SPOILER ALERT - Only up to episode 6! In the 2nd half of this 2 part episode, Colin and Amanda discuss Ford and Arnold's decision to make this Westworld (WW) theme park targeted to majority filthy rich while men.  And speculate on a different theme park where women are the target market.  And what it would be like if there was a real WW theme park today.  Last month  answered that question by re-creating the theme park at  in Austin, Texas, where actors dressed like cowboys, acted out loops just like hosts in the town of Sweetwater.   They also dissect The Man in Black's quest for the maze and where his journey will ultimately lead him.

Host Zak and special guest/co-host Ellie Collins plug back in to Part 2 of Ready Player One. Last time we talked about the social analysis, this time we're all about the movie references. References made in this podcast: Film Theory: Ready Player One's True Threat Ready Player Two:  Girl Stuff Fandalites

SPOILER ALERT - Only up to episode 6! In the first of this two-part episode, Colin and Amanda explore this male dominated world and the powerful men who we love, and love to hate!  We discuss why this Westworld theme park is targeted to mostly men, and what it would be like if it were targeted to mostly women. Peeling back the dark layers of Ford, played by Anthony Hopkins.  Comparing Ford to a God and Frankenstein, with the monsters created out of his work, like The Man in Black!   We celebrate the bankable male actors in the show and how perfectly casted they are for these roles.

Returning host, Zak and co-host Ellie Collins co-op this two-part review and analysis of Ready Player One, a 2011 book by Ernest Cline and a 2018 movie be Steven Spielberg.  In Part 1, Ellie and Zak tackle the social commentary of RPO, including its shortcomings and score, and the attempts to update these from book to movie seven years later.

In this very special episode, I am joined by: Roboticist, Dr. Ayanna Howard - Chair of the School of Interactive Computing at GA Tech, Award Winning Film Director, and A.I. Researcher, !  In preparation for HBO's  season 2, premiering Sunday April 22nd, we’re going to delve deep in to the world of robots, A.I. and hosts!  In season 1, we watch Maeve seemingly making her own choices but is later told that she was still being controlled and someone was programming her.  So we'll discuss what it means for robots to be self aware and autonomous.  And how that may or may not be different from being human.

Zak Vaudo and special/soon-to-be-regular guest Ellie Collins are back to dive into Assassin's Creed: Origins!  Six months after its release, the duo examine its story and world-building, the game's representation of culture, game mechanics, and the newest DLC--including Discovery Mode! Articles discussed in this podcast: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2018/02/21/assassins-creed-origins-discovery-tour-may-be-the-best-assassins-creed-ever/#4a654bd05d32

Host (human host, not host-host) Zak and special guest Ellie Collins (writer, podcaster) discuss the women of Westworld: how the women of season 1 are carrying over into season 2, how the show treats the women characters in the narrative and the show, and how the perspective of the show shapes the treatment of the women.   Below are links that we referenced:

Our co-host Colin will be covering some history and love for Kaiju, and his expectation of Pacific Rim Uprising!

CONTENT WARNING (PAL): Strong Language used in this Podcast. After watching season 1 of Westworld again, there were some new things I picked up on and understanding some others on a deeper level!  Here's a quick outline of the show.   Teddy is the Kenny of Westworld! LOL The Man in Black went to WW to find himself.  But like a kid playing a game with your parents where they let you win, you are happy at first, until you realize they let you win! So now you want to win fair and square!  Well why didn’t Ford tell him to take his ASS back home to the REAL WORLD and go live in the projects in Chicago or something if he wants adventure!  The Man in Black is such a simp!  He never really learned how to deal with difficult ppl like his brother in law, Logan.  He still couldn’t survive in the REAL WORLD! Arnold – from the beginning Arnold was giving Deloris a steady dose of The Matrix Red Pills throughout the entire season! Raising the question of self awareness and what it means to be self aware in relation to the definition of being human in a TV Show is almost unheard of! My small prediction for season 2 - Elsie is coming back!!! Either to see her dead body or as a host!

First half is SPOILER FREE!! Annihilation is visually addictive, but hair-raising and creepy at the same time!! A cross between the artsy sci-fi film, Skin with Scarlott Johansen and John Carpenter’s, “The Thing.”  Alex Garland, a favorite "bankable" director and writer!  And  Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson gave their usual stellar performances. Gina Rodriguez reminded me of Vasquez from the movie Aliens!  Oscar Isaac and Nathalie Portman were a great fits for their roles and for Alex!  I think they're all cut from the same creative cloth!  And that BEAR mutant, with a women's voice screaming out of it's throat!! Again, Creepy!!  Garland told , that his adaptation is based on just the first novel in the trilogy!  On Movies Sub-Reddit thread,  described the first book as "Creepypasta!"  Also loved the music - Ben Salisbury and (Jeff) Geoff Barrow put their foot in this score! I loved that deeply beautiful twisted melody you hear throughout the film!  In a interview on  Ben Salisbury says that melody comes from a longer segment of the score known as "The Alien."