It’s unfortunately time to talk about the A Wrinkle In Time adaptations. We also discuss the book, of course, but I tried to pull back a bit since my fuller thoughts on the book are also covered in my Hugos There episode with Mandy Self: https://hugospodcast.com/podcast/a-wrinkle-in-time-by-madeline-lengle-feat-mandy-self/ Rankings! Colin/James/Set…

In this episode, we discuss the new Adam Sandler movie (okay, it came out March 1st, but it was new for us!) Spaceman, based on Spaceman of Bohemia, by Jaroslav Kalfar. It’s an interesting adaptation of an interesting book, but don’t go in looking for an action movie. It’s not necessary to read the book to enjoy the movie, but you do miss quite a b…

We saw Dune: Part Two, then grabbed dinner, then got together to discuss our thoughts on the second half of Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation. We all loved it and welcome any other SF adaptations he wants to do in the future.By Seth

The guys follow up their coverage of The Lightning Thief by discussing the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Rankings: Colin/James/Seth: book/series/a very large gap/movieBy Seth

This is the first of two episodes we’ll do on The Lightning Thief. In this one, we just discuss the book and 2010 movie. We’ll get to the series next month once it’s complete. Rankings!: James/Colin/Seth: book/movie (duh) A couple of links: My blog post that I resurrected and commented on: https://pavementpodcast.com/the-lightning-thief-movie-how-t…

A quick end of the year episode about the new Disney+ short film (40 minutes), Shepherd, based on the Frederick Forsyth novella of the same name. I believe the story is more well known by folks in Britain and former Crown Colonies than it is to American audiences; this was certainly our first experience of the story, and it’s quite delightful. All …

While James was away in South America, Colin’s younger son, Tim, joined us for a discussion of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, along with several adaptations, including the radio play, the classic movie, the 2005 remake with Tom Cruise, and the 2019 BBC limited series. Rankings! Colin: 2005/novel/Radio Play/1953/2019 Tim: novel/Radio Play/2005/…

This time we just roundtable some other Dracula-adjacent material we’ve consumed. Consider it a DVD extra from our previous episode. Works referenced (not exhaustive): Van Helsing (movie) Renfield (movie) Love at First Bite (movie) Dracula Untold (movie) Dracula Daily (book/email subscription) The Dracula Tape (book) Blade (film series) Underworld …

This time, the guys discuss Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel, Dracula, and two of its direct adaptations, the classic 1931 Universal movie, and 1992’s lavish Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. We also mention quite a few other direct or slightly indirect adaptations. Rankings! Colin: 1931 film, book, 1992 movie James: Audibl…

On The Beach, by Nevil Shute (feat. Michael Simshauser) (Content warning: discussions of suicide and euthanasia) Michael Simshauser, our favorite Aussie and longtime friend of the pod, joins us for a long awaited discussion of Nevil Shute’s On the Beach and its two film adaptations from 1959 and 2000. We do try to keep the conversation on the light…

This time, the guys welcome back Dr. Phil Nichols to talk about the recent adaptation of H.G. Wells’s “The Crystal Egg” by the Planet Zoom Players, as well as briefly touching on the Tales of Tomorrow adaptation from 1951. Rankings: Colin: PZP adaptation, story, Tales of Tomorrow James: PZP adaptation, story Seth: PZP adaptation, story, Tales of To…

Spoilers abound! The screenplay for The Last Voyage of the Demeter has been passed around Hollywood since the late 90s. It’s finally in theaters, and the screenwriter, Bragi Schut, joins us to talk about the new movie, based on a brief chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. (Chapter 7 “Captain’s Log” if you want to read it.) We all had a great time at t…

It’s summer, and Shark Week, so the guys take on Steve Alten’s 1997 novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror and its 2018 action movie spectacle starring Jason Statham. Rankings! Colin: Movie/Book James: Audiobook/Movie Seth: Movie/BookBy Seth

This time, the guys consider Isaac Asimov’s excellent short story / novelette “Nightfall,” adapted to pretty dreadful movies in 1988 and 2000. Rankings! Colin: story/1988 movie James: story/2000 movie/1988 movie Seth: story/2000 movie/1988 movieBy Seth

This time, the guys hop in the way back machine to 1909 and William Hope Hodgson’s short story “A Voice in the Night” and its small screen adaptation (Suspicion S1.E24) and big screen Japanese adaptation (Matango, or Attack of the Mushroom People!). We neglected to rank them, which is surprising. Maybe we were distracted by Kathy’s amazing dessert …

This time we hit Robert Mason’s 1989 military/AI novel Weapon, adapted to a pretty terrible 1996 movie named after the main character, Solo. Colin reached out to the author and got him to do some Q&A, which we sprinkle in through this episode. It’s a tricky eBook to find. I guess I found it from Barnes & Noble a while back, but right now I don’t se…

The guys break down the tamed-down version of the true story that is Cocaine Bear.By Seth

This time, we hit 1994’s Timecop, based on the Dark Horse Presents character from the August, September, and October 1992 issues of Dark Horse Comics. There are splits, and messy time travel logic, and awesome performances from Bruce McGill and Ron Silver. Rankings!: Colin/James/Seth: Movie ComicsBy Seth

Colin’s older son, Peter, joins us for a discussion of Paul Tremblay’s 2018 novel, The Cabin at the End of the World, recently adapted into the 2023 M. Night Shyamalan film Knock at the Cabin. Full spoilers for both. Rankings! Peter: Movie Book Colin: Movie Book James: Movie Book No, wait, Book/Movie (swayed by Seth) Seth: Book Movie Notes: https:/…

Picking up a dangling thread from last year, the guys discuss a few more adaptations (or “adaptations”) of “The Most Dangerous Game.” Covered this time are A Game of Death from 1945, Hard Target from 1993, Surviving the Game from 1994, and The Hunt, from 2020. No rankings this time. But we all liked The Hunt best. Colin/James/Seth: 2020 Quibi serie…

We’ve got two follow-up movies this year, A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO Max and Spirited! on Apple TV+. Opinions differed on the quality of the movies.By Seth

This time, the guys discuss the classic 1924 Richard Connell short story “The Most Dangerous Game” and several adaptations sharing the name (or at least 90% of the name). This is Part One of at least a two-part series covering the many, many adaptations of this story. Rankings! Colin/James/Seth: 2020 Quibi series “movie” story 1932 movie 50 feet of…

The guys do a quick reaction/breakdown of the new movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which was adapted from a Funny or Die parody trailer. Trailer available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcNuiri2dV0 Movie available here: https://therokuchannel.roku.com/watch/066097da82ed5762966888a59b151058/weird-the-al-yankovic-story Rankings! Colin/James…

Our friend Phil Nichols joins us for a discussion of Ray Bradbury’s 1962 novel Something Wicked This Way Comes and its 1983 theatrical adaptation. There may also be mention of another adaptation (oooh, spooooky!) Rankings!: Phil/Colin/James: Book/Movie Seth: Movie/Book Notes/Links: Pants in the Boot: https://www.theincomparable.com/pants/ (Episodes…

We were delighted to interview Bragi Schut, who wrote the original screenplay that the new Samaritan movie is based on. He’s also authored a comic of the same name, currently available as two issues from Mythos Comics. Bragi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/bragischutjr Mythos Comics: https://www.facebook.com/MythosComics/ The Last Voyage of the Deme…

For International Talk Like a Pirate Day (2022), the guys do a quick episode on Gideon Defoe’s The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists, adapted into The Pirates! Band of Misfits (it was retitled in the U.S.). The Pirates book with Seth’s hand for reference. It’s a combination of a large-ish hand and a very small book. Rankings!: Colin: Movie B…

One of the first titles I ever planned on us covering, yet somehow it’s taken more than eight years to find our way back to it. It’s Harry Harrison’s 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room!, loosely adapted into the classic 1973 movie Soylent Green. Rankings!: Colin: Movie Book James: Book Movie Seth: Book Movie…

Seth’s son Ethan joins the team, along with Jonathan Watkins from Cinema Sins, to discuss the new movie The Black Phone, adapted from the 2004 Joe Hill short story of the same name. Rankings! Jonathan/Ethan/James/Colin/Seth: Movie/StoryBy Seth

If we hadn’t been on the B-6, we may not have covered George Saunders’s story “Escape From Spiderhead” and its Netflix adaptation, Spiderhead. No rankings this time.By Seth

This time the guys tackle the new adaptation of Firestarter. Unfortunately, James was ill and not able to join us. The good news is that Deanna Chapman from Chat Sematary stopped by for the discussion. Rankings!: Deanna/Colin/Seth: Book Original Movie Remake Chat Sematary Links: https://twitter.com/ChatSematary https://www.chatsematary.com/…

Rounding out the Tri-Sheck-ta, the guys discuss the 1965 Robert Sheckley novella The Game of X and its 1981 “adaptation,” Condorman. Rankings!: Colin: Movie Book James: Book Movie Seth: Movie BookBy Seth

The guys discuss Robert Sheckley’s 1958 novel, Immortality, Inc. and its 1992 film adaptation (starring Mick Jagger), Freejack. Leg two of the Tri-Sheck-Ta is in the books! Rankings! Colin: Book/No Award James: Book/Movie Seth: Book/MovieBy Seth

This time, the guys take on some Robert Sheckley in non-English adaptations, namely the 1970 German TV film Das Millionenspiel and the 1983 French film Le Prix Du Danger. Both of these films were adapted from Sheckley’s 1958 short story “The Prize of Peril.” Of course, we engaged a couple of our friends who were native speakers to help break down t…

Phil Nichols of Science Fiction 101 joins us to discuss the announced adaptation of Arthur C Clarke’s Rendezvous With Rama. Spoilers for the book! Notes: Science Fiction with Damien Walter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpZQEdnPYv4 All Judgement Fled, by James White: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1928718.All_Judgment_Fled…

For Christmas 2021, the guys discuss Kevin Jakubowski’s hilarious 8-Bit Christmas and its 2021 HBO Max adaptation. Rankings!: Colin: Movie Book James: Book Movie Seth: Book MovieBy Seth

The guys discuss Robert Silverberg’s 1966 short story, “Needle in a Timestack,” and the 2021 film adaptation of the same name. Rankings! Colin/James/Seth: short story movieBy Seth

This time, the guys discuss H.G. Wells’s 1897 novel The Invisible Man and its 1933 film adaptation, as well as 2000’s Hollow Man and the 2020 film also named The Invisible Man. Rankings! Colin/James: 2020 film novel Alien Voices audio-drama 1933 film Hollow Man Seth: 2020 film 1933 film Alien Voices novel Hollow Man…

This time we follow up on Episode #50 by giving our instant reaction to the new 2021 film Dune.By Seth

Taking another work of short fiction, this time the guys discuss Richard Matheson’s short story “Button, Button,” adapted to a 1986 Twilight Zone episode of the same name, and also adapted to the 2009 movie The Box. Rankings! Colin/James/Seth: short story Twilight Zone movie Notes & Links: Funny or Die comedy short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=…

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast This time, the guys pick up a listener suggestion, from longtime listener Malc Foy, The Running Man, by Stephen King. Rankings! Colin: Movie/Book James: Book/Movie Seth: Movie/Book Note: We’ve been having some trouble with our digital recorder. I tried to mitigate the static/distortion we got in a few p…

Bonus episode! Premise: Can a skilled home cook replicate a cookie recipe just from the name? Roger takes a crack at “S’Mores Blossoms” and we get to taste the results. Sorry it’s not video, but we’ve attached photo evidence of everything except James, who was evidently hiding in a corner with his milk stout. Original recipe: https://www.flatlandkc…

Seth needed a break from reading, so for this episode, we watched the 2021 Netflix film Stowaway and compared it to “The Cold Equations.” We also mentioned Cora Buhlert’s excellent response to the classic story, “The Cold Crowdfunding Campaign.” Highly recommended. Notes & Links Cora Buhlert: http://corabuhlert.com/ “The Cold Crowdfunding Campaign”…

This time the guys discuss Tom Godwin’s 1954 classic short story “The Cold Equations” and tackle three of its adaptations: the 1980s Twilight Zone episode, the 1996 Sci-Fi Channel movie, both sharing the story’s title, and the 2014 short film titled The Stowaway. Rankings! Colin 1996 movie story Twilight Zone 2014 short film James Twilight Zone 199…

Picking up a short title to keep Seth sane, and a cheery-ish one to keep Colin sane, the Pavement Pounders discuss Lev Grossman’s short story “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” and the 2021 Amazon film of the same name. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/hugospodcast Rankings! Colin: movie/story James: tied! Seth: movie/story…

Jonathan Watkins from Cinema Sins joins us for a discussion of the three remakes of Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1978, 1993, and 2007. Rankings! Jonathan 1978 1956 book 1993 2007 James 1978 book 1956 1993 2007 Colin book 1958 2007 1978 1993 Seth 1978 book 1956 1993 2007 Notes & Links Jonathan’s Links: https://twitter.com/samloomis13 https://…

In this episode, Seth did a bunch of homework (not enough as it turned out), to find out which of the trio was more likely to pick a particular medium first in his rankings. Some assembly required, warranty void if opened, math not valid in Texas.By Seth

For our first post-100 episode, we dive into Jack Finney’s The Body Snatchers, originally published in Collier’s Weekly and adapted four times. This episode covers the novel and the original 1956 adaptation Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Rankings! Colin/James/Seth: book movie Dana Wynter body mold!By Seth

For episode #100, we discuss Red Alert, by Peter George, and Fail-Safe, by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, then talk about the adaptation of the former, Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and the two adaptations of Fail-Safe, the 1964 film and the 2000 live teleplay. Rankings! Colin: Fail Safe (2000) Fail Safe …

The guys discuss The Midnight Sky, the new film on Netflix, based on Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novel Good Morning, Midnight. Rankings! Colin: Movie/Book James: Book/Movie Seth: Book/MovieBy Seth

Roger from The Kitchen Counter Podcast joins the guys for a discussion of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, including the original TV special, the Jim Carrey remake, the 2018 Benedict Cumberbatch movie, and the recent TV musical abomination. Time Codes: Grinch book: 13:08 Grinch TV Special: 19:34 Sandwich planning: 24:16 James’s “An Old F…