Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b

(Normally, Emily would be writing this because it was her pick, but she's off having some super-cool weekend adventure. Whatever, I'm not jealous.) Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose this new episode of Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b, in which we talk all about the critically-acclaimed 1996 Danny Boyle film Trainspotting. For more like this, check out the other offerings at geekvsn00b.com, or subscribe to us on iTunes and Google Play Music. You can stream Trainspotting on Netflix or Showtime Anytime. Or, you can rent(on) it for $3 from iTunes, Vudu or Google Play. You can also buy it from those three rental sites for $10, or for $13 as digital purchase on Amazon. And one more thing: You should like our Facebook page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and, again, welcome to the Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b Podcast Enjoyment Center. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin this week's episode. On this week's episode, [MALE CO-HOST NAME HERE] challenged [FEMALE CO-HOST NAME HERE] to try playing Portal, a 2007 video game made by Valve Software. For your own safety, and the safety of others, please subscribe to Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b on iTunes. The Enjoyment Center would also like to inform you that this podcast is also available on Google Play Music. Portal is available for $10 on Steam. Congratulations, [LISTENER NAME HERE] on reaching the conclusion of this text. Please celebrate this momentous achievement by following Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b on Facebook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: Clueless Geek: Emily We're back for season three! And we're starting with a bang: the classic teen comedy Clueless. In case you're unfamiliar (somehow?) with this film, it stars lots of famous people and music and features a parade of classic outfits and phrases - and best of all, it's based on Jane Austen's "Emma." Normally I'd launch into how I first watched this movie or why I fell in love with it, but I honestly can't remember the first time I watched it. It's just sort of part of my pop cultural DNA, and I love it to pieces. But did Eric? You'll have to listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Geek: Emily AND Eric That's right, it's Harry Potter time! Now, you might have noticed that Eric and I are both serious Harry Potter enthusiasts, and we have been since it all started. We read the books as they came out, pre-ordered each new one and devoured it immediately, the whole nine yards. In fact, we went to the midnight premiere of the last movie together. As delightful as all of this is for us, it presents a podcast problem: since neither of us is a wizarding world n00b, we can't exactly do an episode of Giant Geek vs. Mega N00b about it on our own. Until now! We managed to round up a couple of guest n00bs - one our own age, one nine years old, both embarking on the world's most magical series for the very first time. Needless to say, we have a lot to discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up-front caveat: If you haven't seen "The Room," go watch it. Then come back to this post. In case you ignored that instruction and are still reading ignorantly, "The Room" is widely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made -- and it's wonderful. Also, insane. Even more wonderful was the fact that one of its stars, Greg Sestero, wrote a tell-all book in 2013 about everything that happened behind the scenes; "The Disaster Artist" shows that the insanity captured on the screen was only a glimmer of everything happening behind the scenes. This week, Emily and I read "The Disaster Artist" and discussed what its revelations mean for our shared fandom of "The Room." Can't listen right now because you're very busy right now and have to go? Then subscribe to Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b on iTunes! You can buy "The Room" on DVD or Blu-Ray, and "The Disaster Artist" is available pretty much anywhere you'd find books. To share your favorite Tommy Wiseau quotes or weigh in on anything else we discussed this week, email us at [email protected]. And you should follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. We'll be back next week to talk about "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" with two special guest n00bs. See you then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: In A Lonely Place Geek: Emily We're doing more film noir this week, with another of the greats of the genre: Humphrey Bogart. I more or less stumbled on "In A Lonely Place" by accident. I was in the midst of a weekend-long Bogart marathon (a reasonable life choice that I strongly recommend), wandering around his IMDb credits, and this one's description intrigued me. Boy was I right. Bogart plays a screenwriter who hasn't had a hit in years and ends up accused of murder. But did he do it? Unclear. It's a dark role, and he shines. You'll have to listen to find out if Eric liked it as much as I do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The zombies are coming! Grab a knife and a gun, get in your car, lock the doors and pray that your iPhone is charged so that you can listen to this podcast. Is that a sound survival strategy? Nope. But really, most of us would not last a day in a real zombie apocalypse. That's why we love shows like this week's topic, "The Walking Dead." And since the show is filmed in Emily's state of Georgia, she had to watch it. Can't listen right now because you're too busy looking for a friend who has a crossbow? Then subscribe to Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b on iTunes! You can stream "The Walking Dead" on Netflix, or buy episodes on iTunes, Amazon or Vudu. For this discussion, we watched only the first two episodes of season 1, which are called "Days Gone Bye" and "Guts." To share your zombie survival plan or weigh in on anything else we discussed this week, email us at [email protected]. And you should follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. We'll be back next week to talk about "In A Lonely Place." See you then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: The Third Man Geek: Emily And now, we venture into noir. What better way to dive into the genre than with Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, and World War Two-ravaged Vienna? That's right folks, this week it's "The Third Man." I probably first watched this movie on TCM, or in a fit of classic film VHS rentals, but I've returned over and over because there's just so much to love here. It's got intrigue, mysterious death, crosses and double crosses, and a perfect score to hold it all together. It was clearly past time for Eric to watch it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hooray for trying new things. Unless those things are psychotropic drugs that permanently damage your brain. On this episode of Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b, Emily and I tried the good type of new thing: For the first time, we discussed a music album. Specifically, we listened twice over to "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys, one of my all-time favorite albums to listen to all the way through, for reasons that will become clear as you listen to the podcast. Don't want to listen right now? Then subscribe to Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b on iTunes! You can find "Pet Sounds" on Spotify or Amazon Prime Music, and probably a bunch of other streaming services. Or you could, like, buy the album, wherever music is sold. I know, I know, crazy thought. To weigh in on the Beach Boys or anything else we discussed this week, email us at [email protected]. And you should follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. We'll be back next week to talk about "The Third Man." See you then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: A Tale of two Cities (book three) Geek: Emily And now for the payoff I sold so, so hard last time: the grand conclusion of A Tale of Two Cities. All the threads - golden threads, if you will - finally come together in the exciting conclusion of this epic novel. At least, that's what I think of it. We'll just have to see if Eric enjoys it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I never really got into anime in the way that a lot of other geeky kids did. Dragonball Z? Did not care. Pokémon? I watched the first season or two of the anime, but the video games were always first in my heart. Digimon? Yeah, no. So, I was surprised in college to really get into the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which borrows heavily from anime. It tells the story of an epic war fought by element-"bending" humans, a group of children who must save the planet, and some bizarrely cute hybrid animals. On this episode of Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b, I tasked Emily with watching the first five episodes of season one of Avatar: "The Boy in the Iceberg" through "The King of Omashu." Join us! If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can watch Avatar: The Last Airbender for free on Amazon Instant Video. You can also stream some episodes on Nickelodeon's website (not all of them, like we said in the episode). Or, you can buy individual episodes from iTunes or Amazon for $2 apiece. Oh, and probably worth noting: As is our wont, we get off on a lot of tangents. If you haven't seen the Harry Potter movies or Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and you're someone who listens to this podcast?! Really?), then mild spoiler warning for those works. To weigh in on Avatar or anything else we discussed this week, email us at [email protected]. And you should follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. We'll be back next week to finish our discussion of A Tale of Two Cities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: A Tale of Two Cities (books one and two) Geek: Emily This week embark on our lengthiest bit of culture yet: reading Dickens. I'm not sure when or why I read A Tale of Two Cities the first time, but I was pretty quickly hooked - and immediately started rereading it. You must understand, I'm not a big re-reader, in general. There are very few things I read over and over (basically this, Harry Potter, and Sabriel), and this tops the list BY FAR. It's just so good! And frankly so complicated that you kind of have to go back over the details again once you finish it. So needless to say, I was pretty pumped to see what Eric thought. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WE'RE BACK! Here's the first episode of Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b Season 2. In it, Eric challenges Emily to overcome years of video game evasion and play Hearthstone, a free digital card game made by Blizzard. You can play Hearthstone on iOS and Android devices (just search for it in the App Store), or download a PC version of the game for your Windows or Mac computer at Battle.net. For more Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b, visit GVNpodcast.com. And please leave a review for us on iTunes! We'll be back next week to talk about the first half of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas special! Eric's favorite Muppet Christmas movie is "A Muppet Family Christmas," a TV special originally released in 1987. Emily's is "The Muppet Christmas Carol," which was released theatrically in 1992. So, who is right? Naturally, we watched both of them, and to get the most out of this episode, you should, too. "The Muppet Christmas Carol" is available to rent for $3 from Google, Vudu, Sony and Apple. And "A Muppet Family Christmas" is available to stream on YouTube at http://tiny.cc/muppetgeek. Happy holidays to all of our listeners. Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b will be back in January for a new season of episodes. For more, visit http://geekvsn00b.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: A View to a Kill Geek: Emily For the second part of our super special double-whammy season finale we're circling back to where we started: James. Bond. We're vaulting from one end of the Bond spectrum to the other, from the sublime(ly awesome) to the ridiculous(ly sublime). A View to a Kill is Roger Moore's last movie as the superspy, and he's got the world's best possible Bond villains opposite him: Christopher Walken as a psychotic genetic experiment and Grace Jones as his unspeakably great right-hand woman. It rocks, you guys. It just rocks. Just bask in the Duran Duran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric and Emily discuss the second half of Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello friends! We'll be back this week with another new episode, finally rectifying the fact that although he is obsessed with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Eric is oblivious to Sarah Michelle Gellar's other iconic teen starlet roles of the late 90s and early aughts. Yes, that means we're watching Cruel Intentions. As always, be sure to watch it before you listen! There will be many spoilers. Find it here: Amazon; Google Play; Vudu. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: Watchmen (first half) Geek: Eric This week, we finally get to something I've been wanting to discuss since before we started this podcast: The graphic novel Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Even if you saw the mediocre 2009 film and didn't like it, don't close this tab. I saw it, too, and was confused more than anything else. It's only in the shadow of the far, far superior book that its problems come into clarity. But we're not here to talk about a lousy movie (well, Emily and I talk about it a little bit). We're (mostly) here to talk about a great book, which was also my introduction point to the world of "grown-up" graphic novels. Published in 12 installments between September 1986 and October 1987, Watchmen is both a story about superheroes and a story about superheroes, and the comics that depict them. Along with the seminal Batman miniseries The Dark Knight Returns*, it interrogated ideas long taken for granted, like if/how super-powered beings (or, variously, normal-powered vigilantes with a lot of time and/or money) would actually fit in contemporary society, and whether these people claiming to be heroes could really be trusted in the first place. For this week's episode, Emily and I read the first half of Watchmen, which is six chapters long. Next week, we'll be breaking it up with one of her picks, and then we'll be back the week after with the back six chapters. So go pick up a copy of the book and join us! *Zack Snyder, the same guy who directed that mediocre Watchmen movie, is currently in the process of adapting part of TDKR in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film. Goody. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for another book! And that means another two-parter. This week, we're tackling the first half of Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen is no ordinary book. It's what some folks call a "comic book," but those of us who know better call a "graphic novel." Unlike the innumerable serialized Superman or Spider-Man stories, it's a self-contained work, starring characters that don't appear elsewhere. It's also a goldmine of ideas to discuss. Given that Watchmen is widely considered to be a crossover title to the broader literary world, it shouldn't be too hard to find Watchmen at your local bookstore, or (since those are becoming as rare as Coke in green glass bottles), at your local box-shaped corporate monolith. For those not inclined to leave the house, it's also available for $12 on Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: Four Weddings and a Funeral Geek: Emily Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello again, fearless listeners, and sorry for the slight delay on this week's podcasting! For our latest episode, Eric ventures into territory he's not super into while Emily gushes endlessly about Hugh Grant. Have you guessed it yet? It's Four Weddings and a Funeral! This is also known as the best Hugh Grant movie of the very Hugh Grant-heavy 90s (disagree? I'll fight you.) And yes, sure, Andie McDowell is also in it, so huzzah for her if that's your thing. In any case, you have no excuse not to watch this film, because it's a. delightful and b. now on Netflix. If you'd prefer, you can also find it on Amazon. So that's helpful. Enjoy, and see you in a couple days for the full episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: The Cabin in the Woods Geek: Eric Believe it or not, that title doesn't refer to yours truly. At least not in this context. To understand what it does refer to, please go watch The Cabin in the Woods before listening to this episode. We will spoil everything about it! I saw this movie in theaters right after it came out in 2012, and loved it so much that I went back three days later. I enjoyed Cabin in the Woods even more on another viewing, but that second trip left me fuming mad. (Rant incoming!) After the movie, I eagerly asked the person sitting next to me what they had thought. They had to have loved it, right? "I mean, it was good, but I'm not sure if it was 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes good," this person said. Why does this make me so mad? Because, and a lot of people don't realize this, that 93 percent is not a grade for the movie. It's the percentage of reviewers surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes who were "fresh" rather than "rotten" on it. It's how many people said "yes," not an average of their total grades. For weird films like this one, in particular, I hate when people bring a lot of mental baggage into the theater with them. It's one thing to check a reviews site (or a review aggregator) to figure out whether you want to see something, but fixating on whether that movie deserved a certain score, or if that video game deserved a certain grade -- that sort of thing drives me up the wall. All that matters is what you thought of it. (Rant over.) So, see the movie, listen to Emily and I chat about it and maybe drop us a line at geekvsn00b at gmail dot com, to let us know what you thought! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

quae vigilate in silvis Cameram Also, don't watch the trailer for this week's movie, The Cabin in the Woods. It's super-spoilery and we strongly recommend going in to this 2012 horror flick cold, knowing as little as possible about it. That said, if you're anything like us you may care to know that it shares some creative DNA with Buffy the Vampire slayer; it was written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, and directed by Goddard. For fans of the Whedonverse, there's also more than a few actors you'll recognize. Here's where you can find The Cabin in the Woods online. Make sure to watch it before listening to the episode that comes out on Wednesday, because we will spoil everything. Netflix - free with DVD plan Amazon - $7.87 on DVD, $12.49 on Blu-Ray Amazon - $3-4 to rent, $5-8 to buy Google Play - $3 to rent, $10 to buy iTunes - $5 to rent, $13 to buy See you on Wednesday! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: The Sopranos Geek: Emily Oh, the Sopranos. We (here defined as "the TV-obsessed population of the internet) are so caught up in the last set of Mad Men episodes at the moment, or the latest season of House of Cards, or how Breaking Bad ended, or whatever prestige show we're focusing on at the moment. It's easy to forget how much we used to focus all this energy on this one amazing show about the modern-day mafia in North Jersey. Or maybe - if this week's hubbub about that infamous final scene is any indication - we don't forget at all; we're just waiting for it to come up again. Anyway, I'm being melodramatic when the real point is: this was a damn great show. And Eric's relative ignorance about it is as good an excuse as any to revisit why. The Sopranos was extremely present in my life well before I started watching it, because it was EVERYWHERE. But I didn't have HBO, so it was one of those things where you hear someone talk in great detail on Fresh Air about a club you're not a part of and you, yet again, wish you were as cool as Terry Gross and her brilliant guest and all the other listeners. Then one time I was on vacation with my family, and the hotel DID have HBO, and we saw a rerun of the season five episode where Tony gets Finn a construction job and he sees...things happen no one was expecting to see (you know the things and you know the one - Unidentified Black Males). WE WERE HOOKED. Thus began what must have been my first-ever bingewatch: in the three- and four-episode sprees allowed by Netflix DVDs, working around the insane schedules of two working adults and two over-committed high school kids trying hard to get into college, my family blazed through all of that glorious show. Guys, it's so much easier to watch the whole thing now. We should all just do so immediately. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All right, all right, so that's from The Godfather. But they idolize those movies SO MUCH on this show that it makes it ok to use the world's most overused mafia cliche, right? Right. So in case you haven't gotten this, we're watching The Sopranos this week. Specifically, we're watching Season 1 - Episodes 1, 2, and 5. It's ok, you can start nodding along with the theme song...now. For the somehow uninitiated (do you exist?), this HBO series starring James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, and basically anyone who's ever been in a mobster movie before or since premiered in 1999 and is widely credited with ushering in our current Golden Age of Television. Tony Soprano is also the TV antihero that spawned a million successors and imitators. So get watching, or Paulie might come visit you.* Where to find it: HBO Go Amazon iTunes Vudu *No one involved in this podcast is "connected" in any way and we are not actually threatening you. Geez. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: In The Loop Geek: Eric I went back and forth on whether or not to star-star-out the swears in that title, but I don't want to risk getting in trouble with iTunes. So, here we are: You win, Linton Barwick. If you don't know that name or what it has to do with censoring swears, you should go watch In The Loop. That's the topic of this week's podcast discussion, and we do spoil several of the best jokes! OK, enough nagging. Hat tip to the /Filmcast (which is an excellent podcast, by the by) for introducing me to this film back in 2009. I went into the theater not quite knowing what to expect and walked out with a new favorite political satire. Any Kubrick fans reading this might be wondering after that last sentence if I've never seen Dr. Strangelove. Don't worry, I have, and I really enjoyed it. But movies like it and In the Loop are always more powerful when their audience has lived through the events they send up, and by the time I entered preschool the USSR had been dissolved. To share what you thought of In The Loop, email us at [email protected]. And don't forget that it only costs $2 per month to support this podcast via a pledge at Patreon.com. Starting at $5 per month, you'll also get access to Patreon-exclusive mini-episodes; this week's minisode, which comes out on Friday, is about bizarro genre-flipping twists on our favorite pop culture. See you next week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Although this podcast is rated "explicit" for our occasional swearing, most of what we watch here on Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b is relatively all-ages-appropriate. This week's movie, In The Loop, is very not family friendly, and gloriously so. In The Loop has no nudity or violence (sorry), but achieves that "glorious" label entirely through words. To see what I mean, you really should watch the movie before you listen to our discussion, which comes out on Wednesday. Here's how to find it: Netflix - Streaming Amazon (Digital) - Rent for $3-4 or Buy for $6-10 Amazon (Disc) - DVD for $5 or Blu-Ray for $12 iTunes - Rent for $3 or Buy for $6 Google - Rent for $3 or Buy for $10 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: The Bourne Identity Geek: Emily What can I even tell you about the Bourne Identity? As I’ve said 1,000 times if I’ve said it once, what’s remarkable here isn’t that I think these movies are great; it’s that Eric has somehow avoided seeing them. They’re so ubiquitous. Seriously, turn on your TV. If you have cable, one of these movies is probablyplaying somewhere. They always are. I think I saw all of them when they came out or shortly thereafter, and obviously immediately loved them – how could you not? They’re just so well-done, so engrossing, so AWESOME. For more of my gushing – and my one quibble with the franchise – just listen, already! The only thing I’ll add, since our discussion is mostly limited to the first film, is that I love how strong this trilogy is. The sequels don’t feel like action movie sequels, churned out to capitalize on the first one’s success but quickly becoming shells – or mockeries – of what made the original great. They’re all excellent. They all work.Jason Bourne is the coolest, guys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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It only took us seven weeks (not counting part one of Sabriel and another episode, the audio for which was exterminated by Daleks) to get back to Doctor Who -- and there's a good reason for that. As we noted earlier this week, Emily binged on Doctor Who after our second episode, The Angels Have the Phone Box, and Eric wanted to make sure he had a chance to discuss two of his favorite episodes, The Day of the Doctor and The Time of the Doctor, with her in podcast form. Dumb, dumb Eric. What he/I didn't know then was that when both of us are already geeks about something, rather than having one person go in knowing nothing, we go on and on and on and on and on and on about it. The unedited audio for this episode was about an hour and twenty minutes, but I've edited it down here to a much more listenable (and still pretty thorough!) 45 minutes, for your auditory consumption. So take a listen, let us know what you think by dropping us a line at [email protected], and if you want to support the show, please back us on Patreon. If you do that last thing, you'll earn a spot on our nifty new thank you page, which has a very episode-appropriate gif for our Patreon friends. Gallifrey stands! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We recorded our first episodes of this podcast in August of last year, and Eric's first pick was one of his favorite shows, Doctor Who. Spoiler alert for episode two, Emily really liked it -- so much so that she binged nearly 100 episodes of the show in the ensuing weeks. That took her up to the two end-of-2013 specials, The Day of the Doctor and The Time of the Doctor, which are also two of Eric's favorite episodes in the whole series. You can see where this is going. Join us this week for a return to the TARDIS, which has changed a lot since we left it in series 3 of the show. And fair warning: If you haven't been binging like Emily, or at least haven't seen some of the big episodes in the intervening years, this geektastic episode might be a liiiiiiittttttle bit confusing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b in its first month-plus. You guys rock. But did you know?!?!? For every single episode we release here, we've also recorded a bonus mini-episode, or "minisode," with at least 10-15 extra minutes of fun discussions. Normally, these minisodes are only available to our friends who chip in at least $5 per month on Patreon. But this week, we're putting two of them out there for free, in the hopes that you'll check out our Patreon page if you like what you hear. The first minisode here is about the incidental music of James Bond, something Emily adores about Thunderball but totally forgot to bring up in our first episode. In the second minisode, Eric tries to understand how someone could grow up without playing video games -- a big part of his childhood, and a helpful thing for understanding Scott Pilgrim vs. the World -- and learns what games Emily has played in her life. So take a listen, support us if you feel like it, and even if you don't, let your friends know about the podcast! We'll be back to our regularly scheduled geeking next week with a return to the world of Doctor Who. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're doing something a bit different here at Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b: We're sharing two mini-episodes recorded specifically for our podcast subscribers over at Patreon. If you don't know what Patreon is, it's sort of like Kickstarter, except instead of asking fans to fund one big project, we ask for small recurring donations. For $5 a month, you get access to "minisodes" for every weekly episode, which take us down fun and totally weird tangents. It's really important to stress: This podcast will always be free. But Patreon helps us pay for things like hosting it online, and every little bit counts. If you're not convinced, take a listen to the episode on Wednesday, which will combine two minisodes, from Thunderball and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. See you then! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Topic: Sabriel by Garth Nix Geek: Emily Yeah, you knew there was going to be an episode by this title eventually. Also, let me preface this by saying that half of our Sabriel discussion, originally a two-episode set, has vanished. We’re blaming it on Daleks and/or internet goblins even though it’s 100% my being an idiot. What follows is a combination of the usual introductory post and the main point you’re missing from that disappearing tape. Sabriel is a Young Adult fantasy novel, and I first read it when I was (surprise surprise) a fantasy-obsessed young adult. I went through this phase from about ages 12-16 where I would go to the YA section of the bookstore and literally choose books by the font on the spine. The more gothic or ancient-looking the font – in other words, the more it said “there are probably dragons in here” – the more likely I was to read it. It was a pretty hit or miss decision-making process. A big factor in the “miss” side of that was the fact that, although it’s getting better, a lot of the best of those books just don’t have many women. This is super depressing when you’re a 13-year-old girl obsessed with knights and armor and stuff. This book is a serious exception. Now, before you climb all over me about the incredible female protagonists out there in YA, let me explain: Sabriel is not the only awesome (read: well-developed, human, and also pretty badass) heroine in the genre. I’m all about Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley and anyone else who’s ever given a girl a sword. Kel is a badass, as was Alanna the Lioness before her. But they both had to fight a patriarchal fantasy system. But despite all their magic and dragons and whatnot, those authors’ fantasy worlds tend to look a hell of a lot like our own in terms of gender norms and societal power structures. Pierce, for instance, writes incredible heroines, but they’re still women in a man’s world. They’re always having to prove that they’re as strong and as tough as the boys, that being strong doesn’t make them any less women, and that having empathy and emotion doesn’t make them any less strong. Not so in Sabriel’s world. Well, ok, the country south of the wall, Ancelstierre, is basically Europe right before World War I and it’s kind of the worst, gender roles included. But the Old Kingdom? Merchants and mercenaries and royal guards and anyone else you can think of are both male and female, totally unremarkably. All those nameless background characters get their gendered pronouns thrown around willy-nilly, and no one cares because it’s just not an issue. There’s powerful magic tied up in blood, literally inherent in families’ blood, so there’s no nonsense about needing a son to inherit a throne or a title; it’s all about an heir who has the family blood. Sabriel has all kinds of obstacles to face as she grows into her role as Abhorsen, but her gender just. isn’t. one of them. And this raises an important point fantasy authors seem all too often to forget: You’re making all of this up. If the gender politics are shitty, it’s because you made them that way. I’m going to keep reading and watching Game of Thrones, and I’m going to reread Narnia and Tamora Pierce and all the other fantasy I love to pieces, and I obviously think you should too. But like, maybe let’s keep that last point in mind, you know? There’s no such thing as a fantasy world that just is the way it is. Somebody wrote it all, and there’s no reason more of them couldn’t write more worlds where the oppressions we deal with in real life simply don’t exist. The more we accept that all possible worlds simply are this way, the more we accept that our own world can’t change. Aaaaand /rant. Sorry folks. Your TL;DR here is that Sabriel rocks, more fantasy should work this way, and you should definitely read it and then listen to this episode. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week in this space, we listed all the ways to find our movie of choice, Pacific Rim, online. This week, the job is a bit easier: We're reading a book! I know, I'm as shocked as you. Emily had to explain to me how all this worked, but if I understand it right: You can go to a physical store out in the real world to pick up a copy of Sabriel, which was written by Garth Nix and first published in 1995. This is the first book in a tetralogy (that's like a trilogy but for four books, yo!), so make sure you're picking up the right one. If you don't want to leave the house -- and really, who does? -- Amazon has the paperback for about $9, the hardcover for $16 and the audiobook for $24. The paperback box set of the first three books in the series costs about $20. Barnes & Noble has the paperback for $10. If you prefer an eBook, you can get Sabriel on Kindle for $8, Nook for $9, or iBooks for $8. For this week's episode, we're only reading the first half of Sabriel, so don't worry; you don't need to read the whole thing! See you tomorrow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ancient dinosaurs that have been living under the ocean floor for millions of years (for some reason) are attacking! What do you do? Correct answer: Build giant robots to beat the crap out of them. Pacific Rim is not an intellectually challenging movie, but it is a lot of fun, and it's the topic of this week's episode. It stars Charlie Hunnam as robot pilot Raleigh Becket, Idris Elba as a shouty general, and Rinko Kikuchi as aspiring pilot Mako Mori. In case you missed the promo post on Monday, here's where you can find Pacific Rim online: Amazon - $10 iTunes - $10 Google - $10 Xbox - $10 PlayStation - $10 DVD on Amazon - $6 Blu-Ray on Amazon - $12 Netflix - DVD subscription required For more, visit geekvsn00b.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pacific Rim is not currently available to stream for free anywhere (well, anywhere legal), but here are the links to places you can buy it: Amazon - $10 iTunes - $10 Google - $10 Xbox - $10 PlayStation - $10 DVD on Amazon - $6 Blu-Ray on Amazon - $12 Netflix - DVD subscription required Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return... But, barring that, you can just listen to this podcast and learn a thing or two about Moulin Rouge! The 2001 film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, centers on a love-obsessed poet played by Ewan McGregor, who falls in love with Satine, the star of the titular cabaret BUT THERE'S A TWIST... For some reason, everyone at the Moulin Rouge knows the lyrics of songs popularized by the likes of Nirvana and Marilyn Monroe, even though it's only 1900. Go figure. Will Emily be able to convey her love for this movie? Will Eric also love it? And, follow-up to the second question, why not? You'll have to listen to find out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily has played very few video games in her life, but watches a lot of rom-coms. Eric has played way too many video games, and generally avoids rom-coms. What happens when they watch a rom-com that's all about games? In this episode, your hosts Eric Johnson and Emily Jones discuss Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a 2010 film starring Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Also appearing: lots and lots of funny people, including Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman and Alison Pill. LINKS: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on IMDb Trailer on YouTube Our website Eric on Twitter Emily on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The IMDb description of the first thing we watched for this episode is: "The executives of several ceramics companies are being driven crazy or killed by fear." And that's not even the craziest thing. Yes, it's the 1960s British TV series The Avengers (no relation to the superheroes -- sorry, Iron Man fans), starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. In this episode, your hosts Emily Jones and Eric Johnson watched three episodes from season 5: "The Fear Merchants," "Escape in Time" and "The Living Dead." Read more about why Emily loves this show so much at geekvsn00b.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for an adventure in space and time? How about THREE adventures? Well, allons-y! In this episode, your hosts Eric Johnson and Emily Jones discuss three episodes of Doctor Who from the third series, which aired in 2007. The episodes are "Smith and Jones," "The Shakespeare Code" and "Blink." Starring David Tennant as the 10th Doctor and Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones. Read more about Doctor Who and how a late-night TV host turned Eric into a superfan at geekvsn00b.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Look up! Look down! Look out! Here comes the very first episode of Giant Geek vs. Mega n00b, in which your hosts Emily Jones and Eric Johnson discuss the 1965 James Bond film THUNDERBALL. The film's description, via IMDb: "James Bond heads to The Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme." Directed by Terence Young Starring Sean Connery, Claudine Auger and Adolfo Celi. Read more about the film and how Emily got into it at geekvsn00b.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.