A podcast that celebrates unironic excitement
Mel Brooks’ cult classic Star Wars parody is dumb, yes… but Katie argues that it works so well for four main reasons – and she is happy to tell you all about them. So dive in with us and get surrounded by assholes.
Aliens is not only an EPIC 80s action movie it’s also explicitly feminist and anti-capitalist. Alex believes it is James Cameron’s masterpiece and (heresy!) better than Ridley Scott’s Alien.
How does this movie even work? A 70-year old grandpa and his wife make the most insane, over-the-top, high octane action movie EVER? Alex has a theory: It works only because EVERY element of it is insane.
This completes our trilogy of episodes on maximalist movies that started with Everything Everywhere All At Once and RRR.
BTWs include feminism, Aliens and Mel Gibson.
In the moment of meta Katie talks about being enthusiastic about your hobbies when you also get paid to do them.
STOP! Please do no to listen to this episode before you’ve watched the movie. Seriously. We mean it! The movie is SO GOOD but it’s even better if you go in not knowing ANYTHING about it. So go watch it now and then come back here and se why this is Katie’s new favorite movie.
We will say that it includes Michelle Yeoh in the role of her life! And nothing else.
We hate to break it to you, but you are going to die. What do you want people to do with your corpse?
The most popular options in the west, cremation and burial, are both terrible for the environment, so in this episode Katie talks about better methods for body disposal.
BTWs include voodoo dolls, capitalism and cannibalism.
In the moment of meta Alex talks about enthusiasm for… pigeons?
Katie brings you some more Hopepunk For Squishy Marshmallows. This adorable kids’ cartoon has superheroes, great songs, healing spit and tons of gags. It also subverts masculinity and promotes queer normativity.
BTWs include Florida’s “don’t say gay” law.
In the moment of meta Alex issues a new challenge.
Bioshock is much more than a computer game, it’s also a cracking story, a philosophical exploration of free will and a devastating critique of libertarianism. It’s also gross, scary, intense and a buttload of fun to play. Alex would know, he’s played it for well over 200 hours.
BTWs include:
In the Moment Of Meta, Katie celebrates how humans fixed the hole in the ozone layer and tries to get on board with the idea that the world is getting better and better in so many ways. Also, we talk about a horrible parasite that used to infect millions of people and has now been nearly eradicated.
The Wayfarer Series is a trilogy of four(!) science fiction novels by Becky Chambers and Katie’s all-time favorites. They are a great example of Hope Punk, i.e. works that make you feel positive and optimistic about the world.
In the Moment Of Meta we introduce a new enthusiandment: You don’t have to be an expert in X to be enthusiastic about X. There’s also a corollary: But usually, diving into a topic only deepens your enthusiasm.
In this episode Alex talks about his absolute favorite sci-fi book series, The Vorkosigan Saga by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold.
This series is thrilling and creative but so is a lot of other science fiction. What really sets it apart is how progressive and ultimately hopeful Bujold’s books are. That and the amazing characters.
BTWs include Hope-punk, vegan gravy and the world’s longest running sci-fi series which started in 1961 and is still going strong.
In the moment of meta we talk about sharing your enthusiasm fully with no shame.
Now that Villeneuve’s Dune movie is finally coming out in America, it’s time for Alex to try to convince Katie to read a book that is notoriously long and complex… but ultimately worth it.
Dune is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time. It was written by American author Frank Herbert, and came out in 1965, over 50 years ago, but contains themes and ideas that make it relevant to this day.
This episode has NO SPOILERS for either the book or the movies.
BTWs include:
In the moment of meta we talk about the concept of FLOW and how it relates to enthusiasm.
