Podcast: The Last of Us (w/ Guest Shaurya Chawla)

The Last of Us

Greetings programs! You’re reading this correctly, a second episode this week! I was given access to the entire first season of the new HBO series The Last of Us, an adaptation of the PlayStation video game franchise of the same name. Joining me to speak about it is my friend Shaurya Chawla, who has not only seen the whole series but, unlike me, has played the game.

In this episode, we will give some brief thoughts on the whole of season one, followed by a more in-depth discussion of the premiere episode of the series, which has just finished airing on HBO. We keep the first half spoiler free, but there are some details in the back half.

Join us!

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Podcast: Andor (reprise), Spirited, & The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Andor, Spirited, & The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Greetings, programs, and welcome to a very special Awesome Friday Podcast. This week we’re covering three things: First, we’re headed back to Ferrix to revisit Andor, which might be the best Star Wars thing in a long while. Following that, we’re kicking off the holiday season with a look at Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell in AppleTV+’s new holiday musical Spirited, and then a quick trip out to Knowhere for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. This episode is jam-packed, so what are we waiting for?

After the jump, you’ll find podcast listings, streaming links for all three titles, and all of our other content.

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Podcast: Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

Greetings, programs, and welcome to a very special episode of the podcast. This week instead of our usual two things, we are reviewing one or eight, depending on your perception of the universe.   Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is an 8-episode horror anthology that is now out on Netflix, and we are looking at all eight episodes. We both have strong feelings about them; listen in to find out what they are!  

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Podcast: Werewolf by Night & All Quiet on the Western Front

Werewolf by Night & All Quiet on the Western Front

Greetings programs! This week the Awesome Friday Podcast is back with a look at two new streaming titles. First up is the latest Marvel experiment, the Halloween special Werewolf by Night. Following that, we look at the new adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, produced by Netflix.

You’ll find streaming links powered by JustWatch below, as well as our ratings and all our other content. Join us!

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Podcast: Blonde & Star Wars: Andor

Blonde & Andor

Greetings programs! This week on the podcast, we are looking at the divisive new Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde, starring Ana de Armas as the titular blonde bombshell, before moving on to the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise, Andor. We spend half the episode swooning over one of these; listen to find out which!

JustWatch-powered streaming links, our ratings, and a complete list of where you can listen to this episode are below. Join us!

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Podcast: Alienoid & Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Alienoid + She-Hulk

Greetings programs! This week on the podcast, we’ve got two exciting titles for you. First up is the South Korean science fiction epic Alienoid, then the latest Marvel series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

There are streaming links powered by JustWatch a little further down this page, and the episode should be live wherever you listen to podcasts (including on this page) now.

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Bonus Podcast: Our Favourite Marvel Movies, featuring over a dozen of our friends

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Greetings, programs, and welcome to a special bonus episode of the Awesome Friday Podcast. In our main episode this week, we asked over fifty of our friends to contribute their top ten Marvel Cinematic Universe entries and used those to establish a consensus top ten.

We also asked everyone if they would be willing to record a short audio clip about their favourite with the intent of sprinkling those into the show. Well, we didn’t get one from everyone, but we did get a level of response that made that plan a little untenable. So we used them to build this special bonus episode.

We’d very much like to thank everyone who contributed to the project and this episode specifically. It has been a lot of fun and rewarding to see our community come together.

We’re going to start with Simon and me speaking about our number one Marvel movie from our recent episode and then jump right into our friends talking about theirs. We hope you enjoy it.

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Podcast: Marvel Extravaganza! Ms Marvel, Thor: Love & Thunder, Our MCU Top Ten(s), and The Ultimate MCU Top Ten

Ms Marvel, Thor: Love & Thunder, Marvel Top Ten

Greetings, programs, and welcome to our one year anniversary! It’s hard to believe we relaunched the podcast a year ago to the day but here we are a year later. We are so grateful for all of you, for your listening and engagement, and for the community that we’re starting to build.

It’s fitting that this week saw the release of two new Marvel Cinematic Universe entries because that’s how the show began. Last year we covered the Disney+ series Loki and the film Black Widow. We decided to make an event of it, so this is a super-sized episode –nearly 2 hours long. Not only do we discuss the new Disney+ series Ms Marvel and the new film Thor: Love & Thunder, but we also break down both Simon and my MCU top ten lists, and then we asked over fifty of our friends to contribute to a consensus top ten list. That’s right, the top ten MCU entries as decided by over fifty people.

Below are streaming links powered by JustWatch for both of the new entries we discussed, a breakdown of the methodology used to determine the consensus top ten, an embedded player for the episode, and a complete listing of over 30 podcast networks you can find us on.

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Podcast: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On & Stranger Things 4

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On & Stranger Things 4

Greetings programs! Welcome to the first episode of July, in which we discuss a lovely new movie and the return of a much-loved television series. In the top half, we’ll introduce you to Marcel the Shell with Shoes on, the brainchild of Jenny Slate, Dean Fleischer-Camp, and Elisabeth Holm, which balances childlike whimsey with deep emotional resonance. Then, in the bottom half of the show, we’re talking about Stranger Things 4, how it holds up against the previous seasons, and whether Simon should would it (he hasn’t!).

There are streaming links powered by JustWatch a little further down this page, and the episode should be live wherever you listen to podcasts (including on this page) now.

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Podcast: The Sea Beast & Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Sea Beast & Obi-Wan Kenobi

Greeting programs! Join us this week as we discuss the upcoming Netflix animated film The Sea Beast, directed by Chris Williams and starring Karl Urban and Jared Harris, and the recently concluded Obi-Wan Kenobi series from Disney+.

There are streaming links powered by JustWatch a little further down this page, and the episode should be live wherever you listen to podcasts (including on this page) now.

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Podcast Grab Bag: The Oscars, Moon Knight, Halo, & The Canadian Film Festival

Oscars, Halo, Moon Knight, Canadian Film Fest

Greetings programs and welcome back to the Awesome Friday Podcast. This week is a little different than most weeks, instead of two things we are covering a whole bunch of things in a grab bag format. There have just been too many things to narrow it down you see, so join us for brief discussions about The 94th Oscars and the slap heard ‘around the world, Halo, Marvel’s Moon Knight, and the films of the Canadian Film Festival.

There are streaming links for the films and series discussed here on this page, and the episode is live wherever you listen to podcasts (including an embedded player also on this page). Join us!

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Marvel’s Moon Knight is a bit disjointed

Moon Knight

Comics are weird. There’s no denying this simple fact, and there’s no use trying. This fact is universal and can be a barrier to entry for new fans. Sometimes 50 years of lore is a lot to wrap your head around. One of the great strengths of Marvel’s ongoing cinematic universe is that initially, at least, it distilled all that lore into something easier to swallow. Twenty-plus films later, its greatest strength is that when a new character walks onto the screen and says, “I’m a man with split personalities, one of whom in the warrior avatar of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu and I’m here to punish the wicked” most people’s reaction will be “sure, that makes sense.”

Of course, this can also be a flaw –as it is with Marvel’s latest series– in which there is so little explanation that there is almost no reason to care. There is no trial by which Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spectre obtained his powers or much in explaining his back story; he walks on-screen fully formed. Well, half-formed, because if you glossed over it in the previous paragraph, this is a man with multiple identities. This show is, in a word, a lot.

Being a lot isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but while there are many things to love in this series, there are just as many that make it a complicated watch.

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