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Frank has loved The Warriors (1979) since he first saw it as a teenager. Linder went in completely cold. That difference matters. Frank sees a cult classic built around brotherhood, gang identity, New York in the late ’70s, and an ancient journey-home story transplanted into the city. Linder sees some spectacular gang uniforms, a fair amount of questionable acting, and spends an unreasonable amount of time wondering what happened to the mimes. We talk the Warriors trying to get back to Coney Island, the Baseball Furies, New York subway culture, the forgotten Warrior who gets thrown in front of a train and apparently never gets mentioned again, and how much nostalgia and personal history can shape the way you experience a movie. Frank loved it, stayed completely engaged, and remains adamant that it was better than The Odyssey. Linder remains unconvinced. We caught this one at The Independent inside Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment in Huntsville — our second movie there after RoboCop. If you like cult films, classics, repertory screenings, and movies you don’t normally get a chance to see on the big screen, check them out at @huntsvilleindependentcinema. 🎙️ Please join our nonsense!
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We caught Street Fighter (2026) on opening night, and somehow Frank’s review is basically: “The movie is a mess. Thumbs up.” Frank went in with very low expectations and had a good time. Linder went in knowing absolutely nothing about Street Fighter lore and came out considerably more… meh. We try to reconstruct a plot that eventually goes from fighting tournament to prison break, discuss the Frank Nap Metric making an appearance, admire the 1990s soundtrack, and establish that we’ll know the podcast has truly made it when our security staff looks exactly like Bison’s. The movie spends a lot of time trying to be clever and only occasionally gets there — but when it finally hits in those last few minutes, it really hits. Frank: 5.5–6/10 and thumbs up.
Linder: about 5/10 and thumb sideways. Apparently that’s enough to get us back for the sequel. 🎙️ Please join our nonsense! 
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We finally caught Gone with the Wind (1939) on the big screen and came away with the same verdict: 10 out of 10. Frank made it through nearly four hours without triggering the Frank Nap Metric, Mrs. Genius brought along their 17-year-old son, and Linder somehow managed to arrive an hour early and still miss the first 30 minutes because he went to the wrong theater. We talk Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, Technicolor, the movie’s complicated portrayal of the Old South, and why — despite everything that deserves discussion through a modern lens — the filmmaking and storytelling still hold up remarkably well. And yes, seeing it on the big screen absolutely mattered. 🎙️ Please join our nonsense!
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The Old Nerd and the Genius is expanding the family. Meet The Old Nerd and the Alchemist — a new spinoff pairing a 67-year-old NASA veteran with a 25-year-old cosplayer, anime enthusiast, fellow physics major, and apparently the person tasked with filling one of the largest holes in the Old Nerd’s pop-culture education. We look at the ridiculous Dragon Con chain of events that brought Linder and Hallie together, why Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood became the starting point, and how two people separated by 42 years can still turn out to be two generations of hardware running the same operating system. Frank has not actually been replaced. Probably. 🎙️ Please join our nonsense! oldnerdgenius on all the things

We went to see Digger… and somehow the previews were the part that got us excited. In this bonus episode, we talk about three trailers that actually did their jobs: Wild Horses Nine, I Am Rocky, and Johnny Depp’s Day Drinker. We also get into why movie trailers used to be able to make almost anything look great, why that doesn’t seem to happen as often anymore, and whether getting excited about a trailer is just setting ourselves up for disappointment. Sometimes the best thing you can say about a movie is that it introduced you to three other movies you really want to see. 🎙️Please join our nonsense! oldnerdgenius on all the things

Tom Cruise has made a lot of movies we’ve enjoyed. Digger (2026) is not one of them. We went in suspicious after months of a five-minute trailer built around clips from 36 Tom Cruise movies, reminding us just how many good Tom Cruise movies already exist. Frank wanted to walk out, the legendary Frank Nap Metric may now be broken, and by the end we had reached a verdict we never expected to give: Digger is worse than Busboys. Full spoilers ahead, because frankly, we suffered through Digger so you don’t have to. Apologies to Jon Lovitz, Master Thespian. 🎙️Please join our nonsense. oldnerdgenius on all the things

The new Resident Evil started strong: jump scares, video-game logic, Easter eggs, and a surprisingly good time. Then somebody drove a truck through a gate, everybody started making increasingly ridiculous decisions, and Frank began actively rooting against the protagonist. We break down exactly where the movie lost us and why taking 28 flights of stairs might have saved more than humanity. 🎙️Please join our nonsense! oldnerdgenius on all the things

The Genius grew up with Transformers. The Old Nerd learned everything he knows about Transformers from Megan Fox. After Optimus Prime dies, Frank tries to take a nap, and a bewildering 1986 toy commercial masquerading as a movie leaves us with one important general life lesson: Start With Megan Fox. 🎙️Please join our nonsense! oldnerdgenius on all the things

Dragon Con was over, but apparently it wasn’t finished with us. Two weeks later, we’re comparing COVID notes, trying to figure out how the guy sharing a room and a four-hour car ride somehow escaped it, and debating whether the virus can now be transmitted by text message. Somehow all of this leads to the Old Nerd sitting beside a bonfire in a dragon onesie at a party nobody else dressed for. 🎙️Please join our nonsense! oldnerdgenius on all the things

We went into Coyote vs. Acme hoping it wouldn’t ruin the Looney Tunes we grew up with—and came out wondering if it was one of the most purely enjoyable movies we’ve seen. From Wile E. Coyote’s ACME contraptions to Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Pepe Le Pew and a lifetime of Saturday-morning nostalgia, this movie knows exactly what it is. No deep drama, no complicated twists—just an hour and a half of silly, beautifully executed fun. 🎙️Please join our nonsense! oldnerdgenius on all the things

For our 40th podcast, we’re wrapping up Dragon Con’s 40th anniversary after one exhausting, hilarious, unexpectedly meaningful weekend in Atlanta. We talk about the people who made the experience special, the wonderfully inclusive and nonjudgmental culture, the ribbon obsession, the physical toll of the con, Richard Dean Anderson, Waffle House merchandise, and why Dragon Con reminded us of the early Pokémon GO community at its best. We also thank the friends who gave us a home base during the weekend, revisit our new friends Clint and Hallie, welcome subscriber number 11, and start making plans for a return trip to Atlanta — including a possible guest-hosted “Best of Atlanta” episode. Bottom line: we went to Dragon Con expecting cosplay, celebrities, panels, and nerd stuff. We came home talking mostly about the people. 🎙️Please join our nonsense! oldnerdgenius on all the things

I mean, it is Nerd Mecca. Day three at Dragon Con and we’ve figured out the real secret of the convention: it’s the people. We reconnect with our new Dragon Con best friends, stumble into some fantastic Chinese food, discuss the best cosplay we’ve seen, and start making plans to do the whole thing again next year. 🎙️Please join our nonsense. oldnerdgenius on all the things

Old Nerd and the Genius hit Dragon Con 2026 for first podcast recorded on location. We talk brutal badge lines, hidden Dragon Con survival tricks, cosplay, vendor halls, mobility scooters, and the strange new art of making it rain… with podcast ribbons. Plus, Frank goes lightsaber shopping and Linder prepares to meet MacGyver.

If you found The Old Nerd and the Genius through a ribbon, sticker, T-shirt, or random encounter at Dragon Con 2026 — welcome. Drop us a comment and tell us how you found us, who you met, and what cosplay you were wearing. We’re building the Dragon Con 2026 crew, and everybody who checks in gets a shout-out on the podcast. 🎙️Please join our nonsense. We're always looking for new cigar assistants. oldnerdgenius on all the things

The Old Nerd and the Genius are headed to Dragon Con 2026 — and this time, we’re bringing the podcast with us. We talk about our history with Dragon Con, why it’s basically Nerd Mecca, the cosplay, the panels, our questionable plans to record from the convention, and the stickers and badge ribbons we’ll be handing out along the way. If you’re going to Dragon Con, keep an eye out for us while we search for new front desk help. 🎙️Please join our nonsense. oldnerdgenius on all the things