ToB Interlude - No Time to Die & Venom 2

Julian Meush October 21, 2021

Jeremy and Julian got together over the weekend to take in DC Fandome (find our coverage in the podcast feed), and they used some of that time to sit down and discuss the two biggest movies of the last few weeks; 'James Bond: No Time to Die' and 'Venom: Let There be Carnage'. As a huge Bond fan, Julian spills his guts raving about how Craig's final outing as the character brings back some of the more "fun" Bond elements that have been missing for a decade. On the 'Venom' side of things, the guys grapple with accepting the movie for what it is (a romcom with an alien symbiote) and their history with the character from other mediums. The consensus? It's bad? But it's also good? Either way, the real question is; what's up with that final scene?!?!

Episode 165 - Tectonic Shifts in Streaming

Julian Meush May 26, 2021

It's been hot minute since the ToB Crew gathered to discuss the latest in film and TV news, but it’s been worth the wait because there are some gigantuan stories that need to be covered, and some of them will have lasting effects for years to come. Firstly, AT&T is done with WarnerMedia, who will be merging with Discovery to become an even bigger player in the streaming wars. Speaking of streaming, Amazon is making their own moves in that space as they look to acquire MGM. On the more creative side of things, news of a new Batman animated series made waves with the announcement that animation legend Bruce Timm would be executive producing. Plus Marvel dropped a sizzle reel and a trailer for Shang Chi. So there's plenty to cover! Join Julian, Jeremy and Dan as they discuss all these stories, plus much more, on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 161 - One Crazy Day... on Twitter

Julian Meush February 16, 2021

Some days during the pandemic it feels like Hollywood has gone to sleep, with not a drop of news. Other days, the news comes at you so fast you forget you’re even in a pandemic. This last Wednesday was one of those days. Between the news of Gina Carano’s firing from Disney, and Joel and Ellie’s casting for ‘The Last of Us’, it felt like the good ol’ days on Twitter. News coming in so hot, that before you can even formulate a thought, it’s been debunked or some other news bit is thrown at you. It was exciting. So with at least one news day worth of stories to discuss, the ToB Crew takes a look back at a busy day on Twitter as well as a ton of other stories from the last couple weeks, amd to end the show, the guys discuss the latest goings ons with ‘WandaVision’ in a full spoiler discussion. All that, and so much more, on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 157 - Green Lantern, James Bond, and Moon Knight

Julian Meush November 4, 2020

After a brief hiatus, the ToB Crew returns to cover the latest in film and television news. Of course the film part seems to be less and less relevant these days as streaming services have become the defacto home for all things motion picture. Unfortunately, that means much of the film news is sad and depressing. Like the passing of Sean Connery, or the impending death of movie theatres. But it also means more news from the land of Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and the like. Such as, additional details about the Green Lantern series coming to HBO Max, Oscar Isaac's casting as Moon Night for Disney+, and that Netflix is, once ,again, raising it's subscription prices. The guys also dive into an interesting 'Agree or Disagree' segment revolving around the state of Warner Brothers. Plus a brief discussion on the first season of HBO's Lovecraft Country. All that, and so much more, on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

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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