About the Knockout Decision: The Ting vs ET vs Alien vs Blade Runner

[JJ95 21]

I am feeling a little disappointed by Devin and Amy for basically going the clickbait entertainment route and pitting "The Thing", "ET", "Alien" and "Blade Runner" against each other for the knockout episode - and therefore I wanted to start a thread where we all can post our opinions about this decision - whether we support it or not.

 

To elaborate on my own little opinion:

I kind of get that it's difficult to get people excited for an episode like "Cannibal Holocaust" vs "Working Girl" or something like this and it is "more dramatic" this way, but to me it feels mainly like troll baiting and purposefully trying to get people angry "to create a better show" or - more cynical - to get "higher listener numbers".

 

In the end I feel more manipulated this way than entertained which is why I won't be listening to the episode, I won't be calling in and I will abstain from voting.

 

I think Amy and Devin have all the rights in the world to do what they want on their podcast, but that episode won't be fun for me so I will not participate in any way, shape or form.

 

I am inviting anyone to join me in this little naive protest if they want - but in the meantime: Let's discuss!

 

PS: I know there's typos and bad English but English isn't my first language.

Edited October 10, 2016 by JJ95

[HoldenMartinson 221]

Yeah. This is super irritating, but you know what? I'm gonna dig my heels in and defend the shit out of The Thing, E.T., and Alien. I know it's important--maybe the most important of all four films--but Blade Runner is gonna be my vote going in. This is the worst versus of all the versus episodes.

[BenGuttridge 7]

I like it and I don't really get why people care this much about what's in the Canon. Am I alone in thinking of it as just a framework in which to talk about great movies? This is a list of all time greats that includes Working Girl and Cannibal Holocaust while Boogie Nights and Empire Strikes Back have been rejected. Just go with it.

[gene_shallot 79]

I dunno, for a live call-in show celebrating 100 episodes, you wanna go big so this makes sense to me. And it's not unprecedented - we haven't seen it as much lately (which is maybe why they're bringing it back), but there were plenty of episodes that forced evil, difficult decisions. And this is most definitely evil. I like it.

[jonesjxd 0]

Given yesterdays revelations, will this episode actually happen?

[NRoberson86 78]

Given yesterdays revelations, will this episode actually happen?

 

No idea what you're talking about.

[jonesjxd 0]

Devin was accused of sexual assault yesterday, he was taken offline by Birth.Movies.Death until they investigate, I would think Earwolf would be doing the same.

[NRoberson86 78]

Devin was accused of sexual assault yesterday, he was taken offline by Birth.Movies.Death until they investigate, I would think Earwolf would be doing the same.

 

Ah, well, SHIT.

[jonesjxd 0]

I really love this podcast, I was just coming here to see if Earwolf had written a statement. It's a terrible situation, and I don't like to pile-on, I wish I hadn't even posted.

[sycasey 110]

Devin was accused of sexual assault yesterday, he was taken offline by Birth.Movies.Death until they investigate, I would think Earwolf would be doing the same.

 

Holy Christ! Assuming this is all true, yikes . . .

[Galactiac 91]

Devin was accused of sexual assault yesterday, he was taken offline by Birth.Movies.Death until they investigate, I would think Earwolf would be doing the same.

 

 

Damn.

[AlexDubin 1]

 

 

 

Damn.

 

My thoughts exactly.

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

Seems like a pretty savvy way to get Bladerunner kicked out of the Canon.

[T.D. 61]

This knockout episode sounds way more interesting to me than, say, Cannibal Holocaust vs. Working Girl. If those two films were paired against each other, my argument is... a big shrug. They are both kinda lame-- I really couldn't give a crap which one goes and which one stays. I have zero passion or interest for either of those movies, and I also have zero interest in listening to ANOTHER episode about both of them.

 

On the other hand, pitting 4 of the great, Canon science-fiction films against one another stokes discussion. The whole point of a Vs. episode is to create interesting contrast and allow you look at the films in a new light. "The Thing" vs. "The Fly" may have been an easy decision, but what if "The Thing" had gone up against "Big Trouble in Little China," and "The Fly" was a solo episode? What if "E.T." had gone up against "Jaws"? Or what if "Boogie Nights" had gone up against "Magnolia"? etc. The Canon would possibly look very different.

 

The rules of The Canon are arbitrary and ever-changing to begin with, and this knockout episode simply provides a new way at looking at four films that have been discussed A LOT in the past.

 

These wild gimmick episodes might be obnoxious if they were done often, but every 50 episodes or so seems fine

[ScottMorris 49]

Whatever the show's future is I'm probably going to refuse to participate in this because it's ridiculous (assuming it isn't a troll before the reveal of the "real" Knockout), and now all my concerns about Re-Animator being booted out seem quaint.

FWIW I guess on the basis of hard objectivity I'd have to go with The Thing as the *AHEM* least essential, but that's also my favorite movie, and as this is not Saw and my life is not on the line if I don't play ball, yeah, no, not participating.

[ScottMorris 49]

Weirdly, I think I'd be fine with bonkers, impossible-choice barely-related Versus' if we're talking movies getting *into* the Canon, but booting out of? Just can't do it, even as a conversation-starter. It's the difference between picking your weapon for a gladiator battle and being asked which limb you want chopped off for one. It's just no fun this way.

[SiSquires-Kasten 37]

If this happens, I'm pretty sure blade runner is getting kicked out. I'm all for that and I'd say that et is the only one I'd be worried about in the match up -- and I'm not that worried

[Muthsarah 124]

I would cling onto Blade Runner harder than any of the others. Maybe I'm an art/production direction whore. Blade Runner, more than any of the other three, produced a world I would want to visit (not live it, this is dyspotia, after all). The rest are just the worst kind of dystopia-type thingees. Yeah, even E.T. Freaky as hell to a little kid. Nightmare fuel.

 

Maybe it won't matter any more. But, FWIW, Blade Runner's always at the top of MY Canon.

 

I'd take "The Thing" vs. "E.T", FWIW.

[RobertBoberts 62]

I get that Cannibal Holocaust vs Working Girl wouldn't be interesting to discuss but not sure I'm interested at all in this idea as the basis of an episode. Would rather just hear about a movie they haven't discussed before.

[LondonCallingRex 33]

I have no idea if this is still happening but I have to say that the concept behind it kind of rubs me the wrong way. Yes, I understand the rules of The Canon are arbitrary, so it shouldn't matter. But the idea that these four movies were chosen because we have too many 80s sci-fi movies in The Canon is so strange! Does that mean we can't ever have a single other 80s sci-fi movie in The Canon in the future? Does it mean we need a proportional quota on our 80s sci-fi movies? Does it mean we have quotas on all genres from now on? Doesn't that mean that if we had just reviewed Blade Runner (my guess as the loser of this, could be wrong though) in two years or so, it would never risk removal from The Canon? It just doesn't make sense to me. If they want fewer 80s sci-fi movies, then stop having episodes with a focus on 80s sci-fi movies!! There are many other decades and many other genres. At the end of the day though, the rules are arbitrary and evil and that's how they're supposed to be.