For a sci-fi author known for his dense and trippy short stories, Philip K Dick has had a surprising amount of breezy action movies made from his work. Chief among those adaptations is Total Recall, the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring, Paul Verhoven-directed film that injects visceral thrills into the ontological puzzle box of Dick's original short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale". Total Recall presents a ebullient but deadly world of spies in space, but under the fun lie deep questions about the the nature of reailty and whether we can choose who we really are. And yes, it's got a lady with three breasts in it.
In this episode, we discuss interfacing with Dick through his adaptations, the way his work conflates memory and identity, entry-level mindfuckery, Verhoven's mastery of American satire, the film's exploration of colonialism in space, the persistence of the male narrative in cyberpunk, Barsoom and Red Mars, trusting your educated audience, and why Schwarzenegger is the perfect everyspaceman. We also talk about the science of Marvel fatigue, the Thin Graphite Line, gritty undertones and raw emotional subtext, asking if the kids know Arnold, a Dick deep dive, Regarding Henry, smartly dumb films, Mars as a projection screen, "pantsing", a Italo Calvino nightmare, the World Wide Coffee Klatsch, and vampires are so hot right now (and later).
I wish I had three ears!
The new edition of Lyda's book, Ressurection Code, is out now!
https://wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/books-by-lyda-morehouse/resurrection-code/
Join Kaliban on Twitch weekdays at 12pm for the Cyber Lunch Hour!
http://twitch.tv/justenoughtrope
Put Just Enough Trope merch on your body!
http://justenoughtrope.threadless.com
MLOP is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!
http://www.twitter.com/monalisaoverpod
http://www.justenoughtrope.com
http://www.instagram.com/monalisaoverpod
https://discord.gg/7E6wUayq
Buy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!
https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.