Discerning Geeks Portal

Preston & Todd review one of the most anticipated movies of the 2025 summer season, "Fantastic Four: First Steps."

Was F4:FS a hit for dynamic duo of movie reviews? Did they both love it? Did one Geek like it more? Was Galactus done well? Did the Fantastic Four themselves have satisfying family chemistry? Were the visuals amazing? Listen now to find out.

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Royalty-free music used in this episode came from Pixabay.com.

Todd & Preston conclude their mid-year review focusing on the following TV shows from the 2nd half of 2025.

 - 9-1-1  (ABC / Hulu)

 - Am I the A-Hole (Smosh YouTube Channel)

 - Andor  (Disney+)

 - Common Side Effects  (Cartoon Network - Adult Swim)

 - Daredevil: Born Again  (Disney+)

 - Doc  (Fox / Hulu)

 - Doctor Who  (Disney+)

 - Ghosts  (CBS / Paramount+)

 - Hacks  (HBO / Max)

 - Harper’s Island

 - High Potential  (ABC / Hulu)

 - Ironheart  (Disney+)

 - Paradise  (Hulu)

 - Pulse  (Netflix)

 - Sister Wives  (TLC / Hulu / Max)

 - Snowflake Mountain  (Netflix)

 - The Last Of Us  (HBO / Max)

 - The Pitt  (Max)

 - The Residence  (Netflix)

 - The Righteous Gemstones  (HBO / Max)

 - The Rookie  (ABC / Hulu)

 - WWE

Listen now to find out which 2025 shows (and a handful of older shows just now seen by one of the Geeks in 2025) were amazing, disappointing, or somewhere in between.

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Intro & outro songs for this episode were created by AI at tad.ai.

Join Preston & Todd as they recap the first half of 2025. In Part 1 of this two-parter, they cover movies they've seen from January to June of 2025. Granted, they didn't see a lot of new 2025 movies, so some of their picks are older movies that they just saw for the first time this year.

In this episode, the Geeks cover...

 - Captain America: Brave New World

 - Minecraft

 - Thunderbolts*

 - In a Violent Nature

 - Dark Match

 - Mister Majestic

 - In the Land of Saints and Sinners

 - Absolution

 - A Whisker Away

 - Zootopia

 - Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3

Near the end, Preston gives a shout out to Ozzy Osborne upon the music star's final concert, and the Geeks talk about summer movies they were looking forward to. Full disclosure, this episode was recorded a while back, so it was just a few weeks before Ozzy Osborne passed away and before Preston and/or Todd actually got to see some of the summer movies they talked about here.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this discussion where the Geeks focus on TV shows from the first half of 2025. The episode after that will be a review of "Fantastic Four: First Steps," which Preston & Todd saw together. And, in that same episode, Todd will also have spoiler-free mini-reviews of "Superman" and "Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning."

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Royalty-free music used in this episode came from Pixabay.com.

And, Todd tried something new with the intro & outro. Custom AI-generated jingles were created for free (trial points), at https://tad.ai/ai-music-generator.

In this trip back to the 1990s, the Geeks investigate two "Batman: The Animated Series" episodes, "Almost Got 'Im" and "Baby-Doll." These are two episodes chosen by Preston for Todd to sample.

- "Almost Got 'Im" is an episode where a handful of Gotham City's biggest villains play poker & reminisce about times that they almost defeated Batman. What did the Geeks think about the villains' elaborate & questionable methods?

- Where did the giant penny in the Batcave come from?

- What big twists, from both episodes, did the Geeks refrain from completely revealing in their review?

- Was a scene between Catwoman and Harley Quinn significant enough that the Bechdel Test would apply, and if so, did the scene pass or fail?

- What did Todd think about Baby-Doll, the main villain in the 2nd episode reviewed?

- What deeper meanings & social commentary did Preston appreciate and/or relate to, from the "Baby-Doll" episode?

- How much, if at all, does Baby-Doll deserve some sympathy, despite her villainous actions?

- Was Baby-Doll's plan smart...or not?

- And, why did Preston choose these two particular episodes to review?

Listen now for the answers to these and other vigilant questions as the Geeks investigate "Batman: The Animated Series."

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Royalty-free music used in this episode came from FreePD.com.

This week, the Geeks review the original 1987 cybernetic law enforcement movie, "Robocop." I'd buy that for a dollar...but, you get to listen for free.

- This was one of the picks still remaining from our dearly departed Dave Teague. When asked why he might have chosen this movie for the list, one Geek had an immediate answer. What did he say?

- What did the Geeks have to say early in the review about the lack of sexual content in the movie and the questionable depiction of police procedures (or lack thereof)?

- Which four G-words were used to describe the tone of the movie?

- What were the good & bad aspects of the #Robocop predecessor ED-209 -- including the visual effects & sounds effects used to bring it to life?

- What issues did one Geek have with the misguided ED-209 demonstration and the apparent lack of proper testing before such a potentially lethal demo?

- How many aspects of the first couple minutes of the movie did one Geek find very distracting?

- How much did the Geeks like the Robocop armor, gun, and gadgets?

- What are some of the differences between the 1987 original and the 2014 remake.

- What did the Geeks feel this franchise asks about humanity and how much of a person's body and/or life experiences need to remain intact for the remnants to still be human?

- Preston wondered how well (or not) Todd handled the violence & gore in the movie. Did Todd do okay with it?

- How did one Geek find a way of comparing Robocop to westerns?

- What nitpick did one Geek have regarding cleanliness vs. dirtiness of Old Detroit?

- What did the Geeks feel about the Anne Lewis character, especially her loyalty and role as a sidekick.

- How does this movie compare to a Harlan Ellison story, with enough similarities that Ellison sued? And, how did this lead to an obligatory JMS / #Babylon5 reference?

- What did one listener have to say, via e-mail, about our political themed episode from November 2024? How many movies & TV shows featured in that episode clearly leaned left, might have leaned right, or seemed to be intentionally ambiguous?

- In older feedback, via episode comments that Todd missed earlier, what did one listener have to say about our #Ghostbusters, #Shazam, and #WonderWoman episodes?

Listen now to find out the answers to these and other arresting questions as we try to stay on the good side of..."Robocop."

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Royalty-free music used in this episode came from Pixabay.com and FreePD.com.

Better late than never. Right? Maybe? This special time-capsule episode is a Todd & Preston's Drive-Time Chat from October 2024 that was held back, first to make room for other time-sensitive episodes...and then forgotten. But, it's finally here.

Take a trip back in time to hear Preston & Todd discuss the following movies & TV shows...

- "Transformers One"

- "Borderlands"

- "IF"

- "Inside Out 2"

- "Lord of Rings: Rings of Power" season 2

- "The Ark" season 2

- Preston's "Mystery Science Theater 3000" rewatch

- Todd's binge of "Hacks" seasons 1 to 3 (and his current-time update on the recently completed season 4)

- Preston's "King of the Hill" rewatch

- "High Potential" season 1

- "Killer Cakes"

- "9-1-1" season 8

- Preston's Wrestling Corner

- "Sister Wives" (no, seriously)

- Preston's "Psych" rewatch

Listen now to enjoy these topics and more.

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Royalty-free music used in this episode come from Pixabay.com and FreePD.com.

In this episode, we review "Real Genius" (1985), the 2nd feature film in the long career of Val Kilmer (b. 1959, d. 2025). Recorded on 22 June 2024, this is a "time capsule" episode.

- Which Geek was the most excited about reviewing this movie?

- Which Geek was the most...confounded(?)...by the movie?

- Which science classes did the Geeks take in college? Which Geek(s) took only one science for general requirements, and which Geek(s) almost added a minor in a science?

- Which Geek had to rent this movie twice?

- Which hyperbolic phrase did one Geek resurrect to describe this movie?

- What commentary did the Geeks have about higher education, 1980s history, 1980s technology, dumb people, smart people, the TV show "Big Bang Theory," social intelligence, political correctness, ethics, and holding the door open for other people?

- Which character in the movie led to a discussion about possible autism in fictional characters vs. quirkiness or eccentricities written into character personalities?

- Which Geek immediately dropped a philosophy class in college when the professor openly (and probably unethically & illegally) claimed that religious students would almost certainly fail the class?

- And, how did discussion about this movie lead to mentions of "Animal House," "Revenge of the Nerd," and "PCU"?

Listen now for the answers to these and other academic questions as we study..."Real Genius."

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Royalty-free music in this episode came from Pixabay.com and FreeMusicArchive.org.

We hope you enjoyed the "Thunderbolts*" review from episode #189. During that recording we also talked about summer movie trailers, classic episodes of this podcast, the 1980s horror-comedy "Killer Klowns From Outer Space," the Oscar-winning "Anora" (and what Todd thought about it; can you guess whether he liked it or not?), and more. The recording lasted over two hours, the post-review discussion was split off into this...its own separate episode.

The five movie trailers we discussed were the following...

- Predator: Badlands

- Tron: Ares

- Jurassic World Rebirth

- Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning

- The Fantastic Four: First Steps

We talked about "Killer Klowns From Outer Space," for which Ryan Gosling is producing a remake. You can listen to our review of "Killer Klowns" in episode #020 or as part of #110.

You can contact us via [email protected], or you can leave a comment on individual episodes via the Spotify or GoodPods apps. Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Royalty-free music used in this episode came from Pixabay.com.

The Geeks have their first review from summer 2025, the new MCU movie, "Thunderbolts*."

- How do the Geeks feel about the use of prevalence of guns in a Marvel movie?

- What real-life politician did Preston relate to Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character in the movie?

- Was this movie too drab, and how much could that be the fault of the projector in the theater where the Geeks saw the movie?

- Did Preston correctly predict's Todd's rating?

- In the Spoiler Zone, what did the Geeks think about the explanation for the asterisk in the name of the movie?

- How does this team stack up against previous MCU teams, and is it acceptable and maybe intentional that this group is more in the misfit category?

- Who did the Geeks speculate could be on an Avengers team in one of the upcoming movies?

- What did the Geeks think about the villain of the movie?

- How did Bucky show up suddenly during the desert chase scene?

- And, what else did the Geeks talk about enough that it will have to continue in a separate post-review episode coming soon?

Listen now for the answers to these and other booming questions as we weather the storm of..."Thunderbolts*."

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Royalty-free music used in this episode came from Pixabay.com

We're back with a review of a classic movie, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." Sure, it's gotten another adaptation and a prequel, but this is the original 1971 version starring Gene Wilder.

- Is Willy Wonka benevolent & eccentric or a psychotic child-murderer? Do the Geeks have an answer to the question, or is the movie successfully ambivalent on the matter?

- What extreme impression did one of the Geeks get about one of the five golden ticket winners in the movie?

- What did the Geeks think about the Oompa Loompas and the actors playing them?

- Why does Grandpa Joe have a dedicated hate group against him online?

- Did one of the Geeks have any favorite songs in the movie?

- What are the different interpretations of what Snozzberries refer to?

- Which American food company helped finance this film, why, and what product associated with the marketing...failed.

- What's up with Hershey's chocolate?

- Which Geek is convinced that four of the children in this movie were killed by the chocolate factory?

- Does this movie have a good message in the end, or is it undercut by the mere possibility that Willy Wonka is a psychotic child murder?

- Is the Golden Ticket contest rigged? Which Geek things so & why?

- What mistake was one Geek making when remembering something about the setting of the movie?

- What great things did one Geek have to say about Gene Wilder?

- Which Geek was annoyed by the way Charlie Bucket's teacher was teaching fractions...badly?

- What kind of candy-making trivia does one Geek convey?

- Is the ending a good thing? Should we take the gift at face value? Or, if Willy Wonka is a child-killer, is he just trying to dump evidence?

- And, what very different grades did the Geeks give this movie?

Listen now for the answers to these and other sugary, flavorful, fizzy questions, as the Geeks present their Golden Tickets and hope to survive..."Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory."

You can contact us at [email protected]. Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts. You can give ratings or comments on individual episodes via the Spotify and Goodpods apps.

Royalty-free music used in this episode came from Pixabay.com and FreePD.com.