Episode 184 - Where Did Everything Go Wrong?

Julian Meush May 18, 2023

Julian and Jeremy reconvene after some time off to discuss the latest in film and television news, and there is no bigger story than the writers strike as it effects both mediums. The guys discuss the WGA's biggest demands, and spend some time examining how effective AI could really be in replacing creative jobs in media. After that it's a grab bag of stories including the possible return of The Rock to the Fast and Furious finale, another look at 'The Super Mario Bros Movie' and it's massive success as it continues to climb the all-time animated movie box office charts, some comments from Kathleen Kennedy on how to "eventize" Star Wars movies again, and few other odds and ends. Enjoy!

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 145 - DC Check-In

Julian Meush December 7, 2019

The ToB Crew is back with another regular episode of the ToB Podcast. A lot has happened, especially at Warner Brothers, so the guys decide to do a recap of all things DC. Variety is reporting that DC brass don’t know how to make Superman relevant to modern audiences, all while Henry Cavil drops some Superman nuggets, Michael B Jordan is pitching Superman ideas, and Ben Affleck is stoking the flames of #ReleaseTheSynderCut with a tweet. Needless to say there’s a lot to talk about. The guys also touch on the new “Sonic the Hedgehog” trailer, Mark Wahlberg’s casting in the “Uncharted” movie and much more!

Episode 105 - Disney Buying Fox?

Julian Meush November 14, 2017

What a crazy couple of weeks! Not only was it revealed that Disney was in talks to buy 21st Century Fox but it was also announced that Rian Johnson would be heading up a whole new Star Wars trilogy, Brian Michael Bendis is moving to DC Comics and that Amazon is making a Lord of the Rings television series! That's a lot to unpack, luckily the ToB Crew is here to break it all down for you.

Jun 5, 2025

SSSW - Tales of the Underworld

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.

May 22, 2025

SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

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 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

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.

Episode 184 - Where Did Everything Go Wrong?

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

Episode 145 - DC Check-In

Episode 105 - Disney Buying Fox?

Support the Show

REcent Episodes