Blog • News, Reviews & More from Geeks Under the Influence Podcast

James Corden’s Sweaty Mouse Body (Minor Upsets) Geeks Under the Influence Network

Nov 14, 2021 | Uncategorized

Deeply Upsetting 37: James Corden’s Sweaty Mouse Body (Minor Upsets)

On “Minor Upsets” Amy Bogarde and Mike the Hobbit discuss a lesser known story or discovery from the interwebs. Submit your hypothetical questions and/or strange and unusual internet finds at [email protected] with “Deeply Upsetting” in the subject line!

Remember to rate, review, and subscribe!

https://linktr.ee/GUInetwork

https://www.guipodcast.com/gui/deeply-upsetting/

For updates follow our social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeplyUpsetting/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeeplyUpsetting

Send in your questions!

Voicemail or Text: (804) 505-4484 (4GUI)

E-Mail: [email protected] (put “Deeply Upsetting” in the subject line).

_____________________________________________________________

Disclaimer Music:

Silent Partner: Spring In My Step

http://bit.ly/34VFgPg

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Intro/Outro Music:

Jason Farnham: Payday

http://bit.ly/2ZivUMy

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

Deeply Upsetting 37: James Corden’s Sweaty Mouse Body (Minor Upsets) On “Minor Upsets” Amy Bogarde and Mike the Hobbit discuss a lesser known story or discovery from the interwebs. Submit your hypothetical questions and/or strange and unusual internet finds at [email protected] with “Deeply Upsetting” in the subject line! Remember to rate, review, and subscribe! https://linktr.ee/GUInetwork https://www.guipodcast.com/gui/deeply-upsetting/ For updates follow our social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeplyUpsetting/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeeplyUpsetting Send in your questions! Voicemail or Text: (804) 505-4484 (4GUI) E-Mail: [email protected] (put “Deeply Upsetting” in the subject line). _____________________________________________________________ Disclaimer Music: Silent Partner: Spring In My Step http://bit.ly/34VFgPg Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode Intro/Outro Music: Jason Farnham: Payday http://bit.ly/2ZivUMy Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

“Wonder Women 1984” Wins at Nostalgia and Retconning Bad Memories

Dec 30, 2020 | Reviews

Every year on Christmas Day, this Chinese-American woman makes plans with her Jewish friends to watch a movie together and go out for Chinese food after the movie, a tradition that started when I was a little kid with my brother and cousins. Even with social distancing, we wanted to see a move together on Christmas Day, so we decided to hit play on “WW84” at the same time and comment on group chat together – something we would NOT have been able to do in the theater.

I sipped coffee from my Wonder Woman mug while nibbling on homemade lemon sugar cookies in the shape of the Wonder Woman emblems. I had prepared all week for screening this movie. Like the first movie, the audience is treated to epic views of Themyscira and Diana’s nostalgia for simpler times from the start. Those opening scenes convey a message that reminds me of an often misquoted Teddy Roosevelt quotable: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty . . .” This sets the mood for the rest of the movie. In every main character in the movie, one can find multiple flaws and enviable qualities as well. I do not remember the ‘80s brimming with giant ‘staches (influenced by Magnum PI?), but perms, definitely. The characters are portrayed as whole humans. The villains are not evil just to be evil, and the heroes are not perfect. Instead of fighting the darkness with killing and perpetuating senseless violence, Wonder Woman’s unwavering dedication to love shines through again, just like in the first movie. Don’t get me wrong. There are still elegantly choreographed fight scenes and innovative, breathtaking new moves, but this sequel still manages to give the audience all the feels. Because of so many delays in its release, I had been cautiously prepared for the possibility that the movie would succumb to the sophomore slump. I was very glad to be wrong.

“The world is not ready for all that you can do . . ” struck a chord with me. Instead of focusing on making Diana, or any little girl for that matter, feel small, she had permission to discover more of her abilities and to use them to make the world a better place. This line made the world feel small and narrow, ill-prepared for everything that she would be capable of offering. To me, it felt like something I would have liked to hear growing up. The world needed to be capable of change and acceptance. “WW84” repeated this message, a message that the first movie communicated and bears repeating. The villains probably needed to hear this message growing up, too. Among the heroes and villains, their interactions in the movie reminded me of the rest of the Teddy Roosevelt quotable “ . . . I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” And. just like in the first movie, the resolution comes from a place of love instead of complete annihilation, elevating everyone around Wonder Woman.

So, when is the third installment coming out?

SPOILER ALERT!

Wonder Woman’s invisible jet: I really enjoyed the origin story of Wonder Woman’s invisible jet in the movie. It is connected to her powers, not just detritus collected on Themyscira.
Wonder Woman’s flying ability: Instead of just a power that appears out of nowhere in the comics, there is a beautiful story and connection behind her discovery of flight. In the comics, it seemed like she was allowed one or the other, but not both the invisible jet and the ability to fly.
Wonder Woman losing her powers: During the Bronze Age of Comic Books (1970 – 1984), writers stripped Wonder Woman of her powers in what felt like an incendiary, negative overreaction to the Women’s Liberation movement of the time. Wonder Woman was an icon of female empowerment, and the writers of the time wanted nothing to do with that message. I much preferred her loss of powers as a consequence of her own decisions, not because she had become far too powerful.

Birds of Prey: A Multiple Origin Story (Spoiler Free)

Mar 4, 2020 | Reviews

When I bought my ticket to see Birds of Prey, I had to be on the lookout for the title Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey instead of the title Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn as originally advertised or the working title Birds of Prey that shares the name with the 2002 television show. Honestly, that was annoying. When the title card came up in the movie theater, though, I was glad they had kept the advertised name. For me, this was supposed to be the origin story of Birds of Prey, not just Harley Quinn’s hero origin story. I have not watched Suicide Squad, nor do I plan to watch it.

Let me start from the beginning of my introduction to one Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel’s alter ego. I remember seeing Harley Quinn for the first time in the original Batman: The Animated Series. She was loud, obnoxious, and over-the-top. She came out of left field, completely lovesick, and for me, a total throwaway character. Fast forward almost 30 years laters, and Harley Quinn seems to be everywhere in live action movies, live action and animated television series, baby names, cosplay, conventions, EVERYWHERE. As for the Birds of Prey movie, it is almost entirely about Harley Quinn.

The movie, while still keeping many dark features reminiscent of previous DC movies, is pleasantly bright overall from the backgrounds to the chase scenes. To me, the difference between Birds of Prey and the recent live-action DC movies is hope. Hope brings light, and Birds of Prey certainly felt lighter despite the dark origin stories of the characters. The sets and costumes were brighter with bold, primary colors accented with neon.

Here are a few of my favorite things in no particular order:

The soundtrack: Pop hits, slowed down and converted to minor key, are now both dreamy and creepy at the same time.
The fight choreography: The fight scenes recall John Wick and Atomic Blonde like a violent water ballet, unrelenting action that keeps pummeling the viewer until you almost feel like you cannot catch your breath.
The homage to a certain breakfast food. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, and it can make or break your mood for the whole morning.
The dialogue: I enjoyed the snips and quips the characters volleyed back and forth. It kept the movie moving forward instead of feeling stale.
The imagery: It’s NOT just a man’s world.
The diversity: Effortless. It didn’t feel shoe-horned or burdensome nor did it affect the story.
The credits: A treat for me at the end of the movie was seeing all of the typically female names in so many technical roles during the end credits; I cheered like dessert had just arrived.

Here are a few of my not-so-favorite things in no particular order:

The narration: In the right amounts, a narrator can do wonders for a story, helping the audience understand what goes beyond what they see on screen. Harley’s narration started out like most women’s (in this case, I can only speak from this woman’s perspective) inner monologue questioning her decisions. It feels familiar and relatable. As the movie pushes forward, the narration becomes overused because reliance on it to explain literally everything going on becomes taxing for the listener.
The villain: I like my villains so complex that they make you wonder if they are pure evil or they are a result of their circumstances, but here, the villain fell flat with a singular focus that made him feel almost one dimensional.
The individual origin stories: The Huntress gets the second largest chunk of origin story in Birds of Prey with Renee Montoya getting a semi-fleshed out story. However, the audience gets almost nothing of this Black Canary’s origin story. It didn’t seem fair like they didn’t have time to tell her story, too.

In summary, there were definitely more things I enjoyed about the movie than got turned off by. For anyone who is looking for a movie with amazing action sequences that is not too heavy on the storytelling [read: a summer blockbuster in the winter], then Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is for you. It is enjoyable as a standalone movie, too. On the Awesomeness by Volume scale, I give it a 7 ABV.

SPOILER: Bruce, the pet hyena, is such a good boy. Yes, he IS.

Listen to our spoiler-heavy episode about Birds of Prey, and the evolution of Harley Quinn and Joker over the years!

“NSFW – Spoilers

Episode 182 – Harley Quinn and Joker: How Harley Got Her Groove Back

Just in time for Valentine’s Day! The Panel discusses the evolution of Harley, Joker, and how their toxic relationship has changed over the different iterations of the characters

Panel: Mike The Hobbit (Booze Clues/Smack My Pitch Up), Lowdown Brown MacGyver (GUI NIghts/From The Mouths Of Madness), Michele Left Eye, and Steph”

GUI NIGHTS: RORSCHACH’S SKA BAND

Apr 2, 2019 | GUI Nights, GUI Podcast

GUI Nights is a short open format show discussing general geekery, our lives, and unexplored tangents from the last GUI Podcast episode. This episode was recorded after GUI 154 – THE WATCHMEN

Panelists: Lowdown Brown MacGyver, Mike “The Hobbit” (Smack My Pitch Up), F.U. Hunter (Beautiful Disasters), and Left Eye

_________________________________________________

Subscribe Now!

Click your choice below:

…with iTunes:

…with RSS (copy this address):aa

Get more info on other podcatchers:

_________________________________________________

GUI Network’s newest show starts recording live on 4/7! Click the pic for more info!

Watch live recordings of GUI Podcast, Smack My Pitch Up, Beautiful Disasters, and Geekfather at GalaxyCon!

Click the pic for more info!

Join Us Every 1st and 3rd Monday at Fallout for GUI Trivia! 8-10 pm

GUI Home – www.guipodcast.com

GUI Hotline: (804) 505-4GUI (4484)

(Message & data rates may apply)

Thanks to our sponsors:

Emily Cee Digital Design:

Support GUI by shopping Amazon –

Check out the ton of merch for the GUI Network on TeePublic:

Twitter –
twitter.com/GUIPodcastRVA

Facebook –

https://www.facebook.com/guipodcastrva/

Geeks Under the Influence Network:

_________________________________________________

Geeks Under the Influence is a trademark of Michael Bickett. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Jay Baruchel Joins “GUI Network” For “Bechamel With Baruchel” Series

Apr 1, 2019 | Uncategorized

Superstar actor Jay Baruchel surprised the media on Monday with an announcement he’ll be hosting his own YouTube cooking show with the small upstart “Geeks Under the Influence Media Network.” The How to Train Your Dragon star went on to explain his decision.

Photo from bushes courtesy of Mike the Hobbit

Via the Hollywood Reporter:

“I’ve gotten a lot of letters over the years from their CEO. He goes by Hobbit I think?, which is weird. Anyway, he always writes me these very sweet letters. I think he spritzes them with something that smells like roses and lavender. It’s really quite pleasant. But yeah, he always finishes his letters by saying if there’s a project no one wants to take on, he’s super interested. So one day I try to make an Alfredo sauce… and BAM! It turns out great! It got me to thinking why don’t I have my own cooking show?”

Jay Baruchel has been mentioned on nearly every episode of the Geeks Under the Influence Podcast, and is regularly called “the greatest actor of our generation” by their host, Mike The Hobbit. Jay continues:

“That would’ve been the end of it, but then I got super baked and e-mailed Frodo the idea. Sorry, Hobbit. That’s such a stupid nickname. It’s like a whole species. Why name yourself after an entire fictional species? Sorry, I’m pretty high right now. So HOBBIT loves the idea, and sends me an offer to do a web series called “Bechamel With Baruchel.” The title was his idea. He says puns and alliteration are “on brand” whatever that means. I’m hesitant, but the offer is super generous, so I accept. I fly down to Virginia to film next week! He insisted I stay at his house which, y’know weird, but anyone willing to pay me what he offered has gotta have a baller house! He also wanted to wait to pay me in person. Y’know, I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this.”

Baruchel being pelted with chocolate hearts by a masked assailant screaming “greatest actor of our generation!”

Geeks Under the Influence and Hobbit declined any official statement about the collaboration, but upon speaking with their podcast Co-Host Lowdown Brown MacGyver, he responded with “Hobbit did what? Are you fucking kidding me? Sorry, no comment. What a psycho.” We will stay on this story as it develops, and April Fool’s Day, geeks!

The interview mentioned didn’t happen, and this article is a total fabrication. Well, except for the part where Jay Baruchel is our generations greatest living actor. That part is true. Jay, call me.

GUI 154 – THE WATCHMEN: BLEW MAN GROUP

Mar 26, 2019 | GUI Podcast, Reviews

–NSFW — *Spoilers*
The panel discusses the legendary Alan Moore comic “The Watchmen”, the film adaptation, and the follow-up series “Doomsday Clock” in episode # 154 that we call “Blew Man Group”

Panel: Mike “The Hobbit”, Lowdown Brown MacGyver (GUI NIghts), F.U. Hunter (Beautiful Disasters), and Michele “Left Eye”

_________________________________________________