Episode 168 - Nolan's Demands and Disney+ Day

Julian Meush September 23, 2021

The repercussions of every studio continuing to turn it’s gaze towards the streaming future can be felt all throughout Hollywood. Disney seems to be leading the charge as it’s doubling down on Disney+, with CEO Bob Chapek announcing that they will be doing an annual “Disney+ Day” to celebrate the service (really just a big add day). Meanwhile, you have acclaimed filmmaker, and traditionalist, Christopher Nolan, leaving his longtime studio, Warner Brothers, in the wake of the HBO Max debacle, to take his next film to Universal. Of course this comes with a steep list of demands that insures it’s theatrical window. Over on the TV front, The Emmy awards were handed out, with ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘The Crown’ taking home most of the hardware. Julian and Jeremy discuss this and so much more on the week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 154 - DC Doomsday

Julian Meush August 14, 2020

A lot can happen in 2 weeks. Julian, and Jeremy, are reunited with Dan after a couple weeks away, and boy howdy is there a lot to discuss. After the obligatory Tenet check-in, the guys dive deep into the layoffs at Warner Brothers. Layoffs that hit particularly hard at DC. Not unexpectedly, the much maligned DC Universe streaming service appears to be getting the axe, however, it was the move to completely gut DC Collectibles and hobble DC Comics that came as the biggest shocker. This all comes only weeks ahead of DC Fan Dome, the comic book companies much hyped digital comic-con. Fortunately it wasn’t all bad news on the DC front as it was revealed that Rocksteady’s new game would revolve around the Suicide Squad as they hunt the Justice League (which is pretty cool if we’re being honest). After that the ToB Crew jumps over to the bleak future of the theatrical experience as news of Mulan coming to Disney+ became a reality (among other downer news bits on that front). Fortunately, some good news came out of the Emmy nomination as Watchmen was (rightfully) nominated for 26 awards. All that and so much more in this week’s (extra long) Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 151 - The Snyder Cut Is Real

Julian Meush May 25, 2020

Some people thought it was a myth, others assumed it was only an eventuality, the rest just got bombarded with the hashtag for 2 years, but against all odds, the “Snyder Cut” of Justice League is real, and it’s coming to HBO Max. Julian, Jeremy, and Dan discuss the exciting news and debate over how to process it all while trying to considering it in context of the vocal minority that made it happen (not as easy to do as you might think). The guys also dive into the latest Tennent trailer and ponder if it’s the last best hope to save movie theatres in a post COVID world. Speaking of which, AMC vs Universal Pictures is also discussed before moving onto to some less depressing news from the galaxy far far away, with the announcement of Taika Waititi taking on a Star Wars feature film of his own. All that and so much more in the latest Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 102 - Handmaid's Emmy

Julian Meush September 26, 2017

Julian, Daniel and Jeremy are back to discuss the latest in geek news. The most pressing stories being the firing of Colin Trevorrow from Star Wars Episode IX and his immediate replacement by JJ Abrams, the results from this years Emmy Awards and Batman: The Animated Series celebrating it's 25th anniversary. The guys also discuss the Star Trek: Discovery premiere, Linda Hamilton's return to the Terminator franchise, the latest on True Detective season 3 and much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Episode 93 - Sour Grapes Over Rotten Tomatoes

Julian Meush April 4, 2017

It's a big show this week and it kicks off with a bang as the guys play a Spider-Man themed version of Nerd Association in honour of the new trailer as well as discuss the news that Spidey might be leaving the MCU sooner than we thought. Julian, Dan and Jeremy then dissect the Justice League, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Mummy trailers before examining Ghost in the Shell's abysmal box office performance. Moving on, and in what is quickly becoming a staple of the ToB Podcast, the Agree or Disagree segment returns, this time asking whether Rotten Tomatoes is truly the "destruction" of the movie business. On the TV front, Buffy celebrates 20 years, followed by briefly talking about several shows that had either their season or series finales including Legion on FX (A show that everyone should be watching) and Star Wars: Rebels (Another show everyone should be watching) and Black Sails. Plus, True Detective season three might happen after all! The show then continues into a bit of gaming news and a discussion on Mass Effect: Andromeda before closing out on a brief discussion on diversity in comics. All this and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast, which is nothing if not chock-full of nerdy goodness. Enjoy!

Episode 92 - Iron Fist

Julian Meush March 23, 2017

With Julian now back in the Cayman Islands for, at least, six months the show is back to the Skype setup, but it doesn't take them long to get right back into the swing of things. Starting with a fresh game of Nerd Association the guys discuss the latest from the DCEU, the return of The Matrix, the latest delay of Avatar 2 and all the latest in nerdy movie news. The ToB Crew then revisit another old segment, "Agree of Disagree" (We're still working on a better name), and give their take on whether the film industry has a "bleak" future. Next is some TV talk covering Netflix dumping the five star rating system and some major Star Wars moments on Rebels followed by a brief Games section. To close out the show Julian, Jeremy and Daniel give a preliminary review of Marvel's Iron Fist and have a heated debate on the merits of the PS4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Episode 88 - Game Awards and PSX 2016

Julian Meush December 8, 2016

With a whole pile of video game news to discuss the ToB Crew returns ready to talk all about the news that came out of The Video Game Awards 2016 and Playstation Experience in Anaheim. Not the least of which being the surprise announcement of The Last of Us: Part Two. But before getting to any of that the guys break down the new Transformers 5: The Last Knight and The Mummy trailers as well as discuss Jimmy Kimmel's promotion from Emmy host to Oscar host and some Rogue One tidbits before moving on to some TV talk. Which included: CW's big Arrow, Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow crossover, Netflix introducing offline viewing for select titles and a Sons of Anarchy spinoff. Finally, beyond all the major gaming announcements, Julian, Daniel and Jeremy also dissect the rumour that suggests Gamecube games will be coming to the Nintendo Switch Virtual Console and debate which games should make the list. All this and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

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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