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This week, we review the 1999 romantic heist film, "The Thomas Crown Affair."



- Were the Geeks on the same page with this movie, or was this another contentious review?

- What did the Geeks think about the heist aspect of the money? Was it still enough of a heist movie with certain elements missing or downplayed and the movie also being half romantic drama?

- How "heisty" is this remake compared to it's original as well as other movies like the "Ocean's" trilogy, "The Italian Job," and "Great Muppet Caper"? Someone on the internet created a spreadsheet on the topic, and Todd had numbers.

- Does a viewer need to adjust moral expectations when watching heist movies, considering the protagonists are thieves?

- Which plot holes do the Geeks recognize in the movie? Do they get in the way of enjoying it?

- This movie is from 1999. Why does one Geek say that post-9/11 thinking affects our judgment of whether certain aspects of the movie make sense today?

- Was Thomas Crown a likable protagonist despite being an ultra-privileged billionaire who's committing a crime & trying to get away with it, just for fun?

- What did the guys think about the Katherine Banning character, including her intelligence, skills, complicated motivations, sexual allure, and being played by an actress in her 40s instead of the more typical 20s or 30s?

- Does Katherine go too far using her sexuality to investigate Thomas Crown, and is Michael out of line in his confrontation toward her about it?

- How fitting did the Geeks think the music was for the movies?

- And, what superhero movie was rolled to be reviewed sometime in the (hopefully) near future (when Andruw can join us again, because this pick is his)?



Listen now for the answers to these and other artsy fartsy questions as we investigate..."The Thomas Crown Affair."



You can join our Discerning Geeks Portal server on Discord and/or send us an e-mail at discerninggeeks@gmail.com. You can request a certain series, season, and episode title of a Star Trek episode for Todd to review in verbal & written form, via e-mail or the Star Trek channel on our Discord Server.



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Folks, you're missing out if you haven't seen "The Fall Guy." The Geeks recently saw the new action/romantic-comedy in the theater (one of them twice), and now they're reviewing & recommending it to you, our discerning stunt team.



- This movie is part action movie, part romantic comedy. For the action part, it's a "love letter" for stunt people. What did the Geeks think about the stunts in the movie?

- Which scenes, stunts, moments, techniques, and running gags did the Geeks enjoy in the movie?

- When Todd went to see this a 2nd time by himself, how successful was his attempt to write notes in a dark theater?

- Three of the Geeks saw the movie, but only two Geeks could make it for the review. What was one of the complaints of the Geek who couldn't record?

- How convincing was the romantic comedy portion? Were the performances, dialogue, and editing, good enough to fill in any blanks that we didn't see on camera, while Colt & Jody were apart? Did Ryan Gossling & Emily Blunt have good chemistry when their characters were reunited?

- How well were the action & romantic comedy aspects blended together? Through the writing, directing, and editing, did the two genres fit together well?

- In the spoiler section, what was one Geek's issues with the plot and the movie-within-a-movie, "Metalstorm"?

- What comparison did one Geek make between "The Fall Guy" and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King"?

- What surprise twist at the end did one Geek think was one of the best jokes in the movie?

- Was "Metalstorm" more "Mad Max," "Rebel Moon," or a little of both?

- If Dave Teague were still alive (not to be confused with Dave Shutt, who's still with us; he's fine, folks), what would Dave have thought about this movie, in general, and also about the end credits being refreshingly short?

- How would this movie have been received if it had come out in the '90s?

- What grade would Dave Teague have given this movie?

- And, bringing topics together, what ultra-bloody 1980s action movie, still a Dave Teague pick left on our list, did the Geeks randomly roll for a future review?



Listen now for the answers to these and other death-defying, safety-tested questions as we take the plunge with, "The Fall Guy."



NOTE: After the SPOILER SECTION starts, you can SKIP AHEAD to 01:08:33 for SPOILER-FREE ratings, the roll for a future topic, salutations, and some trivia about the Fall Guy theme song, "The Unknown Stuntman."



You can e-mail us at discerninggeeks@gmail.com or join our Discord server. You can challenge Todd to watch & review any episode of Star Trek by requesting the series, season, and episode title, via e-mail or Discord.



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We are back with a review of a 2024 movie, "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." Dave, Preston, and Todd, all saw this in the theater together recently, and all liked it.



- Did the Geeks think this movie was fun? Was the comedy good?

- How well did the movie handle its older characters from the original movies?

- Were there too many characters?

- Were the character interactions & relationships a plus or a minus?

- What was the target audience for this movie? Was it clear? Did the movie successfully reach who it meant to?

- Were the plot & pacing good in this movie? Were there any flaws in those areas?

- Which Geek had a few nitpicks (directed at Sony) with the audio & visuals?

- What were the opinions of the teenage Phoebe Spengler character and her interactions with a young humanoid ghost? Was this movie's version of Phoebe true to the character introduced in the previous movie?

- Why did more people not see this movie? Did it not connect well enough with audiences? Are chances hurt for another Ghostbusters movie?

- What bizarre way does one of the Geeks rank the four Ghostbusters movies?

- From the theater concessions, which of the two "Deadpool & Wolverine" themed sodas tasted good or bad to one of our Geeks?

- And, which Geek groaned this time at the thing we randomly rolled to review coming soon?



Listen now for the answers to these and other haunting questions as we finally thaw out, "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."



You can send us an e-mail at discerninggeeks@gmail.com, or you can join up on our new Discord server. If you'd like to challenge Todd to watch and review a certain Star Trek episode, send him the exact series, season, and episode title, via an e-mail or Discord.



Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.



At the very beginning, Todd mentions a desire to check out the upcoming movie, "The Fall Guy." Since the recording of this episode, "The Fall Guy" has premiered to good reviews but disappointing box office. Dave, Todd, and Preston, went to see it in its second week, and two of them recorded a review that will be coming soon. In the meantime, here's a spoiler for the review... Two of the Geeks really liked it, and one Geek was less impressed but didn't hate it.


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Part 2 of Todd & Preston's Drive-Time Chat #06 continues with the following topics.



- TV shows that only lasted two seasons (at least 19 shows mentioned)

- Preston's Wrestling Corner

- Todd's Star Trek Challenge

- Upcoming topics on the podcast: "The Thomas Crown Affair," Ranking MCU Phase 2, "Army of Darkness," Favorite Multi-Episode TV Stories, and "Real Genius"

- A tangent about real-world stuff, particularly the teaching profession

- The excellent music teacher movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" and the recent reaction video of it on the "Popcorn In Bed" YouTube channel



Please join our new Discord server. You can send us an e-mail at discerninggeeks@gmail.com. Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.



If there is an episode of any Star Trek series you would like Todd to watch and review, request the show, season, and episode title via e-mail or our Discord server.


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It's time for another Drive-Time Chat with Todd & Preston. As usual, they packed in more topics (and side tangents) than they expected, so be on the lookout for Part 2. For now, here's what they they cover in Part 1.



- "X-Men ’97" first half of season 1

- "Shogun" (up to the penultimate episode for Todd; no spoilers; Preston is still catching up)

- "The Rookie" season 6 so far

- "9-1-1" season 7 so far

- Jerry Stiller

- "The Ark" (when is season 2 coming out?!?)

- "Invincible" season 2

- "After Midnight With Taylor Tomlinson"

- "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace"

- Cancellation of "Quantum Leap" revival after two seasons :(

- Animated "Justice League" series and other shows that lasted two seasons

- "Twin Peaks," "Dune" (1984), and David Lynch

- Todd’s Star Trek Challenge



Listen now for the discussion on these topics and more. Then, open up Discord and join our new Discerning Geeks Portal server.



@@ Todd's Star Trek Challenge @@

Make Todd watch and review any episode of Star Trek (that he has access to, which may not include "Prodigy" at the moment). Pick any series, any season, and any episode. It can even be a fan-made episode or film on YouTube, as Todd really enjoyed "Star Trek Continues" recently. Send the episode request via the Discord server or by e-mail at discerninggeeks@gmail.com. Once Todd watches the episode, he will review it in both podcast form (here and/or on the Fandom Variables podcast) and in written form, on the DGP Discord server and at Medium.com.



Please rate or review our podcast wherever you listen to us. Thank you.


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This week, we take a...hopefully discerning...look into the British musical horror comedy web series, "Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared." Technically, this is just season 1, which only takes about 35 minutes to watch six episodes, and somehow this led to our 2nd-longest podcast episode ever.



- What were the co-hosts' general feelings about this web series. Which one(s) found it at least entertaining, if not meaningful; and which one(s) found it frustratingly nonsensical & pointless? Can you guess which Geek was which?

- What exactly were the motivations behind the makers of this web series? How much do the Geeks agree and/or disagree on those motivations?

- One Geek referred to at least part of the project as cohesive & having meaning. Which Geek was the first to grunt at such a notion?

- What was the significance of June 19th in the web series?

- What was the main redeeming quality that one critical Geek gave the web series?

- Did the Geeks feel the series had any successful horror or comedy elements?

- What was the explanation behind the title of the series, and did it make any sense to the other Geeks?

- What one-time scoring system did one Geek come up with specifically for this web series?

- How did this review lead to references to Star Trek, Pink Floyd, urine, Shakespeare, Bluey, N.C. State basketball, Lost, philosophers Plato & Diogenes, a BBC show called "Ghost Watch," the movie "Dead Poets Society," and Elon University's one-month winter terms?



Listen now for the answers to these and other cryptic questions as we try...with varied success...to make sense of..."Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared" (season 1).



You can now join us on our new Discord channel. Just login to Discord and look for Discerning Geeks Portal. You can send us an e-mail at discerninggeeks@gmail.com.



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