Geekfest Rants

Episode 52 - One Year Anniversary Special

Help celebrate GFR's first birthday by tuning in to our special one-hour anniversary podcast! Carlos discusses everything from the sacred history of the Geek Fest to how it inspired him to create the GFR podcast. Are you interested in creating your own podcast? We'll tell you how! We'll also hear from GFR contributors Brian and Steve V., as well as Carlos' wife Kim, the true power behind the GFR throne!

 Episode 52 - Geekfest Rants One Year Anniversary Special

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Anyone wishing to suggest show topics or participate on any future shows, please leave us a comment below or e-mail us at [email protected].

The Scene I Waited 22 Years For - by Steve Vivona

As is no secret to anyone who knows me, I grew up on a steady diet of super heroes and science fiction. From the ages of 7-13 I was completely obsessed with “Star Wars,” and its attendant action figures, comic books, and other ephemera, dominated my consciousness like nothing else.

I was not alone. All my close friends were enthralled by George Lucas’ vision of a galaxy far, far away to one degree or another. Every last one of my friends owned figures and playsets, and we endlessly debated who was cooler. I was always partial to Luke Skywalker, whereas most of my friends preferred the more charismatic Han Solo.

I devoured anything related to the saga, including the novels, and often dialogue and entire scenes not found in the films were revealed in those pages. One passage in the novel for “Return of the Jedi” particularly enthralled me. In it, Ben Kenobi relates to Luke how Darth Vader found himself trapped in the infamous black suit.

Episode 51 - Toho Studios and Godzilla

This week GFR special contributor Mike Sutton regales Carlos with tales from the land of the rising sun and his special visit to legendary Toho Studios, home of Godzilla!

 Episode 51 - Toho Studios and Godzilla
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 Anyone wishing to suggest show topics or participate on any future shows, please leave us a comment below or e-mail us at [email protected].

 

In Defense of...Swamp Thing - by Steve Vivona

I know I’ve defended some dubious films since I initiated this column. Admittedly, some are for purely sentimental reasons. I believe others have been unfairly maligned or overlooked upon their original release. This one is a combination of both.

Back in 1982, aside from Superman, there wasn’t much going on theatrically in the live-action superhero landscape. We were nearly a decade away from Tim Burton’s Batman and two decades away from X-Men and Spider-Man. The technology simply did not exist to render their fantastic powers (as I’ve already discussed in my prior defenses of The Rocketeer and Dick Tracy).

However, two forward thinking producers – Ben Melniker and Micheal Uslan optioned two DC properties they believed had franchise potential (and that could be budgeted within reason). The first, of course, was Batman. Uslan fought for nearly 10 years to get the film made. Eventually his perseverance paid off with the highest grossing superhero film (up to that point) with Tim Burton’s Batman.

 

Episode 50 - Spider-Man - Geek Commentary

This week's installment of GFR features our first superhero commentary with Sam Raimi's megahit Spider-Man. Tune in as Carlos tortures Spidey fanatic Steve V., by seeing subliminal hints everywhere and pointing out every single appearance of the color green. Yeah, dude that's exactly what Raimi had in mind to foreshadow the Goblin. If it's in every scene it's not subliminal!

 Episode 50 - Spider-Man - Geek Commentary

 (To download as an MP3, right click on the above bar and save to desktop)

Anyone wishing to suggest show topics or participate on any future shows, please leave us a comment below or e-mail us at [email protected].

In Defense of...Timothy Dalton as James Bond - by Steve Vivona

 
In my prior defense of Never Say Never Again I noted how disenchanted I was with the tenure of Roger Moore as James Bond. I came of age during his reign as Bond, and with the exception of For Your Eyes Only, had little use for him in the role. In the mid-80s, I started recording all the Bond films off network television, and quickly realized Sean Connery was my guy.

When Moore finally relinquished the role after A View to a Kill (a film the producers cajoled him into doing since they had yet to find a replacement), I was excited to see someone, anyone new in the role.

After an exhaustive search that included Liam Neeson and Sam Neill, the producers chose Timothy Dalton, an actor known primarily known for theatre work, who American audiences knew primarily as Prince Baron from the 1980 version of Flash Gordon. Dalton actually turned the Bond role down when he was approached to replace Sean Connery in 1968. Had he accepted the role he would’ve been the youngest actor ever cast as Bond.

 

Episode 49 - Sylvester Stallone Special - Part 3

The Stallone goodness continues as Carlos continues indulging Sly fanatic Steve V. for Part 3 (of 4!!) of our Stallone special, covering the lean years before he staged his improbable comeback with Rocky Balboa!

 Episode 49 -Sylvester Stallone Special - Part 3
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 Anyone wishing to suggest show topics or participate on any future shows, please leave us a comment below or e-mail us at [email protected].

In Defense of...Dick Tracy - by Steve Vivona

Every Geek worth their salt remembers 1989 as the summer of Batman. The film’s cultural impact was nothing short of massive. Its’ (pre-viral) marketing campaign was sheer genius and every studio wanted in on that action. Long-dormant superhero/pulp properties were revived, and for a short time, the door was wide open for such productions to get underway.

One such property was Dick Tracy, a film gestating longer than the aforementioned Batman. The property bounced from studio to studio and screenwriter to screenwriter for 15 years before it was made. The name most often associated with the square-jawed private eye was Warren Beatty, an actor known for laconic (and iconic) performances since he hit it big with Splendor in the Grass in 1961

Disney was quick to greenlight Dick Tracy after Batman’s incredible numbers came in. Beatty opted to direct the film himself, and had already proved his competence in that area. However, his rep was somewhat tarnished by this point after the colossal failure of Ishtar in 1987. As a director, he was known for his Kubrick-like perfectionism and as a producer he was known for being extremely stubborn.