The Incomparable Mothership
Hosted by Jason Snell
The Incomparable Mothership is the flagship of the Incomparable podcast network. It’s all about geeky media we love, including movies, books, TV, and more, featuring a rotating panel of guests and hosted by Jason Snell and friends.
738 Condor to the Neck
Don’t order the fish! Old Movie Club celebrates Aviatober with 1939’s “Only Angels Have Wings” and 1957’s “Zero Hour!” One bears a striking resemblance to forgettable 1980s TV series “Tales of the Gold Monkey,” and the other is undeniably the inspiration for the more notable 1980 movie “Airplane!” (That’s foreshadowing.)
Previous Episodes
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October 11, 2024 Grant Morrison’s “Animal Man”737 The Bolthole of My Own Self-Referentiality
It was the late ’80s and comic writer Grant Morrison was fast becoming Grant Morrison. Come back with us to look at his run on Animal Man, issues 1-26, in which a has-been/never-was superhero becomes an outspoken animal rights activist, witnesses the near-undoing of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and meets his own maker—who looks strangely like Grant Morrison. Before Deadpool and She-Hulk broke the fourth wall, this was Peak Meta.
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October 4, 2024 Dan Moren’s “The Armageddon Protocol”736 I Have Planets for That
Dan Moren’s “The Armageddon Protocol” is now on sale. He joins Jason to discuss how to wrap up a long-running series (while leaving doors open for future adventures), juggling an increasingly complex home life with a two-book contract, the broader publishing options available to fiction writers, and (of course) sandwiches.
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September 27, 2024 “The Secret World of Arrietty”
735 Who Took My Lady?
Miyazaki Club returns to discuss 2010’s “The Secret World of Arrietty,” a Studio Ghibli production with a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki based on a series of children’s books. Why are we so unnerved by the linear storyline and lack of weirdness? Why does Jason have Bay Leaf head canon? And why is surface tension the true star of the show?
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September 20, 2024 “The Matrix Resurrections”
734 Hang a Lantern on a Lantern
“Warner Brothers called and they’re demanding that we do The Matrix IV, with or without you?” So motivated, Lilly Wachowski made a movie that revisits “The Matrix” that’s about revisiting “The Matrix.” Could it be that this 19-years-later sequel… is better than the other sequels?
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September 13, 2024 “The Matrix Revolutions”
733 This Could Have Been an Email
The Matrix Trilogy ends with “The Matrix Revolutions.” There’s a big fight in Zion, a lot of stuff in the Matrix we didn’t actually remember, everyone becomes Agent Smith, Chip is devoured by thousands of mosquitos, and Kelly resists the bleakness.
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September 6, 2024 “The Matrix Reloaded”
732 Terrible Clothes, Great Parties
Whoa. Years later, we’re back in the Matrix as we cover the sequels to the mind-blowing 1999 original. First up is “The Matrix Reloaded,” which features thrills, spills, underground orgies, and long philosophical monologues. How well does it hold up? What surprised us? Were we excited, or terrified, to see Zion and all those mech suits? Take the appropriately colored pill and join us.
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August 30, 2024 “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
731 Hate is Good Manure
We’ve reconvened Mad Max Club to come up with some word burgers about “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” the 2024 prequel to the iconic 2015 film “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Does the prequel match up to the original (aka the fourth) film in the franchise?
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August 23, 2024 “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
730 Tight Five on Gibbons
Our Ape Club returns to cover 2024’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” Yes, it’s apes and humans again, but this is a new era with a lot to consider about how history is distorted to serve present-day politics, the value of saving or destroying past knowledge, and the best way to protect an eagle egg.
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August 16, 2024 2024 Shortlist Book Club: Rankings and Short Fiction
729 A Mean Man Made Me Rank Things
Our Book Club wraps up its 2024 walk through nine shortlisted SF/F novels with our overall rankings, some short fiction recommendations, and a quick dip into what we’ve read recently and really enjoyed.
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August 9, 2024 “The Acolyte”
728 Golden Age of Quantity
We discuss the recently concluded (first?) season of the Star Wars series “The Acolyte.” The show offers a mix of stuff we like about “Star Wars”, but the panel’s split on whether it managed to do a good job executing its ambitious agenda.