Make Me A Nerd with Mandy Kaplan - Blade Runner with Paul J. Salamoff

Blade Runner with Paul J. Salamoff

02/03/25 • 57 min

What does it mean to be human? And, perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to feel human?

On today’s episode of Make Me a Nerd, host Mandy Kaplan embarks on a journey with writer, producer, and director Paul J. Salamoff—a man whose career spans makeup effects, comic books, and award-winning filmmaking. Their mission? To dissect one of the most iconic and enigmatic films in science fiction history: Blade Runner.

This is a story about contrasts—about the grit of dystopian Los Angeles and the shimmer of neon lights, about robots who just want to live and humans who’ve forgotten how.

Together, they tackle the overlooked details: Joanna Cassidy’s boots that magically swap from heels to flats mid-chase, Harrison Ford’s noodle obsession, and the strangely unsettling world of J.F. Sebastian’s creepy companions. But they also dive deep—into the philosophical core of Blade Runner, into what it means to make peace with mortality, and into the ever-debated question: Is Deckard a replicant?

Paul shares his first encounter with the film in the 1980s, when the Casio synths of Vangelis felt urgent and futuristic, not nostalgic and dated. He reflects on the shift from practical effects to CGI, the layers of Ridley Scott’s vision, and why Blade Runner is still his favorite film of all time. Mandy, for her part, asks the questions we’re all too afraid to ask—like why Rachel is dressed like Joan Crawford and whether dystopian futures really mean the end of deodorant.

And just when you think you’ve grasped the meaning of it all, Paul hints at the mysteries of the theatrical cut’s voiceover, the unicorn dream, and the controversial possibility that Rick Deckard might be... well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

PLUS: Stick around for members-only bonus content where Paul breaks down the world of the Saturn Awards, the premier honors for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

Links & Notes

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

What does it mean to be human? And, perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to feel human?

This is a story about contrasts—about the grit of dystopian Los Angeles and the shimmer of neon lights, about robots who just want to live and humans who’ve forgotten how.

PLUS: Stick around for members-only bonus content where Paul breaks down the world of the Saturn Awards, the premier honors for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

Links & Notes

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Previous Episode

The Penguin with Matthew Fox

We’re slogging into the murky depths of Gotham, not with capes and cowls, but with gabardine and grit. This week on the show, Mandy navigates the shadowy alleys of nerddom, guided by the insightful Matthew Fox of Star Wars Generations and the Superhero Ethics Podcast on TruStory FM. Their subject? Not the bombastic exploits of a costumed crusader, but the surprisingly nuanced rise of The Penguin on Max.

This is a visceral exploration of power, betrayal, and the intoxicating allure of respect. Think The Godfather, think The Sopranos, but with a dash of, dare we say, avian peculiarity. Matthew is a returning champion of nerd culture explication and unpacks the layered history of the Penguin, tracing his evolution from quirky gangster with an umbrella gun to the complex, almost sympathetic figure portrayed with chilling brilliance by Colin Farrell. The conversation meanders through the intricacies of Cobb's physicality, his burning ambition, and the surprising tenderness that lurks beneath his hardened exterior.

The true revelation lies in the electric presence of Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. A woman forged in the crucible of a criminal dynasty, Sofia's journey from reluctant heiress to ruthless power player is nothing short of mesmerizing. The interplay between Sofia and Oz, fueled by a shared history of both loyalty and betrayal, crackles with a tension that transcends the typical will-they-won't-they trope.

Join Mandy and Matthew as they unpack the complexities of The Penguin, exploring the unexpected brilliance of a show that dares to ask: what happens when the villain takes center stage, and we find ourselves, against our better judgment, rooting for him?

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Learn more about supporting this podcast by becoming a member. It's just $5/month or $55/year. Visit our website to learn more.

Next Episode

Jungle Book with Justine Huxley

What makes a nerd? Is it the obsessive cataloging of obscure details? The unyielding commitment to lore? The passionate embrace of minutiae deemed trivial by the larger world? This week, Mandy the Mainstreamer welcomes back Justine Huxley, a voiceover artist of rarefied skill, a legend among the Apex Legends.

Together, they hit play on The Jungle Book, the 1967 Disney classic, to marvel at the lilting menace of Sterling Holloway’s Ka, the bombastic warmth of Phil Harris’s Baloo, and the aristocratic terror of George Sanders’s Shere Khan. They ask: Were the Beatles really supposed to lend their voices to a quartet of Liverpudlian vultures? And if they had, would it have changed history? What makes something timeless? And what makes it better left alone?

If that question is too big to ponder, don’t worry. Stick around for The Great Recasting!

Links & Notes