ToB Interlude - The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Julian Meush April 10, 2023

After the disaster that was the 1993 'Super Mario Bros' feature film it seemed like Nintendo had zero appetite for ever trying that again. Fast forward 30 years and the future of Nintendo franchises making the leap to cinema once again hangs on the hopes of Illumination Studio's 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'. However, unlike in 1993, the reception to this movie has been much more positive, and even more importantly, it's bringing in the box office revenue, ranking as the most successful animated feature release of all time. But is the movie any good? Julian and Jeremy attempt to answer that question in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast. With decades of internalized Nintendo knowledge and a keen ability to sniff out the good and the bad for this type of adaption, you're in good hands for this spoiler-filled review.

ToB Games - Next Gen Pre-Orders + Microsoft & Bethesda

Julian Meush September 28, 2020

It's been awhile since the ToB Crew got together to talk gaming, but with some of the biggest video game news of the last 5 years unfolding before our eyes, we felt it was time to get back in the saddle. Julian and Jeremy sit down to discuss the huge news of Microsoft buying Bethesda and what that means for not only ‘Xbox Game Pass’ but also for Sony and the next-gen console battle as a whole. It's a major shift of power in the gaming space but it also means fewer independent studios (so it's not all good news). Speaking of anti-consumer moves, the guys also touch on 'Super Mario 3D All-Stars' and Nintendo's baffling decisions around the bundle. Lastly, the pricing for the next-gen consoles are unpacked and the question of "is the series S price point a game changer?" is posed. All this and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast.

ToB Games - The State of the Switch

Julian Meush January 14, 2019

Now that we’ve all flipped over our calendars to 2019 Julian and Jeremy figured it would be a good idea to sit down and discuss the state of the Nintendo Switch. It will have been on the market for 2 years in March, and so as the console moves into it’s “terrible twos” the guys take a moment to look back at the good ol’ days, as well as examine how it stacks up today, and even what’s in store for the future. Are there enough good games? Is online worth 20 bucks a year? Is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate a game changer for the console? All these questions are answered and more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

ToB Games - E3 2018

Julian Meush June 13, 2018

It's been awhile since we've taken a break from talking about the latest in film and television news and turned our collective eye towards the gaming industry, but with E3 now upon us we would we remiss if we didn't dive into all the major announcements coming out of gaming's biggest showcase. From Sony and their stellar first party lineup featuring "The Last of Us Pt 2", "Spider-Man" and more to Nintendo and their concentration on all things "Super Smash Bros" and everything in between, the guys discuss the biggest reveals, trailers and demos from this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

ToB Games - Mario Odyssey

Julian Meush November 23, 2017

Julian, Daniel and Jeremy are back with another instalment of ToB Games! Dan just bought a Nintendo Switch with Mario Odyssey and he has the low down on Mario's latest adventure. The guys also discuss the surprise addition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Injustice 2 roster and Julian gives his impressions of South Park: Fractured But Whole.

ToB Games - Paris Games Week

Julian Meush November 10, 2017

Welcome back to ToB Games! The news of EA's shocking "pivot" of Visceral's Star Wars game came only a day after recording the last episode, so although it's a little late, the guys kick off the show breaking down every detail. Afterwards, Julian, Daniel and Jeremy discuss the plethora of trailers from Sony's Paris Games Week presser, plus all the buzz surrounding Mario Odyssey's release. All this and so much more on this week's episode of ToB Games!

Episode 99 - The Age of Adaptations

Julian Meush July 8, 2017

After a nice Canada Day/4th of July long weekend the ToB Crew are back at it. The news didn't take a vacation so there's a ton to cover. Starting with movie news the guys discuss the major shakeup with the Han Solo movie, the future of the MCU, Wonder Woman's tremendous box office success and much more. On the TV front it seems like there's a never ending rumour mill of possible adaptations and reboots. This time it's HBO possibly adapting Watchmen, a live action Jetsons series from Robert Zemeckis and Kevin Bacon talking a Tremors reboot. Finally in gaming news Nintendo announced the Super NES Classic Edition and Julian and Dan debate the merits of removing the "Game Over" screen from Super Mario Odyssey. All this and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 98 - E3 2017 Special!

Julian Meush June 18, 2017

E3 2017 is over. The booths have been packed up, the LA Convention Centre emptied and cleaned. But that doesn't mean we are done talking about it. Julian, Daniel and Jeremy sit down to discuss all the biggest announcements, reveals and trailers from the years biggest gaming event. From the reveal of X-box One X to Mario Odyssey, if you're at all a fan of video games there's something at this show for you. The guys break down and unpack the Metroid Prime 4 reveal, the God of War trailer, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 multiplayer details, State of Decay 2 and much much much more on this Tower of Babble Podcast E3 Special!

ToB Interlude - Top 5 E3 2017 Moments

Julian Meush June 14, 2017

This is the biggest week of the year for gaming news. It doesn't get bigger than E3. It all kicked off on Saturday but now that all the big press conferences are out of the way and the show floor is open the ToB Crew can start breaking down the biggest announcements. Julian and Daniel give you their top 5 favourite moments from the show so far. From Mario + Rabbids to God of War the guys will unpack some of the major announcements.

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!

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Jun 5, 2025

SSSW - Tales of the Underworld

Jun 5, 2025

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.

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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