Browsed by
Tag: mcu

The Pain Box

The Pain Box

THE LENGTH PROBLEM: Our hosts spend a little time up top discussing the question, “What’s with all the long movies?”

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: After finally having caught up on Marvel’s Echo mini-series and The Marvels, our hosts share their thoughts about the ups, downs, and innovations of these two rather under-the-radar entries in the MCU.

TOPICS:

(00:00) Intro – Old men complain about long movies
(04:58) Marvel Studios’ Echo
(23:45) Thoughts on The Marvels
(37:54) Where Andrew and D. Bethel stand on Dune
(40:16) Outtakes

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • The Black Arts of Algorithms” (5 August 2016): Where our hosts discuss the similarly shameful discourse around Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Space Man From Pluto

Space Man From Pluto

SECRET INVASION…OF A.I.: Marvel seems to have hamstrung the release of its new Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, when viewers quickly noticed the apparent artlessness of the show’s opening credits and that they seemed to have used A.I. engines to create it instead of, you know, any of the artists it employs.

STIFLED PRODIGY: Paramount+ has been on a Star Trek kick for the last few years, but all might not be as rosy at it seems. Not only has it cancelled the all-ages-aimed animated series, Star Trek: Prodigy, it has also removed all the episodes from their proprietary streaming service––even though season 2 is wrapping production.

A BEAST OF A SURPRISE: D. Bethel takes a moment to discuss Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and how it pleasantly surprises in terms of actually being a good Transformers movie (who knew?).

RELEVANT LINKS:

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

  • “Unicron Medley” by Vince DiCola
The Walking World

The Walking World

LONG LIVE WAKANDA: Since its recent release on Disney+, our hosts finally had a chance to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and found it impressive in the face of the severe loss the production felt with the untimely and tragic death of the previous film’s star, Chadwick Boseman.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Hanky Cavs

Hanky Cavs

SUPERMAN GROUNDED: The pot is getting stirred in the DCU as James Gunn announced he was writing a new Superman movie that would not feature Henry Cavill in the titular role, despite his big announcement that he was coming back to the DCU to reprise the famous role.

WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew finds a lot to love in Leverage: Redemption even though it has its differences from the original version while D. Bethel loves the drama and the laughs in FX’s Reservation Dogs.

RELEVANT EPISODES:

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Drinking From a Firehose

Drinking From a Firehose

SDCC 2022: San Diego Comic Con actually happened this year after a long period of COVID-based dormancy, and it returned with a fury, dropping all kinds of news and sneak peeks and trailers…of comic book movies and tv more than anything else. Our hosts dissect the announcements that interested them the most.

CHAPTERS:

  • (00:00) Intro
  • (04:29) Quick overview of Marvel Studio’s Phase 5 plans
  • (05:28) She-Hulk: Attorney at Law trailer & Daredevil’s return
  • (12:59) The teaser trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever asks more questions than it answers––as can be expected from a teaser trailer.
  • (19:45) Star Trek: Picard announcements & character posters.
  • (22:47) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & Star Trek: Lower Decks announcements and…crossover?
  • (27:17) DC announcements? Not so much, aside from a trailer for Shazam: Fury of the Gods.
  • (28:06) The Dungeons & Dragons movie gets a trailer and a controversial poster.
  • (38:43) Outro – RIP David Warner
  • (42:48) Outtakes

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • We Don’t Know $#!&” (29 May 2014): In our first episode, our hosts discuss some controversy surrounding comments made by David Goyer about She-Hulk.
  • Magic Beer” (23 January 2015): Where, when discussing the David E. Kelley’s legal comedy-drama, Boston Legal, our hosts mention how he would be the perfect person to bring a She-Hulk show to life (audio is quoted from this episode).
  • Multiverse Averse” (20 May 2022): Where our hosts discuss their excitement after seeing the first trailer for Disney+’s She Hulk: Attorney at Law.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

  • “Be Prepared” by Tim Rice & Elton John, performed by Jeremy Irons
Magic Gas

Magic Gas

THE EMBIGGENING: Now that the series is complete, our hosts talk about the most recent MCU show on Disney+, the incredibly charming––and narratively impactful––Ms. Marvel.

CHAPTERS:

  • (00:00) Intro
  • (01:28) The relatability, the continuity, and the pleasurability that is Disney+’s Ms. Marvel.
  • (36:43) Outro – Dan’s Summer Highlander Adventure continues.
  • (39:25) Outtakes

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Crutch Talk” (29 March 2019): Where our hosts discuss the movie, Captain Marvel.
  • Listeners in the Woodwork” (18 October 2019): Where Andrew guides us through the legal dispute regarding who actually wrote the theme song from X-Men: The Animated Series.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

  • “Theme from X-Men: The Animated Series” by Ron Wasserman
Zeldavania

Zeldavania

A MISERABLE PILE OF SECRETS: Our hosts spend a bit of time reminiscing on the 25th anniversary of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night––the video game that put the “-vania” in “Metroidvania.”

WEEK IN GEEK: After a week off, our hosts have been busy being nerdy! Andrew finally caught up with all the Spider-Man movies while D. Bethel dipped another toe into deck-building video games with the very popular Slay the Spire, developed by MegaCrit.

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Nerd Business” (31 July 2014): Where Andrew and D. Bethel first discuss Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as a game that matters.
  • Trusty Rusty” (10 August 2018): Where Andrew talks about the video deck-building game adapted from a physical one, One Deck Dungeon.
  • We Still Don’t Know $#!&” (31 May 2019): On the show’s fifth anniversary, our hosts discuss the prevalence of “RPG elements” throughout, basically, all video games at this point.
  • Good Gamefeel” (28 June 2019): Where our hosts discuss the first non-Castlevania Metroidvania game developed by the adopted father of the series––Koji “Iga” Igarashi––Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
  • Reliable Virtual Helmets” (27 September 2019): Where D. Bethel plays his first real roguelike deck-building game, Meteorfall: Journey.
  • Smell the Duke” (04 February 2022): Where D. Bethel plays a bit of the clever deck-building game, Griftlands.
  • Bigger Than the Batman” (11 March 2022): Where D. Bethel talks about the indie game currently on his docket, A Plague Tale: Innocence.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Unpop That Cork

Unpop That Cork

A NEW MARVEL: Our hosts quickly discuss the recently dropped trailer for the new Marvel Studios’ Disney+ show, Ms. Marvel.

IT’S GOBLIN TIME: Motivated by his recent re-watch of the three Sam Raimi-directed, Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man movies, our hosts discuss the impact, legacy, and shortcomings of these incredibly influential films.

RELEVANT LINKS:

  • The trailer for the new MCU Disney+ show, Ms. Marvel:

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Rewind Yourself” (04 August 2017): Where Andrew finally saw Spider-Man: Homecoming.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

He Needs Management

He Needs Management

ETERNALLY YOURS: After getting released on Disney+, our hosts finally discuss the most recent Marvel Studios release (not Spider-Man: No Way Home), Eternals. It’s a movie with a lot of new additions to the MCU, for better or for worse.

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Sword Club” (30 July 2021): Where our hosts discuss the results of California’s investigation into the company culture at Activision Blizzard.
  • Scary Gongs” (19 November 2021): Where our hosts review the walkout at Activision over their dissatisfaction with Bobby Kotick as a leader of the company.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Dance Dance Go Go Machine

Dance Dance Go Go Machine

HAWKEYE BRO: This week, our hosts talk about the most recent Disney+ Marvel show, Hawkeye, while also veering into discussing Marvel’s TV offerings versus their cinematic ones, the importance of continuity, and the MCU overall.

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • The Nature of the Gutter” (12 March 2021): Where our hosts and on-the-ground-DC-correspondent, Taylor, discuss the first Disney+ Marvel show, WandaVision.
  • Marvel Dance Battle” (30 April 2021): Where our hosts and on-the-ground-Marvel-correspondent, Kyrun Silva (of Taurus Comics) discuss the second released Disney+ Marvel show, Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
  • Unbridled Hedonism” (03 December 2021): Where our hosts discuss the controversy about getting more recognition (and compensation) for Matt Fraction and David Aja, the creators whose run on the Hawkeye comic was a clear and overt influence on the Disney+ show.

RELEVANT LINKS:

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC: