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In filmmaking, surprise endings and quests for mysterious objects can derail your movie entirely if not handled well. Today, we take on the best (and worst) plot twists and MacGuffins in cinematic history. We're talkin' final reveals in Psycho and The Sixth Sense, Marcellus Wallace's briefcase in Pulp Fiction, the "one ring to rule them all," and many more. We also discuss the careers of such directors as Alfred Hitchcock, M. Night Shyamalan, and David Fincher, and whether or not being known for plot twists and MacGuffins is a good thing. 

We're back with another installment in this award-winning series. Up for crapnalysis, The Substitute from 1996 starring Tom Berenger and The Chronicles of Riddick from 2004 featuring Vin Diesel. In our conversation, we discuss Tom Berenger's less than believable martial arts skills, which role is Vin Diesel's true breakout: Dominic Torreto or Riddick, what these two films got right versus what they got wrong, and why casting Dame Judy Dench is never a bad move. We also get into the sequels associated with The Substitute and The Chronicles of Riddick, all of which were equally craptastic.

Everyone's a critic nowadays, especially the hosts of this podcast.

But when Rotten Tomatoes launched in 1998, it quickly became the recognized standard of cinematic good taste for a generation.

In today's conversation, we debate the accuracy of the fans vs. critics rating system on Rotten Tomatoes, the site's ownership by Comcast-Universal and Warner Bros, and whether or not Rotten Tomatoes is still relevant in a world where opinions are in abundance online.

We also go through a short list of highly and not-so highly regarded films to see where they fall on the ol' Tomatometer.

Which actors have appeared in more sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book movies than any other? Which ones will dominate with fans at pop culture conventions over the next decade? On today’s pod, we run down actors with the most “geek credibility.” Names that are synonymous with far-flung futures, magic wands, and caped crusading such as Samuel Jackson, Sigourney Weaver, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, Zoe Saldana, and more. We also discuss the careers of actors like Mark Hamill and Linda Hamilton who live in the shadow of popular characters they've played, and how taking those roles has been both a blessing and a curse. 

Today's pod is the conclusion of our 2-part Classic episode with legendary artist/illustrator Brian Stelfreeze! 'The Sensei' continues the discussion with his working process, the science of cover art for comics and more!

Today's pod is part 1 of our Classic episode with legendary artist/illustrator Brian Stelfreeze! Known throughout the industry for his nigh-cinematic comic storytelling and lush coloring, Stelfreeze discusses his first art gig, his incredible run as cover artist on Batman: Shadow of The Bat series and the (then) state of the comic biz.

Part 2 will be dropping later this week!

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Today, we name-check five comics that will tell you what the 1970s were all about. Books that feature adaptations of toys like Micronauts and Shogun Warriors, characters with occult backgrounds such as Ghost Rider and the Demon, and heroes who were influenced by the martial arts craze of the '70s like Shang Chi and the Sons of the Tiger. We also give credit to Bronze Age creators like Denny O'Neil, and Don McGregor for trying different things in an attempt to capture the spirit of the times.

From 2010, we present our Classic interview with comics legend Whilce Portacio. With a career spanning close to four decades, Portacio's kinetic and stylized artwork has graced the pages of Uncanny X-Men, The Punisher, Iron Man (Heroes Reborn) and many more! He is the creator of X-Men character 'Bishop' and one of the seven original founders of Image Comics; under which he published his creator-owned title 'WetWorks' in 1994.

In the halcyon days of the early 1990s, Jim Lee's Wildstorm Studios boasted an amazing crop of young talent, but one would rise meteorically to the heights of the industry — Travis Charest. On the pod, we discuss Charest's beginnings on DC's Darkstars, his run on WildCATs with writer Alan Moore, as well as the book that cemented him one of the comic art greats, WildCATs/X-Men: The Golden Age. We end things on The Dreamshifters, which many consider to be Charest's masterpiece. Was it worth the three-year wait? Did Charest exhaust the limits of his talent working on that book?

Director Steven Soderbergh says his 1998 film Out of Sight saved his career. After the success of his debut, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Soderbergh went through a drought and needed a hit. This week, we discuss the terrifically entertaining Out of Sight including its cast led by George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, screenwriter Scott Frank's adaptation of the original Elmore Leonard novel, and the movie's brilliant use of color, music and time shifting. We also note that even though Out of Sight wasn’t a box office smash, it set up Soderbergh and Clooney for the hugely popular Ocean’s trilogy a few years later.