Episode 179 - The Drama Continues

Julian Meush September 2, 2022

Another episode, another dump of bad news out of WBD. This time, following their investors call, we learn that they've been pulling content from HBO Max liberally, while 'Shazam 2', and 'Aquaman 2' get pushed again. Have no fear, they have a 10 year plan they say. Fortunately, HBO seems to have been spared the knife so far, featuring 'House of the Dragon' pulling in record numbers for it's premiere. In fact, prosperity seems to be abound across the nerd world when it comes to adapted material, with 'Sandman' on Netflix hitting the mark, and 'She-Hulk' at Disney+ capturing even Jeremy's attention. The guys sit down to discuss all of that and more, including 'Avatar's' return to theatres, 'Green Lantern: Beware My Power', and a final word on 'Prey'.

Episode 175 - No Holds Barred!

Julian Meush May 3, 2022

With Julian moving out of the current ToB Studio, it was only fitting that he sat down with Jeremy for a full no-holds-barred free-for-all episode to really go out with a bang! The guys discuss the recent demise of Netflix, and how it reflects on their less than recent lack of quality programming, dive into more Warner Brothers drama, talk about the genius of some of the great Hollywood directors, find a way to talk Star Wars (of course), and some of the news out of CinemaCon. All that plus SO MUCH MORE, on this very special episode of the Tower of Babble Podcast. We'll be back with a new episode very soon out of the new space, so make sure to tune in to the live show to see how it all looks!

ToB Interlude - Uncharted (2022)

Julian Meush February 24, 2022

Julian and Jeremy go waaay back with ‘Uncharted’ as a series. So much so that one might say the game series was formational in their understanding of narrative in the gaming space. For years people have been calling for a film adaptation of ‘Uncharted’. So long in fact, that the movie has gone through countless directors, writers, and actors attached to the project. It took time, but it’s finally here, a true live action representation of everyone’s favourite band of misfit thieves and adventurers. Does this it live up to the years of hype or is it just another stale video game adaptation? Join Julian and Jeremy as they explore that question and dissect the film from two perspectives; how it works as an extension of the games, and how it holds up on it’s own as a movie.

Episode 172 - Oscar Nominations

Julian Meush February 9, 2022

It feels like forever since our last news show, so in that vein we’ve decided to take things back to our roots with a wide assortment of news from across the entertainment landscape. That being said, it’s not all completely out of left-field as this years Oscar nominations were revealed, which required immediate attention. Afterwards, Julian and Jeremy move into a broader discussion on the future of movie theatres (again!), discuss the merits of computer generated acting performances, the latest from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Amazon series, and dive into some pretty compelling “What We’ve Been Watching” entries, including ‘Euphoria’, and ‘Peacemaker’. All that and so much more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

ToB Interlude - Spider-Man: No Way Home

Julian Meush December 20, 2021

Spider-Man in the MCU has seemingly always been a rollercoaster ride. From his first underoos appearance in 'Civil War', through to his dusting in 'Infinity War', and more. The ride continued off the off the screen as well, with Sony and Disney doing the impossible (working together) to keep it all going. And now here we are, at the end of his very own MCU trilogy. We all remember how the last Spidey trilogy ended (existential crises indeed), and the fact that the 'Amazing Spider-Man' series didn't even get it's 3rd movie. Combined with the bonkers premise the marketing was pitching for this entry, it's understandable if you were concerned if they'd be able to pull it all together. Well allow me to be the first to put those concerns to rest. 'No Way Home' is able to stick the landing with all the grace of the web-head himself. It's able to balance complex and emotional storytelling masterfully, while still being super fun and funny. Despite it's nearly 3-hour run time, it never feels long, and will make you want to jump right back in when it's over. This is a true event film that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Run, don't walk, to your nearest theatre.

Episode 171 - Game of Thrones Blunders, Star Wars Shakeups, Resident Evil

Julian Meush December 7, 2021

After a month long hiatus (sorry about that, but Costa Rica was splendid. Thank you for asking), Julian and Jeremy return to the show to catch up on the biggest film and TV stories that were missed. Not the least of which being the Spider-Man shaped roller-coaster we’ve all been on as the release of ‘No Way Home’ rapidly approaches. With speculation that Tom Holland may be done as the web-slinger swirling, it came as a bit of a shock as Marvel and Sony announced that Tom be sticking around for at least another 3 movies, as their corporate partnership looks to continue for the foreseeable future. Sigh of relief. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Disney machine, the “creative differences” continue to pile up at Lucasfilm and Star Wars. Patty Jenkins fighter pilot film, ‘Rogue Squadron’, has been put on the backburner (as opposed to the afterburner), along with ‘Rangers of the New Republic’ on the TV side. It also doesn’t look like we’ll be getting Rian Johnson’s trilogy any time soon as that is also shelved (damn!). Plus, with the release of a new behind the scenes book at HBO, details on the failed 'Game of Thrones' spin-off series, ‘The Long Night’, have come to light. And finally, as part of an extended “What We’ve Been Watching” segment, Jeremy dives deep into his thoughts on ‘Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City’. All that, and so much more, on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast.

Episode 170 - Lightyear, Book of Boba Fett, and Uncharted

Julian Meush November 2, 2021

It's been some time since we've had a chance to do a full news episode, and what with all the exciting trailers dropping these days, it felt like the right time to jump back into the news stream. Starting with Pixar's space-epic, 'Lightyear', a movie that seems to confound people more than excite them. At least it looks very pretty! Moving onto 'The Book of Boba Fett', which has had Star Wars fans waiting with bated breath. It was nice to finally get a glimpse into what looks like an exploration of the Star Wars underworld as Fett and his team vie for power in the wake of Jabba. Next is 'Uncharted', a movie that has been a loooong time in the making, and despite our very serious concerns, it's at least nice to see that it's actually coming out. Finally, 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City', which has Jeremy VERY excited, as this movie seems to finally explore the intricate story that the games originally laid out decades ago. Plus some news on 'Dune 2', 'John Wick' spinoffs and much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

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 167 - Long Anticipated Trailers

Julian Meush September 13, 2021

The movie industry is in a strange place these days. What with release dates changing on a regular basis and more and more projects moving to streaming. Among those projects are a few few movies we KNOW are coming soon, but we still knew nothing about. Both 'The Matrix Resurrections' and 'Spider-Man: No Way Home", are looking like locks to hit their release dates at the end of this year. Fortunately, we can start ramping into the hype with earnest as both movies recently dropped their first trailers. Julian and Jeremy break down each one and gage our levels of excitement for them before moving on to a discussion about the new 'Injustice' animated movie that was just announced (which also dropped a trailer). All that and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 164 - Netflix Inking Deals, WB Cancels New Gods, and the Iron Anniversary

Julian Meush April 12, 2021

Just the two J’s this week as Dan is away. Julian, and Jeremy discuss Rian Johnson’s big money ‘Knives Out’ deal with Netflix, Warner Bros. cancelling ‘The Trench’ and Ava DuVernay’s ‘New Gods’, and the 10th year anniversary of ‘Game of Thrones’ premiere on HBO that they’re calling the “Iron Anniversary”. The guys also touch on some notable release schedule changes around Hollywood, and the cast list for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, which had a few pleasant surprises. All that, and so much more, on this 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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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.

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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.

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May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

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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.

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