The Review Show The Whatnauts

Episode 294. We chow down on the first two volumes of Chew, the 2009 comic from John Layman and Rob Guillory. Whenever Tony Chu eats something, he gets a psychic impression of its history. He can see where produce was grown or how meat was slaughtered, or if he bites a dead body, he can see that person's last moments. He uses this power as an agent for the FDA, solving bizarre food-related crimes in a world where where chicken has been outlawed and is now treated as an illicit substance. We discuss the nonstop antics, scribbled-in background jokes, the narrative's slow release of info on the deadly bird flu that led to the chicken ban, and character designs modeled after actors from Lost.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:04) - Welcome and banter

(01:20) - Non-spoiler thoughts on Chew vol. 1-2

(10:37) - Housekeeping

(14:50) - Spoilers!! Chew vol. 1-2

(01:01:43) - Review Show Bingo

(01:05:13) - Recommendations

(01:14:58) - What we are discussing next episode

(01:16:05) - Outro


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Episode 293. We run from a bi-plane right into a discussion on Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 thriller North by Northwest! Roger Thornhill is caught up in a web of espionage and danger after he's mistaken for a secret agent, and this humdrum advertising exec has to play the action hero to get out of this conspiracy alive. We share our experiences going to the Fathom Events theatrical screening for this movie's 65th anniversary, its influence on spy stories, the surprising amount of humor, unconvincing makeout scenes, and Kyle's galaxy brain theory about how the main characters are dead at the end of the movie.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:04) - Welcome and banter

(02:49) - Non-spoiler thoughts on North By Northwest

(15:51) - Housekeeping

(20:32) - Spoilers!! North By Northwest

(01:14:34) - Review Show Bingo

(01:18:41) - Recommendations

(01:27:09) - What we are discussing next episode

(01:30:49) - Outro


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Episode 292. In preparation for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we caught up on the trilogy of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). These films act as a prequel to the original 1968 movie, showing how apes gained human intelligence and eventually drove humans out of their civilization. We discuss the sub-genres in each movie, from prison break to political thriller, the impressive mo-cap performances and thoughtful world-building, if a gorilla could really ride a horse, and the "Old Spice" aesthetic of epicness from the late 2000s.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:04) - Welcome and banter

(03:40) - Non-spoiler thoughts on The Planet of the Apes Trilogy

(16:22) - Housekeeping

(20:23) - Spoilers!! The Planet of the Apes Trilogy

(01:13:15) - Review Show Bingo

(01:19:31) - Recommendations

(01:27:36) - What we are discussing next episode

(01:29:05) - Outro


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Episode 291. We conclude Apple April by watching season one of the Apple TV+ espionage drama, Slow Horses. MI5 agents who have notorious failures but who aren't incompetent enough to be fired are demoted to Slough House, an outpost where they do menial tasks under the command of the misanthropic Jackson Lamb. This team of misfits has a chance to prove themselves when they stumble upon a kidnapping conspiracy that may have been orchestrated by one of their own M15 bosses. We discuss how the show builds on its ensemble cast and knows exactly when to give you more time with a supporting character, the balance of dumb mistakes with genuine clever spycraft, and a scene where Gary Oldman farts that will make all dads stand up and clap.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:04) - Welcome and banter

(04:05) - Non-spoiler thoughts on Slow Horses s1

(13:52) - Housekeeping

(20:04) - Spoilers!! Slow Horses s1

(01:00:49) - Review Show Bingo

(01:07:32) - Recommendations

(01:15:29) - What we are discussing next episode

(01:19:35) - Outro


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Episode 290. It's Apple April, where we're exploring content from Apple TV+. This week is the first season of Hello Tomorrow!, a 2023 workplace dramedy set in a retro-futuristic world. Jack Billings left his family behind to become a traveling salesman for Brightside, a timeshare development on the moon. When his son unknowingly attends one of his sales seminars, he decides to take the boy under his wing as a new employee, waiting until the right moment to reveal that he's his long-absent father. This isn't Jack's only secret, and the moon might not be the ideal destination he promises. We discuss the show's themes of hard truths vs. gentle lies, what it means to believe in a dream and fake it until you make it, the impressive production design, and robot hands.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:04) - Welcome and banter

(04:03) - Non-spoiler thoughts on Hello Tomorrow!

(15:40) - Housekeeping

(19:05) - Spoilers!! Hello Tomorrow!

(01:20:54) - Review Show Bingo

(01:24:15) - Recommendations

(01:37:11) - What we are discussing next episode

(01:42:26) - Outro


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Episode 289. We're discussing Jordan Peele's 2019 horror film Us, about a family whose beach house is invaded by horrifying dopplegangers of themselves, after the mother survived an encounter with one of them when she was younger. We discuss the puzzling origin of these doubles and the unnerving abruptness of the movie's ending, dream logic, liminal spaces, and buff nerds.

(00:00) - Intro

(00:04) - Welcome and banter

(01:35) - Non-spoiler thoughts on Us

(13:41) - Housekeeping

(17:21) - Spoilers!! Us

(01:05:04) - Review Show Bingo

(01:13:16) - Recommendations

(01:21:27) - What we are discussing next episode

(01:24:37) - Outro


★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★