Two Geeks Two Beers

Morgan takes Tom through a history of the Mortal Kombat franchise, from the video games to the (mostly) dodgy movies to the forgotten cartoons.

We discuss the origins of ‘Toastie!’, its weird Dad’s Army connection, and the worst line of dialogue in cinema history.

Developments since broadcast:

• Mortal Kombat is now getting a rebooted film, set to come out in 2021. The reboot will focus on Lewis Tan as Cole Young, with other characters appearing including Liu Kang, Sub Zero, Raiden, Sonya Blade, Scorpion and Jax.

Mortal Kombat launched in 1992 as a video game by Midway Games, based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a game starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Sadly, that fell through, but a fantasy-themed fighting game was created instead, paying homage to the legendary action star with the character Johnny Cage, whose initials and style echo Van Damme’s.

The original game has since spawned many sequels and spin-offs. Film producer Lawrence Kasanoff licensed the rights to the game in the early 1990s, and produced the first hit film ever based on a video game. Let’s just forget about the second film, shall we?

There has also been an animated TV series, live-action TV series, a platinum-selling album and a live-action tour. Mortal Kombat is one of the most successful fighting franchises in the history of video games and one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Mortal Kombat is also known, of course, for its high levels of graphic violence, including its famous ‘Fatalities’, which led to the creation of the ESRB video game rating system.

Check out our previous episodes, including ones based on point and click adventure games and the Duke Nukem franchise.

Tom takes Morgan through the ENTIRE history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise – the comics, the TV series, the movies, the merch and more. (In hindsight, maybe we should have just done the 1987 series!).

We discuss which Turtle is best, why Elias Koteas is so cool, whether Tom’s Winter Olympics Turtle was real or not, and just how weird the latest Splinter looks.

So grab a slice of pizza and settle down, it’s going to be an epic ride…

Developments since broadcast:

• As referenced in the podcast, Nickelodeon released their new 2D animated series based on the franchise, first appearing in September 2018.
• A crossover film, called Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was recently released in 2019.

“Be water, my friend”

Time for a history lesson on another movie icon, and this time it’s martial arts legend Bruce Lee, who died 45 years ago this July.

Morgan takes noob Tom for a travel back through Bruce’s life, movie career, and even death…

We tackle everything from mistitled US versions of his films, the dodgy Bruceploitation movies, and bizarre video games based around his image.

Developments since broadcast:

• In 2019, Cinemax debuted the TV series Warrior, which is based on an original concept and treatment by Bruce Lee.
• 2019 also saw the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which featured a brilliant portrayal of Bruce Lee by Mike Moh.

Great Scott and all that. In this episode, Tom explains to Morgan just why BTTF is his favourite movie series of all time. They discuss and dissect all three movies, the cartoon series, games and more.

We find out why you can’t just copy someone’s face, how the plot of the second movie is so complicated that Tom can’t speak, and just how many Ted Danson puns we can fit into a minute.

Morgan explains to Tom just why 1987’s Predator is his favourite movie of all time. We chat about all things Arnie, why Alan is a badass name and why AVP was just… no.

Featuring an exclusive interview snippet with the legend that is Carl Weathers, and a look back at the bonkers show that was Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura.

Beer choice: Hunter’s Cider

Developments since broadcast:

• As mentioned in the podcast, a fourth film The Predator was released later in 2018. It was met with MIXED REVIEWS!
• As of 2021, a fifth film is in the works.

Happy New Year! For this blockbuster episode, Tom and Morgan look back at the past 12 months and discuss the biggest geeky stories of 2017.

From the big movies and TV shows of the year, dearly departed geek heroes and drunkenly inventing new words, this is an epic dissection of a big year for all things geek.

Thanks to all of you who have ever listened to a second of Two Geeks this year, it means a hell of a lot to us, and please do get in touch! Here’s to a brilliantly geeky 2018!

Merry Christmas! For this year’s festive special, we’re looking back at some of the most memorable adaptations of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Tom and Morgan pick three Scrooges each, to decide which one is the very best (not including Scrooge McDuck or efforts by Henry Winkler or Kelsey Grammer, sorry boys).

The episode also features an exclusive interview with Muppet Christmas Carol star Meredith Braun, where Tom chatted with her about the film’s fan favourite song ‘When Love is Gone’ and how great Michael Caine was as Scrooge.

Developments since broadcast:

• Christopher Plummer starred as Scrooge in a semi-biographical film about Charles Dickens, The Man Who Invented Christmas, in 2017.
• Guy Pearce played Scrooed in a gritty new version of A Christmas Carol by the BBC and FX in 2019.
• Disney announced plans to re-release The Muppet Christmas Carol in HD, including the discovery of the original tapes of ‘When Love is Gone’! We like to pretend we had something to do with it.

OK, we may have had an issue with our latest episode (ie, Tom forgot to record it properly), so that lost episode will be re-recorded in a few months time…

BUT, instead, here’s a brand new episode entirely, all about the history of one of America’s most beloved comic book characters, and its 1980 movie, Flash Gordon!

Tom and Morgan chat about the underrated hero that is Buster Crabbe, the best bits of Queen’s Flash soundtrack and why Ming the Merciless’ name is so perfect.

Beer choice: Smog Rocket (Flash has a rocket, innit)

Developments since broadcast:

• In 2019, an animated Flash Gordon film from Taika Waititi was cancelled.
• A film about the making of the film and what happened to the cast next – Life After Flash – was released in 2018.
• In 2020, the film became the subject of controversy over claims of racism, with the film now carrying a warning about ‘potentially offensive’ material, by the BBFC.

To mark the 25th anniversary of DC cartoon Batman: The Animated Series, Morgan explains to Tom just why it is one of the greatest cartoon series ever made.

We delve into its influences and history, how it ended up influencing the DC universe forever, and why it was so badass, even today.

It also features exclusive interviews with Batman actor Kevin Conroy and Robin himself, Burt Ward.

Beer choice: Guinness XX (dark, innit?)

Developments since broadcast:

• In January 2021, Kevin Smith revealed that Warner Bros was looking into a reboot of the series on HBO Max.

Make sure to check out all our other episodes, including all our comic specials such as The Incredible Hulk and X-Men: The Animated Series.

Smegging hell, it’s Red Dwarf!

In this episode, Tom delves through the history of his favourite TV show ever: Red Dwarf.

Tom and Morgan discuss all 11 series (aired at the time), the dodgy American remake, how it came to be, almost-castings, favourite scenes and more.

It also includes exclusive interview clips with the cast and co-creator Doug Naylor!

Beer choice: Pilot Project

Developments since broadcast:

• Series 12 of Red Dwarf followed in late 2017, followed by the excellent one-off film The Promised Land in 2020.
• In 2020, we followed this episode up with a special in which we interviewed Doug Naylor and producer Richard Naylor! Listen to that episode right here.