Relevant To Our Interests Podcast

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

notes Transformers Prime is wrapped up this episode when we discuss Transformers Prime Predacons Rising. We go over the plot. Talk about character arcs for Megatron and Optimus Prime, we touch on the thematic ideas of the film. And then go over the concept of losing the suspension of disbelief. We also talk about the nature of the Predacons and their animalistic inclinations. John also touches on his thoughts about Bumblebee's story arc in the film.  before wrapping up with our final thoughts on this short film, and the series as a whole.  quotes "This is a goal no longer worth pursuing. it's not fun anymore." -John   meta plot [After much searching Frank finally finds his key-chain. He then uses the newly discovered Space-Ball, and the Reality Ball to transport John and himself someplace... nefarious.] credits Episode 114: Transformers Prime Epilogue 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 

notes Transformers Prime Season 3! We discuss the final episode of this animated series. We talk about the major plot points of the season: The regrouping of the autobots, the return of Ultra Magnus and Shockwave, and the creation of Predaking.  In addition, we talk about the pursuit of Predacon bones run away technology, the final story arc: the rebuilding of the Omega Lock and the creation of the raw substance of Cybertron and the final confrontation between the Autobots and the Decepticons.  Themes are explored. We talk about the runaway technology of the synthetic energon and the disastrous results Knockouts initial experimentation with it. We also talk about Megatron's realization that the cloning of the Predacons may not work as he originally plans. Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack come to terms with the changes in their life. Wheeljack has to accept the fact that the Wreckers will never be what they were before and that it's time to move on. Ultra Magnus must come to terms with the idea that the military st

notes: Transformers Prime Season Two: We dive right into the second season of Transformers Prime. We start off with the major plot points (as well as minor ones) including Optimus Prime losing his memory with the spark of leadership, and the decoding of the Iacon Archive and the pursuit of the scattered artifacts that it lists. For the more "minor plot points:" MECH is back and using info they gleam both from last season and this season to create their own transformer. We discuss Starscream losing the ability to transform and his entire story arc in general. And we talk about Airicnid falling out with Megatron and the Decepticons, and ultimately being captured by the Autobots. Then we go into a little more detail about the search for the last Iacon Artifcacts and the attempted revival of Cybertron.  For themes Frank points out the Authoritarianism vs. Republicanism that is represented by the Decepticons and the Autobots respectively. The nature of destiny, and Smokescreen's (and Optimus Prime's) role is disc

notes: Transformers Prime season one is examined. John and Frank go through the major plot points: including what or who the Transformers are and their background. Who the major characters are, and the nature of their conflict on Earth. We also talk about the relationship the Autobots have with humans, including the terrorist organization MECH. Then we touch on the politics of the Decepticons including the nature of StarScream and Megatrons' relationship, and I recommend you check out this video from Lindsay Ellis on the character here. Here's the Cracked Article John mentions as well. We also talk about the different types of energon and how each shows up this in this first season and their importance to the plot. Then we go over Airachnid and her relationship with both the Autobots and Decepticons, And we wrap up the plot-points by discussing Unicron.  Then it's a dive into themes: The freedom to choose, and the importance of choice is first talked about. The savior aspect of Optimus Prime and how this ser

notes Spider-Man: Far From Home! To start with we discuss "Life to the Fullest: A Benefit Concert for Annie Burdzy" that is taking place on July 20th at Ogden Highschool in Ogden Utah. We encourage everyone who can to check it out.  Annie's an amazing person and could use your support. Read about Annie here! And check out the auction and website here! Then it's on to Spider-man: Far From Home. It's plot points first: Frank goes over the plot points: we touch on how the movie treats those affected by the "blip". The treatment of Mysterio, and where all the other heroes might be, and our thoughts on MJ in this Spider-Man continuity. We also discuss our thoughts about the mid and post credit scenes.  We then go into themes: The most obvious one being of course "With great power comes great responsibility." Most exemplified by the EDITH glasses Peter is given early in the film. There's also the idea that you don't have to become those that preceded you. And my favorite, don't mistreat your employees. Finally i

Notes Jessica Jones Final Season. To start with we give a shout out to the See You Next Tuesday podcast, who are doing a men's health episode soon, John gives us an update on his health, and it's good news! We then toss the idea of having Haydn from See You Next Tuesday on as a guest near the end of summer.  As we go through the plot we talk about Jessica, and where she starts this season, as opposed to the beginning of last season. We also touch on Malcolm and Trish characters as well. We have some opposing perspectives on the characters this episode as we discuss the old and new characters introduced this season: Eric Gelden and Gregory Salinger, and give our thoughts on the villain this episode, and how he compares to the previous two seasons.  After our discussion on plot and character we dive into the themes of the season: Starting with “the ends justify the means”, which is most apparent in Trish's story arc as well as Jeri's. Then it’s “You're never a villain in your own story”, which is also the cru

Notes: Video Games and Youtube! First up Frank talks about the lack of horror movies recently where he lives in Utah, with both BrightBurn and Child's Play failing to play on any of the screens near him. We then talk about the recent petition to remove Good Omens from Netflix and the hilarious comments that both Amazon and Netflix gave in response.  Then it’s video games! Frank gives a rambling response to his excitement about isometric RPG's being released on the consoles this fall. As well as several Action RPG’s and JRPG’s too. Frank then goes on about E3: He talks about the release dates for the Final Fantasy VII remake, as well as  current and upcoming releases for the Switch. Then we talk about the Switch port for The Witcher III and how we love having so many great ports on the go. John then talks about the indie games he's been playing on the Switch recently, while Frank suggests checking out Budget Gamer Youtube channels for indie game reviews. Frank then dives back into E3: including Nintendo's bi

Notes: Good Omens the Series is given our attention this week. First up John discusses the strength and weaknesses of the original authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet. Then Frank gives a very brief plot synopsis. We discuss the characters: John talks about Aziraphale's and Crowley's relationship, and we discuss how intimacy and friendships don't have to be a sexual element, and how some fans read that into this particular story. We then discuss their motivations for wanting to stay on earth and touch on the other characters, including the Narrator, the angel Gabriel, and the demon Hastur and the four horsemen. Then we discuss the subplot with Agnes Nutter's descendant Anathema Device and Newton Pulscifer and the Witchhunter Army. Then it's onto themes: the most obvious one being good versus evil. Frank then tries to make the case for Faith versus Science, and points out that the idea at least sets a tone for what the series is (and isn't). John discusses how the very fact that the characters, and specifi

Notes: Godzilla King of the Monsters is up this week! First up, we apologize for the lack of episode last week and John gives a brief run down of his medical misadventures. Frank gives a run down on the plot, such that there is. Then we talk about the cast, and the acting and discuss "Kennys" briefly. Then we talk about the style of the monsters and the monster battles, and how it differs from the 2014 release as well as how it acts as a throwback to the original films. Frank takes the conversation off the rails: We discusses fanboyism, and the culture that has come from that. Both the fan outrage for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and more recently, the final season of Game of Thrones. We turn to the critics next and how they just don't seem to understand these types of movies. John discusses the issue of Kaiju films, and what some people don't seem to understand about them. We touch on the acting of the human actors and then discuss the fan versus the critics on this film, and others. We touch on themes of th

  Notes gough from Beernuts Productions joins us this episode.But First up John talks about Beyond Meat burger and gives his non-vegetarian opinion on this vegetarian burger. Frank talks about his ill-conceived decision to start collecting Marvel Comics 2099 run from the 1990's. John then talks briefly about the new Netflix series "Historical Roasts" before diving into a diatribe about his love hate relationship with Breath of the Wild. Then gough from Beernuts Productions joins in. We start off by gough asking us about The Book of Mormon musical, which he recently saw in Brisbane, and how people responded to it here in Utah. We also talk about Mormon's love of musical theater. Then we discuss internet speed and the attitude to online streaming and entertainment in Australia vs. the US. Then we talk about Beernuts Productions latest film, How to Land That Dream Job. First the conversation focuses the scripting process and then to the largest cast that gough has ever assembled. We touch on some of the sensit

  Notes Next Gen, a Netflix original animated series is giving a dive into on this episode. Frank gives a quick run down on the plot, then the guys talk about the voice actors performances. John talks about a few significant moments near the end of the film as well as the staging and art direction. Then it's an exploration of the themes of the film: Frank talks about consumerism's presence in the movie, and how planned obsolesce has become so ubiquitous to our society that it's presence in film and television is almost expected. The discussion then turns to "Robot Morality" and they compare this films robots with the Asmovian 3 Laws of Robotics, and touch on AI in general.  The next thematic element is bullying. John's experience working with troubled elementary school children gives him the background to delve into some of the complexities when dealing with bullying.Then John discusses the subtle world building of the film, before Frank brings up the central theme of understanding what's precious. Frank an

Notes: Spider-man Into the Spiderverse! The guys ramble on about the plot and argue over minute probabilities, while discussing the personality and the character of Miles Moralesa, Gwen Stacey and Peter B. Parker. Frank get's confused on which Peter Parker is which in the movie while they talk about the various Spider-people that arrive into Miles reality due to the testing of a large device that creates dimensional rifts. John briefly talks about "goobers" or Macguffins. They discuss the theme of "believing in yourself" and how it is the central idea to the film with all the characters. Frank touches on the history of the multiverse characters. John and Frank then talk about how the movie was stylized to appear like a comic book through-out. Then the guys talk villains, first comparing the Spider-verse Kingpin with Daredevil's, as well as going in depth about this version of Doc Ock. The discussion turns to what they hope to see in future films with all the characters. And finally it's their final thoughts.

Notes Avenger's Endgame is discussed and debated in this episode. Frank gives a quick (surpisingly) rundown of the plot. Then they talk about the character arcs for each of the major characters, getting into depth at times. They talk about Nebula, and earned moments in the film. Frank recommends you watch the Youtube Video "Changing the Endgame" by Nando v. Movies (and watch his videos in general). They also talk about what they love and what they were let down by with each of the characters through out the discussion of their arcs. Then they talk about time travel! Frank gives his thoughts, and observations on Endgame's time travel rules, and John then offers up his thoughts. John brings up a couple of moments that really tugged at his heartstrings. John then discusses his disappointed in the treatment of the Guardians of the Galaxy in this, and the previous, Avenger's movie. Then they talk Fat Thor, and what the meat of the problem is with him. It's "Insane Fan Theories" next, they talk about the newest Spi

Episode 101: Daredevil Season 3  Produced by Relevant to Our Interests  Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw  Scripting by: Frank Shaw & 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  The guys finally breaks down, and talk about the last season of Daredevil. Frank explains why they put it off, then they dive headlong into a discussion about the plot and the characters. They talk about the villains of the series, going into a discussion about the character Bullseye: His psychopathy, Wilson's Fisk's manipulation of him, and as through the plot recap, Fisk's betrayal of him. They also discuss how Wilson Fisk's plot slowly unfolds and how he ups the stakes this season compared to the first season. There's also discussion about the character Ray Nadeem. They then discuss the absences of the other heroes from the Marvel Nights Universe. Then it's on to themes: First up, ho

Episode 100!: FanX Spring 2019 Produced by Relevant to Our Interests Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw Scripting by: Frank Shaw 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 The guys talk about hitting 100 episodes after 4 years of podcasting and what they've got planned for the near future. Then they dive into FANX: Frank talks about meeting Mike Colter, who plays Luke Cage on the Netflix series of the same name, as well as comic book writer Doug Wagner. They also talk about meeting the authors Byron Kraft and Jaclyn Weist. Then it's John asking stupid questions. Some of which have websites below that you should check out! Jaclyn Weist http://www.jaclynweist.com/ Monsterhedz http://monsterhedz.com/ Fyrecon https://www.fyrecon.com/ Byron Kraft Books http://www.byroncraftbooks.com/ We asked the following folks questions but didn't actually capture the answers, but you should still absolute

Episode 99: SHAZAM! Produced by Relevant to Our Interests Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw Scripting by: Frank Shaw 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 In this episode we talk about the newest DC film Shazam! After a rocky start Frank and John go over the plot and performances notably of Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer. They also talk  about the interactions with the supporting characters and the nods the films give to the DCU and other films. It's themes next, those of family and the idea of putting trust in imperfect people. John then discusses the way in which the movie suprised him. They then dive into the  nature and design of the Seven Deadly Sins and how they are used in the film as a thematic element as well as other media in general. Frank then brings up steotypes briefly that appear in the film. After a tangent they talk insane fan theories. Then wrap up with their f

Episode 98: Movies, Games and John's Health Produced by Relevant to Our Interests Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw Scripting by: Frank Shaw 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 Frank and John talk about the movies that are coming down the pipe. First they discuss their reaction to the Joker trailer, and they couldn't be on opposite pages on this one. Then Frank goes through an incomplete list of films he's excited for through July. We'll be talking about Shazam next episode. We talk about our excitement about the Hellboy remake and John shares a favorite scene from the original films. Frank talks about looking forward to Tolkien. John gushes about his anticipation for Godzilla: King of Monsters. It's his religion. Then it's Brightburn, and both John and Frank agree that it'll be nice to have a realistic portrayal of Superman. Then it's on to Dark Phoenix and the thought that we ma

Episode 97: Umbrella Academy Produced by Relevant to Our Interests Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw Scripting by: Frank Shaw 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 Frank and John are excited to talk about the original series on Netflix: The Umbrella Academy. Frank gives a very brief run down on the plot. Then Frank goes over each of the major characters and the actors that play them, while John and he discuss performances, who their favorites are and the various powers the characters have. The guys then talk about how the characters interact with each other: Allison reaching out to Vanya. Luthor and Diego's rivalry. Klaus and Diego's relationship, which is odd given their personality conflict. Klaus and Ben's relationship, given that Ben is dead and only Klaus can talk to him, but only if he's nearly sober (or completely sober). How Number Five views the rest of the group as being n

Episode 96: WI Stadia & Stuff Produced by Relevant to Our Interests Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw Scripting by: Frank Shaw 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 Frank and John talk about Google's new game streaming service Stadia. They talk about the merits of physical vs. digital media, then Frank predicts the future of streaming games and descends down a slippery slope. The guys then talk about Final Fantasy IX for the Switch, and how it's one of their favorite games. Then Frank gives a review of the Switch JRPG Lost Sphear, where it hits the nostalgia factor for him pretty heavily, but is burdened with too many subsystems. John then gives his thoughts on Breath of the Wild so far and what's frustrating him about the game, and Frank offers him some advice on how to enjoy it a little more by telling him to switch his paradigm on the game. Then Frank talks about Supernatural