Monthly Archives: November 2013

Doctor Who – 50th Anniversary Special

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Doctor Who

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This AKOP is half a century in the making: the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special! Earl and Andrew talk a little bit about how they jumped onto the long-running TV series and their feelings about it now, their thoughts and observations on the outsized episode/TV movie, and speculate on what’s next for the show. And somehow, Earl manages to connect Doctor Who to a certain fable, while Andrew drops a little English history on us. Step into the TARDIS and give the episode a spin! (Pretty much spoilers on the whole thing.)

Guests:
Andrew Lawrence

Supplementary notes:
Every Doctor Who Opening
Night of the Doctor

Audio notes: (1hr. 6min. runtime)
0:01:20 – Getting into the series, favourite Doctors, companions, and losing interest
0:10:10 – Figuring out the 8.5th Doctor, Night of the Doctor, and the 50th Special
0:15:05 – Christopher Eccleston, group dynamic, John Hurt, UNIT, and Zygons
0:21:45 – The Three Doctors, Daleks, 8.5th Doctor as a miniseries, and comparing Doctors
0:28:10 – Being 3D and a TV movie, explosions, and Eccleston
0:31:50 – The climax, watching in theatres vs. TV, and the Curator connecting Classic & New Who
0:42:55 – The final shot, CGI, and intro sequences
0:50:20 – Three Little Pigs, Uncharted, Journey, Elizabeth I, great lines, and differences between Doctors
0:56:40 – The Christmas special, Trenzelore, and theories & speculation about the next Doctor

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Thor: The Dark World / Ender’s Game

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Today we’ve got an unintended double feature for you all – Thor: The Dark World and Ender’s Game! Brent Peckham is back once again to talk about both films, one after the other, as well as touch on the preview of the new Captain America. We discuss the Marvel Cinematic Universe, love triangles, the Orson Scott Card controversy, and adapting from original material. We also pick up on the weird similarities between the films and other things in pop culture, and ponder on whether libraries still exist. The enemy’s gate is down, so head on over and check out the episode!

Guests:
Brent Peckham

Supplementary notes:
PBS Idea Channel – How is Seeing Enders Game a Political Action?

Audio notes: (1hr. 6min. runtime)
0:02:00 – Thor, Captain America, and The Winter Soldier preview
0:06:55 – Thor: The Dark World, Game of Thrones, and being light and funny
0:14:35 – Characters, Greek mythology, love triangles, and daddy issues
0:23:00 – Comparing Loki and Malekith as antagonists, costume design, and Jane Foster
0:24:55 – Harmonic convergence, Portal, and Animatrix’s Beyond
0:27:15 – Post-credits sequences, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe
0:35:10 – Ender’s Game, novel vs. film, compression of time and plot, and dark undertones
0:44:20 – Battle School, tactics, mind games, playing games and simulators
0:48:35 – Orson Scott Card controversy, personal prerogative, Gavin Hood, and novel’s acclaim
0:55:40 – Casting, Bean’s character arc, Ben Kingsley and his accent, and set & costume design
1:00:35 – “John Carter syndrome”, adaptations influenced by things influenced by the source material
1:03:20 – Final thoughts, libraries and encyclopaedias, and Brent’s life recommendation

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Gone Home

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This episode, we go through Gone Home! We invite over Brent Peckham again and newcomer Susan King to talk about the critically-acclaimed indie game, unravel its narrative and themes, compare it to Bioshock and The Stanley Parable, and the possibilities of storytelling in video games. And of course we inevitably get off track by pitching terrible ideas for sequels. So grab your cassette player (or whatever you folks have in 2013) and press play! (Full spoilers for this episode.)

Guests:
Brent Peckham
Susan King

Supplementary notes:
Gone Home Trailer

Audio notes: (58min. runtime)
02:50 – Recommending the game, and its price tag
07:30 – Sam’s story, and exploring the secondary storylines
13:55 – Uncle’s story, the dad’s story, and being a writer
19:00 – Family, trauma, and sexuality
24:05 – The mom’s storyline
29:05 – Building tension, subverting expectations, and game length
35:55 – Comparing to Bioshock and The Stanley Parable, and the potential of games
41:05 – The Fullbright Company, exploration, and narrative
46:10 – Structure, game elements, and pitching ideas for future games
50:35 – Comparing to Resident Evil, music and sound design, and player agency
54:45 – Experience watching other people play games

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Arcade Fire – Reflektor

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This week’s episode is all about Arcade Fire’s new album Reflektor! We’re joined by Hilary Johnston and surprise guest Daniel Vo-Ngoc to talk all about the new LP, how it compares to their discography, and comment on their label of being “the #1 rock band in the world”. Along the way, we also end up talking about where their songs have ended up in other media, reflect on what the whole album means, and offer up a few other music recommendations for you. Here comes the night time, so head on home and check out the episode!

Guests:
Hilary Johnston (@hilary_johnston)
Daniel Vo-Ngoc (@DoctorVog)

Supplementary notes:
Reflektor Hockey Night in Canada Opening
Yamantaka//Sonic Titan – Hoshi Neko
Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 2

Audio notes: (56min. runtime)
01:40 – First experience with the band
08:25 – Concerts, more live sound, and album cohesion
16:30 – Licensing songs, and Hockey Night in Canada
20:00 – “The #1 rock band in the world” and marketing campaign
27:20 – Reflektor and favourite songs
30:35 – Album length and structure, and comparing to The Suburbs
36:30 – What’s next for Arcade Fire
40:20 – Greek mythology, Black Orpheus, mirror image, and the album’s message
48:45 – Albums that grow on you, and final opinions
52:05 – Hilary and Dan’s recommendations

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