ToB Interlude - 2020 Oscars Preview Show

Julian Meush February 4, 2020

February - best known for it’s frigid temperatures in the dead of winter. However, it’s also known as “awards season”, with no more prestigious an awards show than the Oscars to cap it all off. With the big event less than a week away, it’s time for the annual ToB Oscars Preview Show! Julian, Dan, and Jeremy (and a special guest appearance) break down each of the nominees in the major categories starting with “Best Picture” and working backwards from there. It’s a particularly strong crop of movies this year so join the ToB Crew as they make their picks for who will be taking home the golden statues!

ToB Interlude - Joker

Julian Meush October 8, 2019

It feels like it’s been months since Joker premiered at the Venice Film Festival, taking home it’s top prize. The buzz only continued to grow as it dropped at TIFF for the first time in North America. Even as we inched closer to it’s release to general audiences, the discussion surrounding Joker didn’t seem to let up. Joker, it seems, much like the character it’s based on, turned out to be a force that could not be ignored. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy, having had the opportunity to see Joker over the weekend, and take some time to digest what they saw, deliver a full review of Todd Phillips best film, and sink their teeth into the nuances of a stellar performance by one of the best actors working today.

Episode 121 - Captain Marvel, Joker, and Bob Iger

Julian Meush September 24, 2018

Julian, Daniel, and Jeremy sit down to discuss what turned out to be a VERY busy week in nerdy news. It all started with the Captain Marvel teaser and only got more exciting as the news kept rolling in. The Joaquin Phoenix Joker reveal would have been enough but on top of that there was also an interview with Disney CEO, Bob Iger, that had him spilling the beans on the future of the MCU and Star Wars, as well as the James Gunn firing. Oh and did we mention that Emmy awards winners were announced, and that there’s a live action Avatar: The Last Air Bender in the works at Netflix? Yea, that happened too! All that and so much more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

Oct 19, 2025

Bonus Episode - ToB Film Club - Kingpin (1996)

Before Matt officially joined the show as a co-host he was invited on as guest to talk about one of his favourite movies of all time, ‘Swingers’. Now returning in an official capacity to the ToB Film Club, he brings with him another film from his top-3, another comedy, ‘Kingpin’. A Farrelly brothers film that followed up their smash hit breakout, ‘Dumb and Dumber’, and you can see the through lines. Like ‘Dumb and Dumber’ we follow two guys who are down on their luck as they head out on the road where chaos and hilarity ensue. Unfortunately it wasn’t the hit they hoped despite a killer cast, including legends Bill Murray, Randy Quaid and Woody Harrelson and as a result it didn't leave as large of a cultural footprint as some of the other Farrelly brothers films from this era. It's been nearly 30 years so now seems as good a time as any to revisit this sleeper and see what everyone was missing back then.

Oct 9, 2025

Episode 200 - Meet Matt!

After an extended hiatus, ToB returns with a fresh voice on the second chair. Julian is joined by long-time friend of the show, Matt Tworek. We spend this first episode of the "new" ToB getting to know him and setting up what else is to come.

Jun 5, 2025

SSSW - Tales of the Underworld

Lucasfilm Animation has been hard at work on their next major project, 'Maul: Shadow Lord', but they've found the time to deliver another installment in their "Tales of" anthology series. The first ones covering the Jedi and the Empire, they now turn their focus towards the Underworld. However, be warned, this is a bit of a misnomer. Don't expect any crime syndicates or really any large scale criminality here. These 2 mini-arcs instead focus on Asajj Ventress (I know, not the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the Underworld) as she assists a young Jedi on the run from the Empire, and the origin story of Cad Bane. Which admittedly is closer in line with the criminal underworld concept, but is really more interested in telling a western style revenge story instead. All in all, despite the always great visuals and sound/music design, and few interesting ideas, there's not enough meat on the bone here to satisfy most viewers. But most disappointing is its failure to capitalize on the potential of the Underworld concept.

May 22, 2025

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

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.

ToB Interlude - 2020 Oscars Preview Show

ToB Interlude - Joker

Episode 121 - Captain Marvel, Joker, and Bob Iger

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