Secrets of the Sire, hosted by industry insider Michael Dolce, dishes on Comics, Movies, TV, Music and Pop Culture every Friday at 11am EST via talkingalternative.com. Dolce has been a professional Writer, Artist, Colorist, Web Guru and all around Awesome Dude for almost 15 years. He created Descendant for Image Comics and The Sire for After Hours Press. He has written for Zenescope and Wizard Magazine and colored projects for Image Comics, Silent Devil and The Force Media. He currently writes for the entertainment section of AMNY and Inquistr.com and is hard at work on some brand new comic book and creative projects.
Secrets of the Sire is now Rogue Wave Ep 04
Apr 13, 2020
Secrets of the Sire is now the Rogue Wave podcast. For now, we’ll be available through the old Secrets of the Sire feed, but not for long.
To subscribe to the Rogue Wave Podcast on iTunes click here. To subscribe to the Rogue Wave Podcast on Google Pods click here.
Ep 04: Marvel Phase 4 Delayed, March Movie Madness: DC Films Final Four
The Final Four is HERE! 16 movies entered, 1 will walk away in our annual March Movie Madness: DC Films. It’s Wonder Woman vs Superman & Batman vs Dark Knight in our Final Four: DC Films Edition! Who advances to the final round?
PLUS: MCU Phase 4 delayed! What it means for Black Widow, The Eternals and more!
AND: On the comics side, Marvel Comics responds to the Coronavirus.
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET on Facebook.com/roguewavepodcast
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rogue-wave-podcast/id1503427846
Secrets of the Sire is now Rogue Wave Ep 01
Mar 20, 2020
If you are an iTunes or Google Play subscriber our show will be moving over to the brand new Rogue Wave Podcast feed. For now, we’ll be available through both the Secrets of the Sire feed and the Rogue Wave
For more information go to secretsofthesire.com and roguewavepodcast.com
What a week to start a podcast! The Coronavirus may have us on lockdown, but the ROGUE WAVE podcast is your cure for the quarantine blues.
We dish on more Coronavirus cancellations and release date drama. We review Westworld Season 3 Ep 1 and tell you if the techie drama has returned to form. And we unveil our 4th annual March Movie Madness: DC Comics Films.
EP 212: Coronavirus, Black Widow 3 Trailer Truth or Trash, Sayonara Secrets of the Sire
Mar 12, 2020
PODCAST | The Coronavirus has turned us all into ZOMBIES! Well… not really, but it did delay some movies, festivals, comiccons and more! What a way to celebrate the LAST episode of Secrets of the Sire as we know it!
PLUS: Black Widow Trailer 3 hits the ‘net. But if there’s no one in the theaters to watch did it ever really get released? We trailer truth or trash the coronavirus, marvel, black widow and more!
No Time To Die’ Facing $30M-Plus Hit Over Date Shift
►MGM to take $30 million-plus hit after movingBondfilm No Time to Die. Although the bulk of the marketing campaign for the Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed pic — the 25th installment in the storied 007 franchise — had yet to roll out, the marketing outlay already was significant with just four weeks to go before the release, including a $4.5 million Super Bowl spot that ran in February, Tatiana Siegel reports. MGM declined comment.
–Still, the alternative MGM was facing was far more costly, and even an eight-figure loss will be easier for a film like No Time to Die to withstand considering the broader profit margins on a Bond film. The story.
►CinemaCon moves ahead but plans enhanced measures amid coronavirus worries. The National Association of Theatre Owners on Thursday dispatched a memo reiterating that the convention will take place as planned from March 30-April 2 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. So far, no studio has scrubbed plans to attend despite travel restrictions being imposed at some of their parent companies, such as WarnerMedia. The story.
+TCM Classic Film Festival moves ahead amid coronavirus concerns. Organizers of the festival, which takes place at the TCL Chinese Theatre and Egyptian Theatre — unveiled a slew of new additions and guests for the event on Thursday. The festival also stated that, amid coronavirus concerns, it would be “closely monitoring this evolving situation. We are working with internal and external partners to ensure that the safety of attendees and staff are our priority.” More.
+Regal owner Cineworld says no “material impact” on admissions from coronavirus. The exhibition giant reports “good levels of admissions in all our territories” and says that despite the delay of the new James Bond movie studios “currently remain committed to their release schedule.” More.
Coronavirus Hits TV Production
►TV production impacted: A production member for the Fox show neXt, which wrapped production at Cinespace in Chicago last week, has tested positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the performers union SAG-AFTRA said in a statement Tuesday. “We are working closely with the CDPH to identify and contact all individuals who came in direct contact with the crew member, and are taking precautions to protect all who work on our productions,” said Disney Television Studios, which produces the show. The story.
+The crew of Disney+’s upcoming Falcon & the Winter Soldier has been sent home from Prague over coronavirus concerns. The news comes as the Czech Republic has reported 40 confirmed cases of coronavirus and has shut down its schools indefinitely and taken other measures to contain it. More.
+Coronavirus prompts changes for TV shows with live audiences. Rick Porter runs down all the shows proceeding without live audiences, and the other changes hitting production schedules. More.
►Cannes Festival president: “We’ll cancel” if coronavirus situation doesn’t improve. In an interview with a French newspaper, Pierre Lescure says he remains “reasonably optimistic” this year’s festival will go ahead as planned, but acknowledged Cannes is not insured against cancelation. More.
►U.S. movie theaters aim to stay open. “I think theaters are preparing for all contingencies. I don’t think you will see a countrywide shutdown, but there could be some closures on a local level,” says Wall Street analyst Eric Handler of MKM Partners, which tracks exhibition stocks. “We are still seeing an accelerated number of cases, and I don’t think the worst is over.” The story.
Final Black Widow trailer brings Scarlett Johansson back to where it all started Johansson and Florence Pugh are absolutely delightful Natasha Romanoff’s secretive past is a core part of her character’s story arc over the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a final trailer for Black Widow promises to explore the moment she became the world’s top spy.
The new trailer focuses on two different parts of Natasha’s past: her time in the Red Room and life with her family. The Red Room, which fans briefly caught a glimpse of in Avengers: Age of Ultron, is a top-secret Soviet training program. The program brainwashes young girls, turning them into lethal assassins and spies. Natasha learns in the new trailer that Taskmaster, Black Widow’s primary villain, is responsible for brainwashing a new class of soldiers.
It’s up to Natasha and her family, specifically Yelena (Florence Pugh), to help take him down for good. The trailer leans heavily into the relationship between Yelena and Natasha, and fans of Pugh will be delighted to see that she’s just as charming in the role as she is in prior films she’s done. Pugh and Johansson are joined by David Harbour who plays Alexei — The Red Guardian, a sort of Russian Captain America — and Rachel Weisz as Melina.
Another familiar face appears halfway through the trailer that longtime MCU fans will know well: Thaddeus Ross. Ross is known for two things: leading the hunt for Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk and approving the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War. The latter is most important in this context. The Sokovia Accords split up the Avengers, with Steve Rogers (Captain America), Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier), Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), Sam Wilson (Falcon), and Scott Lang (Ant-Man) opposing the Accords, and Tony Stark (Iron Man), Peter Parker (Spider-Man), James Rhodes (War Machine), and Romanoff approving of them.
Rumors suggest that Black Widow will take place in the two years between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War when the teams reunited to try to defeat Thanos. Many of the Avengers are still on the run — including Steve and Bucky, who Romanoff let get away after Civil War’s biggest fight. Ross could be on the hunt for the renegade Avengers, hence his reason for being in the movie, and in the United States no less. Still, this is all speculation! Answers will be given on May 1st when Black Widow hits theaters.
Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok tease DC’s Three Jokers comic in exclusive interview
Who are the three Jokers? It’s a question that’s piqued the interest of DC readers for a few years now. At first it seemed like one of the great mysteries of the DC Rebirth era, along with, “how did the Watchmen smiley face button end up in the Batcave?” But while that question was just answered in the Geoff Johns/Gary Frank series Doomsday Clock, which wrapped up its 12-issue run in December, the riddle of the three Jokers is only just now coming into view. In fact, EW can reveal the covers for the three-issue Three Jokers miniseries written by Johns and illustrated by Jason Fabok, set to hit stores this summer.
Johns is unquestionably one of the most influential DC Comics writers of the last few decades. His work on The Flash both encapsulated the Wally West version of the character and also reintroduced Barry Allen to modern continuity, setting the stage for his major roles in both The Flash series on The CW and the big-screen Justice League movie. More recently, Johns has been heavily involved in DC Universe streaming shows like Titans. But Three Jokers actually marks Johns’ first-ever foray into one of the most iconic dynamics in the DC Universe: Batman vs. Joker.
“The world doesn’t need just another Batman-Joker story,” Johns tells EW. “One of the reasons I’ve never done one before is because there are so many amazing ones, so I was only gonna do one if it was different and surprising and looked at the Joker and the meaning of the Joker and his effect on Batman and his family in a new way. We’re not introducing a multiverse of Jokers, we’re not out to change these characters forever, but we are turning over some rocks about these characters and their relationships.”
Three Jokers is set to be a mystery story, so Johns and Fabok don’t want to reveal that many details ahead of time. But suffice to say for now that “who are the three Jokers?” is a question being asked not just by readers, but by characters themselves. Along with Batman, the story is set to heavily feature Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and Red Hood (Jason Todd) — two of the characters most affected by the Joker over the course of his decades-long struggle with the Bat-family. Barbara was shot by the Joker in the iconic 1988 graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, resulting in her discarding her Batgirl costume for years in favor of the identity “Oracle.” Jason, the second boy wonder to hold the Robin mantle, was brutally killed by the Joker in the Batman: A Death in the Family arc from the same year. These days, Barbara has healed enough to reclaim the Batgirl identity, while Jason is alive and kicking. But those are the kinds of traumas even comic book superheroes struggle to shake off.
“It goes back to the beginning when Batman first encountered the Joker, but it’s also The Killing Joke and A Death in the Family that speak to the book and that we’re building off emotionally,” Johns says. “Barbara and Jason have gone through so much, as has Bruce, and it’s really focused on healing, on scars and wounds and what that does to somebody. If you suffer some trauma, you don’t just get over with it and move on with your life, it changes who you are. Sometimes it changes you for the better, sometimes it changes you for the worse. You can heal right, and you can heal wrong. That’s really what the book’s about: Healing right, healing wrong, and surviving.”
Plot echoes and character arcs aren’t the only ways Three Jokers is shaped by The Killing Joke. Fabok, who won an Eisner Award last year for his work with writer Tom King on DC’s Swamp Thing Winter Special comic, tells EW that he’s had a copy of The Killing Joke by his desk for two years now and has incorporated homages to Bolland’s work into the new series.
“We made a choice right from the beginning that we would base the look of our book around what Brian did in The Killing Joke,” Fabok says. “Just like how Gary in Doomsday Clock took a lot of his beats from Dave Gibbons, I’m kind of doing the same with Brian Bolland. Fans who have read The Killing Joke, you’re gonna see some familiar panels, you’re gonna see some familiar-looking things, like the Batcave. My thinking was almost, okay, years have passed so Batman has upgraded his Batcave from what he had originally in The Killing Joke, but the same bones are there. Even the Batmobile that I designed is loosely based around the Batmobile from The Killing Joke, where it’s got one big fin and a face built into the front, with big wheels and everything. I consciously infused a lot of that Brian Bolland, even the way he would tell stories through his panels. The Killing Joke has sat next to my desk for the last two years. I’ve been constantly referencing it, and even following a lot of the rules of how he laid out his panels in that book. I really want it to feel like it could be a spiritual sequel, at least artistically.”
Doomsday Clock suffered a few delays over the course of its run, but rest assured the same will not happen to Three Jokers. Johns and Fabok purposely waited to schedule the series until they were finished with it so that fans won’t get stuck waiting for months between issues.
“I see fans on Twitter and I know they’re getting impatient, they want this book to come out,” Fabok says. “Geoff and I have come to realize that everything will happen within its time. Because it’s taken so long, we’ve actually made this story better. Everything’s come together so naturally, we’re so pumped up and so confident in this story.”
In addition to Johns and Fabok, Three Jokers is colored by Brad Anderson and lettered by Rob Lee. Check out the first three covers above along with some exclusive interior pages featuring classic Batman iconography like the Waynes’ grave and the Batcave below. Look out for the first issue (of three) on June 17.
PARAMOUNT IS RELAUNCHINGG.I. Joe movies with its Snake Eyes spinoff (which just wrapped this week), developing more Transformers movies with multiple writers and now, there is movement on…M.A.S.K.
Chris Bremner, who co-wrote January’s surprise hit, Bad Boys for Life, has been tapped to pen M.A.S.K., Paramount and Hasbro’s big-screen take on the toy line and launched in the mid-1980s.
F. Gary Gray is attached to direct the action-adventure project which, in case you need a refresher, centered on elite strike force M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) squaring off against V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem).
James Mangold in Talks to Replace Steven Spielberg as ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Director
Another helmer may be carrying the bullwhip for the new installment of Indiana Jones.
Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold is in early talks to helm the fifth installment in the franchise, taking over for Steven Spielberg, who has directed all of the franchise’s other installments.
Star Harrison Ford remains on board for the film.
This is the latest creative change for the feature, which was first announced in March 2016 by Disney and Lucasfilm. It was initially given a release date of July 19, 2019, which was subsequently pushed back to July 10, 2020.
In June 2018, Jonathan Kasdan, the son of Raiders of the Lost Ark scripter Lawrence Kasdan, was brought on to write a new draft of the feature, delaying the production further and pushing the release to July 9, 2021.
The choice to hand over the reins on Indiana Jones 5 fell to Spielberg. He decided to step down so that the next generation of filmmakers could usher the franchise forward, says a source close to the director.
Spielberg, who will remain on Indiana Jones 5 as a producer, will next release his West Side Story remake with Warner Bros., which is due out in December.
Mangold was last in theaters with the Christian Bale- and Matt Damon-starring racing drama Ford v Ferrari, which was released by Disney/Fox and earned over $225 million at the global box office. The director’s other credits include the tentpole superhero films Wolverine and Logan.
Segment 2: JIM LEE Signals DC Won’t Replace Dan DiDio; Addresses Major DC, Reboot Rumors
DC’s now sole publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee has indicated that DC won’t replace former Co-Publisher Dan DiDio, who recently exited the company. Speaking at his personal spotlight panel during C2E2 2020, Lee told the audience “There’s continually new things going on, and I look at being sole publisher now and the team I’m working with. Much more in trenches now than ever before.” “We’ve been with Warner Bros. for decades,” Lee elaborated. “The actual strategy for DC is to put publishing at center of what we do. It’s the engine of all the movies, TV, cartoons, we do. And so its my intent going forward as the Publisher, to lean into the collective years of my team.” Lee also seemingly but vaguely addressed rumors about Marvel acquiring DC publishing, which have made their way into some internet rumors circles of late, shooting down any chance of this. “To address some of the stuff that is out there, there’s rumors… speculation,” Lee explained. “I wouldn’t put any credence into it. DC has been around for 85 years, and we’ll be around for another 85 years. I hope to be doing this panel in 85 years.” Lee also spoke about the chances DC’s impending 5G initiative would constitute yet another reboot, saying that’s not in the cards. “It’s hard to talk about things we haven’t announced. Intention not to do a line-wide reboot,” Lee clarified. “Our focus in talking to editorial team is to continue what we’ve done best: Character-driven stories, pairing right creators on right characters, and developing characters that are inclusive and diverse.” DC did not respond to Newsarama’s request for comment at the time of this story’s publication.
ULTRAMAN’S UPCOMING MARVEL COMICS ADVENTURES COVER AND STORY DETAILS REVEALED
Tokyo — February 29, 2020 — Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd is thrilled to announce the story details and artist lineup for the Marvel Comics ULTRAMAN series “THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN” launching later this year. Revealed to a packed house by Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski today at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN #1 will revisit Classic Ultraman, the first generation of the worldwide phenomenon. Series will be co-written by Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom with art by Francesco Manna.
Both known for their talents in world building, Higgins (Power Rangers, Winter Soldier) and Groom (Self/Made) will combine their acclaimed storytelling skills with the stunning style of superstar artist Francesco Manna, who has drawn for some of Marvel’s biggest series like Jason Aaron’s Avengers and Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four. As fans of the Ultraman series, they will introduce Ultraman to new fans young and old and revisit the iconic era – and spirit – of the Ultras longtime enthusiasts know and love.
“A few years ago, thanks to my time on Power Rangers, I was able to discover and learn more about Tokusatsu. With its wildly different conventions and inspirations, tokusatsu—and Ultraman in particular—has been a huge source of joy for me,” said Higgins. “It’s a genre so ripe with possibilities, even down to what we conceive of in the structure of super hero storytelling. It’s both an honor and a privilege to bring Ultraman to Marvel.”
“Monsters in fiction have been embodying all that is dark and scary in our world for as long as we’ve been telling stories. But I don’t think anybody understood the immense scale of our most pressing problems quite like Eiji Tsuburaya,” shared Groom. “He imagined the darkness looming overhead as tall as skyscrapers—alien and unknowable and ANGRY. But he also imagined us being able to stand up to those monsters, by rising above our worst impulses and embracing a nobler way of being. He imagined ULTRAMAN. What does that mean in this complex, contradictory world of lies? We’re going to find out…”
At the end of last year, Tsuburaya Productions and Marvel Comics announced a landmark collaboration to produce all-new stories based on the classic Ultraman series starring the beloved pop culture icon, Ultraman.
Stay tuned for more details about what can you expect from Ultraman’s adventures when THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN #1 hits stands later this year!
►Box office: In a tight race between Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehogand Disney’s The Call of the Wild, it was the hedgehog that beat out Harrison Ford and a CGI dog at the North American box office this weekend.
—Sonic, the CGI and live-action hybrid based on the popular Sega games, zoomed past the $100 million milestone at the domestic box office after collecting $26.3 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $106.6 million. Internationally, Sonic grossed $38.3 million in 56 markets with openings in 16 markets this weekend, including Russia, Sweden and Taiwan.
Hello, Batman: Set photos offer a good look at the new Batsuit, Batcycle
We have more than a year to wait before The Batman arrives in theaters, but a new batch of photos from the set of director Matt Reeves’ upcoming film have provided the best look yet at the new suit DC Comics’ Dark Knight will don in the movie.
The photos were taken on the Glasgow, Scotland, set of the film, and feature a stunt actor — not star Robert Pattinson — decked out in the new Batsuit and riding around on the new Batcycle. Compared to the dark, stylized video posted by Reeves a week earlier, the leaked photos provide a much more detailed look at Batman’s cape, cowl, and everything else that makes him one of the most iconic superheroes of all time.
The photos were reportedly taken in the vicinity of the Necropolis cemetery near Glasgow Cathedral, where several scenes are being shot. Glasgow is being used as a stand-in for Gotham City in the film.
The new suit worn by Pattinson’s stunt actor is a significant departure from prior versions of Batman’s movie uniform. While Ben Affleck’s version of the Batsuit in the recent DC Extended Universe films was a more streamlined, minimal, black-and-gray costume, the new suit harks back to Christian Bale’s more military-influenced Batsuit, with its modular sections of armor and exposed gadgetry.
Pattinson’s Batman’s uniform also seems to align with the film’s status as a tale set in the character’s early years, as many of its elements have a basic, prototype look that could go through some development as the character evolves.
It’s worth noting that, along with revealing the look of Batman’s new Batcycle, the photos also appear to show a female character joining Batman for a ride through Gotham (via Glasgow). There’s a good chance that his riding partner is intended to be Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman, who will be played by Zoë Kravitz in the film.
Segment 2: Crisis on Earth Dan DiDio: How 5G was a crisis too far
No matter how many times DiDio was promoted, he continued to micro-manage the DCU. I don’t think you’re going to be too shocked to learn that behind the scenes, planning for the 5G reboot/retcon/ultimate hypertime was incredibly stressful. DiDio started his own teaser roll outlast year with sneak peeks at wall charts, and hints on panels and leaks, familiar methods DiDio had used to tease previous crises. For the editorial staff, however, this was a series of constantly changing ideas, reassignments, and what turned into a hostile work environment. Although retailers may have fingered Scott Snyder as part of the coup, I’m told this was formal internal complaints that had reached a boiling point.
Segment 3: Why Is Everyone So Scared of Disney?
Yet let’s be clear: It’s not just, or maybe even primarily, the size of the company that is giving people the shakes. It’s the fact that a single film corporation now seems to own everything worth having — at least, in stark capitalistic blockbuster terms. Disney owns Marvel, it owns “Star Wars,” it owns “Avatar,” it owns the fabled animated features that it has been using to mint live-action-remake megahits as if it were printing money. What’s still on the table — “Godzilla”? The shards of “Harry Potter”? The fumbling-out-of-the-vampire-gate Dark Universe? You can make the case that the merger of Disney and Fox, when you boil out of the feathers, really comes down to the merger of Marvel and “Star Wars.” That sounds like the merger of Christmas and the Fourth of July, with Halloween thrown in as a bonus.
Viewed according to the logic of 21st-century fantasy culture, Disney doesn’t just suddenly own all the properties. It owns all the mythologies.
Did you fall in the love with the LEGO Baby Yoda mini revealed today? The floodgates have officially opened for all things Mandalorian and/or Baby Yoda in anticipation of Toy Fair is kicking off in NYC tomorrow and StarWars.com has your first look.
Without a doubt the pièce de résistance has got to be The Child Animatronic Edition from Hasbro. For a mere $60 bring home your very own Baby Yoda!
EP 209: Hopper Lives! Ben Affleck Speaks! Sonic Booms At the Box Office! Birds of Prey Busts & Todd’s Top Ten
Feb 20, 2020
PODCAST | Ben Affleck Speaks About His Batman Exit, Sonic vs Birds of Prey at the Box Office, Stranger Things 4 Teaser (Hopper lives!), Todd Black’s Top Ten Comics!
It’s official: David Harbour‘s Chief Jim Hopper will in fact return for Stranger Things season 4, and there’s a teaser video to prove it.
Harbour himself has been trying to throw people off the scent after — spoiler alert — his character seemingly met his end in the underground Russian facility back in season 3. “We don’t know yet, we don’t know,” the actor said when asked again about a comeback during German Comic Con Dortmund. Most recently, reports about a supposed cast list for the new episodes were floating around and suggesting he wouldn’t return. Now, we know for sure.
At the end of season 3 in a post-credits sequence, operatives at a snowy Russian facility made mention of an “American” being held in their custody. The new teaser for season 4 confirms Hopper is that captive and he’s being forced into working on some kind of railroad with other prisoners.
Ben Affleck Gets Candid About His ‘The Batman’ Exit
After showing a confidant his plans, the actor was told, “I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.”
He stepped aside, allowing Matt Reeves to take over (and Robert Pattinson to don the cowl), after deciding that the troubled shoot for “Justice League” had sapped his interest. Affleck never seemed to enjoy his time as Batman; his sullen demeanor while promoting “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016 resulted in the hit meme Sad Affleck. “I showed somebody ‘The Batman’ script,” Affleck recalled. “They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.’”
Sonic Booms At The Box Office
►Box office: Filmmaker Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog hopes to boom loudly over Presidents Day weekend with a four-day debut in the $45 million to $50 million range. The adventure pic, based on Sega’s video game about the world’s speediest hedgehog, is easily expected to race ahead of a crowded pack of films and top the long four-day holiday frame. The preview
Sonic the Hedgehog wakes Paramount from hibernation. Every Hollywood studio has its ups and downs at the box office, but Paramount has endured a dismal run, topped by big-budget misses such as Gemini Man and Terminator: Dark Fate in late 2019.Sonic marks an important victory for Paramount and studio chairman Jim Gianopulos after scoring the top opening of all time for a video game adaptation. Gianopulos picked up the project out of turnaround from Sony in fall of 2017, not long after he took the job and was tasked with righting the ailing studio.
–“Sonic was the right film at the right time. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for Paramount, a studio that desperately needs franchises. God forbid the industry loses another major studio to a rival,” says box office analyst Jeff Bock
Segment 2: ‘Birds of Prey’s Box Office Troubles Go Back To One Bad Decision
The story of Birds of Prey was told with an R-rating, making it the first DCEU title to carry that MPAA certificate. Unfortunately, the R-rating is likely what kept Birds of Prey from fulfilling its box office potential. Comic book movies with R-ratings hailing from major studios, like Birds of Prey, used to be an unthinkable prospect. Thanks to the massive box office success of recent R-rated comic book movies like Deadpool and Logan, though, it’s now a regular occurrence for the genre. However, not all R-rated takes on Marvel/DC properties are destined to be equally big box office juggernauts, as seen by Birds of Prey.
Segment 4: Spin The Comics To Movie Racks
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I’m a comic writer, novel writer, and overall creator of various things. I’ve made series like Guardians, Home, 10,000 Miles, Seekers of Science, Sherlock Holmes – The Greatest Detective and now…Tokyo Blade Detectives.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS?
I’ve got a new Kickstarter going on, and am about to release the fifth book in my Sherlock Holmes series. Also have another comic in the works and Seekers of Science #3 will arrive later in November.
GOT A HOT TAKE?
I’m tired of people saying that the majority of the DCEU films are terrible. I prefer Batman V Superman to Civil War any day of the week and twice on Sundays! Plus, I’m more excited for Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984 than any of the Marvel movies in 2020.
The 92nd Academy Awards ended with a surprise, as “Parasite” took home the best picture prize, serving as a capstone for a remarkable run that began with winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes last May, and concluded by making history on the Oscars stage as the first foreign language film to west best picture…
The Oscars by the numbers…
–By film: Parasite – 4… 1917 – 3… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – 2… Joker – 2… Ford v Ferrari – 2… Judy – 1… Jojo Rabbit – 1… Marriage Story – 1… Little Women – 1… Bombshell – 1
While Parasite and Bong Jon Ho swept the field in categories like original screenplay, best director, and best international film, the movie’s lack of acting nods meant that those categories split in different directions, with favorites Joaquin Phoenix and Renée Zellweger taking home top honors, and Brad Pitt and Laura Dern taking home the supporting statuettes.
What’s news: Parasite shocked Hollywood and made history, inclusion was on full display, politics was a common thread throughout the night, Janelle Monae’s opening and the rest of the highlights from the Oscars, 10 things you didn’t see on TV, Natalie Portman and Spike Lee’s fashion statements, a review and analysis of
Segment 2: ‘Birds of Prey’ Fail To Take Flight At Box Office
►Box office: Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn failed to gain altitude in its box office debut over the weekend, earning a tepid $33.3 million from 4,236 theaters to mark one of the lowest domestic launches in modern times for a studio superhero pic. The female-led film also struggled overseas, where it bowed to $48 million from 78 markets for a global start of $81.3 million.
–The pic was never meant to score a mega-opening since it is a spinoff and sports an R rating. Still, the Warner Bros. and DC title had been tracking to start off with at least $50 million to $55 million in North America and $60 million or more offshore.
Segment 3:
Spotlight: Matt Walton WHAT DO YOU DO?
Actor/Director/Producer/Host
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS?
Small role in THE IRISHMAN on the CBS All Access series, TELL ME A STORY lead role in the new film THE MISOGYNISTS about Election Day 2016
EP 207: Super Bowl Trailers, Birds of Prey & Oscars Joker Preview, That Kevin Sharp
Feb 06, 2020
PODCAST | We welcome back Fanbase Press ‘s Kevin Sharp to talk Birds of Prey essential reading before the movie hits, the best Super Bowl trailer to drop and oh those Joker Oscar predictions sure to go wrong!
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET.
Trailers for the Top Gun sequel, the new James Bond film and other keenly anticipated movies have been unveiled during this year’s Super Bowl.
Fans also got new glimpses of Black Widow and the new Minions movie.
Bill Murray, Chris Rock and Winona Ryder were a few of the Hollywood stars enlisted to star in adverts on one of the biggest nights in the US television-watching calendar.
The 30-second trailer for No Time To Die, the 25th official Bond film, opened with a previously unseen scene showing Daniel Craig’s Bond in a hi- tech glider.
Disney+ Shows Off First Marvel Series During Super Bowl
Disney + also unveiled its own forthcoming wares, a trio of shows built around characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Loki.
These Disney+ shows will connect to the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with characters moving from the big screen to the small — and vice versa. Other series in the works include one starring Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, as well as shows focusing on characters such as She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight.
Segment 2: Logan vs Joker
While this movie was a critical and financial success, it received only one Oscar nomination. This wasn’t a surprise a few years ago since superhero films rarely received the bigger nominations like Best Motion Picture or Best Director. These kinds of movies are usually reserved for technical categories like Sound Editing and Visual Effects. Though, Logan didn’t even get a nod in these categories, which is perplexing given how tight the filmmaking was.
Logan should’ve received more attention from the Academy, especially in comparison to the most nominated film this year, Joker. Both films reimagine the superhero genre. Joker is a villain’s origin story disguised as Scorsese film while Logan is a chase through the Wild West circa 2029. Both films star broken, societal outcasts who watch over a mentally deteriorating senior. These characters also have manic breaks and resort to graphic violence as a form of release and justice. Furthermore, both characters require their respected actors to go through physical transformations.
Segment 3: Birds of Prey: Reviews Are In …and they’re good!
Birds of Prey First Reactions Praise the Fight Scenes, Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor
Members of the press were able to attend early screenings of Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, and first impressions are overly positive.
Segment 4: Spin The Comics To Movie Racks
Birds Of Prey: 10 Essential Comics To Read Before The New Movie Comes Out
BIRDS OF PREY: BLACK CANARY/ORACLE
The one-shot brought Dinah Lance/Black Canary back to superheroes as she accepted a job working alongside Barbara Gordon/Oracle, the former Batgirl turned information broker.
Chuck Dixon and Gary Frank kicked off the beginnings of the team here, and it’s a must-read for fans looking to explore the comic origins of the team.
HARLEY QUINN
As we previously mentioned, Robbie will be reprising her role as Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad, though the character has never actually been a member of the Birds of Prey in the comics. Regardless, the film is set to explore Harley’s transition into a solo anti-hero, which is something her first ongoing comic series also explored.
Karl Kesel and Terry and Rachel Dodson brought Harley Quinn into the DC Universe on her own, away from the abuses of the Joker. The series also set the groundwork for her relationship with Poison Ivy and helped develop the comic version of Harley Quinn that has risen in popularity since the character’s first appearance on the Batman: The Animated Series.
GOTHAM CENTRAL
Another character not commonly associated with the Birds of Prey is Renee Montoya, though she will join the cinematic team played by Rosie Perez. Montoya has been both a cop and a superhero during her time in the comics, and she shares a similar origin to Harley Quinn as they both first appeared on Batman: The Animated Series before transitioning to the comics.
While we would love to see the cinematic Montoya evolve into the vigilante known as The Question, it’s her time as an officer of the GCPD that will likely feature in the film, and some of the best examples of Montoya and the GCPD come from Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark’s Gotham Central, with the “Half a Life” storyline showcasing some great character moments.
BATMAN/HUNTRESS: CRY FOR BLOOD
The first new permanent member of the Birds of Prey in the comics was Helena Bertinelli/Huntress, a newer member of Gotham City’s costumed heroes who had an edge that Batman never really warmed up to that separated her from the rest of Batman’s allies.
Greg Rucka and Rick Burchett’s Batman/Huntress: Cry For Blood is a great murder mystery that also dives into Helena’s origins as the orphaned daughter of mafiosos who is struggling to win Batman’s approval as the Huntress. Mary Elizabeth Winstead will be bringing the character to the big screen and will likely feature moments from her origin that are further explored in this series.
BIRDS OF PREY: OF LIKE MINDS
While we highly recommend the first fifty issues of the first volume of Birds of Prey, those issues focused primarily on Black Canary and Oracle with appearances from other Gotham characters like Catwoman and Nightwing. So with no Oracle announced for the film, we’re going to jump ahead a bit until the “Of Like Minds” storyline, which first brought Huntress on to the team.
The storyline also featured the arrival of Gail Simone and Ed Benes to the title, who would take over from Chuck Dixon and carry the team for years across different volumes of the series. “Of Like Minds” tentatively introduces Huntress to the tight-knight group formed by Oracle and Canary, and created a new dynamic for the team as it began to welcome on new members.
BATMAN: WAR GAMES
Fans have also been waiting to see one of Batman’s most menacing villains show up on the big screen, and Birds of Prey will finally see the debut of Roman Sionis/Black Mask, played by Ewan McGregor. While the villain most often faces off with Batman or Catwoman as opposed to the BoP, we’re still very excited about his addition to the film.
The “War Games” storyline from the Batman titles featured a brutal war between the gangs of Gotham City that left one of Batman’s allies dead and Black Mask in control of Gotham’s underworld. And for an extra look at the sadistic side of Black Mask, be sure to also check out Catwoman‘s “relentless” storyline.
BATMAN: MARK OF CAIN
Ella Jay Basco will be playing the young Cassandra Cain in Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), and while the character never worked much officially alongside the Birds of Prey, she did work closely with Barbara Gordon/Oracle as the new Batgirl.
The “Mark of Cain” storyline was revealed during the No Man’s Land event in the Bat-titles and revealed Cassandra Cain’s upbringing at the hands of the master assassin David Cain. She was raised with fighting and violence as her only language, and the series serves as a great introduction to the character who would go on to become Batgirl/Black Bat/Orphan.
BIRDS OF PREY: SENSEI & STUDENT
Gail Simone and Ed Benes continued to explore the members of the team individually as they worked together on missions, with the “Sensei and Student” storyline diving into Black Canary’s past and her relationship with Lady Shiva, one of the greatest martial artists in the DC universe alongside Black Canary.
Black Canary is the most consistent member of the Birds of Prey and was a founding member of the Justice League in Pre-Flashpoint continuity, and this series dives into some of the various aspects of her character that make her stand out even when standing next to the other legends of the JLA.
BLACK CANARY VOL. 4
Jurnee Smollet-Bell will be playing Dinah Lance in the Birds of Prey film and we’ve seen both martial arts and her powerful canary cry on display, but the character’s first appearances in the trailers feature her singing at the Black Mask Club, and her overall aesthetic seems to borrow heavily from the fourth volume of Black Canary.
The series from Brendan Fletcher and Annie Wu focused on Dinah Lance as she went on tour with her band Black Canary, and served as the launching point for her Rebirth-era of comics. After years working with the JLA, the Birds of Prey, or Green Arrow, this series features a modern look at a solo Black Canary to get a sense of the character before the film.
BIRDS OF PREY: BLOOD AND CIRCUITS
While the original line-up took a long time to build past the original two or three members, after the addition of Lady Blackhawk and a few other the series really saw a big change in direction with the “Blood and Circuits” storyline as Barbara Gordon assembled a new team of heroes.
This storyline led to the largest roster of the Birds of Prey with heroes like Manhunter, Big Barda and Misfit sign up to work alongside frequent members Black Canary and Huntress. As the upcoming film is likely looking to kickstart a franchise as well, this expansion of the comic roster might give fans a look at the possible future of the cinematic Birds of Prey.
EP 206: Birds of Prey Not Sexy Enough? Kobe Tribute, Arrow Finale, Picard, Winter TV Preview
Jan 30, 2020
PODCAST | Birds of Prey Not Sexy Enough To Succeed? We dive into the controversy! PLUS: The Walking Dead is BACK.. but is anyone still watching? Star Wars: Clone Wars is BACK and everyone’s excited! And Picard steals the Winter TV spotlight! AND: Arrow rides off int the sunset…did it exceed fan expectations?
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET.
The Walking Dead season 10: Andrea to return for Michonne’s emotional exit?
THE WALKING DEAD has a huge second half of season ten ahead of it as Michonne finally makes her exit – however fans believe the warrior’s final outing will also showcase the return of one hugely influential dead character, Andrea.
STAR WARS: CLONE WARS
PICARD
Locke and Key
Segment 3: Arrow Series Finale
Green Lantern Arrow Scene Offers Brightest Day For Diggle
https://cosmicbook.news/green-lantern-arrow-scene
Confirming the Green Lantern Arrow spoilers from earlier, now the episode has aired offering perhaps a brightest day for John Diggle.
David Ramsey as Diggle narrates the ending where, as he gets ready to move to Metropolis (Crisis merged the Tyler Hoechlin Superman and Supergirl universe and all The CW DC characters into one Earth) he sees something fall from the sky, which blasts him back. Diggle gets up and it’s a green glowing box; however, the Green Lantern ring is never shown, just as the spoilers described, and nothing is said and Diggle is never shown as a member of the Green Lantern Corps.
Aside from the green light, the only hint it’s Green Lantern related is when Diggle says in regards to the death of Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen: “Because if the past eight years have shown us anything, is that this universe is far bigger than any of us could have dared imagine… even if it is a little less bright without him in it.”
Regarding why Green Lantern wasn’t allowed to be used, we know there have been plans in place for movies and TV series, as the Green Lantern HBO Max series was recently announced. Geoff Johns has also been supposedly developing a GL movie with Hal
Jordan and John Stewart, as it’s listed on his production website, and I’ve been told J.J. Abrams wants to tackle Green Lantern as well.
Of course, there is also the fact that the 2011 movie starring Ryan Reynolds bombed big time, so the live-action version of the character has been placed on the backburner ever since. The Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover did tease Green Lantern, as I revealed over the Summer that Crisis would be connect everything DC including the movies, TV and streaming services, especially with the upcoming launch of HBO Max. What’s unclear is if that Crisis appearance is referencing the Ryan Reynolds movie or the HBO Max series. WB obviously also put the kibosh on Ramsey suiting up as GL for Crisis.
It’s also doubtful that David Ramsey will be suiting up for the HBO Max series, as it’s also guessed the HBO Max series is all-new and original and not a part of the Arrowverse. Ramsey recently said he’s excited about the Green Lantern HBO Max series.
I suppose since Diggle is moving to Metropolis there could always be a shot of seeing Diggle appear in the new Tyler Hoechlin Superman & Lois series that is coming to The CW, so there is that.
Segment 4: Spin The Comics To Movie Racks
Graphic novel sales rose 16.1% in bookstores in 2019
While graphic novel sales were down slightly in comics shops in 2019, in bookstores they were up 16.1%, and helped buoy book sales over all, according to a report by Jim Milliot in Publishers Weekly.
Other positive trends in adult fiction were the continued strength of graphic novels, where units rose 16.1%, and the rebound in horror/occult/psychological segment, where units increased 16.6%. Science fiction had the largest decline among the adult fiction genres, with units down 19.7%. The smaller westerns segment saw units fall 17.2%, and unit sales of romance novels declined 12.4%. While print sales of science fiction and romance continue to endure annual double digit declines since the advent of e-books, mystery/detective, another segment that has suffered, had a relatively mild 3.5% decline in unit sales.
Ep 205: Bloodshot Trailer, Batwoman Comes Out, Watchmen Season 2, Pat Shand
Jan 23, 2020
PODCAST | Why no love for the Bloodshot Trailer? Why no 2nd Season For Watchmen? Why no Controversy for Batwoman? And we pit Lost vs Leftovers vs Watchmen with Destiny NY’s Pat Shand.
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET.
Ruby Rose’s Batwoman just told Gotham City the truth about her sexual orientation. Sunday night’s episode of the CW superhero series “Batwoman” planted a rainbow flag for the representation cause as Batman’s cousin, Kat Kane, told the world that she’s a lesbian crimefighter.
The midseason premiere episode (called “How Queer Everything Is Today!”) was written by showrunner Caroline Dries and depicts Rose’s caped crusader opening up about her sexuality — even though it might jeopardize her secret identity. The choice wasn’t an easy one, but the hero made it after hearing the heartache of a teen character whose parents have refused to accept her sexual identity.
The big reveal came in a magazine article published by CatCo, and the scoop belonged to none other than Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl (Melissa Benoist), the title hero from “Batwoman’s” Arrowverse sister show.
“Batwoman” premiered in October as the first superhero series in television history to feature an avowed LGBTQ character as the central character. The fierce street vigilante dons a familiar-looking cape and cowl (as well as an inset red wig) to fight the good fight during the mysterious absence of Gotham’s iconic protector.
The series is produced by Berlanti Productions/Warner Bros Television. It hails from writer-executive producer Dries and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, David Nutter and director-executive producer Marcos Siega
Earlier this week, word started making the rounds that Legendary’s long-in-development Ex Machina movie (based on the Vertigo comic of the same name) was finally moving forward, this time with a brand-new title: The Great Machine. We heard this and rejoiced, for Tony Harris and Brian K. Vaughan’s Ex Machina is one of the best reads of the past decade, and certainly worthy of the big-screen treatment.
Today brings even more exciting news, however: according to THR, Oscar Isaac will headline The Great Machine as its titular hero, Mitchell Hundred, a former superhero who trades in his superpowers to become the mayor of NYC. Isaac’s a perfect fit for this role, and we’re excited to see which parts of Harris and Vaughan’s award-winning series survive the adaptation process. Screenwriters Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel have much to work with.
The Great Machine doesn’t have a director or a release date yet, but we’re hyped about this one and will keep you informed as further updates roll in. Stay tuned for those, and do go read Ex Machina if you haven’t already. It’s a wonderful piece of work.
Segment 2: HBO won’t pursue second season of ‘Watchmen’ after creator bows out
PASADENA, Calif. – “Watchmen” won a loyal following and critical acclaim, as the superhero comics series was adapted into a politically relevant drama about race and the criminal justice system.
But don’t look for a second season of the drama, which wrapped up its nine-episode run last month, largely because creator Damon Lindelof isn’t interested in doing it.
HBO programming chief Casey Bloys told USA TODAY Wednesday that Lindelof, the co-creator of ABC’s “Lost” who also created HBO’s “The Leftovers,” “brilliantly took this graphic novel and just kind of broke it open and created a whole new world,” in which Regina King starred as a masked cop in Tulsa, in a 2019 when Robert Redford is president.
The Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a new, yet familiar, enemy in the latest issue of BOOM! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as the villainous Shredder becomes the new Green Ranger.
The Green Ranger Shredder will make his first full appearance in the third issue of the five-part limited event series. The crossover has been going on since December and tells the story of worlds colliding, as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fight, and eventually team up with, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Written by Ryan Parrott (Power Rangers: Necessary Evil) and illustrated by di Meo, the third issue sees Rita Repulsa face off against Shredder for control of the weapon that will change the Power Rangers forever. Meanwhile, the Power Rangers are on a quest to rescue Tommy from the Foot Clan’s base, while the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles step up to help their new friends in a surprising way.
Marvel Announces New Power Pack Series
Marvel is bringing back the Power Pack. Spinning out of the Outlawed event, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North teams with artist Nico Leon to reunite Katie, Julie, Jack, and Alex Power for new five-issue miniseries full of superhero family adventures. The first issue will ship with a cover by Absolute Carnage artist Ryan Stegman, plus a variant by Leon and another by Eduard Petrovich.
Marvel is rebooting New Warriors with writer Daniel Kibblesmith, who loves skateboarding heroe
It’s been five years since anyone’s heard from the New Warriors. While the core team of young superheroes — Night Thrasher, Firestar, Silhouette, Rage, Speedball, and Namorita — spent years fighting crime in the ’90s, they were all but destroyed when they sparked 2005’s Civil War. Since then they’ve been reassembled, saved the world a few times, and even staved off an invasion from the Celestials. But after five years in limbo, the New Warriors are reuniting with a new purpose in April.
In the wake of Outlawed and the implementation of Kamala’s Law across the Marvel Universe this spring — which decrees no one under 21 can be a superhero — Night Thrasher has resurrected his old team with the goal of mentoring a new generation of heroes “whether they like it or not.” Now, older and hopefully a little bit wiser, it’s up to the New Warriors to guide a brand-new team of recruits, 30 years after they began fighting for justice themselves.
According to writer Daniel Kibblesmith (Deadpool vs. Carnage, Loki, and TV’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert), who is launching the book with artist Luciano Vecchio (Ironheart), New Warriors provides a perfect jumping-on point for new fans while calling back to the original series. If writing a superhero team wasn’t enough, Kibblesmith and Vecchio also created and designed five new superhero recruits for the book.
According to Disney’s official newsletter for the D23 fan club, The New Mutants will be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Disney’s official email to fans states: “There’s a seriously electrifying new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it comes in the form of the latest from Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Entertainment…
“The New Mutants is an original horror thriller set in an isolated hospital, where a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring. When strange occurrences begin to take place, both their new mutant abilities and their friendships will be tested as they battle to try and make it out alive.”
Now, this could be a mistake, as the official Disney newsletter might have mixed up a few wires. We all know that New Mutants was under a lot of scrutiny from studio executives even before Disney purchased Fox and took control of the X-Men franchise, with rumors of massive reshoots and rewrites possibly scaring director Josh Boone off of the project. After numerous delays, some fans even doubted that the movie would ever see the light of day.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Loses Director Scott Derrickson
Scott Derrickson has exited Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to “creative differences,” The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Segment 1: ‘Joker’ leads the nominees with a total of 11 mentions
Leading the snubs were female directors, as women were left out in the best director category for the second consecutive year. Little Women‘s Greta Gerwig was the most glaring category omission. And although Cynthia Erivo nabbed a best actress nomination for Harriet, 19 of the 20 acting nominees were white, marking a year of Oscars almost so white.
Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories, meaning actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors and so on.
Segment 2: Birds of Prey Trailer 2 vs Morbius
1. Margot Robbie: A star 2. Still a Harley Quinn Movie – don’t recognize the other characters Is that Vulture Michael Keaton?
Segment 3: Eric Schenkman Interview
The Spin Doctors Guitarist Dishes on 30 Years In The Business
Segment 4: Spin The Comics To Movie Racks
Shredder Will Become the Green Power Ranger in TMNT Crossover
The Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a new, yet familiar, enemy in the latest issue of BOOM! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as the villainous Shredder becomes the new Green Ranger.
The Green Ranger Shredder will make his first full appearance in the third issue of the five-part limited event series. The crossover has been going on since December and tells the story of worlds colliding, as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fight, and eventually team up with, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Written by Ryan Parrott (Power Rangers: Necessary Evil) and illustrated by di Meo, the third issue sees Rita Repulsa face off against Shredder for control of the weapon that will change the Power Rangers forever. Meanwhile, the Power Rangers are on a quest to rescue Tommy from the Foot Clan’s base, while the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles step up to help their new friends in a surprising way.
Marvel Announces New Power Pack Series
Marvel is bringing back the Power Pack. Spinning out of the Outlawed event, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North teams with artist Nico Leon to reunite Katie, Julie, Jack, and Alex Power for new five-issue miniseries full of superhero family adventures. The first issue will ship with a cover by Absolute Carnage artist Ryan Stegman, plus a variant by Leon and another by Eduard Petrovich.
Marvel is rebooting New Warriors with writer Daniel Kibblesmith, who loves skateboarding heroe
It’s been five years since anyone’s heard from the New Warriors. While the core team of young superheroes — Night Thrasher, Firestar, Silhouette, Rage, Speedball, and Namorita — spent years fighting crime in the ’90s, they were all but destroyed when they sparked 2005’s Civil War. Since then they’ve been reassembled, saved the world a few times, and even staved off an invasion from the Celestials. But after five years in limbo, the New Warriors are reuniting with a new purpose in April.
In the wake of Outlawed and the implementation of Kamala’s Law across the Marvel Universe this spring — which decrees no one under 21 can be a superhero — Night Thrasher has resurrected his old team with the goal of mentoring a new generation of heroes “whether they like it or not.” Now, older and hopefully a little bit wiser, it’s up to the New Warriors to guide a brand-new team of recruits, 30 years after they began fighting for justice themselves.
According to writer Daniel Kibblesmith (Deadpool vs. Carnage, Loki, and TV’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert), who is launching the book with artist Luciano Vecchio (Ironheart), New Warriors provides a perfect jumping-on point for new fans while calling back to the original series. If writing a superhero team wasn’t enough, Kibblesmith and Vecchio also created and designed five new superhero recruits for the book.
Golden Globes: Joaquin Phoenix Ricky Gervais: His kind of speech five years ago wouldn’t make news, but today it’s “offensive” and it’s also taken from the right
Here’s what I’ve been told from a source that worked on TROS.
Since shortly after release weekend, I’ve been corresponding with someone who worked closely on the production of TROS and works for one of the major companies I cannot disclose here. I have verified the source to my satisfaction. To protect the source, I am rewording what we spoke about over the last two weeks and am submitting it to you in bullet point format I have written based on what they told me. The TLDR is that they were upset with the final product of TROS and wanted to share their perspective on how it went down and where it went wrong.
The latest trailer for The New Mutants solidifies that the film will draw heavily from Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz’s classic Marvel Comics storyline “The Demon Bear Saga.” However, the footage may also reference one of the X-Men’s biggest foes: Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mister Sinister.
Although the name of the hospital in which The New Mutants is set isn’t mentioned in the trailer, faded writing above the main entrance appears to read “Milbury Hospital,” and places the date of the institution’s founding as sometime in the late 1800s. If that’s what indeed is written on the glass, this could have some major repercussions for The New Mutants, as both the name Milbury and the 1800s hold major significance for Mister Sinister.
The final scene in the season finale of Disney+’s The Mandalorian proved to be a double reveal — one that was relatively obvious to anyone who’s… well, ever seen any Star Wars before, and another that might not have made sense to anyone who wasn’t relatively deep in Star Wars lore.
The obvious reveal was that Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) had survived the crash of his TIE Fighter. That, again, was hardly a surprise — indeed, given the lack of visible explosion when the fighter crashed, it could be argued that no one was expected to have thought any different in the first place, even before the sight of Jawas clambering around the flaming TIE Fighter at the end of the episode.
As cliche as it may seem for the villain to survive the confrontation with the hero, Gideon living allows the show to further explore the mystery of the villain, which have continued to grow since his debut in the previous episode: What does he want with The Child? What role did he play in the Great Purge of Mandalore? That last question became even more pressing with the second reveal of the finale — that Gideon had the Darksaber.
The Darksaber, as the name suggests, is a form of lightsaber with an all-black blade. It’s not just a neat effect; it’s an object that has been part of Star Wars mythology for years, and specifically Mandalorian mythology. The Darksaber was created by the first Mandalorian Jedi in history more than a thousand years prior to the events of the first movie — technically, it’s somewhere around 1,030 years old by the time it shows up in The Mandalorian — and had, to this point, been an object that had been predominantly held by Mandalorians, or at least those intimately connected to Mandalore. While the final episode of The Mandalorian’s first season is the saber’s first appearance in live action, it has an extensive history in animation, being central to running storylines in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars — where it was, briefly, in the possession of Darth Maul during his time on the planet — and Star Wars Rebels, where it was last seen being used as a symbol to unite the Mandalorian clans under one rule. That the saber now belongs to Gideon only exacerbates his mystery. By the time he emerges from the TIE, he’s already someone with two apparent links to the Mandalorian culture: He knows the Mandalorian’s real name, seemingly as a result of his presence during the Purge, and he offered payment — though Werner Herzog’s intermediary — in Beskar, the alloy use to make Mandalorian armor. That he also has possession of an object so important to the Mandalorian culture underscores how tightly bound to it he himself is, but why? The Mandalorian’s second season will have countless new stories to explore, and new worlds to visit, judging on its first. But perhaps the most unexpected may be, what if Moff Gideon is, himself, a Mandalorian gone bad?
Ep 201: Rise of Skywalker Preview, Watchmen Season (Series?) Finale, Mandalorian, Best of the Year
Dec 19, 2019
PODCAST | Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker hits theaters this weekend! We give you our predictions sure to go wrong and debate which will be better: Mandalorian or Rise.
PLUS: Watchmen season (series?) finale? Where does it rank in our best of 2019? We give you our picks for best Comics, Movies and TV of the year!
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET.
The good news is that The Mandalorian Season 1’s penultimate Episode 7 is arriving on Disney+ this Wednesday, December 18 instead of its usual Friday drop. Why? Well, as you can imagine, it’s tied to the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which opens in theaters on Friday, December 20. Star Wars wants to reserve that Friday for Episode IX’s end of the Skywalker Saga.
Lucasfilm is not missing this opportunity for some Star Wars cross-promotion. The Mandalorian Chapter 7/Episode 7 will include an exclusive sneak peek at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. So if you are among those fans that think Star Wars has been revealing too much in Rise of Skywalker trailers, you have been warned.
Rise of Skywalker Preview
Segment 2: Watchmen Watch: Season Finale Review
The Hollywood Reporter speaks with the ‘Lost’ and ‘The Leftovers’ creator about bringing his graphic novel adaptation to a close, where he stands with season two and more.
It’s similar to the ending of the graphic novel: a hand hovering over Rorschach’s journal. Is it going to make it to print? Are these secrets going to blow up the world? Here, it’s a foot: is it about to stand on water, and is the world about to change once more?
Correct. I understand some people will probably shout at their TV screens. I feel that this ending is the closest to Watchmen, based on what you just said. It’s not that it’s not important as to whether Rorschach’s journal is going to get published or not. It’s just that it feels like a good place to end the story. Both stories moving forward are less interesting than ending in that moment of choice. Without demystifying it further, that’s what our math was.
Angela makes her decision, Adrian Veidt (Jeremy Irons) is arrested and the world may soon learn about his hoax… the world of Watchmen may once again be fundamentally changing at the end of the season. Before the series aired, you said you were viewing this season as its own piece, that this may be the end of the story. With the finale now upon us, has that changed? Are you interested in a second season? Is it something you’re still considering the possibility of exploring?
It’s so interesting that you present the question that way, because, am I interested in a second season? The answer to that question is yes, in the same way that I’m interested in anything that calls itself Watchmen. I do find it interesting, where the story could go next. More importantly, I think we always think about how season two of a show is the continuing adventures of the first season of the show. That’s what happened on Lost. That’s what happened on Breaking Bad. But there’s another thing that’s happened on television. Look at season two of The Wire. That season, it’s the docks. McNulty and the cops are relegated to being second-stringers, no pun intended, in the second season of The Wire. The third season is “Hamsterdam,” the fourth season is a deep dive on public schools. I think Watchmen, not unlike Fargo or True Detective, can accommodate a much larger space of storytelling. That’s interesting to me.
As for me? I haven’t had the idea. I had to convince myself if this was going to be a satisfying nine-episode series, we wouldn’t bury things for later, having done the opposite of that thing on both Lost and to some degree The Leftovers. “Save nothing for the way back.”
Yup, exactly. Look at where the needle is, and run it all the way down to empty, knowing wherever the car stops, that’s it. Now, is a helicopter going to come down, lower its ladder, I hop on and the journey continues? Anything’s possible. But I have to be able to answer the question: “What’s the idea for the second season?” I don’t think I’m interested in, nor do I think the audience is interested in, “Let’s just do more of the same.” Because then it wouldn’t be Watchmen. It requires a new idea. Maybe that idea is going to come from someone else. I would welcome that, one hundred percent.
EP 200: Wonder Woman vs Ghostbusters, Watchmen Vs Mandalorian, Best of the Decade with Starlight Runner
Dec 12, 2019
PODCAST | We celebrate our 200th episode inside the offices of Transmedia giant Starlight Runner. Guests Jeff Gomez, Steele Filipek, Fabian Nicieza and the entire SLR team help us break out the bubbly and rank the best Comics, Movies & TV Shows of the Decade!
PLUS: Watchmen puts a new spin on Dr. Manhattan, Mandalorian keeps Baby Yoda’ing us and Wonder Woman takes on Ghostbusters in a weekend Trailer Truth or Trash Duel
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET.
The Watchmen comic book never gave readers an exhaustive rundown of the many ways Doctor Manhattan can affect the reality around him, so it wasn’t altogether surprising when the TV show introduced the concept of his abilities being transferrable to other forms of organic matter. That reveal seemingly offered up answers for Will Reeves’ more unnatural behavior, such as his ability to escape handcuffs and to grab boiling eggs straight from the pot. Plus, it would make sense that Doctor Manhattan would try and guarantee Will’s survival up until at least the 10-year mark, so that he could keep watch over Angela. (Even if Will did get some of Doctor Manhattan’s abilities, is he alone?)
3. Did Angela Actually Doom Judd Crawford?
Angela’s time-jumping question to her grandfather Will is the kind of time-traveling paradox situation that’s fairly common to sci-fi narratives. However, I have to believe Damon Lindelof’s creative team will completely flip expectations when all is said and done, and that Angela’s actions will have various ramifications that viewers hadn’t been aware of. In any case, even if Judd wasn’t wholly deserving of a forced suicide, he was seemingly still guilty of conspiring with Senator Keene, so his day of reckoning was certainly near already.
4. Does Doctor Manhattan’s Pre-Cal Appearance Matter?
“A God Walks Into Abar” purposefully hindered audience’s views of Doctor Manhattan’s face during both the flashbacks in the bar and on Europa. However, it wasn’t entirely clear if there was a plot-related mechanic involved, or if his face was only being hidden in order to put more emphasis on Yahya Abdul-Mateen II whenever he goes full Manhattan blue. I can’t imagine that there will be an additional twist related to the superhuman’s non-Call appearance, but I wouldn’t be shocked.
5. How Are Lady Trieu And Adrian Veidt Connected?
Beyond a squid-shaped shadow of a doubt, Adrian Veidt has deep ties to Lady Trieu that go beyond the fact that she currently owns all of his companies. In this episode, Veidt quipped that “a little elephant” told him about Doctor Manhattan’s Europa life, which is seemingly a direct reference to Lady Trieu. Her company’s logo, after all, resembles an elephant’s face; not to mention she was housing an actual elephant that was used to soak up Angela’s Nostalgia. But are they related? Acquaintances? Enemies?
6. Where Is Looking Glass?
Though Looking Glass appeared to be a goner the last time we saw him, the character’s survival was more or less confirmed in Episode 7, though his whereabouts have remained a mystery. Anyone hoping for Looking Glass to do heroic things to save Doctor Manhattan from the Seventh Kavalry was out of luck, sadly. Here’s hoping the mentally fractured cop chose to go directly after Senator Keene and the teleporter in order to stop the 7K’s plan.
8. Does Topher Have Special Abilities?
For the most part, Angela and Cal’s kids have served as emotional connections, as opposed to fully developed characters in their own right. However, each of Topher’s appearances have hinted at something else happening under the surface. Is that just the show finding ways to mirror Topher and Doctor Manhattan’s distant nature, or have there been an actual genetic changes while Topher lived under the same roof as the hibernating Manhattan?
10. What Does The Millennium Clock Do, Dangit?
Theories abound concerning Lady Trieu’s Millennium Clock, because no one is buying that all it does is tell time. Is it some kind of time machine? Will it give everyone on Earth (or at least Tulsa) superpowers like Doctor Manhattan? Or will it instill in everyone a sense of empathy and peace, providing the opposite of the traumatic psychic energy put forth by Veidt’s squid monster? Or will it do one of roughly a million other things?
11. Why Did Doctor Manhattan Show Angela His Water-Walking Skills?
Episode 8’s post-credits sequence provided some confusing context for Veidt’s horseshoe comment back in the series premiere, which almost definitely means that Doctor Manhattan’s pool walk will lead to some kind of a big reference in the finale. But why would he specifically need to show Angela that ability so soon before he was meant to be killed off by the Seventh Kavalry? Does that detail alone serve as proof that Manhattan will return in the finale in some form?
The Mandalorian: 6 Biggest Questions After Episode 5
Seriously, What’s The Issue With Droids?
When Mando arrives back in our favorite retched hive of scum and villainy, Mos Eisley spaceport, he take pot shots at the droids who run out to start checking out his ship. It’s not that he doesn’t want anybody touching the craft, he knows it needs work, but he just doesn’t want the droids to be the ones to do it.
This calls back to the first episode of the series when Mando refused to take a speeder that was being driven by a droid. He seems to have an issue with the entire concept of droids. Except, at the end of the previous episode, we see Baby Yoda and Mando (in the image above) get onto a cart that seems to be clearly being pulled by a droid. So what’s going on?
Why Does Mando Leave the Door Open?
My favorite part of this episode of The Mandalorian had to be when Mando takes the brunt of the mechanic’s anger when she admonishes him for not knowing anything about kids. That is clearly true. Any parent would never do what he does here.
First, he leaves the kid sleeping in the ship and goes off to the cantina. Then, he proceeds to just leave the door open on the ship, allowing Baby Yoda to just walk down the ramp for the world to see. As the parent of a 2-year-old, I know that it doesn’t matter how soundly your kid is sleeping, that could change any minute. This kid seems like it can take care of itself. If he had just left the ramp up, it probably would have been fine until Mando got back.So why leave the ramp down like that.
Why Was The Mos Eisley Cantina So Empty?
As somebody who has grown up with the original trilogy and can still remember the first time I saw it, when I think of Star Wars at all, the first image in my head is of the Mos Eisley Cantina. All those interesting and weird creatures. Some of them a bit scary, others simply fascinating. Even before the Special Edition filled it with even more life, it was our first glimpse into the larger world of Star Wars.
And yet, when the Mandalorian walks into the exact same place, it’s kinda dead. There are a few creatures there, to be sure, but if this were an actual western a tumbleweed would have blown in with Mando. It’s a far cry from the place we saw in Star Wars: A New Hope. Did Obi-Wan and Luke just happen to show up during happy hour? Has Tatooine fallen on hard times since the Empire fell?
Are Tuskan Raiders Ninjas?
In another callback to Star Wars: A New Hope Mando and his new “partner” Toro, run into some Tuskan Raiders and, while Toro is looking at some of them threw a pair of binocs, another pair show up standing right next to him. A hilarious reference to the way Luke Skywalker got jumped in Episode IV.
At the time, most of us probably chalked up Luke’s error to the fact that he was a dumb kid who just wasn’t paying attention. However, now it looks like that’s not entirely the case. This pair of Sand People shows up silently and they apparently do it right in front of The Mandalorian. He must watch them approach. It seems they’re just capable of moving without any evidence when they need to. Perhaps we should give Tuskan Raiders a bit more credit.
Who’s Our Mystery Man (or Woman)?
One thing that The Mandalorian has largely steered clear of so far is anything resembling a cliffhanger ending. Most major conflicts resolves themselves and while we’re certainly curious what happens next, there’s been no last minute stinger to get us really worked up and getting crazy for the next episode, until now.
The final moments of “The Gunslinger” shows us somebody approaching the body Fennec Shand, the assassin that Mando had been hunting. She still appears to be dead, but whoever it is walks all the way up to her and kneels down before the episode cuts to black. Who is this mystery person? Another bounty hunter who has been denied a prize? Were they after Fennec or Mando?Are we lucky enough that maybe Fennec isn’t dead, because Ming-Na Wen wasn’t in nearly enough of this show.
This last question we will almost certainly find an answer to before too long, it will end up being relevant somehow. The rest of the questions we’ve asked about The Mandalorian, who knows?
Segment 4:
Spin The Racks: Best of the Decade With Starlight Runner
EP 199: Black Widow Trailer, Big Watchmen Reveal, Mike Marts After Shock Comics Interview
Dec 05, 2019
PODCAST | We take you inside Marvel’s first 2020 Trailer reveal and go inside Scarlett Johanson’s first solo Black Widow film. But with her character seemingly deceased, how will this flick fit into the FUTURE of the MCU?
PLUS: Watchmen’s Big Reveal leaves many heads spinning. And what’s the real issue with this series?
AND: Editor/Co-Founder Mike Marts Spins the Aftershock Comics Racks
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET.
“Considering episode seven’s ending, it would appear we have some explaining to do,” Lindelof tells The Hollywood Reporter about the ending of “An Almost Religious Awe,” in a quick interview conducted over e-mail. “I’m answering these questions before it airs, but if I were watching the show, I’d be starting to panic that we can’t possibly bring this all together in just two more episodes. So, uh…don’t panic?”
Black Widow trailer decoded: Taskmaster, little ‘sis,’ and Red Guardian explained
The preview begins with the heroine staring at her reflection in a mirror, setting the tone for the forces and themes at play. “I used to have nothing,” she says during a flashback to her Avengers: Age of Ultron Wanda-vision, the one that glimpsed her past training to become a Black Widow assassin. She continues, “…and then I got this job, this family, but nothing lasts forever.” Her family was the Avengers, obviously, and since this film takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War, which saw Earth’s Mightiest Heroes disband, those last words hold more weight for her.
Now, Natasha is on her own, since warning Tony Stark he should watch his back. But where?
Segment 2: Watchmen Watch: Episode 6 Review
The Hollywood Reporter speaks with Lindelof about the HBO drama’s most surprising twist yet: “It would appear we have some explaining to do.”
[This story contains spoilers for season one, episode six of HBO’s Watchmen, “An Almost Religious Awe,” as well as the comic books from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons on which the show is based.]
“You’re not yourself.”
Angela Abar (Regina King) offers these ominous words shortly before hitting her husband, Cal (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), in the head with a hammer, cracking open his skull and revealing his true, blue form: Doctor Manhattan, the atomic demigod from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ original Watchmen text. As it turns out, the erstwhile Jon Osterman has not spent the past 30 years on Mars, as Damon Lindelof’s version of events would have viewers believe. Instead, Doctor Manhattan lives in Tulsa, taking on the human likeness of Cal Abar.
For those keeping score: Angela Abar is not just iconic in her own right as Sister Night, she’s also the granddaughter of founding masked crime-fighter Hooded Justice (Louis Gossett Jr.), as well as the wife of the only true superpowered hero in the known Watchmen universe — and this news comes with only two episodes remaining before the HBO series wraps its first (and potentially only) season.
“Considering episode seven’s ending, it would appear we have some explaining to do,” Lindelof tells The Hollywood Reporter about the ending of “An Almost Religious Awe,” in a quick interview conducted over e-mail. “I’m answering these questions before it airs, but if I were watching the show, I’d be starting to panic that we can’t possibly bring this all together in just two more episodes. So, uh…don’t panic?”
Ahead, Lindelof answers a few key questions about the Doctor Manhattan reveal, as well as the episode’s other critical events: Angela Abar’s past life in Vietnam coming into focus, as well as Senator Joe Keene (James Wolk) revealing the Seventh Kavalry’s secret plot to capture and become Doctor Manhattan.
Segment 3: ‘The Mandalorian’ and One of the Great Mysteries of ‘Star Wars’
The new character, Cara Dune, provides some clarity on galactic politics after ‘Return of the Jedi’ and why the First Order was able to rise by the events of ‘Force Awakens.’
Segment 4: Spin The Racks with Mike Marts After Shock Comics
EP 198: Brian Volk-Weiss Talks Toys That Made Us, Baby Yoda Bootlegs, Jon Favreau vs Kathleen Kennedy, Watchmen Ep 6
Nov 28, 2019
PODCAST | Brian Volk-Weiss Talks The Toys That Made Us Season 3 and finally settles the debate: Power Rangers vs Ninja Turtles (well, not really).
PLUS: Baby Yoda Bootleg merch floods the market, but should we be talking about Jon Favreau as the new head of Star Wars?
AND: We Watch More Watchmen! Episode 6 brings together everything Damon Lindelof has laid out, but just because something is predictable does it not make it good?
About the PODCAST: We talk Comics, Movies, TV & Pop Culture every Wednesday night 8pm ET.
Get ready for fights over Baby Yoda toys on Black Friday.
Disney is said to be launching merchandise of the Child — the adorable, big-eyed new character that captured everyone’s hearts in “The Mandalorian” — just in time for holiday shopping, CNBC reports.
‘Star Wars’ Rolling Stone Interview: Kathleen Kennedy
Is this final entry in the trilogy a particularly hard nut to crack? Every one of these movies is a particularly hard nut to crack. There’s no source material. We don’t have comic books. We don’t have 800-page novels. We don’t have anything other than passionate storytellers who get together and talk about what the next iteration might be. We go through a really normal development process that everybody else does. You start by talking to filmmakers who you think exhibit the sensibilities that you’re looking for. And I would argue that the list is very small — people who really do have the sensibilities about these kind of movies, and then the experience and the ability to handle how enormous a job these movies are. So we try to be as thoughtful as we possibly can about making those choices. I would also argue that sometimes people get involved in the normal development process, and then they realize, “Oh, my God, this is so much more than I ever imagined.” So it’s pretty common that when you’re working on movies, you’re not making choices and decisions that necessarily work out exactly the way you want from the get-go. It’s been an evolving process with lots of people and lots of opinions, and then you try to shape something into what it eventually becomes. So I feel really fortunate that I’ve worked with so many great people that have been absolutely committed, J.J. being one of them. He’s a huge fan, incredibly passionate about Star Wars, and has been from the moment he and I sat down and started talking about this. And the more he got involved, the more excited he became. So I think if you asked him today, he probably wishes he’d been in a situation where he could have done all three — but as I said, these are huge projects. So it’s very difficult unless there’s three or four years in between. It’s not really physically possible.
Segment 2: Watchmen Watch: Episode 6 Review
• Love that they are mining the Minutemen for new story o Bringing Race IntoThe Story of Minuteman, making Hooded Justice Black It Was Interesting o Overdoing the racial motivation?? • What Would Alan Moore Think? • Just because something is predictable is it a bad story? o Bringing Back The Parrallels to Tulsa o Nice device using Nostalgia • The gay storyline was surprising • Love the parallels between the pilot
Segment 4: Spin The [Toy] Racks with Brian Volk-Weiss
• New Season of Toys That Made Us • Power Rangers vs Ninja Turtles
Marvel’s Runaways is cancelled at Hulu; the series is set to end with season 3 next month as a new trailer is released. A few years ago, Marvel TV was rapidly expanding, with series set up at ABC, Netflix, Hulu and Freeform. However, in the last year a number of those shows have been cancelled or confirmed to be ending. All of the Marvel Netflix series, from Daredevil to The Punisher, were cancelled between the end of 2018 and early 2019. Marvel TV’s last live-action series on ABC, Agents of SHIELD is set to end with season 7, which will air in 2020.
‘Justice League’: Zack Snyder, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot Call for Release of Fabled “Snyder Cut”
Despite the push for the filmmaker’s version of the film, insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter no announcement is imminent.
A fabled director’s cut of 2017’s Justice League got a boost on Sunday, the second anniversary of the film’s release.
In May 2017, filmmaker Zack Snyder stepped down as director of Justice League after the death of his daughter, Autumn Snyder, so he could be with his family. Director Joss Whedon boarded the Warner Bros./DC superhero teamup movie to write new scenes and to complete the project through reshoots.
Segment 2: ‘The Mandalorian’ and When ‘Star Wars’ Is an Experiment
For a property as valuable as Star Wars, it’s been a surprise to see such experimentation done in public, not to mention presented as completed work, as opposed to happening in the background before being refined
Best Baby
Baby Yoda vs Baby Groot?
Boss Baby
Baby Sinclair
Maggie Simpson
Segment 3: Watchmen Watch: Episode 5 Review
Would you still be following along if you didn’t read the Graphic Novel?
Segment 4: Spin the Racks: Heidi MacDonald Interview
Comics Beat is 15 years old
Compare comics of today to when you got into the biz
EP 196: The Mandalorian Review, The Batman Casting News, Kevin Feige, Watchmen Episode 4 Review
Nov 14, 2019
PODCAST | Disney+ is FINALLY here and there is an Earth shattering reveal in the Mandalorian. We tell you the ramifications on Episode 9 and beyond.
PLUS: The Batman Casts it’s Commissioner Gordon and there are some big names on deck. Will this movie mirror a comic book classic? We spin the Batman racks!
And: Watchmen Watch Ep 4, new characters introduced. Are the plotlines (finally) coming together?
1) Kevin Feige Responds to Scorcese 2) James Dean returns… so when can we get a young Harrison Ford to play Indiana jones again? 3) MANDALORIAN ep 1 Review 4) Watchmen Ep 4 5) Batman Casting News and which comic it may be based on
In his first public comments about the debate raging over whether or not his films are cinema, the architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe notes, “Everybody has a different definition of art.”
Celebs come out against CGI casting of James Dean in new film
James Dean is set to star in upcoming Vietnam-era drama “Finding Jack,” despite the fact that the iconic actor died over six decades ago.
Segment 2: ‘The Mandalorian’: What to Know Before the ‘Star Wars’ Show
There’s quite a bit of backstory to the title of the new Disney+ series, which launches Tuesday.
The Mandalorian is, in many ways, a new beginning for Star Wars — not just the first live-action television series for the property, but also one set during a period the movies have avoided to this point, and with an all-new cast of characters. It’s also something very much taking advantage of mythology and ideas that have a long history in the 40-plus years of Star Wars stories that already exist.
With that in mind, it’s worth looking back across what is already known about events in a galaxy far, far away, just in case there are details about Mandalorians that could help understand just what Pedro Pascal’s helmeted hero is up to in the new series. Keep reading for a crash course in Manda-lore, and yes, I’m as sorry for that pun as you are.
What Is a Mandalorian, Anyway? In Star Wars history, Mandalorians are a warrior race with distinctive armor — that’s why Jango Fett, Boba Fett and the star of the new series all look quite so similar — who have, historically, worked as mercenaries and bounty hunters.
The first mention of Mandalorians came in Marvel’s first Star Wars comic book series, with 1983’s No. 68 featuring a (non-canonical) backstory for Boba Fett that saw him as being one of a number of super-commandos protecting the planet Mandalore. That history was invalidated in 2002, with Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones introducing Jango Fett, Boba’s clone father, who wore near-identical armor, with no mention of Mandalore or Mandalorians to be found.
The first canonical appearance of the Mandalorians as a culture came in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which created an entire history for the alien race — short version: they were an alien race driven from their home planet that, after going to war with the Jedi over the fate of the Republic, became a pacifist culture for the most part — as well as a significant storyline based around the planet as it was temporarily overrun by a violent separatist group led by Darth Maul.
By the time of the Star Wars: Rebels animated series, Mandalore was being occupied by the Empire, leading to a planetary civil war that involves both the Empire and the Rebellion before resulting in a free Mandalore that is, once again, united under one leader — or, as they call them, Mand’alors. Yes, really. All of that happened prior to the original trilogy, so just what has happened to the Mandalorian culture by the time the show takes place is an open question.
When Does This Show Take Place, in Comparison to the Movies?
The Mandalorian is officially set five years after Return of the Jedi, meaning that the Empire has fallen and the New Republic is in its ascendency, even though things are far from peaceful throughout the galaxy. For anyone paying attention, and whether it matters, this means that The Mandalorian takes place 10 years after the end of the civil war on Mandalore.
Does Any of This Affect the Movies? It’s still unclear just what connection — if any — The Mandalore has with the storyline being told in the movies, in part because Lucasfilm and Disney have been very secretive about exactly what the plot of The Mandalorian actually is. It’s known that the Mandalorian is going to be sent to retrieve a mysterious — and living — cargo by former Imperial forces, but just what that cargo is remains a mystery for now.
According to a New York Times report, there’s a “universe spoiler” in the first episode, which would suggest there’s something going on that will impact the movies, but just what it could be is being very deliberately kept under wraps.
A wild guess: Is the Mandalorian being sent to retrieve the still-living Emperor, ahead of his eventual return in December’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Surely not…
What Should I Watch Before Sitting Down With the Show? In theory, everything anyone needs to know should be right there in the first episode, but for those looking for extra credit, try 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back — which introduced the bounty hunters of the Star Wars galaxy, including Boba Fett, for the the first time — and some of the more Mandalore-centric episodes of the animated shows, especially Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ “The Mandalore Plot” (season 2, episode 12), “Duchess of Mandalore” (season 2, episode 14), “Corruption” (season 3, episode 5), “Eminence” (season 5, episode 14), “Shades of Reason” (season 5, episode 15), and “The Lawless” (season 5, episode 16), as well as Star Wars: Rebels’ “Heroes of Mandalore” (season 4, episodes 1 and 2).
All of this will be available on Disney+, just to make homework a little bit easier.
Segment 3: Watchmen Watch: Episode 4 Review
Another new character introduced but some questions answered.
Does it tie into the unborn baby Comedian killed in Vietnam? Are Laurie and lady Treu half sisters?
So far, a few names have been confirmed for The Batman while others remain rumors or in early talks according to the trades. Zoë Kravitz was announced as the new Catwoman while Paul Dano will play the Riddler and Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright will take on the part of Commissioner Gordon. Then there are the rumors that Colin Farrell will play the Penguin and that Andy Serkis is in early discussions for the role of Alfred Pennyworth. Matthew McConaughy as Two Face.
The decision to have Batman go up against a full slate of iconic villains is one that’s been discussed since the project was in its earliest stages, with many speculating that the story could be based on or borrow heavily from Jeph Loeb’s The Long Halloween. In that comic arc, which takes place during Bruce’s early days as Batman, he works with Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon to track down a mysterious killer named Holiday, who murders people on major holidays, one every month. This leads him to confront the biggest names in Gotham’s crime world, from Scarecrow to Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Calendar Man, and the Joker.
EP 195: Terminator: Dark Fate Review, Into The Spiderverse 2, Watchmen Ep 3
Nov 07, 2019
PODCAST | Terminator: Dark Fate bombs at the box office… but was it any good? We review the film, tell you WHY audiences are tired of the Terminator and give you 3 ways to fix this franchise.
Plus: Watchmen Watch Episode 3 – the (not-so) crazy theory of where Adrian Veidt is.
AND: Into the Spiderverse 2 vs MCU Spidey Film 3: Which film do you want to see more?
FINALLY: Writer Todd Black talks Kickstarting your creations.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won’t be catching cobwebs.
After teasing fans on Twitter Thursday evening, Sony Pictures Animation confirmed Friday that the buzzy hero flick will get a sequel set to be released on April 8, 2022. The announcement was bolstered by a subsequent tweet showing “2022” flashing in a GIF foreground.
Segment 2:
‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Review
►Review: Terminator: Dark Fate. John DeFore reviews the big-budget sequel, which brings Linda Hamilton and James Cameron back into the Terminator fold.
Quote: “Dark Fate does offer a fair bit of pleasure to those wanting a 21st century retread of T2. But it suffers greatly from obeying the imperative the first sequel established: Trying to blow minds and up the ante the way that FX-pioneering adventure did, this one offers a series of action set pieces that go from big to huge to ludicrous, even as the script’s additions to fear-the-future mythology underwhelm.”
FIX MY FRANCHISE: 1) Stop retelling the same stories. IE: Look at Joker’s success 2) Stop selling CGI in place of story. 3) Pick the platform: Maybe TV is the way to go
Segment 3: Watchmen Watch: Episode 3 Review
First intersection of GN and new characters. Adrian Veidt theories…
Segment 4: Spin the Racks with Todd Black
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I’m a comic writer, novel writer, and overall creator of various things. I’ve made series like Guardians, Home, 10,000 Miles, Seekers of Science, Sherlock Holmes – The Greatest Detective and now…Tokyo Blade Detectives.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS?
I’ve got a new Kickstarter going on, and am about to release the fifth book in my Sherlock Holmes series. Also have another comic in the works and Seekers of Science #3 will arrive later in November.
GOT A HOT TAKE?
I’m tired of people saying that the majority of the DCEU films are terrible. I prefer Batman V Superman to Civil War any day of the week and twice on Sundays! Plus, I’m more excited for Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman 1984 than any of the Marvel movies in 2020.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
On Twitter; @Guardians_Comic On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authortoddblack/ On Amazon: amazon.com/author/toddblackbooks
“We love Star Wars. When George Lucas built it, he built us too,” Benioff and Weiss said in a statement. “Getting to talk about Star Wars with him and the current Star Wars team was the thrill of a lifetime, and we will always be indebted to the saga that changed everything. But there are only so many hours in the day, and we felt we could not do justice to both Star Wars and our Netflix projects. So we are regretfully stepping away.”
On the one end – we won’t have to answer the question of whether they actually could pull off non-sourced material or whether they’d screw up the star wars U (any more than it already was by Johnson)
On the other… they rushed #GameOfThrones to get to this.
Makes you wonder how much they were listening to the backlash from the fans
‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel Pilot Starring Naomi Watts Not Moving Forward at HBO
The “Game of Thrones” prequel pilot starring Naomi Watts is not going to series at HBO, Variety has confirmed with sources.
The cast and crew of the pilot were recently informed that HBO had passed on the project. The potential series was set to take place thousands of years prior to the events of the original series.
HBO declined to comment.
In addition to Watts, the pilot starred Josh Whitehouse, Naomi Ackie, Denise Gough, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sheila Atim, Ivanno Jeremiah, Georgie Henley, Alex Sharp, Toby Regbo, Miranda Richardson, Marquis Rodriquez, John Simm, Richard McCabe, John Heffernan, and Dixie Egerickx.
Jane Goldman co-created the project with George R.R. Martin, whose “A Song of Ice and Fire” novel series served as the basis for “Game of Thrones.” Goldman and Martin wrote the story, with Goldman writing the teleplay. She would also have served as showrunner. She and Martin were executive producers along with SJ Clarkson, Daniel Zelman, James Farrell, Jim Danger Gray, and “Game of Thrones” executive producer Vince Gerardis. Chris Symes was co-executive producer. Clarkson also directed the pilot.
The pilot was one of several “Game of Thrones”-related projects that were put into development at HBO prior to the end of the series. At this time, none of the other projects are believed to be moving forward either.
However, it was reported in September that HBO was nearing a pilot commitment for a project based on based on the “Game of Thrones” companion book “Fire & Blood,” which tells stories of previous Targaryen kings like Aegon the Conqueror, the first ruler of Westeros, and Aegon the Dragonbane, all of whom are ancestors of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington).
The seventh and final season of “Game of Thrones” proved to be highly-divisive among fans, many of whom criticized the direction the show took in its final episodes. Nevertheless, “Game of Thrones” won 12 Emmy Awards for the final season, including best drama series. The season had been nominated for 32 Emmys in total, the most for any series in history in a single year.
Deadline first reported the pilot not going forward.
Segment 2: Watchmen Theory: Adrian Veidt’s Butler Is Doctor Manhattan
The nature of Adrian Veidt’s (Jeremy Irons) creepy servants is one of the biggest questions in Watchmen, but it’s possible that Mr. Phillips (Tom Mison) could actually be Doctor Manhattan, or rather, a clone of his human alter ego Jon Osterman. Phillips and Veidt’s maid, Ms. Crookshanks (Sara Vickers), appeared in Watchmen’s pilot happily serving their master in his ornate castle. This includes acting in a bizarre play Adrian wrote called “The Watchmaker’s Son”. However, their twisted performance gives the powerful impression that Veidt is mocking Doctor Manhattan and his dead girlfriend Janey Slater via Phillips and Crookshanks, who could be their genetically-engineered doppelgangers.
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Though Watchmen hasn’t explicitly declared that Jeremy Irons’ is playing Adrian Veidt, the second episode, “Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship”, leaves little doubt that Irons’ mystery man is indeed Ozymandias. HBO’s tie-in website, Peteypedia, contains supplemental materials about the series, including a news clipping dated September 9, 2019 titled “Veidt Declared Dead”. The article states that Adrian Veidt vanished in 2012 – 7 years before Watchmen begins – but in the premiere episode, Irons’ character is celebrating some sort of anniversary, complete with a special gold and purple cake, which are the colors of Ozymandias. Further erasing doubts that Irons is Veidt, he declared he was writing a play – a tragedy in five acts called “The Watchmaker’s Son” – and now that it has been performed by Phillips and Crookshanks, it’s absolutely about Doctor Manhattan’s tragic origin – a tale Veidt knows very well.
Every fan of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel or Zack Snyder’s Watchmen movie remembers how Doctor Manhattan was created and “The Watchmaker’s Son” picks up at the story’s tragic end: in 1959 at the Gila Flats research lab, physicist Dr. Jon Osterman (Phillips) and his girlfriend Janey Slater (Vickers) are desperately in love but Jon mistakenly left his father’s pocket watch in their creation, the Intrinsic Field Generator. After going in to retrieve the watch, Osterman is sealed inside and is disintegrated, only to re-emerge weeks later as the superpowered being Doctor Manhattan. “The Watchmaker’s Son” bombastically mocks Jon’s ordeal, with Veidt in the crowd urging Crookshanks/Slater that he wants to “see those tears!” as Phillips/Osterman dies horribly. Seconds later, a nude Phillips painted blue emerges from the sealing as Doctor Manhattan, accompanied by Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” (a nod to Snyder’s film). The play concludes with Veidt resignedly joining Phillips/Manhattan in reciting the ominous final words, “Nothing ever ends”.
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To make the play believable, Veidt actually has Phillips roasted alive in his mock “Intrinsic Field Generator”, which leads to the next big shock: there are multiple Mr. Phillips and Ms. Crookshanks because they are indeed all clones. This makes sense since Ozymandias is a master of genetic engineering; in the 1980s, his prized pet was a giant cloned lynx named Bubastis and Veidt made a fortune selling his cloning technology in the 1990s. Veidt’s expertise must have expanded to creating (not quite perfect) humans.
But since Phillips and Crookshanks are clones, who did Veidt model them after? It’s quite possible he chose to base his disposable servants on Jon Osterman and Janey Slater. After all, Ozymandias knew both of them quite well; he first met Doctor Manhattan and Slater at the ill-fated only meeting of the Crime Busters superhero team in the 1960s. In 1985, he conspired to infect Slater with cancer as part of his scheme to force Doctor Manhattan to leave the planet, paving the way for his hoax that would ultimately save the world in Watchmen’s ending. Given what he did to the real Janey, he clearly would have no qualms about killing their duplicates. Further, Watchmen has teased Doctor Manhattan will appear in the series but has not announced who plays the blue super-being – could it be because Tom Mison is already ‘cast’ in a version of the role and is right there in plain sight?
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If the servants really are clones of Jon Osterman and Janey Slater, then Adrian Veidt must despise Doctor Manhattan enough so that in his exile, wherever he is, Ozymandias could have chosen to make replicas of his nemesis and his girlfriend to literally dote on him hand and foot – and then kill them for his own amusement. “The Watchmaker’s Son” feels like a kind of excessively petty revenge by a bitter old man who is powerless against the real Doctor Manhattan. But nothing ever ends in Watchmen, including Veidt’s ire at Doctor Manhattan, so much so that it looks like Ozymandias ruthlessly murders clones of Jon Osterman and Janey Slater as a sick form of recreation and catharsis.
EP 193: Episode IX Trailer Review, Watchmen Review
Oct 24, 2019
PODCAST | How ’bout that Star Wars Episode IX Trailer? Did it get you HYPED? Is CP3-O a goner? Our predictions sure to go wrong!
PLUS: Who watches the Watchmen? Apparently a LOT of people. And they’ve all got opinions about it. Were you as skeptical as we were about a Watchmen TV sequel to the graphic novel? Us too. Are you skeptical anymore after that powerful debut episode? We debate!
Segment 1: #Sire Bytes ►Joker approaches an R-rated record. +Jared Leto fumed over Joker. Suicide Squad More. The Warner Bros. pic, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix, is well on its way to becoming the top- grossing R-rated film of all time at the global box office, not adjusted for inflation. Deadpool is the current record holder with $783 million in worldwide ticket sales. Through Sunday, Joker’ s global total stands at $737.5 million after three weekends in release. The film is expected to ultimately take in close to $900 million globally; some even think it has a shot at approaching $1 billion.
Kim Masters reports that the actor, who played The Joker in , was furious after learning about the standalone film. “[W]hen the Oscar-winning actor learned of the Phillips project, he not only complained bitterly to his agents at CAA, who also represent Phillips, but asked his music manager, Irving Azoff, to call the leader of Warners parent company (it’s unclear whether it was Time Warner’s Jeff Bewkes or AT&T’s Randall Stephenson, depending on the timing). The idea was to get Warners to kill the Phillips film.”
HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ Premiere Sheds Light On Tulsa Race Massacre Of 1921
In 1921, a mob of White terrorists destroyed a section of Tulsa, known as Black Wall Street, leaving hundreds dead and injured. If you tuned into the premiere of HBO’s Watchmen on Sunday, then you may have recognized an important moment in Black history.
Last night, the series opened with a flashback to the Black Wall Street Massacre, also known as the Tulsa Race Massacre. While Watchmen is set in an alternate reality, the events of the Tulsa Race Massacre are very real. The real event happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the series takes place, in the Greenwood neighborhood of the city. The riot began Memorial Day after a 19-year-old Black shoeshiner named Dick Rowland was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, a 17- year-old White elevator operator. An angry mob of White people later gathered at the courthouse where they believed Rowland was being held, and soon violence erupted across the city as the angry mob grew and spread. While the official death toll of the massacre has been reported as 36, historians believe that number to be way too low. It is likely that up to 300 people were murdered, while more than 8,000 people were left homeless. Police later concluded that Rowland had likely stumbled into Page or stepped on her foot. The last surviving witness of the massacre, Dr. Olivia Hooker, told NPR back in 2018 that Greenwood had been “a neighborhood where you could be treated with respect.” “My father’s store was destroyed,” she said. “There was nothing left but one big safe. It was so big they couldn’t carry it away, so they had to leave it—in the middle of the rubble.” Hooker also told Radio Diaries, “It was a horrifying thing for a little girl who’s only 6 years old trying to remember to keep quiet, so they wouldn’t know we were there.” A report from The New York Times also recalled the horrifying scene.
“Fires had been started by the White invaders soon after 1 o’clock and other fires were set from time to time. By 8 o’clock, practically the entire 30 blocks of homes in the negro quarters were in flames and few buildings escaped destruction. Negroes caught in their burning homes were in many instances shot down as they attempted to escape.” Hooker told NPR that she remains optimistic, adding, “Our parents tried to tell us, don’t spend your time agonizing over the past. They encouraged us to look forward and think about how we could make things better.” Pro Trent Reznor The Vibe Con Rorsach being used as the symbol for White Supremacy ‘Watchmen’ Premiere Draws 1.5 Million Viewers, Delivering Strongest Digital Debut For HBO Since ‘Westworld’ https://deadline.com/2019/10/watchmen-ratings-regina-king-damon-lindelof-hbo-digital- 1202765310/ Who watches the Watchmen? Well, everybody apparently. Damon Lindelof’s highly-anticipated series based on the critically acclaimed and award-winning Alan Moore graphic novel debuted on Sunday night to strong numbers, delivering 1.5 million viewers across all HBO platforms.
The linear premiere telecast of the new drama starring Regina King was 21% above last week’s Succession season finale. It also marked the strongest debut performance for a series on HBO’s digital platforms since the premium cabler debuted Westworld in 2016, another series based on an existing sci-fi/fantasy property. On top of all of that, the 9 PM telecast of the freshman series averaged 800,000 viewers making it premium cable’s most-watched new series debut this year. The pilot of Watchmen was directed by Nicole Kassell from a script by Lindelof. The new series isn’t a straight adaptation of the graphic novel, but more of a sequel that finds an America ruled by long-serving President Robert Redford. Its an alternative 2019 America where the best intentions have seen technology curtailed, the police are now hidden by masks like the outlawed superheroes, and white supremacy has picked up the legacy of the infamous Rorschach. King stars alongside Don Johnson, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hong Chau, Andrew Howard, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing and James Wolk
Segment 3: Spin The Racks So Kevin Feige runs Marvel Comics now – what does that mean? Welcome to the coldest take on this week’s biggest news: the somewhat inevitable news that the fifth most powerful person in entertainment, Kevin Feige, would be taking over Marvel publishing and television as part of his portfolio, with the added title of Chief Creative Officer. It’s taken us a little while to put this together because we spent some time digging among our sources to see what the move really meant. In
the short term, surely it means few immediate changes for Marvel Publishing. – and likewise, a ding to Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter, who is disliked by both Feige and Disney head Bob Iger. Indeed, remember this rumor from earlier in the year: Rumor: Marvel Comics is moving to the West Coast? Although it was only a rumor – as I reported at the time – it was a surprisingly insistent and strong one and the pattern of chatter suggested that there was something that had set it off. I’m now hearing many renewed claims that … but I’d still classify these as mere speculation at this point. But the option is more on the table than it has been for a while. And who knows, with Marvel Entertainment in charge, maybe Marvel Comics would get more bathrooms. When looking at this whole move there are a few key elements: Feige now rules Marvel’s TV arm: You would have had to be pretty oblivious not to see Marvel Studio’s gradual annexation of Marvel Television, culminating in the Hall H reveals of all the shows coming to Disney+ under Feige. Marvel TV’s output has been closing up shop, with the Netflix deal lying in the graveyard of TV shows, Agents of Shield ending this year and even an upcoming Ghost Rider show suddenly canceled. Gabriel Luna fans mourned that one, but the rest of Marvel TV’s output was not appointment TV: Two things that became clear the more we talked to people: that this move had been in the works for a while and that it was aimed more at the TV side of things, with the comics/publishing side more of a bonus prize for Feige move to Burbank, Marvel Publishing will definitely at some point in the unspecified future “Legion,” a collaboration with FX Productions and “Fargo” executive producer Noah Hawley, also recently wrapped up on FX after three seasons. Marvel TV had a very public misfire in ABC’s “Inhumans” series, which was canceled after one poorly-reviewed season in 2017, while the Fox-Marvel series “The Gifted” was canceled after two seasons earlier this year. A live-action “New Warriors” project had been ordered straight to series at Freeform in 2017, but that
project was scrapped a year later. An animated “Deadpool” series from Donald and Stephen Glover that had received a series order from FXX also fell apart last year, with studio and network — as with “Ghost Rider” — citing creative differences. The result is a slate that has been winnowed down to just a handful of projects. Marvel Television’s two current live-action shows are “Runaways” at Hulu, which launches its third season in December, and “Cloak & Dagger” at Freeform. The latter show ended its second season in April with no word yet on whether it will receive a third. Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb was, critically, not mentioned in any of Disney’s released info on the Feige move and it has been confirmed . Just where he’ll end up in this is a question mark, but multiple sources told me to keep an eye on the very well-liked Stephen Wacker, currently VP, Creative and Content Development at Marvel Entertainment. Anyway, with things like the Scarlet Witch/Vision retro- com WandaVision forming the spine of the new Disney+ service, we won’t see any lessening of the MCU on streaming land. Feige has proven his ability to build comic book style continuity on a multi- million dollar budget platform, and he won’t stop now. But where does that leave… Disney’s Overall Publishing Plans and where Marvel Comics fits into it Marvel Comics based material has become an arm of Disney’s overall publishing program via Marvel Press. There’s also Marvel’s own fairly vigorous licensing program which has seen some of their material for younger readers sent out to publishers like IDW (much as Dark Horse published comics material based on Disney and Pixar properties.) But then Marvel was just hiring an editor to work on YA materials? I dunno! that he now reports directly to Feige This part of the business isn’t talked about as much as the comics or TV arms, because it’s less interesting to the fanbase, but believe me,
Disney leaves no potential profit source unexploited. I recall how early in the Marvel/Disney relationship there were some x-over things like the Haunted Mansion graphic novel, part of the Disney Kingdoms line at Marvel. But that kind of theme park-ish spinoff has, rather sensibly, been moved to the licensed publishing program, as Haunted Mansion is now at IDW. Does Kevin Feige even like periodical comics? So that brings us back to the main question – what practical effects will this have on Marvel’s comics publishing efforts? Will Feige be sitting in on every story summit henceforward and weighing the relative merits of which X-men should get their own books? Hardly. I’m told that Feige does seem to have a real reverence for the legacy of the print origins of the MCU, and those who created it and that, disputes with the Marvel Creative Committee aside, he has strong working relationships with Marvel PresidentDan Buckley and Joe Quesada who has the current title of exec VP, creative director at Marvel Entertainment. Marvel publisher John Nee as not mentioned in any of the intel, but I’m told he’s still in place, reporting to Buckley as before, with Sana Amanat and CB Cebulski also still in place. Quesada may be a little busy though, as he’s hosting his own show on Disney+, an Anthony Bourdain-type exploration of the creative community called Storyboards. The most likely scenario is that Marvel Comics will run much as before, with maybe a little more direct input as an R&D department for the MCU. That still leaves Perlmutter in charge of the purse strong, however, and while he can’t legally be entirely banished, he’s being painted into an increasingly smaller corner at Marvel. But to summarize for now: no big changes in the near future on the publishing end and Marvel remains the most successful brand in The big test, more than one person told me, will be when Feige or the Marvel editorial team wants to hire someone pricey – something currently not allowed. Marvel’s cheapskate ways have increasingly applied to page rates of late, and that’s behind their continuing reliance on a revolving door of creators. Disney has never been known as a money spout, but there’s more to come on this front for sure.
existence right now. But nothing stays the same in the churning world of movies, TV and streaming of 2020 and beyond.
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PODCAST | We came to rank! Who are the best Jokers of all time? What are the worst Kevin Smith movies? And Vault E-I-C Adrian Wassel ranks the Vault comics YOU need to be reading right now before they hit the big screen!
“Big Little Lies” star Zoe Kravitz has been tapped to play Catwoman, the antiheroine and sometime love interest of the Caped Crusader, in Matt Reeves’ upcoming “The Batman.”
Kravitz will star opposite Robert Pattinson as Batman.
In recent weeks, the role came down to Kravitz, Zazie Beetz of “Atlanta,” “Deadpool 2” and “Joker,” “Baby Driver’s” Eiza Gonzalez and Oscar winner Alicia Vikander. Ultimately, Kravitz won out, despite some worry about scheduling issues with “Fantastic Beasts.”
Pre-production on the Warner Bros.-DC Comics pic is expected to start this summer. No official start date has been set, although insiders tell Variety that filming could start in late 2019 or early 2020. “The Batman” is scheduled to hit theaters June 25, 2021.
Reeves, the filmmaker behind the last two “Planet of the Apes” sequels, took over “Batman” directing duties from Ben Affleck in January 2017. Affleck departed his role as Batman following “Justice League,” allowing Reeves to pick his own Bruce Wayne. Reeves’ “Planet of the Apes” collaborator Dylan Clark will produce.
Box Office: ‘Joker’ Goes Crazy With $55M; ‘Addams Family’ Buries ‘Gemini Man
Globally, ‘Joker’ has collected a staggering $544 million. Meanwhile at the specialty box office, ‘Parasite’ scored the biggest location average in three years with $125,421.
Todd Phillips’ Joker is laughing all the way to the bank, earning an outstanding $55 million in its sophomore weekend for a 10-day domestic total of $192.7 million and a massive global haul of $543.9 million.
Joker easily remained at No. 1, although MGM and United Artists Releasing’s early Halloween family pic The Addams Family came in a strong No. 2 with $30.3 million, ahead of expectations and more than enough to bury Ang Lee’s big-budget Gemini Man, starring Will Smith, which followed at No. 3 with an estimated $20.5 million.
Overseas, Joker remained a powerhouse for Warner Bros., grossing $125.7 million from 79 markets for a foreign cume of $351.2 million.
Gemini Man, conversely, took in a soft $31.1 million from 58 markets for an early $39 million offshore total and $59.5 million globally. Mexico and Russia led the weekend with $2.7 million each, followed by $2.2 million both in the U.K. and South Korea. The movie was beaten by Joker in many places; at the same time, in 25 territories, the pic marks Lee’s biggest opening. Gemini Man has big aims for China, where it launches Friday.
Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the twisted supervillain, fell only 43 percent in North America, one of the lowest drops ever for a superhero or superhero-related pic behind Aquaman. The latter debuted over the year-end holidays, when films generally have huge second weekends.
The CG-animated Addams Family, co-financed by Bron, features a star- studded voice cast led by Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron, along with Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll and Bette Midler. The film’s opening is a big win for MGM and UAR — the joint distribution company owned by MGM and Annapurna Pictures — and there almost certainly will be a sequel.
“We always knew this piece of great IP was worthy of bringing back to the big screen,” says Jonathan Glickman, president of MGM’s Motion Picture Group. He added that launching the film close to Halloween was key. “Timing has as much to do with making a theatrical experience an event as the movie itself.”
The Addams Family cost around $50 million to produce before marketing.
Gemini Man, from Skydance and Paramount, reportedly cost $140 million to make after rebates and will need to do big business overseas if it isn’t to lose money. The two companies each have a 35 percent equity stake in the pic, while China’s Fosun has a 25 percent stake, followed by Alibaba with 5 percent.
Outside of the groundbreaking technology used to create a younger version of Smith, critics have ravaged Lee’s film. The story follows an elite assassin who faces off with a younger version of himself.
Joker no doubt is impacting Gemini Man, since both skew male. In North America, the latter pic played to an ethnically diverse audience: Caucasians made up 39 percent of ticket buyers, followed by African-Americans (26 percent), Hispanics (22) and Asians/Other (13 percent), according to PostTrak.
The VFX-heavy Gemini Man opens three years after Lee’s last movie, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, all-out bombed at the box office. Lee used cutting-edge technology to shoot both films in high frame rates for 3D screens, a format that has been on the decline.
Gemini Man, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and Addams Family received B+ CinemaScores.
Segment 2: Kevin Smith’s Movies, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes
12 Cop Out (18%) This is the first and last time that Kevin Smith has directed a movie that he didn’t write. It’s a buddy cop action comedy (scarce on both action and comedy) starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as a couple of detectives on the trail of a rare baseball card. RELATED: The 10 Best Characters Kevin Smith Created, Ranked Smith and Willis famously clashed on the set, which resulted in a movie that felt very disjointed. On top of that, the script wasn’t very inspired. The characters didn’t feel like real people, the plot plodded along, and it didn’t end with a satisfying conclusion. The movie was a disaster from start to finish, on-screen and off. 11 Yoga Hosers (22%) The second installment in what Kevin Smith is calling his “True North trilogy” (three vaguely connected horror-comedies set in Canada) is even zanier than the first – and the first involved a guy getting turned into a walrus! Yoga Hosers stars Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith and Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose Depp as a pair of convenience store clerks (both named Colleen) who have to fend off a horde of Nazi sausages. The movie was panned by critics, who felt that Smith’s downfall was self-indulgence and laziness, but let’s face it: a movie about Nazi sausages is never going to be boring. 10 Jersey Girl (42%) This was Kevin Smith’s attempt to pivot his career towards more audience-friendly material. He’d built up a niche fan base with comedies that were crass, crude, and filled with expletives. Jersey Girl was an attempt at a heartwarming Hollywood romcom.
It stars Ben Affleck as a widowed single father who reluctantly dips his toe back in the dating pool when he meets an “it” girl played by Liv Tyler. The movie has its heart in the right place, but unfortunately, the most notable thing about Jersey Girl is that it was the first major motion picture to contain a joke about 9/11. 9 Tusk (45%) One of the only movies to be adapted from a podcast episode, Tusk stars Justin Long as a podcaster who goes out to interview a crazy old man, played by Michael Parks, who wants to turn him into a walrus. This was based on an episode of Kevin Smith’s podcast SModcast, in which he and co-host Scott Mosier discussed a Gumtree ad where a man had offered a room at his place rent-free to anyone who’d be willing to dress up in a walrus costume. The movie is as weird as it sounds, but unfortunately, that weirdness becomes excessive at a certain point.
8 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (52%) Jay and Silent Bob are sort of the R2-D2 and C-3PO of the View Askewniverse. They appear in every movie to provide lovable support. But there’s a reason why R2-D2 and C-3PO have never been given their own movie (well, not yet – give Disney some time and they’ll get there). RELATED: Every Single Kevin Smith/View Askewniverse Movie (In Chronological Order) They’re better party guests than they are hosts. The same goes for Jay and Silent Bob. They’re fun in small doses, but a little tiresome when they take center stage. Having said that, the upcoming Jay and Silent Bob Reboot does look like it’s going to be a lot of fun. 7 Mallrats (55%) Kevin Smith’s sophomore effort failed to drum up the same critical acclaim as his directorial debut. Where Clerks was about a bunch of people talking in a convenience store, Mallrats was about a bunch of people talking in a mall. In theory, anyone who liked Clerks should like Mallrats. It doesn’t have the rawness of Clerks as there’s a lot more wackiness, while the larger studio budget allowed by Clerks’ success actually became its successor’s downfall. However, it has the same zany New Jerseyan characters with New Jerseyan dialogue, as well as a hilarious Stan Lee cameo, so it’s not all bad. advertising 6 Red State (60%) The first non-comedy directed by Kevin Smith, Red State is a thriller with horror elements about a trio of high school students who are lured into a house with the promise of sex and end up getting captured to be sacrificed by a sadistic religious cult. As a firefight breaks out between the cult and the police, these kids struggle to escape. It’s an exciting movie with a strong hook and plenty of action. It’s not perfect by any means – its climax is resolved disappointingly quickly and the stakes escalate rapidly at the start and stay at the same place for the rest of the movie – but it is an enjoyable thriller. 5 Clerks II (63%) The sequel to Kevin Smith’s directorial debut swapped the black-and-white film for color and swapped the convenience store setting for a fast-food restaurant. It begins with the store from the first one burning down and Dante and Randall taking jobs at a fast food place called Mooby’s. RELATED: 10 Funniest Quotes From Clerks This time around, even worse things happen to the poor guys, but it leads them to even greater emotional resolutions than the first one, too. Sadly, it looks as though Clerks III has been called off for good and we’ll never get to see the Clerks trilogy concluded, but at least this one left the characters in a good place.
4 Zack and Miri Make a Porno (65%) Kevin Smith hoped that Zack and Miri Make a Porno would be his first big box office hit because it had a high-concept premise and two members of the Apatow company of actors – Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks – in the lead roles. Alas, thanks to a reserved marketing campaign and the fact that most theaters couldn’t even name the movie, it performed as well as Smith’s other movies (a middling response; not a bomb, but not a smash hit by any means). It’s a shame because the movie found the perfect balance between mainstream Hollywood comedy and idiosyncratic Kevin Smith romp for the first time in the director’s career. 3 Dogma (67%) A passion project of sorts for Kevin Smith, who was raised a devout Catholic, Dogma tells the tale of two fallen angels who try to get back into Heaven based on a loophole in God’s rules, but since such a loophole would prove that God is fallible, their success could undo the history of all creation. RELATED: The 6 Best And 5 Worst Kevin Smith/View Askewniverse Movies (According To IMDb) The film inspired protests from Christian groups (some of which Smith attended in disguise as a joke). It takes on the subject of religion in a comical, but ultimately respectful way. Everyone in the ensemble cast – from George Carlin to Alan Rickman to Alanis Morrisette as God – is fantastic. 2 Chasing Amy (87%) The premise of Chasing Amy makes it sound like a crass, juvenile, high-concept romantic comedy. It’s about a comic book artist who falls in love with a girl, only to be devastated when he finds out she’s a lesbian. However, in the hands of Kevin Smith, this is actually a poignant reflection on sexual identity and human relationships. Holden and Alyssa are a proxy for any pair where one person wants to be with the other, but due to uncontrollable circumstances, they just can’t be. Chasing Amy introduced audiences to some key players in the View Askewniverse, not to mention some cult icons of the ‘90s. 1 Clerks (88%) The movie that made Kevin Smith’s career remains his best-reviewed work. It’s a comedy set over the course of one really bad day in a convenience store clerk’s life, and the story behind the film’s production is almost as interesting as the film itself. Smith maxed out ten credit cards to shoot it; he shot it on black-and-white film because it was cheaper than color; he used the convenience store he was working in as a location, and since he was working there all day, he could only shoot at night (hence a running gag about the shutter being stuck all day) It premiered at Sundance to instant acclaim and made Smith a household name.
The Jokers, Ranked How does Joaquin Phoenix measure up to the actors who have played the Joker before?
Leto with Common, left, and Margot Robbie.CreditClay Enos/Warner Bros., DC Comics
Phoenix certainly can’t do much worse than Leto. The Oscar-winning “Dallas Buyers Club” co-star’s run at the role was preceded by breathless reports of his Method-style madness throughout production — gifts of dead animals and used condoms, intimidation of crew members, only communicating in character, etc. — so the result was the wrong kind of shocking: Leto is barely present in the final cut, with only a handful of mercifully short scenes in which the actor cackles desperately, menaces frantically, preens embarrassingly and is generally about as scary as your average trick-or-treater. It’s a frustratingly shallow performance, in which the actor and his director focus on flashy surfaces (his comically on-the-nose tattoos include the words “Damaged” and “HAHAHAHA”) rather than plumbing the depths and darkness that made the Joker so memorable in the first place.
6. Cesar Romero, ‘Batman’ (TV, 1966-1968), ‘Batman’ (Film, 1966)
Then again, perhaps Leto was paying homage not to the recent Jokers of note, but the original onscreen portrayal: the film and television star Romero, who played the role throughout the three-season run of the comic book’s initial television adaptation, as well as its 1966 feature film expansion. The half-hour series was basically a live-action cartoon, with bright colors, lively music and snazzy graphics reflecting the Pop Art aesthetics of the era. Thus, the broad portrayals of Gotham’s supervillains were appropriate to the material, and Romero’s interpretation of the Joker as a merry prankster is one of the show’s highlights. But he doesn’t make much of an impression to modern eyes — and the series’ recent high-definition upgrade draws even more attention to his regrettable decision not to shave his mustache for the role.
5. Zach Galifianakis, ‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ (2017)
This mutation of two Warner Brothers tent poles (the DC Universe and the “LEGO Movie” franchise) is less a “real” Batman movie than a spoof of the property, with gags explicitly sending up earlier onscreen incarnations of the Caped Crusader. So Galifianakis isn’t reaching for the usual effects in his voice performance; most Jokers aim to disturb and terrify, while the primary goal here is laughs. But remarkably, the comic actor delivers not only on the character’s humor, but his pathos — the picture’s smart screenplay casts the relationship between the Dark Knight and his most frequent antagonist as one of mutual reliance and even codependence, with the Joker uproariously staging acts of villainy primarily for Batman’s attention. In a strange way, this interpretation gets at an essential truth of the character that eludes its darker variations.
4. Jack Nicholson, ‘Batman’ (1989)
Nicholson’s payday for his top-billed turn in Tim Burton’s blockbuster — which included not only a handsome cut of the profits, but a robust piece of the merchandising bearing his likeness — was a record-breaker. And one gets the sense, when watching the final product, that the picture’s producers wanted to get their money’s worth; Burton seems to use every second of footage he shot, even when it amounts to little more than his expensive actor dancing at length to Prince songs. (That happens twice.) This appears a mostly undirected performance, but Nicholson invests the role with the kind of assumed danger and to-the-balcony theatricality that producers surely had in mind when they signed his checks.
3. Cameron Monaghan, ‘Gotham’ (2015-2019)
The minds behind the Fox series, which explores the pre-Batman history of Bruce Wayne and Commissioner James Gordon, have taken great pains to insist that the twin brothers Jerome and Jeremiah Valeska (both played by Monaghan) are not the Joker — and technically, that’s true. But the show’s presentation of those characters is clearly meant to loudly echo the “Dark Knight”-era reading of the Joker, and Monaghan’s interpretation of them is undoubtedly influenced by Heath Ledger’s work. Yet the younger actor isn’t just cosplaying; the definition of the distinct characters, and the breadth of their multi-episode arcs, allow him to explore the nooks and crannies of the Joker’s psyche in ways both familiar and fresh.
2. Mark Hamill, ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992-1995), ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ (1993), ‘The New Batman Adventures’ (1997- 1999), ‘Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker’ (2000), ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ (2016)
No actor has spent more time living inside the twisted mind of the Joker than the “Star Wars” headliner Hamill, who first took on the role for the four- season “Animated Series” and revisited it for several subsequent series and feature-length spinoffs. Over the course of his nearly two-decade run, Hamill mastered the character’s giggling menace and loaded, purring contempt (“Beneath this Puckish exterior lies the mind of a genius years before my time!” he gloats, in “Return of the Joker”), constructing an interpretation both entertaining and unnerving. The Joker is, above all else, a performer, and Hamill is clearly having a great time chewing the scenery (or, more accurately, chewing his microphone).
1. Heath Ledger, ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Ledger won a much-deserved posthumous Oscar for his chilling, haunted turn as the Joker, the clearest indication that he was up to much more than “comic book movie” slumming. Under the sure hand of the director Christopher Nolan, Ledger creates one of the scariest villains in all of cinema — and one that’s frighteningly real, an honest-to-goodness sociopath whose nihilistic philosophy (as Michael Caine’s Alfred memorably puts it, “some men just want to watch the world burn”) invests the character, and the film, with a terrifying feeling that all bets are off, and that good may not prevail. Though widely acclaimed at the time, Ledger’s performance seems to only expand in our popular imagination with the passing years — and the growth of our increasingly shared sense of hopelessness and dismay. This was, truly, a Joker for our time.
Segment 3: Adrian Vault Comics
Heathen has a big name to it.
You guys seem to, from my vantage point, tell confined trades. Are you interested in ongoing or very finite. What is the businessmodel?
Also, you guys are interested in publishing. I don’t see your names in the credits elsewhere. Didn’t anyone tell you there’s no money in comics?
Friendo is by far the best title I read because it’s scary.
Tim Seely’s new book.
NYCC plans?
Wasted Space audio book
What have you learned between 2018 to 2019?
Name
Adrian Wassel
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Editor-in-Chief of Vault Comics. I select all the comics we publish — plus a lot of other stuff.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS?
Vagrant Queen just wrapped filming its first season (10 one-hour episodes) for SYFY. The film adaptation of Heathen is moving along brilliantly. Catherine Hardwicke is directing and Kerry Williamson has finished an incredible screenplay. Wasted Space is now available in audio adaptation. And our seasonal horror imprint debuted with The Plot which crushed in sales and critical reception.
GOT A HOT TAKE?
I don’t love the way binge-watching has begun to reshape narrative structures in serials. One of the things I love about serialized fiction is the form and the anticipation of the next issue/episode. I don’t want all of our narratives flattened out to the same shape.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
Twitter: @afwassel
5 90’s Marvel Characters That Are Still Awesome (& 5 That Haven’t Aged Well)
by Julian Beauvais – on Oct 13, 2019 in Lists
In the ’90s comic world, ‘grim-and-gritty’ anti-heroes dominated the market: spandex- clad, gun-toting men and women whose steroid-enhanced, body-builder physiques and ridiculously buxom and scantily clad bodies were out-shadowed only by the large number of pouches they wore (so, so many pouches).
10 STILL AWESOME: Sleepwalker
Introduced as an alien police officer whose beat is the human dreamscape, Sleepwalker is a prime example of creativity that bucked the trend. Bonded to Rick Sheridan’s subconscious, Sleepwalker both protected Rick’s mind and fought crime in the waking world. At a time when comic characters were all muscle-bound and armed to the teeth, part of Sleepwalker’s appeal was his unique and somewhat spooky appearance: thin and frail, inhuman, and carrying no weapons. Although the character would struggle to find popularity with readers, (perhaps as a result of being too original for the time), a modern reboot with the right creative team might gain ground with fans looking for something a little off the beaten path.
9 HASN’T AGED WELL: Rage
In the ’90s, street gangs were the subjects of constant media (over) coverage, stimulating public anxiety regarding urban violence. As an inner-city youth, Elvin Haliday experienced this reality first hand, until a dip in some chemicals granted him super strength, invulnerability and aged him to an adult. With his grandmother’s encouragement, Elvin donned a costume and joined the ranks of the super-folk, spending time with both the Avengers and the New Warriors.
Going by the alias Rage, Elvin’s costume represented all the cliches the public had about a gang member’s appearance, from the all-leather attire to the fingerless gloves. His
characterization never really venturing beyond the one-dimensional, Elvin’s recent death put his readers out of their misery. Advertising
8 STILL AWESOME: Gambit
With his good looks, mysterious backstory, exotic accent, cool powers, and impeccable fighting skills, Gambit was immensely popular when he made his debut. Typifying the ‘brooding-loner-with-a-heart-of-gold-and-crazy-ninja-skills’ trope that was popular in ’90s action films, Gambit’s mystique was further enhanced by his apparent familiarity with the other side of the law, and his relationship with fellow X-Man Rogue.
Despite several revelations regarding his dubious past and the less-than-scrupulous reasons he may have joined the X-Men perhaps taking the shine off his apple a touch, the Ragin’ Cajun has evolved over time while retaining his popularity with the fans, so much so that Hollywood is still considering him for a solo film.
7 HASN’T AGED WELL: Bishop
Dystopian alternate futures were always a popular feature in comics and science fiction, but even more so in the ’90s, perhaps through the massive success and influence of Terminator 2 and The X-Files. The X-Men have particular experience dealing with alternate futures, as they’ve worked to ensure so many of them don’t come into existence. The X-Man known as Bishop was a refuge from one of those futures and made his gun- toting, pouch-wearing debut in 1991. Having grown up in a future where the X-Men were betrayed and killed by one of their own made the character interesting, as he tried to discern which member the traitor could be. However, as the storyline drew out so did his appeal, and when it reached its inevitable conclusion, interest in the character had faded considerably.
6 STILL AWESOME: Squirrel Girl
At a young age, Doreen Green found she could communicate with squirrels and later, developed ‘powers’ associated with her totem animal: strength and agility, large front teeth, and a prehensile tail. Making her first few appearances in the mid-’90s and conceived as comic relief, Squirrel Girl was definitely atypical for a superhero of her time: she was not brooding or dark, and she stayed clothed throughout her appearances. In recent years, Squirrel Girl has strung up an impressive series of victories against Marvel’s most dastardly villains, including Doctor Doom, Galactus, and even Thanos! (Yes, that Thanos). Moreover, her recent ongoing series has proven popular with younger audiences, providing them a positive role model and out-showing her 90s contemporaries in relevance and longevity.
5 HASN’T AGED WELL: Darkhawk
When Darkhawk first appeared in his self-titled series, he had all the trappings of a perfect ’90s hero: mysterious origin, dark costume, and an angsty alter-ego in teenager Chris Powell. With his ability to create force blasts, enhanced strength, regenerative powers, and claw-cable, Darkhawk kept the streets of New York City safe. The amulet at the source of his powers remained shrouded in mystery until issue 21 of his series, where it was revealed that the suit was an alien cyborg body that switched places with Powell when he activated the crystal. Expecting a more mystical or supernatural origin for the character, many readers winced at the hokey B-movie science fiction elements woven into his origin. Interest in the character waned and has never really gained traction since. 4 STILL AWESOME: Carnage
A funny thing happened to Venom, the wildly popular Spider-Man villain, in the ’90s: he joined the likes of the Punisher and Wolverine and became an anti-hero, his twisted sense of justice allowing him to kill criminals with ease. With Venom on the heroes’ side, Marvel needed another symbiote to pit against Spider-Man. Enter Carnage, the maniacal spawn of Venom.
More violent, more psychotic and dangerously more powerful than Venom, Carnage allowed Marvel to have their cake and eat it too: simultaneously, readers could get their fill of the fan-favorite symbiote villain and the fan-favorite symbiote anti-hero at the same time. Well-received since his debut and right into the pages of the currently-running Absolute Carnage, the character has kept evolving over the years and because of it, has never lost his edge or appeal.
3 HASN’T AGED WELL: The Scarlet Spider
Replacing a classic character with clones or stand-ins was all the rage in the ’90s, as companies tried to emulate the financial success of The Death of Superman. DC tried the successful formula again with Batman and Green Lantern, while Marvel tried it with Spider-Man in the now infamous Clone Saga. A clone of Peter Parker from a 1973 story arc, Ben Reilly first reappeared as the Scarlet Spider and was thought to be the real Web- Slinger for a time, until his death revealed he was actually the clone. To this day, the mere mention of The Clone Saga makes Spider-fans wince in disgust, and despite the character’s recent return, his grunge-style costume and convoluted backstory are best left consigned to the decade in which they (re)appeared.
2 STILL AWESOME: Deadpool
When Deadpool made his first appearance, he was an unremarkable assassin who bore more than a passing resemblance to DC’s Deathstroke, albeit wearing a knock-off Spider- Man costume. As was obligatory for comic book assassins in the ’90s, he was ninja- trained, carried guns (and pouches) and had a shadowy past.
Over the years, writers have parlayed Deadpool’s ability to run his mouth during a fight into a defining character trait, endearing him to fans who appreciate a sprinkle of comedy in their heroes. Now an unofficial ambassador for pop-culture referencing, 4th-wall-
breaking comedic superheroes (and cool Canadian actors), Deadpool’s popularity has transcended the decade he originated from, making him the biggest Marvel success story of the ’90s.
1 HASN’T AGED WELL: Cable
The pouch-wearing patriarch of ’90s superhero chic, Cable epitomized every trait the decade’s characters were to have: he was tough, grim, deadly, calculating, had a mysterious backstory and was armed to the teeth. As the leader of X-Force, Cable advocated a more confrontationally proactive approach to human/mutant relations than Professor X, but was not a militant in his ways as Magneto, which appealed to the sensibilities of the day. Revealed to be Cyclops’ son from the future, the appearance of multiple versions of the character (and their convoluted histories), as well as the counter- logic of having an Alpha-level mutant rely on such a ridiculous amount of firearms (and pouches), diminished his popularity, ironically leaving him a relic of the past.
EP 191: Joker Review, NYCC Recap, SyFy Wire Writer Kevin Sharp
Oct 10, 2019
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The name of the film is #Joker and it’s ALL of these. We bring in Syfywire writer Kevin Sharp on to help us parse through the noise as we review Todd Philips new film. PLUS: We recap our NYCC 2019
►Box office:Jokerslays the record books. The Warner Bros. film opened to $93.5 million domestically and $140.5 million overseas for a $234 million haul globally. It’s the biggest October opening ever, topping last year’s supervillain flick Venom, which debuted to $80.3 million, and the best domestic opening for Warner Bros. in two years, since the firstIt. Joker delivered despite (or perhaps in part because of?) the scrutiny the film has faced over its nihilistic story, and concerns around violence in theaters. The numbers.
+In fact,Jokerbroke a number of records, delivering the best opening weekend for any film from Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, and director Todd Phillips, a slew of October records, both domestic and international, and the fourth best weekend for any R-rated feature, behind only It and the Deadpool movies. The list.
+Joker‘s “wake-up call” to Hollywood. Pamela McClintock examinesJoker‘s blockbuster opening, with 62 percent of the audience male (comparable to other superhero flicks) but only 8 percent between the ages of 13-17, below the average for the genre. The success reveals a potential box office opportunity for studios willing to take the risk.
Quote: “I think Joker‘s debut is another wake-up call — one that is coming in on Batman’s red phone — telling everyone in the industry that R-rated superhero films are here to stay,” says Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. “Hopefully Disney will take that call soon. If they don’t, DC will be happy to staff the call center with its people.” The story.
Segment 2: Joker Review
The Comic That Explains Where Joker Went Wrong
Alan Moore’s classic 1988 story, Batman: The Killing Joke, was an inspiration for Todd Phillips’s grim new film—but not in the one way that really mattered.
In The Killing Joke, Moore took that earlier tale and tried to deepen it. The 45-page “one-shot” story reveals the Joker’s past: He was a struggling stand-up comedian who had lost his wife and unborn child in an accident, embarked on the robbery of a chemical plant to make ends meet, and fell into a vat while fleeing Batman. The narrative removes the Joker’s background as a master criminal and emphasizes that he was a relatively ordinary man who had “one bad day” that drove him to lunacy. In the present, the Joker kidnaps and brutalizes Barbara Gordon (the daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordon and the current Batgirl), paralyzing her and torturing her, then taking lewd pictures of her to torment her father with.
It was a shocking story within the parameters of DC Comics, all the more so because it was presented as canon, not as an adult-oriented tale existing outside the monthly Batman story lines. Barbara Gordon remained paralyzed for decades, all because of a stunt by the Joker intended to demonstrate that what had happened to him could happen to anyone. “You had a bad day, and everything changed. Why else would you dress up like a living rat?” the Joker says to Batman. “When I saw what a black, awful joke the world was, I went crazy as a coot! I admit it!”
The story ends with Batman bringing in the Joker “by the book,” as Commissioner Gordon insists, to “show him that our way works”; the Joker’s efforts to drive Gordon mad fail. Batman, also transformed into a costumed creature by trauma (the death of his parents), reminds the Joker that he himself never succumbed to evil. But despite that bittersweet ending, The Killing Joke helped cement the villain’s reputation for nihilism, forging a modern template for a man once portrayed as a vicious trickster.
Phillips’s film keeps much of Moore’s characterization, tracking the life of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) as he struggles with mental illness, is attacked and harassed in the street multiple times, and becomes a figure of public ridicule when one of his strange stand-up sets is mocked by a legendary talk-show host (Robert De Niro). But the thing that Joker lacks is Batman. The film does include a young Bruce Wayne (Dante Pereira-Olson), but flips the order in which the characters’ alter egos are created, having Joker’s transformation into a public menace spur a riot that ends with Bruce’s parents getting murdered.
Without Batman to play off, the reason for Joker’s existence as a protagonist in Phillips’s film is vague at best. The narrative tracks his evolution into an evil creature, providing a revamped and simplistic origin story for a figure who has only ever existed as a distorted mirror image of the Caped Crusader. Even when compared with Moore and Bolland’s comic, Joker is a bitter and humorless work, an attempt to add gravitas to a character who typically hasn’t stood for anything broadly metaphorical. In the movie, Joker commits an act of murder on live television and somehow becomes an icon of rebellion and class upheaval as a result. It’s an arc that tries to justify his leap from supporting player to star—and fails spectacularly
Segment 3:
Name
Kevin Sharp
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“Jack of many writing trades, master of none.” Author, recovering screenwriter, video game writer, comics blogger, podcaster.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS?
I currently run the comic creator interview series “Between the Panels” @ Fanbase Press. I’m also a staff contributor for SyFy Wire & a few other geek sites.
GOT A HOT TAKE?
Depending how much in depth we want to go, there’s the Joker’s comics history from killer in the Golden Age, to harmless clown in the Silver Age, then swinging back to dangerous in the Bronze Age (& continuing on from there w/ Killing Joke, Death in the Family, etc).
Could also discuss different onscreen Jokers and/or favorite Joker stories in comics if time.
Ep 190: Birds of Prey Trailer Review, Spider-Man Is Back, NYCC Preview
Oct 04, 2019
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PODCAST | It’s Fall and that means it’s time for New York ComicCon 2019. And boy what a lead up. Birds of Prey drops it’s first trailer, Spider-Man returns to the MCU and Joker stirs up controversy. We welcome Newsarama’s Chris Arrant on to help us sort through the madness of NYCC 2019.
Marvel Studios and Sony’s updated deal for Spider-Man to appear in two more Marvel Studios productions may include what’s described as a “shared detail universe” arrangement where Spider-Man appears in both the MCU and Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters, with story elements and references crossing over, reports Deadline.
The Hollywood trade’s updated coverage of the newly-brokered deal describes the arrangement as “call-and-response”, implying that while the two universes of films may not directly crossover, their plot elements and story details will be acknowledged across both studios’ films.
Under the updated agreement, Spider-Man will appear in a third joint Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures solo film as well as another unspecified MCU movie. Sony has been developing a slate of Spider-Man adjacent films, including Venom 2, Morbius, Kraven, Madame Web, and more.
Joker director blames ‘far left’ for film’s controversy: ‘Outrage is a commodity’
Joker director Todd Phillips blamed the “far left” for some of the criticisms of his film in a new interview.
Phillips opined to The Wrap that outrage addicts are unfairly attacking his Warner Bros. film as their controversy du jour.
“I think it’s because outrage is a commodity, I think it’s something that has been a commodity for a while,” Phillips said in an interview conducted last week and published Wednesday. “What’s outstanding to me in this discourse in this movie is how easily the far left can sound like the far right when it suits their agenda. It’s really been eye-opening for me.”
Joker, opening Oct. 4, is arguably the most controversial film of the year even though it hasn’t even opened in theaters yet. The film garnered raves when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the event’s top prize. Critic reviews were largely positive (the title stands at 75 percent “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes), though many expressed concerns about the film’s content. The film offers a grounded portrayal of the titular Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) as a loner who feels mistreated by society and escalates to acts of violence against the wealthy and becomes a hero of sorts to the working class.
“Isn’t it good to have these discussions about these movies, about violence?” Phillips added. “Why is that a bad thing if the movie does lead to a discourse about it? We didn’t make the movie to push buttons. I literally described to Joaquin at one point in those three months as like, ‘Look at this as a way to sneak a real movie in the studio system under the guise of a comic book film.’ It wasn’t, ‘We want to glorify this behavior.’ It was literally like, ‘Let’s make a real movie with a real budget and we’ll call it (expletive) Joker.’ That’s what it was.”
Earlier this week, the families of victims of 2012 mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, penned a letter to Warner Bros. expressing their concerns about the film, and urged the studio to use its influence to help make society safer. In addition, a U.S. Army base has recently warned service members of dark web chatter making a “specific, credible threat” against an unspecified movie theater.
Warner Bros. has replied in a statement that “our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic. At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues. Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.”
Phoenix reportedly walked out of an interview when asked about the controversy, but then later defended the film. “Well, I think that, for most of us, you’re able to tell the difference between right and wrong,” Phoenix has said. “And those that aren’t are capable of interpreting anything in the way that they may want to. People misinterpret lyrics from songs. They misinterpret passages from books. So I don’t think it’s the responsibility of a filmmaker to teach the audience morality or the difference between right or wrong. I mean, to me, I think that that’s obvious.”
Segment 2: Birds of Prey Trailer Truth or Trash
Is this basically going to be a Harley Quinn solo movie?
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards delivered a night surprises and farewells, with shows like “Fleabag” and “Game of Thrones” and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon (and of course HBO) having big nights.
‘Game of Thrones’ ties Emmys records, wins best drama series
Despite a universally panned final season that saw fans start a Change.org petition — signed by thousands — asking for reshoots, the sprawling epic fantasy drama made history Sunday at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.
The eighth and final season of the wildly popular HBO series ended Sunday’s award show by winning best drama series to tie its own record for most Emmys for a single season of a show.
That final honor gave Season 8 of “Game of Thrones” 12 Emmys in 2019, matching a mark previously set by the show’s fifth season in 2015.
Season 8 entered Sunday’s primetime ceremony having already won 10 awards at last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, leaving it just two shy of the record. In addition to winning best drama series Sunday, the show also saw Peter Dinklage win best supporting actor for a drama.
Emmy winners by the numbers…
–Most winners by network: HBO, 34, Netflix, 27, Amazon, 15, National Geographic, 8, NBC, 7, CNN, 5, FX, 5, CBS, 4, Fox, 4, Hulu, 4, VH1, 4, YouTube, 4…
–Most winners by show: Game of Thrones (HBO), 12, Chernobyl (HBO), 10, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), 8, Free Solo (Net Geo), 7, Fleabag (Amazon), 6, Love, Death & Robots (Netflix), 5, Saturday Night Live (NBC), 5, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO), 4, Queer Eye (Netflix), 4, RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1), 4…
The full list of winners. The big stories…
►A night of surprises and upsets: Who says the Emmys are predictable? From Fleabag’s haul to surprise wins for Jodie Comer and Billy Porter, the Emmys were anything but boring for awards handicappers. “Sunday night’s 71st Primetime Emmys probably cost Las Vegas bookies a lot of money, as there were more upsets than anticipated wins, reflecting the challenges of reading a voting body as large as the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (which is comprised of some 25,000 members) in the era of Peak TV (with its roughly 500 shows),” Scott Feinberg writes.
+While the drama genre wasn’t free of surprise, “the fact that Game of Thrones’ best drama win for its s
Segment 2: Collective Soul
1. The new album Blood has a real throwback vibe to it. Like, it could be out in 1999 or 2019 but doesn’t feel dated in any way
With the music industry changing so much what is the music trend in rock these days? I feel like it has no feel with rap and r&b and pop at the forefront
Right as Rain is the stand out track for me. I love how conflicted you feel in that song as you address the contemporary world.
“Good place to start” seems to be the catchiest of the tunes
There are quite a few deeply personal tracks on this record. OverMe, Them Blues,
What other tracks grab your attention off the record?
What’s the tour plans – you guys are touring right now.
You were 30 when you were signed.
25 years in what have you learned?
Segment 4: Spin The Racks
Review: Spider-Man #1
Releases September 18th, 2019 by Marvel Comics WHO IS CADAVEROUS?!
The most shocking and incredible comic of 2019 is here as J.J. ABRAMS (STAR WARS, STAR TREK, SUPER 8) and his son HENRY ABRAMS are joined by superstar artist SARA PICHELLI (MILES MORALES, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) team up for SPIDER-MAN! What do they have planned for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson?! Who is Cadaverous?! The Modern Master of Mystery Makes His Marvel this September!
NEXT WEEK: New York Comic-Con is around the corner as we welcome newsarama’s Chris Arrant on to help us preview the East Coast’s largest Pop Culture con.
EP 188: Watchmen Vs Mandalorian Vs Arrowverse Vs Walking Dead: Fall TV Preview
Sep 19, 2019
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PODCAST | It’s our fall TV preview episode and we’ve got some great new and returning shows to discuss today including the heavily anticipated Watchmen and Mandalorian series. And we pay VERSUS with your favorite new or returning Pop Culture shows.
PLUS: There’s a new Game of Thrones prequel in the works and South Park has a warning for all critics.
The pilot, which is near a deal with the premium cable network, would focus on House Targaryen.
Sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter that the premium cable network is near a deal for a pilot order for a prequel set 300 years before the events of the flagship series that tracks the beginnings and the end of House Targaryen. Ryan Condal (Colony) and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin will pen the script for the drama, which is based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
As ‘South Park’ Gets Renewed Through 2022, Matt Stone and Trey Parker Also Have New Movie Ideas
The duo is floating some “really f—ing killer ideas” (not ‘South Park’- related) for a new theatrical release.
Ever since South Park premiered in August 1997, the show has fielded complaints from concerned parents and advocacy groups who’ve occasionally asked Comedy Central to pull the cartoon from air. For decades, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have laughed and shrugged it off. (“People have been talking about cancelling us for 22 fucking years,” Parker says).
Now the naysayers will have some more time to complain as South Park has just been renewed by Comedy Central through 2022.
Segment 2: Fall TV Movie Preview
Our Take: It’s our fall TV preview episode and we’ve got some great new and returning shows to discuss today including the heavily anticipated Watchmen and Mandalorian series
That being said in this age of 24/7 streaming and mid season premieres i can’t help but think back to the good old days of…i dunno 5 years ago when you used to get the bulk of your new material all at once in September. The old cycle of September to May with sweeps weeks in November and February giving us a reliable clock of not only when to expect new shows, but really juicy plot lines to draw viewers in. X-Files used to always do their mythology episodes around those times. Buffy and her love triangles or Big Bads. It was cool, it was fun. It made for some great TV memories
Maybe I’m just being nostalgic. Which i guess is also pretty in these days.
VERSUS: Which shows are you looking forward to more
1. Spin-offs: Watchmen or Mandalorian?
2. EnsembleCasts:RiverdaleorWalkingDead.
3. Arrowverse
Segment 4: Spin The Racks
Comics You Need to Read This Week – September 18th, 2019
House of X #5 Marvel Comics · Sep 18th, 2019 · $4.99
Xavier’s dream turns deadly for some of his students as they fight back against the humans’ plan to eliminate them. Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (FANTASTIC FOUR, AVENGERS, SECRET WARS) continues his reshaping
Spider-Man #1 Releases September 18th, 2019 by Marvel Comics
WHO IS CADAVEROUS?!
The most shocking and incredible comic of 2019 is here as J.J. ABRAMS (STAR WARS, STAR TREK, SUPER 8) and his son HENRY ABRAMS are joined by superstar artist SARA PICHELLI (MILES MORALES, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) team up for SPIDER-MAN! What do they have planned for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson?! Who is Cadaverous?! The Modern Master of Mystery Makes His Marvel this September!
40 page Comic · JUL190833 · $4.99
MAJOR SPOILER For Spider-Man #1 by JJ Abrams, Henry Abrams and Sara Pichelli That No One Saw Coming, Tiger
Okay, the following contains some seriously strong spoilerage for the upcoming JJ Abrams/Henry Abrams/Sara Pichelli Spider-Man series debuting this week. I haven’t seen a copy, but the people who are talking about this are the kind of people who would know. Not about plot, not about cliffhanger, this is about the very concept of the comic in question.
The Biggest, Baddest Spoilers for The Walking Dead #192
Firstly, I am told by good sources that this is not a PR job. JJ Abrams did actually co-write the comic with his son Henry Abrams. Properly and everything, This is not just Henry playing off his father’s name. He and his father did properly collaborate on this comic book. Jude, you are wrong, you are very wrong.
Secondly, the idea of father and son on the comic is intrinsic to the concept of this Spider-Man series. It is part and parcel of it and may make the comic even more appealing?
Why? Because Spider-Man #1 is not about Peter Parker, Spider- Man.
It is about Ben Parker, Spider-Man. The son of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, the inheritor of the Spider-Man identity – and the story is set in the future of the Marvel Universe. Something that had not even been hinted at in preview material. And that means that there are probably blatant lies in the solicitations listed for the first three issues.
Oh and for speculator folk, the first appearance of Ben Parker, son of Pete and Mary Jane was his birth in the future-set MC2 title Spider-Girl #59 by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.
MC2 (Marvel Comics 2) is an imprint from Marvel Comics whose comic books depict an alternative future timeline for the Marvel Universe. The imprint was spun off from the events of What If?[1] #105 (February 1998), which was the first appearance of the character Spider-Girl, Spider-Man’s daughter from an alternative future.
Black Hammer: Age of Doom #12 Dark Horse Comics · Sep 18th, 2019 · $3.99
The Eisner Award-winning superhero saga concludes! In this final episode of the Age of Doom series, all the questions are finally answered about what put our heroes on the farm, why, and where we go from here.
Firefly #9 BOOM! Studios · Sep 18th, 2019 · $3.99
THE FINAL SHOWDOWN WITH BOSS MOON STARTS HERE! With nowhere else to turn, Mal and his crew must decide whether or not to trust Boss Moon, or fight off the Alliance single-handedly
Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Rey #1 Marvel Comics · Sep 18th, 2019 · $3.99
SEARCH FOR SKYWALKER! After HAN SOLO’S fall, REY searched for LUKE SKYWALKER. But before Luke, there was LEIA. Witness never-before-seen moments between REY and GENERAL ORGANA. What will Rey, CHEWBACCA and R2-D2 encounter
‘Hawkeye’ Disney Plus Series Eyes Hailee Steinfeld for Lead Role
Hailee Steinfeld could soon be part of the Marvel family. Variety has learned exclusively from sources that Steinfeld has been offered a lead role in the upcoming “Hawkeye” series at Disney Plus.
The limited series will see Jeremy Renner reprise the role of the titular bow- wielding hero that he has played through multiple films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently in “Avengers: Edngame.” Should Steinfeld join the series, she would play Kate Bishop. Bishop is a Marvel Comics character who took up the Hawkeye mantle after Clint Barton (Renner). She is also a member of the group known as the Young Avengers. It was reported last week that Jonathan Igla is attached to write and executive produce the series.
Starring in the series would likely represent a long-term investment in Steinfeld on Marvel’s part. Given the Disney-owned company’s uncanny ability to build up onscreen franchises around even their lesser-known characters, it is reasonable to assume that the Bishop character would eventually spin off into either her own standalone series or even appear in the MCU.
Sony Pictures Chief on Spider-Man Split: ‘For the Moment the Door is Closed’
Fans holding out hope that Spider-Man might be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be disappointed to hear that “for the moment the door is closed,” according to Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra.
Speaking at Variety‘s Entertainment & Technology summit, Vinciquerra cryptically added that “it’s a long life,” implying that perhaps in the distant future the web-slinging hero might swing his way back to the Disney-owned company.
Vinciquerra insisted that there is “no ill will” between Sony and Marvel, after the two failed to reach on agreement on financing terms for upcoming Spider-Man movies, effectively removing Tom Holland’s Spider-Man from the Marvel fold in terms of both future standalone and team-up features. However, he also did acknowledge the fan backlash to the news, saying that it has been “an interesting couple of weeks” for the studio.
Vinciquerra pointed to Marvel boss Kevin Feige being “stretched incredibly thin” with new additions coming to the MCU as one of the reasons behind the breakdown in talks.
“We had a great run with (Feige) on Spider-Man movies,” the Sony chief said. “We tried to see if there’s a way to work it out….the Marvel people are terrific people, we have great respect for them, but on the other hand we have some pretty terrific people of our own. Kevin didn’t do all the work.”
Now that one of its biggest properties is back solely in its hands, Vinciquerra said that Sony plans to launch its own universe using the vast array of Spider-Man characters.
The studio is in production on a second “Venom” film, a picture based on the character Morbius and “five or six” TV series set in the Spider-Man world. The Sony boss bullishly expressed his belief that the character will do “just fine” outside of the MCU, pointing to the success of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and the Sony-Amazon series “The Boys” as evidence that Sony is fully capable of hitting the mark on the superhero front.
“Spider-Man was fine before the event movies, did better with the event movies, and now that we have our own universe, he will play off the other characters as well,” Vinciquerra said. “I think we’re pretty capable of doing what we have to do here.”
Many have expressed the hope that Spider-Man might still remain in the MCU, with Marvel stalwart Jon Favreau commenting during his keynote conversation at the Ent & Tech summit that the split is “not for lack of trying.”
“I’ve been talking to everybody about it…I’m cautiously optimistic,” Favreau said of the Spidey situation. “I think it’s a long way away and I think the collaboration has been really strong up to this point so I’m hopeful that there’s away for us all to play together going forward.”
Summer is over and awards season is right around the corner. Here are the movies to look forward to in Fall 2019
Joker October 4
One of the most debated movies of the year kicks October off with a nice big smile. Warner Bros. and director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) reimagine comicdom’s greatest villain by way of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Wearing its Scorsese influences on its sleeve, Joker is the rare superhero movie that’s as comfortable playing at prestigious film festivals as it is at comic cons. Indeed, tongues are already wagging. Yet what seems to have everyone in agreement is just how good Joaquin Phoenix is as the titular homicidal clown. There hasn’t been this kind of excitement for a comic book movie performance since, well, Heath Ledger put on a happy face in The Dark Knight.
A Batman-free origin story of the Clown Prince of Crime, Joker imagines its eponymous villain as Arthur Fleck, a would-be nice guy who at middle-age cannot figure out why he is always finishing last. Enjoying a relationship with his mother (Frances Conroy) that would give Freud a field day, Arthur eventually snaps in the face of societal decay in 1980s New York Gotham City. And now, he just wants to put a smile on your face, even if it kills you.
Gemini Man October 11
Once upon a time, Will Smith was the biggest movie star on the planet.
When he appeared in an action movie in his 20s, it was going to be a big deal. And it might be again in Ang Lee’s trippy shoot ‘em up. Directed by one of the great filmmakers of our time, Gemini Man pits Will Smith against Will Smith with the miracle of CGI de-aging technology. Hence in the film, middle-aged Henry Brogan (Smith) encounters his exact double in Junior, a 25-year-old clone of Henry also played by Smith. Set at odds by a villainous Clive Owen, the two do battle in a story first hatched by Game of Thrones’ David Benioff. The talent around the film, which also includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead, hopefully foretells a sci-fi thriller of more cutting edge stuff.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot October 15
Kevin Smith has made a “reboot” of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back by essentially remaking that 2001 movie for an allegedly new generation. Well played, Kev. The story of Jay and Silent Bob’s (still blessedly Jason Mewes and Smith) road trip to Hollywood in order to stop a dark and gritty reboot of their earlier movie, Reboot is also about parentage as Jay learns he is a father to a young woman named Millie (Harley Quinn Smith). The film is likewise a chance for Smith to load up on cameos of familiar faces, both new and old, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Joey Lauren Addams, Rosario Dawson, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Lee, Melissa Benoist, Val Kilmer, Justin Long, Chris Hemsworth, and more. We’ll have to wait to see if this reunion is filled with new creative energy or just nostalgia, but until then…snoochie boochies.
Terminator: Dark Fate November 1
The Terminator franchise has seen some rough patches as of late. Despite being borne out of two of the greatest action movies, James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), there hasn’t been a good movie in the series since Linda Hamilton stepped away from playing Sarah Connor. Which is what makes Dark Fate so interesting. For the first time in nearly 30 years, Hamilton returns to the franchise to square off against a new cybernetic villain (Gabriel Luna). With director Tim Miller (Deadpool) helming the reunion, a returning Arnold Schwarzenegger, and interesting new talent like Mackenzie Davis joining their ranks, maybe this time the future is brighter.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker December 20
Easily the most anticipated movie—excuse me, event—of the holiday season, all eyes are on The Rise of Skywalker, the alleged final chapter of the “Skywalker Saga.” In other words, it end the story of all Star Wars movies released to date, as well as follow-up the installment that divided the fanbase, The Last Jedi.
Disney and Lucasfilm are pulling out the big blasters, bringing J.J. Abrams back to the saga after successfully reviving it in The Force Awakens and he’s bringing back an old school classicalism to the way it’s filmed. It is in this context that Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), and the eternally conflicted Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) will find out where they all finally stand in the true balance of the Force.
Segment 3: Bacon Bros
For those not familiar – give us the 30 second backstory of how the band came together?
Let’s talk about Play – the new single.
Kevin do you ever feel intimidated working with your brother, writing considering he’s a composer
Michael in addition to being a composer you’re also a teacher at Lehman. What’s the experience of shaping the next generation of musicians.
Michael I love that you have a sense of humor aboutstarred as “the less famous bacon brother” opposite Turkey Bacon in an Oscar Meyer commercial. Check it out.
Kevin you’re acting, Michael Composing – what drives you to write music at all? And how do you find the time?
Michael, The last time we spoke, you were really excited about the stage show, how has that evolved.
Kevin, your Showtime series City on a hill is getting a lot of buzz for your performance. Talk to us about your experience Season 1 and how contemporary
I feel like we’re reliving the 90s right now
We’re a pop culture podcast, we deal in superheroes a lot. Kevin you got to experience that with X-Men First Class. Any thoughts on joining the MCU
Love it or Shove it: The concept of the album is dead Playing live music is more fun than your day jobs Turkey Bacon is the best bacon We’ll never live to see another Knicks championship
Segment 4: Spin The Racks
Comics You Need to Read This Week – September 11th, 2019
As Cerebro does as it was intended to do, Sinister does what Sinister does best and the future comes to an end. Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (FF, NEW AVENGERS, INFINITY) continues his reshaping of X-History alongside
Venom #18
Absolute Carnage tie-in! Carnage’s unlikely and symbiotic allies swarm Venom and his family! As all hell continues to break loose as Carnage’s army swarms the streets of New York, Eddie Brock has his hands at Rex’s Warehouse!
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #10
SPIDER-SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL OR BIG 250th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE? That’s right, it’s our 250th issue and it’s Miles Morales’ birthday! But YOU’RE getting all the gifts! A mystery dating back to Miles’ first appearance? Answered! A terrifying villain destined to become one of Miles’ greatest adversaries? Revealed! Special guests, like maybe Peter Parker: Spider-Man? YOU KNOW IT! All busting out of 25 pages by main series storytellers Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garrón, PLUS a bonus back-up by Ahmed and a special guest artist delving into the history of your new favorite character, STARLING! Your FOMO is well-founded! DON’T MISS IT!
Batman #78
DC Comics · Sep 11th, 2019 · $3.99
In the first part of a “City of Bane” interlude, Batman receives help from an ally he thought he had lost for good: Catwoman! Still recovering from the beatings he took from Bane and Flashpoint Batman, the Dark
Thumbs #4
Image Comics · Sep 11th, 2019 · $4.99
Thumbs tracks down his sister, with disastrous results. MOMTM brings her fight to the city, with the goal of sparking the outlawed technology and tearing down those in charge.).
EP 186: Joker Trailer Truth or Trash Review, Matrix 4, Breaking Bad, House of X Review
Sep 05, 2019
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PODCAST | The reviews are in and they’re SCARY good. We play trailer ‘Truth or Trash’ with Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker
PLUS: It’s out with the new and in with the old. Matrix 4. Breaking Bad. Why Hollywood keeps bringing back old favorites and why they should probably stop.
So the Joker movie reviews are out and they’re… scary good? Like Oscar caliber scary good?
So a movie that pretty much everyone – yours truly included – thought would be a dumpster fire when it was first announced is getting 8-minute standing ovation at film festival’s and early oscar buzz for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance.
Maybe DC has finally figured it out. Stop trying to hurry up and copy the cool kids over at the MCU and just tell great stories with great actors and great directors. And maybe..just maybe…they’ll be the ones laughing last.
Segment 2: Out With The New…
A Breaking Bad movie will be coming to Netflix in October.
A teaser trailer and poster dropped over the weekend for the film, dubbed El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. It will bow on Netflix Oct. 11, and air on AMC later on. Aaron Paul will reprise his role as Jesse Pinkman from the series. The official synopsis from Netflix: “In the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity, Jesse must come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future.”
‘Matrix 4’ in the Works With Keanu Reeves and Lana Wachowski
Carrie-Anne Moss is also set to return.
Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Lana Wachowski, co-creator and director of the The Matrix, are returning to the fold for a fourth installment of the seminal action franchise. Wachowski is set to write, helm and produce the new feature project, with Reeves and Moss reprising their respective roles as action heroes Neo and Trinity.
EP 185: D23 Recap: Star Wars, Kit Harrington, Eternals Casting News, Tom Holland and More
Aug 30, 2019
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PODCAST | D23 dropped some bombs this weekend: Tom Holland makes a surprise appearance, Kit Harington joins the MCU, Obi-Wan Returns to Star Wars and oh by the way, a new glimpse at a ‘dark side’ Rey debuted.
PLUS: Chris Arrant from Newsarama joins us to talk D23, who the heck are The Eternals and House of X
Disney’s D23 Expo continued over the weekend, with surprise appearances, sneak previews of upcoming TV shows and movies, and other news. Here’s what you missed.
+Spider-Man’s appearance: Tom Holland’s Spider-Man may no longer be a part of the MCU, but the actor appeared at D23 as part of the cast for Pixar’s Onward. He addressed the Sony-Marvel split at the event, saying “It’s been a crazy week, but I want you to know I am grateful from the bottom of my heart and I love you 3,000.” More.
+Casting news: Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow for eight seasons on Game of Thrones, has joined The Eternals. Harington will play Dane Whitman, who in the comics is the superhero Black Knight…
Segment 2: Will REY Turn to the dark side?
J.J. Abrams wasn’t ready to bring a new The Rise of Skywalker trailer to D23, but the new poster, sizzle reel and banter during Saturday’s panel provided enough questions to sate fans’ appetites for now. The sizzle reel, which will not be released online, featured a look back at the 40- year-saga so far, and included Rey and Kylo Ren fighting on a ship downed in the middle of an ocean and concluded with a sure-to-be iconic shot of Rey wearing a dark hood and holding a double-edged lightsaber, ala Darth Maul.
And series newcomer Keri Russell revealed her costume — red with a helmet — and said she’s a shady character who has a history with Poe. Oscar Isaac, well aware of Internet memes that pit his Poe as a romantic interest for John Boyega’s
Finn, comforted Boyega, assuring him whatever happened between Poe and Russell’s character was ancient history.
“We were young. Everyone was experimenting,” said Isaac.
Also on the stage was Billy Dee Williams, who reprises his role as fan favorite Lando Calrissian. “Lando has never left me,” he said. “I want to thank you all.” Among the admirers he met at D23? Pratt.
EP 184: MCU Spider-Man No More? The Thor 4 Controversy, Laura Cerrone from GeekChicElite Podcast
Aug 22, 2019
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PODCAST | Is SONY putting the kibosh on Spidey in the MCU? Or is Disney making a power play for more money? We break down the messy divorce that may find the web slinger slinging webs in another Universe.
PLUS: With Natalie Portman taking over as Thor, is it time to replace all the White Male Superhero characters or is it just lazy writing to do the gender swap? We weigh in alongside Geek Chic Elite Podcaster Lauran Cerrone
The Skinny: Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige won’t produce any further Spider-Man films because of an inability by Disney and Sony Pictures to reach new terms that would have given the former a co-financing stake going forward.A dispute that has taken place over the past few months at the top of Disney and Sony has essentially nixed Feige, and the future involvement of Marvel from the Spider-Man universe, sources said.
Our Take: This is a power play move by Disney/Marvel to sway SONY execs onto their side. If they create enough backlash, SONY President Tom Rothman will have no choice to capitulate or face the wrath of a rabid fanbase of movies. Negotiations are still ongoing. Don’t be surprised if a deal gets reached.
The Skinny: The Thor casting controversy rages on! Is gender swapping the only way for diverse and under represented characters/ creators to be recognized? Or is it just lazy writing?
Spotlight: Laura Cerrone
Name: Laura Cerrone
WHAT DO YOU DO? By day: work in publishing By night: editor, writer, podcaster in pop culture
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? Mostly just http://www.geekchicelite.com and it’s affiliated podcast, https://soundcloud.com/geekchicelite
GOT A HOT TAKE? Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is one of the best comic book TV shows
SEGMENT 4: Spinning the Racks Taking you INSIDE the source material for your favorite films.
Jonathan Hickman Responds to House of X Plagiarism Accusations
Marvel Comics’ revival of the X-Men franchise under the direction of scribe Jonathan Hickman has earned many fans for its drastic changes to the popular squad of mutants. However, because of Hickman’s previous comments in an interview for one of his other comic books, novelist Catherine Webb has made it clear that she’s uncomfortable with aspects of her novel The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August possibly being plagiarized by the new X-Men writer.
EP 183: Avengers: Endgame Blu-Ray Review, Dr. Strange Sequel News, Sean Lewis ‘Thumbs’ Interview
Aug 15, 2019
We want YOUR thoughts!! Click the links to YouTube and share your comments below! Subscribe to our channel for new videos every Wednesday!
PODCAST | Fans are still feeling the ripple of the Avengers: Endgame, but does the Blu-Ray Stack up? Plus: We kick off our Marvel Phase 4 coverage with Dr. Strange and the Multiverse: Is the villain someone we all know?
AND: We welcome ‘Thumbs’ creator Sean Lewis to talk about his hit Image Comic.
What you get: Region-free 4K Blu-ray disc, Region A/B/C HD Blu-ray,
Region A/B/C bonus feature Blu-ray
Extra Features: Featurettes on Iron Man’s movie legacy, Captain America’s movie legacy, Black Widow’s movie legacy, Stan Lee’s movie legacy, the Russo Brothers journey to Endgame, and the women of the MCU; six deleted scenes; gag reel; director and writer commentary track
Our Take: Forget the techie details, this is all about whether or not this film holds up. For me, it never did to begin with. Give me Infinity War any day of the week, Endgame isn’t even in my top 10. – Mike
Segment 2: Doctor Strange 2 Theory: Scarlet Witch IS The Multiverse Madness
Scarlet Witch’s vast powers came at a terrible cost. As Doctor Strange noted in Avengers #503, Wanda possessed abilities that she had neither earned nor understood. “Can you understand the delicate mindset of a woman, a person, who has control over reality,” he asked the Avengers. “It means reality controls her.
Spotlight: Sean Lewis
Name
Sean Lewis
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I am the writer of THUMBS, COYOTES, THE FEW and SAINTS (Image Comics) and BETROTHED and CLANKILLERS (Aftershock Comics). I also contributed to DEATH BY DESIGN: A tribute to Megadeth from Heavy Metal. Prior tot hat, I was an award winning and internationally produced playwright.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS?
THUMBS. THUMBS. THUMBS.
GOT A HOT TAKE?
It would make worse radio but better life to hav eless hot takes. Epstein was murdered.
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
@seanchrislewis on twitter @seanlewis6026 on Instagram
Taking you INSIDE the source material for your favorite films.
Marvel Comics’ 80th anniversary has been (like most publisher anniversaries) an opportunity to put more comics on the stands. But unlike past celebrations of the Marvel line, this year’s milestone efforts extend beyond the traditional anthology format projects Marvel Editor-in-Chief CB Cebulski explained the approach to the comics focusing on eight decades of the House of Ideas by tying them to his general editorial approach for Marvel in the here and now.
“We were figuring out how to celebrate the 80th anniversary. Going back to [that idea of] ‘Look back to the past to respect the future,'” told CBR at Comic-Con International.
EP 182: The Boys S1 Review, Shazam’s John Glover Interview
Aug 08, 2019
We want YOUR thoughts!! Click the links to YouTube and share your comments below! Subscribe to our channel for new videos every Wednesday!
PODCAST | It is, without a doubt, a good time to be in the superhero business… And it’s even a better time to share our spoiler-filled Review of the Amazon Prim hit: The Boys Season 1. PLUS: Shazam and Smallville’s John Glover drops by to talk about his DC Universe connection.
Our Take: The Boys is like that superhero fan film you wished the studios would hire the creative team to create a real one. But, besides the shock value, the story is actually pretty basic. Well done, but not breaking tremendous new ground. Still, the cast is incredibly talented and Homelander is down right terrifying.
Segment 2: Comics vs TV
‘The Boys’ on Amazon: How it Compares to the Comic Book
There’s Billy Butcher, a foul-mouthed killer with a sordid past; Frenchie, a scientist whose specialty is killing super- powered individuals; Mother’s Milk, a family man who can’t resist a chance to work again; and the Female, a super-powered mute who channels her Berserker Rage. These characters all come straight from the comic, though all have much larger and more fleshed out personalities. Long monologues about religion, heart to heart talks and philosophical debates about murder were mostly absent from the initial 71-issue run. Frenchie also rarely spoke English in the comic, but that change had to be made.
The Boys main adversaries are the Seven, a group of the most powerful heroes the world has ever seen. Created, funded and controlled by Vought Industries, this group of superheroes is. led by Homelander, the generic Superman- esque every hero who on the outside represents truth, justice and the American way, On the inside, he’s a psychopathic bastard who only cares about the bottom line. In the comics, the Seven are pretty much as depraved and maniacal. Except for The Deep, who was rewritten for the show since he was initially a man in an old nautical diving suit who rarely talked.
Easter Eggs for the comic are hidden throughout the series. The show alludes to Teenage Kix, who were the first group of superheroes The Boys ever blackmailed in the comics. Popclaw is nothing more than a side character from Teenage Kix who was given a much larger role in the show. When Butcher meets with the CIA director, his demands include an “office in the Flatiron Building” which was the base of the comic book team.
If The Boys television show continues, there is plenty more material to be adapted from the comic book series. There’s the G-Men, an X-Men homage with a pedophilic head master. Tek Knight has an obsession with having sex with things, sometimes killing them. There’s even a badger that’s trained to attack the president; the possibilities are endless.
Amazon, overall, did a pretty good job with The Boys. The show had to tone down the sex, drugs and profanity but still left enough in there to make any Ennis fan happy. The plot chooses random bits from the comic book run, but still manages to feel like a property of its own.
The Boys sets up for its second season with one big change from the comics
Billy Butcher’s origins and the season finale
Billy Butcher (played by Karl Urban), in Amazon Studios’ The Boys, grins bloodily at the camera.
In both the comic and Amazon series, Billy Butcher, leader of The Boys, is a man with a singular focus. He hates “supes” (superheroes) and the company they work for, Vought. And he never misses a chance to describe them with colorful language.
Translating The Boys directly from page to small screen would result in a series that would make an R rating blush. There are also aspects of the story that, frankly, haven’t aged well over the decade between publication and adaptation. Developer/producer Eric Kripke and his staff took a lot of those rough edges off of the story without changing much about the underlying themes.
There’s a very big change, though, revealed in the series’
cliffhanger ending. Before we continue, this post will discuss story elements from The Boys, including sexual assault and suicide.
William “Billy” Butcher is the (reasonably) charming, foul- mouthed, and terrifyingly violent leader of the titular Boys. His violence and visceral hatred of all things supe has a foundation, though.
In the comics, Butcher is set on his path of hatred and destruction by the death of his wife. As she lay in bed next to Billy one night, her premature child disemboweled her as it was born, and then proceeded to attack Butcher with lasers from its eyes. Butcher handled the situation how he handles all situations — with extreme violence. He later learns that his wife had been raped by a superhero and that the superpowered baby was fathered by, he believes, the Homelander. Butcher comes to blame all superheroes and, by extension, the Vought-American corporation, for the death of his wife.
In the Amazon series, Butcher’s wife, Becca, is thought to be dead. She disappeared — either abandoned her life out of shame and killed herself or was permanently silenced by Vought — after she was raped by Homelander. Over the last few episodes of the series, however, both Butcher and Homelander learn the truth (well, the truth as we understand it so far). Becca’s encounter with the Homelander was a consensual affair. And in this version,
she survived her pregnancy and raised the superpowered child in hiding — or, more accurately, in a kind of corporate witness protection.
The series ends with Butcher and the Homelander, still in the midst of their season-ending climactic showdown, finding Becca and the child alive. Vought had hidden them away from both Butcher and Homelander. As they arrive at her suburban home, Homelander meets his eight-year- old (superpowered) son, and Butcher sees his wife for the first time in nearly a decade.
It’s a major change — an interesting twist on Butcher’s Women in Refrigerators origin that doesn’t paint Becca in the best light. Butcher’s entire life — in both the comics and the series — are driven by her death having been the direct result of a superhero’s actions. Learning that she is alive, but left him without a word, will certainly be explored during the series’ second season.
John Soursby Glover, Jr., is an American actor, known for a range of villainous roles in films and television, including Lionel Luthor on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville.
Segment 4: Spin The Racks
Andy Serkis Closes Deal to Direct ‘Venom 2’
The actor-turned-filmmaker will be tackling his first comic book movie as director. Andy Serkis is officially stepping into Venom’s goo.
The filmmaker has closed a deal to direct Venom 2, Sony’s sequel to the 2018 film that grossed $856 million at the global box office. The sequel, part of the company’s stable of Spider-Man related and Marvel-centric characters, will once again star Tom Hardy as the journalist who joins with an alien symbiote.
Serkis flew to Los Angeles the week of July 22 to meet with Sony brass on the project, and was one of several filmmakers in the mix for the job. This will be Serkis’ third directorial effort, after the 2017 drama Breathe and last year’s non-Disney take on the Rudyard Kipling stories, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, which ended up on Netflix after being made at Warner Bros.
Serkis rose to fame for his motion capture and performance capture acting work as Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy from 2002 to 2004. He cut his teeth with second unit directing by reteaming with Jackson for The Hobbit trilogy (2012-14). He played the villain Snoke in the recent Star Wars films, as well as bad guy Klaw in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther. His expertise with CG and performance capture technology is one of the factors that landed him the Venom 2 gig.
Sony had no comment
Kelly Marcel wrote the script for Venom 2. Ruben Fleischer helmed 2018’s Venom, which starred Michelle Williams and featured a last-minute cameo by Woody Harrelson as chief Venom villain Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage. Serkis previously worked with Harrelson on 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes.
Shortly after the news broke, Serkis shared a post on his verified Instagram account.
“Verified It’s actually happening. I can feel it, the Symbiote has found a host in me, and I’m ready for the ride…Can’t wait,” he wrote.
Serkis is repped by CAA and Principal Entertainment.
EP 181: Retro Review: Tim Burton’s Batman, Kevin Conroy Interview
Aug 01, 2019
We want YOUR thoughts!! Click the links to YouTube and share your comments below! Subscribe to our channel for new videos every Wednesday!
PODCAST | 30 years later, does Tim Burton’s Batman still hold up? Buckle up and reminisce as we go Retro Review on the Michael Keaton/ Jack Nicholson classic.
PLUS: THE voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy talks Mask of the Phantasm, his favorite animated episode and should Batman kill?
My Take: The story evolves as a mystery. And while some of the action scenes might be seen as very “80s” the fact that the entire world is an “Elseworlds” style Gotham, with movie magic elements in it (is it in the 40s? the 80s? or just its own universe) it still holds up. Keaton and Nicholson kill it an the Basinger/Brooks/Billy D supporting cast is also top notch (could we imagine a Billy D Williams Two-Face?)
Some of the cartoon villain-y stuff is dated but overall, I feel like you COULD show this to someone today and it holds.
30 years ago, a superhero movie was not a guaranteed blockbuster. The last time Batman had been exposed to mass audiences, he had quipped around with Robin and danced the Batusi. But the beginning of a new era of superhero movies—dark, violent, and self-serious—began in 1989, when Tim Burton’s Batman hit theaters. Now that superheroes routinely dominate the box-office—and since the whole Batman franchise is on Netflix—I thought it would be interesting to revisit these prototypical superhero blockbusters to see how they hold up today.
Spotlight: Kevin Conroy
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0175834/
Kevin Conroy is best known for his voice role as the DC Comics character Batman on the 1990s Warner Bros. television show Batman: The Animated Series, as well as various other TV series and feature films in the DC animated universe. Due to the popularity of his performance as Batman, Conroy went on to voice the character for multiple films
under the DC Universe Animated Original Movies banner; along with the acclaimed video games Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), Batman: Arkham City (2011) and Batman: Arkham Knight (2015).
Segment 4: Spin The Racks
Every year at the ultra invite only Sunday night Dead Dog party for Comic-Con someone will say “I dunno, this was a strange Comic-Con.” It is tradition.
But this is the year it was really true.
But that leaves the elephant in the room: DC’s massively changed presence at the show. The WB/DC are undoing huge changes at every level, and DC’s booth is perhaps the most vivid and traumatic change of all. I warned you but people were still shocked when they arrived on the show floor and found Image, Scholastic, Humanoids and Comixology (and two companies that make prints) where DC used to be. Deciding to give up DC’s anchor position on the show floor is the kind of dick measuring move that new executives make in an uncertain terrain, and they’ll regret it some day. But they can never go back. The studio assimilation that former publisher Paul Levitz fought against for so many years is now completed. And irreversible. It was a little bittersweet to see him and Jenette Kahn inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in tandem. They did so much to change comics for the better and now that legacy is being completely uprooted, even though it lives on with a thousand children.
NEXT WEEK: The Boys Are Back In Town! Well, actually, they never got here yet because this is only Season 1 but I digress! Our Review of The Boys Season 1
PLUS: Shazam and Smallville’s John Glover drops by to talk about his DC Connection.
EP 180: SDCC 2019 Recap, Marvel Phase 4, Top Gun 2, Terminator
Jul 25, 2019
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PODCAST | It’s our San Diego Comic Con review – straight from the host who was there! Who won the weekend? What was the biggest announcement? Did you really wait overnight for those Hall H passes? We have the scoop!
The biggest announcement from Hall H at ComicCon was..?
^Welcome to Phase 4. Kevin Feige took the stage at Comic-Con to pull back the curtain on Phase 4 of the MCU, which includes Black Widow, Disney+ shows and sequels to Thor and Doctor Strange… ► Mahershala Ali to star in Blade reboot. He’ll take over for Wesley Snipes in a reboot of the franchise centering on the hero who tries to rid the world of vampires as a way of avenging his mother. How he was cast. ► Simu Liu cast as lead in Shang-Chi. The actor, best known for his role on the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience, was cast as the titular character. Also joining the movie will be Awkwafina and veteran actor Tony Leung. Arriving Feb. 2021. ► Natalie Portman returns to Thor. The actress will return to the franchise as a female Thor, with the story taking its cues from the recent comics run penned by Jason Aaron in a Taika Waititi film arriving Nov. 2021. Details. ► Angelina Jolie makes Eternals debut. “I’m gonna work 10 times harder,” said Jolie to the elated panel crowd. “Because what it means to be part of the MCU, what it means to be an Eternal, to be part of this family.” Quotes. + What it all means: Richard Newby writes: “In Phase 4, it’s also the attention to inclusivity. Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Shang-Chi, WandaVision, the new Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, and the new Thor each offer a much needed and desired perspective to the MCU, be it a diverse cast, female superheroes, an Asian-American hero, a Black Captain America, a female Thor, and an LGBTQ characters
Comic-Con’s winners and losers … As chosen by THR’s on-site team of Lesley Goldberg, Aaron Couch, Borys Kit, Mia Galuppo and Patrick Shanley:
+ Winner: Marvel: The studio unveiled its Phase 4 as it dated numerous movies for 2020 and 2021 and slotted its “event series,” the shows that will debut on the Disney+ streaming service that also tie to the movies, all the while throwing at the audience logos and star power.
+ Loser: Veronica Mars (Hulu) Surprise! All episodes of the highly anticipated revival are available to stream a week early! The early drop was a regular topic on Friday but by Saturday, it had already been drowned out. Early release.
+ Winner: Paramount. Tim Miller brought Paramount and Skydance’s Terminator: Dark Fate footage to the panel that was filled with enough Sarah Connor and fun one-liners to make even the most temperamental of fanboys happy. And the surprise Tom Cruise appearance and Top Gun: Maverick trailer at the end of the session added a particularly nice touch.
+ Winner: The Witcher (Netflix) With impressive production qualities and a bona fide movie star (Henry Cavill) at the top of the call sheet, the first footage from the streamer’s upcoming fantasy drama was the buzz of San Diego.
+ Winner: The Walking Dead (AMC). AMC closed out the panel with a teaser for its Andrew Lincoln-led TV movies that, in a massive change, will no longer air on AMC. Instead, they will be released exclusively in theaters via a pact with Universal Pictures.
+ Winner: Watchmen (HBO) It’s damn-near impossible to cut through at Comic-Con, but that wasn’t a problem for Damon Lindelof’s highly anticipated take on Alan Moore’s beloved Watchmen. Fueled by a social media campaign, the trailer debuted to overwhelming buzz. More losers.
Loser: The Eisner Awards It’s not the winners of this year’s Will Eisner Comic Awards (i.e. the Oscars for comics) that were the problem; it’s that the day after the awards were given out, those who attended were talking more about what was wrong with the ceremony than who won any category. Complaints included an ill-considered joke about ICE agents coming for MAD Magazine cartoonist Sergio Aragones, multiple presenters complaining about the difficulty they had with nominees’ names and commentary about how easy the convention has to be for hot girls. Perhaps it’s time for a rethink before next year’s awards?
Winner: It Chapter Two (New Line/Warner Bros.) While Warner Bros. didn’t bring its DC heroes to the Con, its New Line Cinema unofficially kicked off Comic-Con with Wednesday night’s ScareDiego, an off-campus event that is becoming a must-attend. Conan O’Brien moderated a star-packed panel with Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader and the rest of filmmaker Andy Muschietti’s Losers’ Club. They showed off an early look at the Chapter Two trailer, as well as three extended scenes that showed there are new and inventive scares in store. For those who wondered if Chapter Two‘s adult cast could match the chemistry of their young counterparts in the 2017 hit, the answer appears to be yes. There was lots of good-natured teasing (and even a duet between Muschietti and Chastain).
Loser: Game of Thrones (HBO) Heading into the annual event, the fantasy drama series was easily the most-anticipated panel at the confab. That changed days before the convention center doors opened when creators and showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss bailed on their scheduled appearance, which was poised to feature their first comments about the divisive final season and series ender. Instead, the remaining castmembers on hand were left to defend the series after a Comic-Con representative opened the session with an odd and out-of-place PSA about acceptance amid threats of panel-crashers. Not helping matters was co-star Conleth Hill, who literally blamed a “media-led campaign” for strong reaction to the final season.
Winner: Westworld (HBO) Showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan pulled the curtain back on season three with an explosive trailer for the highly anticipated third season (coming in 2020). The typically tight-lipped married duo also were a little more forthcoming than usual and engaged in a lively discussion that was only tempered by divorce jokes between the pair when the conversation got a little too spoilery. One request: Please name the new Nazi-focused world featured in the season three trailer, because just the thought of “Nazi World” is downright horrifying.
Loser: Ruby Rose
The most San Diego would see of the star of The CW’s groundbreaking Batwoman was on hotel key cards and other promotional fare as the actress — TV’s first openly gay leading character played by an out actress of a superhero show — was a no-show in San Diego for Saturday’s panel. (Producers and Rose, in a social media post, blamed her absence on production.) The CW drama, though, did generate strong buzz from Wednesday night’s preview screening and its formal public unveiling. Bonus points to Berlanti Productions topper Sarah Schechter for her wardrobe choices during Saturday’s panel.
Winner: Tom Hooper
Not only did the Cats trailer fully paralyze Twitter and monopolize all conversations at Comic-Con on Thursday, but a couple of hours later the trailer for HBO’s His Dark Materials — of which Hooper directed a few episodes — debuted to much praise in Hall H.
Winner: Tom King
The Batman and Mister Miracle writer is on a high right now. Not only did he have an almost clean sweep at the Eisner Awards on Friday night, but his Comic-Con is to be followed by some time in Los Angeles writing the screenplay for Ava DuVernay’s New Gods movie. With a big Batman storyline starting this past Wednesday and a mystery upcoming collaboration with his Mister Miracle partner Mitch Gerads on the cards, King is… well, the current king of comics, it seems.
Winner: The X-Men (Marvel)
At a Comic-Con with few actual comics announcements, Marvel’s Saturday reveal of the first six series to be part of its X-Men relaunch (subtitled Dawn of X) felt like a big deal — even more so in the panel room where X-Men, X-Force and the other new titles were introduced, and the excitement was palpable. If this is a sign of the reception awaiting writer Jonathan Hickman’s take on the beloved franchise, Marvel has to be very excited about what lies ahead.
Winner: Undiscovered Country (Image Comics)
The end of The Walking Dead left Image Comics without a flagship title anchored by fan-favorite creators with a killer high concept hook… until Scott Snyder, Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s Undiscovered Country was unveiled Friday. Described by its creators as “Land of the Lost meets Lewis and Clark,” it’s an adventure story set in an America three decades after it has been shut off from the rest of the world behind a literal wall. A limited-edition preview given away at the show revealed that there’s far more going on than any dig at today’s political reality: Expect literal monsters to accompany metaphorical ones when the series launches in November.
Winner: Riverdale (The CW)
The Archie Comics-inspired drama is carrying late star Luke Perry’s wishes by bringing his longtime friend and former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Shannen Doherty for a tribute. Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that Perry, who died in March at age 52 after suffering a stroke, had been advocating for Doherty to appear on Riverdale since the beginning: “They were such good friends, and when we were putting together this tribute episode, we wanted to make it as special as possible, and so we asked Shannen to do a pivotal, super-emotional role. She read the script and immediately said yes. It’s very impactful.”
Loser: Agents of SHIELD (ABC)
Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ TV series — the ones with the same movie stars from the billion-dollar feature film franchises roles — were part of the comic book titan’s Hall H film presentation Saturday night that generated enough major announcements to make your head spin. But the ABC drama, that has long been hog-tied when it comes to direct tie-ins with the MCU, headed into the Con with news that it would end next season. Rather than having the cast take a final curtain call alongside the film (and TV!) stars, Marvel banished its first-ever primetime scripted drama series to a low-energy Thursday session in yet the latest sign of the former disassociation between its film and TV arms. Imagine what could have been if SHIELD had, from the start, regularly tied in to the MCU in way similar to what Disney+ is doing. Instead, the network remains in last place among the Big Four broadcast networks and is in the midst of rebuilding efforts.
Winner: Star Trek (CBS All Access)
Trek boss Alex Kurtzman came to Hall H to sell his ever-expanding universe, and largely succeeded in convincing the crowd that there was enough variety among his plans to sustain the franchise. Discovery pulled back the curtain on its surprise 1,000-year time jump teased at the end of season two; Rick and Morty producer Mike McMahan laid out his vision for Lower Decks, a Next Generation-inspired animated comedy that is sold as having the zaniness McMahan is known for with the heart of Trek; and Patrick Stewart — Hall H royalty in addition to being an actual knight — commanded the room with the class and calm he’s known for. The actor choked up speaking about his last day on the Next Gen set, and he revealed more details about Picard, including the fact that a slew of Next Gen stars will be appearing and that the series will involve the Borg in some way. Make it so.
EP 179: Stranger Things 3 Super-Spoilery Review, End Credit Theories, Fanbolt’s Emma Loggins
Jul 16, 2019
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PODCAST | We give you our spoiler-filled review of Stranger Things 3! Who was your season MVP? What was your Home-Run scene? And who is “The American?”
PLUS: The giant Easter Egg you probably missed! And what it means for ****’s Season 4 fate. With Fanbolt founder Emma Loggins.
Netflix and the Duffer Brothers made a clever play when they decided to make their series fully embrace seasonal ambiance, most prominently with Season 2’s Halloween spirit and again in Season 3, which is practically dripping with sweat and sunscreen for all its peak summer energy. That decision (along with the ever-progressing timeline through the 80s) allows the series to shake up its style with each new batch of episodes and lean into different subgenres with all those pop culture references.
Our take: Season 3 was the ‘Dream Warriors’ to the original Nightmare on Elm Street 1 – meaning it took all the best elements introduced in Season 1 and gave us some new twists, new villians. It felt more like an 80’s film not for it’s nostalgia but it’s grand scope and adventure.
These ‘Stranger Things 3’ Theories Will Change What You Think About “The American”
At the end of Stranger Things: Summer Edition, a post-credits scene took us way out of Hawkins…all the way to snowy Kamchatka, Russia. There, two soldiers revealed the Russians have collected not only a Demogorgan, but an American citizen as well.
But who is the prisoner? I’m sure you think you know, but here are some theories to change your perspective.
Our Take: It’s Hopper. I mean, come on really. BUT… if it’s not, we dig this article’s alternative suggestions:
Dr. Brenner
You may know Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) as Eleven’s evil “papa.” Though it seemed unlikely he could have survived the Demogorgon attack in season one, we never saw the body or the actual kill. In Stranger Things land, that pretty much means he’s alive.
Sure enough, “I would say that if we were going to kill Brenner…as an audience member watching the show, if that was his death, that would be very unsatisfying to me,” co-creator Matt Duffer told IGN. “He would deserve much more than that as an ending. So yes, there’s a possibility of seeing him again.”
In season two, an ex-employee of Brenner’s lab confirmed to Eleven that “papa” is alive, and out there somewhere. Russia, perhaps?
Murray
Well, now that the two most popular theories are out of the way, what do you think about Murray (Brett Gelman)? The man speaks the language, has believed Russians were after him since season two, and is probably the smartest person they could choose to interrogate. What if they found him between the explosion and the three-month time jump in the finale?
The other psychic kids
“The Americans were only able to open a gate because of El’s powers,” the theory reads. “We’re shown at the beginning of season three that the Russians CAN’T open a gate over there, hence coming to Hawkins. So how do they have a living Demogorgon if the gate is closed here again? They opened their own gate, and the only way they could do it is with one of the psychics.”
The theory continues to suggest that they discovered Eleven’s powers during the events at Starcourt Mall, conducted an investigation, and found at least on of her sisters and brothers.
‘Stranger Things 3’ has an insanely cool Easter egg you probably missed
When Stranger Things burst onto the scene about three years ago, it immediately became a mainstream hit and quickly became one of the most watched TV series in Netflix history. Impressively, the second and third seasons of Stranger Things not only maintained the same level of quality as the first, but raised the bar even higher. Indeed, there’s a growing consensus that the recently released third season of Stranger Things could very well be the best of the bunch. And having just finished binging the third season, I’m inclined to agree.
Of course, it goes without saying that Stranger Things, aside from being an entertaining show in its own right, is bolstered by 80s nostalgia. One of the more insightful reviews of the show I’ve seen articulates that Stranger Things “doesn’t just reference ’80s movies. It captures how it feels to watch them.” Indeed, it’s no big surprise that the show is filled to the brim with subtle and even overt homages to a range of popular films from the 1980s.
While many fans of the show have been quick to compile a number of Easter Eggs relating to 80s movies, I recently stumbled across the mother of all Easter Eggs on the Stranger Things subreddit.
One of the more integral and entertaining side characters in season 3 is Murray Bauman who, if you recall from season 2, is a former investigative journalist turned private investigator. Part of Bauman’s character is that he’s very privacy-minded — if not conspiratorial — which is why he was none-too-thrilled when Winona Ryder’s character revealed his phone number to a third-party at one point.
Now here’s the cool part: you can actually call the number whereupon you’ll be sent directly to a Bauman’s voicemail. It’s pretty darn cool and is one of the more engaging Easter Eggs we’ve seen in quite some time. If you want to try it yourself, Bauman’s number is 618-625-8313
The message, for those too lazy to call, is as follows:
EP 178: Spider-Man Far From Home, Reviews, Reactions and End Credit Breakdown
Jul 11, 2019
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PODCAST | Where does Spider-Man Far From Home fit in the pantheon of Spider-Man films? And is it (gasp) BETTER than Endgame? At least one of our hosts thinks so.
PLUS: We get a breakdown of those shocking end credit scenes directly from Director Jon Watts and go Spinning the Racks with some more Spidey News.
Unlike Spider-Man: Homecoming, which did a solid job of rethinking characters from the comics in new ways in order to make yet another Peter Parker-centric story feel fresh for the big screen, Far From Home amps things up by cleaving ever-so-slightly closer to the source material.
But it isn’t until the film’s credits have begun rolling that the most surprising, and deftly-executed, contribution to the life of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker pops up. It’s one that’s almost certainly going to change the shape of Marvel’s future films. Spoilers ahead, of course.
here are a lot of things to unpack about the mid-credits scene, the most obvious of which being how downright delightful it is to see J.K. Simmons reprise his role as a very-enraged Jameson, who once again has a very big axe to grind with Spider-Man. In Marvel’s comics, the circumstances of Jameson’s legendary dislike of the web-slinger are drastically different and involve Jameson being jealous of the media attention Spider-Man’s heroics draw. Jameson first develops a hatred for Spider-Man when the hero inadvertently steals the spotlight from Jameson’s son John, an astronaut embarking on a mission that ends up going awry. After Spider-Man ultimately saves the younger Jameson, Jonah’s still unconvinced of the vigilante’s intentions and continues with his media crusade against the hero, in part, because it leads to a boost in the Bugle’s sales.
Despite Jameson’s rage being rooted in irrationality, his insistence that Spider-Man is a public menace that must be dealt with is a fundamental part of the character that’s always resonated to a certain extent, because you can kind of understand where he’s coming from. Spider-Man, like all costumed vigilantes, is a public menace when you look at him as a beacon or a lightning rod for the villains they invariably end up tussling with in their adventures. Superheroes might be fighting because they want to do the right
thing, but the reasons behind their cause can only do so much to make civilians sympathize with them. That isn’t really the reason Jameson himself harasses Spider-Man, but it’s an idea that’s baked into the characters’ dynamic, and goes on to make Peter’s stint working at the newspaper even more layered with meaning.
But Far From Home legitimizes Jameson’s hate in a novel way because you can’t entirely fault him for coming to the conclusions about Spider-Man that he does. Even though the footage is edited to make it seem as if Peter ordered all of Mysterio’s drones to attack, no one has any way of knowing that it’s been tampered with, and given everything the planet’s recently been through (see: Endgame), no one’s really thinking about villainous media manipulation.
While the world’s Infinity Snapped-population has returned, Far From Home makes clear that the world’s a different place now. Earth’s citizens are aware of the larger-than-life things going on because they simply can’t deny their existence anymore. Everyone’s been affected by them in one way or another, and they look to superheroes like Spider-Man and the Avengers to keep them safe. That’s what makes Jameson’s report as compelling as it is devastating, because it pushes you to understand why the public would latch on to the “Spider-Man as a menace” narrative in the MCU.
How the public feels about Spider-Man has been different at various points in time depending on what he’s in the news for, what kind of suit he’s wearing, and what hero team he’s hanging out with, but it’s one of the most interesting things about his larger mythos because of what it represents. Peter Parker’s always understood that there wouldn’t be a Spider-Man were it not for the friendly neighbors who accepted him as a Queens folk hero before he joined the big leagues, and the bad reputation Jameson’s hellbent on giving him might as well be a character in Spidey’s rogues’ gallery in and of itself.
Far From Home gives Spider-Man that new, yet familiar threat to face in a more than inspired way, and Peter’s going to have one hell of a time trying to disentangle himself from the messy conundrum the next time we see him swinging scrims the silver screen.
‘Spider-Man’ Director Explains Those Post-Credits Scenes and What They Mean for the MCU
Director Jon Watts walks IndieWire through two game-changing post-credits scenes, both of which set the stage for more Spidey tales to come
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has never been shy about introducing game- changing elements in post-credits scenes — remember our first look at Thanos, the ultimate big baddie? That was just a quick hit in a post-credits stinger following “The Avengers” — but “Spider-Man: Far From Home” runs positively wild with the possibility that an entire film, an entire franchise can be impacted by something thrown into the middle of a credit crawl.
While Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man: Far From Home” ends on an upbeat note, well-earned after asking young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) to work his way through his grief over “the snap” and the loss of mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) while also navigating a nutty high school trip to Europe, a pair of post-credits scenes hint at a darker future for the webhead. They also lay the groundwork for both the next chapter in the Spider-Man franchise and hint at far-ranging impacts on the MCU in general.
In short, they’re big, perhaps the biggest Marvel has ever offered in this format, and they’re hard not to get excited over (and, yes, Watts knows just how big they are). At the very least, they imply bigger parts in the franchise for two of indie film’s most beloved character actors, and that’s never a bad thing.
“Pretty early on, you start to get a feeling for if something is part of the main body of the film or if it makes more sense as a tag,” Watts told IndieWire during a recent interview. “It was similar with these, but after the tag we did on the last movie, which was just the Captain America PSA, I felt like I owed it to the fans to do something a little bit more substantial.”
Tom Holland is Peter Parker, in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN:TM FAR FROM HOME.
Ahead, Watts breaks down both of the post-credits scenes in his film and what they mean for his friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (and, yes, the MCU as a whole) going forward.
[One more time: Spoilers ahead for both “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and its post-credits scenes.]
1. An Old Favorite Returns (And a Hero Is Unmasked)
One happy change for Peter: “Far From Home” finally sees him expressing his feelings for MJ (Zendaya), even if it takes some massive battles and a little bit of misdirection. Even better, MJ knows about his secret identity and is totally cool with it, which is why the first post-credits scene sees Peter picking MJ up in midtown Manhattan and going on a swing around the city.
Just as the pair prepare to part outside Madison Square Garden, giddy about their burgeoning relationship and basking in their big secret, a classic loudmouth breaks in to disrupt all that happy calm. And he’s a familiar loudmouth too: J.K. Simmons, reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson, now styled as a fast-talking YouTube personality (yes, The Daily Bugle is now a streaming outfit). Seeing Simmons back in the role he so very much made his own in Sam Raimi’s earlier Spider-Man series is the best kind of shock, even if it temporarily obscures what he’s actually saying.
“There was always the chance that he would say no, but I always wanted that,” Watts said. “There was maybe a brief conversation about like, oh, is there a way to reinvent what The Daily Bugle is and who J. Jonah Jameson would be? But it just felt wrong. It’s gotta be him. Like, if it wasn’t him, it wasn’t worth doing.”
But both Jameson and The Daily Bugle have been reinvented for modern times — and a film that cleverly flirts with the influx of “fake news”
throughout its running time — and when he suddenly appears on a giant screen on MSG, he’s not there to issue happy news. Instead, this Jameson is showing off exclusive footage from Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, who was previously revealed to both Peter and the audience as a con man and fraud.
But the rest of the world doesn’t know that. They still think he’s a for-real superhero who died in the heat of battle (a fake battle!), and he’s still got one last trick: a doctored video that “shows” Spider-Man killing him for no apparent reason. Just as both Jameson and his “DailyBugle.net” reveal themselves to be terrifying (and, yes, sort of funny) new enemies, the loudmouth newsman offers one last shocker, as he reveals Spider-Man’s real world identity, as a shocked Peter and MJ look on.
“It’s kind of just strange that this very over the top performance of J. Jonah Jameson from the Sam Raimi films now doesn’t seem as over the top, and there are [now] real world comparisons,” Watts said when asked about threading the needle between realism and wackiness. “So it’s not me, it’s the world!”
So, not only does “Far From Home” end with Peter Parker unmasked, it also ends with Spider-Man cast as a villain. Oh, and now J. Jonah Jameson is running a nutty news outfit that’s hellbent on taking down one of Earth’s biggest heroes. Well, at least some things never change.
2. Nick Fury Needs a Vacation, Too
“I think about [‘Far From Home’] as a con man movie, there’s so many layers of deception throughout the whole movie, that it just felt right to do one last little reveal,” Watts said. “One last little twist at the very end. It all felt on theme.”
That final twist is a potent and funny one, but just like the first post-credits tag, it comes with big implications for the future (and the past). When the scene opens, we’re on a sunny beach and Marvel’s most high-strung stickler Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is kicking back for some much-needed R&R. Like Peter, he’s clearly been in desperate need of a vacation, but the second the beach scene fades away — like so much of the film’s biggest twists, it’s all a simulation — it’s clear that Fury has been enjoying the relaxing life for awhile.
No, really, quite awhile: it wasn’t him in “Far From Home.” Fury, it seems, is trawling through space on a massive Skrull ship (yes, they’re back!), while he and trusty sidekick Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) have been temporarily replaced on Earth by everyone’s favorite shape-shifters.
“After I saw ‘Captain Marvel’ and saw Fury’s origin story in that film, it just made sense,” he said. “We’ve learned so much more about Nick Fury now that ‘Captain Marvel’ has come out, it felt like the right thing to do. It was on theme as a con, but it was also on theme as like, everyone needs a vacation!”
Fury is called back into action by “Captain Marvel” stars Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and his wife Soren (Sharon Blynn), who have spent the entire movie pretending to be the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, all the better for the duo to enjoy some free time. Eagle-eyed viewers have likely noticed that the pair seemed a little off their game during the film’s action, but like so many parts of the story, that could easily be chalked up to post-“Endgame” weirdness.
In actuality, their plucky fill-ins have done the best job they can, but now they need the real Fury back in the saddle. And, of course, that begs a few questions: how long have the Skrulls being running these (authorized, still funny) missions for S.H.I.E.L.D.? Where is Fury actually? And what else has happened to the Skrull community after “Captain Marvel”?
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” > Avengers:Endgame
If ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Doesn’t Make a Billion Dollars, Sony Breaks Free of the Marvel Studios Deal
The specifics of major Hollywood contracts are notoriously difficult to ascertain, and the occasional insights we do receive often come from actors revealing how many movies they have left in a particular franchise. But a new report has uncovered a Spider-Man contract stipulation which would allow Sony to wriggle out of its deal with Marvel Studios and once again give Spidey’s original studio home full autonomy over the character’s cinematic adventures. Good thing that won’t happen.
In a recent edition of journalist Richard Rushfield’s entertainment industry newsletter The Ankler, Rushfield peels back the secretive curtain of the deal that was signed between Sony and Marvel Studios back in 2015 to share the character. “The original Sony/Marvel/Spidey deal to co-produce these movies stipulated that if this Spidey cleared a billion, Marvel would get to oversee a third. If it hadn’t, full control would have reverted back to Sony,” he writes.
To be clear, Far From Home has not yet crossed the billion dollar mark at the worldwide box office, but the fact that it’s already made over $600 million in its first week is practically a guarantee that it will cross the coveted billion dollar threshold before it leaves theaters. So the Sony/Marvel Studios deal will still hold – at least for one more solo Spider-Man movie, because actor Tom Holland revealed back in 2016 that he was on board for three solo Spider-Man films and three appearances in other MCU movies. We’ve already seen him in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and now Spider-Man: Far From Home.
NEXT WEEK: We (finally) get to do our Spoiler Filled Review of Stranger Things 3! Return to form or lost in the upside down? PLUS: We Preview San Diego Comic Con!
EP 177: Spider-Man Far From Home vs Stranger Things 3 Preview, Walking Dead Shocker, Ramon Gil
Jul 04, 2019
We want YOUR thoughts!! Click the links to YouTube and share your comments below! Subscribe to our channel for new videos every Wednesday!
PODCAST | Stranger Things 3! Spider-Man: Far From Home! We pit the two biggest events of the summer against each other… and only one will walk away (with our money).
PLUS: We welcome Diversity Con founder Ramon Gil and talk Walking Dead Shocker!
Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe in good hands after, you know, what happened at the end of Avengers: Endgame? The answer, per the majority of critics coming out of early screenings of Spider-Man: Far From Home, the answer is yes.
Directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Jon Watts, Tom Holland‘s next solo outing as Marvel’s web-slinger “solidifies him as the new and improved heart of the MCU,” as Mashable’s Alexis Nedd writes. Other critics, including EW’s Darren Franich, praise Jake Gyllenhaal’s “clever, careful performance” as Mysterio, a new mysterious face on the block.
Still in mourning for mentor Tony Stark and grappling with the world asking who will be the new Iron Man, Peter just wants to go on his school trip to Europe and profess his feelings for MJ (Zendaya). But Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) pops in to recruit Spider-Man for a mission combating these Elemental creatures emerging around the world.
Also returning for the Spidey sequel includes Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, and Jon Favreau as Happy.
Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman calls Far From Home “closer, in spirit, to the good Tobey Maguire films,” while The Wrap‘s Alonso Duralde writes how Watts and the screenwriters “
To be fair, not everyone came out of theaters singing the film’s praises.
carved out a space for Spider-Man that feels
uniquely breezy and charming while still fitting the larger structure of the
Marvel movies.”
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called it “a cute but painfully unadventurous bit
of superhero housekeeping,” as Vanity Fair‘s Richard Lawson felt annoyed
by “how the film smirks and winks as if it’s in on the fatigue, offering an
illusion of cool when at heart it’s as slavishly on-message as everything
else.”
Read more reviews below:
GOOD: Darren Franich (Entertainment Weekly) “I wound up liking Far From Home more than any Spider-Man film this decade.
BAD: Todd McCarthy (The Hollywood Reporter)
“The young cast, led by Tom Holland as the bashful web-slinger and Zendaya as a shy girl slow to lose her inhibitions, is plenty appealing as well as funny. But without a proper, full-on villain, as well as an adequate substitute for Robert Downey Jr.’s late, oft-mentioned Tony Stark, this comes off as a less than glittering star in the Marvel firmament. It pales even more when compared to Sony’s wildly imaginative animated feature of last year, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
GOOD: Owen Gleiberman (Variety) “Where does Far From Home fall on the scale of Spider-Man movies? It’s more urgent than the last one (and should be even bigger at the box office), with a richer sense of malevolence, and Holland’s kid-in-over-his-head hero — awkward and ingenuous, romantic and quicksilver — is alive inside in a way that Andrew Garfield’s Peter never was. Far From Home gets closer, in spirit, to the good Tobey Maguire films.”
GOOD: Alonso Duralde (The Wrap) “In a year that’s only half-done, audience members would be forgiven for having superhero fatigue after Captain Marvel, Shazam! and Avengers: Endgame. (It’s almost welcome news that we aren’t getting the next MCU movie until 2020.) But with a focus on character-based comedy, coming-of- age anxieties, and super-battles that exist in very specific geographical locations, returning writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers and director Jon Watts have carved out a space for Spider-Man that feels uniquely breezy and charming while still fitting the larger structure of the Marvel movies.
IN BETWEEN: Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair)
(They even play with that structure, and with deep cuts from the MCU’s
history, in very clever ways.)”
“If yet another Marvel movie is a little self-conscious about being yet another Marvel movie, does that excuse it from being, well, yet another Marvel movie? That’s the tricky territory that Spider-Man: Far From Home (co-released by Sony on July 2) finds itself in, barely two months after Avengers: Endgame swept across the globe, taking some major heroes with it. Watching the trailer for Far From Home, I found myself thinking, this? Again? Already?? In response, Jon Watts’s film seems to nod its head and say, ‘I know, know,’ a little sheepish about its mere existence. But then it ups and does all the old Marvel stuff anyway, seeming more and more earnest and ardent about this factory-cult as it goes.”
Matt Singer (ScreenCrush) “Watts and his team faced a tough task with this movie, following two gigantic Avengers and the dimension-jumping Spider-Man: Into the Spider- Verse. Their smart solution was to tell a classical story in that Lee/Ditko mold. While no one says ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’ this is about as faithful an adaptation of those old Amazing Spider-Man fables as has been brought to the screen so far.
Mike Ryan (UPROXX) “So, yes, Spider-Man: Far From Home is funny and clever – in the end, Peter just wants to enjoy his class trip to Europe with the hopes of growing closer to MJ (Zendaya) – but it’s also a movie about both mourning and deception. Peter is still reeling from the loss of Tony Stark, who remains a specter wherever Peter turns. Peter’s emotions are raw, which also leaves him more susceptible to forces preying on his emotional state. It’s a movie filled with surprises (I don’t say that lightly) that leaves Peter, and a viewer, wondering who is real and who can be trusted. Yet it never feels like a movie filled with dread. It’s a hopeful tone, which, after the last two Avengers movies, is very welcome.”
David Ehrlich (IndieWire) “Don’t be fooled by the title, or the fact that Marvel finally shot a movie outside of Atlanta: Spider-Man: Far From Home is a cute but painfully unadventurous bit of superhero housekeeping that only exists to clean up the cataclysmic mess that Avengers: Endgame left behind. As a piece of connective tissue in an ever-metastasizing cinematic universe, Tom Holland’s sophomore (solo) outing as Peter Parker does a clever job of closing the door on one phase and nudging it open to another; it’s funny and
And it sets the stage perfectly, with a
shocking cliffhanger, for whatever Marvel has in store for us next.”
colorful and hinges on some MCU deep-cuts that even the most hardcore fans won’t be able to anticipate. As a stand-alone story, however — another predictable call to action about the burdens of growing up and becoming the person that others believe you can be — it’s a hollow exercise in going through the motions.”
Alexis Nedd (Mashable) “Tom Holland instantly proved to be the perfect Spider-Man way back in Captain America: Civil War, but his performance now solidifies him as the new and improved heart of the MCU. Holland is so magnetic in Far From Home that even when Peter makes stupid choices (and hoo boy, he really craps the bed a few times), he is granted instant forgiveness. Peter is 16 years old in this movie, and much is made of the tension between him shouldering the burden of heroism while still being an actual child in a post– Iron Man world. Watching Peter experience grief, stress, and guilt over his role in this new reality is pretty difficult stuff, but in Holland’s hands the emotional journey Peter takes feels natural and relatable.”
Charles Pulliam-Moore (io9) “Because Spider-Man: Far From Home is the first major Marvel Cinematic Universe film set explicitly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the great responsibility resting on its shoulders is twofold. Not only does the movie have to bring its titular hero back down to Earth from the most epic adventure of his life, it also has the vital job of setting an overarching tone and perspective for the next phase of Marvel’s grand cinematic project. The great thing is that the film does all of that and a whole hell of a lot more.”
Spider-Man: Far From Home will open in theaters on July 2.
Stranger Things 3 reviews are out: ‘Best season by leaps and bounds’
Get ready for new characters, 1980s flash and fads, and more gore than usual when the Netflix hit returns July 4.
Things are about to get Strange. The third season of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things arrives on July 4, and while it may be a stressful summer in Hawkins, Indiana, it’s looking like a great one for fans. The embargo for reviews lifted on Sunday, and critics shared their opinions.
It’s what fans wanted to hear. CNET’s own Jennifer Bisset calls season 3 “a brilliant return to form,” adding that it brings the focus back to the elements that made the first season such an unexpected hit. “This season’s sense of fun, along with its relationship drama and multiple odd pair-ups bring humor and touching moments that recall Game of Thrones at its best,” she writes.
MTVNews culture director Crystal Bell tweeted, “I think I can finally tell you that #StrangerThings is the show’s best season yet.
She’s not alone in calling this season the best so far. Randall Colburn, internet culture editor for The AV Club, calls season 3 the show’s “best season by leaps and bounds.”
BAD: CNET sister site ComicBook.com says the 1980s references are just too much.
“It’s entertaining to see beloved characters embracing the spirit of goofy ’80s films, but these homages feel so blatant that it feels more like a parody than a tribute,” the ComicBook review reads.
Spotlight: Ed Kuehnel & Matt Entin Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia
Suspicious Behavior Productions Starburns
Name Ed Kuehnel
WHAT DO YOU DO? Both Matt and I are full time video game writers. We are freelance contractors and have worked on several games together, most notably Valiant Hearts for Ubisoft but also projects for Twisted Pixel Games and a few other. On my own, I’ve written on over 70 games, having contributed to The Onion and both Matt and I were screenwriters on the comedy/horror film Lumberjack Man.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? The biggest thing of course, is the comic book, Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia, our mini-series that is available on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Invasion-from-Planet-Wrestletopia/comics- series/131916?ref=cHVibGlzaGVyL3ZpZXcvZGVza3RvcC9saXN0L3Nlcmllc0xpc3Q Six issues will complete the story arc, after which they’ll be collected in a trade that will go to print. After that, who knows?
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? Matt and I formed a company with which to do our comic book work. It’s called Suspicious Behavior Productions. We have a Facebook page and we’re active on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBP_Comics and on Tumblr: https://suspiciousbehaviorproductions.tumblr.com/
Matt Entin
WHAT DO YOU DO? I’m a full-time video game writer (Man Eater, Valiant Hearts, Agents of Mayhem) who also dabbles in comics and film. WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? My comic series with Ed Kuehnel, “Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia.” GOT A HOT TAKE? Batman (1989) is the best Batman movie. WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? Twitter: @themattentin mattentin.com suspiciousbehaviorproductions.com
‘Walking Dead’ Comics — Source of Multibillion-Dollar Franchise — Ends With Surprise Finale
►Whither The Walking Dead? While the future of The Walking Dead TV universe is not in doubt, a shock decision by Robert Kirkman, the creator of the franchise, is raising questions about the original AMC show that started the zombie craze. Issue 193 of the Walking Dead comic book series, releasing today, will be the final issue, in a move calculated to surprise fans of the series.
Creator Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard concluded the industry-changing comic book series with Wednesday’s The Walking Dead No. 193, an extra-sized edition that plays out as a sprawling epilogue to Rick Grimes’ story. The series finale comes just shy of a landmark 200th issue; what’s more, the ending has arrived without any advance warning, to the point that Kirkman and Skybound solicited several subsequent issues with cover art from Adlard. Those covers and solicitations were created to preserve the secret behind the series finale, according to Kirkman himself.
Quote: “I hate knowing what’s coming,” Kirkman wrote in the concluding pages of the issue. “As a fan, I hate it when I realize I’m in the third act of a movie and the story is winding down. I hate that I can count commercial breaks and know I’m nearing the end of a TV show. I hate that you can feel when you’re getting to the end of a book, or a graphic novel. Some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones are when they’re structured in such a way and paced to perfection so your brain can’t tell if it’s been watching for 15 minutes or 50 minutes … and when the end comes … you’re stunned.”
“The comic industry as a whole can be very complacent. The systems are in place. Everybody uses those same systems. Comics either live or die based on the generic press releases and interview structures, and it’s all the same websites that cover comic book news. There’s a very rudimentary system of going into a comic shop and finding a comic, and hearing about a comic online. I’m always trying to think of ways to shake that up, where you energize the industry to a certain extent and do things that make people take notice in a way that’s not normal.”
+So what does the unexpected comic finale mean for the AMC show? Well, with a series of movies and another TV spinoff in the works, the franchise appears safe. In addition (and without giving any plot points away) the comic book series ended in a way that the TV series can’t replicate. Still, the surprise ending begs the question whether AMC’s show could follow suit with some surprises of its own
EP 176: Jessica Jones Review, Marvel Netflix Legacy, Invasion From Planet Wrestletopia
Jun 26, 2019
We want YOUR thoughts!! Click the links to YouTube and share your comments below! Subscribe to our channel for new videos every Wednesday!
PODCAST | We say goodbye to the Marvel Netflix Universe as Jessica Jones Season 3 comes and goes. We give you our thoughts plus dive deep into the conflicted legacy that was this ambitious TV adventure
PLUS: We welcome Ed Kuehnel and Matt Entin creators of the outrageously
The Conflicted Legacy of the Marvel Netflix Experiment
With the release of Jessica Jones’ third and final season, a TV experiment four years in the making is over. Whether laid low by Disney’s own streaming plans or because simply it began to be more trouble than it was worth to Netflix, its legacy is now etched in stone: chasing a comic book weirdness that it had once proudly eschewed.
It’s hard to imagine that it’s “only” been 11 years since the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off, and with Iron Man, found success in a tone that respected its comic book material while grounding it in a way that made sense. After all, right now we’re still coming off the audacious highs of Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of the last several years that delivers, for all that’s good and all that ails it, a completely batshit, time-travel induced smörgåsbord of comic book event storytelling that wildly, gleefully revels in the sugar rush of its own ridiculous high.
In the midway point between that tonal transformation for the Marvel brand, we found Daredevil, then fronted by Stephen S. DeKnight, in 2015. At a time when the movies themselves were starting to lean into that weird spectacle a little more—god, that earnest time when we were all thinking, “How is Marvel gonna make a talking raccoon and a tree that says its name over and over work?”…and then it did!—the arrival of the first show in what would grow into the Defenders project felt like a breath of fresh air.
It’s not much, but it’s probably going to be more than enough for Marvel Studios to swipe Avatar’s…
Or really, a smash to the face.
Daredevil’s commitment to a dark, grounded tone as Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock limped and punched his way through the Kingpin’s thugs in that bloodied, slick first season represented the boldest statement a Marvel show could make at the time. This was a street-level story, away from the sheen and glitz of Avengers Tower, one that didn’t need elaborate superpowers or cosmic beings to sparkle. Give Matt a black headwrap, some batons, and a
corridor, and watch him make visceral, violent storytelling art. By treating its battered and broken protagonist as the consequences of an existential struggle with the act of heroic vigilantism itself, Daredevil presented a complexity to the superhero formula that the Marvel movies couldn’t even dare to contemplate.
Like a one-two punch, Netflix followed up with an equally daring mirror to the Marvel formula in Jessica Jones, helmed by Melissa Rosenberg. While Krysten Ritter’s less graceful protagonist couldn’t quite land a hit as slickly as Daredevil could, Jessica Jones offered a more emotively cerebral examination of comic book weirdness. In taking a supervillain like the Purple Man and turning him not into a simple opposing force to punch into submission (that’s something that even now, the Marvel movies still kind of struggle to do effectively), but a haunting specter that chased Jessica and her own struggles with trauma over the first season, Jessica Jones offered a fascinatingly timely, foreboding take on what a world with superpowers could realistically look like.
David Tennant’s Kilgrave delivered Marvel’s first truly killer villain.Photo: Netflix
Like Daredevil before it, this was not the sort of gritty storytelling you could get from Marvel at the box office. The Defenders characters and stories quickly established themselves as a street-level manna from that still- occasionally embarrassing goofiness we felt sitting down at the movies for the latest Spandex-clad bit of spectacle. But that initial boldness began to falter after Guardians of the Galaxy’s gleeful release the year prior served as a wake up call to Marvel that it could not only get away with practically anything from its source material and not turn general audiences away, but openly and joyfully embrace that source at all times.
When the Netflix universe tried to play catchup in that regards, things started falling apart. In season two, Daredevil’s rapid descent into the ninja underpinnings of the character’s most famous comics tried to square the circle on the comic book ratio, sacrificing the tone of its beloved first season, but never really going far enough to commit to the inherent, joyful pulpiness behind the premise. Its greater success was more in creating the grounds for a Punisher spinoff with guest star Jon Bernthal than in service of the rest of Daredevil’s characters. Cheo Hodari Coker’s debut with Luke Cage showed
an early promise, but it never quite reached the highs of its companions in Daredevil and Jessica Jones, treating the more outlandish aspects of Mike Colter’s version of the character with a corniness that was only charming at a surface level.
Iron Fist’s launch is perhaps the most emblematic of the push and pull between grounded tone and a yearning to be as weird as the source material. To scathing critique, it tried to take the most supernatural and superheroic of all the Marvel Netflix characters and desperately run away from any hint of comic book silliness or scale. Infamous Inhumans showrunner Scott Buck’s first (and only) season on the show told a mystical martial arts tale that lacked the vibrancy of the mysticism or, for the vast majority of the first season at least, the energy of some actually good martial arts. The fact that Danny Rand spent more time in a business suit than he did in any form of costume was symbolic of the series’ fumbling, seemingly a fear of acknowledging the roots of its character (and yet, it was blinkeredly beholden to them when it came to casting Finn Jones as its protagonist).
Even at its most comic-booky, The Defenders struggled to really reach the spectacle that made the wait worth it.Photo: Netflix
Then came The Defenders, what was meant in earnest to be the delivery of Marvel and Netflix’s grand scheme—the crossover event these individual shows had paradoxically both hyped towards while establishing themselves as mostly above the idle joys of such comic-bookiness. It found delight in unexpected combinations more than it did jamming together comic connections, but that even this grand coming together couldn’t really be as weird as a superhero team up should be, even for grounded heroes, was telling.
The Defenders culminated in a single building crashing down in Hell’s Kitchen, the end of a confusing plan its villains spent eight episodes only vaguely hinting at. The same year, its movie siblings sent Thor to space in Ragnarok, made you care about a sentient asshole of a planet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and had a new Peter Parker debut—meant to be the closest thing to a “street-level” hero the films had—high-fiving Tony Stark and fighting the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
We’ll never get to see Colleen Wing as the Iron Fist, and that’s sad.Photo: Netflix
Yes, vastly different budgets create vastly different spectacles, but this was something different. By this point, the Marvel movies had truly embraced the silliness and grandeur inherent to their source material—while repeatedly brushing aside questions of just how interconnected the TV shows were to Marvel’s movie projects. Another Marvel show, Agents of SHIELD, had gone a bit more wild too, catapulting its little superspies-that-could into their own intergalactic adventure, a far cry from its early days.
The Marvel Netflix shows were starting to feel like they were being left behind by a general acceptance of the weirdness they had once been praised for eschewing—making the conversation of just why these seemingly all- connected shows continued to feel more and more distanced from their cinematic cousins all the more awkward for Marvel to try and dance around.
Kevin Feige Hints at How a Black Widow Prequel Could Reveal Secrets of the MCU
Black Widow is dead. This much we know from Avengers: Endgame. And yet, if the rumors are true,…
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This isn’t to say that these shows couldn’t surprise, even as the MCU continued to evolve into the bonkers, all-consuming titan it now is. Part of the reason that Iron Fist’s initial cancellation announcement was so shockingly unexpected was because it had, in a lot of ways, just gone about drastically improving itself and offering a bold direction for its future. Luke Cage, while perhaps the most sedately received of all the Marvel Netflix shows, was likewise throwing curveballs for its lead character that felt like the ignition of its most fascinating spark yet.
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Daredevil’s third season refocused the show on what made its initial debut so intoxicating in the first place (and yeah, we’re still mad that incredible fight scene can’t get Emmy recognition). While the decisions had already been made by that time, Jessica Jones’ farewell gave some much needed superheroic oomph to its world while exploring a fascinating, intimate character evolution for Trish Walker. The Punisher’s preponderance of simple violence might have made it a weaker link, but it still had some fascinating reflections between its compromised heroes and villains.
The Punisher felt even more adrift from its siblings on the streaming service, providing ample violence but little complexity beyond it.Photo: Netflix
Maybe its because they knew the writing was on the wall. Although, at least some teams apparently didn’t, so maybe there was indeed going to be a move toward the weirder, comic-bookier side of things going forward—just as the Marvel movies themselves had begun to embrace it over the years— even if it was too little too late for some viewers.
But now we won’t ever know, and the teases for that exciting future left in each of these shows now-final seasons sting with the sadness that these heroes won’t get more time in the spotlight. At least fans got some time, albeit brief, to see these Marvel heroes brought to live-action for the first time. With Marvel Studios’ streaming plans now firmly focused on Disney+—and the might of getting to namedrop characters and stars from the films, instead of having to rely on building up new inductees from the comics as Netflix did—it’s clear it’ll be a while before we see characters as innately, intriguingly challenging to adapt like Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Danny Rand, and Luke Cage were back in 2015
Spotlight: Ed Kuehnel & Matt Entin Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia
Suspicious Behavior Productions Starburns
Name Ed Kuehnel
WHAT DO YOU DO? Both Matt and I are full time video game writers. We are freelance contractors and have worked on several games together, most notably Valiant Hearts for Ubisoft but also projects for Twisted Pixel Games and a few other. On my own, I’ve written on over 70 games, having contributed to The Onion and both Matt and I were screenwriters on the comedy/horror film Lumberjack Man.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? The biggest thing of course, is the comic book, Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia, our mini-series that is available on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Invasion-from-Planet-Wrestletopia/comics- series/131916?ref=cHVibGlzaGVyL3ZpZXcvZGVza3RvcC9saXN0L3Nlcmllc0xpc3Q Six issues will complete the story arc, after which they’ll be collected in a trade that will go to print. After that, who knows?
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? Matt and I formed a company with which to do our comic book work. It’s called Suspicious Behavior Productions. We have a Facebook page and we’re active on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBP_Comics and on Tumblr: https://suspiciousbehaviorproductions.tumblr.com/
Matt Entin
WHAT DO YOU DO? I’m a full-time video game writer (Man Eater, Valiant Hearts, Agents of Mayhem) who also dabbles in comics and film. WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? My comic series with Ed Kuehnel, “Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia.” GOT A HOT TAKE? Batman (1989) is the best Batman movie. WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? Twitter: @themattentin mattentin.com suspiciousbehaviorproductions.com
Don’t call it a comeback; it’s a “Bring Back event,” apparently.
Marvel Studios has announced exactly what will be included in the upcoming rerelease of Avengers: Endgame, and for those hoping to see an extended cut of the movie, it might be a little underwhelming.
The rerelease, officially being called “a Bring Back,” event,” will feature the movie in its original cut, accompanied by “a video introduction by director Anthony Russo and an unfinished deleted scene from the film,” according to a statement from Marvel. Additionally, a sneak peek at the following week’s Spider-Man: Far From Home will be included.
Participating theaters will be giving away copies of an exclusive poster, featuring the Iron Man gauntlet and the tagline, “We love you 3000,” while stocks last.
News that the movie was headed back to theaters first emerged last week, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teasing that it would feature new footage. It comes as the movie approaches the record held for highest- grossing movie of all time by James Cameron’s Avatar; Avatar made $2.8 billion, with Endgame currently at $2.74 billion.
The “Bring Back event” arrives Friday, ahead of next week’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, a movie that Feige has recently described as “the true end of the entire Infinity Saga,” in that it deals with the impact of Tony Stark’s death on Peter Parker and the world at large. The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe beyond that point remains officially unconfirmed, but at this rate, expecting a “true true end to the Infinity Saga” in a future movie might not be entirely out of the question.
Ep 173: Godzilla Review, Robert Pattinson Batman, Jaime Tworkowski Interview
Jun 06, 2019
We want YOUR thoughts!! Click the links to YouTube and share your comments below! Subscribe to our channel for new videos every Wednesday!
PODCAST |All Hail The King? We give you our take on Godzilla: King of Monsters! Must-see or wait for cable? We discuss the newest installment of the Titan-verse.
PLUS: Holy Twilight! We’ve got a new Batman To Discuss!
AND: We interview TWLOHA founder Jaime Tworkowski on the eve of the Mental Health Comedy Tour.
‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ not only sold fewer than half as many tickets as its 2014 precursor, but it also had a worse opening than the 1998 ‘Godzilla.’
Five years ago, the people complained there wasn’t enough Godzilla in the Godzilla remake. So, they put more of Godzilla and many other major monsters in the sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but the people just didn’t care anymore. That’s what it looks like now that King of the Monsters is proving to be anything but the king of movie franchises here in America, debuting not only far below its 2014 precursor but also significantly lower than the 1998 Godzilla, which was considered to be a box office disappointment. As always with properties like this, though, at least there are the international grosses.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters did open in first place on the domestic chart, which looks positive. However, the Warner Bros. MonsterVerse sequel only sold 5.3 million tickets in North America. That’s fewer than half of the amount of the previous Godzilla, which drew 11.2 million in its first weekend. It’s also a significantly smaller debut audience than fellow MonsterVerse franchise release Kong: Skull Island, which opened with 6.9 million tickets sold in 2017. As for that 1998 flop, the Roland Emmerich-helmed Hollywood attempt drew 9.4 million people in North America for its domestic box office kickoff, also reigning in first place.
The lower turnout for King of the Monsters wasn’t much of a surprise. Reviews turned out to be mostly negative, its Rotten Tomatoes score of 39% being the lowest for the brand since the 1998 version’s 16% and the third worst overall. The other two MonsterVerse titles were Certified Fresh, both with the same score of 75%. But King of the Monsters also wasn’t tracking very well. Back in early April, Box Office Pro’s long-range forecast put its domestic opening gross in the range of $46-60 million with $46 million being its more precise prediction. Last week, the site raised its expectations, however, to a guess of $56 million. The actual domestic gross through this Sunday is estimated to be $47.8 million.
Overseas, King of the Monsters isn’t faring much better, despite the optics of its additional $130 million grossed outside North America. Consider the amounts pulled this week compared to the 2014 grosses in the UK ($4.4 million vs. $10.4 million), Russia ($2.5 million vs. $9.1 million), Mexico ($4.6 million vs. $8.9 million), France ($2.6 million vs. $6.5 million), and Korea ($2.2 million vs. $4.5 million). Fortunately, the Godzilla sequel about doubled the 2014 take in China, debuting with $70 million vs. the previous movie’s then-record-breaking $36 million. In the franchise’s original homeland of Japan, King of the Monsters also slightly improved over Godzilla, grossing $8.4 million vs. $7 million.
We can expect a huge drop next weekend, too, as word of mouth won’t help bring a lot of extra moviegoers in North America, at least. King of the Monsters received a ‘B+’ grade via CinemaScore polling, which is level with Godzilla‘s grade five years ago, as well as that of Kong: Skull Island. At least the fans like these movies consistently and better than the 1998 movie, which earned a ‘B-‘ grade. The audience score from verified ticket buyers on Rotten Tomatoes does look more promising, however, at 87%. Those are surely the fans who felt they got what they wanted with the monster battles and don’t care about its screenplay and human character problems.
The question now is whether this disappointingly dwindling audience will be even fewer when the next MonsterVerse installment, already in production, arrives in theaters next March. In that sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong, the King of the Monsters wrestles with the great ape King Kong. That might be enough of a mashup matchup to woo additional crowds who didn’t care about Godzilla vs. Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. Probably not enough to make this a franchise that keeps on going given its scale and cost and the limitations of where the MonsterVerse can venture creatively. No, we probably won’t get more Ghidorah or Mecha King Ghidorah or Destroyah.
Spotlight: Jaime Tworkowski
Spotlight: Jamie Tworkowski
Name
Jamie Tworkowski
Phone
(848) 248-5718
Email
becky@bigpicturemediaonline.com
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Jamie grew up in the surfing world and later fell in love with music and writing. TWLOHA began as his attempt to tell a story and help a friend in 2006. Today, Jamie spends much of his time on the road, telling the TWLOHA story and encouraging audiences at universities, concerts, and music festivals. He has been interviewed by NBC Nightly News, CBS Sunday Morning and Rolling Stone magazine. Jamie’s favorite things are his family and friends (especially his new nephews, Landon and Declan), music, surfing, basketball (#TeamKorver), and Dr. Pepper. He drinks iced coffee every morning, even when it’s snowing. Not many people know this, but Jamie is an introvert. His first book, If You Feel Too Much, is now available.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS?
Florida-based non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is teaming up with the Mental Health Comedy Tour for a one night event at Comic Strip Live on Thursday, May 30th. Tickets are available now for $25, with half of proceeds benefitting TWLOHA.
The line up for the evening includes TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski, comedian Joe Matarese, and host Preston Gitlin, who will be using their voices to fight the stigma that surrounds mental health.
Since its start in 2006, TWLOHA has sought to remind people that their story is important and they are not alone in their struggles. In their 13-year history, TWLOHA has donated over $2.3 million directly into treatment, traveled more than 3.4 million miles to meet people face-to-face at nearly 3,000 events, and has responded to over 210,000 messages from over 100 countries.
Earlier this month word leaked that 33-year-old English actor Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame was the front-runner for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in writer/director Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Now Deadline has confirmed that Warner Bros. has approved Pattinson for the film, which will be the first of a planned trilogy.
Another Englishman, Tolkien and Dark Phoenix star Nicholas Hoult, was a heavy runner-up for the role. He made a dueling audition tape to Pattinson’s. Although the studio liked both actors, Reeves’ preference apparently was for Pattinson, who has the Cannes film The Lighthouse opening later this year and will next co-star in Tenet for previous Batman filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Reeves’ film will feature a younger Batman, a major reason behind former Batman star Ben Affleck vacating the role, and will have a film noir tone focusing more on the character’s detective abilities.
Since his breakout role in the Twilight films, Pattinson has largely stayed away from blockbuster films. His credits include Maps to the Stars, Queen of the Desert, Life, The Lost City of Z and Good Time. More recently, Pattinson starred in High Life, a sci-fi/horror film that saw release earlier this year.
Reeves (Cloverfield, Apes franchise) will write and direct The Batman, produced by Dylan Clark (War for the Planet of the Apes) and should hit theaters on June 25, 2021. Now that the title role is settled, other casting announcements should quickly follow. The film may begin pre-production this summer.
Ep 172: The Best Comic Book Summer Blockbusters of All Time, Ben Folds Interview
May 29, 2019
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PODCAST | From Memorial Day to Labor Day we rank the greatest comic book SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS of all time! Where does Tim Burton’s Batman, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man 2 land?
PLUS: Rocker Ben Folds talks 90s nostalgia, “Brick” and more!
Review: ‘Godzilla’ is back and doing just fine By LINDSEY BAHR
It’s been a bit since moviegoers had the chance to catch up with Godzilla, five years in fact, which in cinematic franchise time feels like at least a few decades. In other words, it’s understandable if you go into “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” a little rusty on just what went down in Tokyo and San Francisco back in 2014.
But ”Godzilla: King of the Monsters ” is a sequel in the loosest possible sense that requires minimal recall from the audience, which is likely a good thing for those whose brains have been overloaded with “Game of Thrones,” ′′Avengers” and “Star Wars” minutiae and mythology. Worry not, Godzilla is here to provide some old-fashioned summer spectacle, no CliffsNotes required.
It’s a low bar, sure, but at least Godzilla is comfortable with its place in the blockbuster ecosystem.
The filmmakers have even helpfully shifted the focus to another family entirely for this installment, from the inert Brodys (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen) to the Russells, a now-broken family of scientists who lived in San Francisco during the 2014 attack. There are a few holdovers though, mostly employees of Monarch, the secret multinational organization that studies the titans, like Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr. Graham (Sally Hawkins), who are being accused of hiding Godzilla from world governments who’d rather just destroy them all.
As far as the newcomers go, Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) also works for Monarch and has developed a machine called the Orca, which simulates the sounds of the various titans. She believes this can be used to help manage them. Emma lives with her 14-year- old daughter, Madison (“Stranger Things’” Millie Bobby Brown in her first major film role), who is precociously enchanted by her mother’s work and admires the primordial creatures.
Madison’s father Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler, whose intensity is at level 10 for most of the movie) is not really in the picture, having left after the San Francisco incident, but is drawn back in when Emma and Madison (and the Orca) are kidnapped by some militant eco-terrorists led by Jonah Alan (Charles Dance).
This group wants to use the titans, of which there are now “17 and counting” including a pretty dazzling Mothra and a less-enchanting three-headed “Monster Zero,” to help reset the planet and reverse climate change and overpopulation. There’s some convenient explanation of why the radiation from the titans actually helps revitalize vegetation, which, like many of the silly plot devices in this movie, you kind of just let slide. That said, anyone currently watching “Chernobyl” on HBO will likely be very stressed out about the amount of radiation all the humans are likely absorbing just by being in proximity to all these creatures.
Michael Dougherty has taken the directing reins this time, from Gareth Edwards, and has done a fine job capturing the grandness of the titans, keeping the action coherent and balancing the human element thanks to a terrific cast that also includes O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Thomas Middleditch. His script is also pleasingly light and often funny, although Bradley Whitford’s Dr. Stanton goes a little overboard trying to be the comic relief.
But even that is easy to give a pass to. “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is turn-your- brain-off summer fun, and doesn’t need to be anything more than that.
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” a Warner Bros. release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “sequences of monster action violence and destruction, and for some language.” Running time: 131 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
1989 – Present 2018 Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25)
Hopefully we finally get to see our boy Han make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs (especially since a parsec is a unit of astronomical distance, not time).
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6)
Look, I doubt you’ll find many people who say Ant-Man is their favorite Marvel hero, but Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly combined will make this one fun as hell.
2017
Wonder Woman June 2, 2017
An Amazonian princess and fierce warrior (Gal Gadot) uses her superpowers to help fight a war. Wonder Woman has the highest Metascore of the superhero flicks released this summer.
Atomic Blonde July 27, 2017
Berlin. The Cold War. Undercover agents. Charlize Theron kicks butt in this action-thriller that’s packed with impressive stunts and a less-impressive script.
Spider-Man: Homecoming July 7, 2017
Following his Captain America: Civil War debut, Tom Holland embodies Peter Parker, and his Spidey superhero, in his first standalone film. Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. co-stars, as does Michael Keaton (as Vulture).
Suicide Squad” (August 5) As the weeks go by, and more superhero movies not under Disney’s Marvel
Studios continue to lose interest with audiences, the pressure builds for “Suicide Squad.” It’s important for the DC Comics universe Warner Bros. is creating, but it’s also a chance to prove another studio can produce a good comic-book film.
X-Men: Apocalypse” (May 27)
20th Century Fox’s plan to take some of the wind out of the sails of “Civil War” by lifting the review embargo on “Apocalypse” right after the Marvel hit opened might have backfired. With only a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, “Apocalypse” looks like another superhero movie that can’t live up to the supremacy of Disney’s releases in the genre.
Schumacher: After Forever’s success, I wanted to do The Dark Knight. It was going to be very dark. I remember going to the set of Face/Off and asking Nic Cage to play the Scarecrow. The studio, and I’m not sure the audience, was in a frame of mind to go too dark with Batman at that time. It’s interesting how our culture has changed. How the socioeconomic, political culture makes it absolutely palatable to see Chris [Nolan]’s Batman — for instance, The Dark Knight Rises, which is such a comment on exactly what’s happening. You might be able to track that on all the movies. Maybe Batman is one of those things like pi. It’s the center of the universe.
1992 June 16, 1992 Batman Returns 1989 June 19, 1989 Batman 1977 Star Wars: Episode IV ‐ A New… May 25, 1977 (USA)
1983 Return of the Jedi – May 25, 1983 (USA) June 19, 1989 Batman Spider-Man 2: June 30, 2004 1, 1 July 18, 2008 Dark Knight Guardans of the Galaxy August 1, 2014 Spider-Man: Homecoming July 7, 2017
‘Game of Thrones’ critics petition Benioff and Weiss not to ruin Star Wars
Thousands of critics of the just-ended final season of “Game of Thrones” have signed petitions to keep its two showrunners from making the next Star Wars film, as planned.
Petitioners are urging Disney to kick the pair off the upcoming project so that they won’t ruin that one, too.
“Putting the Game of Thrones writers (David Benioff and D.B. Weiss) in charge of Star Wars is not only a controversial decision but a mistake, plain and simple,” reads one petition, on Change.org, which had been signed by nearly 12,000 people by Saturday night.
Meanwhile, a similar petition, this one on thepetitionsite.com, was nearing its goal of 6,000 signatures.
“Like many Game Of Thrones fans, I was dismayed at how the last season was written – it felt rushed and sloppy,” that petition reads.
“But now I’m really worried because I just learned that the next Star Wars movie will be made by the same people.“
Disney announced earlier this month that it will produce three more Star Wars films, which will reach theaters starting in 2022 — with Benioff and Weiss writing and producing.
EP 171: Game of Thrones Finale Reactions [SPOILERS], Source Point Press Travis McIntire
May 22, 2019
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PODCAST | Game OVER man… so now what? We tackle the burning questions (see what we did there?) from Sunday’s Game of Thrones Finale and run down the best (and worst) series finales of all time!
PLUS: We welcome Source Point Press publisher Travis Mcintire
What makes a great TV series finale? It depends on the show, of course. But no matter what series you may be watching, you want a finale that ties up loose ends without being annoyingly completist, gives you heart without seeming overly sentimental, and of course makes you feel just as happy, sad, thrilled, or compelled as you did with each previous episode. It’s a very tricky needle to thread, and some series have undoubtedly done it better than others.
In celebration of what it takes to deliver a great final episode, here are (some of) the greatest series finales of all time.
Parks and Rec Cheers The Sopranos // “Made In America”
“Made In America” is, infamously, the episode of television that made millions of viewers briefly think that their cable had just gone out at some crucial moment, when in reality what happened was creator David Chase simply decided one seemingly random moment was the exact second where Tony Soprano’s journey would end. The series finale of The Sopranos spent the better part of its runtime wrapping up a mob war that crippled the family, and then devoted its final minutes to a family dinner set to Journey. Fans still debate the meaning and merits of the final scene, but the sense of palpable unease Chase built up in those last moments—signifying Tony’s perpetual state of watching his back—were a brilliant way to end a show that began as a meditation on existential dread in the first place.
Six Feet Under // “Everyone’s Waiting”
The final minutes of “Everyone’s Waiting” are among the most famous in the history of television, and even if the rest of the episode had been a disappointment, they would still rank among the greatest farewells in the medium. As it is, Six Feet Under’s final episode with the Fisher family is a gripping, heartfelt, and bitterly funny gem, all building to that last montage. As Sia’s “Breathe Me” plays, we see the deaths of every member of the
main cast, which reminds us that death takes many forms beyond mere tragedy, all culminating in the last breaths of Claire. Just thinking about it is enough to make fans of the show burst into tears.
Breaking Bad // “Felina”
Few series finales have ever faced such high expectations and managed to rise to meet them so powerfully as Breaking Bad did with its final episode in 2013. “Felina” has everything you could ever want from a Breaking Bad send-off: Walt’s final conversation with Skyler, that incredible revenge shoot-out featuring the rigged machine gun, Jesse’s defiant cry of freedom as he drives away, Walt’s collapse, and that little smile of victory on his face. Some series finales deliver what you want; others deliver what you need. “Felina” somehow manages to do both.
M*A*S*H // “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”
M*A*S*H was on longer than the Korean War was actually fought, and was more than 250 episodes into its run by the time “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” aired and became one of the most-watched television events in the history of the medium. You’d think the staff of the 4077th might have run out of things to say after such a run, but the series finale manages to be absolutely jam-packed, featuring everything from Hawkeye’s dark repressed memories to Klinger’s wedding. It all builds to that final shot of “GOODBYE” written in stones, which still ranks as one of the most iconic moments in TV history.
Seinfeld // “The Finale”
The series finale of Seinfeld is also among the most divisive in the history of television, and it all begins with an amusing swerve. The show leads off by making us think Jerry and George are about to embark on a typical sitcom sendoff, bidding New York City farewell as they head to California to make a television series, but then the real plot kicks in as the show’s quartet of main characters is arrested for literally doing nothing as a man is carjacked.
The brilliance of the show’s protagonists getting in trouble for the very
same thing they’d been doing for nine seasons in a “show about nothing” then pivots to a trial that does play by the sitcom rule of allowing old fan- favorite characters to come back as witnesses, then launches into a wrap- up that mocks the characters, the show’s fans, and the show’s own place of seeming importance in the pop culture landscape. Sitcom finales are usually more like curtain calls; “The Finale” was a provocative final joke.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer // “Chosen”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer spent weeks setting up its series finale, laying out a last stand that would either end Buffy and her gang of allies forever or wipe Sunnydale off the face of the Earth—or both. The final battle itself has since been dwarfed by more epic series like Game of Thrones, but what makes “Chosen” so magical isn’t its fight scenes, but its heart. With her own army of potential Slayers at her back, Buffy asks Willow to perform a spell that will give them all the powers of a Slayer, leading to one of the most empowering montages in the history of television. Then, even while mourning absent friends, Buffy is able to look toward tomorrow.
Newhart // “The Last Newhart”
So many sitcom series finales are all about final goodbyes. Very often characters leave their longtime TV homes for somewhere new, leading to tearful farewells or at least a final moment for everyone to spend one last day together. Newhart absolutely blew that premise up with a twisty, joke- filled finale that includes the entire town being turned into a resort, a five- year time jump, and that brilliant final scene which reveals all of Newhart to have been the dream of Dr. Bob Hartley, Newhart’s character from The Bob Newhart Show. The level of ambition is admirable. That the ambition translated to genuine laughs is wonderful.
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Star Wars: The Truth About Kylo Ren and Rey’s Connection
Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver discuss the intergalactic will they/won’t they.
For a certain segment of the Star Wars fandom, the juiciest nugget from Vanity Fair’s exclusive new cover story on The Rise of Skywalker has to be this:
For lack of any more obvious Anakin and Padmé or Han and Leia-type romances in the trilogy, fans have latched on to
Kylo and Rey as potential star-crossed lovers ripped apart by opposite sides of the Force. But do actors Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver see them that way? Vanity Fair contributor Lev Grossman attempted to find out.
Unlike some potential romances that have preoccupied fans, the Kylo and Rey relationship has gotten plenty of support from inside the Star Wars production team.
Mark Hamill referred to the pair’s “romantic tension” in The Last Jedi. But things looked decisively done between the two at the end of Episode VIII. And, at any rate, Rey has a lot more on her mind—like saving the galaxy. So where do they go from here?
“a source close to the movie says that [Kylo
Ren and Rey’s] Force-connection will turn out to run even deeper
than we thought.”
When speaking about The Force Awakens, director J.J. Abrams referred to Star Wars as “a fairy tale” calling out both Kylo as a “prince” and the duo’s “interesting relationship moving forward.”
When speaking about their characters with Grossman, both Ridley and Driver wound up describing similarly lonely and isolated
childhoods for these Force-sensitive figures. Rey was literally
abandoned by her parents—whoever they may be—and so has
trouble comprehending how Kylo could shun his. But Ridley herself is
much more understanding of the stress that might come from being
raised by Han Solo and Leia Organa: “Having the two coolest parents
and sometimes I’m sure it works amazingly, and sometimes it just
might not.”
For Driver, this concept is the key to understanding Kylo Ren. “If you were the product of those two people, two very strong personalities
who seemed to be almost more committed to a cause than anything else, what’s that like?” he says. Ben Solo is born to privilege, yes, but also tremendous pressure.
Though their shared childhood isolation set them on two very different paths, the Rian Johnson-directed Last Jedi showed Kylo and Rey finding kinship in each other. Ridley describes them as “two quite powerful people who feel.” Driver adds that his character “had been forging this maybe-bond with Rey. The Last Jedi ends with the question in the air: is he going to pursue that relationship more or, when the door of her ship goes up, does that also close that camaraderie? This idea of being alone.”
If Kylo is still questioning, Rey is, at least initially, more resolute. Ridley says that as The Rise of Skywalker begins,
Looking back over the long arc of nine films, it’s easy to see the Skywalker saga as not only a story about repairing fractured bonds and escaping repeated patterns of a specific bloodline, but also the families we create for ourselves. John Boyega’s Finn and Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron are both options of support for Rey as she tries to build something new out of the ashes of her first attempt to reach Kylo Ren.
Ridley says Rey is also part of that relationship, but kept apart a bit due to her Force sensitivity. Will Kylo Ren and Rey reforge their own connection? And, if they do, will it be love or simply friendship that unites them? The answer,
Driver likens the Skywalker–Solos to a
royal family, and notes the isolating power of being born with those
spectacular gifts: “How do you form friendships out of that? How do
you understand the weight of that? . . . It can easily go awry.”
Burdened by her own talents, Rey also feels that solitude. “It’s a bit
lonely having that much on one’s shoulders,” Ridley says.
inclined to believe that Kylo potentially could redeem himself.”
“Rey is less
“It’s not about just one person,” Isaac says of how his
character deals with the strain of leadership and heroism in The Rise
of Skywalker. “[It’s about] reaching out to his family, and particularly
Finn is his family.”
Driver says, is incredibly complicated: “I
don’t think it’s any one thing. The strength in what Rian [Johnson]
wrote and what J.J. [Abrams] wrote is it’s never all one thing.”
Avengers: Endgame Writers Confirm Identity of Peggy Carter’s Husband
Following the climax of Avengers: Endgame, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers went back in time to return the Infinity Stones his team borrowed, only to remain in the past and marry Peggy Carter. However, rather than this being an alternate reality, Endgame’s writers have said they believe this was merely closing the loop and Steve had always been married to Peggy, referencing what we saw on screen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
“It was always our intention that he was the father of those two children. But again, there are time travel loopholes for that,” Endgame writer Stephen McFeely told The Hollywood Reporter.
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In The Winter Soldier, an older Peggy told Steve she had two kids with a husband whom Cap actually saved in World War II. This indicated she’d moved on when Steve went under the ice, although we never found out the identity of the man or saw their children.
More importantly, if Steve really is the father, then their kids would have super- soldier blood running through their veins. “It does introduce the idea that there are two children who have somewhat super soldier DNA,” co-writer Christopher Markus added.
It’s an interesting notion because it indicates this time-traveling Steve lived a secret life with Peggy away from S.H.I.E.L.D. and let everything, including the start of Nick Fury’s Avengers initiative, play out as seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe while also hiding two super-soldier kids from the rest of the world.
Endgame Writers Confirm Whether Captain America Told Bucky His Plan
While the ending of Avengers: Endgame took some of the characters — and fans — by surprise after Steve opted to stay in the past and live out a life with his love, Margaret “Peggy” Carter, there was at least one person that knew of Steve’s plans before he journeyed into the past with the stones and Mjolnir — Bucky.
At the end of the film, after the group returns from saying their goodbyes to Tony, Steve readies to return the stones to their rightful timelines — along with Mjolnir — by re-entering the quantum realm. We see him working with Bruce, who assures everyone that it’ll only take a matter of seconds for Steve to return. However, after the five seconds are up and Steve doesn’t return, Sam, aka Falcon, demands Bruce figure out what went wrong while Bucky wanders off with a knowing smirk. It’s an implication that he knew Steve didn’t intend to return, but for the first time, the writers have confirmed it. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely state that Steve and Bucky briefly talked about Steve’s plans.
“Steve, clearly, before he stepped on that platform… told Bucky what he was going to do. Whether he knew he was going to appear on that bench, I don’t think so. Why would Bucky say, ‘I’m going to miss you pal,’ if it was only going to be five seconds?” McFeely said.
As for the passing of the mantle, did Steve ever offer Bucky the mantle? Per Markus and McFeely, that was not a conversation that happened between the best friends. Instead, the only conversation regarding the passing of the Captain America mantle is the one we see on screen between Steve and Sam, with Bucky urging the latter to accept. Unfortunately, for some fans, this is in direct contrast to the theory that Bucky had rejected the mantle prior to Steve offering it to Sam.
EP 170: Game of Thrones Finale Predictions, Eye of the Beholder Co-Director’s Brian Stillman
May 16, 2019
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PODCAST | With Cersei’s fate revealed, what does this mean for the Iron Throne? As the “Game of Thrones finale looms ahead who will end up on the Throne now?
PLUS: More Game of Thrones gaffes revealed! Are these part of a larger issue?
AND: We welcome the Co-director of ‘Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons,’ Brian Stillman
Cersei’s fate revealed on ‘Game of Thrones,’ what’s next?
Game of Thrones: Lena Headey reacts to that King’s Landing battle ending via EW.com
Lena Headey: “It’s maybe the first time that Cersei has been at peace.”
The queen is dead.
Cersei Lannister perished in the penultimate episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones, crushed in the Red Keep’s cellar as the structure collapsed under the bombardment Daenerys’ dragon attack. The ruthless and uncompromising survivalist died while embracing her brother and lover Jaime Lannister, crushed by the collapse of a building that was the symbol of her power. Cersei managed to outwit her enemies time and time again on the acclaimed drama series. Yet each brutal maneuver that bought her a bit more time or power also cost her allies until the queen was alone and overrun.
“She starts off in this final season trapped in a web of her own making, as is usual with Cersei,” Headey says. “She’s desperately unhappy and everything that’s happened becomes more real than it ever has for her. She starts to lose control of the situation. She’s destroyed every good alliance, connection, love in her life — she was always destined to be alone. And until the very, very last minute, she is, as ever, in denial of what’s actually happening.”
Headey says her reaction that final scene was “mixed” at first. “I wanted her to have some big piece or fight with somebody,” she says.
But then the actress talked over the scene with Coster-Waldau and came around to appreciating Cersei’s final moments. “The more we talked about it the more it seemed like the perfect end for her,” Headey says. “They came into the world together and now they leave together.”
“I think the important thing is that Jaime had a chance at freedom [with Brienne] and finally liberated himself from Cersei, which I think the audience will be thrilled about,” Headey adds. “I think the biggest surprise is he came back for her. Cersei realizes just how she loves him and just how much he loves her. It’s the most authentic connection she’s ever had. Ultimately they belong together.”
In that last moment, staring at her brother, waiting for the end, Headey says, “It’s maybe the first time that Cersei has been at peace.”
7 times Game of Thrones foreshadowed Daenerys’ dark turn
In Game of Thrones penultimate episode, Daenerys Targaryen attacked the city of King’s Landing to win the Iron Throne and opted to kill thousands of innocent civilians in the process. The move followed one devastating setback after another for Daenerys, and fans have been debating her dark turn. GoT has been laying the groundwork for this move for years, and there are several scenes that either foreshadow Dany burning down a city or strongly hint that such a rampage is not outside her comfort zone — if not her destiny — just as her Mad King father attempted decades ago.
The prophecy: In the House of the Undying in season 2, Dany has a vision of walking through the Red Keep’s throne room. The ceiling is broken open. Fans assumed the white particles falling into the room was snow and that winter had come to the south. In Sunday’s episode, Dany is finally taking King’s Landing and buildings are indeed being destroyed. But it’s not snowing. It’s raining ash from her dragon’s destruction. The season 2 scene is a vision of Daenerys taking King’s Landing only by becoming the “queen of the ashes.” In the same season she also literally declares, “We will lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground.”
The Mass Crucifixion: On the road to Meereen in season 4, Dany finds 163 slave children crucified. She decides to crucify 163 masters in retaliation without regard for their individual guilt or innocence. Ser Barristan advises her to be more merciful. Later, a son of one of the crucified men insists his father was actually a good man who lobbied against slavery and didn’t deserve his fate.
Revenge for Ser Barristan. Also in season 4, after Ser Barristan was killed by the terror group Sons of the Harpy. In response, Dany brings three masters to her dragonpit. All swear they have nothing to do with the rogue group. She burns one of them alive to send a message to the others. Was the man guilty? Innocent? We don’t know and Dany didn’t seem to mind not knowing.
The Mass Burning: In season 6 in Vaes Dothrak, as punishment for taking her prisoner and refusing her demands, Dany burns all the khals alive and has the remaining Dothraki promise — echoing Khal Drogo in season 1 — that they’ll “kill my enemies in their iron suits and tear down their stone houses.”
Meereen Revenge Plan: Also in season 6, Dany returns to Meereen and finds the city under attack from the slave cities. This is her first instinct: “I will crucify the masters. I will set their fleets afire. I will kill every last one of their soldiers and return their cities to the dirt. That’s my plan.” Tyrion talks her out of it.
Burning the Tarleys: In season 7, Dany is given the choice of killing or imprisoning Lord Tarly and his son Dickon after a battle and decides to execute both against the advice of Tyrion.
King’s Landing Battle Plan: In season 8, Dany is repeatedly urged to not attack King’s Landing to overthrow Cersei. She never seems to be entirely against the idea, but rather agrees with her advisors that it’s rather poor public relations strategy.
Of course, the show has also presented Dany’s actions as heroic even when they’re brutal. How we’ve processed her behavior is partly determined by the show’s performances, direction, music and reactions of the other characters. And we know — or think we know — that Daenerys is largely motivated by good intentions based on so many moments over the years where she’s been presented with a moral choice.
Dany’s benevolent choices tend to be made when she is feeling calm and secure, however. The show has pretty consistently shown that when Daenerys is angered she can rather quickly leap to “kill them all” as the best solution regardless of whether it’s entirely justified or not. Ultimately the show has used the final season to put its heroine to the ultimate test and bring the question of her morality into the foreground. When Dany decides to “rule by fear” in episode 5 she’s making a choice to not simply claim the Iron Throne, but make an example of King’s Landing’s resistance and all those who might doubt her claim, a claim that she now knows isn’t the strongest one for the throne.
The Hound actor Rory McCann breaks down that Game of Thrones Cleganebowl fight
Cleganebowl happened. The Hound vs. The Mountain. Sandor took on his ghoulish undead murderous older brother Gregor in a long-awaited fight that’s seemingly been destined since they were children. Did you bet on The Hound to win? The Mountain? Turns out, the correct answer — appropriately enough for Game of Thrones — was “neither.” Both men perished. Yet The Hound was victorious on a personal level, confronting his terror of fire and concluding the fight on his own terms, carrying his brother into the flames, a literal pyrrhic victory.
“It’s a glorious death. He’s laughing at it. The Hound can see that [The Mountain] can’t be killed by sticking a dagger in his eye. He has to be burnt. Of all the things Cleagane has to do, he has to go into the fire. That’s the sacrifice. But his pain is over.”
Segment 2: Game of Thrones Gaffes
Another ‘Game of Thrones’ gaffe: Jaime Lannister grows his hand back
Just as “Coffeegate” was about to simmer down, “Game of Thrones” is serving up another hot screwup.
Fresh off the anachronistic appearance of a modern-day java cup in Episode 4, the final season of HBO’s hit fantasy drama’s latest editing mistake: Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) appears to have miraculously grown back his severed hand in a promo image from Episode 5, “The Bells.”
True fans will recall that this legendary swordsman had to relearn the art of combat after his right hand was chopped off in Season 3.
What looks like a shot from Jaime’s final scene — in which he embraces Cersei (Lena Headey) as the Red Keep goes up in flames — seems to contradict episode history. (An HBO rep tells The Post that Jaime’s right hand did not appear on air but the photo making the rounds on social media was possibly distributed by the digital team: “it’s still being researched.”)
Still, eagle-eyed fans took to Twitter to do what they do best — pound out keyboard cries of outrage aimed at show-runners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff.
“Jaime’s hand magically healed in Episode 5,” one fan groused in a since-deleted tweet. “As if we needed any more proof D&D simply stopped caring about GoT a log [sic] time ago.”
The duo also took the heat last week after the Starbucks-like paper cup was accidentally left in a scene.
“The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea,” HBO sarcastically conceded the morning after. The network confirmed to The Post that the cup was digitally edited out of the scene on the HBO Go app.
Spotlight: Brian Stillman
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Co-director (along with Kelley Slagle) of ‘Eye of the Beholder: The Art of Dungeons & Dragons,’ a consultant on Netflix’s ‘The Toys that Made Us,’ and co-founder of X-Ray Films. NYC based.
‘EOTB’ ! Out May 14th everywhere you buy/rent movies (iTunes, Amazon, Xbox, etc).
It’s deep-dive into the origins of the monsters, heroes, and adventures that the game brings to life (such as one artist’s practice of basing all of his monsters on his selfies), the film features more than forty interviews with D&D and fantasy illustration heavyweights including Larry Elmore, Jeff Easly, Clyde Caldwell, Brom, Margaret Weiss, and more, discussing the culture of the D&D creators vs. management, their historical/artistic influences, and more.
Comes at a really interesting time when D&D is becoming more and more mainstream – oddly so. Brian can speak to this, how streaming has affected this, and other trends in gaming.
GOT A HOT TAKE?
Gaming
Fantasy art
D & D
Toys
‘Game of Thrones’ star Sophie Turner blames Emilia Clarke for coffee gaffe
“Game of Thrones” actress Emilia Clarke — who portrays Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen on the hit HBO series — is responsible for the modern-day coffee cup that sneaked its way into a scene in last week’s episode, according to co-star Sophie Turner.
Turner, who was implicated in the scandal because she was previously photographed on set with a similar cup, threw her fellow actor under the proverbial horse cart during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Friday night.
“Let’s clear this up. That’s in a different episode,” Turner said of the on-set snap, which shows her holding a coffee cup while posing with actress Bella Ramsey.
“And also, we all have the same cups for all of our water and tea and everything, so I’m gonna just go with, I mean look who it’s placed in front of. Emilia Clarke. She’s the culprit.”
The steaming controversy fomented last Sunday when a paper coffee cup made a guest cameo on the fourth episode of the medieval fantasy show’s final season, entitled “The Last of the Starks.”
The wild anachronism sent fans into a tizzy online shortly after they spotted it during the episode’s 17th minute. HBO later digitally removed the cup, originally thought to be a grande Starbucks but later revealed as a simple craft-services beverage, from a version of the episode view-able on the HBO Go app.
EP 169: Spider-Man FFH Trailer Truth or Trash, Report Cards: Avengers, Hellboy, Shazam, Captain Marvel
May 09, 2019
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PODCAST | The new Spider-Man Far From Home Trailer has DROPPED. And we are talking Miles Morales, Mysterio and the MULTIVERSE. But is this trailer truth or trash?
PLUS: We are through the first half of major movies for the year (we’re eyeing YOU next, Godzilla) so it’s time for our 2019 first half REPORT CARDS. How do Avengers: Endgame, Shazam, Hellboy & Captain Marvel measure up?
FEATURING: Jordan Ellis from Jordandené & The Sartorial Geek IN STUDIO to give us her take as well.
In the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, Sony has dropped a new trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home – and it reveals a lot about the movie. Marvel and Sony have found themselves in something of a tricky spot when it comes to marketing Spider-Man: Far From Home. The film happens shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, which meant it was difficult to promote it without giving away major plot points.
Avengers: Endgame has been out for almost two weeks now, and even directors the Russo brothers have publicly said they think fans should now be free to discuss the film on social media. That means the time for secrecy is finally over, and the new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer reveals just how the film relates to Endgame. As Kevin Feige recently noted, it’s essentially an epilogue to Phase 3, exploring the impact of the Avengers’ victory against Thanos and setting the scene for the MCU’s future.
The new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer opens with a spoiler warning from Tom Holland himself, an amusing decision on Marvel’s part given Holland’s reputation for being loose-lipped about spoilers. And he wasn’t lying. There aren’t just Avengers: Endgame spoilers in the Spider-Man: Far From Home, but some shocking implications of Thanos’ actions.
16. Peter Parker is Grieving Tony Stark’s Death
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer opens on a sorrowful note, with Peter Parker grieving the death of Tony Stark. The relationship between Spider-Man and Iron Man has been central to the MCU’s version of the wall-crawler. In Captain America: Civil War, it was Tony Stark who discovered Spider-Man through social media videos, and it didn’t take Tony long to deduce Spider-Man’s secret identity. The two built up a strong friendship in Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Peter desperate for a surrogate father-figure. Heartbreakingly, their relationship came to an abrupt end when Peter was one of Thanos’ victims in Avengers: Infinity War, and a horrified Iron Man could only watch as Spider-Man crumbled to dust before his eyes.
Tony’s love of Peter was central to his motives in Avengers: Endgame. Although Tony was reluctant to risk losing his family, he realized he had a shot at bringing Spider-Man back, and he took it. In the end, it cost him his life. Although the world mourns a superhero, Peter Parker is grieving for someone he knew and loved. Everywhere he looks, he sees tributes to the armored Avenger, and he feels the pain and grief anew. 15. The Iron Spider Suit
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer reveals that Peter Parker has kept some last gifts from Tony Stark. He’s still wearing the Iron Spider costume that he was given in Avengers: Infinity War, complete with Waldoes. Hopefully, it comes with a warranty for Stark Industries to fix it if it gets damaged now Tony Stark isn’t around… although as he’s not wearing it later in the film, that seems unlikely. 14. Spider-Man is Ghosting Nick Fury
Nick Fury is trying to contact Spider-Man, even badgering Happy Hogan to take his calls – which Peter keeps ignoring. Although the web-slinger doesn’t know it yet, he’s one of Fury’s only ports of call to take on a new threat – the Elementals. He’ll eventually track him down in Venice.
13. MJ and Peter Are Falling For Each Other
Peter and Michelle (or MJ) seem to have gotten a lot closer, although MJ still greets Peter and Ned with the acerbic comment “What’s up, dorks?” Peter’s superhero career has always complicated his love life in the comics, and the same will probably be true in the MCU as well. He’s keen to get to know MJ better, but he will have to balance that desire out against his life as Spider-Man.
Zendaya’s Michelle is clearly being positioned as a totally new take on Mary Jane Watson, one of Spider-Man’s greatest love interests. A more comic-book-accurate version of MJ was played by Kirsten Dunst in Sony’s Spider-Man trilogy, and Marvel Studios has never been particularly interested in repeating ideas that have been developed in previous superhero movies, hence the change. 12. The Snap Tore A Hole In Our Dimension
According to Nick Fury, the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame have torn a hole in the fabric of our dimension, and both people and Elemental creatures are making it through. This makes sense; Doctor Strange established that it is indeed possible to damage the time-space continuum, with Wong and Mordo horrified when Strange experimented with the Time Stone on an apple.
It’s unclear which snap Fury’s referring to – there were four across the two-part movie. Most likely he means one of Thanos’, either the one to wipe out half of all life or the one that destroyed the Infinity Stones. And, of course, there was a lot of other damage to the universe besides, including the Mind Stone’s destruction and time travel. 11. Quentin Beck Claims to Come From Another Earth
Quentin Beck claims to have come from another reality, having come over following the snap chasing down the Elementals. There is comic book precedent for Mysterio to originate from another timeline; although he’s best known as a stunt magician who uses special effects to commit crimes, the last decade or so has seen Mysterio subtly reinvented on a far greater scale. Brian Bendis’ Spider-Men miniseries revealed that he’d learned how to jump between dimensions in order to commit unchallenged crime sprees in other realities. 10. Spider-Man Is The Only Avenger Left?
All this seems a little too large-scale for Peter Parker, who just wants to go back to being your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He desperately attempts to get Nick Fury to call in someone else, someone with a more spectacular powerset that’s suited to dealing with these mysterious Elemental beings, but Fury insists that Spider-Man is the only one who can help.
Thor is off-world with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain Marvel is unavailable, but what about Falcon’s new Captain America, Hulk or other heroes alive after Avengers: Endgame?
9. The Elementals Explained
Nick Fury and Maria Hill are dealing with a crisis involving mysterious Elemental beings, each representing a different classical Greek element: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. At this stage, the origin of the Elementals is uncertain. In the comics, the classic Elementals are four powerful and dangerous beings who were introduced in Supernatural Thrillers back in 1974. They originated from another plane of reality, and first came to Earth over 3,000 years ago, setting themselves up as the Egyptian gods. Fortunately, they were ultimately banished to another dimension, from which they watched and waited for thousands of years, plotting their return.
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer shows a very different sort of Elementals. They’re loosely adapted from classic Spider-Man villains literally derived from different elements, causing problems all over Europe. We’re led to believe they were brought to our reality as a result of the snap. 8. Spider-Man’s Stealth Suit In Prague
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer gives viewers their best look yet at Spider-Man’s Stealth suit, which has presumably been provided by Nick Fury. The armored design is similar to a costume Spider-Man wore in the “To The Ends of the Earth” event in order to deal with the Sinister Six, although it’s been blended with the Spider-Man Noir look and another costume he was given by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Secret War miniseries. The eyes pop out a little, an unusual touch that’s reminiscent of a modern symbiote costume from Dan Slott’s “Do Down Swingin'” story. One of the most interesting details is the fact that the fingers are exposed, unlike any other Spider-Man outfit. 7. MJ Works Out Spider-Man’s Secret Identity
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer drops another surprise moment; MJ has worked out that Peter Parker is really Spider-Man. This is true to the comics as well, where Mary-Jane Watson actually saw Spider-Man web-swinging out of Peter’s bedroom when he was still new to the superhero gig. The MCU’s MJ is smart, and no doubt she was already suspicious when Spider-Man turned up in Washington, D.C. during her class field-trip there in Spider-Man: Homecoming. She’ll have certainly managed to put the pieces together when Spider-Man shows up on her class vacation as well.
6. Mysterio Views The Elementals As His Responsibility
On the face of it, the MCU’s version of Mysterio seems to be a true hero. He views the Elementals as his responsibility, which perhaps indicates that he’s claiming they all come from the same dimension, and that his origin is somehow tied to these monstrous creatures. Of course, anybody who’s familiar with Mysterio will be more than a little suspicious, given he’s traditionally a comic book villain. In fact, in his very first appearance, Mysterio faked being a superhero in order to get the adulation he believed he deserved.
5. Spider-Man’s Tony Stark Glasses
Peter Parker is shown wearing a pair of glasses that will be very familiar; they’re the same design as the glasses Tony Stark was wearing in Avengers: Infinity War. This may indicate they have Stark tech in them; it’s even conceivable that they’re nanotechnology.
4. The Fourth Elemental Over Tower Bridge
The first Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer revealed three of the Elementals, and hinted at the existence of a fourth. This second trailer finally confirms the fourth Elemental, which appears to be a wind-creature that’s attacking Tower Bridge. Unfortunately, it looks as though Peter’s classmates get caught up in the chaos. 3. Spider-Man Is The Next Iron Man?
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer goes full circle, ending with Peter Parker realizing that the world needs the next Iron Man. It’s a smart way of reframing the classic “power and responsibility” mantra, which up till now has been relatively subdued in the MCU. This version of Spider-Man is inspired by Iron Man, and he will choose to be a hero because he realizes that Tony Stark’s death has left a hole that needs to be filled. Although Spider-Man doesn’t feel particularly competent or up to the challenge, the truth is that nobody else can do it. 2. Spider-Man Battles The Molten Man
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer comes to a climax showing Spider-Man in his stealth suit, taking on the Molten Man. The shots perfectly demonstrate just how out of his depth Spider-Man really is; these Elementals are truly a force to be reckoned with, and only the wall-crawler’s agility allows him to evade the Molten Man’s fire blasts. 1. Happy Hogan tries To Save Spider-Man’s Friends
The Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer ends with a fun scene in which Happy Hogan attempts to rescue Peter’s school friends. He’s called in the Stark Jet in order to evacuate them; unfortunately, it’s promptly blown up, forcing Happy to come up with a new plan. It’s possible that, by this point in the film, literally half the group know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the others begin to work it out, too, given it would seem odd for Spider-Man’s friends to seek them out.
What Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer’s multiverse mention might mean for the MCU https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/6/18531072/spider-man-far-from-home-trailer-marvel-multiverse
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a many-splendored thing, but there’s one big comic book concept it has yet to breach: the idea that there are other parallel universes out there in which the history of the Marvel Universe is different. Or, as Peter Parker says in Monday morning’s new (Endgame spoiler-filled) trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home, “You’re saying there’s a multiverse?” And that’s exactly what the tease at the new movie seems to be saying. Or … is it? Brave new world(s) The new trailer gives us a healthier helping of the plot of Far From Home, beyond the teens-have-European-adventures vibe we’ve seen in earlier ones. In addition to playing with the fallout from Avengers: Endgame, Peter will be called into action by Nick Fury and Agent Maria Hill, who are working with yet another guy in a costume: Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. “We could have used someone like you on my world,” Beck says as he shakes Peter’s hand. “Beck is from Earth,” Fury explains, “just not ours. The Snap tore a hole in our dimension.” If the Far From Home trailer is to be believed, Beck is a hero from that other Earth, asking for Peter’s help in defeating a series of elemental monsters and doling out sage advice on how to be a superhero. A classic multiverse story! Except for one thing: In the comics, Quentin Beck is a lying liar who lies. There’s no mystery about Mysterio In the comics, Beck is also known as Mysterio, one of Spider-Man’s earliest and most notorious foes. And what he’s most famous for is fooling lots of very powerful people with very powerful illusions. His battery of tricks can range from simply messing with Spider-Man’s spider-sense so he becomes less effective at fighting, to making Wolverine believe that every person in the X-Mansion is a supervillain so that he murders every last one of them — the inciting incident of the Old Man Logan timeline. In other words, it would be a real breach of established character if Mysterio were to be an upstanding superhero from another dimension. On the other hand … Well, first, Nick Fury is really smart. Not getting fooled by guys who show up claiming to be from other dimensions seems well within his established character. Maybe he really is from another Earth. He could still be lying about being a hero, for example, to keep his Mysterio cred. But even more than that, it’s hard to ignore how convenient the concept of a multiverse is for Sony Pictures. Sony’s main Spider-Man franchise is, by way of a licensing agreement that essentially rescued the entire thing from box office purgatory, a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But the rest of the studio’s new (and also quite successful) Spider-Man-based movies, like Venom and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, are not. Sony is in the process of spinning up a whole web of even more Spider-Man-related films that are not in the same universe as its main Spider-Man franchise. Venom is definitely getting a sequel, Jared Leto is definitely going to star in a movie about Morbius the Living Vampire, and writers are hard at work on films featuring Kraven the Hunter, Silk, Jackpot, Nightwatch, Silver Sable and the Black Cat. And that’s leaving out the Spider-Verse sequels and spinoffs. In this time of expanded cinematic universes, being able to say that all these films existed in the same universe or multiverse would allow for teasing or planning a crossover, which of course would drive the butts of fans of one movie into the seats of theaters for another. So is Quentin Beck really from a parallel Earth? We’ll have to put our butts in a Spider-Man: Far From Home theater to find out.
Segment 2: 2019 First Trimester Report Cards
What grades do you give:
Avengers: Endgame: The more I think about it, I get bothered that this wasn’t a traditional part 2 Hellboy: Schlock Shazam: Solid, not amazing Captain Marvel: Might actually be the best of the bunch?
2019 Mid-Year Awards: Pack Leader Award: Class Clown Award: Drama Queen Award: Cutest Couple Award: Most Athletic Award: Life of the party Award: Most Unforgettable Award: Most Likely to Succeed:
Segment 3:
Name: Jordan Ellis Phone: (484) 437-0351 Email: jordan@jordandene.com
WHAT DO YOU DO? Jordandené is a Brooklyn-based, woman-owned, small business. Our casually geeky apparel and home goods are subtle enough to actually be used in everyday life. Our design team uses traditional ink and brush techniques to create unique, hand-lettered designs. We choose messages that both strike a chord with hardcore fans and promote positive messages to everyone who sees them.
The Sartorial Geek is a seasonal publication for the geek in all of us. We focus on pop culture, girl power, and cool stories written by cool people.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? Quarterly magazine, geeky lifestyle podcast, nerdy clothing line
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? @jordandenenyc @sartorialgeek
‘New Mutants’ Release Date Pushed Yet Again, Will Now Open in 2020
You probably saw this coming, but the New Mutants release date has been pushed back…again. The superhero horror film was supposed to arrive in April 2018, but was pushed to February 2019, and then August 2019. That was back when Fox had sole control of the film. Now, Disney is calling the shots, and they’ve decided to bump it yet gain – to April 2020.
Will we ever get to see New Mutants? Or will the movie simply be pushed back, over and over again, until the end of time? The Josh Boone-directed movie was originally slated for April 13, 2018. That changed to February 22, 2019. Which changed yet again, to August 2, 2019. Today, Disney has announced yet another new release date: April 3, 2020.
Reshoots were the reason given for the original delay, but earlier this year, co-star Maisie Williams revealed those reshoots had yet to even happen:
“Who knows when the fuck that’s gonna come out,” she says. There were supposed to be reshoots to “make it scarier,” she explains, but they haven’t actually taken place. She says she saw one of her co-stars, Charlie Heaton, the other day and asked him, “What the fuck is going on with this movie?” He didn’t know either. She smiles. “Hopefully this interview will make everyone hurry up a little bit!”
With this new date in place, one can assume the reshoots will finally happen…unless they won’t. Really, I can’t make heads or tails of this situation. Can the original cut of the film really be that bad? The trailer released for New Mutants was quite good, throwing off a serious Nightmare on Elm Street 3 vibe. In fact, the brief amount of footage we’ve seen of New Mutants looks 100% better than every single trailer released for Dark Phoenix – a film Fox and Disney clearly have no problem releasing.
Why not just release New Mutants at this point? Or schedule it to release on the upcoming Disney streaming service Disney+? The more the film is delayed, the more of a negative reputation it gains. In fact, New Mutants has reached a point where it’s become kind of a joke, with most people assuming it will never see the light of day.
In the film, “Magik, Wolfsbane and other teenage mutants try to come to grips with their superpowers while staying at a secret facility.” Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, and Alice Braga star.
Disney announces three new ‘Star Wars’ movies to premiere after ‘The Rise of Skywalker’
Disney will continue releasing “Star Wars” movies in full Force.
The media giant on Tuesday announced three new “Star Wars” films that will premiere in the years following this December’s “The Rise of Skywalker.”
The movies will come out the weekend before Christmas every two years beginning in 2022.
Disney did not reveal what the movies will center on, but did note in its announcement that “The Rise of Skywalker” will bring “the original Skywalker Saga to its conclusion.”
Each of the movies is currently untitled.
Disney has released four “Star Wars” films since acquiring the Lucasfilm studio in 2012. That includes 2015’s “The Force Awakens” and 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” which served as the first two installments to the latest “Star Wars” trilogy, as well as standalone movies “Rogue One” (2016) and “Solo” (2018).
“The Rise of Skywalker,” which hits theaters on Dec. 20, will be the third and final chapter in the current trilogy.
Daisy Ridley’s Rey, John Boyega’s Finn, Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren and Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso are among the characters who have been introduced in Disney’s “Star Wars” films.
Disney also announced Tuesday that the four upcoming “Avatar” sequels will be each be pushed back, with “Avatar 2” slated to premiere on Dec. 17, 2021, about a year after its previously scheduled date.
“Avatar 3,” meanwhile, will now premiere on Dec. 22, 2023, followed by “Avatar 4” on Dec. 19, 2025 and “Avatar 5” on Dec. 17, 2027.
With a global gross of more than $2.78 billion, the original “Avatar” is currently the highest-earning movie of all time. Another Disney flick, “Avengers: Endgame,” could challenge that record, as it’s made more than $2.1 billion since premiering in late April.
How Europe’s War on Social Media Could Impact Hollywood: “This Is a Complete Paradigm Shift”
European’s copyright crackdown could weaken protections.
The Copyright Directive is far-reaching and has widespread — and sharply different — implications for different sections of the entertainment industry, as well as online platforms and ordinary users. One of the most radical changes is outlined in Article 17 of the directive. It reverses current law, making online platforms, and not their users, legally liable for copyright-protected songs, films, TV series or other content uploaded to their sites.
Still Legal? Five Online Activities That Could Change Under the New Euro Law From memes to cat videos, the EU copyright legislation could impact anyone using the internet to post or share content online
Movie Clips EXAMPLE: A YouTube star mocks a scene from the new Avengers movie, using a clip from the film.
Going forward, platforms like YouTube will be legally liable if their users post unlicensed content — like a movie clip — to their site. Most expect YouTube will sign deals with the big studios and record labels to make sure none of their content gets blocked.
Music EXAMPLE: A comedian posts a parody of a new Beyoncé song to his own site, using the same melody as the original.
It depends on how popular the comedian is. Smaller sites — ones with fewer than 5 million unique users a month and annual revenue of less than $11 million — will continue to operate under the old laws, having to license or take down content only if rights holders ask them to.
News Stories EXAMPLE: You tweet a comment to a news story, quoting the original story at length.
Twitter, Google News, Facebook and other platforms will be required to pay a “link tax” if users’ posts include more than a “short snippet” from an original news article. Just how “short” and “snippet” are defined will be the focus of future legal battles.
Memes EXAMPLE: You screen-grab an embarrassing moment from the Oscars, add a comment and turn it into an Instagram meme.
Internet rights activists have called the Copyright Directive “the death of the meme,” but, as written, the legislation explicitly protects this sort of freedom of expression. Expect technical hiccups, however, as upload filters misidentify legal memes as illegal piracy.
Personal Photos or Videos EXAMPLE: You find a cute picture of a cat online and post it to your Facebook friends.
If you took the picture yourself, you own it. But if it’s someone else’s cat pic, there could be a problem. Still photos — among the easiest content to watermark and track online — could be blocked en masse, leading to a lot of very angry cat people. — S.R.
A version of this story first appeared in the April 24 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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PODCAST | Avengers: Endgame is HERE! And we can finally talk about it! Join our Round Table discussion with the ladies of Geek Vibes Nation as we give you the Good, the Bad and the GROOT! (Wait… there was bad?)
Join us live as we celebrate the biggest superhero event in movie history…then play Trivia.
Segment 1: Avengers: Endgame Review: the Good, the Bad & the Thanos!
• Expectations change everything. THE GOOD
Great moments throughout. Satisfying ends. Pandora’s box opened with time travel the way they did it.
Cool there’s another Loki floating around. Gamorra. Nice moment when all the heroes uniteTHE BAD
Dubious choices: Time Travel. Alternate Realities? I liked The Quantum Realm aspect. But by diverging completely from the Infinity War plot altogether I thought it was a bit disjointed. And time travel in general. They didn’t keep it contained to IW. They opened it up to the whole U. Which CAN be good
Why 5 years later? 1 Year Later? So we’re now watching films 5 years from now? Head scratcher since every other movie took place when the film came out. They could have done the same in 2019.
How does Peter Parker go back to school with MJ? All his friend Happen to be vanished?
Why no rewind Time the way Thanos did?
Did Cap now undo everything?
Black Widow – the bigger death than Iron Man? Why is she not resurrected.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ directors just explained some of the movie’s biggest mysteries
Avengers: Endgame is finally out which means we know how the Infinity Saga ends. [There were] several questions after seeing Endgame, And while I wasn’t expecting Marvel to address them just yet, the Russo brothers stepped up to deliver several official responses.
The Russos talked to Chinese-language site QQ, answering several questions related to Endgame. A Redditor then translated all of these questions and answers,
Captain America
What happens to Captain America at the end isn’t clarified adequately on screen. Did he live in the MCU-timeline, or created one when he met Peggy in the past, and now we have the official answer. Cap did, in fact, create an alternate reality, one where he lived his life with Peggy.
Q: Peggy Carter was probably already married and in her mid-40s in 1970, in that case, what year was it that Captain America went back to dance with her?
A: We can’t answer it, for now, this is a story that happened in an alternate reality. Maybe it will be revealed in the future.
Q: Did Captain America’s action at the end affect the timeline? Does that mean there was a time where two CA existed in a same universe?
A: To me, Captain America’s action in the end wasn’t the fact he wanted to change anything; it’s more like he has made a choice. He chose to go back
to past and lived with the one he loved for the rest of his life. The time travel in this movie created an alternate reality. He lived a completely different life in that world. We don’t know how exactly his life turned out, but I’d like to believe he still helped many others when they were needed in that world. Yes, there were two CA in that reality, it’s just like what Hulk said, what happened in the past has already happened. If you go back to past, you simply created a new reality. The characters in this movie created new timeline when they went back to the past, but it had no effect to the prime universe. What happened in the past 22 movies was still canon.
The directors made it clear that every change of the past spans a different timeline, something we also explained in great detail a few days ago. For example, we know that there are a bunch of realities out there right now, including one where Loki is alive, and one where Thanos vanished in 2014.
Q: [Endgame’s] plot, is it a parallel universe or a closed time loop?
A: Nope, not a time loop. Both Ancient One and Hulk were right. You can’t change the future by simply going back to past. But it’s possible to create a different alternate future. It’s not butterfly effect. Every decision you made in the past could potentially create a new timeline. For example, the old Cap at the end movie, he lived his married life in a different universe from the main one. He had to make another jump back to the main universe at the end to give the shield to Sam.
Iron Man
So why did Iron Man have to snap Thanos away and not someone else? The Russos explained too:
Q: Why Iron Man has to be the one to do the final snap, couldn’t the people like Thor, Star-Lord or Captain Marvel whom all previously have handled the power of Infinity Stones done it instead?
A: Thor in this movie couldn’t do it, only Hulk was strong enough to do the snap without dying. We are still not sure whether Captain Marvel can also withstand all the power of Infinity Stones at once. The reason we choose to let Iron Man do it in the end was because he was the closest one to Thanos at the time. In all the futures Doctor Strange foresee, Iron Man was the only one who could get close to Thanos and do the snap. People usually think the death of a hero is a horrible tragedy. But we think this is different.
When his death was able to bring back hope, to save half of the universe, then his death was powerful and meaningful. We shouldn’t feel too sad or angry about it.
Finally, the Russos also explained that the heroes couldn’t have saved Tony Stark using the Time Stone at the end of Endgame, just like Thanos resurrected Vision at the end of Infinity War:
Q: In IW, Thanos used the time stone to reverse the time so he could the already dead Vision, and it didn’t cause any time parallax. Why did no one use time stone to save Iron Man’s life in EG?
A: It’s because even if you save Iron Man, it will still not change the fact that Thanos will eventually win the war. Among the 14 million possibilities that Doctor Strange has seen, Iron Man’s sacrifice is a must for that one win scenario.
Black Widow
Some people felt like Natasha deserved a funeral just like Tony. The Russos cleared the air regarding this topic as well:
Q: Where’s Black Widow?
A: The directors also explained that when you return the Soul Stone to Vormir, you don’t get the soul back. That means Nat can’t be magically resurrected:
Q: Can you get the soul your sacrificed for the Soul Stone back when you return it?
A: No, the process is irreversible. Even if you have returned it to its original location, you wouldn’t be able to get the person back. In fact, it’s not really returning the Stone, more like put it back properly. The tribute soul for the Soul Stone will forever be sealed in that place, therefore Black Widow is gone forever.
This, in turn, means that the Gamora we knew died for good back in Infinity War.
Thanos’s Pym particles
The Russos also explained how Thanos brought his ship to the future, and it’s exactly what we thought it’d be, he and his children recreated the Pym particles needed to travel through the Quantum Realm:
Q: How did Thanos bring his army to the future?
A: There is a guy called Maw in his army; he was a great wizard. Thanos himself was a brilliant genius as well. Those two easily reverse engineered, and mass-produced Pym Particles.
NO CELL PHONES If you cheat, well then, you have the satisfaction of being a big fat cheater
Winning teams win some SIRE goodies
What movie did Thanos first appear in?Marvel’s The Avengers He appears in a mid-credits scene
AsidefromStanLee,whichactorhasappearedinthemostMCU films?Robert Downey, Jr.As of Avengers: Infinity War, Robert Downey Jr. has appeared in 9 MCU movies. After Avengers: Endgame, he’ll have played Tony Stark 10 times. Samuel L. Jackson is close behind with 6 appearances.
What does the acronym S.H.I.E.L.D. stand for?Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division
What do the Avengers eat after the Battle of New York in Marvel’s The Avengers?Shawarma
Name the six Infinity Stones in the MCUAnd for bonus points, what color are they?There are six Infinity Stones: Space (Blue), Mind (Yellow), Power (Purple), Time (Green), Reality (Red) and Soul (Orange).
“Avengers: Endgame” is the end of an era. What’s next for Marvel?
Avengers: Endgame isn’t simply another box-office-busting, butt-kicking superhero epic. It’s also the end of a cinematic generation.
Marvel’s Avengers movie franchise was born in 2008, when the company used a B-list character, Iron Man, to kick off what would become an epic, multi-billion- dollar superhero adventure. Acquired by Disney the following year, Marvel Studios rolled out its Avengers saga over the course of a decade, using three “phases” of story development across 22 movies. Each was linked by the infinity stones storyline—shiny gems with cataclysmic consequences.
Avengers: Endgame brings that saga to a close, barring one more film in the queue: Spider-Man: Far From Home, which premiers in July.
While this is the end for some characters, it’s just the beginning for other lesser- known ones, whom Marvel intends to promote in “Phase Four”—its five-year plan for its superhero film franchise. The release dates for nine untitled movies are already on the books.
There have been no official announcements regarding the upcoming films beyond the holding dates; however, fans haven’t been left without clues as to which characters will be featured.
A Black Widow movie staring Scarlett Johansson is expected to begin filming this spring, James Gunn has been secured as director (again) for a third Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is contracted for another film following Far From Home. Fans can likely also look forward to a Black Panther sequel, and another installment of Doctor Strange, while Angelina Jolie has signed on to a movie about the Eternals, a new cast of superheroes. Finally, Marvel is also reportedly planning a film about martial arts master Shang-Chi—its first movie with an Asian lead.
EP 167: Avengers Endgame Predictions, Game of Thrones Recap & Newsarama’s Chris Arrant
Apr 25, 2019
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PODCAST | Endgame! It’s all anyone’s talking about! BUT… who lives? Who dies (for real this time) – we give you our Predictions Sure To Go Wrong!
PLUS: In between this Endgame madness there’s a TV show no one’s talking about (yeah right!) We break down the first two episodes of Game of Thrones and it’s connection to the MCU.
AND: We go spinning the racks with Newsarama’s Chris Arrant who brings us the Endgame tie-in books we need to read!
Ep 165: Shazam Movie Review, Shazam vs Captain Marvel, Hellboy Preview
Apr 09, 2019
PODCAST | With DC's genre-bending, kid-friendly Shazam! debuting to a better-than- expected box office we give you our review of the film and pit it against it’s counterpart: Captain Marvel.
Ep 161 | Captain Marvel Review [SPOILERS], Madonna & the Breakfast Club
Mar 14, 2019
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PODCAST | Captain Marvel Soars At the Box Office… But Is It Any Good? We review the latest Marvel Studios chapter and give you the skinny on the feminist driven film.
PLUS: We welcome “Madonna And the Breakfast Club’s” Paul Castro On To Chat About The Film
AND: Newsarama’s Chris Arrant goes Spinning the Racks
When ‘Captain Marvel’ Became a Target, the Rules Changed
Despite the trolls’ concerted efforts, “Captain Marvel” slayed during its opening weekend, but not before Rotten Tomatoes, an influential site where a bad audience score can damage a film’s prospects, made major changes to its rules. Most critically, it eliminated prerelease audience reviews. It also stopped displaying the percentage of moviegoers who say they “want to see” a film in favor of using the raw number of people. And it removed the “not interested” button.
The backlash against “Captain Marvel” resulted from a collision of two major forces. One was the popularity of websites that at their best democratize the reviewing of movies, restaurants and businesses and at their worst can be weaponized for score-settling or political grudges.
“Captain Marvel” is among the few superhero films to star a woman, but a bigger trigger factor for the film’s haters appeared to be Ms. Larson’s outspokenness about the lack of diversity in movies and news media coverage of films.
In February, during the crush of the film’s press tour, Ms. Larson told “Entertainment Tonight” that she had spoken with Marvel about making the film “a big feminist movie.” In another interview, she said that after noticing that most of her interviewers in the past had been white and male, she vowed to seek out more underrepresented journalists, including Keah Brown, who is black and disabled, and who profiled her for Marie Claire.
Segment 2: Why Captain Marvel Sucks As a Prequel
Prequels are inherently rubbish unless they follow one golden rule: they have to tell us something we don’t already know. A truly effective prequel should change how we perceive the films or books or TV shows that came before (or after). If it doesn’t put a new spin on the familiar, what’s the point?
What if Ronan’s defeat had set him on the path to his GotG villainy? What if the filmmakers put as much effort into Coulson’s characters as his CG de-aging? What if he’d been, I don’t know, a corrupt alcoholic LA cop reluctantly investigating a break-in at a Blockbuster, only to be profoundly changed by the experience into the Coulson we know?
Or what if — go with me on this — what if when Coulson was replaced by a Skrull, nobody noticed? What if the Agent Coulson we’ve seen throughout all the Marvel movies and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, the guy we’ve known and loved for 10 years, was a Skrull all along?
Segment 3: Spotlight Paul Castro Jr.
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio)I’m an Actor, Voice Actor, Producer, Director and Writer. But more importantly a Gamer, Animal Lover, and Story teller.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)Madonna and the Breakfast Club, my Unt. Gamer Comedy which premiere at ITVFest. Few films coming up, What We Found, Unt. Seth Rogen Pickle Movie, Few VO animations I can’t name just yet… Ones about talking dogs.
GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about) I’m open – depends where you wanna go. I love talking anything games, nerd culture, or indie film (or film in general.) Dealers choice!
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Friend You?)
@paulcastrojr all over
Segment 4: Spin The Racks w/Chris Arrant Captain Marvel, Shazam, Colbie Smulders and more!
Ep 160 | Captain Marvel: Fans, Gender, Politics and Shazam w/Starlight Runner’s Jeff Gomez
Mar 07, 2019
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PODCAST | Captain Marvel vs Captain Mar…er #SHAZAM! Two franchises linked by name, cross-company rivalry & some pretty snazzy trailers… all being released within the next month!
On tonight’s episode we preview the new Marvel and DC flicks and pit the trailers against each other alongside transmedia guru Jeff Gomez from Starlight Runner Entertainment. He also gives us exclusive inside dirt on the film having already seen it!
PLUS: The boobirds are out in full force against Captain Marvel but the pre-sales are sky rocketing! Which side will come out on top as we preview Marvel’s most controversial film to date.
Michael and Hassan are joined by Jeff Gomez as they discuss Captain Marvel. They begin with the animosity in the build up to Captain Marvel’s release. Jeff notes how Starlight Runner monitors fan behavior and describes how fans are reacting to the actor and not the character Captain Marvel. They discuss how negative social media affects films and how our social media culture in some ways encourages controversy.
Segment 2
Jeff, Hassan, and Michael compare Captain Marvel and Shazam based on the trailers. Jeff share his impressions after seeing Captain Marvel. They describe Warner Brothers’ approach to Shazam and unpack how Shazam has been marketed with humor at the forefront. The guys tell which film they are most excited to see based on their trailers.
Segment 3: Spotlight Jeff Gomez
Jeff shares his love of Ultraman and Godzilla in his youth. Jeff describes his current Ultraman project and the challenges of reintroducing the character to Western popular culture. Michael and Hassan weigh in on how it can be difficult to modernize older series for new audiences. They list examples of films that have succeeded or failed in fulfilling fans’ wishes.
Segment 4: Spin The Racks Jeff brings up his project Magnificent Revengers, an upcoming Western show and how it plans to immerse audiences in a unique way. Spinning The Racks: New Mutants release on Disney+. Jeff, Michael, and Hassan speculate about how New Mutants will be received. Jeff weighs in on whether to stick around for the Captain Marvel post credits scenes
Ep 159 | Inside the Creation of Deadpool w/co-creator Fabian Nicieza, Oscars Reactions
Mar 01, 2019
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PODCAST | The Oscar race is HEATING UP! Into The Spider Verse is tracking WAY up, but the real question is whether Black Panther can go where no Comicbook movie has gone before? We tell you why it CAN!
PLUS: The Captain Marvel trolls are trying to derail the movie… or are they? We talk CONTROVERSY with Destiny NY creator Pat Shand.
Segment 1
Fabian Nicieza joins the show to recap this year’s Oscars. Michael, Fabian, and Hassan weigh in on the Best Picture and Best Director results. Hassan mentions how Bohemian Rhapsody didn’t stick to the band’s history but he was happy with the Best Actor win for Rami Malek. They touch on Spike Lee’s reaction to Blackkklansmen losing Best Picture. They note how Green Book may have won for being a safe choice, a film about race through the eyes of a white man.
Segment 2
Michael, Hassan, and Fabian pivot to Black Panther’s Academy Award wins. Fabian notes that awards don’t matter because the movie made over $1B and entertained audience worldwide. They debate whether comic book movies need critical acclaim to validate them beyond box office numbers. Michael celebrates Spiderman’s Oscar win; but Hassan reiterates that the Oscars don’t matter. Fabian explains how Spiderverse’s success may lead studios to produce better quality animated superhero films.
Segment 3: Inside Deadpool
Michael asks Fabian about how it feels to see his character Deadpool and its reception by the public. Fabian shares his appreciation for the Deadpool movie franchise; but reflects that it hasn’t changed him too much. They exchange Ryan Reynolds stories. Fabian describes his beginnings at Marvel and his work with Rob Liefeld. They discuss X-Force and other notable projects from Fabian’s career.
Segment 4: Spin The Racks Michael brings up The Cyclops debate. Fabian breaks down his position on Cyclops and why he sees it as a non debate with Gail Simone.
Spinning The Racks: The guys react to DC Comic recent announcement of publishing cutbacks. They speculate about the future, viability, and economics of the comics industry.
Ep 158 | Black Panther, Into The Spider-Verse Oscar Predictions Sure To Go Wrong
Feb 22, 2019
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PODCAST | The Oscar race is HEATING UP! Into The Spider Verse is tracking WAY up, but the real question is whether Black Panther can go where no Comicbook movie has gone before? We tell you why it CAN!
PLUS: The Captain Marvel trolls are trying to derail the movie… or are they? We talk CONTROVERSY with Destiny NY creator Pat Shand.
Segment 1
Captain Marvel Early Reviews
Why Trolls Are Targeting Captain Marvel On Rotten Tomatoes
As Disney and Marvel Studios gear up for the March 8 release of Captain Marvel, the first female-led solo film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some fans aren’t celebrating but are instead attempting to poison the well, and presumably damage its opening-weekend box office. Trolls are bombing Captain Marvel’s Rotten Tomatoes entry with negative reviews intended to sabotage its audience score.
Meanwhile…
Comic Book Movie News Websites Attack Fans – Label Them “Sexist” For Saying They Don’t Want to See Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel
Multiple comic book movie news websites including ComicBook.com and ComicBookMovie.com attacked comic book fans because they expressed that they do not plan to see Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel when it comes into theaters. ComicBook.com would blatantly lie in the headline stating, “Captain Marvel Is Already Being Review Bombed on Rotten Tomatoes.” The movie is not being review bombed on Rotten Tomatoes. Comic book fans are simply stating they are not interested in seeing Captain Marvel. They can’t “review bomb” the movie because the film hasn’t come out yet, and users can’t provide a rating. You can only mark if you are interested in seeing the film or if you aren’t interested in it.
Segment 3: Black Panther and Into The Spider-Verse Oscar Predictions
The 91st Academy Awards are just over a week away. In our continuing look at the race to Oscars glory, this week we delve into one of the more colorful categories: Best Animated Feature. Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse (Way Up) “Spider-Verse” came out of nowhere in December, receiving rave reviews and picking up a slew of accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for best animated feature. The movie is the juggernaut of awards season, and will likely win, but it has some obstacles: The Oscars are notoriously fickle when it comes to superhero films, and Sony Pictures Animation has never won in this category. Why this year’s Oscars campaigns spent the ‘most money’ ever With the Oscars ceremony one week away, voting closes Tuesday — but who will win Best Picture is still anyone’s guess. “Green Book” has been honored by the Golden Globes (for Best Musical or Comedy) and the Producers Guild of America. “Roma” received nods from the Directors Guild of America, the New York Film Critics’ Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. “Bohemian Rhapsody” won Best Picture at the Globes, in the drama category. And there’s a rumbling, underground rally-ing cry behind “Black Panther.”
Ep 157: The Matrix Retro Review, Macy Gray Interview
Feb 14, 2019
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PODCAST | Party like it’s 1999! We celebrate with two of the most influential pop culture movies of all time as we RetroReview The Matrix – 20 years later!
PLUS: Is it more influential than Star Wars?
And: Our interview with Macy Gray: She talks new album, filming Spider-Man and her pop culture obsessions!
Segment 1
Michael and Hassan begin the show discussing their reactions to this past weekend’s Super Bowl. Michael brings up how sports is an analogy for politics and how people root more often for those they dislike than for teams they actually like. They pivot to the trailers that debuted during what Hassan calls “the ball game”. The guys bring up the characters shown in the Avengers Endgame trailer and try to predict which character was edited from the trailer.
Segment 2
Hassan and Michael question whether trailers are manipulated to create hype around a film. They bring up Spiderman: Far from Home, debate whether it will be a prequel, and if Spiderman was the character missing from Endgame. They move on to the new Captain Marvel trailer and consider whether the trailer did anything to increase the hype for the film. Michael mentions how he was impressed with Alita: Battle Angel. Hassan brings up James Cameron’s previous successful movies and his expectations for Alita.
Segment 3: Macy Gray
When you are fortunate enough to chat with the legendary Macy Gray, what strikes you immediately is how much she cares. Whether she’s discussing her team-up with Meghan Trainor, her new album, or the provocative nature of the song “White Man” you can sense the importance she feels behind her every word. It’s a trait she carries with her to her new album, the fresh sounding “Ruby.”
Last July, HBO programming president Casey Bloys confirmed that the network had a Deadwood movie in the works, noting that the channel had plans to shoot the film in October with a release date to follow sometime in the spring of 2019. Now, Deadline reports that the spring 2019 release has been solidified, with the film to be released in time to be eligible for the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards. Set 10 years after the events in the series, the film features the majority of the show’s original cast returning, including Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Parker, Paula Malcomson, John Hawkes, Anna Gunn, W. Earl Brown, Dayton Callie, Brad Dourif, Robin Weigert, William Sanderson, Kim Dickens and Gerald McRaney. Jade Pettyjohn will also join the cast in the role of a new character named Caroline. The film features the show’s original writer David Milch teaming up with Game of Thrones director Daniel Minahan. Milch and Minahan will serve as executive producers along with Carolyn Strauss, Gregg Fienberg, Scott Stephens, Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant. In its 3-season, 36-episode run from 2004-2006, Deadwood was nominated for 28 Emmy Awards, winning eight.
Ep 156: Avengers EndGame Trailer: Was a Character Edited Out? Captain Marvel, Alita: Battle Angel
Feb 08, 2019
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PODCAST | Super BOWL? More like Super BORING (amirite???) But we did get some cool trailers! We review Avengers Endgame, Captain Marvel, Battle Angel Alita and more!
PLUS: Did the Avengers: Endgame Super Bowl Trailer Edit Out a Character? And did Bud Light win the weekend with their killer Game of Thrones crossover?
egment 1
Michael and Hassan begin the show discussing their reactions to this past weekend’s Super Bowl. Michael brings up how sports is an analogy for politics and how people root more often for those they dislike than for teams they actually like. They pivot to the trailers that debuted during what Hassan calls “the ball game”. The guys bring up the characters shown in the Avengers Endgame trailer and try to predict which character was edited from the trailer.
Segment 2
Hassan and Michael question whether trailers are manipulated to create hype around a film. They bring up Spiderman: Far from Home, debate whether it will be a prequel, and if Spiderman was the character missing from Endgame. They move on to the new Captain Marvel trailer and consider whether the trailer did anything to increase the hype for the film. Michael mentions how he was impressed with Alita: Battle Angel. Hassan brings up James Cameron’s previous successful movies and his expectations for Alita.
Segment 3
Michael gives his opinion on the best Super Bowl commercial this year. Hassan and Michael debate whether the Bud Knight/Game of Thrones crossover was the best commercial. Hassan brings up the one mistake he noticed in the Mountain’s costume. They discuss the decision for the Bud Knight to die on screen. Michael waxes poetic about Bud Light, its role in his life, and how the commercial made him want to continue drinking Bud Light.
Segment 4
Spinning The Racks: The guys react to a Sioux Falls. man was arrested for cosplaying as Mr. Freeze and yelling cold weather puns. Hassan and Michael admire the man’s prep work, the cold weather puns, and commitment to the character. They briefly touch on the Super Bowl Stella Artois commercial. They finish the show with reactions to Rob Liefeld’s departure from Netflix.
Ep 155: Black Panther Oscar Chances, Punisher S2 Review & Bill Maher Doubles Down On Stan Lee
Feb 01, 2019
We want YOUR thoughts! Click the links to YouTube and share your comments below! Can Black Panther win the Oscar? Is Punisher Season 2 worth the binge? And is Bill Maher right?? Subscribe to our channel – new shows every week!
PODCAST | Wakanda For…Best Picture? What the SAG win means for their chances of taking home the Oscar (Take That Bill Maher!)
PLUS: Our Brutally Honest Punisher Season 2 Review: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
With Tia and Kelly from Geek Vibes Nation and Marvel’s Darren Sanchez in studio!
Segment 1
Does Black Panther SAG Win Mean Best Picture Is Coming? Although “Black Panther” wasn’t nominated for any individual SAG Awards, it took home the final award at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The win puts “Black Panther” squarely in contention for best picture at the Academy Awards where it’s nominated for seven honors including best picture. Actors make up the largest percentage of the academy, so their preferences can have an especially large impact on the Oscar race. In the last decade the SAG ensemble winner has gone on to win best picture at the Academy Awards half of the time.
Segment 2& 3: Punisher Season 2 Review
Hassan and Michael review Punisher Season 2 with their guests. Michael shares where he thought the plot or characters failed to deliver. Tia offers why she liked Season 2 better than the first season. Kelly gives her reasons for disliking Madani as a character. Darren notes how Netflix’s approach to writing Marvel series has led to filler episodes or uninteresting subplots. Hassan discusses how The Punisher was probably the best Marvel TV series, but it suffered from being somewhat repetitive.
he Punisher discussion continues as the guests wonder whether Punisher was hindered by the way the character was developed. They go over the worst scenes in the season and consider whether the writers tried to humanize Punisher too much instead of letting the character be as violent as he is in the comics. Tia brings up the moments in Season 2 that made her cry. They conclude Punisher Season 2 fell short of expectations.
Segment 4
To finish off the Punisher discussion, the group discusses if Jon Bernthal would be good as the next Wolverine. In Spinning The Racks: Michael, Hassan, and their guests discuss Bill Maher’s recent essay on Stan Lee and comic book culture. They share their disagreements with Bill Maher’s essay about the comics and their importance in culture. Darren shares how comics are often a connection to friends and family and you don’t have to grow up or give up on these interests.
NEXT WEEK: Ben Affleck OUT as Batman – what this means for the new direction of the franchise. PLUS: Could Michael B. Jordan be returning to Black Panther 2? We discuss!
Ep 154: Netflix’s Brainchild In Studio, Glass Movie Review, Black Panther Oscar Nom & More | Ep 154
Jan 24, 2019
PODCAST | Killer show featuring Wailing Blade‘s Joe Mulvey! We break down the Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer Featuring Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio.
We preview the 2019 TV landscape and break it down to four shows: Game of Thrones, Punisher S2, Star Trek S2 and Stranger Things
PLUS: We welcome Newsarama’s Chris ArrantArrant as he gives us the 2019 Must-Read Comic Books and MCU Movie Tie-ins
AND: We ain’t afraid of no sequel! We’re all over the news of a new secret Ghostbusters movie just announced!
Subscribe to our channel if you dare!
Segment 1
Michael and Hassan are joined in studio by Joe Mulvey. The show begins with reactions to the new Spiderman: Far From Home Trailer. They discuss whether Marvel can make fans take Mysterio seriously as a villain and speculate how this film will set itself apart from previous Spiderman films.
Segment 2
Joe pitches his upcoming comic, Wailing Blade. They then preview through the upcoming seasons of Punisher, Game of Thrones, Star Trek Discovery, True Detective, and Stranger Things. Joe, Mike, and Hassan debate whether Game of Thrones’ next season will live up to expectations.
Segment 3
Chris Arrant of Newsarama joins the show to share his opinion on upcoming series. Chris previews the must see comics coming out in 2019. They highlight the authors, artists, and creators to look out for in 2019. Chris touches on the buzz around Watchmen and Captain Marvel in the comic industry. Chris closes with a recommendation for Guts, an upcoming graphic novel from Raina Telgemeier.
Segment 4
Spinning the Racks: The guys react to the newly announced Ghostbusters reboot set to take place in the original universe. Are the original cast coming back? Will Harold Ramis’ character be in the film? Will it face the same scrutiny as the 2016 Reboot? The guys answer these questions and more.
NEXT WEEK: The bullets have flown! The bodies have hit the floor! it’s time for our Punisher Season 2 Review! PLUS: We welcome Marvel’s Darren Sanchez in studio to break down the two Oscar nominated Marvel flicks Black Panther and Spider-Verse. Which film will take home the Oscar gold?
Ep 153: Spider-Man Far From Home Trailer Reactions, 2019 TV & Comic Book Preview | Ep
Jan 18, 2019
PODCAST | Killer show featuring Wailing Blade‘s Joe Mulvey! We break down the Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer Featuring Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio.
We preview the 2019 TV landscape and break it down to four shows: Game of Thrones, Punisher S2, Star Trek S2 and Stranger Things
PLUS: We welcome Newsarama’s Chris ArrantArrant as he gives us the 2019 Must-Read Comic Books and MCU Movie Tie-ins
AND: We ain’t afraid of no sequel! We’re all over the news of a new secret Ghostbusters movie just announced!
Subscribe to our channel if you dare!
Segment 1
Michael and Hassan are joined in studio by Joe Mulvey. The show begins with reactions to the new Spiderman: Far From Home Trailer. They discuss whether Marvel can make fans take Mysterio seriously as a villain and speculate how this film will set itself apart from previous Spiderman films.
Segment 2
Joe pitches his upcoming comic, Wailing Blade. They then preview through the upcoming seasons of Punisher, Game of Thrones, Star Trek Discovery, True Detective, and Stranger Things. Joe, Mike, and Hassan debate whether Game of Thrones’ next season will live up to expectations.
Segment 3
Chris Arrant of Newsarama joins the show to share his opinion on upcoming series. Chris previews the must see comics coming out in 2019. They highlight the authors, artists, and creators to look out for in 2019. Chris touches on the buzz around Watchmen and Captain Marvel in the comic industry. Chris closes with a recommendation for Guts, an upcoming graphic novel from Raina Telgemeier.
Segment 4
Spinning the Racks: The guys react to the newly announced Ghostbusters reboot set to take place in the original universe. Are the original cast coming back? Will Harold Ramis’ character be in the film? Will it face the same scrutiny as the 2016 Reboot? The guys answer these questions and more.
A preview of HBO’s upcoming series gave a brief sneak peek of Watchmen and revealed a very Rorschach like character, hinting at a possible Doomsday Clock storyline.
During the Golden Globes, HBO released a montage video of all their upcoming shows premiering this year, including Damon Lindelof’s much anticipated TV series based on one of DC’s most famous comic books, Watchmen. Start the countdown to the official trailer because it’s on its way.
Based on the 12-issue graphic novel by Alan Moore, Watchmen is set in a fictionalized world where superheroes are treated like violent criminals, and retired heroes treated like celebrities. Masked heroes, as they’re referred to, are strictly outlawed and anyone engaging in vigilantism will be arrested and tried with breaking the law. It’s not like Captain America: Civil War where the government puts a leash on superheroes for making too many messes; Watchmen is grim without any cheery disposition. The masked heroes are treated no differently than sexual offenders’ police might chase down alleyways.
the most popular graphic novels of all time and inspired a movie directed by Zack Snyder. One character who drastically stood out, particularly in Snyder’s film, was Walter Kovacs/Rorschach. A mentally unstable, borderline sociopathic, vigilante that took saving the world to the level of an extremist.
Compelling, frightening and sympathetic in a strange demented way, Rorschach lives on to be the most favored “Watchmen” character. A favoritism that’s well deserved. Forget Dr. Manhattan and his glowing nakedness or Nite Owl and his puppy dog eyes. Let’s all love Rorschach for killing sadistic pedophiles and driving a compacted prison into a riot in mere minutes; he’s the king.
Honestly, Rorschach was like a homeless, psychotic version of Batman. A guy damaged by past trauma but gifted with an incredible mind and a unique brand of willpower, takes to the streets to inflict his anger on criminals as a type of therapy.
His popularity only increased when non-comic readers saw Jackie Earle Haley’s portrayal in Snyder’s film, bringing him to life-like no other actor could have. In my personal opinion, Haley makes number two on the list of best comic book portrayals, number one being Heath Ledger as The Joker.
Read more at https://www.superherohype.com/movies/432057-sonys-mib-23-crossover-is-officially-dead#hwBj3MugrVT7LyMp.99
On paper, a crossover between Men in Black and 21 Jump Street sounded like a crazy idea. News of MIB 23 first broke after the Sony Pictures hack in 2014 leaked emails detailing the studio’s plans to combine two of their biggest franchises. Many scoffed at the notion, but the project garnered enough momentum to hire Muppets Most Wanted director James Bobin. There haven’t been any updates since then, but now we know why. According to producer Walter Parkes, the crossover is no longer happening.
Parkes delivered the verdict in a recent interview with Empire (via Yahoo), and he seemed to echo the view held by many skeptics since they first heard that the film was happening. “We gave it a shot,” said Parkes. “It turned out to be an impossible match-up.” Phil Lord and Chris Miller directed the original 21 Jump Street and its 2014 sequel, 22 Jump Street. The duo were writing the script for MIB 23, which was intended as the third installment in that series. It would have featured Jonah Hill’s Schmidt and Channing Tatum’s Jenko joining the titular alien-policing task force. Bobin signed on to direct the film in May 2016. However, Hill expressed his own doubts that the film would get made just three months later.
It may have been unlikely, but Lord and Miller’s track record indicates that MIB 23 could have been fun. Regardless, the Men in Black series is about to be revived later this year in Men in Black International, starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. That film will hit theaters on June 14. As for Jump Street, it remains to be seen whether Sony will produce a third installment of that franchise.
NEXT WEEK: We look ahead to Punisher Season 2 and the most anticipated TV shows and comic books of 2019. Featuring Newsarama’s Chris Arrant and Wailing Blade artist Joe Mulvey.
Ep 151: VADER: Shards of the Past Review, Aquaman vs Bumblebee vs Spider-Verse
Jan 02, 2019
PODCAST | Was a new #StarWars movie secretly released over the holidays? We give you the lowdown on the must-see VADER: SHARDS OF THE PAST and what it means for Disney Star Wars a year after Last Jedi
PLUS: Who Won The Winter? Between #Aquaman, #BumbleBee & #IntoTheSpiderVerse we crown the winner of the holiday box office season.
Segment 1: Vader: Shards of the Past: The Best Star Wars Film Of The Past 5 Years?
We give you the skinny on VADER: SHARDS OF THE PAST, the fan-film that’s got the galaxy humming. What does it mean for Disney Star Wars and why is no one talking about it?
Segment 2: The Last Jedi: One Year Later
We look back at the most divisive, controversial Star Wars film ever released! Is the brand forever damaged? Or will the force unite the fan base with Episode XIV?
Segment 3: Aquaman vs Bumblebee vs Into The Spiderverse
Who Won The Winter? Between #Aquaman, #BumbleBee & #IntoTheSpiderVerse we crown the winner of the holiday box office season!
Segment #4: Spin The Racks
Sandra Bullock’s ‘Bird Box’ Viewed By 45 Million Accounts in One Week, Netflix Claims
+ Is it a hit? Natalie Jarvey emails: If you ask Netflix, yes, the Sandra Bullock thriller was a popular choice for its 130 million subscribers over the holidays. The streamer claims that 45 million accounts viewed the film during its first week.
+ But also … While that certainly seems like a lot of viewers (34 percent of Netflix’s total membership base, in fact), the number can’t be substantiated by a third-party measurement company and doesn’t make it clear whether these accounts actually completed the movie or just sampled it before turning to old episodes of, say, Friends. Why did the notoriously tight-lipped Netflix choose this moment to share a rare bit of viewership data?
Some follow-up questions:
+ Matthew Belloni: “This boast tells us nothing about who actually viewed more than a minute or two of Bird Box. Also, Netflix does not submit to independent ratings verification, so we have to *trust* them. Or not.”
+ Rebecca Keegan: “I’m interested what a metric like this means for a filmmaker. Does Susanne Bier’s agent use this data as leverage on her next film? How does a traditional studio considering her for a project view it?”
The Punisher Villain Billy Russo Won’t Be Called Jigsaw in Season 2
Don’t expect antagonist Billy Russo to be called character’s Marvel Comics nickname, Jigsaw, in the upcoming second season of The Punisher.
During a set visit attended by CBR, actor Ben Barnes revealed how the events of the Season 1 finale have changed his character, and explained why he won’t assume the Jigsaw moniker.
“The repercussions of the fight at the end of the first season are very much sort of marked on his face,” Barnes teased. “I think they tried quite carefully to figure out a way to have all the specific injuries from exactly what happened to him designated, to sort of leave a scar. You know, he got shot in the cheek at one point — a ricochet into the cheek — so there’s like a bullet wound hole in the cheek. By the end of the first season, we hear the doctor sort of over-saying, ‘He’s undergone many hours of surgery,’ obviously for the stab wound in his stomach but also on his face. So he’s had a plastic surgeon try to sort of fix him, so I think — like with all these stories — they’ve gone for… hopefully a more grounded sort of version of what that imagery would be.”
“I think also there’s a couple of other sort of interesting facets of that, one of which is that obviously we’re talking about a deeply narcissistic character in the first season who’s kind of — his mask of appeal, in terms of doing his hair and wearing the nice suits and all that kind of stuff has been stripped away from him and it’s about what he sees when he looks in the mirror, not necessarily what other people see,” he continued. “I think that they didn’t necessarily want it to be like a horror show; it’s about something more internal.”
“We don’t refer to the character in the series as Jigsaw, but he very
much has a Jigsaw puzzle in his brain, is the point,” he explained.
“It’s not necessarily about his face; it’s about the psychological, which
is the way they try to approach everything, I think — particularly this
season, even more so, I think, than last season. It’s about what’s in
his head.”
Arriving on Netflix in January, The Punisher Season 2 stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, Ben Barnes as Billy Russo, Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle, Josh Stewart as John Pilgrim, Floriana Lima as Krista Dumont and Giorgia Whigham as Amy Bendix.
Ep 150: Aquaman Movie Review, Celebrity Jeopardy With Valiant’s Lysa Hawkins
Dec 27, 2018
PODCAST | Our 150th episode spectacular LIVE from Funny Business in Nyack NY!
We review Aquaman using as many Fish puns as we can. We welcome Valiant Comics’ editor Lysa Hawkins to talk BREAKTHROUGH and we play Celebrity Pop Culture Jeopardy with our LIVE audience.
Segment #1: Aquaman Movie Review With As Many Fish Puns As We Can Think of
Michael and Hassan talk Aquaman! Was it any good? Who was the film’s MVP? And the one key scene Aquaman had that Black Panther didn’t… but should have.
Segment #2: Lysa Hawkins Talks Valiant in 2019
Editor Lysa Hawkins talks Punk Mambo, BREAKTHROUGH and the upcoming Bloodshot movie.
Segment 3: Celebrity Pop Culture Jeopardy
We bring in our hosts, Funny Business owners Chris and Brett to play Pop Culture Jeopardy with Lysa Hawkins
Segment #4: Spin The Racks
Graphic Novels Are All Set To Become One Of The Most-Read Genres Of Books
Ep 149: Spider-Man: Into The SpiderVerse Review, All Spider-Man Films Ranked, Young The Giant Interview
Dec 20, 2018
PODCAST | Is Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse the BEST SPIDER- MAN FILM EVER? We debate! PLUS: We rank EVERY Spider-Man movie in the canon. Where will Tobey’s franchise land?
AND: My interview featuring drummer Francois Comtois. YOU get to hear all about the new album, the new single and their pop culture guilty pleasures!
Segment #1: Is Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse the BEST SPIDER-MAN FILM EVER? We debate!
Michael and Hassan debate where it ranks among all Spidey flicks. Michael also asks the question: Does Spider-verse Have Unfair Advantage Because It’s Animated?
And while a strong story all around, there are blemishes. Do the villains motives make sense? Does the Latino in Miles Morales get shafted with a lack of exploration of his mom in this movie?
Segment #2: We rank EVERY Spider-Man movie in the canon
Here’s the breakdown of the ‘Best’ Criteria. Which film has the best:
Peter Parker
Spider-Man
Costume
Quips/Humor
Supporting Cast
Villain
Segment 3: Spotlight on Young The Giant
We interviewed drummer Francois Comtois and he talked all about the new album, the new single and their pop culture guilty pleasures!
Segment #4: Spin The Racks
^Netflix vs. Disney escalating:ABC exec Chinning Dungey’s move to the streamer signals a new front in Reed Hastings’ battle with Bob Iger in the run-up to the Mouse House digital competitor’s debut next year, Paul Bond reports:
+ Spending projection: Analyst Todd Juenger of Bernstein figures that Netflix will spend $11.9 billion in 2019 on content and $14.5 billion in 2020. But the 22 percent year-over-year increase will be easily manageable because Netflix adds more than 25 million subscribers worldwide each year, for an additional $3 billion in revenue annually.
+ Imitation is flattering: Following Disney’s live-action Jungle Book, which grossed $966 million globally in 2016, Netflix picked up Mowgli, Andy Serkis’ film based on the same Rudyard Kipling story that was made at Warner Bros, for example. Netflix also invested in developing comic book universes to lessen reliance on Marvel by paying $30 million to $50 million for Mark Millar’s Millarworld while also nabbing rights to Rob Liefeld’s Extreme Universe.
+ Uphill battle: Netflix will grow from its current 132.9 million U.S. users (as opposed to subscribers) to 169.3 million in 2022, per an eMarketer forecast. Amazon Video at No. 2 also has been at it for a lot longer than Disney, and it lags Netflix by about 53.5 million users stateside
However, notes eMarketer analyst Paul Verna, “If any company is in the position to catch up to Netflix, it’s Disney, not Amazon.”
NEXT WEEK: Join us at FUNNY BUSINESS, Main St in Nyack, NY from 8- 10 as we celebrate 150 episodes in style! We’ll be reviewing Aquaman with as many Fish puns as we can, welcome Lysa Hawkins from Valiant Entertainment and play non-celebrity Jeopardy with our LIVE audience.
Ep 148: Avengers: EndGame, Aquaman Reviews, Brian Volk-Weiss Interview
Dec 12, 2018
PODCAST | Jam packed show! TalkRadio.nyc host Kai Cole joins us in studio as we play “Choose Your Own Adventure” with the Avengers: Endgame trailer and help break down the so-so reviews for Aquaman.
PLUS: We welcome Brian Volk-Weiss of “The Toys That Made Us” fame on to talk about his new CW series Discontinued
Segment #1: Avengers: EndGame: 10 Things That Are Still A Mystery After The Avengers: Endgame Trailer
Michael and Hassan are joined in studio this week by special guest and TalkRadio.nyc host Kai Cole. The three react to the Avengers: Endgame trailer and discuss where they think the plotline is going to take the audience. Michael and Hassan also wonder about the changes to Thanos’ character. Plus, a quick point about Ant-Man coming back into the film and Kai talks about her adventures going to the movie theater and falling asleep during films.
Segment #2: Avengers: EndGame: “Choose Your Own Adventure”
Michael, Hassan, and Kai go choose your own adventure style as they predict the storyline to Avengers: Endgame. They go through scenarios such as saving Tony Stark in space, finding the briefcase from Pulp Fiction, and taking down a completely new Avengers team. All three of them and producer Sam come up with creative stories and choose specific characters that will participate in these scenes. Beware, there are a lot of plot twists with these scenarios.
Segment 3: Spotlight on Brian Volk-Weiss
Michael and Hassan begin this segment with a quick spotlight on Kai Cole and her show Our Daily Magic. Then, Brian Volk-Weiss, creator of ‘The Toys That Made Us,’ joins the show to talk about the success of the Netflix series and his upcoming project, ‘Discontinued,’ heading to the CW.
Spinning The Racks: Aquaman reviews are very mixed. Some critics believe it was boring while others thought it was entertaining. Michael reads some of the articles that talk about the film and Kai Cole discusses her card readings and how she comes to design them.
Chris Cornell Album Review & Interview | Spotlight Ep 06
Dec 11, 2018
New Spotlight with a celebrity guest every Monday 3pm ET. Subscribe to our channel or support us on Patreon.com/secretsofthesire
PODCAST: On this edition of Sire Spotlight, I give you my take on the new Chris Cornell retrosepctive review followed by my 2015 interview with the late great artist himself. He talks Black Hole Sun, Mad Season and Temple of the Dog.
About Spotlight:
Each week we’ll spotlight one of our tremendous celebrity guests in a stand alone video and podcast. We’ll also dig into the vault to bring you interviews with folks who haven’t yet been on the show! This week: Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins!
Ep 147: Captain Marvel Trailer ‘Trash or Truth’ , Daredevil Cancelled, Mitch Hyman Interview
Dec 07, 2018
PODCAST | The new Captain Marvel trailer has HIT – we give you our immediate reactions and review and ask the question: Is this Film Getting The Wonder Woman Treatment?
PLUS: Netflix has axed Daredevil! We sound off and run down the Worst TV Cancellations in history.
AND: We welcome Mitch Hyman creator of cult horror hit Bubba The Redneck Werewolf to talk about his next horror project!
Segment #1:
Michael and Hassan begin the show reacting to the new Captain Marvel trailer. Both of them believe that based on the trailer alone the film itself will turn out to be okay and not as good as other Marvel movies. While Hassan isn’t too excited to see this film, Michael still wants to check it out but thinks that the “Wonder Woman” treatment might be used on this film. The boys also talk about what Captain Marvel means for women in lead roles and how the rest of the audience may react to it.
Segment #2:
Do people want to see the Captain Marvel film because it’s a part of the MCU? Hassan doesn’t think so but Michael begs to differ. Also, Truth or Trash! Michael and Hassan run through some of the listener reactions to the trailer. You will not be surprised by some of those opinions. Plus, Hassan gives his take on the weakest Marvel trailer and Netflix has pulled the plug on Daredevil. Is Netflix making this move because of the possibility of losing shows to the new Disney streaming platform?
Segment #3:
More Daredevil reaction as Michael and Hassan hold on to the idea that Netflix is behind all of the Marvel cancellations. Then, Mitch Hyman joins Secrets of the Sire to talk Bubba the Redneck Werewolf, his upcoming film project, and wearing the devil costume.
Michael and Hassan debate the top 5 worst TV cancellations of all time. Afterwards, it’s Spinning The Racks: Marvel is developing a Shang-Chi film, which is slated be the first Asian superhero movie franchise produced by the studio. Reactions and the guys try to make people understand that having Shang-Chi movies isn’t much of a breakthrough moment for the Asian community.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome ‘The Toys That Made Us’ creator Brian Volk-Weiss on to talk about his new CW project and TalkRadio host Kai Cole joins us in studio!
Ep 146: Aquaman, Spider-Man and Bumblebee Movie Predictions
Nov 28, 2018
PODCAST | We look ahead to the final slate of Comic Book Movies in 2018 including Aquaman, is it sink or swim for DC’s hero? Spider-Man into the Spider-verse: Will this be the best Spider-Man Movie of them all? And Bumblebee – FINALLY these Transformers look like, well, TRANSFORMERS! But is the movie going to be any good?
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan begin tonight’s show with the new Aquaman movie. They discuss the early reviews and expectations for DC’s latest release. Hassan thinks Jason Momoa deserves his big break with this film. Michael wonders if the early reviews are being released to build the hype for DC. The guys weigh in on Aquaman having higher 24 hour tickets sales than Infinity War. Plus, the guys predict the over/under for Aquaman’s opening weekend box office numbers.
Segment #2:
Hassan and Michael preview Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. They talk about the past Sony Spiderman films and how they fell short. With that in mind, the guys discuss what they expect from the box office and the early responses from the critics. Michael brings up how the film will showcase the diversity in the Spiderverse. They debate how Miles Morales will be received as the main character in the film.
Segment 3:
Michael and Hassan pivot to the upcoming Transformers movie: Bumblebee. They agree the Transformers in the trailer look reminiscent of the original Transformers from the 1980s. They then compare the three films, speculating how Aquaman, Spiderman:Into The Spiderverse and Bumblebee will match up at the box office.
Segment #4:
Spinning The Racks: The guys discuss expectations for John Cena in Bumblebee. Plus, final predictions on the three upcoming films discussed tonight. Will Aquaman be an underwater Star Wars? Hassan and Michael debate Which film has the most pressure and how the films’ success or failure will affect their franchises in the future. To close, the guys pay tribute to Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of Spongebob.
Ed Kowalcyk Interview • LIVE Local 717 Review | Spotlight Ep 05
Nov 27, 2018
New Spotlight with a celebrity guest every Monday 1230 pm ET. Subscribe to our channel or support us on Patreon.com/secretsofthesire
PODCAST: On this edition of Sire Spotlight, I give you my take on the new LIVE EP ‘Local 717’ followed by my 2013 interview with LIVE lead singer himself, Ed Kowalcyk during his press tour for The Flood and the Mercy solo album
About Spotlight:
Each week we’ll spotlight one of our tremendous celebrity guests in a stand alone video and podcast. We’ll also dig into the vault to bring you interviews with folks who haven’t yet been on the show! This week: Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins!
Ep 145: Infinity War, Venom and the Best of 2018, William Ragsdale Interview
Nov 23, 2018
PODCAST | What are YOU thankful for in 2018. Who makes the cut in our Pop Culture Gravy List and who gets stuffed with a Turkey Leg? Join us for the best of 2018 special!
PLUS: We welcome actor and star of “When We Dance the Music Dies” William Ragsdale alongside director Anthony de Lioncourt for an in-depth discussion on the new indie flick!
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan run down their Pop Culture Gravy (ie: the BEST from 2018 so far). Number three on Mike’s list takes Hassan by surprise and madness ensues.
Segment 2:
We switch over to our Pop Culture TURKEYs (ie: The WORST of 2018). A certain Zombie show, Star Wars movie and Netflix show makes the list.
Segment 3:
We welcome actor William Ragsdale, alongside director Anthony de Lioncourt as they discuss their new film, “When We Dance the Music Dies” and Michael asks William about his days on Hermans Head.
Segment 4:
Spinning The Racks: The most bizarre Birds of Prey/Harley Quinn news plus: what’s YOUR favorite Thanksgiving dish?
SPOTLIGHT Ep 4: Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan: New Album Review & Interview
Nov 19, 2018
We review Smashing Pumpkins: Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol 1 and feature our interview with Billy Corgan from circa 2017.
Overall, if you’re looking for the Melon Collie vibe it’s there in places on the new album. But it more or less follows the same output from Billy the past few years – which is not a bad thing if like me, you’ve dug all their 2000s stuff anyway.
About Spotlight:
Each week we’ll spotlight one of our tremendous celebrity guests in a stand alone video and podcast. We’ll also dig into the vault to bring you interviews with folks who haven’t yet been on the show! This week: Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins!
Ep 144: A Tribute to Stan Lee: His Life, Creations, Cameos & More
Nov 16, 2018
Ep 144: We look back at the epic career of the godfather of Marvel Comics. His history, his influence, the ups and downs of his career and YOUR stories about the man who touched us all with his creations.
Join us for this celebration of Stan Lee – Excelsior!
Segment 1
On tonight’s show, Michael and Hassan pay tribute to the legend Stan Lee. They discuss the tremendous impact Stan Lee had on the comic industry and how the world responded to news of his passing. They then reflect on how Stan Lee gave joy to readers through his comics and later on through his cameos in the MCU. They highlight Stan’s skill with writing dialogue and how he popularized the superhero genre as an allegory for our real lives.
Segment 2
Hassan and Michael continue their tribute by recognizing how central Stan Lee was to Marvel’s success. They are joined by Casey from BadCoyoteFunky, who shares his experience of meeting Stan Lee and getting his Marvel No Prize signed. They pivot to Stan’s many characters. Hassan shares how he saw humanity in the flaws of the Marvel characters Stan created, which allowed him to sympathize more with the characters.
Segment 3
Michael and Hassan count down the best Stan Lee cameos. They debate the best Stan Lee cameos from the past three decades. They react to the outpouring of Excelsior on social media after Stan Lee passed. They consider how the cameos in the Marvel movies elevated Stan’s celebrity later in life. They touch on Stan Lee’s marketing genius. Listen to hear which Stan Lee cameo they think was best!
Segment 4
Spinning The Racks: The guys react to Armie Hammer slamming celebrities for posting pictures with Stan Lee. They debate celebrity motivations for posting pictures with Stan Lee in the aftermath of his death. Michael takes heart in how celebrities are in awe of a comics legend. Hassan and Michael consider their own tributes to Stan Lee on social media and reflect on their motivations. They conclude with their thanks to Stan Lee for his influence on their lives and careers.
NEXT WEEK: It’s Thanksgiving! We give you our picks for what we were thankful for in 2018. PLUS: We’ll welcome Fright Night’s William Ragsdale and the directors of the new film “When We Dance”
SPOTLIGHT Ep 3: NYCC 2018 Editors Panel: Jimmy Palmiotti, Lysa Hawkins, Joe Rybandt
Nov 13, 2018
PODCAST | Big thanks to Comic Book School and Buddy Scalera for allowing us the opportunity to broadcast their educational panels as podcasts and streams.
This panel features former and future SoS guests Joe Rybandt (Dynamite Entertainment), Lysa Hawkins (Valiant Comics – on the show Nov 28th) and Jimmy Palmiotti.
About Spotlight:
Each week we’ll spotlight one of our tremendous celebrity guests in a stand alone video and podcast. We’ll also dig into the vault to bring you interviews with folks who haven’t yet been on the show! This week: Our New York ComicCon Special Edition!
Ep 143: Rick Grimes, The Future of Walking Dead and The Top 5 Secretly Political Blockbusters
Nov 08, 2018
Ep 143: The Walking Dead has officially moved on from Rick Grimes (and Maggie too). Or has it…? We discuss the future of the show and characters. Has the zombie brand reached it’s peak?
PLUS: Still got Election Fever??? Come vote on the most politically subversive Pop Culture Popcorn flicks of all time.
AND: Super excited to welcome Travis McIntire from Source Point Press on to talk about their amazing line of comics
Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan begin the show with The Walking Dead and weigh in on where the show will go without Rick Grimes. The guys agree Negan’s storyline lasted too long and how the show tends to overdo things. They speculate what will happen with the 3 feature length Rick Grimes films. They recap The Walking Dead’s mistakes over the seasons and wonder why anyone still watches the show.
Segment 2:
Hassan and Michael guess which characters will take the spotlight with Rick Grimes leaving TWD. They then count down the most politically subversive films to celebrate election day. They debate whether Ghostbusters promoted conservative values and if Demolition Man promoted libertarian values. Is Starship Troopers fascist? What about Idiocracy?
Segment 3:
Travis McIntire joins the Sire to discuss the development of Source Point Press. Travis shares his experience working with the Michigan Comics Collective and how Source Point developed by going to hundreds of comic shows countrywide to build Source Point’s following. Travis previews his favorite upcoming 2019 Source Point releases, especially Savants by Gary Reed.
Segment 4:
Spinning The Racks: Thanos did nothing wrong? Hassan and Michael debate whether heroes or villains are more violent and who’s good or bad in superhero films. Upcoming Explorers TV series? Interstellar object may have been an alien probe? Tune in to hear their reactions!
NEXT WEEK: We’ll look ahead to the final slate of Comic Book Movies in 2018 including Spider-Man into the Spiderverse and Aquaman. PLUS: We’ll welcome Fright Night’s William Ragsdale and the directors of the new film “When We Dance”
Ep 142: Halloween Special, Slasher Mount Rushmore & Top 5 Horror Films of All Time!
Nov 01, 2018
Ep 142: Put the Halloween Candy away and snuggle up to some Ghosts and Goblins and Hassan and I debate the Mount Rushmore of Slasher Films, the top five Horror classics of all time and some spooky spin the racks!
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan celebrate Halloween discussing the horror film industry and its commercial success. They decide which horror movie killers would make their Mount Rushmore. Freddy Krueger, Jason, Michael Myers, and..? Michael and Hassan debate who would make the fourth face on their horror movie killer Mount Rushmore. Listen in to hear their thoughts on Leatherface, Pinhead, Chucky, Ghostface, and Candyman.
Segment 2:
Hassan and Michael continue their search for the fourth best horror movie killer and bring up Chuckie. They break down the difference between a scary movie and a horror film. Then we hear their top 5 horror films all time. Tune in to hear them review Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street, and other classic horror films.
Segment 3:
Michael and Hassan discuss The Shining and The Ring; debating where these films belong in their all time horror movie lists.They bring up Blair Witch Project, The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity, Saw, and The Grudge. They share their memories of seeing these films and whether each film makes the cut. Michael gives his Top 5 all time horror films.
Segment 4:
Hassan gives his Top 5 horror film list. Hassan and Michael then go Spinning The Racks: The newest Halloween is the biggest success in the franchise’s history and highest grossing slasher film of all time. They discuss Poltergeist and where it would fall in their respective best horror film lists.
NEXT WEEK: We’ll look ahead to the final slate of Comic Book Movies in 2018 including Spider-Man into the Spiderverse and Aquaman. PLUS: We’ll welcome Travis Mcintire publisher of Source Point Press to talk about breaking into the comic book publishing business.
Ep 141: Daredevil Season 3 Review, The Future of Marvel Netflix & How To Train Your Dragon
Oct 25, 2018
PODCAST | Ep 141: Holy Hornhead! Did you binge Daredevil Season 3?? We did! And we’ll go through every dark delicious episode for Easter Eggs, Tasty Nuggets and more in our full on REVIEW
PLUS: We play the percentages when we debate the FUTURE OF THE MARVEL NETFLIX U in our always fun segment WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
AND: Want to know how to Train Your Dragon? Ask Richard Hamilton, author of the Graphic Novel adaptations for Dark Horse Comics and creator of the new GN “Scoop”
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan begin tonight’s show discussing the state of the Marvel Netflix Universe in light of the recent Iron Fist and Luke Cage cancellations. They weigh in on the Disney streaming services and speculate Disney’s plan for future Marvel shows. They play Over, Under, Push debating the odds on various topics: Will a Punisher film come out?, Will Jessica Jones season 3 begin filming? Will Luke Cage and Iron Fist return in new show?
Segment 2:
Hassan and Michael review Daredevil Season 3. They compare strengths and weaknesses of the show against past seasons. Hassan shares his thoughts on the pacing and the character development throughout the season. Michael brings up the the new villains introduced during Season 3 and why he doesn’t like seeing some superheroes on screen.
Segment 3:
Michael elaborates on why he finds some shows lose sight of the original character in the comics. Richard Hamilton joins the show to talk about his work on Troll Hunters and How To Train Your Dragon. Richard shares how his comic, Scoop, is inspired by his Cuban heritage and experience interning with CNN in college. Hassan, Michael, and Richard discuss how comics have become more rooted in nonfiction and moved away from superheroes.
Segment 4:
Michael and Hassan review listener reactions to Daredevil Season 3. Spinning The Racks: Wonder Woman Sequel Release Date Pushed Back. Hassan revisits how Netflix Marvel shows sometimes fall short in comparison to Marvel movies. Michael weighs in on expectations for upcoming DC films. The show ends on a light note with the story of Cops in England searching for Ross from Friends look alike.
NEXT WEEK: It’s Halloween! So that means the GREATEST HORROR MOVIE RANK’EM! We rank the Top 20 Horror Films of all time!!! (We’ll probably get through 3…)
Ep 140 Robot Chicken Writer Mike Fasolo, Daredevil Season 3 Reactions, Iron Fist Cancelled and More
Oct 18, 2018
PODCAST | Do you like Robot Chicken? OF COURSE YOU DO! And we’ve got Mike Fasolo one of it’s Emmy Award Winning writers joining us to talk collecting statues and season 10. Plus, he’ll make fun of Hassan and we all love that.
PLUS: Daredevil Season 3 Reactions: A Return To Form Or A Bigger Mess Than Before?
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan react to the Iron Fist cancellation on Netflix. Michael and Hassan debate about how ending the show was either the right thing for characters of the show or the biggest mistake made by the streaming site. They also explain why the show’s cancellation is a benefit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, a quick Daredevil Season 3 reaction and how Michael B. Jordan stars in every Marvel film.
Segment 2:
More Daredevil talk as the guys go more in depth on Season 3. Michael and Hassan go through different reviews, which mostly rave the show’s success. Hassan then criticizes the episode length of Marvel shows, the content in general, and the long gaps between seasons. Also, how other Marvel shows like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage continue to expand as Marvel starts up its streaming site. Can the new Marvel streaming service can help connect all superheroes stories together?
NEXT WEEK: We review the upcoming Daredevil Season 3 and welcome How To Train Your Dragon’s Richard Hamilton to talk about adapting the famous animated films into comics.
Ep 139 Venom Movie Review & Post New York ComicCon Hangover with Jeff Kaufman
Oct 12, 2018
PODCAST | It’s our post NYCC Hangover episode! Did you see the Aquaman trailer? Did you catch the 15-minute Dark Phoenix footage? We bring Jeffrey Kaufman, creator of Jolly Jane and NYCC exhibitor on to give you his take on the biggest show of the year!
PLUS: How about that record breaking Venom movie? We give you our full review and Easter Eggs. Plus: What’s next for the Venomverse?!
Michael and Hassan begin the show with a review of Venom. They look through different reviews from critics and then give their own take on the film. Both hosts have different feelings on the plot as Hassan questions Michael about the “good parts” to the film and how it was erratic. Plus, is seeing a free movie a waste of time?
Segment 2
Michael and Hassan continue the conversation about Venom. They go more in depth about the storyline (SPOILER ALERT!) and explain the areas of the film could have been better for all Venom fans to enjoy. The guys also compare Venom with other movies such as Ant Man and Deadpool. Also, a quick comment on the Easter eggs.
Segment 3
The NY ComicCon was last weekend and the guys review the biggest headlines, trailers, and characters of the event. Both Michael and Hassan were very interested in the upcoming Aquaman film as they talk about the aesthetics and potential plot from the five minute preview. Then they both dive into some X-Men talk and worry about the changes that may come to these films following the Disney-Fox merger, including Dark Phoenix.
Segment 4
Spinning The Racks: More ComicCon talk as Michael and Hassan debate on James Gunn directing the Suicide Squad sequel. Also, everyone agrees… MORE FEMALE SUPERHEROES!
Click here to check out our new sponsor: Jolly Jane Kickstarter!
NEXT WEEK: We preview the upcoming Daredevil Season 3 and welcome How To Train Your Dragon’s Richard Hamilton to talk about adapting the famous animated films into comics.
SoS Spotlight Ep 02: Thomas Ian Nicholas Talks YA Novel, American Pie 20th Anniversary Movie
Oct 08, 2018
PODCAST | Each week we’ll spotlight one of our tremendous celebrity guests in a stand alone video and podcast. We’ll also dig into the vault to bring you interviews with folks who haven’t yet been on the show! This week: Thomas Ian Nicholas
Ep 138 Venom Movie Reactions, New York ComicCon Preview
Oct 05, 2018
PODCAST | With Morbius now announced, it looks like Venom is just the beginning for SONY. We play The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for a potential Marvel-Like Universe in the making.
PLUS: We preview New York Comic Con with Mainstream artist Tony Moy.
AND: We interview Vampire Diaries actor David Alpay!
Michael and Hassan are joined by Tony Moy for tonight’s show. Michael and Hassan begin with their takes on the new Venom movie. Tony discuss the difficulty of making a great villain movie and a Venom movie without Spiderman. They then speculate the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly about a potential Venomverse or SonyVerse. Our hosts debate whether the Venom movie diverges from the comics and what projects Sony has planned after Venom.
Segment 2
Our hosts continue their discussion of Sony’s potential future movies. Is Sony at risk of becoming like DC? They debate whether Sony can successfully build a franchise around villains while loaning characters to Marvel. The discussion pivots to how Sony has failed to make Spiderman villains compelling in the past and how that could happen with Venom. Hassan breaks down the challenges he sees with villain based-films.
Segment 3
Hassan, Michael, and Tony discuss expectations for NY Comic Con this weekend.They compare past and present Comic Cons. Tony tells how he connects with fans sharing his work and stories. We then hear Michael’s interview with David Alpay. David shares his experience working on Vampire Diaries and The Tudors. David describes how his interactions with fans at conventions inspire him when working on these two shows.
Segment 4
Spinning The Racks: Our hosts debate whether Russian trolls are to blame for Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s negative press. #ComicsGate leader, Richard Meyer suing Mark Waid over Jawbreakers Controversy. Does Meyer have a case?
Click here to check out our new sponsor: Jolly Jane Kickstarter!
NEXT WEEK: We give you OUR take on the Venom movie – was it as bad as they say? PLUS: We welcome Jolly Jane’s Jeff Kaufman on to talk about his Kickstarter.
Ep 137 Dark Phoenix Trailer Reaction, American Pie’s Thomas Ian Nicholas
Sep 27, 2018
PODCAST | We run the Dark Phoenix through the the Trailer ‘Truth or Trash hot stove !’ Does this movie have any shot at being good? And with Disney looming… what’s the point??
PLUS: Has Walking Dead gone from Must Watch TV to Save it For Later? We give you the skinny and play WATCH, SAVE, DELETE as we preview the final crop of Fall TV shows both new and returning.
AND: We welcome Thomas Ian Nicholas of American Pie fame – is there a 20th anniversary film in the works?
Michael and Hassan begin tonight’s show debating the X-Men: Dark Phoenix trailer and expectations for the film. Will it be a success or another Fox X-Men flop? Michael weighs in on challenges Fox has faced making X-Men films; Hassan expresses his concerns about Fox’s poor treatment of past characters and X-Men continuity. Stay tuned to hear the verdict on the latest X-Men movie.
Segment 2
Hassan and Michael offer their predictions about Dark Phoenix and how it will compare to films by Marvel. Our hosts discuss Marvel’s successful promotion strategy to illustrate how Fox has struggled to develop and market their X-Men franchise. Hear why our hosts agree Dark Phoenix is Trailer Trash.We then pivot to the Fall TV shows deciding Watch, Binge, or Delete for the upcoming seasons of Daredevil and The Walking Dead.
Segment 3
Our hosts continue their Fall TV show preview with Riverdale. Tonight’s guest, Thomas Ian Nicholas, joins the show to discuss his recently released fantasy novel and a potential upcoming American Pie reunion. Thomas discusses his creative process and how he developed his fantasy novel. Thomas then weighs in on what he’s heard so far about a potential upcoming American Pie 20 year reunion movie.
Segment 4
Spinning The Racks: Our hosts pay homage to Norm Breyfogle, celebrating his art and career in comics. Michael and Hassan discuss the Birds of Prey film and its casting choices. Andrew Lincoln returning to TWD as a director? Check in next week for the NY Comic Con Preview.
Click here to check out our new sponsor: Jolly Jane Kickstarter!
NEXT WEEK: Our NYCC preview show! We welcome Tony (Mainstream) Moy in studio as we interview Vampire Diaries David Alden and preview the biggest east coast ComicCon of the year!
SoS Spotlight Ep 01: Christy Carlson Romano | PODCAST
Sep 24, 2018
PODCAST | Each week we’ll spotlight one of our tremendous celebrity guests in a stand alone video and podcast. We’ll also dig into the vault to bring you interviews with folks who haven’t yet been on the show! This week: KIm Possible’s Christy Carlson Romano
Click here to check out our new sponsor: Jolly Jane Kickstarter!
Ep 136 Captain Marvel Trailer Truth or Trash, Fall DC Preview, Christy Romano Interview
Sep 21, 2018
PODCAST | Is the Captain Marvel Trailer: Truth or Trash? We give you OUR take on the explosive new entry to the Marvel Universe. (Did she just punch an old lady??)
PLUS: Who’s the most powerful hero in the DC Universe? We pit the CW shows against each other (Legends too) in a series of contests to determine a winnah as we preview the Fall DC lineup
AND: We welcome Christy Carlson Romano on to talk growing up a child star, her time with Kim Possible and her new role on Big Hero 6!
Michael and Hassan begin tonight’s show by discussing the newly released Captain Marvel trailer. They discuss Sam Jackson’s look as young Nick Fury, Blockbuster, 90s nostalgia, and Captain Marvel punching the old lady on the bus. Hassan and Michael debate why the bus scene was included in the trailer and how it will play out in the movie. Our hosts conclude the trailer is truth not trash, placing their faith in the MCU given the past decade of brand building and box office success.
Segment 2
Hassan and Michael judge the DC superheroes on CW to determine the best DC hero on TV. Our hosts are joined by Andrew Lovuolo of GI Studios as they break down costume, abilities, personality, storyline, and weaknesses for each hero. They debate the best and worst characteristics of each hero.. Andrew provides an update on all his projects and where readers can find him. Michael and Hassan provide their verdict on which DC hero is the best on TV.
Segment 3
In this segment, our hosts bring on the Emmy-nominated composer from Iron Fist, Robert Lydecker. They ask him how he “got here” in terms of his career. He speaks about his interest in acting as a child and his creative exposure to a lot of different things. When he got a computer, he figured out how to write music. He later studied music at USC and worked with different composers including Brian Tyler with whom he felt blessed to work. They talk to him about the process of movie scoring and how he matches music to characters and scenes. Lydecker talks about creating music from the second season as opposed to starting from season 1. He also discusses his favorite scene to score in Iron Fist Season 2!
Segment 4
Spinning The Racks: Henry Cavill out as Superman? Will Dave Bautista drop out as Drax for Guardians of The Galaxy 3? Are Warner Bros. trying to move on from the Zack Snyder universe? They discuss where Warner Bros. will go from here.
Click here to check out our new sponsor: Jolly Jane Kickstarter!
Ep 135: Quesada vs Comicsgate, Iron Fist Season 2
Sep 14, 2018
PODCAST | #Comicsgate heats up as Marvel E-I-C Joe Quesada engages directly with the fans on Twitter. Did his intervention pay off?
PLUS: Iron Fist Season 2 Is Here! We break down the new season 2 with its Emmy-nominated composer Robert Lydecker and explore how he got into working on TV shows, Films and Video Games like Designated Survivor, Avengers Age of Ultron and More!
FINALLY: Henry Cavill is OUT as Superman as we go spinning the racks!
Segment 1
Michael and Hassan begin tonight’s show by speaking about the effects of #ComicsGate. They weigh in on Joe Quesada’s recent tweets about #ComicsGate. Michael argues that it is similar to a school shooting in that the people involved are the most outrageous thing for attention. Hassan disagrees and says that they could’ve reached their goal without being as inflammatory. Michael ends this segment by stating that there is one more thing he needs to discuss about #ComicsGate.
Segment 2
Michael and Hassan revisit their discussion from last week on Alterna Comics and their involvement in #ComicsGate. Hassan argues that #ComicsGate is based on sensationalism as opposed to real interest. He uses Marvel as an example stating that many people go and see Marvel because of Marvel’s brand and the hype. In the same way, #ComicsGate has drawn much attention in the zeitgeist recently. They then review season 2 of Iron Fist, listing their likes and dislikes about the show. Both of our hosts agree that everyone ripped apart Season 1 of Iron Fist, while the general consensus seems to agree that Iron Fist Season 2 is great.
Segment 3
In this segment, our hosts bring on the Emmy-nominated composer from Iron Fist, Robert Lydecker. They ask him how he “got here” in terms of his career. He speaks about his interest in acting as a child and his creative exposure to a lot of different things. When he got a computer, he figured out how to write music. He later studied music at USC and worked with different composers including Brian Tyler with whom he felt blessed to work. They talk to him about the process of movie scoring and how he matches music to characters and scenes. Lydecker talks about creating music from the second season as opposed to starting from season 1. He also discusses his favorite scene to score in Iron Fist Season 2!
Segment 4
Spinning The Racks: Henry Cavill out as Superman? Will Dave Bautista drop out as Drax for Guardians of The Galaxy 3? Are Warner Bros. trying to move on from the Zack Snyder universe? They discuss where Warner Bros. will go from here.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Marisa Kotter creator of Sequart’s SHE MAKES COMICS: The Untold Story of Women In Comics – Now Streaming on Netflix to talk about the project!
PLUS: Fall TV Season is HERE! We give you the skinny on all the new #ComicBook related TV you need to see!
Ep 134: Captain Marvel & Comicsgate Break The Internet
Sep 07, 2018
PODCAST | Captain Marvelous? Brie Larson gives fans a taste of the new Marvel movie in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, but where’s the trailer?
PLUS: #Comicsgate reaches a fever pitch and AlternaComics makes a NIKE-esque decision. Is the Indy-Publisher sunk or is this over-reaction theater?
FINALLY: We welcome Sequart’s Rich Handley in our “Sire Spotlight”
Segment 1
Michael and Hassan begin tonight’s show by reacting to the developments in comics over the Labor Day weekend. They evaluate the Captain Marvel reveal in the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly. Hassan and Michael debate whether Captain Marvel will live up to the hype as the first Marvel film headlined by a female superhero. They compare the marketing for Captain Marvel to past superhero films from Wonder Woman to Dark Knight. They speculate about whether the promotion will contribute to the film’s critical and commercial reception.
Segment 2
Continuing their debate, Michael and Hassan express their disappointment over the lack of trailer for the new Captain Marvel film. They react to the character profile provided for Captain Marvel. While Hassan is cautiously optimistic, Michael sees the film as a test of how well a superhero film can be marketed to capture a cultural moment. Is the future superhero female?
They pivot to discuss #ComicsGate and the vitriol between the two sides. Michael and Hassan then delve into Vox Day’s role in ComicsGate and AlternaComics recent decision to ban block chain applications on their site. Hassan weighs in on how creators are at risk of being associated with the more negative aspects of ComicsGate.
Segment 3
Our hosts are joined by Rich Handley of Sequart. Rich recounts his journey in the comics industry. He takes us back to his days as a Yellow Pages and phonebook editor. After selling his first story to the Star Wars expanded universe, his career took him to journalism as magazine editor; while balancing his passion for science fiction. Rich explores how his skill sets differ when working as a writer and an editor. He tells the story of how he developed his Planet of The Apes books. Rich then breaks down the differences working with companies such as DC, IDW, and Boom! Rich concludes by stressing the importance of engaging with people whose opinions and ideas differ.
Segment 4
Spinning the racks: Vanilla Ice on quarantined flight in NY, AlternaComics blockchain policy on social media: Will it hurt Alterna’s future? Is the controversy a product of current political climate? Michael and Hassan debate how political ambiguity or willful ignorance affect the polarization in response to #ComicsGate and Alterna’s decision.
NEXT WEEK: Get your pumpkin spice latte ready. Get the kids on the school bus – It’s Fall TV Preview time! Iron Fist is BACK and it’s supposedly a lot better! And we’ve got its Emmy-nominated composer Robert Lydecker on to talk about it!
PLUS: We run down all the comic book movie related shows you need to see.
Ep 133: The Top Cartoons, Movies, TV Shows We Want To Reboot … and De-Boot!
Aug 31, 2018
PODCAST | With reboots being all the rage these days we give you our “Properties We Need Rebooted” vs “Those That Should Be De-Booted“
We dive into the Amazing Disgrace: A ‘Spider-Man’ Comic Features Reference to Anti-Mormon Book…
PLUS: Guardians 3 Suspended Indefinitely – What’s the Future Of This Marvel Franchise…
AND: We welcome Charon Comics’ Fred Packard and Joshua Valliere to close out our “Summer Spotlight”
Segment 1:
Recent Spiderman comic contains anti mormon symbol, Should a symbol like this be in a comic book?, The harsh effects of political controversy, How to pull off political statement in comics, Should artist lose his job over this?
Segment 2:
Michael and Hassan shares their top choices for reboots in pop culture, Rebooting X–Men animated from the 90s? Rebooting Dune as a TV show? Which projects should be de-booted? The continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Quantum Leap?
Segment 3:
Joshua Valliere and Frederick Packard from Charon Comics join the show, Discuss Sol Survivor and Skylin, How Joshua and Frederick formed a duo and how they enhance each other’s writing, The benefits of kickstarter, How Charon Comics plans their kickstarter campaign and money goal, Charon Comics announces giveaway to Long Beach comic con
Segment 4:
Spinning the racks, Alec Baldwin drops out of Joker movie, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 production suspended, Marvel rehiring James Gunn?, AntMan and Wasp win box office
Ep 132: BLADE: A Retro-Review with Comics Legend Paul Levitz
Aug 24, 2018
PODCAST | Twenty years ago this week BLADE hit theaters and changed EVERYTHING for comic book movies. We take a look back at the groundbreaking film and answer the questsion: Does it still hold up after all these years?
PLUS: Industry legend Paul Levitz joins us IN STUDIO to chat about Blade, his 30 year career and latest graphic novel “Brooklyn Blood”
Segment 1:
The crew start out discussing Blade, What were the expectations for Blade?, Gene Colan and Neal Adams, Michael and Hassan discuss their experience working at Wizard Magazine, Hassan analyzes the introduction and art style of Blade
Segment 2:
The crew continue their retro review of Blade, Paul shares his teaching resume, How important is it for educators to learn about the graphic novel format?, The change in perception of the graphic novel industry, How Blade transcended the unfavorable comic book movie perception of the past, The success of 1997 Batman, How movies like X Men succeeded without going to TV first
Segment 3:
How Wesley Snipes’ portrayal of Blade facilitated the comic book movie crossover, Michael discusses interviewing Ryan Reynolds, Paul Levitz discusses his new graphic novel Brooklyn Blood, Paul shares the plot of Brooklyn Blood and what you can expect, The transition from paper comic to digital comic, Paul shares the coolest moment from his tenure as president at DC Comics
Segment 4:
Spinning the Racks: Who Watches The Watchmen? Former DC Comics President Paul Levitz weighs in on the news that HBO has picked up the WATCHMEN for a full season.
SoS Ep 131: Avengers: Infinity War Blu-Ray Discoveries, Source Point Press
Aug 17, 2018
PODCAST | We review the Avengers: Infinity War Blu Ray: Everything we learned the second time around and everything we know about Avengers 4 so far! And who was the badder villain: Thanos or Heath Ledger’s Joker?
PLUS: We welcome Source Point Press’ Kasey Pierce as she talks about the new her sci-fi book “Norah.”
Segment 1:
Michael and his co-host, Hassan is going to take about Avengers 4: Infinity War Blu Ray. Micahel and Hassan is talking about Avengers 4 and their reaction to the movie. Hassan talks about who was going to be the center focus during the movie. Normally, it would be Iron-Man or Captain America. Blu Ray ignores Avengers 4. Normally Marvel shows footage of any other upcoming Marvel comic, but Avengers 4 footage was nowhere seen in Avengers: Infinity Wars.
Segment 2:
Michael and Hassan continues their discussion in Avengers: Infinity War while comparing it to the comic book, Thanos: The Infinity Gauntlet. Hassan come up with the ideas of villains needing to stop blowing up things. “Let me blow up half of the universe while the other half is safe.” The thought and discussion of having your strongest hero go against strongest villain. A quick rundown of a speculation of Avenger 4.
Segment 3:
Michael and Hassan are having The Great Debate: Thanos vs Joker, how the Dark Knight is Batman’s POV about the Joker while Avengers: Infinity War was from Thanos’s POV. Special guest, Kasey Pierce called in to join the show to gives a backstory about Source Point Press. She even talks about the new sci-fi, Norah, a girl who can travel into people’s coma state to retrieve them. A very intense comic book to read. There was also discussion of comic con. Kasey closed out of the different handles where you can find her.
Segment 4:
Michael thanking Kasey for calling in. Michael and Hassan continue their talk about Avengers: Infinity War and what could possibly happen in Avengers 4. They even talking about the different celebrity actors and actresses that could be appearing in Avengers 4. In closing, they talks about the celebrities dropping out of the star trek movie.
SoS 130: Mission Impossible: Fallout vs the Marvel Universe, Vault Comics Spotlight
Aug 09, 2018
We debate: Mission Impossible: Fallout vs the top Superhero Franchises in theaters today! Who comes out on top? And is Ethan Hunt just #Batman without a costume?
PLUS: We welcome Adrian Wassel, E-I-C of Vault Comics onto the show to talk about their exciting new comics as part of our Summer Comics Spotlight!
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan discuss movies coming out, Michael shares his thoughts after seeing Mission Impossible: Fallout, Is Mission Impossible a superhero movie franchise or an action movie franchise? What’s the real difference between Ethan Hunt and Batman?
Segment 2:
Is Ethan Hunt a superhero?, Do superheroes have a choice on what missions they take? What are the top superhero film franchises?, What is a franchise?, Are Marvel and DC franchises? Is Star Wars a franchise? M. Night Shyamalan Unbreakable? What is the weakest superhero franchise currently?
Segment 3:
First Summer Spotlight segment, Michael and Hassan interview Adrian Wassel of Vault Comics, How could a publishing company with a Netflix partnership and sold out series fly under the radar?, Adrian explains how Vault Comics landed Michael B Jordan for Failsafe, Comic art among Indie Publishers, Adrian shares how he Vault Comics acquired their quality artists, Future releases from Vault Comics
Segment 4:
Oscars make changes to increase viewership, Oscars introduce new category Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film, Will Black Panther be nominated for Best Picture?, What’s the difference between Achievement in Popular Film and Best Picture?, Patrick Stewart returning to Star Trek
SoS 129: Venom Trailer Takes A Bite Out of Critics, Marvel/Fox Wishlist
Aug 03, 2018
It’s official! Disney and Fox have agreed to the merger which means X-Men andFantastic Four are coming home! Where does this leave X-Men: Dark Phoenix, X-Force, Legion and what can fans look forward to?
PLUS: We review the new Venom trailer. Will the Movie Be Vicious Or Vile? Darren Sanchez from Marvel Comics is in studio as Michael’s guest co-host!
This week, Michael welcomes a guest co-host, Darren Sanchez!
Segment 1:
Michael explains Hassan’s absence, The guys talk Venom trailer, Tom Hardy’s acting style, Will Venom surprise people with how good it is?, Darren breaks down different aspects showcased in the Venom trailer, Darren shares his job description working at Marvel, Shares how he collaborates with companies to make promotional comic content, Michael breaks down the issue with a Venom movie
Segment 2:
Darren and Michael discuss their co created comic The Mainstream #4, Darren breaks down the questions answered and unanswered by Venom trailer, Michael discusses the recent Fantastic Four news, Darren talks Wizards on Netflix, What are the first three Marvel Fox movies Michael and Darren want to see, Spiderman vs. Wolverine and Deadpool under Marvel Fox.
Segment 3:
Michael and Darren continue to discuss their top picks for a reboot after Marvel and Fox merger, Wolverine and Hulk potential, Is Deadpool as popular as Hulk and Wolverine?, Michael shares his idea for Deadpool Wolverine, Potential for The InHumans, How popular are the X-Men characters compared to other Marvel characters with the younger demographic, Darren is not a fan of Channing Tatum as Gambit, Michael shares his favorite Gambit moment,
Segment 4:
Spinning the Racks, Hassan chimes in on the Facebook feed, Chris Hardwick reinstated on Talking Dead, James Gunn coworkers rally to get him reinstated, Recapping Chris Hardwick and James Gunn allegations, The misuse of social media and its effects, Michael brings up a point about Roseanne Barr, Princess Leia returns.
SoS Ep 128: SDCC 2018 – Did DC Win The Weekend?
Jul 27, 2018
It’s our post-ComicCon Recap! Aquaman! Glass! Shazam! Wonder Woman! Which trailer had you buzzing? Which panel stole the show? Which celeb appearance left you breathless? Hear our FIRST HAND account of the show (including closing the bar with Aleks Paunovic of Van Helsing!)
PLUS: James Gunn Firing: Was it justified amd where does that leave Guardians of the Galaxy 3?
Segment 1:
Michael’s first hand account about his comic con trip, Michael shares his experience navigating comic con and the most memorable exhibits, What is expected from Marvel after not displaying at comic con, The Split, Michael and Hassan discuss the James Gunn firing and controversy
Segment 2:
Michael and Hassan continue to discuss the James Gunn controversy, Michael attempts to defend James Gunn, Is the punishment of Gunn suitable for the offense?, Is it important to be mindful of all your activities on social media now?, Michael continues to dissect Marvel’s absence at comic con, Marvel vs DC who is leading?
Segment 3:
Michael and Hassan continue to discuss whether Marvel’s absence from comic con was a big deal and how it may have affected their perception, DC’s Shazam and Aquaman trailers, The Glass trailer and Michael reflects on Unbreakable, Out of Shazam, Aquaman, and Glass which one is most must see for Hassan and Michael?
Segment 4:
Hassan and Michael discuss the Aquaman trailer, Spinning the Racks, Teen Titans being brought to television as “Titans”, Clone Wars returning
NEXT WEEK: It’s official! Disney and Fox have agreed to the merger which means X-Men and Fantastic Four are coming home! Where does this leave X-Men: Dark Phoenix, X-Force, Legion and what can fans look forward to?
PLUS: Young The Giant talks about the comic book movies that keeps them busy on the road.
SoS Ep 127: The She-Ra Controversy Explained, SDCC 2018 & Jose Holder
Jul 20, 2018
PODCAST | The She-Ra Controversy: Is this Thundercats all over again?
PLUS: SDCC Preview Special! What’s the most controversial panel this weekend? And we welcome Filmmaker and artist Jose Holder to talk Netflix, Assassin’s Creed and Red Ruby.
Segment #1:
Michael and Hassan talk about the new graphics and they preview the show’s topics of San Diego Comic Con and this week’s host Jose Holder. Michael leads into the She-Ra controversy, in the upcoming Netflix remake. They poke a lot of fun at the people making a controversy out of this, and even make comic book “hero” personas for the trolls. Next Michael preview the “most controversial panel at Comic Con” for the next segment.
Segment #2:
They open the segment with some finishing remarks on the supposed She-Ra controversy before diving into the San Diego Comic Con discussion. Michael goes through a list of the various panels that’ll take place at the event, including news about the first female Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, Cloak and Dagger, Bumblebee, and more. Michael talks about the Star Wars Po Dameron Mock Trial, the most controversial panel of the event. Hassan and Michael talk about the implications of the panel, especially after the lackluster The Last Jedi.
Segment #3:
The segment opens with our guest caller, Jose Holder calling in. They briefly reminisce about the past when Jose worked on The Sire. Next he talks about his work, specifically his production work with Netflix and his comic soon to be turned to film, Red Ruby. They talk about other projects he’s worked on and getting credited in a film. The segment ends with Jose’s interview and Michael previews spinning the racks.
Segment #4:
Michael opens the segment thanking Jose for the interview. Next they read some comments from the audience on the various topics of today’s shows. As today’s the tenth anniversary of The Dark Knight Returns and whether it did as much for comic book movies as everyone claims that it does. They end the show previewing next week’s episodes: an account of Michael’s time at San Diego Comic Con.
SoS Ep 126: Ant-Man & Wasp Review and Dynamite Comics’ Joe Rybandt
Jul 13, 2018
PODCAST | Our Ant-Man & Wasp Review with stunt driver Leesha Davis. She gives us her first hand account of working on the latest Marvel hit and her near death experience as a stunt woman!
PLUS: Dynamite Entertainment’s Joseph Rybandt shares the SDCC exclusives as we begin our countdown to the MECCA of ComicCons!
Segment #1:
Michael opens the show previewing this week’s discussion focusing on Ant-man and the Wasp. They open the discussion with the vast majority of fans online talking about how enjoyable the film was and whether or not it lived up to the first movie. Michael draws comparisons between what fans loved about this film and how they criticized Solo for the same thing. Michael’s Mom briefly texts and roasts Steve. The guys talk about how this may be the last summer blockbuster of this year and how Deadpool 2 changing it’s time slot may be the cause. Next they talk about how influential a large dedicated group of people can be (or aren’t) when boycotting a film. They end the segment talking about some of their favorite parts from Ant-man and the Wasp.
Segment #2:
Michael opens the segment with recognizing some of the show’s patrons and other supporters of the show. Michael continues with his favorite part of the film, Ghost, the films villain, but that the movie suffered overall because the serious moments were undercut because of the comedy. Hassan and Steve discuss Michael’s points before the welcome on Alicia Davis, one of the stunt drivers on the film, and her role as a precision stunt driver. Alicia talks about how she first got into the stunt driving business on the Matrix Reloaded. Alicia then talks about some of her past stunt experiences before going back to her time on set for Ant-man and the Wasp. Alicia then talks about an injury she had on a dive and how it didn’t stop her from continuing.
egment #3:
The segment begins with our next guest, Joe Rybandt from Dynamite Entertainment. The interview starts with a conversation about San Diego Comic Con and some of the preparation that goes into such an event. Michael ends the segment teasing spinning the racks in our final segment.
Segment #4:
The segment begins with a little friendly berating and banter between the hosts and Steve and then they go into Spin the Racks, which focuses on an article about the upcoming Birds of Prey D.C. film and it’s diversity and its implications. Michael ends the show previewing next week’s show, the San Diego Comic Con preview episode.
NEXT WEEK: It’s our SDCC Preview Episode! Deadpool 2 extended cut screening! The Future of Star Wars and more! What are the MUST-SEE panels at this year’s show?
PLUS: Netflix Storyboard Artist and Director of the award winning film RED RUBY Jose Holder joins us to talk about the biggest con on the planet!
SoS 125: Westworld and Luke Cage Season 2 Reviews
Jun 29, 2018
PODCAST | Westworld and Luke Cage Season 2 Reviews and the Top 10 Marvel Netflix Moments All Time!
PLUS: We answer your burning Westworld finale questions including “What the heck just happened?” and “What the heck am I watching?”
Segment #1:
Hassan starts off the show by giving his take on people stretching a plot line. With many superhero movies today the plotline is so vague, and you cant tell stories that way. The guys then go on to discuss season 2 of Westworld and there problem with the plotline. Hassan doesn’t realize why it took them two years to finish that plotline. Michael believes that the season is a tale of 2 actions, some of the best riveting single episodes and then this overarching story that is nowhere near as compelling as season 1. Hassan explains how Westworld half settled the riddles from the season before and this seasons riddle was “what the hell is going on?” Hassan’s issue with the series is that its not real storytelling. Both Hassan and Michael feel that the show was way too confusing and at some points during the show the audience doesn’t really care what’s going on. Hassan goes on to say that the problem with shows like this and movies like avatar is that the writers try to make a simple plot out to be so complicated.
Segment 2:
Hassan compares the series to the girl with a dragon tattoo. He has never read anything so compelling, with such a bad surprise. Michael believes that one problem with the show is that the writers never set up the story line. Hassan mentions that the first season had a major flaw, which was William bought the park before it got put online. Michael switches the conversation to the post credit scene.
Segment #3:
The third segment starts off with the post credit scene of Westworld. Hassan believes that the man in black was killed by Maeve when their paths crossed. Michael explains that the man in black did kill his daughter and he made the wrong choice and the man in black is a now a host version of himself and lives the same loop of events over and over again. Michael mentions that Teddy was one of the most interesting character arcs, because in the end he made his own choice. Next, the guys discuss the premiere of Luke Cage, season 2. They begin by looking at the first episode and mention how Luke is a lot different than he was in season 2, he is now embracing his heroism. Hassan brings up the point that he never understands the hero who is in love with the girl who convinces him not to be a hero. Michael feels that the plot is changing a little too much for his liking and he’s not sure what exactly is going to happen. Hassan mentions that with Luke Cage you can have both the comic book and TV feel to it because his powers are grounded. Hassan and Michael go on to give their top 10 best Marvel Netflix moments.
Segment 4:
The last segment starts off with Michael and Hassan sharing their top 10 best Marvel Netflix moments. Michael’s favorites include The Punisher, Jessica Jones season 1 when she shoots her parents, and the hallway fight scene in Daredevil. Hassan loved the scene in the Defendenders when the power man and Iron Fist meet each other. Michael wishes that there would be on marvel show with all of these characters included. Hassan implores that the problem with some of these comic book shows is that the writers are trying to one up one another instead of focusing on the writing. In his words, “If they tell the story then people will watch them.”
SoS Ep 124: Chris Hardwick Fallout, X-Men Retro Review
Jun 22, 2018
PODCAST | Him too? We discuss the fallout from the Chris Hardwick allegations and break down what’s next for the Talking Dead celeb and MeToo movement in Pop Culture.
PLUS: We welcome the hosts of the ‘Oh Sith’ podcast on for a Retro Review of the first X-Men Franchise: Does it still hold up after all these years?
Segment #1:
Michael and Hassan start off the show by informing the audience about who Chris Hardwick is and the details of the claims of sexual assault and other claims against him. They talk about the details of Hardwick’s abusive relationship, the complexities of the story and how hard to is to prove mental abuse. Next they discuss the Me Too Movement and its implications. They end the segment with a tease of the upcoming debate about the situation and whether or not it applies to the Me Too Movement.
Segment #2:
Michael and Hassan open the segment discussing whether or not anything in the Hardwick situation is true since it’s so difficult to prove any of this happened. Next they discuss whether or not accusations without concrete evidence are enough to strip a person’s livelihood away, which is what has been seen with the majority of the men accused by the Me Too Movement, even if said claims are eventually proved to be true. Michael ends the segment by previewing the next segment with an interview with the Oh Sith! Show and a retro review of the original X-Men Trilogy.
Segment #3:
Michael opens the segment by welcoming Nicholas and and Cecily from the Oh Sith! Show. Before going to the X-Men retro review, they close up on the previous discussion of the Me Too Movement and the large number of male actors accused of sexual misconduct in recent months. Next talk begin the retro review with talking about how bad X-Men The Last Stand was and how good X-Men United was and is, especially in comparison. Hassan spearheads the discussion of if these movies are as good or bad as everyone says that they are.
Segment #4:
Michael, Hassan, and the Oh Sith! Show open this final segment moving the retro review towards the first X-Men movie. The discussion quickly moves to the portrayal of Rogue and how it didn’t sit well with some of the audience members. Michael thanks the Oh Sith! Show for joining this week’s episode. On this week’s Spinning the Racks, they bring up the rumor that Billy Dee Williams is going to return to Star Wars Episode IX as Lando Calrissan, and that they working title for the origin story for the DCU’s Joker.
NEXT WEEK: Westworld Season 2 comes to a close JUST as Luke Cage Season 2 debuts! We’ll give you our take on both and rank the Top Ten Marvel Netflix moments!
PLUS: We welcome Dynamite Entertainment’s Joseph Rybant on to help us preview SDCC 2018.
SoS Ep 123: Predictions For Ant-Man, Venom & Aquaman In 5 Words Or Less
Jun 15, 2018
PODCAST | We predict the second half of 2018 Comic Book Films in 5 Words or less including Aquaman, Venom and Ant-Man! PLUS: Aquaman director thinks his film is ‘Extraordinary’, don’t count on that Disney/Fox Merger just yet and we welcome Legion M – the world’s first ever FAN owned entertainment company!
Segment 1:
Michael starts off the show by introducing their new sponsor. Michael gives breaking news regarding the director of Aquaman claiming that the movie will be a blockbuster hit. Hassan goes on to give his thoughts on the relationship between the Avengers director and his claim that the studio had tampered with the movie. Michael and Hassan then discuss what it would mean for Aquaman to be a hit in a time where there haven’t been many comic book movie hits. Next, the guys move on to discuss how the Marvel industry in a way ruined the most recent DC films because they had already been done.
Segment 2:
The segment starts off by going back to the question, “ Have the Marvel films hurt the releasing of the most current DC films?” Hassan points out that Marvel created a format where they drag out the story of characters of many movies, which can get a little boring and long. Michael goes on to mention how DC tried to set up Justice League like Marvel did with the Avengers, and it didn’t quite work out. Hassan sets the record straight by saying that the problem with the DC films is the character degation. Michael and Hassaan introduce a new way to give their thoughts on the rest of comic book movie season by using 5 words or less.
Segment 3:
Michael and Hassan interview Daniel Leister about drawing for The Sire, Leister shares his experience transitioning from 9 to 5 to full time comic book professional, The crew discusses the reality of the comic book industry and the difficulty of being in it full time.
Segment 4:
Hassan and Michael discusses a viewers grades for the films, Pacific Rim and Rampage, Was Deadpool 2 released to close to Infinity War?, Spinning the Racks, Kelly Marie Tran leaves Instagram after sexist and racist abuse stemming from her role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
SoS Ep 122: 2018 Comic Book Movie Mid-Year Report Cards
Jun 08, 2018
PODCAST | Black Panther or Infinity War? Deadpool or SOLO? We grade the 2018 Comic Book Films to date as our fans share THEIR first half report cards during the live feed. PLUS: Who’s to blame for the SOLO bomb? Kelly Marie Tran leaves social media and artist Dan Leister talks Metal Ice Cream!
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan talk about Solo: A Star Wars Story losing more than $50,000,000 at the box office, Is Solo bombing a chink in the Star Wars armor?, Is Ron Howard to blame for Solo’s failure?, How Solo coming so soon after the Last Jedi effected turn out.
Segment 2:
Michael and Hassan give their report cards for Black Panther, Deadpool 2, Infinity War, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Hassan gives Deadpool 2 a D letter grade, Does Deadpool having a love interest take away from the Deadpool character we know?, A viewer shares their grades.
Segment 3:
Michael and Hassan interview Daniel Leister about drawing for The Sire, Leister shares his experience transitioning from 9 to 5 to full time comic book professional, The crew discusses the reality of the comic book industry and the difficulty of being in it full time.
Segment 4:
Hassan and Michael discusses a viewers grades for the films, Pacific Rim and Rampage, Was Deadpool 2 released to close to Infinity War?, Spinning the Racks, Kelly Marie Tran leaves Instagram after sexist and racist abuse stemming from her role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
We look AHEAD to the rest of the year in Comic Book Movies: Will Ant-Man shrink when confronted with sequel expectations? And is Venom as bad as it looks?
PODCAST | SOLO races into theaters and reviews say GOOD not GREAT. Is this a problem for Disney Star Wars? We give you OUR take on the film and the future of the franchise.
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan begin this segment by giving a spoiler-filled review of Solo. Hassan feels that the Disney anthology movies, or one-offs, are more genuine than the episodic movies because they manage to capture the zeitgeist of Stars Wars, whereas the episodic movies do not. Michael feels that Solo was more like a skim of Han Solo’s history and that they glossed over as many details as possible.
Segment 2:
Michael and Hassan comment on Solo being considered a box office failure. Is it because of Star Wars fatigue? Hassan doesn’t believe so. He believes that Disney doesn’t have vision and doesn’t have a clue of what to do with Star Wars as a property. Hassan and Michael’s breakout character was Kira, portrayed by Emilia Clarke, and that although Donald Glover was fantastic as Lando Calrissian, but got the short end of the stick.
Segment 3:
Michael and Hassan comment on the theory that Kira is Rey’s mother. Michael and Hassan go on to comment on easter eggs from Solo. Michael wonders if the scene where Chewbacca ripping out someone’s arm in the movie, is an easter egg or nod because it is a callback to Han Solo’s comment in A New Hope about Wookie’s ripping people’s arms out when they’re upset.
Segment 4:
Michael and Hassan wonder again if Star Wars fatigue led to Solo doing poorly at the box office, but they believe that it was really timing that led to this. Since it was released so closely to Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Deadpool 2, it may have led to Solo failing at the box office. Michael and Hassan moved on to discuss Andrew Lincoln leaving The Walking Dead after nine seasons on the show.
SoS Ep 120: Deadpool 2 Review, Camoes & Easter Eggs with Dirk Manning
May 25, 2018
PODCAST | Did Deadpool 2 live up to the hype? We give you our review of the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ and let you in on any cameos and Easter Eggs you may have missed! PLUS: We welcome master comics networker Dirk Manning to the show to talk Deadpool, the ComicCon bubble, indie comics and Kickstarter!
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan begin by giving a spoiler-filled review of Deadpool 2. Hassan enjoyed Deadpool 2, but doesn’t know if he’ll be there for the third installment. Hassan believes that humor is a little over the top for him. Michael believes it’s impossible to say whether the first or second Deadpool movie is superior to the other. Since the expectations were so low for the first Deadpool, that it is difficult to compare the two movies since expectations were set for the second. Michael believes that the second installment may be equal to the first, but it took a long time for the movie to reach that point. Michael thinks that the first 20 to 30 minutes of the movie took a long time to get to the point of the movie. Michael thinks the plot leading up the airplane scene was okay, but the movie really took off once it reached the airplane scene. Hassan asked Michael what he would have preferred. Michael would like to see more continuity with the X-Men comics, even though it isn’t really possible. Michael also doesn’t agree with the movie portraying Deadpool as a hero, since he isn’t really a hero in the comics.
Segment 2:
(Spoiler!) Hassan’s favorite scene in the film is the failed parachute jump, as well as the revelation of Juggernaut. There are also some meta jokes, which would require some background knowledge of the source material, but it isn’t overwhelming. Hassan takes issue with Fox handling X-Men because he doesn’t believe it isn’t a good franchise. X-Men was the go-to comics for Michael and Hassan, over the likes of Avengers, Spider-Man, and other famous Marvel comics, and are baffled that Fox handled X-Men as a franchise so poorly. Michael believes that with Deadpool 2 coming out so closely to Avengers: Infinity War has over-saturated the box office. Hassan finds it difficult to digest Deadpool 2 with it being released so closely to Infinity War.
Segment 3:
Dirk Manning, the prolific comic book creator, joins this segment to discuss his new Knightmare World omnibus. Michael asks Dirk about convention life. Dirk’s life varies from weekend to weekend during convention season. Michael and Dirk reflect back to a time when Comic Con wasn’t as popular it is, and how Deadpool would never be a mainstream character during that time. Dirk really became interested in comics after realizing that characters and stories he enjoyed would release new content every week, whereas books he enjoyed such as 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea doesn’t continue past the ending. Dirk talks about kickstarters and how it is not used for making money, but rather a way to distribute content. Kickstarters require crowdfunding, and crowdfunding requires a crowd.
Segment 4:
Michael and Hassan bring up the cameos you might have missed in the movies, including Taylor Swift’s cats, Alan Tudyk, X-Men, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. Michael gives a shout out to Zazie Beetz, the actress who plays Domino in Deadpool 2, because she has a presence on screen that makes him want to see more of her when she’s not on screen. Hassan was disappointed by the lack of Hugh Jackman in Deadpool 2. Hassan believes that if you’re not a fan of crass humor, you may want to skip this movie since there is a substantial amount of crass humor.
NEXT WEEK: SOLO races into theaters and initial reviews say GOOD not GREAT. Is this a problem for Disney Star Wars? We give you OUR take on the film and the future of the franchise.
SoS Ep 119: Talking ComicsGate, Deadpool 2 & Comic Book School with Buddy Scalera – Oh My!
May 18, 2018
We preview Deadpool 2 with former Deadpool writer Buddy Scalera and discuss his popular panel and online series Comic Book School.
Oh and we discuss a little something called #ComicsGate… it was nice knowing you!
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan discuss big movies that released in 2018, Summary of comics gate and discuss the controversy and scandal surrounding it, Critics reception of Deadpool 1 and 2, Discussion about the harassment of female creators in the comics industry, “Social media is a dinner table, and politics and religion should not be discussed.”, Is weaponized social media a negative or a positive?, Hassan and Michael discuss trolling
Segment 2:
Hassan and Michael reveal how they deal with trolls, Hassan: “The internet has its own language and customs just like countries and cultures”, Freedom of speech or a lack of respect for the internet culture?, The flaws in weaponized internet, Michael and Hassan discuss Mark Waid, Rita Ora controversy surrounding lyrics the LGBT community views as harmful
Segment 3:
Former Deadpool writer Buddy Scalera joins the show, Comic book networking and making connections in the comic industry, Scalera talks about his attitude going into the writing the Deadpool comics, Scalera discusses the similarities and differences between the comic book and movie adaptation, The effects of capitalism on the comic book industry as well as Marvel’s business tactics, The monetization of negativity surrounding a film, Buddy Scalera discusses comic book school, The importance of interacting socially to be successful in comics, and Scalera reveals his predictions for Deadpool 2
Segment 4:
Will Deadpool 2 be as good as the first one?, Spinning the Racks, Death of Margot Kidder and her impact on the industry, Hassan and Michael predict what’s sure to go wrong with Deadpool 2.
NEXT WEEK: Did Deadpool 2 live up to the hype? We give you our review of the Merc with a Mouth’s return! PLUS: We welcome master comics networker Dirk Manning to the show!
SoS Deadpool 2 Podcast Special Featuring Co-Creator Fabian Nicieza
May 11, 2018
Deadpool 2 is hitting theaters May 18th and we’ve got your insider info covered as we interview co-creator Fabian Nicieza.
What storylines will they pull from for the film? What about Josh Brolin’s role as Cable? And is Deadpool simply a Deathstroke knock-off? Fabian dishes on all!
NEXT WEEK: We’ve got former Deadpool writer Buddy Scalera joining us as we continue to preview the Merc With The Mouth’s triumphant return to the big screen.
SoS Ep 118: Avengers Infinity War – History or Hype
May 04, 2018
Did Avengers Infinity War live up to the hype? And whose fantasy death team scored the most W’s? We give you our review of the biggest Marvel movie in history!
Segment 1:
Michael and Hassan reveal their takes on Avengers: Infinity War, Death of Spiderman and Black Panther, Reaction from noncom book fans, How does Infinity War compare to other Marvel movies, Was Infinity War action heavy rather than story heavy?, Michael:“It’s a simple movie”, How Infinity War is a Thanos movie, Michael and Hassan debate how good the story really was
Segment 2:
Winner of the Infinity War Death Fantasy Draft revealed, Ant Man’s absence from the movie, Hassan: “The movie rolled over the Guardians of the Galaxy very easily”, Did Infinity War make the Guardians of the galaxy look subordinate to the other characters?, Did Iron Man save the world or just save New York?, Guardians of the Galaxy vs. Iron Man, Michael and Hassan debate about whether it’s fair to diminish Iron Man’s accomplishments, Michael: “The Guardians of the Galaxy are goofballs”, Guardians of the Galaxy are overachievers?
Segment 3:
Casey from Bad Coyote Funky calls in, Michael and Hassan reflect on their picks for the Infinity War fantasy death draft, Casey: “Infinity War is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen”, Casey chooses Thor as the MVP of the movie, Michael chooses Dr.Strange as the MVP of the movie, Hassan chooses Gammora as the MVP of the movie, Had the Guardians of the Galaxy not been in the film the Avengers would have won, Sam chooses Scarlett Witch as the MVP of the movie, Scarlett Witch’s unrevealed powers, Hassan: “Why wouldn’t Thanos use the Infinity Stones to double resources rather than kill half the population?”
Segment 4:
Russo Brothers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, Infinity War story was cohesive and easy to follow, First Avengers movie was harder to make than Infinity War, Hassan: “The writing for this film deserves more credit than the directing”, Comic Relief was well placed within the movie, Using comics to analyze what may happen in future movies, Discussing Dr.Strange’s decision to give Thanos the infinity stone, Where does Infinity War rank compared to other Marvel films, Michael announces Dead Pool 2 special.
NEXT WEEK: We preview Deadpool 2 with former Deadpool writer Buddy Scalera and discuss his popular panel and online series Comic Book School. Oh and we discuss a little something called #ComicsGate… it was nice knowing you!
SoS Ep 117: Avengers Infinity War Death Fantasy Draft
Apr 27, 2018
5 podcasters…39 Avengers Characters… 1 of the biggest movie events of all time …as many deaths as we can draft in one hour! Who lives? Who dies? We give you OUR take in our Avengers Infinity War FANTASY DEATH DRAFT with special guests Derek Becker from Comic Pros and Cons, Bevin from Adultish and Casey Stroz from Bad Coyote Funky.
Pick the most deaths in the new film and your team wins. Join us won’t you?
Segment 1:
Michael Hassan and special guests for teams for Infinity War Fantasy Death Draft, Team that predicts the most deaths wins, Casey from Bad Coyote Funky, Bevin from Adultish, Sam from TalkRadioNYC, The Avengers Infinity War movie release, Derrick Becker from comic pros and cons, Infinity War Death Draft, Batman, Characters who die and come back in the film do not count, On screen death is a must, Batman vs. Superman, Stan Lee, Captain America gets drafted, Iron Man, Loki death?, Infinity War sequel talk, Casey: “Loki’s character arc is finished”
Segment 2:
The Infinity War Fantasy Death Draft continues, Bevin drafts Vision, Hassan drafts Iron Man, Sam drafts Nick Fury, Derrick drafts Spiderman and Nebula, Derrick convinces the group that Spiderman is a possibility, Sam drafts Thor, “Do we really want Natalie Portman in the starring role of a Thor film?”, Hassan drafts Hulk, Emotional draw between Hulk and Black Widow, Hassan: “Hulk Is never getting his own movies”, Bevin drafts Heimdall, Casey drafts Gamora, Derrick: “Gamora has the emotional punch that Nebula lacks to motivate the Avengers”, Michael drafts HawkEye, Will Scarlett Witch be in the movie?
Segment 3:
What roll will Thanos play to justify his build up, Will Thanos kill some of the heroes the way he did in the comics?, Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence’s role overblown in Xmen?, The Human Torch, Captain America vs Kill Monger?, The Help movie, Hassan and Michael play This or That?, Who’s more likely to die Lowkey or Vision?, Hulk loses an arm or Thor gets his eye back?, Will the final battle come down to Captain America or Iron Man, Hassan chooses Iron Man because the trailer promotes the former, The wild card of the movie will be Spiderman or Dr.Strange?, Which blockbuster will play more of a roll Guardians of the Galaxy or Black Panther, Who would win in a fight Thanos or Apocalypse, Comic book Thanos vs. Comic book Apocalypse, Biggest surprise cameo with largest impact?
Segment 4:
Will Wolverine or the Fantastic Four make a surprise appearance?, Nick Fury, Sam Jackson, Spinning the Racks, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Mark Hannibal, Harley Quinn spin off movie, New God’s, Ava Dirne, First Asian director for their films, Dire Michael and Hassan discuss selling diversity, Warner Brother’s stealing MCU’s business model, Starbucks is closing all of their shops for one day for racial bias training, Michael discusses the inconveniences of closings Starbucks closing, Michael and Hassan discuss next weeks topics.
NEXT WEEK: Did Avengers Infinity War live up to the hype? And whose fantasy death team scored the most W’s? We give you our review of the biggest Marvel movie in history!
SoS Ep 116: Marvel Infinity War Predictions Sure To Go WRONG!
Apr 20, 2018
To Infinity War and Beyond! We give you FACTS (guesswork) and KEEN INSIGHT (we know nothing) and SPOILERS (we read the comic) into Marvel’s biggest release to date. Join us for our Marvel Infinity War Predictions sure to go WRONG!
Segment 1:
2 week Infinity War Extravaganza will feature Infinity War predictions – Fan predictions- Fantasy death pool, Fan shout outs, Hassan condemns the concept of predicting, What are the Burning questions about Infinity War?, Who will die in the movie?, The Mainstream comic releases, Lowell Cunningham’s production deal for Men in Black, How is the Marvel Universe going to change based on Infinity War?, Antman, Aquaman, Black Panther, Ironman, Captain America, Thor, Ready Player 1, Pacific Rim, Hassan talks about watching movies in the theater, Rampage.
Segment 2:
Michael and Hassan react to fan predictions, If Vision dies do we care?, Stan Lee, Fan predicts Captain America will sacrifice himself, Are predictions considered spoilers?, Will Infinity War do better than Black Panther at the box office?, Will the movie end up being overrated?, What is the greatest movie ever made?, Roadhouse vs Citizen Kane, Going to school in the 80s, Hassan and Michael reminisce about Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Segment 3:
What roll will Thanos play to justify his build up, Will Thanos kill some of the heroes the way he did in the comics?, Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence’s role overblown in Xmen?, The Human Torch, Captain America vs Kill Monger?, The Help movie, Hassan and Michael play This or That?, Who’s more likely to die Lowkey or Vision?, Hulk loses an arm or Thor gets his eye back?, Will the final battle come down to Captain America or Iron Man, Hassan chooses Iron Man because the trailer promotes the former, The wild card of the movie will be Spiderman or Dr.Strange?, Which blockbuster will play more of a roll Guardians of the Galaxy or Black Panther, Who would win in a fight Thanos or Apocalypse, Comic book Thanos vs. Comic book Apocalypse, Biggest surprise cameo with largest impact?
Segment 4:
Will Wolverine or the Fantastic Four make a surprise appearance?, Nick Fury, Sam Jackson, Spinning the Racks, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Mark Hannibal, Harley Quinn spin off movie, New God’s, Ava Dirne, First Asian director for their films, Dire Michael and Hassan discuss selling diversity, Warner Brother’s stealing MCU’s business model, Starbucks is closing all of their shops for one day for racial bias training, Michael discusses the inconveniences of closings Starbucks closing, Michael and Hassan discuss next weeks topics.
NEXT WEEK: Our Marvel Infinity War FANTASY DEATHPOOL begins! We would have said Deadpool but we don’t want you to get any ideas. Joined by Comic Pros and Cons Derek Becker and the Comic Noobs podcast!
SoS Ep 115: True Blood’s Kristina Anapau Talks ‘Kuleana’ , SOLO Trailer Review
Apr 13, 2018
True Blood’s Kristina Anapau returns to talk about her new movie ‘KULEANA’ PLUS: Did the new SOLO Trailer just save Star Wars? “I’ve got a great feeling about this…”
Segment 1:
Star Wars Solo Trailer, Rogue 1, Kristina Anapau from True Blood, Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, The Last Jedi, Is such a great trailer setting up for a let down of a movie?, Hassan: “Last Jedi is just not a good film, it’s not a good story. I don’t think Solo will have that problem”, Emilia Clarke, Lando, The monetization of negativity, Hassan: “Once you monetize the negativity, you won’t be able to stop the train from rolling.”, If a movie is bad we need to pile on the bad for click bait, Mike: “Black panther is an example of a universally love movie… it is a good movie… anybody who was negative was theoretically seen probably for a good cause as racist”, Obama monetization in comics
Segment 2:
Days of Future Past, Yoda movie?, Obi-Wan movie?, Disney Star Wars, Did this trailer save Star Wars?, Hassan: “As much as I dislike Disney Star Wars, I don’t think it needs saving”, Did Rogue 1 ruin Star Wars?, Hassan: “The movie will save us from talking about how bad Disney is on Star Wars.
Segment 3:
Kristina Anapau joins the show, Discusses new movie “Kuleana”, The making of the movie, Getting the movie into theaters, How she landed the role as Rose Coyle, The behind the scenes workings of the movie industry, Is more movie/tv producing on the future for Anapau?, Reminisces about True Blood, Kristina Anapau plays Name That Vampire
Segment 4:
Finish of Kristina Anapau interview, Twilight, Past Vampire movies, Avengers: Infinity War, Will Infinity War beat Black Panther?, Who’s gonna die?, Who will Peter Dinklage play?, Announcements for next week
SoS Ep 114: A Winner For Best Sequel Final Four Is Crowned! Are You Ready Player One
Apr 07, 2018
Did Ready Player One hit all the nostalgia notes or did it wallow in the past?
PLUS: Our Best Sequels #FinalFour is at an end! Which of these 4 #comicbook sequels is the BEST of all time?!
Segment 1:
Best Comic Book Movie Sequel Madness Final Four: Spider Man 2 vs. The Dark Knight, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 vs. Winter Soldier, Ready Player 1 opening weekend, Steven Spielberg, Did Ready Player 1 live up to the hype?, Nostalgia and references in Ready Player 1, Do millennials understand the nostalgic references in the movie?,
Hassan: “The story was not original…”, Is this a win for Spielberg?
Segment 2:
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 vs. Winter Soldier debated, Are Hassan and Mike satisfied with the final four? , Hassan and Mike revel their ideal Top 4, Is Guardians of the Galaxy 2 the better sequel?, Captain America 1 to Winter Soldier leaves to much missing information?,
Hassan: “Captain America was not suppose to be good.”, Steve Rodgers, Winter Soldier helps Captain America passes Iron Man as the money maker?, Audience poll results for all final 4 movies, Mike: “Spiderman 2 changed everything when it came out”, Is The Dark Knight a Batman movie or a joker movie?, Christian Bale as Batman, Octavius one of the Marvel villains,
Mike: “Is all of Spiderman 2’s strengths greater than Heath Ledger’s performance as Joker?”
Segment 3:
Are The Dark Knight and Spiderman 2 better than Winter Soldier?, Audience Poll update, Winter Soldier vs. The Dark Knight, Dark Knight has a lot of artistic value,
Hassan: “If Dark Knight were a Joker movie it’d be one of the greatest comic book movies ever made.”, Audience poll and host opinions conflict, Bryan with a Y vs. Brian with an I, Best Comic Book Movie Sequel decided
SoS Ep 113: Best Comic Book Movie Sequels Bracket Round 3
Mar 29, 2018
Things are heating up in our #MarchMadness bracket! Which BEST SEQUEL will win it all? Winter Soldier vs Civil War! Dark Knight vs X2! Guardians 2 vs Logan and Superman 2 vs Spider-Man 2.
Listen in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
Michael and Hassan return to continue their Comic Book Movie Madness Tournament to determine the best comic book movie sequel.
Segment 1
Logan VS. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – Hue Jackman, The Wolverine, Patrick Stewart, How did Wolverine get his claws back?, Tribute trailer, Even split poll, Magneto, Unresolved plot details, Stray Bullets. They start off by going into the comic book movie sequel bracket by breaking down the four remaining matchups.
They start off in the Talkradio bracket with…
Logan vs. Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Michael and Hassan discuss the potential plot holes in Logan, the experience watching Guardians 2 vs. its predecessor, and dive deep into what makes Logan great or not great.
Hassan on Logan: “Logan is a one-shot film. It had to destroy a lot to be successful.
Segment 2
Filling the 30 year gap between Logan and The Wolverine, The Last Jedi, Days of Futures Past, Logan has a stronger story than Guardians 2?, Hassan: “I say Logan sucks and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 wins”, How did Magneto get his powers back?, Mike Dolce’s new book The Mainstream release party.
The debate bleeds into the second segment. They go deep into comic book history to determine how Wolverine got his claws back in Logan, and dive into the continuity of the rebooted X-Men series to figure out the claw debate in Logan.
Michael on Logan vs. Guardians of the Galaxy 2: “From a story standpoint, Logan is better than Guardians 2.”
Segment 3
SuperMan 2 vs Spider Man 2, Octavius vs. General Zod, Richard Doner, Evolution of Superhero movies, Production Value.
They keep Logan vs. Guardians 2 on hold to sweep through the no-brainer match up which was Dark Knight vs. X2. Things get heated when they discuss Spiderman 2 vs. Superman 2.
Michael and Hassan debate over the flaws between Spiderman 2 and Superman 2 and why Hassan is for Superman 2 over Spiderman 2. They discuss whether how the different movie eras the two movies are in affected them and Sam even weighs in on Superman 2 vs. Spiderman 2.
They then go into Captain America: Winter Soldier vs. Captain America: Civil War. Michael questions what created the hype in Winter Soldier.
Hassan: “The only way they could make a good Logan film is to discredit everything that came before it.”
Segment 4
Civil War vs. Winter Soldier, What is it about Winter Soldier that makes it so exciting?, Caller discusses Spider Man 2’s effectiveness, as well as Guardians 2 vs. Logan, “Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is a better sequel, Logan is a better movie”, Captain America, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johannsen chemistry, Final 4 Decided, Donald Glover’s animated Dead Pool gets pushed back.
They wrap up the show by debating between Winter Soldier and Civil War. They then determine who gets into the Final Four and then Spin the Racks before ending the show. They discuss the cancellation of Deadpool: The Animated Series run by Donald Glover. Things get heated on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
NEXT WEEK: Are you Ready… Player One? Our full review! PLUS: We’ll announce the winner of our Final Four! And O.A.R. lead singer Marc Roberge stops in to announce a project with his favorite comic book creator!
SoS Ep 112: Best Sequels March Madness Continues
Mar 22, 2018
The Madness continues! Will a Wolverine make it out of the second round? Will the Dark Knight laugh down the competition? And oh that Thor: Dark World…
Segment 1
Michael and Hassan start by previewing the Sweet 16 by going through each region.
First, the Lord of the Radio Region which consists of… Spiderman 2 vs. Hellboy 2 and Superman 2 vs. Thor Ragnarok
The Dolce Region with Dark Knight vs. The Wolverine and X2 vs. X-Men First Class
The Pat Shand region which consists of Captain America: Winter Soldier vs. Thor: Dark World and The Avengers: Age of Ultron vs Captain America: Civil War. Throw in a side debate over the pronunciation of posthumous and we got ourselves a heated tournament to decide amongst these movie sequels.
Hassan’s thoughts on Dark Knight: “Dark Knight is a great movie, it’s not a good batman movie.”
Hassan’s thoughts on The Wolverine : “Wolverine is a good Wolverine Movie, but not a good movie.”
Segment 2
They continue previewing the bracket with the Sam Talking Alternative Region which has Logan vs. Iron Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 vs. X-Men: Days of Future’s Past.
With the whole Sweet 16 bracket revealed, Mike and Hassan breakdown and determine which movies advance to the Elite 8.
They start by breaking down with Age of Ultron vs. Civil War and which movie’s issues are less glaring. They rush through some of the more lopsided matchups (Spiderman 2 vs. Hellboy 2 and Winter Soldier vs. Thor: Dark World).
Hassan’s opinion of Civil War: “Civil War comes down to one line: Should we tell Tony?”
Segment 3
Michael and Hassan go into the Sam region by breaking down the upset potential of Iron Man 3 over Logan. They debate between Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 vs. X-Men: Days of Future Past. They talk about what they didn’t expect out of Days of Future’s Past, the differences in the stories of The Dark Knight and The Wolverine: X-Men Origins.
Hassan on Logan: “I’m not a fan of old man Logan. I’m not a fan of the idea of Old Man Logan.”
Michael on The Wolverine: X-Men Origins: “Wolverine tried to do a lot of things, but the performances were a bit uneven. The Silver Samurai in the end was horrible.”
Segment 4
Michael and Hassan wrap the show up with a debate between Superman 2 and Thor Ragnarok and the nostalgia factor of Superman 2. They then determine which X-Men sequel is better: X-Men 2 or X-Men: First Class.
Michael on Thor Ragnarok vs. Superman 2: “Thor Ragnarok was a cool sitcom, but Superman 2 is much bigger.”
SoS Ep 111: Comic Book Movie March Madness Returns
Mar 16, 2018
The Best Comic Book Movie Sequels go head-to-head as our annual “Comic Book Movie March Madness” returns! Marvel novel writer Pat Shand help us field a bracket of 16 of the BEST comic book movie sequels of all time. You won’t believe what makes the cut!
Michael and Hassan are feeling the March Madness. They bring on Marvel writer Pat Shand to craft their own bracket for comic book movies. This year’s theme is comic book movie sequels.
Segment 1
They welcome on Marvel writer and friend of the show Pat Shand. They joke around with discussions of fast food, Pat’s fondness for Six Feet Under, whether the show “Jumped the Shark” and its overall legacy.
Segment 2
Michael, Hassan and Pat go on the unveil the bracket for this year’s Comic Book March Madness. They break down what films qualify as a sequel to be eligible for the tournament. They start determining which films earn the one seat
Michael: “Dark knight is a no-brainer one seat”
Segment 3
They continue to cut down the list with debates over whether X2 and Blade 2 are good enough to join the Big Dance, which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Sequel deserves a spot and then begin the seeding process.
Segment 4
They close in on the bracket’s completion by establishing their top 8 films, and start the elimination process. ELIMINATED: Amazing Spider Man 2
Michael “They’ve serialized the movies to feel like episodes instead of movies.”
Hassan on Superman 2: “Superman 1 was an iconic movie. Superman 2 is a studio cash grab, but it was good.”
SoS Ep 110: Jessica Jones S2 and Devil’s Due Comics Josh Blaylock
Mar 10, 2018
On this edition of Secrets of the Sire, Michael and Hassan welcome Devil’s Due Publisher Josh Blaylock onto the show. They talk to him about his newly-created line of graphic novels. Also, Michael and Hassan celebrate International Women’s Day with Jessica Jones Season Two, how media should cover social movements like #metoo and they Spin the Racks with a major announcement for next week’s show.
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
Segment 1
Michael and Hassan celebrate International Women’s Day by breaking down this week’s edition of Entertainment Weekly, the way they covered women and how magazines and other forms of media should go about covering social movements.
Hassan on yesterday’s storm: (Sarcastically) “Oh my god, precipitation is falling from the sky. I can’t believe it!”
Michael on Entertainment Weekly’s Message this week: “Are we being sold a movement or experiencing a movement?”
Segment 2
They then discuss the premier of the second season of the Netflix series Jessica Jones. How the #Metoo movement has affected the series, primarily through the marketing of the series.
Hassan on how marketing handles movements like me too: “There are no ethics in marketing.”
Segment 3
Michael and Hassan break down the first two episodes of the series, the problem with the series’ season length, and the diversity of the cast. They then welcome Devils’ Due comics publisher Josh Blaylock to talk about his experience working in the comic book industry, his new line of graphic novels and what future projects he has going on.
Segment 4
They wrap up the show with another edition of Spin the Racks covering a new Star Wars series in the works under Jon Favreau, the problem with theories and speculations of Star Wars news, some wonderful light-hearted news involving super hero themed photographs and a major announcement for next week’s show.
SoS Ep 109: Jackie ‘The Joke Man’ Martling Talks Howard Stern, Jenna Jameson & Black Panther
Mar 02, 2018
It’s a special week for Michael and Hassan on Secrets of the Sire as they welcome stand-up comedian and former head writer for the Howard Stern Show Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling live in studio. They discuss his long time career at the Howard Stern Show, Private Parts, Jenna Jameson and get his take on pop culture hits like Walking Dead, Black Panther and more.
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
Segment 1 They welcome Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling and start the show with a blaze. They ask Jackie about growing up with comics, his superman fandom, using a toy drone. and Michael and Hassan get Jackie’s thoughts on Black Panther.
Segment 2 Michael and Hassan discuss Jackie’s time with the Howard Stern Show. How he was nearly not in the Private Parts movie, the matchmaking scene in the movie, what it was like doing the show while filming the movie, and the longevity of the howard Stern Show
Jackie on his part in the Private Parts movie: “I’ve gotten some people saying my lines were one of the funniest parts in the movie. That felt great for me because I wrote those lines.”
Jackie on Howard Stern Show’s Longevity: “They kept asking me how long will it last? How long will it last? IT LASTED.”
Segment 3 They return to discuss the origins of Gary’s Baba Booey nickname, his thoughts on the recurring “F— Jackie” phrase, the many memorable highlights and people he met while being apart of the show, what it was like sending them his material and tells some off the air stories.
Jackie on the F— Jackie catchphrase: “One of the last things Howard said on terrestrial radio was F— Jackie. And I took that as a love letter.”
Segment 4 They wrap up the show with Michael and Hassan doing another edition of Spin the Racks. They discuss Kevin Smith’s recovery from a heart attack. Jackie tells stories of other comedians suffering heart attacks on stage. Then they discuss the low ratings of the new Walking Dead season.
Jackie on Get Out’s chances to win Best Picture: “I don’t think they have the balls to give it to Get Out”
NEXT WEEK: Get rid of your post-Oscars hangover with Secrets of the Sire. Did Logan snag the gold? Did ‘Get Out’ make history for the social horror genre? Or were we all just Shapes In The Water?
PLUS: We welcome Devils Due Comics publisher Josh Blaylock on to talk about his new creator-owned line of graphic novels.
SoS Ep 108: Black Panther Honest Review & Inside Scoop From The Stuntman
Feb 23, 2018
Black Panther’s breaking box office records, but is it any good? We give you our HONEST review, take on the haters, and welcome Black Panther stuntman Ricky Barksdale Jr. on to talk about the film and stunting for more of your favorite Comic Book TV shows & movies.
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
WARNING: There are Black Panther Spoilers in this episode.
Segment 1 Michael, Hassan, and Bevin (Victoria) discuss the ever-growing hype surrounding Black Panther as it approaches its release. They make their claims as to why Black Panther is not a diversity movie. They then delve into the effect social media has had on socioeconomic climate in the movie industry.
Victoria: “Will Black Panther suffer a similar fate as Wonder Woman did in regards to being a revolutionary movie and critics going easier on it in their reviews?”
Michael on whether Black Panther is a diversity movie: “Black Panther is not a diversity movie… It is an African centric movie that doesn’t just pluck people from different backgrounds.”
Hassan on social media’s use by the younger generation: “Social media has been weaponized by the younger generation.”
Segment 2 They continue down the Black Panther rabbit hole with their comparison to the Wonder Woman movie along with a breakdown of the Wonder Woman character in the film. They then jump into the Justice League conspiracy theory surrounding Zack Snyder’s departure from directing the film.
Hassan on Wonder Woman not being too perfect a character: “She (Wonder Woman) avoids being a Mary Sue character because she is wrong throughout the movie.”
Segment 3 Michael, Hassan, and Bevin talk about the Wizard World partnership with Sony with the head of Wizard World PR Jerry Millani. They talk how the deal got done. The idea behind the partnership, and the relationship with independent artists once the merger is official.
Jerry on how independent artists can get involved: “There aren’t these parameters… It potentially could be for anyone now.”
Segment 4 Then, Michael, Hassan, and Victoria (Bevin) wrap the show with another edition of Spin the Racks. They discuss the news surrounding Walking Dead comic book news and their sales battle with Marvel comics. The battle between Comcast and Disney to buy Fox.
Michael on the dispute of the sales statistics disputes in the Walking Dead comics sales news: “Statistics are funny right? You can work them anyway.”
Michael on the snag of the Fox Disney deal: “Don’t take the merger away! I want a good Fantastic Four movie.”
NEXT WEEK: Jackie “The Joke Man” martling himself will be in studio! Hassan will play the Howard role, I’ll be the Robin of the group and we’ll preview the Oscars!
SoS Ep 107: The Inside Scoop On The Wizard World/SONY Partnership, Black Panther & More
Feb 16, 2018
We had a JAM-PACKED show this past week. Black Panther’s set to break big! The Zack Snyder conspiracy theorists rise! Wizard World/SONY Partnership with the head of PR Jerry Milani to tell us all about it! And it all goes down with Bevin from the Adultish #podcast in studio!
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
Segment 1 Michael, Hassan, and Bevin (Victoria) discuss the ever-growing hype surrounding Black Panther as it approaches its release. They make their claims as to why Black Panther is not a diversity movie. They then delve into the effect social media has had on socioeconomic climate in the movie industry.
Victoria: “Will Black Panther suffer a similar fate as Wonder Woman did in regards to being a revolutionary movie and critics going easier on it in their reviews?”
Michael on whether Black Panther is a diversity movie: “Black Panther is not a diversity movie… It is an African centric movie that doesn’t just pluck people from different backgrounds.”
Hassan on social media’s use by the younger generation: “Social media has been weaponized by the younger generation.”
Segment 2 They continue down the Black Panther rabbit hole with their comparison to the Wonder Woman movie along with a breakdown of the Wonder Woman character in the film. They then jump into the Justice League conspiracy theory surrounding Zack Snyder’s departure from directing the film.
Hassan on Wonder Woman not being too perfect a character: “She (Wonder Woman) avoids being a Mary Sue character because she is wrong throughout the movie.”
Segment 3 Michael, Hassan, and Bevin talk about the Wizard World partnership with Sony with the head of Wizard World PR Jerry Millani. They talk how the deal got done. The idea behind the partnership, and the relationship with independent artists once the merger is official.
Jerry on how independent artists can get involved: “There aren’t these parameters… It potentially could be for anyone now.”
Segment 4 Then, Michael, Hassan, and Victoria (Bevin) wrap the show with another edition of Spin the Racks. They discuss the news surrounding Walking Dead comic book news and their sales battle with Marvel comics. The battle between Comcast and Disney to buy Fox.
Michael on the dispute of the sales statistics disputes in the Walking Dead comics sales news: “Statistics are funny right? You can work them anyway.”
Michael on the snag of the Fox Disney deal: “Don’t take the merger away! I want a good Fantastic Four movie.”
SoS Ep 106: No SOLO! Breaking Down Star Wars & The Post Super Bowl Movie Trailers
Feb 09, 2018
Be honest… you worried about the SOLO movie? We want to know! We break down the FULL #Solo trailer alongside all the post Super Bowl Movie Trailers: Infinity War, Westworld, Cloverfield and more!
PLUS: What’s your no-vomit streak at?
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
Segment 1: No Solo?
“He’s got the Han cadence down… I’m fine. We’re fine. I wish they would fix his hair.”
Michael recapped his Super Bowl night with stories of past Super Sunday parties and his (non)vomit streak. They break down the trailer of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The pressure is on Alden Ehrenreich to play young Han Solo, as they share their feelings on Ron Howard directing the movie.
Segment 2: What’s your (non)vomit-streak at?
Hassan weighs in on Solo and whether he is excited about the film or not. All while getting a massive response from listeners and fans of the show on Solo.
Hassan: “That’s not Han Solo. That’s not Lando. That is Chewy though.”
Michael: “What is a good way to phrase multiple years of not vomiting?”
Segment 3: Infinity War and Beyond!
The semi-dynamic-duo briefly go over the Netflix trailer for Cloverfield Paradox. Then take a dive into the trailer of the second season of Westworld. Finally, they weigh in on another blockbuster trailer in Avengers: Infinity War. They figure out the mystery of Captain America’s shield in the trailer.
Michael: “Honey I made the newspapers!!!”
Michael: “Is nerd a derogatory term?”
Michael: “Are we that oversaturated with comic book films?”
Segment 4: Spin The Racks
They continue their breakdown of Infinity Wars with Michael gushing over Spiderman’s scenes in the trailer. How the movie will incorporate all the members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Michael and Hassan finally go into the announcement of Game of Thrones creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. Then they talk Deadpool 2 news on another edition of Spin the Racks.
Hassan: On Avengers: Infinity War: “Just like with the Solo Movie, we know what the stakes are with this one.”
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SoS Ep 105: Black Panther And The Must Read Comic Book Tie-Ins For 2018
Feb 02, 2018
We discuss the GAME-CHANGER that is Black Panther. We play ‘Trailer Truth or Trash’ with the new Ant-Man & Wasp trailer. And Newsarama’s Chris Arrant Talks Must-Read Comics For 2018
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
With the red carpet premiere of Marvel’s Black Panther comes the first responses over social media. While full-length reviews are still under embargo until closer to the film’s February theatrical debut, the consensus is clear: long live the king.
Segment 2: Black Panther Chat and the Race Card Are we getting a movie with a message or a message wrapped up as a movie? Host Michael Dolce hopes for the former and thinks it will be based on the marketing. Hassan meanwhile is wary of being let down and uses Star Wars: The Last Jedi as his example
Segment 3: Newsarama’s Chris Arrant
Big movies this year that may have comic book tie ins:
Black Panther
Infinity War
Dark Phoenix
Venom
Ant-Man
Aquaman
Other topics discussed: Bendis’ DC defection, his first book with Jim Lee & more!
Segment 4: Ant-Man & Wasp ‘Trailer Truth or Trash’ Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are on the run in first Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer.
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Spider-Man/Wolverine Crossover Movie Coming To The Marvel U?
Jan 28, 2018
Transmedia guru Jeff Gomez shared so many insider nuggets as our guest this past week. He even dropped the rumored FIRST Marvel/FOX film post merger. You won’t believe who’s in it and who will be playing the role of a certain Canadian-clawed mutant.
Will Hugh Jackman Reprise the role of Wolverine in a crossover with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man?
“The muscles were flexing to take these third and fourth tier characters and lift them,” Gomez revealed when asked how the Disney/Fox merger would impact the MCU going forward. “It’s going to be a little easier with X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool.”
But then Gomez dropped the “inside baseball” bombshell of exactly what the bigwigs at Disney were planning to unveil
“The big win is a Hugh Jackman Wolverine with Spider-Man. Why? Spider-Man is the number one superhero merchandise generator ever. So combining those two characters…and Hugh is willing to do it.”
There’s been some debate on Secrets of the Sire as to whether Hugh Jackman needs to hang up the claws. Co-hosts Michael Dolce and Hassan Godwin have debated back and forth whether this merger, combined with he storyline in Logan, is the perfect opportunity to cast someone new in Jackman’s iconic role. But Gomez revealed the thought of Jackman reprising the role is just too good an opportunity to pass up at this point.
“
[Wolverine] will have to evolve into another actor at some point, but there are a number of opportunities in the [Marvel] cinematic universe [waiting] to happen.”
Hugh Jackman’s turn as Wolverine may not be over
About This Clip: Disney/Fox Merger Jeff Gomez gives insight into a potential Disney/Fox merger saying it’ll be “huge for fanboys” and how that might dictate Marvel’s plans for the MCU in the coming years. With a bunch of movies getting new release dates including Deadpool and The New Mutants, what does this say about the direction Fox is heading?
“In the twilight of Fox they are doing interesting things with the franchises.”
Stream the entire episode or download it on iTunes here.
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
SoS Ep 104: And The Oscar Goes To…Logan? Star Wars: The Last Jedi? Guardians 2?
Jan 26, 2018
We tackle all the #ComicBookMovie #OscarNoms including the shocking nom for Logan with our resident Transmedia guru Jeff Gomez. He also gives us his insider take on the FOX/DISNEY merger and reveals what two fan-fave characters are going to hit the big screen screen first … could it happen? Will it?
PLUS: X-Men Shake-up! Deadpool 2 gets NEW dates. New Mutants get delayed. And is Gambit still a thing?
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
Segment 1: Logan Logan has made waves for its nomination for Best Adaptive Screenplay, what does this mean for comic book movies to come. We are now entering “late stage” for Fox movies, how will that affect its future releases? And where does Wonder Woman fit into all this?
“If you were to go back and watch X-Men origins and Wolverine, and then I told you two movies later they’d be up for an Oscar? I’d say you’re joking” – Hassan
Segment 2: The Oscars How does the age of the academy influence voting? Are we into a new generation of voters? Do social movements have an impact on academy nominations? We are going through the Oscar nominations to see how comic books have influenced pop culture as comic influenced movies start to move outside of just the special effects category.
“If you were dressed up in a costume with tights, there was no way you’d get nominated for an Oscar.” – Jeff Gomez
Segment 3: The Last Jedi Hardcore fans weren’t the happiest with The Last Jedi, to say the least, but Jeff Gomez says there is a method to their madness in his article “The Self Disruption of Star Wars”. How does the new direction the franchise is taking effect the characters within the story? And how does the demand for a new film every year play in
“So what do you have to do to please hardcore fans now that you have such a bigger audience to engage with? In order to do that there is a process called self-disruption where you break some of your “toys” to fix them” – Jeff Gomez
Segment 4: Disney/Fox Merger Jeff gives insight into a potential Disney/Fox merger saying it’ll be “huge for fanboys” and how that might dictate Marvel’s plans for the MCU in the coming years. With a bunch of movies getting new release dates including Deadpool and The New Mutants, what does this say about the direction Fox is heading?
“In the twilight of Fox they are doing interesting things with the franchises.”
Thank you once again to Jeff Gomez for coming on the show. You can read Jeff’s article “The Self Disruption of Star Wars” and more from him at blog.collectivejourney.com and can follow him on Twitter @jeff_gomez
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SoS Ep 103: The X-Files, Black Lightning and All Your 2018 Superhero & Comic Book TV Shows
Jan 19, 2018
Digital Trends’ @RickMarshall drops by to help us pit the best new Comic Book and Superhero related TV shows like The X-Files vs Legion, Black Lightning vs Krypton, New Warriors vs Cloak and Dagger and Jessica Jones vs Luke Cage against each other in one-on-one battle! With so much superhero and sci-fi stuff on the DVR which new series will come out on top?
Download the podcast in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire.
Segment 1: What’s the Deal With The Delay Between Seasons? This segment talks about “the wait”. The wait for new seasons of hit TV shows is driving viewers crazy. Hit’s like Game of Thrones and Stanger Things will not be premiering their new seasons in 2018.
Segment 2: Bringing back Old TV Shows Is bringing old TV shows giving us what we want? Are they giving us “more” or the “same”? Even though sometimes it IS the same stuff as opposed to new, it is getting views and that’s all that matters. “Nobody cares.”
Segment 3: Trends of TV with Rick Marshall, Black Lightning, X-Files & More Mike And Hassan ask Rick Marshall, “Are we at a point of over Saturation? when it comes to television “To be honest were seeing some interesting takes on things now.” – (Rick) “I don’t think we’re reaching that over-saturation point as long as people are still thinking outside the box. ” -(Rick)
“If everyone that watched comic book TV shows went into comic stores and bought comic books, there would be no articles out about how the comic book industry is dying.” -(Mike).
Segment 4: Spinning The Racks What TV shows are hot, what actors are leaving, coming, or staying, what new superheroes are getting their own show?
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
ABOUT OUR GUEST: Rick Marshall
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio) Award-winning journalist and “Professional Geek” covering popular movie, television, comics, and gaming trends.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time) I’m a Contributing Editor for Digital Trends and the host of RetConned Radio for NPR and WAMC Northeast Public Radio, and a freelance writer and columnist for various other outlets.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Friend You?) @RickMarshall on Twitter
NEXT WEEK: Transmedia Guru Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner gives us the inside scoop on some of the biggest stories of 2017 including Disney’s purchase of Fox – will Hugh Jackman return as Wolverine? PLUS: We get HIS take on The Last Jedi.
SoS Ep 102: Why Last Jedi Might Be The Worst Star Wars Movie Ever
Jan 12, 2018
We continue our 2018 Preview as we debate the future of the Star Wars universe with Just 2 Pal’s podcast host Johnny Wellens. We span everything from Rogue One to Last Jedi to episdoe II and rank the worst Star Wars Movie ever.
Listen in to find out more on this episode of Secrets of the Sire. Segment 1 Michael and Hassan start discussing The Last Jedi, and debate whether those who disliked the movie should be called “haters”. Then, after discussing whether a podcast should have seasons or episodes, they talk about the movie’s impact on Star Wars fans and critics alike, discussing the polarizing differences in opinion surrounding the film, including the various agendas surrounding people’s love of the movie.
Segment 2 Our hosts discuss Rogue One, and whether it’s really as good a movie as people think it is, and what happens when you view the movie on its own merits away from Star Wars Episode 4. Then, they talk about the upcoming Han Solo movie, why it may save the franchise, and how it’ll give Star Wars fans another glimpse at the Star Wars universe pre-Episode 4. Michael and Hassan also go into what critics have to say about the Hans Solo movie’s lack of a marketing campaign and the movie’s unique appeal within the Star Wars franchise.
Segment 3 Special Guest Johnny Wellens, the host of the Just 2 Pals Podcast, calls in to talk about his reasons for liking the Last Jedi, including his expectations for the film based on The Force Awakens and how those expectations were turned on their head; Johnny also gives his own thoughts on the varying opinions surrounding the movie. Note that this segment has some spoilers for The Last Jedi! After Johnny finishes given his thoughts on The Last Jedi, he gives his opinion on how The Last Jedi will affect the Han Solo movie.
Segment 4 Michael and Hassan discuss the possibility of Disney devising a new strategy for the Star Wars franchise, and why the reception of The Last Jedi may make that necessary. Then, they go into recent accusations made against Stan Lee, the media’s deceptive headlines in reporting these accusations, and their thoughts on these accusations.
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Johnny Wellens
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio)
Podcaster, amateur writer and Dad.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
I am a member of the Atomic Geekdom podcast. I also do my own podcast with my pal Randy called Just 2 Pals.
GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about)
So many issues I’m just burning to talk about! 2017 in film and television, comic book adaptations, cheesecake, The Flash, Logan and so much more. But I feel confident engaging in almost any topic, sometimes it’s fun to play devil’s advocate.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Friend You?)
My Twitter is: @JohnnyWellens and my podcast is @Just2Pals. The website I’m a part of is atomicgeekdom.com.
NEXT WEEK: Digital Trends’ Rick Marshall drops by to help us preview the year in Comic Book TV shows – with so much on the DVR what’s the one Comic Book TV show you HAVE to be watching?
SoS Ep 101: To Infinity War & Beyond: A Look Ahead To The Must-See Movies of 2018
Jan 05, 2018
Break out the bubbly and let’s look ahead to a jam-packed 2018! Is Infinity War the be-all-end-all of superhero flicks and shows this year? Or is there a sleeper that will take the crown as THE hit of 2018.
AMNY Senior Entertainment Editor Scott Rosenberg helps us break down all the contenders this year: Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Black Panther, Solo: A Star Wars Movie, New Mutants, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Aquaman, Venom, Dark Phoenix and more!
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Following the success of “Bright,” Netflix is moving forward with a sequel. Will Smith and Joel Edgerton are attached to reprise their roles, with David Ayer returning to write and direct the second installment.
Writer Max Landis won’t be back for the next film. Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless are set as producers.
Netflix teased the annocement with a video of orcs auditioning for the sequel. The characters have been a significant component of the film’s promotions.
‘It’s ruining viewing habits’: Jodie Foster slams superhero movies as cinematic equivalent of fracking
‘It’s ruining viewing habits’: Jodie Foster slams superhero movies as cinematic equivalent of fracking uperheroes may have met their greatest adversary — Jodie Foster.
The 55-year-old has claimed Comic book movies are ruining cinema.
In an interview with Radio Times Magazine, the actor and director slammed the likes of Marvel and DC production as the cinematic equivalent of fracking.
‘Going to the movies has become like a theme park,’ she said.
‘Studios making bad content in order to appeal to the masses and shareholders is like fracking — you get the best return right now but you wreck the earth.’
SoS NYCC Special: Comic Book School Presents: Marvel, Valiant & Dynamite Editors Panel
Dec 29, 2017
Recorded LIVE at NYCC 2017: Comic Book School’s own Buddy Scalera welcomes Marvel Editor Darren Sanchez, Valiant E-I-C Warren Simons and Dynamite Entertainment’s Joe Rybant to the podium to give you EXACT instructions on the “how-to’s” and “do-not’s” to breaking into comics.
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Buddy’s Notes “Have a thick skin.” “Learn how to deal with rejection.”
These are the things you hear at panels and at workshops all over the country. If you plan to pursue a career in some form of the creative arts, you will meet rejection. It is inevitable.
Sometimes it’s you. Maybe your art isn’t quite “there” yet. Maybe your writing or illustration just needs a bit more practice.
Sometimes it’s them. They are looking for X and you are selling Y. You might be able to do XY and Z, but what they see now isn’t what they want.
Sometimes it’s just bad timing or bad luck or just a bad day for the person considering your work. Or a combination of all of the above. You’ll never really know.
I’ve been working professionally in comics for almost 25 years, and I’ve never seen the industry this fragmented. I try to keep up with the independent publishing landscape, but there are just too many publishers for me to even list them all on my Comic Publisher Submission Guidelines page.
NEXT WEEK: We’re back! We review Marvel’s Punisher Netflix show and look ahead to the year to come in pop culture!
SoS Ep 100: Fabian Nicieza Drops Deadpool 2 Exclusive And Star Wars: Last Jedi Review
Dec 24, 2017
Break out the party hats for a 2-hour celebration of…us! And you! And Star Wars: Last Jedi (well not really)! And mystery guest stars galore! Secrets of the Sire turns 100! And boy what a show!
Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza drops some exclusive Deadpool 2 updates including HIS recommendation for Cable (around the 1 hr mark)
Derek Becker of Comics Pros and Cons DEFENDS Star Wars: Last Jedi as our hosts tear it a new one (30 min mark)
Writer Pat Shand drops in to shame our producer Sam Leibowitz’ Star Wars prediction (45 min mark)
PLUS! DRUNK GALAXY! In studio patrons review Star Wars: The Last Jedi while consuming mass quantities of alcohol! And we’re gonna need it….
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All the Star Wars movie ranked!…by our out of this world criteria
SoS Ep 99: Last Jedi Preview and Star Wars “Best of the Best” Awards
Dec 15, 2017
It’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi Time! We give you our Spoiler-Free Preview of Last Jedi! PLUS: We rank EVERY Star Wars movie in the canon…just NOT the way you’d expect. Which film boasts the best severed limb? Which film boasts the best “I’ve Got A Bad Feeling…” line? We’re joined by Comic-Con Revolution’s Gabe Fieramosco.
PLUS: Is there an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie in the works??
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
All the Star Wars movie ranked!…by our out of this world criteria
NEXT WEEK: It’s time to celebrate! Next week will be our gonzo Our 2-hour 100th Episode Extravaganza! We review #StarWarsTheLastJedi and welcome back guests past and present to celebrate the big 1-0-0.
SoS Ep 98: The R-Rated Quentin Tarantino Star Trek Project
Dec 08, 2017
We go “Spinning the Racks” to bring you the most fantastical pop culture news out there including the now confirmed R-Rated Quentin Tarantino Star Trek project. Will he direct?
PLUS: Ryan Reynolds breaks the internet with the announcement he’ll play Pikachu in a live action Pokemon movie.
AND: We welcome Bleeding Cool’s Lauren Sisselman on to talk Riverdale and the BEST #Comicbook related TV Series on air today! Where does Punisher, Runaways, Riverdale, Arrow and more fit into our countdown?
PLUS: Disney is about to buy FOX. What it means for Deadpool, X-Men, Fantastic Four and more!
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Quentin Tarantino Star Trek Movie In Development, May Direct
Quentin Tarantino is developing a new Star Trek movie for Paramount alongside J.J. Abrams, and may wind up directing it. Abrams is responsible for the resurgence of Star Trek in film over the last decade after relaunching the franchise back in 2009. With an entirely new cast headlined by Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, and Zachary Quinto, the reboot fared well during its first two outings. Unfortunately, Star Trek Beyond did not meet expectations last year at the box office despite critical praise, and the once-considered fourth film has been lost in space ever since.
The Star Trek name is too big of an IP to keep sitting dormant – even though it is still living on through Star Trek Discovery – from theaters. It is no surprise Paramount is looking for another way to bring the franchise back, but it may come from one of cinema’s most talented minds.
Deadline is reporting Quentin Tarantino recently pitched an idea for a new Star Trek film to Abrams and Paramount and it was very well received. Paramount is looking to assemble a writer’s room to flesh out Tarantino’s idea at the moment, and if all things go according to plan, Abrams will stick around as a producer. Depending on the rest of the development process and his schedule, it is also possible that Tarantino could direct the film.
NEXT WEEK: May the Force be with you! On the eve of Episode VIII we look ahead at the state of the Star Wars empire and the Last Jedi with Comic-Con Revolution’s own Gabe Fieramosco.
SoS Ep 97: Review: HISTORY TV Series Knightfall
Dec 01, 2017
They’ve given their lives to the Holy Grail – we devote an entire show to reviewing it! Secrets of the Sire and HISTORY team up for this special review: HISTORY TV Series Knightfall. Is this the new Game of Thrones or is that the impossible quest?
PLUS: We welcome creator DaiQuan Cain on to talk about his Kickstarter ‘Silent Descendants and we play ‘Trailer Truth or Trash’ on Marvel’s Infinity War trailer.
PLUS: We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
HISTORY TV Series Knightfall: What you need to know and our reaction to the show.
The Knights Templar were a powerful, wealthy and mysterious military order of the Middle Ages that existed for nearly two centuries following the official endorsement of the Roman Catholic Church in 1129. Templar knights were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades, while non-combatant members managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom. Support for the order faded following the loss of the Holy Land, and King Phillip IV of France – thought to be deeply indebted to the Knights – used this as an opportunity to disband the order. The swift and vicious disappearance of the Knights Templar created an allure of mystery that gave rise to the legends that keep their story alive today.
History channel is home to shows like Vikings and numerous documentaries about the Knights Templar so it fits right in with their brand
MY personal favorites right now are Ancient Aliens and Oak Island. Oak Island is possibly connected directly to the Templar legend. My wife and I are OBSESSED with this show
Action-Packed History—Blending fictional characters with complex storylines rooted in fact, this is the real, bloody, history of the mysterious Knights Templar – humanity’s original Jedi Knights.
Quest for the Holy Grail—The driving force behind Landry’s journey in S1 is his quest to recover the Holy Grail, believed to possess mystical powers. Everyone wants this power for their own benefit.
Blending new characters with real people and places, Knightfalltells the story of the beginning of the end of the Knights Templar. Opening at Siege of Acre in 1291, the show follows Landry, a warrior monk of the Crusades who has pledged his life to the order and the protection of Christian pilgrims, and his fellow knights, Tancrede and Gawain as they face the loss of the Holy Land and the Holy Grail. Landry’s faith in God and himself is tested as he becomes the leader of the Knights Templar and embarks on the quest to recover the legendary Holy Grail. As the Knights begin to clash with King Philip of France and Pope Boniface VIII, relationships are tested and loyalty is questioned in this epic battle of belief, desire, betrayal and revenge.
Knightfall Premeire is on Wednesday, December 6 at 10pm ET on HISTORY
visit HISTORY.com for more information about Knightfall
The Real Quest: The Search for the next Game of Thrones
1. One of the special characteristics of the show is the Twisted Medieval Intrigue much like Game of Thrones. And that’s the real quest isn’t it? HBO’s Game of Thrones breaks all the rules for what a successful drama should be: Medieval settings, slow narrative that builds over time, death of a major character in the first season. Yet that’s why it’s successful. Is KNIGHTFALL it’s successor? It’s what every major network is trying to achieve
2. Game of Thrones vs Knightfall: How are they alike? How are they different/stand on its own. Can a show with no conceivable ending (the Holy Grail, to our knowledge has never been found and the Knights of the Templar fade into history) engage viewers on a weekly basis?
Knightfall Premeire is on Wednesday, December 6 at 10pm ET on HISTORY
visit HISTORY.com for more information about Knightfall
SoS Ep 96: Zack Snyder vs. Joss Whedon: Which Justice League Do You Want To See?
Nov 24, 2017
It’s Zack Snyder vs. Joss Whedon as we break down the Justice League that MIGHT have been. Did the reshoots and rewrites by Joss Whedon save the film or would Zack Snyder’s original cut be a classic? We use Superman’s bad upper lip CGI to tell you where Whedon stepped in vs Zack Snyder plus an article on Digital Spy to piece together this pieced together superhero flick.
PLUS: We rank every DC film of the past 4 years with Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Critic Danielle Solzman
PLUS: We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Justice League: Our Review Notes
1. The pivot to humor: very evident in this film saved it. There’s no question.
2. Bad upper lip CGi
3. The Trump of movies; either people loved it or hated it
4. Superman: Vibrant colors. We actually get a real Superman: full of hope,
5. Reminded me briefly of Season six of Buffy when he went dark.
The Russian family wouldn’t exist in Snyder’s version – the family are a Whedon addition and they don’t make a lot of sense. (Why that family? Where’s everyone else? Why don’t the Parademons break in and eat them? Are Parademons so weak they can’t get through a minor barricade?) But at least it leads to that funny gag involving The Flash pushing the car and Superman carrying a building, so it was worth it we guess?
The first proper meeting of the League appears to have been completely retooled by Whedon, and it’s the first sign that he completely changed the Superman narrative (pretty much every shot of Superman in this film has a wobbly lip, which means his dialogue was totally redone).
This is roughly the same as Snyder’s intended cut structurally, with significant reshoot changes. For instance, we assume we would have had Superman come back from the dead in the comic-referencing black suit we were promised on Henry Cavill’s Instagram in this scene.
Also, sources say a Cyborg premonition sequence – which would have played just before the team enacted the whole ‘bring Superman back from the dead’ plan – would have happened here.
It would have tied the plot more closely to the Knightmare sequence from BvS, suggesting that this is the evil Superman from that vision.
The subsequent fight between Superman and the League was all Snyder, but would have run longer, taken place at dusk, and would have involved more collateral damage. (Cyborg’s cut “You should probably move” line is from this scene.)
In Snyder’s version, we would have had more shots of the world reacting to the threat, as red skies cover everything. We would also have had far fewer lame quips from Batman.
There also would have been a resolution of a thread involving Aquaman’s trident, which Batman gives back to him in one of the trailers (the released film doesn’t tell us why he has it, or show us him handing it over).
Again, all the Superman stuff is Whedon’s, except for a couple of interactions between Superman and Cyborg – which presumably happen after this cut shot of Cyborg trying to deal with the Mother Box on his own (man, Cyborg was hard-done-by in the studio cut).
Also, Snyder wanted Wonder Woman to decapitate Steppenwolf, presumably because he killed so many of her people. Whedon changed it to that whole thing about the smell of fear (what is it with Joss and smells?) leading to his downfall at the hands of the Parademons, who won’t kill a terrified Russian family, but they will kill their boss (anti-climax much?).
The first post-credits sequence, in which Flash races Superman, is Whedon. The second post-credits sequence (aka the one that doesn’t look like it was shot on a VHS camcorder) is Snyder’s
NEXT WEEK: In partnership with the History Channel, we preview their new Knights of the Templar scripted series Knightfall! Is this the next Game of Thrones?
PLUS: We interview creator Dai Quan Cain who fulfills a lifelong dream with his new Kickstarter The Silent Descendants
SoS Ep 95: Would You Rather…Watch Justice League Opening Night or Binge Netflix Punisher?
Nov 17, 2017
We play “Would You Rather” with our guest Mariano Nicieza, co-creator of Stan Lee’s “Godwoke.” Would you rather…watch Justice League on opening night or binge watch Netflix Punisher? Would you rather…re-watch the Zack Snyder trilogy before going to see JL or re-watch the Star Wars prequels before Last Jedi? And more!
PLUS: Four Reasons the Justice League Movie Can Fail and Netflix Changes The Punisher’s Origin – does it matter?
PLUS: We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Would You Rather?
Go see Justice League on opening night or binge watch The Punisher on Netflix?
Go see either or re-watch Thor: Ragnarok?
Re-watch the first two films from the Zack Snyder Trilogy before consuming JL or re-watch the Disney Star Wars films before Last Jedi?
Binge the Marvel Netflix universe or the DC Arrow-verse?
Netflix’s ‘The Punisher’ Totally Reboots His Marvel Origin Story
As Marvel’s The Punisher heads to Netflix on November 17, it’s worth observing how much Frank Castle has evolved. On the surface, TV’s Jon Bernthal looks the same as Frank Castle does in the comics: Black clothes? Check. Leather trench? Check. White skull? Ammunition belts? Check, check. But behind the scary arsenal, and inside his actual skull, there lies a different Frank Castle than we’ve known since 1974. In short, the origin story of the character is now totally different from the comics.
NEXT WEEK: We preview the highly anticipated JLA movie. Will last minute re-writes and re-shoots sink this DC Vessel? Or can Joss Whedon help the film rise above the negative buzz?
PLUS: We welcome Phazer creator Mariano Nicieza to the show to talk about his new William Shatner/Stan Lee collaboration.
SoS Ep 94: Thor: Ragnarok Review: Did It Ape The Guardians 2 Formula?
Nov 10, 2017
We go full #ThorRagnarok! Did it leave you feeling green? Is Loki the Best Marvel super-villain of all time? And what about that Valkyrie casting choice!
Mike & Hasan also pose the question: Did Thor ape the Guardians 2 formula?
PLUS: Brian Michael Bendis jumps the Marvel ship…which DC character should he tackle first?
PLUS: We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
For years, Brian Michael Bendis has been one of the biggest and best-known writers of Marvel Comics. The author helped create Miles Morales and Jessica Jones and has spent years writing them and other iconic Marvel characters like Iron Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Daredevil, and more. And now he’s jumped ship to DC.
‘Stranger Things’ unscripted kiss ‘stressed out’ Sadie Sink
Sadie Sink’s first kiss came as a surprise, and not a pleasant one.
The “Stranger Things” star, who joined the cast for the second season of the hit Netflix show, said that creators Matt and Ross Duffer added her character’s kiss at the Snow Ball last minute, despite her objections.
“The kiss was not written in the script,” Sink, 15, said.
“I get there, the first day of Snow Ball, me and Noah (Schnapp) are walking in seeing the decorations and stuff. One of you, I think it was you Ross, you say, ‘Oh, Sadie, you ready for the kiss?’ I’m like, ‘What! No! That’s not in the script. That’s not happening.’ So the whole day I was like stressed out, I was like ‘oh my god, wait, am I gonna have to…’”
Ross Duffer blamed Sink’s reactions for his insistence on the kiss.
“You reacted so strongly to this. I was just joking and you were so freaked out that I was like well, I gotta make her do it now,” he said on “Beyond Stranger Things.”
McLaughlin, 16, also said the kiss left him “feeling weird.”
The forced kiss comes with renewed interest amid a widespread Hollywood scandal of sexual harassment and assault.
NEXT WEEK: We preview the highly anticipated JLA movie. Will last minute re-writes and re-shoots sink this DC Vessel? Or can Joss Whedon help the film rise above the negative buzz?
PLUS: We welcome Phazer creator Mariano Nicieza to the show to talk about his new William Shatner/Stan Lee collaboration.
SoS EP 93: Star Paul Reiser Takes Us Inside Stranger Things 2
Nov 03, 2017
We’re all over the new season of Stranger Things 2 with one of the show’s stars, actor Paul Reiser! Did it live up to the hype? Was it better or worse than season 1? And what about that episode 7?
PLUS: We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Here’s our Yay and Nay for Stranger Things 2 as we ask the question: Too much 80s? Is why we like this show nostalgia versus good storytelling?
YAY
For me it got interesting every time Paul Reiser and the government got involved.
Dustin & Lucas were the most engaging – the dynamic of them trying to impress MadMAx – felt like Turtle and Drama from Entourage.
Liked the Hopper /Eleven storyline especially with him losing his daughter.
This whole season both maintains the feel of the first while having completely nothing to do with it at the same time. More character driven. More after effects. Doesn’t make it better but it is different.
They mix and match characters very effectively. Steve/Dustin, Max/Lucas
Storylines converge nicely
NAY
Will and Mike look too much alike.
The “Gremlins” nod with Dart…that’s where we start getting into..is this too much nostalgia based stuff? Are we simply rehashing the movies we love? Temple of Doom reference too… could have been cool if it was a scarce reference, the whole season felt like a nod to other movies, right down to Paul Reiser reprising his role from Aliens.
SoS EP 92: The Incredible Hulk’s Lou Ferrigno Talks Thor: Ragnarok & More
Oct 27, 2017
We welcome TV’s Incredible Hulk Lou Ferrigno to the show to talk Thor: Ragnarok, being bullied as a kid and the supposed throw down with Flash Gordon.
PLUS: It’s our Halloween episode! We run down everything you need to know about Stranger Things 2! We ask the question: Is anyone still watching Walking Dead? And we pit the greatest Freddy vs Jason vs Michael Myers and more!
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
“The Walking Dead” Season 8 premiere, also the show’s 100th episode, posted the series’ lowest premiere ratings since its third season.
According to Nielsen Live+Same Day data, the AMC series averaged a 5.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 11.4 million total viewers on Sunday night. The Season 3 premiere, which aired in 2012, averaged a 5.8 and 10.86 million viewers by comparison. This also means that the Season 8 premiere is the third-lowest in series history, ahead of only Season 2 and Season 1.
The Season 7 premiere drew an 8.4 and 17.03 million, meaning Season 8 was down approximately 40 percent in the demo and 33 percent in total viewers season-to-season. However, it should be noted that last season’s premiere was the resolution of a major cliffhanger, while the new season was not.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Paul Reiser one of the new (but familiar) faces on Netflix’s Stranger Things to talk about the most anticipated return of the Fall TV season! PLUS: We preview Thor Ragnarok!
SoS Ep 91: Billy Corgan Talks Stan Lee, Star Wars & Smashing Pumpkins Reunion
Oct 20, 2017
We welcome the legendary Smashing Pumpkins front man on to discuss the early days as 90s rock stars, Star Wars and a possible Smashing Pumpkins reunion.
PLUS: We roll camera and cover the most important pop culture news around!
We’re on Amazon Alexa devices now! Look up “Spreaker Podcast Radio Player “ on Amazon and enable it on your Alexa device. Then “Alexa, open Spreaker” Then “Alexa, open Secrets of the Sire” – ain’t technology grand?
Here’s a snippet of the solo record talk that wasn’t on the clip:
MD: We all know the lineup changes that the Pumpkins have endured, with you essentially carrying on the mantle. So when I heard you were releasing a solo record, I was a little surprised. But then I heard the first single and it made sense. Tell me about the vibe on this record and what went into the decision to make this a solo record.
I was working on a follow up to the last Pumpkins album, Monuments to an Elegy and about half way through the record I kind of lost my mind and thought I can’t do this anymore. I just ran out of gas on Smashing Pumpkins music. So I wrote a batch of songs that ended up being the foundation for this record. I found if i just naturally let myself go where I wanted to go, more acoustic, less future rock. That’s how i ended up working with Rick Rubin and putting it under my name.
And I’m with you on that. Sometimes I question my own sanity because you get to a point in the world where, “what’s in a name?” If i write the songs and I sing it and I call it Billy Corgan or Smashing Pumpkins or I call it The Moon and the Stars it doesn’t feel any different to me. But people really perceive it differently. And it just felt right.
And I will say this, and it’s a positive-negative, I get tired of putting out Pumpkins music and then answering the question why should we accept this as Pumpkins if it doesn’t involve “pick your band member.” That gets old too. So I’m happy to do something that doesn’t have that kind of baggage. Here’s the songs I wrote, this is me, and if you like it that’s great.
MD: The sound you’ve seemed to purposely steer away from in the 2000s psychedelic quieter, heavy static guitar. I thought Oceania had that feel to it which is why i responded to it. Are you conscious of the Pumpkins sound when writing and recording? Especially in this case?
The record doesn’t have any drums. At the risk of sounding disingenuous I think I do better when i just go to where I’m interested musically and i don’t get involved intellectually. That’s the key moment for me at this part of my life. I was making a record called Smashing Pumpkins and I just wasn’t feeling it. So rather than saying I have to do this or I should do it or if I’m going to do it it has to sound like Siamese Dream 2 or whatever this intellectual overlay you can put on an idea, I’m just going to write songs and wherever those songs go and that’s what I’ll follow.=
MD: You mentioned working with Rick Rubin on it. What was his influence and whats the normal production on a Pumpkins record that made this different?
For the past ten years I primarily prodcued mysefl though I had help. With this, when i talked to Rick about doing the record, i said I’m just going to get out the way and be an artist for a change. Tell me when to show up and I’ll do my best and that’s what I did.
I am the founder, art director and publisher for Big Dog Ink and the writer/creator of Critter, Penny for Your Soul, Legend of Oz: The Wicked West, Kaiju Epic, Lights…Camera…Jungle! and Ursa Minor.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
Separating from Aspen Comics after three years, we are now returning to our roots and relaunching the BDI brand with Penny for Your Soul like we did 7 years ago. Our first two successful Kickstarters for Lights…Camera…Jungle! and Kaiju Epic! and the continued sales of our series back issues have shown us the world is still hungry for Big Dog Ink stories, and Penny for Your Soul is where we start our journey back. But we are also looking at some new projects beyond Penny, both as comics and as digital experiences using social media in new ways including something Im calling Shahrazad: Side Quests.
GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about)
Lets not get too negative lol I always have hot takes, but lets just say the retail side of things is a mess right now and totally over saturated with companies and product. It’s nearly impossible for all these books to find shelf space at the retail level, BDI was a Diamond Top 300 publisher multiple times in our first four years, but I think even we would be hard pressed to make that list again any time soon. So we are returning to focus directly on our customers and fans that have supported us and have waited so patiently for new product, and thats exactly what Kickstarter allows us to do.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Friend You?)
Facebook as Tom Hutchison and the BDI fan page Bigdogink.com Theplaceformystuff.com Instagram: crittersdaddy Twitter: tjhbigdogink
NEXT WEEK: We welcome legendary Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan to talk about his new solo album a potential Pumpkins reunion and his take on Marvel Movie Madness
SoS Ep 89: Buffy’s Nicholas Brendon Talks 20 Year Anniversary of the Show
Oct 06, 2017
We interviewed Buffy’s own Nicholas Brendon at Wizard World Chicago to talk about the 20 year anniversary of the show, his favorite episodes and the new movie he’s got coming out.
PLUS: New York ComicCon 2017 is upon us! Get the scoop on the must see panels and appearances!
Thursday (October 5, 2017) Michael Rooker Spotlight: 2:30-3:30pm EST/7:30-8:30 BST (Main Stage 1-D) Fresh from his turn as Mary Poppins/Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, as well as having spent a considerable time as the redneck you’d love to punch, Merle Dixon, on The Walking Dead, Rooker is bound to have amusing anecdotes a-plenty and a few juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits to share. American Gods: 6-7pm EST/11pm-midnight BST (Main Stage 1-D) There are already so many questions swirling after that American Gods season finale – and this panel will be the place where (hopefully) some of those questions get answered. Three of the cast, Ricky Whittle, Yetide Badaki, and Pablo Schrieber will be at the panel, as well as appearing across all four days of the convention.
Friday (October 6, 2017) Pacific Rim Uprising: 12pm-1pm EST/5pm-6pm BST (The Theater at Madison Square Garden) Immediately after Peter Capaldi’s panel comes the first marquee panel of NYCC 2017 from Madison Square Garden. It’s sure to be a wild ride as lots of the Pacific Rim sequel has been kept under-wraps until now. Expect a clip or two and John Boyega to also grace us with his presence. Are we ok to ask about Star Wars: The Last Jedi?
Saturday (October 7, 2017 Star Trek: Discovery: 3:45-4:45pm EST/8:45-9:45pm BST (The Theater at Madison Square Garden) If an hour of laser-focused discussion and reveals surrounding Star Trek: Discovery sounds like your thing then Madison Square Garden is the place to be on the Saturday. Promising to be chock-full of appearances from cast, as well as executives behind the show, this is one panel not to be missed.
The Walking Dead: 7:45-8:45pm EST/12:45-1:45am BST (The Theater at Madison Square Garden) The Walking Dead season 8 brings Rick and the gang on the cusp of all-out war with Negan and his set of Saviours. Here’s hoping Saturday evening’s panel will shed some light on what’s to come, and just what the deal is with Old Man Rick. The cast, including Andrew Lincoln, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Norman Reedus, and the brains (mmm, brains) behind the operation will converge to discuss all things Walking Dead for, probably, the event’s most interesting hour.
Sunday (October 10, 2017) The X-Files: 1-2pm EST/6-7pm BST (Main Stage 1-D) The truth is out there, and so is this panel discussing the upcoming second season of the X-Files revival. Mulder and Scully will both be there (let’s face it, Gillian Anderson is worth the price of admission alone) to discuss the exclusive first-look at the new ten-episode run premiering in January.
NEXT WEEK: It’s our New York ComicCon aftermath! What big time announcements, cosplay, sights and more made splashes at the ginormous ComicCon event? We give you first hand details
PLUS: The creator of Penny for Your Soul Tom Hutchinson gives us his take on his new Kickstarter, the state of the comic book industry and why I’m protesting my fantasy football defeat at his hands
SoS Ep 88: Hercules Star Kevin Sorbo Talks Controversial New Movie
Sep 29, 2017
We interviewed HERCULES himself Kevin Sorbo at Wizard World Chicago to talk about his iconic role and his controversial new movie “Let There Be Light”.
PLUS: We reveal the #1 movie of the Summer (and it’s not what you think) and Is Marvel’s Inhumans already cancelled?
Spider-Man: Homecoming is the Highest Grossing Superhero Film of 2017
Thanks to its recent release in China, Spider-Man: Homecoming has now become the highest-grossing superhero film of 2017 so far, with an estimated $874.4 million under its belt, according to Box Office Mojo. Note that there are still two major superhero movies left in the year: Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, both of which are poised to be big box office earners, so it’s entirely possible that Homecoming will be dethroned come year’s end.
Of course, one of the most talked about comic book films of the year has been Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot as the eponymous character. The DCEU installment surpassed all expectations to become the highest-grossing superhero origin film as well as the highest-grossing DCEU chapter domestically, while also blasting past several other milestones. Still, Spider-Man has consistently been one of the world’s most recognizable heroes and Homecoming‘s global box office performance proves just that.
NEXT WEEK: It’s our New York ComicCon preview! We welcome Buffy’s own Nicholas Brendon to talk about the 20 year anniversary of the show, his favorite episodes and the new movie he’s got coming out
SoS Ep 87: Anime Special! Dragonball Z’s Mike McFarland, Brina Palencia, Alexa Fox Talk New Show
Sep 22, 2017
Secrets of the Sire goes ANIME! Dragonball Z voice actor Mike McFarland is joined by creator/producer of My Life As A Monkey’s Alexa Fox and actress Brina Palencia to talk about their new show!
PLUS: If you could recommend ONE anime to anyone it would be…
ABOUT OUR GUEST(S):
Mike McFarland
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio) Actor, Voice Actor, Voice Director, Producer, Writer. Voice Direction includes: Fullmetal Alchemist, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, Summer Wars, Evangelion 1.11/2.22/3.33, and more. Voice acting credits include: Master Roshi – Dragonball Z, Jean Kirstein – Attack on Titan, Buggy the Clown – One Piece, Charlie Nash – Street Fighter V (video game), and more. Adaptive writing credits include: One Punch Man, Marvel’s Disk Wars: The Avengers, One Piece, Hellsing Ultimate.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time) Just finished up Voice Direction and voice acting work on Attack on Titan (Season 2). Currently can be heard on Dragon Ball Super as Master Roshi airing on Toonami, and on My Hero Academia as Ojiro, streaming at Funimation.com.
Alexa Fox
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio) Alexa Fox likes to think of herself as a writer/creator, but really she’s a cat-herding wrangler who improves any project she touches. Whether it’s finding artists for other publishers, writing additional jokes, or doing a voice-over now and again, Fox gets it done and gets it done with panache. Despite her busy schedule, she always makes time to show new talent the ropes and buck up the industry’s old hands. The Fantastic Ms. Fox is the creator of Danger Gliders and she’s debuting her first animated short in the “My Life as a Monkey” series, season 1, secret episode 0, “Panic of the Apes”.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
My Life as a Monkey, more Danger Gliders coming very soon, and an adult cartoon series short in the works called Crime to Five (that she’s forcing Hassan to help with in the near future).
My Life as a Monkey is a kids’ show about a boy named Reese and his two best friends, Sam and Amy. Reese is like any other kid. Except that he’s a monkey… But he wasn’t always! One day while he was helping his super scientist mom in the lab, there was an accident. Mom tried to fix it but every attempt made things so much worse that when they finally got back to monkey, Reese decided he’d had enough, “Monkey’s fine. Monkey’s good! I’ll just live the rest of my life as a monkey.” And so it began…
While the show focuses mostly on Reese and his classmates, weird things have been known to happen in their town. Is the source Mom? Yes. Yes it is. Why would you even ask? She turned her son into a monkey!
Brina Palencia
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio) Actor, singer, writer or scripts and songs
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time) Working on an album that will feature full versions on my Instagram songs. I’ll also be at Anime Weekend Atlanta at the end of this month, then Realms Con in Corpus Christi, TX Oct 6-8, and singing at a gala to benefit the Pittsburgh Japanese Cultural Society on October 13th.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Hercules himself Kevin Sorbo to the show. He’s got a controversial new movie coming out that’s drawing the wrong kind of attention – you do NOT want to miss this interview
PLUS: Are you Jones’n or Dread’n the new Fall flicks including Kingsman, Thor, JLA and more!
SoS Ep 86: Voice Actor Loren Lester Talks Batman & Harely Quinn, The Orville
Sep 15, 2017
Loren Lester, the voice of Robin & Nightwing talks about the new Batman & Harley Quinn animated film, how he broke into voice acting and his upcoming role on FOX’s The Orville.
PLUS: We welcome Destiny NY creator Pat Shand in studio to discuss his successful Kickstarter and play OVER/UNDER on the upcoming Fall TV season!
ABOUT OUR GUEST(S):
PAT SHAND writes comics (Destiny NY, Vampire Emmy, Van Helsing) and novels (Iron Man, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy). He lives in New York with his wife Amy and their army of cats. Find him @PatShand pretty much everywhere.
LOREN LESTER, a native of Los Angeles, began his career as a teenager and has accumulated more than 30 years of film, stage and television credits. In his early years, he played the evil hall monitor “Fritz Hansel” in the cult classic film Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) and he recurred for five seasons as “Roy” on The Facts of Life (1979) opposite ‘Nancy McKeon’.
Since then. Loren has appeared in more than 200 episodic including Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000), The Closer (2005), Undercovers (2010), Greek (2007), Cold Case (2003), Criminal Minds (2005), Castle (2009), Two and a Half Men (2003), Notes from the Underbelly (2007) (directed by Barry Sonnenfeld), Side Order of Life (2007) (directed by David Paymer), and Las Vegas (2003) (directed by Timothy Busfield).
He is now recurring on the HBO hit comedy series Hung (2009), directed by Academy Award winner Alexander Payne, and the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010).
Recent motion pictures include the 2010 releases The Green Hornet (2011) (starring Seth Rogen, directed by Michel Gondry), Hit List (2011) (starring Joey Lawrence) and “After the Wizard”, a new sequel to The Wizard of Oz (1939). Other films include 17 Again (2009) (starring Zac Efron and Matthew Perry), the Wes Craven suspense thriller Red Eye (2005) starring Rachel McAdams) and Midnight Clear (2006) (starring Stephen Baldwin).
As a voice-over artist, Loren is best known for creating the roles of “Robin” and “Nightwing” on Batman: The Animated Series (1992) (aka Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures (1997) (aka The Adventures of Batman and Robin).
NEXT WEEK: Secrets of the Sire goes Anime! We welcome voice actor Mike McFarland from Funimation and his co-producer Alexa Fox to talk about their new animated creation.
PLUS: Are you Jones’n or Dread’n the new Fall flicks including Kingsman, Thor, JLA and more!
SoS Ep84: Our Game of Thrones Season 8 Theories Sure To Go Wrong
Sep 01, 2017
Secrets of the Sire welcomes very special Game of Thrones expert Christina Dolce – my wife! – to help dissect the incendiary Season 7 finale and look ahead to some Game of Thrones Season 8 Theories. Is Tyrion a Targaryan? Is Bran The Night King? Will Jon Bang His Aunt Again?
PLUS: Hawkman and Avengelyne writer Mark Poulton joins us to talk about his new All-Ages comic The Pizza Tree
ABOUT OUR GUEST: Writer Mark Poulton (Hawkman/Avengelyne)
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio)
I am a professional comic book writer and children’s book author. I’ve written for DC Comics, Image Comics, and Arcana Studio. I produced the A Cat Named Haiku animated short for Top Buzz, and served as associate producer on Mythical Creatures, an animated pilot financed by the Canadian and New Zealand governments.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
My latest book is Pizza Tree, an all ages graphic novel that I co-wrote with my 7 year old son, Chase, based off an idea he had. It is published by Arcana Studio through my new creator-owned imprint, Artistacomics. The A Cat Named Haiku animated short was released earlier in the year and is doing well. It is currently being developed as a feature by Arcana Studio with Sean O’Reilly attached as screenwriter and director. GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about)
Not sure if you discussed DC’s comment that the comic book industry is on the verge of collapse, but I think it’s just the opposite. I don’t think it’s ever been stronger. The level of quality from creators is at its highest. I was at the Arcana booth this year for SDCC and the two biggest draws were 10 year old Kiefer O’Reilly and my 7 year old son, Chase. The future of comics is in good hands. The talent pool has never been stronger. Readers now just have so many great choices to pick from. It’s almost like television complaining that ratings are down. That’s because there are so many ways to consume the product (cable, Netflix and other streaming services). Most readers don’t have an unlimited budget when it comes to comics. If an indie company is putting something great out that they want to start reading, chances are another book will get cut from the their pull list and I think you are beginning to see readers don’t need that Marvel or DC book they have been collecting for years anymore.
NEXT WEEK: Biff Tanner himself, Tom Wilson joins us to talk about his iconic villain role in Back To The Future! PLUS: It’s our Back to School edition! We countdown the must see films to get your Geek diplomas with fellow TalkRadio.nyc hosts Rob and Cali joining us in-studio.
SoS Ep83: SPOON! The Tick EP Barry Josephson Goes Inside The New Amazon Reboot
Aug 25, 2017
SPOON! We welcome special guest Barry Josephson, executive producer of THE TICK – now streaming on Amazon Video Prime – to talk about the new reboot!
PLUS: American Pie’s Thomas Ian Nicholas joined us to talk about his upcoming appearance at Wizard World Chicago, settle the great Prequel debate once and for all, and talk about his new YA novel Handbook For Mortals
We also talked about the Joss Whedon scandal that hit last week.
In a scathing essay published on Sunday for The Wrap, Cole, who recently divorced Whedon after 16 years of marriage, wrote that Whedon is a “hypocrite preaching feminist ideals.” Cole ― a producer and actress herself ― revealed that Whedon had both physical and emotional affairs with other women throughout their marriage, and blamed his actions on the pressures of the patriarchy.
Whedon has been lauded by the public as a feminist ally since he created the TV series “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” in 1997. Since then, Whedon has used his platform to talk about feminism and the importance of men getting involved in the movement.
According to Cole, Whedon had his first affair during their first year of marriage while he was on the set of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”
NEXT WEEK: Secrets of the Sire welcomes very special Game of Thrones expert Christina Dolce on to help dissect the sure-to-be incendiary Season 7 season finale
PLUS: Hawkman writer Mark Poulton joins us to talk about his new All-Ages Arcana comic The Pizza Tree
SoS Ep 82: Can Joss Whedon Save ‘Unwatchable’ Justice League Movie?
Aug 18, 2017
Our Justice League re-shoots discussion turned into a full-on debate: are you Pro or Anti Joss Whedon? Can he save the movie that’s reportedly “Unwatchable” in its current state? Or is he overrated as a writer and director?
PLUS: Is Defenders Marvel’s swan song from Netflix with the new Disney streaming service announced?
Poor Justice League. No matter how much good Warner Bros. does, the upcoming pic just can’t catch a break. Even after the smashing success of Wonder Woman, and a thrilling Comic-Con trailer for Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon’s team-up film that was very promising, negative buzz continues to surround it. That doesn’t change today, either, with a follow-up report coming in that expands a bit on what we heard last night.
To recap, yesterday we learned that Warner Bros. was apparently unhappy with a few things in Justice League. Namely, the tone – which they felt was too dark – and the portrayal of Cyborg. Now, Batman-On-Film has added onto that, telling us that the situation is much worse than it appears. Here’s what they had to say:
These reshoots – which are still taking place – are not standard pick-ups/additional photography. Why? Apparently, an early cut of the film was deemed “unwatchable.” Thus, substantial changes to the film were ordered.
NEXT WEEK: Secrets of the Sire welcomes special guest Barry Josephson, executive producer of new reboot of The Tick – coming to Amazon Prime this weekend! Will this be the version that finally puts the Tick in the mainstream?
SoS Ep 81: The Great Geek Debate With ‘Adultish’ Star Victoria Cheri Bennett
Aug 11, 2017
We settle the biggest Geek debates of all time! Joker vs Joker! Nintendo vs Sega! Game of Thrones vs LOTR! Batman v Superman! Join the great Pop Culture debate with special in-studio guest: Adultish star Victoria Cheri Bennett and director Justin Morck!
PLUS: What we think of Josh Brolin’s Cable? Force to be reckoned with or needs more shoulder pads?
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast with guest Victoria Cheri Bennett:
Michael Dolce: So we’re going to start with Game of Thrones vs Lord of the Rings
Victoria Cheri Bennett: Lord of the Rings created WETA – this whole motion capture video. They changed cinema. It was unheard of to go to a studio and ask for funding for all three movies in one film.
MD: Hassan who are you going to choose?
Hassan: If we’re going by the books, Lord of the Rings wins out. IT was the second book to the bible. If we’re talking about the show, then Game of Thrones was bigger in depth and sheer enjoyment and comprehension of the story
ABOUT OUR GUEST: Victoria Cheri Bennett
WHAT DO YOU DO? Victoria Cheri Bennett (Bevin/Creator of ADULTish) is a graduate from AMDA, an original founding member of The Orphans, Creator of the SAG Web Series ADULTish and co-creator of the musical group On The Rocks. She has been seen performing at 54 Below and the Duplex and recently can be seen as the on camera host for Den of Geek
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time) ADULTish is going to Seoul! We’ve been nominated for Best Web Series, Best comedy, Best ensemble Cast, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. ADULTish is working on Season 4 and aims to start shooting in October right after NYCC.
SoS Ep 80: Inside Dark Tower With Movie Artist Dennis Calero And Thor: Ragnarok ‘Trailer Truth or Trash’
Aug 04, 2017
We welcome Dark Tower concept artist Dennis Calero to talk about the new Stephen King film!
PLUS: We take the new Thor: Ragnarok & Stranger Things 2 trailers to task in another round of ‘Trailer Truth or Trash’! Did they give away too much or are your appetite’s whetted properly?
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast with guest Dennis Calero:
Michael Dolce: We have to be a 100% honest here, Dark Tower is coming out and we don’t know much bout it. This is why were having you on.
Dennis Calero: I can break it down for you. For those of you familiar with Stephen King, he writes stories about when things go wrong. You have killer clowns from outer space, men in black that save the world from an apocalypse. So Dark Tower, the best way to think about it is the spindle about which, his multi verse revolves. It is the center of reality, both a place and every level of the towers is a dimension in the multi verse. One way to look at it is the reason Stephen King’s world has vampires, wolves, and killer clowns is because there’s something wrong at the Tower. There’s something wrong at the center of reality, its being attacked and our main character Roman the Gunslinger comes from a long line of a combination of cowboys, knights, and Jedi. It is his sworn duty to find the Tower and figure out whats wrong with it and fix it, thus saving all of time and space and reality.
SoS Ep 79: ComicCon 2017: Black Panther, Thor: Ragnarok: Justice League and More
Jul 28, 2017
We break down ComicCon 2017: Black Panther, Thor, Justice League & more with actress & producer Jordan Elizabeth Gelber of StarBaby Enterprises & ComicCon expert Victor Dandridge Jr.
PLUS: The mustache that could change EVERYTHING for Justice League
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast with guest correspodent Victor Dandridge Jr.:
Michael Dolce: So you got to get in there, we want to know the Hall H, from all my expert analysis and studying the Twitter chatter, Thor: Ragnarok was the big buzz, am I correct? What was the feeling on the floor?
VD: Warner Brothers is in the morning. Marvel is in the evening, so its the last one to close it out. You got people in Hall H waiting all day for the Marvel Studio crowd, so you got the lasting impression and the thing you talk about the most. So while your in there, yeah you can tweet, but your trying to pay attention on whats happening or whats going to happen. It’s a genius move by Marvel and I do feel bad for Warner Bros because they do get overlooked. From my position and first time being there, Warner Bros gave a better presentation.
SoS Ep 78: House of Cards Actor Kevin Kilner On Kevin Spacey, David Fincher, Joss Whedon & More
Jul 21, 2017
House of Cards actor Kevin Kilner comes to Secrets of the Sire! On the latest episode we go inside the hit Netflix show with Senator Michael Kern himself. He talks about his time on set with David Fincher and Kevin Spacey. His experience with Joss Whedon on ‘Dollhouse’ and the one movie he’s most remembered for.
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast with Kevin Kilner:
Michael Dolce: I would like to welcome our next guest, who’s resume is incredible. It includes Doll House, House of Cards, Quantico, starred in Home Alone 3, American Pie 2, and he was on the Cosby Show. Welcome Kevin Kilner, how are you doing?
Kevin Kilner: I’m good, Michael, how are you?
MD: Fantastic, I have got to tell you, I mentioned to my interns that you were going to be on the show today and one of the interns was like “he was in A Cinderella Story.” She was very blown away that we are having you on the show today.
KK: It’s interesting having being a dad in these movies because they stick around. I’m having all generations, all walks of life come up to me. People from sci-fi or fans of House of Cards or A Cinderella Story, it’s interesting how it turns over. I did like five or six episodes of One Tree Hill and I have mothers and daughters come up to me.
SoS Ep 77: Spider-Man Homecoming Review: The Good, The Bad, The Uncle Ben Effect
Jul 14, 2017
It’s Spider-Man: Homecoming review time! We give you OUR Spoiler-Free (mostly) take on the newest friendly neighborhood Spider-Movie.
PLUS: Winter in July? We break down the return of Game of Thrones with Den of Geek’s David Crow!
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast: David Crow Den of Geek:
Michael Dolce: Whats your favorite episode so far in the whole series?
David Crow: I would say season 2, which wasn’t my favorite season, but I loved black water. They did an entire episode around battle, which they have done several times since then, it did not have the budget or spectacle as the last battle. Reason why I love Black Water is the cinematic eye they had with it; they showed how each character reacted to the battle. It almost remind see of a play, in a sense there is this great violence and its showing how everyone is reacting to it in real time.
MD: A lot of people tell me season 2 wasn’t that good, but we are saying a type of pizza isn’t good, all pizza is good. Those first five episodes, not having read the books, was tough to get through. The first episode was intriguing, but then the next four were just a set up, but Season 2, I binged that in a weekend.
DC: I read the books, but only after the first season. I fell involve with the world, so by the time Season 2 came out, I was well rehearsed in it. I think they left out so much quality material in Season 2 because it was a good book. I think thats the reason why they broke the third book into Seasons 3 and 4.
SoS Ep 76: Spider-Man: Homecoming vs Wonder Woman – Who Wins The Battle Of The Blockbusters?
Jul 07, 2017
On the latest episode of the Secrets of the Sire podcast, we break down Spider-Man: Homecoming: the casting decisions, the Marvel fatigue, the Wonder Woman effect and more with Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Smith!
PLUS: Is this the beginning of the end for Robert Downey JR. as Iron Man?
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast: Kevin Veldman from Comic Noobs:
Michael Dolce: Brian, you write Spider-Man comics, what is your take on the whole conversation we’re having here?
Brian Smith: First of all, I would like to thank you guys for having me on the show, its great to be here. All the stuff you guys were talking about, I could tell you guys are really passionate, but I had to have one finger in my ear the whole time.
MD: That makes sense, I like to go in fresh as well. The little casting decisions, like finding out the name of a character and you’re just like “Really, why would you do that?”
BS: I did not know that the best friends name was Ned Lead. I don’t know why they did that.
MD: Right? Like out of all the things they could have done. Little things like that just doesn’t smell right. Welcome to show, you write the all ages Ultimate Spider-Man comics, how excited are you for this movie? From an inside point of view how much is this movie going to mirror the stuff you write about?
BS: I was actually an editor at Marvel during the first Spider-Man movie. I actually worked on the film adaptation to the comic. I remember how excited we were at that point to go to the theater and see the first Spider-Man movie. The amount of versions we have of Spider-Man, if your a Spider-Man fan, its a good time to be alive. Its pretty amazing to see.
MD: Whats your favorite incarnation of Spider-Man?
BS: I tend to go back to the old stuff. I like the first 20 issues of the Amazing Spider-Man. I’m also a huge fan of John Romita Jr. In fact when I was in high school, I got to meet him in a convention and those were the only comics I brought to the show. I was also lucky enough to work on the first Spiderman stuff at Marvel, when I was up there, to see the whole rebirth of Peter Parker.
NEXT WEEK: The reviews are in! Will Spider-Man: Homecoming be another hit for the MCU or is there Spidey fatigue kicking in? We give you OUR take on the newest friendly neighborhood web slinger.
PLUS: Winter in July? We break down the return of Game of Thrones!
SoS 75: Make Mine DC? Are Fans Done With The MCU?
Jun 30, 2017
With Wonder Woman‘s overwhelming success and moderate buzz for Spider-Man: Homecoming are fans over the MCU? Or will Avengers: Infinity War tip the scales back next year?
PLUS: We welcome the Comic Noobs podcast on to talk..what else? COMICS!
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast: Kevin Veldman from Comic Noobs:
Michael Dolce: Whats your take on the DC Film U? To me DC is this train wreck that we have to watch, but all of the sudden it went from “we can’t make good movies” to “I’m more excited to see the future DC films than I am the MCU.”
Kevin Veldman: I was a fan of Man of Steel, it wasn’t perfect and had a lot of pacing issues. I did not like Batman vs Superman, it had a ton of issues, but I did feel a lot of those issues were do to studio interference. I’ve been pretty confident in the movies going forward. I don’t know what happened with Suicide Squad, I was super hyped for that one.
MD: Yeah, it just wasn’t very good.
K: I had fun watching it, but I did not like it. Wonder Woman, I have to be honest, I haven’t seen it. I have a toddler at home, so it is very hard to go to the movies.
MD: That is no excuse. I have a 16 month at home. So you haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet?
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Brief bio, credits and how you like to be referred to on air. Think Twitter Bio)
I host a Comedy podcast where we recap the most important, most fun, and most iconic comic book stories every week.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
We’ve launched a new segment on our show called SuperRealityTV, where we put various comic book characters into shows like Big Brother, The Bachelor and Survivor and try to figure out who wins. It’s a hilarious and a ton of fun. We’ve got something special planned for our 100th episode comic up soon! I can’t tell you what yet though. We’ll be launching a bonus series called COMICS IN SPACE where we’re going to be talking about some epic Green Lantern comics and Marvel’s cosmic stories that are amazing but not nearly as well-known as their superheroes (featuring your favorite guardians of the galaxy!).
GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about)
Oh man I’m terrible at this kind of stuff. All my hot takes are so geeky it’s embarrassing. So a new Spider-Man movie comes out this weekend and you know how nerds like to get into pointless debates on this stuff. My most controversial position is that Spider-Man’s greatest enemy is…. Mary Jane Watson. Think about it! She’s awful!
Additionally people love to talk about superhero movie fatigue. Given the success of Guardians of the Galaxy (and Star Wars!) I could see a shift coming soon where Marvel Cosmic and the Green Lantern Corps could become the blockbuster stars of the next era of comic book movies!
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Friend You?) You can subscribe to our podcast under ComicNoobs (all one word) on iTunes or any podcast app, find us on twitter @ComicNoobsShow, Facebook.com/comicnoobsshow, you can find us on the awesome website TheGWW.com and follow them @the_GWW.
NEXT WEEK: Spider-Man: Homecoming is receiving positive reviews and could win the summer for the House of Ideas. We welcome Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Smith on to discuss the film’s chances of bringing back the buzz to the MCU.
SoS Ep 74: Who Shot First? Han Solo Gets A New Director
Jun 23, 2017
Ron Howard steps in as director of Han Solo just hours after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are fired. Get our take on why they were ousted and what Howard has to do to make this movie a success
PLUS: With Transformers in theaters we rank the “Best and Worst Toy Movies of All Time” and welcome the voice of “Courage The Cowardly Dog” Marty Grabstein.
What a jam packed show!
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast: Lord and Miller Ousted From Han Solo:
Michael Dolce: News broke that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller left the new Han Solo movie due to creative differences.
Hassan Godwin: Yes and supposedly this is like those corporate decision film by committee where they bring in the dark council and it’s like those faces in like Superman the movie and they’re like “You’re guilty!” They’re like, “These two guys, they wanna ruin the product that we’re trying to make, what should we do? And thy’re like “Toss ’em! Get ’em out of here.” Usually we’re like “See? This is what happens when creativity takes a back seat to corporateness.” I read the article this time and I kind of agree with their decision.
M: “Unfortunately our vision and process weren’t combined, we usually aren’t fans of the term creative differences, but for once, this cliche is true.”
H: I told you it was a lie…I don’t have a full interpretation on what they were planning, the impression that I get is they were trying to shake things up and mess with the formula a little bit. Add some kind of comedic beat to it, that were probably not within the spectru.
M: Like farcical comedy? Like not natural humor?
H: Yeah, they made movies like sausage party, so you know i don’t want to like, you can make a movie like “Sausage Party” and then go out and make like “Schindlers List.”
Marty’s first role was in Bury the Evidence. The next year Grabstein’s voice talents earned him the role of Courage on the beloved cartoon, Courage the Cowardly Dog. The show ran until 2002. After the end of his show, Marty made frequent appearances on Law and Order, and Law and Order Special Victim’s Unit. Film credits include Apartment #5C and Third Watch.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome the folks from the Comic Noobs podcast on to start hyping us up for this year’s San Diego Comic Con!
SoS Ep 73: How Wonder Woman’s Success Means Big Changes To Justice League and the DC Film U
Jun 16, 2017
With a win for Wonder Woman under DC’s belt, we break down her impact on the new Justice League movie re-shoots and the entire film U going forward.
PLUS: We’ve got Spider-Man and Venom film news that will make your skin crawl!
Listen on SoundCloud:
Here’s an excerpt from the Podcast: Is the Wonder Woman movie a Captain America movie clone?
Michael Dolce: Alright what do we want to talk about, do we want to talk about the Wonder Woman Captain America thing? Lot of people are saying that Wonder Woman is the exact copy of Captain America.
Hassan Godwin: In context of this conversation a lot of people are saying, that Wonder Woman is the female connotation of Captain America.
M- Alright this is what wanna know Star Wars unleashed “it is not a direct copy if she didn’t have super powers from the military.” I think people are just saying they basically took the structure of Captain America to turn it into Wonder woman. Well they specifically changed the war so that it wouldn’t copy Captain America.
H- I think what does it for everybody is the shield. Wonder Woman is shamelessly stealing the shield.
M- Is it really just the shield? Its a period piece taken during war, she’s bringing peace and hope to those that lost it. and that was the same thing as Captain america
H- Her idea was to bring hope however, she got the dose of reality and realized she couldn’t bring hope to the hopeless. Whereas Captain America just wanted to fight and wound up bringing hope to the hopeless. One actually brought hope, the other didn’t but both went against their intentions.
M- True, “Star Wars Unleashed” chimed in and said “Wonder Woman shouldn’t really have a shield she has bracelets.”
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Brief bio, credits and how you like to be referred to on air. Think Twitter Bio)
I’ve done radio and also did a few shows with a colleague from WRCR radio, called the Rockland Riff
NEXT WEEK: It’s That 80’s Show! With the last Transformers flick hitting theaters we break down our favorite toy to movie franchises and relive the decade most (but not me) consider to be the best ever.
PLUS: The voice of courage the cowardly dog Marty Grabstein chimes in on the 80s and the art of voice acting
SoS Ep 72: Everclear Lead Singer Art Alexis Talks Wonder Woman, Comic Book Movies & More
Jun 09, 2017
Everclear lead singer Art Alexakis talks about his favorite Comic Book Movies, the 20th anniversary of “So Much For The Afterglow” and more!
PLUS: Wonder Woman results are in! Has DC finally landed on money island? We bring you our spoiler-filled review of the most talked about movie of the summer
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Brief bio, credits and how you like to be referred to on air. Think Twitter Bio)
Arthur Paul “Art” Alexakis is an American musician best known as the singer, composer, and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists. Alexakis founded several record labels throughout his career, and worked as an A&R representative for major record labels, between and during his own musical projects. Later he became a political activist, and lobbied for special concerns which included drug awareness policies, and support of the families of the military
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Help us promote your stuff with some info)
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of “So Much For The Afterglow” on tour now
NEXT WEEK: With a win for Wonder Woman under their belt and Joss Whedon now at the helm, we break down the future of Justice League and the DC Universe.
SoS Ep 71: The Controversy Surrounding Wonder Woman with Sarah Walton
Jun 02, 2017
It’s Ladies night! Women’s business coach Sarah Walton joins us to break down the cultural impact behind DC’s Wonder Woman. With positive reviews hitting the ‘net will this be DC’s first and most important victory at the box office?
PLUS: Star Trek contributes to genocide…according to the trolls.
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Brief bio, credits and how you like to be referred to on air. Think Twitter Bio)
I’m a business mentor for women, specifically those in corporate who want to climb higher, those who’ve chosen to stay home and now want to start something, or entrepreneurs who are looking to take it to the next level. I’m also an author and speaker.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Help us promote your stuff with some info)
I’m launching a course about women and money and I’m speaking all over the nation. I’m also running masterminds for small groups of women over the summer to stay focused and disciplined while finding time to enjoy the summer months. Perfect for Wonder Woman, no? ;-) GOT AN OPINION? (We dig hot button issues in the industry and would be happy to hear your take)
Yep. It’s time for women to start kicking butts and taking names when it comes to money. We now we get paid about .77 cents on the dollar, so until the rest of the world catches up, it’s on us to make sure we remove that gap. We’re seeing a colossal collapse of faith in institutions right now, and that means that communities are turning more and more to women. We have to stop pretending like we “don’t get” money or acting like it’s OK and playing nice when we need to be standing up for each other and ourselves. (It’s much more fun to talk about with me in person, I promise!)
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Where can we find you online?)
NEXT WEEK: The results are in! Has DC finally landed on money island? We bring you our spoiler-filled review of #WonderWoman!
PLUS: We welcome Everclear’s lead singer Art Alexis on to talk about his favorite Comic Book Movies, the 20th anniversary of Sparkle and Fade and more!
SoS Ep 70: True Blood’s Kristina Anapau Shares Her ‘Secrets’
May 26, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire radio show and podcast we sink our teeth into True Blood actress Kristina Anapau. She dishes on the cult HBO show, her role in ‘Black Swan’ and why Vampires and Fairies weren’t supposed to hang out!
PLUS: What’s the future of the Justice League now that Joss Whedon is in charge?
Kristina Anapau Best known for her roles as Maurella on the HBO series True Blood and as Galina in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan we’ll chat about her experience on the HBO cult classic and play Fill In The Blank on the hot topics of the day.
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio)
Actress, Producer, Writer
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
Producing a kids show that airs nationwide: The John Kerwin Kids’ Show — and several other projects in development
GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about)
Currently binge watching The Wachowskis series, Sense8. BRILLIANT.
NEXT WEEK:It’s Ladies night! Actress Jordan Elizabeth Gelber of Starbaby Enterprises and women’s business coach Sarah Walton break down the female perspective behind DC’s Wonder Woman. With positive reviews hitting the ‘net will this be DC’s first and most important victory at the box office?
PLUS: You’ll get the usual male shenanigans from Mike and Hassan.
SoS Ep 69: Alien Covenant & The Best Sequels Of All Time
May 19, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire: With Alien: Covenant in theaters today and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 rocking the box office we rank the Top Franchise Sequels BETTER than the original. Where does Guardians 2, Winter Soldier, Civil War and Superman 2 rank in our countdown?
PLUS: You have a five gallon jug, and a three gallon jug…
ABOUT OUR GUEST)s): Writer Pat Shand & Filmmaker and Geekscape founder Jonathan London
PAT SHAND
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio)
PAT SHAND writes comics (Destiny NY, Vampire Emmy, Van Helsing) and novels (Iron Man, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy). He lives in New York with his fiancée Amy and their army of cats.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
CLONSTERS, an all-ages graphic novel, is currently on Kickstarter. It’s about a world populated by adventurous monsters made from clay, and we pitch it as “ADVENTURE TIME meets AAAHH! REAL MONSTERS.”
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: SPACE RIOT is out next week, IRON MAN: MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION & AVENGERS: THE SERPENT SOCIETY drop in July.
In the comics world, I’m currently working on GRIMM TALES OF TERROR, SPIRIT HUNTERS, BELLADONNA, and a bunch of other books that I can hint at.
GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about)
Yeaaaah, pretty much anything. I’ll heat up my takes for ya.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Friend You?)
@PatShand pretty much everywhere.
JONATHAN LONDON
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio) I host the podcast Geekscape!
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time) Just writing films and hosting Geekscape!
GOT A HOT TAKE? (Tell us the burning issues you’re dying to talk about) We can literally talk about any of the recent geek items, TV, film, comics or videogames. I have a hot take on almost any of it (sorry I’m not much help)!
NEXT WEEK: We sink our teeth into True Blood actress Kristin Anapau! She talks about her time on the cult HBO show, Black Swan and gives us the inside scoop on her career.
PLUS: We rank the all-time greatest Vampire flicks and shows in Pop Culture lore.
SoS Ep 68: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Review: How Many Baby Groots Make a Great Sequel?
May 12, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire, does Guardians of the Galaxy 2 live up to the original or will it suffer sequel shame? Our spoiler-filled Guardians 2 review with the folks from the Bad Coyote Funky podcast live in studio.
PLUS: New Hellboy movie! Yay! No Del Toro or Perlman? Rage!
Co-Founder | Writer | Photographer for BadCoyoteFunky. BFA with a concentration in Graphic Design. Also part of the BadCoyoteFunky Podcast. I always introduce my self as Dave The Bearded Menace so for on air refer to me as either Dave, or Dave The Bearded Menace.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Shameless Plug Time)
Part of the BadCoyoteFunky podcast which broadcast every Thursday night on twitch.tv/BadCoyoteFunky, and is available on iTunes and SoundCloud.
Cosplay Photography for every convention I go to. Hopefully starting a Star Wars themed podcast soon.
Am the Co-Founder of Steampunk Bridgeport, a Steampunk themed convention which took place in 2014 and is in the works for a return in 2018.
GOT AN OPINION? (You better if you’re coming on our show!)
Not a big fan at all of what DC is doing with their movies when it comes to the directors cut Blu-Ray releases. Basically if the movie was bad at the box office, they use the excuse of “wait until you see the directors cut. So many things we had to cut out”. Feels like a cop out to me for a bad movie and it feels like we are getting to the age of DLC for movies.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Where can we find you online?)
NEXT WEEK: We’ve got Destiny NY writer Pat Shand in studio as we welcome filmmaker & founder of the Geekscape podcast Jonathon London on our show. He’ll discuss navigating the perils of Hollywood moviemaking, podcasting and his favorite Marvel and DC films.
SoS Ep 67: We Trash ‘The Defenders’ Trailer PLUS 10 ‘Guardians 2’ Facts…1 Is a Lie
May 05, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire, we rock #TheDefenders trailer – should we be excited for the newest Marvel #Netflix extravaganza or is it trash?
PLUS: We count down 10 facts YOU need to know about #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol2 with TalkRadio.nyc guest co-host Joan Pelzer…1 is a lie!
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio) Joan is the head of JoanPelzer social along with pursuing an acting career in NYC for several years. She’s also a TalkRadio.nyc host with her new show Fridays 12pm ET called “Follow Me Friday”
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (shamless plug time!) Her show! Follow Me Friday eith Joan and Pria
GOT AN OPINION? (We dig hot button issues in the industry and would be happy to hear your take) Oh heck yeah she does…and a Spock ear!
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Where can we find you online?) Twitter: @joanpelzer
NEXT WEEK: The reviews are in as Guardians of the Galaxy 2 hits theaters! Will it live up to the original or is it destined to suffer from sequel fatigue! We go full Guardians 2 next week with the folks from the Bad Coyote Funky podcast live in studio
SoS Ep 66: Our Summer Comic Book Movie Countdown Is On
Apr 28, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire – Summer Comic Book Movie Season is upon us, including heavyweights Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Wonder Woman and more! Which summer flicks “Pop Our Corn” and which one belongs in the “DVD Bargain Bin?” We rank’em with Newsarama ‘s Chris Arrant!
PLUS: The one factor Deadpool 2 and Guardians 2 shares that could sink both franchises!
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Think Twitter Bio) I am the editor of Newsarama.com, the longest running comic book news website going. For the past 13 years here and for other venues such as Publishers Weekly, Life, USA Today, Marvel Comics, and others, I have written about the comics medium as well as its major concepts spreading out into movies, television, video games, and elsewhere.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (shamless plug time!) Just here to promote Newsarama.com and my twitter, @ChrisArrant.
GOT AN OPINION? (We dig hot button issues in the industry and would be happy to hear your take)
I’m free to talk anything about comic books, comic books being adapted to film (such as the Marvel and DC movies), or any general “geek” things.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Where can we find you online?) Twitter: @ChrisArrant
NEXT WEEK:The reviews are in as Guardians 2 kicks off the Summer Movie Madness. But will it live up to the original or is it destined to suffer from sequel fatigue! We go full Guardians 2 next week
Tone Vays is a former Wall Street Risk Analyst and current Blockchain Researcher with a focus on Bitcoin. Tone is also a Self Employed Derivatives Trader and Content Creator. Tone also spend have the year traveling and speaking at Blockchain and Economic events around the world.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Help us promote your stuff with some info)
My website is LibertyLifeTrail but most people follow my content and ideas on Twitter @ToneVays. I am also the host of several podcasts including CryptoScam, On The Record with Tone Vays and a twice weekly Economics and Trading show on my YouTube Channel. Tone is part of the WorldCryptoNetwork where we have a weekly show talking about the latest news in Bitcoin and other Crypto Currencies & Blockchains. Tone has also recently started consulting for private individuation looking to become better traders and for companies seeking a better understanding of Blockchain Technology.
GOT AN OPINION? (We dig hot button issues in the industry and would be happy to hear your take)
I have opinions on everything from Economics to Politics to Climate & of course Trends in Pop Culture.
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Where can we find you online?)
Brad Szollose (pronounced zol-us) has helped some big companies work with and understand Millennials, including Tony Robbins and MasterCard World Wide. Brad is TEDX Speaker, Web pioneer and the author of the award-winning, bestseller Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia, which delves into generational differences and new management styles of the 21st Century.
Brad’s insights on the next generation has been featured in Forbes, Inc.,The Huffington Post,New York Magazine,Inc.,Advertising Age, and The International Business Times…, but the real reason we are having him on Secrets of The Sire is he is a graphic designer and creative director by trade, and has had a love for comic books since he was a kid. Brad is going to explain how Science Fiction and Video Games and MMORPGs really influenced anyone born after 1984, far more than you may realize.
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? (Help us promote your stuff with some info)
Showing companies how to use Gamification as a Management Tool, and turning it into a book.
Working on the audio version of Journeys to Success: The Millennial Edition.
When are they going to make a ThunderCats Movie?
GOT AN OPINION? (We dig hot button issues in the industry and would be happy to hear your take)
How has Manga influenced Marvel and DC…has it forced them to up their game? How is DC choking their own brand?
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Where can we find you online?)
Twitter: @BradSzollose @LiquidLeader Blog: LiquidLeadership.com Brad Solus
NEXT WEEK: With Summer Comic Book Movie season around the corner we welcome Newsarama’s Chris Arrant to help break down the most anticipated Superhero flick of the season!
SoS Ep 64: Thor: Ragnarok Trailer Review & Pop Culture Jeopardy
Apr 14, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire we welcome fellow TalkRadio.nyc host Kai Cole and prolific author Dara Lyons on the show to battle it out at Celebrity #PopCulture jeopardy!
PLUS: We break down the Thor: Ragnarok trailer and shwo why DC will NEVER catch up to Marvel with their films
In the second grade, Dara (or “Daralyse Lyons” as her angry teacher called her) was sent to the principal’s office for misbehaving. When she arrived, instead of going in to see the principal and accept her punishment, Dara lied about having a stomachache and needing to see the nurse. She’s been telling stories and putting on performances ever since.
Dara is a summa cum laude graduate of New York University with a Bachelors in Arts and Science. A true over-achiever, she double-majored in English Literature and Religious Studies and minored in History.
She has written numerous articles and short stories, sixteen full-length novels, a nonfiction book about yoga, and two children’s books. Her work has been read by over half a million readers.
A few biographical notes:
1. I’ve been skydiving and parasailing and I love rollercoasters (but I’m afraid of heights) 2. I saw Star Wars for the first time last year at 32. 3. I’m a yoga teacher
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? I recently finished writing a memoir that I’m shopping around. (Lots of juicy stuff – the premise for the book is Two of Me about being biracial, bisexual, bulimic and bipolar and finding an integrated sense of self while being torn between extremes).
I’m editing a novel – Yoga Cocaine – which I wrote a screenplay for, and, when that’s done, I’ll be looking for a publisher.
WHAT DO YOU DO? Kai Cole of Kai Society (PR & Marketing), Host of Kai Society Radio (about Tribe Architecture) and Partner/Tribe Architect of The Healing Farm (NY’s Premiere farm for herbs and healing)
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? Healing Farm (www.healing.farm) is located in New Hampton, NY (about an hour drive from the city) and is 100 acres of organic goodness where you can come and cultivate your super powers. Our next event is Earth Day – full day of #farmlife. Visit our animals, bond with the land, engage in workshops and healing practices – kid friendly, no cost,
GOT AN OPINION? I love Hawaiian Shirts and will be wearing one (I hope Hassan will too) Love the show Legion and the Path (use them as inspiration for my projects)
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES (Where can we find you online?) healing.farm Kaisociety.com @iamkaicole
NEXT WEEK: The new Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer hits the net next week and we’ve got Superfans – Bitcoin expert Tone Vays and Author Brad Szollose – to help break it down!
SoS Ep 63: Joss Whedon and the DC Movies Sure To Go Wrong
Apr 07, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire we discuss the new Batgirl movie helmed by Avengers director Joss Whedon and the future DC Films sure to go wrong (given their track record thus far)!
PLUS: We welcome ‘Funny or Die’ comedian Alex Berg to talk FX’s Legion, Marvel fatigue and we play ‘Pitch Party’ where we re imagine 70s TV shows in the here and now!
WHAT DO YOU DO? (Brief bio and how you like to be referred to on air. Think Twitter Bio)
I’m an improviser, actor, and comedian living in LA. Sometimes people pay me to write stuff. I’m also a science nerd!
WHAT DO YOU GOT GOING ON THESE DAYS? I’m in the middle of pitching a few TV shows, which sounds like a much bigger, cooler deal than it actually is. I’m also recording a podcast called Braids for Howl, which is Earwolf’s premium content label. Braids is a trippy science show, meant to feel like the stoned 3am conversation everybody has freshman year of college about how big the universe is. I think it works? Who knows!
GOT AN OPINION? I’m kind of over Marvel TV shows, but Legion is a notable exception. Also, the new Mass Effect game is deeply, deeply flawed, but very, very fun. I don’t think either of those are hot button? But they’re what’s on my mind these days.
FOLLOW OUR GUEST: @ActuallyBerg on twitter. There’s a fake me on Facebook at facebook.com/berg420, but that’s a fake profile using my face and name run by about two dozen devoted comedians.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome fellow TalkRadio.nyc host Kai Cole and prolific author Dara Lyons on the show to dish on the latest Pop Culture goodness!
SoS Ep 62: We play ‘Truth or Trash’ with the Justice League and Spider-Man trailers
Mar 31, 2017
So you know when you watch a movie trailer and it’s like “Awesome! Spidey and Iron Man are holding a boat together that must be the climactic action sequence,” or “Wow! Batman cracked a joke! This movie must be super funny!”
But then you watch the movie and you’re like wait a minute…that trailer lied to me (I’m looking at you Suicide Squad)!
On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Sire we play ‘Truth or Trash’ with the Justice League and Spider-Man: Homecoming trailers. Hassan and host Mike Dolce break down the key moments of each trailer and predict what scenes will actually ring true when the movie hits the big screen.
PLUS: Ghost in the Shell hits theaters this weekend – does anyone care?
NEXT WEEK: We welcome comedian and actor Alex Berg on from the Funny or Die parody ‘Gay of Thrones’ to talk about the return of your favorite fantasy action sexual thriller. And we’ll talk about the new Game of Thrones trailers while we’re at it.
SoS EP 61: Power Rangers Movie: Worth Our 12 Bucks Or Better Left In The 90s?
Mar 24, 2017
On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Sire we welcome “Is It Plugged In?” host Adam Jeffrey Weinberg and GamerxVault.com’s Benny Rose on to debate whether we should see the new Power Rangers movie or check our 90s nostalgia at the door.
Benny Rose is a writer and event reporter for Gaming-age.com and content creator at www.Gamerxvault.com
Everyone knows him as Benny Rose. His twitter and Instagram is @itsbennyrose He’s also a jack of many trades including playing drums, guitar, bass and synth. A huge fan Power Rangers, The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts and Resident Evil.
PLUS: He just started creating video content including unboxings, impressions, interviews and more for Gamer X Vault
FINALLY! Being a new dad he has a 10-month-old son so balancing time between the day job which is not Gaming Age and everything else.
In the process of starting a new podcast with other Gaming Age staff. He’s a former co-host for the Media Masterminds podcast: http://mediamasterminds.podomatic.com/
FOLLOW OUR GUEST ON:
@ItsBennyRose
NEXT WEEK: Ghost in the Shell comes out, but will it vanish from theaters or is the age of female driven action films here for good! We welcome director and VP of marketing at Paramount Pictures Marcus Perry on the show to give us the inside scoop!
SoS Ep 60: It’s 90s Comic Book Movie March Madness
Mar 17, 2017
We pit 16 of the best comic book movies from the 1990s against each other bracket style with guest Bobby Semelsberger of “That’s So 90s” podcast! Which fan-fave will come out on top?
Bobby Semelsberger is a videographer, editor, and podcaster. Host the That’s So 90’s Podcast and editor for Fox Sports Digital. The That’s So 90’s Podcast discusses everything in the world of 90’s pop culture. We take a look back at the movies and television that shaped the decade to determine if it’s really as magical as we all remember it being.
FOLLOW OUR GUEST ON:
@CaptainBoberto @ThatsSo90sPod
NEXT WEEK: It’s crossover time! “Is it Plugged In” host Adam Jeffrey Weinberg welcomes Secrets of the Sire on his show at 7pm and we return the courtesy at 8pm where we’ll talk Power Rangers and more!
SoS Ep 59: Logan – Love It Or Shove It?
Mar 10, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire, we sink our claws into Logan with guest, Marvel Custom Comics editor Darren Sanchez.
Did we love it or shove it? Where does it rank among all X-Men films? And what are the burning questions left unanswered? We put the definitive bow on this acclaimed Marvel/Fox film.
Darren Sanchez is a Producer and Consultant in the development of Intellectual Properties (IP’s) through After Hours Press. As an independent comic book publisher AHP has specialized in developing new IP and new franchises through comic books since 2001. AHP also consults on existing IP’s and developing creator owned titles. Bringing ideas to life as comics, is a specialty of AHP.
Today, Darren works as Custom Comics Editor at Marvel Comics.
NEXT WEEK: We go back to the greatest time period in creative history! No, not the Renaissance…the 90s! We welcome the host from That’s So 90’s on to talk the Top 5 90s comic book movies of all time!
SoS Ep 58: New York Times Best Seller Chris Brogan Talks Suicide Squad, Batman & More
Mar 03, 2017
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire we put the definitive bow on the #Oscars with New York Times bestselling author and super hero enthusiast Chris Brogan. From envelope malfunctions to Suicide Squad’s big win, we cover it all!
PLUS: We play “Hero of Zero” with Chris – can you guess which superhero is real and which one we cleverly made up?
Chris Brogan provides strategy and skills for the modern business. He is CEO of Owner Media Group, a sought after public speaker, and the New York Times bestselling author of nine books and working on his tenth. Ask him about it!
Justin Gray is an author and graphic novelist. He’s worked for some of the largest North American comic book publishers (including DC Comics), media companies and content providers. He co-created The Monolith which is in development at LionsGate.
He just launched a Kickstarter for a Mature Readers collection of stories called “Jail Bait & Trailer Trash”
Jeff Gomez is an expert at transmedia storytelling, incubating new entertainment properties, strategic planning and production for cross-platform implementation.
As CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, an animation and live-action feature film production company and leading creator of highly successful fictional worlds, Jeff transforms intellectual properties into highly successful transmedia franchises. He also extends niche properties such as toys, animation or videogame titles across multiple platforms, evolving them into high quality persistent narratives, which in turn generate multiple revenue streams for his clients.
Jeff has worked on such blockbuster universes as Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia and Tron, Microsoft’s Halo, James Cameron’s Avatar, Hasbro’s Transformers, Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Coca-Cola’s Happiness Factory.
FOLLOW OUR GUEST ON:
Twitter as @Jeff_Gomez
NEXT WEEK: We welcome DC writer Justin Grey. He’s got a new Kickstarter campaign running that he is thrilled to talk about. PLUS: How he stalked Joe Quesada into giving him his first break in comics.
Pat completed a recent successful Kickstarter campaign for Destiny NY as well as finishing up runs on Hellchild, Van Helsing. He’s got a new release through Boundless called Hellina. He is also writing several Marvel novels: Iron Man, Avengers, more and is starting to work on a series of YouTube shows, pursuing content creation on other platforms.
FOLLOW OUR GUEST ON:
everywhere as @PatShand
NEXT WEEK: We welcome transmedia guru Jeff Gomez to the studio to break down Legion, Riverdale and LEGO Batman!
SoS Ep 54: Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza Sets The Record Straight & Sad Ben Affleck Sinks The Batman
Feb 03, 2017
On this week’s Secrets of the Sire #podcast: Think Deadpool was an homage to DC’s Deathstroke? THINK AGAIN! Co-Creator Fabian Nicieza gets fired up on this week’s podcast!
PLUS: Sad Ben Affleck may have sunk DC Films. We give you our take on him stepping down from “The Batman”
Fabian Nicieza been a writer in the entertainment industry for 30 years with over 1,000 comics written and 100 million copies sold. From Superman to Spider-Man, Buffy to Barbie, he’s worked on hundreds of established properties.
He co-created Deadpool for Marvel and developed the Hot Wheels World Race brand extension for Mattel.
The majority of his work now is with Starlight Runner Entertainment, working on intellectual property management and brand narrative extensions for movie studios, video game and toy companies, international product brands and government institutions.
I am of the opinion that we all have too many opinions and are mostly interested in only hearing our own.
FOLLOW OUR GUEST ON:
Twitter: @fabiannicieza
NEXT WEEK: We welcome former Zenescope writer and current Marvel novelist Pat Shand in studio to talk about his new Iron Man novel.
PLUS: He gives us insight into his successfully funded Destiny NY comic book through Kickstarter.
Dynamite Entertainment’s “Charmed” #1, written by Erica Schultz and illustrated by Maria Sanapo, with covers by Sanapo and Joe Corroney, available March 8, 2017, in support of The CW ordering up a script for a new “Charmed” series, set in 1976, ‘re-imagining’ the original Aaron Spelling series, that previously aired for eight seasons on CW.
HER SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
@ericaschultz42 and ericaschultzwrites on Instagram. My website is EricaSchultzWrites.com.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Deadpool co-creator and writer Fabian Nicieza to share his thoughts on the juggernaut that was Deadpool and the Oscar snub.
PLUS: What’s it like having your own highway named after you in a movie?
SoS EP 52: Pop Culture TV In 2017: To Suck Or Not To Suck
Jan 19, 2017
Defenders! Game of Thrones! Riverdale! We break down Pop Culture TV In 2017 – what to schedule our DVR for or not (did you know there’s a show called Powerless debuting Feb 2? Neither did we!)
PLUS: We’re going to be joined by Buddy Scalera, former Deadpool scribe and creator of Comic Book School talking craft and piracy
Buddy Scalera is a comic book writer, book author, educator, and marketing consultant. He is best known for his work on Deadpool for Marvel Comics, but he has written and published a large variety of comics. He broke into comics as a journalist, which led to his role as Online Editor for Wizard Entertainment, where he launched the original Wizard World online.
He just completed a custom publishing project for Marvel Custom Publishing. We created a health education campaign for the education of IBD. You can find more at IBDUnmasked.com. We actually did a full educational session with patients and healthcare professionals to develop a brand new superhero character.
Also, his 6th book hit the shelves last year. It was actually a repackaging and redesign of my first book of photo reference. he’s currently creating original properties, which are going up on Comixology. The first was Necrotic, the next will be Crisis, and then Apocalypse Blvd will be next. HIS SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
facebook.com/ComicBookSchool.com
@ComicBookSchool
@BuddyScalera
NEXT WEEK: We tackle writing with DC comics’ Erica Schultz. Not literally of course. We’ll basically just be talking.
SoS Ep 51: Secrets of the Sire is ‘No Angel’
Jan 13, 2017
We play “Fact or Fiction” with No Angel scribe Eric Palicki as we chat about his new hit comic book co-written by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress Adrianne Palicki
PLUS: We continue our look at the most anticipated films shows and comics for 2017 including Guardians 2, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming and more!
NEXT WEEK: We celebrate our 1-year anniversary as a podcast with writer Justin Grey on to talk DC comics, Kickstarter and the ever elusive goal of steady comic book work.
PLUS: We break down the TV landscape for 2017 – what we’ll be setting our DVR for this year.
SoS Ep 50: Paul Jenkins Talks Alters & Women In Comics
Jan 06, 2017
Secrets of the Sire turns 50! We welcome guest co-host, Joe Mulvey (SCAM, Mummys All Right) in studio and comic book icon Paul Jenkins via phone to talk his latest After Shock project Alters!
PLUS: What chance does Deadpool have of taking home the Golden Globe and we count down or Top 5 Movies To Come in 2017
NEXT WEEK: For our 50th episode we do 2017 kickoff bash so big it will make your head explode. We welcome creator Joe Mulvey in studio and comic book icon Paul Jenkins via technology to talk about his latest movie comics and TV projects!
PLUS: Golden Globes – what chance does Deadpool have of taking home the gold and completely reinventing the game?
SoS Ep 49: Star Wars: Rogue One vs Force Awakens
Dec 23, 2016
Love it or shove it? We give you OUR take on Star Wars: Rogue One vs Force Awakens. Which movie is better? My response may surprise you.
PLUS: Writer Alex Segura from ARCHIE COMICS drops by to talk about his crime novels and the future of Riverdale’s favorite resident
Listen on SoundCloud:
About Our Guest: Alex Segura: Writer of the Miami crime novels SILENT CITY and DOWN THE DARKEST STREET out now via @PolisBooks. Writer at Archie Comics. Editor @drkcirclecomics.
NEXT WEEK: For our 50th episode we do an end of the year bash so big it will make your explode. We run down the “Best of the Best” from 2016 and look ahead to a jam packed 2017 in the world of pop culture.
SoS Ep 48: Warren Simons from Valiant Comics Talks X-O Manowar, Harbinger & More
Dec 16, 2016
On the latest Secrets of the Sire Podcast we welcome Warren Simons from Valiant Comics to talk about the X-O Manowar & Harbinger relaunches & the future direction of the company.
PLUS: Deadpool was nominated for a Golden Globe! Wha? Really? That can’t be right…
Listen on SoundCloud:
About Our Guest: Warren Simons is the E-I-C of Valiant Comics. He came on to talk about three big events coming down the pipeline for the company:
-X-O Manowar #1, coming out in March 2017, which will be our biggest launch of the year. It stars one of biggest characters, X-O Manowar, as he starts a new life on an alien planet that he will conquer.
-Divinity III: Stalinverse #1, out on December 21st, which is our event-level epic of the winter. Essentially, this is Valiant’s “Age of Apocalypse” or Flashpoint,” where the world as we know has been rewritten into a Communist-ruled reality.
-Harbinger Renegade #1, which has been our biggest launch of the year. It stars our fan-favorite team of super-powered teenagers, and will lead to our massive event of 2018, Harbinger Wars 2.
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Alex Segura from Archie Comics on to talk Riverdale and more. PLUS: We begin our “Best of the Best” countdown of 2016 – the year that was
SoS Ep 47: We Break Down The Westworld Season Finale
Dec 09, 2016
On the latest Secrets of the Sire Podcast we talk Westworld season finale – Is this show the next Game of Thrones or will it suffer a True Detective like Season 2 fate?
PLUS: We welcome Jason Powell author of the definitive Chris Claremont/X-Men book and break down his epic 18 year run on the title.
Listen on SoundCloud:
About This Week‘s Guest: Jason Powell
The book is “The Best There Is At What He Does: Examining Chris Claremont’s X-Men.” Facebook page for that is https://www.facebook.com/claremonts.xmen/ The book can be purchased on Amazon, and there is also information about it at Sequart.org.
Writer: Superhero musical, “Fortuna the Time-Bender Vs. The Schoolgirls of Doom.”
The Facebook page for that is:
https://www.facebook.com/FortunaTheTimeBender/
Here is his own Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JasonPowellSongwriter/
SoS Ep 46: Sculptor David Silva, X-Men News & More
Dec 02, 2016
We welcome Creative Beast Studio ‘s David Silva to discuss action figures, godzilla and his successfully funded Kickstarter for Beasts of the Mezosoic!
PLUS: What does the new X-Men Blue & Gold comic book launch mean for Marvel Studios? Are the wheels in motion for a Marvel/Fox crossover?
Listen on SoundCloud:
About This Week’s Guest: David Silva is a sculptor for NECA, specializing in collectible action figures. He has worked at McFarlane and Hasbro. More recently he successfully funded the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor Series- (dinosaur action figures), and owner of Creative Beast Studio.
Kickstarter page: Beasts of the Mesozoic- Raptor Series
SoS Ep 45: The Top Ten Pop Culture Goodies of 2016 To Be Thankful For
Nov 28, 2016
Where does Margot Robbie land on our Top Ten Pop Culture Goodies of 2016 we’re thankful for? Listen to our latest podcast to find out!
Plus: Actor Christopher T. Wood joins us to talk about his new film “Time To Kill” and following your Hollywood dream.
Listen on SoundCloud:
About This Week’s Guest: Christopher T. Wood: Actor/Writer living in Los Angeles CA. Starred in the film “Time To Kill” and “Her First Black Guy” and has three scripts in the pipeline: Fagen (A historical war drama), Catharsis(feature/horror) and The Book on the Door(short).
Get in touch with him via Twitter: @Ctwood137 @TimeToKillMovie
NEXT WEEK: We welcome David Silva, sculptor for NECA, specializing in collectible action figures. He has worked at McFarlane and Hasbro and has recently funded is successful KickStarter Project, Beasts of the Mesozoic.
SoS Ep 44: Star Wars: Rogue One – Is Too Much Star Wars A Good Thing?
Nov 18, 2016
We break down the latest Star Wars project: Star Wars: Rogue One and ask the question is too much Star Wars a good thing?
Plus: Marvel’s Inhumans: Did Agents of SHIELD ruin the new TV show/IMAX experience before it ever gets off the ground?
Listen on SoundCloud:
About This Week’s Guest: “It Came From The Radio” is a syndicated radio show airing weekday nights on WARY 88.1 FM, online (Thursdays 4pm EST) on www.beyondthedawnstudios.com or on demand on I heart Radio.
On the air since 2003: Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook pages all “It Came From The Radio” or @ICFTR
SoS Ep 43: Talking Video Game Merch Post Election 2016 With Project TriForce
Nov 11, 2016
#Election2016 got you down? We welcomed Project TriForce on to talk the best Video Game merch coming for the holidays: Gears of War, Batman: Arkham Origins, Assasin’s Creed and more!
Oh, and we talked about the election. Duh.
Listen on SoundCloud:
About This Week’s Guest: TriForce Sales, LLC based in New York, NY is a high-end creator of officially licensed 1:1 scale replicas from some of the most recognizable video games. TriForce uses state-of-the-art processes, materials, techniques and equipment to create the most realistic products available on the market today.
SoS Ep 42: Talking Election 2016 w/Editorial Cartoonist Randy Bish
Nov 04, 2016
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire we welcome Political Cartoonist Randy Bish to talk the greatest pop culture reality show on the planet: Election 2016! Will we actually vote Trump into office??
PLUS: Deadpool 2 is in big trouble! We break down their directorial woes. And why the fate of the MCU rests with Doctor Strange.
Listen on SoundCloud:
About This Week’s Guest:
Randy Bish, an award winning Editorial Cartoonist for over 31 years for the Tribune-Review and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His cartoons are distributed by Cagle Cartoons and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. (Cagle.com)
He’s got have a new collection of some of my cartoons from this election posted on his Facebook page @Bishtoons.
SoS EP 41: Has Walking Dead Jumped The Shark? [SPOILERS]
Oct 28, 2016
On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Sire we go FULL Walking Dead! The Walking Dead Season 7 Premiere was rife with violence and death but did it go over the top? Or was it merely being faithful to the comic book?
We discuss with Rus Wooton, part of the Walking Dead comic book creative team.
Listen on SoundCloud:
Here is a snippet from the show:
“I’m done.”
That was my initial reaction after watching the episode earlier this week (in my case Monday morning…not the way to start your work week off believe me)
So I walked away thinking that’s it. Not because the violence was over-the-top (it was). Not because I didn’t see the deaths coming (I did…and then I didn’t) but mainly because it just stopped being fun. I had this whole top 10 deaths in comcis and movies bit planned. You know the Gwen Stacy, the Jean Grey, the Han Solo…nope. Not doing it. This wasn’t fun. The deaths in this episode wasn’t fun. I didn’t walk away feeling like I have in the past. I didn’t walk away feeling like I have for Game of Thrones. This was just. Not. Fun.
NEXT WEEK: We’ll bring Rus BACK on next week to discuss all the Walking Dead stuff he WASN’T allowed to spill this week. PLUS: we gauge YOUR reaction to the brutal death. And we countdown the Top 10 most powerful deaths in comics and movies!
SoS EP 40: How EW Got The Super Hero Power List All Wrong
Oct 22, 2016
On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Sire: We talk Entertainment Weekly’s #SuperHeroPowerList and how they got it all wrong!
PLUS: We welcome Walking Dead’s letterer Rus Wooton on to talk about working on the popular comic book series and the most anticipated upcoming season premiere on television! Who lives? Who dies? Find out HERE!
NEXT WEEK: We’ll bring Rus BACK on next week to discuss all the Walking Dead stuff he WASN’T allowed to spill this week. PLUS: we gauge YOUR reaction to the brutal death. And we countdown the Top 10 most powerful deaths in comics and movies!
SoS Podcast Ep 39: Power Rangers, Walking Dead & Our Full NY ComicCon Recap!
Oct 14, 2016
On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Sire: Is the Power Rangers movie the next Batman V Superman? Has it jumped the shark already by going too dark? A great article on The Guardian poses that exact question:
“There is something quite off-kilter about the idea of a Power Rangers movie with a budget of $150m, and starring – for goodness sake – Hollywood big hitters such as Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks. This could never have happened before the current explosion of comic-book movies, and the debut teaser trailer for Dean Israelite’s 2017 movie leaves us wondering whether a big-budget take on the long-running TV show might be the worst idea since Josh Trank’s dark and brooding Fantastic Four last year.”
PLUS: Walking Dead Season 7, Ken Bone and our NYCC recap with Derek Becker of Comic Pros & Cons
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Russ Wooton, letterer on The Walking Dead to talk season 7! Who’s on the end of Negan’s bat? What other surprises are we in store for?
SoS Special Edition: LIVE from New York Comic Con 2016
Oct 09, 2016
We broadcast LIVE from the ComixTribe Booth at New York Comic Con 2016. We talk the show itself and give you insight into all the cool stuff happening around the show
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Derek Becker from Pros and Cons to talk about the phenomenon of comic book podcasting and give his take on the issues of the industry!
SoS Ep 38: Luke Cage, Werewolves, Wolverine 3, New York Comic Con and Ben Freakin’ Affleck!
Oct 07, 2016
On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Sire We talk Luke Cage – has Marvel gone too far with sex and violence?
PLUS: Daniel Leister talks his new Kickstarter Werewolf Run, we dissect Tim Burton’s buffoonery, Wolverine 3 gets a title, we preview New York ComicCon and Ben Freakin’ Affleck! All On The Latest Episode of Secrets of the Sire!
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
NEXT WEEK: We welcome Derek Becker from Pros and Cons to talk about the phenomenon of comic book podcasting and give his take on the issues of the industry!
SoS Ep 37: The “Best of the Best” DC Comics TV Shows, NYCC Warmup and BIG Announcement
Sep 30, 2016
On this week’s episode of Secrets of the Sire we let YOU decide the BEST DC TV Show on the air today. It came down to Arrow vs Flash vs Gotham vs Supergirl (with Legends of Tomorrow thrown in for good measure) PLUS: With New York Comic Con around the corner we ask: Has the ComicCon bubble already burst?
BONUS: Secrets of the Sire want to thank our new Executive Producer: Bryan Philips for backing us on Patreon.com/secretsofthesire. Click the link and find out how you can become part of the team!
And we are happy to announce that we’ll be broadcasting TWICE next week in honor of New York Comic Con. Catch us Wednesday at our usual time 8pm ET on Talkingalternative.com and AGAIN Thursday at 7pm ET from the ComixTribe booth LIVE from the show floor!
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
NEXT WEEK: Horror fans rejoice! Dangerous Dan Leister joins us to talk his new Kickstarter Werewolf Run as part of our special NYCC lead up. Then join us for a special SECOND broadcast Thursday at 7pm LIVE from NYCC! It’s going to be outstanding!!!
SoS Ep 36: Game of Thrones vs The Emmys 2016, Daredevil vs Jessica Jones, and MAJOR Harley Quinn news
Sep 23, 2016
SoS Ep 36: We give our post mortem on Emmys 2016! Game of Thrones won big but why’d the actors get snubbed? Why is Transparent a comedy? And who the heck watches Bloodlines anyway?
PLUS: MAJOR Harley Quinn movie and TV news! And we continue our “Best of the Best” debate as we pit Daredevil vs Jessica Jones with guest Scott Rosenberg from AMNY.
BONUS: Secrets of the Sire want to thank our new Program Director: Bryan Philips for backing us on Patreon.com/secretsofthesire. Click the link and find out how you can become part of the team!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
Host Michael Dolce: Emmys 2016: Why is Transparent a Comedy Anyway?
Scott Rosenberg: “It shouldn’t be. Maybe the first season, but it’s definitely more of a drama these days.”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
NEXT WEEK: We begin our New York ComicCon Prep as we welcome former Deadpool writer and current Comic Book School specialist Buddy Scalera on the show!
SoS Ep 35: Pop Culture Throwdown! Doctor Who Vs. Archer Vs. Stranger Things
Sep 16, 2016
SoS Ep 35: Pop Culture Throwdown! We kick off our “Best of the Best” in Pop Culture TV with 3 fans trying to convince me to watch their show: Stranger Things, Doctor Who or Archer. See who wins out!
Plus: Batman V Superman Easter Eggs, South Park & More!
BONUS: Secrets of the Sire want to thank our new UBER FAN: Christina Dolce for backing us on Patreon.com/secretsofthesire. Click the link and find out how you can become part of the team!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
Archer Vs Doctor Who vs Stranger Things
“Doctor Who is so old even the BBC lost the tapes”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
NEXT WEEK: We welcome amNew York’s Entertainment Editor Scott Rosenberg on to debate more pop culture and give his best stories as part of the NY Media!
SoS Ep 34: Doctor Strange, Supergirl ArtistaCon & More!
Sep 09, 2016
On this week’s SoS podcast we dish on what we know about Marvel’s upcoming Doctor Strange flick and the casting controversy surrounding Tilda Swinton!
PLUS: Supergirl’s Tyler Hoechen takes a shot at Zack Snyder and we welcome ArtistaCon’s Chris Kotsakis, Enrico Botta and writer Mark Poulton on to discuss this all-new, all-different ComicCon celebrating the creative process and helping mentor up-and-coming creators.
BONUS: Secrets of the Sire want to thank our new EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Steven Hoveke for backing us on Patreon.com/secretsofthesire. Click the link and find out how you can become part of the team!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
Doctor Strange Test Screenings Have Been Positive Last month it was reported by Collider that director Scott Derrickson said the test screenings turned out positive and they love Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance.
“We’ve had a few test screenings, and the overwhelming thing I’ve learned is that people love Benedict Cumberbatch in this movie. They just love him. You know, it’s kind of the headline I guess. They love the visuals, they love the action. But more than that they love Benedict, and he is Doctor Strange.”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: We go spinning the racks to bring you the very latest on the Pop Culture universe! Infinity War! Star Wars! Walking Dead and more! PLUS: We’re working on a very VERY big guest. We’ll give you the deets when you tune in 8pm TalkingAlternative.com
SoS EP 33: Fall TV Preview! Walking Dead, Arrow, Flash, Agents of SHIELD & More!
Sep 02, 2016
This week on Secrets of the Sire podcast Episode 33: Who will be the victim at the end of Negan’s bat in Walking Dead? Which TV Universe are you looking forward to the most, Marvel or DC? Will Riverdale Flop? Join us for our Fall TV Preview!
BONUS: Secrets of the Sire want to thank our new PROGRAM DIRECTOR Stephanie Dolce and our DEDICATED FAN Eimar Peterson for backing us on Patreon.com/secretsofthesire. Click the link and find out how you can become part of the team!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
Fall TV Fill In The Blank! Question 1: Walking Dead: The victim at the end of Negan’s bat will be_________
“Not Glenn. Now I don’t want to spoil anything for anybody but in the comics…
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS Ep 32: Spider-Man: Homecoming And The Controversy Of ‘Race Swapping’ In Movies
Aug 26, 2016
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire radio show & podcast we talk Spider-Man: Homecoming and the controversial casting of Disney child star Zendaya as Mary Jane Watson. Has “race swapping” become an issue in comic book movies? Or is there a larger agenda at play that could result in the downfall of Marvel movies as we know it?
Plus: We welcome Sailor Moon Crystal ADR writer Deborah Crane to talk about the show, the business and the best Anime and Manga titles you need to consume!
BONUS: Want to be an Exec producer and submit questions to our upcoming guests? Want access to our entire archive of podcasts, never before aired interviews and exclusive video content? Or back stage access and show outlines before every show airs? Then hop on over to our Patreon page right now and start backing Secrets of the Sire! With your help we can grow our podcast beyond the weekly format.
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
Zendaya in Spider-Man: Homecoming: Is Race The Issue Or Something Deeper?
“While Zendaya is of mixed race, it’s not far fetched that she could pull off red hair which is really the core characteristic the Mary Jane Watson character is ascribed to. In fact there are several photos of Zendaya with red hair on the internet and her appearance is pretty close to what Mary Jane would look like despite the mixed ethnicity.
No, it was an article posted on a web site called Grunge prior to the Mary Jane casting announcement that insinuated something far more sinister at foot regarding Marvel’s parent corporation in Disney.”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: Fall Preview! Who made it past Negan’s bat in Walking Dead? How’s Dr. Strange going to fare compared to other Marvel Movies? Green Arrow, Supergirl, Daredevil, Flash and more!
SoS Ep 31: Deadpool 2 Casting News, Suicide Squad Silver Linings, Aspen Comics & More!
Aug 19, 2016
On the latest episode of Secrets of the Sire radio show & podcast we breakdown 5 signs of HOPE for DC following Suicide Squad.
Plus: Deadpool 2 Casting News, George Takei Controversy revisited and we welcome Vince Hernandez from ASPEN COMICS on the show to talk the Aspen Universe: Revelations and breaking into comics! All this and we OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED OUR PATREON PAGE!
Want to be an Exec producer and submit questions to our upcoming guests? Want access to our entire archive of podcasts, never before aired interviews and exclusive video content? Or back stage access and show outlines before every show airs? This is the Patreon Page for you!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
[Suicide Squad] proved a DC movie could be fun
“The marketing showed a DC movie could be fun again. Did you catch Ben Affleck smiling in the Justice League trailer? That’s a direct result of Suicide Squad.”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS Ep 30: Suicide Squad – DC’s Savior Or Worst Film Yet?
Aug 12, 2016
On the latest Secrets of the Sire #Podcast: We break down the aftermath of Suicide Squad’s record breaking opening. How can a movie that took in $135M still end up a flop? We discuss!
PLUS: We welcomed Bubba The Redneck Werewolf creator Mitch Hyman on the show to talk about his movie, the indie comic that inspired it and his 20 years in the business!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
On The dropoff from Friday to Saturday faced by Suicide Squad and how the reviews of the film played into it:
“The reviews are usually a barometer of a big drop next weekend. I don’t know that it’ll be as bad as Batman v Superman (which tumbled 69% after opening with $166 million in March) but it’s still not quite on par with what Marvel is doing. All their films received really high marks across the board.”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: Is “Old Man Logan” on the horizon for the final installment of Wolverine?
PLUS: We welcome Vince Hernandez from Aspen Comics to talk about all their exciting projects.
SoS Ep 29: Will Suicide Squad Be DC’s Deadpool Or Another Batman V Superman Debacle?
Aug 05, 2016
On the latest Secrets of the Sire #Podcast: The moment of truth is here for DC’s much hyped bad-guy superhero flick Suicide Squad. But with the reviews in from critics, it’s sounding more Batman V Superman than Deadpool. We discuss that and more with Human Echoes Podcast’s own Tony Southcotte!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
There’s a lot at stake for the DC movie universe when Suicide Squad debuts in theaters this Friday. And writer/director David Ayer knows it.
He told Entertainment Weekly as much when asked about the pressure he now faces, brought on by the dismal performance at both the box office and from critics of DC’s supposed tent pole superhero flick Batman V Superman.
“Two years ago ¬Suicide Squad was a tertiary
[DC property]. No one knew anything about it. It was a cool little playground, and I was going to go make my movie,” David Ayer said in the interview.
That’s a very interesting statement. Let me read it again. “I was going to make my movie. Does this suggest that it isn’t his anymore?
“Now it’s like the hype bus. All of the attention has swung onto it, and it has to carry a lot more weight than it was ever intended to. I think it can sustain it. But it’s a lot of pressure. You definitely feel the pressure.”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: We analyze the fallout from Suicide Squad. Critics hated it, but what did fans think?
PLUS: Halloween comes early when we welcome Bubba The Redneck Werewolf creator Mitch Hyman on to discuss his new film!
SoS Ep 28: ComicCon 2016 The Good, The Bad, The Kevin Bacon Interview!
Jul 31, 2016
We give you our thoughts on the winners and losers of ComicCon 2016 including the brand new Justice League, Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad trailers that debuted at the show.
PLUS: We interview actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael about their rock and roll band!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
Kevin Bacon Interview
MD: The six degrees of Kevin Bacon took hold before the idea of “going viral” even existed. Do you revel in it? Are you sick of it?
KB: I don’t know if I revel in it so much. But it’s one of those things that doesn’t show any signs of going away. I think the idea is actually sort of a powerful one because
[even] if you take me out of it, everyone wants to be connected.
Am I technically one degree now after this interview?
KB: Technically, no [laughs]. We have to be in a film together. But if you’d like to consider yourself one degree, as far as I’m concerned, that’s fine.
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: Suicide Squad: Boom or Bust for the DC Universe? With all eyes on David Ayer’s new film starring Will Smith, Margot Robie and Jared Leto, we welcome Tony Southcotte from the Human Echoes Podcast to chat about whether or not Suicide Squad will make or break the DC Universe.
PLUS: Is Harley Quinn DC’s Deadpool?
And finally – there’s still time to pledge the “Worst Kickstarter In History” Plan 10:
SoS Episode 27: LIVE From San Diego ComicCon 2016
Jul 22, 2016
On the latest episode of the Secrets of the Sire radio show and podcast: We are coming at you LIVE from San Diego ComicCon 2016. Broadcasting from the Zenescope Booth during Wednesday Preview night we spoke with Co-Publishers Ralph Tedesco and Joe Brusha on their new SyFy series Van Helsing, their new comic book Evil Heroes and craziness that is the ComicCon life.
Check out an excerpt from the podcast where we break down the story:
Live from San Diego ComicCon 2016
Michael Dolce: Give me your craziest after-hours ComicCon story.
Joe Brusha: I can’t name names, but I almost got into a fight with a very famous cdlebrity over an autograph for one of our interns…
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: We give you our thoughts on the ComicCon 2016 that was. PLUS welcome actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael on the show to discuss the Bacon Brothers and his new Amazon pilot “I Love Dick”
SoS 26: Marvel Kills Major Character, Our Take On Ghostbusters, Plus Boom! Studios
Jul 15, 2016
On the latest episode of the Secrets of the Sire radio show and podcast: Marvel kills major character, Ghostbusters is so-so (which makes you sexist) and we welcome BOOM! Studios to the show: Secrets of the Sire Radio Show and Podcast to give their San Diego ComicCon preview.
PLUS: We cover the George Takei controversy and continue to shamelessly push our Plan 10 from OuterSpace Kickstarter live on air.
Check out an excerpt from the podcast where we break down the story:
Civil War II: Major Character Death
Host Michael Dolce:
“I want to thank Marvel for consistently changing my show topic the day of.
So, it’s been a crazy week for writer Brian Michael Bendis. First, the acclaimed writer made headlines for replacing Iron Man with a 15-year old black female in the pages of Invincible Iron Man. Now he takes aim at one of Marvel’s major heavy weights in the new Civil War II comic — literally!”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: We welcome BOOM! Studios on air to give us their San Diego ComicCon preview and talk up the bomb of a movie that was Plan 9 From Outer Space!
PLUS: If you haven’t checked out the Plan 10 Kickstarter yet you can do so below:
SoS 25: THIS Is The New Iron “Man”? Plus: Plan 10 Kickstarter and Big Dog Ink’s #SDCC Preview
Jul 08, 2016
On the latest episode of the Secrets of the Sire radio show and podcast: Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, will be replaced by a 15-year old black female named Riri Williams. Making the new Iron Man, uh, a woman. And a minority at that. Is this forced diversity again? Or merely the makings of the next Miles Morales? What about the fact that Bendis himself is a white guy and folks are complaining about that? We dive into ALL of it!
PLUS: We launch our Plan 10 from OuterSpace Kickstarter live on air and welcome Big Dog Ink publisher Tom Hutchison on air to give us his take on the controversy and his San Diego #ComicCon preview.
Check out an excerpt from the podcast where we break down the story:
The New Iron Man… er Maiden?
Host Michael Dolce:
“Written by Bendis and drawn by Stefano Caselli, the decision to replace the popular Stark as Iron Man with a minority female character is a move that was surely designed to move the needle. And according to Brian, he’s ready for the reaction from the expected reaction from the fans.
And yes, I think Bendis will write a great book. And I’m sure the character will be three dimensional etc. The irony on the move is that it is also being criticized because Bendis is white. So this one gets you from all sides no?”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: We welcome BOOM! Studios on air to give us their San Diego ComicCon preview and talk up the bomb of a movie that was Plan 9 From Outer Space!
PLUS: If you haven’t checked out the Plan 10 Kickstarter yet you can do so below:
SoS Ep 24: Is There A Deadpool/Spidey Film Coming? Plus: Keanu Reeves, #Conlife & More
Jul 01, 2016
This week on Secrets of the Sire: With word that 20th Century Fox has “talked” about teaming up with Marvel Studios, we broke down our top Marvel/Fox crossovers we wanted to see including Deadpool/Spidey! But can an R-Rated character exist in a PG Universe?
Plus! We went spinning the racks on the rumors that Keanu Reeves might be taking the red pill and reprising his role as neo in the Matrix. And we welcomed Victor Dandridge of Vantage InHouse Productions as he gives us our Con survival guide! With San Diego Comic Con just around the corner, learn the ins and outs of #conlife with the man who’s made it his career!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast where our guest Victor Dandridge gave the ultimate scenario for Deadpool to exist outside the R-Rating:
Deadpool Vs. Spider-Man
Host Michael Dolce: “The pairing was so successful that in 2016 Marvel actually went ahead and gave the dynamic duo their own series. With a solid, wise-cracking performance by Tom Holland in Civil War under his belt and Ryan Reynolds fulfilling his dream role as Deadpool in the Fox smash this past winter, this could happen. And it might just be the most anticipated – and most difficult – team-up to take place, what with the R-rating attached to the latter.”
Victor Dandridge: “I think it could work if Deadpool knew he was in a PG-13 movie.”
Host Michael Dolce: That could work! Break the fourth wall the whole time! Oh, one of our periscope viewers just had another interesting suggestion…”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: We continue our SDCC preview with guests from After Shock Comics and Marvel joining us in studio!
PLUS: We launch our our Plan 10 Kickstarter right on the show! That’s right, the sequel to the Ed Wood classic begs the question: “Why raise the dead to destroy humanity when our cell phone culture is doing a fine job on its own?” It’s a fun book with a unique twist that pits aliens vs humans vs technology. You can like our facebook page here:
SoS Ep 23: Game of Thrones: Bastards! Lesbians Hookups! And An Ode To Wun Wun
Jun 24, 2016
This week on Secrets of the Sire: With the blood still drying from Sunday night’s “Battle of the Bastards” we dove head first into the epic battle, the satisfying end of a hated character and what’s to come in the upcoming Game of Thrones Season Finale. And we send off one of my favs: Wun Wun.
Plus! We went spinning the racks on the latest Suicide Squad news and In honor of ID4 Resurgence we unleashed our “Ancient Aliens” drinking game while pondering the question: was this movie really necessary?
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
“But let’s talk about that battle. And let’s give a shot out to one of my favs who bit the dust: Wun Wun. Any time in a story where you can introduce someone as a villain and then completely flip the script and turn that character into a hero, flip that character where all the things that made them a badass villain can now be used on YOUR side. It’s perfect writing. And we’ll get into why GoT does not make mistakes”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
Next week: With SDCC mere months away we welcome Boom! Studios publisher Filip Sablik to give us the lowdown on the company. His interview kicks off our month long SDCC preview!
And check out our Plan 10 Kickstarter! That’s right, the sequel to the Ed Wood classic begs the question: Why raise the dead to destroy humanity when our cell phone culture is doing a fine job on its own?” It’s a fun book with a lot of cool pop culture references and a unique twist that pits aliens vs humans vs technology. You can like our facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/plan10fromouterspace/
SoS PODCAST Ep 22: Conjuring 2, Aquaman, Kickstarter 101 & More
Jun 18, 2016
This week on Secrets of the Sire we dove head first into Kickstarter for Comics craze with Mummy’s Always Right creator Joe Mulvey. But first we posed the question: Can James Wan “conjure” up a cool Aquaman? Fresh off the heels of the box office smash that is Conjuring 2, Wan talked to UpRoxx about the challenge of directing Aquaman.
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
“He talks to fish. That’s his power. Of course the bar is set low for James Wan. Though I do love the fact that he referenced Entourage’s Aquaman too.'”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 21: My Wacky Week With A Real Housewife & Double Take Comics
Jun 10, 2016
I give you the behind-the-scenes of my wacky week that started at Wizard World Philadelphia, found me joining Ramona Singer, star of the Real Housewives Of New York, at Bravo Studios and finished up with Gabe Yocum, writer at Double Take Comics giving us the lowdown on Bill Jemas’ new comic book company!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
“All I kept picturing, as I was pitching at Bravo TV, was George Costanza: ‘It’s about nothing!”Well maybe something happens?’ ‘No! Nothing happens! Nothing!!'”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 20: Hail Hydra? Haiiiiil NO! We Take On Hydra Cap
Jun 03, 2016
What better way to celebrate Memorial Day than by making Captain America a Nazi? Or as many keyboard muscles bound internet thugs like to believe, Nick Spencer’s decision to make Captain America a Nazi.
But is it as controversial as people think? And if it’s a gimmick – is that such a bad thing if it gets people reading comics? We talk about all of that with our guest, columnist Marc Lombardi!
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
“While there are indeed political undertones that reflect Nick’s political leanings (ahem Liberal) I’m here to tell you that it is NOT the end of the world. And there are NO need for death threats. Nick Spencer and Tom Breevort have been interviewed by everyone from your usual suspects CBR and Newsarama to Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly. Is that a bad thing?”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 19: Are We One Hashtag Away From Gay Captain America?
May 27, 2016
Captain America’s had quite the week! On our latest episode of Secrets of the Sire we welcomed Social Media expert Brian Bish to discuss the impact hashtag campaigns like #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend and #GiveElsaAGirlfriend are having on our movies.
Check out an excerpt from the podcast:
“Which brings us to the latest movement on full display for all the world to download. The #GiveElsaAGirlfriend. And the newest which only just materialized over the past 48 hours: #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend. And an article I posted on the Secrets of the Sire Facebook page: The Gay Star Wars relationship fans have been chatting up between Finn and Poe. You can go to facebook.com/secretsofthesire or SecretsoftheSire.com and click on the latest blog post to read it.
Bottom line? It’s a trend. Not the cause itself. The cause has something very important at its core – inclusion, acceptance, role models – and we’re going to welcome a terrific guest in the next segment who can personally speak to that fact. But thanks to social media its just more static thrown into cyberspace. It’s just more noise. It’s more political views being thrown at people who don’t have time to properly process it.”
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 18: Can Ben Affleck & Geoff Johns Save The DC Movie Universe?
May 20, 2016
Ben Affleck & Geoff Johns now have prominent roles at the top of DC Films. But after ‘Batman V Superman’ bombed, can this Dynamic Duo undo the damage Zack Snyder has wrought? Or will Suicide Squad crash and burn come August?
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 17: ‘Captain America: Civil War’: Our Spoiler Free Review
May 13, 2016
We break down Captain America: Civil War. We give our Spoiler-Free review – is this the best Marvelverse movie of all time? Where does Civil War rank among the Marvel movies to date?
And how does it compare to DC’s Batman v Superman? Is Civil War THAT much better? And what’s the one common flaw they BOTH share. All this and more for or first PrimeTime show!
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 16: ‘Captain America: Civil War’: How Marvel Got The Politics All Wrong
May 09, 2016
Captain America: Civil War is upon us! Are you #teamcap? Or #teamironman? Did you know you’re probably on the wrong side no matter what? That’s because Marvel royally screwed up the politics in the original Civil War. We dove into all of that, described how the movie universe got it right and gave our predictions for what is sure to be the movie event of the summer with the gang from BadCoyoteFunky
And that’s not all! Join Secrets of the Sire as we hit PRIMETIME this Wednesday May 11th 8:30pm ET on TalkingAlternative.com as we give our spoiler free review and compare it to Batman v Superman!
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 15: ‘Civil War’ v DC Movie Universe: Whose Side Are You On?
May 01, 2016
Is the DC Movie Universe as far away from competing with Marvel as some people think? Or will Suicide Squad lead DC out of the rear view and into the forefront. We discussed Civil War V DC Universe, the new Tomb Raider and we introduced the new “Spinning The Racks” segment in our latest episode of Secrets of the Sire.
And that’s not all! In preparation for Civil War I’ll be joining the gang from Bad Coyote Funky Thursday 9:30pm ET on Twitch.tv/badcoyotefunky as we break down the original Civil War mini series. Then Friday May 6th, we’ll be welcoming them on Secrets of the Sire for our FINAL show at 11am ET before we hit PRIMETIME Wednesday May 11th on TalkingAlternative.com!
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 14: Talking Prince’s Death & The Print Vs Digital Debate With Stela Comics’ Jim Gibbons
Apr 25, 2016
In our latest episode of Secrets of the Sire we discussed Prince’s death and the impact artists have on the world. Then we opened up the Print Vs. Digital comics debate to the floor.
How long until Digital Comics completely overtakes the market and comic book stores are a thing of the past? We welcome Jim Gibbons, part of Stela Comics, an all-digital comic book company with original creations made for your phone to chat about the long standing print vs digital debate: is paper even worth it anymore?
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes or any podcasting app on your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 13: MIB 23? 4 Avatar Sequels?? Seriously???
Apr 16, 2016
What a wacky movie world we live in! MIB 23, the rumored Men In Black, 21 Jump Street crossover is official.
Yeah, it’s one thing to have something like say Civil War crossing their characters but has every studio gone mad?? Sigh…is this even more ramifications from DC’s movie strategy that includes Batman V Superman, Justice League and Suicide Squad? Or is this something cool?
We welcome our Transmedia guru Jeff Gomez, whose company Starlight Runner helped craft the MIB story universe, to help break down the craziness and give us insight into the new Avatar and Civil War films as well. PLUS: We continue our DC movie debate!
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes or any podcasting app on your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 12: Do You Have Faith In The DC Movie Universe?
Apr 11, 2016
After the poor reception from critics and fans alike for Batman v Superman do you have any faith left in the DC Movie Universe? That simple question launched a heated debate from both sides of the coin!
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes or any podcasting app on your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 11: ‘Batman v Superman’: Box Office Success Equals Fans?
Apr 05, 2016
Batman v Superman steamrolled into theaters this past weekend to record breaking Easter sales. But does it translate to into sales for comic book stores and other distribution platforms? And more importantly, does it equal more fans of comic books – the source material for these films?
Plus, we announce the winner of the Comic Book Movie Film Franchise bracket in our March Madness Franchise Final Four!
SoS PODCAST Ep 10: Batman V Superman With Bad Coyote Funky
Mar 29, 2016
We talk #BatmanVSuperman with the gang from @BadCoyoteFunky and the dreaded trend of movie trailers giving away the whole dang movie!
Plus, we announce the winner of the Superman Film Franchise bracket in our March Madness Franchise Final Four. next up? Vote in our X-Men Bracket as we countdown to our final four!
SoS PODCAST Ep 9: Shared Universes With Transmedia Guru Jeff Gomez
Mar 21, 2016
Spider-Man has arrived! …in the Marvel Universe that is. So what better way to break down the deal than with Transmedia guru Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner Entertainment? He chats Spider-Man in the Civil War trailer, his work on the Amazing Spider-Man and Men In Black films and the concept of shared universes in TV and film in use today.
Plus, we announce the winner of the Spider-Man Film Franchise bracket in our March Madness Franchise Final Four.
Next up? Superman. Vote below and decide which Superman flick is the best of the bunch — just in time for the release of Superman V Batman!
SoS PODCAST Ep 8: Comics To Film With Ralph Tedesco Of Zenescope
Mar 14, 2016
We welcome Zenescope’s Ralph Tedesco as he gives us the inside scoop on what it takes to bring a comic book creation to the big (and small) screen. Plus we debate which Batman director performed best under pressure: Christopher Nolan or Tim Burton as we reveal the winner of the Batman bracket in our March Madness Comic Book Movie Franchise Final Four!
Vote Now in our Spider-Man bracket and tune in this Friday at 11am as we welcome Transmedia specialist Jeff Gomez as he explains Shared Universes and which studios are pulling it off right!
SoS PODCAST Ep 7: Comic Book Movie Franchise Final Four
Mar 07, 2016
We introduce the Comic Book Movie March Madness bracket. Each week we’ll pit the 4 most popular/best versions of each Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, and X-Men franchises against each other in a weekly poll on our Twitter feed (@Michael_Dolce) starting with the Batman bracket – and leave it in your hands to see which film emerges as the best in that franchise.
We also hear from Atlas Genius’ Keith Jeffrey on the new Creative Economy: What jobs exist today in the creative field that never existed at any time before – and how do you score those gigs? Video Game analyst, Blogger, Professional live streamer, YouTube Sensation – we give you the insight and history of how the Internet (for the umpteenth time) has changed EVERYTHING. Plus, we break down Chris Rock’s Oscar speech and more! Secrets of the Sire: Friday 11am ET on TalkingAlternative.com
SoS PODCAST Ep 6: Oscars 2016, X-Files & More!
Feb 27, 2016
Mad Max Is An Oscars 2016 Anomaly…And It Just Might Win
We break down the favorites to win the gold statue and are we even allowed to root for any of them because their white? Plus, I have a bone to pick with X-Files creator Chris Carter about the reboot.
SoS PODCAST Ep 5: There’s No WAY Deadpool Should Have Made 135M – We Break Down Why It Did
Feb 21, 2016
Deadpool made 135M at the box office. We break down WHY.
Sure, Secrets of the Sire went on record to predict doom and gloom for the Deadpool movie only to watch it set R-rated box office records. But enough dwelling on the past, listen in as we break down WHY the Deadpool movie killed it this past weekend.
SoS PODCAST Ep 4: Breaking Into Comics – Learn How These Pros Did It!
Feb 16, 2016
We chat with Pat Shand (Robyn Hood, Charmed) about the path he took to break into comics and get his take on what you should do the same (minus any restraining orders). We also find out some of your favorite creators’ most memorable moments in the biz.
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes and now Google Play as well! Or check out the show any podcasting app for your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 3: Would You Rather Work For The Big Two Or Keep It Indie?
Feb 09, 2016
Wanna know what it’s like to work for the Big Two? What about taking the plunge to help START your own comic book company? Our guest, editor Mike Marts, can clue us in on both as he’s walked both worlds as Executive Editor for the X-Men and Batman lines and has branched out with upstart After Shock Comics.
As always you can listen above or download us on iTunes or any podcasting app on your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 2: Deadpool Is Going to FLOP…And It’s All YOUR Fault
Jan 31, 2016
Relive one our most popular and controversial topics! Which new comic book movie in 2016 do you think is poised to become the next Guardians of the Galaxy? If you said the Deadpool movie you are absolutely, 100 percent…wrong!
You can listen above or download us on iTunes or any podcasting app on your iOS or Android phone. Just search “Secrets of the Sire” or “Host Michael Dolce” to find us.
Or you can head to our Soundcloud page and catch up on any podcast you may have missed!
SoS PODCAST Ep 1: Diversity, OscarsSoWhite & Our Chris Cornell Interview
Jan 26, 2016
Our first Secrets of the Sire Podcast available now!
Diversity is a hot button topic in Hollywood – most notably the latest online movement #OscarsSoWhite dominating the entertainment headlines. But are the politics behind the scenes actually taking away from the movies themselves? And is it the moviegoers responsibility to care?
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