Episodes
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Itâs time to celebrate the music of the first decade of this century via our 2000s album draft! From opera to show tunes, weâve got several musical styles coveredâand those are just Andyâs picks! Why do Jamesâs picks leave us cold? What is Erikaâs favorite Beat Saber band? Why does Kelly use karaoke as therapy? How does Shelly tactically use remixes? And why did Brian insist on editing this episode?
Jason Snell with Brian Hamilton, James Thomson, Shelly Brisbin, Erika Ensign, Kelly Guimont and Andy Ihnatko.
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Our book club reconvenes to discuss the âShades of Magicâ series by V.E. Schwab, as well as the start of a second trilogy, âThe Fragile Threads of Power.â Before the spoilers begin, weâll explain the parallel fantasy world structure and explain why itâs such a great series. Then weâll discuss the newest book in the series. Plus: What are we reading?
Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Heather Berberet.
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Missing episodes?
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Just when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in! Long after we recorded our first episodes about âThe Godfather,â our panelists get back together to talk about the late-sequel âThe Godfather Part III,â or is it âThe Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleoneâ now? Only Francis knows for sure.
Jason Snell with John Siracusa, John Gruber, Chip Sudderth and Moisés Chiullån.
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Get on your sandworm and head south! Itâs time to discuss âDune Part 2,â a sequel with more sand, more Fremen, and more time spent at the super weird planet of the villainous Harkonnen family. Is Paul the hero, or⊠something else? Dust off the family atomics and join us, wonât you?
Jason Snell with Jean MacDonald, Kelly Guimont, Guy English and Brian Warren.
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Itâs the first-ever Reboot a Bad Movie draft! In which our stalwart panelists grab an intellectual-property loser off the shelf, dust it off, and re-envision it in a new way that could maybe, possibly be a hit with modern audiences.
Moisés Chiullån with Lisa Schmeiser, David J. Loehr, Cicero Holmes and Monty Ashley.
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Nobody is more surprised than Antony Johnston to find heâs now a cozy crime author. Dan Moren sniffs out the secrets of his âDog Sitter Detectiveâ series.
Dan Moren with Antony Johnston.
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We conclude our movie-by-movie review of the âBack to the Futureâ series with the western-themed third installment, which features less time travel shenanigans and more old-west shenanigans.
Jason Snell with Lex Friedman, John Siracusa, Brian Warren, Monty Ashley and Moisés Chiullån.
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Itâs time again. Time! To go forward in time, then backwardâor is it sideways?âin time, then further back in time, and then maybe even further back in time. Itâs time for the bland future of 2015, the apocalyptic alt-present of 1985, and a familiar 1955. But most of all, itâs time for a Crisis on Infinite Biffs. Itâs âBack to the Future Part II.â
Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Dan Moren, Brian Warren and Shelly Brisbin.
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Great Scott! No time to be a slacker, McFly, because weâve gotta go back in time to 1985 so we can go back to 1955 so we can perfectly time a lightning strike. Thatâs right, itâs time to talk about âBack to the Future.â
Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, John Siracusa, Shelly Brisbin, Chip Sudderth and Lex Friedman.
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Jasonâs favorite movie of 2023 was the gray flipside to âBarbie,â Christopher Nolanâs âOppenheimer.â And while none of us would exactly call ourselves Nolan fans, this one manages to grapple with a deep subject with great care. Itâs got some spectacular scenes that will blow your mindâand a whole lot more scene of men in suits and hats standing around talking.
Jason Snell with Shelly Brisbin, Kathy Campbell and Cicero Holmes.
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Two nations, two sitcoms, one premise: What if one of us could see ghosts? Infusing genre complications into the world of TV situation comedies, âGhostsâ has become a hit in both the UK and the U.S.! We recommend both, compare the different versions, and try to explain why the whole idea works so well.
Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Heather Berberet, Cicero Holmes and Erika Ensign.
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KNEW THIS WAS ONE WAY TICKET BUT YOU KNOW I HAD TO COME At long last, itâs the episode Jason has waited 13 years to schedule. Up from the depths of the ocean comes a long-awaited 4K transfer! Itâs time for all of you to join us in watching one of the great (and underrated) adventure films of all time, and perhaps James Cameronâs best film: âThe Abyss.â We watched the Special Edition of the film, and discuss the ways in which itâs superior to the original cut, and the ways it isnât.
Jason Snell with Todd Vaziri, John Siracusa, Annette Wierstra and Erika Ensign.
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We reconvene Miyazaki Club to discuss the master animatorâs latest final movie, âThe Boy and the Heron.â We went in wondering, will this be lyrical and nostalgic magical realism, or will it be a barrage of super-weird fantastical imagery? The voluminous bird poop and the suit of frogs point the way.
Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Steve Lutz and Moisés Chiullån.
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In 2023âs âGodzilla Minus One,â the classic monster doesnât just represent nuclear disaster, but crushing guilt on personal and societal levels. What if someone built a deeply emotional human drama that was also a movie where Godzilla destroys a whole lot of stuff? Weâve got the answer!
Jason Snell with Monty Ashley and Moisés Chiullån.
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Crack open your psychohistory textbooks and ready a new batch of imperial clones, because itâs time to discuss the Apple TV+ series âFoundation,â extremely loosely based on the classic works of Isaac Asimov. Before the spoiler horn, we talk about why this is a show worth catching up onâand also debate the merits of psychohistory. Then we discuss the first two seasons, which we really enjoyed.
Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Heather Berberet and John Siracusa.
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Happy new year! Some of our most prolific panelists pick some of their favorite media of the year gone by, and a few listeners send in some favorite clips from The Incomparable in this past year. Onward to 2024!
Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullån, Chip Sudderth, Monty Ashley, Dan Moren, Shelly Brisbin, Annette Wierstra and David J. Loehr.
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Itâs Kilmas 2023, in which we continue our annual celebration of the films of Val Kilmer. This yearâs selection is âKiss Kiss Bang Bang,â written and directed by Shane Black. Itâs a film noir-ish story that wants to have everything both ways. Val Kilmerâs the best thing in it, of course. The rest of the film feels unstuck in time.
Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Tiff Arment and Dan Moren.
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In the spirit of coming downstairs and finding presents waiting under the tree, we offer the Incomparable Toy Draft. Itâs not just a story about our favorite childhood toysâitâs also a story about the toys we desperately wanted and never got.
Jason Snell with Shelly Brisbin, Lisa Schmeiser, Kelly Guimont, Moisés Chiullån, David J. Loehr, Chip Sudderth, Monty Ashley, Philip Michaels and Annette Wierstra.
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50 years later, âSoylent Greenâ is still made of peopleâand its futuristic setting of 2022 is shockingly relevant! But having given this film a full viewing, we think itâs also a pretty good example of â70s eco sci-fi with a little noir detective flavoring. (Not that kind of flavoring.)
Jason Snell with Jean MacDonald, Monty Ashley, Annette Wierstra, Dr. Drang and Philip Michaels.
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Almost 100 episodes later, we reconvene (most of) our original panel to discuss season two of âThe Wheel of Time.â How does it fit into the current set of big fantasy TV shows? Team Didnât-Read-the-Books seems to be in agreement with Lady Dragonmount that it helps when a fantasy sagaâs book series is complete before itâs adapted for the screen.
Moisés Chiullån with Kathy Campbell and John Siracusa.
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