Signal Watch PodCast
276 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 months ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsFilm. Comics. Television. Sci-fi. Superheroes. Noir. History. And more.
Join us as we examine cultural artifacts of the 20th century… boldly explore the 21st... and try to put it all in perspective
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Episodes
073: "The Fog" (1980)/ "The Mist" (2007) Halloween 2019 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
October 26, 2019 00:00 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBThings get a little hazy as SimonUK and Ryan take on two spooktacular movies about what happens when the barometer drops, the humidity rises and things go bump in the water vapor. It's our final Halloween movie of 2019! One about ghostly seafaring folks and the other about... I dunno. It's real bad, though.
072: "Amityville Horror" (1979)/ "Poltergeist" (1982) Halloween 2019 w/ MRSHL and Ryan
October 21, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBMarshall and Ryan throw a Halloween (Haunted) House Party with two favorites of the ghosts & real estate genre! We compare notes on a make-believe story that some think bled into reality, and a real story which feels kinda fakey, if we're being honest. But only one has Margot Kidder. Let's talk what makes for a captivating tale of houses with more than plumbing issues, and we ponder the handsomeness of James Brolin.
071: "Vampire Circus" (1972)/ "Innocent Blood" (1992) Halloween 2019 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
October 15, 2019 00:00 - 58 minutes - 53.1 MBSimonUK and I rise from the grave with two more takes on the Vampire Genre! In the first film, vampires make a killing running a circus while carrying a grudge and harassing a small European town. In the other, Italian mafia stereotypes collide with a French vampire in a 90's-tastic take on The City of Brotherly Love, and we can't figure out which sangria anyone is drinking. It's a Halloween vampire fest!
070: "Carrie" (1976)/ "Jennifer's Body" (2009) Halloween 2019 w/ Maxwell and Ryan
October 09, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 62 MBMaxwell and Ryan double dip on Halloween films and High School films for a frighteningly festive film review! We take a look at two films where two very different high school girls both manifest powers! What do these films examine? What's tucked in there between the, uh... murders and more murders? Maxwell takes the reins and Ryan tries to keep up as we ponder a horror classic and a new cult favorite!
069: "Fright Night" (1985)/ "Vamp" (1986) Halloween 2019 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
October 04, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBRyan and SimonUK bite into two vampire movies with two very different takes, both landing in the go-go Mid-80's! One is a cult classic for horror fans, about horror fans! The other, a less known film starring artist Grace Jones as an exotic nosferatu. We take a look at what works and what sucks as these films return from the dead to give us a thrill and a chill!
068: "An American Werewolf in London"/ "Ginger Snaps" Halloween 2019 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
September 29, 2019 00:00 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBIt's Halloween 2019! SimonUK and Ryan kick off the spooky season with a pair of scare-tacular films about coming to grips with change. And, of course, discovering you're now kinda undead and become a blood-thirsty kill-machine when the moon is particular round. We talk new-classic "An American Werewolf in London" (1981) and horror-icon-contender "Ginger Snaps" (2000).
067: "Secret Origins: Brandon Zuern" Kryptonian Thought-Beast 002
September 11, 2019 00:00 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MBIt's the launch of "Secret Origins", where we talk to comic-folk about how they got into comics and how they got to where they're at as collector, creator, comic retail pro, etc, et al. We start off by visiting with the manager of what's been our longtime LCS (Local Comic Shop, for you new kids). Get to know Comic Book Brando, our own Brandon Zuern! Learn about Austin Books and Comics, its sister stores, and two guys discussing the winding paths to comics fandom.
066: "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) - What Is Love? 04 w/ Jamie and Ryan
September 07, 2019 00:00 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBWe turned to our wife of more than 19 years and realized we were heading into tricky territory as we asked "What is Love?" Fortunately, she came back with "Star Wars". Join Jamie and me as we use The Force and talk what was maybe the first great movie romance a lot of us clicked to: Leia, Han, a broken down ship and some mynochs to keep it interesting.
065: "Aquaman" (2018) Kryptonian Thought-Beast 01 w/ Jamie
September 02, 2019 00:00 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBWe launch our Kryptonian Thought-Beast series with an (exhausted) examination of our fishy friend's blockbuster cinematic success! And we ask "Why? Why did people like this movie? For it is not a good movie." Join Jamie and I as we discuss the dude-bro who would be king of 3/4ths of the Earth.
064: "The Breakfast Club" (1985) Back2Skool Speshul! HS Movies 07 w/ Maxwell y MRSHL
August 27, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBIt's our first Back2Skool Speshul! We finally pull off the band-aid and talk about "The Breakfast Club" (1985), a seminal movie for Gen-X'ers, that taught us to live, learn, laugh and love and that maybe we're not all that different underneath. Except for how we are, and that's important, too. Or something. And that when we grow older, we're going to either suck or work tough, soul-crushing jobs or both. Anyway, this PodCast is, like, two hours, so buckle in, every buddy.
063: "The Piano" (1993) - What Is Love? 03 w/ MRSHL and Ryan
August 15, 2019 00:00 - 49 minutes - 45 MBJust a couple of 40-something dudes, sitting around contemplating the nature of a woman's desire, the qualifications for feminist film, symbology and visual storytelling, and what's a woman to do when you find yourself in New Zealand in 1852 and married to a dud?
062: "Crawl" (2019) and "Rogue" (2008) - Gators and Croc Cinema! w/ SimonUK and Ryan
August 08, 2019 00:00 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MBSimonUK and Ryan take a bite out of two movies that burst from the depths to surprise us. We compare and contrast a pair of films that rolled us over and made us take notice, but definitely felt we could sink our teeth into.
061: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) - What Is Love? 02 w/ Maxwell and Ryan
August 01, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBWe stir up memories of what makes a fine romance in film with a blast from the recent past. Fall in love all over again with this mid-00's classic starring an all-star cast you've probably forgotten appeared in the film. Walk back through the film with us, and see if you can recollect what made it work.
060: "The Fly" (1986) - What Is Love? 01 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
July 25, 2019 00:00 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MBWe kick off our investigation of "ideal depictions of romance in a movie" with SimonUK's selection, 1986's David Cronenberg horror classic - "The Fly". We fuse our movie-watching skills to flesh it all out, and come up with something new!
059: "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019)- Marvel Quick Review w/ Jamie and Ryan
July 07, 2019 00:00 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBJamie and Ryan just saw ol' web-head's European tour, and rather than being all Mysterio about their reaction, we grabbed a microphone to shatter any illusions that we wouldn't cover this latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Join our first totally unedited reaction podcast!
058: "Space Camp" (1986)/ "Last Starfighter" (1984) HS Movies 06 w/ Maxwell & Mrshl (& Ryan)
June 27, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 69.2 MBIt's "Teens in Space"! We get far out with one kinda-grounded adventure featuring some kids on an unscheduled voyage and then find trouble in Rylos City as playing video games actually DOES turn out to be a life skill (if you want to murder anonymous aliens). Join MRSHL, Maxwell and Ryan as we keep our feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.
057: "Ant-Man" (2015) - Avengers Countdown 12 w/ Jamie & Ryan
June 19, 2019 00:00 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBJamie and Ryan get small with a hero of dynamic proportions. It's "Ant-Man" (2015), Marvel's post "Avengers: Ultron" tone reset. Part heist, part retro-sci-fi, part superhero - it's the Gen-X superhero with a whole lot of supporting cast and the best van in superherodom.
056: "Doomsday" (2008) SimonUK Cinema Series (w/ Ryan)
June 12, 2019 00:00 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBNo matter how many parts of well-known movies you try to Frankenstein into one movie, you are not going to get that Voltron/ sum-is-greater-than-the-parts effect you're looking for. SimonUK and I look at this 2008 entry from Scottish filmmaker Neil Marshall as he runs our hero through a gauntlet of oddly familiar scenes and a hero who always has the same expression.
055: "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) - Avengers Countdown 11 w/ Jamie & Ryan
June 07, 2019 00:00 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBJamie slogs through a movie she does not care for and about which Ryan is ambivalent. It's the second outing for Earth's Mightiest Heroes as we come face to face with an AI that's kind of a self-replicating Mean Girl. Join us as we puzzle through "Avengers: Age of Ultron", the one you haven't seen in a while and that you only sorta remember.
054: "Live And Let Die" (1973) Bond Watch 05 w/ SimonUK & Ryan!
May 31, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBWe get back to Bond with 1973's "Live and Let Die" - the one with the voodoo. James Bond heads to New York, New Orleans and the Carribbean in a herky-jerky thrillride! We take a look at what was going on when this movie was made, from the state of the States to our third Bond's debut - and, of course, how this looked in 1973 vs. 2019.
053: "The Italian Job" (1969) SimonUK Cinema Series (w/ Ryan!)
May 16, 2019 00:00 - 56 minutes - 51.3 MBSimonUK finally gets around to talking about one of his favorite films, a heist film about a scrappy team pulling off the impossible with cheer and good spirits. Honestly, it's mostly just a love fest for a movie both Simon and Ryan enjoy immensely.
052b: "Legend of Billie Jean/ Pump Up the Volume" High School Movies 05 w/ Maxwell, Marshall & Ryan
May 08, 2019 00:00 - 58 minutes - 53.4 MB*NSFW* Maxwell and Marshall come into the studio to talk TEENS IN REVOLT! It's "The Legend of Billie Jean" (1985) and "Pump the Volume" (1990), two movies where teens grab the airwaves and tap into the spirit of being a teen and find themselves on the wrong side of the law! We take a look at two classic teen movies for our generation and try to decide: what are these kids so dang grumpy about?
052a: "Legend of Billie Jean/ Pump Up the Volume" High School Movies 05 w/ Maxwell, Marshall & Ryan
May 06, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 55 MB*NSFW* Maxwell and Marshall come into the studio to talk TEENS IN REVOLT! It's "The Legend of Billie Jean" (1985) and "Pump the Volume" (1990), two movies where teens grab the airwaves and tap into the spirit of being a teen and find themselves on the wrong side of the law! We take a look at two classic teen movies for our generation and try to decide: what are these kids so dang grumpy about?
051: "Avengers: Endgame" (2019) - Avengers Kinda Countdown w/ Jamie & Ryan!
May 01, 2019 00:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBJamie and Ryan went to see "Avengers: Endgame" twice in two days. We talk the epic conclusion to the first ten or so years of Marvel Studios, what worked for us, what challenged us, and how it fits in with the world of comics from which it sprang. Don't listen in if you're avoiding spoilers - because we've got plenty.
050: "Lifeforce" (1985) SimonUK Cinema Series (w/ Ryan!)
April 22, 2019 00:00 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBSimonUK brings a charming, home spun sort of tale about (nude) space vampires, not-Michael Caine, a blank Texan astronaut, a London-based Zombie plague, forced kissing on Patrick Stewart and more story than a movie has a right to contain.
049: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991) SimonUK Cinema Series w/ Ryan
April 18, 2019 00:00 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBSimonUK and Ryan delve into the 1991 sci-fi actioner and talk about the impact of the film on culture, on action film, and maybe ourselves. We also discuss the awesomeness of Linda Hamilton, CGI in 1991, violence then and now and a whole lot more.
048: "Guardians Galaxy" (2014)- Avengers Countdown 10 w/ Jamie & Ryan
April 08, 2019 00:00 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MBWe get to the surprise hit of the Marvel Cinematice Universe, a story of a ragtag group of space losers, including a talking raccoon and tree. Honestly, it's just a fun time at the movies - and it's one of Jamie's favorites, so we're gonna talk about it. A lot.
047: "Lawrence of Arabia" w/ Alfredo and Ryan
March 29, 2019 05:09 - 1 hour - 64.5 MBWe get epic as Alfredo joins us for his first podcast and takes us on a journey with "Lawrence of Arabia", one of our favorite films! Settle in for a lengthy discussion as we ponder Lawrence the man and the character and how this movie blends myth and fact to create one of the most engaging films of all time.
046: "Innerspace" - SimonUK Cinema Series - w/ SimonUK & Ryan
March 25, 2019 00:00 - 43 minutes - 40 MBIt's Spring Break, and SimonUK is looking for something breezy and light. Ryan hasn't seen this movie in 30 years. We talk 1980's sci-fi comedies, director Joe Dante's ideas, and what actually works pretty well in this not-much-discussed artifact of the 1980's.
045: "Captain Marvel" (2019) - Avengers Kinda Chronological Countdown w/ Jamie, Dug, K and Ryan!
March 12, 2019 00:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBJamie's brother and sister-in-law were in town, and we all saw the screen debut of Marvel's cosmic-type Avenger. Join Jamie, The Dug, K and Ryan as we share our "first reaction" takes on what happens the 90's collide with aliens, space faring adventure, Annette Benning, and Marvel's first female lead (it's about time, y'all).
044: "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969) Bond Watch 04 w/ SimonUK & Ryan
March 07, 2019 00:00 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBSimonUK and Ryan take on that one Bond movie starring George Lazenby as 007. Bond falls in love and fights Telly Savalas on a toboggan run. SimonUK and Ryan puzzle out what sort of lady gets Bond to want to settle down, what led to an Australian men's wear model putting on the tux, and what it all means 50 years after the film's release.
043: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014) - Avengers Countdown 09 w/ Jamie and Ryan!
February 20, 2019 00:00 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBWe reach one of Jamie's all-time favorite movies, a tale of a handsome man who is neck-deep in issues he thought he fixed before he went down for a long nap. Cap returns in an espionage thriller, but - also - a story of friendship. And blowing things up real good. It's one of the big turning points for Marvel as they put their best foot forward with a solid story that takes things up a notch.
042: "Grease"(78) & "High School Musical"(06) - High School Movies 04 - w/ Maxwell, Marshall & Ryan
February 13, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBMaxwell and Ryan welcome Marshall to the PodCast as they discuss "Grease" and "High School Musical", two movies that are about finding love and finding out who you are in the nightmare factory that is the American Public High School. One of these films is definitely for kids, and the other... really, not for kids no matter what America wants to think.
041: "The Long Goodbye" (1973) - Noir Watch w/ SimonUK and Ryan
February 05, 2019 00:00 - 52 minutes - 48 MBSimon and Ryan delve into Film Noir via Neo-Noir, Altman-directed entry "The Long Goodbye" (1973), an oddball of a film with a lot to offer. We explore the role of Philip Marlowe in the world of fiction, some of the mechanics of noir, and whether or not any of this actually works as a movie.
040: "Thor: The Dark World" (2013) - Avengers Countdown 08 w/ Jamie and Ryan!
January 20, 2019 00:00 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBJamie and Ryan finally get to - and keep it short - as they slog through the second installment of the Thor trilogy of films "The Dark World", which we thought was "Into Darkness", which was not the only "Star Trekkian" business we saw in this mess of a film that no one remembers and fewer people care about.
039: "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" (1970) AmyC Cinema Select Series 03 w/ Ryan
January 13, 2019 00:00 - 37 minutes - 34 MBWe welcome you to join Ryan as he bears witness to a "new to him" movie as Amy brings a 1970 film from former Eastern bloc nation, Czechoslovakia! A meditation and tone poem on the transition from girlhood to womanhood - forces internal and external, allegorical and real, secular and religious. Vampires, live human bonfires, magical earrings and a polecat. This movie has everything.
038: "Iron Man 3" (2013) - Avengers Countdown 07 w/ Jamie and Ryan!
January 06, 2019 00:00 - 39 minutes - 36.1 MBWe hit the post "Avengers" doldrums with Iron Man 3, a box office smash that just sorta, kinda works. Jamie and Ryan take a look the final Iron Man stand-alone movie and talk about how it fits in, how it didn't do what they wanted it to do, and seasonal superheroics.
037: "Love Actually" (2003)- Holiday Movies 2018 Ep. 4 w/ Simon and Ryan
December 19, 2018 00:00 - 44 minutes - 40.3 MBSimon brings a bit of British Christmas into the PodCast to class the place up a bit. We talk 2003's new-classic, "Love Actually", a multi-story, ensemble romantic comedy featuring an all-star cast. And Simon explains to Ryan the stuff he didn't get as a slow-witted American.
036: "Rudolph" (1964)/ "Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965)- Holiday Movies 2018 Ep. 3 w/ Jamie and Ryan
December 13, 2018 00:00 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBIt's time to talk TV Christmas specials! Jamie brings us back to kid-hood with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964) and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965). We ponder these two perennial favorites for all ages, how they look now and what we still get out of them.
035: "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)- Holiday Movies 2018 Ep. 2 w/ NathanC and Ryan
December 07, 2018 00:00 - 46 minutes - 43 MBNathanC and Ryan take on the big Christmas classic about a guy who meets an angel who deeply improves his Christmas Eve. "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) is an annual favorite, but it's also a movie that gets pretty dang dark. We take a look and ponder why this has endured.
034: "A Christmas Story" (1983) - Holiday Movies 2018 ep. 1 w/ Maxwell and Ryan
November 29, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 66.5 MBOh, fudge...! Maxwell and Ryan get nostalgic for a nostalgia film, "A Christmas Story" - the tale of a boy who just wants a BB gun for Christmas. The Signal Watch crew is celebrating the Holiday season with discussions of some of our seasonal favorite films and specials, so we go deep on a movie we can all relate to (maybe a bit too much).
Announcing the Signal Watch Holiday Cinema Series
November 27, 2018 00:00 - 1 minute - 1.06 MBThe Signal Watch PodCast is set to drop a series of episodes where our crack squad of contributors discuss all sorts of Holiday entertainment - from TV Yuletide favorites, to Classic Christmas movies. Join us as we soak in the magic of Cinema and the Season.
033: "Avengers" (2012) - Avengers Countdown 06 w/ Jamie and Ryan!
November 17, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 76.2 MBJamie and Ryan return and we finally get to the big team-up movie! Which... people seem to like. We take a look at how it stacks up as part of the bigger Marvel picture, what we like, what we don't (brace yerselves), and try to sort out what Loki was actually up to in this movie.
032: "Twin Peaks"('90) & "River's Edge"('86) - High School Movies 03 - w/ Maxwell & Ryan
November 09, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBLaura and Ryan's exploration of High School Movies takes a turn for the grim when they pick the topic of "Dead White Girls in the Water". Join us as we talk the pilot to Twin Peaks (1990) and seminal 80's flick River's Edge (1986). It's a look at two pieces of media where the death of a young woman means very different things, but maybe under the plastic, how and why they work means they have more in common than we think at first glance.
031: "EPCOT Center - Community of Tomorrow" - Disney History 03 w/ Nathan C and Ryan
October 29, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBWalt Disney had a vision for an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a city he'd build from scratch with businesses, living spaces, arts, science, universities, etc... And we got an amusement park. NathanC and Ryan delve into the history of EPCOT from concept to execution to today to tomorrow! Are we nostalgic for the future?
030: "The Thing" (1982) - Halloween 2018 Ep. 7 w/ Jamie and Ryan
October 26, 2018 00:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBAfter 20 years of avoiding watching "The Thing" (1982) Jamie decides it's time to watch the movie and then get in front of a microphone. We discuss a modern horror classic, and what it's like to finally see a movie you've heard so much about (and maybe built up a bit in your imagination).
029: "Night Of The Demon" (1957) And "The Haunting" (1963)Halloween Ep. 6 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
October 18, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBSimonUK and Ryan wind up their Halloween movie discussions by taking on two movies about scientists (and friends) coming up against the supernatural - is it all in their minds, somehow? OR is it ghosts and demons?!! It's bone-chilling look into what works in two horror classics, and some discussion of stuff in other movies that's just annoying
028: "Isolation" (2005) - Halloween 2018 Ep. 5 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
October 13, 2018 00:00 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBA lonesome Irish farm. A lot of rain. A cow ready to drop a calf. Ruth Negga for some reason. SimonUK and Ryan watch a movie that isn't afraid to borrow, but manages to find a path unique to itself.
027: "Ghostbusters" (1984) - Halloween 2018 Ep. 4 w/ SimonUK, Jamie and Ryan
October 06, 2018 00:00 - 58 minutes - 53.3 MBAfter all hitting the local cinema, Jamie, SimonUK and Ryan talk "Ghostbusters" (1984). At this point, what IS there left to say? Somehow we managed to fill 50-odd minutes answering that question while only barely talking over each other. Who doesn't like "Ghosbusters"? Nobody good, that's who.
026: "Horror Express" (1972)/"Death Line" (1972) - Halloween 2018 Ep. 3 w/ SimonUK and Ryan
September 24, 2018 00:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBIn the spoooookiest of all Halloween themes - SimonUK and Ryan settle on "Christopher Lee + trains + 1972". Two wildly different takes on the horror genre from the same year, each with a lot to offer, but offering up chills - one featuring a drunk Donald Pleasance as a policeman, and one Telly Savalas as a vodka-swilling Cossack. But, honestly, both well worth a viewing this Halloween season.