Episode 294 - Spider Week

[Mike]

Aidan’s got a bit of a rant about the new Paper Mario: The Origami King to open the show. Then it’s movies movies movies: As promised, Mike and Aidan both watched all of the movies recommended by viewers last week and they give reviews of: Legend, The Neverending Story, The Beach House, The Wandering Earth, and Won’t You Be My Neighbor. Tease: One of these movies is only the third movie ever to make Aidan cry. This is followed by an all-spider edition of Geez Netflix has a Lot of Crappy Horror Movies, wherein Aidan reviews EIGHT spider horror movies… one for each of Shelob’s legs. And as if 13 movies wasn’t enough, there’s also a lucky 7 all-new, listener-submitted questions from R2 on the Pod-O-Matic. Plus our listeners reveal their secrets and weigh in on monsters in Listener Betrayal! And all this can be yours if you just download it now!

Enjoy!

[Kyle]

Umm. I’ve been posting in the wrong episode. So I’ll repost here and delete the others.

I love the new Paper Mario game. It's compelling gameplay without being stressful. The story is great, but light. The humor is top notch. The art style is beautiful. It's what I needed during this pandemic. I don't need something "dark" "gritty" and "metal." Also- none of the Paper Mario games were like that. The problem everyone has is that this game isn't an RPG. And I admit that I thought I wanted a return-to-form RPF for this game, but what I got is just as good. It's okay for the game to be different and welcoming to new gamers. When series continue to simply "go back to the well" for their new iterations, they get stale. And bad. Paper Mario: the Origami King is a sheer delight.

[Kyle]

The Beach House. So look, I understand that this movie is not for everyone. I understand it's bleak and that many people would be put off by it. And I respect those differing opinions. But let me explain why you and fucking Aidan are wrong with your stupid, small-minded opinions. It's not about a "twist." There was no twist. It was about a bleak struggle against futility because people have fucked themselves. But more than that- IT'S A CTHULHU STORY. Have you read nothing by H.P. Lovecraft? This is EXACTLY in the spirit of those stories. I understand that Aidan needs to be spoon fed stories about how he can humanize the struggle. I understand that those kind of "dark" and "gritty" themes might not appeal to him. Maybe he should revisit his opinions on the new Paper Mario game. It's okay if you didn't like the movie. It's okay if the end pissed you off. But it's a perfect Cthulhu story. And a beautiful movie. And if that doesn't appeal to you, I respect that- but you're a fucking idiot.