The March of Dimes gets mentioned on both our quiz show and our comedy in this installment.  On “Information Please,” the guest is General Hugh Johnson, head of President Roosevelt’s National Recovery Administration, who also worked hard to raise money to fight polio.  Then, on “The Danny Kaye Show,” the versatile comedian / actor / singer plays an exaggerated version of himself.  As he tries to get to Washington for a March of Dimes fund-raiser, he finds plenty of opportunities to use his patented fake-foreign accents and scat-patter as well as sing a sweet song or two.

Episodes

Information Please

January 24, 1939

“Guest:  General Hugh Johnson”

3:29

The Danny Kaye Show

January 27, 1945

“Flying to Washington for March of Dimes” 

36:30

On an all-new edition of The Weekly Podioplex, it was a battle between then aliens and the xenomorphs won. Barely. Now it's the battle of the aliens (both sets) and the pirates. Bring rum and that guy's leg, and watchout for facehuggers.

On the home entertainment slate, old man Logan, haunted houses, the Great Wall, and John Wick come home. So does an animated superhero who is friends with the Flash, Green Arrow, and the Legends. Disney also gets in on things with some ducks. Mighty ones. Denise takes us out with a few geeky articles and a whole lotta "yaaaaaaayyy" as we put the wraps on another edition of The Weekly Podioplex, brought to you on The Chronic Rift Network.

Weekly Podioplex Notes for May 23rd, 2017

Introduction

Opening Clip: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Box Office Report

Top Ten

#1 – Alien: Covenant – [New Release]
#2 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – [-1]
#3 – Everything, Everything – [New Release]
#4 – Snatched – [-2]
#5 – King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – [-2]
#6 – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul – [New Release]

#7 – The Fate of the Furious – [-3]
#8 – The Boss Baby – [-2]
#9 – Beauty and the Beast – [-4]
#10 – How to Be a Latin Lover – [-3]

Tops From the Past

2012 – Men in Black 3
2007 – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
1997 – The Lost World: Jurassic Park
1987 – Beverly Hills Cop II
1977 – The Car
 

Box Office Premieres for the week of May 26th, 2017

Wide

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – [PG-13]

Baywatch – [R]

Limited

Long Strange Trip – [R]
Buena Vista Social Club: Adios  – [PG]
Drone  – [NR]

Home Entertainment for the week of May 23rd, 2017

New Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray

Logan – [R]

Get Out – [R]

The Great Wall – [PG-13]

Rock Dog – [PG]

New Releases on Digital Video

John Wick: Chapter 2 – [R]

TV on DVD and Blu-Ray

Vixen: The Movie (2016)

Blu-Rays From the Past

The Mighty Ducks (1992) – [PG]

Podcast Promos

Doctor Geek’s Laboratory
It’s the 21st Century. Ever wondered what happened to all those inventions, conveniences, and other concepts the future was suppose to bring? Well, so have we. Here, at Doctor Geek’s Laboratory, we will explore all the realms of applied geekdom. We will examine the future that was, the future that is, and the future that has not yet come to pass.

STEAM Edutainment Logo Doctor Geek established the lab and science fair as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) outreach.

Through enthusiasm, passion, and humor, we hope to bring our audience closer to the scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs, tinkerers, and others who are attempting to bring about the world of tomorrow. Together we will help the future along … give it a push where it’s needed.

Quick Flicks

Michael Fassbender to return to the X-Men films?
James Gunn on texting in theaters
Slaughterhouse Rules
The New Pope
Dirk Gently welcomes Alan Tudyk

Links

Visit the Chronic Rift site
Send us an e-mail
Tweet on Twitter:  The Chronic Rift, The Weekly Podioplex, Denise, and Michael
Listen on Stitcher Radio

Leave a review on iTunes:  The Chronic Rift

Shop the Rift’s Best Bets or search our Amazon Store. 

Michael’s blog at Creative Criticality

Denise’s blog at Accessories Not Included

On an all-new edition of The Weekly Podioplex, it was a battle between then aliens and the xenomorphs won. Barely. Now it's the battle of the aliens (both sets) and the pirates. Bring rum and that guy's leg, and watchout for facehuggers.

On the home entertainment slate, old man Logan, haunted houses, the Great Wall, and John Wick come home. So does an animated superhero who is friends with the Flash, Green Arrow, and the Legends. Disney also gets in on things with some ducks. Mighty ones. Denise takes us out with a few geeky articles and a whole lotta "yaaaaaaayyy" as we put the wraps on another edition of The Weekly Podioplex, brought to you on The Chronic Rift Network.

Weekly Podioplex Notes for May 23rd, 2017

Introduction

Opening Clip: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Box Office Report

Top Ten

#1 – Alien: Covenant – [New Release]
#2 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – [-1]
#3 – Everything, Everything – [New Release]
#4 – Snatched – [-2]
#5 – King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – [-2]
#6 – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul – [New Release]

#7 – The Fate of the Furious – [-3]
#8 – The Boss Baby – [-2]
#9 – Beauty and the Beast – [-4]
#10 – How to Be a Latin Lover – [-3]

Tops From the Past

2012 – Men in Black 3
2007 – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
1997 – The Lost World: Jurassic Park
1987 – Beverly Hills Cop II
1977 – The Car
 

Box Office Premieres for the week of May 26th, 2017

Wide

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – [PG-13]

Baywatch – [R]

Limited

Long Strange Trip – [R]
Buena Vista Social Club: Adios  – [PG]
Drone  – [NR]

Home Entertainment for the week of May 23rd, 2017

New Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray

Logan – [R]

Get Out – [R]

The Great Wall – [PG-13]

Rock Dog – [PG]

New Releases on Digital Video

John Wick: Chapter 2 – [R]

TV on DVD and Blu-Ray

Vixen: The Movie (2016)

Blu-Rays From the Past

The Mighty Ducks (1992) – [PG]

Podcast Promos

Doctor Geek’s Laboratory
It’s the 21st Century. Ever wondered what happened to all those inventions, conveniences, and other concepts the future was suppose to bring? Well, so have we. Here, at Doctor Geek’s Laboratory, we will explore all the realms of applied geekdom. We will examine the future that was, the future that is, and the future that has not yet come to pass.

STEAM Edutainment Logo Doctor Geek established the lab and science fair as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) outreach.

Through enthusiasm, passion, and humor, we hope to bring our audience closer to the scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs, tinkerers, and others who are attempting to bring about the world of tomorrow. Together we will help the future along … give it a push where it’s needed.

Quick Flicks

Michael Fassbender to return to the X-Men films?
James Gunn on texting in theaters
Slaughterhouse Rules
The New Pope
Dirk Gently welcomes Alan Tudyk

Links

Visit the Chronic Rift site
Send us an e-mail
Tweet on Twitter:  The Chronic Rift, The Weekly Podioplex, Denise, and Michael
Listen on Stitcher Radio

Leave a review on iTunes:  The Chronic Rift

Shop the Rift’s Best Bets or search our Amazon Store. 

Michael’s blog at Creative Criticality

Denise’s blog at Accessories Not Included

Isis

"The Sound of Silence"

September 27, 1975

Andrea has developed a force field generator called the Circlegard.  It's just what a disgruntled student needs to get himself a new car.  Can Andrea save Bill from the dangerous turn he's taking by aligning with a local mobster?  Will she be in time to also save him from the radiation that is leaking from the Circlegard? 

The Secrets of Isis takes a turn toward the more technical with this episode.  It's a story dealing with the usual misguided teenagers and the men who manipulate them, but it also has the element of the force field generator and the dangers of radiation.  John and Richard discuss how this new element propells the show forward in terms of story telling opportunities.  They also wonder how a project like the Circlegard could be developed in a high school with the dangers of radiation involved.

It's all here and we want to hear from you on what you think of the episode.  Write us as ShazamIsisPodcast@gmail.com.

Moral: "We all know that two wrongs don't make a right.  They only make things worse.  If you're ever tempted in that direction, just remember that the right way is always the best way."

​

Guest Cast

Leigh McCloskey as Bill Cady

James Canning as B.J. Tanker

Philip Bruns as Jack Evans

Wayne Storm as Jocko

and

Albert Reed as Dr. Joshua Barnes

On an all-new edition of The Weekly Podioplex, Volume Two takes Round Two as the Guardians of the Galaxy win the weekend once again. Not even raunchy comedy or King Arthur himself could stop them. This week, it's aliens versus aliens as the xenomorphs return with Alien: Covenant. If chestbusters aren't quite your style, there's some comedy and romance as well.

The home entertainment slate is meatier than last week, offering Xander Cage's return, the final chapter of Resident Evil, Logan, chidren from Mars, and gods in shacks. The Fresh Prince rings rhythm (and the Carlton) to television, and Bruce Lee returns to our retro blu-ray slate with the Dragon beating on gangsters. Denise takes a few minutes to talk Hellboy, The Strain, Sleepy Hollow, and iZombie, and brings us to the end of another edition of The Weekly Podioplex, brought to you on The Chronic Rift Network.

Weekly Podioplex Notes for May 16th, 2017

Introduction

Opening Clip: Alien: Covenant

Box Office Report

Top Ten

#1 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – [Second Week]
#2 – Snatched – [New Release]
#3 – King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – [New Release]
#4 – The Fate of the Furious – [-2]
#5 – Beauty and the Beast – [Even]
#6 – The Boss Baby – [-3]

#7 – How to Be a Latin Lover – [-3]
#8 – Lowriders – [New Release]
#9 – The Circle – [-3]
#10 – Baahubali 2: The Conclusion – [-3]

Tops From the Past

2012 – Marvel’s The Avengers
2007 – Shrek the Third
1997 – The Fifth Element
1987 – Ishtar
1977 – The Car
 

Box Office Premieres for the week of May 19th, 2017

Wide

Alien: Covenant – [R]

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul – [PG]

Everything, Everything – [PG-13]

Limited

The Commune – [NR]
Wakefield  – [R]

Home Entertainment for the week of May 16th, 2017

New Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray

xXx: Return of Xander Cage – [PG-13]

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – [R]

The Space Between Us – [PG-13]

New Releases on Digital Video

Logan – [R]

The Shack – [PG-13]

TV on DVD and Blu-Ray

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Complete Series (1990-1996)

Blu-Rays From the Past

Return of the Dragon (1972) – [NR]

Podcast Promos

The Flopcast
Flopcast hosts Kevin and Kornflake met while working on the assembly line at a rubber chicken factory in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Together, they’re bringing you The Flopcast, live from Chickentown. They are quite obsessed with both coffee and cartoons, as well as comedy music, and various other silly and geeky pursuits. And rubber chickens. And yaks. 

Quick Flicks

Hellboy reboot
The Strain, Sleepy Hollow, and iZombie

Links

Visit the Chronic Rift site
Send us an e-mail
Tweet on Twitter:  The Chronic Rift, The Weekly Podioplex, Denise, and Michael
Listen on Stitcher Radio

Leave a review on iTunes:  The Chronic Rift

Shop the Rift’s Best Bets or search our Amazon Store. 

Michael’s blog at Creative Criticality

Denise’s blog at Accessories Not Included

In 2015, Joe Books released the first book of Keith’s “Tales of Asgard” trilogy, in which Keith got to write Marvel Comics’ version of the Norse gods in prose form. That first book was Marvel’s Thor: Dueling with Giants. In 2016, Book 2 came out, entitled Marvel’s Sif: Even Dragons Have Their Endings. This month, the thrilling conclusion will be released, and Keith will talk all about the trilogy in general and the final volume, Marvel’s Warriors Three: Godhood’s End in particular, including reading an excerpt from the novel.

Keith has always loved Norse mythology, as it’s also provided the backbone of his cycle of urban fantasy stories set in Key West, Florida. He owes that interest primarily to Marvel’s portrayals of them, and it was the thrill of a lifetime to get to write them.

Show notes to follow.

"The Funny Feline Felonies/

The Joke's on Catwoman"

Aired December 28, 1967 & January 4, 1968

Catwoman is back in Gotham once again and this time she's teaming up with the Joker.  She's hatching a plot to recover over 100 pounds of TNT.  The thing is, this is a simple plot by either of their standards and the script refelcts it as it starts out interestingly enough and then quickly slides into complete farce as we get a courtroom scene at the end of part two.

​

Joining John to discuss this episode is podcaster Michael Falkner (The Weekly Podioplex).  This time they discuss just how painful it is to watch this when you consider the first episode is actually not that bad.  They admire how Eartha Kitt purrs French so elegantly.  And they wonder just how does a recent grad student with a librarian's salery manage to come up with the gadgets she does in her crimefighting spree, items that includes a universal antidote pill.  Is Alfred involved in this somehow?

Comment on the episode here or write thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.

 

Michael Falkner is a writer, podcaster, and photographer living in the Atlanta area. A graduate of the University of Utah and the University of Arkansas, a Navy submarine veteran, and an incurable science fiction geek, he has been writing, give or take, since he could hold a pencil.

​

Since 2011, he has hosted The Weekly Podioplex, a movie and television news podcast on The Chronic Rift network. Before then, he was a writer and producer for The Scapecast, the Parsec Award-winning podcast about Farscape. He has also contributed to various other podcast productions, most notably The RevCast on RevolutionSF and The Chronic Rift's Roundtable. Michael is also a frequent panelist for the American Science Fiction Classics Track at Dragon Con, and is also one of the founding members of the Dragon Con Newbies group, which helps newcomers of the annual convention.

​

As a writer, Michael has been published several times, including genre essays on RevolutionSF and ForceCast.net. He is also the author of the Timestamps Project, a series of reviews of the long-running Doctor Who television series. His work can be found on his site, Creative Criticality.

For Mother’s Day, Dennis Day sings the ballad “Little Mother of Mine” on “The Jack Benny Show.”  On this episode, the gang is flying back to Los Angeles from New York.  At the time such a voyage was a rare treat.  It took a mere 18 hours; about half as long as a similar trip by train.  Then on “Have Gun Will Travel,” Paladin thinks he’s doing his Chinese friends a favor by exposing a con game as old as the hills.  But there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye of even the sharpest mind in the Old West.

Episodes

The Jack Benny Program

May 12, 1940

“Returns on a TWA Plane”

4:05

Have Gun Will Travel

April 10, 1960

“So True, Mr. Barnum”

34:57

On an all-new edition of The Weekly Podioplex, there was only one clear winner, and they are the Guardians of the Galaxy. The odds remain in their favor as the box office newcomers are a retelling of the King Arthur legend and a mother/daughter comedy.

Weekly Podioplex Notes for May 9th, 2017

Introduction

Opening Clip: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Box Office Report

Top Ten

#1 – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – [New Release]
#2 – The Fate of the Furious – [-1]
#3 – The Boss Baby – [+1]
#4 – How to Be a Latin Lover – [-2]
#5 – Beauty and the Beast – [+1]
#6 – The Circle – [-1]

#7 – Baahubali 2: The Conclusion – [-4]
#8 – Gifted – [+1]
#9 – Smurfs: The Lost Village – [-1]
#10 – Going in Style – [-3]

Tops From the Past

2012 – Marvel’s The Avengers
2007 – Spider-Man 3
1997 – The Fifth Element
1987 – The Secret of My Succe$s
1977 – Annie Hall

Box Office Premieres for the week of May 12th, 2017

Wide

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword – [PG-13]

Snatched – [R]

Limited

Lowriders – [PG-13]
The Wall  – [R]
Paris Can Wait  – [PG]
Meri Pyaari Bindu – [NR]
The Wedding Plan  – [PG]
Generation Iron 2  – [NR]

Home Entertainment for the week of May 9th, 2017

New Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray

Fifty Shades Darker – [R]

New Releases on Digital Video

Rock Dog – [PG]

TV on DVD and Blu-Ray

Orange is the New Black: Season Four (2016)

Blu-Rays From the Past

The Accidental Tourist (1988) – [PG]

Podcast Promos

Terminus: A Doctor Who Podcast
A podcast about a queer woman's perspective on Doctor Who, both the classic and new series, as well as its various spin-offs and ephemera.

Quick Flicks

Godzilla vs Kong moves up one week
Marvel’s Runaways coming to Hulu this winter
BBC takes on The War of the Worlds
Disney, The Rock, and a Jungle Cruise movie
Hope remains for fans of Powerless
Glass: The Unbreakable sequel
Roseanne limited revival in the works
The Vampire Chronicles is coming to television
Boondock Saints Origins

Links

Visit the Chronic Rift site
Send us an e-mail
Tweet on Twitter:  The Chronic Rift, The Weekly Podioplex, Denise, and Michael
Listen on Stitcher Radio

Leave a review on iTunes:  The Chronic Rift

Shop the Rift’s Best Bets or search our Amazon Store. 

Michael’s blog at Creative Criticality

Denise’s blog at Accessories Not Included

On an all-new edition of The Weekly Podioplex, there were a few shining stars that tried so, so hard to beat the fast and furious family, but Torretto and his gang sped their way to victory and a box office turkey. This week, they face another family: The Guardians of the Galaxy.

The home entertainment slate is a mix of dogs, rings, zombies, babies, and 4400 mysterious people. We also see a pair of hi-def anniversaries as Saturday Night Fever and Smokey and the Bandit flash forward from the 1970s. Finally, Denise caps off the comics celebration with a whole bushel of news from the Marvel universe. That and more on this new edition of the Weekly Podioplex, brought to you on The Chronic Rift Network.

Weekly Podioplex Notes for May 2nd, 2017

Introduction

Opening Clip: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Box Office Report

Top Ten

#1 – The Fate of the Furious – [Third Week]
#2 – How to Be a Latin Lover – [New Release]
#3 – Baahubali 2: The Conclusion – [New Release/Limited Release]
#4 – The Boss Baby – [-2]
#5 – The Circle – [New Release]
#6 – Beauty and the Beast – [-3]

#7 – Going in Style – [-3]
#8 – Smurfs: The Lost Village – [-3]
#9 – Gifted – [-1]
#10 – Unforgettable – [-3]

Tops From the Past

2012 – Marvel’s The Avengers
2007 – Spider-Man 3
1997 – Breakdown
1987 – The Secret of My Succe$s
1977 – Annie Hall
 

Box Office Premieres for the week of May 5th, 2017

Wide

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – [PG-13]

Limited

The Lovers – [R]
The Dinner  – [R]
3 Generations  – [NR]

Home Entertainment for the week of May 2nd, 2017

New Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray

A Dog’s Purpose – [PG]

Rings – [PG-13]

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone – [PG]

New Releases on Digital Video

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – [R]

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage – [PG-13]

TV on DVD and Blu-Ray

Rugrats: Season One (1991)

Rugrats: Season Two (1992)
The Last Ship: Season Three (2016)
The 4400: The Complete Series (2004-2007)

Blu-Rays From the Past

Saturday Night Fever (1977) – [R]

Smokey and the Bandit (1977) – [PG]

Podcast Promos

Earth Station MCU
Welcome to the Earth Station MCU Podcast, your home for all things related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and so much more.

Quick Flicks

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
GotGV2 bits
GotGV2 vs. Thor: Ragnarok
Fahrenheit 451
The X-Files return... again

Links

Visit the Chronic Rift site
Send us an e-mail
Tweet on Twitter:  The Chronic Rift, The Weekly Podioplex, Denise, and Michael
Listen on Stitcher Radio

Leave a review on iTunes:  The Chronic Rift

Shop the Rift’s Best Bets or search our Amazon Store. 

Michael’s blog at Creative Criticality

Denise’s blog at Accessories Not Included