Unjustly Maligned

Ask him about it! Yes, it’s time to turn the tables again, and for his birthday this year, Antony hands the reins to Tony Sindelar. Together they weave an appreciation for the videogame so good, it made Antony want to write them for a living — the classic 1990 Lucasarts adventure “Loom”. "Loom" Tony Sindelar with Antony Johnston Referenced Works Loom [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Loom" "Loom" creator Brian Moriarty Antony's custom "Ask me about LOOM" button "Action Castle" and other Parsely adventures hosted by Tony on the Incomparable Game Show Steve Jackson's "Sorcery!" Fighting Fantasy gamebook series

Is Ringo the best drummer in the world? Ho ho, he’s not even the best drummer in… no, let’s not go there (Lennon never actually said it anyway). Instead, Andy Ihnatko joins Antony to bang a drum for Ringo Starr’s innovation, charisma, and — yes — talent on the skins. "Ringo Starr" Antony Johnston with Andy Ihnatko Referenced Works Beatles Studio Recordings Box Set [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Ringo Starr" "The Beatles: A 5 Minute Drum Chronology" by Kye Smith The Incomparable album draft, featuring Andy and Antony, part 1... ...And Part 2

Was making Sherlock Holmes cool really a good idea? Is Robert Downey Jr simply playing himself? And shouldn’t Watson be a bumbling lapdog? Devoted Sherlockian Eddy Webb joins Antony to discuss all this and more in Guy Ritchie’s 2009 “Sherlock Holmes” movie. "Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie)" Antony Johnston with Eddy Webb Referenced Works Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie) [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie)" Eddy's work, including the book "Watson Is Not An Idiot"

Fast cars, impossibly skilled drivers, champagne groupies, loud explosions, and a complete disregard for the laws of physics. Sounds like hell? Jessica Sliwinski once thought so, but now she joins Antony to shift her appreciation for the “Fast & Furious” movies up a gear. "The Fast & The Furious" Antony Johnston with Jessica Sliwinski Referenced Works The Fast and the Furious [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "The Fast & The Furious" Vulture's calculation of the F&F6 runway length… …While Jason from Engineering Explained is a little more conservative

When is a planet not a planet? When it gets downgraded after 75 years, apparently. But was Pluto’s fate a mistake by the IAU, or an example of science in action? Marcos Huerta joins Antony to talk Kuiper belt objects, the New Horizons probe, and arbitrary astronomical definitions. "Pluto" Antony Johnston with Marcos Huerta Show Notes & Links Pluto "The Pluto Files" with Neil deGrasse Tyson NASA team and the "not yet explored" stamp "NASA probe passes Pluto, carrying ashes of man who discovered it" "To Planet 9 — and Beyond!" "Neptune All Night" video playlist

After the success of its gung-ho predecessor, “Predator 2” — which expanded the mythology of the alien hunters, like “Aliens” did for its predecessor — felt like a sure thing, not the flop it turned out to be. Ed Brisson joins Antony to explain why second chances are his specialty. "Predator 2" Antony Johnston with Ed Brisson Referenced Works Predator 2 [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Predator 2"

Was it a “Blues Brothers” for the MTV generation, or just a nonsensical movie strung together with songs and bizarre cameos? Or… both?! Kelly Guimont joins Antony to lay down some tape talking about cult movie “Tapeheads”. "Tapeheads" Antony Johnston with Kelly Guimont Referenced Works Tapeheads [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Tapeheads"

It promised the Earth — and an almost-infinite universe to play in — but the videogame “No Man’s Sky” launched to scathing criticism and disappointment. Matt Johnston joins Antony to explain why expectations were misguided, why players who quit early are missing out, and why being a space hobo is so relaxing. "No Man's Sky" Antony Johnston with Matt Johnston Referenced Works No Man's Sky [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "No Man's Sky" Game announcement trailer The initial gameplay trailer from E3 2014

The spirit of Star Trek has seen the franchise reinvented, revisited, and even rebooted, for more than 50 years — but of all its incarnations, perhaps none is so maligned as “Enterprise”. Pete Mele joins Antony to defend Captain Archer from threats on all sides. "Star Trek: Enterprise" Antony Johnston with Pete Mele Referenced Works Star Trek: Enterprise [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Star Trek: Enterprise" Random Trek #50: “Equilibrium” with Antony Johnston Listen to Antony talk more Trek with Scott McNulty on Random Trek Unjustly Maligned #1: "Stargate SG-1" Hear Antony and Jason Snell talk pre- and post-BSG TV sci-fi on the very first episode The "Mission Log" Star Trek podcast

Sold as an erotic thriller, Stanley Kubrick’s least popular film “Eyes Wide Shut” is neither erotic, nor much of a thriller. But Richard Rouse III joins Antony to argue that it wasn’t just mis-sold, it was misunderstood — and has only gotten better with age. "Eyes Wide Shut" Antony Johnston with Richard Rouse III Referenced Works Eyes Wide Shut [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Eyes Wide Shut"

Dust off your sequins, because once again the Eurovision Song Contest is almost upon us! Rachel Donner, David Loehr, and Liz Myles join Antony to marvel at this year’s contenders and catastrophes, and wonder if a post-Brexit UK will be left with nul points… "Eurovision Song Contest 2017" Antony Johnston with Rachel Donner, David J. Loehr and Lizbeth Myles Referenced Works Eurovision 2017 [Amazon] Show Notes & Links Last year's Eurovision episode of Unjustly Maligned "Eurovision Song Contest 2017" The official Eurovision website Including links to videos, lyrics, and information on all the songs and performers How to watch the show in your country

Every kid who came out of the theater from “Krull” wanted a glaive… even if they were in no rush to see the movie itself again. Carrie Patel joins Antony to explain why that’s a shame, as they reminisce about this charming, naive fantasy/sci-fi mashup — plot holes and all. "Krull" Antony Johnston with Carrie Patel Referenced Works Krull [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Krull" Tommy Wiseau's "The Room"

We all know it’s only a matter of time before the military builds Terminator-style robots, and from there a small leap to Welcoming Our New Robot Overlords… or is it? Robotics engineer Kent Massey joins Antony to ask, what’s the difference between a plant and a rock? "Killer Robots" Antony Johnston with Kent Massey Show Notes & Links The UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Nooooo, don't kick Big Dog! Kent's Email address (For obvious reasons, Kent isn’t on social media. But he’s agreed to use this email address to correspond with listeners. Please don’t abuse it)

“The Matrix Reloaded” wasn’t the sequel people were expecting, but was swapping bullets for brains really such a bad idea? Filip Selldén joins Antony to explain why making a modern Superman movie was the Wachowski’s best option. "The Matrix Reloaded" Antony Johnston with Filip Selldén Sponsors Incomparable Memberships!: Sign up, help support this show, and get some fun bonus material. Referenced Works The Matrix Reloaded [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "The Matrix Reloaded" Christian Gnostic philosophy The simulation hypothesis

Podcasts should not be afraid of their listeners; listeners should be… wait, that makes no sense. Much like the “V for Vendetta” movie! Or so some fanboys would have you believe. Not Amal El-Mohtar, who joins Antony to ensure England Prevails in the face of such authoritarian opinions. "V For Vendetta" (the film) Antony Johnston with Amal El-Mohtar Sponsors Incomparable Memberships!: Sign up, help support this show, and get some fun bonus material. Referenced Works V for Vendetta (film) [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "V For Vendetta" (the film)

Is “Babe: Pig in the City” really a tour de force of magical realism? Or “A New Yorker cartoon on mescaline”? Warren Frey joins Antony to explain why this kids’ movie from George “Mad Max” Miller deserves your renewed attention. "Babe: Pig in the City" Antony Johnston with Warren Frey Referenced Works Babe: Pig in the City [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Babe: Pig in the City" The indefatigable and diverse George Miller

In what must surely be our thinnest premise yet, Monty Ashley joins Antony to ostensibly defend GURPS from its detractors. But it’s basically two old RPG nerds chatting and reminiscing about games for an hour. Roll 3D6 to listen! "GURPS" Antony Johnston with Monty Ashley Referenced Works GURPS (Generic Universal Role-Playing Game) [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "GURPS" Green Jellÿ's "Three Little Pigs"

They said it would be bigger than Star Wars. Instead it bankrupted a studio and sank without trace. Yes, in another instalment of our Dolph Lundgren love here on UMP, Liz Myles joins Antony to reassess “Masters of the Universe”, the well-known, uh, Christmas movie. Wait, what? "Masters of the Universe" Antony Johnston with Lizbeth Myles Referenced Works Masters of the Universe [Amazon] Show Notes & Links "Masters of the Universe"

After making Batman palatable to the mainstream again with the first movie, Tim Burton’s sequel “Batman Returns” went all-in with his signature fairytale gothic style. Michael Molcher joins Antony to explain why it totally works, and disses the Nolan Batverse along the way. Happy new year! "Batman Returns" Antony Johnston with Michael Molcher Referenced Works Batman Returns Batman films Show Notes & Links "Batman Returns" "The Incomparable 334: Three Pillars of Batman" Wherein “Batman Returns” is maligned

Regular Incomparable Network listeners will know of Jason Snell’s oft-thwarted desire to talk about his lifelong love of “Micronauts”; a series of comics, starring characters based on American toys, which were based on Japanese toys. At last, this is our gift to him… and to you. Happy holidays! "Micronauts" Antony Johnston with Jason Snell Referenced Works Micronauts Holidays (topic) Show Notes & Links Greg Pak's fundraising page for Bill Mantlo's ongoing medical care "Micronauts" (Comics) Micronauts (everything else) Innerspace Online, home of all Micronauts knowledge