Episode 191 - Take Me Back to 2018

Julian Meush January 19, 2024

As the ToB Crew kickoff 2024, we begin by lamenting what we lost. If only we could return to the simpler times, pre-pandemic. Alas, this is not to be, so instead Julian and Jeremy rely on "ol' faithful", which of course means reviewing the latest news concerning film and television. Unfortunately, they immediately lose focus, perhaps subconsciously staying true to the nostalgic undertone that accompany the start of a new year, and enjoy a fun sidebar discussion about the state of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars in the early 2000s (We didn't know how good we had it back then). All of which was of course an offshoot of the news of John Williams un-retirement. Next the guys unpack some Star Wars news, and then lean into Marvel. Specifically the fresh legitimacy the Netflix 'Defenders' saga shows have received as Daredevil is pulled further into the MCU. They also save some time to review the Golden Globe winners and look ahead at the Emmys (which were happening live during the recording). All that and so much more on this week's episode of The Tower of Babble Podcast.

Episode 102 - Handmaid's Emmy

Julian Meush September 26, 2017

Julian, Daniel and Jeremy are back to discuss the latest in geek news. The most pressing stories being the firing of Colin Trevorrow from Star Wars Episode IX and his immediate replacement by JJ Abrams, the results from this years Emmy Awards and Batman: The Animated Series celebrating it's 25th anniversary. The guys also discuss the Star Trek: Discovery premiere, Linda Hamilton's return to the Terminator franchise, the latest on True Detective season 3 and much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

ToB Interlude - Marvel's The Defenders

Julian Meush September 12, 2017

We've been waiting years for all of Marvel's Netflix characters to team-up in The Defenders. The promise originally made with the launch of Daredevil in 2015. Along the way we've been introduced to Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and of course Iron Fist. It hasn't always been the great TV but overall it's pretty cool to see these beloved characters brought to life on the screen. Well the 8 episode culmination of all those hours of TV is finally here and Julian, Daniel and Jeremy take a break from all that Game of Thrones talk to bring you a brief, spoiler-free review.

Episode 101 - Comic-Con and More

Julian Meush July 27, 2017

What a crazy time of year. With D23 leading directly into San Diego Comic-Con the news just pours in. Luckily Julian, Daniel and Jeremy are all back together to unpack it all for you. Starting with the Emmy nominations then moving into a Disney heavy movie news segment. The guys also discuss some new Young Justice details as well as break down the rumour of a possible N64 Classic. All that and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast.

Episode 95 - Everyone's Favourite Goldblum

Julian Meush May 9, 2017

It's just Julian and Daniel this week on the program as Jeremy is "away". But the show must go on, so to kick things off Julian takes us through his picks for this year's "summer movie wager" and rips Regal Theatres for some questionable business practices. The guys then dive deep into the latest geek news, starting with a couple notable trailers for Marvel's Defenders and The Dark Tower. Moving on, Fox announces 3 new X-Men movies for 2018, Kevin Feige talks about "Phase 4" of the MCU, the Avatar sequels get new release dates (again) and Jeff Goldblum joins the Jurassic World sequel. On the TV front we got our first tease of Marvel's Inhumans and, DC and WB announce a new "DC focused" streaming service that will feature Young Justice season 3 and a new Teen Titans live action series. Over with games, Call of Duty: WWII got a trailer, Nintendo revealed some impressive sales numbers and Injustice 2 continues its march towards launch. To wrap things up the guys shower praise all over the premier of American Gods on Starz, the latest show from Brian Fuller based on the work of Neil Gaiman. All this and so much more on the 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 86 - Doctor Strange

Julian Meush November 11, 2016

After a... interesting American election the guys sit down to discuss the latest in geek news in an attempt to lighten the mood. Fortunately it has been a busy week with plenty to dissect. Starting on a high note Julian, Dan and Jeremy break down the latest Wonder Woman trailer and simultaneously get excited while also wondering if it'll be another DC disappointment. There was also news out of Marvel as Michael Keaton was confirmed as Vulture, Michael Giacchino will be scoring Spider-Man: Homecoming and a possible shakeup at Fox with the X-Men franchise. In TV news, the nerd world received a miracle as Young Justice season 3 was announced, more characters join The Defenders and Agents of SHIELD gives a fun nod to the original Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze. It was also N7 day recently and the ToB Crew unpack all the details out of the Mass Effect holiday. Finally, they review Doctor Strange, the latest movie out of the Marvel Machine starring non other than Benedict Cumberbatch. All this, and so much more, in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 85 - More Director Trouble

Julian Meush November 3, 2016

Welcome to another episode of The Tower of Babble Podcast. Julian, Daniel and Jeremy are once again here to help unpack the latest in geek news. Some of the big stories on the docket this week: more Disney live action remakes, a producer says we probably wont see a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, the Uncharted movie gets a new director, Brian Fuller leaves Star Trek: Discovery and Nintendo stops production of the Wii U. The guys also take a deep dive into the state of superhero movies as we learn that The Flash has lost its director, which comes hot off the heels of Deadpool 2 having lost its director less than two weeks prier. They examine what the future might hold for Nintendo if the Switch fails and cap off the show discussing what everyone has been playing or watching. All that and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 74 - Comicon 2016

Julian Meush July 27, 2016

This week the ToB Crew gathered to discuss all things San Diego Comicon. SDCC was this past weekend and there's almost too much to cover in one show. But before we get into all the nerdy news from the con we wanted to try out a new segment. We're pitting host against host in a word association challenge. After the game we moved into the deluge that is Comicon 2016 coverage. Starting with movies we break down the Justice League and Wonder Woman footage plus everything else from DC and Marvel. We then move into some leftover Star Wars news from last weeks Star Wars Celebrations in London. There was also a whole slew of TV shows to cover as we discussed another heaping amount of trailers, including: CW's The Flash Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, Marvel's Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Defenders and even DC's new animated series Justice League Action. We wrap things up talking about a few gaming related stories, not the least of which being Pokemon GO and Nintendo's NES Classic.

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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.

May 22, 2025

May 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

May 15, 2025

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.

May 15, 2025

May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

May 9, 2025

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.

May 9, 2025

May 2, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

May 2, 2025

I'm sorry to tell you all, but we're already halfway through this final season of 'Andor'. Fortunately, the quality hasn't dipped one bit as we accelerate into the finish. Join Julian and Rachel as they savour every minute of this 3-episode arch that takes us to Ghorman for the first time on screen. Tony Gilroy and the team at Lucasfilm outdid themselves yet again in crafting every detail. The size of the set alone is impressive, but they take it a step further by developing a unique culture and even language different from anything we've seen in Star Wars before. It all fits seamlessly into this next chapter of the story that has a heavy emphasis on spycraft as the pressure ramps up for both the Rebellion and the Empire.

May 2, 2025