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The Incomparable Mothership is the flagship of the Incomparable podcast network. It’s all about geeky media we love, including movies, books, TV, and more, featuring a rotating panel of guests and hosted by Jason Snell and friends.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-03-22 16:00:00

708: Wet Hot Mutagenic Summer (e455a274-7a74-49a5-bc6f-cefac5453016.mp3)

It’s the first-ever Reboot a Bad Movie draft! In which our stalwart panelists grab an intellectual-property loser off the shelf, dust it off, and re-envision it in a new way that could maybe, possibly be a hit with modern audiences....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-03-15 16:00:00

707: Crime is Not Cozy (7baf5921-ee0b-4b30-948d-c4482a8fd883.mp3)

Nobody is more surprised than Antony Johnston to find he’s now a cozy crime author. Dan Moren sniffs out the secrets of his “Dog Sitter Detective” series....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-03-08 17:00:00

706: Riff on Biff (c34bde4f-2532-4f86-9a3e-6d0c088a2a05.mp3)

We conclude our movie-by-movie review of the “Back to the Future” series with the western-themed third installment, which features less time travel shenanigans and more old-west shenanigans....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-03-01 05:19:00

705: A Legacy of Biffs (8b5db420-7853-45e9-a34b-1b8574ddd27b.mp3)

It’s time again. Time! To go forward in time, then backward—or is it sideways?—in time, then further back in time, and then maybe even further back in time. It’s time for the bland future of 2015, the apocalyptic alt-present of 1985, and a familiar 1955. But most of all, it’s time for a Crisis on Infinite Biffs. It’s “Back to the Future Part II.”...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-02-23 17:00:00

704: Kramer Before Kramer (7628f2dc-6767-4485-99b7-d259c520b4ce.mp3)

Great Scott! No time to be a slacker, McFly, because we’ve gotta go back in time to 1985 so we can go back to 1955 so we can perfectly time a lightning strike. That’s right, it’s time to talk about “Back to the Future.”...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-02-16 17:00:00

703: Communists? In Berkeley? (78e5b4fb-b8a8-4ce7-a675-37d6be299e53.mp3)

Jason’s favorite movie of 2023 was the gray flipside to “Barbie,” Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” And while none of us would exactly call ourselves Nolan fans, this one manages to grapple with a deep subject with great care. It’s got some spectacular scenes that will blow your mind—and a whole lot more scene of men in suits and hats standing around talking....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-02-09 16:30:00

702: One Is Silly and One Is Wacky (7f7cfab5-653f-4091-b8d4-59655c3715f6.mp3)

Two nations, two sitcoms, one premise: What if one of us could see ghosts? Infusing genre complications into the world of TV situation comedies, “Ghosts” has become a hit in both the UK and the U.S.! We recommend both, compare the different versions, and try to explain why the whole idea works so well....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-02-02 15:45:00

701: KEEP PANTYHOSE ON (b4b23711-176b-4fed-adb7-7c75029ac5ce.mp3)

KNEW THIS WAS ONE WAY TICKET BUT YOU KNOW I HAD TO COME At long last, it’s the episode Jason has waited 13 years to schedule. Up from the depths of the ocean comes a long-awaited 4K transfer! It’s time for all of you to join us in watching one of the great (and underrated) adventure films of all time, and perhaps James Cameron’s best film: “The Abyss.” We watched the Special Edition of the film, and discuss the ways in which it’s superior to the original cut, and the ways it isn’t....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-01-26 17:00:00

700: A Dark Totoro (18db1394-5d28-4a85-a42b-3357db508b0a.mp3)

We reconvene Miyazaki Club to discuss the master animator’s latest final movie, “The Boy and the Heron.” We went in wondering, will this be lyrical and nostalgic magical realism, or will it be a barrage of super-weird fantastical imagery? The voluminous bird poop and the suit of frogs point the way....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-01-19 17:00:00

699: Merchant Ivory Godzilla (f5351bff-7f55-4be2-9683-dbd37a782a1f.mp3)

In 2023’s “Godzilla Minus One,” the classic monster doesn’t just represent nuclear disaster, but crushing guilt on personal and societal levels. What if someone built a deeply emotional human drama that was also a movie where Godzilla destroys a whole lot of stuff? We’ve got the answer!...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2024-01-12 17:00:00

698: Incarnation of the System (af0e39d8-b040-4d1f-8a91-7d07959f8ccf.mp3)

Crack open your psychohistory textbooks and ready a new batch of imperial clones, because it’s time to discuss the Apple TV+ series “Foundation,” extremely loosely based on the classic works of Isaac Asimov. Before the spoiler horn, we talk about why this is a show worth catching up on—and also debate the merits of psychohistory. Then we discuss the first two seasons, which we really enjoyed....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-12-29 17:00:00

697: Three Things and a Blurt (fba41c5e-32fb-4187-b256-fb4713bc7ef9.mp3)

Happy new year! Some of our most prolific panelists pick some of their favorite media of the year gone by, and a few listeners send in some favorite clips from The Incomparable in this past year. Onward to 2024!...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-12-22 17:00:00

696: Self-Aware and Unaware (dcd9d203-37a3-42c7-9566-c605ef00a5ee.mp3)

It’s Kilmas 2023, in which we continue our annual celebration of the films of Val Kilmer. This year’s selection is “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” written and directed by Shane Black. It’s a film noir-ish story that wants to have everything both ways. Val Kilmer’s the best thing in it, of course. The rest of the film feels unstuck in time....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-12-15 17:00:00

695: Uncanny Plastic Head (f0004867-235d-4531-804b-4a7f943fdb6c.mp3)

In the spirit of coming downstairs and finding presents waiting under the tree, we offer the Incomparable Toy Draft. It’s not just a story about our favorite childhood toys—it’s also a story about the toys we desperately wanted and never got....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-12-08 17:00:00

694: Don't Take the Soylent Factory Tour (5a3b1764-b9b3-451e-b1b0-2b8f3d7fdfaa.mp3)

50 years later, “Soylent Green” is still made of people—and its futuristic setting of 2022 is shocking relevant! But having given this film a full viewing, we think it’s also a pretty good example of ’70s eco sci-fi with a little noir detective flavoring. (Not that kind of flavoring.)...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-12-01 17:00:00

693: Short-Selling Magic Crystals (1a22e136-f7df-44e2-996e-6efe66bd2415.mp3)

Almost 100 episodes later, we reconvene (most of) our original panel to discuss season two of “The Wheel of Time.” How does it fit into the current set of big fantasy TV shows? Team Didn’t-Read-the-Books seems to be in agreement with Lady Dragonmount that it helps when a fantasy saga’s book series is complete before it’s adapted for the screen....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-11-24 17:00:00

692: The Penultimate Weapon (3a300e66-ed63-4ed8-bbcc-20ee40c5db6a.mp3)

We don’t care what the box office says! We saw “The Marvels” and thought it was a lot of fun. And we worry that Marvel may take the wrong lessons from its box-office failure....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-11-17 17:00:00

691: You See... They're Ducks (37130b1a-5936-4d31-85c3-34e7bb1fa410.mp3)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! For the holiday, we give you a turkey of a movie about a duck. It’s 1986’s “Howard the Duck.” (No way to conceal it.)...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-11-10 17:00:00

690: Some Possibly Shady Goings-On (1db7acda-b916-40dc-b559-5cad9fbdc89e.mp3)

Dan Moren’s new novel ‘All Souls Lost’ is a departure from his previously published work, but not as much as you might think. Antony talks to him about the book, how it came to be, and why it was a long time in the making....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-11-03 16:00:00

689: Have Phaser, Will Travel (7b2cde65-bac5-44b9-b50d-13882144925d.mp3)

We have some suggestions for the next round of “Star Trek” TV series....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-10-27 17:00:00

666: Max Von Sydow Was 44 (b9391cd9-61a4-455f-9dc7-5a2287ee67e2.mp3)

A mother seeks help for her troubled daughter from a medical profession that’s unable to find an answer it can believe. A priest questions his faith, until he gets projectile vomited in the face by a 12-year-old girl with her head spinning around. It’s a horror classic. We celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Exorcist”!...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-10-20 17:00:00

688: They're All Messed Up (70d9c751-289f-4f14-a823-5cbd9c8a77e1.mp3)

Grab some kindling and prepare to board up a window! Old Movie Club gets in the spirit of the spooky season with the 1969 movie that started it all—and by “all” we mean what we now think of as zombies—“Night of the Living Dead.” For a low-budget movie that features mostly amateur actors and fell out of copyright, it’s a certifiable classic. We’re certifying it right now. If you don’t like it, go back down to the basement, because we’re the boss of the upstairs....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-10-13 17:00:00

687: Resurrected Corpse (d4c1d805-b6e2-4e35-b41f-8a4f279749d3.mp3)

The Book Club closes the door on this year’s awards shortlist with some lively book ranking and a tour of the nominated short fiction....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-10-06 17:00:00

686: Selective Sequel (d25b9170-dc35-41b2-8d1e-d8806c8a605e.mp3)

You will believe a man can fly… a seaplane! We take on the curious 2006 film “Superman Returns,” which is a sequel (sort of) to “Superman” and “Superman II” but most definitely not other movies. There’s a new cast and a new boyfriend for Lois, but Lex Luthor’s still obsessed with real estate. Also, this may be the last movie to feature a fax being sent from a yacht as a key plot point....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-09-29 17:00:00

685: The Execution Kills Me (c3647f96-3d7a-4106-a298-a5aa2f5a18ca.mp3)

You will believe a man can fly again! Super September continues with a discussion of “Superman II,” a troubled production that shows all the signs of being a superhero classic… but falls short of the mark more often than we expected....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-09-22 17:00:00

684: The Memory Cheats (c211e262-bd0c-45b1-b7bc-d8370527e7f4.mp3)

We entered our viewing of 1978’s “Superman” with nostalgia and a sense of childlike wonder. We exited questioning everything about our fond memories of childhood....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-09-15 17:00:00

683: It Was Okay (145e5c73-4532-446d-8da6-c28d8838f83a.mp3)

Our Book Club concludes its reading of the Hugo and Nebula shortlist novels with “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and “The Spare Man” by Mary Robinette Kowal. One’s an homage to H.G. Wells (sort of?) and the other plays like “The Thin Man” in space. Plus: We debate the meaning of star-rating systems, and what else are we reading?...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-09-08 17:00:00

682: Heroes I Never Heard Of (264aa371-30c9-4eb1-af85-bf4f15b4b77e.mp3)

Perhaps the best expression of the DC Animated Universe was its swan song: Justice League Unlimited, which improved upon its predecessor (Justice League Unadorned) with snappier pacing, a conspiracy story arc that anticipated today’s morally ambiguous super-teams, and a jumbo variety pack of DC characters. YES, we’re going to talk about Shining Knight, Bat Lash, and the Question. YES, we’re going to talk about the best-but-most-misplaced epilogue to the DCAU. YES, we’re going to talk about what happens when a super genius and a super genius gorilla tangle in the workplace....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-09-01 16:28:00

681: Do More Harm (54ce6a11-8c46-40d9-92db-1c070d46dc4f.mp3)

Arrange an assortment of home-cooked Vulcan appetizers and warm up your singing voices, because it’s time to discuss season two of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” This season took some big swings, and some of them didn’t quite connect—but a whole lot of them did....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-08-25 17:00:00

680: A Better Lando Calrissian (0defd710-4de0-494e-b025-737ba72e61c9.mp3)

Is there a movie everyone else thinks is bad, which you secretly love? Maybe more than one? Then this is the episode for you! Antony resurrects his old podcast and asks a panel of guests to draft and talk about movies which are… unjustly maligned....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-08-18 17:00:00

679: Fleshy and Gross (3acc4cb8-10ab-41e2-839a-9b84038b43c8.mp3)

We travel the highways and byways of space, from gross flesh space stations to the weird suburbs of Counter-Earth, all with one quest in mind: talk about Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3!”...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-08-11 17:00:00

678: People Who Care About Kaiju (fbc9cd29-8e4b-4a7f-930c-39db55432e92.mp3)

Our book club reads two Hugo nominees, “Nona the Ninth” and “The Kaiju Preservation Society.” One’s the third book in a series that’s a real departure from what has came before, and whether that’s good or bad depends on how you were feeling about the series! The other is a standalone novel that’s perfectly fine, from an author who we think could be a better student if only he applied himself. And as usual, we also recommend many more books for you to read!...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-08-04 17:00:00

677: Pink Magic (275d7b3e-46f4-4730-aa81-1f61097f786b.mp3)

When a movie is this pink and this popular, we can’t ignore it. Our panel came in with high expectations for “Barbie,” and somehow not one of them was disappointed. What is it about Barbie and Ken that made this movie the hit of Summer 2023?...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-07-28 17:00:00

676: Crisis on Infinite Parkers (051b9ee7-6e49-4764-9e1a-35f0b1a4e4b5.mp3)

How can “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” live up to its predecessor? It seems like a tough one, but somehow this 2023 sequel manages it. Just don’t expect an ending—it was originally called “Part One” for a reason....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-07-21 17:00:00

675: I Know a Lot of Divers (38d90991-3f17-4e88-9883-49f2cf389477.mp3)

Our Indy Summer concludes with the new release, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Ticking clocks! Antonio Banderas! Short Round II! We had a good time at the movie and we break it all down....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-07-14 17:00:00

674: Too Much Monkey Business (2a378ef9-92e6-4aff-9c17-17d325746d35.mp3)

Bad news for the haters: We watched “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and must inform you that our nerd rage of the 2000s has abated and we think it’s mostly okay now, actually. Even the refrigerator....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-07-07 17:00:00

673: Ten Years or One Bullet Hole (d37c4d74-155f-413d-8d13-3b0a5442f470.mp3)

Our revisiting of Indiana Jones movies continues with “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, a movie that may not achieve true greatness, but sure has a heck of a lot of fun, thanks to a solid job from Harrison Ford and everything Sean Connery says or does....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-06-30 17:00:00

672: Hot Pits (3a8aade3-52a8-49be-b498-0b23de51512a.mp3)

As an adjunct to the Summer of Spielberg, we are revisiting the Indiana Jones movies we only glossed over the last time we covered them! We begin with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” which gets credit for trying something different and demerit for failing at a lot of that....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-06-23 17:00:00

671: Fuchs is Everyone's Dad (9f9ab6f1-8049-42c1-9ca0-c1c3836cdeb8.mp3)

“Barry” is the blackest of black comedies — if it’s even a comedy at all by season four. We knew Bill Hader was funny, but now we also know he’s an impressive actor and director, too. This spoiler-laden discussion of all four seasons dives deep into what’s real and not, what’s funny and not, and whether Barry was mostly a trippy homage to “Breaking Bad.”...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-06-16 17:00:00

670: I Guess I Like People? (776e8be1-7098-4ade-a4c4-7c2074dfbd8a.mp3)

From the sleeper hit that everyone clung to during the COVID lockdowns to a third season with Premier League-levels of hype and scrutiny, Ted Lasso was more than a breakout hit for Apple TV+. We dive into the Good, the Bad, and the Zava and make our picks (“It’s not a draft!”) for what spinoffs we want to see!...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-06-09 17:00:00

669: Friendship & Cinnamon Rolls (e95e5f90-669f-4f7a-ae8a-1cd19539de02.mp3)

Our book club tackles two Nebula-nominated novels with ampersands in their titles! Is that all they have in common? It’s “Nettle & Bone” & “Legends & Lattes.” Plus: Is Scott the monster again this time? Maybe not!...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-06-02 16:22:00

668: McGuffins & Mechanics (63cc4419-e091-4e6c-941f-4107745fde1e.mp3)

They made a better movie about Dungeons & Dragons! Can you really go wrong with Chris Pine and Hugh Grant? Two expert DMs and a roleplaying novice break it all down!...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-05-26 17:00:00

667: This Show Was Weird, Right? (970f0b27-6a9b-4612-895c-e8ff6e29b77a.mp3)

We go 20 minutes into the future and 36 years into the past to discuss ABC’s cyberpunk drama “Max Headroom.” For a show with an 80s pop-culture icon as its title character, it’s actually a prescient satire about where our culture was (and still is?) headed. Even more than three decades later, its discussions of data security, the right to privacy in a technological age, artificial intelligence, and even deepfakes are still state of the art. (Non-American viewers who thought this was the show where Max Headroom introduced various music videos… uh, no.) Catch the wave and join us, won’t...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-05-15 16:15:00

665: Defragment Your Data (e92940a9-f325-461c-b64d-7130f8d44269.mp3)

They said that “Star Trek: Picard” wasn’t just going to be a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” reunion show, and that turned out to be true, at least about the first two seasons. We review the show’s just-completed third season, which brought us the emotional and nostalgic moments we craved, introduced an assortment of new characters we liked (or didn’t), and introduced some plot elements that we puzzled over....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-05-05 17:00:00

664: The Book of Bo Katan (edd25c30-5ad7-411f-815d-91279ee917db.mp3)

We gripe because we love! We break down the third season of “The Mandalorian.” Is burying part of the story in another show doing a disservice to this one? Why are there so may plot threads that seem to go nowhere, or get resolved in an anticlimactic fashion? And, despite all that, how did we all still have a good time?...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-04-28 17:00:00

663: A Lot of Ocean (ea94df49-4986-4e68-b1b1-7651239d896b.mp3)

Our Book Club begins our walk through awards shortlist reading with two Nebula Awards nominees for best novel, “The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Naylor and “Spear” by Nicola Griffith. One’s a near-future thriller about sentient octopi, the other’s an Arthurian fantasy with a few twists. Next time we’ll be reading Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. If you’re on Goodreads, you can also join our Book Club there....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-04-21 18:00:00

662: Bipedal Murder Robots (d3107abc-0aee-4baa-8b1f-17fd6867e82a.mp3)

Everyone laughed at the title, and many laughed at the over-the-top violence, but 1987’s “RoboCop” turned into a sleeper hit that kickstarted a major franchise. We revisit Paul Verhoeven’s first and best big-budget sci-fi satire....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-04-14 18:00:00

661: Sad Banjo (9fefc310-6756-401c-a00b-e4d0247f9f78.mp3)

Sure, she’s a human lie detector, but she’s also a murder magnet who’s running from a guy who seems to want her dead. We enter the world of Rian Johnson’s “Poker Face,” where Natasha Lyonne is both Columbo and The Fugitive....

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-04-07 18:00:00

660: The Monocle Test (cafcd3d2-ca63-4031-87eb-20002a3a9335.mp3)

Old Movie Club throws itself into the turning wheels of justice with two legal films from 1957, “12 Angry Men” and “Witness for the Prosecution.”...

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-04-01 17:00:00

659: Infested With Love (4aaffcff-5476-4c7b-9785-1067467246bb.mp3)

Grab a backpack and get ready to siphon some gas—we’re setting out from the safe zone on a quest to find opinions about the first season of HBO’s video game adaptation, “The Last of Us.”

Cicero Holmes with Annette Wierstra, Erika Ensign and Guy English.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-03-24 19:00:00

658: Nowhere In Time (653f8e56-98bb-47ad-82e2-c820e4111e56.mp3)

Avoid stepping on butterflies, step into your time machine, and go kill your grandfather—it’s time for our Time Travel Movies Draft! We select favorite films from all corners of the time-travel genre, from time loops to historical shenanigans to nonsensical plot twists.

Jason Snell with James Thomson, Glenn Fleishman, Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán, Annette Wierstra and Monty Ashley.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-03-17 17:00:00

657: A Cloud Atlas with 12 Monkeys (17d5e631-6666-4f9d-858e-b2517e6ac6b0.mp3)

Our Book Club reads “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel, a beautifully written story set in multiple timelines that—like her earlier novel “Station Eleven”—frustrated some, but not all, of our panelists. We also recommend a lot of other books to read!

Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, Deborah Stanish and Scott McNulty.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-03-10 18:00:00

656: Endless Slumber Party (61668b7c-54ef-4b94-82b1-061ad6f8a069.mp3)

We wrap up our seven-year walkthough(!) of the seven seasons of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The show is slowly grinding to a halt, but are there gems to be discovered? Buffy’s got a speech about that. Maybe the real Big Bad was the friends we made along the way!

Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Jean MacDonald, Quinn Rose, Mattie Cox and Steve Lutz.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-03-03 18:00:00

655: Princesses Don't Have to Wear Pink (fed7bfb3-4dde-4af7-a9fc-c9b06289234b.mp3)

This week we’re drafting Disney Princesses! There are two simple rules: They must be Disney, and they must be princesses. How far will our intrepid panelists go to stretch those rules? Join us to find out.

Annette Wierstra and Kathy Campbell with James Thomson, Rosemary Orchard, Moisés Chiullán, Monty Ashley and Glenn Fleishman.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-02-24 18:00:00

654: Goth Girl Handbook (77cfdbcc-a109-4f33-9c37-f11bfca943f4.mp3)

Wednesday Addams is not the girl of your dreams — she’s the stuff of your nightmares. Our group of outcasts gathers in our secret library to conjure our thoughts on the first season of “Wednesday”, streaming on Netflix. We discuss what we love about the show, while also trying to figure out, is it really meant for us?

Tiff Arment with Brian Hamilton, Glenn Fleishman and Kathy Campbell.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-02-17 18:00:00

653: Royalty Don't Mess Around (0ffd4864-2db7-4b63-bd46-af73906b3405.mp3)

Put on your home-built Iron Man suit and whisper into some beads, because it’s time to discuss “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Our panel talks about how the movie leaves space to grieve Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa while also providing a platform for a bunch of black women to take the lead in a geopolitical battle involving the charismatic Namor, the U.S. government, and… the French? We drift into the shipping lanes for a moment, but it doesn’t generate any enthusiasm about the film’s big boat battle.

Jason Snell with Cicero Holmes, Moisés Chiullán, Kelly Guimont and Lisa Schmeiser.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-02-10 17:00:00

652: A Long Zoom (640f8a02-83c0-4d7d-9bd8-98c8f42121ef.mp3)

Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss R.F. Kuang’s “Babel.” It’s a story about magic and empire and revolution, and our feelings about it are similarly complicated. Plus: A whole bunch of book suggestions! Our next Book Club selection: “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel.

Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Deborah Stanish, Erika Ensign and Scott McNulty.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-02-03 18:00:00

651: Breakfast Club for Superheroes (945406b6-0cb4-4b0e-95b3-993dd5c53b7b.mp3)

Get in line to order a hero sandwich—not so fast, sidekick! We’re here to talk about 2005’s thoroughly delightful Disney movie “Sky High,” featuring superhero action and teen drama that are both full to the brim—but never quite over the top.

Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Jean MacDonald, Erika Ensign and Aleen Simms.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-01-28 00:00:00

650: The Sum of All Tildas (01134c7c-e01d-4e3d-bf76-26762326c6e7.mp3)

This week, we’re drafting some spies, secret agents, and con artists. Con artists? Why not? They all use similar skills—sometimes, it’s impossible to tell the difference. From fiction to spoof to inspired by real life, we’ve got it all. Also, is that Cate Blanchett or Tilda Swinton? Good luck, Jim. This episode will self destruct in five seconds.

David J. Loehr with Tom McGrath, Chris Klimek and Nathan Alderman.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-01-20 17:58:39

649: I'm Gonna Marry That Robot Lady (dc184cd5-4d58-4603-8b07-9d616e51e529.mp3)

Put on your headset and get ready to jump into a polt, because we’re going to discuss “The Peripheral,” Prime Video’s adaptation of William Gibson’s novel. What makes its approach to certain famous sci-fi tropes unique? How interesting are the accents? Why is there an invisible car? We’ll answer those questions as soon as we flee to another stub.

Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Lisa Schmeiser and Antony Johnston.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-01-13 17:49:37

648: Magical NDA (4bf5501d-75bc-4bef-b80b-6ed2de81914f.mp3)

Store up some mana and watch out for maleficers and maw-mouths! We’re going to discuss Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy, which takes the familiar story of a school for teenage magicians and does some very different things with it! Before the Spoiler Horn, we talk generally about the books and why you should read them. Then we dig into some of the details of how the series changes as it comes to its end. [Our next Book Club selection is “Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution” by R.F. Kuang.]

Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and Glenn Fleishman.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2023-01-08 06:04:28

647: Obnoxiously Vegan (6149d6eb-61a0-45dc-88dd-8c6d89ef4899.mp3)

Our favorites from 2022, plus a few clips.

Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullán, David J. Loehr, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Monty Ashley, Shelly Brisbin, Glenn Fleishman, Chip Sudderth, Tony Sindelar, Jean MacDonald, Cicero Holmes and Lisa Schmeiser.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-12-23 17:00:00

646: A Christmas Quarrel (fbbb7517-4285-4a1b-a4a0-ed0d8323500d.mp3)

The Knight before Christmas this year is David Lowery’s 2021 film “The Green Knight.” This year’s final Mothership episode is a game inside a gift inside a game, much like the movie. Is every episode featuring Glenn secretly (or not-so-secretly) about Zardoz? What secrets of the exotic West Midlands does Antony have to reveal? Find out as we champion diverging from the path as the most direct route to completing a quest.

Moisés Chiullán with Antony Johnston and Glenn Fleishman.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-12-16 18:00:00

645: Oh No, My Spleen! (5ba52d8a-78e9-4321-befa-328425251e04.mp3)

Our annual Kilmas tradition leads us to watch the questionable 2000 sci-fi film “Red Planet,” in which Val Kimer is at his best, and several other actors are also present. Also, the main plot points of this film are so similar to “The Martian” that we’re now convinced Andy Weir must have seen this film and vowed to do it better. But if you’ve ever wanted to watch a dumber version of “The Martian,” have we found the movie for you.

Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullan, Annette Wierstra, Erika Ensign and David J. Loehr.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-12-09 19:00:00

644: Spoilers for "ALF" (fdf4c580-5a61-48be-ab8b-b3cc5d1dfe49.mp3)

Star Wars gets serious with “Andor,” a show that gives us exactly what we needed (but didn’t know we wanted?) from the venerable franchise. We break down the plots, characters, and storytelling choices, live from John Siracusa’s living room!

Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Tony Sindelar and John Siracusa.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-12-02 19:00:00

643: Shouty Oscar Winners (05d0eaf3-db18-4609-b8c0-0e98fd3fdfd4.mp3)

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, the S. S. Poseidon, enroute from New York to Athens, met with disaster and was lost. A handful of podcasters follow the challenges faced by a handful of Oscar winners and other assorted stars from the 1970s to celebrate that 50th anniversary of this classic disaster flick. This is their story.

Jean MacDonald with Steve Lutz, Shelly Brisbin and John Chidgey.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-11-24 17:00:00

642: Management Advice From Mobsters (74089757-7f85-4290-9565-f4ceb09b42dc.mp3)

Are you calling us funny? Are we like a clown? Do we amuse you? More than thirty years later, “GoodFellas” still stands up. In honor of the late Ray Liotta, we break down Martin Scorsese’s classic film about street-level gangsters.

Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Philip Michaels and Monty Ashley.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-11-18 18:45:24

641: Miles Ahead of Lou Ferrigno (32cf79e2-9a0c-41e7-a910-27e9df5f5e9b.mp3)

Put on a magic bangle and pick up your briefcase, because it’s time for us to discuss two Marvel Disney+ series that push the universe in some new and interesting directions, “Ms. Marvel” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.”

Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Cicero Holmes, Moisés Chiullan and Chip Sudderth.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-11-11 20:00:00

640: Did He Really Date Madonna? (c54ca05f-8ad0-4685-adb2-973a62c19349.mp3)

“Weird” is the direct-to-Roku movie that accurately chronicles every aspect of Al Yankovic’s life. This podcast accurately chronicles every aspect of the movie.

Lex Friedman with Quinn Rose, Kelly Guimont and Brian Hamilton.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-11-06 01:56:18

639: Prologue: The Television Series (c4cf9270-9d58-4d65-8589-ecd9b65686be.mp3)

We watched “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and “House of the Dragon” and have thoughts.

Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullan, John Siracusa, Joe Rosensteel and Erika Ensign.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-10-28 19:00:00

638: A Loose Assemblage of Goo and Blobs (0d437d7a-76b8-4674-bdfa-43fdcca17d53.mp3)

Put on a jacket and charge up your flamethrower, because it’s almost halloween, and that means it’s time for Old Spooky Club to discuss 1982’s “The Thing.” It’s foul and drippy and gooey—the Thing, that is, and not the movie. The movie’s not foul. It’s the other two, though.

Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Philip Michaels and Erika Ensign.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-10-21 18:00:00

637: Sorry, Charlie, It's Chinatown (98d075e0-6df9-4269-9426-df99725e1141.mp3)

Our Old Movie Club sits down with a nice plate of fish and a large glass of water to watch 1972’s “Chinatown.” We discuss the merits of Jack Nicholson, the horror of John Huston’s character, and perhaps the perfect noir screenplay.

Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Shelly Brisbin, Dr. Drang, Steve Lutz and Philip Michaels.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-10-14 18:00:00

636: The Elephant in the Trenchcoat (c7d971dc-2f80-4b2d-a715-830d85303a2f.mp3)

Mystery and mayhem are on the menu as we draft favorite TV detectives. Thomas Magnum is off the board, but everyone else is fair game. Who will our panelists choose to figure out whodunit? Will it be the usual suspects? Surely Jim Rockford will be on the list, unless he didn’t get his voicemail…

David J. Loehr with Shelly Brisbin, Nathan Alderman, Tom McGrath, Katie Siegel and Chris Klimek.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-10-09 03:00:00

635: Throw a Rock at a Reader (26fa1e15-6ba9-4d07-9a40-7e5002266889.mp3)

It’s time to reconvene our Book Club, not to talk about an awards shortlist but to recommend books from arbitrarily selected categories. So many books! And not many rocks, we promise.

Antony Johnston with Erika Ensign, James Thomson and Jason Snell.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-09-30 16:43:52

634: Addicted to Sand (ea8f1b2c-e004-40f3-b5ab-eb5fd58e219d.mp3)

Grab your helm, pouch, and ruby and watch out for dream vortexes! The classic Vertigo comic “The Sandman” has been adapted to a new Netflix show. What do we love about this modern retelling of the story—and what are we unsure about?

Tony Sindelar with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Sarah Hendrica Bickerton, Chip Sudderth and Shannon Sudderth.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-09-24 17:00:00

633: Thor Family (8983727f-bde8-4040-8831-f59a0b3b07bb.mp3)

Russell Crowe! Christian Bale! Natalie Portman! Are they starring in a prestige film that we’re sure to hear about when Oscar time comes around? No, it’s “Thor: Love and Thunder!” But while this movie might not be able to live up to “Thor: Ragnarok,” there are a lot of things we appreciated about it. And also some things we didn’t. It’s all about tone.

Jason Snell with Kathy Campbell, Tony Sindelar and Chip Sudderth.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-09-16 19:00:00

632: Time Bandit Titanic (e2fac748-ddb2-4e80-96cf-d29f2d392aea.mp3)

Mum, Dad, it’s evil, don’t touch it! The Summer of Time Travel reaches its end—or is it the beginning?—with 1981’s “Time Bandits,” a children’s fantasy written and directed and even featuring some Monty Pythons. Does it work for adults? Does the tone still work? We fall through a time hole and give our verdict.

Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, David J. Loehr, Monty Ashley and Shelly Brisbin.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-09-09 19:48:12

631: Time After Timecop (b341dd2d-296c-434b-909c-e7873401af95.mp3)

What if H.G. Wells used a time machine to chase Jack the Ripper into the present day (of 1979)? It would look an awful lot like 1979’s “Time After Time,” we’re guessing. David Warner and Malcolm McDowell match wits! Mary Steenburgen is a modern lady looking for an old-fashioned man! Also Jason observes the film’s (pretty good) depiction of San Francisco geography and Jean confronts her young moviegoing trauma.

Jason Snell with Jean MacDonald, Moisés Chiullan, Monty Ashley and David J. Loehr.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-09-02 16:30:00

630: Saunter in From the Future (aaa56b9c-d981-4896-a810-858e455ef463.mp3)

The Summer of Time Travel meets Rocket Surgery as we watch the very 90s, good-bad film “Timecop,” the movie that answers the question, “What would happen if you tried to kick time itself?”

Jason Snell with Joe Rosensteel, Annette Wierstra and Monty Ashley.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-08-26 19:00:00

629: Bum Bag Beatdown (9394b567-b50c-4e00-8d05-599a9faa8a03.mp3)

We take a sideways break from the Summer of Time Travel by verse-jumping across realities to Everything Everywhere All At Once, the multiverse movie directed by The Daniels and starring Michelle Yeoh. Is empathy the superpower Doctor Strange needed all along? Too bad, because he isn’t in this movie!

Moisés Chiullan with Brian Hamilton, Jean MacDonald and Sandra Wong.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-08-19 19:30:05

628: Dumbness is Timeless (56ec012b-8911-4294-b8a5-13e2fc6287d9.mp3)

The Summer of Time Travel begins/ends/continues (pick one) with 1989’s “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” in which two dumb guys collect some of history’s greatest figures and take them to the mall. Party on, dudes!

Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Lisa Schmeiser, Kelly Guimont and Moisés Chiullan.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-08-12 18:00:00

627: The Czech Office (dc988ce5-3888-40b2-98ea-2eab4bd64b0d.mp3)

The days of appointment television are long gone, but what if you could create a streaming service broadcasting the best that TV had to offer in the 21st century? What shows would be on your marquee? We’ve got you covered, with our very first Peak TV draft (patent pending)! Will your favorite shows get drafted? Tune in to find out!

Cicero Holmes with David J. Loehr, Jean MacDonald, Monty Ashley, Shareef Jackson and Moisés Chiullan.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-08-05 18:00:00

626: Don't Copy That Chip 'n Dale Floppy (b65a5edb-eb7e-4f80-88b2-4398f61f52d5.mp3)

The release of the super-meta “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” with John Mulaney and Andy Samberg on Disney+ put us in mind of a movie from which it borrowed a hunk of its DNA: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. We first toon, er, tune our dial to that classic, groundbreaking 1988 Robert Zemeckis-directed film, then look at its 2022 chip off the old block. Forget it, Dale, it’s Toontown.

Glenn Fleishman with David J. Loehr, Shelly Brisbin and Moisés Chiullan.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-07-29 18:00:00

625: Frisky Vulcans (489d3bbc-3de6-4b02-8096-15c9527d4fcb.mp3)

Thirty-three episodes of new live-action “Star Trek” have now concluded, and we’re going to talk about all of it. We bring some tough love for “Discovery” and “Picard”, which disappointed us. But all is not lost—there’s a lot of unabashed love for “Strange New Worlds.”

Jason Snell with Jean MacDonald, Joe Rosensteel, Tony Sindelar and David J. Loehr.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-07-22 18:00:00

624: You Got Ludlumed (40729386-8c10-456a-a18e-49a37e37b726.mp3)

On the occasion of the publication of “The Nova Incident,” Jason asks Dan a bunch of questions from readers (and listeners) about his writing career, techniques, tools, and more.

Jason Snell with Dan Moren.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-07-15 18:00:00

623: Sand Tuna Thief (07653168-1d8f-4094-8aaf-e732d42216a3.mp3)

Hello there! We discuss “Obi-Wan Kenobi” on Disney+, including Ewan MacGregor’s delight in the role, the return of Hayden Christensen, and balancing the needs of superfans with movies-only fans.

Dan Moren with Kathy Campbell, Chip Sudderth, Tony Sindelar and James Thomson.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-07-08 19:00:00

622: The MacGuffin Twins (a3a40bc8-6caa-4381-800d-af2023d0613c.mp3)

Put on your flying cloak and load up on pizza balls, because we’re here to talk about “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” This is an interesting one, because most of us agree that the movie is fun and inventive in a lot of enjoyable ways—but also entirely mishandles its villain. Can you love a movie that also make you angry? We try! Some of us fail.

Jason Snell with Sarah Hendrica Bickerton, Erika Ensign, Lisa Schmeiser, Monty Ashley and Glenn Fleishman.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-07-01 18:00:00

621: They Built the Halos (148dd36b-807d-486c-825f-d7daa531c126.mp3)

Let’s face it, there’s not a lot of evidence to support the cause of adapting video games for movies or TV. And yet we tried the “Halo” TV series from Paramount+ and… liked it? We discuss making the Master Chief a real character with a strong supporting cast, why the UNSC is not trustworthy, the origin of Cortana, and the show’s connections to Star Wars, Firefly, and… 2001?!

Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullan.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-06-24 22:12:09

620: Alien Donut Lady (36ac9c45-bbfc-4a92-836c-150a984e6aed.mp3)

2022 Awards Book Club concludes with three Hugo-nominated novels: Andy Weir’s deep-space problem-solver “Project Hail Mary”; Shelley Parker Chan’s historical epic “She Who Became the Sun”; and Ryka Aoki’s alien-and-demon-packed “Light from Uncommon Stars.” Also, Erika and Jason highlight some of their favorite short-fiction Hugo nominees.

Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, Scott McNulty and Dan Moren.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-06-17 16:20:00

619: Who Will Speak For Fish Police? (c12a3c2c-2f9d-4dbe-ae20-c1c815d4e1f6.mp3)

From Duckman to Dicktown, this week we’re covering cartoons… for grown-ups. These animated series have an adult sensibility, and they don’t all feature obscenity, graphic violence, or sexual acts… though some do! Shows like The Legend of Vox Machina, Harley Quinn, Hit Monkey, and Invincible have an adult audience clearly or primarily in mind, while others, like Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law or The Tick require a deep well of cultural references that might leave children (and many adults) baffled. We discuss the overall trend, highlight shows past and present we love, and puzzle out how some shows (good and inexplicable) even came to be.

Glenn Fleishman with David J. Loehr, John McCoy, Lisa Schmeiser, Moisés Chiullan and Tony Sindelar.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-06-10 17:00:00

618: Mars Monkey Dance Number (ff8f55c8-2bb0-487c-aed0-2180249ad2dc.mp3)

Rocket Surgery takes a time machine back to 1930 for “Just Imagine,” a visionary view of the far future of 1980 that’s three movies in one—and feels like it. Then we jump to the real 1980 where, instead of evil martian twins, we find “Flash Gordon,” quarterback, New York Jets.

Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, Moisés Chiullan, Shelly Brisbin, Monty Ashley and David J. Loehr.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-06-03 17:00:00

617: Group Therapy for One Guy (a6eb136d-e6ca-4262-876b-1f2d520bd507.mp3)

Moon Knight—the butt of a thousand jokes on this very network who improbably made the Sweet Sixteen of our infamous Summer Superhero Spectacular—got his own limited series on Disney+. We talk about the Oscar Isaac of it all, the loving attention to modern Egypt, whether the show is well served by its near-total disconnection to the MCU, and how it might have held up as a ’90s syndicated actioner. (Think “Relic Hunter” production values. You can see it, can’t you?

Chip Sudderth with Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Glenn Fleishman and Moisés Chiullan.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-05-27 18:30:00

616: Bad Decision Theater (d2386425-c8ca-4229-94e7-1e998a7688b5.mp3)

Our Book Club continues its walk through the Hugo and Nebula nominees for Best Novel with three books, “The Galaxy and the Ground Within” by Becky Chambers, “A Master of Djinn” by P. Djèlí Clark, and “The Unbroken” by C.L. Clark.

Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Scott McNulty, Aleen Simms and Dan Moren.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-05-20 18:30:00

615: People-Positive Management Style (603efa72-d316-4278-aa58-c096b83dd7ef.mp3)

What do you get when you blend historical fiction, pirates and Taika Waititi? You get “Our Flag Means Death,” an ensemble romantic comedy featuring both ship battles and biting insults.

Cicero Holmes with Annette Wierstra, Moisés Chiullan, Joe Rosensteel and David J. Loehr.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-05-13 19:34:44

614: Eternal Spotlight of the Sunless Mind (7893788f-5a85-4547-8753-fc7860ce3fb5.mp3)

Step into this elevator and leave your personal biographical memories behind… Welcome, Listener I., you’re now part of Lumen, a Very Friendly Company that always has your best interests at heart. We discuss the Apple TV+ series “Severance,” and try to explain why you should watch it, what shows it resembles, and just how much we liked the twists and turns of its first season.

Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Lex Friedman, Glenn Fleishman and Dr. Drang.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-05-06 17:00:00

613: Kaiju Panda (fc145c2d-4a05-46e4-9b23-0ddb561a8aea.mp3)

Put on your toque and be sure you’ve got your 4*Town tickets—we’re here to discuss Pixar’s “Turning Red,” a delightful coming-of-age movie about a Chinese-Canadian girl whose body is undergoing some telltale adolescent changes—you know, becoming interested in boys, rebelling against her parents, and transforming into a giant fuzzy red panda. The usual.

Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullan, Sandra Wong, Monty Ashley and Joy Piedmont.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-04-29 19:01:03

612: YABM: Yet Another Batman Movie (38cddd4f-460c-4cb6-9e73-f35c693d5307.mp3)

Our panel of caped crusaders assemble to dissect 2022’s “The Batman.” The last thing we may have needed was another Batman movie, especially the grimmest, darkest, and longest one ever… but what if we actually liked it? We take apart the new approaches to classic batman stories, Robert Pattinson’s performance, supped-up batmobiles, and Gotham’s weather patterns.

Tony Sindelar with Lisa Schmeiser, Guy English, Cicero Holmes and Dan Moren.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-04-22 17:00:00

611: Distributed Disinterested Dystopia (5e852f70-f954-4338-9b82-f8e37ec8c39e.mp3)

Our annual shortlist book club is back! We read two novels that were nominated for Best Novel in the Nebula Awards! SB Divya’s “Machinehood” is a near-future story of gig workers, weak AI servants, and rebellious space stations. Jason Sanford’s “Plague Birds” is a post-apocalyptic story about strong AIs and gene-altered people that’s so far in the future that it feels almost like fantasy. Plus: We recommend other books we’ve enjoyed recently!

Jason Snell with Erika Ensign and Scott McNulty.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-04-15 17:00:00

610: No, Mr. Blond, I Expect You to Die (e6f65433-7486-4cde-aedf-ab6cf2c3c1b0.mp3)

Cue the electric bass and the full brass section, we’re talking Bond, James Bond this week. We make time for “No Time to Die,” of course, and the rest of the Daniel Craig era. How does it hold up, where does it go from here, what would we like to see? How does the latest movie reset the table? Were we shaken, stirred, or something in between?

David J. Loehr with Kelly Guimont, Nathan Alderman and Tom McGrath.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2022-04-08 16:30:00

609: Chekhov's Toy Store (f0870891-d6c7-4fd0-814c-4d9a159b866f.mp3)

Old Movie Club returns with two films that imagine attempts to disrupt the United States government. In 1954’s “Suddenly,” Frank Sinatra’s going to try to kill the President. In 1964’s “Seven Days In May,” Burt Lancaster is plotting a military coup. Both films are in black and white from more than 50 years ago, and yet for some reason Phil thinks their themes may resonate even today…

Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Shelly Brisbin, Moisés Chiullan and David J. Loehr.