Hosts: Ross, Professor Alice, Rachel and Previous Snide
In the far-off present day, on a sleepy little island of eight million souls, a rag-tag band of obsessants gather to sift through the cultural flotsam and jetsam of the east and the west. Our heroes include an ex-MMORPG mercenary, a stand-up comic who frequently sits, a mad (or rather, slightly perturbed) professor, a 20th level Intellectual Property Rights Bard/Cleric, and a faint-hearted but loyal PowerPoint sculptor. In the Dystopian Present, you will find out all you needn’t know about Hong Kong action films, Asian geo-political intrigue, ‘Merican funny books, video games and SciFi novels, with only occasional historically inaccurate shout-outs to Bea Arthur. Wash up on our shores!
Season 2 Episode 2: Smaug on the Water
Nash and Ross lament about Hong Kong’s horrifically polluted waters and what it says about the China’s bad-ass geopolitics–and then try artlessly to segue-way to the geopolitics of Game of Thrones! Join us in ruminating about the third dragon-rider (really, please ruminate with us) and listen in!
Season 2 Episode 1: The Rehappening
The Hong Kong geeks are back! Eoss and Nashua kick off a new Dystopian Present with a growler of Kowloon Bay IPA and a mid-season (er, 80%-season) recap, review and prediction-ific of Game of Thrones Season 6. Check it!
Dystopian Present Ep 13: National Daze
As Donald Trump once said…”China? China!” Join Ross, Previous Snide, Alice and Rachel as they talk about how much Hong Kong has (and hasn’t) changed in the one year since the Occupy movement. They put high hopes in the new re-imagining of the Black Panther, and this year’s DCU TV offerings. And just for good measure, they look at the global aspirations of China’s propagand…er, film industry and how it is good for Adrian Brody’s (and every Hollywood A-minus lister’s) career!!! Plus: sci-fi and fantasy book recommendations galore! Listen, and attend!
Dystopian Present Ep 12: Punk’d by Crow-Face
This old week, Ross and Long Beach Jess dig deep into the second season of True Detective, with a few necessary diversions into Film Noir classics, the David Lynch back catalog and Orange is the New Black Season 3. Listen on in!
Dystopian Present Ep 11: The Dawn of our Demise
Summertime wrap-up! Is Ant-Man not a faithful addition to the MCU canon? Are long-haul flights the only time one can rightfully enjoy Vin Diesel films? Does Moby Dick qualify as genre fiction? If we quizzed you after listening to this podcast, you might pass! Bonus points if you think Christian Slater was dreamy in Kuffs!
Dystopian Present E10: Once in a Cherry Moon
The Dystopics have disbanded for summer and scattered to the global winds, but never fear: Ross has found a co-conspirator in Didi, who is sharing a relentlessly deep view on the musical miracle that is Prince, and why he deserves your every devotion! You don’t have to be beautiful to listen to this podcast. ..so go on.
Dystopian Present: Ep 9: Throwing The Games
Join us for a Very Special Edition of Dystopian Present where Ross, Nashua and Long Beach Jess dissect, to a molecular level, Hong Kong’s reaction to the Game of Thrones finale, and offer our spurious predictions on Season 6. Get in here!!!!
Dystopian Present: Ep 8: The Revolution will be a Lobster Roll
Hey kids! Do you love sticking it to The Man in his own backyard? Did you dig the feminist re-imagining of Mad Max: Fury Road? Have you let that Firefly reboot dream die? Are you underwhelmed by the BBC’s adaption of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell? A big fan of Chinese films which knock off The Silence of the Lambs and Jimmies on your soft serve ice cream? Then this June 4th Memorial Edition of Dystopian Present is for you. And The People. But mostly for you. Homework Assignment: our China Cinema Triangle will next review Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grand Master, so extra-check it before our next show.
Dystopian Present: Ep 7: All My Beta Ray Bill Slashfic Reviewed
The HongKongeroos discuss the latest addition to the cities’ rich tradition of kidnapping heiresses, talk about the cynical intellectual property shell game Marvel is playing with its movie and comic book universes, and review the 2010 Chinese Spaghetti Western (er, dandan mian Western?) Let the Bullets Fly…check out our dance moves!
Dystopian Present: Ep 6: Living in a Gangster Stereolab
The ‘Gang from The ‘Kong regale you with way TOO much detail on local politics (those not interested in China’s chokehold on HK can start the ‘cast at 27 minutes in) and give you a super-deep analysis of Netflix’s Daredevil, as well as the 2014 HK release Gangster’s Payday! ALL IN!!!
Dystopian Present Ep 5: The Azaleas of Discontent
Forced from their aerie atop the 27th tallest building in the world, the scrappy dystopics have set up a temporary rebel base deep within Central, and regale you with arguably too much detail on why Hong Kongers dislike mainland shoppers!! Also: very tardy (yet still heartfelt) memorials for Leonard Nimoy and Terry Pratchett, and Ross learns to love (genre fiction) again. Dive…dive!
Dystopian Present Ep 4: Appropriate Lettuce Distribution
Alice, Ross and Rachel flip that old Cake tune on its head and fervently claim this as the Year of the Goat–sheep can go to Hell! This episode’s discussion features a user’s guide to cash and prizes distribution during Chinese New Year, a ringing endorsement of Penny Dreadful and a bile-filled review of The Name of the Wind.
Also: Chow Yun-fat ages gracefully, but can we (pretty please) have some new Hong Kong cinema superstars? Dive on in!
Dystopian Present EP 3: Goat, Goat…Sheep!
The Hong Kong bandits are back in this pre-Chinese New Year special!
Ross is joined by Professor Alice, Rachel and Previous Snide, to talk about intra-holiday B&E in The Kong, muse on the the impact of China’s money on Hollywood (otherwise known as John Cusack’s Big Paycheck Out), and tell you all about the first fifteen pages of China’s greatest sci-fi novel since forever!
Dystopian Present Ep 2: The Venn Diatribe
Join Ross, Alice and Shwa as they draw a Venn Diagram of everything you love, and Hong Kong–only to discover it’s all just one big, flat circle!
Reports from the End of the Occupy movement, reviews of Arrow and the Flash (which somehow manages to reference Bea Arthur way more than you’d think possible), a meditation on why you MUST play Dragon Age 3 if you are a new parent, and highlights from our Annual James Caan Biathlon!