Nerd Lunch

Michael, Rob, and Karen finish the Brosnan Bond films with the most hated Bond film of them all. Or is it? It's Die Another Day co-starring Halle Berry, Rosamund Pike, Toby Stephens, a ton of references to earlier Bond films, and that song by Madonna.

Michael and Jess talk about a couple of vampire movies from Mike Mignola's list of favorite horror movies. After revisiting The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), which we'd both previously seen and disliked, we try Neil Jordan's Byzantium (2012), starring Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, to see if we like it any better.

Pax, Rob, and Michael finish this month's lounge talking about Scream: The TV Series, Universal’s Dracula and Frankenstein movies, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, Friday the 13th with Gourley And Rust, The Witch (2015), Salem's Lot (2024), and more.

Pax, Rob, and Michael talk about haunted apartments, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, layoffs, Holmes/Poirot, taking breaks from comics, Lone Women by Victor LaValle, Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson, and cetera.

Michael and Rob welcome back Joanna from Bloody Popcorn and Becky Tyler to talk about our favorite pop culture witches. And of course also to put them into brackets and vote on them until we decide on the ultimate witch of all time.

Michael and Jess continue watching Mike Mignola's 20 Horror Movies That He Can't Live Without. This time it's all ghost stories with The Innocents (1961), The Haunting (1963), and The Others (2001).  If you especially like movies about ghosts, this makes a phantasmic follow up to Episode 286 where Michael, Jess, and their friend Darla discussed three other ghost movies: Poltergeist (1982), The Orphanage (2007), and The Woman in Black (2012).

Michael, Rob, and Pax continue drifting the Fast and the Furious drift with the third drift: Tokyo Drift. It's time to drift goodbye to Brian and drift hello with Sean, Han, and Twinkie. 

After a fun exercise in which they create their own one-off Bond films, Michael, Rob, and Karen discuss the tone, the villains, and the Christmas Jones of Pierce Brosnan's third Bond film (and Desmond Llewelyn's last), The World Is Not Enough. Also starring Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards, and Robert Carlyle, and directed by Michael Apted.

Michael, Rob, and Pax talk about the Scream movies, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Agatha All Along, Sherlock Holmes live theater, Alien: Romulus, relistening to yourself on podcasts, Yellowjackets, Omen movies, and more.

Michael, Rob, and Pax talk about rescuing princesses, refrigerator delivery, Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, comfort media, Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout, Pax's revisiting early Nerd Lunch, Kill Creek by Scott Thomas, and so much more.

Michael and Rob welcome back Carlin Trammel from last week and also John Vanover to nominate and vote on TV themes from dramas or any other genres that didn't fall into one of the previous categories we've covered. It's an especially eclectic hodge podge of musical styles this episode (making it particularly difficult to vote) in our road to determine the greatest TV theme song of all time.

These TV themes Sweet 16s aren't getting any easier. This time, Michael and Rob are joined by Paxton Holley and Carlin Trammel to agonize over, nominate, and vote on our favorite opening themes from action and mystery shows. It may be an impossible mission, but we'll open a bottle of magnum and try to become the greatest American heroes as we reveal the unsolved mystery of the best action/mystery theme ever.

Michael and Rob travel back to the late 1930s for the first screen adaptations of the pulp hero The Shadow. The Shadow Strikes (1937) and International Crime (1938) both star Rod La Rocque as the Shadow, or at least Lamont Cranston. Or Granston. We'll get into it.

After largely agreeing about GoldenEye, Michael, Rob, and Karen are divided once again. We differ about the enjoyability of Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce Brosnan's second turn as James Bond with Jonathan Pryce as an over-the-top villain, Michelle Yeoh as a butt-kicking rival agent, Teri Hatcher as the never-before-revealed love of Bond's life, and a heart-breaking tale of two theme songs. 

Michael, Rob, and Pax stay up late talking about The Alienist, Avenue 5, Presumed Innocent, Sugar, The Six Million Dollar Man, Batman: Caped Crusader, Cleopatra movies, The Cat from Outer Space, Zardoz, Murder on the Orient Express movies, the Time Bandits TV series, Mayor of Kingstown, Deadpool & Wolverine, Knox Goes Away, Under Paris, generation gaps, The Man from Atlantis, Sealab 2020, Borderlands, Jackpot!, Guitar Hero, and more.

After a quick conversation with Evan about ancient history, Michael, Rob, and Pax discuss Jedi gloves, Tomb Raider, Star Trek video games, salsa, Masterpiece by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, DC's Dark Knights of Steel event, a Ghostbusters oral history, Starter Villain by John Scalzi, Charlesgate Confidential by Scott Von Doviak, Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ensign Flandry by Poul Anderson, The Space Between by Corinna Bechko and Danny Luckert, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, when to quit a book or TV series, and more.

Michael and Jess talk about a couple of Mike Mignola's favorite movies about witches: Black Sunday (1960) and The Witch (2015). Plus Spirit Halloween, Maxine Minx, remakes, and strangely enough: Tarzan.

The Return of Jetpack Tiger! In response to our episode on the Cartoons and Kids TV Show Themes Sweet 16, Dashiell and Carlin Trammel critique the decision to include the medium of animation as a separate category that competes with live action genres like sitcoms and action shows. Should animated shows be included with live action shows of similar genres?

Michael and Rob welcome Ben Graham, Kay, and Pax to talk about the greatest cartoon and kids show theme songs of all time. Only sixteen tunes can go in the brackets, but there are honorable mentions galore. Even so, we've undoubtedly left out some great ones, so let us know your favorites!

Michael, Rob, and Pax ditch Dom and Mia for Roman, Tej, Monica, and Suki. And talk about whether or not that was a good move.