Show #67 - The Alarmist

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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