For Larry it was a weekend of firsts! First time tabling, first time out West, first time flying! Denver Zine Fest 2016 brings our hosts together for the very first time. Did they take the fest by storm? Or do slow moments cause self loathing and second guessing? How does one determine a successful event? Does Larry drink the Kool-Aid?
We answer these questions and more in Episode 136 of the Media Montage Podcast!
We've already seen Batman, Superman, Iron Man and Captain America on the big screen this year, so this week we move to the small screen and take look back the at the spectacular superhero season that's winding down on television.
DC's Arrow-verse has left us with lots of exciting teasers for next season while SHIELD's biggest nemesis seems to be the Nielson ratings. What direction will the Flash and Legends of Tomorrow finales take the Arrow-verse? Is Netflix the true future of Marvel's small screen offering? Is Gotham still on?
We answer these questions and more in Episode 135 of the Media Montage Podcast!
Where do you get your ideas? Once you have your idea, then what? Larry and Bruce explain their approach to the Creative Process.
Paper, pen and ink or digital tablets and stylus? How do analog and digital approaches factor into the process. Bruce and Larry go digital at different points in their processes and for different reasons.
They tackle how they come up with ideas, and how they develop them and put them in front of an audience. Is there one right way to create? Is there one right REASON to create?
Find out the answers to those questions and more in Episode 134 of the Media Montage Podcast!
Captain America vs Iron Man! The 13th film of the Marvel
Cinematic Universe is here! Captain America: Civil War takes its
story from the 2006 Marvel Comics crossover event and 7 issue
miniseries.
Bruce and Larry contrast and compare that miniseries with the events
of the film. Why are our heroes at odds? What brings these allies
to the brink of war? They look at the causes of the conflict in both
the comics and the film.
Which medium tells a better story? Can you
get a good movie with a cast featuring a dozen established heroes
while introducing two new ones? How does Bruce REALLY feel about
comics crossovers and events? What is a Stabbity Jones?
Find out the answers to those questions and more in Episode 133 of
the Media Montage Podcast!
It's a little bit Go Bots, it's a little bit Rocky 4! The Cold War heats up in this post-apocalyptic Cult Film where war is over and giant robots battle to settle international diputes. It's Robot Jox, from 1989 starring, Gary Graham, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Paul Koslo.
At listener request (Thanks Nate O!) Bruce and Larry take a look at this film, and try to figure out if it's a kid's movie adults can enjoy or an adult movie kids can enjoy?
They look at the special effects, the script, what they liked and what they loathed. Is the stop motion animation up to snuff? Is it dated or does it hold up? Was Robot Jox to late to exploit the Cold War? Why is a singular hot dog one of the high points of the movie? Find out the answers to those questions and more in Episode 132 of the Media Montage Podcast!
This week Bruce and Larry take a look at a different kind of movie.
Documentaries are non-fictional narratives on hundreds of topics from comics, to comedy to history to movies themselves. They take a look at narrative bias and narrator ego, and how those affect documentary films. They discuss favorite docs in the genre, and they talk about various sub-genres of documentaries.
When should a film maker insert themselves into their story? Should they ever? What about sequels to successful docs? Larry finds one he doesn't care for? Will that documentary on the Roger Corman Fantastic Four movie ever come out? Find out the answers to those questions and more in Episode 131 of the Media Montage Podcast!
Blockbuster season seems to arrive earlier and earlier every year. This year blockbuster season kicks off with an epic match up as two titans of pop culture meet on the big screen for the first time.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice pits the Caped Crusader against the Big Blue Boy Scout. The Man of Steel takes on the Dark Knight, but why? What forces pit these two heroes against one another. And more importantly, is it any good?
Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavil as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jesse Eisenburg as Lex Luthor.
Bruce and Larry go in-depth on this highly anticipated film. What was great about the movie? What did they hate? Who is the real hero? What about Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash? Does this movie establish a DC Movie Universe to rival that of Marvel? Find out the answers to those questions and more in Episode 130 of the Media Montage Podcast!
What's a zine? It's a small do-it-yourself publication, self published, on any number of topics, from the extremely personal to general interest. How do you make a zine? Comics, collage, poetry, essays and rants fill the pages of thousands of zines.
This week Larry and Bruce take a look at the 2006 book Whatcha Mean, 'What's a Zine?' by Esther Watson with Illustrations by Mark Todd featuring contributions by numerous other zinesters. We look at this book as a source of inspiration, how-to on content, format, distribution and more. They talk about the history of zines from the Underground Comics to the Riot Grrrl movement of the 90s.
They also discuss zines as folk-art, preparations for the 2016 Denver Zinefest, and the wave of inspiration brought on by this remarkable book in episode 129 of the Media Montage Podcast!
Superman returned in 2006's Superman Returns...but he didn't return for long. With the 10th anniversary of this Bryan Singer film Bruce and Larry decided to examine this odd entry in the canon of superhero films.
Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, and Kevin Spacey star in this not-quite-a-sequel to the Richard Donner Superman films. Superman has been gone for five years, and returns to a surprising new world. Heavily influenced by the earlier Superman films, this movie attempts to look back to the past, while trying to pave the way for a new series of films. This reboot attempt didn't lead to any new films, but instead we got Man of Steel in another reboot in 2013 and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which comes out today.
Why did Superman Returns fail to return in another sequel? What works with this film? What doesn't? How much nostalgia is too much? Which actor would have been better in a marquis role? All that and more in episode 128 of the Media Montage Podcast!
John 'Soldier' Kelly, AKA Snake Eater, returns and this time he's out for vengeance against mobsters and drug dealers selling poisoned cocaine! He's not just a Snake Eater he's a Drug Buster!
This week Bruce and Larry take a look at Lorenzo Lamas and Larry B. Scott in 1989's (or 1990 or 1991's) Snake Eater 2: The Drug Buster.
How does one form a looney bin Justice League? Is that snow? Pizza and hookers, delivered! Does an insanity defense really immunize you from murder? These questions and more in Episode 126 of the Media Montage Podcast.
Imagine Earth is doomed. Imagine the elite masters of the world know this and hatch a series of schemes to save themselves. Imagine they also have at their disposal, technologies well in advance of what we think of as 'High Tech. Imagine they've run a Secret Space Program in pursuit of 'Alternative 3,' the third option to escape a dying Earth and establish a separate Breakaway Civilization.
This week Bruce and Larry investigate theories surrounding Alternative 3, The Secret Space Program and the Breakaway Civilization. How could such a scheme advance? Where is the technology from? How long has this plot been going on? These questions and more in Episode 126 of the Media Montage Podcast.
Anglia TV's Science Report: Alternative 3
Walter Bosley on the possible origins of The SSP and Breakaway Civilization, as well as some history on the Sonora Aero Club:
Paranoia Magazine's rundown of the Alternative 3 scenario as it relates to the X-Files Season finale (My Struggle 2) which aired this week. Episode 126 of MMP was recorded before the final two episodes of the X-Files aired.
Christopher Knowles of the Secret Sun Blog, looks at the finale at his Solar Satellite Blog. His analysis and deep read of Chris Carter and the X-Files is fascinating and enlightening, and gave me a very different view of the revival than most commentators.
Lester Girls has it all, hot women, fast cars, high adventure, and THAT's the trouble...He wants a mundane life.
This week Bruce and Larry take a look at Volume 1 of The Trouble With Girls, collecting issues 1 – 7 of the acclaimed comic parodying the action-adventure heroes of the 1980s written by Will Jacobs and Gerard Jones, and drawn by Tim Hamilton.
Super spies, Lizard Ladies, Killer sushi chefs, and a solid foundation of Dick jokes in episode 125 of the Media Montage Podcast.
Oscar winners, Blockbuster Mega-stars, and respected film veterans all got their start somewhere. TV movies, commercials, soap operas, and schlock horror have all served as the proving grounds for some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
This week Bruce and Larry take a look at the humble beginnings of the titans of the screen. We look at some our our favorite early roles of today's biggest stars.
Jack Black pitching video games? Brad Pitt and Julianne Moore slumming it in the soaps? And who got lost in the storm tunnels when he became obsessed with Role Playing Games in an early role?
The answers to these questions and more in Episode 124 of the Media Montage Podcast.
Plus Larry learns about Reach by Martini Ranch with Bill Paxton, Lance Henrikson, Judge Reinhold, and Paul Reiser in a video directed by James Cameron:
The X-Files made its return to television last night for a six episode limited engagement. The show has certainly had a massive influence on the conspiracy topics Larry and I are interested in, and have covered on the Media Montage Podcast over the last few years.
The episode, titled My Struggle, hit on many of the topics that have risen to prominence in the conspiracy field since the original run show went of the air in 2002.
The episode touched on Conspiratainment, Nazi scientists, ARVs (Alien Reproduction Vehicles), 911/False Flag theories, reverse engineered alien technology and the episode strongly hinted at the Breakaway Civilization theory.
Here are some Media Montage Podcast episodes that can inform you on some of those topics:
Episode 21: Conspiratainment - embodied in Joel McHale's Tad O'Malley character, an Alex Jones style Conspira-Tainer.
Episode 70: Operation Paperclip - Nazi scientists brought to the US post WW2, who found themselves intimately involved in the origins of the CIA and NASA.
Get yourself up to speed on some of the weirdness mentioned in last night's episode. It's cool to have the X-Files back, even for a limited run, and I can't wait to see what the next five episodes have in store.
(Apologies for Bruce's audio quality in parts of this episode. A last minute Skype update was forced right before recording and some settings defaulted resulting in distorted audio.)
1986 was a great movie year! 30 years ago saw a year of fantastic films, it was a movie year that's gotten a lot of love at the Media Montage Podcast.
In this episode Bruce and Larry take a big-picture look at the films of 1986. Techno-paranoia, the Cold War, Australia and the Military Industrial Complex all had dedicated feature films in '86 as well as that lovable sociopath Ferris Bueller in episode 123 of the Media Montage Podcast!
