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.
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Bonus Episode - Marvel, DC, and Severance - Daily DVR
Julian, once again joined Axel, from the Daily DVR Podcast to discuss a grab-bag of topics, including 'Captain America: Brave New World' and it's milk toast approach to politics, 'Daredevil: Born Again' and how Marvel is comparatively seemingly more willing to actually have a political point of view (so far) with the series, DC and their James Gunn plans, and the latest with 'Severance' (note that this was recorded prior to S2E8). Find more from Daily DVR here:
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Episode 199.5 - Marvel/DC News Roundup
For the most part, genre entertainment news has been relatively light. Yes we’ve had a round of castings for DC projects, and Kevin Fiege is slowly opening the kimono for X-Men info, but on the whole nothing earth shattering (who knows, we might see a planet shatter whenever the ‘Superman’ trailer finally comes). This makes for a perfect time to defer the 200th episode of the show and take a look at the state of things over at DC and Marvel. They are both looking to emerge from a slump, despite taking very different approaches (though I’m sure DC would have loved a $1B hit that allowed them to have their cake and eat it too). The guys unpack the similarities and differences and sprinkle in a few different news bits along the way. All that and so much more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 196 - Marvel at SDCC & Deadpool Review Round Two
'Deadpool & Wolverine' is quickly rising through the box office charts and is on pace to set some records. It may even finish the summer as the highest grossing movie and that would certainly be an accomplishment. Particularly for an R rated film. That being said, that's not the reason Julian and Jeremy decided to continue their conversation on the movie following the review earlier this week. No, the reason is that the movie is so dense, so unique in it's approach, that it took a few more days to process what exactly it even is. Hopefully this follow up conversation puts things to bed for good this time. But the Marvel mayhem does not end there. No sir, the guys then turn to San Diego Comicon to discuss the massive announcements out of Marvel's Hall H panel. Surprisingly, Harrison Ford pretending to be the Hulk on stage wasn't the biggest news, he was upstaged by RDJ himself as we learn that he's returning to the MCU as Dr. Doom, and bringing back the Russo brothers to direct (don't worry they only cost like $180 million between them). Is this good news, bad news, or something in between?
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ToB Interlude - Deadpool & Wolverine
There haven't been many Marvel movies of late that have had the level of anticipation of 'Deadpool & Wolverine'. Not only is it capping of a Deadpool trilogy, it is introducing Deadpool to the MCU, AND it it's bringing back who else but Hugh Jackman as Wolverine for the cherry on top. Plus, with the less than ideal reception to the direction the MCU has taken of late, the expectations were very high for this movie, to say the least. And though we typically preach keeping expectations in check when going into a movie like this, even we had a hard time containing it. Julian and Jeremy unpack every spoilery detail in an in-depth review that covers everything from THAT cameo (you know which one), to whether the movie "saved the MCU", and everything in between.
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Episode 195 - X-Men '97 Exceeds All Expectations
Surprise! The ToB Podcast is back from a Star Wars caused hiatus, and just in time to cover one of the biggest nerd culture phenomena so far in 2024. We're talking of course about the revival of one of the greatest animated shows of all time with 'X-Men '97'. With only one episode remaining until the grand finale of season 1, Julian and Jeremy discuss how impressive it is that despite the lofty expectations fans had for this show, it managed it exceed them by nearly every measure. A rare treat. The guys discuss some of the biggest moments from the show as well as the creative work behind it that makes it tick. Afterwards, things shift somewhat as the discussion turns to the first reveal of David Corenswet's Superman, which was met with middling responses. All that and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast! Plus, stay tuned after the end of the show for some bonus content.
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Episode 194 - Oscars Recap and Dune Part Two
Julian finds some time to link up with Jeremy between the weekly ‘The Bad Batch’ reviews to discuss the winners from this year’s Oscars, the big wins from ‘Oppenheimer’ and the state of the ceremony itself. The guys also review ‘Dune: Part Two’ and preview ‘X-Men ‘97’. Plus some general Marvel and DC news to keep things flowing. All that and so much more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 192 - The 2023 Tobie Awards (7th Annual) - TV
The prestigious Tobie Awards returns for it's 7th annual ceremony. In a bit of a change from tradition, the decision has been made to split the show into two parts. Part one, today, will cover the best of television from 2023. There was a lot of great shows to chose from, but your hosts, Julian, Jeremy, and special guest, Vince, deliver a varied list that has something for everyone. Of course the breakout hit from HBO, 'The Last of Us', gets it's fair share of love but outside of that, I dare you to guess where all the pieces fall. Next week, we dive into the best in film!
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Episode 191 - Take Me Back to 2018
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.
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Episode 189 - Marvel Feeling Desperate
We're hitting the ground running as we attempt to get back to a regular cadence this week with one of the biggest stories in Hollywood right now. If you've been listening to this show for awhile you know that we've paid close attention to the troubles that have beset Warner Brothers over the last few years. My have the tables been turned. Variety has put out a pretty scathing article (hit piece?) on the current state of Marvel Studios that didn't hold back in its indictment of the management (mismanagement) by Disney for what was, up until very recently, a nearly unblemished brand. Julian and Jeremy unpack how they got themselves in this situation and ponder what moves they can make to bring people back into the world Stan built. Meanwhile, of course, WB still manages to find it's way into the limelight with it's latest attempt to burry a film for tax credits, so of course that is touched on as well.
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