Episode 178 - Batgirl Shelved & Marvel Comic-Con

Julian Meush August 4, 2022

The turmoil at Warner Brothers Discovery continues, this time in the form of bloodletting. News broke early this week that the HBO Max original ‘Batgirl’, which was finished shooting and in late stages of post production. was going to be cancelled by the studio. Shortly after, an official statement was released and the outcry online was loud. This comes amongst rumours of further shakeups coming to the studio, specifically around their HBO Max streaming service, as they apparently look to pivot away from scripted programming nearly across the board, in favor of cheaper unscripted options. Naturally, Julian and Jeremy break down all the details surrounding this unprecedented decision and what it means for the future of DC on the big and small screens. Meanwhile, on the fun side of the news, over at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel held no punches as they discussed the next 2 phases of the MCU, and announced A LOT of new movies and shows, while finding time to drop a spectacular trailer for ‘Black Panther 2’, amongst a whole pile of other announcements. Oh and a new trailer for ‘Andor’ dropped. The show looks stunning, but you’ll have to wait an extra 3 weeks as they have pushed the premiere to September. That pretty much takes up all the time this episode, but trust us, it’s more than enough.

Episode 177 - Not All Sunshine and Rainbows

Julian Meush July 22, 2022

The era of shady business practices continues it seems in the Hollywood world. This time it's not just WB involved, but their own "distinguished competition", at Marvel that's up to no good this week. Rolling Stone released a piece on the Snyder Cut movement, identifying 13% of the online activity being attributed to bots. This on it's own is not big news, as it was largely known, but it's the timing of the piece that's most questionable. Over at Marvel, they're up to their usual tricks of not properly compensating comic book creators, now being accused of "bait and switch" tactics to stiff writers and artists when their characters appear on the screen. Julian and Jeremy break down both stories, while also diving into a plethora of more lighthearted fare, including: news on 'Mortal Kombat 2' and 'Top Gun 3', a Powerpuff Girls animated reboot, a fun "Agree of Disagree" segment, and much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 112 - Familiar With Rings

Julian Meush May 17, 2018

It's only Julian and Jeremy inside the proverbial 'tower' this week as they break down the latest in film and television news. The Guys give their impressions on Shane Black's 'The Predator' trailer and how similar it was to 'Venom' in it's ability to underwhelm. Moving on, they discuss the early buzz coming out of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' following it's world premier and the latest out DC and Warner Brothers, including the possibility of Peter Jackson joining the DC fold. On the TV front it's a focus on what shows are coming back next year and which aren't as it's that time of year when renewal and cancellation announcements are made. All that and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 94 - NOT Star Wars

Julian Meush April 26, 2017

Following our big Star Wars Extravaganza the ToB Crew return with another numbered episode discussing all the NON-Star Wars related news. Starting with the Thor: Ragnarok trailer, which gave us our first taste of what looks to be a delightful space adventure, despite the dower name. The guys then give their impressions on Josh Brolin being cast as Cable in Deadpool 2 as well as a whole pile of other casting news. After a little video game talk, that included Nintendo Switch sales numbers and a new Call of Duty announcement, Julian, Daniel and Jeremy round out the show with a review of Fast and Furious 8 and the latest DC animated film, Teen Titans: Judas Contract. All this and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 93 - Sour Grapes Over Rotten Tomatoes

Julian Meush April 4, 2017

It's a big show this week and it kicks off with a bang as the guys play a Spider-Man themed version of Nerd Association in honour of the new trailer as well as discuss the news that Spidey might be leaving the MCU sooner than we thought. Julian, Dan and Jeremy then dissect the Justice League, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Mummy trailers before examining Ghost in the Shell's abysmal box office performance. Moving on, and in what is quickly becoming a staple of the ToB Podcast, the Agree or Disagree segment returns, this time asking whether Rotten Tomatoes is truly the "destruction" of the movie business. On the TV front, Buffy celebrates 20 years, followed by briefly talking about several shows that had either their season or series finales including Legion on FX (A show that everyone should be watching) and Star Wars: Rebels (Another show everyone should be watching) and Black Sails. Plus, True Detective season three might happen after all! The show then continues into a bit of gaming news and a discussion on Mass Effect: Andromeda before closing out on a brief discussion on diversity in comics. All this and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast, which is nothing if not chock-full of nerdy goodness. Enjoy!

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May 22, 2025

SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

May 22, 2025

It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.

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May 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

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After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.

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SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

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When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.

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SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

May 2, 2025

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