Strangers and Aliens: Science Fiction & Fantasy from a Christian Perspective
-
Superman vs. Batman: Who Is the World’s Finest? — Episode 82
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSIt’s Superman vs. Batman . . . and Ben vs. Steve vs. Dr. Jayce! Who will win? Will Steve spoil a thirty years old comic? Will Dr. Jayce settle a dispute between Ben and Steve about Superman’s early appearances? Join the Strangers and Aliens crew as they explore…
-
The Spiritblade Underground Interview — Episode 81
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSIn light of the launch of Christian Geek Central — http://christiangeekcentral.com — we’re playing an interview Paeter Frandsen, the mastermind behind CGC, did with Ben on the Spiritblade Underground podcast. You can also listen to the unofficial “part one” of their conversation, when Ben interviewed Paeter for the…
-
Best and Worst TV Pilots — Episode 80
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSWhat are some of the best pilots from television? Some of the worst? Ben. Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about their favorites and their least favorite pilot episodes. They list their top five and their bottom three, and Steve, surprisingly, is the only one who doesn’t really try…
-
Star Trek Feedback — Ep. 79
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSThe trio of strangers and aliens take on feedback about Man of Steel, Star Trek, and Star Trek Into Darkness in this episode! We got some very, very thoughtful feedback about these topics, and now that they are back, they finally got around to sharing it and responding…
-
Jim Croce in 1972 Predicted the 2013 Summer Movies!!!
I had this thought earlier today, thought I’d put something together: ~ Ben
-
Ep. 78 — PACIFIC RIM (Summer Movie Series)
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSOnce more, Dr. Jayce and Steve were not interested in seeing a summer blockbuster, but unlike Lone Ranger (which Ben wanted to see solely so he could bash it and was proven wrong), Ben has been excited about Pacific Rim for a while now. Does it live up…
-
Who Had the Bigger Revelation at San Diego Comic-Con?
I’m just. Yes. Yes. YES. @Avengers #AgeofUltron, Guardians of the Galaxy, #CaptainAmerica & #ThorDarkWorld. We win. #MarvelSDCC — Ryan Penagos (@AgentM) July 21, 2013 So Agent M, Marvel’s Twitter claimed they they “won” San Diego Comic-Con. Did they? What do you think? There were some big announcements, but they pretty much boiled down to…
-
Ep. 77 — THE LONE RANGER (Summer Movie Series)
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSIt’s the Strangers and Aliens review of The Lone Ranger! Unfortunately, of the three hosts, Ben seems to be the lone VIEWER of the movie. Fortunately, Ben remembered that one of our listeners, Hank Harwell, is a fan of westerns. And he remembered that Hank was a blogger…
-
ALL AGES COMICS?: Why We Need More All-Ages Comics and What We Can Do About It
Here’s an article I wrote for Comic Book Digest, back in 2004. It’s long, but it still reflects my feelings on the subject of all ages comics. In a nutshell, we need more “all ages” comics — that truly are for all ages. You know, the kind of thing that Pixar does: make a GREAT…
-
UPSIDE DOWN (movie review)
A while ago, I saw the trailer for an interesting looking science fiction movie called UPSIDE DOWN. It looked like it would be a visually quirky movie, if a bit ridiculous in concept. I promptly forgot all about it, until I saw it in one of my local Redboxes. I rented it, not sure what…
-
Ep. 76 — Favorite Villains
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSBring on the bad guys! Ben, Steve, and Dr. Jayce talk about their favorite villains in TV, books, movies, and comics! They talk about what makes a good villain and whta makes a bad villain and why these villains are their favorites. Please, contact us with YOUR favorite…
-
Ep. 75 — “When Sci-Fi/Fantasy Changed for Me” (Listener Content Episode)
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSA while back, we asked you listeners to send us audio answers to the question “When did science fiction and fantasy change for you and make you realize it could be something with deep meaning?” This episode is the result. We received some fun and thoughtful answers from…
-
Thoughts on Star Trek’s Omega Glory and the 4th of July!
Some thoughts after my son and I did our yearly viewing of “The Omega Glory,” the classic Star Trek episode that features a world parallel to our own, in which a war between the Yangs and the Kohms nearly destroyed the entire population of the planet. It’s from the second season, and written by the…
-
Ep. 74 — MAN OF STEEL (Summer Movie Series)
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSIn this episode, the Strangers and Aliens tackle the Man of Steel! What did they think of it? Find out in this episode, which is divided into two sections: a spoiler free section (the first hour) and a spoiler filled section (the final minutes). What do they think…
-
Ep. 73 — Secret Identities!
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSWe’re back! And our topic: superhero secret identities! Are they necessary? Are they moral? Are they realistic? What’s our favorites? Plus LOTS of reader response! This is a “lost” episode. It was recorded before Ben left to work at a camp for families affected by disabilities and then…
-
THE HOBBIT: DESOLATION OF SMAUG trailer!!!
I’m trying to decide if I’m excited about this movie. Watch the trailer here, then join the discussion below. I had some surprising feelings after watching it. The truth is, before seeing this trailer, I was! But now? As a trailer, it is lifeless. It is meant to get you excited about seeing Legolas. It…
-
Ep. 72: AFTER EARTH (Summer Movie Series)
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSAfter Earth, directed by N. Night Shyamalan and starring Jaden and Will Smith, did not do well this weekend. But is it worth seeing? in the first (and spoiler free) half of this review episode, Ben and Dr. Jayce talk about what works and what doesn’t. The second…
-
How Iron Man 3 Should Have Ended
See clip HERE: How Iron Man 3 Should Have Ended Was the plot from IM3 stolen from another movie?
-
Ep. 71: Where Will Trek Boldly Go?
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSWhere will the Trek franchise go from here? And where would the Strangers and Aliens like to see it go? See . . . Dr. Jayce put the guys on the spot when he asks for their Next Generation dream cast! Hear . . . their predictions for…
-
New MAN OF STEEL trailer!
Everything I see about this movie tells me to tone down my expectations. Why? Because everything I see about this movie looks so good. So. Very. Very. Good. It cannot possibly be as good as all this, right? I mean, this looks like the Superman movie that people who are not fans of Superman might…
Got any book recommendations?