Brought you a little snack, Eckhardt

Show #72 - The Late Genghis Khan

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:45:00 -0700

After two and a half weeks with no new Snack, your two favorite dummies have quite a lot to say about light bulbs, Star Trek, air-conditioning and Batman. Enjoy it guys! (Just kidding, out of those we only mention Batman once, and it’s really hardly anything at all). Discussed: The media’s coverage of the Boston bombing, the rightness or wrongness of the decision to shut down Boston for a day to aid the police in their manhunt, who the podcasters believed were the culprits in the first hours after the bombing, unavoidably poor segues, the new ‘Man of Steel’ trailer, the new ‘Thor: The Dark World’ teaser, exciting news for fans of Daredevil, why Daredevil didn’t entice the podcasters when they were wee comic collectors, “superhero movie fatigue” and the unlikely possibility of attaining this state of being, an exciting Word of the Week, a brief note on a revisiting of the film ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’, a new Monolith Moment (which turns out to be violent and, oddly, masochistic), a possible title for the podcast is suggested and a lurid scenario resulting from this title is imagined aloud, Seth McFarlane’s Oscar performance is redeemed (sort of), and Game of Thrones episodes 2 and 3 are torn open and their entrails examined on this edition of A Little Snack.

Show #72

Show #71 - Drive, He Said

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Sun, 7 Apr 2013 17:21:00 -0700

Join the boys for a rare (and extra long) weekend episode of A Little Snack. Please also enjoy a pared down podcast description this week. Discussed: Roger Ebert's death, the current North Korean rhetoric, the Word of the Week!, another new segment!, a brief and pointless musing on the ephemeral nature of non-classic films, an interesting factoid about the typewriter, a discussion of the first episode of NBC's Hannibal as well as the first episode of the third season of HBO's Game of Thrones. Enjoy!

Show #71

Show #70 - Just a Heart

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:29:00 -0700

The Snack-boys, as you know, will talk themselves hoarse about Batman. Or Star Trek. Or Game of Thrones. But in this episode of A Little Snack, we discover a new topic the 'Lith and the Trap find important and endlessly fascinating, and are destined to revisit obsessively in future episodes. If you guessed "the situation in Syria", or "the prospects for enduring racial tolerance in the Unites States," not only would you be wrong, but you've clearly never heard a syllable of the show. But if you guessed "that guy with the claws", then you guessed correctly and I pity you for knowing these dopes well enough to get that right. Discussed: the brand-spanking new 'The Wolverine' trailer, the limits of Wolverine's healing factor, a surprising suggestion from Bear Trap for a Hugh Jackman replacement, similarities the plot may have to 'Superman II', what director James Mangold might bring to the film, why most of the Wolverine movies seem to have no idea what makes Wolverine cool in the first place, possible misuse of CG, whether the movie will be able to avoid giggles during Logan's big fight with lots of ninjas, Tyrion the troll and the limits of what film can translate from books and comics, the new 'Kick Ass 2' trailer, whether quiet character-building scenes are better than big action scenes, how (and if) our enjoyment of movies has changed with age, Rhianna's performance in 'Battleship' and why it's not entirely unwelcome, the trailer for the new Roland Emmerich movie 'White House Down', Bear Trap defends (unpersuasively) his love of the film '2012', whether Channing Tatum is in over his head (acting-wise) in 'White House Down', which real-life person Jamie Foxx resembles in that film, poor TV-in-a-movie effects and why Monolith hates 'em, the Word of the Week!, whether a movie you watch once and never again can be better than one you watch over and over again, the definition of film "greatness", Bear Trap utters what may be the stupidest thing he's ever said (high bar), whether video games are art, the definition of art, and your podcasters give you one final heads up before the glory that is Season Three of 'Game of Thrones' is revealed to all this Sunday at 9PM on HBO. Enjoy!

Show #70

Show #69 - Greenage and Horizontal Rain: The Life Lessons of "Twister"

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:06:00 -0700

Sometimes the 'Lith or the Trap forget to say things they wanted to say in these podcasts. Just happens. Things can move pretty fast, it's not scripted, you know the deal. So in most episodes there are points or facts that the podcasters wanted to share when discussing a topic, but for whatever reason didn't get around to it. So, this week, Bear Trap has asked that I use this space to list a few items that didn't get covered in the podcast but wishes they had. So here they are: 1) read 'Tenth of December' by George Saunders. It is very likely the best book that will be released this year. 2) another reason "Burt Wonderstone" didn't seem very good is because, in the trailers, Steve Carrell looks like he's doing the role ironically. I know that's probably part of his character, but it didn't look like he meant his performance. And 3) that episode of Myth Busters mentioned in the cast isn't real. Do not be alarmed. Now, on with the show. Discussed: why it is not correct to call refrigerant 'freon', amorous former-Marine HVAC teachers, an almost-storm that drenched and frightened Bear Trap, why 'The Amazing Burt Wonderstone' bombed last weekend, how 2013 could be Jim Carrey's year, the 'Kick Ass 2' trailer and the hints of sub-par-ness contained therein, a new weekly segment that will delight and astonish (or neither of those things), how Seth McFarlane's critics got it wrong on his Oscar-hosting performance, Monolith recalls his time as a student of famed film editor Anne Coates, why Monolith didn't play with GI Joe, other toys the podcasters played with as children, an offer from Bear Trap to the Snack's lady-listeners, the Obama impersonator starring as the Devil in the new History Channel show "The Bible", the lairfortbasestation or stronghold question is explored in depth (stronghold, obviously, because what the hell's a lairfortbasestation? Am I right?), the frequent FB references to 'Mooney' are explained with an apt comparison to 'The Silence of the Lambs', the moment Bear Trap had a hankering to see him some 'GI Joe: Retaliation', 'Wreck-It-Ralph' versus 'Brave', a passionate defense of Jared Leto band 30 Seconds to Mars followed by a challenge to a music-oriented listener, and whether the podcasters are good judges of each episode's quality. The answers, and more, in this week's episode of A Little Snack.

Show #69

Show #68 - Rufio!

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 7 Mar 2013 08:03:00 -0800

Your friendly neighborhood podcasters missed last week (the Trap went and got hisself sick), but they're back with a new episode of A Little Snack. Just in time for Spring! (Which is kind of ironic because of, you know, all the snow and coldness.) Where the last show was heavy on meteors, trivia nights and John Cusacks, this one's heavier on drones, comic books, video games, and, yes, Batman. Though the Trap and the 'Lith would be the first to concede that hardly anyone likes hearing about those things, this time out, the guys manage to make it work. (Not true!) Hope you enjoy it! Discussed: Why Monolith's father's getting botox injections, birthday re-enactments, Jon Stewart's mid-life career change, one possible issue with John Oliver's upcoming tenure as Daily Show guest host, the Trap and the 'Lith have diametrically opposite opinions on a commercial for the new 'Tomb Raider' game, the ghastly fate that awaits Lara Croft in the raging rapids, drones and the slippery slope, the effect of a Google Glass world, Rand Paul's filibuster, the best of the Nolan Batman films, why Monolith isn't excited for the next Nolan film, why DC's approach to a Justice League movie is riskier than Marvel's Avenger's strategy, the Planet Hulk rumor and its veracity, Episode VII casting news, Facebook topic suggestions, Snoop Lion, an Apple watch?, Paul Rudd and Monolith's shocking allegation regarding Rudd's true identity, Dr. Strange casting idea (notice the singular, not plural), stories of the 8-month old Fedak child, and Bear Trap threatens the listeners with an eventual discussion of Downton Abbey.

Show #68

Show #67 - The Alarmist

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:48:00 -0800

Sometimes a thing happens that makes you appreciate being alive. An event that makes you grateful for the brief spark of life you've been granted. If viewed in a certain way, watching the bus-sized rock hurtle into the Russian sky at 30,000 miles per hour and explode with the kinetic energy of a 15 megaton nuclear weapon last Friday might have provided that perspective. But, as with any dramatic emotionally fraught moment, the feeling of present-ness inevitably fades. The workaday world rushes back in, and all the same dumb patterns reassert themselves. You start wasting time again. Time you'll never get back. Like the time you spend listening to podcasts. Or, like the time you're about to spend listening to the hour and a half of this week's episode of A Little Snack.

Discussed: the "well-written" John Cusack film "The Raven", what kind of roles John Cusack succeeds in, the Jason Bateman/Melissa McCarthy film "Identity Thief", an incorrect reference to Mrs. McCarthy as "Mary", Bear Trap's adventures at an area trivia night where Little Snack-centric knowledge plays a central role in the outcome, what the "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius did to his girlfriend (and no, "murder" isn't the word -- this is a Little Snack, after all), Bear Trap's low-grade conspiracy theory regarding the meteor/asteroid unusualness last Friday, what "Armageddon" got right and what it got wrong, Charlton Heston, an excellent short story/independent movie idea Monolith inadvertently comes up with, Neill Degrasse Tyson's thoughts on the meteor, the podcasters' comments on listener suggestions for show enhancements, a certain game console gets an update, future topics of discussion, and more of the same stuff you're used to. It's time. Take a listen. It might be the last thing you ever hear. (But probably not.)

Show #67

Show #66 - Valentine's Day High-Five!

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:18:00 -0800

In this episode of the Snack, the two podcasters mainline a mug-full of Nyquil and see if they can finish a podcast before they pass out. Also, they ask what they can do to improve the podcast. And you cant say, "Maybe less Nyquil next time," because that's too obvious. And also they won't do it. Discussed: The things the podcasters do on February 14th, the Pope's resignation, how the Little Snack can get more listeners, whether the Little Snack should get more listeners, Marco Rubio's awkward water-drinking moment, Tim Cook's appearance at the State of the Union, a brief word about 'Side Effects', HBOGo and Apple's unholy union, why Bear Trap should own Die Hard forever because he bought it on VHS once, and other various ramblings. You know how this goes. Enjoy!

Show #66

Show #65 - The Atari Blow

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 7 Feb 2013 18:31:00 -0800

In this episode of A Little Snack, Monolith and Bear Trap get all nostalgic about a whole bunch of 80s stuff. For no reason at all here's a list of 80s things they did not talk about in this podcast, but probably should have: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, E.T., jam shorts, Panama Jack apparel, 'Explorers', Battle Beasts, the guy with the melted face in 'Robocop', Battlecat, Rubik's cubes, Oregon Trail, and Jennifer Gray. Ok, Jennifer gets a mention. But all the other stuff is definitely not talked about. Discussed: The United States Post Office's plan to end Saturday mail delivery, what Bear Trap often finds in his "postbox", the future of mail, Canada's plan to take pennies out of circulation, whether pennies are even worth the effort of picking them up (nope), what sort of weather is most conducive for spotting loose change for those who are miles tall, Monolith's story about his first glimpse of the glory that is 'Die Hard', a Richard Dreyfus sighting and his emotional state at the time, what movie 'Dave' ripped off for its national leader-impersonating plot, a review of 'The Three Stooges' remake (yes, this film was witnessed), a movie that Bear Trap saw as a kid that does not actually appear to exist, what book series the 'Ender's Game' sequel 'Speaker for the Dead' resembles, what kind of movie-girl Monolith fancies, the phenomenon of falling women in romantic comedies at the turn of this century, the apex of the 'clumsy lady' romantic lead, what caused Bear Trap to stop watching 'Tosh.0', Jennifer Gray and the thing that happened to her, the methods men of a certain age used to get cartridge games to work again, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Putt-putt and Super Saturdays, 'Silence of the Lambs' (the novel) revisited, and what the hell Thomas Harris should be doing right this second. And a couple other digressions that or may not be in some way interesting. Play it on your iTunes. Do something productive while these chuckleheads murmur about nonsense in the background.

Show #65

Show #64 - The Liefeld Foot

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 07:21:00 -0800

So! The co-perpetrator of Lost was given the directing gig on the new new Star Wars movie. Here's hoping Episode VII turns out more like the first two seasons of that show and nothing at all like any of the other seasons. The 'Lith and the Trap get into that news item and a bunch of other geek-chat standbys in this episode of A Little Snack. Discussed: JJ Abrams or The Only Man Who Can Direct Films for Culturally Important SciFi Properties, what Abrams' selection as the director of Episode VII implies about the current state of Hollywood, Abrams' unforgettable turn as maybe the pizza guy in a movie you saw once, why young people aren't as into Star Trek as they are in Star Wars, comic book artists, the Liefeld foot and where the Liefeld foot might have originated, how Bear Trap got swindled in a comic book trade and which books were involved, what a guy in his mid-thirties is supposed to do with his stash of early-90's comics, which comic Monolith would like to have framed, Die Hard as a franchise, the mistakes studios made when thinking about how to make Die Hard-like movies, how Monolith would resurrect the Die Hard franchise if someone gave him $50 million dollars to do the job, who Die Hard Five was made for, why The Shining continues to hold legions of movie geeks under its spell, how The Shining builds horror, why the casting was so important to its success, and a call for a deconstruction of The Shining to be written by a listener and submitted for the podcasters' review. You got out of this one with no Apple News. Enjoy it.

Show #64

Show #63 - The Relative Scariness of Cubes versus Suh-fears

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:13:00 -0800

Is there any month worse than January? The Christmas lights have all come down, 'Jingle Bell Rock''s not playing on the radio anymore, the lazy excuses to overeat have expired, and it's cold and bleak outside. (Well, bleak anyway. Global warming and all). And now the Trap and 'Lith have gone and recorded another aimless, mostly content-free podcast. Whether that makes your worst month of the year a bit better or a lot worse is for you to decide. Happy new year, Snackers! (Yeah, we're calling you that.) Discussed: Monolith's second viewing of 'The Avengers', which moment of brutal violence in that movie gets the biggest laugh, "the only director who writes women well", Monolith and Bear Trap disagree whether any of the uninitiated should subject themselves to the movie "Sphere", Lance Armstrong's doping and the question no one's asking (but Bear Trap is), the many reasons Lance is probably just an unredeemable skeez, Jodie Foster's unusual Golden Globes speech and the variety of reactions to it, Monolith's correct answer to the question "Who's the hottest actress in Hollywood right now?", the most exciting directors working, muscle injuries and the benefits of rehab, Bear Trap's sad, self-inflicted exercise-related injury, and those moments when your podcasters feel particularly old. Click and listen. Remember why you fell in ambivalence with this podcast in the first place.

Show #63

Show #62 - Somersaults and Absentee Tobes

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:48:00 -0800

You never said anything, but they knew it. Nothing was said outright, but it was there all the same. Between the lines in the Facebook comments, in the things that didn't get said, the feeling was clear: you were getting tired of their voices. Every week, just the two of them, slinging lazy thinking, negative opinions, and half-baked theories at each other for two, three hours at a time. Sure, it's scintillating and you wish there were even more hours every week, but the unrelenting sameness of their droning talk-sounds had become oppressive. Well, never say Monolith and Bear Trap aren't responsive to their listeners! That's right, you're in for another Featured Guest show! Two becomes three when Friend of the Show Craig joins the Little Snack dummies for a fun, digressive, and, it should be mentioned, often rather humorous blab-fest. (Because Craig deserves a LittleSnack nickname, we'll assign him one as soon as one is agreed upon. Ideas are welcome.) Discussed: the morality of printing impending death photos on the front of newspapers, whether the NY Post is in danger of becoming a "snuff mag", 'Man of Steel' trailer, the ordeal that is Kal-el keeping up with his personal hygiene, the best way for superheroes to launch into flight, the working relationship between Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan on 'Man of Steel', the trailer for Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming 'Pacific Rim', 'Pacific Rim' co-star Idris Elba's funny character name, a tone shift in the new 'GI Joe 2' trailer that Bear Trap finds hilarious, the 'Oblivion' trailer, the truth about Shyamalan's 'After Earth' as explained by Monolith, a tangential rundown on the M. Night Shyamalan ouevre, and what may be the photo that cracks the case on who really directed 'Poltergiest' (actually the photo below). Thanks again to Craig for lending his time and voice to the dog and pony show that is the Snack. Hope everyone enjoys this one.

Show #62

Show #61 - Into Cumberbatch

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Fri, 7 Dec 2012 09:37:00 -0800

Before you get excited, let me share some facts about this episode: the first three things we talk about are 'Star Trek', Apple news, and Batman. That's correct. The Unholy Trinity of Little Snack Boredom. Now, before you unsubscribe from this podcast, be aware that, if you do, you would be missing a discussion on whether the USS Enterprise could withstand full immersion in the ocean, a brief, poorly done, and inappropriate Bane impression, as well as a description of 'Sherlock' actor Benedict Cumberbatch that stays just (and I stress 'just') this side of an admission of manly love. Yes, you have to wade through drifts of coal to find these diamonds, but they're there, friends and listeners. They're there. And even if they're not there (and they're not), doesn't the raw mindless power of pure habit compel you to listen? Enjoy! Discussed: iMac production moving to US, the degree to which public relations played a role in the announcement, what might happen if Apple didn't care about PR ever, 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' teaser, similarities between the first Star Trek and its first sequel (based on teaser footage alone), Cumberbatch's hair-style, who the villain of 'Into Darkness' might be, Blu-Ray versus streaming video, where Monolith left off on his first re-watching of 'Dark Knight Rising', a low-information discussion is had regarding the Disney-Netflix deal signed this week, the geek-off Stephen Colbert won in New Zealand, some information about who the likely 2016 Democratic nominee might be, and thoughts on politics moving into a more fact-based realm. Hope you like it.

Show #61

Show #60 - 'Use Outrageous Humor to Settle a Score' and other peculiar rules to live by

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:54:00 -0800

Sixty episodes of this podcast. For the faithful-est listeners, the folks who've listened to every minute of the addlepated ramblings of Monolith and Bear Trap, it is worth noting you have spent a full work week and a half listening to uninformed goofiness. And since exactly none of these shows has been an hour long, you're probably looking at two to three full work weeks you can never ever get back. Ever. Though your two Purveyors of Snackery may have doubts about your taste in podcasts (granted, there's only one, but still), they're actually really grateful to be the beneficiary of your epic time-wasting. You guys are great. Discussed: Bear Trap's road-gawking difficulties, the last installment of Monolith's ongoing series "Monolith Listens to Arnold's Autobiography", Arnold's top ten rules for success, Monolith ponders 'Silver Linings Playbook', Hollywood's still-to-be-released Oscar bait movies for 2012 are handicapped, PETA and their claims against Peter Jackson and 'The Hobbit', cherished and unimplemented Thanksgiving traditions, Howard Shore's score for 'LOTR', film music queues that are in and of themselves excellent but hit the wrong note when placed in the film, AMC's deft handling of 'The Godfather' trilogy, Monolith ponders 'Silver Linings Playbook' a bit longer, Kathleen Turner and why Bear Trap's a heartless jerk, that moment when you click on a link expecting an article and instead you get an ad followed by a video, tail-gating (the following-too-close behind variety, not the pregame drinking kind) and the joys thereof, what other things people who talk and text might also do, Tom Brokaw is singled out for Little Snack scorn, as well as assorted odds and ends and the random tangent. Click 'Play' in the new iTunes 11 (if that button's still there) and enjoy.

Show #60

Show #59 - Thanksgiving! The Episode

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:53:00 -0800

Show #59

Though it's likely you've been anxiously awaiting the appearance of this episode of Little Snack to appear in iTunes so you could be certain you'd have something you and your guests could listen to during Thanksgiving dinner, in this case it may not be such a great idea. Particularly if you're having either Kevin Smith or anyone associated with a Twilight movie over for turkey. Could get awkward. Discussed: Thanksgiving plans, an update on Monolith's close listening of Arnold's autobiography, what role cynicism may have played in Arnold's brief campaign to replace Gray Davis, the joys of the Lego video game franchise, how Bear Trap (reluctantly!) murdered an unconscious guard (while playing the latest entrant in the glorious Hitman video game series), the death of Twinkies?, a discussion on Kevin Smith and his filmography, the first time Monolith saw 'Clerks', Bear Trap's "favorite" Kevin Smith movie, similarities between Kevin Smith and Woody Allen, what it means to have a terrible "visual style", an extended 'Twilight Saga' hatefest guaranteed to annoy all women (Twihards and non-Twihards alike), a brief discussion on the media coverage of the current unpleasantness in the middle east, and finally a thorough going-over of a (very) late Top 6 movies of all time list in which at least one podcaster discovers a film that was obviously intended for a Worst 6 list of some kind. Listen and find out if that error gets straightened out. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Show #58 - 'Thomas' Ford could have saved Planet Hollywood

vicarious@me.com (Monolith & Beartrap) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:37:00 -0800

Americans are a busy, go-getting people. In addition to commanding the nation's spies, our CIA directors still find the time to go 'all in' with their biographers. And even with so many hours of the day filled up with not being president, our losing presidential candidates still manage to find that spare minute or two to call the majority of American voters moochers. Similarly, your two workaholic podcasters carve out whole swaths of seconds (nearly a minute's worth!) from their busy schedules to disinterestedly prep and poorly research every episode of Little Snack. This show's no exception. Today, these two Broadwells have gifted you with another gem. You're welcome. Discussed: "The Amazing Spider Man", Andrew Garfield's cloying coyness, how Sam Raimi's Spider Man trilogy looks in comparison, what is the 'essential' Spider Man, which cars Jim Lee's plastered DC comics superhero icons onto, the case against "Argo"'s early coronation as the film to beat for Best Picture, why Arnold says buying a 747 for the purposes of leasing it is risky, oddities in Maria Shriver's parenting style, a discussion on steroids for no reason, an explication of the deleted "Prometheus" scenes, the thematic similarity between "Prometheus" and "Blade Runner", what the Petraeus scandal says about the military, male humans, and the media, who the reporters should be talking to about Mr. and Mrs. 'All In', and finally, a second look at last week's post-election victory dance/discussion. Too soon? Too optimistic? Too exactly correct? Take a listen to find out. Enjoy!

Show #58