Geekfest Rants

Episode 74 - New York Toy Fair 2012 - Part 2

This week on GFR Carlos delivers Part 2 of his extensive Toy Fair coverage with an all-Lego episode. He'll discuss the latest Lego adaptions, including Star Wars, Marvel Super Heroes and Lord of the Rings!

 Episode 74 - New York Toy Fair 2012 - Part 2

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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 Legend of the Lone Ranger - by Steve Vivona

 

My Dad is a huge Lone Ranger fan. As big a Star Wars or Star Trek fan as I am, he is for the Masked Rider of the Plains. My father possesses an infectious enthusiasm for the things he loves so it was hard for me as a kid not to be sucked into his passions, which included but were not limited to: baseball, swashbucklers, historical dramas and westerns.

Dad grew up on the western and his generation was inundated with its heroes. Names like Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy and the Cisco Kid were as common as Batman, Spider-Man or the X-Men. While he possesses a great love for Hoppy, I’m fairly certain he’s edged out by John Reid, as portrayed by Clayton Moore and briefly by John Hart.

Episode 73 - New York Toy Fair 2012 - Part 1

This week features Part 1 of GFR's New York Toy Fair 2012 coverage. Carlos visits companies such as Uncle Milton, Kotobukiya and Funko, and will concentrate on genre toys being released later this year, with a specific focus on Star Wars (what a shock!) 

Episode 73 - New York Toy Fair 2012 - 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].

Gaining the World and Losing Your Soul on “Once Upon a Time” - by Tony Rossi

 

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” is a question Jesus asked 2,000 years ago.

It’s a question storytellers have explored for just as long, most recently on the ABC series “Once Upon a Time” in an episode titled “Desperate Souls.”

From “Beauty and the Beast” to to C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books, fairy tales provide us with engaging characters and stories, as well as occasional moral and spiritual lessons. “Once Upon a Time” follows that tradition by delving into the lives of just about every fairy tale character you’ve ever heard of, but with a lot more detail, complexity and backstory. The premise is that the Evil Queen, in order to get revenge on Snow White and Prince Charming, made a deal with the master of dark magic, Rumpelstiltskin, to put a curse on her entire kingdom that would transport them to a town in our world called Storybrooke, Maine, where they’re just ordinary citizens who don’t remember their pasts. The curse can only be undone by Emma, the daughter of Snow and the Prince from the fairy tale world, who they managed to save before the curse went into effect. Each episode of the series moves the story forward in Storybrooke, while also providing a look at the characters’ pasts.

Click here for the rest of this article:  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christophers/2012/02/gaining-the-world-and-losing-your-soul-on-once-upon-a-time/

Episode 72 - Catching Up with Logan's Run

On today's installment of GFR Carlos and James discuss that pre-Star Wars slice of sci-fi, Logan's Run! Much like their Six Million Dollar man chat the pair have a far reaching discussion that encompasses the film's place in sci-fi history, its tv spinoff, merchandising and possible remake!

Episode 72 - Catching Up with Logan's Run

 

 (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 Missing "Star Wars" Links - by Carlos Perrone

 

With the recent release of the Star Wars saga on Blu-ray, diehard Star Wars fans might have finally found the Holy Grail of Star Wars story material: the long sought after deleted scenes of the original trilogy. Now don't get me wrong -- Blu-ray is cool.  You will not find a better consumer grade version of the Star Wars saga than these new Blu-rays. And lets remember that before Blu-ray we had DVD.  Before that we had Laserdisc, VHS, and even Super 8mm.

For years we have been theorizing and repeating rumors of cut scenes from the Star Wars films and hoping that one day they would come out.  Before the internet, we didn't have too many sources to find this material. Back in the late 70s to the early 90s, all we had to go on was interviews where some behind the scenes individual would mention something about some scene that was shot but then edited out of the film.  Every now and then a picture would pop up on a magazine or book showing us a scene that never made it to the final cut. Other sources of deleted scenes were the novelization and comics version of the films.

Episode 71 - Is Star Trek: First Contact the Best Next Generation Star Trek Film?

On today's GFR, Carlos and James ask whether Star Trek: First Contact is the best Next Gen film, or the best Trek film period?  We examine how Jonathan Frakes'  Star Trek: First Contact, stands up to all other Next Gen films.  Plus we'll look at the possible future of the franchise. 

Episode 71 - Is Star Trek- First Contact the Best Next Generation Star Trek Film

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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].

 

Alec Guiness: More than just a Jedi - by Steve Vivona

Before donning his Jedi robes for the role of Ben (Obi Wan) Kenobi in Tunisia in 1976, Alec Guiness enjoyed a storied acting career known for its diversity of roles, perhaps most notably under the auspices of legendary director David Lean. However, after the release of Star Wars, that notoriety was forever eclipsed by his association with one role, and while it made him financially secure for the rest of his life, it was an association he resented. Despite my abiding love for the original trilogy (and his performance) I actually don’t blame him.

Episode 70 - Deconstructing The Thing (2011) - Part 2

On today's installment of GFR Carlos and Steve L. continue their dissection of The Thing prequel (recently released on Blu-ray)! They'll finish off their in-depth plot analysis and share their thoughts on how this film compares with the Carpenter classic!

 Episode 70 - Deconstructing The Thing (2011) - Part 2
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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].