Sci-Fi Malady

Horror Sci-Fi Month concludes with a discussion of Stranger Things season 1. Stranger Things is a master piece of horror with a science fiction twist as well as being an homage to traditional movie making styles. The Sci-Fi Malady crew unanimously agrees that this season one was amazing and we are all looking forward to season two.  So grab you 20 sided die and get ready to battle a demogorgon in the upside down - it is time to pull apart Stranger Things. 

In his prep work for our Event Horizon review, that unfortunately he had to miss, The RageMaster found a clip in the movie that he did not exactly like, well, to be fair, it made him irate, and when he's irate, well, he's irate.  The moral of today's rant from Ragemaster kids?  Don't stick your finger in things if you don't know what they are. Enjoy. 

Horror month rolls on and this week Corey and Scott discuss the cult movie classic - Event Horizon. While nothing in this movie is original, it is well acted, visually immersive and loaded with terrifying dark imagery. It seems with Event Horizon there is very little middle ground, you either love the movie or you hate it, and both Corey and Scott love it, seeing it as an excellent example of sci-fi horror. For the Ragemaster's opinion, or at least a partial opinion, tune in Wednesday for an edition of Ragemaster Rips a Clip. 

So settle into your gravity couch and prepare to take a jump to Neptune Space - it is time to review Event Horizon 

Horror month continues! This week we discuss one of the masters of sci-fi horror, H.P. Lovecraft and the Call of Cthulu.  Lovecraft influenced many modern writers including Stephen King and had a unique, if verbose style. He was also horribly racist and we acknowledge this. Despite this hideous aspect of the man's personality we decided that if we are discussing sci-fi horror we must discuss the man who is largely seen as the founder of the genre. 

Here is Symptom 41: Searching for the Cyclopian City - a dark, chilling vision of a universe where mankind is not the top of the food chain and alien demons that cannot be killed or even comprehended are slumbering on Earth, waiting to be awakened to enslave and murder us all. 

It is October and that means it is time to start discussing horror sci-fi. Kicking off horror month is our review of Jason Gets a Space Machete, I mean Jason kills a creepy professor, I mean Jason swings coed campers in sleeping bags like a baseball bat, I mean Jason Survives Reentry, maybe, or as its better known as - Jason in Space or by its theatrical release title - Jason X. 

Put your hockey mask on, make some popcorn and get ready for the crew's review of Jason X - someone really likes this movie, I won't spoiling it by saying who, I'd give a clue by saying he hates J.J. Abrams, but that really doesn't help much with this group. 

We felt it was a time for a new segment at Sci-Fi Malady and so we give you RageMaster Rips A Clip. In this short rant The RageMaster tears into the John Denver "Country Road" scene in Alien Covenant. 

I think he hates that the crew is portrayed as quirky everyman IceRoad Truckers...but I am not sure. 

Storytelling has multiple aspects.  One of the key aspects is world building. Some of the legends of science fiction - Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas and Frank Herbert are fantastic world builders, but they had flaws as storytellers in other areas.  In some cases taking full creative control away from a legend would have been better for the franchise (think Game of Thrones with HBO vs the books). In the case of Roddenberry his control was taken and we got Wrath of Kahn, DS9 and seasons 3-7 of TNG. We can only retroactively wish someone would have taken the dialogue writing away from Lucas and that Frank Herbert would have told that three 400 page novels setting up a two part conclusion was excessive. 

Symptom 39 discusses when legendary world builders need creative control taken away. 

Next week starts Horror Science Fiction month and we kick it off with a light spoof by reviewing Jason X. (Yes, not really sci-fi but its in spaaaaace so we say it qualifies)

Today's podcast is nerdier than usual and that is good. Today we are talking about Rifts - a game in the Paladium RPG family. Rifts is a science fiction/fantasy RPG set in a post apocalyptic Earth where aliens, magic users, psionic users, cyborgs, genetically enhanced humans, dragons, gods and more are battling for supremacy. If you can imagine it the story can be told in Rifts. Nothing serious today, so grab your D20, role a save vs nerdom and listen in to a fun filled hour of discussing Rifts.

Seth McFarland has launched the Orville - and, it is something. It is two parts family guy and one part Star Trek fan fiction.  Somewhere in this rambling A.D.D. fest called a television are some basic science fiction concepts but they are lost in the woods of dick jokes, a man complaining about this ex wife and Captain Brian the Dog arguing with helmsman not Stewie.

Here is Symptom 37 where Ragemaster and I breakdown whatever the Orville is.

Time for some light hearted discussion of a cartoon, and great cartoon at that. This week on Sci-Fi Malady we are discussing Futurama. No detailed analysis of meanings or messages, critiquing of writing or direction, just an hour long discussion about future, what we like about it and how it is an awesome parody the entirety of science fiction as a genre.

Damn it, that's finding a meaning or discussing writing style isn't it?  Ok, so we mostly discussed what we like about Futurama and why its awesome and funny.