A podcast where two obsessive lovers of 1980s newspaper comics discuss said comics and the 1980s animated specials based on them.
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BitterKarella Podcasts

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A Special Presentation 311: Rock and Rule w/ Tom of Flash in the Pan [1 of 2]
59:30
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59:30In honor of the passing of Nelvana, the little animation studio that could, we're joined by Tom of Flash in the Pan to look at their most ambitious project: Rock and Rule [1983], the rock and rule fantasmagoria about a cyberpunk furry future where legendary Superrocker Mok is on the hunt for a voice that can summon a demon for reasons of evil!…
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A Special Presentation 310: Snoopy Come Home
1:22:29
1:22:29
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1:22:29It's an actual Peanuts theatrical movie: Snoopy Come Home! It's both more and less than the Peanuts television specials. It's the special where we learn what the relationship between Charlie Brown and Snoopy is really about.
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A Special Presentation 309: Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown & Snoopy is Getting Married, Charlie Brown
1:10:20
1:10:20
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1:10:20We're back on our bullshit this week with TWO Peanuts specials wherein Snoopy almost leaves Charlie Brown for (the same?) girl dog.
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A Special Presentation 308: Big Johnson shirts
57:21
57:21
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57:21We intended to talk about two Peanuts specials, but we got distracted and just talked about Big Johnson shirts for an hour. It's a Big Johnathon!
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A Special Presentation 307: The Neighbors w/ Ryan Estrada
1:36:36
1:36:36
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1:36:36Friend of the pod Ryan Estrada returns to tell us about the exciting, intense, and lucrative world of Korean webcomics (or, as they call them in Korea, webtoons)... turns out that in Korea webcomicking is a profession that gets you some respect! Then we take a look at Korean thriller "The Neighbors," about a serial killer and his suspicious apartme…
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A Special Presentation 306: Fantastic Four FIRST STEPS
1:20:21
1:20:21
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1:20:21Can it actually be??? A good Fantastic Four movie? After Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four (2015), one would hardly even dare hope!
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A Special Presentation 305: Pokey the Penguin
1:13:53
1:13:53
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1:13:53The Ur-webcomic Pokey the Penguin is being adapted into animated form. And they said it couldn't be done!
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A Special Presentation 304: The Fantastic Four (2015)
1:24:26
1:24:26
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1:24:26The Fantastic Four are back and they're still not very fantastic! Boy! They suck!
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A Special Presentation 303: The Fantastic Four (2005)
1:01:59
1:01:59
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1:01:59They keep trying to make movies about the Fantastic Four and they keep SUCKING. There's nothing fantastic about this turkey, wah wah wahhhh!
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A Special Presentation 302: Dennis the Menace, Dinosaur Hunter
1:22:27
1:22:27
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1:22:27Before they made the Dennis the Menace theatrical movie, they made the Dennis the Menace made-for-TV movie, wherein Dennis discovers a dinosaur bone and shenanigans ensue.
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A Special Presentation 301: The Beebee Beagle Show
1:01:17
1:01:17
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1:01:17Hanna Barbera is known for ripping stuff off, so of course they tried to rip off the Muppet Show. How did it? Ehhhhhhhhhh...
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A Special Presentation 300: Saturday's the Place [2 of 2]
1:00:27
1:00:27
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1:00:27Did you know that cartooning is a waste of time and paper? Janet from Three' Company sure thinks so as a reporter assigned to interview veteran cartoonist Ted Knight in this attempt to get kids to watch Saturday morning cartoons!
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A Special Presentation 299: Saturday's the Place [1 of 2]
59:33
59:33
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59:33Did you know that cartooning is a waste of time and paper? Janet from Three' Company sure thinks so as a reporter assigned to interview veteran cartoonist Ted Knight in this attempt to get kids to watch Saturday morning cartoons!
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A Special Presentation 298: Saturday Morning Supercade
1:28:46
1:28:46
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1:28:46Remember the good old days when they had to sell kids on the exciting cartoons that were going to be on Saturday morning by making a prime time special about Scott Baio opening a disco in Hazzard County, Alabama, and getting extorted by Boss Hogg and Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane? Also the Sid and Marty Kroft puppet was there? We sure do.…
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We're breaking our own rule to ostensibly talk about the Q*Bert cartoon from Saturday Morning Supercade, but actually we got distracted to talk about Hazbin Hotel and other stuff instead. Cuz Q*Bert suckkkks! The coloring book is way better.
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A Special Presentation 296: Rupert and the Frog Song
1:25:27
1:25:27
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1:25:27Paul McCartney is, as you might know, one of the Beatles. Then he did that frog song.
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A Special Presentation 295: The Huggabunch Movie w/ Mike Westfall
1:14:50
1:14:50
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1:14:50Oy Vey, Toy May! continues as Mike Westfall of Advent Calendar House joins us to talk about the Huggabunch movie, a bunch of babies who have one solution for every problem: HUGGING! It can cure death too.
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A Special Presentation 294: Dear Poochie w/ Mike Westfall
1:05:53
1:05:53
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1:05:53Oy Vey, Toy May! continues as Mike Westfall of Advent Calendar House joins us to talk about Dear Poochie, an anime about a dog who writes an advice column but also goes o globe-trotting adventures with her robot sidekick!
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A Special Presentation 293: Mad Balls
1:19:31
1:19:31
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1:19:31We continue Oy Vey, Toy May! with a look at TWO attempts to adapt Mad Balls, the classic 80s toy that combined the two great tastes that go great together (balls and grossness), to the small screen: A show about a punk rock group of Mad Balls who just wants to rock in defiance of the fascist government of the Mad Ball planet... and a show about Mad…
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A Special Presentation 292: My Pet Monster
1:24:47
1:24:47
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1:24:47It's Toy May, oy vey! And we're looking at the VHS live-action special made to promote the very heavily promoted late 80s toy My Pet Monster, whose unique selling proposition was that he came with orange breakaway handcuffs.
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A Special Presentation 291: LIVE FROM BABSCON!! -- MLP vs Transformers vs GI Joe
47:01
47:01
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47:01LIVE from BABScon 2025! We attended the final Bay Area Brony Spectacular, where we ran a panel comparing Hasbro's 1986 box office bombs -- My Little Pony the movie, GI Joe the movie, and Transformers the movie. Were they as bad as 1986 critics thought? The answer is maybe.
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A Special Presentation 290: Ghost World
1:40:05
1:40:05
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1:40:05This is the first time that we've looked at an AWARD WINNING comic adaptation... it's Ghost World, starring a young Scarlet Jo Hansen, a young Thora Birch, and a young Stephen Buschemi. Come for the Ghost World, stay for the UN-PC ranting about rude tourists!
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A Special Presentation 289: Garfield's Feline Fantasies
1:38:23
1:38:23
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1:38:23We're going back to the 80s to visit the last gasp of the classic Garfield TV specials -- Garfield's Feline Fantasies. What Garfield had an active imagination and imagined that he was James Bond and Indiana Jones at the same time? It would be kind of like this.
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A Special Presentation 288: The Freak Brothers [2 of 2]
1:26:02
1:26:02
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1:26:02We're continuing out look at adaptations of 1960s Underground comix with a look at this attempt to update Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers to this modern, cell-phone-having world of 2020. The brothers are no longer furry or fabulous, they're just the Freak Brothers. Wow, I guess you can't even be fabulous or furry anymore because of …
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A Special Presentation 287: The Freak Brothers [1 of 2]
1:01:24
1:01:24
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1:01:24We're continuing out look at adaptations of 1960s Underground comix with a look at this attempt to update Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers to this modern, cell-phone-having world of 2020. The brothers are no longer furry or fabulous, they're just the Freak Brothers. Wow, I guess you can't even be fabulous or furry anymore because of …
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A Special Presentation 286: The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat [2 of 2]
1:02:02
1:02:02
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1:02:02They made a sequel to Fritz the Cat and it doesn't involve either Robert Crumb or Ralph Bakshi, and, boy, you can really tell! They added more farts and racism, but somehow the old magic just isn't there!
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A Special Presentation 285: The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat [1 of 2]
1:01:43
1:01:43
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1:01:43They made a sequel to Fritz the Cat and it doesn't involve either Robert Crumb or Ralph Bakshi, and, boy, you can really tell! They added more farts and racism, but somehow the old magic just isn't there!
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A Special Presentation 284: Fritz the Cat [2 of 2]
1:07:55
1:07:55
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1:07:55Robert Crumb's Fritz the Cat is p much synonymous with underground comix and the 60s counterculture. Ralph Bakshi's interpretation is extremely Ralph Bakshi, and Crumb hated it. But Crumb hates everything cuz he's a CRUMugeon. We look at an adult cartoon that is extremely good at being a Ralph Bakshi joint. It beats Fire and Ice, that's for sure!…
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A Special Presentation 283: Fritz the Cat [1 of 2]
1:00:29
1:00:29
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1:00:29Robert Crumb's Fritz the Cat is p much synonymous with underground comix and the 60s counterculture. Ralph Bakshi's interpretation is extremely Ralph Bakshi, and Crumb hated it. But Crumb hates everything cuz he's a CRUMugeon. We look at an adult cartoon that is extremely good at being a Ralph Bakshi joint. It beats Fire and Ice, that's for sure!…
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A Special Presentation 282: The Boondocks [2 of 2]
54:57
54:57
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54:57We look at The Boondocks,the Adult Swim TV series adaptation of Aaron MacGruder's comic strip of the same name. In today's media environment, it may surprise you that a comic and TV show with such an unapologetic Black viewpoint (and so much George W Bush era satire) was able to get past all the old media gatekeepers. We discuss the comic strip tha…
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A Special Presentation 281: The Boondocks [1 of 2]
1:02:20
1:02:20
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1:02:20We look at The Boondocks,the Adult Swim TV series adaptation of Aaron MacGruder's comic strip of the same name. In today's media environment, it may surprise you that a comic and TV show with such an unapologetic Black viewpoint (and so much George W Bush era satire) was able to get past all the old media gatekeepers. We discuss the comic strip tha…
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A Special Presentation 280: Over the Hedge (2 of 2)
1:22:57
1:22:57
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1:22:57It's finally here... after 279 episodes, we're finally doing Over the Hedge, probably the biggest comic strip adaptation of all time until Garfield the Movie. It's based on the comic strip of the same name, but, since the original strip is the biggest nothingburger on the comics page, they had to give it a major glow-up... into a star-studded extra…
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A Special Presentation 279: Over the Hedge (1 of 2)
1:00:35
1:00:35
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1:00:35It's finally here... after 279 episodes, we're finally doing Over the Hedge, probably the biggest comic strip adaptation of all time until Garfield the Movie. It's based on the comic strip of the same name, but, since the original strip is the biggest nothingburger on the comics page, they had to give it a major glow-up... into a star-studded extra…
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A Special Presentation 278: The Brave Little Toaster [2 of 2]
1:17:03
1:17:03
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1:17:03For Ethan's birthday, we're looking at the NOT QUITE DISNEY classic, The Brave Little Toaster, based on the Thomas Disch story of the same name. It's about five brave appliances who go out in search of the boy who loves them. It's a weird one, but it's fun!
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A Special Presentation 277: The Brave Little Toaster [1 of 2]
1:00:55
1:00:55
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1:00:55For Ethan's birthday, we're looking at the NOT QUITE DISNEY classic, The Brave Little Toaster, based on the Thomas Disch story of the same name. It's about five brave appliances who go out in search of the boy who loves them. It's a weird one, but it's fun!
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A Special Presentation 276: Dog City [2 of 2]
1:30:43
1:30:43
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1:30:43Okay NOW we're talking about Dog City, Jim Henson's favorite thing to direct. It's about a city that's all dogs. Ladies and gentlemen, it's gone to the dogs! They're all dog puppets and also they do car chases!
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A Special Presentation 275: Dog City [1 of 2]
1:04:27
1:04:27
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1:04:27In theory, we meant to talk about Dog City (part of the Jim Henson Hour) but instead we ended up talking about the muppets in general, the Jim Henson hour, the origin of homo sapiens and the inevitable death of our species because of billionaires, and also how lazy Bill Watterson is.
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A Special Presentation 274: The Adventures of Tintin
1:12:54
1:12:54
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1:12:54Tintin is the biggest thing since Asterix, but, if you live in America, you might not have heard of him. He's a boy reporter who has adventures. Kids love Tintin (except for his controversial 1939 adventure "Nazi Supermen Are Our Superiors.") Anyway, you might not know Tintin, but Hollywood still thought you'd like a Tintin movie. Here it is!…
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A Special Presentation 273: Snoopy Presents for Auld Lang Syne
1:09:15
1:09:15
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1:09:15The Peanuts are back and it's another New Year's special! Apple TV has updated the Peanuts gang to tell a story of Lucy having an existential crisis. That's right. Lucy. Not Charlie Brown. It's Lucy.
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Ugly Sweater Party 3: The Dark Knit Rises
2:06:33
2:06:33
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2:06:33Ho ho ho, garbage for all the good little children! We've got the whole gang of pals back for another quadumvirate of questionable Quistmas specials. Mike and Ethan have holiday regulars Morbiose, Rocketshark, DMXI, Fattyatomicmutant and Glumdrop, whom we're sure you're all well familiar with by now, for such wintry delights as Nilus The Sandman: T…
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A Special Presentation 271: Winnie the Pooh (2011)
1:41:13
1:41:13
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1:41:13So, technically, there was a Winnie the Pooh comic strip, so it is totally within our wheelhouse to do an episode about Winnie the Pooh (2011)! Is it more or less in line with AA Milne's vision of the chubby little bear all stuffed with fluff? Check it out!
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A Special Presentation 270: The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring Alf [3 of 3]
1:25:56
1:25:56
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1:25:56It's Thanksgiving, so we're breaking our own rule... or are we? The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is, of course, a cavalcade of disgusting American excess, whether you're here for the Garfield balloons, the marching band composed entirely of Ronald McDonalds, the prancing majorettes, or that weird float where skeletor is riding a dragon. Most…
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A Special Presentation 269: The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring Alf [2 of 3]
1:03:16
1:03:16
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1:03:16It's Thanksgiving, so we're breaking our own rule... or are we? The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is, of course, a cavalcade of disgusting American excess, whether you're here for the Garfield balloons, the marching band composed entirely of Ronald McDonalds, the prancing majorettes, or that weird float where skeletor is riding a dragon. Most…
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A Special Presentation 268: The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade featuring Alf [1 of 3]
1:03:45
1:03:45
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1:03:45It's Thanksgiving, so we're breaking our own rule... or are we? The 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is, of course, a cavalcade of disgusting American excess, whether you're here for the Garfield balloons, the marching band composed entirely of Ronald McDonalds, the prancing majorettes, or that weird float where skeletor is riding a dragon. Most…
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A Special Presentation 267: Bonvoyage Charlie Brown and Don't Come Back [2 of 2]
1:06:34
1:06:34
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1:06:34What if Charlie Brown went to France? That's what this, the final early stage Peanuts theatrical feature film asks. Snoopy gets into typical Snoopy hijinks, but this special explores the limits of what you can do with the Peanuts formula with some nice atmospheric mystery creepiness. Snoopy loves a mystery!…
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A Special Presentation 266: Bonvoyage Charlie Brown and Don't Come Back [1 of 2]
1:00:27
1:00:27
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1:00:27What if Charlie Brown went to France? That's what this, the final early stage Peanuts theatrical feature film asks. Snoopy gets into typical Snoopy hijinks, but this special explores the limits of what you can do with the Peanuts formula with some nice atmospheric mystery creepiness. Snoopy loves a mystery!…
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A Special Presentation 265: Halloween 5-EVER
1:52:19
1:52:19
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1:52:19If it's Halloween it must be Saw, er I mean Special Presentation! Six of our regular crew, including DMXI, Rocketshark, Fattyatomicmutant and Glumdrop have joined us for the spookiest... well, not really. The most Halloween-themed... OK honestly some of these are more HARVEST themed than Halloween. But join us if you will for The Pac-Man Halloween …
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A Special Presentation 264: The Spirit [2 of 2]
1:15:50
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1:15:50Frank Miller was a big deal, briefly, right after Sin City and 300, so they thought, heeeey, why not let him write and direct the big screen debut of Will Eisner's superhero comic strip The Spirit? Frank Miller brings his signature style and incomprehensible fashy sensibilities to this big of hot garbage. Never have you watched Samuel L Jackson and…
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A Special Presentation 263: The Spirit [1 of 2]
1:01:00
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1:01:00Frank Miller was a big deal, briefly, right after Sin City and 300, so they thought, heeeey, why not let him write and direct the big screen debut of Will Eisner's superhero comic strip The Spirit? Frank Miller brings his signature style and incomprehensible fashy sensibilities to this big of hot garbage. Never have you watched Samuel L Jackson and…
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A Special Presentation 262: Transformers One
1:05:21
1:05:21
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1:05:21Technically, we're cheating on this episode, but it's OUR show, so we can cheat if we want to: We both happened to see that new Transformers movie, Transformers One, so we thought we would talk about it. Ethan, a life-long Transformers fan and aficionado, and Mike, perpetual newbie, have big opinions on this film. In short: It's pretty darn good! I…
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