154 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) & Ex Machina (2014) →

Best of 2020 - #2 Terminator 2: Judgment Day

It’s Sentient Robot Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey perform the Turing test on a liquid-metal android assassin!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!  

The Classic Film: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
"A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her teenage son, John Connor, from a more advanced and powerful cyborg” (IMDb.com). It's T2! You know we're going to gush.

The Modern Film: Ex Machina (2014)
“A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.” (IMDb.com). Much more contemplative than the action-packed Terminator 2, we actually had more to say (good and bad) about Ex Machina.

Audio Sources:
"The Beginning: Making Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace" produced by Lucasfilm Ltd.
"Ex Machina" produced by A24, et al.
"Get Down Saturday Night" written by Kevin McCord & Oliver Cheatham and performed by Oliver Cheatham
"Jurassic Park" produced by Universal Pictures & Amblin Entertainment
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Porkchop Sandwiches" produced by Fenslerfilm
"Princess Bride" produced by Act III Communications, et al.
"Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" produced by Stoopid Monkey, et al.
"Silence of the Lambs" produced by Strong Heart/Demme Production & Orion Pictures
"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" produced by Carolco Pictures, et al.
"Tiffany on the Wild Side" (Unhappily Ever After S03E15) produced by Touchstone Television

146 - Aliens (1986) & Alien: Covenant (2017) →

Best of 2020 - #1 Aliens

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

It’s another Alien week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey creep deeper into the Alien Franchise with what some refer to as the best installment. Chris is not one of those people.

The Classic Film: Aliens (1986)
“Ellen Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after being in hypersleep for 57 years. The moon that the Nostromo visited has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, colonial marines have impressive firepower, but will that be enough?” (IMDb.com). I mean, come on, it’s Aliens. You know what’s up.

The Modern Film: Alien: Covenant (2017)
“The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination and must attempt a harrowing escape” (Twentieth Century Fox). With Prometheus and its place in the Alien timeline winding up a little too bizarre and esoteric for the average Alien fan, it seems Ridley Scott and Fox felt compelled to compromise and bring its sequel closer to general expectations. In doing so, they’ve managed to make a relatively good movie that’s the worst of both worlds.

Audio Sources:
"Alien: Covenant" produced by Scott Free Productions, et al.
"Aliens" produced by Twentieth Century Fox, et al.
"Blade Runner" produced by The Ladd Company, et al.
"Clerks" produced by View Askew Productions & Miramax
"It's Raining Men" written by Paul Jabara & Paul Shaffer and performed by The Weather Girls
"Mad About You" written by Paula Jean Brown, James Whelan, & Mitchel Young Evans and performed by Belinda Carlisle
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" produced by Best Brains & Universal Pictures
"The Naked Now" (Star Trek: The Next Generation S01E03) produced by Paramount Television
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, & John Denver and performed by John Denver
"The Terminator" produced by Cinema '84, et al.
"Thank You for Smoking" produced by Room 9 Entertainment
"Tombstone" produced by Hollywood Pictures, et al.

109 - The Terminator (1984) & Morgan (2016) →

Best of 2019 - #7 The Terminator

Read our afterthoughts for this episode at https://twitter.com/PodSematary/status/1191101921525940224

It’s Manufactured Assassin Week on Pod Sematary! Chris gets pedantic about robot terminology (what else is new?) and Kelsey sings Burnin' in the Third Degree! Thanks to listener Harry for the recommendation!

The Classic Film: The Terminator (1984)
"A seemingly indestructible robot is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a young waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against sentient machines, while a human soldier from the same war is sent to protect her at all costs” (IMDb.com). The first film in the Terminator franchise is probably the closest the series ever gets to straight-up slasher-horror. Don’t worry; we don’t bicker about the logic of time travel.

The Modern Film: Morgan (2016)
"A corporate risk-management consultant must decide whether or not to terminate an artificially created humanoid being.” (IMDb.com). Chris & Kelsey saw this movie when it came out and subsequently forgot everything about it beyond the premise. After they watch it again, this entirely passable flick (that doesn’t seem at all concerned with being anything beyond superficial) reinforces precisely why it doesn’t stick in your brain.

Audio Sources:
"Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton Respond to IGN Comments" via IGN @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1d_CtQOh54
"Arnold Schwarzenegger Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ" via GQ @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srksXVEkfAs
"Beverly Hills Cop" produced by Paramount Pictures, et al.
“Morgan” produced by Scott Free Productions, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones
“The Terminator” produced by Hemdale, et al.
"Terminator 2: Judgement Day" produced by Carolco Pictures, et al.
"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (Deleted Scene & Arnold Schwarzenegger Commentary) produced by C-2 Pictures, et al.