Franchise Fatigue

The Bourne Identity

This week we begin exploring one of the most influential action franchise of the 2000s.
Doug Liman's The Bourne Identity is a fantastic thriller that added a whole new level of realism and intensity to the genre. 

Men in Black: International

With James back, we finally finish playing catch up with franchise installments released while we were in the MCU with the already forgotten Men in Black: International.

A film who's troubled production is far more interesting than anything that happens in it. Which is a tragedy considering its two fantastic lead actors. 

The Hire: The Escape

This week we wrap up The Hire series with Neill Blomkamp's installment, The Escape.
Its not the best of them, but its a lot of fun, featuring a very scary Jon Bernthal. 

 

You can watch The Escape on YouTube...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcbfH_bBJzo

The Hire: Beat The Devil

Here we talk about Tony Scott's absolutely wild installment featuring James Brown and a wonderful Gary Oldman as The Devil. 
It's nuts. 

You can watch Beat The Devil on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Bv5hzuwvU

The Hire: Ticker

This week James makes his triumphant return to the show! We discuss Joe Carnahan's excellent installment, Ticker. And James gives us his thoughts on all the previous shorts. 

 

You can watch Ticker on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnqrKcfxYF8

The Hire: Hostage

In this minisode Gabe talks about John Woo's fantastic entry into the Hire series, Hostage.

You can watch Hostage on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HONrBK8litA

The Hire: Powder Keg

Gabe talks about Alejandro González Iñárritu's dark, gritty installment into The Hire series, Powder Keg.

You can watch Powder Keg on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyxgBdJMsR0

 

The Hire: Star

Gabe talks about Guy Ritchie's installment in the Hire series, Star. 

 

You can watch "Star" on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeDoJsUUDHc

The Hire: The Follow

Gabe talks about Wong Kar Wai's moody, contemplative installment to the car commercial series that barely features any cars. 

 

Watch The Follow on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SpYNgWi5Do

The Hire: Chosen

In this minisode Gabe continues his solo drive through BMW's The Hire series with Ang Lee's chapter, Chosen. 

A graceful, beautifully crafted short, this one might just be the best in the whole series.

The Hire: Ambush

With James on a brief hiatus, Gabe goes solo to talk about The Hire series of shorts that BMW produced in the early 2000s.

In this minisode he talks about the first of bunch, Ambush

 

You can watch Ambush here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3iw1GoTZA&list=PLdToG5JtC8ONuk43jF2qpCk6V12-Iad5D&index=2

Star Wars Resistance Season 2, Pt. 2

This week we finally catch up with Star Wars with the final 10 episodes of Resistance Season 2.

After a somewhat rocky first half of the season, the show finds its stride and delivers many of its best episodes yet in its final run.

Star Wars Resistance Season 2, Pt. 1

This week we head back to The Colossus to talk about the 2nd season of Star Wars Resistance. A show that didn't make much of an impact, but is still a very enjoyable addition to a Galaxy Far, Far Away.

Knives Out

This week we take a quick Detour between Star Wars TV shows  to talk about Rian Johnson's fabulous 2019 mystery caper, Knives Out.

A perfect film brimming with creativity, wit and wonderful characters. Johnson has once again proven himself to be one of the most exciting filmmakers working today.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7

This week we explore the epic and long-awaited ending to one of the greatest pieces of Star Wars storytelling ever made.
Like the show that came before, not all of the episodes were amazing. But we still got several of the best episodes this show has ever had, and finally a deeply satisfying conclusion to the beloved show.

The Rise of Skywalker Rewrite

We're doing something very different from usual this week. Here Gabe and James will each be taking a shot at "fixing" The Rise of Skywalker. We've spent the last couple weeks coming up with story treatments that we hope fix a lot of the issues in the film, as well as make it fit better alongside the previous two films in the Sequel Trilogy.

They're probably both terrible, but it was a lot of fun!

Star Wars Ep. 9: The Rise of Skywalker

This week we finally dive into the monumental conclusion to the Sequel Trilogy and the Skywalker Saga. A massive, ambitious and baffling film that's equal parts disappointing and thrilling.

In one of our longest episodes on a single film, we explore this film from every angle. Hashing out what didn't work, but also reveling in all the thing it did get right as well.

Its complicated.

The Mandalorian Season 1, Pt. 2

This week we talk about the second half of The Mandalorian's first season. Four episodes that are just as good, if not better than the previous ones.

The Mandalorian Season 1 Pt. 1

This week we go back to a Galaxy Far, Far Away with the first half of our two-parter on season 1 of The Mandalorian.

The first live-action TV show in the Star Wars universe, Jon Favreau's love letter to the Western genre was somehow able to unite the entire fandom in its praise.

Jojo Rabbit

This week we are introducing a new series with Franchise Detours. Wherein in between series we will talk about any film we please. Starting this week with Taika Waititi's beautiful 2019 film, Jojo Rabbit.

Toy Story 4

This week we wrap up the Toy Story franchise once again with the latest installment, Toy Story 4.

A sequel deemed by many to be unnecessary, it still manages to bring the emotional heft and wit we all expect from the series.

Toy Story That Time Forgot

Toy Story of Terror was fun, but this right here is the real deal. This TV Special is a total blast of wacky Toy Story fun from beginning to end.

Toy Story of Terror!

With the MCU finally behind us, we're taking a few weeks to catch up on some series that have put out chapters over the last 6 months. Starting with the Toy Story series and the TV specials Pixar put out shortly after Toy Story 3.

In this minisode we discuss Toy Story of Terror, Pixar's send-up of the horror genre starring everyone's favorite toys!

Spider-Man: Far From Home

This week we complete our epic journey through the films of the MCU with Spider-Man: Far From Home.

With this movie we have yet another fun and charming chapter for the character. It may not fully reach its potential, but its a good time nonetheless.

Avengers: Endgame

This week we dive into the epic culmination of the first 10 years of the MCU with Avengers: Endgame!

Captain Marvel

This week we explore the MCU's first female-led movie with Captain Marvel. A film that inspired massive controversies before its release, that were only matched by its runaway financial success. 

Was it worthy of either? Not really.

Favorite Films of 2019

This week we take yet another short break from the MCU to talk about the films of 2019.

Ant-Man and The Wasp

Back to the MCU this week, we move from the grim depression of Infinity War, back to the low-key, delightful quirkiness of the Ant-Man series!

 

Star Wars Resistance Season 1

This week we take a quick break from the MCU to dive into the first season of Disney's latest animated Star Wars show, Resistance!

Star Wars Ep. 9: The Rise of Skywalker(Minisode)

We saw a Star War!

In this minisode James and Gabe come to terms with the final installment of The Skywalker Saga? Is it a worthy ending to The Sequel Trilogy? Or is it a tired rerun that undermines the previous films? A bit of both?

There's so much to discuss.

Infinity War

This week we are joined by our pal Sam Dodson for another mega-length episode exploring the Russo Bros. epic tragedy.

A bold, thrilling, and ultimately heartbreaking chapter of the MCU, that went places we could never have expected or imagined.

 

Black Panther(W/Emmanuel Noisette)

This week we travel to Wakanda to discuss Ryan Coogler's Black Panther. And to help us with that we are joined by Emmanuel Noisette from E-Man's Movie Reviews!

We have a long, in-depth discussion on what is one of the MCU's most ambitious films.

 

You can follow Emmanuel at...

https://www.emansmoviereviews.com/

Thor: Ragnarok

This week we are joined by Quentin Irey from Common Candor to talk about Thor: Ragnarok. A film that took the flagging Thor series in a wild, fun new direction.

While the film's entertainment value is beyond doubt, does this new direction undermine the character's dramatic core?

 

You can find Quentin's work at...

https://commoncandor.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-part-2-supernatural/id1466880046?i=1000452225534

Spider-Man: Homecoming

This week we are joined by Drew Dodgen of the Celcast to talk about Spider-Man's first solo film in the MCU. A delightful, John Hughes inspired romp, Homecoming gives us yet another excellent cinematic take on the classic character.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

This week we are joined by Josh Mesker to explore about this divisive sequel to the 2014 smash hit. While Vol. 2 boast some of the most emotionally effective bits in the MCU, does the rest of it quite live up to its predecessor?

Doctor Strange

After taking a long break from the MCU during the month of October, we are back with Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange!

A thoughtful and emotional character piece that introduces us into the fantastical world of The Master of the Mystic Arts.

Scream 4

This week we wrap up the tour latest series with Wes Craven's final film, Scream 4.

A return to form for the franchise after the disappointing Scream 3. While it might not quite reach the heights of the first film, this one still has plenty of the charm, scares and clever commentary that made us love the series in the first place.

Scream 3

This week we talk about the least popular film of the series, Scream 3.

Scream 2

This week we talk about the first sequel to Wes Craven's classic spin on the slasher genre. Scream 2 is a worthy sequel that has the same fun, scariness and great characters that made the first one so great.

Scream

For the month of October we will be taking a break from the MCU to explore Wes Craven's Scream series!

Scream burst onto the scene in 1996 and gave new life to the then-stagnated horror genre. Does it still provide the same level of fresh commentary on the genre and genuine scares as it did at the time? We certainly think so!

Captain America: Civil War

This week we have an epic-lengthed discussion on the 3rd Captain America film.

A layered film, packed to the brim character development and themes alongside some of the best action in the MCU.

An all around fantastic chapter.

Antman(W/Byron Lafayette)

This week we are joined by our friend Byron Lafayette to discuss Peyton Reed's delightful heist comedy, Antman.

After the enormity of Age of Ultron, Antman's low stakes and breezy tone was a breath of fresh air for the MCU. Despite a very difficult production, Marvel managed to squeeze out yet another win.

 

You can follow Byron at...

https://twitter.com/ByronLafayette

https://vero.co/byronlafayette?fbclid=IwAR2dOdJKqFH-WFM0RyPQeamSZOldYvfFrSzHMxUbcP6UDJykyqVKKiJUE8g

https://www.facebook.com/byronlafayette/

Avengers: Age of Ultron

This week we dive deep into Joss Whedon's ambitious and flawed magnum opus. A film that reveals new layers and depth with every rewatch despite its loudly discussed imperfections.

It may not have been the film everyone wanted as a follow-up to the first Avengers film, but what we got is still a fascinating piece of filmmaking and storytelling with much to explore and discuss.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This week we rave about James Gunn's surprise smash-hit, Guardians of the Galaxy. Taking unknown characters and applying his unique style and charm, Gunn created one of the MCU's most popular and entertaining properties.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This week we explore the Russo Bros. homage to the classic conspiracy thrillers of the 70s with the absolutely fantastic Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This installment abandons the nostalgia of the First Avenger and gives us a tense, gritty tale that challenges everything Cap believes.

MCU One-Shots

This week we take a look at the series of delightful One-Shot shorts that Marvel used to put out with every film.

We also discuss the tsunami of MCU news that came out of this year's San Diego Comic Con.

Thor: The Dark World

This week we dive into the much-maligned 2nd chapter in the Thor series.
Is there some hidden quality, or does this film deserve its mediocre reputation?

 

Iron Man 3

This week we tackle Shane Blacks controversial entry into the MCU.

A 90s conspiracy thriller to the core, Iron Man 3 pulses with Black's fun, darkly comic energy and deep understanding of the title character.

The Avengers

This week we complete Phase 1 of the MCU with Joss Whedon's game-changing smash hit, The Avengers.

A perfect blockbuster that combined incredible spectacle with wonderful human characters and drama.

Captain America: The First Avenger

This week we travel back to the 1940s with our introduction to the MCU's first and greatest hero!

Joe Johnston made a fun and extremely charming film that perfectly captures the noble spirit of its title character.