Open World Chat

Mark and John go through the disappointingly large list of films consigned to production hell (and maybe a couple where - so they say - Satan himself joined the production team). Wanta know what the hell (haha) that might mean? Give a listen!

Mark and John wander down the broad and deep history of horror in film and TV to pick out some of their favorite moments, from the more "objectively" scary, to the disturbing, to the crap that freaked us out as kids. I guarantee you we've come up with some you haven't seen (as well as plenty you have, no doubt).

In part 2 of our "directors" series, Mark and John look at great movies from legendary directors that have flown WAY under the radar, and should be viewed immediately!!

Mark and John look at directors who are generally accepted as having a particular masterwork and explain why - no - a DIFFERENT movie is actually their masterpiece and why. Part 1 in our 2 part director series.

Mark and John go full pundit and talk about the current state of elections and democracy in the US. Are our rights safe? Are our systems safe? What policies help us or hinder us? The answers, of course - complicated in the details, but maybe not so much at the end of the day. Join in for a break from our usual fare.

When Jesus turns up in your favorite stories! Mark and John talk about the archetype of the "Christ Figure," and it turns out it pops up everywhere.

The war on DEI is hitting companies like Disney and Warner Brothers and they've have already begun to alter their policies in response. Will this backlash affect our favorite movies, books, and comics?

It's the flip side of last time - this time Mark and John go through a bunch of movies that should never be remade, as well as several that should never have been remade (and the trainwrecks that came of it).

Mark and John throw out some ideas of movies that scream to be remade (in some cases remade again), while also reviewing some remakes that have been made and made well.

Mark and John look at so-dubbed "franchise fatigue" and its cousins superhero fatigue, sequel fatigue, and throw in some multiverse fatigue. We discuss what genre franchises are doing better than others, and why.

One episode after talking about dumb sci-fi, we return to talk about excellent sci fi and fantasy that doesn't get enough love, be it from critics, fanboys, general audiences, or just due to the fog of the passage of time.

Dumb sci fi. The title says it all. Not just bad, not just ill-considered. Dumb. Come on, see if we mention your favorite book or movie We dare ya.

It's the AI era! You want to know how bad it can get? Check out the list of most evil artificial intelligences. Come on and tell us what (who?) we missed, even if some of them are a little obvious (we're looking at you Stanley Kubrick).

Mark and John get on drugs for an episode that looks at the different way drugs, drug culture, and addiction in general are treated in science fiction over the decades, and there turns out to be quite a bit to talk about. Come on in and get your OWC fix!

Love. Exciting and new. etc.Come on aboard as we look back at love and romance in sci-fi over the decades, along with how it reflects society. Do we mention your favorite couple? (probably not since we forgot Han and Leia... oops). But that's okay. It's still super cool. From Flash Gordon and Dale to Willow and Tara, we've got it all (or at least all that could fit into 40 minutes).

Dr. Leigh McKagen comes back - willingly, even - where we discuss the often disappointing but always interesting topic of the imperial nature of Star Trek and the Federation! Join us for a little Trek tough love.

John and Mark tell you how it is as they go down their list of the 18 most influential sci-fi movies. Give a listen and nod your head, roll your eyes, or scowl at the picks and the reasons why.

Mark and John examine stories in sci-fi and comics that are simply retellings of classical mythological stories. Turns out they're everywhere.

What is the nature of power and military strategy in Star Trek's Federation? Our own Mark Card examines this question. John just kind of goes "mm-hmm" a lot.

We always hear about those paranoid 70s political thrillers, but a similar phenomenon was happening in the sci fi of the era - and it set the pace for many of the sci fi movies to come. Come on in and join us for a heaping helping of Soylent Green and more...

I don't know that it's an eternal one, but courtesy of Joss Whedon and Angel it is a debate - one that Mark and John bisect, trisect, and just all around sect. It turns out, as you might expect, to be a complicated question.

Mark and John give you an underachieving top 10 list - 9 movies that don't realize they're actually science fiction. Or are maybe in denial. We define sci fi and dive right in, perhaps taking a few liberties, which only makes it more fun. Have a listen and yell at the speaker when you don't agree!

Mark leads John and the audience on a discussion of the seminal sci-fi novel "A Canticle for Liebowitz" and the questions it raises about cycles of history, Catholicism, and the role of the state in it all. Highbrow stuff guys! Jump in!

From Nosferatu to Angel to Lestat and Blade and - oh yeah, that Dracula guy. What is our obsession with vampires?

Mark and John look at the ways fears of "the other" have informed the horror genre in the context of immigration - and it's a lot more than you think!

Dr. Leigh McKagen joins John and Mark (and puts up with some major audio issues) to talk about the sometimes inspiring and sometimes cringe-worthy history of women across the Star Trek franchise.

OPEN WORLD CHAT RETURNS! A little late to the convo, sure, but John and Mark still have a lot to say about the obnoxious disrespecting of Marvel films - and superhero films in general - levied by the mighty threesome of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and (sadly) Quentin Tarantino.

From the vault - Writer and Independent Film Actor (Emanation, Broken Compass) Zena Marie Therrien, MSW,  on where Latinas stand in Hollywood's move toward diversity (in genre and non-genre films and TV alike). Zena shares her thoughts on roles, on the invisible nature of Latinas in the industry, how studios treat Latin culture and filmmakers, and more.

It's geek bingo folks. We touch on an absurd number of sci fi movies, TV series, and comics discussing the nature of war in the "progressive" mediuym of science fiction with Dr. David Kyle Johnson of Kings College, author of Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy and many more geek tomes.

AHOY Comics' latest anthology is  PROJECT: CRYPTID, featuring writer Paul Cornell (and others). Jim (sans John) talks this and other projects (such as the Secret Invasion - the original comics story - novelization) with Paul. Very very fun interview. John is a real loser for missing it.

In our final rerun, John and Liane talk with then-guest Jim Dandeneau (Den of Geek) comparing and contrasting cinematic universes before spending a little time discussing the inherent political nature of superheroes. See you in two weeks with fresh content!

It's another blast from the past as the OWC summer break goes on. In this oldie,  Liane and I have a conversation with Alexander Dunst, Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Paderborn in Germany, in which we discuss "libertarian anarcho-pacifist" Philip K. Dick. Alex is a PKD scholar and edited the book of essays The World According to Philip K. Dick.  PKD's  work has, of course, been adapted into several Hollywood films (for better and for worse). and our discussion of the impact and implications of his work brings us to topics such as Artificial Intelligence and the stigma of mental illness.

In a repost of OWC's most controversial episode, John and Leanne spoke with Sean Branney and Andrew Leman of the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society about the classic "art vs. artist" debate. There is no way this episode can sit 100% well with anybody, because... well... it's complicated. We talk Lovecraft, Joss Whedon, and an RPG too (you know the one). Tune in now and yell at your smart speaker!

Seven Days film critic and editor Margot Harrison returns to OWC where we dare to ask whether the age of the giant tentpole blockbuster is winding down. The answer turns out to be a bit complicated.

Jim and John are joined by Hannibal Tabu and Quinn McGowan to unpack the modern fascination with evil Supermen and how it reflects our cultural mindset. And what a lot to unpack there is.

Jim and John have more fun than they deserve when they talk to legendary comics writers Gary Cohn and Dan Mishkin. Naturally we talk about their legendary creations Blue Devil and Amethyst Princess of Gemworld, but also other projects, their perspective on the industry then and now, a wacky Geoff Johns story, Halloween at Dan's house... even Leo Kottke comes up (?). Too much fun to squeeze into a paltry 40 minutes, but by god OWC is forever your trusted source for fun-squeezing.

Jim goes AWOL as John talks horror stuff with Screambox publicist and Bloody Disgusting contributor Alex DiVincenzo. We get the 411 on the horror streaming service and move on to other topics, including Alex's own film work and website.

Jim and John are joined by John's ol' pal John Thornberry to discuss the recently-wrapped Picard series from soup to nuts, or rather from the Borg queen to the musical score. Three Trek nerds telling you how it is! How can anyone possibly say no??

Jim and John nerd out on artificial Intelligence and microbiological robots with PhDs-in-progess  Piper Welch and Kam Bielawski, who keep them from spiralling off into an oblivion they don't understand. Give it a listen and let Kam and Piper blow your minds for 40 minutes.

Mark Russell (Second Coming Trinity, Red Sonja, God is Disappointed in You, Fantastic Four, etc) talks with Jim and John about the latest issue of Second Coming Trinity and his other work, and reflects on his writing process and how Christianity has informed his work. Jim holds it all together as religion and sociology dork John goes off the rails a bit.

Yet another from the vault (sorry!). In light of the recent announcement from Comic Book Workers United of a successful contract at Image Comics, it seemed like a great time to pull out the conversation Jim and I had about the then-new union at Paizo, right about the same time CBWU announced their campaign. I suspect a lot of us could stand a look back to a conversation about good guys winning... 

Rerun time! In one of our very first episodes, my then co-host Liane Allen and I pick the brain of film critic Margot Harrison on the history and the changing definition of the "strong female character" trope across sci-fi and horror films in particular, but also Hollywood in general.

Grant Patterson of Champlain College's Wednesday Night Fight Club and the WNFC esports Dojo talks to Jim and John (well, mainly Jim because John is clueless about games) on competitive gaming, game culture, and what life lessons there are to learn from fighting games.

Jim and John are joined by Duke University Dean of Natural Sciences Dr. Mohamed Noor. We talk about his experience as a science advisor on the Star Trek franchise (including his role in "sciencing out" things like The Burn and Species 10), Star Trek's approach to science, and his experience using Star Trek in the classroom. Then we just geek out a lot.

Steven Morris of Shelfdust.com polled comics creators and critiques to compile the ultimate list of the Top 50 comics events of all time, and Jim and John invite him over to nitpick the result. Is your favorite in there? Is your favorite an "event?" What the hell is an "event," anyway? Have a listen for a look back at some cool comics, some bad comics, and in general the kind of navel-gazing that only true fans can do.

John and Jim finish their look back at 2022, looking at the TV that was, genr. and otherwise 

With no guests to defer to, Jim and John tell the world what was (and is) what in 2022 without a filter. Listen to it now so you can sound like the smartest geek in the room while toasting in the new year! Everything but TV in this one, but part 2 is but two weeks away...

Anti-heroes are all the rage, but does everyone who uses that term mean the same thing? John talks with novelist, biographer and University of Vermont English professor Philip Baruth about what makes an anti-hero, and then John and Jim do a deeper dive into antiheroes and comics.

From the vault - and with very poor sound quality - Jim and I are taking a break and reposting the conversation former host Liane Allen and I had with Emmy-winning producer Steve Benen joins about his book The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics, living with a post-policy Republican Party, and blogging. We talk about Steve's early days as a blogger and podcaster, what's changed about our politics since the Trump presidency, why there is reason for optimism... and since this is OWC, we also talk some sci fi and comics.

No podcast purporting to cover all things geek could possibly be complete without a geek science episode! John and Jim are joined by astronomy professor/teacher Jeffrey Adkins to cover the juicy pop science that all sci fi nerds love, from gravity waves to flash mobs, Niven-style! We also save some time to discuss Jeff's non-sci-fi book, The Boy Who Skipped.

Andrew Liptak, a veteran of Gizmodo, Grist, io9, Kirkus Reviews, Pando Daily, Polygon, Slate, The Verge and many many others (seriously) joins us to discuss his book Cosplay: A History: The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who Bring Your Favorite Stories to Life.