Strangers and Aliens: Science Fiction & Fantasy from a Christian Perspective: Recent Episodes
Ben Avery
Ben takes a look at the first three episodoes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Valles Marineris The Griffin Incident Human Best Friend
Ben takes a look at the sci-fi classic short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury . . . because it’s actually August 4, 2026 — the date that the computer-brain of the story’s automated house announces at the beginning of the tale.
Ben’s mind wandered during Sunday’s sermon . . . and he got to thinking about how Joseph’s life story plays out like a classic closed causal loop time travel story . . . You can watch on Youtube here:
Ben and Evan take a look at 2025 movies and TV — from some super high highs to some super low lows. Oh so low . . . You can also watch on Youtube here:
[PowerPress] It’s been about a year since THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM was released and Ben has wanted to talk about it since then. But he also wanted to talk about it with someone who knew LOTR and who had some connection to fan communities. Fortunately, he’s been in contact with Philip Dudt from The […]
[PowerPress] It’s been about a year since THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM was released and Ben has wanted to talk about it since then. But he also wanted to talk about it with someone who knew LOTR and who had some connection to fan communities. Fortunately, he’s been in contact with Philip Dudt from The […]
This was possible the best sci-fi book I’ve read all year! I enjoyed it so much. Find out why here! You can also watch the episode on Youtube:
HOLLYWOOD AND THE PROFESSOR by Dr. Albert E. Millar (published posthumously by his daughter, Dr. Heather E. Millar) tells the story of a man and an alien; of a self-published pamphlet and a big-budget blockbuster; of a college professor and a corporate law department. When Dr. Millar published a small pamphlet with 33 similarities between […]
Ben and Evan take a late look at the movies and TV series of 2024 . . . made ven later by Ben taking so long to prep the episode for upload. You can also watch on YouTube:
On October 16, 1950 the beginning of the Narnia series was first published, and it affected many people’s lives . . . incluing little 3rd grade Benjy Avery. Now, 75 years later Ben found a new facsimile edition of that first volume. In this episode, Ben: Reminisces about his early exposure to The Lion, the […]
Back in the 80s and 90s, John Jacobs and the Power Team traveled the world, wowing audiences with feats of strength and inspiring audiencs with testimonies and messages of hope in Christ! And they also produced comic books, apparently. So Ben got some from eBay and here he unboxes them and reads them and, of […]
Ben is joined by Parker J. Cole to review the “movie” War of the Worlds, from 2025 and featuring Ice Cube. Is it as bad as everyone says? Yes. Yes it is. For some GOOD stories, check out Parker J. Cole’s website: https://www.parkerjcole.com Watch on Youtube here:
Ben and Evan take on the new Jurassic Park/World movie. What did they think? How does it hold up to other movies in the series? More importantly . . . what did YOU think of Jurassic World: Rebirth? You can also watch our conversation on Youtube! (Don’t forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!)
You’ll believe a man can fly, but you won’t believe #3!!! (Isn’t that what you’re supposed to say when you rank things?) Ben decided to rank the Superman movies and explores all of them, from Superman and the Mole Men to 2025’s Superman! You WON’T agree with this list! But if you do, Ben would […]
Ben and Evan take on the new Superman movie. As two lifeling fans of Superman, what did they think? How does it hold up to other versions of the character? More importantly . . . what did YOU think of the new Superman movie? You can also watch our conversation on Youtube! (Don’t forget to […]
Ben noticed a handful of comics that were clearly released for the new Superman movie and . . . they got him. Or he got them. Or he got them because they got him? Some were at Dollar Tree, one was at Wal-Mart AND his local grocery store, and one was a facsimile comic from […]
Ben recently discovered an omnibus edition containing Zenna Henderson’s THE PEOPLE stories, a fascinating collection from a writers he was unfamiliar with. And now that he has read the book, he is a fan! What did she write that made him seek out her other stories? Hove you read The People stories? What did you […]
What is there to say that hasn’t been said? But Ben’s got opinions and he has a podcast, so . . . You can also watch it here on Youtube! Please like and subscribe! #startrek #section31 #strangersandaliens #moviereview #itsnotamovienotreally
This book became a giant of Christian publishing and inspired young and old readers. Ben was one of those YOUNG readers . . . now as an OLD reader, he asks the question: is it worth reading? Listen now to find out! Or watch on Youtube here (please like and subscribe!): #isitworthreading #strangersandaliens #christianscifi #christianfantasy […]
Ben and special guest Winston Crutchfield talk about the FINAL entry into the Marvel Sony-verse . . . KRAVEN THE HUNTER!!! Featuring some rabbit trails about the other Sony Spider-Man w/o Spider-Man movies. https://readwriterelease.com
Is “THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH” by Robert Heinlein the Best Science Fiction Short Story of all time? The answer: probably not, but this episode explores why it’s in the running! It also presents the episode of X-Minus One that adapted the story to a radio play format. “The Green Hills of Earth” by Robert […]
Ben sits down with the writer and director of Angel Studio’s THE SHIFT, a Twilight Zone styled sci-fi tale featuring a multiverse, a mysterious man with mysterious powers, and Sean Astin. Websites: The Shift official: https://angel.com/theshift The Shift novel: https://angel.com/shiftnovel The Shift Special Edition: https://angel.com/shiftspecial
Ben takes a road trip to see the final movie in the VENOM TRILOGY! Yes. A Venom trilogy exists in out universe now. And . . . it’s not bad. A co-production with Welcome to Level Seven. (In other words, it’s just getting posted to both podcasts.)
Ben sits down with the creators, cast, and crew of THE CHOSEN ONES, a TV series in development right now. It’s a contemporary sci-fi superhero series, and Robert Rivera Jr. and his team are taking on an ambitious project by mounting this production! They are currently in the crowdfunding phase to raise money to shoot […]
Ben brings back guest host Parker J. Cole, a prolific romance writer, to talk about the most logical thing: the Alien franchise! (Find her website here: http://parkerjcole.com . . . and buy her new book!!!) How does this NEW installment in the Alien franchise stack up? Do Ben and Parker like it? Find out here!!!
Eleven years ago, the Strangers and Aliens crew did a crossover episode with the Sci-Fi Christian crew! The subject: The Alien franchise . . . And so, in light of the upcoming Alien: Romulas movie, we thought it might be fun to re-present BOTH episode of the crossover here and now! It’s a blast from […]
Ben brings guest host Parker J. Cole, a prolific romance writer, to talk about the most logical thing: the Alien franchise! Well, it’s logical when you see that her childhood was shaped by the franchise. They talk about the movies in the franchise, along with spiritual ideas, and their expectations of the upcoming theatrical release, […]
Ben is joined by JS Earls to discuss KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. They talk about: LOOKS FOR JS EARLS’ WORK HERE:JS Earls on AmazonJS Earls on SpotifyJS Earls on Facebook
In this LOST episode, Ben and Nathan Marchand (from Monster Island Film Vault) talk about the two biggest Godzilla franchise releases . . . from early 2024. (GODZILLA X KONG had not been released yet.) The two topics up for discussion:MONARCH: LEGACY, the Godzilla/Kong/Monsterverse series on Apple TVGODZILLA MINUS ONE, the Toho produced Godzilla movie […]
Ben drove to Chicago and Evan flew to Chicago so they could record an episode of the podcast about Zach Snyder’s REBEL MOON. It was just that important! Or they were getting together for a comic book convention and they took advantage of the time to record a podcast episode together. Either way, for the […]
To answer the title’s question: yes. In this episode, Ben takes a look at three comic books created by Christians because he thinks they deserve to be seen by more people! You should absolutely check out this graphic novels! Want to know why? That’s where this podcast episode comes in.
Ben and Evan saw Dune Part Two. Ben and Evan LOVED Dune Part Two. Ben and Evan talked about Dune Part Two. Ben took a long time editing their Dune Part Two episode, so he has the wrong number when he did the opening.
A $3 book with a catchy title bought on a whim became the best book Ben has read all year! And definitely the best $3 he has spent in a long time… This book involves four giants of science fiction; spiritual ideas; a unique writing challenge; and so, so much more!!!
Ben takes a solo roadtrip to see MADAME WEB. The question: is it as bad as they say? The other question: can he find a weak connection? At least one of those questions has “yes” for an answer. At least.
It’s a Christmas Weak Connections extravaganza!!! Ben walks through his top 25 science fiction/fantasy movies with Christmas connections. Along the way, he talks about movies from: Star Trek Marvel DC The Alien franchise There’s also: B-Movies Two movies from Terry Gilliam Two movies from Tim Burton Two movies from Peter Jackson And of course, LOTS […]
Around October almost every year, Ben is joined by John Harju to talk about some sort of scary movie and this year is no exception! This year’s movie: NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU, an alien invasion movie that’s . . . different. You can listen to John’s Playing Games with Strangers podcast here:https://playinggameswithstrangers.com Other episodes […]
Ben takes some time to “interview” Evan about his new job working with Focus on the Family and their Adventures in Odyssey media team! They also take some time to talk about some TV shows they’ve been watching. Evan’s links:Adventures in Odyssey – https://www.adventuresinodyssey.comAIO Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/AIOFanPageAIO Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/adventuresinodysseyofficial/?hl=enEvan’s Comics – https://www.starcrosscomics.com Ben’s […]
You can buy The Frankenstein Book of Prayer here: https://amzn.to/3RDUm86 (an affiliate link – we receive compensation if you use the link, but it will not affect the price of your order) What if the monster of Frankenstein began a spiritual journey of self-discovery? And what if he wrote about it as the events of […]
When Star Trek Strange New Worlds had its crossover with Star Trek Lower Decks it got Ben thinking about other Star Trek actors appearing in their sibling shows. And THAT got Ben thinking about a Bible story: Jesus’ transfiguration. There’s a connection . . . albeit a WEAK one . . . Weak Connections are […]
Is it the end of a franchise? And it is a GOOD end to the franchise? Does Indy finally get the sendoff he deserves? Or does this franchise simply belong in a museum? Ben is joined by an old friend and super-Indiana-Jones-fan Eddie Medina to talk about the FINAL chapter in the Indiana Jones franchise […]
Ben and Evan talk about two big comic book multiverse movies featuring multiple versions of superhero characters and packed with nostalgia. It’s not really a fight – they definitely thought one was “better” than the other – but the two movies, released so closely in time with such similar themes and concepts invited some comparisons. […]
This episode post has LOTS of links! Links to the books Ben talks about (Amazon affiliate links – it doesn’t change the price for you, but it does give us a little kick back – VERY little); links to the videos on Youtube that Ben recorded that this episode is made from; and links to […]
It’s a mystery in the canon of C.S. Lewis’ library. The unfinished manuscript that may or may not have been written by C.S. Lewis. It’s created controversy. It’s created confusion. And it’s a possible glimpse into a path not taken. This would have been the sequel to OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET . . . […]
Ben takes a road trip to see Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but also takes the opportunity to talk about another gaming movie (albeit a different kind of gaming): The Super Mario Bros. Movie! Which one gets a thumbs up? Which one gets a thumbs down? Does he like either of them? Find out […]
Picard season 3 has come and gone . . . and if you’ve seen it you probably have opinions! So does Ben and his guest host, sci-fi writer Adam David Collings. Join them as they explore season three’s ups and downs and ups and more ups . . . in this THIRD send off to […]
A few years ago, Ben subscribed to Peacock but it wasn’t until a few months ago that he discovered that the streaming service is actually a pretty strong source for old Sci-Fi TV . . . and when he started watching the OLD stuff, he found a new show that he really enjoyed. In this […]
Recently, Ben joined his friends William and Nathan Marchand to see a theatrical showing of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which also had William Shatner do a live stage performance that was sort of a Q&A session. But it was really just an excuse for Shatner to tell some hysterical stories from his […]
Episode 400 is here, and to celebrate this milestone we’re taking a look backwards at an early episode featuring Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce! It’s a fun conversation that serves as a nice time capsule to a time before the MCU dominated everything. A conversation just exploring the strengths of two of our favorite genres: […]
It’s a ROAD TRIP! Ben thought he would have a chance to talk to Evan about AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, but things didn’t go their way. Evan got sick . . . and then went on vacation. But on a lark, Ben decided to record his solo road trip to see the movie, not […]
it’s that time again! Time to talk about last year’s pop culture releases! Taking our cues from Evan’s ranked list of movies from the year, we talk about our viewing experiences from 2022 as we step into the year 2023! The first half of 2022 was covered in this episode: …
We continue our series about THE TWILIGHT ZONE (which only has two episodes, but that’s actually not too shabby) by covering three Christmas themed episodes of the show (“The Night of the Meek”, “Five Characters in Search of an Exit”, and “The Changing of the Guard”), plus A CAROL FOR …
Inspired by re-reading the book and watching the new movie on Netflix, Ben, Stephen, and Evan take to the microphones to appreciate the spiritual themes and fantastical ideas of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. From time travel to redeemed lives, from movies to radio to books, from creepy animation …
Two options for this episode: You can listen to the audio above OR watch the video below! Ben takes a look at a book that has been in his library for over forty years: Frank Allnutt’s THE FORCE OF STAR WARS. This book is special to him for a number …
Evan’s new comic book BLACK BLOSSOM is now part of a KickStarter campaign to collect and publish the first 6 issues (plus an annual) into a graphic novel. Ben interviews Evan about the superhero sci-fi tale. The links mentioned in the episode: KICKSTARTER: inked.pub/blackblossomPATREON: patreon.com/evandavidcomicsINSTRAGRAM: instagram.com/blackblossomcomic And here is his …
Ben is joined by John Harju for the first part of a multi-part series rewatching some superhero movies that came in the wake of 1989’s Batman! We are starting with DICK TRACY, which entered production before Batman hit theaters, but it was still influenced by the superhero juggernaut that BATMAN …
Ben and Evan went to see BLACK ADAM! This episode opens with a spoiler-free discussion of the movie and then, after the spoiler warning, they talk about spoiler-y things. Things like:The big thing everyone is talking aboutHow Ben liked almost all the superheroes who are not The Rock more than …
Ben and John Harju team up again for an October spooky movie! The movie: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES! Along the way they talk about:Ben’s love for Ray BradburyJohn’s dislike for Ray BradburyBoth of their like for this movieArt and messagingGood and evilTwo Stephen King books they were reminded ofThe …
Television is dead . . . long live television! But long live it on our smart TVs! And devices! And computers! Add to that we have had a long string of high profile (and low profile, really) science fiction and fantasy television series, with short seasons, continuing stories, and big …
Ben and Steve review PREY, which is not about prayer but they joke about it anyway. This episode features: Thoughts about PREY Thoughts about PREDATOR Thoughts about the franchise Thoughts about Walt Simonson’s run on the THOR comic Our Youtube channel can be found here: http://youtube.com/strangersandaliens – subscribe to see …
Ben finally did it! He found an OLD (if not quite as old as the Space Trilogy) Christian sci-fi book, NO MAN IN EDEN. NO MAN IN EDEN is not a Christian romance or a commentary on Genesis 1-3, it’s a sci-fi book in the tradition of C.S. Lewis’ Space …
What do Frank Herbert, Dune, the Fear Litany, Jesus calming the storm, Ben’s all time favorite verse, and 80s Christian pop music icon Carmen all have in common? They are all used by Ben to point to where our focus should be in the midst of tough situations. We hope …
Steve and Ben return to Earth with Ransom and a large cast of characters in the third book in C.S. Lewis’ celebrated “Space Trilogy,” THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH. Published in 1945, THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH continues the story of Ransom, but instead of visiting other worlds the action moves to the cosmic …
Jordan Peele has two highly successful suspense/horror movies under his belt, and NOPE hit the public conscience with a vague trailer that revealed next to nothing. A second trailer revealed something that looked like a modern spin on Close Encounters . . . and while it’s potentially true that it …
Evan, Steve, and Ben are together again! For this episode, we take a look at some of the movies and TV series we’ve been watching in 2022! Using Evan’s LETTERBOXD account (he’s found here: https://letterboxd.com/moviemanev/– you should follow him) we take a look back at some movies and then some …
There are a lot of opinions about the latest Marvel movie, DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Most of them are valid and understandable, whether extremely positive or extremely negative. Case in point: Ben really liked the movie, and Evan really did not. That’s NOT the reason Evan is …
This is the weekend we celebrate Easter, and in this episode we release an episode that is meant to encourage us to take the time to reflect on Easter, Good Friday, and the Last Supper. Ben is joined by his family in a series of readings and writings about some …
MORBIUS has arrived! Finally! Ben goes solo on a spoiler-free review . . . Sort of a preview of his thoughts on the movie, Evan and Steve told Ben they couldn’t get to this movie, and Ben told them that it was ok. There wasn’t the same kind of urgency …
What happens when . . . Ben, Steve, and Evan have a hard time getting together to record? Ben’s been rewatching Lord of the Rings? Ben’s been studying Simon of Cyrene? Ben wants to get some episodes out? Ben has a huge editing job with his and Evan’s THE BATMAN …
The moon is falling . . . and they made a movie. Was it worth seeing? Was it worth making? Ben, Evan, and John Harju went to see this disaster flick. They were all surprised. John was surprised it wasn’t a comedy…Evan was surprised that he loved it so much…Ben …
In the early 2000s, Marvel tried an experiment – restart the stories of fan favorite characters in a new universe. A universe that does not have all the baggage of decades and decades of thousands of issues. A universe that is accessible to new readers and attractive to young readers. …
2021 was an interesting year for pop culture. We take a look at the movies we saw and some of the other pop culture items (TV and books) we took in during the past year. We used Letterboxd as a partial guide for this, taking Evan’s movie diary list for …
We moved to a new server, which resulted in the loss of this post . . . we apologize for any inconvenience. DUNE hit screens big and small, and it made a huge impact on us! Ben and Steve discuss the movie, and its story, music, history, and style.
Ben and Evan take a road trip to see the latest MCU movie, ETERNALS!!! It’s a movie that tries hard to go big, but does it succeed? PART ONE: The Trip There – talking about expectations and other random thingsPART TWO: The Parking Lot – spoiler free review of the …
To celebrate 10 years of the Strangers and Aliens podcast, we’re reposting our first episode! In this episode, Dr. Jayce, Steve, and Ben talk about the question: “Why Sci-Fi?” This is the episode that started it all. Well, started it all in this corner of the woods, anyway. This is …
The CUBE franchise consists of three movies from the 90s and early 2000s. Each of these movies features strangers . . . moving through a strange setting consisting of rooms that are CUBES . . . and some of those room will KILL YOU!!! Who lives? Who dies? Does it …
Steve and Ben explore Venus via the second book in C.S. Lewis’ celebrated “Space Trilogy,” Perelandra. Published in 1943, Perelandra is the story of a man, Ransom, who is transported to Venus and thrust into a battle he feels ill-equipped to handle. In the process, he becomes part of a …
A road trip to see Shang-Chi, featuring Ben, Evan, and Evan’s sister-in-law! Road trips include three segments: spoiler free discussion on the trip to the theater about what we’re expecting; a spoiler free reaction after the movie in the parking lot; and then a spoiler filled discussion on the ride …
Ben and Evan reunite for a good ol’ fashioned ROAD TRIP EPISODE!!! The movie this time? FREE GUY! An original concept, science fiction movie? In the summer? More importantly . . . is it any good?
Ben wants to talk. Ben wants to talk about M. Night Shyamalan. He wants to talk about M. Night’s style. M. Night’s risk taking. M. Night’s filmography. M. Night’s twist endings. And he wants to talk about OLD. Which features M. Night’s style. M. Night’s risk taking. M. Night’s filmography. …
John Harju is back and that means we’re talking about horror . . . or at least suspense thriller . . . and for this episode that means we’re talking about the “not-quite-Saw-but almost” franchise, or at least the “higher-budget-Cube” franchise: Escape Room, consisting of Escape Room and Escape Room: …
A few years back, Ben had the chance to write an essay for the book “Tarantino And Theology” (edited by Jonathan and Jerry Walls). The result was a chance for Ben to dive into his favorite Tarantino movie, Jackie Brown, and dive into a book by his favorite author, C.S. …
We continue our series about THE TWILIGHT ZONE (that started in 2013 . . . and only has one other episode in the series) by covering two season five episodes of the show: “Probe 7 Over and Out” and “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross”. These episodes were chosen by Steve …
This episode is why we created Strangers and Aliens! In this episode we: Explore a classic sci-fi story (“The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin)! Review a new sci-fi movie (STOWAWAY, on Netflix now – don’t worry, we’re spoiler free about the movie . . . although the movie’s inspirations may …
Evan, Steve, and Ben take a look at some of their favorite stories that should be big budget motion pictures, and in the process explore some of their favorite stories . . . and there just may be a couple new projects that come out of this . . .
Ben and Steve are joined by frequent guest host Nathan Marchand to battle each other about how good Godzilla Vs. Kong was! Where did they watch it? (At the BOX OFFICE, or the HOME Box Office???) Did they like it? Which one are they: team Godzilla or team Kong? And …
Ben, Steve, and Even take on Zack Snyder’s Justice League! Is it different? Is it better? Is it good? Is it bad? Is it Whedon? One thing’s for sure: it’s LONG!!!
Last year, Ben and Evan ALMOST embarked on a project: to explore the Zach Snyder DC film universe in preparation for the four hour Justice League Snyder Cut. This project never happened. But an episode was recorded. This is that episode . . . “Welcome to the Snyder Cut” . …
In this episode, we dive into the show that got many people’s hopes up that mutants were coming to the MCU . . . or if not mutants, Reed Richards . . . or at least a multiverse connection to the X-Men . . . and instead was a simple …
Ben plays through the SNES inspired “Noah and the Flood”, a game Evan designed in Dreams on PS4! As he plays, they discuss: how the game came to be, artistic choices in art based on the Bible, the story of Noah, and many other things!
The “What If?” question has been a comic book mainstay for decades, from the “imaginary stories” that would pop up in old Superman comics to the actual “What If?” comic series from Marvel to “Elseworlds” and other series more recently. For this episode, we explore some “what if”s of our …
This is the Way . . . And this is the episode we talk about the way. Ben and Steve dig into the second season of The Mandalorian, from the theological ramifications behind rebellion to the meaning of removing the helmet to the geek out moments to the fan service. …
This episode is divisive! It’s divided between two movies that hit streaming services on Christmas. It’s divided by the opinions about the movies . . . Evan likes one and not the other, Ben likes one and not the other, and Steve sort of likes both but kind of doesn’t …
In a sequel to the first Hobbit Tales from the Green Dragon Inn episode that we played back in May, Ben, Steve, and Evan play Hobbit Tales from the Green Dragon Inn once again! This episode was actually recorded back in May, but was put on the proverbial back burner …
Christmas time is here! And the Strangers and Aliens were given a request: could we cover the Rankin Bass Christmas specials? And if you send us a request for something we love? We do it! So for our Christmas episode this year, we take a dive into some of the …
Just before we started recording about another topic, we became aware of some HUGE announcements Disney had made about upcoming Disney Plus series and also some movies and some interesting Hulu series. So we called an audible and switched our plans . . . to talk about Marvel movies, Star …
Ben is joined by John Hart for their semi-annual Halloween exploration of some classic horror movies! This time: THE THING. Starting with THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD and then going into the remake THE THING from 1982 (the most famous in the franchise) and the prequel THE THING from 2011, …
A good theme song may not save a TV show from being bad, but it definitely makes it more memorable. For this episode, we nominate our favorite themes songs and bring in some listener nominations, and we tally the votes to come up with the official Strangers and Aliens list …
Ben and Evan ventured to the theaters to see Tenet, the movie they THOUGHT would be the first movie back in theaters. Instead, Ben had already seen a few movies and Evan went to a movie theater on the east coast . . . so Tenet was not the road …
Ben heads out on what could be an excellent adventure . . . or a bonus journey. This road trip has almost as many twists and turns as the movie he’s seeing, from the question of if he will even GET to the movie to the possibility of not seeing …
Ben heads out to the first new release movie he’s seen in theaters since the beginning of the shut down for the pandemic. After seeing The Empire Strikes Back (and The Greatest Showman), he gets to see a new movie that has been waiting for release for a few years …
Ben heads out to his first movie in theaters since the beginning of the shut down for the pandemic. It’s a different experience, with the masks requirements and the like, but it’s also a familiar experience, being a movie he’s seen many, many times . . . THE EMPIRE STRIKES …
For some, the pandemic has given the opportunity to read and watch more things than usual. In this episode, we discuss some of the new (to us) media we have read, watched, and listened to.
Strangers and Aliens returns to old time radio with this presentation of Earth Abides, a classic novel turned into a classic episode of the radio series Escape. This episode features an Old Time Radio show that adapts a classic novel, Earth Abides. And then, Ben and Steve talk about it …
Ben and Steve explore Mars via C.S. Lewis’ science fiction novel, the first book in his celebrated “Space Trilogy”, Out of the Silent Planet. Published in 1938, Out of the Silent Planet is the story of a man, Ransom, who is kidnapped and taken to Mars and thrust into an …
“From the vault,” so to speak, this episode is actually a couple months old and was the last movie Ben saw before theaters closed down. King Kong (1933) was a movie that changed everything and the results are still being felt today. It’s been seen on TV and on DVD …
Pilot Season – when studios create the first episode of a new show and shop it around in hopes that a network will pick up the series for a full season . . . For us, it’s a fun exercise in checking out a new series and exposing ourselves to …
Ben, Steve, and Evan play Hobbit Tales from the Green Dragon Inn, a game by Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello and published by Cubicle 7 Games. Join Benbo Baggins, Korg, and Mr. Dark . . . Black(?) . . . Dark(?) . . . Somethingwater as they gather in the …
Ben, Evan, and guest host Nathan Marchand take on some appearances of Superman in comics and animation, wherein HE takes on some giant monsters. From the comics of the 90s to the cartoons of the 40s to the animated series of the 90s, Superman took on some interesting creatures in …
Ben is joined by horror aficionado and frequent guest host, John Harju, to take about the new HP Lovecraft adaptation, COLOR OUT OF SPACE. Is Nicholas Cage bonkers in the GOOD sense? Is the movie good sci-fi horror, or cheesy b-movie stuff? Has someone finally gotten HP Lovecraft right on …
Recorded a while ago and lost in the shuffle, this episode completes the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths mega-crossover. It’s a game changer in many ways, and not just how the plot affects the CW’s series. There’s more cameos and more surprises and more plot twists. But is it good?
With Frozen II being released early to Disney+, Evan, Ben, and Steve decided that this was as good a time as any to check out the franchise . . . especially since Evan has been wanting to do a Frozen episode for a long time and Ben was just dragging …
Ben, Evan, and Doug (Ben’s youngest) head out on a roadtrip to see SONIC THE HEDGEHOG the movie . . . Is it as bad as so many videogame movies tend to be? Does it rise above? Is Sonic able to outrun the bad press that came with those original …
And so the day has come to talk of LAST year. From 1979 to 2019, we’ve taken a look at sci-fi and fantasy cinema over the decades and while we didn’t know the focus or the title of this episode until it developed in our conversation, last year still had …
The promised follow up to episode 328 – when we talked about just the first episode of The Mandalorian. It’s thumbs up all around, but some are more enthusiastic than others as Ben, Evan, and Steve discuss the merits of this western in space . . . and the cuteness …
Ben and Evan are joined by occasional road tripper Hudson to see this Alien-inspired Cthulhu pastiche, Underewater!
Venturing to just a decade ago, Ben, Evan and Steve reminisce about Avatar, Star Trek, Transformers, Terminator, 2012 and MORE big movies . . . along with some of the smaller movies that were made possible because of the lower cost for effects like the big movies. This is part …
The Skywalker saga comes to an end with a movie that has to wrap up a trilogy and also wrap up a trilogy of trilogies, while also living up to fan expectations and tie up loose ends . . . In a Road Trip episode, we record about our expectations …
The CW has aired the first three episodes of the world’s biggest television crossover and we’re taking a look! From the CW’s current series to Christopher Reeves/Brandon Routh’s Superman to the 1990’s Flash, this crossover pulls in a veritable plethora of DC live action characters and actors! But . . …
We take a look back to 1999, a year filled with BIG money makers with BIG special FX! From The Matrix to Episode I to Toy Story 2 to Wing Commander to The Mummy, we take a trip down memory lane in a year that wasn’t the first year to …
NOTE: This episode starts with non-spoiler discussion of The Mandalorian. The spoiler-filled discussion is clearly marked . . . by our usual spoiler organ. Disney+ has arrived, bringing with it an open vault of old and new television and movies. The team takes a look at the streaming service itself, …
It’s a look back at 1989, a year filled with big money makers in the theaters – and a LOT of franchise connections: from the beginning of the Batman movie series to the fifth Trek film to the third in the Indiana Jones series to Ghostbusters and Back to the …
Ben is joined by guest host John Harju to talk about three horror movies based on books by Christian writers Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker: THE VISITATION – by Frank Peretti THR3E – by Ted Dekker HOUSE – by Frank Peretti AND Ted Dekker They talk about what they like, …
Ben takes another solo road trip to see another 40th anniversary showing of another classic sci-fi movie. This time: Alien!
It’s Ben vs. Rambo, as he watches through the entire Rambo franchise over the summer, culminating in seeing RAMBO: LAST BLOOD in theaters opening night. What’s good? What’s bad? What one will he definitely watch again? What one will he never revisit ever? Find out here!
Ben takes a solo road trip to see the 40th anniversary showing of Star Trek the Motion Picture in the theater! Solo because who else is going to see it with him? It’s an experience he enjoyed much more than he thought he would . . . and he was …
Ben and Steve journey back in time to talk about 1979 and it’s place in science fiction and motion picture history, and how the effects of the mega-blockbuster hit Star Wars began showing up forty years ago.
Ben and Evan talk about The Dark Crystal, the movie, in preparation for watching the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Evan and recurring guest Hudson Farrell journey on a road trip to see the new Dora the Explora movie! Was this the best movie of the year? Find out!
Mister Freeze as depicted in the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series is one of the Batman mythos’ most tragic characters. Dive into the all 5 of his appearances in the DCAU continuity with Evan and Steve to find out why!
It’s another family road trip to another Marvel cinematic universe movie. Evan, Ben, and most of the Avery clan head out to a theater close to home, and you get to ride with them to and from the theater as they talk about this new Spiderman cinematic experience!
Ben and Evan and friend of the podcast guest John take a journey to the END of the X-Men GAME of Fox’s X-franchise! Does it work? Is it a good end of a movie era? Travel with the S&A team to find out if they think it was as bad …
Ben and Evan are joined by our friend Nathan Marchand to take on the newest installment in the Legendary Monster-verse: Godzilla King of the Monsters! Some of us liked it! One of us did not! But all of us had fun! And all of us had some problems with the …
Ben is joined by friend of the podcast JS Earls to talk about the “anti-Superman” movie from James Gunn: Brightburn.
Ben takes a road trip to see Detective Pikachu, and talks about parenting, collecting, and how Pokemon has become a big presence in his house. Then his son joins him for an eight-year-old perspective.
There was one potential future where they win, and while we knew the snap survivors would be victorious, we certainly didn’t know how. With surprise after surprise, and call back after call back, and send off after send off, we come to the historic Endgame. Ben, Evan, and Steve are …
With the SUPERSONIC Pod Comics Kickstarter in full swing, here’s our short preview episode written by Ben! This is a story that becomes a kickstart itself — a short story setting up the style of stories that SUPERSONIC Pod Comics will features, while also introducing some of the threads we’ll …
The DCEU continues with its newest entry — SHAZAM!!! Ben, Evan, and Steve discuss and dissect this surprising (in a few different ways) movie!
With Easter coming, Ben and Steve take a look at the Holy Grail: The legends and myths Its appearance in modern pop culture The reality of the cup and the Last Supper They get to talk about some favorite movies, but more importantly they get to talk about some important …
Ben takes a look at Jordan Peele’s recent movies (and also takes a short, non-spoilery look at the Twilight Zone). The first half of the episode is with no spoilers, while the final part digs in deep to the themes and plot of the movies with full spoilers. Also, Ben …
Ben and Evan take a roadtrip to see the Captain Marvel. On the drive to the theater, they discuss their expectations and hopes. In the parking lot after the movie, they talk about what they thought without spoilers. On the drive home, they talk about more details about the movie …
We’ve teased this project for a while, and here’s the result! VR, a superhero audio drama!
Evan’s been talking about this for months! It’s a game he LOVES. It’s a game he PLAYED. It’s a game that none of the other hosts have systems to play . . . So here’s Evan’s review as he and friend of the podcast Zach Nelson talk about the game …
The final chapter of the Godzilla anime movie trilogy has arrived on Netflix. Ben, Evan, and Steve take a look. Is it a good movie? Is it a good ending to the trilogy? Is it better than the other two? Does it make the other two better? Our first episode …
Ben and Steve discuss the final chapter in Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy, where we revisit characters from a beloved and acclaimed movie from 20 years ago. How does this chapter work? How does the trilogy come together? Does it live up to their expectations?
Ben and Steve discuss the first two chapters in M. Night Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy: Unbreakable and Split! While at one time it seemed like this filmmaker would have an UNBREAKABLE streak of movie hits, M. Night’s library of movies over the last 20 years has had a reaction that’s been SPLIT. …
Ben and guest host JS Earls talk about a movie that, based on box office returns, you probably haven’t seen. In the main part of the episode, they talk about what they liked and didn’t like in an effort to “convince” people to see it, and then they have a …
The S&A crew takes a look back at our favorite (and least favorite) books, comics, movies, and shows of the year, and then looks forward at a couple upcoming things they’re looking forward to in 2019.
A special Strangers and Aliens Advent event! Every Sunday (and then Christmas Day) join us for some thoughts on the traditional Advent candles . . . even if we don’t have candles . . . Christmas Day of Advent: LIGHT A recurring theme from the book of John is that …
A special Strangers and Aliens Advent event! Every Sunday (and then Christmas Day) join us for some thoughts on the traditional Advent candles . . . even if we don’t have candles . . . Week 4 of Advent: PEACE Peace on Earth. What does it really mean? And who …
Three movies. Three podcast hosts. One holiday. All three are beloved to some, and on Evan’s list of favorites! Two of them are hated by Ben. And one of them is described as “harmless.” It’s a lively discussion as they take on the good, the bad, and the ugly of …
Ben and Evan take a road trip with Ben’s son to see Aquaman. Aquaman. On the big screen. It happened! Who thought it was a perfect movie and one of the best of the year? And who thought it was a fun, ok movie? Find out here! Part one is …
A special Strangers and Aliens Advent event! Every Sunday (and then Christmas Day) join us for some thoughts on the traditional Advent candles . . . even if we don’t have candles . . . Week 3 of Advent: JOY Joy is something we take the time to think about …
Ben and Evan talk about one of the best movies of the year, one of the best animated superhero movies, one of the best Marvel movies, and one of the best superhero movies. And they are all the same movie: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!
A special Strangers and Aliens Advent event! Every Sunday (and then Christmas Day) join us for some thoughts on the traditional Advent candles . . . even if we don’t have candles . . . Week 2 of Advent: FAITH Faith and hope are very similar, faith is hope in …
In the seventh and final episode of our Seven Deadly Sins series, Evan, Steve, and Ben dive into what pride is, some examples from pop culture, what pride looks like in our own lives and, of course, what Dante, C.S. Lewis, and the Bible have to say on the matter. …
A special Strangers and Aliens Advent event! Every Sunday (and then Christmas Day) join us for some thoughts on the traditional Advent candles . . . even if we don’t have candles . . . Week 1 of Advent: HOPE We’ve all felt that anticipation as we’ve waited for something …
Ben and Evan fire up the van and head out to see Ralph Breaks the Internet! NOTE: First, there is a discussion on the drive to the theater. After the movie, there is a brief non-spoiler conversation, and then on the drive home a spoiler-filled discussion. NOTE TWO: There are …
Ben checks out the newest sci-fi horror movie from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot — OVERLORD!!! He starts out thinking it’s a Cloverfield franchise movie . . . but in the end, it’s a stand alone weird World War II tale. What does Ben think as he takes a solo road …
Ben takes a look at one of Jesus’ parables, exploring how it lines up with the storytelling patterns of The Twilight Zone and The Prestige.
Ben and Evan take a road trip to see VENOM. Their standard? Is is better than Spider-Man 3? Is it better than Fantastic Four? Is it as good as an MCU movie?
We continue our Disney animation retrospective by looking at the Disney movies from The Little Mermaid to today! You can find part one here!
It’s another animation retrospective! This time, we discuss the first half of the Walt Disney Studios Animation feature films…
In Retro Movie Missions the Retronauts fire the Retro-rockets on their Retro-starship to take a look back at some retro-movies! Will they discover something new? Will they retroactively change their opinion? Join Captain Ben, Sergeant Steve, and Ensign Evan as they explore the feature film 90s kids were clamoring for but …
In the sixth episode of our Seven Deadly Sins series, Evan, Steve, and Ben dive into what envy is, some examples from pop culture, what envy looks like in our own lives and, of course, what Dante, C.S. Lewis, and the Bible have to say on the matter. You can …
Ben and Evan (with a slight cameo from Steve) discuss some of the movies this summer that we didn’t get a chance to do a road trip to: DC Animated’s DEATH OF SUPERMAN Disney/PIXAR’s INCREDIBLES 2 Netflix and Toho’s GODZILLA: CITY ON THE EDGE OF BATTLE DC’s TEEN TITANS GO! …
The weekend of San Diego Comic Con has come and gone, and with it there were some interesting news items and some less exciting news items. There were some fantastic trailers and some less than stellar trailers. In this episode we explore three “lessons” to be learned from this years …
Evan, his siblings, and some guests talk about the Legend of Zelda series as a whole, and it’s newest entry, the Breath of the Wild.
Join Ben and Evan and four of Ben’s kids on a road trip as they drive to the theater to see Ant-Man and the Wasp, and then as they drive home after seeing the movie! Was it good? Bad? Ugly? How does it tie into Infinity War? Is it worth …
Ben and Evan visit THE HOLLOW with Evan’s sister Corinn. What is The Hollow? Who are the people that inhabit this series? What’s going on in this animated Netflix show? Join us as we explore the show that Evan called “an animated Lost”! (First half of the episode is spoiler-free. …
Ben, Evan, and Ben’s son Tim take a road trip to the Jurassic! One of them cosplayed. One of them didn’t wear the shirt to the thing. But all of them agreed on the movie! Part one is the drive to the theater, where they discuss the franchise and other …
It’s that time of year again, E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is back and we’re here to cover it! With Ben off at camp, recurring guest host Lucas Timmerman returns to fill us in on the comings and goings of the gaming industry. What are the hot games this year? …
Disney and Marvel! A match made in heaven? Somewhere else? Corporate synergy aside, the Strange Aliens play a little “what if?” game… What if…Disney’s animated characters we cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Who would play what character? Join us as we give Deviantart artists ideas for mash-ups…or more likely, …
The latest chapter in the Star Wars saga is not an episode, but an origin. Ben and Evan take a look at the backstory of Han Solo’s solo movie, SOLO.
In this episode, Ben, Evan, and Steve sit back and talk about what they’re reading in comics and books and what TV and movies they’ve been watching. Then they talk about what they’re working on creatively and open some old listener feedback.
Thanos has come! And now, so has the podcast review of Thanos: the Movie! Who liked it? Who didn’t? And how much? Part one — spoiler free Part two — super spoiler filled
Virtual Reality is no longer sci-fi, although some of the crazier applications are still years away, but it’s been a staple of sci-fi for a while. Join the Strangers and Aliens as they take a look at stories from years ago and from days ago and ask what’s the appeal …
It’s Superman’s 80th anniversary! 80 years ago, Action Comics #1 introduced the first modern SUPERHERO to the world. Since then, he has inspired millions! In this episode we talk about how he’s inspired us and why he’s one of our favorite characters!
Ben, Evan, and Tim take a journey to see King Kong vs. Godzilla vs. Rodan! Or Rampage. One of those. Is it fun? Is it junk? Or is it a little bit of both?
Ben hated the book! Evan loves Steven Spielberg! How will this movie, based on the beloved-by-many-but-hated-by-Ben book directed by Steven Spielberg stand up? Is it “game over” or “1up” for Ready Player One? Will Ben and Even FINALLY agree on a movie? Find out here!
Ben, Evan, abd Steve take on Black Panther, Shuri, and Killmonger in a SPOILER-FILLED review episode of Black Panther! Your can see Ben’s other podcast review of his movie here: Welcome to Level Seven episode 243 – Black Panther
In this episode Ben has a little fun as he crafts a retelling of the story of Jesus and the demoniac from the tombs, but he does it in the style of Aaron Mahnke’s podcast LORE. Join us as we take a look at two stories that are not usually …
Ben takes on this sci-fi/horror movie that had a quiet release in February, going on a solo road trip . . . and in the process poorly impersonates Steve and Evan to fight the loneliness. But is the movie worth seeing? That is the ultimate question.
Ben, Steve, and Evan explore the corners of the Cloverfield franchise as they take a look at Cloverifield, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Cloverfield Paradox. Love and hate are revealed in this unique franchise with very different chapters. Is it a single universe or an anthology series or both? Which …
In Retro Movie Missions the Retronauts fire the Retro-rockets on their Retro-starship to take a look back at some retro-movies! Will they discover something new? Will they retroactively change their opinion? Join Captain Ben, Sergeant Steve, and Ensign Evan as they explore the Star Wars meets Excalibur sci-fi-ish classic from the …
Watch movies in the order in which they were released!? Preposterous! Okay, maybe it’s alright some of the time, but the MCU can be tricky to follow, especially if you’re new to the superhero scene. Evan has designed this list to assist anyone who’d like to do an MCU Marathon! …
This episode it’s the Strangers and Aliens vs. the animated Godzilla in the anime film GODZILLA: PLANET OF THE MONSTERS! This movie, first in the trilogy, was released directly to American audiences on Netflix. The opening is spoiler free, and after the spoiler warning we get into the gritty details. …
We revisit STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI in this episode, as Steve joins Ben and Evan and gives his take on the movie. And then they touch on some of the other topics in The Last Jedi that they have not talked about yet. It’s a big movie with lots …
Mark Hamill has come out and said that when he read the script to Last Jedi, it wasn’t “his Luke Skywalker.” Man of Steel presented a new version of Superman that was rejected by many fans. Who owns a character? At what point do you throw up your hands an …
With 2017 behind us, what were some of our highlights in film, TV, video games, and print? The Strangers and Aliens give their favorite five things from the geek world that they experienced in 2017, then each talk about a LOW LIGHT of 2017, and then they take a look …
Ben, his family, Evan, and Brennan take a road trip to see Star Wars The Last Jedi! Who liked it? Who didn’t? Was it just a retread of The Empire Strikes Back? Was it something special? As usual, the episode is divided into three parts: Spoiler free discussion on the …
Using the “close encounters” scale developed by J. Alan Hyneck, which inspired the Steven Spielberg film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Ben and Steve explore the Christmas story and the various encounters that the different people involved in those events had with God. Close Encounters of the First Kind: …
What do you get when you take Anne Hathaway, drop her into a kaiju fantasy movie, and stir in some independent film sensibilities? You get a quirky kaiju movie unlike anything out there. And that’s the movie Ben and returning guest host Nathan Marchand are reviewing: COLOSSAL. Nathan’s Kaijuvision Radio …
So this show opted up this season and the question is: what is this thing? Is Seth McFarland’s THE ORVILLE a sneakily crafted parody? A throw back to the 1990s of Star Trek? A rip off of Star Trek: The Next Generation? A tribute? All of the above? With a …
It’s time for the league to assemble! From the opening that picks up right where Batman V. Superman left off to the post-credit scene after the final credits, Ben and Evan walk about it all! Part one is the trip to the movie. Part two is the end of the …
Ben and Evan take a road trip to review Thor Raganarok, which may be: The best Thor movie? The funniest Thor movie? The stupidest Thor movie? The worst Thor Movie? The most exciting Thor movie? The most out of character Thor movie? All of the above somehow?
Clowns are scary, according to pop culture horror, but does Pennywise deliver the terror in IT? Ben reviews IT in a mostly spoiler-free review, taking a look at what he doesn’t know about the book, a very brief detour into the 1990s TV movie, and then examines the 2017 movie’s story, …
We take a look at the podcast Ben and Steve did before Strangers and Aliens: The Fanboy Tollbooth! Lost to the digital aether, here’s some clips and a look back at this old podcast. Enjoy!
From a listener suggestion, the crew talks about the ifs and ands and whys and why nots of the horror genre. From personal opinions and personal experience to scriptural guidance and spiritual sensitivity, Ben, Steve, and Evan explore a broad genre that is sometimes misunderstood, sometimes feared, and sometimes embraced, …
Ben and Evan play Heroclix…but NOTHING is that simple with Strangers and Aliens! So ARE YOU READY FOR SOME HEROCLIX!!! The action is coming at you, live from the stadium, as Coulson and the heroes from the 616 universe take on Superman and the heroes from Earth Zero (or Earth …
We make our way through Pixar’s feature film library, with a couple detours along the way. Titles covered include: Toy Story, Cars, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., and many more!
As we take a look back at the Pixar library, we begin where Pixar began: with the shorts. Titles covered include: Red’s Dream, Jack Jack Attack, Boundin’, Lifted, and many, many more.
World War II has inspired many, movies with many different purposes and tones, in many different genres. Dunkirk inspired this discussion of a number of WW2 tales: from Spielberg’s own Indiana Jones and Schindler’s List to episodes of Star Trek, we explore some of the best and worst sic-fi WW2 …
Get to know Ben, the comic book writing, podcast hosting children’s pastor from Indiana! Listen to part 1, the interview with Steve MacDonald, here! Listen to part 2, the interview with Evan David, here!
An interview with Strangers and Aliens host Evan David gives us a glimpse at the newest member of the team! Listen to Part 1, the interview with Steve MacDonald, here! Listen to Part 3, the interview with Ben Avery, here!
An interview with Strangers and Aliens host Steve MacDonald allows us a chance to stop and get to know this founder of the podcast! Listen to part 2, the interview with Evan David, here! Listen to part 3, the interview with Ben Avery, here!
It’s the final chapter in the new Planet of the Apes trilogy, and Ben, Evan, and guest host Brennan went into it wondering if this could be the end of one of the best trilogies of all time. High expectations, indeed. But how did it hold up? While they all …
Washing the bitter, foul taste of Transformers from their metaphorical mouths, Ben and Evan are joined by their friend Hudson to see Spider-Man Homecoming! Why did Ben call it the worst movie-going experience of his life? What’s the deal with diapers? And more importantly: how does this work as a …
“We went so you don’t have to.” Ben and Evan go see Transformers: The Last Knight. Oh man.
Big budget video games have the ability to immerse players into amazing photorealistic entertainment experiences unlike any other, and like never before! What if that same amazing technology and creativity were applied to bringing stories and themes from the Bible to life? What would it look like? How would it …
Steve and Evan are joined once again by returning guest host Lucas Timmerman for the now annual discussion of the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3), the most anticipated video game event of the year!
We didn’t do a weekend of release episode about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, so considering the characters the movie we did the next best thing — a Father’s Day weekend episode!
We like podcasts. Obviously. And we listen to a lot of them. So in this episode, we take a look at some of the podcasts we listen to. And then we take on the feedback from some of our own listeners. Thanks for listening!
Joined by Anna and Zac Nelson, Ben and Evan set out on another ROAD TRIP! This time to see Wonder Woman! Will their opinions be controversial or conventional? What MCU movie does Ben compare this to? Will the magic be too much for Evan? Find out the answers to all …
Ben rides solo to talk about some thoughts he had about Simon Peter while writing his most recent graphic novel project.
The Summer Movie Series makes a return as Ben and guest host JS Earls talk about ALIEN COVENANT! What’s good? What’s bad? What’s nightmare inducing? How does it rank against the other movies in the franchise? The first half of the conversation is spoiler free. The second half gets into …
Ben’s family popped the corn and dimmed the lights and gave THE DARK CRYSTAL a spin. It was a fun family movie night for us…although reactions to the movie were mixed.
Have you ever wondered who would win in a battle between the planet Vulcan and the Lords of the Sith? Well, we kind of settle the score between lots of alien races and groupings and the results are…this special LOST EPISODE!!! It’s weird. It’s wonky. It’s random. It’s fun. It’s …
In the direct to home video battle for animation domination, who wins: Marvel or DC? Okay, that’s not a fair question. Fortunately, this episode is not about that debate and is just about the movies! What’s good? What’s bad? What’s ugly? From Superman: Doomsday to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns …
Join the Strangers and Aliens in an exploration of life, death, and resurrection in sci-fi and fantasy and why those stories are impactful for consumers of story.
There’s no question that Power Rangers 2017 is fueled by nostalgia and a desire to create another billion dollar franchise. There was also no question that Evan, fan of the franchise, was going to see it. And that meant Ben ended up seeing it, too. Join Ben and Evan as …
Every once in a while, a movie changes everything. It doesn’t just became part of pop culture, it shapes it. It can push film making techniques to new heights or engage imaginations to do new things. We go through the decades, taking a look at the most important movies from …
Evan and ben take a walk down memory lane and look at those little (sometimes big) pieces of plastic that fueled our childhood playtime (and sometimes still do).
Ben, Evan, and road companion Brennan head out to Skull Island to see KONG!!! And it’s a ROAD TRIP!!! This one’s a REAL road trip, featuring: Filling up at the gas station! Food stops! Road side attractions! And, of course, the MAIN EVENT! The episode has four parts: Spoiler free …
Join Evan David and guest host Jonathan Becker from the now defunct Static Blade Podcast, as they reminisce about Evan’s favorite comic book series, Ultimate Spiderman!
John Christopher’s TRIPODS trilogy is a classic of YA science fiction that explores a post-apocalyptic battle between a technologically regressed humanity and a spacefaring race of conquering aliens. It’s also a touchstone of science fiction from Ben’s childhood and a favorite series from when Evan was in college, so naturally …
Taking a trip down memory lane, the S&A gang walk through the catalogue of Dreamworks’ animated films, from Prince of Egypt to today!
It’s the Lego Batman movie! it’s here! Bursting his guests starring role in The Lego Movie, Lego minifig Batman is back! And Ben and Evan went to see it!
It’s a challenge! it’s a contest! And the rules sort of change as we go along! But, just as happens in the comics, some heroes are going to meet and they’re going to fight, and only Ben, Steve, and Evan know how it’s going to turn out!
Art is created by artists, and artists are people, and people are not perfect. So should art by certain artists be avoided? When? Why? Ben, Steve, and Evan examine this question.
A look ahead at the upcoming movies of 2017 and a look back at the movies of 2016. This is a glimpse into the many, MANY movies of 2017 that will cause a scheduling nightmare for the podcast even if we DON’T see them all!
A special Christmas presentation from Strangers and Aliens: a dramatic adaptation of Tim Baron and Ben Avery’s graphic novel ‘Twas the Night Before Krampus!
If your favorite fictional character was real, what would you give them for a Christmas gift? That’s the question Steve, Evan, and Ben answer in this episode!
A Star Wars movie that’s not part of the Skywalker saga, more or less, Rogue One introduces us to new characters in a situation that we already know what’s going to happen. But, it’s not WHAT is going to happen, but HOW! Ben and Evan are joined by Hudson and …
It’s the age old question: what good are the Star Wars Original Trilogy Special Editions, or what are they good for? With some specific nitpicks and some broader issues, Ben, Evan, and Steve revisit their thoughts on these movies…which are now about the same ages as the originals were when …
Finally, Strangers and Aliens takes on the topic of a book that is at the top of all of their lists of favorites: TILL WE HAVE FACES by C.S. Lewis! The first of two parts, this episode features backgrounds to the book, exploring the sources C.S. Lewis was inspired by, …
Finally, Strangers and Aliens takes on the topic of a book that is at the top of all of their lists of favorites: TILL WE HAVE FACES by C.S. Lewis! The first of two parts, this episode features backgrounds to the book, exploring the sources C.S. Lewis was inspired by, …
Ben and Evan test some equipment and ended up doing a mini-episode about the movie Trolls. This is that episode.
It has arrived! A sci-fi movie that’s not a franchise and doesn’t have superheroes, explosions, or space battles! But…is it good? Can a movie that takes its time to tell a story make it worth our time to explore?
Ben, Steve, and Evan talk about the good, the bad, and the magical in Marvel’s newest movie: DOCTOR STRANGE! From the music and the acting to the bigs ideas and trippy visuals, they dive deep into the dark dimension!
THE FLY was a 50’s horror/sci-fi classic, but in 1986 it was remade into another kind of horror movie with director by David Cronenberg. A sequel followed a few years later. Ben is joined by John Harju, a horror fan and aficionado, to talk about the new turn the THE FLY …
THE FLY was a smashing success in 1958 with its moody but bright cinematography and its effective twists and atomic age horror. The follow ups, RETURN OF THE FLY and CURSE OF THE FLY, weren’t as critically acclaimed but tried to creatively continue the story. Ben is joined by John …
Is there science behind the myths of dragons? On a trip to the Creation Museum, Evan interviews Bodie Hodge, a speaker, writer, and researcher for Answers in Genesis. This episode is sponsored by The Wood Print Shop.
Godzilla returns to theaters in Shin Godzilla, Toho’s return to giant monster movies! And so that means it’s time for a ROAD TRIP! Ben and Evan are joined by Tim, Ben’s 15 year-old son, and Brennan, from The Wood Print Shop.
In Retro Movie Missions the Retronauts fire the Retro-rockets on their Retro-starship to take a look back at some retro-movies! Will they discover something new? Will they retroactively change their opinion? Join Captain Ben, Sergeant Steve, and Ensign Evan as they explore the loosely able to be defined as a movie tie-in …
This special listener feedback episode features regular feedback from our listeners AND a bonus list from our greatest 200 stories episode that was too long to include THERE, but was so fascinating we HAD to include it SOMEWHERE. From Christopher Ouelette of Beware of Monsters, a podcast about, well, MONSTERS!
It’s the big 200!!! And to celebrate, we’re counting down 200 (plus!) of the greatest stories of all time! But this isn’t just about US — we’re also including feedback from some of our beloved listeners AND from some of our favorite podcasters! And to add to that: Dr. Jayce …
It’s the big 200!!! And to celebrate, we’re counting down 200 (plus!) of the greatest stories of all time! But this isn’t just about US — we’re also including feedback from some of our beloved listeners AND from some of our favorite podcasters! And to add to that: Dr. Jayce …
Cyborgs are a staple of sci-fi, fantasy, and real life! We discuss some of our favorite cyborgs and the definitions and implications of cyborgs in real life!
In Retro Movie Missions the Retronauts fire the Retro-rockets on their Retro-starship to take a look back at some retro-movies! Will they discover something new? Will they retroactively change their opinion? Join Captain Ben, Sergeant Steve, and Ensign Evan as they explore the classic sci-fi Star Wars rip off/inspiration FLASH GORDON!
In this “road trip” episode, Ben and Evan offer their immediate reactions to Suicide Squad. Was this “road trip worth”? Probably not, but it IS a DC movie. Worthy or not, here it comes!
Ben and Evan went to town To see a movie about jokes But then they got turned around And ended up seeing ghosts…
Ben and Evan boldly go beyond…where no one has gone before! It’s the next step in the “Kelvin-verse”, featuring rock ‘n’ roll, aliens, explosions, and lots of weird twisting camera shots! But is it any good? Here’s what Ben and Evan think…
We welcome Paeter Frandsen once more to the podcast to chat with him about his Spirit Blade audio drama series and various geeky things. Don’t forget, by using the code STRANGEALIEN at spiritblade.com from July 18th-July 31st you get 25% off the purchase of “Spirit Blade: A World Of Shadows (Legacy Edition) [mp3]”.
The LOST X-Men Apocalypse movie review has been found! Recovered from the depths of Ben’s dead MacBook, the MacBook was resurrected and the episode was found, ready to be uploaded! Listen as Ben can’t figure out Evan’s X-Men preferences! Witness Steve talk about the movie without seeing it! And be …
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the Galactic Empire fought Galactus? How about the Green Lantern Corps VS the Borg? Well your wondering days are over! (Sort of). Join Evan and Steve as they put their imaginations and Sci-Fi knowledge to use, speculating the winners of …
Ben is back! And he’s joined by Evan to talk about the 2016 summer blockbuster: Independence Day: Resurgence! Does the movie accomplish what it sets out to do? Or does it fall flat? You be the judge!
With Ben still away at camp, Steve and Evan discuss some Iterations of well-liked characters that took a left turn somewhere down the line, tainting the very things about the character they’d come to admire! They’ll tackle Captain America’s controversial new allegiance, the interpretation of the Dragonball franchise into live action, and …
Steve and Evan are joined by returning guest host Lucas Timmerman to discuss the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3), the most anticipated video game event of the year! We discuss the newest Sci-Fi and Fantasy games being released this year and into the next, along with the new technology …
Ben, Evan, and Steve talk about magic in fiction and reality. The article that got them to finally talk it through: Magic Is Not Different than Science in Fiction
What if DC had it’s OWN Civil War? What side would the DC heroes be on? Evan opens his DC Comics collection and explores that idea! As promised, here’s Evan’s entire list: Marvel’s Civil War is one of my favorite comic book stories of all time, and definitely my favorite Marvel …
After the instant reaction of the road trip, Ben and Evan are joined by Steve to give Civil War another go ’round. Can Ben convince Evan that #TeamCap is the only hashtag needed for this movie? What does Steve think of this movie? What was the emotional counterpoint for Evan? …
Ben and Evan take another road trip to the movies, this time to see Captain America: Civil War, featuring the screen debut of Black Panther and Spider-Man and the biggest collection of Marvel heroes on the screen yet!
In Retro Movie Missions the Retronauts fire the Retro-rockets on their Retro-starship to take a look back at some retro-movies! Will they discover something new? Will they retroactively change their opinion? Join Captain Ben, Sergeant Steve, and Ensign Evan as they explore the Disney sci-fi movie BLACK HOLE!
With the new Star Wars teaser release, Ben, Steve, and Evan talk about their thoughts of the teaser and address some items from the mailbag!
The whole S&A family is together, new and old, for a conversation about Batman v. Superman! Opinions are given and SOME of them are surprising! Other opinions? Not so much!
Ben and Evan are joined by three friends to take another trip to the theater…this time to see BATMAN v. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE!!! Join them on the drive there as they discuss their expectations… In the parking lat as they give their instant reactions… And on the drive home …
Heroes battling heroes is a time honored tradition in comics, TV, and movies. But why? Ben and Evan team up to discover the answer and look into some of their favorite hero vs. hero conflicts.
From Star Wars to X-Files to Heroes, old heroes have been making a return…and they make their return, well, older! In this episode we take a look at some of our favorite and not so favorite returns and what those returns bring with them! Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Indiana Jones. …
Ben. Steve, and Evan talk about the career of animator Don Bluth, looking back on their favorite memories from Bluth’s body of work, and on some of their least favorite work from him, from his work at Disney to his arcade video games to Fievel and The Land Before Time …
The X-Files has returned, and Steve and Ben WERE pretty excited…and now they are ready to wade through the final three episodes! A monster of the week, a supernatural FBI tale, and a mythology episode again give a pretty good sampling of what the X-Files was all about, but how did …
In Retro Movie Missions the Retronauts fire the Retro-rockets on their Retro-starship to take a look back at some retro-movies! Will they discover something new? Will they retroactively change their opinion? Join Captain Ben, Sergeant Steve, and Ensign Evan as they explore Jim Henson’s classic movie LABYRINTH!
A transmedia project about an secret group of multi-generational warriors in the never-ending battle against evil, League of the Gray is part Buffy the Vampire Slayer and part Golden Girls! Ben talks with Sandy Brownlee, the mastermind behind this web series, about the project’s origins, its future, and how people can help …
The X-Files has returned, and Steve and Ben are pretty excited…although we have different reactions to SOME of these first three episodes of X-Files season 10. With a mythology episode, a mystery episode, and a humor episode, the first three episodes of this six episode series give a pretty good …
What do Labyrinth, Longmire, and The Faerie Queen have in common? They AREN’T Star Wars! And they ARE some things we’ve been reading and watching and enjoying. And they AREN’T Star Wars. Here’s a partial list of some of the things that AREN’T Star Wars that we talked about in …
We return to Star Wars episode 7 for a longer, more focused discussion of the movie! What did they love? What did they hate? Also, Ben and Steve welcome Evan officially into the fold as the fourth “strange alien”!
For a holiday treat, we read Charles Dickens’ precursor to A Christmas Carol, The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton, a chapter from The Pickwick Papers. In this story are all the elements we appreciate about A Christmas Carol — a grumpy curmudgeon, Christmas, supernatural creatures that teach a lesson, and …
This episode SPOILS EVERYTHING! Listen AFTER you’ve seen it! Star Wars: The Force Awakens is here, and Ben, Ben’s son, Evan, and Evan’s wife jump into the mini-van to go see the new Star Wars movie. They are joined by Ben’s high school friend and a student from Evan’s small group. …
Ben is joined by four of his five kids to talk about their thoughts and reactions to the Star Wars prequel trilogy!
Ben and Steve are joined by Evan David to discuss some of their favorite “very special Christmas” episodes of TV shows, movies, and comics! This is a part of the Crossover Nexus’ Christmas Crossover Event! Links to the other podcasts mentioned can be found here: http://crossovernexus.com/christmas-crossover-promo/ Here are some direct …
Ben and Steve open up the listener feedback mailbag and discuss a few responses to our recent episodes.
Ben and Steve take a look back at all 19 Jaws movies, from Jaws to Jaws 4: The Revenge, from Cyberjaws to Jaws in NY, from the prequels to the reboot to the return to the original continuity in this year’s Jaws 19!
Ben visits Crimson Peak, Guillermo del Toro’s follow up to Pacific Rim, and it couldn’t be more different. Atmospheric and elegant, is it a place worth visiting?
Ben visits M. Night’s latest film, which seems to be not just a return to form but a return to passion. In The Visit there’s some ickiness, some jump scares, some tension, and a big twist. But does it all work together?
Joined by The Static Blade’s Evan David, Ben, Steve, and their guest talk about their top ten favorite animated series of all time.
The three sci-fi guys are together again, taking a look at the top ten biggest money making movies of all time. Should they be on the list? What does it say that they ARE on the list? And how does this list compare to the top ten movies when adjusted …
Ben and Steve talk about some of their favorite fictional sports, from futuristic racing to sci-fi fighting to fantastic competitions. Podracing, quidditch, hunger games, death races, and more!
In a non-review, Ben recommends some movies that actually succeed at some of the things that 2015’s Fantastic Four was trying to be.
It’s Ant-man vs. Pixels! two tiny themed movies! Two comedy action movies! Ben reviews them both! One is great fun! One is utter rubbish! Which is which? Want to see someone get angry about a movie? Ben has a pretty strong opinion here. He tries to hold it in… The …
We love Star Wars, but because of the way it was written, there are certain potholes that can be explained from a “certain point of view”…or that look like poor life choices for the characters from another “certain point of view.” And today, the three Strangers are exploring Star Wars …
Some weeks ago, Simon Pegg made some controversial statements about geekdom and cinema and where it seemed to be heading. He backed off a little bit, and his intent was not to be as controversial as it was made out to be, but it also did provide some fodder for …
For this episode, Evan is joined by Ben Avery to talk about Jurassic World! Ben’s podcast can be found here: Static Blade Podcast on Facebook
The topic is Tomorrowland, as Ben joins forces with special guest Even David from The Static Blade Podcast! There’s a LOT to talk about, from controversial themes to nostalgic music and more! Evan’s podcast can be found here: Static Blade Podcast on Facebook
Mad Max: Fury Road has been the surprise hit of the sci-fi summer! And in this episode, Ben is joined by the surprise first guest of the summer! After guest hosting on the Geekually Yoked podcast to talk about the movie Spirited Away, Ben mentioned to Rachel that he was planning …
The trio is back together again, and it’s time to discuss Avengers: Age of Ultron, the first big movie of the summer movie season! How good was it? how does it stand up to the others? Find out what they think in the newest episode!
Ben and his four oldest children have just finished watching the original trilogy of Star Wars, and now they have gathered together to discuss them! Featuring his nine-, eleven-, and twelve-year-old daughter and his thirteen-year-old son!
This is the weekend we celebrate Easter, and in this episode we take the time to reflect on Easter, Good Friday, and the Last Supper. Ben is joined by his family in a series of readings and writings about some aspects of the Holy Week. PROLOGUE: Hallel INTERLUDE: Psalm 113 …
X-FIles is returning, and we’re excited! We talk about the potential, and what else we’d like to see return like this! Also, listener feedback about Leonard Nimoy! And a listener makes a plea for an episode topic that gets Ben and Steve pretty excited! And Ben has a confession to …
Leonard Nimoy passed away last week. In this episode, Ben and Steve talk about the influence Nimoy had on sci-fi, fantasy, and their own fandoms. We haven’t talked together in a long time, so there’s some pretty windy rabbit trails they escape down.
Ben is riding solo, reviewing the Wachowskis’ movie Jupiter Ascending. It’s an off the cuff reaction episode, and mostly spoiler free, as he tried to convince listeners that they might like the movie!
Ben and Steve discuss the pros and cons of “canon” and what it means or doesn’t mean to fans!
Ben is joined by his kids again to talk about The Hobbit trilogy, from the unexpected journey to the battle of the five armies! What did they like? Dislike? Was the love story gross . . . or the orcs? Ben and his kid dissect the trilogy, from the hair …
Steve prepared a special Santa-themed old time radio drama to get us into the Christmas spirit, and get us into a spirited discussion about Santa!
Ben and Dr. Jayce have a short conversation about movie featuring lots of short creatures! Oh, and Steve is there, too…
Everyone else is talking about it, and so are we! J.J. Abrams’ trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has come! We had a fun, lively discussion about the trailer and our expectations for the movie!
Recently, TV writer and producer Glen Larson passed away, and Ben and Steve take some time to talk about his career and the impact it had on their childhoods and the lasting impact to them to this day. Topics include, but aren’t limited to: Knight Rider, Six Million Dollar Man, …
Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s most recent film, has hit screens and thrilled or confounded audiences, and Dr. Jayce and Ben are here to discus not just that film, but all of Christopher Nolan’s library. How did they like it? How does it stack up against his other films? Find out here…
Ben is joined by his four oldest children to talk about, review, analyze and laugh about Big Hero 6. With the insight only children can bring, his 13 year-old, 11 year-old, 10 year-old, and 8 year-old kids talk about their favorite characters, the big ideas of the movie, and the favorite moments. …
Frankenstein. Dracula. Wolfman. The Creature. The Mummy. Classic monsters. In this episode, after a few weeks of technical troubles, the S&A guys are back together to talk about monsters. Using the Universal monsters as their guide, they explore some of the cultural and thematic ideas found in these creatures.
Ben and Steve sit down and talk about sidekicks, define sidekicks, argue which one of them is the sidekick, and discuss favorite sidekicks. Also, Ben mispronounces Lando and makes it sound like he’s talking about Babylon 5. And Gil Gerard and Ernie Reyes Jr. are talked about more than expected.
Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about three superhero movies from this summer: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
We’ve all had that experience. It’s not like deja vu, where you feel like you’re doing something you’ve done before. Rather, it’s like you’ve gone back in time, either in a place with elements from the past or a song that takes you back or any number of things that …
Looking at a favorite Bible passage, Ben and Steve discuss the spiritual, personal, and sci-fi/fantastical elements of Romans 8! It’s not a series. Not yet. But maybe it will be…
Hollywood has no shortage of good ideas . . . that they already did and want to do again! Steve and Ben take a look at some of their favorite and least favorite remakes and discuss whether the original or the remake is better.
A comprehensive discussion of the Planet of the Apes franchise, from its beginnings as a book to the sci-fi classic first installment to the downward spiral into kiddie fare and TV to the big budget resurrection under Tim Burton’s hand to the new reboot series! Ben and Steve talk about …
Ben is joined by Matt Anderson of The Sci-Fi Christian and Daniel Butcher of Welcome to Level Seven & Between Disney to talk about the latest in the Transformers franchise! What deep theme did Ben find in the movie? What totally offended Daniel? What was Matt’s favorite line from the movie? …
For this edition of the Summer Movie Series, Ben talks about Edge of Tomorrow and the time loopiness within!
Dr. Jayce’s lifelong franchise favorite comes to the forefront in the latest episode of Strangers and Aliens! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!!!
Batman is one of those franchises that has thrived over time and media and audience age. In this episode, Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about their favorite animated Batman stories and series.
Go, go Godzilla!!! The Big G is back on the big screen! For this episode of Strangers and Aliens, Ben was joined by fellow Godzilla fan (and Fans for Christ member) Nathan Marchand. You can find links to his reviews and books and articles here: http://www.nathanjsmarchand.com
This episode, Ben and Steve discuss the greatest year in comic book history, the year that changed everything, the year that shifted toward a deconstruction of superheroes and an acceptance of indy comics. 1986. Join us in a trip back in time exploring Concrete, The Dark Knight, Micronauts, and so …
Ben and Steve are ready to talk about Amazing Spider-Man 2, and we are joined by Matt Anderson of The Sci-Fi Christian! Here is the Variety article Matt referenced during our conversation about the Mark Webb/20th Century Fox mid-credits commercial: The Secret Deal Behind ‘Spider-Man 2’ Plugging the ‘X-Men’ (EXCLUSIVE)
The summer movie season is upon us, and the summer movie series has begun! For our first summer movie review, Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce sit down to talk about Captain America: The Winter Soldier!
So Dr. Jayce had a question: “what TV series have you seen every episode of?” The answers: not sure if they were disturbing or interesting, but Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about the different TV shows they have watched every single episode, from first to last. What shows did …
I haven’t listened to this episode yet, although I think I’m in it. I think. Steve and Dr. Jayce recorded it on a night when I was just a little late. So these show notes are thin, because I’m going to listen to it AFTER I post it. I’m trusting …
In possibly the strangest Strangers and Aliens episode ever, Ben and Steve take up a challenge from Dr. Jayce. The challenge? Create a podcast episode with this title: “Narcoleptic Monster Dodo’s Invade the Neptune Colony part 3” The result? Ben and Steve role-play? Or story-game? Or something . . . …
Ben talks about Noah — the good, the bad, and the ugly. What did he like? What did he find to be of value? What did he not like? And what was the biggest problem he had with Darren Aronofsky’s Noah?
In this, the fifth episode of our Seven Deadly sins, Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about the concept of lust and how it appears in science fiction and fantasy, Biblical applications, and what lust looks like in our own lives. You can listen to the other episodes in the …
We are proud to present the third in our series of episodes featuring Dr. Jayce and his work at RED Church, part of his Way of the Warrior series focusing on living a life of spiritual depth. This episode is part 3 of 4 in the series that Dr. Jayce …
The trio starts a new series, maybe, as they explore some of the earliest roots of science fiction. This episode covers fantasy and science fiction from antiquity to the late 1800s Gilgamesh to Frankenstein. Yes, it’s not sci-fi because science was not a part of some of this early material, …
Video games…they’re not just for kids anymore! Steve and special co-host Lucas Timmerman dig deep to uncover the methods behind the madness, exploring themes, stories, and characters in this medium that are sometimes glossed over in the flashes of action a 30-second TV spot needs to sell it to the …
It’s Ben and Steve vs. Robocop in this episode of the podcast that explores the Robocop franchise, from the first movie to the reboot! We also review the new Robocop movie, with a short section at the end with spoilers. Listen as we explore the themes, the strangeness of the …
Dr. Jayce, Steve, and Ben offer some of their favorite “hidden” gems of sci-fi television, getting into some weird old stuff and some obscure new stuff, many of them on Netflix or in the cheap racks at stores. Steve reveals his “cartoon crush”! Will Dr. Jayce get Ben to add …
For this episode, Steve interviews a musician who Steve has been a fan of for two decades! Caesar Kalinowski produced a few albums that Steve has listened to since his youth, and after Steve reached out to him, Caesar graciously agreed to be interviewed for the show! SHOW NOTES Audio …
Ben and Steve talk about what they are reading and writing and catch up on listener feedback. Topics covered include: Ben’s work on The Hedge Knight — benavery.com The quest for Good Stuff — Christian sci-fi and fantasy Feedback about: Episode 48 (our Star Wars vs. Star Trek episode), Episode 57 (our …
The Crossover Event continues as Christian podcasters team up to take on awesome topics! We are proud to have Nathan James Norman from The Untold Podcast as our guest, Ben and Nathan talk about what makes Christian fiction good, and also why people continue to express that Christian fiction is NOT good. …
The Crossover Event continues as Christian podcasters team up to take on awesome topics! We are proud to have Mikey Fissel from Real World Theology as our guest, as we use Hunger Games: Catching Fire as a springboard to talk about dystopian fiction! Expect to hear more from Mikey on Strangers and …
The Crossover Event continues as Christian podcasters team up to take on awesome topics! We are proud to have as our guest Eve Franklin from Are You Just Watching? to come and talk with us about upcoming sci-fi and fantasy movies! Expect to hear more from Eve on Strangers and …
We’re so excited about a huge event in the world of Christian geek podcasts! The Crossover Event is here! Last year, we did a podcasting event in which a group of podcasts covered a concept in their own unique way. This year, we’re doing something bigger and bolder — a …
We are proud to present the second in our series of episodes featuring Dr. Jayce and his work at RED Church, part of his Way of the Warrior series focusing on living a life of spiritual depth. This episode is part 2 of 4 in the series that Dr. Jayce …
We have a special treat for you! An OTR Christmas extravaganza! First, Orson Welles and Lionel Barrymore in Campbell Playhouse’s performance of A Christmas Carol! Then, Orson Welles, in a different performance of Campbell’s Playhouse’s Christmas Carol, gives a reading to remind us of the REAL story of Christmas. Thanks …
In this episode, Steve, Ben, and Dr. Jayce talk about some of their most hated and most loved Christmas movies. Specifically: The Good — Christmas Carol movies The Bad — our most hated Christmas movies The Ugly — strange Christmas movies Also featuring an interview with the artist and creator …
In this episode, Ben, Dr. Jayce, and Steve review The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug! And there are some strong feelings about this one . . . Next episode: Christmas movies!
In this episode, Ben and Steve welcome Daniel Butcher, Ben’s cohost from Welcome to Level Seven, to talk about some of their favorite live action superhero TV shows! From the original superhero (and superhero show) to Agents of SHIELD, the three cover a wide variety of shows they have enjoyed. …
This episode has a Thanksgiving theme, and Dr. Jayce (for a bit anyway, before he pops off to be with his wife), Ben, and Steve take a moment to consider things from sci-fi and fantasy that we are thankful for. The Miss Universe outfit that caused Ben’s reaction: http://www.geekosystem.com/miss-universe-transformer/ Podcasts we …
In this episode, the strangers and aliens have a laid back conversation about C.S. Lewis and what him and his writings mean to them. They answer some fun questions that allow them to reflect on special moments from the works of C.S. Lewis and special moments in their lives brought …
It’s a giant sized special episode — episode 100 and the Strangers and Aliens Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce countdown their favorite sci-fi and fantasy characters. Featuring a ton of feedback from the best listeners ever and Ben’s really bad math skills!
A few years ago, Ben and Steve decided to do a podcast. That podcast was not Strangers and Aliens, but it DID lead directly to Strangers and Aliens! To celebrate our second anniversary and our upcoming 100th episode, we thought it would be fun to look back at where everything …
This episode: a special presentation of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, as told to us through various Old Time Radio sources! Ray Bradbury is one of the giants of sci-fi and fantasy, with his thoughtful and thought provoking, character driven stories. The Martian Chronicles is one of his most beloved …
We are proud to present a series of episodes featuring Dr. Jayce and his work at RED Church, by presenting some of his sermons that focus on living a life of spiritual depth. This episode is part 1 of 4 in the series of sermons that Dr. Jayce O’Neal presented …
For this episode, Ben interviews Tim Baron, a Christian artist who draws bizarre comic books that feature zombies, monsters, and creatures of all sorts. In the interview, they explore how faith and art are connected, how stories with monsters can have a divine spark, some of Tim’s inspirations, how his …
In this episode, Ben talks about three things: 1. Please send us your top 10 sci-fi and fantasy characters. Ben explains what we are looking for and how to send it to us. You can use our contact information found here: Strangers and Aliens Feedback 2. PLEASE vote for The …
With SHADOW and SUBSTANCE, we start a new subseries with a look back at the Twilight Zone, starting with the William Shatner classics “Nick of Time” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”! The Twilight Zone is a giant of sci-fi and fantasy. Whether you are a long time fan of the …
In our first Old Time Radio episode, Ben and Steve listen to and talk about an episode from the classic horror series Lights Out. Lights Out is a series created by Willis Cooper. When Cooper left the series, Arch Oboler took over. The Dream is an episode written by Oboler …
Dr. Jayce, Steve, and Ben talk about some of their favorite speeches from sci-fi and fantasy. With a special guest performance from Shazbot! Did we miss your favorite? Probably . . . so please, go ahead and let us know! You can contact us here!
Ben records the summer movie series finale he WISHES could have taken the place of Riddick and/or Elysium! To help him talk about Gravity, ben has called up an old school-time chum, John Kanost. Ben and John talk about this masterpiece of a sci-fi movie in this episode and even …
With the release of the news about production moving forward on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair and the trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the Strangers and Aliens trio talk about what is happening in the future of fantasy movies and take a look back at …
Gamestore Prophets is a podcast about God and gaming, and Ben sat down with one half of the GSP team, Mike Perna, to talk about why they podcast, what it is that makes Mike so passionate about gaming, how God has used their podcast, and what “Team Gamestore Prophets” is …
Over a year ago, Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce recorded an episode that they never released, mainly due to the audio quality of the recording. But it was a good episode. A good conversation. So it’s being released here and now. This was an experimental episode, in that they played …
Dr. Jayce, Ben, and Steve gather together to do a recap of this summer’s genre offerings! What was their worst movie of the summer? Their favorite characters? Their favorite villains? The movie they wish they had seen? The movie they are glad they missed? And of course, their favorite movie …
In this, the fourth episode of our Seven Deadly sins, Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about the concept of greed and how it appears in science fiction and fantasy, Biblical applications, and what greed looks like in our own lives. You can listen to the other episodes in the …
Ben is joined by fellow podcasters Matt Anderson and Daniel Butcher from The Sci-Fi Christian and Welcome to Level Seven to take on Elysium! It’s a lively discussion, from three very different responses to the movie. So, does Elysium earn its place among the giants of thoughtful sci-fi? Or is …
Everyone is talking about Ben Affleck and Batman, so, we are too. In this episode, we talk about that news, other casting rumors, and then explore some of the most surprising casting discussions and some of the most egregious sci-fi miscasts, including listener feedback! Do you agree with our choices? …
It’s Superman vs. Batman . . . and Ben vs. Steve vs. Dr. Jayce! Who will win? Will Steve spoil a thirty years old comic? Will Dr. Jayce settle a dispute between Ben and Steve about Superman’s early appearances? Join the Strangers and Aliens crew as they explore the Batman …
In light of the launch of Christian Geek Central — http://christiangeekcentral.com — we’re playing an interview Paeter Frandsen, the mastermind behind CGC, did with Ben on the Spiritblade Underground podcast. You can also listen to the unofficial “part one” of their conversation, when Ben interviewed Paeter for the Strangers and …
What are some of the best pilots from television? Some of the worst? Ben. Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about their favorites and their least favorite pilot episodes. They list their top five and their bottom three, and Steve, surprisingly, is the only one who doesn’t really try to cheat! …
The trio of strangers and aliens take on feedback about Man of Steel, Star Trek, and Star Trek Into Darkness in this episode! We got some very, very thoughtful feedback about these topics, and now that they are back, they finally got around to sharing it and responding to it! …