2001: A Space Odyssey Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
HAL 9000 Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)Olivier Mourge Djinn chair and sofa From Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibitition Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)DISCOVERY ONE Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Dr. Dave Bowman getting some shuteye Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
2001: A Space Odyssey.
This film is arguably the whitest film since Birth of a Nation. White actors playing white astronauts in a white spaceship trying to discover, on board a spaceship called Discovery One, the secrets of a black monolith.
Many consider this the greatest science fiction movie of all-time, despite its lack of diversity.
The movie itself did not get a great reception. Many walked out of the premiere screening. For those who left early, and those who stuck it out to the end, many thought “What the hell was that about?”
Most reviews were harsh.
Stanley Kubrick cut 20 or so minutes from the version of the movie that opened, and over time, the shorter (but still long) film found an audience. The film was far ahead of its time, and, like most films that are revolutionary and cutting edge, people just didn’t get it.
The amazing special effects, that still stand up today, and the classical music, the sets, the story, all added together to make something that many would not soon forget.
Troy and David will look at the movie, and discuss it with two special guests: Mark Askwith and Robert J. Sawyer.
Rob was the special guest for Season 1 Episode 2: Planet of the Apes Mark was the special guest for Season 1 Episode 4: The Prisoner Series
Troy and David welcome back Mark and Rob, who had both listed 2001: A Space Odyssey as their fave genre movie.
We realized that, with two guests, and a big movie like 2001, we would need two parts to do the movie justice.
In Part 1, Troy and David ask Mark and Rob to provide answers to their favourite genre things that were not asked of them before (over the past year more categories were added), and review their previous answers.
Mark and Rob talk about their first experience seeing the film.
The Dream Casting will look at these roles, played by these actors:
Character
Original Star
Dr. David Bowman
Keir Dullea
Dr. Frank Poole
Gary Lockwood
Dr. Heywood Floyd
William Sylvester
Dr. Andrei Smyslov
Leonard Rossiter
Moonwatcher (the chief man-ape)
Daniel Richter
HAL 9000
Douglas Rain (as the voice of…)
The Monolith
[visual effect]
Star Child
[visual effect]
MARK ASKWITH photo by: Amy Pagnotta
Mark Askwith is a writer and Television Producer.
He has covered the Science Fiction genre for over 30 years.
Mark is the creator of the award-winning Prisoners of Gravity, and he is one of the Founding Producers of SPACE, Canada’s National Science Fiction and Fantasy Channel.
He has also produced dozens of half-hour television movie specials, featuring interviews with stars like Tom Hanks, Christian Bale, and Sigourney Weaver.
As well, he has interviewed dozens of scientists and astronauts including Neil Degrasse Tyson, Buzz Aldrin, and Chris Hadfield.
Neil Gaiman called him the Secret Master of Science Fiction. So, I guess that’s no longer a secret.
ROBERT J. SAWYER Photo by Carolyn Clink
Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers in history—and the only Canadian—to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award.
The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name.
His latest novel is The Oppenheimer Alternative.
A member of both the Order of Canada and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, he lives in Mississauga, Ontario.
Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!
People on a bridge at night in Montreal celebrating with fireworks. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Troy Harkin and David Clink, at the Dead Poets Society Night (in Toronto) in December 2019.
It has been quite a year.
Two Old Farts Talk Sci Fi was first broadcast in April 2021.
2021 brought 14 episodes of season 1, and the first 6 episodes of season 2.
Troy and David look at the beginning of the podcast, which started with an email exchange in December of 2020. They look at the 20 episodes, with recollections, highlights.
Troy and David also answer the questions they pose to their guests, and reveal their own all-time faves, including favorite genre (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all the mash-ups and subgenres) film, tv show, tv episode, novel, shorter work, genre theme, theatre production, comic, audiobook, and so on.
They will also talk about some of the shows that are upcoming.
Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!
Copyright-Only Dedication* (based on United States law) or Public Domain Certification
The Cast of Black Christmas
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)Nightmare before Christmas
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)Krampus Elvis Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)John Saxon, Fan Expo Canada 2014 Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
This is part 2 of our holiday special to be broadcast on December 25th, 2021.
This episode looks at speculative movies.
[Please listen to Part 1, which is season 2 episode 5, if you want to listen to David and Troy talk about holiday TV, books and comics.]
There are two movies that we will look at in much more detail in this episode:
Black Christmas – 1974 Krampus – 2015
These two films will take the vast majority of our holiday movie special.
We will look at other holiday fair that have some kind of speculative content. Two of the greatest examples are:
“It’s a Wonderful Life” “A Christmas Carol”
NOTE: I don’t think we look into “A Nightmare before Christmas” at all, and some other recent classics are missed. We need to save something for next year!
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When it comes to Black Christmas, this is one of the great speculative Canadian films, up there with Ginger Snaps (2000) and Heavy Metal (1981), even though Heavy Metal is a Canadian-American co-production. The Thing (2011) and Cube Zero (2004) have enough Canadian content to qualify as Canadian.
What is it about Black Christmas that makes it one of the earliest, and perhaps the first one ever, slasher film? Why do so many people consider it a classic?
How is it that the director, Bob Clark, who is best known for
Murder by Decree Tribute Porky’s A Christmas Story
end up directing Black Christmas?
How is Black Christmas influenced by The Exorcist? How did Black Christmas influence Halloween and other films?
Why is John Saxon so great?
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We will also look at Krampus, and why it is, in the tradition of Gremlins, a horror movie that the whole family can enjoy (as long as your children are not super young). Why does Troy and his family watch this recent classic every Xmas? Listen and find out!
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Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about the holidays, in genre movies.
There is no special guest for this episode.
Listen to the 2of podcast online, or download the episode to your computer using the Download icon!
This is part 1 of our holiday special to be broadcast on December 11th, 2021.
This episode looks at speculative TV, books, and comics.
[Please listen to Part 2, which is season 2 episode 6, if you want to listen to David and Troy talk about holiday movies. Episode 6 is set to be broadcast on December 25th, 2021]
The holiday season is replete with references to the holidays, in TV and books and comics.
From the annual Dr. Who Christmas Specials, to the Star Wars Holiday Special. The holidays are no stranger to science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
The Twilight Zone visited the holidays, as well. Night of the Meek is one such episode.
Wonder Woman (the series starring Lynda Carter) also had a holiday episode.
It seemed that comics in December seemed to have some tie-in to Christmas, especially superheroes like Superman or Spiderman. Perhaps they thought parents would put some in their children’s stockings?
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Stephen King
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On Writing is a classic book (published just 20+ years ago, in 2000) by Stephen King. It is part memoir, part writing instruction, part how King did what he did, and does what he does.
What does Stephen King say
about writing? about what it takes to be a writer? about what you need to do to be a writer?
Listen, and find out!
Here are four quotes from the book:
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If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.
Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world.
The job boils down to two things: paying attention to how the real people around you behave and then telling the truth about what you see.
In the spring of my senior year at Lisbon High—1966, this would’ve been—I got a scribbled comment that changed the way I rewrote my fiction once and forever. Jotted below the machine-generated signature of the editor was this mot: “Not bad, but puffy. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck.”
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Troy Harkin and David Clink will talk about the book: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
Our special guest is our first return guest, Bev Vincent. Bev was our guest for Season 1 Episode 7, where we talked about The Dead Zone. See author photo and bio below.
Bev Vincent
Bev Vincent is the author of The Road to the Dark Tower and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, as well as over 100 short stories, including appearances in Ellery Queen’s, Alfred Hitchcock’s and Black Cat Mystery Magazines, and Cemetery Dance.
His work has been published in 20 languages and nominated for the Stoker (twice), Edgar, Ignotus and ITW Thriller Awards.
In 2018, he co-edited the anthology Flight or Fright with Stephen King.
Recent works include the novellas “The Ogilvy Affair” and “The Dead of Winter,” the latter found in Dissonant Harmonies with Brian Keene.
