Fight With Mike!

Mike and Andy shoot the sh*t a bit after our summer break. 1:12 Catching up 7:42 BS Episodes and other formats 11:37 I think we're a meme 15:27 Andy's gaming 33:12 Mythic Quest 38:02 Loki 41:02 The Suicide Squad is good !?!?? 44:27 Alien Resurrection revisited 46:42 Dune, Foundation, and Roscoe the Xenomorph 58:37 The Ayer Cut (?) plus Army of the Dead sort-of As usual, thanks for listening, and give us (good?) ratings on your podcast listening platform of choice! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/

It's been a hot minute/5 weeks, but we're back! It's time to close the chapter on a another multi-part series with Alien: Resurrection. Yes, Ripley is back...sort of...with her usual dance partners to nearly lay waste to all the films that came before it. One of the most mind-boggling, incomprehensible messes ever put to film is unfortunately the bookend to one of the best films ever made. (Spoiler alert) But, while the movie was pretty awful, we had a blast talking about it! Actually, talking about with 2 of my favorite people was what made this worthwhile. So join us as we discuss the "Citizen Kane" of the Alien films, Alien: Resurrection. (Yes, the "Citizen Kane" comparison is sarcastic) Contents 5:20 Ravenous Consumption 38:45 Main Event: Overview, Cast, and Overall impressions 47:00 Trivia! 52:15 Plot(?) Summary 53:45 Ummm...I don’t think you guys know how cloning works… 56:50 Two words… Breath. Identification. 59:00 Charles Darwin Station and Ripley’s NBA Tryout 1:01:35 Bought out by Walmart 1:07:05 Underwater attack in Real-3D! 1:11:15 An act of...mercy?? 1:13:40 Alien after dark 1:23:50 So...how exactly did this get made? 1:28:00 Finale, or running out the clock 1:36:35 Curb Your Alien 1:40:00 “It’s an insult that this movie made money” As usual, thanks for listening, and give us (good?) ratings on your podcast listening platform of choice! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/

Fresh from our own production hell, much like the subject of this episode, we are proud to present (finally) the Fight With Mike! episode on Alien 3. Not that we are proud to present Alien 3. No, not really. Alien 3 was a film mired in production problems, a revolving door of writers and directors, and studio micro-management for years. Somehow this muddled mess made it out into the world, much like the birth of a xenomorph itself. Yet, despite the mess, there are some gems hidden in the pile. Enough to save the movie? Probably not, but Mike, Andy, and Adam grab their torches and high explosives and head down into the basement to look for redeeming qualities in this movie. As usual, thanks for listening, and give us (good?) ratings on your podcast listening platform of choice! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/ Chapters: 0:00 - Ramblings and Future Special Guests? 5:45 - Ravenous Consumption 30:05 - News! 37:15 - Main Event/ Alien 3 background info 41:08 - Cast 42:53 - Alien 3 Trivia! 48:17 - Plot summary, Initial reactions and Opening 1:02:50 - Autopsy/funeral scene 1:06:15 - Dillon’s Eulogy 1:08:41 - So, how do you like the dog-Alien? 1:11:04 - Ripley meets the crew! 1:13:30 - First victims … who cares? 1:15:30 - Clemons buys it, or, “We should have watched the director’s cut” 1:17:15 - Alien cubed? 1:18:45 - Rumor control/It’s a trap! 1:24:30 - Triple-jeopardy or...Alien cubed? 1:26:25 - “There’s a queen inside all of us” 1:29:40 - It’s (another) trap! 1:37:35 - I’ll take my Oscar now, thank you 1:40:40 - It’s a wrap, folks Story about the production issues: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/alien-3-comparing-the-assembly-cut-to-the-theatrical-cut/

This time, it’s war. Because, there’s more than one, you see? And there’s space marines with guns. Part 2 of our traipse through the Alien franchise finds us smack-dab in the middle of a hive choc-full o’ aliens. In 1986, 7 years after the original Alien, James Cameron unloaded his sequel, an action-packed war movie with super-macho marines, a giant alien queen, and more drones and face-huggers than you can shake a stick at. It’s fun, but how does this film and it’s complete 180-degree tonal-shift stack up against the original? And do we care, given the sheer volume of ordinance unloaded in this movie? Regardless, one thing’s for sure… the late, great Bill Paxton steals this movie. (4:00) Ravenous Consumptions (15:39) Aliens discussion start (21:20) Opening (28:00) Road Trip to LV426 (42:11) Drop and Colony Breach (52:14) Ambushed! (1:00:36) Seige/Last Stand (1:10:12) Newt’s Rescue (1:14:51) Fistfight! Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/

In space, no one can hear you scream...but in a crowded movie theater in 1979, pretty much everyone can hear an 11 year old boy wetting himself in terror. Why was an 11 year old watching one of the most terrifying R-rated films of all time that would give him nightmares for years? Because parents didn’t actually care what the hell their kids were watching back then. In this episode, Mike and Andy are joined once again by Adam to embark on another multipart journey through the Alien franchise, starting with one of the most beloved SciFi classics ever put to film; Alien (1979). Featuring a cast of veterans and unknowns, it was the film that launched Sigourney Weaver into the stratosphere, and put a relatively young John Hurt on the map. Nigh 42 years on from its original release, does Alien hold up? (Spoiler alert: yes, yes it does).

It had to happen...our young Andy is back at school. But, he’s still making time to nerd out with Dad! This week brings us 3 more classic Star Trek episodes to talk about, this time from Season 2: Amok Time Mirror, Mirror The Doomsday Machine Season 2 is probably the high bar of TOS, and these 3 episodes are the tip of that ice-cream-cone-of-death. Also, Mike and Andy vent their feelings a bit on the recent coup attempt in the US Capitol, the first time the Capitol has been breached since the War of 1812.

This week Mike and Andy must face the harsh and brutal reality of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), pitting father against son in a fight to the end. Facing the first live-action film representation of DC’s Holy Trinity required assembling, for the first time, the Fight With Mike Trinity! Yes, we lassoed our own Wonder Woman, the lovely Megan Cico, to help us bridge our divide and face down the disastrously epic film that attempted to launch the DCEU in one bold stroke. Unfortunately, that stroke whiffed, losing the bat into the crowd and causing some serious damage and human suffering. But just how bad was it? Is it one of the worst films ever made? Or, is it a noble attempt at telling an epic story of the cult of personality and the fear of what we can’t control? And, is it OK that Batman goes bat-crazy and starts murdering people whose moms don’t have the same first name as his? Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/

Fresh out of the Nerd Lab! Mike’s anime education continues with Psychopass (Season 1), a surprisingly (to Mike anyway) sophisticated piece of dystopian science fiction that incorporates threads from several inspirations in the genre. Also, they discuss the apparent inability in this future to fake eyelids on human-like cyborgs. So far, Mike’s trip through anime has been a mixed bag. How will Psychopass hold up for old man Mike? And if it doesn’t, will Andy keep making him watch anime? Also, news! More than you can shake a stick at, as Disney announces metric tons of Star Wars and Marvel shows and movies over the next few years. Join the boys as they froth at the mouth over some of the interesting announcements coming out of the House of Mouse. Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384

This week we dive back into Star Trek: TOS with a second round of first-season samplers hand-picked by Mike for young Andy's consumption: Space Seed City On the Edge of Forever A Taste of Armageddon Three timeless science fiction classics (ok, well, maybe 2 timeless classics), with a dab o' politics on the side! Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384

It's back to the nerd-cave after an impromptu week off!  This week, we go back into the nerd cave to discuss JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for Part 2: Battle Tendency.   Part 1 left Mike feeling a bit puzzled overall, but intrigued just enough to take another stab at the JoJo's experience.  Will Part 2 bring him pleasure or pain?  Is this nerd show or an S&M podcast?  You decide! Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family!  Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384

This week, Andy pulls the old switcheroo and takes the helm, as the boys beam Star Trek: TOS into the lab for dissection. It's young Ensign Andy's maiden voyage on the USS Enterprise, with Captain Mike to bring him along. From a far-too-long-list Andy settled on the following episodes as his first TOS experience: Where No Man Has Gone Before Balance of Terror Tomorrow is Yesterday Also, Mike and Andy get political for a bit in the wake of the 2020 U.S. elections, and wonder if Donald Trump will make starting the Second American Civil War his final act before leaving office. Oh, fascists...aren't they CRAZY!?! Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird...it’s a plane...it’s…a couple of nerds, talking about Superman! This week people, we have an actual fight on our hands...mostly. It’s a Battle of the Supermen -- Superman: The Movie (1979) vs. Man of Steel (2013). Which one holds up better, the charming tongue-in-cheek film from the 70’s that gave us our first modern comic book blockbuster movie, or the darker, more serious take of the 2013 re-boot? Join us for this most important discussion, as there’s clearly nothing else of importance going on in the U.S. this week. Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384

This week Mike and Andy brace themselves to endure the last of the Indiana Jones films, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Yes, nearly 20 years after the final outing, the gang is back for the final-final outing to bring Indy into the modern era...of 1957. Ugh….Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Hard to believe that the Indiana Jones series has to go out on such a low note. Or, DOES IT??? The Dynamic Duo enter the nerd cave expecting this film to duke it out with Temple of Doom for the bottom of the franchise, but does it really smell that bad in the end? Tune in and find out... Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/

This week, Indy lashes himself out of the pit of misery of his last outing and into the triumphal Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), also known as "Indiana Jones and We're Deeply Sorry About That Last Film". Yes, after the dumpster fire that was Temple of Doom, Spielberg and Lucas deliver the goods on what might be the best film of the series. Also in this episode, we add some new segments that hopefully add a little more context to our subject, and general fun to the show. Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Podcast/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/

Do not adjust your set! Fight With Mike! is back in your ears after only a week! Will the fun ever start? This week our magical journey through the Indiana Jones series continues, this time with the not-so-magical Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), the film that gave us the PG-13 rating! This movie has issues, people. Some serious, serious issues. But, Andy and Mike refuse to be cowed, so donning their leather jackets and Fedoras and grabbing their bullwhips, they dive headfirst into what is considered by many to be one of the worst of the series. Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike https://www.instagram.com/fight_with_mike_official/ https://www.facebook.com/Fight-With-Mike-Podcast-110576747388384/

Join us, as we jump on our vintage pontoon plane, the John Williams music swells, and the animated travel map sequence begins chronicling our journey through the Indiana Jones films, the first in a 4-part series! This episode, Mike and Andy go back into the nerd lab and begin drafting their love letter to the first film in the Indiana Jones series, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Mostly it goes exactly as expected, except for one minor detail. Actually, it’s a pretty deal, and begins to cast a shadow on the whole affair by the end. Also, after consulting with our production team, and the suits on the 99th floor, with this episode we start publishing weekly (we hope). We’re hoping it helps keep the episodes a little-less-epic in length (but not content), and gets us in your ears more often. Thanks for listening, and if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us (good?) ratings on your podcast platform of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike

Can you teach an old nerd new tricks? In this week’s episode, we decide to experiment with that. Mike and Andy go into the nerd lab and dissect JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, an anime series currently on Netflix based on the Japanese Manga comics/graphic novels. Andy is convinced that if Mike gives it a chance, JoJos will worm it’s way into his brain, despite Mike’s well known-aversion to subtitles and long, drawn out inner monologues. Will Mike be turned? Will Andy forgive him if he doesn’t? Tune in and find out... And, if you like the show, please click the link below to find and follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Share us with friends and family! Give us good ratings on your podcast of choice! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike

In true Fight With Mike fashion, we intended a quick wrap up episode, but once you get a few nerds in a room talking.... In this episode, Andy and Mike welcome in Andy's younger brother Adam to do a final wrap up of the Star Wars arc, ranking the movies and trilogies. We also spend a little time talking about the first season of the podcast Blockbuster, an amazing show which centers around the beginning of the careers of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and their impact on all of our childhoods. And, sadly, we discuss the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, who was taken from us far too soon. Thanks for listening, and don't forget to rate us on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to our show! https://anchor.fm/fight-with-mike Like us on FB! Follow us on Instagram!

All Sagas must come to an end. And so it is with this Saga...the epic climax to the Fight With Mike! Star Wars trilogies reviews. Well, pretty much. I think in this case, we stuck the landing better than any of these movies did. This was likely the most fun we’ve had yet, probably in no small part due to the fact this recording actually happened before midnight, and Mike no longer sounds like he’s on quaaludes. We conclude the review of the trilogies by covering Return of the Jedi (1983), Revenge of the Sith (2005), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). One of these was more disappointing than remembered, one was more of a pleasant surprise, and one was an unmitigated disaster...and we only agreed on one of these (take a guess). We also answer the long standing question: just how many Vader costumes did Palpatine have in his closet just in case of well-done Sith? Strap on the gloves! It’s time to Fight...with MIKE!

A day late and a dollar short. Us, not the movies we’re talking about. Well, mostly. When we last left our heroes, they had waged a mighty struggle, viewing 3 epic movies and creating a no-less-epic podcast episode for our valued listeners. The task this time was the same, with even longer films to examine. However, every struggle takes a toll, and as a result, this episode comes to you, oh, about a day+ later than we wanted. But, we fight through the pain, and 2 semi-bad movies, and one true classic. That’s right, folks, we’ve arrived -- Peak Star Wars. The middle episodes of each of the Skywalker Saga trilogies: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Attack of the Clones (2002), and The Last Jedi (2017). History dictates that these entries are the peak of each trilogy. However, to be fair, some peaks are smaller than others. Way….way….waaaaaaaaaaay smaller. Way. Way. That being said, please join us as we examine, love, and laugh with and at these movies. Mike takes a trip down memory lane to set the context for what Andy calls “the best sequel ever” (hint: he’s not wrong). But before we get to those wonderful fuzzy memories, we must first analyze the successes and failures of the other 2 entries in the other trilogies. And, all late at night, well after the time that Mike is supposed to take his Geritol… So strap in kids! It’s time to fight… with MIKE!

"The prequels are better than the sequels." With those fightin' words begins the first epic, multi-part series of the Fight with Mike! podcast. The preliminaries are out of the way, and now it's time to take on the big fish -- that's right, Star Wars. The series of films that defined the summer blockbuster, and created the notion of the "summer tent-pole" film. But, for all their financial success, the Star Wars movies...well, let's just say they can be a mixed bag. In keeping with the epic nature of the movies, we decided to dedicate the next few episodes to reviewing and comparing all 3 trilogies, by installment. In this episode, we look at the first installment of each trilogy: A New Hope, The Phantom Menace, and Another New Hope...I mean, The Force Awakens. We look at what works and what doesn't work, how they hold up over time, and how they stack up against each other (spoiler alert: it's a race for 2nd place!). We also take a little time to reflect on the first couple of episodes, and introduce a new small segment. We also address some listener comments about the nature of the podcast, and about the episode length. We respond with our longest episode yet! We hope you enjoy it, and thanks for listening!

In round 2, Mike and Andy get to the issue that originally sparked the idea of the podcast, the 2016 DCEU film Suicide Squad. Star-studded (sort of) cast, big effects budget, and more wacky characters than you can shake a stick at. I mean, seriously. Waaaaay too many. Suicide Squad is not a good movie (spoiler alert). But, is Suicide Squad just a bad movie? Or one of the worst movies ever made? Only the Fight With Mike! podcast dares to ask this question. So get ready for another round of pulse-pounding, hard-hitting discussion on Fight....with Mike!

Welcome to the FIght With Mike! podcast! Join father-and-son dynamic duo Mike and Andy as they discuss the burning issues of the day. As in, the burning issues that a couple of 10 year olds might discuss deep into the night over their comic books as they guzzle Dr. Pepper and talk about superheroes, horror movies, and the girls they like but will never get to kiss. In this inaugural episode of Fight With Mike! we talk about how we came up with the idea for the podcast, what we plan to talk about generally, and our hopes for the show going forward. But enough of that touchy-feely stuff. You folks paid for a fight, so in this episode we discuss the deep burning question that has bedeviled historians and philosophers for centuries, or at least a few nerds over the last couple of years since Infinity War came out; which villain was a better, Thanos (as portrayed in Infinity War) or Heath Leger's Joker from 2008's The Dark Knight. It's a no-holds barred, mano-y-mano bar-room brawl where we examine the characters, their motivations, the performances behind them, and how they stack up against each other. We also chat about the movies themselves, their relative importance to the genre, and how they each changed the game.