David Bowie, TV addictions, and H2O, oh my!  In this episode, we celebrate David Bowie’s career by talking about his music and reviewing his unique science fiction epic, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976).  We tackle the film’s politics, the terrors of modern society, and much more!  Plus, our introduction contains a bonus cat and a bonus David Annandale student riot tale!  Cool, right?!

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show!

Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

Shoot the WISB #42 — Download (MP3)

Show Notes:

The Man Who Fell to Earth (IMDB)

Our new intro music comes “Nocturnia” by Psychadelik Pedestrian (CC BY 3.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

GripeFest  2016 is here!  In our 14th episode, Shaun is joined by Rachael Acks to discuss the 2016 Academy Awards.  Which movies don’t belong?  Which movies are sorely missed?  What the heck is wrong with the Oscars this year?  Listen to find out what we thing about everything from gender and race issues in the Academy to which movies we think should be kicked to the curb.

Enjoy!

Download Episode 014 (The Oscars)(MP3)

Show Notes:

* The 2016 Oscars (Nominees)

* Our next film is High Noon (1952).  Here’s how you can watch them:

* High Noon:

* Google ($2.99 to rent / $9.99 to buy)

* YouTube ($2.99 to rent)

* iTunes ($14.99 to buy)

* High Noon ($3.99 to rent / $13.99 to buy)

* VUDU ($2.99-$3.99 to rent / $9.99 to $13.99 to buy)

* Our intro/outro music comes from “Sundancer” by Wild Shores. Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0

Floating politicians, magic smugglers, and soap, oh my!  In our 291st episode (and our first interview of the year), we talk to Megan O’Keefe about her new novel, Steal the Sky.  We talk about empires and resources, the politics of her world, and the secret history of soap (there may be spies involved).  Plus much more!

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show!

Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

Episode 291 — Download (MP3)

Show Notes:

Steal the Sky (Angry Robot Books)

Megan’s Website

Megan’s Twitter

Megan’s Magic Soap Business (Blushie!)

Our new intro music comes “Nocturnia” by Psychadelik Pedestrian (CC BY 3.0), which has been slightly modified to include sound effects and for length purposes.

That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

The Vampire, the Western, and the Setting Sun!

In our 13th episode, David and Shaun play catch-up on films left over from last year with an intense discussion of Kathryn Bigelow’s 1987 vampire western, Near Dark.  Among the subjects under discussion:  the cinematography and the western myth, where Near Dark went wrong (and where it veered heavily into “that’s interesting” territory), and what Near Dark says about the 1980s vampire film — plus much more.  We also briefly discuss Star Wars VII:  The Force Awakens (2015), since David didn’t get to participate in the Skiffy and Fanty Show episode on the movie!

Enjoy!

Download Episode 013 (Near Dark)(MP3)

Show Notes:

* Near Dark (1987)

* Resources:

* The Cinema of Kathryn Bigelow edited by Deborah Jermyn and Sean Redmond

* Review at Empire Online by Ian Nathan

* Wiki Page

* Our next film is High Noon (1952).  Here’s how you can watch them:

* High Noon:

* Google ($2.99 to rent / $9.99 to buy)

* YouTube ($2.99 to rent)

* iTunes ($14.99 to buy)

* High Noon ($3.99 to rent / $13.99 to buy)

* VUDU ($2.99-$3.99 to rent / $9.99 to $13.99 to buy)

Fake histories, crazy movies, and wicked books, oh my!  We’re back in action after a brief hiatus.  In this magic episode, the crew discusses some of the things they loved in 2015 and some of the things they can’t wait for in 2016.  From books to movies to weird or joyous experiences, Episode 290 is all about celebrating a year gone by and a year to come!

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show!

Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

Episode 290 — Download (MP3)

Show Notes:

2015 Things:

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

Jupiter Ascending

Mad Max:  Fury Road

The Martian

Star Wars:  The Force Awakens

Fake Lore Podcast

Silver on the Road by Laura Ann Gilman

Court of Fives by Kate Elliot

CONvergence 2015

Mike Getting Married (YES THIS IS WICKED AWESOME

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (Vol. 1) by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

Galavant

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

Echopraxia by Peter Watts

Seveneves by Neil Stephenson

Jen says television was wicked awesome for sf/f

The 100

The Man in the High Castle

Ex Machina

It Follows

Room

Carol

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson, Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, and Adrian Alphona

Doorway to the Hidden World

Shaun Telling Mike’s True Story on Twitter

2016 Things:

Borderline by Mishell Baker

The Star-touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Starlit Wood edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe

Midnight Taxi Tango...

A Christmas Carol (1951) and the Terrors of the Past, Present, and Future!

In our final episode of the year, David and Shaun discuss the 1951 classic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (starring Alastair Sim).  We discuss the film’s influence on later adaptations, its approach to Dickens’ classic, its approach to wealth, the performances, and much more!

We also briefly discuss the Star Wars franchise and the problem of spoilers.

Enjoy!

Download Episode 012 (A Christmas Carol)(MP3)

Show Notes:

* A Christmas Carol (1951)

* Wiki Page

* If you’d like to watch the film, you can do so here.

* Our next films are Near Dark (1987)and High Noon (1952).  Here’s how you can watch them:

* Near Dark:

* Unfortunately, it is not available for streaming at the moment.  You’ll have to use a DVD service like Netflix.

* High Noon:

* Google ($2.99 to rent / $9.99 to buy)

* YouTube ($2.99 to rent)

* iTunes ($14.99 to buy)

* High Noon ($3.99 to rent / $13.99 to buy)

* VUDU ($2.99-$3.99 to rent / $9.99 to $13.99 to buy)

Elf special ops, killer hot cocoa, and reindeer, oh my!  The holidays are here, and no holiday would be complete without a holiday-themed Torture Cinema episode.  In our final episode of the season, we tackle 1994’s Tim Allen venture, The Santa Clause.  From kickass elves to creepy child kidnappings to the wonderful joy of the Christmas spirit, we’ve got plenty to say about this supposedly awful movie!

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show!

Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

Episode 289 — Download (MP3)

Show Notes:

The Santa Clause (1994)(IMDB)

Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0).

That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

The People Under the Stairs: Wes Craven’s Legacy and an Unusual Mythic Terror

David and Shaun return after an unnecessarily long hiatus to discuss Wes Craven’s work, with special attention to The People Under the Stairs.  We cover the film’s history, its mythical themes and imagery, and just what it says about Craven as a director and creator of the horrific and strange.

Enjoy!

Download Episode 011 (The People Under the Stairs)(MP3)

Show Notes:

* The People Under the Stairs (1991)(IMDB)

* Wiki Page

* Wes Craven’s IMDB page

* Our next movie is A Christmas Carol (1951).  Here’s how to watch it:

* Amazon ($1.99 to rent / $2.99 to buy)

* YouTube (FREE)

The Goonies and the 80s Child (or, How I Learned to Find a Pirate Ship on a Weekend)

In our first ever Into the Wardrobe subcast, Jen Zink joins the Totally Pretentious crew to discuss the 1985 class, The Goonies.  We discuss how the film represents the child, both in the acting and the direction, how the film connects to our pasts, whether the film translates to “now,” and much more!

Enjoy!

Download Episode 010 (The Goonies)(MP3)

Show Notes:

* The Goonies  (1985)(IMDB)

* Wiki Page

* Our next movie is The People Under the Stairs.  Here’s how you can watch it:

* Google Play ($9.99 to buy / $2.99 to rent)

* YouTube ($2.99 to rent)

* iTunes ($14.99 to buy)

* Amazon ($12.99 to buy / $3.99 to rent)

Wookies, resistance fighters, and General Leia, oh my!  It’s the first Star Wars movie in a long time, and that means we can’t ignore it!  We join ranks with Jay Garmon to tackle Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (2015).  We discuss the film’s diversity, the burden of Star Wars’ legacy on any new Star Wars movie, wookies, and much more!

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show!

Here’s the episode (show notes are below):

Shoot the WISB #41 — Download (MP3)

 

Show Notes:

Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (2015)(IMDB)

Jay Garmon’s Stuff:

Jay’s Website

Jay’s Twitter

Jay’s Podcast:  TechTalk!

Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0).

That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.