Show Notes
For this installment of Not A Bomb’s “Ani-MAY-e” celebration, the hosts step into the surreal dreamscape of Paprika, Satoshi Kon’s mind-bending animated thriller that continues to blur the line between fantasy and reality nearly two decades after its release. What begins as a psychological mystery quickly spirals into a dazzling exploration of identity, technology, and the fragile barrier between the waking world and the subconscious mind. The hosts unpack how Paprika weaponizes dream logic to create an intentionally disorienting experience, where transitions between scenes, locations, and even characters occur without warning. They dig into the film’s central conflict between dreams and reality, exploring how the DC Mini device transforms private thoughts into dangerous shared spaces where control, repression, and desire collide. The conversation also highlights how the film questions whether reality itself is any more stable or coherent than the dreams invading it. There’s plenty of discussion about the film’s unforgettable imagery, from the chaotic parade sequences to the constantly shifting environments that refuse to obey conventional storytelling rules. The hosts examine how Satoshi Kon uses animation as a storytelling tool that could never be replicated in live action, creating scenes that feel simultaneously beautiful, unsettling, and emotionally overwhelming. Want to support the show? Check out the Not A Bomb TeePublic store for merch, featuring designs by Ted Blair. We’d love to hear from you—send your feedback, suggestions, or film recommendations to [email protected] or through our contact page. If you enjoy the show, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Cast: Brad, Troy
More from Not a Bomb
It's another week of undead madness here at Not A Bomb, and Troy and Brad are diving headfirst into the fourth installment of a franchise that apparently refuses to stay dead. This week, we're tackling Resident Evil: Afterlife, the 2010 action-horror sequel that asks the important question: Written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, Resident Evil: Afterlife picks up where Extinction left off, with Alice (Milla Jovovich) launching an all-out assault on the Umbrella Corporation's Tokyo headquarters alongside an army of her own clones. Yes, clones. Because apparently one superpowered Alice wasn't enough to keep this increasingly ridiculous franchise moving forward. And did we mention this movie is in 3D? Oh yes, Resident Evil: Afterlife arrived during Hollywood's great 3D obsession, and Paul W. S. Anderson was absolutely determined to make sure audiences got their money's worth. Bullets fly toward the screen, weapons launch directly at the audience, water droplets float through the air, and nearly every action sequence unfolds in enough slow motion to make you wonder if someone accidentally bumped the playback speed down to 50 percent. This week, Troy and Brad dive into the franchise's increasingly bizarre mythology, the return of Paul W. S. Anderson to the director's chair, the film's aggressive use of 3D technology, and the introduction of Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker as major players in the cinematic universe. Does Afterlife represent a stylish evolution of the series, or has Resident Evil officially become a collection of video game references loosely connected by increasingly ridiculous action sequences? Can a movie this committed to spectacle still deliver genuine horror? And, perhaps most importantly, how many times can Alice dramatically remove her sunglasses before the franchise finally runs out of ideas? Listen and find out! Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs! Cinova - The future of Movie and TV We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at [email protected] or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Cast: Brad, Troy
It's another week of undead insanity here at Not A Bomb, and Troy and Brad are leaving the zombie-infested streets of Raccoon City behind for the sun-scorched wastelands of he 2007 sequel - Resident Evil: Extinction. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, the man responsible for Highlander, Resident Evil: Extinction takes place several years after the events of Apocalypse. The T-virus has officially gone global, civilization has collapsed, and the entire planet is apparently turning into a giant desert. Yes, Resident Evil: Extinction features an enormous flock of infected birds attacking our heroes in what might be the most expensive advertisement for staying indoors ever filmed. It's one of several moments when the movie completely abandons logic in favor of glorious B-movie spectacle. Between the desert convoys, superpowered Alice, underground laboratories, and increasingly ridiculous mutations, the franchise has officially entered its "anything goes" era. This week, Troy and Brad dive into the film's bizarre decision to turn the entire world into a desert, the introduction of Claire Redfield, the increasingly absurd mythology surrounding Alice, and the franchise's continuing struggle to remember what made Resident Evil popular in the first place. Does Extinction breathe new life into a series that desperately needed a change of scenery? Is it an underrated slice of post-apocalyptic action-horror? Grab your green herbs, fill up the gas tank, and don't forget your sunscreen, because the zombie apocalypse has never looked quite this dusty. Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs! Cinova - The future of Movie and TV We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at [email protected] or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Cast: Brad, Troy
It's another week of horror here at Not A Bomb, and Troy and Brad are heading straight into the zombie-infested streets of Raccoon City for Resident Evil: Apocalypse, the 2004 sequel to the original Alice film. - 2002s Resident Evil. Directed by Alexander Witt, Resident Evil: Apocalypse picks up right where the first film left off. The Umbrella Corporation has once again demonstrated that corporate accountability is completely optional, unleashing the deadly T-virus upon the unsuspecting citizens of Raccoon City. And then there's Nemesis. One of the most iconic monsters in video game history finally makes his big-screen debut, complete with a rocket launcher, an enormous mutated body, and the unfortunate responsibility of participating in one of the most ridiculous climactic showdowns in early-2000s cinema. Is Nemesis terrifying? Sometimes. Is he intimidating? Absolutely. Does the movie eventually turn him into something that feels suspiciously like a professional wrestling storyline? You better believe it. Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a fascinating time capsule of an era when Hollywood believed every video game adaptation needed more leather, more industrial rock, more shaky editing, and enough slow motion to make Zack Snyder jealous. The film borrows characters, locations, and creatures from Capcom's beloved games, particularly Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, while continuing to build its own increasingly absurd mythology around Alice. Grab your green herbs, conserve your ammunition, and make sure you've got a typewriter ribbon handy, because we're heading back to Raccoon City. Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs! Cinova - The future of Movie and TV We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at [email protected] or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Cast: Brad, Troy
To prep for October and spooky movies, Not A Bomb is heading into spooky territory, and this week Troy and Brad are traveling all the way to Japan for Sweet Home, the 1989 horror film that proves haunted houses are significantly more dangerous when nobody in the group has enough sense to simply leave. Bodies melt, faces distort, and the Mamiya mansion becomes increasingly hostile to anyone unfortunate enough to still be wandering its hallways. The effects were overseen by legendary makeup artist Dick Smith, whose résumé includes The Exorcist, Scanners, and Amadeus, and the movie gives him plenty of opportunities to get disgusting. But Sweet Home has another fascinating legacy. The film was released alongside Capcom's Sweet Home RPG for the Famicom, which adapted the movie while introducing gameplay ideas involving exploration, inventory management, puzzles, limited resources, multiple characters, and permanent death. Years later, Capcom would begin developing another horror game influenced by some of those concepts. That game eventually became Resident Evil. The guys are joined by friend of the show and host of And Now For Something a Little Bit Different - John N, Mr. Korean Kool himself, to discuss the amazing weekend the guys had at the Baltimore Comic-Con. Money was spend, memories were made, and comics were purchased. Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs! Cinova - The future of Movie and TV We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at [email protected] or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Cast: Brad, Troy Guest: John N
Welcome back to Not A Bomb, the podcast where we resurrect cinema’s most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb? This week, Troy and Brad put on their finest trench coats, grab some unnecessarily large pistols, and discover exactly who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men as they dive into 1994’s superhero adventure, The Shadow. And the answer is apparently Alec Baldwin. Based on the legendary pulp character, The Shadow stars Baldwin as Lamont Cranston, a former criminal who has reinvented himself as a mysterious vigilante capable of clouding the minds of men. When the wonderfully named Shiwan Khan arrives in New York with plans for world domination, Cranston must use his psychic abilities, network of loyal agents, and incredible collection of scarves to stop him. On paper, The Shadow sounds awesome. And sometimes it absolutely is. Troy and Brad dig into a movie that might be one of the most aggressively middling films ever made. The Shadow is never particularly terrible, but it rarely becomes as exciting as its premise suggests. It exists in that strange cinematic middle ground where almost everything is perfectly competent, occasionally something really cool happens, and then the movie immediately settles back into being...fine. Troy and Brad are heading into the shadows to find out whether one of the most perfectly middling superhero movies of the 1990s has enough standout moments to save it from being a bomb. Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs! Cinova - The future of Movie and TV We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at [email protected] or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Cast: Brad, Troy