notes

Frank and John talk about the Christmas Horror movie, Rare Exports, and the two companion shorts Rare Exports Inc. and Rare Exports Safety Instructions. They go through the plot and their thoughts about the film. Then they dive into the themes of Christmas as a commodity and the idea of violence in black Friday. It's on to final observations, specifically with the can do, and make do nature of the village that is the setting of the film. Finally it's our final thoughts.

quotes

-"I do think that, uhh Jalmari Helander intended there to be those themes kind of present in it, but he also didn't want them to be the focus, and take away from the actual story he wanted to tell." -Frank

-"Old man wiener!" -John

meta-plot

[Frank and John are rescued by Fiona, Angus and Wagner, John's doggo friends known collectively as the Idgits. Frank is frustrated that they won't talk to him and John gently points out that they can't talk because they are in fact dogs. Convinced that the Idgits must be cursed Frank makes it his goal to find the Mind Ball, while John wonders how long this story will go.]

credits

Episode 124: Rare Exports
Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
The Idjits voiced by John Belliston
Sound effects by: mffm on freesound.org Warehouse Bulk Buy parking lot.wav under the CC licence 0
Scripting by: Frank Shaw
Edited by: Frank Shaw

Good Bad Flicks Exploring Rare Exports episode that inspired Frank

NOTES:

Frank talks about one of his favorite consoles: the original Sony Playstation. He talks about some of his favorite games. John talks about some recent Switch pick ups. Frank and John give a shout out to See You Next Tuesday podcast. Frank also gives a shout out to the Not Religious podcast and shout out of the Darkside of Hive podcast that is releasing next month. Finally John's Bad Advice.

JOHN'S BAD ADVICE

Student loan debt is good debt?
-Ki F
·
What kind of sauce should I use for my penne?
-James B

What’s the best way to guarantee success in a professional interview?
-Ariel W·

META PLOT

[John wakes up to still find he and Frank are stuck in the back of the trunk. Once the old farmer discovers them, he pulls over and shoots a rabbit and makes John and Frank some stew. He then leaves the guys stranded in the desert, which is when they decide to call John's doggo friends, The Idgits, for rescue.]

CREDITS.

Episode 123: What's Interesting: Playstation
Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Sound effects by: mffm on freesound.org Warehouse Bulk Buy parking lot.wav under the CC licence 0
Scripting by: John R. Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw

NOTES:

Frank and John sit down for a pre/post Thanksgiving episode. John gives us the low-down on his health issues. Frank talks about the Google Stadia train-wreck and streaming services. John waxes poetic about Chthulhu Wars the board-game while Frank waxes poetic about the Call of Cthulhu Starter Box. Frank talks about the one thing he really enjoys about Disney+ so far. John talks about the Good Place and British Panel shows. And the guys give thanks. Plus John's Bad Advice.

JOHN'S BAD ADVICE

Please Advise: Living My Best Life?
-Carrie J

What is the circumference of reality?
-Ty K

How to best prepare for the coming apocalypse?
-Dan H

META PLOT

[Escaping the Muppet Castle while the three dogs were distracted, Frank and John find themselves travelling through the American Southwest in the back of an old farm truck. Reluctant to notify the driver of their presence because they are worried they might get shot. Frank and John wait for the truck to arrive at it's destination.]

CREDITS.

Episode 122: What's Interesting: Tales of a Chemical S--t Storm
Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Sound effects by: mffm on freesound.org Warehouse Bulk Buy parking lot.wav under the CC licence 0
Scripting by: John R. Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw

Notes:

Frank and John discuss the first season of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. They give a synopsis and discussion on the plot, with comments and thoughts about the puppetry and vocal performances. Then they dive into themes: Frank talks about classicism and revolution, which is at the forefront of the series thematically. The guys also discuss the them of environmentalism and natural resources. Finally John talks about the idea of shirking's one's duties as well the tragedy of the series. They close with their final thoughts.

Quotes

"And no. He does something more unexpected, and far more devastating to his dark self." - John
"There's this tragedy that's overhanging the whole thing. That is kind of fascinating because normally there's the prequel problem of 'I know what's going to happen so why should I care?' And this show has found ways to make you care..."-John

meta plot

[Still trapped in the tower in the Muppet land, Ruger has inadvertently killed John, Shadette sacrifices a room full of Muppets (and a couple of drifters) in order to revive John.]

Credits.

Episode 121: The Dark Crystal (Series)
Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Ruger, Bosco, and Shadette all voiced by Frank Shaw
Scripting by: John R. Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw

notes

Frank talks about what's going on with the podcast, and the corn maze.
John gives us an update on his health and his surgery.
Frank reviews IfPW #4 on Comixology
John comes out as non-binary
Frank and John talk about Spider-Man being back in the MCU and Kevin Fiege becoming CCO for Marvel.
John talks about his visit to Evermore, a new theme park in Pleasantgrove Utah.
Frank talks about the author and YouTuber Seth Skorkowsky's Youtube Channel and his plans for a Fate game and Call of Cthulhu game.

John's Bad Advice

Aside from selling my soul to the devil at the crossroads, how else can I achieve blues fame?
Dave G

So for the first time in a long time I actually like my job. Big corporation bought my store, gave everyone a raise, good benefits, etc. Upper Management is much better, I feel respected as an individual and a leader for the first time in my professional life.
Patrick C.

I'm in the market for a house. What is the most important feature I should look for?
Dan M

Please Advise: Rearing Sugar Gliders?
Carrie J

Meta-plot

[Frank and John are still stuck in the strange Muppet dimension. The balls won’t recharge because every time they do, Frank uses them to conjure up pie.]

Credits

Episode 120: WI Smorgasbord of Geek
Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John R. Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

Notes

Frank and John tackle the Dark Crystal. Frank gives a quick run down of the plot. John and Frank then discuss the films characterizations and some of the plotting. They then discuss some of the conventions that appear in the film that are dated. They also discuss some of the limitations of the film. 

They then shift gears to talk about the Hero's Journey: Frank then gives an overview of Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey, with commentary provided by John. Then they dive into a criticism of the plot convention and it's overuse in both plotting and literary analysis. Then discuss Aristotelian plot structure, and how they view plotting in general.  

Finally they discuss their final thoughts about the Dark Crystal. 

Quotes

"Well everybody's a hero in there own storey', No everybody thinks they're just not a dick." - John

"Do you want to know what's a perfect example of the Hero's Journey is? Happy fucking Gilmore. I don't even have a point after that." -John

"The Hero's Journey is just another way to understand this crazy-ass world we live in." - Frank

meta plot

[Frank and John are trapped in a weird fantasy world, thanks to Frank using the two Balls of Power for tacos. John's hunting giant caterpillars and muppets for food, while Frank, as soon as the Balls are charged, conjures up more tacos. After getting some of the tacos, John wisely takes away the Balls so Frank can't use them again]

Credits

Episode 119: The Dark Crystal (Film)

Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests 

Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw 

Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John R. Belliston

Edited by: Frank Shaw 

Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw 

Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw 

Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

Notes:

After an unintended hiatus the we’re back! Frank gives an intro and a shout out to new followers here on PodBean in a short intro. Then he gives a shout out to Blake and Brian from the Not Religious Podcast to start things off. Frank then talks gives a review of Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia, a comic written By: Ed Kuehnel and Matt Entin of Suspicious Behavior Productions with art by Dan Schkade. John talks about the web-comic Kill Six Billion Demons. Then it’s back to Frank to talk about the Dragon Quest games, while John talks about Nerd Church that he’s starting up every other Sunday as well as Darksders 3 and Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirrors of Fate. Then the guys finish up with John’s Bad Advice. 

John’s Bad Advice Questions:

What is wrong with this picture...?

-Kevin D

How can we end the government shutdown?

-Mary S.  

How do I take two strokes off of my golf game?

-Mick T

meta plot

[John and Frank are on the road, walking to their next destination, after Frank uses the Balls of Power to conjure up tacos. Despite John’s trepidation, Frank heads down into a mysterious valley with a castle full of Muppets at the end of the episode.]

credits

Episode 118: Comics and Video Games

Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests 

Intro by: Not Religious Podcast on Spotify

Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw 

Scripting by: Frank Shaw

Edited by: Frank Shaw 

Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw 

Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

 

Invasion From Planet Wrestletopia on Comixology

Suspicious Behavior Productions

Kill Six Billion Demons

notes

The Boys season one is the topic of this episode. We're joined by Chris Thames of Christopher Case Photography and we go through the plot of the series. Frank does some comparison with the comics as they go, and points out some of the many differences. They then talk about the themes: The idea of the self of the brand. Don't meet your heroes, including some celebrity encounters in the past. Using the admiration of individuals as a means of influence. There's a lot
to unpack here, and we even come close to covering everything we'd like to.

quotes

"Well you can't really keep track of all the blackmail in this show." -John
"Homelander is the corruption inherent to power." -John

meta plot

[Chris finds himself trapped in SuperHero City with Shadette and Ruger playing cards to pass the time. Frank and John show up to the rescue in their newly acquired UFO which Chris promptly takes to flee the city, them and the erstwhile pets]

credits

Episode 117: The Boys Season 1
Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Guest Host: Chris Thames
Shadette voiced by John R. Belliston
Ruger voiced by Frank
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John R. Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Christopher Case Photography on Facebook
Christopher Case Photography on Instagram

notes

3Below season 2 is tackled on this episode of the podcast. After going through the major plot points Frank and John dive into the themes and discuss how this series takes on the theme of sacrifice from the perspective of accepting others sacrifice. Then we get personal when we discuss about accepting your parents as mortal. Finally we touch on the theme of forgiveness and the process that it entails during the series with several of the characters. Then we talk some observations and contemplate the role several of the characters will play in the upcoming Wizards series before giving our final thoughts.  

quotes

"You only have the emotional response that the main characters have towards them" -Frank

"They don't just forgive him. You see the process of them forgiving him." - John

meta-plot:

[Frank and John find themselves on a UFO, where Frank discovers the ships food supply. Then they get a call from Shadette who is trapped in SuperHero City.]

credits

Episode 116: 3Below Season 3

Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests 

Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw 

Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John R. Belliston

Edited by: Frank Shaw 

Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw 

Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw 

Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

notes

John tears into the third season of Stranger Things, we touch on the plot points and the good and bad factors of each. Then we discuss themes, including the ordeal of change, the fear of the other and bullying. John goes over the problems he has with the characters of Hopper and Billy. Then it's observations: 80's action flick! There's a lot of problems to the tone and plotting that the Duffer's have to this genre, and John touches on several of them. For instance: how cliched the action plot is and how the quantification of the monster makes it less effective. Frank then brings up the issue of all the disappearances in the town of Hawkins that took place this season. John brings up two valid points: the nature and lopsidedness of Nancy and Charlie's discussion about class struggle versus the sexism that Nancy faces. And 2nd... the product placement! Finally, it's insane fan theories. Then they give their final thoughts on the season, and on the series, respectively.

quotes

"Yeah, it was shark-jumping action" -John

"He's a corrupt politician in an action film, gone by the way of snidely whiplash." - John

"Robin is everything that all of the people said Barb was." -John

Meta-plot

[Frank and John are trapped in a strange dimension and to pass the time they play Parks & Pugs. Fed up, John takes the balls away from Frank and uses them to transport them someplace else]

credits

Episode 115: Stranger Things 3 JHWYL

Produced by: Relevant to Our Interests 

Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw 

Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John R. Belliston

Edited by: Frank Shaw 

Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw 

Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw 

Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw