Kevin Schaefer, Christian Ashley, and Leah Robinson dive headfirst into the latest pop culture happenings that have everyone buzzing. Kicking things off, they tackle the intriguing film "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die," where time travel meets dark comedy in a world threatened by AI. They also chat about the latest season of "Bridgerton," where romance and societal norms collide in a visually stunning Regency-era tale, and take a swing at "Scream 7," dissecting the latest ghost face antics and the film's reception. With a blend of humor and insightful commentary, this episode serves up a delightful mix of entertainment and reflection on how these stories resonate with our faith and culture today. So grab your popcorn, settle in, and join the trio as they navigate the geeky landscape with flair and wit!

Diving deep into the ever-evolving landscape of pop culture, Kevin Schaefer, Christian Ashley, and Leah Robinson kick off the latest installment of Systematic Geekology with a vibrant discussion on the newest flick, "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die!" This indie gem, directed by Gore Verbinski, stars Sam Rockwell as a time-traveler tasked with assembling a quirky crew to thwart an impending AI apocalypse. The trio explores the film's satirical take on contemporary issues, including the unsettling normalization of violence in society, all while balancing dark humor and poignant commentary. Kevin shares his personal experience watching it with friends, resulting in a mix of uncomfortable laughter and thoughtful reflection on its heavy themes.

In the same breath, they tackle the much-anticipated Season 4 of "Bridgerton," dissecting its unique approach to romance while challenging traditional representations of social hierarchies. Leah, a self-proclaimed skeptic of the genre, finds herself unexpectedly charmed by the series, highlighting its engaging narrative and character chemistry.

Lastly, they don their horror hats to discuss the latest installment of the "Scream" franchise. With mixed reviews swirling around, Christian and Leah debate the film's merits and missteps, considering how it fits into the larger horror narrative. The episode wraps with a call to action for listeners to engage with the topics discussed, urging them to consider the implications of media consumption in today's fast-paced digital world. While laughter and wit punctuate their conversation, the underlying message remains clear: navigating the complex world of entertainment requires thoughtful engagement and reflection on the stories we're being told.

Takeaways:

1. In this episode, the hosts dive deep into the implications of the recent Paramount acquisition of Warner Brothers, sparking discussions about monopolies in the entertainment industry.
2. They share their thoughts on the indie film 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die', highlighting its unique blend of dark comedy and social commentary on AI and societal issues.
3. The crew also gives their takes on Season 4 of 'Bridgerton', illustrating how the show mixes contemporary themes with historical settings, while still managing to attract a diverse audience.
4. Listeners are treated to a lively debate about the merits and pitfalls of 'Scream 7', as they weigh the film's strengths against its narrative inconsistencies and fan expectations.
5. Throughout the episode, humor is interspersed with serious reflections, showcasing the hosts' ability to balance wit and insightful commentary on pop culture.
6. Lastly, they emphasize the importance of critical thinking in media consumption, encouraging listeners to engage thoughtfully with the content they encounter.

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Are you prepared for the AI Paramount apocalypse?

That is among the topics we'll be talking about tonight on the another episode of what's News, where we talk about all the latest things in geek culture. This is systematic geekology. I am one of your hosts, Kevin Schaefer, here with two of my fellow geekologists. Christian Ashley, Leah Robinson.

How are y' all tonight?

I'm doing good. I'm doing great, actually. It got warm in North Carolina so much, right. I'm like pinging on all the serotonin right now.

I'm trying to see on vacation in the mountains. It's warm here too.

It t like, I totally believe people talk about seasonal, like depression stuff. Like, I believe it. Like, at least for me personally. Like, when the sun comes out, I'm just like, life is good.

It really, I mean, like I, I can handle hibernation for a while, but after a certain point I was just, I'm so done with the. I was getting started with winter and ice and everything, so. I totally agree. So. Well, great to have you both tonight.

I was excited to talk about a lot of geek stuff tonight. And before we get started, if you are new to the show or you know, you're long time, hey. Please rate Review subscribe.

I know every podcast says it, but really does help us out.

So, you know, well, you can tell the friend your friends about the show, give us your support whether you're here on YouTube or listening to this later on. And you can click on the show notes for finding out ways to support us.

And I also want to give a shout out to one of our supporters, Jeannie Matingley. I think that's how he's it. I apologize if I'm mispronouncing. What is it?

I think it's Mattingly. I don't know for sure.

Okay, okay. Mattingly man. But either way, you know who you are. Thank you so much for your support.

And if you would like a shout out on systematic ecology again, follow those links for ways to support us. So really appreciate all our wonderful supporters.

Well, before we get into our main topics, Christian, Leo, what are your Lightning Round picks for what you've been geeking out on lately?

Thunder Barbarian Comics just released not too long ago. A big fan of the old show in the 80s and it's been fun so far.

I'm trying to think the new crossover event between Spider man and Venom has happened with Death Spiral as well in the comics. And it's okay.

I love it. Hey, I mean, if you're, if you, if Christian, if you can say, okay, that's a passing grade for. For you at this point in time. Yeah.

I tried to imagine your face when I talked about my main topic and I was just like, I can't wait the Saturday morning.

I'm excited with that sale.

Yeah, my lightning round would be. I actually, I'm going to be talking about this later on the Geek, so I'm not going to go too much into it, but I'm a huge Scream fan.

So I went opening night to see. I'm the horror gal on the geekology stage. So I love it. This was a terrible movie and I'll be happy to talk about that later. But I did go see it.

I am very much looking forward to discussion. I'm also a big horror fan. I just. Oddly enough, Scream is the franchise I've like delved into.

Obviously I've seen the original, seen like some of the sequels, but I just. I have not gone through and done all of them. And now as with the more recent sequels, I think I. Let's see, this is seven.

I think I saw five because that was two. Yeah, like a. But yeah, I just. I need to watch them all. But I am very looking forward to. Yes.

I mean, I had this discussion with someone else once and I was a sophomore in high school when the first one came out and that was just the perfect time. Like it was. There was like all of these popular people in one time period. But we'll talk about that later. So that's one of mine.

Um, I've also been revisiting because I teach a course actually at postgrad at Mercer on the Many Faces of Jesus religion. And I actually have been re. Watching Black Panther because there's a new one that's coming.

New something that's coming out, I'm told by my geek husband. So we're re watching the previous one. I don't know if you guys have seen the new thing or not or if it's even out like a sequel.

I'm not aware. Like, I mean, I know. I mean, Coogler is working on Black Panther 3, but that'll still be a while though.

Maybe the second one and we just haven't seen the second one.

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But that it's.

I mean, fake movies and like, it may just be because like everything is building to doomsday right now, which will be the big MCU combination at the end of the year. So that may be referenced, but. Yeah, but that's great.

Kevin. DC gal. I'm not a Marvel.

Oh yeah.

So which makes sense. But like so I was saying so did. Did the end game. We had this discussion last night. I was like so did the end game actually really matter?

Because I thought the like they like disappeared into dust or something the Black Panther people. And he goes well that it's complicated.

This. That's a fair description. And if you want to like we are doing a countdown to Doomsday series throughout this year.

So we've only covered the first X Men trilogy but we're going to be doing mcu. So if you want to dive deep I need to. I'm also a big DC fan but I'm an MCU enthusiast as well.

So yeah kind of over but yeah and then my lightning round very different but so big Noah Khan fan and I did get tickets to concert this summer which I'm very excited for. But just been listening to his his newest album hasn't come out yet but it's coming soon.

But the single that's the like titles I found that album I've been listening to religiously in that that music video over and over again and now it's to the point where I got my sister hooked on him and now my niece knows the lyrics to a bunch of songs too. So it's a. Yeah. So spreading the Noah Khan fandom there's but awesome. Well I know we've got a lot to cover tonight so let's get into it.

The first one we got to talk about with the recent news. So Netflix backed out of its bid to acquire Warner Brothers, basically paving the road for Paramount to take over.

Even though it technically hasn't been sealed yet, there's little in the way of this happening.

So basically Paramount will own Warner Brothers, CNN pretty much like I. I don't know if I can put a like number on how much media and entertainment they will have ownership of. But yeah, this basically seals the deal there.

And as far as a timeline we still don't know I based on everything I've read and watched about it, it seems like the Ellison family, who are the owners of Paramount, are eager to make it happen as quickly as possible. And this as far as the ramifications this will have for the things we love. Leah, you just mentioned being a big DC fan. So am I and Christian as well.

And I know we're all very concerned for what this could mean for the dcu and it's very uncertain right now. It may be safe, it may not. But yeah. What are yalls thoughts on this news?

I. I can't say I have overly optimistic things to say, but I will add something in a bit, but I want to get your thoughts first.

Well, I also teach history, so my PhD is in religion and history. Historically speaking, this should set off a whole lot of red flags in our minds. And that doesn't really.

It doesn't matter what, what political persuasion you are. This is just kind of a formula of kind of.

There's a reason why we had monopoly clauses and that in our country, and it was to avoid this sort of like one ring to rule them all, to bring in the geek.

But here, and that's what we're starting to see, we never want one voice, in my opinion, as a historian, one voice to speak to all levels of politics, religions, sociology, culture. And when you start to see these acquisitions, uh, it. It should, to me be worrying because it feels like we're starting to get to that point.

So that's your history, geek view of it.

Oh, I love it. Bring it on. Yeah, yeah. But, yeah, Christian, anything you want to

add when it comes to monopolies? Yes, absolutely. There's a reason why we have laws against them. And either way, whoever would have won, we would have lost in some way, shape or form.

It's just, how. How do you want to lose? Was your. Your pick here? But I'm not doomed saying anything here like, it's going to be okay.

Ultimately, that doesn't mean I'm happy. Don't get me wrong about that.

But I just remember seeing the moment it landed like I was scrolling down on Reddit trying to fall asleep, and it's like, this is the end of the world. Everything's wrong. We might as well just nuke ourselves right now. Like, actual statements said by people.

It's like, look like it's just entertainment. Like, yes, there's. There's something deeper here. There's something that means something, but, like, no one's dying. Get out of yourselves.

Well, and it's not just entertainment. It's news as well.

Right, right.

Yeah, that. That is affected too. I was thinking more on the movie side of things.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I'm glad you brought that perspective.

I, you know, I was trying to look at this objectively and I mean, I am definitely terrified for all those reasons you say. I mean, I hate monopolies. I don't. You know, and Christian, just like you said, if Netflix acquired it, it would have been a loss as well.

Um, I don't like, you know, tech companies in charge of Entertainment media. That is terrifying.

The one thing I will say, and this was an article I read that gave me, you know, just to put some sliver of hope, not that the, it isn't still a bad move, but just to play the other side of, you know, Christian, like you were saying, does it kill entertainment completely or kill creativity? No, because often creators are the ones that rise to challenges.

But in the, through all of this, some of the best movies ever were made. I mean, Citizen Kane came out in this Arab.

And so it kind of, you know, forced creators to work around these guidelines and kind of push against studio restrictions. They still have to follow these guidelines, but, but they, it ended up forcing their creativity.

And I do believe in the power of creators and storytellers and you know, I mean, and even Christian, I actually think the, the reaction there may actually be the negative reaction, maybe in some ways a good thing because it's. People are not happy with something like this.

And when you get people fed up enough with larger systems and power, that leads to revolution and that leads to, you know, pushback. And so I don't think that, you know, one person can hold a media empire together forever. Inevitably these things will fall apart over time.

And, you know, it gives power, power back to the people, power back to the creators. So that's my somewhat optimistic take on it, but it's still very concerning.

Yeah, and I don't, I don't think it has to be. We're all going to fall into a pit of fire and the world's exploding.

But I also think the fact that people are noticing and sitting up and taking notices, notice is important because we've had mergers in the past. You know, this isn't like you said, Kevin, this isn't new.

But I do think that people are seeing in our current climate in the United States specifically that these things can have consequences. And so I think balking that and saying, you know, we're not living in a zero sum game anymore, like this is, things will be affected by this.

And we're seeing it, you know, across the States at the moment. I think that's important too because I think, especially teaching students, I've learned that there's, there's Power and calmness.

But there's also power in paying attention. And I think that that's important. I think we all lean towards, you know, being chill and you know, that's why wine exists. Right. For me I get it.

Right.

But. But also I, I think being agitated is not the same as being doomsday.

And I think he can be agitated and pay attention without thinking the world sending as well.

Yeah, yeah. And it's important to have like be conscious of everything. I like stay informed and be able to because.

And this actually ties in directly to topic I'm going to talk about next.

But, but yeah, the way we consume information and we're like, we're often prone to immediate reactions and, and fear mongering and really if we, you know, think critically, you know, which is what, you know, let's just be out of the tech bros and fascists don't want, you know, it's like that is a way to fight back on that.

I agree. But I'm a college professor so I do like a good bit of critical thinking.

Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

This is definitely going to be one of those that pay attention to what's going on.

Yeah.

What are they saying? What are they producing?

And then you have certain things like I know there's been several directors they've brought back already for different projects like Rush Hour 4.

There was, I think Max Landis has been brought back on something, Brett Ratner and certain other things like that that is very concerning in that this would be very different if they had like maybe served time or if they had apologized or something like that. And I would not be as angry because that would show some repentance. I have seen none of that. So that kind of gets me a little concerned.

I know other people, like friends of the show.

A friend of the show, Brandon Knight, he's already like said stuff on his show Kung Fu Pizza Butter about how he's not ever going to refer hour four because of who's behind it. Like I get that.

Then of course there's also the Saudi influence that people are bringing up and how they're in charge of much of the same way that a lot of people were very angry with China and the influence it had on box office and stuff. Neither one of those really makes me happy.

But just keep paying attention and if in your heart of hearts you can say I can't abide by this boycott, don't go to it, don't watch it, you can, don't get angry.

I don't have to go to the Melania movie.

Now you don't have to.

Yeah.

And you know what if someone else does? They're not saying like, it's okay, let them be them. Let them make their own decision.

And the dilemma I have is like, I get being a big DC fan is like if it gets shuffled in because I've never subscribed to Paramount plus, like, I mean, way even before Yellowstones and all that, I just didn't really have as much interest in that. But especially when they took her in.

Now, Christian, like you said, they're bringing back directors who have, you know, been very much documented as for sexual harassment and it's inexcusable and you know, they're giving them a platform again that I can't stand. But it's like if HBO Max gets eaten up by this. But I still love dc. I love like whatever other movie. It's like, oh, what do I do?

Because I want to support James Gunn and all those creators. So yeah, I understand it's a, it doesn't split dilemmas. But yeah, I mean, I've heard Matthew

Lillard be interviewed a million times this season of Scream and he keeps referring to Bob and I'm like, Bob, Bob, Bob. Who did the original screams? Oh, that'd be Miramar. So he's talking about the Weinstein's.

Yeah, you know, so, you know, there is that bit as well, is that, you know, and I had a friend today talking about Harry Potter, which is a really interesting conversation to have as well.

And we don't have to dig into that, but it is one of those things where, you know, I think we, you have to choose your own position and know where you, where you're going to stand and, and be confident in that. And like, you know, Christian was saying, you don't have to like throw a mazel tongue cocktail.

Anyone who does decide to go see the trash fire that is that documentary, however. But you.

Did you say mazel tov?

Marvel

Molotov.

I know, but we sell. We can celebrate it too, depending on who you're throwing it at.

Yeah, okay.

Anyway, you don't have to set fire to people for sure. But I do think that and scream Mazel tov at the same time.

But I do think that, you know, to be PC about that and to care about what other people think is not the same as being complacent. And I don't. I think we do have to pay attention, especially like in the world we're living in now.

Things are moving in a very serious direction that's going to affect us and freedoms and things like that. And I think we do have to

pay attention to that 100%. And also I'll end on this, on this note, Leah, I like looking at your bookshelf there.

I'm like, I think one of the best things we can do is buy physical media and go to libraries and you know, buy, you know, buy Blu Rays and, and books. And that to me is an act of resistance itself.

And man, there's something really special about, you know, watching a movie on a disc versus, you know, one of the million streaming services, you know, and subscribing to an algorithm.

So, you know, there, there's beauty in that and just sharing books and movies with each other and that sense of community that I think is being threatened by all this and buy a big monopolies. So that I think is my recommendation for.

Yeah, we've become very reliant on the streaming. Like our Internet went out for like two days and it was like a very serious issue. And we just were staring at each other like what do we watch?

I just had bought sets of Scrubs. We just started watching that. Which should have been in my lightning round as well because it came back.

That show is very unpc, I should say in many ways. But it still brings about joy that I remember from those early days.

Yeah, I love that. But yeah, awesome. Well, this actually is a nice segue into, into my topic here. So I don't know if either of you seen the new film.

Good Luck, have Fun, Don't Die. But this ties in directly to this because.

So this is like indie sci fi also comedy, a little bit of horror from Gore Verbinski who's actually, it's his first movie in a while. He's the director of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. And then he did the Ring back in the day. And his last movie before this I hadn't seen but.

But yeah, he had been trying to get this one off the ground for a while. But I, I described this movie as kind of a dark comedy version of Terminator because in it Sam Rockwell plays an unnamed man from the future.

And at the beginning he shows up in a diner where everyone's looking at their phones and he is announces them that he hey guys, the world's gonna end. We have got to. I need you to pick some of you to go with me on this mission to stop an AI. And he's been.

This is like his hundred something time in this scene.

He continually goes back in time trying to find the right group of people to go on this mission with them, and he keeps failing and then trying again. And so he gets this cast of quirky characters, and they're basically.

Their mission is not to destroy AI like, they know it's already in motion, but he's trying to go back to the point before it became completely unstoppable and would wipe out humanity to put restrictions on it. And. And then as this mission plays out, you also get backstories of the individual characters.

And some of these scenes will make you so uncomfortable in a very dark comedy way. Particularly. There's one. There's sequence involving, like, how common mass and school shootings have become and the.

The way they turn that into very dark satire. I actually saw it with a friend of mine who's. Who's one of my pastors and his wife. And the three of us are big movie buffs. And we were all just like.

I mean, uncomfortably laughing. But that was kind of the. Like, the effect it had. But, yeah, I really enjoyed this movie. I thought, you know, it was a.

Not perfect, but it was from a stylistic aesthetic standpoint, it captures. It really is on different influences from cyberpunk and sci fi and has this kind of kinetic pacing.

And again, I think those backstory scenes were my favorite parts of it. Those were the cleverest. And I enjoyed getting to know this really quirky cast of eccentric characters you have.

Haley Lou Richardson is in it, Michael Pena, a few others who I've seen in some things. But great cast. It's a perfect role for Sam Rockwell. I like.

I kind of like, whenever he shows up in anything, I feel like he's one of those actors who kind of picks his project selectively, but when he does, it's something that he's really committed to. So, yeah, this was. I mean, all of the influences in this are very apparent, from various video games to Terminator, Matrix.

But I think it adds an original spin. And it's very relevant, obviously, today with commentary on AI, satire on, you know, like, just the way it's, you know, stealing all of our time.

And like, you said, Blair, I just, like. I mean, the way it's being used to kind of dissolve critical thinking, all of that is on display here. So, yeah, I really.

And it was one that kind of like lingers with you for a few days after because it's a. It's a lot to get in. And you'll come out of it. You're like, oh, I think I want to just destroy my phone now. But, like. But, yeah, I.

Very relevant Today, I really like that this movie got made because, again, it was not backed by a major studio, but it's got a big budget, great cast, and. Yeah, really enjoyed it. So I don't. You know, I don't.

I don't know if y' all have any questions on any of that or anything you want to add to just the AI discussion these days.

Did you guys ever review the Don't look up movie?

The one I've seen it. I remember that one. That was before I was really like that one.

Yeah, it's a good one. It's a good one. It's not like, it's not too. It's just so fantastical because there's basically.

There's just meteor coming and, like, no one looks up because someone told, like their leader said, just don't look up. And, like, the meteor's coming. And they're just.

I mean, it's a pretty simple premise, but it kind of reminds me of that, which is like this guy trying to be like, listen to me. Like, who is. Who's in control of our minds, I guess.

Yeah.

You know.

Yeah, it's actually. That's a really good comparison, actually, because I. Yeah, no, I remember when that movie came out. I mean, that was so.

While before I joined this show. But that would be a really good one to talk about.

Yeah. Yeah. It's just like, who do we.

You know, we talk about misinformation and fake news and all of that, which is fine, but who, if you know that that's happening, who. But who is controlling how you consume the news?

Right.

I think that's interesting.

Yeah.

This certainly sounds like a fascinating film. Just from the synopsis you gave. I was looking up a little bit before we recorded. I just said get a little bit of synopsis and.

Yeah, I'm sold on the concept having someone come back multiple times over, whether it be the same place or multiple places. I don't know if it says in the film whether he tried other people first.

Nope. It's the same diner over and over again. So, like. And it. Yes, and. And it does like a Groundhog Day. Don't care about it too. Like.

Like the Groundhog Day scene where he goes around and tells everything about everyone. Like, gives their life stories all that. It does, like a play on that as well. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, there's something to be said, too.

There's this goal you're trying to stop and defend people against, but you keep going back to the same place over and over again, expecting different results. Like, you know, I mean, what's the cliche? It's the definition of insanity. So I'm interested to see how that would play out in the film.

Because if I think I remember there being, like, a positive ending from what I saw, other people say, I don't know what you'd have to say on the subject, but, I mean, that's something that could eventually lead to. What was I going to say? So I'm getting old. Yeah. Point being, it's like, I like the description. I like what you're saying here.

I think it does have something to say about AI. About our. I mean, of course, this opening scene you mentioned being all on their phones.

I mean, I'm married to mine most of the day because, you know, I'm bored. My mind works a little faster than most. So not everything entertains me as well, unless I have something in front of me. That's why I can have. Yeah.

Very, very humble. That's me. I'm the most humblest person here on the show.

That's why when I'm, like, working, when I'm writing, like, I'll have music playing in the background or something, or when I'm playing a game, I'll have a YouTube video on, or I'll be a podcast, because I need that extra space to be filled. So that's certainly an indictment against people like me, which I find very fascinating. And as well, the idea of, well, we have created this thing.

It is going to bring us to ruin. What do we do with it? Well, no one stopped it until it got to the point where it's too bad. But what can we do right now?

Not to get rid of it, because it's already here, but do something to, like, fix what we can.

Oh, Christian. And I always, like. I mean, a few weeks ago, I was like. Because I usually watch YouTube or a show or whatever while I'm eating lunch.

And it was like, one day, my Internet was slow and I couldn't get it on. And I was like, what do I do with silence now? Like. And I'm just like. And I have this conversation at church recently.

I'm like, it's actually really beautiful when we allow ourselves to do that, but we are so prone to a million distractions and a million, like, having to constantly feed our minds.

Read a book. You can't read a book.

Right, right.

I read a book and listen to music. Like, the only time I don't. It's when I'm having, like, my quiet time. That's like, I'm nothing else is on.

It does. I mean, other than obvious brilliance. It could also be a little bit of the ADHD there too, maybe because

I have been undiagnosed for quite some time. I wouldn't be surprised.

I was gonna say I'm not, I don't have a PhD in that, but it's, you know, some. I've, I've been around such folks.

My podcast partner, Christie can't like do anything unless she has music on, which to me would be like, I couldn't function, but then just got a little, little. We always call them fires on the spectrum, but fireworks on the spectrum because they're positive.

Yeah, yeah. But no, I mean, that's very much our culture. And so I think this film has a lot to say on that. I mean, it's not.

And again, it's very entertaining because several friends have asked me, like, I know, you know, Kai, the premise and satire, but is it fun? And it, I, I think, I mean, it's just over two hours and I thought it flew by. You know, it's well worth seeing.

You know, I'm always for, you know, indie films like this, you know, getting made and they can say something about the times we're living in. So definitely go see. Good luck, have fun, don't die. It's all, you know, it.

Again, prepare yourself for some dark humor and some stuff that will make you uncomfortable, but I think it's well worth checking out.

I'd follow Sam Rockwell into the dark.

I would do 100%.

I just have. I hope he never comes out as being scandalous because I, I, oh gosh,

I, I, that's one I cannot handle either.

We have so few left.

Oh, can't take any more heartache My heart will break. And he's married to Leslie B. They were both in White Lotus season three.

Well, yeah.

And like, and well, no, I'm doing an MCU rewatch right now and they're both in Iron Man 2 because she played the reporter who hooks up with Tony in the first movie. Yeah. So there. But, but no, they both seem like really delightful people and I hope that doesn't long.

May it continue.

Yeah, yeah, right on. Awesome. Well, okay, so the next topic we have is we've got Scream or Bridgerton. Which one do you want to do first?

I'm doing Bridgerton this time because I'm doing separate Scream in the next one.

Sounds great.

Well, you did say White Lotus too, so I'm glad the, the systematic geeks are open minded in their views of that, which is Geeky. Oh, yeah, Bridgerton is. I mean, at this stage I'll give a little synopsis because I feel like most people kind of have it.

It's not a super complicated show here. We're not doing a David lynch here. Like, this is, you know, basically Shonda Rhymes of Grey's Anatomy fame, amongst other.

I mean, she's got an empire at this stage, like how to do Get Away with Murder or something. I think she did that too, but she created the show. Essentially. It's supposed to be kind of a period piece, except that it's very loose.

So it's based on a series of books and it's essentially about this family called the Bridgertons. They. There's eight children and each season is a. Essentially a love story of each of theirs and varying conflict. Now, I don't like romance.

I don't watch Hallmark movies.

I am.

I watch. Would far prefer to be in a dark, scary alley with Ghostface than to do this. However, what I will say is that it, it gets you somehow.

Like, I didn't get it and I didn't watch it for seasons and seasons because I was just like, oh my God, this is going to take up all of this Netflix money and here we are and. But I watched it and I was like, oh, I get it.

They did really well with casting, they did really well with chemistry, they did really well with writing and it's. It's kind of fantastical. I mean, everything is a little bit over the play music that's contemporary.

So it's almost like if Baz Luhrmann, if you've watched some of his films, it's like if he took a Xanax and decided to do a like period piece on London, like Victorian London. It's kind of that.

That might be the best Logline I've ever heard in a while.

It's a lot less flashy. But the same idea is she's trying to bring in sort of a.

A version of this sort of world you could, you know, Regency era London and bring it to like a contemporary audience. So, like the. There's no sort of.

There's hierarchy, which is interesting because it's based on money and status and it is strict, but there's not the hierarchy based on things like race or jobs or stuff like that.

So the things that we kind of think maybe put people into these social systems, she's kind of turned on their head and said, well, they exist, but they don't exist in the way that, that you and I think. So I Challenge anyone to watch it and to see if they. And if they say they absolutely hate it. I've never heard anyone say they absolutely hate it.

You don't have to like it, you don't have to love it, but hate it, that's fine. But I would, I would be interesting. Interested to see why it's.

No, I know it. It has a big fan base and I like. I mean and romance like I wasn't into when I was younger. I like a lot or not like rom coms.

I love and yeah I mean is this one. So I haven't started yet but. But I mean knowing the fan base for it, a lot of positivity around it. Yeah, I'd be down to check it out.

I mean you're not going to hurt any. Look, you know what I will say too is we all talk about escapism and how important it is.

And sometimes my version of escapism isn't always scary stuff or even sci fi which is getting very sort of like mirroring our own world in a lot of ways.

If I can watch a show about a bunch of pretty people who are having semi intelligent conversations, even if they're making stupid choices, but they're off in some distant land, you know, maybe we just need a little bit of that. Just a little bit of actual fantastical that is otherworldly fantastical.

I agree.

I'll be to the sipping opinion here. I couldn't care less about something like this if I tried. I'm part loyalty, nobility, not my thing.

Like I tried watching Downton Abbey because friends of mine were. I got through the first season and said I'm done. Nothing like this.

The Doctor who episode that went through like the Bridgerton kind of episode was one of the most boring things I've ever experienced in my life. I wanted nothing to do with it. This means absolutely nothing to me. That does not mean it doesn't have merit. That doesn't mean it's bad.

Just simply because I don't care for stuff like that. But like I'm not going anywhere near it. And I, I know this, there's an in story reason for why.

But I don't appreciate going back in time and whitewashing the racism to the point where people who suffered through that during that time don't have to do it simply because the story doesn't want it to be that way versus, you know, this is an actual alternate reality where something happened differently and then change came as a bout. And I know there's this something in there that Happens as a result of that with, like a noble being married who was African to one of the kings.

Right.

Yeah. There. They do acknowledge the race stuff in the show.

Yeah.

It's not. I mean, it's. It's. They def. There are consequences for people being.

Even if you're nobility, but you are from a different ethnicity, there are certainly consequences for that.

This is simply one of those things that I recognize. It ain't for me. That doesn't mean it's not good.

Yeah.

I mean, because you got Josh with the bad opinions, Christian with the good opinions, but I'm gonna say Leah just has the opinions. Is that okay?

Oh, that's good. That's good.

It's. I didn't think it was for me. I've never seen the Hallmark movie once in my whole life. Like, I never watched Down Nabi. I never.

I never saw any of that. I never watched any of the royal shows. I lived in the UK for 11 years and could not give a crap about the royals.

But I do like attractive people doing attractive things.

So no one in the MCU is attractive at all, though, right?

Oh, no, no, not. You try. That's something.

Oh, the mcu. Yeah. There's no attractive people there.

But isn't there someone named Scarlet or something that's in.

Yeah, I think so. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, it was. The reason I brought it up was one. I knew it would like it. I knew that Christian would be really obsessed with it. But also it kind of surprised me.

Like, I was sort of surprised. And then Stuart, my husband Kevin, is very big into this world. He loves Star Wars. He's into the nerd stuff.

But he walked by the other night and he goes, now what are they? And then he sat. You know, it's sort of the slow. Sit down slow.

Yeah, yeah.

And then he was like, wait, so who is this again? And I was like, you're getting sucked in. Yep, There we go.

Yeah.

It's a trap.

It's a trap. Yeah. So Bridgerton is a trap is what I'll say. That's a great way to summarize it.

If only we had an Adam Rock Bard image to pop up right there.

But you had that sound bite.

Yeah, well, that would be perfect, but. Awesome. Well, excellent, Joy. So I guess the last topic then is. Yeah, I want to hear your thoughts, both of your thoughts on Scream 7 and, hey, do it.

Whatever you guys want to do. Feel free to. I. I've. I've actually already read the spoilers because I was curious, because I did. All I've heard is that I want to.

No, I did hear one dissenting opinion. A friend of our, Matt Connor said he loved it. Everything. Every other review I said I saw was terrible and I wanted to know.

So I read all the spoilers. So I don't really care, but whatever you want to do for our viewers and listeners. But.

Well, that's where the next, that's our next recording. So I'll have to hold on to

that one for the unresolved stuff. You have something from there. Okay. Oh, and because of actors, you'll just

have to wait and see. Christian.

Okay, Yeah. I will say that I'm the decent companion once again. I went in this expecting it to be bad because I heard so many people saying it was.

Then I walked down and said, what movie did these jokers watch? I enjoyed it. It's not the best, it's not perfect. I mean, no Scream film is. But I enjoyed, you know, the mother daughter relationship.

There's definitely some questions on. Once again, the Killers. There's that Scream 5 problem where one of the killers is like way shorter, but the, the ghost faces are the same size.

So it's one. It couldn't have been a, it shouldn't have been a red herring. There's also a big deal about someone who shouldn't have survived multiple stabbings.

But that's also the horror in general, how it kind of has that problem. So I didn't walk away from the film without gripes, but I, I did enjoy it a lot more than I expected to.

Yeah, as a horror film, it's, it's fine. It's a, as a standard horror film and the height difference is something I. Matthew Lillard's like 6 foot 5 or something. So like that.

That has never been a sort of thing. But it's, it's. As a standalone horror film, it's, it's fine. I told, I, I think I told you both this.

But also I would say I think a lot of people would also agree it's the worst in the series. It came to the point where they revealed the ghost face killers, which is, is oftentimes or whatever is oftentimes interesting to people.

And becomes this thing. And I had to turn to the person I was with and say, who. Who is that again? The one. The guy. And I was like.

And they were like, oh, that person showed up for a scene like 30 minutes ago for a second. And I was like, oh, okay.

I think one of the things that Scream does well is that it makes it so that, you know, there is some connection to whoever is going on this killing rampage. And it's varying degrees of. Of tangents of connection, but there's some connection. And with this one it felt.

But also there was rewrites and there was a whole issue related to that. Kevin Williamson came back to do this one, which we were all pretty excited about. But then there was a lot of stuff that happened with that.

The five, six previous actress and that got got fired for criticizing the Israeli Palestinian situation. Jenna Ortega left as well after that. And so there was a lot of the story that was supposed to be 7 didn't actually pan out.

The meta stuff about horror films, which is always the fun part, they could have really, really gone on the deep fake thing because we were all faked out.

Whenever we heard the fans that are like hardcore fans when we heard Matthew Lillard's voice at the end of this trailer saying, this is going to be fun. We all were date faked. Like you could have really. They just didn't have it. The Randy. I always say the Randy voice. You know, there's three rules.

Don't say you'll be right back. You're not going to be right back. You know, they lost that sort of fun meta bit.

I would add it sounds a lot in many ways to like Rise of Skywalker in terms of like. I mean, granted that was, you know, Terry. Okay. But like, I mean like. But it just in terms of the like.

Because I. I'm aware of the controversy and when you know, the. Was it Melissa Barrera was fired and then Genera take a left like it is it.

Why I bring that up as a comparison is like Carrie Fisher's death changed the trajectory of episode nine. And like. And this was a thing too where he's like, this wasn't the movie they originally were going to make.

And you know, I like, I. I don't know if any like it. If it's as bad as that Walker. But. But it just seems like there's comparisons there.

Well, there's bad and then it's sort of what Christian said, there's bad. Just like this is a, you know, scale of bad to good or whatever. But then there's also fan how fandoms view it.

And I think those are two different ways to kind of look at stuff. Like I, because my husband brought up the Skywalker film and I was like, did I see that? When he was like, yeah. And I was like, eh, it's fine.

The film.

You know, in regards to that whole thing, I don't think what she said was a fireable offense, but it was one of the most tone deaf things I've ever read in my life. I'm not saying that as someone who says that Israel can do no wrong. Like, no, you can criticize.

But to call it what she did, that ain't has no basis in fact. It's very Hollywood. I have an opinion, so I'm going to bring it up. And that in and of itself does not mean you have to lose a role.

I just think it means you're a terrible person who didn't, you know, critically think about something. But you know what, it's fine. Like she can have her opinions. It's like the, what was her name in the Mandalorian? She said those stupid things.

Comparing Republicans to Jews in Nazi Germany is like, okay, you can have that thought. Just don't say it out loud and you'll keep your job.

Yeah, I mean, hello, what is it? Rallying? Just Harry Potter. Just don't get on the Internet, like have those on your inside voice. Like, you know. But also it's. I, I don't.

I mean in terms of firing and stuff. I mean there was also the issue Nev Campbell wasn't getting paid like what she thought you get paid. So then she skipped out on one.

And then we have to recreate a story kind of what you're talking about, Kevin, like a Carrie Fisher. I mean, nowhere comparable, but like sometimes the way that the world is just means that to adjust.

And I will say what Scream is real bad at is adjusting. Like Matthew Lillard has famously said he was supposed to be the killer in Scream 3 in interviews and he was paid to do it by the way he.

And it was written and he was paid and he was doing it. But then there was this thing that happened called Columbine and they rewrote the entire thing.

He still got the money, but they didn't want it to be based around school stuff or anything like that. And so he walked away and they shifted it to Hollywood or whatever and made it a completely different film.

So I think it's not necessarily been the best at adapting, but I mean that is kind of a bigger Question for fandom is, is any sort of film? I mean, clearly when Carrie Fisher died, they weren't very good at making a movie that people liked.

I mean, I had many issues besides that and they were put in an impossible situation with her death. Yeah, I don't envy anyone who had

to go through that.

It was dealing with the after effects of the film before it and then too far. Trying to course correct and failing at that.

Amongst many other decisions that showed that there was no plan and they weren't good enough at making something without a plan. Lucas, the original series without a plan.

They're not good at that either though. At shifting.

Yeah.

And that is a challenge I don't envy like any creators of a long standing franchise trying to continue in a way that not only tells a good story but you know, respects the fan base. It's a big juggling act. But. But yeah, it's really interesting getting your thoughts here on this. Yeah.

One day I will do a full watch of the Scream franchise. I just, you know, it. I have these like terms of my horror. I'm a Nightmare on Elm street and a lot of self contained movies whatnot.

But yeah, but this is one I will do at some point.

Yeah, I mean it's. It's a fun series to watch through. I mean I think it meant something at the time when I was younger and it kept mean.

And you know, this last one, I think when you watch them together, I'd be interested if you watch them back to back what your ranking would be like if you saw the name.

Yeah, sure, I'll do it. That'll be fun. But yeah, sweet. Well, this has been fun. That was so that was our main topic here. I also know the Lanterns trailer did drop.

We'll talk about that like future episode. But this is the teaser. But I am looking forward to that. Always good for dc. But. But wrap it up here y'. All.

Do you have any recommendations either from anything we talked about tonight or something completely different?

Yeah, I, I think weirdly came onto this happenstance, but I watched the screen or the Scream the Scrubs reboot and look, it's not gonna change your life or anything but if we're talking about films that come back that are not gonna change your life but that will get you through 45 minutes then. Or TV shows rather. I would say that's a good one if you want a bit of a nostalgia. If you watch those when you're younger, that's a good one.

Sure. Christian, what about you?

Based on what you said I actually do want to recommend Good luck, have fun, don't die. That sounds like a really fun movie.

Christian also recommends Bridgerton, but only seasons one and two.

Okay.

Yeah. I'm such a picture head. Like, seasons one and two, that changed my life. After that, it was just long. It lost its way.

I mean, after the Duke and Daphne, what do you do?

Oh, yeah. Both of them together or whatever. Whenever that happened, like, I lost it.

I love it.

My recommendation, I recommended this before, but it's a YouTube channel I follow called Bullets and Blockbusters, which very much about what we were just talking about, about the unmade versions of movies. So, like, they're like, he's done episodes on screen before, but, like, he'll do, like, MCU ones. It's like, what could have been.

Let's say X Men 3 or whatever, you know, like, he does the stories, like what almost happened and how movies were rewritten. So that is a fascinating channel.

He does other segments of it now where he'll do, like, looking at a movie and all the production woes and drama behind it and how it got made and ranking it with all of that in mind. So it's a really good channel. I highly recommend that. But, yeah, awesome. Well, Chris, this has been fantastic. Always a pleasure geeking out.

And I know y' all have another get an episode to get to, which I will definitely listen to. But for our viewers, listeners out there, thank you so much for supporting the show. Tell your friends about it. Please rate review. Like, subscribe.

And remember, we are all a chosen people. A geekdom of priests. Sam.