Friday, July 18, 2025

Friday Creature Feature - Perry the Platypus


“Hey. Where’s Perry?”

I couldn’t let the summer pass without spotlighting the king of summer vacation, Perry the Platypus (maybe Phineas is the king of summer… but I think he’d abdicate to Perry). The first round of new Phineas and Ferb episodes have finished airing on Disney Channel (I finished them weeks ago on Disney Plus) so it’s the perfect time to talk platypus. 

To the general human populace, he’s just a pet platypus. They don’t do much. The Flynn-Fletcher family adopted him when he was small and adorable. As far as they know, he wanders around town in between bouts of sleeping and eating. Originally the boys named him Bartholomew, but thankfully they renamed him to give us OWCA-regulation alliteration. 

Unbeknownst to most humans outside of OWCA (Doofenschmirtz, Vanessa, Stacy, and random unnamed civilians) the famed platypus is a secret agent who thwarts Heinz Doofenshmirtz on a daily basis. Because Doof is so incompetent at being evil (hence his break from evil between seasons four and five) Perry doesn’t have to do much to stop the mad scientist—especially if there’s a self-destruct button involved. Really it’s more like Perry is Doof’s exasperated buddy who puts up with the crazy antics. Literally went with him to run errands. 

The duck-billed secret agent deserves an Emmy for his acting as a derpy pet. A whole episode exists around “They don’t do much” while the pet platypus is off fighting an evil scientist. The concept is so ridiculous (much like the show in general) and I think that’s why we love Perry. Where else can you find an obscure crime-fighting pet with an alliterative name and a theme song?

I look forward to more antics from Perry and Doof in the next string of episodes (and maybe more Perry and Stacy). And maybe I can get my kids to join me in a dance party to his theme song. I could always use more platypus in my life. 

"Oh! There you are, Perry!"

Monday, July 14, 2025

LDS Geeks Podcast #45: Gryffindor House


--Spencer


Listen to Episode 45 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on SpotifyApple Podcasts, and YouTube


Check out Spencer's recent content: click here

Check out Michael's recent content: click here

Show notes:

00:13 - Introductions
01:27 - Spencer's Recommendation: Libby app
04:05 - Michael's Recommendation: "Scripture Friends" study strategy
05:39 - Gryffindor House overview
        "Get to Know Your Geeks: Hogwarts Houses" by the LDS Geeks Team
07:29 - Favorite Gryffindors
        Spencer: Minerva McGonagall
        Michael: Sirius Black
12:16 - Least Favorite Gryffindors
        Michael: Peter Pettigrew
        Spencer: Cormac McLaggen
16:51 - Gryffindor Best Friend
        Michael: Remus Lupin and Neville Longbottom
        Spencer: Hermione Granger
21:49 - Gryffindor Theme Song
        Spencer: "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from the Mulan Soundtrack
        Michael: "We Will Rock You" by Queen
24:42 - Gryffindors from Other Fandoms
        Sokka (Avatar the Last Airbender)
        Rachel Berenson (Animorphs)
        Captain America (Marvel Comics)
        Prince Zuko (Avatar the Last Airbender)
27:01 - Analysis of Gryffindor House
30:02 - Conclusion

Friday, July 11, 2025

Why I Love Digimon Frontier

It’s pretty normal for me to have at least one series of Digimon on my watchlist at any given time. I already had Digimon Adventure (and subsequent seasons/movies) and the 2020 reboot on my watchlist when my daughter asked to watch Digimon Frontier (she likes that Zoe has blonde hair like her and that she digivolves into a fairy). When my child asks to watch my favorite show, who am I to argue? However, Frontier doesn’t get the love it deserves among most fans. So I’m here to talk up it’s good points. 

First off, many of us who grew up watching the first three seasons of Digimon on Fox Kids also watched Power Rangers on that same channel. I don’t know if that or Super Sentai (the Japanese inspiration for Power Rangers) was influential in the development of Frontier, but that’s basically what it was to me: Digimon + Power Rangers. No Digimon partners, but the Digi-Destined became the Digimon and fought first hand. They even had the classic number of kids on the team (five) and later introduced Koichi as the “sixth ranger”. Plus, on the heels of the Tamers bio-merging, kids becoming Digimon and fighting the bad guys themselves wasn’t too much of a stretch.

I’ll admit that at times it became tedious, but this season made it okay for the Digi-Destined to lose some battles. Whether they were running from the evil Legendary Warriors or racing the Royal Knights, this group couldn’t catch a break at times. Obviously they didn’t lose so badly, because they survived, but not every episode needed a surge of friendship and a chorus of “Hey Digimon” to beat the enemy of the episode. Sometimes it was important to stay a step back and regroup… just like in life.


The previous seasons of Digimon had some intricate history at times, but Digimon Frontier had a unique mythology. Almost right from the start we learned of Lucemon and the Celestial Digimon. As the season went on, the mythos deepened. While Digimon Adventure and Digimon Tamers left the stories open for more lore to develop, Digimon Frontier was the first series to be self-contained. Very few (if any) plot points were left unaddressed. Like Digimon Data Squad after it, this is something I really liked. Even as I’ve tried to dream up any sort of fan fiction to write as a continuation or sequel to Frontier, the ending and the world feels complete to me.

Not unlike the previous Digimon series, this one gets dark if you think too hard about it. Koichi almost died. The human children were constantly in hand-to-hand combat with killers. And the final battle was literally against the Digi-World Satan. Devimon, MaloMyotismon, and the D-Reaper were plenty scary at times, but Digimon Frontier was something else. It’s one of those times that I wonder how this series was made for children.


While I do love this series, I’d be amiss if I didn’t address some weak points of the series. First and foremost: The latter part of the series became very much about Takuya and Koji. After the introduction of EmperorGreymon and MagnaGarurumon, the other four children were pretty much obsolete in every battle. In addition to demoting the four children, the first half of the series progressed rather slowly, traveling to each new destination and taking a long while to get to the first major big bad Cherubimon (by that point in Digimon Adventure, I think the Digi-Destined had already defeated Myotismon). Worse than the story moving slowly, I wish the children had better motivation and backstories… Other than Koji and Koichi, the character development of the Digi-Destined could basically be summarized as “I learned to be a friend” and we never learned why half of them even followed Ophanimon’s message… and Takuya literally ended up in the train station because he was bored… Not a sense of adventure or duty… boredom.

All the same, I still enjoy this series. It deserves more credit than fans give it. However, the fact is that the series obviously didn’t perform well… we didn’t get another Digimon series for a few years. While nothing will ever match up to the nostalgia of the original Digi-Destined at summer camp, give Frontier a try while it’s on Hulu. It’s worth watching once for any Digimon fan. At least check out the theme song--A wonderful pump-up song. 

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

T.J. Goes to MagicCon


For those who don't know MagicCon is a convention for Magic: The Gathering players/fans that occurs a few times a year starting in 2023. They're not always in the same cities each year, but there's been one in Las Vegas each year since it started, and for those interested, it will be in Vegas again next year in May.

For MagicCon Las Vegas 2025, though, I got to go with my brother-in-law for two of the days. Funny enough, for something called MagicCon where people play a lot of Magic....I only ended up playing a few games during the con itself. 

That's because I did a bunch of other things...and for this, I'm not going to go in order.

Gavin Verhey and T.J.
On the second day, I got to take part in an event called Unknown with Gavin Verhey (who is a principal designer for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast.) This event was honestly the only time I played any Magic during the convention. We weren't told what the format would be beforehand, but I had guessed we'd do some sort of sealed, which is what we did. Except this sealed was unique. We had to build a 60-card Commander-style deck where the color identity rule didn't matter. We were given 3 packs from Tarkir: Dragonstorm, 3 Mystery Booster II packs, and a special playtest pack of ten cards. These playtests were only able to be used during this event as they're regular cards with fake card attached on top of it. But these "playtest" cards were honestly really fun to play with.

The prize pin
Another fun thing I got to do was the Fblthp scavenger hunt (yes, I spelled that correctly). The goal was to scan the QR code on 8 special posters throughout the convention center. If you did that, you'd get a special pin, which my brother-in-law and I did.


Now I'm gonna back up to some of my day 1 fun. Because they were going to be doing a Game Knights Live recording in the late-afternoon on the first day, my brother-in-law and I wanted good seats. And even though there were two panels I wasn't as interested in before Game Knights, we pretty much took turns sitting in the area. 





Olivia Gobert-Hicks, Brian Kibler, and T.J.
While my brother-in-law sat there and I went on a walk (seriously, my back would've hated me), I randomly was able to get a quick photo with Brian Kibler and Olivia Gobert-Hicks from Commander at Home. I mean, they were gladly doing photos, so I gladly got one. And while the preview panel was awesome, I'm going to just put a link to it here if anyone is interested. But...some spoilers.....I'm more excited for Edge of Eternities (and the return of Tezzeret) and for the Universe's Beyond set of Avatar: The Last Airbender than before and I'm still extremely excited to finally see a return to Lorwyn in Lorwyn Eclipsed and then was thrilled to see that Strixhaven will be following Lorwyn.

Steven, Rachel Weeks, and T.J.
 

    After that panel, my brother-in-law and I were able to snag a quick    photo with Rachel Weeks (from Command Zone) and Voxy. They   were clearly trying to get backstage to get ready for Game Knights   where Rachel was one of the hosts and Voxy was playing. After   snagging our quick photos, I sat through the Final Fantasy Universes   Beyond design panel. (Gotta be honest, before MagicCon I never   played a Final Fantasy game. But something caught my interest and I   ended up getting Final Fantasy VII and started playing it after I got   home from the con.) Then it came time for Game Knights. 


T.J., Steven, and Voxy
Now, let me tell you this: when asked what I was hoping to do during MagicCon I had one answer and one answer only: To be one of the four people chosen for the pre-game trivia to determine which Game Knights player goes first. From what I'd seen previously, whoever got to do the pre-game trivia was given a box of booster packs of the latest Magic set. Honestly, I was more interested in playing the trivia than the prize/gift. The way they do these is that where you sit determines which player you're supposed to root for and we were seated in The Professor's section.

T.J. and the Game Knight


Well, when it came time to choose contestants for it, a lot of people raised their hands. And even though my brother-in-law's hands were up, he wasn't raising them to get picked...he was pointing at me. This (and a lot of pleading from my brother-in-law) got me picked to be one of the four to play the trivia game. Since it's not on their YouTube channel yet, I don't want to spoil how I did with Magic trivia. Either way, just know that I had a ton of fun.



T.J., the Professor, and Steven


Back to the second day, I got the awesome opportunity to meet The Professor and get to say I represented him for Game Knights. If you watch some of his shows, he'll throw a plug in for Infinitokens (making sure we know they aren't a sponsor of his, just a really cool product). Since I didn't have anything else I really wanted signed, and since my wife got me a package of them for Father's Day, I got two signed Infinitokens (one for me and one for my son, who's also a Prof fan.)

All in all, it was an awesome experience and I hope to go again next year. And as always...

Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.

Monday, July 7, 2025

A Daredevil Devotional: Being Born Again

(Guest post by Ben)

**Spoiles for Daredevil Born Again Season 1**

“It’s hard to come to terms with a violent nature. Hating the power that it has over us.”

“I was raised to believe in grace. That we can be touched by the divine and transformed into a better person. So, if you say to me that you’re a new man, I say, “Fine.” But you should know, I was also raised to believe in retribution. So, if you step out of line. I will be there.”

Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk Face Off in “Daredevil: Born Again” Trailer -  Accessreel.com

This loaded exchange between Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock in the opening episode of Daredevil: Born Again is foreshadowing for the plot of the entire season. Fisk is running for mayor and though he has fooled much of the city into thinking his previous arrests were by corrupt cops and that he is truly innocent, he knows that Matt Murdock knows the truth. He also knows that Matt wrestles with his violent nature while wanting to believe in his goodness. This season of Daredevil asks the question: can we really change? Satan, and Fisk, would have us believe that we can’t, that its only a matter of time before our nature takes over. All we can do is put on a fake mask in an effort to manipulate others. Matt Murdock wants to believe he can change, but isn’t so sure and, throughout this season, wrestles with dramatic versions of what we all wrestle with—the natural man and the desire to become something more. 

Of course, be warned, there will be a few spoilers in this devotional!

Ever since my first year of early morning seminary, Mosiah 3:19 has been one of my favorite scriptures: 

“The natural man is an enemy to God…unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, putteth off the natural man, and becometh a Saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord.” 

I have always found comfort in the belief that who I can be is not limited strictly to my natural, genetic, biological self. There is divinity within me and I can become more than my nature through the enabling grace of Jesus Christ. There’s a word that describes “more than nature”—supernatural. The word King Benjamin uses is “saints”.  But how do we become “supernatural saints”, or as Matt Murdock put it, how can we be “touched by the divine and transformed into a better person”? Like the Daredevil, we have to be born again. 

The character arc for Matt is his efforts to fight evil in a new way. The season starts with his best friend being killed by Bullseye, the man he sent to prison at the end of the previous series. This death is absolutely devastating for Matt; it is transformative for his view of the world and how to make a difference. He retires the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and commits to changing the city through the legal system (Matt is an attorney).  However, he watches helplessly as his efforts to defend the innocent and prosecute the evil feel like a toy hammer against a mountain. 

At the end of episode two he is attacked by two dirty cops and by instinct defends himself violently. After defeating them, he screams in frustration. Is this all he is? Is this what it will always come back to? The vigilante self that he resists is a profound metaphor for the messaging we all receive from Satan. It is as if the Devil himself, Satan, is in his ear, “you can’t change who you are! THIS is who you are! Give in!”. 

Later in episode four, he seeks out the Punisher because one of the dirty cops is using bullet casings with punisher logos on them. This interaction is a powerfully introspective experience for Matt. The Punisher challenges why he is really there and what he really wants. As if he were voice of the devil inside him, Punisher pushes, 

“I don’t think you came here for my help. I think you want my permission…you’re guilty. That guilt that shame, that’s my home, and I can see it on you, I can smell it on you, its all over you.” 

How 'Daredevil Born Again' Brings Back The Punisher aka Frank Castle

Just like Satan, who wants everyone to be as miserable as himself, he tries to make Matt lean into his carnal, basic, natural self. He wants him to embrace his inability to change who he is. He continues to antagonize Matt until Matt loses his temper and punches him in the face—the devil inside him briefly coming out. Matt immediately apologizes, gripping his fists and breathing deeply trying to shove that side of him back deep down. “Sorry, I apologize.” To which the Punisher responds, “What are you sorry for? First honest thing you did, Red.” 

There are many more scenes that further illustrate Matt’s struggle with the devil—his struggle with the world around him and the means to his worthy ends. But in the end, the series finishes as you would expect. The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen returns—he finally “gives in” when a young woman has been taken by a serial killer and Matt knows the police won’t be fast enough to save her. In dramatic parallel fashion, the scenes of Daredevil saving this victim are interwoven with scenes of Kingpin violently beating a man he has a personal vendetta against.  The message seems to be that Kingpin was right, no one can resist their violent nature, neither of them have changed.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Will Be a "Resistance Tale"

But Kingpin, and Satan, are wrong. Matt has become something new—just not the new that he thought he was becoming. In the climactic conclusion to the season (which ends on a cliffhanger, things aren’t even a little bit resolved here!), Daredevil realizes he can’t do this alone, and the change he needed to make was one of working together with the system—not abandoning his unique strengths and abilities, but embracing the help of others and forming a team. Fisk has declared martial law in New York City, and is now brutally killing those who won’t follow, but the final scene is Daredevil walking into a room filled with citizens who want to stand up to this regime. Daredevil has changed, and he isn’t just a manifestation of a violent natural self. In saving the girl from the serial killer, he was motivated to protect, not to hurt, and in working with others he is not serving himself.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Has “A Lot More” of an MCU MVP (& It's Not  Jessica Jones) - ComicBook.com

This is how we become supernatural saints. It is through our baptismal and confirmation covenants. First, we must be born again by water—through the covenant of baptism (John 3:5). In this ordinance we covenant to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, to take upon us the name of Christ and serve one another—to work together as a team (Mosiah 18:9). Then, we can become sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 27:20). I served a mission in Albania, and in the Albanian language, the phrase “to be sanctified” from that verse was literally translated as “to be made a saint”.  In other words, to be “saint-ified” means to receive the Holy Ghost by listening to Him—to yield unto the enticings of the Holy Spirit (Mosiah 3:19), and that is how we become supernatural saints through the grace of Jesus Christ.  As we follow His direction, and allow the Holy Ghost to change our choices and behaviors, the Savior strengthens us and we come more than our base, natural selves.  We are born again as saints, but saints are not completely different beings—we are still ourselves, we are still the same person, just better versions of us. The Daredevil didn’t need to disappear, he just needed to change. 

The change he goes through is the one we all go through—embracing interdependence and working together to change ourselves and the world around us. Just as Matt couldn’t change New York City himself, we don’t build Zion alone. It starts, first, with a partnership with our Savior, and second, a partnership with those around us (Matthew 22:37-40).

Friday, July 4, 2025

10 Times the Doctor Visited America


The Doctor has been all over time and space. Though the Time Lord hasn’t traveled to the Revolutionary War or the signing of the Declaration of Independence (as far as we know), the Doctor has been to the United States a small number of times. So to celebrate the Fourth of July, let’s revisit some of the times the Doctor came stateside. 


The Chase

It was a brief visit while on the run from the Daleks, but the First Doctor and his companions briefly ended atop the Empire State Building. The TARDIS crew encountered Steven Taylor’s 20th Century American doppelgänger before flying off in the TARDIS again.


The Gunfighters

Every science fiction epic needs a cheesy western story apparently. I can’t exactly recommend this one as a good Doctor Who story (not just because it features Dodo) but it definitely covers plenty of western cliches. And all because the First Doctor had a toothache. 


TV Movie

Of course this story took place in San Francisco when Fox had a chance to produce the Eighth Doctor’s adventures. While the movie was obviously not picked up to be produced in America, it kept the franchise alive enough to be revived by the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler. We’ll never know how the franchise would have been different if the movie had succeeded, but I would love to revisit the Doctor’s friends in California. 


Dalek

Bringing back the most iconic Doctor Who villain, the Ninth Doctor and Rose ended up in the near future (now in the past) in an underground vault near Salt Lake City. It showed a different side of Rose and the Dalek. Unfortunately, this story introduced us to the worst TARDIS companions since Dodo, the infamous Adam Mitchell. 


Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks

Despite this story featuring Spider-Man in New York City, it might be one of the cringiest and forgettable Dalek stories ever (except for maybe the Churchill one with the Dalek Power Rangers). Who’d have thought the Daleks would be involved in the construction of the Empire State Building? And just a few decades before the First Doctor would chance upon it. 


The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon

We start out in Utah again before heading to the White House and the FBI. And a conspiracy involving the moon landing and the most forgettable aliens. It was the beginning of the mystery surrounding the Doctor’s supposed death. No other Doctor has visited the Oval Office and only the Eleventh Doctor could handle it with that amount of poise.


A Town Called Mercy

Unlike “The Gunfighters” this Western story was decently enjoyable. It wasn’t my favorite of the Eleventh Doctor stories by any means, but it was a fun adventure in Nevada towards the end of Amy and Rory’s time traveling in the TARDIS. And this story had an alien twist on the Western, unlike the First Doctor’s toothache. 


The Angels Take Manhattan

Back to New York City for Amy and Rory’s farewell. For fans of the Ponds, it was an emotional farewell. For fans of the Statue of Liberty, you’ll never see the monument the same way again. And if you’ve been to New York, you know there are enough statues peppered through the city to give you nightmares after meeting the Weeping Angels. It’s a shame we haven’t seen them in such a central role since Manhattan though. 


Rosa

Say what you will about the Thirteenth Doctor’s tenure, but this is one of my favorite historical stories of Doctor Who ever. Because of the mixed races in the TARDIS team, we got a great vantage point to the story of Rosa Parks. I don't care what anyone says about Jodie Whittaker’s time on Doctor Who, this story was beautifully and tragically written, especially when Graham had to take the last seat on the bus. 


Lux

In case anyone is a little behind on Doctor Who this year, I’ll try to avoid being too specific here. But bringing our first purely non-white TARDIS team to the American south was brilliant. Though the story was based in 1950s Miami, very little had to do with the racial attitudes. I felt like there was a sprinkling of awareness before getting a commentary on storytelling and the fourth wall. I definitely need to watch this season again. 


So while my family is still more likely to watch Captain America or Independence Day for the Fourth of July, I enjoy the fact that the Whovian in me has some options too. Maybe I’ll watch some Weeping Angels in Manhattan while my wife and older daughter are out watching fireworks this weekend. Or it’s a good time to revisit Rosa Parks. Or maybe I should just keep working through the Fourth Doctor so that TJ and I can podcast about more Doctor Who. However you spend your Independence Day, I’m grateful we’re able to celebrate at all. Happy Fourth of July!

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Dallas Takes Center Stage: A Nostalgic Reunion


(Guest post by Jason)

Comic-cons have grown from niche gatherings into massive cultural events. Over the past few years, fan-centric conventions (focused on comics, gaming, anime, and pop culture) have seen consistent annual growth around 25%. What’s driving this surge? Nostalgia—an emotional connection to the past that’s drawing more people in each year.

Seventy-five percent of people say nostalgia makes them feel more connected to others and their identity. Comic-cons tap into that feeling, offering fans a chance to revisit the stories and characters that shaped their childhoods. Whether it’s classic cartoons or vintage video games, these events create a shared emotional experience.

Dallas’s own Comic-Con, Fan Expo, delighted fans by taking nostalgia to the next level via star power. The 40th-anniversary reunion of Back to the Future brought icons like Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Tom Wilson back into the spotlight. Attendees also met nostalgic cultural heavyweights—John Cena, Mr. T, Orlando Bloom, Tom Welling, and Zachary Levi.

To add to the nostalgic environment, fans went all in on cosplay, donning costumes from Marty McFly to Luke Skywalker to Wonder Woman. As I walked through the throngs of characters from yester year, I noticed that 90%+ of the merch being sold was featuring characters and stories from decades past. My favorite booth featured artistic depictions of pixilated characters from early video games, which immediately took me back to Saturday mornings with my brother trying to save princesses and knock out opponents.

Nostalgia isn’t just a trend—it’s the heartbeat of comic-con’s continued rise. With nostalgia at the core, events like Fan Expo Dallas do more than entertain—they reaffirm who we are and where we come from.

Monday, June 30, 2025

Lilo and Stitch - The Live Action Thing

Happy 626 Day! (Last week)

I hope you all listened to some Elvis music while demolishing a home!

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the new Lilo and Stitch. 

                                                *SPOILERS*



A Quick Word on the Original

I'm a Lilo and Stitch fan, as many people know. I took a Stitch stuffed animal on my mission, my car is covered in Stitch decor, and I can pick my nose with my tongue, a feat that was not easy to master. However, this does not exclude the animated Lilo and Stitch from the nit-picky criticisms I have for every other movie, TV show, video game and book on the planet. 

My biggest issue was Gantu, the giant whale man that we see Stitch defeat in the first 10 minutes of the film and then later has to deal with when he shows up to Earth. My issue is this: We spend a majority of the film setting up the conflict between Lilo and Nani's want to keep their family together and Stitch's want to avoid Jamba by using Lilo as a human shield. Where this conflicts is when Stitch's destructive nature proves that Nani cannot provide a stable home for Lilo and climaxes when Stitch destroys their home and Lilo is taken away by a social worker. 

And then...

Gantu shows up and we're treated to a ten minute Tom and Jerry routine of Gantu and Stitch fighting on a space ship until they crash into the ocean, after which we have to quickly reestablish the emotional tension we had earlier and resolve the main plot. 

I hate this. 



What does the New Adaptation Bring?

Frankly where the live action Lilo and Stitch shines is whenever it's NOT trying to be the original. Whenever the movie does a frame-for-frame recreation the way the live action Lion King did the film falls flat, since we've already seen it. However, anywhere that new material is brought in, including new characters, preexisting characters becoming more fleshed out (Looking at you Nani) and just new antics with Lilo and Stitch, the film shines. The most obvious fact with this film and most of Disney's other live action remakes is that we don't need these films, we already have all of them. The only reason to recreate them would be to add something new or change things that didn't work in the original. For example...



NO GANTU

The film has been leveled with two major critiques (The other I'll address later), one of which is that Gantu is completely absent from the film, and thank whatever executive was responsible for that. What we have instead is Jamba taking on the role of villain, with him not giving half a regurgitated piece of cake about weather or not Lilo and Nani get to remain as a family. This isn't to say that it makes Jamba more interesting, in fact most of the new scenes of Jamba and Pleekly feel like a 90's kids movie with how bad the acting is, but he's still head and shoulders over a villain we see maybe three times throughout the course of the film. This also does change the climax, where instead of Gantu kidnapping Lilo and Stitch it's Jamba, who goes full on villain and uses the fact that Stitch was using Lilo as a human shield as a way to break them apart. This keeps the emotion in the climax instead of stopping it, giving it a far mor cohesive feeling. 

Nani's Choice

If you haven't seen the movie yet but are an avid reader of the internet you may have seen references to Nani abandoning Lilo. In the live action film, Nani is given more backstory. We find out she was an avid surfer and had a full-ride scholarship to become a marine biologist before their parents were killed, but now she has given up on her own dreams to take care of Lilo. A solution is presented though when, the new character David's grandma, offers to take care of Lilo while Nani goes to college. The critique over this is "What about ohana?!" Here's the issue: Nani is also a child. Nani lost her parents and is asked to take care of a 6 year old girl. She was willing to sacrifice everything to do so but an opportunity presented itself for her to better herself, have Lilo taken care of, and make a better future for the both of them. The original Nani's sacrifice was honorable, but if the animated Nani had a way for Lilo to be taken care of and her to get her dreams to come true I fully believe she would take it, as she should. It is not right to ask a child to take on the responsibility of an adult when they are not ready. 

Plus, to the internet critics, the movie gave them a portal gun so they can visit whenever they want so what's the issue? 

-JOE

Friday, June 27, 2025

Yu-Gi-Oh Workout


Summer is officially here! While you might not realistically get shredded between now and when pool/beach season ends, it's always a good idea to get moving and work on mobility and strength. While I didn't care for Zexal and Arc-V, the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise is a perfect choice for exercising along with one of our exercise games. So turn to the original Duel Monsters anime on Netflix, Hulu, or Tubi to get moving with Yugi and his friends (or maybe Jaden at Duel Academy).


Disclaimer: 
While I am a licensed physical therapy provider, I am not a personal trainer or a medical practitioner. Partner as necessary with your doctor prior to engaging in any diet or excise programs. If any of these exercises cause increased pain, stop the exercise immediately.
***This workout is intended to work without any equipment, but feel free to add small dumbbells or bands as you're safely able.

Training to look like Elemental Hero Wildheart

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

LDS Geeks Podcast #44: Animorphs Re-Read (2)


Here we come for round two of our Animorphs re-read! Three more regular books and the first Megamorphs. We had lots to talk about, more than I expected. I hope you enjoy it!

--Spencer


Listen to Episode 44 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on SpotifyApple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here


Show Notes:

    Follow along: Animorphs Book Club Reading Schedule

    Spencer's Recommendation: ”Greater Than All My Regrets” by Tenth Avenue North

        Listen on YouTube

    Russell's Recommendation: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

    #5 - The Predator

    #6 - The Capture

    #7 - The Stranger

    Megamorphs #1 - The Andalite's Gift

Animorphs Re-Read Podcast Series:

    LDS Geeks Podcast #22: Animorphs Re-Read (Books 1-4)

        Show Notes: click here

        Spotify: click here

        Apple Podcasts: click here