Ozone Nightmare

Today on the 5: After nearly 120 hours, I have completed the main campaign of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. A sequel to a game with a smaller but dedicated fanbase over a decade later was always going to be a tough task, but it was also done by a team literally in the middle of a war. Considering that challenge, it's amazing that this game is a sequel that lives up to original almost perfectly.

Today on the 5: When I pick movies for Lando and I to watch, I often have at least a baseline idea of what the film is before we jump in. This makes it easier for me to pair something with it that makes sense. In the case of 1995's The Blade, I thought we were getting a mid-90s martial arts film. We do get that, but we also get something much more ethereal and interesting.

Today on the 5: As prep for the next Late Night Double Feature, Lando and I watched 1996's Space Truckers. There movies that are terrible and best forgotten, and there classics of cinema that will last forever. In between those extremes, there are also movies that are just a ton of fun, and Space Truckers is solidly in that camp!

This week we're talking about sleaze, Tempur-Pedic, Super Mario Bros, Death Machine, and Virus. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show!

Today on the 5: After the delightful lunacy of Death Machine, Lando and I watched 1999's Virus. This movie has a fairly poor reputation, but experience has shown that doesn't always mean a film is actually bad. Unfortunately, in this case it's a rep that is sadly accurate.

Today on the 5: For the first movie in what ended up being a 90s shlock scifi pairing, we watched 1994's Death Machine. A British film imbued with the spirit of an Italian ripoff flick, this film doesn't break any new ground but it's very entertaining.

Today on the 5: In prep for a future Late Night Double Feature, Lando and I watched 1993's Super Mario Bros. This movie has had a bad reptuation almost since the moment it was released, and it doesn't sound like the production itself was any picnic either. The result is a movie that may not be a great game adaptation, but it sure is a lot of fun if you're into weird artsitic expression!

Tonight I'm joined again by Doug Bielmeier, teaching professor, musician, and host of The Process for another Late Night Double Feature! In this episode we're talking about a pair of movies that seem pretty unrelated except for the fact that on release no one knew what to make of them. First up is 1984's The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension, followed by 1986's Big Trouble In Little China. Two movies that are hard to classify but easy to fall in love with! YouTube Version Show music by OGRE. Support the show!

This week we're talking about release notes, Neuromancer, Blade Runner 2099, Obsession, KTown Bricks, and Backrooms. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show!

Todsay on the 5: The mood among video game fans has been pretty dour between the XBOX layoffs and Sony's continued anti-consumer moves. While I'm not going to tell anyone I think things are great, it's actually possible all this misery could lkead to something positive. Maybe!

Today on the 5: This week Lando and I are watching a pair of modern films that did vert well critically and with audiences. This episode is about 2028's Backrooms. This film had a tough hill to climb in trying to appeal to fans of the web series it started as as well as newcomers, but amazingly it did managed it expertly.

Today on the 5: You've likely seen some coverage of the reported escape of an OpenAI model that proceeded to attack a cybersecurity platform. This event is viewed by some as a further sign that AI is highly dangerous, which many others believe it's simply a marketing stunt in a very crowded market. In my opinion, either of those explanations lead to the same conclusion.

Today on the 5: For our movie reviews this week, I decided we should watch a pair of modern films that have gotten very positive responses from critics and audiences. First up is 2025's Obsession, a movie that is both finely crafted and riotously fun.

This week we're talking about sportsball, tech backlash, Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver, Bubo, The House With Laughing Windows, and Tenebrae. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! If you or someoine else needs 988.

Today on the 5: It's been almost 2 years since I did my first Stalker 2 impressions, which means I'm well overdue for an update on my experience with the game!

Today on the 5: For our second film to review this week, we watched another Italian slasher with 1982's Tenebrae. Another masterwork from Dario Argento, this one has so much rich filmmaking and sound work that it's impossible not to recommend for fans of the giallo genre.

Today on the 5: AI companies are facing lawsuits from parents of children who turned to chatbots for advice on how to handle mental illness, in some cases resulting in the worst possibler outcome. Proponents of these technologies often repsond to calls for regulation and accountability by claiming these are "edge cases", and therefore not numerous enough to warrant oversight. This reasoning leads me to wonder how many dead children is enough to start looking more closely at these products?

Today on the 5: For one of our films this week, Lando and I watched The House With Laughing Windows. A movie that is far more of a murder mystery than the traditional giallo it is often advertised as, it is a stunningly atmospheric slice of filmmaking. 

This week we're talking about monovision, jury duty, What If, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Molecule Man, Mortal Kombat II, and Deathstalker II. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code OZONE

Today on the 5: Amidst the wreckage of bad news for gamers between Sony's announcements and XBOX layoffs, some people are seeing a ray of light in the news that Obsidian is once again attached to the Fallout franchise. I certainly hope that's true, but nothing in the news we have right now indicates they'll be conroitubting anyting besides techincal support.

Today on the 5: For the second sequel film this week, we watched 1987's Deathstalker II. One of many movies that attempted to cash in on the success of the Conan films, this one is amazing mostly because of the two lead actors. One is clearly having a fun time making a B movie, and the other either can't act at all or took the comedic angles of of the flick in entirely the wrong direction.

Today on the 5: In what can only be seen as more evidence that companies are not trustworthy in terms of handling data properly, Discord improerly banned a large number of accounts due to failures in their AI moderation system. That in itself is bad enough, but the amount of time that passed before anyone seemed to notice is simply ridiculous.

Today on the 5: This week Lando and I are watching a pair of sequels, starting with Mortal Kombat II. If you're at familiar with the games and enjoy seeing live action battles between characters in those games, you'll likely have a fun time with this film!

This week we're talking about 3D printing, cyberpunk, baseball, physical media, Widow's Bay, B'omarr monks, Murder In Blue Light, and The Neon Demon. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code OZONE

Today on the 5: My wife and I watched the first season of the AppleTV series Widow's Bay, which has been fairly well reviewed all over the place. While I don't agree with the frequent description of the show as a comedy, it's nontheless an excellent Stephen King style horror series.

Today on the 5: You've likely seen a fair bit of coverage on the news that Sony is planning to cease releasing physical versions of games starting in 2028. It's pretty clear that gamers and game preservationists care about it, but I'd argue everyone who values ownership should care too.

Today on the 5: For our first communal movie this week, we watched 1992's Murder In Blue Light. We meant to watch this a while ago, but because of a rip error on my fault we only just got around to it. It's a perfectly entertaining giallo entry, doing nothing groundbreaking while still providing eveeything a fan of this genre would want.

This week I'm joined by guest Paul Thurrott as we talk about technology, travel, and how pros and cons are at the core of how we should move through the world. Show music by OGRE. Support the show!

This week we're talking about soil liquefaction, Premiere AI, iWork, the Prairieland case, Mr. K, and Nirvana. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code OZONE

Today on the 5: Supergirl is out, and between the critical reviews and early box office performance, it doesn't look like the success many were hoping it would be. Strangely, the tone of many reviews and that lack of blockbuster success has me more interested in the movie than I already was.

Today on the 5: After watching the fantastic Nirvana, we decided to go with something a lot different with 2025's Mr. K. What we experienced was a unique and visually mesmerizing surrealist story that will be best suited to those who are ok with not having everything explained.

Today on the 5: The pricing for GTA VI has been released, as well as the confirmation that no physical version of the game will be available at launch. Some video game industry analysts are saying that this decision won't hurt sales and that players will just roll over and accept it. Maybe people should consider not accepting it and therefore make that decision impact sales! 

Today on rhe 5: We're not doing a theme for July's film selections, but we started out with a total unknown with 1997's Nirvana. Neither of us had heard of this one, so we were just hoping it would at least be a charming 90s science fiction romp. Instead, we were both blown away by one of the best cyberpunk films we'd seen in a long while.

This week we're talking about Arcee, Bad Sisters, Protector, Serial Experiments Lain, Godzilla, Mothra, And King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, and Destroy All Monsters. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code OZONE

Today on the 5: To finish out "Kai-June", we went with a pair of creature packed Godzilla classics with Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla, Mothra And King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Both movies are a lot of fun and jammed with the magic that only vintage Godzilla films can deliver, but one of the movies delivered something we don't usually see.

Today nn the 5: Barring any unlikely merger blocks, Roku is likely to be taken over by Fox Corporation. It's a sad but entirely predictable end for a company that was a trailblazer in the early days of streaming boxes.

Today on the 5: As a dihard Milla Jovovich fan, I felt it was my civic responsiblity to watch one of her newer releases, a 2025 film titled Protector. Many negative reviews fixate on the fact that it's largely a blatant copy of Taken, and as an Italian ripoff film connoisseur I had no issue with that. What I couldn't overlook was how bad the film was from a technical standpoint.

This week we're talking about Incog XL, IG-88, Q The Winged Serpent, and Pacific Rim. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code OZONE

Today on the 5: There's no shortage of coverage right now about computing component shortages and the impacts they're having throughout the technology landscape. One of the areas most under pressure is the video game industry, which was hardly in a great state even before the AI explosion happened.

Today on the 5: I read an article over on Aftermath covering the unexpected success of a game titled Forbidden Solitaire. Based on the premise, the very positive reviews and the cheap price, I picked it up. I've played it for a bit now, and I've been enjoying it immensely.

Today on the 5: Thanks to a YouTube channel titled Liminal Spaces, I read You're All Alone by Fritz Leiber. It's a wonderful novella that feels a lot like a Philip K. Dick story, except without the overwhelming doom and paranoia!

Today on the 5: For week 3 of "Kai-June", Lando and I watched the 1982 film Q The Winged Serpent. Much like 2016's Colossal, this movie is attempting to have at least 3 different genres happening at once, and it's just barely the monster movie the film artwork would have you believe. Unlike 2016's Colossal, this movie is very good. 

This week we're talking about Sauron, Wolverine, This Is How The World Ends, The Host (2006), and Colossal. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code OZONE

Today on the 5: The most recent Red Letter Media episode is covering the recently released Masters Of The Universe movie. Before talking about the film itself, the hosts discuss whether the movie was timed correctly to capitalize on MOTU nostalgia. I wonder if He-Man as a property really requires nostlagia or name recognition to perform well.

Today on the 5: Apple made a whole avalanche of announcements during the keynote of this year's WWDC conference, almost all revolving around AI and Siri. They showed off a lot of fancy things, but I've got a very simple baseline test for whether any of this matters to me.

Today on the 5: We followed up our underwhelming experience with The Host by watching 2016's Colossal. Neither of us knew anything about this one, so we weren't sure what to expect. What we got was a movie that wasn't really about giant monsters, and also was so bad we didn't really finish it. 

Today on the 5: As part of "Kai-June", Lando and I watched the 2066 Korean film The Host. The movie has one of the more impressive opening segments you could hope for in a monster movie, but unfortunately the rest of the film never quite returned to that level of quality.

This week we're talking about Bone Smashing, Star Wars: Outlaws, Roger Dean, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, and Godzilla Minus One. Show music by HeartBeatHero and OGRE. Support the show! Get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code OZONE

Today on the 5: After Google's I/O conference and the announcement of changes coming to the search engine, DuckDuckGo saw a rise in the installs of the iPhone app and the usage of their search engine. Most outlets see this as an anti-AI response, but I tyhink that's only part of the reason.

Today on the 5: For the first film in our "Kai-June" marathon, we watched 1994's Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla. This movie is often seen as a lesser entry is the classic Godzilla film series, but I find it one of the peak example of a great villain and absolutely spectaular miniature work. Also, psychics! 

Today on the 5: If you listen to a lot of tech shows today, many of them present AI as the next great tech innovation that could change the landscape of technology as an industry. I wonder if there might be another disruption coming, and AI would only be a part of it.