Sidebar Forever

What’s the most '80s thing you can think of?
 
Colorful leg warmers and headbands?
 
Odd slang like "grody" and "tubular?"
 
Pop metal bands with big hair and tons of makeup?
 
On today’s episode, we each made a 'top 5' list of the most 80s movies we could think of. Not necessarily our favorites from that era, but ones that really exemplify the decade for good or ill.
 
Fame, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Beat Street, and Top Gun are just a few of the films we celebrated from the 'decade of greed'.
 
"I know, right? Gag me with a spoon!"
 
Thanks for listening to this "super not-serious but awesome totally-awesome" episode of Sidebar Forever!
 
For more episodes, subscribe to us at sidebarforever.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson
 
 
 
 
 

It’s that time of year when we reflect on what we have, where we are and give thanks. Yes, today, it's a very special Sidebar Forever.
 
Just kidding.
 
But not really.
 
Dwight suggested the three of us sit down, take a look back at 2020, and make note of some things for which we’re truly grateful. He tells a story about a scene from 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' that he relates back to his late father.
 
Adrian discusses losing his own dad earlier this year, as well as being there for his mom.
 
Swain celebrates mentors and surrogate parents via the films 'Antwone Fisher' and 'Jingle Jangle', the new Netflix Christmas special.
 
And believe it or not, amidst the deep reflection, we managed to get a few chuckles in there to lighten the mood.
Another thing we're thankful for is you, our listeners. We appreciate you checking in with us each episode and following us wherever you get your podcasts.
 
And if you live here in the States, please have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson
  
 
 

You’ve heard of fantasy football, right?
Today, we option our favorite comic book stories and turn them into television shows and feature films.
OK, let us explain. Back around 2008, Hollywood was optioning comic book IPs left and right. The success of shows like 'Smallville' and 'The Walking Dead' to movies like '300' and the 'X-Men' franchise had the suits champing at the bit for ripe comic properties. Out of that era, we got some good stuff (A History of Violence, Ghost World, RED) along with a few stinkers (The Spirit, Painkiller Jane, the Blade TV show).
So for sh*ts and giggles, the three of us each pick a story, cast it with actors, hire creative departments, and produce it into a film or television show.
So imagine a world with an 'Uncanny X-Men' movie starring Rutger Hauer as Magneto and Grace Jones as Storm? Or an 'Invaders' TV show featuring William Zabka as the original Human Torch and Ralph Fiennes as Baron Blood? Or an adaptation of 'Sandman Mystery Theatre' starring James McAvoy as Wesley Dodds and Emilia Clarke as Dian Belmont? We GO there.
 
*And hey, be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for original concept art created exclusively for this episode by Dwight and Adrian!* 
 
As always, thanks for listening to Sidebar Forever. Don't forget to subscribe to the show here on sidebarforever.com or wherever you get your podcasts!

What have you done today to earn your place in this crowded world? 
 
Dwight and Swain are here to do a short review of the Amazon Prime series ‘Utopia’, written and executive produced by Gillian Flynn of 'Gone Girl' fame. 
 
‘Utopia’ is a story about a band of obsessed comic book fans knee-deep in a conspiracy theory-turned-real that could lead to a literal Armageddon. On the episode, Dwight and Swain explain how they came to the show, break down a few characters like Jessica Hyde, Arby, and the nefarious biotech engineer Kevin Christie (played by John Cusack), as well as comment on the "dangers" of putting out a TV show about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic. 
 
By the way, the version of ‘Utopia’ we're reviewing today is the American adaptation. The original cult favorite was created by Dennis Kelly and aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. back in 2013.                                    
 
As always, thanks for listening and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on sidebarforever.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson

On this episode, Dwight and Adrian pay tribute to Sir Sean Connery. Connery passed away on October 30, 2020 and we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect upon his imprint on cinematic history.
While most will forever regard Connery as THE definitive James Bond in beginning the titular franchise, his filmography is rich with other roles equally as memorable. 
From James Bond to an aged Robin Hood to espousing ’The Chicago Way to commanding a Russian nuclear submarine, Connery will be forever remembered for the incredible charisma and authority that he brought to the screen.                                        
As always, thanks for listening and don’t forget to subscribe to the show on sidebarforever.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson

On this special Halloween-themed episode, we chose a topic we could truly ... sink our teeth into. Vampires have been a go-to in the horror genre since the 1922 silent film 'Nosferatu' and they show no signs of going to that eternal sleep. 
From Bela Lugosi to Christopher Lee to ‘Fright Night’ and ‘The Lost Boys’ to ‘Buffy’ and ‘Blade’, all the way to modern day with things like ‘Twilight’ and ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, people dig these bloodsucking creatures of the night. 
But as the writers and directors (and mediums) have changed, so has the popular image of the vampire. 
Is this how the undead have managed to survive all these years?Thanks for checking out the podcast and don't forget to subscribe to the show here on sidebarforever.com or wherever you get your podcasts. 
 
Lastly, the pandemic has a lot of us keeping it close to the house this Halloween. And with good reason --it's scary out there. To our listeners and friends who do decide to venture out this Saturday, please be safe. And definitely wear your mask!
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson

Hughie, Marvin, Frenchie, Kimiko and Butcher have returned for season two of Amazon Prime’s hit streaming series ’The Boys’. With more heroism (and carnage) at the hands of the vainglorious Supes, and more ingenuity (and infighting) from our ragtag squad of anti-Supes. And we three are here to chop up all of it!
On this episode, we start with major takeaways, do a short dive into new characters like Stormfront and Lamplighter, and praise Antony Starr’s nuanced portrayal of the powerful yet broken Homelander. Also addressed in the conversation are the elements of Nazism and racism that have come to the fore, as well as a few of our critiques of season two.
And of course, we couldn’t skip over that epic season finale beatdown! Girls get it done, right?
As always, thanks for listening and please subscribe to the show here on sidebarforever.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson

Today, we start a new movie review series called Playback. This first episode looks at the cult classic action-fantasy ‘Highlander’ starring Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown as the menacing Kurgan. 
Released to theaters in March of 1986, 'Highlander' is the tale of immortals warring across time for the ‘Prize’ - to become mortal. We discuss our favorite scenes, performances, cool trivia, and give praise to the film’s memorable score by composer Michael Kamen and the rock band Queen. Also, we delve into the franchise of sequels and spinoffs birthed by the film.
We've referenced ‘Highlander’ many, many times on past episodes, so this was a long time coming. 
As always, thanks for listening and please subscribe to the show at Sidebar Forever.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson

Let’s play a game, shall we?
On today’s episode, we resurrect a game we used to play on the previous iteration of the show. It's called "Either Or, Choose One No More" and it goes like this: You present the players with two pop culture options and they have to choose one or the other.
Simple, right?
But the object of the game is to create pain, if you will, in the choosing. To really make your players think about — and care about — their answers.
For example:
"Alien or Aliens? Either or, choose one no more."
or
"American Gods or Penny Dreadful?  Either or, choose one no more."
 
Today, we play that game amongst ourselves and it could not have been more fun. We won’t give away the specific rules we played by here, but please know, there was a TWIST!
 
Thanks again for listening to Sidebar Forever and please subscribe on sidebarforever.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson

Originally broadcast in 2007, here is a classic interview from our 'Barchives' with legendary artist Drew Struzan.
Drew has created perhaps some of the most iconic movie posters in the last 40 years. He has illustrated the posters for such films as the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies, the ’Back To The Future’ trilogy, the Star Wars prequels, John Carpenter’s The Thing, First Blood and countless more. In addition, Struzan has had a lauded career including 14 U.S. postage stamps, over 100 book covers, 70 album covers, a Saturn Award and artwork residing within the private collections of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Frank Darabont and Guillermo Del Toro. 
We think you’ll be as humbled as we were by Drew’s warm candor about his life and work.
This episode continues our re-presentation of classic interviews and roundtables from our previous incarnation as SiDEBAR: The Pop Culture Podcast into our podcast feed.
We hope that our listeners, both new and old, will enjoy these vintage back episodes and follow us here for new episodes of Sidebar Forever!
—Also available online wherever you get your podcasts.—
 
SIDEBAR FOREVER ©2020 Dwight Clark, Swain Hunt and Adrian Johnson