Episode 39: Chips Are Free. Dinner Extra.
Matthew Wrather hosts as Matthew Belinkie, Peter Fenzel, and Ryan Sheely overthink guilty pop cultural pleasures, Dante’s Inferno (the movie based on the video game), the Jack Bauer cowboy/superhero myth, sexting, the Home Alone Syndrome, improbable sequels, and movie songs that tell you the plot of the movie.
Listeners from North Dakota: Please visit Paradiso restaurant (www.paradiso.com) and send us some pictures.
Tell us what you think! Email podcast AT overthinkingit DOT com or call 20-EAT-LOG-01—that’s (203) 285-6401. If you haven’t yet, take the very short survey! And… spread the overthinking by forwarding this episode to a friend. (It’s not chain main, but we promise something good will happen if you do.)
sarielthrawn on Tue, 31st Mar 2009 5:14 pmWhat does it say about Jill Sobule’s “I kissed a girl” when she has superhunk Fabio playing her husband in the filmclip?
Pianodan on Tue, 31st Mar 2009 10:17 pmA few comments
On “Who watches the watcher”
Another good example would be the “Foundation” series by Isaac Asimov, which starts out as “Let’s have the society set up so it is governed by inevitable forces of sociology.” It is later revealed that a second society is actually secretly controlling the first one. Later, there turns out to be yet a third layer.
On “The Inferno”
If you haven’t, read the Larry Niven version of “The Inferno” from the 1970s. It’s a quick read, basically envisioning a modern trip through the same hell, and envisioning how it would have changed since Dante’s time.
On heros who are apart from their society
I’m surprised no one mentioned “The Seven Samurai” which to me is the archetypal film of this type. You could also bring up “Shane” if you really wanted.
Matthew Belinkie on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 10:07 am@Pianodan -
Seven Samurai is a great example. The society actually goes out to find heroes, brings them back, and then kicks them out when the job is done. Real heroes (of this type) don’t get a parade down main street. Real heroes die alone and unmourned. It’s the fact that they know and accept this that makes them heroic.
Gab on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 3:52 pmBack to the oldschool format (on the site)?
Anyhoo, y’all should take the Dante’s Inferno test to see where you end up.
http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-test.mv
sheely on Wed, 1st Apr 2009 4:20 pmapril fooooooooooooolz.
Gab on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 1:09 amCrapus maximus, I totally forgot it was April Fool’s Day. Fell for it. Fell for it like a ::insert witty simile here::.
perich on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 11:57 amSo, inspired by Belinkie, I went Googling for “Everything Louder than Everything Else.” He’s right -- it’s not terribly popular. The only format I could find it in online was an anime fan video:
perich on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 2:03 pmAlso – here’s a good article on the “sexting” trial, and the ensuing counter-lawsuit, that you were talking about:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/us/26sextext.html
Matthew Belinkie on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 4:58 pmHave you guys been watching that Unaccompanied Minors commercial? I love it. It may be my favorite commercial ever. It’s just wonderful.
lee on Thu, 2nd Apr 2009 9:03 pm@Perich: that video made my day.
Also, thoroughly entertaining episode. It was one of those, “try not to laugh out loud and look like an idiot while riding the subway” kinds of episodes.
Randombilly (from Orlando) on Wed, 8th Apr 2009 1:51 pmSo I found that compilation that Belinkie was talking about..
Good times…
Randombilly (from Orlando) on Wed, 8th Apr 2009 1:52 pmWhat the?? Well fine, it won’t embed.
Here’s the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arL04K3HLMw