We've arrived at our Battle of the Five Armies, famous Tolkien trilogy topper, counting down our top three. Personal growth, feminist musicals, feminist K-dramas, and the greatest anime of the year?
Starting off with Honorable Mentions, our hearts strain with fond items that just didn't make the cut. Cartoons, splatter horror, sexy comics, anime. From there, we return for numbers seven through four, with the last of the Worst of the Year mixed in.
It's the end of the year, so we're recounting the ten best works of media we experienced -- movies, TV shows, books -- and this time with a twist! Donovan and Harrison are joined by Stella of Batgirl to Oracle, who would've figured into the backstories of a number of entries anyway.
This week, we take a look at the highway collision of media criticism and online discourse, so spawning a term for a new age: "media literacy." Maybe you're seeing it a lot, too.
The Netflix Cowboy Bebop Live Action series has premiered, and Donovan is BIG mad. But FIRST! The guys return to the topic of adapting popular franchises for wider audiences, discussing the dangers of nostalgia, the salvation of creativity, and the politics that go into bringing something into the modern day. *This episode discusses spoilers for the 2021 Cowboy Bebop Series, Young Justice season 4 and Ghostbusters: AFTERLIFE.
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Don and Harry welcome back Stella and bring on Tom Panarese to talk about parents...from a teacher's perspective! To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com.
Weary from the last few episodes, the guys this week discuss storytelling genres, specifically the utilization, diversification and depths of some of the more well-worn. Where do Sci-Fi, Westerns, Kaiju and Coming-of-Age go once the spectrum of stories have all been crossed?
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The guys deep-dive into the life and career one of the more detestable right-wing celebrities enjoying fame and fortune today. To write in, e-mail at qnonaswers@gmail.com!
Alien casts a world of cosmic horror that flips the script on sexual assault, and cuts through it with the strange journey of a lone heroine. Donovan plays moderator in a debate between two diehards on their most contentious issue: Alien Resurrection. Which will he choose?
The boys discuss the Anti-Vaxxers movement, how it came to be, Hbomberguy's Measured Response and contending with a lack of empathy.
To write in, email at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
We may not be experts on the subject, but the least we [ought] do is recount our own experiences with the September 11 attacks and the 20-year aftermath.
This week the guys talk martial arts, with the look forward in a post-Shang Chi MCU and backward at a post-Enter the Dragon film genre. Surrounding the film commentary are discussions on the immediate aftermath of Bruce Lee’s passing, successors to his throne, “Brucesploitation”, Asian stars, and how things might’ve been different had Lee lived.
The guys discuss the legacy of Bruce Lee, and his martial arts masterpiece, Enter the Dragon! To write in, email at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
This episode discusses the controversy surrounding frequent guest Noah Berlatsky and the organization Prostasia. CW for discussions on child abuse and pedophillia. To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com.
Donovan, Harrison and Stella-N team up for a discussion on popular icons, both the good and not so good. Which do we leave behind and which do we offer grace? To write in, e-mail at qnoansers@gmail.com!
On a rare daytime recording of QNA, Donovan and Harrison reconsider a late 20th-century "classic," The Matrix. Does it hold up after all these years? Long ago, we were saturated by Matrix imitators and parody -- but times have changed. Maybe old wounds have healed, and indeed, we're seeing more Matrix on the horizon. Is this reality?
Josh returns to discuss modern reboots that come with a stronger engagement with diversity. To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
The guys watch the 1992 film Juice and discuss what makes a proper hood movie. To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
This week the guys discuss the 1619 Project, Critical Race Theory, the Revolutionary War and anti-civil rights and abolitionist propaganda. To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
The guys bring on ACE podcasters Chris Ceary and Alex Jaffe to discuss Asexual representation in the media! To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
The boys watch Best of the Best, a 1989 martial arts sports movie which seemingly follows the tradition of the white guy fighting savant, until it doesn't. To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
This week the guys are joined by bookseller and Web Series host Trevor to restore discourse on the weirdness of anime, with their case study being the Fantasy/Horror franchise "Maid in Abyss".
To write in, e-mail at qnoanswers@gmail.com!
What happened?! Tonight, Donovan and Harrison don their shades and dusters for a viewing of A Better Tomorrow 2, a true knockout -- but for all the wrong reasons? A sequel to a bona fide classic, this semi-reluctant follow-up, with its tale of emotional amnesia, psychiatric rehabilitation, and killing 100 people in a house, is a bewildering ride. Through the eyes of director John Woo, we investigate themes of masculinity, foreign cool, and action violence.
Noah Berlatsky returns to discuss the progress made so far in Joe Biden's first term as president. Has he done better than expected? Worse? What should he be focusing on? And what else lies in wait from the evil Republicans..?
The guys look back at their online history (no, not that), pondering loudly and angstily if they're on the fast track towards personal growth, or stuck in place.
To e-mail, write in at qnoanswers@gmail.com!