David Cronenberg has directed more than 20 feature films in a wide variety of genres, but he remains best known for provocative '80s sci-fi films like The Fly and Videodrome. Humor writer Tom Gerencer is a lifelong fan of Cronenberg's artistic vision. "He is an absolute genius, and he has merged that with an absolute mastery of craft," Gerencer says in Episode 533 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "Often you see one or the other. You see someone who's very workmanlike and can produce a good movie, or you see someone who is a genius and is just all over the place, and there are good ones and bad ones. But he is both, and that's rare."

The 1969 novel Dune Messiah is a sequel to Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic Dune. TV writer Andrea Kail is a diehard fan of the original Dune, but has always found the sequel disappointing. "Overall, as a book, it just feels like it's very unformed," Kail says in Episode 537 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "It just felt like, 'These are the ideas, and I put these ideas down, and here's a first draft. Now let's go back and fix it.' And then, no, never went back to fix it."

In Steven Spielberg's classic 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, an ordinary man gets caught up in momentous events involving alien visitors. TV writer Andrea Kail says the film continues to fill her with awe. "It stands up better than most movies I've ever seen, including the special effects," Kail says in Episode 498 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "It's shocking how well it's done. It doesn't look dated in any way. I think it's a stunning movie."

In the 1980s the fantasy genre achieved unprecedented popularity with the release of films such as Labyrinth, The NeverEnding Story, Ladyhawke, and Time Bandits. Science fiction author Matthew Kressel says he loves watching classic fantasy movies like Krull, in spite of the slow pacing and dated special effects. "I know it's really cheesy, and corny at parts, but there's something about the world of that film that draws me in every time," Kressel says in Episode 486 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "I watched that movie with my cousin, who's no longer alive, and I have an emotional attachment to it. Every time I watch it, I'm back as a kid in that theater watching it." Humor writer Tom Gerencer says that for adults who grew up in the '80s, nothing can compare to the magic of watching Heavy Metal or Highlander.

Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel Dune, first published in 1965, is still extremely influential. "I was worried," Kressel says in Episode 417 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "I was like, 'Am I going to read this and not like it now? Have I outgrown this book?' It was the exact opposite. I love it even more."

Dimension 404 on Hulu is a science fiction anthology show in the tradition of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. TV writer Andrea Kail loved the fifth episode, "Bob," about a (literal) giant brain who works for the National Security Agency. "I thought this was one of the best things I've seen in a long time," Kail says in Episode 347 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "I thought it was incredibly good filmmaking, and incredibly great writing and acting. There was nothing about it I didn't love."

The new Syfy series Nightflyers is based on a novella by George R. R. Martin that was first published back in 1980. Fantasy author Erin Lindsey says that the original story feels dated, but that it displays a basic storytelling competence that the show never really achieves. "The things that I didn't like about the Martin novella were details, at the end of the day, but I thought the bones were good, and in a certain way this is the reverse," Lindsey says in Episode 341 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "Some of the details are cool, but they can't make up for the fact that the bones aren't there." Science fiction author Matthew Kressel notes that Nightflyers never really moves beyond recycling familiar elements from better movies and TV shows.

Over the past five years, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have released a trio of amazing low-budget sci-fi/horror films: Resolution, Spring, and The Endless. Science fiction author Christopher Cevasco says that what sets these films apart is their focus on compelling characters. "The performances have to be really strong to pull off movies like these," Cevasco says in Episode 339 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. You're immediately pulled in by the characters." Benson and Moorhead are real-life friends, which definitely shows in the way that they portray male friendship. For writer Sara Lynn Michener, that's a welcome change from horror movies in which the characters are both disposable and detestable. "I really appreciate that they are putting a lot of emotionally intelligent male characters in their films," she says. "We see a lot of stereotypical male behavior in film, and it's really lovely to see a film about a man taking care of his friend." Geek's Guide to the Galaxy host David Barr Kirtley hopes to see more low-budget sci-fi films like The Endless. "I just think this should be so inspiring to other filmmakers, that you can make movies like Resolution for $3,000 and have 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes," he says. "This is a model for other people who want to do that." Benson and Moorhead are currently at work on a bigger-budget movie, Synchronic, starring Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie. TV writer Andrea Kail hopes the new film is able to maintain the same sensibility as their earlier work. "I just hope they retain their creative independence, because they're amazing storytellers, and that should be encouraged, and not reined in by a bunch of idiot studio executives," she says. Listen to the complete interview with Christopher Cevasco, Sara Lynn Michener, and Andrea Kail in Episode 339 of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy (above). And check out some highlights from the discussion below. "Let me say this--and I'm sure NYU will come after me now--but if you want to be a filmmaker, don't go to film school.