Race, Religion, and Science Fiction: Co-Created Learning, unEssays, and the Power of Film #70

Project Hail Mary: Spoilers #72

The episode begins joking about Eric falling asleep, then pivots to a full-spoiler discussion of Project Hail Mary while avoiding book comparisons. Eric describes seeing the film twice, praising Ryan Gosling and saying the long runtime never felt slow; both hosts say they laughed and cried, especially when they thought Rocky might die. They highlight Rocky’s effectiveness as a largely practical puppet voiced and puppeteered by James Ortiz, and they discuss how the movie’s length helps build the friendship between Grace and Rocky through comedic and heartfelt moments. When we discuss that this movie is a full movie, we are talking about the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jimmy V 1993 ESPY Speech rubric⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHKzH6zR8xE&t=120s] – Did it hold them in thought, make them laugh, and move their emotions to tears. They praise the film’s hopeful tone—cooperation between governments, a non-malicious threat, and two species sacrificing to save their worlds—along with visuals, music, and specific scenes, then encourage listeners to see it in theaters and tease a future book episode while plugging their newsletter and subscriptions. 00:00 Eric Falls Asleep 01:05 Baby In The Room 01:44 Spectrum Show Tangent 02:22 Spoiler Warning Setup 03:02 First Reactions Runtime 04:14 Rocky Steals The Show 05:19 Puppet And Voice Magic 06:51 Friendship Makes It Work 08:58 Big Laughs Big Feels 12:05 Hopeful Sci Fi Themes 16:20 Strat And Moral Choices 17:59 Love Over Fear Message 22:18 Rocky Hate Mark 23:04 Voice Acting Matters 25:21 Actors Becoming Roles 27:00 Always Muscles Whiteboard 27:43 Cilantro Gene Tangent 30:57 Rapid Fire Highlights 31:37 Karaoke Scene Debate 34:49 Final Thoughts and Plugs Subscribe to Sweet & Condensed [https://www.threemilksmedia.com/p/introducing-sweet-and-condensed]! A weekly newsletter that lets you know at a glance if the latest box office releases are worth your time and money and what to expect if you decide to go. Why you'll love it - Think all the movie love and fun, none of the snobbery. We're doing this because we love people, movies, and the magic that lives where they meet. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/SweetAndCondensed [https://www.patreon.com/SweetAndCondensed] Connect with us! YouTube: @SweetAndCondensed [https://www.youtube.com/@SweetAndCondensed] Instagram: ⁠⁠@_SweetAndCondensed_ [https://www.instagram.com/_sweetandcondensed_/] Twitter: @justjoshperez ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/JustJoshPerez] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EricHarrison⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/EricHarrison] @NewMexicoDrew [https://x.com/newmexicodrew] Letterboxd: @NewMexicoDrew [https://letterboxd.com/newmexicodrew/] ⁠@ericharrison [https://letterboxd.com/ericharrison/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@JustJoshPerez⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://letterboxd.com/justjoshperez/] @kellyharrison [https://letterboxd.com/kellyharrison/] The Sweet and Condensed podcast is a Three Milks Media [https://justjoshperez.com/three-milks-media] production. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Yap Session in Las Cruces: Film Festival, What We’ve Been Watching, & Harry Potter First Watch #72

Josh and Eric record while Eric is in Las Cruces with poor internet, having forgotten his microphone, and while he is attending events tied to a film festival and a grand opening. Eric describes interrupting Steve Zahn for a photo and later apologizing, while they joke about “everything everywhere all at once” jumpers and embarrassment as narcissism. They discuss the grim state of New Mexico film production despite festival sponsorships, bird poop “good luck,” and what they’ve been watching: Eric’s first-time Harry Potter run (including an Alfonso Cuarón “ice/eyes” anecdote), Slow Horses season five, Your Friends and Neighbors, Project Hail Mary, and the new Mario movie, while Josh recommends The Pitt and DTF and mentions seeing the new Faces of Death and excitement for the Backrooms horror film. 00:00 Back on the Pod 01:29 Celebrity Breakfast Selfie 03:26 Embarrassment and Narcissism 05:46 Film Industry Slump 07:07 Accidental Viewer Link 08:19 Festival Passes and Attire 09:23 Bird Shit and Shoe Lore 10:56 What We're Watching 11:15 First Time Harry Potter 12:30 Alfonso Cuaron Ice Story 14:17 Butterbeer and Potter Hype 14:36 Project Hail Mary and Mario 16:00 Mario Movie Ratings 16:48 Slow Horses Obsession 18:28 Apple TV Picks 19:44 The Pit and DTF 21:56 Bateman and Movie Gaps 23:51 Bdubs Last Meal 25:40 Faces of Death 27:50 Oscars and Backrooms 31:28 Wrap Up and Shoutouts

Oscars 2026: Sinners! and a Rose Byrne Snub #71

Josh Perez and Eric Harrison return after a hiatus to recap recent movie-world happenings and react to the Oscars, including a lively first Substack chat and confusion over ballots and voice-memo predictions. They plug Sweet and Condense on Instagram/Substack, their newsletter and “favorite weekend watches,” and Patrick D’Silva’s new podcast Worlds Beyond Worlds [https://open.substack.com/pub/worldbeyondworlds]. The discussion centers on Oscar wins and frustrations, especially Eric’s anger that Best Actress went to Jesse Buckley for Hamnet over his preferred Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and on the criticism that Academy voters don’t have to watch nominees. They praise Conan O’Brien’s hosting, Paul Thomas Anderson’s wins and speeches, and highlight Sinners’ strong night, including Autumn Durald Arkapaw becoming the first woman to win cinematography, while debating Michael B. Jordan’s Best Actor win over Timothée Chalamet. Kelly briefly joins to share favorite theater experiences (notably Sinners and Frankenstein), and they close by predicting next year’s contenders like Project Hail Mary, Odyssey, and Digger. 01:15 Crew Updates Newsletter Plug 06:43 Best Actress Snub Debate 10:59 Rose Byrne Praise Hamnet Fight 14:48 Best Actor Timmy vs Michael B 27:10 Frankenstein Love Kelly Joins 29:08 Theater Highs and Rewatches 30:22 Scores That Hit Hard 31:53 Oscar Wins and Viral Moments 39:53 Sorry Baby Deserved More 41:39 Next Year Best Picture Bets 44:18 Supporting Actor Discourse 46:52 Why We Argue About Art Subscribe to Sweet & Condensed [https://www.threemilksmedia.com/p/introducing-sweet-and-condensed]! A weekly newsletter that lets you know at a glance if the latest box office releases are worth your time and money and what to expect if you decide to go. Why you'll love it - Think all the movie love and fun, none of the snobbery. We're doing this because we love people, movies, and the magic that lives where they meet. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/SweetAndCondensed [https://www.patreon.com/SweetAndCondensed] Connect with us! YouTube: @SweetAndCondensed [https://www.youtube.com/@SweetAndCondensed] Instagram: ⁠⁠@_SweetAndCondensed_ [https://www.instagram.com/_sweetandcondensed_/] Twitter: @justjoshperez ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/JustJoshPerez] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EricHarrison⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/EricHarrison] @NewMexicoDrew [https://x.com/newmexicodrew] Letterboxd: @NewMexicoDrew [https://letterboxd.com/newmexicodrew/] ⁠@ericharrison [https://letterboxd.com/ericharrison/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@JustJoshPerez⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://letterboxd.com/justjoshperez/] @kellyharrison [https://letterboxd.com/kellyharrison/] The Sweet and Condensed podcast is a Three Milks Media [https://justjoshperez.com/three-milks-media] production. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Race, Religion, and Science Fiction: Co-Created Learning, unEssays, and the Power of Film #70

Josh interviews Patrick D’Silva, PhD, about his graduate special-topics course “Race, Religion, and Science Fiction,” developed from an upper-level “Religion and Science Fiction” class and expanded to foreground race alongside gender, sexuality, and disability through units on Lord of the Rings, Star Wars/Star Trek, Indigenous Futurism, Afrofuturism/Africanfuturism, cyberpunk (including Neuromancer), monsters (Frankenstein), and Jediism as a fiction-based religious movement. Patrick describes a student-autonomy model where students help shape the syllabus, choose evaluation methods, and can submit response papers as podcasts and final “unEssays” as creative projects (e.g., illustrated journals, roleplaying games, cookbooks, audio tracks, paintings), including course examples like a Wakanda zine and Parable of the Sower-inspired journaling. He connects this pedagogy to flexibility and compassion shaped by his teaching, parenting a child with special needs, and the pandemic, and explains using film/TV because students are increasingly oriented to visual media, which also supports immersion, participation, and representation. Patrick’s Substack/podcast project “Worlds Beyond Worlds [https://worldbeyondworlds.substack.com/]” is now live, where he will publish interviews with students about their projects. Website: https://worldbeyondworlds.substack.com/ [https://worldbeyondworlds.substack.com/] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2duGUU6qmoJXH97FjFzzpH?si=0c93503209054dab [https://open.spotify.com/show/2duGUU6qmoJXH97FjFzzpH?si=0c93503209054dab] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worlds-beyond-worlds/id1883192717 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worlds-beyond-worlds/id1883192717] 02:29 Course Origins 06:39 Student Led Syllabus 08:22 Creative unEssays 17:37 Holistic Learning 26:24 Why Film And TV 33:19 Teaching Without Ego 41:36 Representation On Screen 49:56 Improvising In The Classroom 55:34 Orientation And Meaning 56:30 Wrap Up And Plugs

Stranger Things S5: Spoilers #69

Josh, Eric, and New Mexico Drew dive deep into the final season of Stranger Things. They discuss the highs, lows, and unexpected hair choices of the series finale. The crew breaks down character arcs, the impact of the Duffer Brothers’ direction, and whether the emotional payoffs landed or fell flat. Timestamps & Key Topics * [00:00:20] – Frosted Tips & 2007 Vibes: The episode kicks off with banter about Josh’s new “frosted tips” hairstyle, inspired by a 2005-themed New Year’s Eve party gone wrong (or right?). * [00:01:08] – Season 5 Synopsis: A dramatic reading of the Stranger Things finale description, setting the stage for the discussion. * [00:04:46] – Initial Reactions: NMD shares his theory on why Season 5 didn’t live up to the magic of Season 4 and discusses his dislike for the “Hawkins Lab” plotlines. * [00:07:29] – Acting Critiques: A candid discussion about the performances in the final season, with specific critiques of Noah Schnapp (Will) and praise for others like Steve Harrington and Mrs. Wheeler. * [00:09:17] – The “Family” Factor: The theory that the Duffer Brothers loved the cast too much to give them proper direction or high stakes, leading to a lackluster season compared to earlier ones. * [00:15:33] – Pacing Issues: Frustration with the imbalance between the short final battle and the hour-long epilogue. * [00:21:10] – Delightful Derrick: A shoutout to the new fan-favorite character, Derrick, who carried much of the season on his back. * [00:22:18] – Max and Lucas: The emotional payoff (and some missed opportunities) regarding Max’s return and her reunion with Lucas. * [00:27:23] – Will’s Big Moment: A breakdown of Will’s coming-out scene, how it was handled amidst the chaos of the finale, and how Vecna used truth as a weapon. * [00:41:14] – Final Verdicts: Closing thoughts on the series as a whole. While glad to have an ending, the consensus leans towards disappointment with how the plane was landed. Subscribe to Sweet & Condensed [https://www.threemilksmedia.com/p/introducing-sweet-and-condensed]! A weekly newsletter that lets you know at a glance if the latest box office releases are worth your time and money and what to expect if you decide to go. Why you'll love it - Think all the movie love and fun, none of the snobbery. We're doing this because we love people, movies, and the magic that lives where they meet. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/SweetAndCondensed [https://www.patreon.com/SweetAndCondensed] Connect with us! YouTube: @SweetAndCondensed [https://www.youtube.com/@SweetAndCondensed] Instagram: ⁠⁠@_SweetAndCondensed_ [https://www.instagram.com/_sweetandcondensed_/] Twitter: @justjoshperez ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/JustJoshPerez] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@EricHarrison⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://twitter.com/EricHarrison] @NewMexicoDrew [https://x.com/newmexicodrew] Letterboxd: @NewMexicoDrew [https://letterboxd.com/newmexicodrew/] ⁠@ericharrison [https://letterboxd.com/ericharrison/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@JustJoshPerez⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://letterboxd.com/justjoshperez/] @kellyharrison [https://letterboxd.com/kellyharrison/] The Sweet and Condensed podcast is a Three Milks Media [https://justjoshperez.com/three-milks-media] production. ⁠⁠⁠⁠