Episode 49: Into the Woods, Into the Woods VS. Les Misérables, Top 5 Fairytale Retellings

“Anything can happen in the woods.” We review Disney’s film adaptation of Into the Woods! Is this a fitting adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s classic Broadway musical? Does it suffer from “Disneyfication”? What’s the story saying about fairytales? Why are our hosts so upset about the film's casting? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, it’s a sing off between Into the Woods and Les Misérables! We journey into our top 5 fairytale retellings.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 21:23: Into the Woods (non-spoilers).
• 21:24 - 33:10: Into the Woods (spoilers)
• 33:11 – 46:56: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Into the Woods VS. Les Misérables.
• 46:57 – 1:13:48: Top 5 Fairytale Retellings.

Links

• How Hollywood drains the subversion out of Into the Woods
• Into The Woods is a Rob Marshall musical that’s not ashamed to be a musical
• Into The Woods Should Have Killed This Character
• The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales
• Honest Trailers - Les Miserables
• 4 Bizarrely Specific Rules Fairy Tale Adaptations All Follow

Top 5 Fairytale Retellings

Conrad: 

1. Shrek
2. Enchanted
3. Sleepy Hollow
4. Wicked
5. Ever After

Ali:

1. Enchanted
2. Shrek
3. The Princess and the Frog
4. Maleficent
5. Aladdin

Honorable Mentions:

• A.I.
• Hook
• Pretty Woman
• Pan’s Labyrinth
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Brothers Grimm

Episode 48: SyFy’s Ascension, Ascension VS. REDACTED, Top 5 TV Miniseries

“In the 60s your father was convinced that the U.S. could launch an interstellar spaceship — I think he did it." We review SyFy Channel’s Ascension! How does the miniseries link to real history and what does it mean for the future of SyFy’s programming? Does the story's social commentary about space travel, the evolution of culture, eugenics, and technology hold up to nerd scrutiny? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, Ascension faces off against REDACTED! We share our top 5 TV miniseries. 

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 16:45: Ascension: Non-spoiler discussion.
• 16:46 – 40:05: Ascension: Spoiler discussion.
• 40:06 – 56:24: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Ascension VS. REDACTED.
• 56:25 – 1:28:23: Top 5 TV Miniseries.

Links

• Syfy plans to lure you back with these 5 shows
• Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)
• 'Ascension' finale review: Lost in space, or 'Lost' in space?
• 'Ascension' Is Not The Space Drama We Need, But The Space Drama We Deserve
• 'Ascension' and Sci-Fi's Fiction Problem
• ‘Ascension’: What Syfy Did Better Than Most TV Networks
• Ascension Ends With A Final Supreme Moment Of WTF
• 'Ascension' Creator on the Big Reveal and More
• U.S. Syphilis Study at Tuskegee

Top 5 TV Miniseries

Conrad: 

1. Band of Brothers
2. The War
3. In the Flesh
4. The Returned (Les Revenants)
5. V (1983)

Ali:

1. Roots
2. Band of Brothers
3. The Stand
4. Dune (1984)
5. Moby Dick

Honorable Mentions:

• Anne of Green Gables
• North and South

Episode 47: The Theory of Everything, The Theory of Everything VS. A Beautiful Mind, Top 5 Biopics

“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor.” Your favorite nerds review the Stephen and Jane Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything! Are the portrayals of the leads worthy of all the early Oscar buzz? How does the film depict Stephen Hawking’s scientific contributions? What about all the other messy details that got left out of the script? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, it’s The Theory of Everything versus A Beautiful Mind. We share our top 5 biopics. 

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 34:22: The Theory of Everything.
• 34:23 – 48:40: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: The Theory of Everything VS. A Beautiful Mind. 
• 48:41 – 1:23:03: Top 5 Biopics.

Links

• How Accurate Is The Theory of Everything?
• AV Club: Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking in the neutered biopic The Theory Of Everything
• Stephen Hawking reviews The Theory of Everything
• A Beautiful Mind's John Nash is nowhere near as complicated as the real one.

Top 5 Biopics

Conrad: 

1. Ed Wood
2. An Angel at My Table
3. Goodfellas
4. Malcolm X
5. Amadeus

Ali:

1. Malcolm X
2. The Aviator
3. Walk the Line
4. Milk
5. The Last King of Scotland

Honorable Mentions:

• Erin Brockovich
• All the President's Men
• Rudy
• American Splendor
• Jinnah
• Sid and Nancy
• My Left Foot

Episode 46: The Martian, The Martian VS. MOON, Top 5 Survival Stories

“As with most of life's problems, this one can be solved by a box of pure radiation.” We discuss Andy Weir’s breakout scifi novel The Martian! How did this self-published story become a bestselling novel? What’s unique about its blend of science and fiction? If you take out The Martian’s technobabble, is it still a compelling story? Will Matt Damon be a convincing astronaut in the 2015 Ridley Scott film adaptation? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who would you want to live with in a space station — The Martian’s Mark Watney or MOON’s Sam Bell? We share our top 5 survival stories and review the Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World trailers. Special guest, bibliophile Zainab Chaudary of The Memorist.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 19:45: The Martian - non-spoiler discussion.
• 19:46 – 49:00: The Martian - spoiler review.
• 49:01 – 58:35: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: The Martian VS. MOON.
• 58:36 - 1:36:35: Top 5 Survival Stories.
• 1:36:35 - 1:48:32: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens & Jurassic World trailer review.

Links

• Andy Weir: ‘The Martian’ (Science Friday)
• A Survival Guide to Mars (Wall Street Journal review)
• The App That Helped Write a Breakout Sci-Fi Novel
• The audacious rescue plan that might have saved space shuttle Columbia
• Ridley Scott in Talks to Direct Matt Damon in 'The Martian'
• Play Oregon Trail online
• Jerri FitzGerald, Who Treated Herself at South Pole, Dies at 57
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser
• Jurassic World - Official Trailer
• The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Awakens Parodies

Top 5 Survival Stories

Zainab:

1. Battlestar Galactica
2. I am Legend by Richard Matheson
3. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
4. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
5. Children of Men

Conrad: 

1. Europa, Europa by Solomon Perel
2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
3. Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald
4. Aron Ralston (Between a Rock and a Hard Place & 127 Hours)
5. Cast Away

Ali:

1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
3. 127 Hours
4. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
5. The Oregon Trail

Honorable Mentions:

• Alive (1993 film)
• The Ninth Doctor (Doctor Who)
• Marina Chapman

Episode 45: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss Everdeen vs. Sarah Connor, Top 5 Things to Watch on Thanksgiving

“Fire Is Catching!” We review The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1! Can Suzanne Collins’s slim novel be adapted into two films? What’s Mockingjay saying about reality TV and war propaganda? Looking back, what's The Hunger Games's contribution to the scifi genre? In the INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER, who’s the better instigator of rebellion — Katniss Everdeen or Terminator's Sarah Connor? We gobble down our top 5 things to watch on Thanksgiving.

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Show Notes

• 0:00 – 43:32: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.
• 43:33 – 58:16: INFINITE CROSSOVER CHAMBER: Katniss Everdeen vs. Sarah Connor.
• 58:17 – 1:29:18: Top 5 Things to Watch on Thanksgiving. 

Links

• 'Mockingjay' Can't Catch 'Fire'
• Bangkok Won't Show Mockingjay After Protestors Use Katniss' Salute
• As its clunky title suggests, Mockingjay—Part 1 is half a Hunger Games film
• The Real Science in the HUNGER GAMES (Because Science w/ Kyle Hill)
• Science Fiction and the Search for Gratitude on Thanksgiving
• Ali's Upcoming NYC Nerd Nite Talk: Why Nerds Rage!

Top 5 Things to Watch on Thanksgiving

Conrad: 

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Pleasantville
3. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
5. 28 Days Later

Ali:

1. Star Trek The Next Generation — "Family"
2. The Twilight Zone — "Time Enough at Last"
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
4. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
5. Home Alone

Honorable Mentions:

• Star Wars
• Harry Potter
• Doctor Who
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Any Thanksgiving day episode of Friends