The Force Fed Sci-Fi Movie Podcast

This week, for the final time, Sean and Chris end the FFSF podcast and together sign off for the last time. The two review what the podcast meant to them, how far they've grown, why the podcast had to come to an end, and the movies they saw in July 2023. It's been a wonderful journey and a pleasure! Thank you to all the fans, friends, guests, and family members!   If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,  YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.

This week Chris and guest host Dan break down the beloved video game franchise and TV series "The Last of Us". If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,  YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.    

This week, Sean, Chris, and Matt return with special guest Brian to continue their pilgrimage into Foreign Sci-Fi by breaking down the 1972 Soviet sci-fi film, "Solaris". This film is directed by the critically acclaimed, Andrei Tarkovsky, who's avant-garde filmmaking choices are debated between the podcast reviewers. Check us out! All thoughts and opinions expressed do not reflect the cast and crew of Solaris. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,  YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.  

This week, Sean and Chris kick off "Foreign Sci-fi Month" starting with Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro's "The City of Lost Children". The episode also features Matt H and together the three amigos break down the steampunk, sci-fi-fantasy film the best they can. All thoughts and opinions expressed do not reflect the cast and crew of TCOLC. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,  YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.

This week Sean & Kyle finish off their review of the "Breaking Bad Franchise" with their breakdown of "Better Call Saul". The brothers discuss in length what they liked and disliked about the series, characters and overall thoughts on the franchise. All thoughts and opinions do not reflect those of the Better Call Saul cast and crew. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.

This week Sean & Kyle continue their review of the "Breaking Bad Franchise" with their review of "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie".  All thoughts and opinions do not reflect those of the El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie cast and crew.  If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.

This episode, Chris and Sean reunite to discuss Avatar 2, Blank Panther 2, and some of the movies they're looking forward to seeing in 2023. The duo also discusses the future of Forcefedscifi for the next year. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.

This week Sean and Kyle kick off their Breaking Bad Franchise breakdown starting with "Breaking Bad". The brothers give a recap of their experiences while watching the Breaking Bad series and give it a rating. All thoughts and opinions expressed do not reflect the feelings of the individuals who made Breaking Bad. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com.

This week the Sci-Fi nerds return to take on 1987's classic "Predator" with special guest and superfan Phil Harms.......stick around..... All opinions expressed are solely Forcefedscifi's and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of Predator. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always, thank you, we will see you next time…

This week (recorded June 2022) Sean and Chris discuss Ezra Miller, their actions, and the future of The Flash and the DCU. All opinions expressed by FFSF are strictly their own and in no way are meant to be harmful or offensive to anyone. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always, thank you, we will see you next time…

This week Sean checks in and rambles about the future of Forcefedscifi, his summer, movies, music, and sobriety. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always, thank you, we will see you next time...

This week the gang takes on the movie Ready Player One with special guest Brian McLeod in one humorous and TJ Miller hating podcast episode. All opinions expressed are solely Forcefedscifi's and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of Ready Player One. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always, thank you, we will see you next time...

This time, we're taking a special look at the limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi and along the way we ask, is this peak Darth Vader, is Star Wars relying solely on nostalgia and what do we want from a second season? We are what you made us and this is Force Fed Sci-Fi..... All opinions expressed are solely Forcefedscifi's and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of Obi-Wan Kenobi. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always, thank you, we will see you next time...

This time, we're taking a look at the post 9/11 family drama War of the Worlds and along the way we ask, does Ray actually care about his children, are the aliens eating humans or just using them as fertilizer and should Morgan Freeman just narrate everything? Across the gulf of space, intellects vast, cool and unsympathetic regarded our podcast with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. This is Force Fed Sci-Fi..... All opinions expressed are solely Forcefedscifi's and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of War of the Worlds. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always, thank you, we will see you next time...  

This time, we're taking a look at the broken family reconciliation classic, E.T. the Extraterrestrial and along the way we ask, did Spielberg intend for all of the Jesus allegories, how did this movie sink the video game industry and is E.T. really that scary? Podcast, phone home. This is Force Fed Sci-Fi...... All opinions expressed are solely Forcefedscifi's and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of ET. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always, thank you, we will see you next time....  

May the Forcefedscifi be with you! This episode Chris gives an update on Forcefedscifi, the media he has been consuming and the futureeeee. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always thank you and we will see you next time

Chris and Sean spend this episode reflecting on the podcast, the personal and professional changes over the past 3 years, their favorite movies they've reviewed and what changes they expect for the future of the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always thank you and we will see you next time

This time, we're kicking off Spielberg Month with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and along the way we ask, was this meant to be so scary, is Spielberg preparing us for first contact and would you abandon your life to join aliens? TWA 517 do you want to report a podcast? This is Force Fed Sci-Fi...... All opinions expressed are by Force Fed Sci-Fi are strictly our own and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always thank you and we will see you next time.

Howard the Duck This time, we're taking a look at the maligned yet….nope. Definitely not doing this for this movie. Run fast and far away as we're in a bad mood after watching Howard the Duck and this is Force Fed Sci-Fi...... All opinions expressed are by Force Fed Sci-Fi are strictly our own and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of "Howard the Duck". If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Googe Podcasts, Podbean, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Forcefedscifi.com. Give us a like and subscribe to more content and as always thank you and we will see you next time.

This time, we're taking a special look at the noir, ultra-dark, anti-hero crime film, "The Batman" and along the way we ask, is the world ready for an emo Batman, was the three-hour runtime really necessary and can we finally leave the DCEU behind and embrace a Bat-Verse? We're a part of this too and this is Force Fed Sci-Fi..... All opinions expressed by Force Fed Sci-Fi are strictly their own and do not represent the thoughts and feelings of the cast and crew of "The Batman". If you enjoyed this episode, please check us out on our other streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Google Podcasts, YouTube, facebook, Instagram, & twitter.  Thank you for listening, please like, subscribe, and comment!  

This time, we're taking a look at the ultra-campy, space adventure Flash Gordon and along the way we ask why did Sam Jones walk off this movie, did Star Wars run so Flash Gordon could walk and what's with all the 007 connections? Podcast….ahh-ahh! This is Force Fed Sci-Fi.... All opinions expressed are our own and do not reflect the thoughts of the cast & crew of "Flash Gordon". Please check us out on Spotify, ApplePodcasts, Googlepod, Insta, Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook. Feel free to check out our website and unique rating scale to get a better understanding of how we record and review our episodes. Thank You and ENJOY!! Here is the trailer to Flash Gordon, that throne room scene, and finally QUEEN singing Flash! Let us know what you think about it!

Weird Science (1985) This time, we're taking a look at the pubescent wish fulfillment film, "Weird Science" and along the way we ask is Lisa just a witch, does John Hughes actually know how to write for women, and is this problematic or just a weird product of its time? So, what would you little podcasts like to do first? This is Force Fed Sci-Fi....... All opinions expressed our strictly our own and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of "Weird Science". Please follow, like, share, and subscribe. Send us an email at forcefedscifi@gmail.com if you want us to review one of your favorite movies or wish to send us a gift. Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Podbean, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or anywhere else you get your podcasting. Finally, check out our website www.forcefedscifi.com for show notes, extra content and other episodes!

Dune 1984 This time, we're kicking off our month of 80's schlocky sci-fi with 1984's Dune and along the way we ask, why does David Lynch want nothing to do with this movie, did this go unappreciated in its time and what's with the homoeroticism? Fear is the podcast killer on this edition of Force Fed Sci-Fi........ All opinions expressed our strictly our own and do not reflect the thoughts and opinions of the cast and crew of David Lynch's "Dune". Please follow, like, share, and subscribe. Send us an email at forcefedscifi@gmail.com if you want us to review one of your favorite movies or wish to send us a gift. Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Podbean, YouTube, Tunein, Twitter, or Facebook.

This time, we're taking a look at the post-apocalyptic, class war, climate change thriller Snowpiercer and along the way we ask, how has South Korean cinema changed Hollywood, exactly what box does this move fall into and would it be fun to live on a train? You suffer from the misplaced optimism of the podcast. This is Force Fed Sci-Fi.... All opinions expressed are our own and do not reflect anything from the cast and crew of this movie. If you'd like to learn more about us or check out more episodes click the links.

This week....Sean explains what happened to the audio from "Spiderman: No Way Home", updates on his favorite Chicago sports teams, his thoughts on the movie "Nightmare Alley", The Mandalorian, Octopath Traveler and South African House music. Here are some of the artists that Sean mentioned in the episode: "Mas Musiq"& "Aymos" the links are to their albums that Sean recommends you check out if you like house music. As always Like, Share and subscribe to more of our content on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook!    

This week Forcefedscifi finishes up their Matrix suite with 2021's "Matrix Resurrections". Along the way we ask the all important questions such as: is this film really necessary, could Lana Wachowski get any more meta, and where the heck is Laurence Fishburne? We still know kung fu.....this is Forcefedscifi. Please share, like, subscribe, comment, and check out more episodes on our page! Let us know what movie or show you'd like us to review next!  

The Matrix Revolutions On this episode, we explore why six months in between film premieres can lead to sudden fatigue for audiences, how a bloated cast leads to disinterest, why the action feels disjointed and anticlimactic and what happened to these actors after the trilogy wrapped? Tune in to the full episode for our rating and our choices of Lens Flares, Red Shirts and Toxic Fandom and check out our next episode as we review the new release, The Matrix Resurrections.

The Matrix Reloaded On this episode, producer Jeremy returns and we explore the massive marketing campaign leading up to Reloaded's release, how MTV turned this film into parody fodder, why the CGI pioneered the look of modern blockbusters and Jada Pinkett Smith managed to redeem Will's blunder at passing on the original film.  Listen to our full episode for our choices of Lens Flares, Red Shirts and Toxic Fandom as well as our rating and tune in next time as we continue our deep dive into the Matrix series as we review The Matrix Revolutions.

This week Chris and Sean review some of their favorite Christmas movies, Chevy Chase, and whether Kvein McCallister would have been put in jail for murder.  

Alien: Resurrection On this episode, we'll examine Joss Whedon's potential problems with women, why so many filmmakers have disowned this franchise, what it took for Sigourney Weaver to reprise her role and is genetic memory actually possible? Listen to the full episode for our breakdown as well as our choices of Lens Flares, Red Shirts, This Week in Toxic Fandom and the return of Who's Not Doing Their Job. Tune in next time as we explore how deep the rabbit hole really goes as we resume our look into the Matrix series and the much hyped sequel, The Matrix Reloaded

This week we wrap up Sean and Kyle's conversation with PART 4. The brothers discuss the movie "Eternals" which includes their thoughts on the characters, the story, and what changes they would have made. Eternals is directed by Chloé Zhao and stars: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.

This week Chris and Sean continued their quest to conquer the Alien franchise with David Fincher's "Alien 3", starring: Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Lance Henriksen & Pete Postlethwaite. Comment, like, share and subscribe to more of our content and to our social media pages! Also check out our own unqiue rating scale as well as our co-hosts and producer!  

For part 3 Sean and Kyle discussing movies they decided to recount their thoughts about their viewing experience of Denis Villeneuve's "Dune". Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, & Javier Bardem. Give us a like, comment and subscribe. Tell us what movie you'd like us to review next! Also, check out our unique rating scale!

This week Chris and Sean break down James Cameron's "Aliens" the beloved sequel that just might be better than the original film. Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Hennand, Bill Paxon, and Al Matthews.

This week Chris invites Jose to breakdown the newly released "Ghostbusters: Afterlife". Directed by Jason Reitman and starring: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd.

For this part 2 episode of Sean and Kyle's conversation, they discuss Marvel, Disney, Buzz Lightyear, and Black Widow.  

This week we dove into Ridley Scott‘s acclaimed space horror classic ”Alien”, starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John HurtIan Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. Please comment, like, share, and subscribe! Let us know what you enjoyed about the film and our review and as always check out our social media platforms.

This week Sean and his brother Kyle recap the Star Wars sequels and discuss their legacy.

  Sean recaps his time away from the podcast, James Bond, Da Bulls & and how he hates Bears fans.    

  This week we dive into the flaming pile of trash of a film, Roger Christian‘s 2000 Battlefield Earth starring: John Travolta, Barry Pepper, Forest Whitaker, Kim Coates, and Sabine Karsenti. Along the way we ask, just how much Scientology lore is present here, why did John Travolta believe in this project so much, and dare we say, is there potential for a remake? Let's dive in... On this episode, we examine how John Travolta's devotion to Scientology doomed this movie from the start, how an all knowing alien is more boring than compelling, and why this film is not only bad, but a prime example of bad filmmaking. Listen to the full episode for Sean and Chris' choices of Lens Flares, Red Shirts as well as the latest entry of This Week in Toxic Fandom and their not so surprising rating. Always remember to listen and subscribe to our content on Facebook, Instagram, Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Please write in to tell us which movie we should add to the list! Check out our review scale, like subscribe, comment, and review our posts!

  This week Chris checks in while Sean is away, he recaps his recent movie going adventures, reviews Chicago sports teams, and talks of his time away on vacation.  

This time, we're concluding our look into the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy and War for the Planet of the Apes and along the way we ask, is this a war film or a sci-fi film, is this more like Heart of Darkness or Bridge on the River Kwai and what's the future of this franchise? Let's dive in… On this episode, we examine how charismatic and devious Woody Harrelson's character is, how Caesar is betraying the central tenets of his existence, how a sci-fi film manages to also be a war film, how Caesar's legacy can live on after his community finds peace, how we can avoid the world depicted in these films and why this trilogy managed to be overlooked year after year. Listen to the full episode for Sean and Chris' choices of Lens Flares, Red Shirts as well as a new entry for This Week in Toxic Fandom and our rating. Always remember to like and subscribe to our content on Facebook, Instagram, Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Also, tell your friends about us and write in to tell us which movie we should add to the list!

This time, we're continuing our look at the reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and along the way we ask, what are the parallels between the Simian Flu and COVID-19, who is the real villain of the movie and is this a realistic depiction of a societal collapse? Let's dive in Cast & Crew Directed by Matt Reeves: After Rupert Wyatt abandoned the chance to direct this film, Matt Reeves was hired on after directing Cloverfield and Let Me In. He had initially worked in television after developing the hit series Felicity. Starring Jason Clarke as Malcolm: Clarke has developed an everyman type of quality and had gained recognition after appearing in the critically acclaimed war film Zero Dark Thirty and has since appeared in The Great Gatsby, White House Down, Everest, Terminator Genisys and Mudbound Andy Serkis as Caesar: Serkis was the first actor to sign on for the sequel after meeting with Matt Reeves and had become a coach for the other actors who were unfamiliar with the performance capture technology. Toby Kebbell as Koba: Kebbell has become a well-rounded actor in recent years appearing in films like War Horse, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Warcraft and Kong: Skull Island and even provided the motion capture performance as Kong for that film. Gary Oldman as Dreyfus: While he had not yet won an Oscar, Oldman was still widely recognized as a quality actor and had just wrapped up his run as Commissioner James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy Keri Russell as Ellie: Russell had risen to fame after starring on Matt Reeves' television show Felicity and had even won a Golden Globe for her performance on the show. She has since transitioned successfully to films after appearing in We Were Soldiers, Mission Impossible 3, August Rush and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Also Starring: Judy Greer as Cornelia Kodi-Smit McPhee as Alexander Kirk Acevedo as Carver James Franco also reprises his role as Will Rodman in an uncredited cameo COVID-19 & the Simian Flu Throughout the course of Dawn, the pandemic that wiped out humanity is routinely referred to as the “Simian Flu” much to exasperation of characters like Malcolm and Ellie who had apparently worked at the CDC during the outbreak and had firsthand knowledge of the origins of the virus. There's a brief prologue at the opening of the film that tracks the path of the virus of how it devastated humanity and left the remaining survivors in tatters. The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't quite reached the same levels of destruction as the “Simian Flu” did in this film, there are some obvious parallels to draw from that deduction. There were several degrading nicknames that were conceived during the summer of 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that directly influenced a rise in hate crimes directed toward Asian Americans. The nicknames come from a place of misunderstanding and fear and it's a mood that permeates Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Who is the Real Villain?  Sean and Chris had a healthy debate as to who the actual villain of the film really is. While the low hanging fruit would be Koba as he attempts to assassinate Caesar and kill the humans in San Francisco, an argument could be made for either Carver or Dreyfus as villains. Without Carver, the events of the film don't really kick off as he's the one who shoots Ash at the beginning of the film and brings Malcolm's group into contact with Caesar. Carver then escalates an already tense situation when he pulls a weapon on Caesar's infant son even after Malcolm had promised his group wouldn't carry weapons. Carver does eventually get killed by Koba but as Sean pointed, Carver didn't exactly have to be killed in order for Koba to carry out his insurrection. While Dreyfus is left out of the majority of the film, he does work his group into a frenzy and manages to become a villain with his final act of attempt...

This time, we're taking a look at the return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Black Widow and along the way we ask, why is Scarlett Johansson just now getting a solo film, is it possible to emotionally invest in a dead character and how does this movie set up Phase 4? Let's dive in! PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE NOTES MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BLACK WIDOW Cast & Crew Directed by Cate Shortland: While more well-known in Australian cinema, Shortland was personally selected by Johansson after viewing her film Lore. Shortland was also chosen from a list of all female directors. Another director on that list, Chloe Zhao, would eventually be chosen to direct Eternals Starring Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow: Plans for a Black Widow film were originally conceived in 2004 but the film labored in developmental hell until the MCU introduced their version of the character in 2010's Iron Man 2 and as the character gained more and more popularity, plans were entertained to produce a solo film focused on the character that would be incorporated into the MCU. While the plans didn't initially take off in 2014, 2015 or 2016, Kevin Feige announced in 2018 that a film would be produced and released in 2020 Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow: Pugh was cast in April 2019 following her performance in the wrestling film Fighting With My Family and began training immediately to star alongside Johansson David Harbour as Alexi Shostakov/Red Guardian: Harbour rose to prominence following his performance as Sheriff Jim Hopper in the Netflix series Stranger Things and was cast as the Soviet Union's super solider answer to Captain America Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff/Black Widow: While Weisz hasn't gravitated towards many blockbusters, she welcomed the chance to play a seasoned spy and an affectionate mother figure towards Natasha and Yelena's characters Also Starring: Ray Winstone as Dreykov Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster William Hurt as General Thaddeus Ross O-T Fagbenle as Rick Mason Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine The Persistent Influence of Other Films As Sean and Chris noted during the episode, Black Widow contains an exhaustive list of other influences from past espionage films that can be exhausting to list out. The chase through Budapest contains many callbacks to films like GoldenEye, Mission Impossible: Fallout and the fight scenes are reminiscent of anything from the Jason Bourne series or from the Daniel Craig James Bond films. There is also a brief scene where Natasha is even watching the 007 film Moonraker as she's initially in hiding (listen to our previous episode of Moonraker here). Moonraker and the James Bond films seem to be the primary influence on the look and feel of Black Widow. The villain lives in a floating palace as he plans to infect the world with a deadly virus and the climax takes place as the heroine is falling from the wreckage without a parachute. Perhaps, the filmmakers should have taken greater care to create some original sequences as opposed to borrowing from other films. Also, a fun fact that might have added to why these action scenes felt so bland or recycled. Apparently, Marvel special effects artists create action scenes before the scripts are even finished being written. Perhaps, that is why so much of the action in their films feels forced, bland, or nonorganic. Even if the actors wanted to add an element of improvisation it would be impossible due to the previsualized scenes. The Red Guardian While our hosts agreed that the other characters were welcome additions to the film, they concluded that the Red Guardian is worthy of continuing his story within the MCU. Sean and Chris agreed that the character has a rich history that could be explored. Alexi seems to embellish his time as the Red Guardian during prison when he mentions that he fought and had even punched Captain Ameri...

  This week Chris and Sean got together to talk about the Cubs, Bulls, podcast, and new movies that are coming out.

This time, we're taking a look at the classic reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes and along the way we ask, how has Andy Serkis never won an Oscar, is this movie a really long vacation ad for California and just how plausible is a cure of Alzheimer's? Let's dive in… Cast & Crew Directed by Rupert Wyatt: His first film, The Escapist, was the darling of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and afforded him the opportunity to direct Rise of the Planet of the Apes Starring Andy Serkis as Caesar: Serkis has managed to carve out a career as an actor, producer and director. Following his motion capture performance in Peter Jackson's King Kong, Serkis was on the top of the list to give life to the main character of Caesar. James Franco as Will Rodman: Franco has had an interesting career to say the least. After rising to prominence on the television show Freaks & Geeks and later in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, Franco has also appeared on soap operas, stage and has tried directing several times. At this point in 2011, he was just coming off an Oscar nominated performance in 127 Hours. Tobey Maguire was actually the first choice to play Will Rodman. Freida Pinto as Caroline: This was one of four films Pinto appeared in during 2011 and had risen to international fame following her starring role in the Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire Also Starring: John Lithgow as Charles Rodman Brian Cox as John Landon Tom Felton as Dodge Landon David Oyelowo as Steven Jacobs From Tim Burton to Rupert Wyatt Believe it or not, this was not the first time 20th Century Fox attempted to reboot the Planet of the Apes franchise. Tim Burton had directed a remake of the original 1968 film that was released in 2001 and had starred Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter with Charlton Heston making a surprise cameo. The film was a critical disappointment as it currently holds a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes but managed to gross over $350 million. The journey to get the remake off the ground had taken close to 20 years and following the financial success of the remake, plans for a sequel were drawn but were cancelled with Tim Burton even going so far as to stating he'd “rather jump out a window” than return to direct a follow up. Fast forward to 2006 when screenwriting team Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver began developing a script involving chimpanzees and genetic testing. That script would eventually become Rise of the Planet of the Apes and kick off a reboot franchise as they were quickly becoming a trend in Hollywood starting with films like Batman Begins and Casino Royale. Jaffa and Silver had the daunting task of rebooting an iconic franchise but decided to go back further and explore the genesis of a world dominated by intelligent apes. They worked backwards from the mythology mentioned in the film including the first ape named Caesar and that the first uttered was “no”. Andy Serkis and the Art of Performance Capture   Andy Serkis has widely been recognized as a pioneer of performance capture following his performance as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings film series and as Kong in Peter Jackson's King Kong. While this recognition hasn't translated to awards as the Academy doesn't recognize performances like those, he has been cited for not only his performances but also his contributions to the technology required of performance capture and his work as he coached his fellow performers in his films. While performance capture is used sporadically in Hollywood, it has become the norm for actors in video games with games like The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption II, L.A. Noire, God of War (2018) and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice being recognized as prime examples of utilizing performance capture for maximum effect. Hopefully one day, the Academy or other major awards will begin to recognize the power and work that can come from these type of performances. Who's the Better Villain?

https://youtu.be/BpdDN9d9Jio This time, we're taking a look at the highly anticipated sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, and along the way we ask, did Emmett and Regan rip off The Last of Us, how did Marcus become so selfish and what is next for the Abbott family? Let's dive in… Please be advised that these notes will contain spoilers for A Quiet Place Part II. If you wish for your experience to be spoiler free, please pause here, check out the film and return! Cast & Crew Written, produced and directed by John Krasinski: The actor/director returns to direct the sequel of his 2018 directorial debut and also reprises his character of Lee during the film's prologue Starring Emily Blunt as Evelyn Abbott Millicent Simmonds as Regan Abbott Noah Jupe as Marcus Abbott In addition, several actors were cast to fill new roles in the series: Cillian Murphy as Emmett: Murphy has become quite a frequent contributor to the Force Fed Sci-Fi podcast after appearing in our first episode Inception as well as Sunshine. Hosts Sean and Chris agreed that Murphy's portrayal was among the best in the film and cemented his status as one of Hollywood's most reliable actors. Djimon Hounsou as the Man on the Island: While his character doesn't officially have a name, his scenes with Murphy are rather poignant as he's able to provide some context as to the early days of the invasion and the trauma he's experienced. Also Appearing: Scoot McNairy as Marina Man Okieriete Onaodowan as Ronnie Marco Beltrami also returns to compose the score as well as the new additions to the crew: Cinematography by Polly Morgan who had previously worked on the film Lucy as well as the television series Legion Editing by Michael P. Shawver who had worked on Creed, Black Panther and Fruitvale Station The Journey to Make A Quiet Place Part II Following the unexpected success of the first film in the series, Paramount immediately greenlit a sequel while Krasinski originally viewed the film as a one off without the need for a sequel. The original writers, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, did not return to the sequel and sought to do other projects. Krasinski himself was hesitant to return but was offered both to write and direct the sequel after the studio enjoyed his pitch. While the budget for the first film was a meager $20 million, a sizeable commitment was made to the sequel as the budget was increased to $61 million which allowed for the production to expand beyond the scope of the farm and woods setting in the original film. A giant soundstage was constructed for the film as well as on location shooting in western New York State. What is the Theme? As Sean and Chris remarked in their episode on A Quiet Place, they were amazed with how quickly the film's theme became politicized across both aisles of the political spectrum and that doesn't seem to be the case with its sequel. Building upon the themes of family from the first film, A Quiet Place Part II seems to focus on the idea of loss this time around. Every character in the film has lost something profound and Emmett in particular personifies this theme. After first meeting his character after he has seemingly agreed to shelter the Abbott family, we find out that his wife and young sons have died. Whether they died due to illness or were killed by the creatures is left to speculation but this has caused him to retreat within himself and initially wants to avoid searching for Regan when she goes missing until Evelyn appeals to his fatherly duties in finding her. While loss is prevalent throughout the film and this section could be filled with a breakdown with each character's loss, A Quiet Place Part II explores what it means to be able to move beyond the loss and how we evolve past our grief. Loss is a universal human experience as everyone has felt the loss of a loved one either unexpectedly or over time or even the loss of a job,

  This week Sean rambles about sports, the WWE, movies, life, and a vegan diet. Check out more content at our homepage and episodes page.

 This time, we're taking a look at the spectacular spoof Mars Attacks! And along the way we ask what do the Martians have against birds, are humans supposed to be this excited for a first contact scenario and how did trading cards lead to big screen film? Let's dive in… Cast & Crew Directed by Tim Burton: At this in point in the mid 90's, Burton was at the height of his power and recognition. He had established himself with his unique style and dark yet comedic films with success like Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood. With Buton's name attached to direct Mars Attacks all that was needed was an all-star cast.Starring Jack Nicholson as President James Dale & Art Land Glenn Close as Marsha Dale Annette Benning as Barbara Land Danny DeVito as Rude Gambler Jim Brown as Byron Williams Pam Grier as Louise Williams Martin Short as Jerry Ross Pierce Brosnan as Donald Kessler Sarah Jessica Parker as Nathalie Lake Michael J. Fox as Jason Stone Rod Steiger as General Decker Lukas Haas as Richie Norris Natalie Portman as Taffy Dale Tom Jones as Tom Jones Also Starring Joe Don Baker as Glenn Norris Jack Black as Billy-Glenn Norris Christina Applegate Sylvia Sidney as Grandma Norris Paul Winfield as General Casey From Topps to the Big Screen Mars Attacks did not begin life on the silver screen. The origins can be traced back to 1962 and a series of trading cards simply known as Mars Attacks! The cards were hugely popular in a Cold War America but the cards displayed scenes that were graphic and horrifying for the time. Due to complaints received, several of the cards had to be repainted but were ultimately pulled from production and distribution after a District Attorney from Connecticut began making inquiries into Topps and the cards. While the cards have been reprinted several times including several reboots, the original cards have now become collector's items with certain cards fetching over $3,000 at auctions. In the early 90's, screenwriter Jonathan Gems began work on a script and it was eventually greenlit by Warner Brothers. The original pitch for Burton to direct involved another movie which would've been titled Dinosaurs Attack but given how Jurassic Park had released in 1993, trying to make another dinosaur blockbuster would've sunk a movie studio at the time. With Burton on board to direct, he had to fill out his crew with his normal hires but the one snag was Danny Elfman. While working together on A Nightmare Before Christmas, a rift had formed between Burton and composer Danny Elfman who had previously worked together on all of Burton's films and created a signature feel similar to how Steven Spielberg and John Williams have created their signature. The exact details of the rift aren't known and probably won't be to the general public but the two were able to work things out and Elfman managed to turn in one of his most iconic scores. How B Movies Influenced Mars Attacks! Tim Burton has not disputed that his influences, not just for Mars Attacks, but all of his films in general came from the science fiction films of the 1950's including Plan 9 from Outer Space, The War of the Worlds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Target Earth and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. There are also influences from the disaster films of the 1970's like Earthquake, The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure that can be felt here in Mars Attacks. One of the question Sean and Chris ponder during the episode is trying to discern whether Mars Attacks belongs in the category of satire or parody. While satire is meant to subvert, parody is meant to make fun of but not to insult a specific genre or film trope. While our hosts disagreed on what the film actually is, it was all done for the sake of art as art is meant to subjective and no one is meant to draw the same meaning from the film.

This week Sean checks in and talks about upcoming movies, the movies he saw, sports news, and his personal life.

This time, we're taking a look at the giant monster throwback film Eight Legged Freaks and along the way we'll ask, why was there a time where David Arquette was a leading man in Hollywood, why don't more citizens have guns in rural Arizona, is this movie nightmare fuel or just plain parody and how can improvising lead to a pretty decent movie title? Let's dive in…. Cast & Crew Directed by Ellory Elkayem: The New Zealand born director was chosen by the producers to adapt a full-length version of a short film he had directed titled Larger than Life which centered around a giant man eating spider. He has since directed several direct-to-video films including a sequel to the comedy Without a Paddle. Starring David Arquette as Chris McCormick: Arquette had developed a reputation for playing goofy comedic characters following appearances on Friends as well as the character Dewey in the Scream Kari Wuhrer as Samantha Parker: Wuhrer's big break came on the MTV show Remote Control and had appeared in films like Thinner and Anaconda Scarlett Johansson as Ashley Parker: While she's now known as one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, Johansson had humble beginnings but would later break through the following year with performances in Lost in Translation and The Girl with the Pearl Earring Also Starring: Scott Terra as Mike Parker Doug E. Doug as Harlan Griffith Rick Overton as Pete Willis Leon Rippy as Wade Jay Arlen Jones as Leon Eileen Ryan as Gladys Riley Smith as Randy Matt Czuchry as Bret A Brief History of Giant Monster Films Beginning with the Godzilla films, the popularity of giant monster (usually giant insect) films exploded in the United States. The Godzilla films were originally created as a warning for the unknown effects of radiation following the numerous atomic tests conducted in the Pacific during the late 1940's and 1950's. There were also concerns as the United States and the Soviet Union entered the Cold War and nuclear destruction was at the forefront of the world's population. This international strife made a rich ground for Hollywood to mine as films like The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Them, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Attack of the Crab Monsters and The Blob all become drive thru cinema fodder for the decade of the 1950's. These films are basic to say the least. Similar to how studio's would make westerns in the 30's and 40's, the plots of these films usually involved some sort of radiation or chemical leak that affects local wildlife and transforms it into a giant monster that wreaks havoc on a small town, kills some of the local populace until the military arrives to kill the creature or some smart scientist who happens to be nearby finds a way to destroy the creature or the film would substitute giant local wildlife for a giant alien and the rest of the plot would remain the same. Obviously, this formula became dated and soon after the 50's were over, these films quickly fell out of the style and television was quickly becoming the new desired media in Hollywood. The giant monster or kaiju genre has experienced a resurgence in recent years following films like Pacific Rim (which we have recently covered on Force Fed Sci-Fi) as well as Godzilla and its subsequent sequels such as Godzilla: King of the Monsters (which we covered in 2019) and Godzilla vs Kong (which will be covered in a future Bite Sized episode). It's unclear what the genre will be like in the future but it is exciting to see great films being released with such a reverence for the genre. David Arquette as a Leading Man? While hard to believe now, David Arquette was a prolific actor in the late 90's and early 2000's. Besides appearing in the films previo usly mentioned, he had also starred in Airheads, Never Been Kissed, 3000 Miles to Graceland and The Grey Zone but as Sean and Chris note during the episode, it's hard to buy into him as a leading man that's meant to...