Men in Gorilla Suits

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 62: Last Seen…Talking Trek

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Christopher and Shawn as Kirk and Spock - Men in Gorilla Suits Episode 62: Last Seen...Talking TrekBeam aboard this week as we talk about…Star Trek!

We begin by talking about our entry points into the world of Star Trek…and then discuss our first memories of the show. We round out our geeky intro with a few minutes dedicated to our favorite incarnations of the series.

After that we talk about how much of the approximately 727 hours of filmed Trek content still holds up. From there, it’s on to the worst thing about our favorite versions of the show. Who’s the best character (and worst) in the history of the show? Listen and find out! We close this section out with some talk about what frustrates us about Star Trek.

Find out why we think the franchise has survived as long as it has, and why it keeps going. The “What’s the most fan boyish thing you’ve ever done in relation to Star Trek?” section is a riot when it’s Shawn’s turn to talk. He wasn’t kidding when he said, “No matter how fanboyish you’ve been about Trek, Christopher — I have you beat!”

If you listen for no other reason, listen for the answers to this question: “Why is Worf so easy to beat up?”

We close out the episode on a couple more serious notes:

  • Does the world Star Trek has created for itself actually work?
  • What do you think is the legacy of Star Trek, and is it any different to the legacy of other big science fiction franchises (Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, etc)?

Assimilation is futile; take a moment out of your day to talk about the best (and worst) of Star Trek in the comments.

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Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 58: Last Seen…Rebooting Remakes

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Various Wizard of Oz Versions: Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 58: Last Seen…Rebooting RemakesYou may have noticed that the entertainment industry kind of likes remaking things. Stuck for an idea — why not reboot an existing property? It’s been going on for longer than you probably think. Hell, many of Shakespeare’s works were remakes!

We start off the episode talking about the first remakes we remember seeing. From there, we move on to discussing why we think movies and TV executives are quick to reboot old shows and remake the same movie over and over. Many remakes don’t make their money back…so why do they keep coming back?

Next, we discuss the gritty reboot (think Cabbage Patch Kids done by Tarantino). What do we think about this kind of reboot — and what are the best (and worst) gritty reboots we’ve ever seen? Find out what existing property we could not believe was made into a movie or TV show. Listen, and find out what existing property we would like to see remade.

The Internet is full of people coming unhinged when something they cherish is remade (Where the Red Fern Grows: The Revenge of Old Dan and Little Ann, Part VII!). But for all the whining, do reboots and remakes take something away from the original? (“The Ghost of Matlock and Indiana Jones team up with Shaggy and Scoob and solve mysteries. Corey Feldman is attached!”)

In the home stretch, we talk about the worst offender of the reboot/remake craze before discussing the last re-anything we’ve seen. The episode closes out with what we think the future holds for remakes. As always, we’d love to hear your feelings about remakes in the comments.

Note about the sound: We had to record the last two episodes through Skype, so the quality is a bit lacking, but…sometimes that’s what it takes to get a show out weekly. (Who knew we’d have an ice storm the day after it was 85 degrees one Saturday?) We might have to do one more Skype show before getting back to in-person with better sound…thanks for listening!

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Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 27: Last Seen…At the Movies

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Movie Marquee: Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 27: Last Seen...At the MoviesThis week, it’s all about movies! The first movies we remember seeing, and a bit about the people who got us into movies. There’s talk about drive ins and multiplexes; the times before the rise of the blockbuster and what followed after blockbuster films became common. We discuss the difference between film and movies as well as the movies that made us both want to write screenplays one day. Are movies better or worse than they used to be? Yep, we cover that! Along the way, we talk about our favorite movie characters and the worst — and best — movies we’ve ever seen.

Quick Note: We recorded this over Skype, each running our own sound. Shawn doesn’t have a buffer between his desk and recorder, so there are some bumping sounds throughout the podcast. In the spirit of this week’s show, just imagine it’s the footsteps of the t-rex from Jurassic Park!

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