Episode 193 - The 2023 Tobie Awards (7th Annual) - Movies

Julian Meush February 15, 2024

With TV now out of the way we can move on to the medium that TV wishes it was - film! Part 2 of the 2023 Tobie Awards focuses in on the best in movies from last year. The Oscars seem to think that there was one movie that stood head and shoulders above the rest, in ‘Oppenheimer’, at least based on how many nominations it got, and Julian, Vince, and Jeremy, certainly give it it’s due, but there is a lot of other worthwhile films to cover on this list. Especially on the genre side of things - movies that would more often than not, never fall under the Oscars purview. Buckle up as the ToB Crew discuss a wide array of top tier films from across the spectrum. Enjoy!

Episode 187 - Hollywood Turmoil Paired With A New Superman

Julian Meush July 20, 2023

Julian and Jeremy get together to try to make sense of the current tumultuous state of Hollywood. With the actors joining the writers on strike, the pressure mounts for studios, who are currently going through an almost unprecedented streak of box office failures. It's not looking good out there folks! Which is why it was necessary to revive the "Agree or Disagree" segment of the show to really dive into the complexities of the situation. Meanwhile, DC Studios continues to try to steady the ship by announcing casting news for 'Superman: Legacy'. Surprisingly they've gone further than just announcing who will be playing Clark and Lois, and added character announcements for the likes of Guy Gardner, Hawk Girl and more. Unsurprisingly, this leads to some debate on the merits of James Gunn's recent decision making. On top of that, the guys discuss a grab-bag of movie topics to round out the show. All this and so much more on this week's episode of the Tower of Babble Podcast!

ToB Interlude - The Flash

Julian Meush June 26, 2023

In what is a somewhat new format for ToB, Julian starts off this episode solo, and is joined by Jeremy mid-stream. Julian, and then also Jeremy, unpack the absolute mess that has been left in the wake of DC's latest box-office bomb. With so much weight of expectations resting on the shoulders of 'The Flash' (thanks a lot Tom Cruise and Stephen King) it may not be a surprise that it wasn't able to reach those lofty heights, but it doesn't make the situation any rosier for WB executives who backed a chaotic lead, shelved 'Batgirl', and spurned Snyder fans, for this flop. The guys discuss the film itself (was it actually any good?), possible reasons it failed financially, and what it means for the future of the DCU.

Episode 185 - Too Busy for its Own Good

Julian Meush June 1, 2023

Julian and Jeremy get together for a quick news roundup, including: DC's plan to continue with Ezra Miller after 'The Flash', Martin Scorsese's new trailer and his meeting with the Pope, HBO's reluctance to greenlight the Jon Snow 'Game of Thrones' sequel, the end of the Arrowverse on CW, the latest from Quinton Tarantino, and Mark Hamill's stance on recasting Luke Skywalker. Plus Julian brings some impressions from 'Fast X'.

Episode 183 - Tom Cruise Requested to See 'The Flash'

Julian Meush March 23, 2023

Julian and Jeremy return to the mic to dissect the latest in film and TV news. As it always seems to be the case, the guys start by unpacking the latest drama with DC Studios. With 'Shazam 2' underperforming, there's more scrutiny on a botched crossover with Black Adam, James Gunn continues to get heat, seemingly for no good reason this time, and Ben Affleck is done with Batman... this time for real. Meanwhile leadership at Disney continues to blame 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' for the reason they can't seem to commit to any new Star Wars film projects for longer than 5 minutes. This coming on the heels of Patty Jenkins 'Rogue Squadron' movie being shelved. Plus, stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear a full spoiler review of HBO's 'The Last of Us' season 1. All that and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 182 - Gods and Monsters

Julian Meush February 16, 2023

James Gunn waited until the last possible day to fulfill his promise of revealing details about his upcoming slate of DC projects. Releasing a pre-recorded video on January 31st, Gunn laid out the projects that will make up his first phase, which they are calling "Gods and Monsters". It will feature a Superman and Supergirl movie, a Wonder Woman prequel series, a new Batman film, this time featuring Robin, as well as series for Booster Gold, Amanda Waller, and even Green Lanterns. You can't forget the titular "Monster" either, as Swamp Thing is also getting a movie. Plus animated projects and video games are all announced to be part of this new DCU (no longer the DCEU). It's a lot to unpack, so Jeremy and Julian break down each announcement with an eye of optimism as things finally seem to be looking up for a franchise that has seen nothing but turbulence for nearly a decade.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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