The Create Unknown

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week we sit down to talk about the new He-Man movie, and we quickly discover that our feelings on it are all over the place. Seeing this property on the big screen is undeniably cool…so why does it feel like something about this movie is nagging at us? Today we see if we can figure out exactly why that is. The deeper we dig, the more we keep coming back to one simple question: does this movie actually like He-Man? We talk about the strange trend modern franchises have been making toward making fun of themselves, even while asking audiences to take them seriously. Why are so many movies afraid of sincerity? And what happens when a story starts treating its own premise like an embarrassment? Along the way we compare the film to the infamous 1987 version, pick apart Martin Scorsese's "theme park versus cinema" argument, and examine several moments that left us completely baffled as viewers. We also find ourselves talking about romance in storytelling, why so many modern movies avoid committing to relationships, and whether or not horror has quietly become one of the last genres willing to play things straight. As we round things out, we find ourselves giving less of a review and more of a conversation about contemporary blockbuster writing. Can a franchise survive if it seems uncomfortable with the very thing that made people love it in the first place? Big thanks to our patrons for supporting the show. We'll see you next week. You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week we kick things off with a truly cursed recommendation: a RoboCop TV show so strange, sanitized, and unintentionally hilarious it leaves us asking… how did this come from one of the most violent sci-fi films ever made? Along the way, we tease some big changes coming to the podcast, so STAY TUNED. Then we take it all the way back to 1994 – A time when everyone seemed to be watching, referencing, and understanding the same things? We ask what happened between then and now, and how we went from shared touchstones to a cultural free-for-all where nothing feels foundational, which makes us wonder – was that really the cultural high water mark? From there, we introduce the idea of “Unc-slop,” a freshly coined term describing content that looks informed on the surface but lacks any real grounding. What does it mean to be a fan of something if you’ve skipped the basics? And how much depth can you really have if your taste is built entirely by algorithms instead of by the people who actually lived with the medium? We dig into why foundations matter, why classics still hit harder, why modern audiences are often shocked by competent storytelling, and why refusing to engage with the past is not the mold-breaking move you might think it is. From there, we dive into the enormous loss that occurs when human curation disappears, when recommendations come from machines instead of mentors, and when students of a craft feel no obligation to study its history. By the end, we’re left with some nagging questions: can culture even exist at all without these shared experiences? Can it function when building real connections requires more homework than some people might be ready for? The good news? Us two Uncs just might be ready to assign some. Big thanks to our Patrons, we’ll be back soon! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Kevin goes solo this week as your official Unc-Slop Sherpa, and if you’ve been tuning in the past couple weeks, the issue he’s tackling should be pretty familiar now: the zombification of movies, and the astonishing decline of young people watching them. That raises a bigger concern – if you actually want to get into films… where do you start? Kevin sets out to build a foundation one recommendation at a time. Now this isn’t your grandpa’s nostalgia dump or film-school syllabus. These movies are EVERGREEN – we’re talking movies from the ’60s through the early 2000s that still work today. The list we dive into has films that grab attention, reward focus, and don’t require a phone in your hand (that part’s non-negotiable). That list brings us to a pretty crucial question: what makes these films classic compared to others? Why do some classics still hit across generations while others bounce off modern viewers entirely? What exactly is it that gives an iconic film its staying power? Kevin breaks down what makes certain films endure, what separates real characters from screenplay mannequins, and why some movies still feel alive decades later. If you’re overwhelmed by choice, disconnected from film history, or just tired of watching things you barely remember, let this episode be your guide. And when you’re done listening, put that dang phone down before you start watching. Big thanks to our Patrons, we’ll be back! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week we dig into what it really means to survive on YouTube long-term, and what happens when the grind that built a channel starts pushing back. We kick things off with a little departure, though, by wondering where gaming is actually headed, whether Kevin’s traditional controllers are quietly becoming a generational artifact, and why some hyped technologies never quite stick. From there, the conversation turns to a question many veteran creators eventually face: what does “retiring” even mean on YouTube? After more than a decade of independence, what options are left? Is the platform truly different from traditional media, or does it come with the same hard choices in the end? We talk about the physical and mental toll of constant creation, the harsh reality of aging into injuries and responsibilities, and why scaling up a channel might actually make life HARDER instead of easier. When you hire help, are you buying your freedom? Or are you signing up to become a full-time manager? We also confront the tension between audience expectations and human limits. Why do creators get treated like they should perform forever, on demand? And why do educational channels, in particular, seem trapped between staying independent and meeting impossible standards? Well, there are a lot of branching paths, but by the end we map out the real ways forward for any full-time content creator. Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back soon! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week, we kick things off with a mix of health chaos and questionable life choices…but, as usual, that takes us down the track of tackling a much bigger question: what if pursuit without purpose is the most important part of our lives? We dig into a mindset that has proven to be persistently pervasive as of late: committing to doing something only when there’s a guaranteed payoff. Is that making us less curious? Less capable? Less human? And what if the real magic comes from being endlessly interested, even when those interests seem useless 95% of the time? That brings us face to face with a much tougher reality – most people just might not be equipped to reap the rewards of delayed gratification. What if the “reward” for following your curiosity is something you won’t see for 20 years? What if you never get a reward at all? Is the effort still worth it? To round things out, we explore what it really means to be a “serious person,” why broad curiosity destroys social anxiety, and how actually doing things (not just reading about them) builds a level of experience that even AI can’t fake. Thanks to our patrons, we’ll be back soon! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices