Episode 158 - Fincher Unleashed

Julian Meush November 26, 2020

As the pandemic rages on, and we adjust to the new normal, so does Hollywood. With news that Wonder Woman 1984 will be coming to HBO Max on Christmas, the future of the theatre going experience becomes even more clouded. Meanwhile, David Fincher is in the press, promoting his latest streaming endeavor ‘Mank’, (and dropping some spicy takes!) fresh off signing a 4-year exclusive deal with Netflix of his own. We watch as the Hollywood landscape is remapped on the fly. But it’s not all doom and gloom! I mean, there’s a ‘Wedding Crashers’ sequel in the works, and a new Predator film coming from Dan Trachtenberg. So there’s SOME hope is all I’m saying. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy also touch on the latest from the Snyder Cut, and weigh in on the pressing subject of whether streaming services should let credits play uninterrupted (you know, the important stuff). All that, and so much more, on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast.

Episode 141 - A Return to Middle Earth

Julian Meush September 19, 2019

On this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast the guys ask the timeless question; are there too many trailers when you go to the theatre? That’s right, it’s ANOTHER slow week, but there’s still a few fun stories. Not the least of which being the impressions of the Jurassic World short film, “Battle at Big Rock”. Plus, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series announces it will be filming in New Zealand, and James Gunn reveals the full cast of The Suicide Squad. Finally, Julian and Jeremy review Titans S2E2!

ToB Interlude - Spider-Man: Far From Home

Julian Meush July 4, 2019

I can’t imagine it being easy having to follow in the footsteps of Avengers: Endgame. It made more money than any Marvel film (more than basically every movie ever), and left a cultural footprint that will be felt for decades. All that being said, something had to come after Endgame, and that was the task asked of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Labelled as the final film of the MCU’s “phase three”, the story picks up not long after the events of Endgame, and throws Spidey into a whole new adventure that takes him out of his element (again). With a lot of emotional heavy lifting to do, Far From Home manages to nail the humour and action elements that are now staples of the Marvel formula perfectly, while at the same time leaving room for a lot of fun new surprises. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy break it all down and give their take on what looks to be another massive hit for Marvel.

ToB Interlude - Avengers: Endgame

Julian Meush April 27, 2019

ToB is back to breakdown the latest, and biggest, Marvel film! Avengers: Endgame is finally here; the culmination of 3 phases, 11 years, 21 movies, and countless interweaving character/story arcs, all leading into the biggest superhero film in creation. This movie continues Marvel’s streak of near-perfect team up films, and manages to maintain the humour, heart, and jaw-dropping action sequences that fans have come to expect. Following the events of Infinity War and the snap heard around the world, how do the remaining heroes pick up the pieces? How do they handle their first true defeat? They couldn’t save the world, now will they be able to avenge it?

Episode 70 - Captain America: Civil War

Julian Meush May 12, 2016

We took some time off but we're back with a big show this week. Captain America: Civil War has been blowing up the box office and the ToB crew is here to throw in their opinion on the latest Marvel blockbuster. But since it's been so long, we also needed to check in with some of the biggest geek news stories we had missed. We give our take on some of the movie trailers that dropped over the last few weeks. Including; Dr. Strange, Jason Bourne, The Killing Joke and of course Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We also touch on the latest at DC/Warner Brothers after BvS and look forward to whats coming from Marvel. We finish of the news with a chat about the two biggest shooter franchises in gaming, Battlefield and Call of Duty, who both announced their fall games for this year; Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite War. Finally, stick around after the show for a new/trial segment thats a bit less structured and allows us to cover some of the smaller stories that didn't quite make the cut for the news feed.

Episode 68 - Berlanti's TV Conquest

Julian Meush March 26, 2016

This week in the Tower we cover all the big comic book show renewals. Specifically what we've been loving about the CW's DC slate. Greg Berlanti, the mastermind behind Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and even Supergirl on CBS had ALL of his shows renewed for new seasons. Something I dont think anyone really thought could happen. We also discuss the future of Star Trek on TV and look forward to Daredevil (which hadn't yet premiered at the time of the recording). On the film front we discuss the announcement of Indiana Jones 5 for 2019, with both Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg returning. We then move onto breaking down the latest Captain America: Civil War trailer that featured our first look at the MCU Spider-Man. Of course there's always a little Star Wars news and this week we take a look at the "short list" of actors up for the role of a young Han Solo. DC had a few topics for us as well, with the big news being the casting of J.K. Simmons as the new Commissioner Gordon. We wrap up by discussing Sony's big VR announcement for the PS4 and what it might mean for the future of gaming. It's all that and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 64 - Civil War Trailer and NX Rumours

Julian Meush December 11, 2015

Once again the ToB Crew sit down to discuss the biggest news in geek culture. Not the least of which including Marvel's Captain America: Civil War trailer, featuring our first look at Black Panther. We also take a minute to look back on the Hunger Games series now that the m final film has been released. We ask why it was so successful and more importantly why we mostly hated it. And of course it wouldn't be a ToB Podcast if we didn't have some Star Wars news to discuss. Tis' the season for all things Star Wars after all. We also look forward to SyFy channels attempt at "Game of Thrones in space": The Expanse, new rumours about the Nintendo NX, and what we've been watching, including Creed. All this and much more in this weeks Tower of Babble Podcast!

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Episode 42 - Marvel's Phase 3 Extravaganza

Julian Meush October 31, 2014

Its been another huge couple weeks in comic book movie news and the guys are here to discuss the massive news-bomb that was the Marvel event in LA. We break down the announcement from every angle and give you our take, particularly in the wake of the DC slate from a few weeks back. But we don't stop there, we also take a look at Nintendo's all Smash Bros for Wii U Nintendo Direct, some interesting Game of Thrones news and everything in between.

Episode 41 - Words Mean Something

Julian Meush October 18, 2014

This weeks episode is a doozy. Not only did Marvel drop some major news but DC countered with a bombshell of their own. We breakdown the full DC movie slate as well as Marvels "Civil War" news and Daniel takes issue with some film title naming conventions. We also discuss the premieres of both The Flash, Arrow season 3 and Star Wars Rebels. And of course we talk some video games with Smash Bros for the 3DS, The Evil Within, Shadow of Mordor and some more Destiny.

Episode 37 - SDCC, TMNT and GotG

Julian Meush August 13, 2014

We're back after a month long summer 'vacation' and just in time to cover everything out of San Diego Comic Con. Of course we try to touch on everything else we may have missed while also finding time to breakdown some of things we've been watching and playing while we were away. We discuss the recently released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film as well as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and so much more.

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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.

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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.

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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