Alan and Paul talk about 1980's Flash Gordon. One of them loved it the other less so. Somehow it devolves into an argument about Zach Snyder's DC films (one of them hates them, the other MUCH less so), before coming back to say not everything is perfect, but there's fun to be found everywhere!

Derek Binns joins Alan and PJ from the future as the three of them talk about Rian Johnson's Looper

Alan and PJ take a look at Luc Besson's The Fifth Element.

Alan and Paul look at 2010: The Year We Make Contact. It's the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Alan and Paul are joined by Derek from Tasmania to discuss Stanley Kubrick's seminal film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Summary:

Audience meets ape man. Ape man meets big black slab. Big black slab apparently teaches ape man to hit with a bone. Bone turns into spaceship. Spaceship docks to bicycle wheel while slow old music plays.

Nondescript American man walks on, calls very British-sounding daughter, walks to a bunch of other nondescript people, and finally goes to a briefing where there may be evidence that this movie has a plot. Nondescript man goes with yet more nondescript people to Tycho Crater and sees another big black slab. Black slab makes nasty noise.

Cut to spaceship. Much yadda yadda. AI misbehaves and three extras go bye-bye. Captain Kirk’s buddy dies…again. Last actor standing goes through acid trip and ends up in room where he watches himself get older and older until he turns into a very strange baby. The end.

Alan and Paul are joined by Jim Purcell of the Savage FinCast and Legion of Substitute Podcasters to discuss the 1968 film Planet of the Apes.

One reason Planet of the Apes is significant today is that it spawned a sci-fi franchise before either Star Trek or Star Wars (despite Star Trek having premiered on television in 1966). Planet of the Apes begat four sequels (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes) and two TV series (the live-action Planet of the Apes and the animated Return to the Planet of the Apes).

Forbidden Planet was not the first sci-fi film of the 1950s, but its influence cannot be denied:

Filmsite lists a number of firsts that Forbidden Planet achieved:

Staying on the HG Wells theme, we look at Time After Time, in which Wells is the main character, and he's got a time machine!

This film is Nicholas Meyer’s directing debut. Meyer had already started to make a name for himself as the writer (both novel and screenplay) of The Seven Per-Cent Solution (1978), which was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1982, Meyer became part of Star Trek “royalty” when he wrote and directed Star Trek II, the movie considered to have “saved” the Star Trek franchise.

Last week, we looked at HG Wells's reaction to Metropolis. This week we look at a movie made from one of Wells's own works, The Time Machine!

Things to Come began when H.G. Wells saw Metropolis…and hated it. Some choice bits from his review of the film:

"Originality there is none. Independent thought, none….

The word Metropolis, says the advertisement in English, 'is in itself symbolic of greatness'- which only shows us how wise it is to consult a dictionary before making assertions about the meaning of words." (H. G. Wells on "Metropolis" (1927))

Harsh words! Listen in for more!