Remember Shuffle

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Shuffle Bois! It’s your yearly Christmas episode drop, and this year we’re taking a look at two instant classics from the 2000s, Robert Zemeckis' “Polar Express” (2004) and “Christmas Carol (2009). These two films represent Robert Zemeckis’ attempt to transcend the limits of the fleshy human body through the power of computers and technology. And they stink. In this episode, you’ll hear the Shuffle Bois describe and analyze the phenomenon of “The Uncanny Valley” and how these films fall into it. They also discuss Charles’ Dickens’ rad-lib politics, the changing nature of Christmas in the 19th century, Boomer nostalgia, and once again roast Hollywood’s insane accounting and overreliance on the newest technological fad. ⁠Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.And don't forget to check out our Patreon!Use remembershuffle.com to find episodes

This is a Patreon demo. Join to hear us close out our Lord of the Rings series with our Return of the King episode!Get in loser, we’re going to Elf Heaven. Remember Shuffle closes out its review of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy with a Return of the King Review. The Shuffle Bois do a quick plot recap of this sprawling entry to the trilogy before discussing the film’s style and themes - including sacrifice, decadence, and feminism in Tolkein’s world. They then close out with a more freeform conversation that includes a discussion on WWI, the history of archaeology and the British Museum, a review of the state of the city of London, and holding George RR Martin accountable for yet another unfinished product. Thank you as always for being a Patreon subscriber!⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/RememberShuffle ⁠⁠⁠And make sure you sign up through the browser–not through the app, to save yourself 50%!Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.  

Dive into the nostalgic world of Pokémon and its explosive rise in American pop culture during the late 90s. Discover the creativity of Satoshi Tajiri and the origins of Game Freak. Explore the social impact of trading and version exclusivity, along with iconic glitches like MissingNo. The discussion also touches on the trading card craze and the significant role of anime in popularizing kawaii aesthetics. Unexpected controversies and deeper themes, including ecology and ethics, reveal the complexity behind this beloved franchise.

This is a Patreon demo. Join to hear part one of our book club on the history of the Soviet Union as well as a Return of the King episode in two weeks!Part 1 of our 2 (?) part series on Sheila Fitzpatrick’s ‘The Shortest History of the Soviet Union’. In this part 1, we cover the years 1860-1960 starting from the emancipation of the serfs to the end of Kruschev. ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/RememberShuffle ⁠⁠And make sure you sign up through the browser–not through the app, to save yourself 50%!Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.  

For their 100th episode spectacular the Shuffle Bois turn to what might be the most influential piece of media from the 2000s, The Apprentice. Since 2015 we have lived in a world dominated by the toxic runoff of a 2004 game show. The Shuffle Bois continue their discussion of reality TV they began with Survivor to talk about the many noxious societal effects of this dumb, exploitative genre. After tracing the history and explaining the format of the show, they do a recap of the show's first season as well as its first "celebrity" iteration. They then discuss themes and big ideas behind the show, including branding, middle management training, the mechanics of reality TV, racism, and sexism.⁠Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.And don't forget to check out our Patreon!⁠Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.And don't forget to check out our Patreon!

Part 1 of our 2 part series on Mark Burnett. Survivor took over American culture by storm, becoming a dominant fixture of TV that changed the economics of TV production for the worse. We dig into themes of the desert island as ideal, orientalism, and labor bargaining. The Apprentice coming next week for episode 100!Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.

The Shuffle Bois turn for the first time to the world of fashion and analyze the rise and fall of the iconic teen fashion brand of the 2000s, Abercrombie & Fitch. To do so, they are joined by Colettte Shade, author of “Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything (Essays on a future that never was.” They discuss the meteoric rise of this teen fashion icon, the alleged sex criminals that formed its brain trust, and what the types of marketing targeted at young people said about consumerist aspirations in the 2000s. Huge shoutout to the book “The Abercrombie Age: Millennial Aspiration and the Promise of Consumer Culture,” by Myles Ethan Lascity, which was one of our main sources for this episode. ⁠Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.  For more on Colette Shade, check out her website and give her a follow on BlueSky.

This is a Patreon demo. Join to hear our full thoughts on the 2000s Zombie Comedy films!In a decade obsessed with parody, it was only a matter of time before zombies got their turn. This episode covers Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Zombieland (2009)—bookends of the 2000s that chart the evolution of the zombie comedy, from British deadpan to American violent excess (with some epic redditness thrown in).⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/RememberShuffle ⁠And make sure you sign up through the browser–not through the app, to save yourself 50%!

It's our spooky season episode! Remember Shuffle turns to a much requested topic, the zombie films of the 2000s. After tracing the history of zombie media and mythology, they review two major tentpoles of 2000s Zombie films, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's "28 Days Later" (2002) and Zack Snyder and James Gunn's "Dawn of the Dead" (2004). The Shuffle Bois discuss the themes and big ideas of these films, including individualism vs communitarianism, politics and class, as well as their tropes and style.Join the patreon to listen to the 2nd part of this episode on Zombie parody films, dropping next weekend ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/RememberShuffle⁠⁠Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests.  

Join the patreon to listen to part 2 of our 2006 Victorian stage magician series. The Shuffle Boys talk about the Hapsburg Empire. Unlike the Prestige, the change in setting to the Austro-Hungarian Empire offers a new lens for discussing magic, more in terms of politics and empire: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/RememberShuffle