Best Justice Hagan Podcasts (2024)

1
Short # 57 - Hades Games 19:37

14d ago19:37

19:37

Wherein Andy and Justice run the guantlet of Supergiant's Hades franchise of games. While this episode mostly looks at The Hugo Award winning first game, we also talk about Hades 2 which is currently in early access. What makes these games so compelling, even for newcomers to the rougelike genre? For starters, its engagement with Greek mythology ma…

1
We go Mad for Furiosa! (w/ ‪Ryan Hollinger‬, ‪Diamanda Hagan‬, ‪Omega) 1:03:03

30d ago1:03:03

1:03:03

I fly out to Belfast to meet Ryan Hollinger, Diamanda Hagan, and Omega, and while I was there, we went and saw the new Mad Max prequel! We go a bit Mad over-thinking it!

1
Speed, Last Starfighter and more are AMAZING on an IMAX screen | Forbidden Worlds Film Festival 2024 40:25

1M ago40:25

40:25

Film Brain gives his thoughts on plenty of genre classics from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s while he talks about the great time he had at Bristol's Forbidden Worlds Film Festival!0:00 Intro1:54 Speed3:39 Stargate5:24 Last Starfighter8:20 Kin-Dza-Dza11:20 Devil's Sword13:33 Innerspace15:38 Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman17:41 Blue Steel20:27 Female Prison…

1
Short # 56 - Fallout Show Review 37:10

2M ago37:10

37:10

Wherein Justice and Andy dust themselves off after a trip through the wasteland in the new Amazon Prime series Fallout. How does the franchise adapt itself to this new medium? What is familiar from the games and what is original to the show? Where do we see this series going? And who keeps hiring Kyle MacLachlan?…

1
Episode 34 - Hyperion & Rebel Moon 54:44

2M ago54:44

54:44

Wherein Andy and Justice welcome Tony Hoffmann, the man responsible for forcing us to watch Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon (2023) from beginning to end. Together we complain about Snyder's professional cannibalization of Star Wars, Dune, The Lord of the Rings, and so many more superior texts into the cinematic casserole that is Rebel Moon. By way of comp…

1
Short # 55 - No More D&D for Larian Studios 14:08

4M ago14:08

14:08

Wherein Justice and Andy lament the news of Larian Studios decision to not pursue a sequel to Baldur's Gate 3. And futher, that they have decided to leave the Dungeons & Dragons setting entirely. Is this a good business decision for the studio? Why leave when you've perfected the formula for a D&D rpg? We're sure their next project will meet the sa…

1
I Had Movie Overload at the BFI London Film Festival! (w/ FilmFeeder ) 1:26:15

4M ago1:26:15

1:26:15

Film Brain took the BFI London Film Festival last year to the absolute extreme and trying to watch and see as many movies as possible - and now he has the unenviable task of reviewing them all! Jack Martin joins him for a bit of help - and let's be honest, emotional support - in a podcast months in the making!…

1
From Palestine to Scotland: Discussing the Ecological Aspects of Israeli Occupation 1:09:23

4M ago1:09:23

1:09:23

In the ninth episode of the Connecting Women’s Voicespodcast, hosts Farah Zeineddine, Catriona Spaven-Donn and Justine Vonpierre speak with Manal Shqair, Dr Eurig Scandrett and Zayneb al-Shalalfeh about the environmental and gendered impacts of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, issues that are ever more urgent given the rapidly worsening crisis …

1
Short # 54 - Akira Toriyama (In Memoriam) 9:27

4M ago9:27

9:27

Wherein Andy and Justice memorialize Akira Toriyama, best known as the creator of the Dragonball franchise. One of his other masterworks is the video game Chrono Trigger, the SNES RPG from 1995. We also mention the recently deceased musical genius Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist from Rush and accomplished author. We look back with some nostalgia o…

1
Short # 53 - The Monster Draft 46:14

5M ago46:14

46:14

Wherein Justice and Andy draft a roster of monsters to pit against one another. The rules: Only two titans and the human-sized-ish monsters must have a semi-Earth origin. Crystal clear. We each pick five and debate their battles. Come and see who wins!By Hagan & Hoffmann

1
Episode 33 - The Monsterverse & The Dark Universe 34:23

6M ago34:23

34:23

Wherein Andy and Justice bite into the drama surrounding the cancellation of the Dark Universe franchise and the monstrous success of the Monsterverse franchise. What makes Godzilla and King Kong compelling both individually and together? At the same time, what makes Dracula compelling by himself but not when paired with the wolf man, Frankenstein'…

1
Short # 52 - Spinoff, Reboot, or What? 22:03

7M ago22:03

22:03

Wherein Justice and Andy get turned around in their attempts to define what distinguishes a spinoff from a reboot and whether or not such things are worth the risk to the original work. As ubiquitous as spinoffs have been, how many can compare to the source material? And why do we think of spinoffs mostly in terms of television and not other textua…

1
Short # 51 - The GTA 6 Trailer... Controversy? 18:19

7M ago18:19

18:19

Wherein Andy and Justice aim their sights on the right-wing talking point that the upcoming GTA 6 game from Rockstar has "gone woke." That was an excruciating sentence for the two of us to write because the very idea of it is ridiculous. What does the GTA franchise seek to accomplish beyond making money? What do its many entries say about the Ameri…

1
Short # 50 - Very Short Treks 11:55

8M ago11:55

11:55

Wherein Justice and Andy endure the agony of the Very Short Treks series on YouTube. Why do these exist? What niche are they trying to fill? Clearly they shouldn't exist and aren't filling any niche. I mean, these are just an embarassment to the Star Trek franchise, and a slap in the face to all True Trek fans. Actors from previous and current show…

1
Episode 32 - The Legend of Zelda & Baldur's Gate 3 59:03

9M ago59:03

59:03

Wherein Andy and Justice embark on a discussion of worldbuilding across the genres of written and nonwritten texts. What is the difference between a top-down and bottom-up approach to worldbuilding and what makes each world feel alive and complete? Is it the landscape? Is it the history? Is it the characters? Who is the player or the audience in th…

1
Short # 49 - Mission Impossible: Headed Toward Retirement? 16:01

10M ago16:01

16:01

Wherein Justice and Andy sneak into the scuttlebut about the end of the Mission Impossible franchise. Is it in fact coming to an end? The lead actor and the studio seem to have different plans in mind. What do you think about a secret agent who can almost collect social security? Does the agency supplement Medicare... or provide supplements? But se…

1
Short # 48 - The Star Trek Musical 15:24

11M ago15:24

15:24

Wherein Andy and Justice harmonize in opposition to the Strange New Worlds episode "Subspace Rhapsody." The first Star Trek episode in history to be framed as a musical, fans around the world were devastated by its departure from fifty-eight years of their expectations. Why was this done? Why such a marked departure from a proven formula? And can w…

1
Short # 47 - Country Music Controversy 12:39

12M ago12:39

12:39

Wherein Justice and Andy stroll into the recent controversy in country music with the release of Jason Aldean's "Try That In a Small Town." Pulled from circulation on CMT, it has ignited a veritable molotov cocktail of protest. What is this song about, really? Do political messages deserve to be treated politically? And does the small town that he …

1
Short # 46 - Why Is There an Avatar Franchise? 13:33

12M ago13:33

13:33

Wherein Andy and Justice call into question the wisdom and timeliness of continuing the seemingly unending Avatar franchise. Given that there was 14 years between the first and second film, we were hoping that it was finished. Why does there need to be more when the first film told a complete story? And will the next three entries be as predictable…

1
Episode 31 - STNG "Forces of Nature" & The Core 43:24

1y ago43:24

43:24

Wherein Justice and Andy drill into the anthropocene by way of 2003's The Core and the 1993 episode "Forces of Nature" from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Given that we're confronted with the awesome problem of the climate crisis, we've decided to rewind the clock to look at two early versions of impending ecological disaster. Despite the radicall…

1
Gender, Economics, and Activism- Women during the 2022 Pakistan Floods with Asma Hyder and Hadiqa Bashir 57:23

1y ago57:23

57:23

In the newest episode of the podcast, we invited Professor Dr. Asma Hyder and Activist Hadiqa Bashir to speak about their knowledge of the additional traumas women faced during the disastrous 2022 Pakistan floods. Contact: climate.justice@unhscotland.org.uk Twitter: @UNHouseScotland Instagram: @UNHouseScotland LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/co…

1
Short # 45 - What Happened to Wesley Crusher? 24:47

1y ago24:47

24:47

Wherein Andy and Justice navigate the uneven chracter arc of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher. From a whining beneficiary of nepotism to a valuable member of the bridge crew to an interdimensional cosmic entity and winding up as Wil Wheaton playing himself, we chart the many successes and failures of this character. If the enire brid…

1
Short # 44 - There are No Zombies in The Walking Dead? 12:19

1y ago12:19

12:19

Wherein Justice and Andy shuffle into the disappointing realization that there is no history of or cultural references to zombies in the universe of The Walking Dead. And why have the creators of the franchise chosen to do this? For the least interesting reason possible. With centuries of zombie and other undead stories woven into human culture and…

1
Short # 43 - Mario the Exterminator 9:45

1y ago9:45

9:45

Wherein Andy and Justice stomp into the world of Nintendo's Mario. The success of the recent film got us thinking about Mario's character arc, such as it is. Why is he popularly understood to be a plumber when he has never plumbed anything in any game? Isn't he rather an exterminator of various pests and populations? Topics range from the Mario fil…

1
Episode 30 - Yellowstone & McLintock! 1:01:48

1y ago1:01:48

1:01:48

Wherein Justice and Andy mosey down the trail of the western genre in film and television. We look at Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise alongside the 1963 John Wayne film McLintock! How has the westen genre evolved in the last sixty years and why have we seen a sudden resurgence of it in popular television? Given that Yellowstone has taken th…

1
Episode 29 - Edge of Tomorrow & Groundhog Day 40:12

1+ y ago40:12

40:12

Wherein Andy and Justice turn back the clock to 2014's Edge of Tomorrow and 1993's Groundhog Day. Why do we keep watching timeloop movies over and over again? What is compelling about the opportunity - or the curse - to relive the same day for years, decades, or centuries? How long could you do it before losing your mind, or is there something to b…

1
Short # 42 - The Antihero 20:27

1+ y ago20:27

20:27

Wherein Justice and Andy creep into the conversation of the antihero in popular culture. What do you think accounts for the recent explosion of the antihero in film and television? Why are we drawn to characters of evil and violence? Does it reflect our own anxieties of morality, or is the depravity real? Subjects range from The Joker to Superman t…

1
Short # 41 - The Cancellation of Dilbert 13:13

1+ y ago13:13

13:13

Wherein Andy and Justice sketch out a short discussion of the pulling of Scott Adams' Dilbert comic strip from newspapers across the country. This happened as a result of Adams' recent podcast episode in which he ranted about a Rasmussen poll that asked the question "Do you agree with this statement: 'It's OK to be white.'" Following Adams' misunde…

1
Episode 28 - Jurassic World: Dominion & See 1:00:20

1+ y ago1:00:20

1:00:20

Wherein Justice and Andy create a new conversation around the ideas of recycled and fresh intellectual property. We take a look at the (hopefully) final Jurassic World film and the Apple TV series See in an effort to demonstrate that there are still fresh ideas out there. Why are the legacy characters present in Dominion other than to enrich the pr…

1
Episode 27 - Falling Down & Grand Theft Auto 5 (Part 2) 53:42

1+ y ago53:42

53:42

Wherein Andy and Justice march through a conversation about race, urban spaces, and violence in 1993's Falling Down and Rockstar's 2013 modern classic Grand Theft Auto 5. In this second look at GTA5, we focus more on a racialized breakdown of the fictional version of Los Angeles, Los Santos, and read that against "D-Fens" journey through Los Angele…

1
Short # 40 - Batman vs. The Punisher 26:40

1+ y ago26:40

26:40

Wherein Justice and Andy ambush the argument about who would win in a fight between two of the best sneak attackers in comic books, The Punisher or Batman. While Batman is probably the most popular character in DC comics and Marvel's The Punisher flies mostly under the radar, they have remarkably similar styles (and costumes). It's in their methodo…

1
Episode 26 - Grand Theft Auto V & The Ocean's Eleven Franchise 1:03:08

1+ y ago1:03:08

1:03:08

Wherein Andy and Justice scheme their way into a discussion about Rockstar Games' 2013 masterpiece Grand Theft Auto V and the ensemble heist films of the Ocean's Eleven franchise. Which is more enjoyable: the murdeous mayhem of GTAV's heists or the casual elegance of the heists of the new Rat Pack? Topics range from a total lack of anxiety within t…

1
Short # 39 - The Daily Wire Acquired Atlas Shrugged 19:25

1+ y ago19:25

19:25

Wherein Justice and Andy capitalize on the news of the Daily Wire's acquisition of the unadaptable Atlas Shrugged. Is there any way at all that this could possibly be a wise financial move for erstwhile conservative "news" organization? Could you imagine how many seasons this monstrosity would need? Topics range from Rand's bloated writing style to…

1
Episode 25 - Stranger Things & Stephen King's IT 58:43

1+ y ago58:43

58:43

Wherein Andy and Justice conjure up a discussion of the Netflix original series Stranger Things and Stephen King's IT. The orignal novel and both adaptations of King's horrying nightmare all present us with a version of victimized or marginalized children who are able to collectively overcome supernatural terrors. The kids in Stranger Things accomp…

1
Short # 38 - The Questionable Dr. Pulaski 14:44

1+ y ago14:44

14:44

Wherein Justice and Andy interrupt both the micro - and macro aggressions of Dr. Kathryn Pulaski on Star Trek: The Next Generation to talk about her flawed character. After Dr. Crusher's temporary departure, the showrunners made a terrible blunder by replacing her comradery with a character whose disdain and bigotry for one of Star Trek's most belo…

1
Episode 24 - The Seventh Seal & Mr. Death 45:12

2y ago45:12

45:12

Wherein Andy and Justice are dying to understand the many representations of a personified death in film and literature. We look at the 2022 Hugo Award-winning short story Mr. Death and the 1957 Ingmar Bergman film The Seventh Seal. Given its inevitablity, death is typically represented as terrifying; however, recent depictions show a more compassi…

1
Short # 37 - What a Month (or, a year in 6 weeks) 10:14

2y ago10:14

10:14

Wherein Justice and Andy return to the arena of pop culture and literary studies after an overwhelming August and September. We share some of our hardships and personal reasons for having had to take a break from working on the show. We missed you and we missed each other. Glad to be back!By Hagan & Hoffmann

1
Short # 36 - Prey & The Predator Franchise 28:24

2y ago28:24

28:24

Wherein Andy and Justice track the development of the Predator franchise and mark the successes of its newest entry, Prey. How have the films changed over time? What is the difference between typical action films and those that focus on hunting? Are the Predators that come to Earth the losers? We hope not!…

1
Episode 23 - Aladdin & The Daevabad Trilogy 54:09

2y ago54:09

54:09

Wherein Justice and Andy conjure up a discussion of the 1992 Disney film Aladdin and The Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty. How are Middle Eastern and North African cultures depicted in these works? In what ways do they employ myth and the supernatural? Given the 24 years between them, do we see a growth in the way that MENA cultures are repres…

1
Short # 35 - Ted Chiang's The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling 28:21

2y ago28:21

28:21

Wherein Andy and Justice challenge each other's readings of Ted Chiang's The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling. How do we trust our memories? Should we trust them? What effect would memories based on perfect recall have on our development? Would you commit your whole life to a recording? We wouldn't!…

1
Short # 34 - The Boys Season 3 and What's Next? 26:32

2y ago26:32

26:32

Wherein Justice and Andy hammer out the impact of the third season of The Boys and where the series might go next. Who's the real villain here and what's with the short-lived redemptive arcs? Is Butcher going to go full-supe? How will the show maintain its Homelander-focused anxiety over two more seasons (or more)? And is Frenchie the funniest char…

1
Episode 22 - Mr. Fox & The Force Awakens 1:09:48

2y ago1:09:48

1:09:48

Wherein Andy and Justice welcome Dr. Jackielee Derks, longtime friend and colleague, to a remix of Helen Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Why do authors and production companies keep retelling the same stories? Is it to address contemporary issues or to enrich the almighty corporation? Topics range from J. J. Abrams' time-honored…

1
Short # 33 - Mid-Season Series Breaks 16:35

2y ago16:35

16:35

Wherein Justice and Andy pause their reading to rant about the increasingly common practice of television series to take mid-season breaks. What is the point of making viewers wait when the content is already finished? Are you doing this to extend our subscriptions? Are you trying to drag out award seasons? Do you consider the stars of your shows c…

1
Short # 32 - Terry Gross' Interview Style 12:19

2y ago12:19

12:19

Wherein Andy and Justice profile the interview style of Terry Gross, legendary host of Fresh Air on National Public Radio. Why does Terry skip the pleasantries in her guest introductions? And why does she begin with a seemingly off-topic and ultra-specific question? Also, Conan O'Brien likes tapdancing.…

1
Episode 21 - American Gods & Watership Down 1:04:31

2y ago1:04:31

1:04:31

Wherein Justice and Andy welcome Dr. Brian Kenna to the show. The three of us chronicle the myths, gods, and the supernatural present in Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Richard Adams' Watership Down. What is the function of myth in these stories? How do deities operate as representations of belief and models created by contemporary human cultures? …

1
Short # 31 - James Bond Past and Future 21:20

2y ago21:20

21:20

Wherein Andy and Justice infiltrate the legacy of James Bond's many representations throughout the decades. If James Bond is a reflection of his culture, which era has spoken to you and why? Has Daniel Craig changed our ideas of who Bond can be? Is there a Bond that stands above the rest? It can't possibly be Roger Moore.…

1
Short # 30 - Highwomen & The Highwaymen 21:43

2y ago21:43

21:43

Wherein Justice and Andy welcome guest Nicole Hoffmann to the show to groove on the Highwomen's 2019 remake of the 1985 "Highwayman" song. How do the Highwomen recast the "Highwayman" song from a female perspective? What are the different approaches that each takes to individual and collective endeavors? Topics range from outlaw identity to the Com…

1
'Multiverse of Madness' is a (Doctor) Strange Movie (w/ Ashens) 1:33:54

2y ago1:33:54

1:33:54

Film Brain conjures up Ashens on this edition of the podcast, where the two team up to use their powers of, erm, analysis to look at the magical Marvel adventure, and ask whether it casts a spell or not.

1
Episode 20 - The Little Mermaid & Spider-Man 49:56

2y ago49:56

49:56

Wherein Andy and Justice dive into the conversation about the representation of female characters in film. In The Little Mermaid (1989) and Spider-Man (2002) we find two women initially thought to be positive portrayals of strong female identity. Yet, looking back, both fail to meet even basic modern standards for gender equity and female independe…

1
Short # 29 - Ted Chiang's "Tower of Babylon" 20:15

2y ago20:15

20:15

Wherein Justice and Andy construct their reading of Ted Chiang's Nebula award-winning short story "Tower of Babylon." While building a tower to heaven, Ted Chiang follows the experiences of a miner, Hillalum, as he prepares to chisel his way into paradise. Let's just say, things get turned upside-down. What's the point of all of this effort? And ca…

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Justice Hagan Podcasts

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