Prodigious Saps

Prodigious Saps

By Chad Smalley & Brendan JonesTV & FilmTV ReviewsFilm Reviews
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Prodigious Saps episodes

  • Episode 42: MADAME WEB

    Prodigious Saps No. 42: "Where's my Spider?"

    (Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/k9heUvea93Q)

    In this episode: the phenomenal failure of MADAME WEB... will Sony ever get their shit together?

    ALSO:

    • FANTASTIC FOUR casting and plot speculation
    • Excitement for DEADPOOL 3
    • James Gunn's visual esthetic for SUPERMAN

      • 00:00:00 — Preview

      00:00:30 — It’s bad
      00:02:30 — Madame Web in the comics
      00:03:00 — Madame Web origin in movie
      00:04:41 — The problem at SONY
      00:15:11 — Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies
      00:16:00 — What went wrong with SPIDER-MAN 3
      00:18:09 — What went wrong with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
      00:20:16 — SONY's lack of quality control
      00:22:33 — FANTASTIC FOUR casting
      00:23:21 — Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
      00:24:29 — Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
      00:24:59 — Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
      00:25:40 — Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
      00:27:45 — Revisiting 2005's Fantastic Four movie
      00:30:49 — Theories about FF villains
      00:31:51 — Theories about new FF continuity
      00:36:52 — Galactus
      00:38:38 — MCU "Cosmic" stuff
      00:40:12 — Savage Land
      00:41:41 — Deadpool 3
      00:43:15 — Similarity between Deadpool 2 and The Suicide Squad
      00:43:51 — James Gunn's visual esthetic for the DCU?

      Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

      https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

      RELATED LINKS:

      Blaggards

      https://blaggards.com/

      SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

      https://linktr.ee/slappercast

      Tesla City Stories

      https://www.teslacitystories.com

      Breakfast of the Gods

      https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

      Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

      https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

      51 min
    • Episode 41: Elsewords

      An extended version of this episode is available on our Patreon:

      https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps

      This is a very Superman-heavy episode of P-Saps... so much news has been dropping about James Gunn's upcoming SUPERMAN (previously titled SUPERMAN: LEGACY) that it's hard to keep up with, and we couldn't be more excited.

      Lots of other stuff to talk about as well..

      • SUPERGIRL casting news
      • SUPERMAN casting and plot speculation
      • Why a Superman "Elseworlds" story set during WWII is probably not a good idea
      • What TED LASSO might have in common with James Gunn's Superman
      • STOP MAKING SENSE Collector's 4K Blu-Ray announcement
      • RIP Carl Weathers and Marty Krofft
      • THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP (Netflix documentary)
      • Brendan Recommendans: POOR THINGS and MONSIEUR SPADE

        • Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

        https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

        Join us on PATREON:

        https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps

        RELATED LINKS:

        Blaggards

        https://blaggards.com/

        SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

        https://linktr.ee/slappercast

        Tesla City Stories

        https://www.teslacitystories.com

        Breakfast of the Gods

        https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

        Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

        https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

        52 min
      • Episode 40: How STAR WARS blew our minds in 1977

        Prodigious Saps No. 40: "I Want a Wookiee Pal"

        Star Wars Fandom: the First Generation

        FINALLY, as long promised, today we're joined by our friend Jerry Chrisman to talk STAR WARS... our memories of seeing it for the first time, the seismic impact it had on us and the world around us, and what it was like growing up while the Original Trilogy was unfolding. We also talk a bit about the Special Editions and Prequels.

        Just to give a little bit of context... Brendan and Jerry went to high school together, were in the band Zsu-Zsu's Petals together (which is when I met them both), and they now run Tesla City Stories together. The three of us have known each other for a very long time (30+ plus years), so the chemistry here is pretty damn special. Jerry is also a graphic designer, multimedia artist and web developer... as well as an extremely talented keyboardist and composer. And like Brendan and I, he is also a huge nerd.

        There will be more of this in the pipeline very soon, as there's still TONS more to talk about. We still have to get to the sequels and the Disney Plus era of Star Wars.

        What about y'all? What was your first Star Wars experience?

        Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

        https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

        RELATED LINKS:

        Blaggards

        https://blaggards.com/

        SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

        https://linktr.ee/slappercast

        Tesla City Stories

        https://www.teslacitystories.com

        Breakfast of the Gods

        https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

        Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

        https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

        1 hr 3 min
      • Episode 39: Marvel's ECHO

        This week on P-Saps:

        • Marvel's ECHO series and the reaffirmed Netflix Daredevil canon
        • Elvis Presley was a cosplay nerd
        • Fantastic Four casting
          • ...and lots of other wacky crap.

          00:00:00 — Intro

          00:00:19 — Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
          00:01:27 — Elvis Presley & Captain Marvel Jr.
          00:03:36 — Marvel's ECHO
          00:17:20 — Netflix Daredevil is officially canon
          00:22:04 — 3 examples of PERFECT casting in MCU
          00:23:11 — Hopes for Daredevil: Born Again
          00:28:25 — Paste Pot Pete
          00:29:41 — Tomb of Dracula
          00:31:58 — Fantastic Four Casting?
          00:34:40 — Rebel Moon vs Star Wars
          00:37:57 — Ghost Busters: Frozen Empire
          00:39:49 — Brendan Recommendans
          00:44:13 — Next episode: Old School STAR WARS memories

          Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

          https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

          RELATED LINKS:

          Blaggards

          https://blaggards.com/

          SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

          https://linktr.ee/slappercast

          Tesla City Stories

          https://www.teslacitystories.com

          Breakfast of the Gods

          https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

          Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

          https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

          47 min
        • Episode 38: AQUABRO

          Brendan's disappointment in Aquaman II prompts a discussion of why it's often a problem when studios wind up "bending the character around the actor". Also look back at the failed DCEU and the incoming DCU. Also: the Doctor Who Christmas Special, Slow Horses Season 3, Batman... and more!

          Our Patreon has an uncut version of this episode containing 20 minutes of extra material, including Netflix's "Cunk on Earth", season 2 of Marvel's "What If?", and the recent news about Marvel embracing Netflix's Daredevil continuity: https://www.patreon.com/posts/prodigious-saps-96203780

          00:00:26 — AQUAMAN 2 and Why the DCEU failed

          00:18:51 — Solo: A Star Wars Story
          00:22:23 — Doctor Who
          00:33:51 — Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor
          00:35:19 — Batman
          00:41:12 — Superman (David Corenswet geeking out to Star Wars)
          00:43:28 — SLOW HORSES Season 3
          00:45:58 — Jack Lowden is the new Harrison Ford
          00:48:59 — SuperFriends

          Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

          https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

          RELATED LINKS:

          Blaggards

          https://blaggards.com/

          SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

          https://linktr.ee/slappercast

          Tesla City Stories

          https://www.teslacitystories.com

          Breakfast of the Gods

          https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

          Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

          https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

          53 min
        • Episode 37: Maybe He Just Never Puts on Pants

          In this one we talk about the 60th Anniversary DOCTOR WHO specials featuring the return of David Tennant and show runner Russell T. Davies, and the introduction of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor.

          ALSO: SUPERMAN: LEGACY casting news, GODZILLA: MINUS ONE, AQUAMAN, and BLUE BEETLE.

          Available on Patreon NOW: our review of Ncuti Gatwa's first full episode as the Doctor, the Christmas special "The Church on Ruby Road":

          https://www.patreon.com/posts/prodigious-saps-96203780

          00:00:00 — Intro

          00:00:51 — SUPERMAN: LEGACY casting
          00:03:28 — "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios"
          00:04:32 — BLUE EYE SAMURAI
          00:05:04 — GODZILLA MINUS ONE and MONARCH
          00:15:46 — More on SUPERMAN: LEGACY
          00:19:44 — AQUAMAN (1st movie)
          00:28:22 — BLUE BEETLE
          00:36:16 — DOCTOR WHO (David Tennant Specials)

          Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

          https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

          RELATED LINKS:

          Blaggards

          https://blaggards.com/

          SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

          https://linktr.ee/slappercast

          Tesla City Stories

          https://www.teslacitystories.com

          Breakfast of the Gods

          https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

          Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

          https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

          1 hr 27 min
        • Episode 36: THE MARVELS and LOKI Season 2

          As promised last week, in this episode we dig deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We review THE MARVELS and LOKI Season 2, and talk about the recent wild news about the upcoming Disney Plus series DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN.

          Also discussed: Madame Web, Spider-Man, Juggernaut, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and a few vintage selections from Chad's comic book collection.

          Beyond Marvel, we talk about recent trailers for AQUAMAN II and GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE... the latter prompting a belated review of 2021's GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE.

          Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

          https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

          RELATED LINKS:

          Blaggards

          https://blaggards.com/

          SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

          https://linktr.ee/slappercast

          Tesla City Stories

          https://www.teslacitystories.com

          Breakfast of the Gods

          https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

          Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

          https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

          1 hr 33 min
        • Episode 35: The Beatles "Now and Then"

          P-Saps No. 35: ""This Little Portal to an Alternate Universe"

          We are both huge Beatles fans, so with the recent release of their new single "Now and Then" (advertised as "the last Beatles song"), we decided to do a whole episode about the Beatles.

          Among the topics discussed:

          • what the Beatles mean to us
          • how we first were introduced to the Beatles as kids,
          • memories of the two of us geeking out over them in our early 20s,
          • why they're so important historically, and of course...
          • what we think of the new song.

            • Also, towards the end we touch on some of the recent Marvel (MCU) news, but decide to put in a pin in that for a future episode.

            00:00:00 — Intro

            00:00:14 — Why we're talking about the Beatles
            00:03:57 — Why the Beatles are important to us
            00:28:31 — A Hard Day's Night & HELP!
            00:30:06 — Magical Mystery Tour
            00:33:03 — Beatles vs Rolling Stones
            00:34:59 — Why the Beatles are uniquely eclectic
            00:37:32 — Now and Then
            00:38:30 — Peter Jackson's video for "Now and Then"
            00:44:31 — How important "Now and Then" is to Paul
            00:46:16 — Now and Then compared to original demo
            00:47:10 — How it sounds like John and Paul collaborating again
            00:54:37 — Paul's aging voice
            00:56:02 — This is essentially Paul producing John
            00:57:05 — Free as a Bird and Real Love
            01:00:24 — Is it really the last Beatles song?
            01:02:58 — It's like a song fell out of an alternate universe
            01:04:10 — The Rutles
            01:07:07 — The Marvels and the state of the MCU
            01:12:27 — DCEU movies

            Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

            https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

            RELATED LINKS:

            Blaggards

            https://blaggards.com/

            SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

            https://linktr.ee/slappercast

            Tesla City Stories

            https://www.teslacitystories.com

            Breakfast of the Gods

            https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

            Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

            https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

            1 hr 16 min
          • Episode 34: Into the Fonzie-Verse

            This week we weave an odd but surprisingly coherent path from Happy Days and Mork & Mindy through to Jerry Lewis, Walter Matthau, Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason... eventually winding up talking about the Marx Brothers again, because OF COURSE.

            The highlight of this episode, though, is Brendan's passionate solo vocal performance that followed Chad's computer suddenly shutting off (the full performance and more bonus material is available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps).

            00:00:00 — The Fonzie-Verse

            00:01:27 — Out of the Blue
            00:02:35 — Love: American Style
            00:05:05 — AfterMASH
            00:06:06 — More on OUT OF THE BLUE
            00:07:11 — MORK & MINDY
            00:12:35 — HAPPY DAYS
            00:15:50 — BOB ROBERTS
            00:17:48 — VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET (1960)
            00:25:07 — Movies based on Kurt Vonnegut novels
            00:28:38 — THE SURVIVORS (1983)
            00:32:56 — The Marx Brothers and their supporting cast
            00:48:53 — DOCTOR STRANGELOVE (1964)
            00:49:55 — LOONEY TUNES

            Find the audio-only podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Pocket Casts, etc.

            • https://slappercast.fireside.fm​

              • Blaggards main channel

              • https://www.youtube.com/blaggards

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                      • 1 hr 4 min
                    • Episode 33: The Sculler (Kolchak: the original Sculley & Mulder)

                      Watch this episode on YouTube:

                      https://youtu.be/1eO2ufT4Vuo

                      This week we welcome our very first guest JOHN CAMPBELL, Brendan's fellow cast member of Tesla City Stories and also a very prolific podcaster himself. Among many other shows, John does two podcasts with Brendan: the ongoing "Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters" and the patron-exclusive "Nights Talking" about the cult classic 1970s tv show KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, which was famoustly a direct influence on THE X-FILES.

                      We talk about KOLCHAK quite a bit, and also do a rundown of all the major summer "blockbusters" of 2023, while also talking about upcoming things like James Gunn's SUPERMAN: LEGACY. Check the chapter markers for full list of topics.

                      It was GREAT fun having John on and we'll definitely be doing this again.

                      Punch Up Entertainment:

                      https://www.instagram.com/punchupen
                      https://twitter.com/punchupen
                      https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
                      https://panelsonpanels.podbean.com/
                      https://actionshelf.podbean.com/

                      Tesla City Stories

                      https://www.teslacitystories.com

                      00:00:00 — Funny moment from THE NIGHT STALKER

                      00:00:28 — Meet John Campbell
                      00:02:07 — The legacy of KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER
                      00:12:00 — "Gill Man" (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON)
                      00:12:46 — More on KOLCHAK
                      00:20:45 — ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1952–58)
                      00:22:21 — HOLLYWOODLAND (2006)
                      00:24:44 — SPEECHLESS (1994)
                      00:25:25 — THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES (1980)
                      00:32:00 — THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN (comics)
                      00:36:28 — Kim Newman (novelist)
                      00:37:10 — Kim Newman's ANGEL OF MUSIC
                      00:38:26 — Kim Newman's ANNO DRACULA
                      00:39:44 — Kim Newman's SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT
                      00:42:00 — 2023 Summer Movies
                      00:42:27 — INDY 5
                      00:47:15 — A diversion into STAR TREK
                      00:53:21 — MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING PT 1
                      00:57:56 — GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
                      01:04:19 — OPPENHEIMER
                      01:09:42 — GARY OLDMAN
                      01:10:08 — SLOW HORSES
                      01:10:46 — COLUMBO
                      01:11:24 — BARBIE
                      01:15:03 — BREAKFAST OF THE GODS (Brendan's graphic novel)
                      01:16:12 — More on BARBIE
                      01:18:20 — THE FLASH
                      01:19:22 — BLUE BEETLE
                      01:25:09 — SUPERMAN: LEGACY
                      01:32:46 — Plugs, wrap-up and THANK YOU!

                      –––

                      Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.

                      https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps

                      RELATED LINKS:

                      Blaggards

                      https://blaggards.com/

                      SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:

                      https://linktr.ee/slappercast

                      Tesla City Stories

                      https://www.teslacitystories.com

                      Breakfast of the Gods

                      https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

                      Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters

                      https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/

                      1 hr 38 min

                    About Prodigious Saps

                    From the publisher's feed

                    Chad Smalley and Brendan Jones (friends for more than 30 years) reflect on movies, TV, music and comics… with a special focus on their shared love of Superman.