Nerd Lunch

Evan wasn't able to join us last episode when Michael, Rob, and Jody Collins rebooted Marvel Comics, so in this episode, he shares his ideas for all-new versions of Thor, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Hulk, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men.

Back in Episode 165, we speculated what Marvel Comics might be like if they took a year off from publishing superhero comics and focused on other genres instead. In this sequel episode, Michael, Rob, and Jody Collins return to imagine how Marvel might reboot their most classic superhero series with brand new, completely different concepts and characters. Evan wasn't able to join us for this one, but stay tuned for an upcoming episode in which he reveals his own ideas for reboots of all eight series.   And stay tuned at the end of this episode for important information about the After Lunch dress code.

Michael and Rob continue their journey through the Mission: Impossible films with the fourth in the series, Brad Bird's Ghost Protocol. 

Michael, Rob, and Karen Flieger take a detour from the main James Bond series to watch Italy's OK Connery (aka Operation: Kid Brother) starring Sean Connery's younger brother as a famous secret agent's younger brother who's pulled into a spy caper. Thanks to the super popularity of Goldfinger and Thunderball, lots of Bond spoofs and rip-offs came out around this time, but OK Connery is unique for including iconic actors from the actual Bond movies, including Lois Maxwell, Bernard Lee, Daniela Bianchi, Adolfo Celi, and Anthony Dawson. But is it any good? Our panel may not all agree.

Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax talk about what they've been watching and thinking about. Topics include The Last of Us, Quantumania, Marlowe, Adam Driver vs dinosaurs, Bono and the Edge talking to Dave Letterman, Pumping Iron, Party Down, Creed 3, behind the scenes making a major Disney animated movie, villains as main characters, buying cars, engaging with ridiculous ideas, and the difference between openness and vulnerability.

A couple of episodes ago, Michael and Rob talked about JJ Abrams' Mission Impossible III and the TV show Lost came up. Michael mentioned an episode of the old Dragonfly Ripple podcast where Annaliese Trammel shared her thoughts on the first two seasons with her dad, Carlin. It was a wonderful bit of podcast history, but it's not easily available anymore, so we're rerunning it. Please enjoy.

Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax talk about what they've been listening to and reading. Topics include teenage stupidity, pocket symphonies, which Enterprise we'd want to serve on, De La Soul and music licensing, annotated books, Barry Allen goes to Marvel, Batman: White Knight, The Big Sleep, and Nothing.

Michael and Rob talk about JJ Abrams' contribution to the Mission: Impossible series, starring Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, Laurence Fishburne, and Keri Russell.

Michael, Rob, and Karen Flieger talk about Sean Connery's fourth adventure as James Bond in Thunderball. Lots of music discussion in this one, praise for Paula Caplan and Fiona Volpe, and awe at Largo's impressive sense of fashion.

Michael, Pax, and guest Noel Thingvall (with input from Evan as well) recall their favorite films of 2013 and how they feel about them now. And they might get into some of the big stinkers of 2013 as well.

Michael, Rob, Evan, and guest Jody Collins imagine a reality in which Marvel Comics takes a year off from publishing superhero comics to focus on other genres. What genres should they pick? What stories should they tell? And what creators should write and draw them?

Michael wraps up his series of solo episodes about Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels with his last book: The Man With the Golden Gun. Heavily influenced by the three films that had come out by then, it's a hint at the direction the series might have taken had Fleming lived long enough to write more. Whether that's a good thing or not is up for discussion.

Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax talk about what they've been watching and thinking about, including Willow, Velma, The Last of Us, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Ford v Ferrari, Black Adam, Gotham Knights, The Banshees of Inisherin, Pluto TV, Shrinking, how faithful adaptations should be, sleep, where we live, and planning a Sleepy Hollow trip.

Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax talk about Marvel's Old Man characters, Martin Short's I Must Say, how to listen to movie review podcasts, malls, live action kids TV shows, John Carter of Mars, why our playlists are so awesome, the Fantastic Four, the UK’s rudest walk, epistolary books, Greek mythology, redcaps, mystery novels vs short stories, Star Trek comics, and other things they've been listening to and reading.

Michael and Rob get through John Woo's stylistic sequel, but is it really as bad as they remembered? There's guitars, slow motion, sunglasses, and doves, but also Anthony Hopkins, Thandiwe Newton, and Ving Rhames.

CT, Jeeg, and Pax reunite to look back at their very first Nerdstradamus episode and the predictions they made 10 years ago in Jan 2013.

Michael, Rob, and Karen don their golf togs and hit the green to talk about the film that changed the James Bond series forever. But are those changes all for the better? That's just one of the many topics under discussion, so pour yourself a glass of indifferently blended brandy and settle in.

At last! Michael, Rob, Evan, Robert Zerbe, and Kay look back at their favorite pop culture, predictions, and resolutions for 2022 and make a few predictions and resolutions for 2023 as well.

Michael and Rob get ready for this summer's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One with the first in a series of episodes covering the Mission: Impossible movies so far. In this one, they talk about Baby Tom Cruise, the fate of Jim Phelps, the charming Max, and whether any of this makes sense. 

Michael, Rob, Evan, and Pax reminisce about their favorite things they watched this year, do some thinking about the past and the future, and open some presents.