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.

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!

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ToB Games - The 2020 Tobie Awards Continued

Julian Meush January 20, 2021

The look back at 2020 continues as the ToB Crew discuss their top 3 favourite games from the previous year. Just like the movie and TV categories the rules are a little loosey goosey. That being said, there are a few key titles that can't be ignored. Listen to find out where ‘Call of Duty: Warzone’ falls on the respective lists, while waiting to hear everyone's thoughts on ‘The Last of Us: Pt II’ now that we're several months removed from it's polarizing release. Plus stick around for some Smash Bros talk (as always) and much more, on this rare episode of ToB Games.

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 Interlude - Dark Knight Trilogy & XBox

Julian Meush August 5, 2020

Julian and Jeremy have a casual chat about the legacy of the Dark Knight trilogy. Where it got things right and where it fell down. Afterwards the guys jump into some recent video game news. Specifically the Xbox showcase and if Game Pass will change the industry (spoilers: it probably will).

ToB Games - Pre-Next Gen Special

Julian Meush February 25, 2020

The X-box One and PS4 are on their last legs, and we’re only months away from the next generation of consoles. Yet with the release of the PS5 and the X-Box Series X right on the horizon we still know surprisingly little. How much will they cost? Is $450 too much? Does physical media still matter? What’s enough storage? Who’s going to figure out the “Netflix of gaming” first? With so many questions, Julian, Dan, and Jeremy attempt to answer them all on a rare ToB Games special episode!

ToB Games - More Smash Characters

Julian Meush September 15, 2019

It seems that the ToB Crew only get time to talk games when Nintendo has an announcement. What a nice confidence! In a surprise Direct, Nintendo announced that SNES games were headed to Nintendo Online (Launching with some heavy hitters like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Metroid, just to name a few), Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury joins the Smash roster (complete with an awesome pixel art intro!), and most importantly, that even though there is only 1 character left to reveal in the “fighters pack”, that even more characters would be joining the Smash roster after that!

ToB Games - E3 2019

Julian Meush June 16, 2019

If you follow the video game world, even from a distance, you know that E3 is like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and your birthday all combined for the those in the games business. With it comes exciting new announcements, sizzle reels, reveals, and surprises. Regardless of what types of games you’re into, there’s always something to get excited about. This year, with Sony, and other major players pulling out, it seemed like the show might lack some of it’s luster. Fortunately, there was still a lot to get excited about. Not the least of which being the Avengers game from Sqaure Enix, a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the first game play of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, plus the surprising new character announcements for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy discuss all that and so much more in the annual E3 breakdown episode of ToB Games!

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!

Episode 129 - The 2018 Tobie Awards

Julian Meush January 7, 2019

It’s that time of year again - where we reflect on the year that was. What was special, scary, moving, heart pounding or mind bending. The movies, television shows and games of 2018 have now all come and gone, so Julian Meush, Daniel D’Souza and Jeremy Kozier sit down for a retrospective look at the year that was. 2018 brought with it some absolute gems in all three categories. Whether it was comic tent-poles at the theatre that left audiences stunned, whip-smart comedies on TV that always brightened your day, or some of the most ambitious games ever made that dropped your jaw in awe of their scale and scope, it was a good year to be a fan of entertainment. Here’s to another great in entertainment!

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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