SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E3 "The Streets of Mos Espa"

Julian Meush January 14, 2022

Boba Fett's star vehicle seems to be on a bit of a rocky road. A lukewarm premiere was followed by one of the best Star Wars TV chapters yet, only to have chapter 3 stumble once again. Robert Rodriguez is behind the camera (as he was for chapter 1), and despite his action pedigree, the fight and chase sequences were underwhelming. The fights feeling oddly blocked and paced, while the chase could not have felt much slower (unless maybe they were walking?). Story-wise, the conflict with the Hutts was quickly resolved, only to leave us with a completely new enemy, and still no idea why Boba Fett even WANTS to be a crime lord. Especially one who is facing a war with another crime syndicate. With another 4 chapters left to find its way, there's still plenty of hope, but so far the track record is not strong for what was a very highly anticipated series. Join Julian and Rachel as they unpack what worked and what didn't in this week's episode of Small Screen Star Wars.

SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E2 "The Tribes of Tatooine"

Julian Meush January 7, 2022

After a rocky start, with an underwhelming first chapter, there were some concerns about how the rest of 'The Book of Boba Fett' would play out. Fortunately, Chapter 2 put that all to rest with a spectacular follow up. "The Tribes of Tatooine" continues to explore the Tusken culture, and likely finished what "The Mandalorian" started, by officially winning most us over to being full fledged fans of "the sand people". Meanwhile, the "contemporary" story jacks up the stakes as some major players are introduced to threaten Boba's burgeoning criminal empire. This is all done while finding time for some very fun and satisfying nods to long time Star Wars fans throughout the episode. This is top notch Star Wars in nearly every regard. Join Julian and Rachel as they dissect it all!

SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E1 "Strangers in a Strange Land"

Julian Meush December 31, 2021

It's been a long wait since the end of 'The Mandalorian' season 2 that not only reintroduced the character decades after his supposed death in 'Return of the Jedi', but it also ended with a teaser of Boba on Jabba's throne. Fans have since been speculating about the uncertain future of the galaxies most feared bounty hunter now that he's taking an eye to leadership. The first episode does little to reveal what is to come for Boba, and instead looks backwards, as we are treated to the long anticipated reveal of HOW he survived the Sarlacc. It's unclear if we'll follow Boba's journey all the way up until we meet up with him in Mando but it seems clear that they are using the full extent of the "book" motif, and will likely explore other parts of the character's life throughout the series while following his rise through the underworld.

Holiday Bonus Episode! - ToB Film Club - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Julian Meush December 24, 2021

Tis' the season for merriment and joy, so in the spirit of the holidays, the cast of the ToB Podcast has gathered to sit by the fire, sip eggnog, and review another Christmas classic movie. This year it is none other than 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'. Delight as Julian, Jeremy and Rachel break down the Griswold family Christmas while using the opportunity to diverge into conversations about christmas traditions, and why the White Elephant/gift steal game is a pox on the whole Christmas spirit. Join us, won't you, for some Christmas cheer on this Christmas eve in "The Tower". Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from all of us at ToB!

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 169 - DC Fandome 2021

Julian Meush October 19, 2021

Last year’s DC Fandome set the gold standard for web events in the entertainment space. At that time we were hopeful that we’d be able to “get back to normal” by this time in 2021. Unfortunately, that’s turned out not to be the case, and with San Diego Comic-Con being a digital shell of it’s in-person self, coupled with every other entertainment companies own digital events all seemingly landing with a thud, it felt like there was little to look forward to this year for fan events. DC Fandome seemed to be the one exception. With not a peep from DC since last year’s Fandome on their major projects we here at ToB were amping up for some big reveals. Unfortunately, that is not really what we got. In a bit of a change of formats from their multi-channel approach last year, DC paired things down to one 4-hour stream. This meant everything from a new Justice League mobile game, to the ‘Super Pets’ movie and everything in between had equal representation next to the big tent pole film and game franchises we’ve all been waiting for, like namely ‘The Batman’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ and ‘Black Adam’. This made for a more muddied affair, especially as there were not many new surprises and A LOT of time spent speaking to their CW franchises (we don’t need a tour of the Kent family farm). Overall though, the things that hit, really hit (hello ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’), and the rest can largely be forgotten until they come up again at next year’s event. Join Julian and Jeremy as they discuss all the major stories from this year’s DC Fandome in this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

SSSW - Star Wars: Visions

Julian Meush October 4, 2021

Julian and Rachel reconvene to discuss 'Star Wars: Visions'. The anime anthology series that brings together some of the biggest studios in Japan to tell Star Wars inspired stories. From the Kurosawa inspired "The Duel" that opens the series with dramatic fashion, to the more eclectic and fun "T0-B1", there's a lot to love here for Star Wars and anime fans alike. Everyone will have their favourites, and the ones they don't particularly care for, but that comes with the territory when you're dealing with such a wide variety of styles and themes. Listen as your hosts break down each short and rank their favourites.

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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.

Jun 5, 2025

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