Unjustly Maligned
Hosted by Antony Johnston
A pop culture show about the sometimes strange things we love, that other people… don’t. Each episode, comics and games writer Antony Johnston asks a new guest to explain why that thing you hate is actually really great.
87 “Loom” with Antony Johnston
Ask him about it! Yes, it’s time to turn the tables again, and for his birthday this year, Antony hands the reins to Tony Sindelar. Together they weave an appreciation for the videogame so good, it made Antony want to write them for a living — the classic 1990 Lucasarts adventure “Loom”.
Previous Episodes
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September 12, 2017 “Ringo Starr”86 “Ringo Starr” with Andy Ihnatko
Is Ringo the best drummer in the world? Ho ho, he’s not even the best drummer in… no, let’s not go there (Lennon never actually said it anyway). Instead, Andy Ihnatko joins Antony to bang a drum for Ringo Starr’s innovation, charisma, and — yes — talent on the skins.
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August 28, 2017 “Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie)”
85 “Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie)” with Eddy Webb
Was making Sherlock Holmes cool really a good idea? Is Robert Downey Jr simply playing himself? And shouldn’t Watson be a bumbling lapdog? Devoted Sherlockian Eddy Webb joins Antony to discuss all this and more in Guy Ritchie’s 2009 “Sherlock Holmes” movie.
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August 14, 2017 “The Fast & The Furious”
84 “The Fast & The Furious (Franchise)” with Jessica Sliwinski
Fast cars, impossibly skilled drivers, champagne groupies, loud explosions, and a complete disregard for the laws of physics. Sounds like hell? Jessica Sliwinski once thought so, but now she joins Antony to shift her appreciation for the “Fast & Furious” movies up a gear.
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July 31, 2017 “Pluto”
83 “Pluto” with Marcos Huerta
When is a planet not a planet? When it gets downgraded after 75 years, apparently. But was Pluto’s fate a mistake by the IAU, or an example of science in action? Marcos Huerta joins Antony to talk Kuiper belt objects, the New Horizons probe, and arbitrary astronomical definitions.
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July 17, 2017 “Predator 2”
82 “Predator 2” with Ed Brisson
After the success of its gung-ho predecessor, “Predator 2” — which expanded the mythology of the alien hunters, like “Aliens” did for its predecessor — felt like a sure thing, not the flop it turned out to be. Ed Brisson joins Antony to explain why second chances are his specialty.
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July 3, 2017 “Tapeheads”
81 “Tapeheads” with Kelly Guimont
Was it a “Blues Brothers” for the MTV generation, or just a nonsensical movie strung together with songs and bizarre cameos? Or… both?! Kelly Guimont joins Antony to lay down some tape talking about cult movie “Tapeheads”.
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June 19, 2017 “No Man’s Sky”
80 “No Man’s Sky” with Matt Johnston
It promised the Earth — and an almost-infinite universe to play in — but the videogame “No Man’s Sky” launched to scathing criticism and disappointment. Matt Johnston joins Antony to explain why expectations were misguided, why players who quit early are missing out, and why being a space hobo is so relaxing.
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June 5, 2017 “Star Trek: Enterprise”
79 “Star Trek: Enterprise” with Pete Mele
The spirit of Star Trek has seen the franchise reinvented, revisited, and even rebooted, for more than 50 years — but of all its incarnations, perhaps none is so maligned as “Enterprise”. Pete Mele joins Antony to defend Captain Archer from threats on all sides.
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May 22, 2017 “Eyes Wide Shut”
78 “Eyes Wide Shut” with Richard Rouse III
Sold as an erotic thriller, Stanley Kubrick’s least popular film “Eyes Wide Shut” is neither erotic, nor much of a thriller. But Richard Rouse III joins Antony to argue that it wasn’t just mis-sold, it was misunderstood — and has only gotten better with age.
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May 8, 2017 “Eurovision Song Contest 2017”
77 Eurovision Song Contest 2017 pre-show glitterball special!
Dust off your sequins, because once again the Eurovision Song Contest is almost upon us! Rachel Donner, David Loehr, and Liz Myles join Antony to marvel at this year’s contenders and catastrophes, and wonder if a post-Brexit UK will be left with nul points…