Blast Processing

Steve and Gabe are taking the week off (Steve's off investigating plane crashes, and Gabe is perfecting the Mocharita). But we ain't gonna leave you high hand dry - no sir.    Welcome to the first episode of They Came From the North: RETRO. This episode features Steve, Gabe, Jon, and Andrew as they tackle the good, bad, and ugly of Director Walter Hill.  DISCLAIMER:  They Came From the North: RETRO was originally recorded between 2011-2014 by a pack of ignorant Canadians, production is not always stellar, and some of the opinions and humor present may be a little off-color for more discerning tastes. These were different times for both Canada and the rest of the world, but rest assured, we are all good people... well, except Steve, he's an evil man. 

  Join Steve and Gabe as they visit the long shadowy halls of Washington, DC, Berlin at the height of the Cold War, and all manner of political hotspots. We will meddle with higher powers,  noble reporters, and shadowy organizations as we take you on a trip through the world of the Political thriller. No double agents were harmed in the making of this episode. 

This week, Steve tried to Google "Worst year for movies... ever" and 1997 was one of two years that kept popping up. So he grabbed Gabe by the scruff of the neck and said, "Everyone fights! No one quits!" and here we are... in the year 1997. When everyone was afraid every computer on the planet was gonna melt down in three years. The box office set an all-time record, so it couldn't have been as bad as all that, could it?    "Would you like to know more?"

Steve had no business rubbing elbows with the high society of Poughkeepsie, and he knew it. Gabe was lookin to collect a paycheck, and a dirty job was as good as any. Both men would risk everything for just one shot at podcasting fortunes - or they'd just yap about Coen Brothers movies for 90 minutes or so. Press play and call it... friendo.  

  Join Steve, Gabe, and special guest Matt as we wish a happiest of happy 75th birthdays to one of Hollywood's biggest action stars, America's most successful import, with a deep dive into the Austrian Oak! From barbarians to killer robots from the future. From dad hunting for that one magical toy to dad trying his best to reconcile the impending doom of his infected daughter. From tree-lifting to baddie shooting. The master of cigars and one-liners. In this epic-length episode, we're with the one, the only, Arnold Schwarzenegger!  No Whiskey's or Lulu's were harmed in the making of this podcast.  

Join Steve and Gabe as they take us back to the summer of 1986, and the tale of a rugged long-haul trucker and his kung fu sidekick as they ventured into the mysterious underworld of San Francisco Chinatown.  Would they rescue Wang-Chi's wife from the clutches of an ancient Chinese warlord, or would the evil Lo-Pan marry his bride with eyes of creamy jade, and go on to rule the universe from beyond the grave.  It's a deep-dive into John Carpenter's pulp adventure classic, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA! "You are not put upon this world to... GET IT!"   

Join Steve and Gabe as they make the jump to hyperspace, in a madcap attempt to smuggle Coor's Beer across a state line in a Millenium Falcon. Get ready for Disco Inferno in the year 1977!

On the latest episode - Gabe is still recovering from his exposure to toxic swamp gasses in the wild marshes of Montreal, so Steve brings in a special guest, and expert in all things action, Sir Jon Mercer. This week, they're turning in their badges, going rogue, hunting terrorists and criminal scum, and yapping about the golden age of action films. Only four days to retirement, but never too old for this shit. 

Gabe is off celebrating Canada Day in Montreal, eating delicious pastries, listening to The Tragically Hip, and having a campfire - In his place, Steve has enlisted special guest Kevin Woolridge, Esquire. They're tasked with a valiant quest against an insurmountable, unstoppable, evil; talk about fantasy films for an hour and change, or die trying.  Join us as we tell tales of HIGH ADVENTURE!  And Steve still manages to mention Blade Runner at least once. 

Join Steve, Gabe, and special guest Matt Avrach as they battle corruption, vile warlords, rival martial arts schools, and copious amounts of henchmen in a tournament of the martial arts! Deep dive into the holy trinity of martial arts movie masters; Lee, Chan, and Li, and touch on other martial arts masterpieces, and not-so masterpieces along the way.  No Brad Pitts were harmed by Bruce Lee's in the making of this podcast, and absolutely nobody was kung-fu fightin'. 

Gabe was a chess protege from Poughkeepsie, his parents were rotational working fish breeders who never understood his passion for the great game. Steve was an inventory management specialist for a Fortune 500 before forced retirement turned him to a life of crime as an antique furniture thief. Now they're both scouring Adelaide, Texas for Coney(Owen Wilson), a lost five pound Jack Russell terrier, old Mr Bartholomew's (Bill Murray)  sole heir and only reminder of his late mother. The reward money is all that Gabe needs to pay his way to the intercontinental Chess Masters tournament in Spokane, and all Steve needs to pay off an angry bookie after a gator racing bet went south. If all this sounds like it could be the plot to a Wes Anderson movie? Hey! That's great! Because we're talking about him for the next hour or so. 

Join Steve and Gabe as they fire up the DeLorean and take you back in time to 1982 - considered by many to be the best geek year in cinema.  No ET's were harmed in the making of this episode. 

  In this week's episode, join Steve and Gabe as they ramble through about 45 years worth of television in a rapid-fire fashion. Hour-long drama? Network Primetime? HBO prestige? Streaming? it's all in there. So dive in, subscribe to your 11th streaming service, and discover if the truth really is... in fact... out there. 

Join Gabe and Steve this week as we take a look at Fritz Lang's trendsetting, technical marvel - 1931's 'M'.  Explore a film seldom mentioned, and yet highly influential, and still copied today. Is it a timeless masterpiece? It just might be.  

  Know, O People, that between the years when Rebels struck out from a hidden base and destroyed the DEATH STAR,  and the years of the rise of Tarantino, there was an Age undreamed of, when silver screens shared worlds of epic fantasy across the land. Hither came Conan the Barbarian, sword in hand; a thief, a warrior, a gladiator, a king! Destined to dominate the box office, make a superstar out of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and introduce a generation of kids to the wider world of fantasy, swords, and sorcery.  Join Steve, Jon, and Jon, as they celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the most misunderstood, underrated, and just plain greatest films of all time.  Let us tell you of the days of HIGH ADVENTURE! 

On this week's episode - Gabe and Steve bring you on a musical journey through movies that rock! Not musicals per se, but movies about Rock n Roll. Join us as we stomp or feet and bang our heads to classics and not-so- classics. If enough people listen, we could be almost famous. 

In this week's episode - Steve and Gabe take you back to the year 1995 - and pick our favorite films from the year regarded by you, the public, as the finest year in film. Ever.  No Weezers were harmed in the making of this episode... 

On this week's episode - Steve and Gabe dive into the genre of Historical Epics! Swords, sandals, epic vistas, a cast of thousands, and larger-than-life characters are set against the vast backdrop of human drama and sweeping spectacle. From early ambitions in the silent age to the modern blockbuster - Welcome to the days of high adventure!  Why is the "epic" Steve's fave genre of film? What are our favorite epics? Stay tuned and find out! 

  All we wanted was a mission, and for our sins, we got one delivered like it was room service. Join Steve and Gabe as they deep dive into the seminal Francis Ford Coppola classic, Apocalypse Now.  Never get out of the boat...

This week, Steve and Gabe keep one hand on their wallets and their guards up as they wade deep into the world of heists, cons, flim-flams, bamboozles, and confidence men - tackling the best heists, grifters, and capers of the film world! What constitutes a "con-film"? What other genre films pull a con on the audience by being Heist films in disguise? Which ones are our favorites? Tune in! Discover The Sting, The Spanish Prisoner, and other rollicking examples of the criminal element at work. 

This week, Steve and Gabe dive into the land of deep cuts - the obscure gems that deserve more, the should-have-been classics that fell short, the fun-if-flawed, and the terrible but beloved. We finish off with two films we should utterly detest but unabashedly love. Buckle up! This is a good one!

Join Steve and Gabe as they dive into the often confusing and almost always interesting world of the Director's Cut - from Ridley Scott's coining of the term in 1992 with Blade Runner - To Sam Peckinpah, Samuel Fuller, James Cameron, and Francis Ford Coppola. We talk about the best cuts, the worst cuts, and those mythical cuts that may or may not exist - but would love to see!  This episode has been modified - it has been recut to present additional material and preserve the Director's original vision as intended before the studio got their scissors into it.   

On this week's episode, Steve and Gabe dive into adaptations - Books into movies, stories told in colorful prose writ large with colorful visuals. What goes into a good adaptation? What adaptations failed utterly at adapting? What adaptations were less than faithful, but worked better? What books would we LIKE to see as movies? 

In this week's episode - Steve has seen THE BATMAN, and he has thoughts. Gabe has seen YOJIMBO (on the big screen), and he also has thoughts. And when we have thoughts, you'd better believe you're gonna hear 'em (if we can get past Steve's shoddy internet connection).  Also in this week's episode - we talk about Video Game movies and Anime, because... it's our show, why the heck not!  Featured this week:  - The Batman (2022) - Yojimbo (1961) - Super Mario Bros. (1993) - Mortal Kombat (1995) - Resident Evil (2002) - Monster Hunter (2020) - Uncharted (2022) - Akira (1988) - Sword of the Stranger (2007) - Perfect Blue (1997) - Ghost in the Shell (1995) - Jin-Roh (1999) - Millennium Actress (2001) - Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

On the first of our special Director Deep Dive episodes - Steve and Gabe lead you on a deep dive into the works of influential director Spike Lee. Join us for a lengthy exploration of Spike's body of work, and his place in film history as a unique and powerful representative of Black culture in film. 

On this week's episode - join Steve the Uncool and Frenchie Girard as they wax nostalgic on dead media formats, like VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, and physical media in general. Find why things were so much cooler "back In the day", and why Netflix ain't for grumpy old men. We also pick some of our favorite Commentary tracks! Get hyped!

On this week's episode! Join Steve and Gabe as they discuss sequels, second chances, at least one book (The weird West/Horror tale, THE RISEN), and they pour one out for Director Ivan Reitman.

In our inaugural episode - we take you through some cinematic firsts; First memories of a movie theatre, the first time you realized you were a cinephile, and the best first film of a franchise. Steve also asks; what was your favorite film of 2021! 

We refuse to die! We have risen from the grave! Join your host, Steve Power as he chats the past, present, and future of games, video and tabletop. Reviews, news, commentary, all that fun stuff.  This week, we review Chasm, Dead Cells, Death's Gambit, and on the table; Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness (2nd Edition)