It feels like we've been waiting a lifetime for 'The Batman'. It's gone through so many iterations, starting as a solo Batman movie that was to be written, directed and starring Ben Affleck. Next it was Ben Affleck starring with Matt Reeves directing, before eventually Ben stepped away entirely. After that things really started to take a turn, we learned that the sparkling vampire himself, Robert Pattinson, would be putting on the cape and cowl, and that it would stand apart from the DCEU. There were a lot of question marks but once that first trailer premiered at 'DC Fandome' way back in Feb 2020, the wait for the release of this film has been unbearable. Following a few COVID related delays, making the wait even harder, 'The Batman' finally arrived and boy did it deliver! You would be hard pressed to argue that Robert Pattinson's Batman isn't the most comic accurate live-action version of the character we've ever seen. Plus the supporting cast of Alfred, Gordon and Catwoman all feel spot on and fresh. Paul Dano's Riddler is equally as fresh, going as far the other direction from Jim Carrey's interpretation as possible, while bringing a very real and scary menace to the role. Even Colin Farrell's Penguin is amazing! The mystery plot, being driven by a Batman that is for once a great detective, certainly draws from films like 'Seven' or 'Zodiac', but the tone couldn't be a better fit. This is truly a masterpiece of comic book filmmaking. Join Julian and Jeremy as they break it all down and gush over the brilliance.
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ToB Interlude - Uncharted (2022)
Julian and Jeremy go waaay back with ‘Uncharted’ as a series. So much so that one might say the game series was formational in their understanding of narrative in the gaming space. For years people have been calling for a film adaptation of ‘Uncharted’. So long in fact, that the movie has gone through countless directors, writers, and actors attached to the project. It took time, but it’s finally here, a true live action representation of everyone’s favourite band of misfit thieves and adventurers. Does this it live up to the years of hype or is it just another stale video game adaptation? Join Julian and Jeremy as they explore that question and dissect the film from two perspectives; how it works as an extension of the games, and how it holds up on it’s own as a movie.
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SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E7 "In The Name of Honor"
With all the best intentions, it seems 'The Book of Boba Fett' caped it's first season, with more of a thud than a bang. Despite some really cool visuals this finale felt weightless and uninspired. The divergence to Mando for two episodes did not pay off enough to justify the time spent away from our main characters, thus making the final moments of the season feel disjointed. Of course having Grogu and Mando back together is nice, but at what cost? Time will tell how this all fits into the larger Star Wars TV landscape but for now it certainly looks like there's some room for improvement. On the bright side, how cool was it seeing the showdown between Boba and Bane, or a Rancor on the loose?! There's still plenty to love. Julian and Rachel dissect the good, the bad, and the ugly, and look forward to what a second season might look it. See you in May!
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Episode 172 - Oscar Nominations
It feels like forever since our last news show, so in that vein we’ve decided to take things back to our roots with a wide assortment of news from across the entertainment landscape. That being said, it’s not all completely out of left-field as this years Oscar nominations were revealed, which required immediate attention. Afterwards, Julian and Jeremy move into a broader discussion on the future of movie theatres (again!), discuss the merits of computer generated acting performances, the latest from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Amazon series, and dive into some pretty compelling “What We’ve Been Watching” entries, including ‘Euphoria’, and ‘Peacemaker’. All that and so much more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!
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SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E6 "From the Desert Comes a Stranger"
After last week's episode we thought there was NO WAY they would spend another full chapter on Mando's story, but boy were we wrong. Not only did it pick up right after last week, with Din on his way to see Grogu, it took it to the next level with Luke playing a much larger role than I think anyone expected (by the way, the deep fake tech has apparently come a long way since 'The Mandalorian' season 2. Luke actually looks pretty great!). The most surprising part, besides the delightfully unexpected inclusion of yet another 'Clone Wars' character, was that Boba didn't have a single line of dialogue again in his own show (although, that could be considered an improvement over last week where we didn't see him at all). All that being said, maybe we shouldn't have been surprised considering we knew Dave Filoni was in the director's seat this week. It's always a pleasure seeing Dave at work, but it's his writing where I think where he really shines, in yet another solid installment of live action Star Wars now under his belt. The question now is, how the hell does this show wrap everything up in one episode?!
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SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E5 "Return of the Mandalorian"
When we all heard the Mando whistle/theme at the end of last week's episode I think it's fair to say no one expected this! Lucasfilm decided to drop an entire episode of 'The Mandalorian' into the middle of 'The Book of Boba Fett'; essentially a Mando season 3 premiere. That being said, I was very pleasantly surprised as this episode not only brought us some awesome Dark Saber action moments, it also introduced us to an exciting new local, had some deep lore, fun prequel connections, and it all looked absolutely stunning. This is easily the best episode we've got all season, but it doesn't really feel fair to compare this to the rest of 'The Book of Boba Fett' as this is essentially an episode of an entirely different show (I mean... Boba doesn't even make an appearance this week!). With only two episodes left in the season, only time will tell if this choice will prove to fit in smoothly with the rest of the story, or if it will feel disjointed, but the tease at the end of this week certainly has us excited for what's to come!
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Episode 172 - The 2021 Tobie Awards
Another pandemic year has come and gone, which means there was a lot of time for movie and TV watching (for better or for worse). But most importantly, it means that it's time for the Tower of Babble Podcast co-hosts to come together to discuss their favorite films and shows from the last year. This year's prestigious Tobie Awards, a now 5-year running tradition, sees a seat change for the first time in its history. To discuss the best of best from 2021, Julian is joined as always, by founding co-host Jeremy Kozier, and for the first time, Rachel Wilkinson takes her place at the podium. Three co-hosts deliver their top three in both a film and television category, then move on to discuss what they are looking forward to in 2022. Let the ceremony begin!
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SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E4 "The Gathering Storm"
After a largely disappointing episode last week, we catch up with Boba and friends in what appears to be the final flashback sequence of the season (though I'm still holding out hope for a few more!). Boba recruits Fennec, recovers his Firespray class starship, and exacts some revenge on a certain biker gang (and sarlacc). Back in the contemporary story, Boba does some more recruiting (nice to see that wasn't the last we see of everyone's new favourite wookie), and invites the local crime bosses over for a dinner party in an attempt to gain their aid against the Pykes. Leaving us with a pending "war" and an exciting tease of a certain shiny-armoured friend.
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SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E3 "The Streets of Mos Espa"
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.
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SSSW - The Book of Boba Fett S1E2 "The Tribes of Tatooine"
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!
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