Hey You Geeks

Last week, we attended our local comic convention, Rhode Island Comic Con, with the goal of interviewing some of the cons amazing guest lineup for Hey You Geeks. Turns out, the con was a case-study on how not to run a convention. The geeks came in force, but the con just wasn’t equipped to handle the masses. This got us to thinking about the state of geek culture. As experiences have shown, geek culture is booming, but we wonder; Is this the peak? In the long shadow of geekdom, a sub-culture built from outcasts and niche obsessions, what does it mean to be a geek today? After pondering these questions, we end the show with the two fun interviews we did manage to grab at RI Comic Con, one with Reb Brown, the first Captain America, and the other with Sesame Street and Great Space Coaster puppeteer, Jim Martin.

There’s much to discuss after last weeks unexpected, announcement-heavy press/fan conference put on by Marvel Entertainment to announce Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).There’s so much to talk about that we’ve invited Bryan White of Cinema Suicide on to break it all down with us. From Doctor Strange, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther and Inhumans to Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and finally, an announcement of a Captain Marvel movie, we’re talking potential plotlines, casting and crossovers. We also talk about the remaining films of Phase 2, Ant-Man and Avengers: Age of Ultron and how Marvel’s new slate of films shapes up against DC’s upcoming superhero slate. Finally, it wouldn’t be Hey You Geeks without a little bit of Star Wars talk, so we’re sharing our thoughts on the Episode VII concept art that leaked last week.

We’re back from this years New York Comic Con, the biggest mass media and geek culture conglomeration on the East Coast. We have a lot to talk about, from the Birdman panel with Michael Keaton and Edward Norton and Batman’s 75th Anniversary panel to the Occulus Rift, the new Daredevil series and more. Cons can be a daunting and overwhelming setting, so we’re sharing our experiences, both wins and losses, from battling panel lines, contending with floor traffic and planning ahead as a guide to doing Comic Con the right way. We also offer our opinions on the state of geek culture and shifts we observed at this years con.

Gotham, the biggest new show of the Fall and perhaps the biggest television premiere of the year, has finally arrived. Las year, we dedicated an entire episode of Hey You Geeks to breaking down all of the Batman films, so you better believe we’re all over Gotham. The big question is; did we like it? Did you? We’re dissecting it all; story, character and setting to determine whether or not Gotham is the Batman (though technically not) series comic book fans like us have been waiting for. After that, we talk about news suggesting there will finally be a Deadpool movie, weigh in on the True Detective season 2 casting and discuss the big purchases of Twitch and Minecraft that have shaken up the gaming industry.

When we decided to do a double-feature episode on Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem and Ari Folman’s The Congress, we had no idea how deep of a sci-fi journey of existentialism we were in for. This week, we are looking at these two, slightly under-the-radar movies (both recently released in select theaters and on VOD) that absolutely moved us. Our conversation goes deep into religion, technology and the importance of thought-provoking stories in science fiction. The question is, were we moved in positive or negative directions? All that, plus we talk about some new things were reading and playing as well as our new geeky obsessions for the week.

Fall movie season is right around the corner. This week, we take a look through the slate of movies coming this Fall in search of anything exciting coming from the genre world. Unfortunately, the pickings are slim, with a few movies we’re excited about (Mockingjay, Birdman, The Zero Theorem, Interstellar), a bunch we’re mildly intrigued by (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Space Station 76, Horns, Automata, Maps to the Stars) and some others that we just don’t care about at all. All that, plus we talk about some new Marvel news that may spare us from our case of origin fatigue.

Finally, Guardians of the Galaxy is out in theaters and Hey You Geeks are here to offer our review, dive into those easter-eggs and post-credits teasers and talk about our most anticipated movie of 2014! There are loads of spoilers, so if you haven’t yet seen the film, check it out before listening. After our Guardians breakdown we’re talking about Marvel’s new Thanos led graphic novel by Jim Starlin; Thanos: The Infinity Revelation. We also discuss the six-year slate of dates DC and Marvel have released for their upcoming films, speculating on what films and franchises could pop up in the future.

With San Diego Comic Con concluding last weekend, we had so much to talk about that we’ve split our coverage into two episodes! On this first episode, we broke down all of the movie news from the Con and on this episode; we’re discussing the TV and Comics news. In TV news, we’re talking about Constantine, Gotham, The Flash, Arrow, Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mike Tyson Mysteries, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Dr. Who, Ascension, Hannibal, Outlander and more as well as new comics news from Marvel, DC and Image.

San Diego Comic Con just concluded and we have so much to talk about that we’ve split our coverage into two episodes! On this first episode, we’re breaking down all of the movie news from the Con. From Mad Max: Fury Road to The Death of Superman Lives we’re discussing every tease, trailer, panel and announcement we can. Other movies we discuss include Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Ant Man, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Godzilla 2, Skull Island, Pacific Rim 2, TMNT, Warcraft, Tusk, Horns, Halo, Fantastic Four, Sinister Six, Jupiter Ascending and more.

We’re one week away from San Diego Comic Con and already the big comics news is breaking. Marvel announced a new Avengers team led by the newly outfitted Superior Iron Man, a female spinoff of Thor, the new Captain America (formerly Falcon) and a handful of other interesting characters pointing towards greater diversity in the comics landscape. This week, we’re breaking down what this means for the series and the industry itself. We’re also reviewing the new, surprisingly epic return of Damian Wayne in DC’s new series, Robin Rises: Omega as well as sharing our thoughts on The Strain, the TV spinoff of Guillermo Del Toro’s book and comic series and our thoughts on Universal’s announcement of plans to spinoff a whole new Universal Monsters multiverse.

The big question of the week is; Why do overstuffed, critically panned films like Transformers: Age of Extinction continually break box-office records while great films like Snowpiercer are left to struggle with a limited release? Luckily, it turns out that Snowpiercer is about to break into a wider release, but will it bring financial success? We look back across the 1980’s and 90’s in search of a trend in summer box-office. Does conformity trump originality when it comes to tallying box-office receipts or is summer box-office an enigma with no definable trends to point to? We do our best to find an answer. After that, we discuss new comics, Disney World and more of the latest Star Wars news, including Kevin Smith’s set visit and the addition of Rian Johnson to the SW team.

E3, the biggest videogame showcase in the world just ended, so for episode 26 of Hey You Geeks, we’re looking through the massive list of game announcements to preview the games we’re most looking forward to. From Arkham Knight, Destiny and Evolve to new games in the Tom Clancy, Alien, Star Wars and Tomb Raider franchises, there’s a lot to discuss. We’re also talking a few table-top games including the awesome X-Wing Miniatures Game. But first, we put our geek dad hats back on for a trip to the Wii U to discuss the exciting new titles that may launch Nintendo towards a whole new generation. New Zelda, Smash Bros. and Yoshi games as well as Disney Infinity and an exciting Mario World building game have us excited for the chance to play videogames with our kids.

It’s our 25th episode and we’re celebrating the milestone by talking about another milestone anniversary. In episode 25 we’re discussing the movie that shaped us and so many others born in the 1980’s; Ghostbusters. In celebration of the Ghostbusters 30th anniversary we’re breaking down the qualities that make this movie great. From the cast, effects, story and score to the animated series and merchandising, we’re celebrating every aspect of this timeless film. We even go so far as to discuss the cast that could have been if the films original casting plans were realized. But first, we review the biggest surprise of 2014 thus far, the Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt led Edge of Tomorrow.

In episode 24 we’re reviewing the latest comic book movie to hit theaters this Summer, X-Men: Days of Future Past. We’re discussing the idea of canon as it exists in todays comic book movie landscape. We’re also talking about a lot of the big news, rumors and shakeups in Geek Cinema over the past couple of weeks. From Edgar Wright’s departure from Ant Man, the first picture of Ben Affleck as Batman, Jurassic World plot details, trailers for new DC shows The Flash and Constantine, changes on the Netflix Daredevil series, Star Wars spinoffs and more, we certainly have a lot to discuss.

For episode 23 we invited Director Richard Griffin back on the show to discuss his latest, post-apocalyptic action film Future Justice. We’re discussing the making of the film as well of some of Richard’s other films, Nun of That and The Disco Exorcist. In a greater discussion about the post-apocalyptic genre itself, Richard discusses some of the films that inspired Future Justice, like the Italian post-apocalyptic wave of Bronx Warriors and Fall of New York. Our conversation eventually turns to the world of indie filmmaking and some of the challenges and privileges of working on the indie level.

Just as we did with the inaugural episode of Hey You Geeks, Episode 22 is dedicated entirely to Star Wars. With the announcement of the new cast, the release of the trailer for the new Rebels animated series, official statements on the Expanded Universe in regards to canon and a rumored title for Episode VII, there’s a ton of developments to dissect. We’re discussing each announced cast member, their bodies of work and wether we think they’ll be on the Dark or Light side, as well as predictions about a few other actors rumored to be announced soon.

Amazing Spiderman 2, Godzilla and Guardians of the Galaxy to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: Days of Future Past and more, we look at the big comic and sci-fi films coming our way and ponder why, on Batman’s 75th anniversary, we don’t have a new Batman film to look forward to. First, we discuss the unofficial summer kickoff film of 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and its implications on ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. All that, plus Star Trek 3 rumors, DC Comics questions and so much more.

Joining us for the 20th episode of the Hey You Geeks podcast is director Frank Pavich, here to discuss his incredible, hit documentary, Jodorowsky’s Dune. We discuss the film, the enigma of Jodorowsky, alternate timelines and so much more. Pavich shares fascinating stories about first meeting the legendary Jodorowsky, H.R. Giger and Michel Seydoux. From Jodorowsky’s Paris apartment and Giger’s museum to Cannes, Pavich takes us on a journey through the creation of the documentary, and what could have been if Jodorowsky’s visionary epic made it to the big screen. With names like David Carradine, Orson Welles, Dali, Pink Floyd and Mick Jagger attached to Jodorowsky’s adaptation of Dune, the doc is full of fascinating casting stories and a visual tour through a unique vision in film.

In this very special 19th Episode of the Hey You Geeks podcast we’re taking you into the Jim Henson Creature Shop with special guests Peter Brooke (Creative Supervisor) and John Criswell (Animatronic Supervisor), both Mentors on the the new Syfy series Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge. With the new Syfy series set to premiere on March 25th, a new Muppets film in theaters and this week marking the 15th anniversary of Farscape, theres no better timing for an episode devoted to the imagination geniuses at Henson Studios. From the Creature Shop itself, Peter and John discuss past projects including the Dinosaurs TV series, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films, Where the Wild Things Are and more. Then, we discuss the practical effects vs. CGI debate and what that might mean for the future of special effects.

Episode 18 of the Hey You Geeks podcast is a grab bag of film trailers, the Oscars, upcoming video games and in true Hey You Geeks fashion, lots of Star Wars digressions. We’re talking about the new trailers for Guardians of the Galaxy, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, Transformers: Age of Extinction and Annie, yes Annie. We also discuss the Oscars and which actor we thought was most deserving of the big bald guy this year. To our surprise, Rocksteady released a trailer for a new Arkham game this week, so of course we discuss that development. Finally, our talk about the final season of Star Wars: Clone Wars coming to Netflix evolves into a discussion about Adam Driver being cast as a villain in the new Star Wars film. It just wouldn’t be Hey You Geeks if our conversations didn’t lead into a Star Wars debate.