The Hive Mind: A Xenomorphing Podcast

Episode 16: Destination Unknown, Crew Expendable

Dave and Ryan take a break at Gateway Station and meet up with two very special guests from Destination Unknown Beer Company in Bay Shore, New York: John Fraioli and John Kavanagh!  The guys spend the first part of the discussion talking about their love for the Alien franchise, how they got introduced to it, and why they think, especially the first two films, are such an indelible part of cinematic history.  In the second half, Dave and Ryan learn more about Destination Unknown and how the two John's got started there.  John Fraioli explains how he ended up being the brewer and production manager at DubCo, while John Kavanagh talks about how he became a bartender and manager at the front end of the business.  They both also talk about why they love their jobs, how it's helped them build relationships and the positive impact they've been able to have on others through their work.  If you'd like to learn more about Destination Unknown Beer Company, please check out the links below.  Stay thirsty, my friends!

https://www.destinationunknownbeercompany.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dubeerco

https://www.instagram.com/dubco_/

 

Episode 15: Thoughts on Fireteam Elite, New Alien Novels, and Ridley being Ridley

The Hive Mind crew has awakened from cryosleep in the Outer Rim to talk about the latest news and happenings in the Alien universe.  Dave, our newest member Devan Gill, and Ryan share their views on the latest game in the franchise, Aliens: Fireteam Elite.  The crew discuss what they have enjoyed most about the game since its release two months ago, but also share their criticisms and what improvements they would like to see from the developers.  Devan shares a couple of new book releases, and they close out the discussion with their thoughts on Ridley Scott's latest comments regarding Noah Hawley's upcoming Alien series.  We're thrilled to be back, and we hope you enjoy this latest episode!  Thanks as always for listening, and stay frosty!

Episode 14: The Characters of Aliens, Part III - Creatures

Dave, Mykal, and Ryan join special guest Devan Gill in the med lab at Hadley's Hope to discuss the creatures of Aliens.  The crew take a look at some of the adjustments to the creatures James Cameron made, his addition of the xenomorph Queen, and whether or not his changes to these already perfect organisms succeeded in further developing their lore and legacy within the franchise.  They also share some of their favorite creature moments within this iconic film.  We really hope you enjoy this discussion!  Please be sure to share your favorite creature moments with us as well on our A Hive Mind Facebook discussion group.  Thank you so much for listening, and stay frosty!

Episode 13: The Characters of Aliens, Part II - Ellen Ripley

Mykal returns from his Weyland-Yutani ore mining gig in the Outer Rim to join Dave and Ryan as they talk about one of the most iconic characters in film history, Ellen Ripley.  The crew discuss what they love most about Ripley, the incredible writing that went into her character, Sigourney Weaver's brilliant performance, and the impact Ripley has had on all female action heroines who have followed her over the last few decades.  They also talk about if she should be brought back for another Aliens film, and how the franchise moves on from its most indelible character.  As always, thank you so much for your listenership.  We can't say enough how much we appreciate it.  Take care and stay frosty!

Episode 12 - The Characters of Aliens: Part I

Dave, Michael, and Ryan gear up and head into Hadley's Hope to talk about the characters of Aliens, arguably one of the most memorable ensembles ever created.  The crew chat about many of their favorite supporting players within the film, the care that James Cameron took in writing each of them, and the positive impact that writing strong characters had not only on Aliens, but on films in general.  We had such a great time talking about the other characters, we never even got to Ripley!  She'll definitely be front and center in our next episode, though.  We hope you have as much fun listening to this episode as we did recording it.  Thanks for your continued support, check those corners, and stay frosty!

Episode 11 - Aliens: Fireteam

Dave, Michael, and Ryan load up their nukes, knives, and sharp sticks and hop aboard the USS Endeavor to discuss the upcoming video game Aliens: Fireteam, set to be released Summer 2021.  The crew talk about the 25 minutes of gameplay footage released by IGN on YouTube, their initial impressions of it, and both their hopes and concerns about how the game will ultimately turn out, following on the heels of the highly praised Alien: Isolation and the greatly loathed Aliens: Colonial Marines.  Let us know your thoughts about the game as well, and don't forget to join our fan discussion site on Facebook, "A Hive Mind: A Xenomorphing Facebook Group."  Thank you so much again for listening!  Stay frosty!

Episode 10 - Alien: Isolation

Dave, Michael, and Ryan arrive on Sevastopol Station to examine 2014's much lauded Alien: Isolation, quite arguably the best video game ever made based on the Alien franchise.  The crew discuss what they loved the most about the game, including it's atmosphere and aesthetic, the thoroughly effective survival horror gameplay, the characters and high quality voice acting, and more.  They briefly chat about some of the very minor criticisms they had of it, including the game's length and the choice to focus the story on Ripley's daughter, Amanda, and also take some time to talk about other video games based on the franchise, and what the future holds for further Alien games.  We really hope you enjoy this episode, and thank you so much for listening!  Stay frosty and we'll see you at the Hive!

Episode 9 - AVP: Requiem

Dave, Michael, and Ryan head over to Smalltown, USA to talk about the almost universally panned Alien vs. Predator sequel, AVP: Requiem.  There, the guys meet up with our first very special guest, Trent Shumway!  Trent is a freelance compositing artist who did uncredited post-production visual effects work on Requiem.  Trent talks to the crew about his time working on the film, and gives some great insight into what goes on during the post-production process.  He also reveals some surprising info about the behind-the-scenes decisions made for the film, and what it was like working with the film's directors, the Strause brothers.  The whole group discusses what we liked about the film (if anything), what we thought went wrong, and if there is a future for the AVP franchise.  As always, thank you for listening!  Stay frosty!

P.S. - Along with his visual effects background, Trent is also an accomplished voice actor!  To hear some of his work, check out the links below!

http://www.kingfallsam.com/

https://makebelieveshow.libsyn.com/

https://www.voices.com/actors/tshumway

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1673488/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 (Visual Effects credits)

Episode 8 - AVP: Alien vs. Predator

The Hive Mind crew set sail to an abandoned whaling station in Antarctica to discuss the much maligned crossover of two iconic franchises: 2004's AVP: Alien vs. Predator.  Dave, Michael, Mykal, and Ryan talk about our first impressions of Paul Anderson's film, what we enjoyed, what we felt went very wrong, and what, if any, lasting impact the film has on us and if it is worthy to be included among the two franchises.  We also take some time to discuss the recent, breaking news on a new Predator film in development from director Dan Trachtenberg (Cloverfield Lane).  As always, thank you for listening and stay frosty!  

Weyland Archives - The Horror Genre

Happy Halloween!!  In our first side episode, where we explore other topics that may not be directly related to the Alien series, Dave, Michael, and Ryan dig deep into the Weyland Archives to talk about the horror genre.  We discuss when we first got introduced to the genre, what our favorite (and scariest) horror films are, and what ultimately draws us into watching horror films again and again.  We also dive into some of the great horror video games that we've played as well.  We hope you enjoy this inaugural side episode, and have a happy and safe Halloween!  Stay spooky, er I mean, frosty!