Author Archives: Earl

2013 in Review

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2013

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No lists or best of the best choices here, just pure old-fashioned rambling and nonsense in our own 2013 in Review episode! The original team of Earl, Brent Peckham, and Tony [redacted] are back to talk about the things they checked out and didn’t get to talk about in previous episodes. They get into everything from Out of the Furnace, to Final Fantasy 14, to Paul Walker’s untimely demise, to Aziz Ansari’s latest special, and to Justified, among many others. Along the way, Earl gets tipsy, Brent reveals he’s extremely old, and Tony stays quiet about some of his current endeavours.

Guests:
Brent Peckham
“Well we’re off to a great start” Tony

Audio notes: (1hr. 18min. runtime)
0:01:50 – Orphan Black, Sharknado, Out of the Furnace, Homefront, Beyonce, and Frozen
0:15:00 – Netflix, The Bletchley Circle, House of Cards, Amazon Prime, and Alpha House
0:22:00 – Elysium, Neill Blomkamp, Duncan Jones, 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen, & Oscars
0:31:30 – Luther, Idris Elba, Nathan For You, Aziz Ansari, and stand-up specials
0:41:45 – Games, Final Fantasy, Beyond Two Souls, No Man’s Sky, Ready Player One, GTAV, & Persona 5
1:01:55 – Paul Walker and Fast & Furious franchise
1:05:35 – FX in January, and Justified
1:06:50 – 2014, Interstellar, Jupiter Ascending, 22 Jump Street, Captain America, and Marvel films

Theme: Coconut Robot2 (James Pants) / CC BY 3.0
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Avatar – The Legend of Korra

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This episode is all about Avatar: The Legend of Korra! Earl, Brent, and Susan team up to discuss the recently completed second season and how it stacks up to the first season, speculate on its future, and delve into its mythology. They also end up arguing about Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat’s approach to Doctor Who finales, and geek out over the voice acting cast. (Spoilers for all of the series, and a bit of The Last Airbender.)

Guests:
Brent Peckham
Susan King

Audio notes: (57min. runtime)
0:00:50 – Comparing both seasons, antagonists, going “full anime”, and series’ tone
0:09:00 – Love triangle, Avatar lineage, Asami, Doctor Who nerd fight, and amnesia
0:15:25 – Wan, animation & production, series’ backstory, and comparing both halves of the season
0:21:55 – Speculation on season 3, “Change”, Dark Avatar, and earlier theories
0:26:35 – Characters, siblings, and voice acting
0:40:25 – Series review, the history of Republic City, industrialization, spirits, and equality
0:49:00 – Connections between original & new series, Zuko’s VA, and advanced bending

Theme: Coconut Robot2 (James Pants) / CC BY 3.0
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!
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Kanye West, James Franco, and Bound 2

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Screen Shot 2013-11-27 at 2.04.17 PM

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If you’ve been checking out the internet the past few weeks, you’ve likely seen either Kanye West’s Bound 2 music video or James Franco & Seth Rogen’s parody version. Well, one can’t help but put two cents into the cultural conversation! Earl brings over Patrick Barfoot for some drinks at the pub, while chatting about these two eccentric creatives and their respective videos. They analyse whether one or both have any artistic merit, if their creators are as honest about their intentions as we’re led to believe, and what this video says about art and culture today. Yes, all this from a video involving tastefully silhouetted bodies gyrating on a motorcycle in front of a green screen. Call them crazy, but it made for one hell of a conversation topic! So get on your bike and come on over to listen to the episode! (Recorded live at a local pub during a Leafs game, so expect ambient noise.)

Guests:
Patrick Barfoot (@patrickbarfoot) – Editor and Director, patrickbarfoot.com

Supplementary notes:
Bound 2 and Bound 3: Side by Side

Audio notes: (45min. runtime)
0:02:15 – Bound 2, megalomania, Kanye’s comment on his video, and looking artificial
0:08:35 – Music videos, illusion of film, celebrity, celebration, and Kanye’s earnestness
0:14:55 – James Franco, comparing videos, parody & irony, self-awareness, and authenticity
0:23:10 – Comedy, aesthetics, being an asshole, and viral marketing
0:28:00 – Being stupid, artistry, modern art, and shifting one’s creative medium
0:34:30 – Franco and Kanye’s respective outputs, “artist on celebrity”, and fringe vs. populist tastes
0:40:50 – Intent vs. execution, explaining one’s art, underlying motives, and originality vs. reflection in craft

Theme: Coconut Robot2 (James Pants) / CC BY 3.0
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!
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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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Follow us (@AKOPPodcast or @phillerworks) or email us at akop@phillerworks.com!

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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Follow us (@AKOPPodcast or @phillerworks) or email us at akop@phillerworks.com!

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