Discerning Geeks Portal

This week, we review the 1982 Jim Henson classic, The Dark Crystal.  We marvel at the amazing artistry, craftsmanship, and performance that goes into a movie starring non-human characters represented by puppets.  We discuss the movie's gradual reveals of its mythology, the alien look & feel of the movie, how the movie is for kids, the conundrum of the clueless Jen character being the main protagonist, the pacing, and other amazing visuals like the sets & costumes...

This week, we have another "Whatcha Doin'?" episode where we pause from reviews to talk about current things we're watching, reading, playing, and otherwise enjoying.  Joining us as a special guest for this episode is Dave's nephew Andruw (not a typo; it's really spelled with a "u").  We've mentioned him before as the other player in our weekly D&D campaign.  Together we talk about the following.....

This week, we review the 1985 movie Enemy Mine.  We discuss the movie’s themes of unlikely friendship and overcoming differences through cooperation, the religious beliefs of one of the main characters, the extreme sides of humanity on display in the movie, and of course, the special effects.  It doesn’t look as good as Star Wars, but it’s still a classic sci-fi story with a timeless message.  Join us as we explore…Enemy Mine.

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This week, we review the movie that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe:  Iron Man.

We discuss the origin story of Tony Stark as Iron Man, the movie's excellent editing & casting, the pivotal role of Pepper Potts in defeating Iron Monger, the greatness of smaller characters Agent Phil Coulson and Dum-E the robot, the importance of Iron Man as the start of the MCU, its director Jon Favreau as a "founding father" of the MCU, and what sets Marvel apart from DC...

This week, another first -- our first book review.  We review Dragons of Autumn Twilight, the very first book in the Dragonlance saga, an expansive series of books based in the world of Krynn, specially created for use in the world's most popular role playing game, Dungeons & Dragons...

This week, we have our first review of an animated movie and our first superhero team — Big Hero 6. We discuss the importance of science in the movie, the motivations of the villain, the tendency of Disney movies to explore personal loss, and what it takes for a normal person to turn into a mad scientist. And, of course, we love the adorable, inflated, medical robot, Baymax. Follow us to San Fransokyo as we witness the origin story of a new team of defenders...

This week, we venture to a galaxy far, far away and review Solo: A Star Wars Story...

This week, we hack into the star-studded 1992 movie Sneakers, a tale of hacking, cyber security, crime, cryptography, and driving a truck while visually impaired...

Whatcha Doin'?  Releasing mid-week, we recorded our first bonus episode.  We have a more informal, off-format chat about TV shows & movies we're watching (not including those for the podcast -- yet???), books we're reading, and even a little bit about our ongoing Dungeons & Dragons game.  Which one of our co-hosts is the fan of DC superhero shows on The CW?  Which otherwise excellent show has parental warnings for really useful reasons...

Podcasters’ Log, August 2020.  Changing course from geeky movies this week, we explore our first TV topic — our most & least favorite Star Trek episodes featuring the recurring character known as Q.  Preferences among the co-hosts differed more than expected, so you get a nice variety of opinions about this member of the omnipotent Q Continuum and his intrusive meddling onboard the Enterprise, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager...