The Geek Embassy

We embraced the season for October's hangout and talked about our favorite horror and suspense films. The basics are covered like our favorites but we also talk about our history with suspense and horror films, branch off into TV show, and briefly mention zombies and that show that premieres in a few weeks. Here are the questions we considered:

What was your first horror/suspense movie? What movie scares you? What novel scared you? What suspense/horror movie made you laugh? What is your all time favorite suspense/horror movie? Are there horror/suspense movies that belong canon?

We do a horror-themed geek and tell but I just couldn't help myself and had to share a print that my friends, Amy and Don, got for me of a little baby Wonder Woman. She is just amazing as you can clearly see from the post image. Check out Jeff Pina's work here. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any of the adorable-ness on his site but you can see some on his Facebook page. Just click on the photos and scroll down.

Also, Isabela and I both wear our elf ear cuffs from Geek Girl Stuff. Yes, they look cool and they are seriously comfortable. Go order yourself a set now!

Rhonda mentioned a book she picked up at Geek Girl Con, "Zombopocolypse," by Matt Youngmark at Chooseomatic Books. That's right. It's a chose your own adventure for adults. TOTALLY AWESOME. Make sure to check out his books and his super secret webcomic.

New ambassador Evan Graham joined us for this hangout. Keep an eye out for a project he and I will be working on in the near future. In the meantime, order his book or mine on Inkshares.

Until next time, go be awesome!

For September, we close out summer talking about our favorite geeky amusements from the season and delve into a conversation about conventions. We discuss books we are reading, and one someone is writing. We talk about games we've been playing; lots of phone and board games including Pandemic: The Cure. Binge watching addictions and series that may depend too heavily on nostalgia for some.

In our discussions of the recent cons we've attended, we discuss what makes a con work and what stands out as a failure. Regina and Isabela talk about their first experience at Rose City Comic Con (they plan to go next year) and Rhonda's fifth year at Dragon Con (and likely her last). Have you ever felt like a con you were at turned into a Geek Zoo with people just coming to view the spectacle and not take part in the fandom?

We share some great swag we picked up in our show and tell segment and how much we appreciate the indie artists available at smaller con venues.  Who is your favorite artist you discover while walking through Artist Alley?

Share your con experience with us in the comments. The good, the bad, and the ugly! We want to know!

Don't forget to check out The Geek Embassy on Instagram! We have lots of pics from RCCC up, including Regina's first ever cosplay!

Until next time, get your geek on! Regina, Rhonda, & Isabela

For the last episode of our summer movie podcast series, we shake it up a bit and we both saw different movies. I saw Star Trek: Beyond and  Rhonda saw Suicide Squad. We discuss the evolution of the Star Trek movies, and the careful consideration given to all the character backstories. There is one major critique I have for the franchise. Make sure to listen and let us know if you agree.

Rhonda discusses how Suicide Squad had a huge opening weekend even with less than stellar early reviews. She attributes this to the marketing of the movie and how posters and trailers and interviews (oh my!) for this movie were everywhere.

How has the marketing of a movie caught your attention and did the movie hold up to the hype? (Hint: Suicide Squad definitively fell short for Rhonda.)

For streaming recommendations, Regina is aghast to learn Ronda hasn't seen Stranger Things and attempts to keep her cool over how cool it is. As a secondary recommendation, Regina explains her current obsession with the Food Network shows on Netflix but especially Good Eats with Alton Brown. Rhonda suggests viewing 10 Cloverfied Lane and regrets that it took her so long to start watching it.

Did you binge watch any shows this summer?

As the episode ends, I announce that The Geek Embassy has a panel at Geek Girl Con in October. We are presenting, "Capes and Baskets: What Fairy Tales Can Help Teach Us about Superheroes." Rhonda and I will also be doing sister cosplays both at GGC and at local cons we are attending in September. Rhonda will be at Dragon Con Labor day weekend and Regina will be at Rose City Comic Con on September 10 and 11th. If you are attending, find us and say hello!

Keep an eye out for our next show on the new YouTube Live platform (G+ Hangouts is retiring).

Until next time, get your geek on! Regina & Rhonda

"Who's afraid of those ghosts?"

For the July Summer movie episode, Rhonda and I take on the ever controversial Ghostbusters reboot. There was quite a bit of fuss about the casting of a female Ghostbusters team and the internet exploded after the first trailer dropped, making it the lowest ranked TV trailer in the site's history. We discuss the controversy and what we thought stood out in the movie (Holtzmann Forever!) and what didn't work as well (man candy).

The all-star cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kristin Wiig, and Kate McKinnon. Listen to hear us discuss the good and bad moments, what we enjoyed and could have done without. 

We also have some excellent shows for your summer binge-watching in our streaming recommendations. Make sure to check out Crazy Ex-Girlfriends and Ash vs Evil Dead on Starz or via Amazon Prime subscription.

To Discuss

What other gender-swapped TV shows or movies do you remember? When does it work or not work and why?

Until next time, get your geek on! Regina & Rhonda

Greetings, Geeks!

We had a great hangout for July! New ambassadors Julie and Dante joined me and Rhonda to talk about how our experience and enjoyment of music has changed throughout our lives. We start with our first memories of seeking out music on our own, venture into junior high favorites, and first crushes. From there, we linger a bit too long perhaps in high school and how music first started to truly impact our identities. Looking at post-college time to the present brought us almost full circle in our musical biographies. (Yes, we did discuss the Hamilton soundtrack.)

I was delighted to finally understand how the Q&A feature works and how to get the questions out to our viewers in real time. Many thanks to Micah and Amy for actively participating and commenting as we were talking. Your participation made it feel like a real hangout. If you are interested in participating in the hangouts like this, make sure to RSVP yes to the Google event post, that way you will get notifications sent with our questions during the hangout itself.

We would love to talk to more of you while we are broadcasting but we know that isn't always an option. Luckily, we have a comments section for just that reason. Tell us in the comments about your musical biography. When and what music has had the most impact on your life?

Until next time, get your geek on! Regina

Greetings,  Geeks!

Rhonda and I saw two very different movies for June. Rhonda saw Central Intelligence and I saw Free State of Jones. We compare notes about the movies and how we go about choosing movies to see. Central Intelligence is a comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. It is a comedy of errors of sorts where two high school friends reconnect and shenanigans ensue. Free State of Jones is drama-based on real-life events that took place during the United States civil war. It stars Matthew McConaughey as Newton Knight who led a group of rebels to secede from the Confederacy.

This episode I ask the pivotal question: Can you spoil a movie based on true events? Because I talk in detail about the plot of Free state of Jones. Rhonda admits that she is hugely into comedies right now and will likely see everything that might stand a chance to make her laugh. Bad Moms, anyone?

We give some great streaming recommendations for your summer leisure tablet time.

As always, we would love your comments on the show. Have you seen either Central Intelligence or Free State of Jones? Have suggestions for the movies we should see in July? We want to see them all.

Until next time, get your geek on! Regina & Rhonda

For our June LIVE Hangout, we talked about villains: the ones you love to hate and hate to love. What makes them relate-able or hate-able? Rhonda, Mark, Isabela, and I had a great time chatting about our favorite villains from movies, TV, books, and video games. We also had a wildcard category which Rhonda won hands down.

We start the discussion determining which villains we think are canon, ones that set the standard for the rest. Included are some of the greats of modern mythology: Darth Vader, Voldemort, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Listen and tell us what you think of our selections and thoughts about loving that bad guy. I'm looking at you, Spike.

To open the show I talked a little bit about my book campaign on Inkshares for "Mothering: The Game." Make your way over there and pre-order your copy before July 15th so I can be in the running for the Nerdist contest. I read a short excerpt on the show from the chapter I will release when I hit 50 readers. Only 22 more to go at the time I am writing this! You know you want to read, "Achievement Unlocked: Daily Quests."

We decided on two future themes for the show: music and cocktails and antiheroes. So on July 10th keep a look out for The Geek Embassy's LIVE Cocktail Party. Hopefully, our new ambassadors will be able to make it to that show.

Let us know in the comments about your favorite villains or any recommendations for drinks we must make next month.

Until next time, get your geek on! Regina, Rhonda, Mark, and Isabela

Movie - Captain America: Civil War

This month, Rhonda and I discuss the latest Avengers movie, Captain America: Civil War. Although billed as a Captain America movie, it is an Avengers-themed extravaganza of action and internal conflict as our heroes navigate how they operate as a superhero crime-fighting team now exposed to public criticism. Listen to hear us discuss the characters, storytelling approaches, and action in this summer blockbuster. We also give some streaming recommendations to help fill your vacation downtime. Got a show or some movies you are binge watching this summer? Let us know in the comments. Keep an eye out for our summer movie series that we will continue monthly through August. Also, we are looking for ambassadors to produce content for The Geek Embassy. Interested? Read the details here. Until next time, get your geek on! Regina and Rhonda

Streaming Recommendations

From Regina:

Netflix: To Catch a Thief - 1955. Directed by Hitchcock. Starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly

Hulu: Deadbeat

Amazon: Tumble Leaf

From Rhonda:

Hulu: Telenovella

Netflix: Danger Mouse Begins—Again

Amazon: Preacher, Season 1

Movie In the Theater

For the summer months, Rhonda and I will be viewing and discussing blockbuster movies. To launch the series, we saw  The Huntsman: Winter's War which opened on April 22, 2016. A prequel/sequel to the 2012 Snow White and The Huntsman, this movie has huge star power, including Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth, and beautiful art direction. The positives end there. Listen to the episode and let us know what you think about our critique and some summer movies we should consider.

Regina gives it:    ★  ★  ★ Rhonda gives it:  ★  ★

Streaming Recommendations

In addition to the blockbusters, we will have recommendations for your streaming viewing. Summer gives us some time to catch up on our Netflix queue or to check out some independent movies. We will both give a streaming recommendation for you to check out at home or on the go.

Regina - Amélie, 2001

Rhonda - The Magnificent Seven, 1960

Here is our latest hangout as a podcast episode. Rhonda, Ryan, Isabela, and I had a great time chatting about the launch of The Geek Embassy, our adventures at Emerald City Comicon, the season finale of The Walking Dead, and some of the issues with Superman vs Batman. We also talked about what we thinks works and doesn't work in comic book movies and TV adaptations. Check out the episode and let us know what you think in the comments. We turned the Q&A feature on this time, something completely new for us, and are thankful for Amy who taught us how to use it. We will continue to make that feature available so you can talk to us while we hangout.

Our hangouts for the next few months will continue on the second Sunday of the month at 2pm Pacific time. Mark your calendars for May 15, June 12, July 10, and August 14. If you have any topics you would like us to discuss, just let us know here or on Twitter @thegeekembassy. Rhonda and I are also starting up regular audio only episodes of the show in May so keep an eye out for those episodes as well.

Until next time, get your geek on! Regina, Rhonda, Isabela, and Ryan