Kickers of Elves
Deep dives into art and media. We did five years dissecting Deep Space Nine with The Rules of Acquisition. Star Trek will break your heart. We went all in on David Lynch and broke some of those podcasts. That was fun. Now? Biding our time to see what else breaks. Hopefully not us.
Episodes
You like Predator movies, right? So do we/
How does Predator Badlands work if you only view it as a stand alone move vs a movie setting up a whole trilogy or series? Wade and Hugh have different opinions.
Plus, hey Wings of Desire is on Criterion maybe check it out.
For more thoughts on criticism and politics, plus... religion? hold on. Check out the patreon
https://www.patreon.com/posts/145381410
While KoE works on an upcoming project; Wade, James, and Hugh talk about the state of criticism, the state of media literacy, and how that relates to Culture, past and present. Why don't certain people even pretend to read books anymore?
After this the discussion switches over to recent politics. Which you can access on the patreon if that's your thing:
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
We talk about One Battle After Another, but then get caught up in what others might think of his tenth movie *cough* Quentin, where's your last movie? *cough*
What directors are in text streams together?
Just how humane a filmmaker is Paul Thomas Anderson and how does he compare to Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Ari Aster, Guillermo Del Toro, Martin Scorcese, and -of course- the Coen Brothers?
We go back to the old ways: Three of us having disagreements about a science fiction television show.
We talk a while about Noah Hawley as craftsman and artist, and what we think about the first four episodes of Alien: Earth on FX.
Find more of us talking over at Patreon!
Why is Wade crying all the time? What a wimp.
Was Superman good?
How does Superman, a movie we all watched, compare with Fantastic Four, a movie only Hugh saw?
Is Supes anti-Israel? Does it have first act problems?
Are we as a nation ready to walk away from super hero movies?
What would Benjamin Sisko have to say about the retro futurism of the Fantastic Four?
In Kickers of Elves fashion, we let the conversation wind all over t...
We're living in a transitional moment for American history. So lets talk about the Western in cinema and American identity.
Was this simply a tense movie about how we all lost our minds during Covid, or an evil inverse of the John Ford Western?
We all saw Ari Aster's Eddington. You should too because we spoil it pretty thoroughly in this in depth discussion.
If you want that Star Trek Strange New Worlds update before Star Tre...
We talk a bit about Ryan Coogler's excellent vampire movie Sinners, then we talk some other movies and such, but then hey don't worry the conversation swings back to Sinners at the end... by way of Greek philosophy and Epicurious. Yeah, that's right.
Hear more from Kickers of Elves over at Patreon!
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
We watched Pee Wee: Himself. As kids of the 90s I think we're required to.
For more after the explosion, try out the patreon
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
Wait no! Star Wars!
For a podcast that started in "the Golden Age of Television," we talk about one of the best shows we can remember here on the other side, past "Peak Tv," and sliding down the post-streaming decline. How does Andor compare to The Sopranos, for instance?
You've had time to watch it. Here we finally talk about it. Tony Gilroy made a Star Wars show for grown ups. How bout that?
Listen to hear how we would punch up Reacher, stay to hear how we'd cast Bones for Strange New Worlds. James is trying to stomach Disco. Will he try to Picard? Audience capture and being trapped in Ryan's World. Wade reflects on what he got out of watching Discovery.
Check out the patreon for more on Mickey 17, the docuseries The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, TNG, and details on James' Trek pilot script!
James is back on Star Trek. So we talked about it.
Listen in while James workshops his pitch for a new Star Trek show that will never get made BUT ONE THAT WOULD BE GOOD!
On the Patreon you can hear us go on about that new Captain America movie. It's ok if you didn't see it. Only Hugh did.
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
Well, we watched the new Streaming Star Trek Movie... Section 31. Don't you love it!?
We also talk about a movie we liked, the excellent Northern Irish movie Kneecap. About Kneecap
Hope you're doing well out there.
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
Wade also talked about the same dang thing with the scabs over at Star Trek Resignation
What is this? We, the three people who actually watched Megalopolis have something to say about our different experiences with this messy movie.
Perhaps there's spoilers? But perhaps it doesn't matter.
On the patreon you'll find more from election thoughts, to things you might actually be interested in, like Batman. https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
You probably found this podcast feed because you're a fan of Star Trek. And if what our anecdotal evidence suggests is true, then you're not a fan of Star Trek Discovery. That's ok. Remember when James and Hugh got mad and bailed on that other podcast? Well it continued, and this is where A Discovery Home Companion ended up. Maybe you'll like it.
Look for "Star Trek Resignation" in all your podcast services.
Here's a link ,...
Not even about a TV show, but we all read a book. You like books, don't you? Sure, maybe you haven't read Charles Portis's Masters of Atlantis. This will not ruin that process for you, we promise.
Let us know if you like this sort of thing, or check out the Kickers of Elves Patreon for more content maybe you'll like as well [or better].
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
Update: Hey, this file is longer than 30 seconds this time. ***
Here we talk about the TV show we've been the most excited for in a while. Specifically, the finale. The statute of limitations is over. So yeah, spoilers for that. No space stuff, sorry.
NOT from the patreon! But check it out. There's plenty over there. For instance: Ever read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy? We did.
www.patreon.com/kickersofelves
What about those Rules of Acquisition? It's back to Deep Space 9! What you haven't watched the most recent episode? "Hear All, Trust Nothing" is more or less an episode of DS9, so we had to cover it. If you haven't caught up on Star Trek: Lower Decks don't worry, neither have James or Hugh. What is goin on post Dominion War? Just when does this take place? How do Kira and Quark work as cartoons? What is going on with all these ...
Know nothing about D&D or tabletop role playing games? Hugh talks to an expert* to figure out just what the deal is. How much is the past time growing? What is the history of D&D? Just how the hell do you play a game where you pretend to be an elf?
Then a look at the Star Trek Adventures role playing game.
*It's Wade. He talks to Wade. Surprise surprise. No James in this one.
Yep, this one is from the patreon too. http...
On the patreon: Hugh and James have opinions on Strange New Worlds! Wade Hasn't even seen it yet?!
Here is a preamble to that discussion.
More can be found at the patreon.
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
James and Hugh watched the Peter Jackson Beatles documentary on Disney + and there's a discussion on making art. Didn't watch it? That's ok, Wade didn't either. You like the Beatles, right?
You guessed it: Patreon content!
https://patreon.com/kickersofelves
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