Which co-host has been watching Gordon Ramsay cooking shows lately?

 - Which co-host had a personal story about how this movie helped on a bad day?

 - Dave T.'s Question of the Week:  "Are Transformers & Gobots in the same universe, or are Gobots just the K-Mart version of Transformers?"  Let us know at [email protected] or via Facebook or Twitter.

 - Todd's Question of the Week:  "What is the best thing to use for recording podcasts with co-hosts all in different locations, because what we use sometimes drives us bananas?"  Seriously, let us know.

 - And, which "person" from the podcast was apparently on vacation this week?

Listen now to find out answers to these & other burning questions.  Holy crap!  I just looked at the list again, and that's a lot of questions!

Grab your inventor's tools, rocket pack, Audio-Animatronic guide, a positive outlook for the future, and your inter-dimensional rocket ship hidden unrealistically under a major world landmark, as we seek out...Tomorrowland.

Around 36 minutes in, some Irish music from YouTube is briefly played.  It is royalty-free but requires attribution.  So, the link is provided here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qavtJsXwsiw&list=PLQVzvfLq7Uq9_FLWsll0ug0olGXQxCj35

"Hail to the Chief" is apparently in the public domain.  Other public domain songs used throughout many episodes of this podcast come from FreePD.com.

Note:  Today, Monday 14 November 2022, is the one-year anniversary of this episode.  It has been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.

You can contact us at...

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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.  ;)

In this week's Whatcha' Doin'? episode for early November 2021, we cover a lot of TV and movie topics, including things we've watched recently and things we're looking forward to in the near future.

Here's our list of main topics...

 - “Foundation”  (Apple TV+)

 - “Legends of Tomorrow”  (The CW)

 - “Fear Street” trilogy  (Netflix)

 - “Dune” (2021)  (in theaters & on HBO Max)

 - Marvel’s “What If…?”  (Disney+)

 - “Call the Midwife”  (PBS)

 - Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol”  (Peacock)

 - “Leverage: Redemption”  (IMDb TV & Amazon Prime)

 - “Fantasy Island” (2021)  (Fox & Hulu)

 - Dave's “The Orville” re-watch  (Hulu)

 - “4400”  (The CW)

 - “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”  (in theaters)

 - Todd's spoiler-free review of “Eternals”  (in theaters)

 - “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”  (coming soon to theaters)

 - "Hawkeye"  (coming soon to Disney+)

Grab your Legends, Midwife, Leverage team, Shang-Chi, Eternals, Ghostbusters, Hawkeye, and the rest of the 4400, as we crawl over a sand Dune and cross Fear Street on Fantasy Island to see What If...? The Lost Symbol was the key to a new Foundation that would recognize The Orville as the best Star Trek on the air.

Yeesh.  That was corny.

Anyway, it's a new episode!  Yay!  Please listen now.  Or, whenever it's convenient.  It'll still be there.  But, don't forget about it.  You know, maybe put it on your calendar or something.  I'm going to stop typing now.

Have you checked out Dune, Shang-Chi, Eternals, or Fear Street?  Are you watching Legends, What If...?, Call the Midwife, The Lost Symbol, Leverage: Redemption, Fantasy Island, or 4400?  What do you think about The Orville?  Are you looking forward to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, or The Orville season 3?

You can contact us at...

- E-Mail:  [email protected]

- Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

- Facebook:  Discerning Geeks Portal

On November 9, 2022, this episode reached its one-year anniversary.  It has been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.

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

This week, we take a slight departure from science fiction & fantasy as we review the Las Vegas heist film, "Ocean's Eleven" -- a movie that's a remake, not a sequel, despite what a number in the title might imply (even the original 1960 version had the number).

Continuing our recent and unintentional tradition of contentious reviews, opinions were further apart on this movie than you might expect.  We debate about cast chemistry, character skills & purposes, character motivations, dialogue, and memorable moments.

Which co-hosts felt the cast was too big for sufficient character development?

Which co-hosts felt the character development was more than sufficient -- considering the large size of the cast?

Which co-host considers this movie one of his all-time top 20 films, along with one of its sequels?

Which co-host compared this movie to "The Italian Job"?

Which co-host(s) couldn't really remember anything about "The Italian Job"?

Which co-host tried to compare this movie to "Logan Lucky" but couldn't because he's the only that saw it?

Which co-host repeatedly steered the conversation into the negatives before we were anywhere close to being done with the positives?

Which co-host referred to this movie as a "waste of a couple hours"?

Which co-host said the best scene in the movie was a "guy covering his nuts"?

Which co-host felt that the Danny Ocean character (George Clooney) was possessive of his ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts)?

Which co-host felt that it was actually Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) that was the one possessive of Tess?

Which co-host made a good point about the differences between Danny Ocean and Terry Benedict?

Which co-host got something "new" out of this viewing that he previously focused on much less in previous viewings?

Which co-host had an emotional reaction to the relationship between Danny & Tess?

Which co-host apparently has a surprisingly & depressingly poor relationship with mashed potatoes?

Which co-host used his Lightning Round time as a commercial for another movie?

Which co-host stubbornly refuses to see that other movie?

What scoring system did Andruw go with this week?

Which co-hosts care about NC State football and which ones don't?

And, what weird thing (or "weirding" thing) does Todd now have a new spreadsheet dedicated to?

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

Grab your comms, costumes, cables, explosives, bags, vans, and nuts, as we put a watchful eye on...Ocean's Eleven.

Ocean's...ASSEMBLE!  ;)

NOTE:  On Friday 28 October 2022, the one-year anniversary of this episode, it has been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.

What did you think about Ocean's Eleven?  Which is your favorite movie in the Ocean's 11/12/13/8 franchise?  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.

This week, we review the 1990s sci-fi action-comedy, "Men In Black."

 - Which co-host was seeing the movie for the first time, and was it what he expected?

 - Which co-host(s) disliked the movie, and what aspects of it did he/they find to be redeeming qualities?

 - How well did the special effects hold up?

 - Which co-star in this movie allegedly had a reputation for being hard to work with?

 - Which co-host highlighted a non-human co-star of movie?

 - How well did the comedy work?

 - How good were the alien designs?

 - How effective was the villain of the movie?

 - What was one co-host's theory about the race of "Bugs" the villain comes from?

 - What were the strengths & weaknesses of Will Smith's character, and did he get enough training upon joining the Men In Black?

Listen now for the answers to these and other burning questions.

Grab your shades, "flashy thing," and Noisy Cricket, as we investigate...Men In Black.

NOTE:  On Sunday 23 October 2022, one day after this episode's one-year anniversary (whoops; missed it by a day), it's been re-uploaded with slightly improved (I think/hope) 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.

We continue our new special mini-series, Alpha-Movie-Bet, with our 2nd installment covering our favorite movies starting with the letters E, F, G, and H.

Among our favorites and honorable mentions, we list...

 - 7 science fiction movies

 - 5 fantasy movies

 - 7 dramas

 - 4 comedies

 - 2 animated movies

 - 1 horror movie

 - 2 horror-comedies

 - And, 2 horror franchises

...And, out of those, nine individual movies (not counting those from the two horror franchises) are from the 1980s.

 - Which movie is so good, it was listed by two co-hosts?

 - Which movie is so good, it was nominated for voting by a co-host who didn't even have the movie on his own list?

 - Which letter had no favorites at all for one of the co-hosts?

 - Which co-host uncharacteristically listed three historical dramas?

 - Which E movie made the lists, "Evan Almighty" or "Event Horizon"?

 - Which F movie made the lists, "Field of Dreams" or "The Fifth Element"?

 - Which G movie -- out of 3 we've reviewed -- made the lists, "Gattaca," "Galaxy Quest," or "Gremlins"?

 - Which H movie made the lists, "Hot Fuzz" or "The House Bunny"?

 - Which three Harrison Ford movies made the lists?

 - Which three Viggo Mortensen movies made the lists?

 - Which two Carrie Fisher movies made the lists?

 - Which two Kevin Costner movies made the lists?

 - Which two Matt Damon movies made the lists?

 - Which two Matthew Broderick movies made the lists?

 - Which two Sean Astin movies made the lists?

 - Which two Sean Connery movies made the lists?

 - Which four movies were nominated for best of the episode?

 - And, which movie ultimately won this episode of Alpha-Movie-Bet?

Listen now to find out the answers to these and other questions as we list our favorites for Alpha-Movie-Bet #02: Favorite Movies E to H.

Also, since one of the Daves couldn't join us in our first installment, we let him catch up and declare his favorites for the letters A to D.

What are your favorite movies starting with E, F, G, or H?  Let us know.  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.

Listen now as we take a discerning look into the 1984 science fiction (or maybe fantasy) film "Dune" -- one of our most divisive movie reviews since "The Space Between Us" (who am I kidding; no review is more divisive than "The Space Between Us").  This 92 minute review is overflowing with opinion and analysis.  At a running time this unintentionally epic, we possibly could have split this up into two episodes, *but*...we didn't think about that...so we didn't.

Actually, that was one of the problems with Dune...  There was enough story material and movie footage to make two movies, but the studio forced it into one.  So, by cramming this all into one episode, we're just keeping with the theme.

We discuss this movie in terms of faith vs. science, fantasy vs. science fiction, and the book vs. the movie.

 - What behind-the-scenes issues with this movie's production may have led to its divisive end results?

 - Is it epic or an epic failure?

 - What is spice?  One co-host explains.

 - Which co-host(s) like the movie?  Why and how much?

 - Which co-host(s) dislike the movie?  Why and how much?

 - Which co-host had technical difficulties this time?

 - Does this movie qualify as fantasy, science fiction, or...hobo-fiction?!?!?

 - How does Paul Atreides compare to Luke Skywalker?

 - What scene caused unintended chuckling?

 - Does space-folding energy come out of a slug's mouth or...the other end?

 - Why did the Fremen bring drums to a knife fight?

 - Is Andruw's rating system evolving or devolving?

 - What do the words Kwitzat Hatarak rhyme with?

We ask these questions and much more.

Grab your Weirding Modules, spice racks, bushy-eyebrowed Mentats, underdeveloped love interests, dogs you can carry into battle, and black desert suits you can pee and poop in (relax, it's processed in the thigh pads) as we mine, extract, and process...Dune.

Do you have strong opinions about Dune or any other movies, books, or TV shows we've reviewed?

Do you believe Dune is more fantasy, science fiction, or hobo-fiction?

What part of the movie made you chuckle?

What parts do you feel are truly epic?

Who would win in a fight, Paul Atreides or Luke Skywalker?

Do you have any great recipes for homemade dishes using the Spice of Arrakis?...

...Let us know.  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.

BREAKING NEWS...  Babylon 5, the all-time favorite TV show of one of our co-hosts, is getting a reboot that, basically, no one ever expected.  Or, technically, it's being developed.  There's still a chance it might not happen, but it least it's possible.

We discuss our cautious optimism about the news, the long tweet from show creator J. Michael Straczynski confirming and clarifying the news, and all of our concerns, hopes, expectations, and reassurances about the this potentially new Babylon 5 material.  Along the way, we mention characters, story structure, production quality, and much more.

We also mention that we hope to start our own Babylon 5 re-watch podcast as a spinoff of The Discerning Geeks Portal podcast.

Grab your helmets and warm up the Starfuries as we drop the big news of a brand new...Babylon 5.  (I never thought I'd type those words.)

What do you feel about a new Babylon 5 show hopefully on the way?  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.

In this episode, Dave asks Todd how Dragon Con 2021 went.  The discussion takes place a few days after it was over.  We discuss how well the COVID safety measures worked, how well people followed the safety rules, what were some of the best panels & guests, what Dave would like to do when he finally gets to go to Dragon Con, and more.

Check out episode #069 for Part 1 of the discussion that took place on the Wednesday before Dragon Con started where Todd explains how big the con is and what all it has to offer fans.

If you have questions about Dragon Con or you've been and have your own experiences to share, 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.

This week's episode was recorded on Wednesday 01 September, the day before the start of Dragon Con 2021.  Todd had arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the con, and discussed with Dave what Dragon Con is all about.

Topics covered...

 - The size & scope of the con (5 host hotels & two buildings of the AmericasMart in downtown Atlanta)

 - COVID safety measures taken to have an in-person con this year (2020 still happened but only online via "Dragon Con Goes Virtual")

 - One of the host hotels, Marriott Marquis, being a popular site for filming in Atlanta, including the TVA from the TV show Loki

 - What there is to do at Dragon Con

 - What Todd was looking forward to at Dragon Con this year

 - Planning vs. improvising and expecting the unexpected at Dragon Con

 - Gaming, music, art, and workshops at Dragon Con

 - Variety of tastes & interests covered by Dragon Con

 - The various "tracks" at Dragon Con

 - Big name guests at Dragon Con 2021

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Todd & Dave discussed how Dragon Con 2021 went a few days after it was over.  That episode is coming in just a day or two after this one.  Next week, we hope to be back on schedule with our usual material.

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.

This week, we review "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."  While previous on-screen incarnations have existed as TV movies or mini-series, this is the theatrical film from 2005.  This is the first of three Narnia movies and is based on the first of seven Narnia children's novels written by C. S. Lewis in the 1950s.

 - Is it a product of our era that it's weird to see a story where kids are given weapons to fight a war?

 - Were the Narnia books truly written for kids?

 - Do minotaurs get a bad rap as being all bad?

 - Which Pevensie sibling was the most likable?

 - Which visual effects character was the most important to get right?

 - What lessons did C.S. Lewis imbue into the story as a reflection of his religious beliefs?

 - What are the rules of animal sentience in Narnia?  Which animals are sentient and not sentient?

 - Why do some animals in Narnia get proper names while others are just referred to as "Mr." or "Mrs." followed by their species name?

 - Were the archers used effectively during the big battle sequence?

We cover all these questions and more.

 - Which co-host just got back from Dragon Con?

 - Which co-host has a new puppy?

 - Which co-host has a sympathetic viewpoint on minotaurs?

 - Which co-host appreciated the dialogue & music?

 - Which co-host has a big issue with the "bomb shelter" in the Pevensies' back yard in London (and, was it really a shelter or just a cellar)?

 - How many co-hosts find most of the kids in this movie to be whiny?

 - Which co-host needs to work on his lightning sound effects?

 - What were the co-hosts' reactions to the Wheel of Insanity result this week?

Listen now to find out the answers to these questions and more.

Grab your fur coat, Turkish delight recipe, and weapons gifted to you by Father Christmas, as we step through the portal...I mean, the wardrobe...and, we explore the world of...Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

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.