A spinoff podcast hosted and curated by Ryan Denton. In this episode, Ryan leads a fan-driven discussion on the 1981 Clash of the Titans. This episode dives into the thrills, tropes, and lasting impact of the film, capturing the spirit of pure 80s action cinema. Host(s) Ryan, Dave, Mike
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In this episode, we unpack Star Trek: Starfleet Academy S1.E4, “Vox in Excelso,” a thematically dense hour that uses debate, introspection, and Jay-Den’s divided identity to explore existential change, cultural evolution, and survival without teleology. We examine the Klingon Empire’s long-declining rigidity, Trek’s anti-paternalistic ethics, and how the episode smartly folds Nietzschean becoming, rational discourse,…
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This week, we discuss Mercy (2026), the new sci-fi thriller starring Chris Pratt, set in a near-future Los Angeles where an AI judge has replaced the human justice system. We unpack the film’s real-time, screen-driven structure and its engagement with AI, truth, and post-truth logic, asking whether its philosophical ambitions hold up under scrutiny. A…
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In this episode of From the Holodeck, Mike and Dave break down “Vitus Reflux,” the moment Starfleet Academy begins to reveal what it actually wants to explore. Moving away from galactic stakes and toward institutional values, the episode reframes competition as a test of empathy rather than brute strength, using the rivalry between Starfleet Academy…
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Special bonus episode: Thomas’ Everything But the Kitchen Sink.In this episode, we look at what made ‘80s blockbusters like Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, and Back to the Future feel “original”—and whether that really holds up. We also dive into how postmodern theory messes with the whole idea of originality, especially now that Hollywood is all-in on…
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In this episode of From the Holodeck, we examine the episode’s narrative overcrowding, frenetic aesthetic, and drift toward YA storytelling, while weighing its strongest element—the Betazed diplomatic storyline—against broader ideological shortcuts about youth, progress, and hope. The discussion ultimately asks whether the series is building a coherent Trek worldview, or trading meaning and world-logic for…
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In this episode of From the Holodeck, we begin our Starfleet Academy Edition with a close analysis of the premiere, “Kids These Days,” from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Rather than a simple review, we deconstruct the episode’s narrative structure, its emphasis on youth, inheritance, and aspiration, and how these ideas align with—yet subtly strain—Star Trek’s…
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A spinoff podcast hosted and curated by Ryan Denton. In this special, previously Patreon-exclusive episode, Ryan leads a fan-driven discussion on John Carpenter’s 1981 action film starring Kurt Russel. This episode dives into the thrills, tropes, and lasting impact of the film, capturing the spirit of pure 80s action cinema. Host(s) Ryan, Dave, Mike
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Special bonus episode: Thomas’ Everything But the Kitchen Sink. This episode interrogates Hollywood’s growing tendency to frame films around so-called “counter-narratives”—stories that challenge authority, sympathize with the outsider, and question dominant power structures. But are these films truly radical, or are they simply echoing the language and aesthetics of socialist or Marxist thought without fully…
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In this episode of Critique Revolve, we examine the sudden and deeply consequential news that Netflix plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery—a deal that, if approved, would fundamentally reshape the film and television landscape. While Paramount’s competing $108.4 billion bid raises its own ideological and industrial concerns, Netflix’s $82.7 billion move signals something more structural:…
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