Nerd Nuptial

Why James Cameron should shut up and what we're looking forward to this FallYou most likely have heard about James Cameron opening his mouth and criticizing Wonder Woman and the work of Patty Jenkins last week. You can probably guess where we fall in our stance on the debacle. However, don't judge us prematurely. We criticized Wonder Woman plenty in our review which you can listen here. It's how Mr. Cameron chose to criticize the film and what it has meant to so many women and young girls around the globe. After that, we discuss what we're excited to see this Fall in the realm of TV and film. We start the show with our late to the party review of Master of None. 

Marvel's Defenders Premiere and Ozark Season OneDaredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. They are all Netflix originals that were leading up to this show. The Defenders. Marvel approached their Netflix properties much like they tackle their movies. Just how Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, etc all lead up to the Avengers, this was leading to what this Nerd Nuptial just watched. We open the show discussing what worked and what didn't of the first episode. Later, we move on to another Netflix property, Ozark. We talked about this last week but only about the first episode. Thankfully, we've been able to watch the entire season and thankfully it did not disapoint.What did you guys think of the Defenders? Too much build up with not a lot of payoff? Let us know in the comments.

What makes a good series premiere?/Ozark openerGreat shows can have them and even horrible shows can have them. Great openers and pilots come in all shapes and sizes. A well-developed series premiere needs to establish the protagonist as well as the premise of the show. But that doesn't always lead to a fruitful series run. This week we open the show with discussing some of our favorite beginnings and what makes them stellar. Then we move onto the new Netflix show "Ozark" starring Jason Bateman.Does it pass the Nerd Nuptial test of amazing series openers? Listen and find out.

Why did we never put our nerdy toys away?Sometimes people are walking contradictions and nerds are no different. We are a generation of people who never put their toys away. We have figurines on our desks at work, posters in our office, and bumper stickers on our cars. But sometimes we hide our nerdiness. We are out and proud but at the same time don't always broadcast it unless someone asks us.In this week's episode, The Girl and Tristan discuss what it was like growing up as a nerd and what kind of merchandise we had as children. We also talk about how that translates to today and what is socially acceptable to display and what is not. Are you out and proud or are you still in the nerd closet with some people?

Dunkirk Review and SDCC Trailer ReactionsFor our 70th episode, we get to talk about our reaction to seeing Dunkirk in 70mm film. Christopher Nolan is one of the best filmmakers currently working in Hollywood. Inception, The Dark Knight trilogy, and Interstellar are his latest hits and Dunkirk is taking critics and audiences alike by storm.The evacuation of Dunkirk was considered a successful failure because they lost the battle but saved 300,000 lives. The movie itself showcases three storylines, the air, the sea, and the beach. This was a well-made film but some aspects seemed lacking. Listen and find out what we mean.What did you think of Christopher Nolan's latest film?

War for the Planet of the Apes ReviewWe've been waiting for this sequel for years. Some say the journey began with the original Planet of the Apes film in 1968. But really it kicked off in 2011 with the surprise hit of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. "Rise" is technically a reboot of the franchise but it can be seen as the beginning of a prequel trilogy much like Star Wars the Phantom Menace. Rise shows the birth of Caesar, a genetically enhanced chimpanzee who leads an army of apes out of captivity while a "simian flu" eradicates most of the human race. The apes thrive, however, and this is told in the sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Things don't stay rosy war begins at the end of the film.In this iteration, we see an older and more war-torn Caesar. He's just trying to keep his family safe but the war keeps pulling him away from those he holds dear. This week we discuss what absolutely worked in this film and sadly what didn't.What did you think of the film?

Review of Edgar Wright's "Baby Driver""Baby Driver" is out and the film has captured the hearts and minds of many across the globe. The film debuted at a coveted 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and dropped only 3 points after reaching a wider release. Clearly, critics and audiences alike love this film. Your Nerd Nuptial is in a high-speed chase to get down to the bottom of worked in Baby Driver as well as what didn't. The episode begins with a preview of what the next two weeks of the show will look like.What did you guys think of Baby Driver?

Review of Netflix's Latest Film OkjaWe finally got some viewing time this week and we decided to go deep into the Netflix catalog. We watched Moana, tried Glow, and gave Bojack Horseman another try. But the main thing we are talking about this week is Bong Joon-ho's "Okja". A film about a CGI Super Pig is one that tugs at the heartstrings even if it doesn't sound like it would. A commentary on the meatpacking industry as well as our tendency to develop relationships with non-humans. Listen to our review for our response to the film and we don't get to spoiler territory until later in the episode. We start the episode with our reaction to catching up to Veep on HBO.

Movies you weren't allowed to watch growing up.This is a truly universal experience that all of us have gone through. Your friends have rented a movie or are on their way to go see something and you rush to your parents to them and they say one of the worst single syllable words in the English language, "no." You're heartbroken. You're downtrodden. What do you do? Do you watch it? Do you respect your parent's wishes? Or do you just lie your way through the conversation and tell your friends, "Oh, I've totally seen that and it was awesome."This Nerd Nuptial has plenty of stories to tell when it comes to movies and TV they weren't allowed to watch. What are some films you weren't allowed to watch growing up?

Sometimes the ones we love can alter our tastes in TV and FilmTristan and The Girl celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary by not going to The Mummy and save you the review! They instead talk about how, over the course of their relationship, their tastes have changed and have influenced each other in unforeseen ways. How has your significant other influenced you, if at all? Do you watch more musicals? More dumb comedy? More romantic comedies? Let us know!

Review of DC's latest film: Wonder WomanOne of the highest rated superhero films of all time is Wonder Woman. The savior of the DCEU is here and she has come in full force. Regardless of what you thought of Man of Steel or Batman v. Superman, they were not well received. So far, Wonder Woman is by a landslide. The toughest female superhero was directed by a female as well and a lot was unjustly riding on this. When a man makes a bad superhero film, it doesn't stop them from making another. If this would have tanked, people would have pointed fingers at the gender in front of and behind the camera. Thankfully, no one has to worry about that.Listen to our very honest review of this enjoyable film that does have some issues here and there.What did you think of Wonder Woman? 

House of Cards Season 5 ReviewYour Nerd Nuptial pairing wanted this season so bad we could taste it. We pined over every single scrap of news just to see what we could find out. Well after 2 days of binge watching, we saw the entire season. Boy, do we have some opinions on it.Was it a poor repeat of season 3 or did we break new ground with where it took our First Lady?

Alien: Covenant ReviewAs we promised, we were finally able to deliver our Alien: Covenant film review. It's been a week since the movie's release and the reception has been mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the general consensus is "Alien: Covenant delivers another satisfying round of close-quarters deep-space terror, even if it doesn't take the saga in any new directions." It's hard to argue that sentiment but Tristan and The Girl will definitely try in this week's episode. Is this latest installment too much of the same or right on with the winning formula?

Twin Peaks Revival review and all the absurdity that comes with itAfter a 25 year hiatus, David Lynch and his Twin Peaks television show returns but this time on Showtime. Whether you liked it or hated it, Twin Peaks made you feel something. Could be boredom, could be elation, could be pure unadulterated anger at David Lynch for making you question your humanity. Season Three of the show came back in what could be construed as full force in its absurdity and melange of setpieces that don't quite mean anything...yet. Listen as your Nerd Nuptial breaks down the first four episodes in this (pretty much) spoiler free review.We also talk about Ryan Murphy's Feud as well as Tina Fey's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season Three.What did you think of the new Twin Peaks?

The Handmaid's Tale/Favorite ScoresThis episode is in two parts. The opening is all about Hulu's original series The Handmaid's Tale and the main topic is about us talking about our favorite film scores.The Handmaid's Tale tells a chilling story of what a fascist regime would look like in our own backyard. Women's rights don't exist and fertility is something rare in the world. We discuss story structure and how episode one might betray your interest but episode two plants the seeds of revolution.After that, we move onto happier things like music in film. We focus on composed music and the people who compose it. What are some of your favorite film scores?

House of Cards Season 5 Trailer ReactionTristan and The Girl give a quick reaction to the House of Cards Season 5 trailer.What did you think of the trailer?

Fargo Season 3 Premiere and Our Thoughts on the ShowFargo was an amazing film made by the Coen Brothers in the 90s and nobody really could have guess that a TV show based off of the same themes could perchance surpass the original, but here we are. Fargo the FX network original is a show filled with murder, betrayal, detective work, mob bosses, heists, hitman, and the "Minnesota Nice" mentality. Season 3 premiered with Ewan McGregor in the lead playing twins and in this podcast we discuss our thoughts on seasons 1 through 3. We start the show with a frank discussion of the rediculousness of the Netflix documentary "Casting JonBenet".

Giving movies and TV a second chanceWhy should you ever go back to a movie after you watched it and hated it? Why should you ever go back to a TV show after it burned you? We ask ourselves these questions and sometimes the answer is a just a plain and simple "maybe it will be better this time?" The Girl and Tristan talk about the movies and TV shows that they went back to and liked a second time around. They also discuss movies that they gave another shot and it was still a swing and a miss. They start the show reviewing Mass Effect Andromeda.

The Last Jedi Trailer and A.I. in CinemaIn this episode, Tristan and The Girl start off the conversation with The Last Jedi trailer. The new Star Wars teaser trailer dropped on the day of recording and the Internet was all aflutter with the possibilities for new content from that galaxy far far away. Did it satisfy all those nerd needs or was it found wanting?They then transition into a discussion that was meant to be AI in movies but then went to a more fundamental discussion of would you want AI in your house.What do you guys think? Would you want an AI in your daily life?

Review of HBO's Big Little Lies and Netflix's The DiscoveryThis episode is hot off the press! Moments after the airing of HBO's Big Little Lies series finale, this Nerd Nuptial turned on the mic and started talking about it. Seven episodes in total and no time felt wasted. The entire show was teasing a murder but everyone was guessing at to who was murdered and who did the murdering. HBO brought some heavy hitters like Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Laura Dern to the mix and the performances did not disappoint. But was the ending all it was cracked up to be?We start the show with our review of the gloomy Netflix original movie about suicide and the afterlife, The Discovery.