The A To Z Of Sff

One of the classics. A gem of dystopian SF, and a great example of a sports movie to boot. A rare example of an intelligent box-office hit: a film that lets its audience make up their own minds about Jonathon E and the society that both embraces and rejects him. 

Over a decade in the making. Three hours long, black and white, an uncompromising political allegory and treatise on the dangers of anti-intellectualism. Sounds like a laff riot, right? But Aleksei German's Hard To Be A God has a lot to offer, if you're prepared to put in the effort. Let Rob and Clive be your guides through a visit to Arkanar...

It's been described as a mecha-suited Watership Down or The Incredible Journey on acid. But Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's We3 is a beast of a very different colour. It has its flaws, but the book is also a bold and brilliant example of proper comics storytelling. Join Rob and Clive as they take a walk on the wild side...

There is a history under the history you think you know. A history where the space race never ended. Where Mars was explored back in the early 60s. Where the elite are preparing to evacuate a world dying in the face of catastrophic climate change. Join Rob, Clive and Curiosity as they explore the secret conspiracy known only by the codename Alternative 3...

Rob and Clive explore the point where the Marvel Cinematic Universe splits in twain. Yes, it's time to talk about the Civil War. Are we #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan? Or like everyone else, #TeamSpidey? DO WE REALLY NEED TO MENTION THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR HERE??? WELL, DO WE???

Rob loves the beauty and artistry of Jim Henson's fantasy epic The Dark Crystal. Clive thinks it's staid and a little bit boring. Who's right? can they both have a point? That's not going to help Curiosity make up its mind, is it? Join the crew as they pick apart the film most people call "that one that doesn't have David Bowie and his bulging tights in it."

Jeff Nichol's masterful SF road movie gets the once over from Rob and Clive. Do they embrace the mystery, or does the film maybe leave a little too much unexplained? One thing's for sure... it's a hell of a ride.  

Let's talk about some proper SF, with a nose around Ted Chiang's Nebula-Award winning short story Story Of Your Life. If you want discussion on the challenges of living in a deterministic universe or Fermat's Theorem of Least Time, then do we have a treat for you! If not, don't worry, we'll be back to the zap guns and little green men soon enough.

The boys celebrate their rescue from CycloMedia's clutches with an exploration of a truly joyful piece of cinema. You could argue that Streets Of Fire isn't SF or fantasy. Rob and Clive would argue otherwise. / / We're back. let the revels begin. Let th

It's back, and this time it's everything. New ship. The whole alphabet. Same pair of idiots in charge. The A To Z Of SFF. Season 2. Coming soon to a podcast vector near you.

Obscure, yes, but among the 2000ADdicts Ace Trucking Co is a highlight. Defiantly weird, Ace Garp and his crew inhabit a universe that could only come from the mind and pen of Massimo Belardinelli. Join Rob and Clive on the Great Mush Rush as they celebrate one of the British comic scene's more selectively popular strips. We's truckin', lugbuddies!

Atomic. Bacteriological. Chemical. No, not the laundry schedule for the Ulysses (although Clive's socks do require extra attention after a week in a vac-suit cleaning CycloMedia's solar panels). We're talking about classic 2000AD strip The ABC Warriors. They've been a constant feature of the comic since 1979, so there's a lot to talk about. Join the robot revolution!

A.I was planned and prepped by Stanley Kubrick, then taken over by Steven Spielberg after the auteur's untimely death. The resulting film is a strange mix of the two director's signature styles, and even now it polarises opinion. Rob and Clive take a detailed look at the film, its themes and the inhumanly excellent performance of Haley Joel Osment. Let's go in search of the Blue Fairy... (we apologise for the state of Rob's voice. The space lurgy has him in its snottily-tentacled grasp...)

Charlize Theron was an action heroine long before her role as Imperator Furiosa, you know. Rob and Clive take a step back in time to 2005, and her role as dystopian assassin Aeon Flux. Is the film as freaky as the TV show? More importantly, does Charlize get to wear the leather straps? Listen in and find out!

  A female assassin clad in leather straps, dealing in extreme violence, having sex whenever she feels like it with multiple partners... did we mention this was an animated series that went out on MTV in the early 90s? Aeon Flux is a strange mixture - a kinky, arty mashup of Euro sci-fi style and arch, deliberately impenetrable storytelling. Rob and Clive try to figure out what the hell was going on...

A show that started as a spin-off from one of the most successful fantasy shows of all time managed a rare feat–carving out its own voice and identity. Rob and Clive celebrate the David Boreanez-starring Angel, and mourn a endlessly inventive show that unfairly disappeared before its time. I mean, how can you not love a programme that featured eps where the brooding hero was turned into a puppet, or revealed his inner thoughts through the medium of karaoke?

In the crowded arena of 1980s TV shows featuring super-fast, super-secret helicopters, Airwolf was the stand out. Mean and moody lead? Check. Comedy sidekick? Checky-check. Conspiracy and tension between the Airwolf crew and the agency they ostensibly worked for? Check-o (in the first season, at least). Rob and Clive run through the story, dig out the old cello and yes, even take a pass at the theme song...

HOLY SMOKES! CycloMedia is getting worse, and the situation has become ever more desperate for our hapless duo. As the ship is lashed by energetic particles, the question has to be asked... could this really be the end for the Ulysses? Rob and Clive review: Attack Of The Crab MonstersThe Atomic SubmarineArenaThe Astronaut's WifeAbraxas, Guardian Of The Universe

OH NO! Rob and Clive have piloted the Ulysses right bang slap into the middle of an ion storm! With energetic particles scrambling CycloMedia's logic circuits, the deranged AI is stuck in a recursive loop, demanding more and more input. Can our hapless heroes snap CycloMedia out of it before the radiation fries them? Rob and Clive review: After EarthAvatarAVP: Alien Vs. PredatorAVP: RequiemAttack Of The Puppet People