Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Episode 74: Antman and the Wasp



Episode 74: Antman and the Wasp
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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



John and I go through Antman and the Wasp on this episode. It has gotten some criticism for how small the story is, and how little it did to further the meta-plot of the MCU. But we love it! Is it perfect? Absolutely not! But it is fun, and it's refreshing after so many large scale stories.

Now we didn't delve into fan theories a whole lot, but apparently with recent set photos, and an interview with the Huffingtonpost given by Peyton Reed, a popular theory is that time travel will play a role in the next Avenger's movie. The interview is worth a read. Reed is rather cheeky with some of his answers (the question of what Janet van Dyne ate for instance). 


Saturday, August 11, 2018

Episode 73: What's Interesting



Episode 73: What's Interesting:
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


So this is it, the first show after a month long break. I talk about my vacation in which me and my lady traveled to many abandoned town sites through Utah just to check them out. Highlights include: Soldier Summit, Mill Fork Cemetery, Thistle, and Wahsatch here in Utah. And Chesterfield Idaho, which is being restored by the descendants of those that originally settled and lived there, and there are tours available through out the summer. It was a fun trip, and we hope to do a similar one in the near future. 

On the geek front: I talk about The Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. I'm excited for this. It's been a long time since I've broken out the Magic the Gathering cards, but Ravnica is one of the most fascinating worlds created for that game, and the fact it is getting a Dungeons & Dragons guidebook makes me incredibly happy.

John is wrapping up the show he's in: Turn to Page 93, tomorrow afternoon for the Great Salt Lake City Fringe Festival. It's gotten some good reviews, and you have one more day to catch some theater in the Salt Lake City area. If I had been more on the ball, as it were, I would have posted this at the beginning of the week. The Fringe Festival is popular though, and getting more so each year. So it's worth checking out.

John's also been watching a lot of YouTube lately (normally that's my shtick) and he has three channels he talks about specifically: ReignBot, Nightmare Expo, and his personal favorite: Night Mind. You'll have to listen to the episode to here specifically why John enjoy's the channels so much. But know that each explores the dark, the weird and the mysterious. They're all a little bit fun and if you like the dark and weird or creepy-pasta in general, you should check out each of the channels.

And finally James Gunn: Some more has happened since the episode released, though not a lot more: The cast of GotG signed a letter asking Disney to rehire Gunn, and to show their support for him. And David Bautista has stated that he will leave the franchise if Gunn's script is not used for the film. At this point there's little chance Disney will hire Gunn back. I do hope they use his script, as I don't want to see Bautista leave Marvel as Drax, but him actually directing is not likely to happen. What Gunn did was in poor taste, but honestly, I'm not sure he should have been fired. Given who dredged up the old tweets, it's obvious that this was an attack against Gunn to get him fired and nothing more.  

I have a lot I think I want to say about this, but I haven't fully put thought into form yet. This article from Vox certainly is a place to start however. And here's the article that John mentions in the episode that somes up the damning nature of the internet, and social media. I'm disappointed that Gunn was fired. I hope the director they get to replace uses his script, and is at least able to channel some of the direction Gunn was taking the film. 

That's all for now. 

Moving hosts and more.

I'm still slowly catching up on show-notes here on the blog, and there will be some for Episode 73 later today. But I thought I'd give the few that read the blog an update on some things: 


  1. We are moving hosts! Well, effectively we already have. We going to be hosting the how on Podbean, moving from Soundcloud. Soundcloud is great for music, not for podcasts. It was adequate, and it did get an alright job for us for sometime, but the site is not catered to podcasts like Podbean, or Lybsin, or Bluberry or several other hosting sites are. I decided to go with Podbean because it seems fairly stable, gives us advertising options (sorry, it's eventually going to happen to cover the cost of upgrades, and hosting), and has the potential for opening up other platforms for us down the road. We will continue to upload new files to Soundcloud, but no longer will the back log be found there after September. Podbean seems like a great choice for us, and a lot of fantastic podcasts host on Podbean. Like I said we'll continue to put up new episodes on Soundcloud after September, but they'll only remain there for a few weeks, so if you do subscribe to us on Soundcloud, please consider subscribing to us on Podbean (iTunes, and other platforms should not be affected). But you can find us on Podbean here: https://relevant2rinterests.podbean.com/
  2. YouTube! So we have the YouTube channel, but haven't posted anything in about 3 almost 4 months. My lady was doing the video editing for us, and she was having some major computer problems, she still is. Her lap top hasn't completely given up, but she's become frustrated with the process, and so we are holding off. I may do some rudimentary videos of our most recent back log, but those will consist of the title thumbnail only, and not involve any fun images. John has a computer that he is going to give us that was built not long ago, so we will have that upgrade coming, but it won't happen until John and I are actually able to see each other, which should be in about a month. 
  3. This blog! We are going to continue to keep this going. I will be going through and slowly replacing the Soundcloud embedded players with Podbean. I'd also like to start doing written reviews again. I've done a few, but time is a very difficult beast to nail down. I'll not set goals yet, but you can at least expect to see continued posts on each episode here, as well as the occasional random post on certain topics. 

That's it for now. John and I will be looking at a few animated series over the next couple of months before we switch gears to horror movies at the end of September through October. So stay tuned for that, it's going to be a lot of fun.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Episode 72: Interview with gough The Sequel


Episode 72: Interview with gough The Sequel
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Special Guesst: gough from www.beernutsproductions.com
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John 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

GOUGH IS BACK!

This episode we chat with gough from www.beernutsproductions.com again. We start off serious and discuss the issue the handicapped in Australia and the lack of government support for programs and charities. This is all in light of gough's speech to the Australian Parliament in March of this year which you can watch here:



We also talk about a few of charities that work with the blind and vision impaired in Australia specifically including: Guide Dogs Australia, Vision Australia, Blind Citizen's Australia. All three do great work, and all three rely on public funding in order to help the folks in need. 

We then dive into Beer Nuts Productions latest film; A Day in the Life of a Personal Trainer which you can find here: https://beernutsproductions.com/product/day-life-personal-trainer/. It's a fun short film that pokes fun at, and has fun with personal trainers. It has a talented cast featuring the talented Katie Sharpe, whose name I get wrong through the first bit of this section (it's apparently what I do now). We talk about the filming process, both pre- and post-production. As well as how easy it is to find locations to film. 

And at last we finish up with ridiculous questions: what sort of weather would each of is be? The answers may surprise you. And finally gough asks John what Beer Nuts Productions next feature should be about.

This was a lot of fun, and we love having gough on, and can't wait for him to come back again. 

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Episode 71: Trollhunters Season 3



Episode 71: Trollhunters Season 3
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


Trollhunters is finished. And this episode gives our thoughts on the final series, and what we hope to see (sometimes with tongue firmly in cheek) in 3 Below and Wizards

John loves this show. I do to, but it's slight compared to John's love of this series. We have nothing but praise for it, and it's pretty apparent through all 3 episodes of the podcast that we discuss it on that we'd be hard pressed to find (or admit) to any flaws the series might have. This series is fantastic: it forces the characters to make sacrifices, and unlike many shows for children (live action and animated) they have to live with those choices and sacrifices. There's a strong focuses on family, friendship, bullying, bettering yourself and owning your mistakes. It's also a lot of fun, and if you love fantasy -particularly urban fantasy- then you need this series in your life. We of course spoil the hell of the final season in this episode of the podcast, so watch it first before you listen. 

Here's a couple of articles from Collider that have an interview with Marc Guggenheim on the series: The first is non-spoilery, the second is full of spoilers. One thing he does mention in the first part of the interview was the decision to go with Emile Hirsch for the voice of Jim Lake. As many of you may know already, Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the Star Trek reboot, died in a freak accident near the end of 2016. He voiced Jim Lake, the protagonist of this series, and it is in this season where his voice work comes to an end. The primary thought was the Mr. Hirsch, who was apparently close friends with Anton Yelchin, brought the passion for the character, and the desire to see his friends hard work come to a conclusion. Mr. Hirsch does have some controversy regarding past behavior however,  but like Jeffrey Tambor, we're not going to dive into it, as that's not the focus of the show, or the podcast in general. 

Now, just because Trollhunters is finished (and it is) doesn't mean that we don't have anything to look forward to: This article from Polygon discusses 3 Below in a bit more detail. As John and I  hoped, the Creep Slayers (Eli and Steve) from Trollhunters will have a larger role in this next series, and it's supposed to be a bit crazier in scope than Trollhunters

That's all for now. Give us your thoughts on Trollhunters if you've finished the series. And if you want to listen to all the episodes of the podcast we've done on Trollhunters
It's episode 33 and episode 56

And share your thoughts, either comment below: or shoot as a message through email or on Twitter. 


Monday, July 16, 2018

Episode 70: Deadpool 2

Episode 70: Deadpool 2
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


What can I say about Deadpool 2 that I haven't already? Well. I liked it. I liked the first one more, but I did enjoy it. I don't love it though. I don't love the character Deadpool. I think it's just too meta for my tastes and because of that the character falls flat. Which in some ways is sad as I love some of the humor of both the on screen and on page character. But something about the constant breaking of the fourth wall, and the awareness the character has for his own fiction doesn't click with me. 

That being said: there's a lot I do enjoy. Cable is great. Domino might be one of my favorite on screen comic characters (she certainly makes the top 5), and Firefist? I hope that young actor goes on to have a successful career, because he's fantastic!

One thing that John and I do bring up is the blatant trolling of theorists during the lead up to the release of the film. John and I like to throw out theories on the podcast because it's fun. Especially when we come up with crazy shit that is completely off the rails (it's better when we get from a different site, but hey it fun to make up your own.) We never take it seriously. We watch the stuff we watch for it's entertainment value first, then reflect on it after the fact. So for Deadpool, and Fox to troll the folks that take their fan theories a little too seriously was refreshing, and hilarious.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Episode 69 Star vs. Season 3




Episode 69: Star vs. Season 3
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


Star vs. The Forces of Evil season 3 really shifts focus from the first two seasons, taking and putting the action into the realm of the Mewmans and their allies, wrapping up the plot threads from the first couple of seasons with the first 5 episodes or so, and introducing ideas that appear and revealing secrets that were introduced with the second season as well. The plot reaches its darkest peak by the end of the season, concluding what I would assume is the penultimate season of this series (but maybe not) and setting up for an epic concluding season (but maybe not, this is just speculation). 

If it seems like I said a whole lot of nothing. It's because I did. Sure we spoil the season in the podcast, but go watch it first and come back to hear our take on it. John loves this series, and as it progresses I find myself becoming more and more fond of it as well. There's a certain amount of depth that is surprising for a children's cartoon. 

The two major themes that John brings up this episode are the costs of lies (from the second season) and the cost of honesty (from this season). Sometimes being honest has consequences too, and they aren't always good. This season really portrays that well, and it's definitely worth paying attention to as you watch. 

There are a number of fun "insane fan theories on this episode about Star vs. My personal favorite is that Ludo will be the ultimate hero. We'll see if it bears out, but it's still fun to think about. 







Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Episode 68: What's Interesting: Year in Review


Episode 68: What's Interesting: Year in Review
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


It's our Year in Review! A show we like to do once a year to go over the podcast from the previous year. Go over our goals for the upcoming year, and note what we succeeded on and what we did not succeed in from the previous year. We always have lofty goals, and often fall considerably short. This year is no exception, from where we hoped to be, and where we hope to go. 

First up: we switched to a mostly weekly schedule, and we've kept it up for the most part, only taking off a few weeks here and there due to illness or unforeseen events. It's also something we plan to continue with an exception of a few weeks off in early to mid July (coming up here soon), and some time off during the holidays. 

Second: We did a couple of interviews, and as John said the one we did with gough from www.beernutsproductions.com was one of his favorites. And one of mine (in fact he's going to be on episode 72). We are hoping to be able to do more interviews and have more guests going forward. There are some technical issues that we are still trying to work out, but the next episode gives me hope going forward. 

Third: More animation! We are gradually narrowing the focus of the show to cover animation and comic book films and television, and horror movies. We will be covering Avatar the Last Airbender the end of the summer, and I'm excited. 

Fourth: Moving platforms. We will be moving platforms when we get started up again. I know where we will be moving, but when it actually happens I'll be announcing it here, twitter, facebook, google + and all the usual places. 

Finally: Something we didn't talk about. The YouTube channel. Yes we do have a YouTube, and yes there is some content. When we get started again at the end of July we will begin uploading again, though the animated vids will continue to be on hiatus until our video editor can sort out all the hardware issues they are currently having. 

I'm excited. We're still having fun, and quite honestly the last year has given me the energy I need going forward. John's projects will begin to appear, hopefully before the end of this year, and I'll be helping to produce those. I also have some projects that I'll be starting as well. The next year looks bright. 

We can't wait! 

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Episode 67: Avengers Infinity War



Episode 67: Avengers Infinity War
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


Everybody and their dog has given thoughts to this film. Overall most fans, and casual movie goers liked the movie. John and I were no different. I would have liked to have seen this movie split into two films. I think it would have helped the pacing issues, and helped developed the Black Order a bit more. And like most people, John and I had an issue with some of the folks "dusted" at the end of the film.

But you can hear that, and more on our thoughts on Thanos in the episode. 

The fun stuff is the fan theories and this Bustle article pretty much sums up all of them quite nicely. (Much better than I could). I personally like Nebula killing off Thanos. I'm not a fan of the Soul Stone theory (I know, it's contrary to the comics). I'm not sure exactly where John lies, but I suspect he likes both theories quite a bit.

Regardless, I'm excited to see Avengers 4, and until then bring on Ant-man and the Wasp, and Captain Marvel

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Episode 66: A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2



Episode 66: A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


Playing catch up over the next few days with the show-notes/commentary. Not a lot for this one honestly. We both really like this series, and we both have not read any of the books. At this point I'm not inclined to read them until the series has ended so I am not spoiled by the ending. We have some theories how it's going to end, and thus, no real "Insane Fan Theories" on this episode. I love how as the series progress it dives deeper and deeper into Absurdism. The fact that the secret society are Volunteer Fire Department brings me no end of joy. The significant meaning given to mundane things is a nice subversion of theme to these sorts of stories. Also love the bit of meta that Neil Patrick Harris brings to the character of Count Olaf. I may be in the minority, but I also love the musical numbers. 

What can we say other than watch the show, then listen to the episode of the podcast. 

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Episode 64 and 65 What's Interesting and Interview with Rufusman!

Episode 64: What's Interesting: Another Video Game Episode
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


These two episodes were originally planned to be one, but we suffered from some ill timed technical difficulties. So we released what was the first part, and then recorded the next episode with Rufusman!

First up: Dragon Quest. I love JRPG's. I get that it's a genre that has never been extremely huge here in the west, and only occasionally does a game get a lot of buzz and recognition, most recently Persona 5, but Final Fantasy 15, 10, and 7 in the past. Kingdom Hearts as well (which is an action JRPG). The Dragon Quest games are great though, and if you have a 3DS then I highly recommend you pick up Dragon Quests IV - IX. It's probably about 500 to 600 hundred hours easily of entertainment between all six games.

John chat's a bit about the Santa Clarita Diet, a dark horror comedy that is available to stream on Netflix. John touches on something he's touched on in the past a bit, and that is comedy, and how it's changed for the worse in many ways. We will eventually be doing an entire episode about that with many examples, but until then check out this show. It's one that I personally haven't watched, but if I like it, we may end up chatting about it soon here on the podcast. 


And of course Far Cry 5. There's been some controversy with the game and the message it's trying to portray. Or not portray. The game does sound fun though. Regardless of the plot. I really want the dog, the cougar and the diabetic bear as my best friends. I bet you do too. 


Episode 65: What's Interesting:Interview with Rufusman
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw

Special Guest: Rufusman!
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


And here we are! An interview with Rufusman! Rufus' Kickstarter is still going on for a few more days. I apologize about the audio with this one. It was rough and we had a number of technical issues capturing it. Some of the audio was edited for clarity. Rufus is fun to talk to, and John and I may be working (together or even separately) with him in the future. If you can support his Kickstarter. There's a couple of great comics, including Yahvi that was inspired by Rufus' daughter and is written for kids. 

http://kck.st/2HCnQNz



Monday, April 23, 2018

Episode 62: Jessica Jones now on YouTube.




It's Episode 62: Jessica Jones on YouTube! If you haven't listened to it yet, then you totally should! Listen to Frank and John while seeing their magnificent beards.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Episode 63: The Punisher

Episode 63: The Punisher Season 1
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


Man! The Punisher! If you haven't watched it yet, and you're a fan of the Marvel series, you need to do that right now! It's amazing! I've used a lot of exclamation points in this first paragraph so far to make my point, but I mean it. The series is well paced, well thought out, brutal as fuck, and it has some fairly thoughtful moments. It's the least comic-y of the Netflix Marvel series. Don't get me wrong, it still has that comic-book vibe in spots, but I could easily see it as a completely unrelated series and doing well, even if the Punisher didn't exist as a character.

The series hints at social commentary with-out ever fully taking a side or becoming overtly political. Which honestly I think works. The main focus of the series is grief and PTSD neither of which should have any political side. The series never uses the "PTSD" through out it's 12 1/2 hour run. It doesn't need to. We see men haunted by things that they'd done, things that were done to them, and things that they still have an itch to do. 


It doesn't handle PTSD without fully delving into film cliches however: The radicalization of Lewis was a massive misfire in my opinion, and I agree with Michael Rougeau from Gamespot: this was a large "misfire". I think it could have been handled better, and perhaps been true of the actual real dilemma if Lewis had killed the older vet O'Connor and had to deal with the ramifications of just that. Frank Castle didn't need another analogue to his character. A "bad cop" to his "good cop." I think there was potential to deal with Lewis' tragic and all too real story (to a point) without denigrating it into the homegrown terrorist cliche we see in action films. It's not that these individuals don't exist, they do. Unfortunately. But that this is something that a series like 24 would try and do, and the Punisher is quite honestly a better thought out series than that.

The other elephant in the room is the gun-debate. Yes it does come up in the show, mostly around Lewis' character and his actions with a senator that is very pro gun control. The debate itself is... well I feel it's a non-starter. It's there to provide some fodder for Lewis' radicalization and that's all. The show stays fairly neutral in its stance* and the debate itself is a plot device. It was chosen I'm fairly sure, because it is such a topical issue right now. So while it is there, and it is front and center later on in the series, it's not something that be taken as a theme of the series, and it's not either for or against. And here's the thing: It shouldn't be a big focus of the series. The Punisher isn't here to decide the gun debate one way or the other, nor is it here to bring the debate to the table to serious discussion. The two episodes that feature the debate are quite honestly there to provide motivation and an end to Lewis' character while inching Frank Castle's plot forward. 

Now John and I did talk about a couple of charities during the episode, and we want to make sure they get a mention again: I talk a little about The Wounded Warrior Project, which is a fantastic charity helping vets and their families. If you're a veteran and you're not a member you can check out the website and see what they do. You can also donate, which I encourage you to do. The other charity is Pet's for Vets. I love he idea of this one as it gives animals a new friend and family member and it gives the vet a loyal companion as well. I love getting pet's into peoples lives so this is another one I highly endorse. 


All that said, The Punisher is fantastic. If you can handle the brutal violence that the series has to offer, and the emotional violence as well, then perhaps binge it in a weekend. If you're like John and I however, take your time with it. Watch a few episodes in a sitting and let things gel. But whatever you do, give it a watch, especially if you're a Marvel fan, it's worth watching.

*It's very much worth arguing that Frank Castle, the character would be very pro-gun, and because of that the show itself is pro-gun. The thing is, it's never really preachy, even when the gun debate comes to the front of the series. HOWEVER, I feel if the debate ever did come up in the serious it would be considerably nuanced, at least until it wasn't any more. The show, when dealing with gun-violence, is very much still a "Hollywood" affair. It may treat the subject more seriously than say, John Wick, but it's still very much grounded in that language of cinema. 

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Episode 61: Black Panther now on Youtube!

We don't have a new episode this week, John and I were both down with different sickness. I had lost my voice, and John took a trip to one of his favorite places: The Hospital.

Ok. Maybe not.

But we do have a new Youtube video for you. It's Ep. 61: Black Panther. If you haven't listened to it, you should. It's definitely worth a listen I think. Moreover check it out to see what sort of shenanigans our video editor catalia did with it. She's been super busy, but she'll be getting back into the full swing of things again here in the next week or so, you'll see more content both old and new uploaded.

Friday, April 6, 2018

Episode 62: Jessica Jones Season 2


Episode 62: Jessica Jones Season 2
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


It's our discussion about Jessica Jones season 2. Overall we liked it. Well, to be fair I really liked it. John had a few issues: namely Jerri Hogarth. Now he does like the character, he just feels like she'd fit in better... someplace else. In another series. He's a lot clearer during the episode, and it's something that we disagree on.

We struggle to find a theme to this season. Season one is concretely about abuse, with Killgrave being the primary villain. This season is about... learning that you can move on. Jessica Jones mother is a force to be reckoned with in the season, and is a bad guy, in the sense that she has a negative impact on Jessica's life, but she's not evil. Nobody is really (except Jerri). Selfish? Sure. Idealistic? Maybe. But evil. Nope. None of the villains are really villains. 


But I think that's going to change next season. I honestly think the central conflicts will come from Jerri, who manipulates Chen and Malcolm against Jessica, and from Trish who is going to come out swinging with her own powers. What will be the reasoning for it be? I have no idea. But I'm excited to watch it. 

Speaking of next season: still no announcement about it from Netflix or ABC Studios. I'm optimistic and hopeful we'll hear something soon. I'm loving what Marvel and Netflix has done so far (with one notable exception) and I can't wait to see more of Miss Jones. There are folks who are as optimistic as I am

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Episode 61: Black Panther

Episode 61: Black Panther
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John 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


Black Panther! This movie is fantastic, and we spill that opinion right off the bat going in. I manage to mangle the characters as I do, which, let's be honest was stupid of me, but that doesn't change our opinion of this film. 

John and I both feel, like many other critics and commentators (I'm not sure if we fit into either one of those categories) that this is important. Being written, directed, and having an almost entirely black cast and reaching the height of popularity that this film has is an important milestone in cinema. But...

John and I aren't qualified to speak about black identity politics, are the black experience. Neither of us are people of color, just two white guys from Utah, so we can't speak from a position of experience, but despite the topic of our podcast we do watch the news, we can see what's happening. Black Panther is not going to solve any of the problems that the black community faces in the United States. I could and perhaps should go into a tirade about mass incarceration, police brutality and income inequality of POC, but I'll save that for my personal blog and instead end with John's thought about Killmonger: "He's not wrong." No, he's not, his solution might not be the right way to solve the issue, but Killmonger isn't wrong. 

I'll leave it at that. I may personally write more on this on my personal blog, but until then please be in touch. Let us know you're thoughts we'd love to hear from you!

-Frank

Thursday, March 29, 2018

IT'S THROWBACK THURSDAY!






We're going back to our review of Luke Cage on Episode 29. We're joined by our friend D'Artagnon Wells where the conversations meanders from Pandemic Cthulhu, the Arrowverse, nihilistic children, and to video games before getting to the meat of the episode on Luke Cage. If you missed back then, listen now! It was a fun conversation and we want to have D'Artagnon back on the show again soon.


Episode 29: Luke Cage
Hosts: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Special Guest: D'Artagnon Wells
Produced by Hobos in the Back Row
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell
Intro Music: Piano Sonata mvnt 1 by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Piano Sonata mvnt 3 by F.G. Shaw

Friday, March 23, 2018

Episode 60: Castlevania the Animated Series

Episode 60: Castlevania the Animated Series
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: John 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


John and I have a lot to say about this four episode series (so far). I liked it. John had some major issues, and he's complaints are not unfounded. The series, written by Warren Ellis has a tone of anti-religion to it, and that's not surprising given Warren Ellis' personal philosophy (which is heavily Humanist). I think the biggest sticking point for John is the mistreatment of the source material. The series is heavily based off Castlevania 3, and the series ignores some of the established lore of that game. 

One way to make the series more approachable, and make more logical sense for the narrative is to treat the first episode like a flashback episode and postpone it till last, or between episode 3 and 4. This helps the narrative flow, and puts less emphasis on Dracula, who is the focal point of that first episode. It's a recommendation, and one of the reasons I liked the series so much can likely be attributed to watching it in this manner.

That said, how do you feel about the series? Did you like series? Or did you feel like it was too ignorant of the source material. Let us know, we'd love your thoughts.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Throw-back Thursday! Ep. 15 Jessica Jones on Youtube.

It's one of our more serious discussions (we used to have those now and then) on Jessica Jones season 1. We'll be talking about the second season very soon here, but until then, for throwback Thursday here's the new YouTube vid for it, as well as our original notes:



Episode 15: Jessica Jones
Hosts: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Special guest: Matthew Ivan Bennett
Produced by Hobos in the Back Row
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston and Matthew Ivan Bennett
Edited by: Frank Shaw 
Intro Music: Piano Sonata mvnt 1 by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

John and I are joined by playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett on this episode of the podcast to discuss Jessica Jones: What are our thoughts on the Netflix series? How does it portray female superheros? How well does it portray the survivor of domestic abuse? What are our thoughts about what's to come for Marvel Netflix series? We try to answer all those questions and more in the podcast.


There is one question we discuss above that have better sources than what we three are able to give and that's the matter of the survivor of domestic abuse. To start with here are several links where women give their response to Jessica Jones and how it portrays the victim/survivor role of Jessica in the series.



I have little commentary about the following links because the content is not to be sugarcoated, and nothing I say can do the job of the articles original authors. Each and every one of the following articles is worth a read, especially if you've watched Jessica Jones.



Here is the first link.
Here's the second link.
Here is a link to a Cracked article right in line with the previous two. 
And finally, here's a link with information about being "gas lighted" or psychology abused and manipulated.



None of the above links are particularly light reads. As well they shouldn't be. It's a pretty nasty topic but is something that needs to be addressed, and confronted. As you'll read in the articles, Jessica Jones does a great  job of doing just that.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Video for Episode 59: What's Interesting: Oscars, games and stuff.

Hey, it's the video for Episode 59: What's Interesting. Give it a watch, there's a lot of fun stuff in this episode, and if you haven't listened to it yet then it's worth a watch.




If you want to submit questions for John's Bad Advice, then you can email us at: relevant2rinterests@gmail.com
Tweet @r2interests, @lojakz or @jrbelliston on Twitter or leave a comment down below. We'd love to read your questions on the show. 

Friday, March 16, 2018

Episode 59: What's Interesting: Oscars, Games and Stuff


Episode 59: What's Interesting: Oscars, Games and Stuff
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell 
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

So the Oscars have come and gone, and John actually likes the movie that won this year. Neither of us are big on the Oscars, which is odd for us being a podcast primarily about movies and television, but for those that haven't figured it out: John's primarily interested in cartoons -both mature and children's, animated feature film, and genre TV shows. I am interested in all that too, but I'm also into movies. I like the serious films, but I love the quirky independent movies right along side the bizzare b-grade sci-fi. So when we talk about a movie, unless I'm doing a solo episode (as I've done in the past) then we're talking about stuff that appeals to both of us, or that John really hates or has some level criticism for. The Shape of Water is one of those rare Oscar-bait movies that appeals to John. I haven't seen it (yet), but the fact that it won best picture makes our idiosyncratic corner of the internet a little bit happier. 

Now for Breath of the Wild and Golf Story. If you're a Zelda fan and you haven't played this game yet, go find a copy of it and play it! It's amazing! Despite it's flaws it'll astound you. 

Golf Story was a quirky surprise. I went off on the developers about it on my @lojakz Twitter account because of how much I hated the disc golf segments. I really, really hated them. But the rest of the game is great, especially if you like retro arcade style golf games and RPG's. I don't know what it is about the mixing of both of those genres, but it really worked here. So if you have a Switch, and some spare change, pick this up on the E-shop

Michael B. Jordan is an awesome guy! That is all there is to say about that. 

The Grimlock MtG card I didn't know much about. It was released (along with the cards Nerf War and the Sword of Dungeons and Dragons) for HASCON (Hasbro Con) 2017. It's not a cheap card by any means as there's not a lot in print. John's brother is amazing, that's all that can be said about that. I look forward to playing against John on his next visit and seeing his new commander deck in action.

The thoughts on modern cartoons? Well this has been a theme throughout this podcast. We've discussed Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Duck Tales, Gravity Falls, and Stephen's Universe at length. There's a lot more discussion coming up. John feels strongly about animation, and I love it because it's a nice escape after the grinding news day (or the grinding day at work). We'll be dived into are thoughts on modern cartoons and we'll dig deeper as we talk about later seasons of those series, plus jump into shows like: Samurai Jack, Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Kora, Wakfu, Adventure Time and a whole lot more. 

So that brings us to synesthesia: John's brief explanation, and our discussion doesn't even come close to scratching the surface. Wikipedia is the place to start. I know little about the topic other than what I learned in music history classes years ago, and some conversations with musicians that have it. John's experience may be unique, and the conversation I think gives a little insight to you, the listener, on John and perhaps some of the quirks of the podcast as well. The conversation going forward is fascinating and I know John will be doing more research. If any listeners happen to have synesthesia please reach out to us, we'd love to talk to you about it and get your perspective. 

Finally: John's Bad Advice. 
Don't ever take his advice, even when I say that it sounds like sound advice. It's terrible, it really is. That being said, you should totally submit questions to John's Bad Advice. We will feature you on the show, and if you give us permission we'll use your whole name. 

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Throwback Thursday! Episode 1: Daredevil Season 1 now on YouTube!

Hey folks!

It's come to our attention here at Relevant to Our Interests (Relevant 2 R Interests) that we've got a large backlog of episodes. So we thought it might be a brilliant idea to start doing Throwback Thursdays. Especially as we are slowly creating videos and uploading our back catalogue to YouTube, it's time to share some of the old content here in the new form.

So without further ado:




And for those that want to listen to the original episode, check it out on Soundcloud here!





Saturday, March 10, 2018

Episode 58: A Series of Unfortunate Events



Episode 58: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John 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



Man! What I can I say about this series that we didn't already talk about in the podcast? Not a lot honestly. I'm very excited for season 2. In fact here's the trailer for season 2 and it looks amazing 


Until season 2 releases we really don't have much more to talk about. Neither John or myself have read the books, but we both love the series. Listen to the episode to hear all our thoughts, but know that if you haven't seen season 1 yet, we have no compunction about spoiling the plot.

*We want to acknowledge that we did get the sequence of events wrong in our summary for episode 6 of the series. The kids do go to the restaurant with Mr. Poe and Count Olaf before they discover the code and go to rescue Aunt Josephine. 

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Episode 57 What's Interesting: Valentines Day, What's John Watching?

Episode 57: What's Interesting: VD, John's Watching
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell 
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

So, to start with I chat about my Valentines day. I talk a bit about what me and my Lady did. 
Here's a pic of the mug and some of the Maker's Mark, and the whiskey stones in their bag. 


The bourbon is almost gone, the stones are fun, but honestly? I love that mug. I drink out of it nearly all the time now. And not just alcohol. I do want to put up a correction: During the podcast I said I got my lady a lily, that was incorrect: it was actually an orchid, which is a cooler flower in my opinion. 

The other thing I want to plug is the YouTube channel! We have one now, and we're slowly getting content uploaded. As of writing this there are four videos uploaded. We're currently getting about 2 up every week and a half, but that pace will quicken. They consist of still images over the audio, but my Lady is doing some fun stuff with them. Check it out and subscribe. Watch some of the episodes that you're curious about. Hell if you wonder what John and I look like, it's worth watching about 5 minutes just to see us... or not. 
Here's the video for this episode:



John's been playing a lot of Destiny 2, and while he does he has Netflix or Hulu on to help break up the monotony of the grind. He talks about three separate series he's been watching. 

First up: Comedy Bang Bang! This bizarre talk show on IFC has some very surreal funny moments. I personally have only watched the first season, but if you like bizarre comedy this is worth checking out. You can watch full episodes at the IFC page for the series here. Scott Aukerman also does a podcast for the show here.

John's also been watching Part's Unknown with Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain is the real deal. And lover him or hate him, you can't deny that he's not being himself. I have yet had the chance to watch Part's Unknown, but it's on my list. Here's the website for the series. It's worth checking out. 

Finally! John's started watching the Joel McHale Show. It's a weekly talk show releasing on Netflix starring that one guy... Joel McHale. I honestly had to see a picture of him to remember who he was. I guess I need to sit down and watch Community. If you're a Netflix subscriber, then just search for it and it'll be the first option that appears. 

Also... John's Bad Advice!

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Episode 56: Trollhunters 2




Episode 56: Trollhunters 2
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw

"Cat Angry Hissing" soundque provided by promete from freesound.org 
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw


Trollhunters 2!

So the more I watch of this series, the more excited I get. When John First told me about it, I was luke-warm to the idea. Despite appearances, John and I don't always have the same taste in things. That said this animated series is quickly elbowing its way into my top 10. By the end of the first season I was hooked, and this second season just wasn't enough. 

The insane fan theories are not so insane. I think it's going to be fun to see exactly what we were right (and wrong about). Who's Jim's dad? Will Angor Rot come back? Who is Morgana/the Pale Lady? 

Tales of Arcadia of course was announced. John has much more knowledge than I do (as is indicated in the podcast). But one things for certain, you can bet we'll be talking about it. 




Saturday, February 10, 2018

Episode 55: Interview with gough and more.



Episode 55: Interview with gough and more!
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Special Guesst: gough from www.beernutsproductions.com
Scripting by Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw
Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw

It was a lot of fun talking with gough from www.beernutsproductions.com. The interview went well, and we have a lot of laughs throughout. It's definitely worth a listen. If you want to know more then about gough then I highly recommend you check out his documentary about his life I Will Not Go Quietly. It's on honest look at his life, and the first film he produced and directed through Beernuts Productions. The interview was so much fun that both John and I are hoping to have him on again in the near future. 

As for the rest of the podcast!

Root-beer floats! In the spirit of delicious root beer floats here's my recipe for a root beer float:
2 (or 3 if you want to be greedy) scoops of vanilla, vanilla bean, or french vanilla ice-cream in a tall glass. It should be your favorite brand, or if you're like me, the brand that you happened to have on hand. Fill with root beer (once again any kind you happen to have on hand) until a nice foamy head forms on the top. Enjoy! If you were expecting something more, well, it's a root-beer float. They're pretty simple. Sorry to disappoint. 

Of course John talks a bit more about Starfinder. It does look awesome, and I hope to be able to delve into it a bit more myself. If you are a tabletop gamer check out the rules that have been made available here. 

As to the continuing Donald Duck conversation: here you can find link to the episode and the comment thread below. And go here to see the show notes from the last podcast, which has links to the Tony Anselmo interview. 

And as always, if you'd like to submit a question for John's Bad Advice, you can comment here, shoot us a comment or direct-message on twitter @r2interests, send us a message on Facebook @relevant2rinterests, or email us at relevant2rinterests@gmail.com, and John will give you a response to the message directly, and an answer on the show.