Bonus Episode 2: How Much Is Too Much?

Star Wars theme park coming to Disneyland and Disneyworld

"We’ve been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had — a mythology to call their own." Disney's announcement of new Star Wars films, theme parks, TV shows, and other goodies have us wondering — how much is too much? Do we need a new Spider-Man, a Fantastic Four reboot, more Star Trek, and another Avengers film? Where do artistic endeavors end and commercial franchises begin? Why do these stories keep repeating, despite our fatigue, and how do we keep them relevant? Special guest, geeky photographer and host of the On Taking Pictures podcast Bill Wadman.

Episode 38: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Rebels VS. Star Wars: Clone Wars, Top 5 Animated TV Shows

Star Wars: Rebels cast

“If all you do is fight for your own life than your life is worth nothing.” We review Spark of the Rebellion, the pilot episode of Star Wars: Rebels! Why is Rebels the most important new Star Wars project since Episode I: The Phantom Menace? How does it fit in with next year's Episode VII? And what's the deal with those Wookies?!? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, what's the better Star Wars story – Rebels or Clone Wars? We draw up our top 5 animated TV shows.

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Show Notes

  • 0:00 – 33:50: Star Wars: Rebels.
  • 33:51 – 48:58: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Star Wars: Rebels VS. Star Wars: Clone Wars
  • 48:59 – 1:25:25: Top 5 Animated TV Shows. 

Links

Top 5 Animated TV Shows 

Conrad:

  1. Batman: The Animated Series 
  2. Futurama
  3. Animaniacs/Picky and the Brain
  4. Robot Chicken
  5. The Dungeons and Dragons Animated Series

Ali:

  1. Batman: The Animated Series 
  2. South Park
  3. The Simpsons
  4. Futurama
  5. Robot Chicken

Honorable Mentions:

  • Family Guy
  • Spawn
  • Justice League
  • X-Men: The Animated Series
  • The Critic
  • Space Ghost Coast to Coast
  • The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show

Bonus Episode 1: Best of San Diego Comic Con Panels

Lowen Baumgarten, Raphael, and Ali Mattu at San Diego Comic Con 2014

Lowen Baumgarten, Raphael, and Ali Mattu at San Diego Comic Con 2014

We continue our San Diego Comic Con 2014 coverage with clips and recaps of our favorite panels! Does TV have the power to heal? Why did Atari secretly bury thousands of E.T. video game cartridges? What does Max Brooks think of the WWZ film adaptation? How did the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles get their start? What made Fight Club go from a failed book to a cult film? Who wins the psychology of Star Trek VS. Star Wars? What do San Diegans think of Comic Con? 

Show Notes

  • 0:00 - 4:02: Introduction.

  • 4:03 - 12:44: Psychology of Cult TV Shows.

  • 12:45 - 27:44: Digging E.T.: Behind the Scenes of the Xbox Originals Documentary, Atari: Game Over.

  • 27:45 - 41:02: Max Brooks-Zombies vs. Vampires: The Extinction Parade Survival Panel.

  • 41:03 - 57:24: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 30th Anniversary.

  • 57:25 -  1:09:28: Fight Club: From Page to Screen and Beyond.

  • 1:09:30 - 1:22:26: The Psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars: Episode IV.

  • 1:22:28 - 1:36:43: An Interview With Alix and Justin.

Panel Downloads

Psychology of Cult TV Shows

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A panel of therapists and scientists (mad or otherwise), including Dr. Janina Scarlet (The Superhero Manual), Dr. Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight), Dr. Ali Mattu (Nerd Hour), and Billy San Juan (Alliant International University) discuss the psychology behind TV shows, such as Doctor Who, Sherlock, Firefly, Grimm, and Buffy. Find out how TV shows might help us cope with painful experiences and geek out in discussing such fundamental questions as: With all the regenerations, what is the Doctor's true identity? What makes Sherlock a better detective than London's finest? What does psychology tell us about the demons that live inside us? With these questions and more, this panel is a must for loyal fans of these shows.

Digging E.T.: Behind the Scenes of the Xbox Originals Documentary, Atari: Game Over

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Comic-Con fans will get the first glimpse at Atari: Game Over, the Xbox Originals documentary that chronicles the fall of the Atari Corporation through the lens of one of the biggest mysteries of all time, dubbed "The Great Video Game Burial of 1983." As the story goes, the Atari Corporation, faced with overwhelmingly negative response to the E.T. video game, disposed of hundreds of thousands of unsold game cartridges by burying them in the small town of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, original Atari video game designer Howard Scott Warshaw (E.T., Yar's Revenge, Raiders of the Lost Ark), two-time Academy Award-winning executive producer Simon Chinn (Searching for Sugar Man and Man on Wire), Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jonathan Chinn (FX's 30 Days and PBS's American High), director Zak Penn (X-Men 3, Avengers, andIncident at Loch Ness), Fuel CEO Mike Burns, and more as they take fans behind the scenes and share an inside look into the making of this weird and wonderful film. Moderated by Larry Hyrb (Xbox's Major Nelson).

Max Brooks-Zombies vs. Vampires: The Extinction Parade Survival Panel

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New York Times bestselling author Max Brooks (The Zombie Survival Guide) is renowned for his zombie survival lectures but this year he returns to provide intel and anecdotes on how to survive a Vampires vs. Zombies apocalypse! Moderated by William Christensen (Avatar Press publisher), this panel and Q&A introduces readers to Max Brooks's new all-original comic book series, Extinction Parade: War!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 30th Anniversary

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In 1984, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird published the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The comic book was an overnight success, and three decades later, the Turtles are more popular than ever, starring in a hit Nickelodeon television series, an award-winning toy line, monthly comic books from IDW, and a new live-action movie later this summer. Join TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman for a 30th anniversary celebration featuring a who's who of talented people who have contributed to the Turtles' enduring history. Guests include Karl Aaronian (Playmates Toys), Townsend Coleman (voice of Michelangelo in the original TMNT animated series), Lloyd Goldfine (4kids TMNT, Turtles Forever), Ciro Nieli (executive producer, NickelodeonTMNT), Ernie Reyes Jr. (Keno inTMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze), and Tom Waltz (writer, IDW TMNT comics), and panel moderator Andrew Farago (curator, Cartoon Art Museum; author of TMNT: The Ultimate Visual History).

Fight Club: From Page to Screen and Beyond

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Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Haunted), director David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven, The Social Network, and Gone Girl), Gerald Howard (Doubleday executive editor), and special guests discuss the seminal novel's journey from book to film and beyond. Moderated by Rick Kleffel (TheAgonyColumn.com).

The Psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars: Episode IV

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Step into the pop culture ring with geeky psychologists Dr. Andrea Letamendi (The Arkham Sessions) and Dr. Ali Mattu (Super Fantastic Nerd Hour) as they bring their popular, intergalactic sci-fi battle back to Comic-Con for round 4! Special guests Sam Witwer (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Being Human) and Rod Roddenberry (Trek Nation, Roddenberry Entertainment) join the psych pros to debate, tackle, and explain some of the most fascinating aspects of both universes. Pick a side and cast your vote as they crown one the winner! Impartially refereed by Brian Ward (Shout! Factory).

An Interview with Alix and Justin

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Friends of the show Alix and Justin sit down to talk being a nerd, how San Diego Comic Con has changed over the past 10 years, what happens to the city when the con takes over, and why this place is a perfect match for the ultimate fan gathering.

Episode 6: Why the Oscars Hate Geeks, 2001: A Space Odyssey VS. Star Wars, Top 5 Oscar Snubs

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Academy of Motion PIcture Arts and Sciences, Science Fiction Oscar Snubs

And the Oscar for Best Picture goes to…no science fiction film EVER! We explore how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences works, why genre films keep getting ignored during award season, and why this matters. The two biggest science fiction Oscar losers, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars, battle for intergalactic glory in the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER! We share our top 5 Oscar snubs.

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Show Notes

  • 0:00 - 24:00: Why the Oscars hate geeks.

  • 24:01 - 47:44: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER - 2001: A Space Odyssey VS. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

  • 47:45 - 1:20:05: Top 5 Oscar snubs.

Links

Top 5 Oscar Snubs

Conrad:

  1. District 9
  2. Inception
  3. E.T.
  4. Sin City
  5. Alien

Ali: 

  1. Citizen Kane
  2. Children of Men
  3. E.T.
  4. Her
  5. Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Honorable Mentions:

  • Sam Rockwell (Moon)
  • Alan Rickman (Harry Potter films)
  • Ed Harris (The Abyss) 
  • Blade Runner
  • Dark City
  • Jeff Goldblum (The Fly)
  • Donnie Darko
  • Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
  • Metropolis 
  • The Iron Giant
  • The Dark Knight
  • Jurassic Park
  • Looper
  • Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) 
  • Pan's Labyrinth 
  • Back to the Future
  • The Wizard of Oz