Sci-Fi Malady: Recent Episodes
Sci-Fi Malady
Sci-Fi Malady is a podcast about all things related to Science Fiction, Fantasy and gaming. Each week Scott, Corey, Nick and The Ragemaster will discuss topics from the world of science fiction, fantasy and gaming.
Can you believe it sickies, 300 symptoms! To commemorate this special occasion, Scott is gonna take us on a little trip, to Malady and Beyond! Hey, that’s the name of the show going forward, Sci-fi Malady and Beyond!
Note: This channel is called Malady Classic. See Sci-fi Malady and Beyond on Spotify for the newer episodes from here on out.
If you thought Fallen Kingdom couldn’t get worse, Collin Treverrow said, “Oh yes it can!”
The title of today’s episode says it all. This film started with a good premise, what if the park eventually got made and turned into an attraction that was losing interest? How far would corporate jerks go to bolster profits? This sci-fi staple could’ve been good. But, then they added the raptor whisperer and a stupid family angle with upset teens unessential to the plot. Oh, and don’t forget the weaponizing raptor angle too.
Jurassic Park is a legendary sci-fi tour de force. It seemed inevitable that we would cover some of the sequels, particularly the newer ones. Though kinda fun, we can only remark at how far the apple has fallen from the tree.
This week’s film is what happens when, despite a low budget, you can make a film just under Nolan quality in terms of sci-fi. Stick around for the end, Ruk needs witnesses. Be sure to check out the Raving Lunatic Media Youtube channel and do the usual Youtube stuff.
Wanna see a film about a space prison that more or less rips off Escape from New York and Escape From L.A? Yeah, us neither. But, we did it anyway.
Rutger Hauer deserved better. This is a film about a prison based off of a lethal buddy system. It could have worked, but… Be sure to check us out at our new youtube page at Raving Lunatic Media as well at https://www.youtube.com/@RavingLunaticMedia
These days, most people complain that films put message before story. But, what happens when you take a thin story and shove a bunch of messages which you never develop? Well, you get the film The Fortress.
Jail and science fiction. Those two things go together like pickles and peanut butter, chocolate and molasses, syrup and brisket, or jelly and oat flakes. If any of those combos seem good to you, then this month should intrigue you.
So sickies, here’s the kong. We all recorded a great episode. Then, Rage screwed up and deleted it. Then, Thomas and Scott had King Kong come through and wreck their lives. So, Rage went solo for this with the expectation they’d be added on. They couldn’t be. Fear not, you get a review and this film is great. I mean hey, it stars The Dude.
Ok, so we kinda stretched this one. This film was released in 1980, but was made in the 70s and still has the 70s vibe, so there. Anywhoooo, if you ever wanted to see a last ditch effort by a studio to revive a franchise using clip shows and popular, yet out of place, tropes; then look no further than today’s installment of Gamera, Space Monster. Seriously, when it’s not ripping things off, it’s just showing old clips of older Gamera films.
Wow, with a title like that, how can you not watch? I have to wonder, do these titles sound good in the original language? Well, the films must have at the time. Listen in to find out why.
This might be the last Godzilla film with a message. Unfortunately, that message, warning about pollution, is lost with psychadelic footage, strange suits, and the occasional groovy dance scene. Yep, it’s Godzilla v. Hedorah. Or in the US, Godzilla v. The Smog Monster.
Trippy footage, bad rubbery suits indicative of slashed budgets, and studios just not trying anymore beyond keeping the kid audience. That’s right, it’s kaiju movies of the 70s; all this month on Sci-Fi Malady.
We hear a lot of complaints today about too many tropes, or tired tropes. Ironically, complaining about a trope is a trope unto itself. Seriously though, when is a trope too much, or just enough? Ruk and Rage discuss this comparing, unbiasedly, Zodiac Task Force and God Eater to see when tropes are just right.
Today we review the anime of the year, Netflix’s…wait, anime of the year? I mean…it was ok at times. It had some decent moments and the setting was great, but best of the year? That would take 50 Stretch Armstrongs. Let’s dive into this one and see why.
We keep doing these shows about society and free will, especially with AI. You sickies seeing a trend here? For this week’s episode, a really great anime which talks about all three things, anime style.
Can you believe we haven’t reviewed this yet? Can you believe we keep doing films about women and AI? Well, here we go again for this classic anime. Also, if the audio takes a hit at any point, blame it on Rage.
This was such a popular month that we just had to do it again. We will also be joined by Ruk again to cover some really great sci-fi anime. In a world of sci-fi anime, you can never have too much. So tune in this month for Anime April,…Again!
Wow! This movie is…something amazing, that is, if you’re Rage. Scott love hates it and Thomas will never forget it. If rocket bra boobs and sentient pet tanks are your thing, then Tank Girl is your date.
What happens when you have a film that is disturbing, yet highly thought-provoking and prophetic. Tune in to find out. When you’re done with that, tune into WYS to hear a guy that sounds like Rage work with Ruk to explain the virtues of My Hero Academia season 3.
This was a great concept which really did a great job showing a possible issue from a woman’s point of view. Unfortunately, it was laden with plot points which aren’t needed or go nowhere. It makes the whole thing seems slow. The Twilight Zone Episode, “The Trade-Ins,” was better. Worth a look? Probably. Listen to find out why you should or shouldn’t watch this. Hey, that reminds me of another show on Raving Lunatic Media.
These are the kind of films we love to review. It tricked us, entertained us, and begged us to look into what makes someone human. The title says it all.
These days, whenever people talk about sci-fi and women, it usually is just repeating the names Ellen Ripley and Princess Leia. But, there are so many more women in sci-fi than we think. So, in honor of Women ‘s History Month, we’re gonna review a few movies where women are the headliner.
So we end the month on a cliffhanger. Really, this episode ends on a cliffhanger with Mulder being burnt alive in a fiery explosion, or so you think. The truth is out there, but you’ll have to wait till next season to find out if he lives. Until then, check out what happens when you jam Navajo, government hallucinogens, and a story that makes half sense.
See what happens when Mulder and Scully take on the satanic panic. Or rather, when the satanic panic turns out to be true. Or rather, when it’s true, but only half so,… oh forget it. The devil exists in X-files.
You ever wonder what happened to all that waste from Chernobyl? It ended up in New Jersey, sort of, along with today’s X-Files creature. There’s also apparently a Twinkie. By the way, check the latest Why You Should, especially if you like Silent Hill.
Before we get into the episode, be honest; did Rage sing that song better than Bono? We think he did. Anyway, here’s an episode about Mulder trying to save Scully.
Since we only wound up covering the best of season 1 episodes in August, we decided to do season 2 this month; where the alliteration works better. Will there be a best of season 3? Depends on what the analytics say.
We finish off Trekkin Into the New Year with not one, not two, but three episodes about augments which winds up being not only essential Trek but sci-fi in general. Are you a fan of genetic engineering? Then this episode is for you. Are you a fan of My Hero Academia? No? Well then check out Ruk’s podcast Why You Should where he will explain why you should be.
This episode is kind of a combo between Tuvok and Beyond the Pale Moon Light. But, don’t let that fool you. It’s actually a well-written piece of science fiction and Trek and is worthy of being called that name. Plus, it has a huge ethical dilemma, which lights Scott’s fire.
This week, we learn how humanity achieved warp flight beyond warp two. Also, the Vulcans are jerks, again. Who knew?
Ever wonder how velcro was invented? By a couple of Vulcans in Pennsylvania. For this Trekkin’ into the New Year, we’re starting off with episode two of season two of Enterprise, Carbon Creek. Also starting off the month is Ruk’s newest solo project, Why You Should, in which he convinces the Rage why he needs to watch Jujutsu Kaisen. If you need a convincin’ check it out on Spotify.
Some might say we are getting to the bottom of the barrel. We would contend that those people have never seen anything Kurtzman Trek. There are some hidden gems in the series Enterprise. Maybe not many, but goramit we will find them and discuss them all this month on Trekkin Into The New Year.
After a contentious discussion last week, we are back to mostly agreeing. This mediocre to decent film was ruined by the ending, which brings into laser focus how little meat was actually in this animal.
Roland Emerich, you suck. On today’s Malady, we once again see how Scott can overlook the most egregious of cinema feces so long as it “brings humanity together to show the good side of people helping one another!” So aspiring film creators, if you ever want to get Scott’s approval for your trash fire of a film, just add an angle of humanity coming together spontaneously without the state to help one another out ala a Coke commercial.
This film was great. Despite some flaws we point out, it was great. Great symptom, nuff said. Except for that creepy sound that came through. Ruk’s looking into that.
This film freaked out little Rage as a kid. The thought of some pilot inside me, able to do damage, terrified me and honestly still does. At least Martin Short dances like a maniac.
We don’t normally dedicate a month to an actor, but this guy has starred in some neat sci-fi flicks. We saw him in November with Enemy Mine and thought, what about his other films like Innerspace, Frequency, or Pandorum. Of course, there’s some sucky ones too which we’ll cover because Rage knows how to pick ‘em. So join us all this month for Sci-fi Malady with Dennis Quaid December. Also, if any of you hear this weird distortion during our reviews, please let us know. We’ve been picking it up and it’s been buggng us. It hasn’t made it into symptoms yet, we think, but you never know.
The term “Mary Sue” gets tossed around a lot these days. For today’s sickening symptom, it is appropriate. This film might have been good to seven-year-old Rage, Thomas, or Scott. But today, yeesh! Let’s Just say it’s a good thing Henry Thomas got those gigs with Neftlix for ghost stories.
Ever wonder how it sounds to hock a lugee why speaking? Just ask Dennis Quaid in this week’s review of Enemy Mine.
We have wanted to do this since Juvenile June back in…a while ago. In fact, it was part of the plan. But, time makes limits of us all. Thanks to a fan submission, we bring it to you now. Note: no, Rage or Scott do not have smokers cough at the intro, it’s just our bad attempt to do Grig’s laugh.
To thank the many, or the few, who have supported us throughout the years, we introduce, courtesy of Ruk, Nostalgia November. We are covering the topics you sickies are nostalgic for. Tune in to see what your fellow sickies liked, which we haven’t covered yet.
I love John Carpenter films, and this one is no exception. It is a film ripe for Scott’s deep meaning and hallmarked with great acting, superb camera work, and an engaging story that never leaves you bored. No boobs though.
This is a classic of 80s horror and unique to that generation. Let’s just put it this way; you won’t see a certain kind of assault perpetrated by a severed head in modern day horror.
As a child, this film poster freaked me out. After today, I found out it’s just weird, boring, and nothing like the actual story. More gore and BDSM than Lovecraft himself would have preferred. Tune in for the rest.
It’s here, the best month of the year, for Rage anyway. It’s time for us to put down our lasers, phasers, blasters and master beams and pick up our laser scalpels, vibro-knives, plasma cutters, and other slashing implements for horror month. This year, we are doing films based on HP Lovecraft stories. We talked about his short stories before, and even did the Lovecraftian film “Event Horizon.” But now, we’re doing the whole month dedicated to his sick genius. Sci-fi Malady, catch the yogsloggaloth.
Bigger brain bug, boobs, and Halo copying. Yep, they were out of ideas on this one. Note: Yes, we screwed up the symptom numbering in the episode. But don’t worry, the text is right.
Let’s see here; brain bug, check. Crappy trench warfare, check. Media propaganda, check. Religion being used to control the masses, ok why not, check. Unnecessary nudity, what? Why? Oh fine, check. Singing Sky Marshal, uhmmmm, this is getting a bit much. Giant brain bug eating someone with a metaphor for vagi…ok what is going on in this film? Find out sickies.
If you were to overlook this gem in the Starship Troopers lineup, or forgot it existed, you wouldn’t be blamed. Thematically, it misses the mark. Story wise, it’s boring and overdone. Finally, it is so tenuously connected to the franchise that if you were to change the title, no one would know this was a Starship Troopers film.
The first film is a cynical version of the book, which, depending on how you see it, is either sheer Paul Verhoeven brilliance or horrible bastardization of Heinlien’s original work and intent. This week, Thomas had to step out, which is too bad as the bigger discussion was right up his alley. Still, Scott more than made up for it.
Soldiers, check. Space, check. Green cheese, check. Thoughtful dialogue about topics such as patriotism, militarism, moralism, and many other -isms, check. This month is gonna have it all. It’ll be as ridiculous as it is deep. Would you like to know more? Tune in sickies, to Sci-fi September.
What happens when a super soldier program goes wrong? If you said creepy homicidal quadruplets or more, how? Did you watch this episode already?!
Wanna see a freaky guy who can stretch himself like Stretch Armstrong and consume livers? Us too. Sorry about the spotty sound quality. Scott has been thoroughly beaten for it.
Brad Dourif, the guy who voices Chucky, acting like a psychic criminal. If that doesn’t interest you, I don’t know what will.
I know, it seems strange to do a “best of” series using the second episode after you’ve done the first, but this is the quintessential flavor of the show. We kinda had to. Moreover, it raised questions that are directly in Scott and Thomas’ alleys, so enjoy that.
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Where else to start but the beginning? This pilot is a rare kind in that it shows the characters as they will be from the get go. In addition to the episode, we also discuss how much of this show is to blame for modern conspiracy theorism. Listen and find out.
This month, we’re joining Mulder and Scully as they investigate the unexplainable with some of the best episodes of the X-files. How do we decide, tune in and check out.
This film may have been science fiction or scientific marvel in the day it was written, but for us it was just a really long tour film starring a talented bull fighter. Stick around for the interview at the end with Ruk, then catch my book “Ragemaster, Hear Me Roar,” available now on therium. The flippening is happening people, get on board now!
Are you a fan of the hollow Earth theory, sunken Atlantis, and other theories created in the 19th century? Have we got a story for you!
This is a semi-sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea which proves that Jules Verne, despite having great sci-fi ideas, was a horrible chronologist and historian. Heck, the guy couldn’t even get contemporary dates right. Seriously, this is like me saying the Watergate break-in happened ten years ago, that bad. The only thing worse is this version of the story.
Despite Scott’s horrible singing, this film is iconic. Between an all-star cast, great effects, and superb acting, you can’t get more entertaining than the Disney version of this beloved classic.
It’s been a long time coming, but we are finally dedicated a month to this giant of science fiction. Tune in for some of the major works of this titan and trailblazer all this month. Yes, there will be Captain Nemo.
This, sickies, is the first MST3K episode that Ragemaster ever saw, and it still gives him laughs. When a werewolf skeleton is used by a psycho Slav to infect others with lycanthropy; hilarity, I mean, danger, ensues.
Wow is this one bad! Sorry to bury the lead, but this just plan sucks. The ape costumes would’ve been fine for the 60s, not 1987, the characters suck, the translators “didn’t care,” and the story is so dumb that a sedated audience couldn’t help it. At least the jokes were good. Army of Ron Pearlman’s, heheheh!
Have you ever wanted to see aliens from the planet Krankor, led by their birdman leader with a terrible laugh, try to conquer Earth with a flying turkey ship yet failing time and again because their weapons can’t harm some Prince of Space, despite him constantly telling you this? All this spoken through bad dubbing? Yeah, us neither. But, here it is anyway.
So what happens when a film wants to capitalize off of aliens, the Ghoulies or Gremlins films, and can only afford toy puppets? Why, Hobgoblins of course? As a side note, adding the band did not help.
We’re kicking off this month with the number two fav of most MS3K fans, Space Mutiny, starring Reb Brown. Who is Reb Brown? He’s a B action star that is famous for shooting, screaming, shooting and screaming, and making awkward love on camera. You will also get some vibes of Nichelle Nichols dancing from Star Trek 5 in this episode as well. Scott shudders, barfs, and mutters, “Dear God, Why?!
So what happens when you review a review, or parody a parody? We’re not really sure. But, we are gonna try by reviewing some of the best of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and the Jokesters, Mike, Joel, Tom Servo, and Croooooooow! for the month of June.
When Rage was just a kid, he was dying to see the Godzilla film starring King Ghidora, or that three-headed dragon monster. Well, then he saw it. It was mostly awesome. Once the monster showed up. To close off Monster Mayhem, Ethan and Rage will give you sickies a double-does of g with Godzilla and Ghidora. Apologies for the first posting mistake that was only me speaking. If you want a challenge, listen to just me and wonder what Ethan was saying.
Today, Ethan and Rage review quite possibly, one of the most overlooked, yet best kaiju films of all time, War of the Gargantuans. Also, it bears repeating that Rage wishes he had been one of the actors in the monster costume. Tune in to hear why.
This week, we are going across the pond for the UK’s crack at a kaiju film with Gorgo. Honestly, this isn’t too bad. The roar is the best part.
Today, Rage is joined by fifth member of the Beatles and long-time kaiju fan, Ethan, as they review the film that became Godzilla’s best known knock-off cousin, Gamera. This first film, shot in 1965 and called Gamera: The Giant Monster, was the only one in black and white and the only serious one. From there, serious takes a nose dive. Until then, let’s chat.
It’s another one of our annual months, Monster Mayhem, showcasing the kaiju of sci-fi. Last time, we did the founders such as King Kong and films of the 50s. This time, we’re covering the kaiju of the 60s with the Month of the Gs. Listen in to see why.
We are finishing Anime April with a Malady/Casetorium crossover. We are reviewing the crime thriller Erased, which is part sci-fi, mostly crime drama, but all entertaining. Seriously sickies, you need to watch this binger.
Akira. It is one of the most famous and appreciated anime of all time; responsible for breaking anime into the West. However, once you peel back the lauds and fame, you are left with a mess. You look at all the themes and topics and wonder, what is this all about? We here on Malady will try to figure that out with the help of Ruk.
Hey there Otaku and Weebooo sickies! For our first anime, we are promoting an audio American anime with Raving Lunatic’s own, Zodiac Task Force. What is audio American anime? Listen to find out.
Here it is you Otaku, we are finally doing a month dedicated to just anime. We’ll be covering some sci-fi anime classics with special guest, our editor and chief, Sara. Oh, and some guy named Ruk is popping in. I guess he knows a lot about anime or some such. We’ll give him a listen loo.
From out of nowhere, we got another Matrix film. What’s that, you weren’t expecting it? Neither was Lana Wachowski and by the looks of it, nor was it desired. That’s perhaps the biggest heart problem of this film. It’s clear Lana couldn’t be bothered to write the best, so why should you be bothered to watch. Lucky for you and thanks to us, you don’t have to.
How could it have gone so wrong? The Matrix was revolutionary and amazing! It was a film that was worthy of the highest sci-fi accolades. However, the sequels spiral happened immediately. Tune in to hear some reasons as to why The Matrix went from glorious to garbage.
What do you get when you combine the Matrix and anime, the matrime? Wait, that seems wrong. What about anime and Matrix? Anim… Whatever, just listen to Rage review this.
The Matrix was a groundbreaking film which combined a new concept with groundbreaking sci-fi action effects. As great as this idea is, it is also a heartbreaking example of what can happen when, for whatever reason, a brilliant concept is rushed and not fully fleshed out. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the ride as we review The Matrix, the good one.
Can you believe we’ve taken this long to talk about the Matrix? Between the new film coming out recently, and the fact that we just took the red pill, it should come as no surprise. So buckle up Dorothy, cause all this month, Kansas is goin’ bye bye.
We conclude First Contact February with The Day the Earth Stood Still from 1951. This classic is a warning to us which rings true today just as much as it did back then.
Today’s symptom could just as easily be called “Theology Malady,” as this film discusses religion as much as it does sci-fi. It also is the accidental inauguration of Ragemaster’s Soapbox; a segment which may or may not continue. Tune in sickies!
This week, Scott got lost in the Stargate, which meant Thomas and Rage had to fill in. However, thanks to distortion from the gate, we also lost half of our episode. However, the most important parts were mostly mentioned, except for Rage’s soapbox about how he doesn’t like Ancient Aliens. Ruk closes it out and we come to the conclusion that yes, this was a good movie.
We’re kicking off this month with one of my fav new directors, Denis Villanueva of Dune and Blade Runner 2049 fame. He is proving to be quite a great sci-fi director and this film, even as part of his earlier work, proves it. Also, once again we’re discussing time travel.
All this month, we’ll be reviewing films about Earth’s first contact with aliens. It will also be the first time in a long time that Rage as had contact with pants.
We are finishing up Trekkin’ into the New Year with, surprise, another time travel related episode. Hey, hey, hey don’t run yet. This one is unique in that Harry Kim gets to act. You heard me, act. He’s not a block of wood the whole time. The actor got to show us his talents thanks to LeVar Burton’s directing. So take a look, at this hook, Harry Kim act.
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After a year spent trapped into time due to the Malady Ray, thanks Scott, Ethan has returned to as a guest on sci-fi Malady. In honor of his historic trip, we decided it would be fitting to watch Year of Hell. This is Voyager as it should have been.
Be sure to catch Ethan on his podcast, Drive Back the Night, which can be found here.
https://andromedaseries.podbean.com/
Also, check out his guest runs on the Wannabe Critic page
https://www.youtube.com/c/thewannabecritic/about
Scott just loves to dunk on Janeway. This week, he shows again how horrible she is by forcibly removing the memories from their holographic doctor before he loses it and risks the future healthcare of the crew. Scott is clearly not an adopter of Vulcan ideology.
We’re kicking off Trekkin into the New Year with our season two episode, Tuvix, in which the transporter creates a brunfly. I guess they had to do this story at some point. As as aside, we are sorry we sound like we are in an echo chamber this week. But, we assure you that the discussion was great!
In the past, the hardest part of this month was narrowing down our top four episodes of this installment of Trek. This year, it’s narrowing down the least worst. Tune in this month to Trekkin’ into the New Year with Voyager. Oh boy!
Normally, we wrap up the year with a review episode. This year, we’re doing something different. In the spirit of the season of gifts, we’re talking about the sci-fi toys that shaped us as kids. Thomas and Rage are joined by two members of the Youtube toy community, Luke Reynolds of Reynold’s Reviews and Dave of Vintage Toy Rush to discuss sci-fi toy lines of the 80s and modern toy collecting in general. Check out the links below to their channels.
https://www.youtube.com/c/ReynoldsReviews-
https://www.youtube.com/c/VintageToyRush
So just because something is better doesn’t mean it is also good. That is the situation with the 2010 version of Romero’s 1973 film, “The Crazies.” Was it better? By most measures yes. But, does that make it good? Give a listen and you decide.
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After a one year delay, which screwed up last year’s December topic, we are now going to review Dune 2021 from acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve. This is the film I have been waiting for all year and if I can just be blunt, it delivers and then some. What else can you expect from the guy that brought us Blade Runner 2049.
Starting off our good remakes is the 2012 Dredd, starring the only good character from Abrams Trek, Karl Urban. He’s so good in fact, I didn’t know it was him under that helmet, which he never removes. That’s just one of the good things about this film. Tune in for the rest.
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Contrary to conventional wisdom, not every remake is a dud. Join us this month on Sci-fi Malady to see which ones are actually better than the original with Do-Over December. If that doesn’t strike your fancy, tune in to to hear Rage and Ruk butcher the classics in parody.
We are finishing off an actually satisfying month with the 2021 film Stowaway. It has everything a good sci-fi film should have; great effects, good acting, ethical human dilemma, and space setting. If only the linchpin premise weren’t so unbelievably stupid.
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Netflix does it again! It seems that if you want science fiction which delves into an issue or describes the human condition, Netflix is the place to look. For today, the film Tau explores not only AI, but personhood, parentage, and even a bit of nature vs nurture. It may not be the best film in the world and only has a limited cast, but it qualifies as some great sci-fi.
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Well Sickies, we caught the sickness and couldn’t meet up this week. Fear not, we are going waaaaaay back to a time when it was Just Scott and Rage on a review of the Netflix film Spectral. Enjoy this blast from the past and we’ll see you next week. If you are curious, this was originally symptom 10, which aired on… wait, we weren’t even calling them symptoms yet? Holy Crap we’ve been doing this for that long!
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Well this is interesting, a sci-fi film on Netflix that impressed us, gave a great conversation, checked off all of the deep dive discussions for good sci-fi, and only stars three actors. Let’s just bury the lead and say it, watch this film.
I debated that this month could start off ok or horrible. Well, we decided to start off horrible with this film that managed to shoehorn in Bruce Willis trying to be John McClain and failing. There is a story here, but who cares? Jesus may save us from sin, but even he can’t save this one. Not sure He would even want to try.
Bereft of ideas, the Malady Men are stuck reviewing the sci-fi of Netflix. Depending on you view it, this is gonna be ok or horrible.
After a few false starts, today we are finishing up h-o-rr-o-r month by coving the 2017 film Life, finally. Scott and I said we wanted to watch this back in the dark days of early symptoms. We finally got to it and found out, we weren’t missing much.
I’m gonna give up the plot right out of the gate. Though this isn’t horrible, it is yet another example of why video game plots seldom translate well into movies and vice versa. The style of writing for each is too different and few have been able to cross the barrier. Deadspace Downfall is yet another example of this.
In today’s symptom we have…not another space vampire!? Oh well. At least the last one kept her clothes on. Although, this one can’t be killed by a paper cut; kind of evens out I suppose.
First encounter, a photosynthetic, blood-sucking alien who looks terrifying but is…surprisingly unthreatening.
Somehow, through an undisclosed wormhole, a transmission from 2090 was picked up by the Malady guys concerning a rescue vessel in distress. This month, during horror month, we’ll be listening to those transmissions. Some are blood curdling, others disconcerting, and still others are just plain awful. But, in the interest of transparency, we’re gonna share them. Stay tuned for Horror month on Sci-fi Malady, catch the sickness.
Today we review the Christopher Nolan spy thriller Tenet, in reverse. Or forward depending on which side of entropy you are on.
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Hello Agent Sicky, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to listen to our review and comment on it. This episode will bomb in five seconds.
This week, the Malady team and Ruk got our memories wiped, which is why we are late. But don’t worry, thanks to ancient aliens, we got our memory back. just in time to bring you our review of Men in Black.
We finally are reviewing a James Bond film. Sadly, we are reviewing this one. Hey Shooter, where are you going? I believe that plot belongs to Dr. Evil.
What happens when you cross James Bond and Science Fiction? You get spy fi. Tune in all this month for spy fi action only on Sci-fi Malady. This recording will self-destruct in 3, 2, 1…
This movie is…wow. Just have a listen. Also, 207 Scott? Really? Do we have to bring out Red Foreman again?
Westworld - the one from the 70’s. It is a science fiction classic and makes many essential viewing lists. It is easy to see why. It is a well paced vision of a dystopian future that takes a deep dive into essential questions of human nature. It also gives us a precursor of the Terminator in the gunslinger robot that mercilessly hunts down its target. This one has everything science fiction needs including a laser focus on its core idea. The only drawback is that the characters are weak and not memorable. That weakness however is overcome by an otherwise strong story.
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Thanks to a technical issue related to a certain soft drink which could easily be mistaken for anti-freeze, we were unable to record our regular symptom this week. However, to keep you sickies satiated, we will present a short series segment we thought about called “Ode to a Robot.” Rage kicks this off with Voltron, Defender of the Universe!
Today we are going back to the beginning, literally. This is the first story about robots, using the actual word “robot.” We are reviewing Karel Capek’s play, R.O.R. Somewhere between a warning about technology and mob style Bolshevism, the Malady guys find much meaning despite a flat performance from the voice actors in the audio drama we listened to.
What do you get when you add ESP, a giant and slow robot, and a gee whiz kid? A great robot named Tobor. Tobor the Shiny. Tobor the Bug-Eyed. Tobor the… Why don’t you listen to the review and write a title for Tobor down in the comments.
This month, we are finally getting around to sci-fi about robots. Can’t believe it took this long.
Today we are covering the 1986 sci-fi horror remake, The Fly. We also compare it to the 1958 version starring Vincent Price. Both films are creepy, horrifying, and end in death of the protagonist. However, one is more grotesque. Can you guess which one? Stick around for the end to hear Ruk and Rage sing a duet.
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Today Sickies we are dipping back into the Roger Corman collection of schlock. Ahhhhh Corman, will you ever run out of movies for us to review? This particular flick, borrowing heavily from Alien, Star Wars, and…his other work, is about a genetic monster thing which hunts people down between scenes of passion, just like a good Corman movie should. And no, Rage does not have an unhealthy attraction to the editor.
It’s been a while, but the Rage is back and ready to rip into some more smeg writing. This time, it’s from the film “Jurassic World” and concerns the I suckasaurus, I mean the I rexasasaurus… Vomitous Rex, whatever.
Salutations Sickies! The Malady Men are kicking off Genetic July with the ghastly story of Gattaca. In this film, we see a perfect future, too perfect. Everything is engineered to be exemplary. This includes people. If you happen to be one of the poor souls who aren’t valid, your life is void. During today’s review, Scott has a lot to say, Thomas asks all the right questions, and Rage chimes in every once in a while. If you haven’t seen this film, the Malady Men recommend it!
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Salutations Sickies to Genetic July! All this month, we’ll be examining the films that dig into our DNA! From suspicious splices to wretched recombination, we’re going to cover what happens when humanity tells mother nature to take a backseat and we take a crack at creation. Tune in for Genetic July and catch the sickness or have it spliced in.
We wrap up Juvenile June reviewing Zathura. If you haven’t seen this movie, you probably still have since everyone has seen Jumanji. This film was written by the same guy and follows the plot, kids find board game, board game is real, the only way out is to survive the game. The only difference is this time ,it is in space. It is derivative? Yes. It is a fun and entertaining film? Yes.
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Symptom 200. What an amazing journey over these last five years. For episode 200 we decided to imagine what it would be like if Sci-Fi Malady became huge and we became rich and famous. The answer of course is infighting, greed and insanity, resulting in us losing it all. Please enjoy what I think is our greatest production, symptom 200, Behind the Malady.
Written by Mark
Edited and Produced by Matt Rukstar
Performed by - Mark, Matt, Shane, Thomas, Sara, Halv, Scott
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This week we review a much better film than Space Camp. It has a plot, a beginning, middle and end, so it already is miles ahead. More than that though, it is just a fun, well paced, funny and enjoyable tale that conveys a sense of wonder and awe.
Also, we find out what bad the Ragemaster hates with a passion.
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Space Camp - a terrible movie with a nonsense plot powered by contrivances; contrivances which require NASA to be stupid and/or incompetent in every way. Space Cap manages to have an all star cast and John Williams scoring, and somehow still be absolutely horrible. Lots of ripping in this review.
***There was an encoding error due to computer lag. We could not fix it in post, both Ruk and I tried all that we could. Apologies for the clicking.
Courtesy of the incredibly talented Ruk - a stay sick sickies dance remix, for your enjoyment.
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It’s Juvenille June all this month join use in our immaturity all this month
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We wrap up Monster May with a review of the 1954 film Them! This one is a fun filled action romp about mutated giant ants and humanity’s struggles to eradicate them. It continues the theme of the month of the dangers of atomic power and the artistic motif that to create a menace greater than nuclear power you’d have to go to the absurd, like Godzilla or Giant Ants. I think this film continues the 1950’s belief that we have found the ultimate monster haunting humanity and it is us.
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In this symptom we review Godzilla. We took a look at the 1954 original that spawned the legendary series. Watching this it is easy to why Godzilla endures and has been proclaimed the King of the Monsters. Not only do you get the one and only Godzilla, you get a film that examines humanity and how as a society we deal with our ever more powerful weapons of mass destruction and the scientific advances that can and are inevitably weaponized. It also shows that even as humanity faces an existential crisis we individually remained focus on what we always do, people and our interpersonal relationships. This is an amazing synthesis of entertainment, action and a deep introspective examination of issues at the core of the question of the human condition.
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The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, or proto Godzilla. It is an interesting movie about a prehistoric dinosaur that is unfrozen as a result of atomic testing. The beast rampages its way to New York City where it it is a destroyed by a scientist with an radio active isotope bullet. The creature made its last stand by a roller coaster in an amusement park that conveniently had barrels of oil stored under it. I can’t say much more than this is the inferior version of Godzilla. It is bad, it is just that everything this movie does is done much better in Godzilla a year later.
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We start Monster May with a review of the granddaddy of all monster films, the 1933 original King Kong. It is easy to see why this film became a classic and spawned a franchise running until today. It is an innovative, fun, action filled romp that some 88 years later is still thoroughly enjoyable, if full of some problematic elements that simply do not hold up and serve as reminders of the deep social problems in America’s past. Regardless though, this remains a fun film.
Well, kind of Monster May, abduction April ran over and late, but part of May at least, and maybe some of June, is going to be spent reviewing classic monster films. We kick off with King Kong, but Godzilla will be reviewed and Mark maybe a surprise or two. We also have at least one of recurring guests, friends of the show lined up at least one episode.
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Ignore the intro, it is symptom 193, even though I say symptom 192. Dark Skies - it’s an alien abduction movie kind of, if you ignore that it was really a ghost/demonic possession haunting story first. If you just shut your brain off the movie is ok enough, but upon multiple watching’s the flaws will show. However compared to the previous two films we watched this is gold. We also joined by our friend Ruk, who is promoting his awesome crime podcast, Cold Case Chase. It’s always a good show when our friends show up.
This weeks movie, unlike last weeks movie, is just bad, but not an offense to human sensibilities. It also has Christopher Walken, which is about the only redeeming aspect of the film. Communion is in many ways a by the numbers alien abduction film, which follows a man who has been abducted by aliens since he was young, experimented on, marked, and now the aliens have decided to do the same to his son. The film explores many tropes of alien abduction, and is largely boring and poorly acted. It does however let you see Walken in a mindscape scene, allowing him to ratchet the Walken factor up to 11, so there is that.
Communion, its just bad, unlike last movie, which was an abomination.
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This week Mark decided to punish us and had us review a horrible film that never should have been made. A film so bad no major streaming service carries it, and after watching it we see why. Progeny is a movie that is poorly acted, but the basics are that a woman is impregnated by aliens, and her husband performs a forced abortion which results in his wife dying, but not before aliens steal the baby back. Also, this description leaves out the worst and most disturbing parts of this film.
This film is horrible and honesty, we recommend you never watch it.
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We kick off alien abduction April by reviewing a film whose trailer creeped me (Scott) out so much I didn’t watch this movie until - last week. Fire in the Sky is superb example of the proper use of atmosphere. Everything in this movie is calculated to convey an emotion, fear, hope, terror, despair, anguish, curiosity, and the music, lighting, camera work, all work together to create the atmosphere called for. This one isn’t an action packed romp, and its probably a crock of crap when it comes to being a true story, but as a film, it checks all the boxes a sci-fi horror/drama should.
Side note - the editing of this was a disaster. I apologize in advance for any echo or ghosting effects. Something went wrong and after three days of trying to manually correct it, I had to simply go with what we had.
Dear God, Why.
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This month is alien abduction April. We are discussing visitors, travelers, grays, whatever, aliens, kidnapping humans and performing experiments on them. Get ready, because the truth is out there and Sci-Fi Malady will find it. Or something.
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We wrap up Malady March with a review of Stephen King’s The Stand. Somehow, I remembered this mini series being better, but maybe that was also my memories of the novel butting in. All in all though, aside from some pacing issues this four part marathon mini series is a faithful retelling of the novel, is well acted and the scenes hold up. Whatever the actual plot was, and why things that happened had to happen are as confusing in this mini series as they are in the book, but hey, its a Stephen King story it isn’t supposed to make sense.
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This week we discuss The Andromeda Strain. It’s slow, plodding, and awesome. It is a tribute to old school story telling where you, the viewer, get the story at the same time the main characters do. The film may lack action, of any kind, with the most exciting thing, a plane crash, happening off screen. But it doesn’t matter, because the film tells a coherent, interesting and intriguing story.
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I Am Legend is Will Smith at this best. It allows him to show a great deal of his range, action hero, caring father, grieving widow, a man making the best of a rough life, man sliding into insanity, professional military doctor and more. At times witty, at times introspective, shy or outgoing, Will Smith carries this film largely by himself, with only a dog as a costar. It is a testament to his formidable talent as an actor.
The film itself, unlike others we have reviewed recently, is worthy of the performance. I Am Legend is entertaining, thrilling, tear jerking and above all invites to examine the nature of the human soul and what makes life worth living, and what makes a person struggle on when all, literally all that makes a life worth living, is gone.
I Am Legend is simply a good film that entertains, despite some flaws.
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We kick off Malady March with Contagion - a film that uses all of the buzz words we have become sick of during COVID19’s reign of terror. This film, while off on some of the science, and lacking any real drama, certainly had it’s terminology down cold. Contagion offers a somewhat realistic, if accelerated look at the role our medical leaders, government and society play in dealing with a global pandemic. For a film that was guessing for the most part, it hit close to the mark in many areas.
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For March of 2021 Sci-Fi Malady is exploring movies dealing with pandemic outbreaks. We will explore films like Contagion, The Stand and IAM Legend. Grab your mask and suit up for Malady March.
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What can we say about the Space Between Us. It’s a drama, hold the drama about sums it up. Seriously, this film runs away from drama every chance it gets. The result is a two hour tribute to technically superb mediocrity. I guess at some point the story is love over coming distance and obstacles, except no one really suffered anything to overcome these obstacles, at least not that you see, and the love seems lifeless at best. This is a film to watch if you are a like a gamer looking to get 100% complete. If you aren’t trying to see every film ever made, just skip this. I watch it a week ago and I can’t remember one character’s name. The film is lifeless and devoid or heart, passion or feeling, which is a devastating comment for something that is supposed to be a dramatic love story.
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HER - A story about a man who falls in love with his sapient AI. It’s a high concept story that works due to excellent writing and execution by the actors/actresses and directors. It examines the nature of human love and evolving artificial intelligence and our interaction/treatment of it. Overall this was an excellent effort at exploring the human condition.
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Passengers. A movie that features superb acting, wonderful direction, masterful scoring, beautiful sets and cinematography, and script that gets an F minus in creative writing 101. Passengers is what you get when everyone aside from the writer is turning in the performance of a lifetime. It’s really sad too because Star Lord and Mystique really gave a masterclass in acting, supported by a strong performance by Morpheus. All for naught as nothing, and I mean nothing, can overcome the fact that this film is based on multiple idiot premises. Yes, I know idiot premise is a grammatical abomination, ask me how much I care. I like the term.
Passengers - it’s a load of crap and that’s the nicest thing I can say.
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In February, well half of February, Sci-Fi Malady has found love. Well maybe, we know Ragemaster hates love stories and has the crew every action reviewed a pure love story? Well, they have now. This can only be great right? Pretty good? Ok? Can we shoot for Ok?
It’s probably going to terrible. Or great. For sure great.
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We arrive at our choice for the best episode of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. It may surprise some that it is In the Pale Moonlight, as it is a darker version of trek. This episode however is truly a timeless and near flawless masterpiece. It combines a strong script with excellent acting and direction to tell a story about war, loss and the extremes that good men will go to in order to end the loss of life while preserving freedom and self determination. SIsko sacrifices his principals, but pays a cost. In this case the ends justify his morally questionable means, but even so he will forever pay the cost with a scar on his soul. Our hero shows that he has human weaknesses and is not perfect, and if anything his “failure” in the eyes of trek purists, attached to the Roddenberry vision, makes him more human than he was before. This is not only deep space nine at its best, but Star Trek.
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Deep Space Nine at it’s very best? At least in my opinion (Scott) just about. This story shows an alternate future where Sisko doesn’t survive, the Klingons hold the station and drive off the Dominion, and Jake Sisko, spends his entire life trying to rescue his dad from a subspace bubble. Ok, so maybe that doesn’t sound great, but the actual episode is. It examines fatherhood and how the job doesn’t end just because the child turn 18 and goes off to college. It demonstrates dramatically that the role of father is a lifetime job that never ends. It also explores how we deal with loss, or as Jake does, refuse to move with loss and become trapped trying to find a way to undo a tragedy. Jake wastes his entire life by emotionally and mentally trapped in a moment in time and refusing to move forward, never realizing that while he was fixed on the tragedy of his father’s death the moments of only life were passing into oblivion and he was in danger of having lived yet not lived.
The Visitor is a timeless story that will be relevant as long as men and women deal with mortality, so always. It is bold in choice, in that it has a guest star carry the script and it would sink or swim on his talents. Finally it is emotional and engaging and explores questions absolutely central to the human condition. What more can you ask for in science fiction…unless you are Michael Bay, then you want explosions, or if JJ, a mystery box. Thank God they didn’t direct this.
So Avery, what if this sub space real you are in was really a box, with voices in the background belonging to shadowy creatures, maybe its Jake, maybe it’s Dukat, and maybe it a box, and you don’t know how you got in it….
Yes yes JJ, but your literally mystery box should have to be blown up to get Sisko
(Avery) I am not doing this nonsense. Get me a real director and … get…me….one….NOW. Slams table.
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Duet is simply one of the best bottle shows in Star Trek history, as well as one of the best episodes of DS9. It examines human emotions from ranging from guilt, remorse, hate, revenge, horror, love and forgiveness and does so in a way that is impactful. Ethan joins us to review Duet.
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Making the list at number four for the best episodes of Deep Space Nine is Way of the Warrior. This two parter makes the list for multiple reasons, the most important being that it is the soft reboot of the show and therefore essential viewing to have a proper context of what will follow in seasons four through seven. Beyond that though these episodes are fantastic examples of what DS9 was. This story is about Worf and how he resolves a conflict between his personal code of honor and his cultural code of honor. Placed in a spot where he has no way to choose a third option Worf selects his own personal honor over societal honor, and loses everything by doing so. What is different about DS9 from TOS or TNG is that DS9 simply shows you the moral dilemma and the characters choices, and allows you, the viewer, to decide what was the ethical choice. TNG or TOS would have taken a clear stance on what the only moral action was. Some people prefer the TNG/TOS stance to ethics, however many, myself included, believe that ethics is a fluid and shifting concept and that DS9’s nuanced. realistic and pragmatic approach to ethics is more useful in a discussion of the human condition. It is this approach that really separated DS9 from the other Star Trek iterations, more so than being serialized or having a war narrative. The ability to tell stories that allowed our heroes to act in shades of gray and let the viewer draw a moral conclusion rather than being dictated that conclusion, allowed for more depth of story telling.
RageMaster’s favorite month is Horror Month. Scott’s is Trekkin Into the New Year. If it was up to Scott every month and episode would be about Star Trek. This year we review Scott’s top 4 DS9 Episodes. We will probably get a supplemental or two along the way as well as at least one guest and lots of deep meaning talk.
2020 is over, thank the good lord. Well, maybe I am weird, because I have at least one fond memory of 2020 and that is getting married. Even with everything 2020 will have at least that wonderful memory. It also changed the way I live, in some ways for the better.
We end 2020 as we do, reviewing the year, revising some thoughts and looking ahead to the next year. Enjoy.
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We wrap up our discussion of Dune with a trip down a rabbit hole of true insanity. Jodorowsky’s Dune was a monstrosity of likely drug induced hallucinations and philosophy. His goal was some combination of showing the viewer the experience of being on mind altering drugs and believing in a cult like messianic figure. It likely would have succeeded but also made less sense than David Lynch’s Dune, and had less verisimilitude as a representation of Frank Herbert’s novel.
Jodorworsky’s Dune - a view into the ravings of an egomaniacal artist, who was an average at best and likely not even average film maker, who thinks he was and is a giant of the industry.
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We move from the insanity that was David Lynch Dune to the much better Sci Fi Channel miniseries of Dune and Children of Dune. If you are going to watch a Dune adaptation make it this one. The mini series are both well acted, directed and written. The story is largely true to novel and where it differs it is an improvement in that it clarifies things that Frank Herbert left unclear or streamlines sequences that were clunky and overly long.
The saga of Dune is far from over however as next week we take the crazy up to 12.
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We begin the Dune month with David Lunch 1984 Dune what will we think of the first attempt to get Dune on the big screen?
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Thankfully our month long exploration of Turkish knockoff films ends this week, with Turkish Superman, or Supermen. The knockoff follows Tayfun AKA Superman and his adventures saving, Alev, aka Lois Lane, from criminals who want to steal her professor fathers secrets of the Kyrpton stone, which can turn any object into gold, or any living being, including an unfortunate cat, into ashes.
Its a bad knockoff, with terrible acting and music and fight scenes, but it is better than anything we watched this month.
Next month we ratchet up the action, with Dune December.
Did I say action, I meant long political discussions about booking kickbacks are revenue and writing it off from taxes as a cost of doing business, and discussions on selective breeding programs and backroom political subterfuge. A month of deep meanings coming up!
Thank you Ragemaster
Turkish Star Trek, at least, at least it has a plot, and a time travelling, out of time, clueless space tourist. That said this is a fairly faithful recreation of Star Trek and the characters. It appears the actors studied the show and characters to get a handle on them. The “movie” itself is basically a remake of the 1st Season TOS episode, The Man Trap, with some other episodes such as Amok Time and Arena sprinkled in. It’s hands down the best we have reviewed so far, and will probably remain the best film we review in Turkey month.
There is an intermittent audio glitch. A phone somewhere was occasionally duplicating Scott’s audio feed. I was unable to fix it in post production. We apologize and believe we have identified the issue so it should not occur again next week
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What do you get when you re-use Star Wars clips, the theme song to Indiana Jones, inject a crazy amount of hand to hand combat, trampolines and a story line about power of the synthesis of the human brain, soul and religion, that appears to have been written by Jack Handy from SNL?
Turkish Star Wars. You get Turkish Star Wars.
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Turkish E.T. is an experience. As best as we can tell its about a clay potato and protagonist who is leading a revolution consisting of his friends as they attempt to take over an amusement park and help the clay potato get home. I don’t, its a mess that has to be experience to be understood. Be warned though, ET will haunt your dreams.
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This month, courtesy of the Ragemaster, we are reviewing low budget knockoffs of major science fictions properties made in Turkey. Get ready for bad, horrible, terrible films. Thanks Rage!
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What do you do if you want a horror film with disturbing imagery and a sci-fi film that carries a significant meaning? Thanks to Videodrome, you can have both in one film. We are finishing off horror month with a sci-fi tale that introduces us to the unbridled debauchery of media influence in our lives and how it can control or destroy us.
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Krusty The Klown’s version, not Sinatra’s.
Send in, the Klowns. Those murder happy Klowns. Send in those space-bound and homicidal schmaltz, by the bowlful. Klowns. Send in, the killer Klowns. Sci-fi Malady reviews them heeeeeeeeere!
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We are joined by our friend Matt from Cosmic Anomaly Productions as we discuss TerrorVision. What is Cosmic Anomaly Productions you ask? It is fan produced audio play adapted from the Darth Krayt saga done by DarkHorse Comics. Ragemaster might also be involved. So, our friend Matt joins us to breakdown the awesome 1980’s sci-fi horror film Terrorvision. It is slapstick, gruesome, over the top and full of shall we say adult themes.
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It is our favorite time of year, Horror Month, or as Ethan calls it, Streetwalker Month. All this month we review great or not so great, or just plan terrible sci-fi horror, and make sure we enunciate really well.
What happens when you mix GM seatbelts on a spaceship, Roger Corman, a violating space slug, and Freddy Kruegger all in space? Today we find out with our kick off episode Galaxy of Terror.
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Today’s episode, according to Scott, is about a deadbeat dad, a mother chasing her loopy kid, and a Frenchmen trying to contact aliens through a game of Simon. What makes this possible is that the US military has decided to let their D-listers take over guarding this ultra-important mission to make contact and get back missing persons, allegedly abducted by aliens. Despite there being an actual story arc with a plot that one can track on a traditional plot arc, Scott will insist it is an Abrams style mystery box with no answers or discernable plot. Luckily, our friend Ethan from Age of Geek and Drive Back the Night podcasts, joins the crew to try to set Scott straight. Good luck Ethan, for when Scott’s confused, he’s confused.
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This week of Steven Spielberg September we review the original Jurassic Park
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This week we review one of Steven Spielberg more well know and loved works E.T.
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We wrap up Apocalypse August with a review of the lighthearted Pixar film, Wall-E. It is a pretty creative film that manages to tell large parts of the story without words. Knowing that this film would have to in many ways be similar to a silent movie, the crew spent a year watching silent films and learning the craft, and it paid. Wall-E is a fun comedy that manages to make some on the noise points about our modern society.
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Continuing on our journey through the apocalypse we take a look at Escape From New York, and briefly Escape From LA. I…..remember these movies both being better. Not to say that they are bad, but i remember them just being better. Regardless, they remain fun romps and Snake Plissken is one of the rogue characters ever created. These movies are fun, just don’t dive in as the pool is shallow and may crack your head.
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Slow. Glacial. Plodding. The adjectives don’t adequately describe the utter absence of action or drama included in the movie IO, The Last On Earth. To be fair IO isn’t supposed to be a fast paced action romp. This movie aims for heady and thought provoking. The problem is that it misses. The intended discussion of human nature, culture, the value of love and basic human interaction, as well as the responsibility of humanity to be the ecological caretakers of Earth, is disjointed and jumbled, without focus or clarity. Paired with a story that has a paper thin plot without an antagonist or identifiable protagonist or conflict, results in a lackluster and boring tale that also isn’t though provoking. This movie is utterly forgettable.
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Apocalypse August kicks off with Book of Eli, a film in which Denzel Washington is on a quest to get a copy of The Bible to safety. The film does a great job using a simple plot, get the object to the destination, to show a decimated and dangerous post nuclear winter Earth. The movie effectively uses setting and score to convey the desolation that has become the remnant of America. The entire time I was watching this movie I kept thinking it would make a great side quest in Fallout 4, but I digress. Book of Eli is a simple story that keeps you interested and immerses you in setting. It is not a tour de force, but its pretty good.
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We had so much fun with terrible movies in Apocalypse August that we decided to bring it back for 2020. It’s like Die Hard 2 - Die Harder - Apocalypse harder Sickies! We kick it off with Book of Eli on 8/6
Jericho, or proto Walking Dead, is an intriguing post apocalyptic drama were rogue elements within the United States government conspired to detonate nuclear weapons across major cities in America. The reason is unclear but basically it is seen as the only way to destroy a corrupt system and rebuild a government that works. The result is a United States split into three parts, The Allied States of America, The Republic or Texas and the legitimate successor to the United States government in Columbus. The series tracks one small town in Kansas and its inhabitants efforts to survive. It also has Morgan from the Walking Dead and Billy from Scream, so hey.
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Give Me Sci-Fi or give me death month continues with a review of 1984, George Orwell’s dystopian classic. This movie/book/story is so dystopian is has its own branch of dystopian fiction, Orwellian. The reputation of this story is well deserved. It presents the perils of communism, surveillance, state controlled media, propaganda and history better than any story before or since and in today’s current climate is more relevant than ever.
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We continue give me Sci-Fi or give me death month with a discussion of Logan’s Run. I find this film to be underrated. It certainly has problems from a technical story telling perspective, but it dives deep into a dystopian post apocalyptic world in which the remaining settlement has finite space and resource, and solves those issues by requiring everyone to die at 30. In order to make people willingly sacrifice themselves society has a myth that some, if worthy, will be renewed for a longer life. No one is ever renewed. With everyone knowing that death occurs at 30 society is understandably hedonistic. Eat, sleep, get it on and be merry because life ends at 30, you don’t have to worry about long term consequences. It is an interesting look at how a dystopia can be a utopia on the surface, and how society loses any drive to better themselves when they live a decadent and scarcity free life.
Logan’s run is a flawed film, BUT, it makes you think about a lot of things, which not every film can do.
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What better way to kick off give me sci-fi or give me death month than with possibly the greatest patriotic science fiction movie ever - Independence Day! Okay maybe it isn’t the greatest patriotic movie, but it has the greatest patriotic speech ever? Well maybe greatest isn’t the right adjective to use for this movie, but it remains pretty good and something I won’t turn off it is on tv. That’s good right?
July - in America we celebrate our independence from Great Britain. So it seemed like this month should all about Patriotism or seeking freedom from oppression. Or something like that.
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