Regular Joes Podcast

This week the Regular Joe's once again hit up Brian Mix's deep bench of knowledgeable, and well-connected, associates. It's rapidly becoming clear, if you were into Sci Fi and on the West Coast in the last half century you probably know Brian. This time they are joined by Max Cervantes, a professional model builder in the film industry, and a prolific background extra throughout the Star Trek franchise. So while you may not recognize his name, it's pretty much assured that you've seen his work. Max shares stories from his many years in the industry, as well as his own memories of the late Greg Jien, the collector's collector, whose amazing stash of film and TV, props, costumes, etc. is heading for the auction block soon. Thank for Listening!

Prompted by photos Brian recently shared, which revealed the depth and dedication of his own early nerdiness, Barry, Dave and Tod delve into their own, not quite, secret origins. At what point did all of us cross over from simply liking a given thing, like Star Trek, or Batman, to engaging with it on an interactive, creative or otherwise expansive level? Buying the books, tracking down the merchandise, costuming, DYI, and seeking out like minded souls are all early manifestations of Nerddom. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this all to common affliction. Perhaps we could start a telethon? We could get Bill Shatner to host. And of course, while he's there, we would want to get a few more autographs.There's also the usual, Random, Topics, as well as a mixed bag of What's in the Box and What's on my Workbench projects. Thanks for listening!

It's another one of those weeks, when fortune, or scheduling executives at Disney+ and Paramount+, favors us with new episodes of both a Star Trek and Star Wars series. Star Trek Lower Decks, the animated series that only the most uptight Star Trek fans can't find room in their hearts for, is back for a fourth season. This time around Mariner, Boimler and the other ensigns get a rank upgrade, and a new crew mate. Because any good Trek recipe can be improved by adding a little Vulcan. At the other end of the galaxy, Star Wars Ahsoka seems to have finally hit its stride. Admittedly, a bit slow off the mark, episode five has given every Ahsoka fan (read as Tod) everything they've been hoping to see. It can only get better from here! There's also the usual Random Topics and a round What's in the Box! Thanks for listening!

This week the Regular Joes take a look at the Greg Jein collection of Sci Fi movie and TV props, production models, costumes and other memorabilia which Heritage Auctions will be putting on the block starting October 14. To call this auction unprecedented is a gross understatement. The trove of objects the late special effects wizard amassed in his life time is simply astounding. The scope and quality of items is almost beyond belief. The Regular Joes guide through this once in a lifetime offering is their own Brian Mix, a friend of Mr. Jein and first hand witness to the extraordinary assemblage of treasures accumulated in and around the movie business. From, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, to his final work in Mulan, Mr. Jein's onscreen contributions are dwarfed only by his more private side as a collector. In this episode we get rare insights into both. If you have any interest in collecting sci fi props, this will be the Auction folks will be talking about for decades to come. Thanks for Listening!

The Regular Joes have been AWOL for a few weeks but Barry has a good excuse. This week he fills us all on on his secret trip to a certain ranch … far, far away. On a similar theme, it's time to talk Ashoka. The latest Disney+ series faces the daunting task of fusing elements of the live action and animated Star Wars universes. Does it stand on its own? How do the Rebels series characters translate to a live action, post original trilogy setting? The hosts offer differing perspectives from different backgrounds as the twin tracks of Dave Filoni's efforts converge. There's also Random Topics and What's in The Box. Thanks for Listening!

The teeming juggernaut that is Disney has a whole lot of projects in the hopper right now. If recent history has demonstrated anything not everything they announce actually comes to pass. Anyone still waiting for Patty Jenkin's Rogue Squadron? With a couple of recent big budget commercial failures to reflect on rumor has it Disney honcho Bob Iger is having some second thoughts. Always helpful, the Regular Joes weigh in giving Bob some feedback on where he might trim the fat. As we ease into the dog days of Summer the Joes offer some advice on how you might use the remainder of your TV viewing time. Each giving one previously undiscussed show they enjoyed add another they suggest passing on. There's also the usual Random Topics, a round of what's in the box, and Barry schools Tod on how to pronounce "Wakanda." Just because. Thanks for listening!

After last week's overwhelmingly positive appraisal of Star Trek Strange New Worlds season two it was perhaps inevitable that the most ambitious, or was it, misguided? episode of the year might not be received as well. Fans are divided on the first ever Trek musical episode, Sub-Space Rhapsody, and not surprisingly, so are the Regular Joes. With Brian Mix filling the fourth seat It's a split decision. Dave recounts taking in an event that everyone should have on their to-do list. Then Tod poses a question that has been stuck in his frontal lobe since Secret Invasion concluded. "Did Avengers Endgame break the Marvel Cinematic Universe?" There's also the usual Random Topics and a round of What's Into the Box. Thanks for Listening!

The Disney+ Marvel series have been hit or miss. When they are good (WandaVision) they use their extended runtime to experiment with concepts and formats, expanding and developing characters in ways impossible within the limits of a film. When they are bad (Falcon and the Winter Soldier) they flail about wasting time while underutilizing established characters. Secret Invasion the most recent MCU series, manages to kill two characters, completely discredit another, and dismiss any notion that its protagonist, Nick Fury, is in any way effectual, or even interesting. Meanwhile in the distant future Star Trek Strange New Worlds continues to push the boundaries of space, time, format and genre proving that, 50 plus years down the line, there are still places to boldly go. These also the usual Random Topics and a new segment Dave came up with to test his own generalizations. Thanks for Listening!

With the ongoing Writer's Guild of America strike expanding to encompass the Screen Actors Guild this year's SanDiego Comic Con was like no other. Who better to navigate the celebrity barren landscape than our man Brian Mix, veteran of more than 30 previous SDCCs. Find out what cool stuff he actually did see as he explored this strange new reality. Speaking of strange and new, for the benefit of road warrior Brian, and other folks with clearly misplaced priorities, there's also some spoiler free response to the Star Trek Strange New Worlds / Lower decks crossover released early during Comic Con. And of course, there's the usual the Random Topics and a round of What's in the Box. Thanks for listening!

This week the seventh Mission Impossible film finally reached theaters, proving that, a quarter century on, this franchise and Tom Cruise can't be stopped. If you were a fan of this series, as Dave believes everyone should be, Mission impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I is everything you've been waiting for. You get to see Tom run, a lot, as well as survive all manner of death defying stunts that would easy kill any other 60 -year-old man. But this is Tom Cruise, so things like gravity and age really don't factor in. Also, this time around he has Hayley Atwell along for the ride … it really doesn't get better than that. There's also the usual, Random Topics and a Hot Toy dominated round of What's in the Box. Thanks for listening!