Needless Things Podcast 193 – Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Recorded LIVE in the Phantom Zone!

The Needless Things Irregulars are joined by special guest Chad J. Shonk for a lively roundtable discussion about the newest entry into the ever-growing Star Wars saga!

Devlin's Domain - Delights and Angers: Best of 2017

2017 is coming to a close and as I suspected this time last year, we're all still here and everything's mostly fine. While many people spent the year setting their hair on fire over one bit of rubbish or another, I immersed myself in loads of entertainment as I waited for this whole thing to blow over. Looks like I'll be waiting a while, so I'll continue that practice through 2018 as well. On this edition of Devlin's Domain I'll be making my picks for my favorite releases in various categories. I spent a lot of the year catching up on older films that have been getting great bluray releases, so the past few weeks I've had to catch up on the new stuff. I missed a few things that I just wasn't able to get to before the year's end. I'll make a note of things I missed while running down my favorites just so you don't have to wonder why they didn't make the list.

Movie Review - The Disaster Artist

by Beth

Oh hai guys.

I have seen The Room in its entirety 3 times in my life. Some might argue that it’s 3 times more than anyone needs to see it, but those people probably saw it in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Room requires cocktails, friends, or a Rifftrax (and preferably all of those) to be enjoyed or appreciated. In the right context The Room is a beautiful mess that will make you laugh, cry, and question your sanity. I’m not obsessed with it like some people. I only paid to see it one time, and that was at the Rifftrax Live event. I will never go to a midnight showing, nor do I want to meet Tommy Wiseau (he just creeps me out). I did however really want to see The Disaster Artist.

Needless Things Podcast 192 – Star Wars: A New Hope Needless Commentary

Part of an ongoing series – the Needless Things Irregulars gather in the Phantom Zone to provide their own unique commentary on classic genre films!

Phantom’s Christmas Favorites

By Dave

I love Christmas music.

I’m not a lunatic about it like Mick Foley where I listen to it all year, but songs about the Christmas season – and the holidays and winter in general – bring joy to my heart this time of year.

Toy Review – Santa Claus from Figures Toy Company

By Dave

I don’t think it will surprise anyone to learn that I absolutely love Santa Claus.

I value the Christian roots of the holiday and am a big fan of the Jesus story. Yes, I am aware of all of the pagan stuff and that’s great, but I don’t care. It’s not part of my fandom. But I’d be lying if I said that the Santa Claus idea wasn’t the most exciting part of Christmas for me.

Toy Stories – Episode VIII’s Top Eight

By Dave

WARNING: THIS MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

I still don’t know how I feel about The Last Jedi. At first I didn’t like it. The more I thought about it, the less I liked it. This upset me terribly because the last thing I ever want is to not like a Star Wars production. I certainly don’t want to hate one, and I seemed to be inching closer to that by the hour.

Then I started talking privately – because to speak ill of this movie in public is to invite unrelenting derision – to my friends about it. In conversations with maybe a dozen people I discovered that there was a fairly even divide between those that liked Rian Johnson’s version of Star Wars and those that didn’t.

Needless Things Podcast 191 – A Very Gordon Christmas!

Our pal Mike Gordon joins the show to discuss the most wonderful time of the year!

It's the Least Wonderful Time of the Year

by Beth

 It’s one of those weeks where I don’t know what to write about. This happens sometimes. It isn’t really writers block, it’s just that nothing has jumped out at me lately as being something I need to talk to you guys about. It's mainly the fact that I work in retail, and it’s a very busy time of year for me. Not only am I physically exhausted, but my brain is pretty much fried. And not to make excuses, but it’s at least part of the reason that I don’t like Christmas as much as everyone else seems to. That does make me a little sad since I loved Christmas way back when. But then I don’t have any kids, and have never been a particularly festive kind of person.

Toy Review – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Retro Santa Clark Action Figure from NECA

By Dave

Some of the things I love the most are ones that I didn’t like at all at first – Big Trouble in Little China, Evil Dead, and Rad Ranger come to mind.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation also makes that list.

Needless Things Podcast 190 – Valerie Meiss

Dave talks to musician, illustrator, puppeteer, and all-around renaissance woman Valerie Meiss!

Comic Book Wednesday – Previews December 2017: “Your Purple Friend”

By Dave

If you don’t know, Previews is the catalog that Diamond Comic Distributors use to offer the products they distribute to comic book stores around the country. This is where you can view and order (through your favorite Local Comic Book Shop) comic books, trade paperback collections, t-shirts, books, media, and toys and other collectibles from hundreds of different vendors that deal in geek-oriented merchandise. The genius part is that you actually have to pay for your copy of Previews for the privilege of ordering other things to pay for.

It’s like the Ren Fest except without the horse poo smell.

So every month a new edition of Previews is sent out to comic book stores. Contained in the pages within are products that might be currently available or could be released anytime in the next year; but are typically about two months away. Most of this month’s offerings are scheduled to ship in February.

The Twelve Albums of Christmas

By Dave

Every year from midnight after Thanksgiving until midnight on Christmas Day, the only music I listen to is of the Christmas variety.

I love Christmas. I love the story of Jesus. I love giving gifts. I love the colder weather, the decorations, the tree, the holiday specific foods like candy canes and gingerbread and egg nog, the lights, the TV specials, and of course the music.

Needless Things Podcast 189 – Boglins & Sectaurs with Timothy Clarke

LIVE from the Dragon Con 2017 Puppetry Track!

Dave – formerly and sometimes still known as Phantom Troublemaker – talks to the wonderful Tim Clarke about two of the legendary 80s toy lines he created – Boglins and Sectaurs!