Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi

TOF will return in December 2022 Troy and David will be taking a much needed break, and will work in 2-month breaks between seasons down the road. Their last show was the last episode of season 3, their Top Ten Horror films, dropped on Oct 29, 2022. At the moment the plan is to return on December 24, 2022, season 4 episode 1, to look at "A Christmas Carol." The season would end in June 2023, and season 5 would begin in September 2023. Troy and David appreciate the support of our one listener, Ted from Lindsay, and hope to double our listenership in 2023. For those Canadian fans that vote for the Aurora Awards, the podcast can be nominated in the Related category. We missed the final ballot by one vote in 2022 (for the work done in 2021), and hope that it can make the final ballot in 2023 (for our 2022 episodes). Please join our Facebook page, if you have not done so already. https://www.facebook.com/groups/162942472433479

Troy and David come up with an agreed upon list, what they think, collectively, are the top ten horror films of all time. They will also go into what did not make the list. On their previous lists, for top SF films and top fantasy films, they had their own top ten lists, and compared them. This time, this is one list. There have been a lot of great horror films over the years, so it is difficult to come up with a list - this is very subjective. Early horror classics are notably missing. Movies from the last 10-20 years did not make the list. Movies from outside the US, Canada, and the UK did not make the list. Troy is a fan of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and that did not make it. David is a fan of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and that did not make it. South Korea and Japan are notable for having had a number of great horror films. There are two Japanese films that have become classics of the genre, and were remade. The remakes were very good on their own, but do not, in our humble opinion, reach the greatness of the originals. Ringu (Japan 1998) = 7.2 IMDB rating The Ring (US - 2002) = 7.1 IMDB rating Ju-On: The Grudge (Japan 2002) = 6.7 IMDB rating The Grudge (US - 2004) = 5.9 IMDB rating When it comes to South Korea, the top five South Korean horror movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes, are: [https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/best-korean-horror-movies/] #5 = GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM (2018) 91% #4 = THE HOST (2006) 93% #3 = TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016) 94% #2 = THE WAILING (2016) 99% #1 = SEOUL STATION (2016) 100% Troy and David will do a deep dive on international horror films in a future podcast episode. There are horror films that have been produced in almost every continent, in many countries throughout the world, and these should be looked at in more detail, on another show. The LA Film School has a list of the ten subgenres within horror: = = = 10 SUBGENRES OF HORROR FILMS EXPLAINED https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/subgenres-of-horror-films-explained/ = = = Demonic Possession (The Exorcist) Paranormal (Paranormal Activity) Monster (Frankenstein) Slasher (Halloween) Zombie (Night of the Living Dead) Gore / Splatter (The Evil Dead) Witchcraft (The Witch) Vampire (Interview with a Vampire) Psychological (The Shining) Comedic (Shaun of the Dead) With just 10 films in Troy and David's top ten, some of these categories may have more than one entry in the final list, and some will be missing entirely. This is the last episode of season 3, and we quickly review the season, at the end of the episode. We look forward to season 4, after a short break, and the first episode should be available on Saturday, December 24, 2022.

We are celebrating the 75th birthday of Stephen King with Bev Vincent’s wonderful new book from Epic Ink, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. Our three part series splits up Bev's six chapters, so we will look at two chapters in each episode. = = = PT 1 covers 1950 - 1979: CHAPTER 1: The Future Artist as a Young Man (1950-1969) CHAPTER 2: The Doubleday Years (1970s) = = = PT 2 covers 1980 - 1999: CHAPTER 3: Midas Touch (1980s) CHAPTER 4: Experimentation and Change (1990s) = = = PT 3 covers 2000 - 2022: CHAPTER 5: After the Accident (2000s) CHAPTER 6: King of Crime (2010 and beyond) = = = Bev Vincent Bev Vincent's latest work is: Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. Bev is also the author of The Dark Tower Companion, The Road to the Dark Tower, and the Stephen King Illustrated Companion. In 2018 he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King. He is the author of the Ogilvie Affair and co-author of Dissonant Harmonies. His short fiction has appeared in places such as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Borderlands 5, Ice Cold, and The Blue Religion. With this appearance Bev joins the Three Timers Club, if you will. The Hat Trick Union. Bev was our season one, episode seven podcast guest on: The Dead Zone; and our season two, episode four podcast on: On Writing.

We are celebrating the 75th birthday of Stephen King with Bev Vincent’s wonderful new book from Epic Ink, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. Our three part series splits up Bev's six chapters, so we will look at two chapters in each episode. = = = PT 1 covers 1950 - 1979: CHAPTER 1: The Future Artist as a Young Man (1950-1969) CHAPTER 2: The Doubleday Years (1970s) = = = PT 2 covers 1980 - 1999: CHAPTER 3: Midas Touch (1980s) CHAPTER 4: Experimentation and Change (1990s) = = = PT 3 covers 2000 - 2022: CHAPTER 5: After the Accident (2000s) CHAPTER 6: King of Crime (2010 and beyond) = = = Bev Vincent Bev Vincent's latest work is: Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. Bev is also the author of The Dark Tower Companion, The Road to the Dark Tower, and the Stephen King Illustrated Companion. In 2018 he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King. He is the author of the Ogilvie Affair and co-author of Dissonant Harmonies. His short fiction has appeared in places such as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Borderlands 5, Ice Cold, and The Blue Religion. With this appearance Bev joins the Three Timers Club, if you will. The Hat Trick Union. Bev was our season one, episode seven podcast guest on: The Dead Zone; and our season two, episode four podcast on: On Writing.

We are celebrating the 75th birthday of Stephen King with Bev Vincent’s wonderful new book from Epic Ink, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. Our three part series splits up Bev's six chapters, so we will look at two chapters in each episode. = = = PT 1 covers 1950 - 1979: CHAPTER 1: The Future Artist as a Young Man (1950-1969) CHAPTER 2: The Doubleday Years (1970s) = = = PT 2 covers 1980 - 1999: CHAPTER 3: Midas Touch (1980s) CHAPTER 4: Experimentation and Change (1990s) = = = PT 3 covers 2000 - 2022: CHAPTER 5: After the Accident (2000s) CHAPTER 6: King of Crime (2010 and beyond) = = = Bev Vincent Bev Vincent's latest work is: Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. Bev is also the author of The Dark Tower Companion, The Road to the Dark Tower, and the Stephen King Illustrated Companion. In 2018 he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King. He is the author of the Ogilvie Affair and co-author of Dissonant Harmonies. His short fiction has appeared in places such as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Borderlands 5, Ice Cold, and The Blue Religion. With this appearance Bev joins the Three Timers Club, if you will. The Hat Trick Union. Bev was our season one, episode seven podcast guest on: The Dead Zone; and our season two, episode four podcast on: On Writing.

Saturday morning cartoons were a staple back in the 60s thru the 90s. Remember Cecil and Beany? Scooby Doo? Spiderman? What were your favorites? Generally, the Saturday morning lineup was animated, and many were genre (science fiction, fantasy or horror). The Jetsons. Jonny Quest. Many remember fondly Spiderman and Rocket Robinhood, despite the poor-quality graphics, the backgrounds that were used and reused and reused. Star Trek had an animated series, that "bridged" (pardon the pun) the gap between the classic series from the 60s and the first motion picture in 1979. What were your favorites? The Flintstones? Top Cat? Masters of the Universe? Jem and the Holograms? Thundercats? Do you remember... Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle? Return to the Planet of the Apes? Speed Buggy? Jabberjaw? And do you remember some of the live action series... Shazam! (with animated sequences)? The Secret of Isis? Jason of Star Command? Join Troy Harkin and David Clink as they recall the many shows that comprised the Saturday mornings of our childhood. Maybe some of your faves will be mentioned!

Mystery Men was a film released in 1999. It is based on a comic book series (1939-1942), and more of a direct connection from a comic book series in the 1980s. For those who have seen the film, they either think it is a great film or a not-so great film. That phrase, "You either love it or you hate it" was never more applicable. The most notable character appearing in The Dark Horse comic "Mystery Men" created by Bob Burden that was not included in the movie was "The Flaming Carrot." So, why watch the 1999 movie? Because, you may be one of those that absolutely loves it. The main cast and supporting cast are terrific. Beyond the cast, there are moments of hilarity. If you are someone who likes the reviewing of Roger Ebert, he recognized its brilliance, but was also aware of its failings: “Mystery Men” has moments of brilliance waving their arms to attract attention in a sea of dreck. = Roger Ebert https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mystery-men-1999 Ira Nayman joins Troy and David as their special guest for this episode. Please see his bio below. Ira has made an appearance on TOF in each of its three seasons, and is affectionately known as "The Third Fart." ALSO: Troy and David and Ira will look at recasting the film, with a "Dream Cast" = the best actor or actress, living or dead, to play the roles; and a "Schrodinger's Cast" = unusual casting. Please note that David mentions three films that have won all four Oscars for Best Film; Best Director; Best Actor; and Best Actress, and he made a mistake. The three films that won all those awards are: It Happened One Night; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; and The Silence of the Lambs. David mistakenly put in "As Good As It Gets" instead of Cuckoo's Nest. His excuse: "We are all getting old." As Good As It Gets won both feature actor categories (Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt), but best film and best director were both won by Titanic. Ira Nayman AKA: The Third Fart Ira Nayman writes humour featuring a heavy dose of satire. The Ugly Truth, his 8th novel with Elsewhen Press, was published in June, 2022. His two dozenth published short story, “Girls Rule the Steampunk World” appeared in Brave New Girls: Chronicles of Misses and Machines. In September, 2022, Ira will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the weekly publication of Les Pages aux Folles, his web site of political and social satire. Ira was our guest for two previous episodes: season one, episode five podcast: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy season two, episode eleven podcast: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.

Troy Harkin and David Clink (and Lee McCormack) look at Galactic Rock. This three-part series delves into Rock 'n' Roll that is "out there" and perhaps even "out of this world" including things that are science fiction, fantasy, horror, and their mashups and subgenres, and will delve into science and space, from the beginnings to present day. Were you a fan of... Space Oddity and Star Man (both by David Bowie) Monster Mash (by Bobby Pickett) Theme From The Munsters (by Jack Marshall) The Lonely Man Theme [often referred to as "The Hulk walking away music"] (by Joe Harnell) The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley Listen in as we look at these songs and much more. Be sure to check out the entire series: pt. 1 (available beginning July 9, 2022) pt. 2 (available beginning July 23, 2022) pt. 3 (available beginning August 6, 2022) Troy and David's special guest for this series is Lee McCormack. Please see his bio below. ALSO: Be sure to check out our Spotify playlist: "Galactic Rock (TOF)" It includes every song that we mention in our three-part series and many more. It is ten hours long! Shuffle away! Lee McCormack is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and podcaster. As a musician he has played in Malhavoc. He’s headed up professional tributes to Johnny Cash, and The Clash. He has also played drums as Ringo in various Beatles tribute bands. In addition to this he’s recorded his own material at the legendary Sun Record studio in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2020 he released the single “Train to Heartbreak” backed with “Every Night’s A Saturday Night”. Lee has been the host and producer of Tramps Like Us, a Bruce Springsteen podcast, since 2016.

Troy Harkin and David Clink (and Lee McCormack) look at Galactic Rock. This three-part series delves into Rock 'n' Roll that is "out there" and perhaps even "out of this world" including things that are science fiction, fantasy, horror, and their mashups and subgenres, and will delve into science and space, from the beginnings to present day. Were you a fan of... Space Oddity and Star Man (both by David Bowie) Monster Mash (by Bobby Pickett) Theme From The Munsters (by Jack Marshall) The Lonely Man Theme [often referred to as "The Hulk walking away music"] (by Joe Harnell) The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley Listen in as we look at these songs and much more. Be sure to check out the entire series: pt. 1 (available beginning July 9, 2022) pt. 2 (available beginning July 23, 2022) pt. 3 (available beginning August 6, 2022) Troy and David's special guest for this series is Lee McCormack. Please see his bio below. ALSO: Be sure to check out our Spotify playlist: "Galactic Rock (TOF)" It includes every song that we mention in our three-part series and many more. It is ten hours long! Shuffle away! Lee McCormack is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and podcaster. As a musician he has played in Malhavoc. He’s headed up professional tributes to Johnny Cash, and The Clash. He has also played drums as Ringo in various Beatles tribute bands. In addition to this he’s recorded his own material at the legendary Sun Record studio in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2020 he released the single “Train to Heartbreak” backed with “Every Night’s A Saturday Night”. Lee has been the host and producer of Tramps Like Us, a Bruce Springsteen podcast, since 2016.

Troy Harkin and David Clink (and Lee McCormack) look at Galactic Rock. This three-part series delves into Rock 'n' Roll that is "out there" and perhaps even "out of this world" including things that are science fiction, fantasy, horror, and their mashups and subgenres, and will delve into science and space, from the beginnings to present day. Were you a fan of... Space Oddity and Star Man (both by David Bowie) Monster Mash (by Bobby Pickett) Theme From The Munsters (by Jack Marshall) The Lonely Man Theme [often referred to as "The Hulk walking away music"] (by Joe Harnell) The Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley Listen in as we look at these songs and much more. Be sure to check out the entire series: pt. 1 (available beginning July 9, 2022) pt. 2 (available beginning July 23, 2022) pt. 3 (available beginning August 6, 2022) Troy and David's special guest for this series is Lee McCormack. Please see his bio below. ALSO: Be sure to check out our Spotify playlist: "Galactic Rock (TOF)" It includes every song that we mention in our three-part series and many more. It is ten hours long! Shuffle away! Lee McCormack is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and podcaster. As a musician he has played in Malhavoc. He’s headed up professional tributes to Johnny Cash, and The Clash. He has also played drums as Ringo in various Beatles tribute bands. In addition to this he’s recorded his own material at the legendary Sun Record studio in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2020 he released the single “Train to Heartbreak” backed with “Every Night’s A Saturday Night”. Lee has been the host and producer of Tramps Like Us, a Bruce Springsteen podcast, since 2016.

Troy Harkin and David Clink continue to look at large creatures, mostly in movie history. FROM OUR DESCRIPTION OF PT. 1: Monsters have been with us for a long, long time. Some of them are very big. Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at monster films, from some of the earliest to very recent ones, looking at the largest creatures that have stayed in our collective imaginations, while they spend some time at the cottage, enjoying the lake, and some beer. And who will win, as the greatest of them all? And who would win in a fight? = = = Godzilla or King Kong? = = = The woman from Attack of the 50 Foot Woman or the rabbits in Night of the Lepus? = = = Aragog, the spider in The Chamber of Secrets [Harry Potter] or Shelob. the spider in The Two Towers [Lord of the Rings]? = = = Troy and David do not ponder these questions. But they do fend off forest critters as they pontificate about the giants from film, while downing some brewskies.

Monsters have been with us for a long, long time. Some of them are very big. Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at monster films, from some of the earliest to very recent ones, looking at the largest creatures that have stayed in our collective imaginations, while they spend some time at the cottage, enjoying the lake, and some beer. And who will win, as the greatest of them all? And who would win in a fight? = = = Godzilla or King Kong? = = = The woman from Attack of the 50 Foot Woman or the rabbits in Night of the Lepus? = = = Aragog, the spider in The Chamber of Secrets [Harry Potter] or Shelob. the spider in The Two Towers [Lord of the Rings]? = = = Troy and David do not ponder these questions. But they do fend off forest critters as they pontificate about the giants from film, while downing some brewskies.

In 2019 a film was released called "MidSommar" and it caused quite a sensation. Ari Aster drew inspiration from the 1973 film, The Wicker Man. This film is part of the folk horror tradition. Here is a bit that Troy put together about MidSommar (with key spoilers and plot points removed): MIDSOMMAR (history) Midsommar was written and directed by Ari Aster. It was released in 2019, and was the follow up to his highly-acclaimed debut feature film, Hereditary. Aster, who was hugely influenced by Swedish film legend Ingmar Bergman, was approached by Swedish producers to create a slasher film involving Swedish folk traditions. The director had recently dealt with the trauma of a breakup and found he could work through his pain by dealing with it in his screenplay for Midsommar. Shot in Hungary outside of Budapest, not Sweden. The Horgan village was constructed from scratch for the film. The Film stars Florence Pugh as Dani Ardor, Jack Reynor as her boyfriend Christian. Dani finds that Christian and his three friends Jack (played by Will Poulter), Josh, and Pelle (all of them anthropology students) are planning on visiting the Swedish community, the Horga, that Pelle belongs to. The five Americans make the trip to the rustic village and are welcomed into the community by the Horgans. They soon discover that the community is not as idyllic as it seems. Time Out's Joshua Rothkopf wrote, "A savage yet evolved slice of Swedish folk-horror, Ari Aster's hallucinatory follow-up to Hereditary proves him a horror director with no peer." "Ambitious, impressively crafted, and above all unsettling, Midsommar further proves writer-director Ari Aster is a horror auteur to be reckoned with." - Rotten Tomatoes Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at the film, with special guest Sandra Kasturi. She was also the guest for folk horror part 1, our season 3 episode 2 installment, which looked at The Wicker Man (1973). Sandra Kasturi Sandra Kasturi is an award-winning poet, writer, and editor, with work appearing in many places including ON SPEC, several Tesseracts anthologies, and 80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin. Her two poetry collections are: The Animal Bridegroom (with an introduction by Neil Gaiman) and Come Late to the Love of Birds (both from Tightrope Books). Sandra recently won second prize in The New Quarterly’s Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest. She is also the winner of the Sunburst Award for her story “The Beautiful Gears of Dying” and ARC Magazine's Poem of the Year Award for “Old Men, Smoking.”

In 1973 a film was released called "The Wicker Man." In this podcast episode, we look at folk horror in general and The Wicker Man in particular. This is from Troy Harkin's introduction: FOLK HORROR (Intro) Man loves order. Moreover man loves the order that he cultivates. As much as we claim to love the great outdoors we love a garden even more because we are the ones who dictate the order. We fear the wilderness. We fear the threat of the untamed. Because we want to see ourselves as enlightened, and civilized, we fear our pagan roots. Folk Horror explores these fears. Often it examines a return to ancient rites and rituals that for the most part have been forgotten. But Folk Horror reminds us we can never truly leave our past behind. In his series The History of Horror, Mark Gatiss refers to the Unholy Trilogy of British Horror. These three films include Witchfiner General from 1968, The Blood on Satan’s Claw from 1970, and 1973’s The Wickerman. THE WICKER MAN (history) Inspired by David Pinner’s 1967 novel, Ritual, The Wickerman is ostensibly a detective story about a devout Christian police officer who is searching for a missing girl on Summerisle, an island off the west coast of Scotland, a community that is sustained by its production of apples. The Island is ruled by Lord Summerisle played by Christopher Lee. Police Sergeant Howie is played by Edward Woodward.The film features supporting actors Ingrid Pitt and Britt Eklund as well as actual Scottish locals as the inhabitants of Summerisle. In the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, The Wickerman is described as “a highly original combination of horror movie, murder mystery, pagan ethnography, and folk musical…” Cinefantastique once described it as "The Citizen Kane of horror movies"., Total Film magazine named The Wicker Man the sixth greatest British film of all time. Christopher Lee considers The Wicker Man the best film he ever appeared in. Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at the film, with special guest Sandra Kasturi. She is also the guest for Folk Horror part 2, which will look at MidSommar (2019). Sandra Kasturi Sandra Kasturi is an award-winning poet, writer, and editor, with work appearing in many places including ON SPEC, several Tesseracts anthologies, and 80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin. Her two poetry collections are: The Animal Bridegroom (with an introduction by Neil Gaiman) and Come Late to the Love of Birds (both from Tightrope Books). Sandra recently won second prize in The New Quarterly’s Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest. She is also the winner of the Sunburst Award for her story “The Beautiful Gears of Dying” and ARC Magazine's Poem of the Year Award for “Old Men, Smoking.”

A look at Bruce Willis' genre films, and the enduring legacy that he has left us, in the wake of his announcement in late March 2022 that he is retiring as an actor. Bruce Willis has been in so many science fiction, fantasy, and horror films, that it is hard to keep track. Here are a few, not a complete list (Movie <character> year [IMDB rating]: Glass <David Dunn> 2019 [6.6] Sin City: A Dame to Kill For <Hartigan> 2014 [6.5] G.I. Joe: Retaliation <General Joe Colton> 2013 [5.8] Moonrise Kingdom <Captain Sharp> 2012 [7.8] Looper <Old Joe> 2012 [7.4] Surrogates <Greer> 2009 [6.3] Planet Terror <Lt. Muldoon> 2007 [7.1] Grindhouse <Muldoon> 2007 [7.5] The Astronaut Farmer <Col. Doug Masterson> 2006 [6.3] Sin City <Hartigan> 2005 [8.0] Unbreakable <David Dunn> 2002 [7.3] The Sixth Sense <Malcolm Crowe> 1999 [8.2] Breakfast of Champions <Dwayne Hoover> 1999 [4.5] Armageddon <Harry S. Stamper> 1998 [6.7] Mercury Rising <Art Jeffries> 1998 [6.1] The Fifth Element <Korben Dallas> 1997 [7.7] Twelve Monkeys <James Cole> 1995 [8.0] NOTE: The idea was that Troy and David would release this episode in the Summer of 2022, and their discussion during the episode relates that. But they are releasing it as their first episode of season 3.

Troy Harkin and David Clink continue with their fantasy movie top ten lists, and the reasons for their selections. Listen to Troy and David go over their lists, compare and contrast. Maybe you have some of the same films on your own top ten list?

Top Ten Fantasy Films (pt. 1 of 2) Troy Harkin and David Clink each come up with their own top ten fantasy films, and the reasons for their selections. How many films will appear on both lists? Will The Wizard of Oz appear on both lists? How about... King Kong? Who Framed Roger Rabbit? My Neighbor Totoro? The Adventures of Robin Hood? Big Fish? The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King? Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone? Listen to Troy and David go over their lists, compare and contrast. Maybe you have some of the same films on your own top ten list?

Top Ten Sci-Fi Films Troy Harkin and David Clink each come up with their own top ten science fiction films, and the reasons for their selections. How many films will appear on both lists? Will 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars crack the top ten? How about... The Terminator? E.T.? The Day the Earth Stood Still? Blade Runner? Logan's Run? Star Wars? Alien? Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Listen to Troy and David go over their lists, compare and contrast. Maybe you have some of the same films on your own top ten list?

Buckaroo Banzai This is a cult film that must be seen to be believed. Troy Harkin and David Clink invite back Ira Nayman (see bio below) for their episode that looks at a film that Gene Siskel predicted would become a cult classic. The witty dialogue, the unusual plot developments, and John Lithgow's manic delivery make this film very watchable. With each viewing, you get more out of the film, you see more, and you realize that there is a lot to it. There is method in the madness. Peter Weller plays Buckaroo Banzai, a scientist and rock star. He develops a device that allows him to travel through matter, and this opens up a whole can of worms. Jeff Goldblum is a piano playing surgeon / cowboy. Will he join the Hong Kong cavaliers? Will Buckaroo and his motley crew save Earth from the Red Lectroids? Is Penny Priddy somehow connected to an old flame from Buckaroo's past? And why are there so many people called John? And what about that watermelon? Listen to the podcast to find out. IRA NAYMAN Ira Nayman is a writer who keeps getting speculative fiction in his humour. His eighth novel, The Ugly Truth, will be published by Elsewhen Press in 2022. His 21st short story, “Girls Rule the Steampunk World!”, will be published in the next Brave New Girls anthology in July, 2022. Les Pages aux Folles, Ira’s website of social and political satire, will celebrate 20 years of weekly updates in September, 2022. He was the editor of Amazing Stories magazine for three years. Before he was a prose geek, Ira was a script geek. He took three years of screenwriting for his undergrad degree at York University and wrote for Creative Screenwriting magazine.

Genre Crushes. We've all had them. Who were your genre crushes when you were young? And how about now? Some grew up with a crush on Eartha Kitt or Julie Newmar as Catwoman. Others may have had a crush on Dirk Benedict or Richard Hatch in Battlestar Galactica. Did your bionic leanings lean toward Lee Majors or Lindsay Wagner? If you are drawn to liking women, were you inclined towards Velma or Daphne in Scooby Doo? Buffy or Willow in Buffy: Vampire Slayer? Xena or Gabrielle in Xena: Warrior Princess? Bo or "Kenzi" in Lost Girl? Maggie or Carol in The Walking Dead? Number Six (Tricia Helfer) or Number Eight (Grace Park) in BSG? If you are drawn to liking men, were you inclined towards Fred or Shaggy in Scooby Doo? Steve or Bucky in Captain America? Apollo or Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica <1978-79>? Spock or Kirk in Star Trek <1966-68>? Sam or Dean in Supernatural? The Shoveler or Blue Raja in Mystery Men? And there are, of course, a very long diverse list of crushes, including Sanaa Latham; Wesley Snipes; Michelle Rodriguez; Simu Liu; Michelle Yeoh; Diego Boneta; HoYeon Jung; Zoe Saldana; Sonequa Martin-Green; Eartha Kitt; Ming Na Wen; Nichelle Nichols; Tia Carrere; Thandie Newton; Grace Park; Terry Carter; Kandyse McClure; Will Smith; Yadira Guevara-Prip; Bille Dee Williams; Park So-dam; Priscilla Quintana; LeVar Burton; Woo-sik Choi; Lisa Ray; Michael B. Jordan; Luciana Paluzzi; Sarah Shahi; Nicole Beharie; Steven Yeun; Kelly Hu; Diego Luna; and Rekha Sharma, among many others. There are so many, one cannot do an episode without leaving out one of your own. Troy Harkin and David Clink welcome back two special guests for this Valentine's TOF. Charlene Challenger was the guest for Season 1 Episode 6: Blade Runner. Shaindle Minuk was the guest for Season 1 Episode 8: Plan 9 from Outer Space. Who were Charlene and Shaindle's crushes? Who are they now?Troy and David cover their own, as well. Some of the categories the four will look at: ALL-TIME GENRE CRUSH SEXIEST ACTOR/ACTRESS (Genre TV Show) SEXIEST SEX SCENE (Genre TV or Genre Movie) LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Genre Actor) LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Genre Actress) SEXIEST Sci-Fi Movie of All Time David came up with a couple of fun categories... Sexiest genre actor/actress in an annoying party scene Looking for Love and Feline Groovy Charlene and Shaindle and Troy and David will come up with, individually, based on a movie that does not exist, their own... ELEVATOR PITCH for the SEXIEST Sci-Fi Movie of All Time Will it live up to the one for Barbarella? A beautiful, young fortieth-century astronaut prevents the positronic ray from getting into the wrong hands. CHARLENE CHALLENGER Charlene Challenger is a writer and graduate of X (renaming in process) Theatre School. Her first novel, the young adult fantasy The Voices In Between, was nominated for the 2015 Aurora Award for Best Young Adult Novel and longlisted for the 2015 Sunburst Award Young Adult Novel category. Its sequel, The Myth In Distance, was published in 2016. Her work is also featured in Stone Skin Press’s Gods, Memes and Monsters. She lives in Pickering, Ontario with her family and her adorable house-wolves. SHAINDLE MINUK Shaindle Minuk is an animation builds artist and has been working in the TV and film industries for decades in various capacities. She is also the editor and co-founder of misterkitty.org, which hosts some of the many comics and graphic novels Shaindle has created over the years, alongside humorous features such as “Found Objects” (in which Shain showcases her vast collection of creepy, unappealing ceramic animal figurines and toys) and the popular “Stupid Comics”, which provides in-depth commentary on, well, stupid comics.

2001: A Space Odyssey. This is the second part of our look at the film. We realized that, with two guests, and a big movie like 2001, we would need two parts to do the movie justice. In Part 2, Troy and David and Mark and Rob spend more time on the film, doing a deeper dive than in Part 1. Rob refers to the film as "a paradigm shift." Mark refers to the film as "a landmark." Stanley Kubrick wanted to make the first great SF film. Mark and Rob mention other films that predated 2001 that were great SF films. Would Star Wars have happened without 2001? The Schrödinger's Cast is looked at, which is taking the cast from the original film, and replacing them with people you may not suspect. MARK ASKWITH Mark Askwith is a writer and Television Producer. He has covered the Science Fiction genre for over 30 years. Mark is the creator of the award-winning Prisoners of Gravity, and he is one of the Founding Producers of SPACE, Canada’s National Science Fiction and Fantasy Channel. He has also produced dozens of half-hour television movie specials, featuring interviews with stars like Tom Hanks, Christian Bale, and Sigourney Weaver. As well, he has interviewed dozens of scientists and astronauts including Neil deGrasse Tyson, Buzz Aldrin, and Chris Hadfield. Neil Gaiman called him The Secret Master of Science Fiction. So, I guess that’s no longer a secret. ROBERT J. SAWYER Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers in history—and the only Canadian—to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name. His latest novel is The Oppenheimer Alternative. A member of both the Order of Canada and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, he lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

2001: A Space Odyssey. This film is arguably the whitest film since Birth of a Nation. White actors playing white astronauts in a white spaceship trying to discover, on board a spaceship called Discovery One, the secrets of a black monolith. Many consider this the greatest science fiction movie of all-time, despite its lack of diversity. The movie itself did not get a great reception. Many walked out of the premiere screening. For those who left early, and those who stuck it out to the end, many thought "What the hell was that about?" Most reviews were harsh. Stanley Kubrick cut 20 or so minutes from the version of the movie that opened, and over time, the shorter (but still long) film found an audience. The film was far ahead of its time, and, like most films that are revolutionary and cutting edge, people just didn't get it. The amazing special effects, that still stand up today, and the classical music, the sets, the story, all added together to make something that many would not soon forget. Troy and David will look at the movie, and discuss it with two special guests: Mark Askwith and Robert J. Sawyer. Rob was the special guest for Season 1 Episode 2: Planet of the Apes Mark was the special guest for Season 1 Episode 4: The Prisoner Series Troy and David welcome back Mark and Rob, who had both listed 2001: A Space Odyssey as their fave genre movie. We realized that, with two guests, and a big movie like 2001, we would need two parts to do the movie justice. In Part 1, Troy and David ask Mark and Rob to provide answers to their favourite genre things that were not asked of them before (over the past year more categories were added), and review their previous answers. Mark and Rob talk about their first experience seeing the film. The Dream Casting will look at these roles, played by these actors: Character Original Star Dr. David Bowman Keir Dullea Dr. Frank Poole Gary Lockwood Dr. Heywood Floyd William Sylvester Dr. Andrei Smyslov Leonard Rossiter Moonwatcher (the chief man-ape) Daniel Richter HAL 9000 Douglas Rain (as the voice of…) The Monolith [visual effect] Star Child [visual effect] MARK ASKWITH Mark Askwith is a writer and Television Producer. He has covered the Science Fiction genre for over 30 years. Mark is the creator of the award-winning Prisoners of Gravity, and he is one of the Founding Producers of SPACE, Canada’s National Science Fiction and Fantasy Channel. He has also produced dozens of half-hour television movie specials, featuring interviews with stars like Tom Hanks, Christian Bale, and Sigourney Weaver. As well, he has interviewed dozens of scientists and astronauts including Neil Degrasse Tyson, Buzz Aldrin, and Chris Hadfield. Neil Gaiman called him the Secret Master of Science Fiction. So, I guess that’s no longer a secret. ROBERT J. SAWYER Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers in history—and the only Canadian—to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name. His latest novel is The Oppenheimer Alternative. A member of both the Order of Canada and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, he lives in Mississauga, Ontario.

It has been quite a year. Two Old Farts Talk Sci Fi was first broadcast in April 2021. 2021 brought 14 episodes of season 1, and the first 6 episodes of season 2. Troy and David look at the beginning of the podcast, which started with an email exchange in December of 2020. They look at the 20 episodes, with recollections, highlights. Troy and David also answer the questions they pose to their guests, and reveal their own all-time faves, including favorite genre (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all the mash-ups and subgenres) film, tv show, tv episode, novel, shorter work, genre theme, theatre production, comic, audiobook, and so on. They will also talk about some of the shows that are upcoming.

This is part 2 of our holiday special to be broadcast on December 25th, 2021. This episode looks at speculative movies. [Please listen to Part 1, which is season 2 episode 5, if you want to listen to David and Troy talk about holiday TV, books and comics.] There are two movies that we will look at in much more detail in this episode: Black Christmas - 1974 Krampus - 2015 These two films will take the vast majority of our holiday movie special. We will look at other holiday fair that have some kind of speculative content. Two of the greatest examples are: "It's a Wonderful Life" "A Christmas Carol" NOTE: I don't think we look into "A Nightmare before Christmas" at all, and some other recent classics are missed. We need to save something for next year! = = = When it comes to Black Christmas, this is one of the great speculative Canadian films, up there with Ginger Snaps (2000) and Heavy Metal (1981), even though Heavy Metal is a Canadian-American co-production. The Thing (2011) and Cube Zero (2004) have enough Canadian content to qualify as Canadian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Canadian_science_fiction_films Canadian Horror Films: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Canadian_horror_films = = = What is it about Black Christmas that makes it one of the earliest, and perhaps the first one ever, slasher film? Why do so many people consider it a classic? How is it that the director, Bob Clark, who is best known for Murder by Decree Tribute Porky's A Christmas Story end up directing Black Christmas? How is Black Christmas influenced by The Exorcist? How did Black Christmas influence Halloween and other films? Why is John Saxon so great? = = = We will also look at Krampus, and why it is, in the tradition of Gremlins, a horror movie that the whole family can enjoy (as long as your children are not super young). Why does Troy and his family watch this recent classic every Xmas? Listen and find out! = = = Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about the holidays, in genre movies. There is no special guest for this episode.

This is part 1 of our holiday special to be broadcast on December 11th, 2021. This episode looks at speculative TV, books, and comics. [Please listen to Part 2, which is season 2 episode 6, if you want to listen to David and Troy talk about holiday movies. Episode 6 is set to be broadcast on December 25th, 2021] The holiday season is replete with references to the holidays, in TV and books and comics. From the annual Dr. Who Christmas Specials, to the Star Wars Holiday Special. The holidays are no stranger to science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The Twilight Zone visited the holidays, as well. Night of the Meek is one such episode. Wonder Woman (the series starring Lynda Carter) also had a holiday episode. It seemed that comics in December seemed to have some tie-in to Christmas, especially superheroes like Superman or Spiderman. Perhaps they thought parents would put some in their children's stockings? Connie Willis put together a collection of her science fiction and fantasy short stories called "A Lot Like Christmas." = = = Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about the holidays, in genre TV, genre books (briefly), and genre comics. There is no special guest for this episode.

On Writing is a classic book (published just 20+ years ago, in 2000) by Stephen King. It is part memoir, part writing instruction, part how King did what he did, and does what he does. What does Stephen King say about writing? about what it takes to be a writer? about what you need to do to be a writer? Listen, and find out! Here are four quotes from the book: = = = If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut. Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world. The job boils down to two things: paying attention to how the real people around you behave and then telling the truth about what you see. In the spring of my senior year at Lisbon High—1966, this would’ve been—I got a scribbled comment that changed the way I rewrote my fiction once and forever. Jotted below the machine-generated signature of the editor was this mot: “Not bad, but puffy. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck.” = = = Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about the book: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Our special guest is our first return guest, Bev Vincent. Bev was our guest for Season 1 Episode 7, where we talked about The Dead Zone. See author photo and bio below. Bev Vincent is the author of The Road to the Dark Tower and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, as well as over 100 short stories, including appearances in Ellery Queen’s, Alfred Hitchcock’s and Black Cat Mystery Magazines, and Cemetery Dance. His work has been published in 20 languages and nominated for the Stoker (twice), Edgar, Ignotus and ITW Thriller Awards. In 2018, he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King. Recent works include the novellas “The Ogilvy Affair” and “The Dead of Winter,” the latter found in Dissonant Harmonies with Brian Keene. To learn more, visit bevvincent.com

Nearly one hundred years ago Universal Pictures got into the monster business, and created a legacy that has not been matched. The Mummy; Dracula; Frankenstein; and The Wolf Man were four characters that cemented Universal as the studio where monster movies were made, and audiences thrilled. Dracula Frankenstein The Mummy The Wolf Man Universal also added The Invisible Man; and The Creature from The Black Lagoon. Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about these early horror films, and more recent ones. We will also do our recent either/or segment. Our special guest is Michael Rowe. See author photo and bio below. Michael Rowe Michael Rowe is the Shirley Jackson Award-finalist author of three novels, Enter, Night, Wild Fell, and October, all available from Open Road Media, as well as an essayist and former journalist. A 17-year veteran of Fangoria magazine, he is also a National Magazine Award finalist, a GLAAD Media Award co-finalist, and the winner of the Randy Shilts Award for Nonfiction from the New York Publishing Triangle. His essays and reviews have appeared in numerous venues in Canada and the United States including the Globe and Mail, the National Post, Canadian Notes and Queries, and the Boston Globe. Born in Ottawa, he has lived in Beirut, Havana, Geneva, and Paris. He currently resides in Toronto.

This is the second episode of our two-part Exorcist episode. We will continue our look at The Exorcist (the book by William Peter Blatty and the film by William Friedkin). We will do our Dream Cast and Schrödinger's Cast for the 1973 film. We will look at six key characters in the movie, and pick the actor/actress that would have best fit that role, and also an outside-the-box cast: Regan MacNeil | Linda Blair Chris MacNeil | Ellen Burstyn Father Damien Karras | Jason Miller Father Lankester Merrin | Max von Sydow Lt. William Kinderman | Lee J. Cobb Burke Dennings | Jack Macgowran Troy Harkin and David Clink will continue to look at the book and the movie, and talk about the impact that they have had. Our special guest, from episode 1, is back for episode 2. Valentino Assenza will have a lot to add about the 1973 film. See author photo and bio below. Valentino Assenza Valentino Assenza has been a published poet and performing spoken word artist for over the last two decades. In that time he has released four chapbooks and performed all over Canada and the US. Valentino has been a co-host and co-producer of HOWL on CIUT 89.5FM, where he has interviewed names such as George Elliott Clarke, Anne Michaels, Denise Donlon, Ron Sexsmith, and Margaret Atwood.

The Exorcist is a book by William Peter Blatty, a film by William Friedkin, and there were sequels. The novel (1971) and movie (1973) tell the story of demonic possession. An actress's daughter is the victim, and after exhausting all medical and psychological possibilities, they are left with a Catholic ritual to "exorcise" the demon from the child. The book received a lot of praise, and the movie was a hit. Not since Psycho and Rosemary's Baby has a film gripped the public's imagination. Here are six key characters in the novel and movie, and the actor/actress that played the role in the 1973 film: Regan MacNeil | Linda Blair Chris MacNeil | Ellen Burstyn Father Damien Karras | Jason Miller Father Lankester Merrin | Max von Sydow Lt. William Kinderman | Lee J. Cobb Burke Dennings | Jack Macgowran Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at the book and the movie, and talk about the impact that they have had. Our special guest is Valentino Assenza. He will also be our guest for part 2. Valentino will have a lot to add about the 1973 film. See author photo and bio below. Valentino Assenza Valentino Assenza has been a published poet and performing spoken word artist for over the last two decades. In that time he has released four chapbooks and performed all over Canada and the US. Valentino has been a co-host and co-producer of HOWL on CIUT 89.5FM, where he has interviewed names such as George Elliott Clarke, Anne Michaels, Denise Donlon, Ron Sexsmith, and Margaret Atwood.

"The trouble with Jim was he looked at the world and could not look away. And when you never look away all your life, by the time you are thirteen you have done twenty years taking in the laundry of the world." Chapter 9, page 40, Something Wicked This Way Comes, this selection is from ISBN 0-380-97727-3. Avon Books, Hardcover, June 1999. copyright (c) 1962, 1997 by Ray Bradbury. This episode of Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi is part two of our "Something Wicked This Way Comes" episode. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a novel by Ray Bradbury, one of the great writers of speculative fiction of the 20th century. Bradbury was (and is) an influence on a generation of writers, including Stephen King. The story idea began in Bradbury's head, and found its way out via a short story, a comic, a screenplay, a novel, and a movie. Troy Harkin and David Clink continue to look at the pivotal novel, in all its iterations. We will also do our Dream Casting, and our Outside-The-Box Casting, which David has referred to as "Scream Casting," but, going forward, may be called "Schrödinger's Cast." Our special guest continues to be Sandra Kasturi. She was our special guest for pt. 1 (Episode 13). See author photo (a different one, this time) and a bio (same one from episode 13) below. Sandra Kasturi Sandra Kasturi is an award-winning poet, writer, and editor, with work appearing in many places including ON SPEC, several Tesseracts anthologies, and 80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin. Her two poetry collections are: The Animal Bridegroom (with an introduction by Neil Gaiman) and Come Late to the Love of Birds (both from Tightrope Books). Sandra recently won second prize in The New Quarterly’s Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest. She is also the winner of the Sunburst Award for her story “The Beautiful Gears of Dying” and ARC Magazine's Poem of the Year Award for “Old Men, Smoking.”

Maaja Wentz Maaja Wentz is a Toronto teacher-librarian who writes mystery and speculative fiction. School closures inspired Maaja to write the Saltwater Spy School series. Imagine Sponge Bob Squarepants meets James Bond featuring a wannabe spy hermit crab overcoming childhood fears. Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer won a Watty award. In the sequel, a rival magic faction has taken control of Loon Lake, cursing Tonya's allies with amnesia and framing her mother for murdering a man who was already dead. To free her mother, Tonya must find the real killer while navigating secret university magic classes surrounded by her worst enemies. Maaja Wentz Maaja Wentz is a Toronto teacher-librarian who writes mystery and speculative fiction. School closures inspired Maaja to write the Saltwater Spy School series. Imagine Sponge Bob Squarepants meets James Bond featuring a wannabe spy hermit crab overcoming childhood fears. Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer won a Watty award. In the sequel, a rival magic faction has taken control of Loon Lake, cursing Tonya's allies with amnesia and framing her mother for murdering a man who was already dead. To free her mother, Tonya must find the real killer while navigating secret university magic classes surrounded by her worst enemies. Back to School. Just the thought of it strikes fear into the hearts of children everywhere. But for some, it is something to look forward to. It is September, and we have bought our school supplies, and are ready for the next grade. What's the connection between schools and science fiction, fantasy, and horror? Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at the linkages, the places we wish we had gone, like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Sunnydale High School; Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy; Starfleet Academy; The Jedi Praxeum. Perhaps the greatest question of all - do you want to attend a school that is on top of a Hellmouth? Our special guest is Maaja Wentz. See author photo and bio below.. Maaja Wentz Maaja Wentz is a Toronto teacher-librarian who writes mystery and speculative fiction. School closures inspired Maaja to write the Saltwater Spy School series. Imagine Sponge Bob Squarepants meets James Bond featuring a wannabe spy hermit crab overcoming childhood fears. Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer won a Watty award. In the sequel, a rival magic faction has taken control of Loon Lake, cursing Tonya's allies with amnesia and framing her mother for murdering a man who was already dead. To free her mother, Tonya must find the real killer while navigating secret university magic classes surrounded by her worst enemies. Maaja Wentz Maaja Wentz is a Toronto teacher-librarian who writes mystery and speculative fiction. School closures inspired Maaja to write the Saltwater Spy School series. Imagine Sponge Bob Squarepants meets James Bond featuring a wannabe spy hermit crab overcoming childhood fears. Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer won a Watty award. In the sequel, a rival magic faction has taken control of Loon Lake, cursing Tonya's allies with amnesia and framing her mother for murdering a man who was already dead. To free her mother, Tonya must find the real killer while navigating secret university magic classes surrounded by her worst enemies. Back to School. Just the thought of it strikes fear into the hearts of children everywhere. But for some, it is something to look forward to. It is September, and we have bought our school supplies, and are ready for the next grade. What's the connection between schools and science fiction, fantasy, and horror? Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at the linkages, the places we wish we had gone, like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Sunnydale High School; Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy; Starfleet Academy; The Jedi Praxeum. Perhaps the greatest question of all - do you want to attend a school that is on top of a Hellmouth? Our special guest is Maaja Wentz. See author photo and bio below.. Maaja Wentz Maaja Wentz is a Toronto teacher-librarian who writes mystery and speculative fiction. School closures inspired Maaja to write the Saltwater Spy School series. Imagine Sponge Bob Squarepants meets James Bond featuring a wannabe spy hermit crab overcoming childhood fears. Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer won a Watty award. In the sequel, a rival magic faction has taken control of Loon Lake, cursing Tonya's allies with amnesia and framing her mother for murdering a man who was already dead. To free her mother, Tonya must find the real killer while navigating secret university magic classes surrounded by her worst enemies.

"They peered in at the merry-go-round which lay under a dry rattle and roar of wind-tumbled oak trees. Its horses, goats, antelopes, zebras, speared through their spines with brass javelins, hung contorted as in a death rictus, asking mercy with their fright-colored eyes, seeking revenge with their panic-colored teeth." Chapter 18, page 73, Something Wicked This Way Comes,this selection is from ISBN 0-380-97727-3. Avon Books, Hardcover, June 1999. copyright (c) 1962, 1997 by Ray Bradbury. Why do so many people who have read Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury consider it a classic, and one of their favorite novels? What is it about this tale of good vs. evil, carnivals and side shows, that stays with us? This is the story of two children, Will Halloway, and Jim Nightshade. They are both thirteen years old, born minutes apart, living across the street from each other, best friends. This is their adventure, an adventure that will take them to a carnival with a Ferris wheel, a mirror maze, an illustrated man, and the most beautiful woman in the world, an adventure that will forever change them and the town they live in.The cast of characters include:A lightning-rod salesman.A dust witch.A father working as a janitor working in a library who feels that he failed his son when he needed him most.And the two men who run the carnival, Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger. Some characters in the novel long for the past.Others have an eye to the future.And the ever-pressing present rolling forward that no one can avoid.And wishes do come with a price.Troy Harkin and David Clink will look at the novel, the movie, the comic book, the short story it was all based on, and try to provide the answers. We are introducing a new segment with this episode: "These are a few of our favorite words" This is where Troy, David and their special guest will read short excerpts from their favorite passages in the novel.Our special guest is Sandra Kasturi. See bio below. . Sandra Kasturi Sandra Kasturi is an award-winning poet, writer, and editor, with work appearing in many places including ON SPEC, several Tesseracts anthologies, and 80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin. Her two poetry collections are: The Animal Bridegroom (with an introduction by Neil Gaiman) and Come Late to the Love of Birds (both from Tightrope Books). Sandra recently won second prize in The New Quarterly’s Nick Blatchford Occasional Verse Contest. She is also the winner of the Sunburst Award for her story “The Beautiful Gears of Dying” and ARC Magazine's Poem of the Year Award for “Old Men, Smoking.”

“Shrinkage” could not be held to one episode. The smaller something becomes, we guess, the more you need to to talk about it.For those who missed part 1, Shrinkage is another term for miniaturization.making things small. Imagine if you are an inch tall, and you have tofight off a spider, or a cat.Troy Harkin and David Clink are atthe cottage, but this time they are at a campfire, as they continue totalk about shrinkage, while being eaten alive by insects.Troy Harkin will sing an original song about shrinkage. Not to be missed.Our special guest is Cam P. Fire. See author photo and bio below.-----------------Cam P. Fire is hot right now.His favorite MASH character is major Burns.

Why “Shrinkage”?Miniaturization by any other name wouldn’t smell so sweet.Troy Harkin and David Clink are at the cottage, on the dock, in this installment of Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi, discussing Shrinkage. From Alice in Wonderland and The Borrowers, The Master from Doctor Who, Irwin Allen’s Land of the Giants, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Richard Matheson’s The Incredible Shrinking Man, why is there such a fascination with the shrink ray? Does size matter?Our special guest this week is Cott Age-Country. See bio below.----------------------Cott Age-Country is the son of Ravine the Impossibilist, and Rand E.Bush. Cott can be found in the Muskoka region, near Huntsville, where hekeeps company with fireflies and mosquitos, and enjoys the sounds ofloons and moose in heat. Cott likes to barbecue, and then relax later bysunning himself on an inflatable floating island, while drinking abrewski. He is a self-proclaimed expert on everything about shrinkage,and likes to shrink-wrap things. In his youth he was an Olympic diver,known for his tuck position.

Shakespeare. Star Trek. The combination seems a bit odd.From Wikipedia:William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was anEnglish playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatestwriter in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist.Star Trek, the original series, was set in the 23rd century, created by Gene Roddenberry. From Wikipedia:In creating Star Trek, Roddenberry was inspired by C. S. Forester’sHoratio Hornblower series of novels, Jonathan Swift’s 1726 novel Gulliver’s Travels, the 1956 film Forbidden Planet, and television westerns such as Wagon Train.But, the writers of Star Trek were also influenced by Shakespeare.Troy Harkin and David Clink will do a deep dive on Bard Trek, and will also look at how theatre, plays, and drama became a part of Trek, with special guest Trevor Rines (see author photo & bio below).Also, on this podcast, Dream Casting and The OOTB (outside-of-the-box) Casting, for Star Trek and Shakespeare.-----------------Trevor Rines is an actor, musician, writer, notorious punster, &boardgame designer & developer, with a background in Astrophysics,who is quoted on DNA in The Dictionary of Canadian Quotations.Since the start of the pandemic, he’s performed (online, of course) in every single one of Shakespeare’s plays with The Quarantine Players.As a composer, he’s written music for many theatrical productions,including the incidental music & songs for two Shakespeareproductions.As a voice actor, his low, rumbling voice has been heard onstage withorchestras, as well as on TV, radio, film, documentaries, audio dramas,radio plays, & even on other podcasts…

Plan 9 from Outer Space is considered by many to be one of the worst films of all time. Is it, though? Does it really deserve that distinction? It is not in the list of the 100 lowest rated films in the IMDB database. So why do people think that? It is not listed in the Medved’s The 50 Worst Films of All Time, that was published in 1978, but it is listed as their choice of worst film in their book, The Golden Turkey Awards, published in 1980. Why not in the 1978 book, but then in the 1980 book? Sadly, that is not discussed in this podcast.Ed Wood, the director (not the film) is listed as the Worst Director of All Time.Troy Harkin and David Clink will do a deep dive on Plan 9 from Outer Space, and will also look at the film Ed Wood, with special guest Shaindle Minuk (see bio below).Troy and David have also uncovered the first 8 plans, and will reveal these in this podcast, and Shaindle will let us know what Plan 10 was.Also, on this podcast, Dream Casting and OOTB (Out-of-the-box) Casting, for 9 of the Plan 9 cast.----------------Shaindle Minuk is a Builds Artist for animation and has been working inthe TV and film industries for decades in various capacities, such asDescribed Video scriptwriter and Continuity and Spotting Lists (CCSL),to name just a few.Shaindle is also the editor and co-founder of misterkitty.org,which hosts some of the many comics and graphic novels Shaindle hascreated over the years, alongside humourous features such as “FoundObjects” (in which Shain showcases her vast collection of creepy,unappealing ceramic animal figurines and toys) and the popular “StupidComics”, which provides in-depth commentary on, well, stupid comics.

The Dead Zone was a 1979 book by Stephen King. It was his first book to rank among the top ten best-selling novels in the United States, and the first story that he set in the fictional town of Castle Rock. The Dead Zone then became a 1983 movie with a deep Canadian connection, directed by David Cronenberg and starring, in order of billing, Christopher Walken; Brooke Adams; Tom Skerritt; Herbert Lom; Anthony Zerbe; Colleen Dewhurst; Martin Sheen; Nicholas Campbell; Sean Sullivan; and, Jackie Burroughs.Johnny Smith is a psychic, the character based loosely on Peter Hurkos and Edgar Cayce, a man who can glimpse the future by touch. But what if the future is too terrible to contemplate? What is he willing to risk to change it?Troy Harkin and David Clink will do a deep dive on The Dead Zone, with special guest Bev Vincent (see author photo & bio below).--------------Bev Vincent is the author of several books, including The Road to the Dark Tower and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, as well as over 100 short stories, including appearances in Ellery Queen’s, Alfred Hitchcock’s and Black Cat Mystery magazines. and Cemetery Dance magazine.He has been writing News from the Dead Zone for Cemetery Dance for two decades.His work has been nominated for the Stoker (twice), Edgar, Ignotus and ITW Thriller Awards.In 2018, he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King, and his recent collaboration with Brian Keene is called Dissonant Harmonies. To learn more, visit bevvincent.com

Blade Runner is considered an SF classic, one of the best films of the last 50 years. Why is that? What is it about it that makes it endure? The setting, the soundtrack, the story, the acting? Was 2019 close to what was predicted? Have you ever thought of yourself as a replicant? Have you taken the Voight-Kampff test?Troy Harkin and David Clink will do a deep dive on Blade Runner, with special guest Charlene Challenger (see author bio below).Troy and David introduce a new segment on their podcast: Dream Casting. Which all-time actors and actresses would you have in the roles? Which current actors would you want? And just how far outside the box are you willing to go?----------------Charlene Challenger is the author of two young adult fantasy novels: The Voices in Between,for which she was nominated for the 2015 Aurora Award for Best YoungAdult Novel and long-listed for the 2015 Sunburst Award Young AdultNovel category; and its sequel, The Myth in Distance.Her work is also featured in Stone Skin Press’s Gods, Memes and Monsters.She is represented by Kelvin Kong of K2 Literary (https://k2literary.com/authors/charlene-challenger/).

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is many things, but most of all, it is Douglas Adams. It was a radio play, a book, a series of books, a stage show, a TV series, a comic book series, a video game, and a movie, among other things. This international multi-media phenomenon has sparked legions of fans to devour all things Hitchhiker, fans who are aware of the importance of the number forty-two, and the phrase: “DON’T PANIC.” Fans also celebrate National Towel Day, which occurs on the 25th of May, each year.https://nationaltoday.com/towel-day/Troy Harkin and David Clink will do a deep dive on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, with special guest Ira Nayman (see author bio below).--------------------Ira Nayman writes speculative humour. His seventh novel, Bad Actors: The Alien Refugees Trilogy: Second Pi in the Face, will be published later in 2021 by Elsewhen Press. He will also be self-publishing his 12th original Alternate Reality News Service collection, Welcome to the Insurrection (The Inconvenience IS the Point), and the second ARNS omnibus, Advanced Idiotocracy for Dummies. For two and a half years, Ira was the editor of Amazing Stories magazine. Yes, that Amazing Stories magazine.

The Prisoner series from 1967-68, is the topic of this episode. The Prisoner series ran 17 episodes, and is considered one of the greatest series of all time. Its star, Patrick McGoohan, came up with the concept: a secret agent, not unlike John Drake, the character McGoohan played in “Danger Man” (1960 – 1968) retires, and those in charge want to know why he retired. He is drugged and wakes up in a place known as “The Village” and he is assigned a number: No. 6. He wants to escape, but can he?Troy Harkin and David Clink will do a deep dive on The Prisoner, with special guest Mark Askwith (see author bio below).----------------Mark Askwith is a writer, Producer, and interviewer.He is one of the Founding Producers of SPACE, Canada’s National Science Fiction and Fantasy Channel, where he co-created in-house shows including InnerSpace. He produced dozens of movie and television specials, including The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special; Watchmen; and, Orphan Black.Prior to SPACE he was the creator of the award-winning Prisoners of Gravity, a consultant on the Genie Award-winning documentary Comic Book Confidential, and the manager of the Silver Snail.His comic book stories have been published by Caliber Press, Spiderbaby Grafix, DC Comics, and Image Comics. Mark co-plotted and dialogued DC’s authorized sequel to The Prisoner.

Troy Harkin and David Clink discuss recent and current speculative (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, …) movies and TV. They will also provide info on what is upcoming. There is no special guest for this episode. Spoiler alert: specific plot points may be discussed.

The 1968 Planet of the Apes film brought Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel to the big screen, and nothing has been the same since. From the first appearance of apes, right up to the final climactic scene, Troy Harkin and David Clink, with special guest Robert J. Sawyer (see author bio below), will talk about the film, its importance, its legacy, and where it fits in with the ACE (Ape Cinematic Universe). Spoiler alert: specific plot points in the film, the novel, the TV series, and other ape films will be discussed.------------------Robert J. Sawyer has won the best-novel Hugo Award (for Hominids), the best-novel Nebula Award (for The Terminal Experiment), and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for Mindscan), plus over 60 other writing awards. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name, and his 24th novel, The Oppenheimer Alternative, is now out. Rob holds honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg and Laurentian University, was one of the initial inductees into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and is a Member of the Order of Canada, his country’s highest honour.

Troy Harkin and David Clink grew up in the '60s and '70s, so if you have fond memories of these times, perhaps they can rekindle these, bring back recollections of the shows you grew up with. What were your favourites? This is their first podcast. Enjoy!