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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Episode 160 - The 2020 Tobie Awards
With the year 2020 now firmly behind us, it's time to look back at the year that was and pick the best of the best. The ToB Crew gathers for their yearly tradition to pick their top three movies and TV shows from the last year. Now of course, 2020 is a year that many of us would like to forget, but that doesn't mean there wasn't great entertainment to enjoy. In fact, it likely helped much of us get us through what was a VERY challenging time. That being said, things aren't the same. The movie industry in particular was hit hard in 2020. So with that in mind, there's been a few adjustments made to the rules. Most notably, any movie or show that was new to the viewer, regardless of the year of its original release, is eligible for a Tobie this year. This opens the door to some exciting surprises in this year's picks! Now grab your champagne, get dressed up in your finest attire, and enjoy a celebration of the best of 2020 (and sometimes other years too).
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Episode 159 - HBO Max-pocalypse + Disney Investor Day
In a world where really only two studios can make the biggest blockbuster movies, it’s no surprise that when they decide to make a major shift into streaming, that it MAY have an affect on the theatrical experience. The guys discuss the repercussions of Warner Bros. decision to release their 2021 film slate on HBO Max the same day they premiere in theatres. Spoilers, it’s mostly bad news. Though it’s not all doom and gloom, over on the other side of the isle, Disney had their “Investors Day”, where they proceeded to vomit up a years worth of news all in one afternoon. Star Wars isn’t dead as they announced 10 new projects! On the Marvel front we got a closer look at the, soon to be released, Disney+ shows as well as a look at the future of their film slate (which surprisingly won’t be coming to Disney+ day and date). All that and so much more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast.
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Episode 158 - Fincher Unleashed
As the pandemic rages on, and we adjust to the new normal, so does Hollywood. With news that Wonder Woman 1984 will be coming to HBO Max on Christmas, the future of the theatre going experience becomes even more clouded. Meanwhile, David Fincher is in the press, promoting his latest streaming endeavor ‘Mank’, (and dropping some spicy takes!) fresh off signing a 4-year exclusive deal with Netflix of his own. We watch as the Hollywood landscape is remapped on the fly. But it’s not all doom and gloom! I mean, there’s a ‘Wedding Crashers’ sequel in the works, and a new Predator film coming from Dan Trachtenberg. So there’s SOME hope is all I’m saying. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy also touch on the latest from the Snyder Cut, and weigh in on the pressing subject of whether streaming services should let credits play uninterrupted (you know, the important stuff). All that, and so much more, on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast.
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Episode 157 - Green Lantern, James Bond, and Moon Knight
After a brief hiatus, the ToB Crew returns to cover the latest in film and television news. Of course the film part seems to be less and less relevant these days as streaming services have become the defacto home for all things motion picture. Unfortunately, that means much of the film news is sad and depressing. Like the passing of Sean Connery, or the impending death of movie theatres. But it also means more news from the land of Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and the like. Such as, additional details about the Green Lantern series coming to HBO Max, Oscar Isaac's casting as Moon Night for Disney+, and that Netflix is, once ,again, raising it's subscription prices. The guys also dive into an interesting 'Agree or Disagree' segment revolving around the state of Warner Brothers. Plus a brief discussion on the first season of HBO's Lovecraft Country. All that, and so much more, on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 156 - Too Soon for the MCU Spider-Verse
With about a month since our last full show, there's been a lot of news piling up. The guys dive into all the juiciest stories to cover the latest in film and television (oh and obviously the biggest story of the month, Steve joining Super Smash Bros). Unfortunately, before getting to the fun stuff, Julian, Dan, and Jeremy, hypothesize about a grim future where movie theatre chains have all gone out of business. It's truly the darkest timeline, but one that seems all too possible, with all the remaining blockbuster releases for this year being moved into next year (or later in some cases). On a more exciting note, the news of Jamie Foxx's Electro joining the MCU for Spider-Man 3, along with Doctor Strange, begs the question if it's too soon to start introducing a multiverse in the MCU. On the DC front, it's discovered that reshoots for the Snyder Cut of Justice League will cost $70 million, and the much maligned streaming service, DC Universe, will officially close its doors as all it's major shows will move to HBO Max (don't worry, it'll live on in a comic book subscription form). Speaking of TV, 'The Boys' is getting a spin-off series, Ted Lasso is renewed for season 2 (I had to mention it) and Nick Fury is getting his own Disney+ series. All that and so much more (I know, I always say that, but this time there's literally so much more stuff!), on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 155 - Dune , Godfather 3, and Resident Evil
As theatres start to re-open, and production resumes on our most anticipated movies, it could almost feel normal again. That is until you look at the box office numbers for Tenet, or that Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ had to halt production after Robert Pattinson came down with COVID. So in this continually crazy world, Julian, Dan, and Jeremy attempt to make sense out of the latest film and television news. Not the least of which being the exciting trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’, as well as a live action ‘Resident Evil’ series in the works at Netflix, Ben Affleck returning to the role of Batman, and the ‘The Godfather: Pt 3’ is being recut. The guys also discuss the first few episodes of Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ and look forward at 2021’s DC animated movies. All that and so much more (including an exciting announcement for Patron supporters) on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast.
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Episode 154 - DC Doomsday
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!
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Episode 153 - DC, Tron 3, TMNT, and AMC
It’s been almost a month since the ToB Crew conveeded, and in that time A LOT has happened. Making for a jumbo sized episode of The ToB Podcast! Starting with just DC, there’s news on The Snyder Cut, Michael Keaton’s Batman, Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern, Henry Cavill’s Superman, two animated features, and the future of their streaming service. That’s without even mentioning the rest! The guys also dive deep into Tron 3, a reboot to Twister, the AMC Theatres saga, a new TMNT movie (and possible also a live action show?), the strangeness of Qubi, a Fallout show at Amazon Prime, and so much more (if you can believe it)! On a slightly more serious note, Julian, Dan, and Jeremy also examine the recent move of white voice actors stepping down from voicing non-white characters, as well as the deaths of Joel Schumacher and Ian Hom.
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Episode 151 - The Snyder Cut Is Real
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!
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