Episode 54: The Man in the High Castle, The Man in the High Castle VS. Agent Carter, Top 5 Made for Streaming Programming

“We lost the war.” Join us as we discuss the newest Philip K. Dick science fiction adaptation — Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle! How does Amazon crowdsource its pilot season? Why is streaming media changing the type of content that gets produced? How does this alternate history about the Nazis winning World War II relate to its source material? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, we debate the post-WWII world building of The Man in the High Castle VS. Agent Carter. We binge review our top 5 made for streaming programming. 

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Show Notes

• 0:00 - 16:48: The Man in the High Castle (no spoilers)
• 16:49 - 38:57: The Man in the High Castle (spoilers)
• 38:58 - 50:18: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: The Man in the High Castle VS. Agent Carter
• 50:19 - 1:46:31: Top 5 Made for Streaming Programming

Links

• Amazon's 2015 Pilot Season
• What if? Alternative history’s butterfly moments reach lift-off
• The Man in the High Castle: When a Nazi-Run World Isn't So Dystopian
• The Man in the High Castle never lets us believe its alternate-history nightmare
• The Man in the High Castle Shines in Amazon’s Pilot Season
• Netflix has big plans to produce more original series
• Why Scandinavian Prisons Are Superior

Top 5 Made for Streaming Programming

Conrad: 

1. House of Cards
2. Transparent
3. The Guild
4. Misfits
5. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Ali:

1. Orange is the New Black
2. House of Cards
3. Transparent
4. The Square 
5. Daredevil

Honorable Mentions:

• Deadbeat
• Arrested Development: Season 4
• Star Wars: Clone Wars: Season 6
• Salem Rogers: Model of the Year 1998

Episode 53: Predestination, Presdestination VS. All You Zombies, Top 5 Film Plot Twists

“I know where I came from — but where did all you zombies come from?” We discuss Ethan Hawke’s new science fiction film — Predestination! How does its time travel premise explore identity? What is the film telling us about sex, gender, and sexual orientation? And who is Sarah Snook and why isn’t she starring in everything?!? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, we debate Predestination the film versus the original Robert A. Heinlein’s original 1958 short story. We share our favorite film plot twists and recent listener feedback.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 - 13:06: Predestination (no spoilers)
• 13:07 - 38:55: Presdestination (spoilers)
• 38:56 - 1:01:21 Top 5 Film Plot Twists
• 1:01:22 - 1:06:48: Listener Feedback 

Links

• Ethan Hawke must stop murders before they happen in this trippy, time-traveling sci-fi romp
• Predestination gives a famous time-travel story the Chris Nolan treatment
• The ‘Predestination’ Directors Give Us Some Super-Spoilery Insights Into Their Mind-Bending Movie
• Ethan Hawke: ‘Mining your life is the only way to stumble on anything real'
• Nerdist Podcast: Ethan Hawke

Top 5 Film Plot Twists

Conrad: 

1. The Usual Suspects
2. Fight Club
3. Se7en
4. The Crying Game
5. Dead Again

Ali:

1. Planet of the Apes (1968) 
2. Fight Club
3. Memento
4. Vertigo 
5. Se7en

Honorable Mentions:

• The Sixth Sense
• Donnie Darko
• The Empire Strikes Back

Episode 52: SyFy’s 12 Monkeys, 12 Monkeys (TV) VS. 12 Monkeys (Film), Top 5 Movies to TV

“What if you could take it back? All of it? A reset switch? You'd hit it right?” We review SyFy’s series premiere of 12 Monkeys! How has the story departed from Terry Gilliam’s 1995 film? What’s remained the same? How is it influenced by Back to the Future, Terminator, Walking Dead, and Planet of the Apes? Things get timey wimey in the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER as James Cole (Aaron Stanford) takes on James Cole (Bruce Willis). We share our top 5 TV adaptations of feature films.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 - 41:31: SyFy’s 12 Monkeys
• 41:32 - 55:00: 12 Monkeys (TV) VS. 12 Monkeys (Film)
• 55:01 - 1:13:50: Top 5 Movies to TV
• 1:13:51 - 1:18:36: Listener Feedback 

Links

• What The 12 Monkeys Showrunner Learned From Writing For Terminator: SCC
• '12 Monkeys' TV series "dumb" and "ridiculous", says Terry Gilliam
• Syfy’s 12 Monkeys is nothing like Terry Gilliam’s film — and that’s why I’m interested
• The Problem With The Pretty Good New '12 Monkeys' Series
• '12 Monkeys' evolves into clever, fast-paced thriller
• Syfy’s 12 Monkeys is a faint copy of a classic movie
• 3 Theories of Time Travel Infographic
• Lost writer admits they just made it up as they went along

Top 5 Movies to TV

Conrad: 

1. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
2. Fargo
3. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
4. Highlander
5. Stargate

Ali:

1. M*A*S*H
2. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
3. Stargate
4. Back to the Future: The Animated Series
5. Weird Science

Episode 51: Marvel’s Agent Carter, Agent Carter VS. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Top 5 Agents

“During the war I had a sense of purpose - now I connect the calls but never get to make them.” Join us as we review the series premiere of Marvel’s Agent Carter! How did this miniseries emerge out of Captain America: The First Avenger? Where does it fit within the Marvel Cinematic Universe? In what ways does Agent Carter connect with real history? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, Agent Carter takes on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D! We share our top 5 agents. Listener feedback for Into the Woods and our 50th episode spectacular.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 - 35:34: Agent Carter
• 35:35 - 51:26: Agent Carter VS. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• 51:27 - 1:18:17: Top 5 Agents
• 1:18:18 - 1:30:23: Listener Feedback 

Links

• Agent Carter TV - History in COMICS
• Who Is Agent Carter? A Brief History of the Marvel Heroine
• Agent Carter is the hero I've been waiting for
• Here’s How ‘Agent Carter’ Links To ‘Iron Man 2′
• Agent Carter's Toughest Mission is Sexism
• Agent Carter, Super-Riveter
• 5 reasons why ‘Agent Carter’ is better than ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

Top 5 Agents

Conrad: 

1. Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" Zelle MacLeod
2. Violette Szabo
3. Josephine Baker
4. Julia Child
5. Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)

Ali:

1. Sydney Bristow (Alias) 
2. MacGyver
3. Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
4. Agent 99 (Get Smart)
5. Agent Smith (The Matrix)

Episode 50: What is a Nerd, Nerds VS. Geeks, Top Nerdy Moments of 2014

It’s our 50th episode spectacular! We bring back your favorite guests to answer the essential question of what is a nerd? How are nerds different from geeks? Has our understanding of these terms changed over time? What is geek culture? How is it liberating and in what ways do the “fake geek girl/boy” backlash limit fans? What does the mainstreaming of science fiction, fantasy, and comic books mean for the future of nerdery and geekdom? We share our favorite nerdy moments from 2014. Special guests: Diana Chang (host of Without a License), Derek Bishop (speculative fiction writer), Bill Wadman (photographer, cohost of On Taking Pictures), Nhu-An (lover of learning).

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Show Notes

• 0:00 - 1:03:17: What is a Nerd? Nerds versus geeks. 
• 1:03:18 - 1:23:52: Top Nerdy Moments of 2014. 

Links

• Simon Pegg's thoughts on his Geek Quote
• Wil Wheaton: Why it's awesome to be a nerd
• Nerds versus geeks infographic
• The secret origins of nerd, dork, and other things you've been called
• The Psych Show launches on YouTube!
• Wikipedia's list of most unusual Wikipedia articles
• Nerd Poker Podcast
• Our Geeky New York City Bookstore Wedding

Top Nerdy Moments of 2014

• Diana: Playing Dungeons and Dragons for the first time.
• Derek: Revisiting LOST.
• Bill: Playing with 8x10" negative cameras.
• Nhu-An: Reading American Prometheus.
• Conrad: Starting Super Fantastic Nerd Hour
• Ali: Seeing the next generation of nerd