Mismatched Texts
by Justice Hagan & Andrew HoffmannHosted by two popular culture superfan-scholars, Mismatched Texts is a show that brings together novels, films, games, and narratives of all kinds into seemingly odd pairings and reveals the ways in which they address similar themes.
Episodes
Short # 56 - Fallout Show Review
37m · PublishedWherein 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?
Episode 34 - Hyperion & Rebel Moon
54m · PublishedWherein Andy and Justice welcome Tony Hoffmann, the man responsible for forcing us to watch Zack Snyder'sRebel Moon(2023) from beginning to end. Together we complain about Snyder's professional cannibalization ofStar Wars, Dune, The Lord of the Rings,and so many more superior texts into the cinematic casserole that isRebel Moon. By way of comparison, we also look at Dan Simmons' novel Hyperion (1989), which pays proper homage to literary texts of the past in a way that results in a science fiction masterpiece. What constitutes copyright violation? We get it, we've all seen300. How does Snyder keep getting work?
Short # 55 - No More D&D for Larian Studios
14m · PublishedWherein Justice and Andy lament the news of Larian Studios decision to not pursue a sequel toBaldur'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 same standard of quality, but why don't they love us anymore?
Short # 54 - Akira Toriyama (In Memoriam)
9m · PublishedWherein 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 on their works and what their deaths mean for their art.
Short # 53 - The Monster Draft
46m · PublishedWherein 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!
Episode 33 - The Monsterverse & The Dark Universe
34m · PublishedWherein 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's monster, or other Victorian/Romantic horrors? Why was the Dark Universe unable to replicate the success of the early MCU when they had at least as many bankable stars already signed? How is it that Tom Cruise signed on to The Mummyand turned down the role of Tony Stark?
Short # 52 - Spinoff, Reboot, or What?
22m · PublishedWherein 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 textual forms? After Mash? Who greenlit that?
Short # 51 - The GTA 6 Trailer... Controversy?
18m · PublishedWherein 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 American story? And wouldn't gendered and racial diversity be expected in a game set in 2025 Miami? Of course it would!
Short # 50 - Very Short Treks
11m · PublishedWherein Justice and Andy endure the agony of theVery 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 shows are participating in this travesty. How could they?
Episode 32 - The Legend of Zelda & Baldur's Gate 3
59m · PublishedWherein 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 the world? Topics range from J. R. R. Tolkien to China Mieville to Stephen R. Donaldson (perhaps the most underrated SF author) to Bethesda's latest miserable failure, Starfield.
Mismatched Texts has 99 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 64:50:28. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on August 9th 2022. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on June 1st, 2024 17:41.