Prodigious Saps

Prodigious Saps

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

  • Episode 32: David Byrne Stepping on Jabba the Hut's Tail

    On the docket this week:

    • Chad's rant about the remixed soundtrack of STOP MAKING SENSE (the legendary Talking Heads concert film directed by Jonathan Demme) with comparisons to the original 1984 mix and how it reminds him of George Lucas's revisions to his original Star Wars trilogy.

    • Brendan's discovery of a deeply weird and hilarious SUPERMAN comic strip in his copy of SUPERMAN: THE SILVER AGE DAILIES, 1959–1961

    • Chad's review of THE CENTER SEAT: 55 YEARS OF STAR TREK, a really engaging documentary series currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

      • Watch this episode on YouTube:

      https://youtu.be/vJyB9_CMReU?si=gpYH8O9tkCxzTJRs

      00:00:00 — Preview

      00:00:30 — Chad's rant on STOP MAKING SENSE 2023 remix
      00:07:26 — Lucas vs Spielberg on "Special Editions"
      00:10:36 — Frank Frazetta and the problem of endless revisions
      00:14:15 — Lucas vs. Spielberg on revisionism
      00:17:44 — Harmy's De-specialized Editions of Star Wars
      00:19:29 — Summer movies we have or haven't seen
      00:20:42 — Blue Beetle
      00:22:54 — 2023 summer blockbuster bombs
      00:27:28 — Superman Silver Age Dailies
      00:37:26 — Golden & Silver Age Comics and baldness
      00:40:12 — How we've outgrown he old timey stigma of baldness
      00:48:14 — Brendan's favorite Lex Luthor origin stories
      00:55:56 — THE CENTER SEAT: Star Trek Documentary series
      00:58:47 — THE FIFTY YEAR MISSION: book series on the history of Star Trek
      01:11:52 — Strange New Worlds Season 2
      01:12:59 — The Kirk retcon problem on Strange New Worlds
      01:15:48 — Wrap-up

      Also a side note, I've been having fun with our TikTok account lately: https://www.tiktok.com/@prodigioussaps

      Join us Patreon for early releases and additional content:

      https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps

      Cheers y'all! And as always THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support.

      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 18 min
    • Episode 31: Buck Henry's QUARK (1977)

      SUBSCRIBE on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@prodigioussaps?sub_confirmation=1

      PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps

      An extended, unedited version of this episode is available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/prodigious-saps-87922804

      In this episode:

      • QUARK, the short-lived 1977 sci-fi comedy series starring Richard Benjamin, created by Buck Henry
      • DARK STAR, John Carpenter's cult classic 1974 sci-fi comedy film
      • Our favorite war films (thank you Manasven for the question!)
      • Jerry Lewis's THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED
      • The Marx Brothers

        • 00:00:00 — Intro

        00:00:22 — QUARK
        00:16:42 — DARK STAR & HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
        00:19:02 — MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN
        00:22:09 — More on QUARK
        00:25:20 — PLANETFALL & STARSHIP TITANIC
        00:27:40 — BILL THE GALACTIC HERO
        00:29:40 — Favorite war films
        00:32:31 — DR. STRANGELOVE
        00:33:53 — WARGAMES (1983)
        00:35:15 — THE DAY AFTER and SPECIAL BULLETIN (1983)
        00:36:40 — More on WARGAMES and QUARK
        00:41:20 — LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997)
        00:43:20 — THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED
        00:47:28 — JERRY LEWIS
        00:48:47 — THE LADIES MAN (1961)
        00:53:14 — THE MARX BROTHERS
        00:54:55 — Visible gaffes in ELECTRA WOMAN & DYNA GIRL
        00:56:58 — Wrap up

        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/

        59 min
      • Episode 30: She-Wee Hulkwoman

        This week we celebrate the life of our recently departed hero of comedy: PAUL REUBENS (a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman), and pay our respects to and the late great ALAN ARKIN.

        ALSO:

        • Marvel's Secret Invasion and the status of the MCU in general right now
        • Superman II and "the Donner Cut"
        • Our favorite superhero origin story movies

          • Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UNqAA91Ui30

          An extended version of this episode is available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps

          00:00:00 — Intro

          00:00:15 — Paul Reubens
          00:16:28 — Alan Arkin
          00:22:40 — Other heroes we don't want to lose
          00:23:59 — Marvel's SECRET INVASION
          00:34:36 — LOKI Season 2 and the Jonathan Majors issue
          00:35:55 — Is the MCU "dying"?
          00:37:08 — Why do the last episodes of all the Disney Plus shows feel rushed?
          00:39:10 — When are fan expectations reasonable?
          00:39:48 — Problems with SHE-HULK series
          00:42:53 — SUPERMAN II and "the Donner Cut"
          00:51:13 — SUPERMAN & LOIS - what it does well
          00:53:23 — SMALLVILLE - where it went wrong
          00:54:41 — SUPERMAN & LOIS - where it's gone wrong
          00:56:08 — Great MCU origin stories: IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA, and THE HULK

          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 4 min
        • Episode 29: Dr. Goddamn Jones

          Join us on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps

          Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nuvrqwbpjMA

          FINALLY! Brendan has seen INDIANA JONES & THE DIAL OF DESTINY, so we spend most of this episode talking spoilers from the film (which we both LOVED), while trying to figure out why critics have reacted so weirdly to it.

          Also in this episode:

          • UNCLE CROC'S BLOCK, Charles Nelson Reilly's short-lived kids TV show
          • Chad's brief review of OPPENHEIMER
          • Problems shared by THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and THE LAST JEDI
          • Similarities between THE TIME MACHINE, PLANET OF THE APES and ZARDOZ

            • Discussed:

            📺 Indiana Jones (all movies) — https://amzn.to/3pMif25
            📺 The Dark Knight Rises — https://amzn.to/3qsouIv
            📺 The Last Jedi — https://amzn.to/3KD0md1
            📺 The Time Machine (1960) — https://amzn.to/46ShiWu
            📺 Planet Of The Apes (1968) — https://amzn.to/450LwFu
            📺 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) — https://amzn.to/3DQtvOi
            📺 Zardoz (1974) — https://amzn.to/47m72pD
            📺 The Artifice Girl (2023) — https://amzn.to/3Ky3zL2
            📕 Breakfast of the Gods — https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods

            00:00:00 — Indy 5 Spoiler Review

            00:52:09 — Uncle Croc's Block and Robert Ridgely
            01:00:16 — OPPENHEIMER
            01:00:53 — The problem with THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
            01:05:12 — The problem with THE LAST JEDI
            01:10:45 — Similarites between THE TIME MACHINE and PLANET OF THE APES
            01:13:06 — ZARDOZ (1974)
            01:15:28 — RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES trilogy (2011)
            01:18:47 — The problem with ALIEN 3
            01:21:01 — Lance Henriksen in ARTIFICE GIRL
            01:22:29 — Classic Looney Tunes sound effects
            01:26:07 — Brendan's graphic novel BREAKFAST OF THE GODS
            01:27:08 — BoTG Foreword (and some artwork) by Jon Schnepp
            01:28:46 — INDIANA JONES theme lyrics
            01:29:53 — Final thoughts on INDY 5 and earlier films
            01:32:42 — Wrap up

            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/

            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 34 min
          • Episode 28: I Love When Genres Blend!

            This week we answer questions from Patreon supporters, leading us into a discussion of recent casting news for James Gunn's SUPERMAN: LEGACY, speculation on what this means for the DCU, and our thoughts on Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN and what we hope to see in the sequel.

            Brendan then takes us on another nostalgic nosedive into 1970s primetime television with the classic one-season wonder CLIFFHANGERS... with many thanks to Vincent Dawn's Pilot Showcase, whose impressive collection of forgotten TV shows made this discussion possible.

            Watch this episode of P-Saps on YouTube:

            https://youtu.be/OWT1fBT-8lg

            All 11 episodes of CLIFFHANGERS on Vincent Dawn's Pilot Showcase

            https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPBhzy1f1_eZZFdWoETT8m9d3VlA5SncV

            Tesla City Stories fundraising campaign:

            https://boost-tesla.com/

            00:00:00 — Intro

            00:00:14 — Questions from Patreon supporters
            00:00:29 - SUPERMAN: LEGACY casting news
            00:13:10 - THE BATMAN sequel speculation
            00:13:16 - SUPERMAN: LEGACY Casting News
            00:25:45 - Why so many reboots and remakes?
            00:28:50 - Why do video games have more original ideas?
            00:34:14 - PRIMER: best time travel film since Pal's "The Time Machine"?
            00:35:16 — CLIFFHANGERS (1979 TV Series)
            00:50:03 - Kenneth Johnson (Cliffhangers creator)
            00:54:21 - Six Million Dollar Man & Big Jim action figures (1970s)
            00:56:51 - More 1970s toys
            00:59:42 - Vincent Dawn's Pilot Showcase (YouTube channel)
            01:01:00 — Tesla City Stories Indiegogo
            01:02:41 — P-Saps Patreon

            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 5 min
          • Episode 27: Jules Verne Wink

            In this episode of P-Saps:

            • Chad has a bone to pick with critics of Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny
            • Filmation's ARK II and Jason of Star Command
            • Irwin Allen's classic THE TIME TUNNEL
            • How advanced special effects have "spoiled" us
            • Superman: Legacy casting announcements
              • and more!

              Watch on YouTube:

              https://youtu.be/HX61wTdjL58

              Support TESLA CITY STORIES:

              https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-tesla-city-stories-help-us-boost-the-signal#/

              ALSO: We here at Prodigious Saps now have a Patreon account:

              https://patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps

              We here at P-Saps thrive on your feedback and support! It takes time and money to keep this ship afloat, and your patronage will help us keep moving forward.

              • Exclusive clips not available on YouTube
              • Early releases of videos
              • Sneak peaks of works-in-progress
              • A chance to vote on future topics

                • THANKS to all of you for watching and commenting!

                00:00:00 — Indy 5: Critics are WAY too harsh

                00:10:22 — Responding to Comments
                00:10:29 - Ark II
                00:12:42 - Space Academy & Jason of Star Command
                00:13:06 - The Time Tunnel
                00:23:40 - Tales of the Golden Monkey
                00:24:56 - Bring 'Em Back Alive
                00:26:46 - Zork: Grand Inquistor
                00:28:09 - Dusty's Trail (Bob Denver)
                00:29:46 - Advancement of special effects has us spoiled
                00:35:50 - SHAZAM / Captain Marvel
                00:37:21 - Ultraman
                00:41:03 — Superman: Legacy casting announcements
                00:47:16 — My Adventures with Superman (New Animated Series)
                00:48:57 — P-SAPS on PATREON
                00:50:49 — Indiegogo for Tesla City Stories
                00:52:47 — Wrap-up

                55 min
              • Episode 26: These Are Things You Shouldn't Watch

                We're BACK! This week we respond a bunch of your comments on our recent videos, and man, do the rabbit holes run DEEP in this episode.

                Topics follow in the timecode bookmarks.

                Watch on YouTube:

                https://youtu.be/d239idqHRns

                00:00:00 — Intro / updates

                00:02:54 — LOST SAUCER / FAR OUT SPACE NUTS
                00:06:04 — Dusty's Trail
                00:07:19 — The Good Guys
                00:08:14 — Gilligan's Island - Why it got cancelled
                00:09:04 — Rescue from Gilligan's Island
                00:11:32 — The GHOST BUSTERS (1975)
                00:13:00 — Legal issues with GHOST BUSTERS name
                00:17:07 — Exo-Man
                00:19:43 — THE PHOENIX (1982)
                00:20:22 — Judson Scott as Adam Warlock?
                00:21:24 — Judson Scott as Valentine Michael Smith?
                00:27:41 — STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND as a 1960s period piece?
                00:30:05 — More on THE PHOENIX
                00:34:45 — Voyagers (1982-83)
                00:35:38 — Captain Nice & Mr. Terrific (1967)
                00:36:19 — HERO AT LARGE (1980)
                00:39:15 — CONDORMAN (1981)
                00:41:30 — SUPER FUZZ (1980)
                00:42:48 — SHAZAM! and ISIS (1975)
                00:53:25 — KROFFT SUPERSHOW (1976-78)
                00:53:52 — Captain Kool and the Kongs
                00:55:12 — Wonderbug
                00:57:36 — Bigfoot and Wild Boy
                00:59:06 — ELECTRA WOMAN & DYNA GIRL (1976)
                01:07:13 — Electra Woman & Dyna Girl Reboot Attempts
                01:10:08 — Wrap-up and THANK YOU

                1 hr 12 min
              • Episode 25: Sid & Marty Krofft: Still Kicking

                In this episode, we respond to our first big batch of listener comments since our YouTubre channel suddenly starting blowing up in mid-May 2023. Thank you everyone for watching and commenting! Your feedback means the world to us and you're helping to shape the future of this channel.

                00:00:00 — Intro and channel updates

                00:01:46 — SALVAGE 1
                00:02:21 — SID & MARTY KROFFT
                00:08:25 — LIDSVILLE, BUTCH PATRICK and CHARLES NELSON REILLY
                00:12:17 — 2000 AD
                00:17:36 — JUDGE DREDD
                00:20:57 — Wrap-up and THANK YOU

                Watch on YouTube:

                https://youtu.be/mwd2dAtR5o4

                Amazing Colossal Podcast: Gilbert Gottfried talks with Sid and Marty Krofft

                https://youtu.be/TWkOZFCJBno

                Sid & Marty Krofft official website

                https://www.sidandmartykrofft.com/

                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/

                23 min
              • Episode 24: "Funk Skull Brother" — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

                We're here this week primarily to talk about James Gunn's parting gift to the MCU: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3.

                But first, Brendan tells us about his recent rediscovery of BI-BEAST, one of Marvel's most batshit characters. BI-BEAST reminded Brendan why he loves comics so much, and in a way also speaks to Gunn's brilliant approach to adapting comics to the big screen.

                We then dig into Guardians Vol. 3, with Brendan sharing many deep cut details from the original comics along the way.

                Chad then shares his spoiler-free enthusiasm for two excellent sci-fi thinker films: 2007 cult classic THE MAN FROM EARTH, and 2023's THE ARTIFICE GIRL.

                Watch this episode on YouTube:

                https://youtu.be/nqylsW5BfSU

                THE MAN FROM EARTH on YouTube:

                https://youtu.be/G5Fjr658CQs

                Chris Stuckmann's review of THE ARTIFICE GIRL:

                https://youtu.be/UW87ziCQ5nc

                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 11 min
              • Episode 23: Here Goes Nothing

                This week we review the season 3 finales of two of our favorite shows: THE MANDALORIAN and PICARD. What made them great, and what could have been better? What's coming next for both franchises? What distinguishes intelligent "fan service" from gratuitous drivel? In other words, what could JJ Abrams learn from Terry Matalas?

                ALSO: our lyrics for THE MANDALORIAN theme, a quick wrap-up of HELLO TOMORROW!, some great show recommendations from Brendan, and Chad's recent visit to The Daily News Building in New York City, which served as the Daily Planet when our much beloved SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE was filmed there in 1977.

                Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oPfWiqTUqP8

                00:00:20 — THE MANDALORIAN S3 Finale

                00:01:14 - No second spy!
                00:03:24 - The hallway force field sequence
                00:04:08 - The jetpack dogfight
                00:07:24 - Possible reference to Star Wars Galaxies (MMORPG)
                00:11:09 - Problems with the Jack Black/Lizzo episode
                00:15:59 - Problems with pacing
                00:22:04 — PICARD S3 Finale
                00:22:33 - "Here Goes Nothing" (RoTJ dialog quote)
                00:30:36 - Captain Shaw
                00:38:35 - Todd Stashwick (Captain Shaw) is a huge nerd
                00:43:09 - The Future of Star Trek?
                00:46:08 - Our differing opinions of PICARD S1 & S2
                00:51:49 - The potential of STAR TREK: LEGACY
                00:53:51 - The art of intelligent fan service
                00:57:13 — HELLO TOMORROW!
                00:58:01 — PERRY MASON
                00:59:32 — MRS. DAVIS
                00:59:42 — TWELVE MONKEYS series
                01:00:28 — Titus Welliver: also a huge nerd
                01:01:53 — Chad visiting The Daily News building in NYC
                01:04:23 — SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE 4K
                01:05:38 — SUPERMAN theme lyrics

                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 10 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.