Ep 26: Independence Day

Trying to sync your episode with an immovable calendar date? Doing two recordings in one week? Suffering with kidney stones as well? It’s no problem for your favourite (perhaps) test-focused movie buffs, who are here to talk about a sci-fi classic which has an unmentionable sequel, despite the fact that Neil keeps mentioning it.

Dan and Neil are your guides on a trip through that most traditional of holiday tales, featuring a weird mix of American bravado and hubris. The explosions are almost as large as the plot conveniences, as they set out to answer all of the most important questions: Is there such a thing as too much backstory? Was Randy Quaid really abducted by aliens? And does this film feature the most expository line of dialog of all-time?

Oh, by the way, the show that Neil was thinking of which featured a Pringles can antenna was Mr Robot (S2E4, “Master-Slave”). However, any attempt to link to it was MAJORLY spoiler-ridden, so you should just watch all of Mr Robot instead.

Films and TV shows mentioned:

Independence Day: Resurgence The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Jurassic Park The Fly The Tall Man Battlestar Galactica (TV series) The Lost World: Jurassic Park Men in Black Godzilla Armageddon Deep Impact Titanic Goldeneye Ant Man The Legend of Bagger Vance Six Degrees of Separation Enemy of the State Gemini Man Memphis Belle Rocky Balboa The American President The West Wing House of Cards Stargate Mr Deeds The Mummy Planet of the Apes (2001) Doctor Who TV movie (1996) Airport Airplane! The Wonder Years Jason Bourne (2016) Arrival Close Encounters of the Third Kind Hidden Figures Star Wars Independence Day (1983) Avengers: Age of Ultron Hamilton

Other references:

Orion Cinema, Burgess Hill Empire magazine Amazon: Chris Hadfield - An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth YouTube: Independence Day UK radio play Wikipedia: Star Trek: Short Treks SETI@home YouTube: Riskstorming the Death Star Image of the British army official who doesn't know how to handle guns YouTube: James Brown and the upside-down Empire State Building

Join us again later in July for a long-overdue romp through THE NET!

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Intro music: David Arnold - 1969 / We Came In Peace
Outro music: REM - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)