The Incomparable

Our revisiting of Indiana Jones movies continues with “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, a movie that may not achieve true greatness, but sure has a heck of a lot of fun, thanks to a solid job from Harrison Ford and everything Sean Connery says or does. Dan Moren with Aleen Simms, Kathy Campbell, Monty Ashley and Tony Sindelar.

As an adjunct to the Summer of Spielberg, we are revisiting the Indiana Jones movies we only glossed over the last time we covered them! We begin with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” which gets credit for trying something different and demerit for failing at a lot of that. Jason Snell with Annette Wierstra, Steve Lutz, Moisés Chiullán and David J. Loehr.

“Barry” is the blackest of black comedies — if it’s even a comedy at all by season four. We knew Bill Hader was funny, but now we also know he’s an impressive actor and director, too. This spoiler-laden discussion of all four seasons dives deep into what’s real and not, what’s funny and not, and whether Barry was mostly a trippy homage to “Breaking Bad.” Lex Friedman with Brian Warren and Brian Hamilton.

From the sleeper hit that everyone clung to during the COVID lockdowns to a third season with Premier League-levels of hype and scrutiny, Ted Lasso was more than a breakout hit for Apple TV+. We dive into the Good, the Bad, and the Zava and make our picks (“It’s not a draft!”) for what spinoffs we want to see! Chip Sudderth with Aleen Simms, James Thomson, Kathy Campbell and Shannon Sudderth.

Our book club tackles two Nebula-nominated novels with ampersands in their titles! Is that all they have in common? It’s “Nettle & Bone” & “Legends & Lattes.” Plus: Is Scott the monster again this time? Maybe not! Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign and Kelly Guimont.

They made a better movie about Dungeons & Dragons! Can you really go wrong with Chris Pine and Hugh Grant? Two expert DMs and a roleplaying novice break it all down! Jason Snell with Tony Sindelar, Scott McNulty and Moisés Chiullán.

We go 20 minutes into the future and 36 years into the past to discuss ABC’s cyberpunk drama “Max Headroom.” For a show with an 80s pop-culture icon as its title character, it’s actually a prescient satire about where our culture was (and still is?) headed. Even more than three decades later, its discussions of data security, the right to privacy in a technological age, artificial intelligence, and even deepfakes are still state of the art. (Non-American viewers who thought this was the show where Max Headroom introduced various music videos… uh, no.) Catch the wave and join us, won’t you? Host Jason Snell with panelists Cicero Holmes, Moisés Chiullán, Monty Ashley, Warren Frey, and Austin Rich. Jason Snell with Cicero Holmes, Moisés Chiullán, Monty Ashley, Warren Frey and Austin Rich.

They said that “Star Trek: Picard” wasn’t just going to be a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” reunion show, and that turned out to be true, at least about the first two seasons. We review the show’s just-completed third season, which brought us the emotional and nostalgic moments we craved, introduced an assortment of new characters we liked (or didn’t), and introduced some plot elements that we puzzled over. Jason Snell with Joe Rosensteel, Moisés Chiullán, Cicero Holmes and David J. Loehr.

We gripe because we love! We break down the third season of “The Mandalorian.” Is burying part of the story in another show doing a disservice to this one? Why are there so may plot threads that seem to go nowhere, or get resolved in an anticlimactic fashion? And, despite all that, how did we all still have a good time? Dan Moren with Tony Sindelar, Houman Sadri, James Thomson and Kelly Guimont.

Our Book Club begins our walk through awards shortlist reading with two Nebula Awards nominees for best novel, “The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Naylor and “Spear” by Nicola Griffith. One’s a near-future thriller about sentient octopi, the other’s an Arthurian fantasy with a few twists. Next time we’ll be reading Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. If you’re on Goodreads, you can also join our Book Club there. Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Deborah Stanish.

Everyone laughed at the title, and many laughed at the over-the-top violence, but 1987’s “RoboCop” turned into a sleeper hit that kickstarted a major franchise. We revisit Paul Verhoeven’s first and best big-budget sci-fi satire. Antony Johnston with Erika Ensign, Steve Lutz and Moisés Chiullán.

Sure, she’s a human lie detector, but she’s also a murder magnet who’s running from a guy who seems to want her dead. We enter the world of Rian Johnson’s “Poker Face,” where Natasha Lyonne is both Columbo and The Fugitive. Shelly Brisbin with Antony Johnston, Annette Wierstra, David J. Loehr and Ken Ray.

Old Movie Club throws itself into the turning wheels of justice with two legal films from 1957, “12 Angry Men” and “Witness for the Prosecution.” Jason Snell with Dr. Drang, Shelly Brisbin, Randy Dotinga and Philip Michaels.

Grab a backpack and get ready to siphon some gas—we’re setting out from the safe zone on a quest to find opinions about the first season of HBO’s video game adaptation, “The Last of Us.” Cicero Holmes with Annette Wierstra, Erika Ensign and Guy English.

Avoid stepping on butterflies, step into your time machine, and go kill your grandfather—it’s time for our Time Travel Movies Draft! We select favorite films from all corners of the time-travel genre, from time loops to historical shenanigans to nonsensical plot twists. Jason Snell with James Thomson, Glenn Fleishman, Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán, Annette Wierstra and Monty Ashley.

Our Book Club reads “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St. John Mandel, a beautifully written story set in multiple timelines that—like her earlier novel “Station Eleven”—frustrated some, but not all, of our panelists. We also recommend a lot of other books to read! Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms, Deborah Stanish and Scott McNulty.

We wrap up our seven-year walkthough(!) of the seven seasons of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The show is slowly grinding to a halt, but are there gems to be discovered? Buffy’s got a speech about that. Maybe the real Big Bad was the friends we made along the way! Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Jean MacDonald, Quinn Rose, Mattie Cox and Steve Lutz.

This week we’re drafting Disney Princesses! There are two simple rules: They must be Disney, and they must be princesses. How far will our intrepid panelists go to stretch those rules? Join us to find out. Annette Wierstra and Kathy Campbell with James Thomson, Rosemary Orchard, Moisés Chiullán, Monty Ashley and Glenn Fleishman.

Wednesday Addams is not the girl of your dreams — she’s the stuff of your nightmares. Our group of outcasts gathers in our secret library to conjure our thoughts on the first season of “Wednesday”, streaming on Netflix. We discuss what we love about the show, while also trying to figure out, is it really meant for us? Tiff Arment with Brian Hamilton, Glenn Fleishman and Kathy Campbell.

Put on your home-built Iron Man suit and whisper into some beads, because it’s time to discuss “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Our panel talks about how the movie leaves space to grieve Chadwick Boseman and T’Challa while also providing a platform for a bunch of black women to take the lead in a geopolitical battle involving the charismatic Namor, the U.S. government, and… the French? We drift into the shipping lanes for a moment, but it doesn’t generate any enthusiasm about the film’s big boat battle. Jason Snell with Cicero Holmes, Moisés Chiullán, Kelly Guimont and Lisa Schmeiser.