HAVE A CUP OF LIBER-TEA WITH YOUR SLICE OF CHERRY GUYS!

To say Helldivers II's runaway success came unexpectedly is an understatement. The sequel to a little-known twin stick shooter, developed by an indie game studio from Sweden, has become the Next Big Thing. This is the little anti-bug, anti-robot, Starship Troopers-esque Player-vs-Enemy shoot-em-up that could, and does, kick all the ass. Amongst the gung-ho patriotism, shiny armour sets and massacring alien insects the Slice of Cherry Guys find a great game experience relying on basic fundamentals (emphasis on "fun"). To put it in a nutshell, this is a game where you go blow up alien bugs while shouting "DEMOCRACY". What's not to love?

Also, that dropship extraction music *slaps*.

Big thanks to Jezza for suggesting this episode!

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: Please excuse Chris's terrible audio at the beginning as he had his microphone around the wrong way - it clears up at the 6-minute mark!

EXTRA LINKS:
Bloomberg's piece on Helldivers II's unexpected popularity:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-03-15/-helldivers-2-is-a-surprise-hit-for-sony-in-an-oversaturated-market?embedded-checkout=true

IGN article on Arrowhead Studios rejecting adding PVP: https://www.ign.com/articles/helldivers-2-dev-says-it-will-never-add-pvp-because-it-wants-to-reduce-toxic-elements-from-the-community

Helldivers II (Slice of Cherry Guys #15)

Greetings, programs!

As we hurtle towards the October release of TRON: Ares, the Slice of Cherry Guys go back to the simple days of 1982 when a weird little film from Disney left a lasting mark on pop culture despite its mixed reception. Where else can you see Jeff Bridges being sucked into a computer, or David Warner's character channeling big fascist energy with a glowing frisbee, or those *amazing* Tron Lines that are now staples of laser tag venues worldwide?

Does it hold up? Chris thinks so - and will threaten anyone who disagrees - while Dave's not quite as convinced. But given its influence on pop culture and the many computer stories that came in its wake (ReBoot, anyone?), it's safe to say TRON is still a very important film.

And yes, Homer, we have seen the movie TRON.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
Archived link to a 1982 New York Times story on special effects in filmmaking, with a particular look at the then-unreleased TRON: https://archive.md/20120915031719/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E3DB123BF937A35754C0A964948260&sec=technology&spon=&pagewanted=all

Archived link to a 2012 retrospective piece from Creative Planet Network about TRON's impact on filmmaking: https://archive.md/20120707112440/http://digitalcontentproducer.com/dcc/revfeat/video_tron/

Roger Ebert's original review of TRON: https://archive.md/20120915031736/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19820101/REVIEWS/201010350/1023

Wayback Machine link to 1982 interview with Wendy Carlos and Michael Fremer on the music of TRON: https://web.archive.org/web/20101202105815/http://wendycarlos.com/other/PDF-Files/KbdOnTRON*.pdf

TRON (Slice of Cherry Guys #68)

Sixty-Ninth Course: THE SLICE OF CHERRY GUYS REVIEW THE MENU
two opinionated guys, bad microphones, half an hour of chat, lingering hunger

*insert picture of a delicious dish here*

Make no mistake, The Menu is as diabolical as it is delicious. Not since Hell's Kitchen or the Iron Chef battlegrounds has there been a cookery as cooked as Hawthorne, where a ghostly Ralph Fiennes hosts a number of rich people for an unforgettable evening. It's a nimble, gorgeous film that knows exactly what it wants to do and doesn't outstay its welcome. It's got capitalist satire, an impressive dual performance from Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy, and the most mouthwatering cheeseburger you'll ever see in your life.

Don't worry, we'll get the bill before dessert arrives.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
Alma Avalle's interview with The Menu's screenwriters, via Bon Appetit: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/the-menu-movie-creators-interview

Mark Jancovich's piece on The Menu and the horror of restaurants, via The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/the-menu-ralph-fienness-new-film-shows-why-restaurants-are-a-ripe-setting-for-horror-195340

The Menu (Slice of Cherry Guys #69)

We rolling? Great. Ok, action in 3, 2...

Welcome to another episode of Slice of Cherry Guys! We're your hosts, Dave and Chris, and today we're giving you the inside scoop on the tragic passing of legendary journalist Walter Martins. With a brilliant career in newsreading and investigative reporting, we'll speak to Walter's widow about his life and the impact of his sudden passing.

Actually, hang on...do you hear that? That buzzing sound? It sounds like bad TV reception, but are there...words? Someone mumbling?

And that dog over there doesn't sound too happy. And there's a fuzzy object on Mrs Martins' nightstand that looks blurred by static. Come to think of it, why can I hear the wind blowing through the trees inside this apartment? And why is that mumbling from the television getting louder?

Did it just get *super* dark outside all of a sudden?

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
The original Our Lady of the Drowned Lake download from GMTX Game Jam 2022, via Itch.Io: https://monumentalcollab.itch.io/our-lady-of-the-drowned-lake

Gamescom 2025 gameplay demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrR712V-jtc

Walker M's review and rundown of Teleforum, via The Geekiary: https://thegeekiary.com/teleforum-analog-embers-of-a-failed-broadcast-video-game-recommendation/130653

Teleforum (Slice of Cherry Guys #70)

Greetings (again), programs!

As we race closer to TRON Ares at the speed of light(cycle), we look at the second film in the "this shouldn't be a franchise but totally is" series. It's got it all: old Jeff Bridges, young Jeff Bridges, Jeff Bridges Jr., a computer copy of Jeff Bridges, and multiple characters all looking for Jeff Bridges. It also has one of the best CGI environments ever put to film, an amazing yet brief run by Michael Sheen as the film's most unhinged character, and music by Daft Punk that is without question one of the top five best film soundtracks ever scored.

Whether you love or hate TRON, you've got to appreciate the vibes, the visuals and the killer soundtrack.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
The Daft Punk soundtrack, because it *rules*: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7F37BB1A67E0238D

Interview with Daft Punk about making the soundtrack, via Billboard: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/daft-punk-pull-back-the-curtain-on-tron-legacy-soundtrack-1196389/

Cyriaque Lamar's interview with Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde on the film's religious themes, via Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/jeff-bridges-and-olivia-wilde-say-tron-legacy-is-all-ab-5713435

Christina Radish's 2010 interview with director Joseph Kozinski about the film (and his active-at-the-time remake of The Black Hole), via Collider: https://collider.com/joseph-kosinski-interview-tron-legacy-reshoots-black-hole-oblivion/

Red Letter Media's reviews of TRON and TRON Legacy which hit on a lot of the same points we do, via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMkMSoBdFAc

TRON Legacy (Slice of Cherry Guys #71)

Long, long, long, long, since we saw the last one,
Thought, thought, thought, thought, thought it would be scarier,
Turns, out, you're, not, ready for the film we got,
But, it's, so, good, you'll forget about the last one,
No-one does it like the Boyle.

Just shy of being named after the real world length of time since we first heard the term "rage virus", we dive into the hellish apocalypse of 28 Years Later. The UK's split from the rest of the world, crazed angry zombies roam the countryside, toxic masculinity (literal and figurative) is rife, and privileged white guys can't get good cell reception. So, y'know, not so different to now.

The Slice of Cherry Guys go over the water, through the trees and into the Bone Temple to rediscover that when Danny Boyle and Alex Garland team up for a film, they can *cook*.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
The first full trailer with the "Boots" poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcvLKldPM08

Jake Kleinman's interview with director Danny Boyle on making the film, via Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/danny-boyle-says-shooting-on-iphones-let-him-capture-startling-violence-in-28-years-later/

Scott Collura's interview with director Danny Boyle on the mechanical processes of the iPhone "bullet time" rig, via IGN: https://www.ign.com/articles/28-years-later-danny-boyle-goes-big-with-horror-sequel-widescreen-the-infected?utm_source=threads,twitter

An oral history of 28 Days Later as a prelude to making 28 Years Later, via Inverse: https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/28-days-later-oral-history-danny-boyle-alex-garland

28 Years Later (Slice of Cherry Guys #72)

*intense Alien clicking sounds*

Nearly fifty years since we first set foot on the Nostromo with Ripley and co., the Alien franchise has finally hit TV - and on this podcast, everyone can hear us scream.

Yes, it's got xenomorphs, a doomed ship, and heartless corporate shenanigans that only hit harder in 2025. But it's also got crazed cyborgs, the coolest eye-tentacle thing ever put to film (and its very grumpy sheep body), and the most nauseating bottle of water you've ever seen. Seriously, don't eat while you're watching this.

It might be flabby in places, and its ending drops the ball quite hard, but for all its faults Alien: Earth brings some cool stuff to the table. And seriously, the eye-tentacle is the greatest. Give us a movie just about that, please.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
James Hibberd's interview with series creator Noah Hawley about making Episode 5, via The Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/alien-earth-in-space-boy-kavalier-1236353737/

Nicholas Quah's interview with Babou Ceesay on his character Morrow's journey through Season 1, via Vulture (contains spoilers): https://www.vulture.com/article/alien-earth-babou-ceesay-morrow-finale-interview.html

Leia Mendoza's interview with Samuel Blenkin on Boy Kavalier's endpoint in Episode 8, via Variety (also contains spoilers)

Claire Lewis's piece on why the eye-tentacle alien (T. Ocellus) is the coolest part of the show, via Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/alien-earths-eyeball-creature-stealing-the-show/

Alien: Earth, Season 1 (Slice of Cherry Guys #73)

In the mid-2000s, a group of Alabama film students were embroiled in a horrific encounter with a paranormal figure with no face and a nice suit. Sixteen years later, it is happening again.

To get a new Marble Hornets series in 2025 is nothing short of astonishing, but how does it fare with newer crowds on the internet? We're not 100% sure because we loved the original so much that we see the Operator symbol when we close our eyes and flinch at every YouTube video glitch we see. But what we can tell you is that Marble Hornets: Rosswood brings the horror, the heart and one hell of an ending.

Always Watching.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
Link to the Marble Hornets YouTube account: https://www.youtube.com/@MarbleHornets

Gabe Cohn's article on the impact of the original Marble Hornets, via The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/movies/slender-man-timeline.html

Makena Kelly's retrospective of the original series ten years after its debut, via The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/22/18701350/youtube-creepypasta-marble-hornets-slenderman

Marble Hornets: Rosswood (Slice of Cherry Guys #74)

He's a bumbling cop with a fondness for chilli dogs and taking things literally. She's a femme fatale with a fondness for stealing chairs and a penchant for animating snowmen. They fight crime!

It could've been a remade disaster, but the new Naked Gun does surprisingly well as a funny (and, at times, unusually smart) send-up of both 2020s-era tech bro megalomania and the classic means-well-buffoonery of the Leslie Nielsen era. It helps if you've got an action star playing the comedy role as straight-faced as possible, and if that star has exceedingly good chemistry with his lady co-star, and if they both have a scene where they have to escape a serial killer snowman they've animated with black magic. Seriously.

Just remember, you can't take on City Hall. It's a building.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!
---
EXTRA LINKS:
Alex Ritman interview with Liam Neeson on starring in the film, via Variety: https://variety.com/2025/film/global/liam-neeson-naked-gun-reboot-retiring-action-movies-1236467858/

Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson interview each other, via People: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlLVQYzgQQg

Original Naked Gun co-creator David Zucker's critical take on the 2025 reboot, via The Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/original-naked-gun-director-slams-liam-neeson-reboot-1236428243/

The Naked Gun 2025 (Slice of Cherry Guys #75)

Do you really wanna taste it? We did.

Starting in one multimedia universe and ending in another, Peacemaker is one of those curious franchise spin-offs that, like WandaVision or Andor before it, we didn't expect but absolutely love. Not that a show with John Cena as the titular wannabe harbinger of superheroic diplomacy couldn't have worked, but it's fair to say most were surprised by *just how well* it did.

Now with both its seasons out in the open, we consider Peacemaker: as DC adaptation, as John Cena comedy vehicle, as surprisingly dark superhero fare, and as a potentially worrying sign of how James Gunn's DCU might treat parts of its universe going forward...

Peacemaker: what a joke? Listen and find out for yourself.

Tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
Peacemaker Season 1 intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVN83R-JwRQ&pp=ygUQcGVhY2VtYWtlciBpbnRybw%3D%3D

Peacemarker Season 2 intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS11-GIemXY&pp=ygUQcGVhY2VtYWtlciBpbnRybw%3D%3D

Peacemaker (Slice of Cherry Guys #76)

Because everything else is just a podcast.

It's surprising that a film like Small Soldiers exists, and the Slice of Cherry Guys are lucky to have been born in a time where they can watch it (repeatedly). A weird mix of edgy adult comedy with toy-oriented merch - both in the real world and the film itself - that ends up being a strange tonal mess which, honestly, is kind of a minor miracle just for its sheer existence. Who knew we'd want Tommy Lee Jones as a four-inch-tall action figure spouting war one-liners, or an extended battle sequence involving toasters shooting flaming CDs, or Phil Hartman as *the worst* neighbour you could have in the 90s? (though Hartman himself is the best; RIP to a legendary actor)

Not only do we think this film still rules, despite its messiness. Not only do we find a lot to talk about. But in a series-first for us, the Slice of Cherry Guys spend *far* too much time mapping the sequel we'll likely never get, but would absolutely watch. It involves AI, a power-mad techbro and a sort-of crossover with Alex Garland's Civil War film. Trust us, it's a great idea. 

If any executives at Disney are listening to this podcast, tell us what you thought at sliceofcherryguys@gmail.com!

EXTRA LINKS:
Behind the scenes of the puppetry of Small Soldiers, via Stan Winston School: https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/small-soldiers-puppets-battle-rehearsal

Short behind-the-scenes video of the making of Small Soldiers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cIL__jwWY8

Short article on the rating of Small Soldiers and how it impacted the Burger King toyline, via E! News: https://www.eonline.com/news/36690/small-soldiers-big-controversy

Simon Abrams' interview with Joe Dante on his career, including some chat on Small Soldiers, via RogerEbert.com: https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/like-going-to-church-joe-dante-on-the-movie-orgy

Variety article on the (sadly cancelled) Toymageddon remake of Small Soldiers: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/fox-buys-toymageddon-justin-lin-674723/

Small Soldiers (Slice of Cherry Guys #77)

We're Chris and Dave - best friends, gamers, and opinionated pop culture people!

Each week we talk about something that catches our fancy: movies, TV, video games, music, nothing's off limits. We often disagree with each other but we *always* have good chats with strong opinions and perspectives.

Settle in, order a slice and get a damn good coffee to go with it!