20,000 light years under the sea.

To celebrate one year since it left Early Access, the Slice of Cherry Guys dive (heh) into the space submarine hell that is Barotrauma. It's yet another entry in the "games we love but suck at" category but this one comes with the added bonuses of space octopi and dodgy undersea navigation. Suffice to say that plumbing the depths of Europa in a leaky sub crewed by dodgy AI with fuel cells that keep exploding doesn't make for the easiest adventure.

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

Barotrauma (Slice of Cherry Guys #18)

Gonna burn this goddamn house right down.

It's a simple story. Nerd boy meets rich boy. Nerd boy gets brought to rich boy's manor house. Nerd boy meets rich boy's upper crust family. Nerd boy comes out of his shell. *Stuff happens.*

With a stacked cast, rich cinematography and an immaculate Sophie Ellis-Bextor dance number, Saltburn has it all. The Slice of Cherry Guys debate 2023's old money black comedy on its own merits and as a representation of "shock" films that gain a certain rep which obscures some of the layers underneath. Because trust us, there's much more to this movie than discussing bathtub drains on TikTok.

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

EXTRA LINKS:
Barry Keoghan interview with Variety discussing making Saltburn and improvising scenes: https://variety.com/2023/film/features/barry-keoghan-saltburn-gravesite-dance-scenes-oliver-1235838728/

Saltburn (Slice of Cherry Guys #19)

Now THIS is podracing.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its release, the Slice of Cherry Guys go back a long time ago to a galaxy far far away...in 1999. The first Star Wars film released since Return of the Jedi had all the Hollywood hype it could want, but audiences weren't keen on space trade disputes, wooden acting and far too much CGI. But even so, as the Guys discuss, there are things to like about the first film in the prequel trilogy (and if you take Chris's word for it, at least it's not as bad as The Rise of Skywalker).

Stay tuned past the end credits for the first episode of our new spin-off*, "Slice of Star Wars Merch"!

*Not an actual spin-off

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

EXTRA LINKS:
A fascinating 20-year retrospective on The Phantom Menace by Justin Charity at The Ringer: https://www.theringer.com/movies/2019/3/28/18282707/star-wars-phantom-menace-episode-one-george-lucas-1999

An oral history of The Phantom Menace's production posted by StarWars.com, including interviews with George Lucas: https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-oral-history

Link to "The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks" podcast hosted by Dylan Marron: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/the-redemption-of-jar-jar-binks

Photo of the Darth Maul lightsaber candy dispenser: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/lqwAAOSwdyljRMUd/s-l1200.jpg

The Phantom Menace (Slice of Cherry Guys #20)

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode deals with some sensitive subject matter, including discussions of Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew and sexual assault. Please skip this episode if you think any of these topics will affect you, and consult the resources in the Extra Links below for additional support.

Believe it or not, journalism *isn't* dead.

Based off the book of the same name by former BBC journalist Sam McCallister, Scoop is a fictionalised retelling of how hard-hitting journalism blew the lid off a scandal involving a member of the UK Royal Family and a sex offender. Centred on the stories of three women in Prince Andrew's orbit, it has all the ingredients of a quality film: great casting, a riveting plot, a tense chase scene to rival Mission Impossible. But somehow it just doesn't come together, leaving the Slice of Cherry Guys to talk over the pitfalls of half-baked biopic films that favour plot over character.

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

EXTRA LINKS:

Find A Hotline: suicide and crisis prevention for any country - https://findahelpline.com/

Lifeline (for Australian listeners): https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Amazon link to Sam McCallister's book "Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the Most Shocking BBC Interviews" - https://www.amazon.com.au/Scoops-Behind-Scenes-Shocking-Interviews/dp/0861544404

Billie Piper meets the real Sam McCallister - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-lUrPnmBBY

Scoop (Slice of Cherry Guys #21)

Farming and fishing have never been so relaxing and stressful.

Nearly a decade on and following its acclaimed 1.6 patch on PC, Stardew Valley is still the high watermark of farming sims. You can plant. You can water. You can fish. You can romance. You can fight slimes in a cave. Most escapist of all, you can own a home for a reasonable price (and with no mortgage!).

As veteran farmhands of Stardew Valley, the Slice of Cherry Guys discuss their continued love of the game, the tricky nature of who is "best girl or guy", and their favourite aspects of being a farmer. Also, Chris still is and will always be the fish-shaman.

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

EXTRA LINKS:
Amazon link to Jason Schreier's book Blood, Sweat and Pixels, which has a chapter on Stardew Valley's troubled creation: https://www.amazon.com.au/Blood-Sweat-Pixels-Triumphant-Turbulent/dp/0062651234

Polygon interview with Eric Barrone (ConcernedApe) about the 1.6 PC patch: https://www.polygon.com/24087605/stardew-valley-1-6-update-concert-series-haunted-chocolatier

Retrospective review by Inverse about Stardew Valley's continued success in 2023: https://www.inverse.com/gaming/stardew-valley-7th-anniversary

Stardew Valley (Slice of Cherry Guys #22)

Pie...pie never changes.

While every viewer and their Dog(meat) enjoys the spectacular wonder that is the Fallout TV series on Prime Video, the Slice of Cherry Guys step backwards (and forwards?) into the franchise's roots. From top-down 2D RPG to full 3D first-person shooter/action game/thieving simulator, from clicker iPhone game to massive online microtransactions, the Fallout franchise has had a long and varied history of hits and misses (and also New Vegas, one of the greatest video games ever made). While the Guys promise they will get to the TV series very soon, for now enjoy a retrospective look at one of gaming's most enduring post-apocalyptic fancies.

Also, you really should play New Vegas. Go ahead. We'll wait.

EXTRA LINKS:
hbomberguy video explaining why Fallout: New Vegas is brilliant: https://youtu.be/gzF7aHxk4Y4?si=IrrfQ7kmTH3R58jA

Forbes article by Erik Kain from 2018, explaining some of the (many) issues with Fallout 76: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2018/12/05/the-5-biggest-problems-with-fallout-76/?sh=244e7a39576e

Shacknews article by David Craddock "World on Fire: The Oral History of Fallout and Fallout 2": https://www.shacknews.com/article/114982/world-on-fire-the-oral-history-of-fallout-and-fallout-2

Fallout: The Games (Slice of Cherry Guys #23)

Thanks for Tuning in!

After charging Chris to see this film during the "Scoop" review, he finally did - and whoooo boy is there a lot to talk about. As part of the excellent wave of "90s grimdark" that saw movies like Event Horizon, Gattaca and (especially) The Matrix take centre stage, Dark City is one of those fantastic films that makes you *think things*. So much so that weeks later, editing this episode, we're still thinking about tall men in trenchcoats, Jennifer Connelly as a nightclub singer, the endearingly-dodgy special effects, the weirdness of Dr. Kiefer Sutherland, and the cavalcade of truly bonkers twists that lead up to an ending you don't expect. A truly underappreciated classic presented for you here.

Also, Rufus Sewell needs to be in more films.

EXTRA LINKS:
The original Dark City intro with opening narration - MASSIVE SPOILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Ms1KeI458

Dark City (Slice of Cherry Guys #24)

Ok, stay with me on this.

Cyberswine might be the most obscure property the Slice of Cherry Guys will ever talk about. It's a "multipath movie" from the 1990s about a cybernetic police officer who's also a pig, and how he reconciles the biological and the technological on a day when the world of the future is beset by a virus. Together with his tough-talking human partner Sarah, Cyberswine investigates the heart of corruption in the city, avoids multiple murder attempts from robots and citizens, and fights a cyborg chicken. Throughout it all, the - viewer? player? - gets to choose moral courses of action as Cyberswine can either be a nice little piggy or an angry little piggy.

Look, we expect *maybe* one listener out there (hi, Frank!) to know this property even existed, much less to have seen it. But between the YouTube link below, our adequate plot summary and the images you will evoke in your head by just speaking the name "Cyberswine" we think you'll be covered. Also, as we'll discuss, maybe movie-game-things like this died out for a very good reason (and not just because the graphis were...well, see you for yourself).

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

EXTRA LINKS:
Cyberswine "pacifist" playthrough uploaded in full: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_NreIaC8C0

Cyberswine original trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AGsnZRAzwU

TIME Magazine article from 1998 by Josh Quittner about technology changes, which discusses Cyberswine: https://time.com/archive/6732927/technology-future-shocks/

Cyberswine (Slice of Cherry Guys #25)

TRIGGER WARNING: Given the discussions of seppuku (ritual suicide) and self-harm in this episode, you may want to skip this one. Please consult the resources in the show notes.

---

TORANAGA-SAMA!

One of 2024's best television shows finally gets the Slice of Cherry Guys treatment. Chris waxes lyrical about Japanese culture and one of the most emotionally-complex scenes he's ever watched, Dave applauds the distancing of Game of Thrones comparisons, and both Guys agree that the show is just absolutely gorgeous. Like the falcon against the sun waiting to strike, we've waited long enough to talk about Shogun.

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

EXTRA LINKS:
Find A Hotline: suicide and crisis prevention for any country - findahelpline.com/

Lifeline (for Australian listeners): www.lifeline.org.au/

Link to the Shogun Official Podcast (listen after you watch each episode): https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/shogun/viewers-guide/podcast

USA Today interview with Hiroyuki Sanada discussing producing Shogun and including authenticity: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2024/02/28/shogun-producer-hiroyuki-sanada-interview/72702443007/

Hollywood Reporter interview with Hiroyuki Sanada on the show's Japanese reception: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/shogun-hiroyuki-sanada-japan-epic-season-2-1235841825/

Esquire interview with Anna Sawai about being part of Shogun: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a60504025/anna-sawai-shogun-mariko-interview/

Shogun (Slice of Cherry Guys #26)

[insert joke about "Where's Captain America?" here]

What's better than a topical "what if" movie about civil war in the land of the free? A topical "what if" movie about civil war in the land of the free with amazing performances, beautiful (horrifying) cinematography and a story so bleak its director swore off directing for a while.

Unlike the Marvel movie, this Civil War is as gut-wrenching as it is gorgeous. Kirsten Dunst turns in an all-time career performance as a wartime photographer documenting the collapse of the USA in the most gruelling road trip film since Mad Max: Fury Road. As the Slice of Cherry Guys discover, the cause of the war is less important than the way people live within it: the dichotomy of a seemingly-normal suburbia guarded by snipers is sometimes more horrifying than watching the bombs drop. All of it adds up to a brilliant film that the Slice of Cherry Guys never want to see again.

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

EXTRA LINKS:
Alex Garland interview with The Guardian about making Civil War and stepping away from directing: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/30/alex-garland-civil-war-interview

Polygon article by Oli Welsh about Jesse Plemons' bit-part character meaning a whole lot more than his one scene: https://www.polygon.com/24134902/civil-war-jesse-plemons-bodies-scene

Link to the wartime USA map hosted by Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_War_(film)#/media/File:Civil_war_2024_map.svg

Article by Business Insider about Civil War's use of AI-generated movie posters: https://www.businessinsider.com/a24-ai-generated-ads-civil-war-movie-mocked-backlash-chicago-2024-4

Civil War (Slice of Cherry Guys #27)

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!

Saltburn (Slice of Cherry Guys #19)

Slice of Cherry Guys

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