Geekfest Rants

Episode 56 - John Carpenter's The Thing - Geek Commentary

Just in time for Halloween, and hot on the heels of the recently released prequel, Carlos and the Steves provide commentary over one of their favorite horror films - John Carpenter's The Thing, a film that made a deep impression on their young psyches, and one whose mysteries they continue to delve into to this day! One of our most animated commentaries yet!

 Episode 56 - John Carpenter's The Thing - Geek Commentary

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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 name is Bond.....you know the rest! - by Steve Vivona

Recently it was announced that Bond 23 is finally entering production after years of legal wrangling that stalled the series (much like what happened between 1990-95, derailing the franchise and signaling the end of Timothy Dalton's tenure) Daniel Craig has put an indelible stamp on the character, rooting him firmly in the 21st century, imbuing him with a deadly earnestness that even the master himself, Sean Connery, could not achieve. 

Every Bond before Craig (including Connery and the somber Dalton) went about his tasks with a wink and a nod to the audience (to varying degrees). There was an implied conceit between actor and audience that the proceedings, however exciting, were the stuff of fantasy. Roger Moore was the living embodiment of this ideal as his Bond films venture into self-parody more often than any other actors take on the role.

Episode 55 - 2011 New York Comic Con - Part 1

Today's installment of GFR features Part 1 of our 2011 NYCC coverage. Carlos and Steve V. discuss their prior con experiences (dating all the way back to the 80s!), how things have changed, and how NYCC stacks up! Steve will also discuss the Stan Lee and the Seekers panel, which he attended.

 Episode 55 - 2011 New York Comic Con - Part 1

 (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].

The Ides of March - Geek Review - by Rob

Here at GFR we take the term "Geek" very seriously. We use it to describe who we are. We also think it's a broad term open to many uses. We are genre geeks, horror geeks, fantasy geeks, sci-fi geeks and yes, even film geeks. Whether it's Carpenter or Kubrick, Cameron or Tarantino, we live and breathe this stuff, and each of us has our specialty. One of our resident film Geeks (and Core 6 member) Rob, will be offering an occasional series of reviews that focus on artier fare from some of our favorite auteurs. Today he gives us The Ides of March, directed by and starring George Clooney! Rev up the Oscar buzz!

When a film is well-written it can be as thrilling as an action movie filled with explosions and car chases. I keep returning to movies like Glengarry Glen Ross, Network and The Insider because the pleasure of hearing their crackling dialogue spoken by a seasoned cast of actors can hardly be matched by the latest big budget extravaganza by Michael Bay or his ilk. To that canon of exciting, "all talk" movies I submit The Ides of March, a smart, cynical, and thoroughly satisfying political thriller that moves like a freight train even though there's not a chase scene in sight.

The film takes place in the days leading up to the Ohio Democratic presidential primary. Steven Meyers (Ryan Gosling, who can also be seen right now beating people to death in Drive) is a hotshot advisor to Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney, who also co-wrote and directed.) Meyers is young, but he's canny enough to know how to sell his extemely idealistic candidate on some of the thornier issues of their platform.

 

New York Comic Con Happenings

To all the great people we've been meeting at Comic Con ... WELCOME to the GeekFest Rants website! It's been so much fun meeting you all. Browse around, check out our podcasts and feel free to comment. And by comment we mean agree, disagree, or just give us your own thoughts on the topics we cover. It's all good! If you're on Facebook, like our page and keep up with entertainment news we share there from so many sources! You'll also be notified when a new show is up. We're on Twitter, too. Thanks for checking us out! 

Episode 54 - Vintage Star Wars Toys

On today's installment of GFR, Carlos and son Kyle marvel at some of GFR contibutor James' original Kenner Star Wars toys. How do they measure up to today's offerings? Take a geeky trip down memory lane!

 Episode 54 - Vintage Star Wars Toys

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

Here are a couple of links to the original Kenner commercials for these toys:

Early Bird Commercial:

http://youtu.be/dR13dW2yUKg

Death Star Space Station Commercial:

http://youtu.be/skVBMd53q68

Jawa Sandcrawler Commercial:

http://youtu.be/IpELH_wpq-Q

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].

It's almost here....

New York Comic Con is just around the corner ... as in this week, beginning Thursday, October 13th through Sunday, October 16th. GeekFest Rants will be there and we're sure you'll want to stop by! You can locate us in the Podcast Arena, located on Level 3, Main Exhibit Hall, to the right of Artist Alley. We've been assigned table F4. Hope to see you there! Stop by to give comments on selected topics for future shows. Grab a guide to all 53 Podcast episodes, so far. Enter a raffle. Oh, yeah....and enjoy the rest of the Con, too! : )

In Defense of...Exorcist III - by Steve Vivona

   
I miss the days when I would see a movie because the trailer “looked cool.” Nowadays, I go to the theater only when I feel it’s absolutely necessary (i.e. superhero blockbuster). But in my late teens and early twenties that was my #1 pastime, and I had a steady stream of friends who (generally) shared my tastes (or influenced them), so we went almost every week, or so it seemed.

We rarely gave any thought to reviews. In those pre-Internet days the only buzz we were often privy to came from genre magazines like Starlog and Fangoria. It was that lack of discretion that led to us discovering treasured classics such as Highlander, Prince of Darkness, Evil Dead 2, They Live, Monster Squad and several others, all critically or commercially reviled at the time. 

Episode 53 - 2011 Fall Genre TV Preview

On this week's installment of GFR Carlos and Steve V. hash out this fall's new genre offerings, including Terra Nova, Grimm and Once Upon a Time. Will any of them make the cut, or will they share the same fate as Flash Forward, V and The Event?

 Episode 53 - 2011 Fall Genre TV Preview

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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...The Star Wars Holiday Special and Legends of the Superheroes - by Steve Vivona

I like defending the seemingly indefensible. I’ve never had what I consider pretentious tastes. While I certainly enjoy artier fare my bread is buttered on the mainstream side, and I don’t apologize for that. Today, I’m tackling two television programs so infamously bad they defy description, but for 8-year old me they were manna from heaven, and on that basis alone they hold a special place in my geeky heart.

Said shows were telecast between November 1978 and January of 1979 and are emblematic of the worst late 70s TV had to offer. The era of variety television was winding down (thank God) but these two last gasps attempted to combine two of my great loves – Superheroes and Star Wars – with lowbrow slapstick, tacky musical numbers and garish sets. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Star Wars Holiday Special and Legends of the Superheroes.