Show #35: What Happened Gravity?

Our first Academy Awards special is released way past the point of relevance, but released it shall be nonetheless!

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What started out as a snappy bonus episode quickly became an ordeal of massive proportions yet we doggedly struggled on til completion. Pretty late as far as Oscar specials go but hey! Lessons have been learned and we shall strive to be more punctual next year.

Anyhow we get down to a bit of banter about this year's Oscar shorts and their various merits and how all that muss turned out. We also have a bit of discussion thrown in about the feature length animations, a few of which you may expect to hear about in more detail on a future podcast, so watch this space!

THE NOMINEES! 

Paperman

Head Over Heels

Fresh Guacamole

 Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare

Adam and Dog

Show #34: Dude Just Loves Tentacles

Those two hotshot supercops Niall and D roll up in their souped up black Sedan to finish off the extraterrestrial escapades of Men In Black: The Series!

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By the time MIB TV got to it's third season it was comfortably set up as the sci fi police procedural it was striving to be; car chases, shootouts, pumping informants for information, rival agents in Lethal Weapon style partnerships who (never) get results and all this while having to answer to the Chief AND the Alien Mayor. Sure this means the show might stick to a pretty safe formula but with that comes a consistent level of quality in both story and visuals. To a paraphrase a great man, they make this look good!

THE SHORT VERSION

Away Team

His Honour The Mayor

Ageing Gracefully

Show #33: Who Else Can You Trust But Napoleon Bonaparte?

In our first installment of what we hope will become a regular feature 8 Man, aka Tobor The 8th Man, and 8 Man After clash in the middle of a TIME PARADOX!

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Two cartoons enter, one cartoon leaves! 1963's 8 Man is yet another example of the high concept madcap escapades we always love to see on SOTSM. 8 Man After comes out swinging with a darker and more violent take on the themes and characters introduced in its prequel series. Which one will win out? 60s or 90s? Chief Tanaka or Chief Fumblethumbs? CYBORG JUNKIES OR ROBOT TIGER? You'll just have to listen to find out!

THE SHORT VERSION

8 Man Classic

8 Man After

The deciding factor?

Show #32: XXtreme Characters

Finally getting his day in the sun of the savage outback of the mind, we finally get around to talking about The Maxx!

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Gritty, grimy, a little dark & brooding but somewhat endearing, the Maxx hails from a time when MTV functioned as an outlet for less mainstream and more experimental creative works rather than the sludge pit where dignity goes to die that it has become today. Based on a comic of the same name by Sam Kieth this animated adaptation just scratches the surface of the Maxx universe and offers a refreshingly ponderous alternative to regular cartoon superhero antics.

This podcast is mostly vague about plot details as your viewing will be informed and enhanced significantly by whatever meaning you take from it yourself. However! Certain plot details are alluded to at the 48 minute mark, so those who wish to go in clean would be wise to skip to the end at that point!

THE SHORT VERSION

Julie Winters, freelance social worker and fashion trendsetter

Masters of disguise

Comic interludes

Show #31: Treachery Of The Gods!

It's been a long voyage among cartoons new and old and to get the next leg of our journey off to a great start we delve into the extraterrestrial epic that is Ulysses 31!

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A science fiction retelling of the story of Odysseus, Ulysses 31 updates the content and themes of Homer's epic poem wonderfully. It is mysterious and full of high adventure yet also laced with a profound melancholy that one does not often see in cartoons nowadays. Excellent design work and a soaring soundtrack make up for the show's few shortcomings, most notably the performances of the English dub cast. Our luck with revisiting 1980s nostalgia properties holds yet again!

THE SHORT VERSION

A hero for all eras

A bunch of jerks

Future Fashion

Show #30: Sadsack Potato Men

We're being obnoxiously topical for a change! In light of the release of Peter Jackson's blockbuster movie it seems high time for a viewing of Rankin Bass's 1977 adaptation of The Hobbit.

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Daunted by the length of the recent live action film? Baffled by the knowledge it's only one third of the story? Never fear! This animated feature races through the plot of the book, hitting all the major story points in a trim 77 minutes. It may not be as action packed but it has possibly more detailed visuals and a lot more singing!

THE SHORT VERSION

Starring (not) Martin Freeman!

Filmed at 48 FPS!

All your favourite characters! Including Bunny-Eared Spider!

Show #29: The Cure Is Lasers

Niall and Dwayne combine their cyborg bodies via the miracle of bionic transference to form the ultimate being, DWIALL, the only one with the power capable of handling Attack Of The Super Monsters, AKA Dinosaur War Izenborg!

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An interesting experiment combining elements of traditional animation, live action rubber suits and modelwork, Attack Of The Supermonsters doesn't gel those constituent elements together as smoothly as you'd think. It is however unrepentantly silly and at least provides us with some entertaining clips and soundbites of awkward dialogue.

THE SHORT VERSION

Supermonsters

Seamless Integration

Sweet Rides