Episode 34: Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley, Seconds VS. Back to the Future, Top 5 Stories About Regret

“Write your mistake. Ingest one mushroom. Go to sleep. Wake anew.” It's the Super Fantastic Nerd Hour review of Seconds, the new graphic novel from Scott Pilgrim author Bryan Lee O'Malley! We debate if Seconds’s premise about a restaurant chef altering the space-time continuum charts new territory for comics, discuss how its commentary about being on the “bleak precipice of a early-thirties crisis” compares to the science of aging, and geek out about all of its references to pop culture. In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, which coming of age story stands the test of time — Seconds or Back to the Future? We divulge our top 5 stories about regret.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 44:16: Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley.
• 44:17 – 53:10: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Seconds VS. Back to the Future.
• 53:11 – 1:15:33: Top 5 Stories About Regret. 

Links

• Radio Maru: Bryan Lee O'Malley's Tumblr Page
• Scott Pilgrim's Bryan Lee O'Malley Goes for "Seconds"
• Seconds: Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Story About Second Chances Sets Up His Own Second Act 
• IGN review: Bread makes you fat?
• Boing Boing review: A strong, self-absorbed female protagonist pushes the boundaries of spacetime
• Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?
• Is 25 the new cut-off point for adulthood?
• Today's abundance of options can stall our decision-making and even wear away our well-being
• Affective Forecasting: The Perils of Predicting Future Feelings
• Hedonic adaptation, choice, and some dark thoughts on happiness
• Post-traumatic Growth

Top 5 Stories About Regret

Conrad: 

1. Up
2. Tom Waits - Martha
3. High Fidelity
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Peggy Sue Got Married

Ali:

1. "Tapestry" (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
2. "Ab Aeterno" (LOST)
3. "In the Pale Moonlight" (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Before Sunset

Episode 33: Summer 2014 Recap, Summer 2013 VS. 2014, Top 5 Films and TV Shows of the Fall Season

The summer is TERMINATED! We look back at the 2014 summer blockbuster season, see how our predictions panned out, and share our winners and losers. In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, which summer season was better for nerds – 2013 or 2014? Things get autumnal as we share the top 5 films and TV shows we're looking forward to this fall. 

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 36:33: Summer 2014 Recap.
• 36:34 – 47:40: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Summer 2013 VS. Summer 2014.
• 47:41 – 1:13:21: Top 5 Films and TV Shows of the Fall Season. 

Links

• Summer blockbusters 2014: Hollywood’s difficult season
• Why Summer Movie Box Office Was Down In 2014
• Best/Worst-Marketed Films Of Summer 2014
• The winners and losers of summer 2014
• The age of the beautifully directed blockbuster is upon us
• The Best Movies Of Summer 2014: Aliens, Apes, Heroes, Monsters and Families
• Supercomputing: The Behind-the-Scenes Star of the Summer Blockbuster
• This Summer Has Actually Restored My Faith In Pop Culture
• Spider-Woman in 3D is terrifying and impossible

Top 5 Films and TV Shows of the Fall Season

Conrad: 

1. Constantine (trailer) 
2. Walking Dead - Season 5 (trailer)
3. Ascension (trailer)
4. Interstellar (trailer)
5. Gotham (trailer)

Ali:

1. Interstellar (trailer)
2. Star Wars Rebels (trailer)
3. Ascension (trailer)
4. Birdman (trailer)
5. Walking Dead - Season 5 (trailer)

Honorable Mentions:

• Z Nation (trailer)
• Agents of Shield: Season 2 (trailer)
• Gone Girl (trailer)
• Big Hero 6 (trailer)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (trailer)
• Flash (trailer)

Episode 32: Doctor Who Series 8 Premiere, Eleventh Doctor VS. Twelfth Doctor, Top 5 Regeneration Moments

"I don't think I know who The Doctor is anymore." We explore the wibbly wobbly world of Doctor Who! What's the impact of the 50th anniversary on the series 8 premiere? Is the Twelfth Doctor really as dark as everyone claims? How has Clara's relationship with The Doctor changed? And what's up with that new intro and TARDIS? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who would you rather be a companion to – the Eleventh Doctor or Twelfth Doctor? We enter the time vortex as we share our top 5 Doctor Who regeneration moments. Special guests, speculative fiction writer Derek Bishop and photographer/lifelong Whovian Bill Wadman.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 19:47: Expectations for the Twelfth Doctor.
• 19:48 – 45:05: Doctor Who series 8 premiere review. 
• 45:06 – 55:02: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Eleventh Doctor VS. Twelfth Doctor.
• 55:03 – 1:40:24: Top 5 regeneration moments. 

Links

• The Geekie Awards
• Doctor Who Taught Me How to Embrace a New Culture
• Peter Capaldi: 'I'm The Doctor, how did that happen?'
• Peter Capaldi realizes a lifelong ambition by portraying Doctor Who
• New Doctor Who portrayal 'not yet in place'
• New Doctor Who fights deadliest foes – tight budgets and BBC politics
• Jenna Coleman: "Peter Capaldi is almost the opposite of Matt Smith"
• Doctor Who in 30 seconds
• Doctor Who's new intro is based on a fan video!
• Inside the new TARDIS
• It's time for a new Doctor Who writer's room
• Every Doctor's first moments
• Alan Sizzler Kistler's Doctor Who: A History

Top 5 Regeneration Moments

Bill:

1. Fourth to Fifth Doctor (Logopolis)
2. Eleventh Doctor (The Eleventh Hour)
3. Fourth Doctor (Robot)
4. Second to Third Doctor (Spearhead from Space)
5. Romana's Regeneration (Destiny of the Daleks)

Derek:

1. Tenth Doctor to Eleventh Doctor (The End of Time)
2. Eleventh Doctor (The Eleventh Hour)
3. Twelfth Doctor (Deep Breath)
4. Eighth to War Doctor (The Night of the Doctor)
5. Seventh to Eighth Doctor (Doctor Who TV Movie)

Conrad: 

1. Fourth to Fifth Doctor (Logopolis)
2. Eleventh Doctor (The Eleventh Hour)
3. Tenth Doctor (The Christmas Invasion)
4. Ninth to Tenth Doctor (The Parting of the Ways)
5. Romana's Regeneration (Destiny of the Daleks)

Ali:

1. Eleventh Doctor (The Eleventh Hour)
2. War Doctor (The Night of the Doctor)
3. Fourth Doctor (Robot)
4. Tenth Doctor (The Christmas Invasion)
5. Ninth Doctor (Rose) 

Honorable Mentions:

• Seventh Doctor (Time and the Rani)
• The Return of Sarah Jane Smith (School Reunion)

Episode 31: Remembering Robin Williams

"Oh captain, my captain!" We depart from our regularly scheduled programming to remember Robin Williams. From the first time we saw him act to his most recent films and TV shows, we explore all the wonderful things that made Robin Williams such a unique actor and a huge nerd. 

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 37:54: Remember Robin Williams.
• 37:55 – 1:08:34: Top 5 Robin Williams Moments.

Links

• WTF Podcast: Remembering Robin Williams
• Robin Williams: A Look Back at the Late Actor’s Best Work
• President Obama on the Passing of Robin Williams: "He Was One of a Kind"
• Norm MacDonald tweeted our favorite Robin Williams remembrance to date
• Robin Williams Quotes That Will Stay With Us
• Robin Williams, An Avid Gamer, To Be Remembered In World Of Warcraft
• Robin Williams and Pam Dawber Reunite as 'Mork & Mindy'
• Robin Williams has a tickle fight with Gorilla
• What It Was Like to Do Surprise Improv With Robin Williams
• Robin Williams in Marin: The Man on the Bicycle
• Remembering Robin Williams’ strong support for the troops
• How to cover the Robin Williams story responsibly
• Suicide contagion and social media: The dangers of sharing ‘Genie, you’re free’
• Finally, We're Talking About Mental Illness Like Adults
• Robin Williams Death Inspires 'Coming Out' About Depression
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Live Through This
• What Happens Now? Support for Survivors of Suicide
• What Battlestar Galactica Can Teach Us About Suicide Prevention
• Talking about suicidality doesn't make someone more suicidal
• Robin Williams’ Parkinson’s: The Link Between the Chronic Disease and Depression
• Twitter tweaks policies to “better handle tragic situations”

Top 5 Robin Williams Moments

Conrad: 

1. WTF Podcast interview
2. The Fisher King's "A lot of beautiful things can come out of the trash"
3. Dead Poets Society's Finding Your Own Voice
4. Mork meets Robin Williams
5. Peter Pan's first encounter with Hook

Ali:

1. Aladdin's Genie
2. Robin Williams on Inside the Actors Studio
3. Mrs. Doubtfire's ending
4. Dead Poets Society's Carpe Diem
5. Mork meets Robin Williams

Honorable Mentions:

• Jumanji
• A Night at the Museum
• Insomnia
• Bicentennial Man
• What Dreams May Come
• Sesame Street cameos

Episode 30: Snowpiercer, Snowpiercer VS. Hunger Games, Top 5 Movies with Trains

Tilda Swinton's Mason in Snowpiercer

"Know your place. Accept your place. Be a shoe!" We take a ride on Snowpiercer! Why was Bong Joon-ho's new film held up in distribution for almost a year? Is its experimental video on demand and theatrical release working? How does Snowpiercer mashup horror and science fiction? What's the film's social commentary and how does it relate to classics like Metropolis and Brazil? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, which dystopian future would you rather live in - Snowpiercer or The Hunger Games? All aboard our top 5 movies with trains. 

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 51:00: Snowpiercer.
• 51:01 – 1:00:00: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Snowpiercer VS. The Hunger Games.
• 1:00:01 – 1:15:49: Top 5 Movies with Trains.

Links

• The original Snowpiercer comic is dystopian scifi at its best
• Director Bong Joon-Ho Explains Harvey Weinstein’s Problem With Snowpiercer
• Snowpiercer at its core is a horror film, despite its sci-fi packaging
• Now That You've Seen Snowpiercer, Which Other Movies Should You Watch From Director Bong Joon-ho?
• Understanding Art House | Snowpiercer
• Can a Korean Sci-Fi Movie About a Train Reinvent Hollywood's Distribution Model?
• Director Bong Joon-ho Breaks Down Snowpiercer’s Ending

Top 5 Movies with Trains

Conrad: 

1. The Station Agent
2. The Darjeeling Limited
3. Source Code
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
5. Murder on the Orient Express

Ali:

1. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
2. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
3. North by Northwest
4. Back to the Future: Part 3
5. Unbreakable

Honorable Mentions:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• Strangers on a Train
• The Taking of Pelham 123
• Trading Places
• Dumbo
• 3:10 to Yuma (2007)