Podcast: ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ & ‘Peacemaker’

Podcast Macbeth Peacemaker

Greetings programs! This week on the podcast, we’re talking about Macbeth and Peacemaker. One is a timeless tale of a power-hungry man who tries to take control of his life with a trail of unthinkable violence, and the other is Macbeth. Both of them are excellent, too. We also discuss James Gunn as a writer and director, which goes to some interesting places, especially in the wake of further revelations about Joss Whedon.

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The Films of the DC Extended Universe Ranked, The Suicide Squad Edition

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad has been out for about two weeks now, and since this is the kind of thing the internet loves, here is how the various DC Extended Universe movies stack up for me. There are 11 films in the franchise so far, which in case it’s not clear, means I am only looking at films in the current, interconnected universe that started with Man of Steel. If I’m honest, this list didn’t turn out exactly how I thought it might when I decided to do it, which is interesting to me at least!

If you agree or disagree, feel free to reach out to me on social media, I’d love to hear from you. And now, on to the list:

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Awesome Friday Movie Podcast Episode 4: ‘Vivo’ & ‘The Suicide Squad’

Awesome Friday Podcast Vivo & The Suicide Squad

Greetings programs, it’s Awesome Friday on a Sunday, which means we’re back with another episode of the Awesome Friday Movie Podcast!

Join us this week as we discuss two new movies. First up is the new Sony Pictures Animation film Vivo, which features the voice, and songs, of Lin-Manuel Miranda and was released to Netflix this week. Second up is James Gunn’s triumphant return to superhero movies; the Warner Brothers and DC released The Suicide Squad, now in theatres (and on HBO Max in the United States).

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Review: ‘The Suicide Squad’ is wacky, juvenile, committed, fun, and familiar

The Suicide Squad

James Gunn has a distinctive voice. It’s always been there, from his days at Troma through writing the Scooby-Doo films and the Dawn of the Dead remake, and from his early directorial efforts like Slither and Super all the way to the Guardians of the Galaxy and now, the Suicide Squad. That voice is juvenile, a little dark, and also –and this is most important– fun.

I say this because The Suicide Squad, the movie he signed on to make while briefly exiled from Marvel Studios, is a juvenile movie. And it’s a little dark. And it’s pretty fun. But while its R-rated excesses are probably the logical extension of his voice as a storyteller, it is also cobbled together from his greatest hits from other projects. Your mileage may vary on whether it feels repetitive or merely familiar, but it’s also enough fun that that probably doesn’t matter.

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Home Video: Every DC Extended Universe Film and Where to Buy, Rent, or Stream them

The Suicide Squad

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad will hit theatres this weekend, and it is one of the most highly anticipated DC films in ages. There are nine films in the DCEU so far, or ten depending on how you count the versions of Justice League, and here is where you can rent, buy, or stream each one.

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Let’s Take a Closer Look at the #SnyderCut trailer (with 70+ high-res captures)

Zack Snyder's Justice League

We are fast approaching the date when the Zack Snyder’s Justice League will be a legitimate thing in the world, we’ll have a four hour movie to watch, and baat-fans the world over will gloat at how awesome it is even if it isn’t. What a time to be alive!

Today we’re going to take a closer look at the new trailer for the Snyder Cut, and we’re going to do it with nearly 80 high res frame captures.

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Aldis Hodge joins Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Black Adam’ film as Hawkman

Aldis Hodge

Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam film is starting to heat up, folks. At DC Fandome a few months ago it was announced that the Justice Society of America, the golden age version of the Justice League, will be part of the story. Now we have our first cast member: Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall, Hawkman.

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LOL: ‘The Snyder Cut’, which is totally a thing that exists and is ready to release, is getting $70 Million worth of reshoots

Justice League

Fans have been insisting that The Snyder Cut is real and ready to go for years now, which totally explains why when Warner Brothers finally decided to go ahead and release it to HBO Max it required an additional $30 million budget to finish all the post-production. Now, Zack Snyder is headed back to the studio with an addition $70 Million to do a bunch of reshoots. Because of course.

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Poster Gallery: James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’, Wonder Woman ’84, Black Adam, and The Batman DC Fandome Posters

The Suicide Squad

While I was busy covering Fantasia Fest DC had an event to announce their upcoming slate of projects. There was a ton of news out there that you’ve probably seen, but I really like these posters.

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Review: Birds of Prey is a good time!

Birds of Prey

DC’s Extended Universe of films got off to a rocky start. An early focus on being grim and gritty and “realistic” a la the comics of Frank Miller along with a lot of time spent setting up a universe seemed to get in the way of making, you know, good movies. That is to say, they went too dark and they spent so much time worrying about the next movie they forgot to focus on the one they were making.

Luckily it seems that someone eventually figured this out and started letting filmmakers make the movies they want to make rather than having them conform to a predetermined aesthetic and continuity. Sometimes this has resulted in a miss (like Joker) but in recent years they have actually generated a string of fun movies (like Aquaman and Shazam!).

So how does Birds of Prey fare? As both a sequel to one of the least liked DC films and also focussing on one of the most fun characters in the DC universe it has a tough setup but I’m pleased to say it’s definitely a hit.

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