Marvel took over Hall H for the first time in two years, Christopher Nolan posted the biggest opening of his career with a three-hour R-rated Greek epic, Disney's live-action Moana opened to numbers nobody saw coming, and the $111 billion Warner Bros. merger got frozen by twelve state attorneys general days before it was set to close.

Jared and Wren break down the most interesting summer for movies and TV — plus we revisit our old "State of the MCU" video and find out how badly we called it.

And we introduce The Board Room: we're taking over a failing studio.

00:00 Intro

07:29 Episode Rundown

10:45 WBD/Paramount Merger

25:15 SDCC/MCU News

45:33 Summer Box Office

56:35 Out Now/Coming Soon

1:02:04 The Odyssey Review

1:16:50 Obsession Review

1:23:39 House of the Dragon (S3) Review

1:29:17 The Fun Stuff (Tier List, Real or Fake)

1:40:06 Introducing Ember Studios

1:49:04 Outro

On this brand new episode of Cine-ish, Wren and Jared discuss the state of indie films in 2025. What has changed within the independent market and does it mean for cinema in general? Plus, the two review Warfare and The Accountant 2 along with The Last of Us Season 2. YouTube members at the "Directors" level can watch the video version right now!

Mainstream Hollywood films have 40% less sex than just two decades ago, a new study by the Economist finds. Jared and Wren discuss the potential factors contributing to the overall decline.

Plus, the summer blockbuster season is off to a slow start. What films will pop at the box office?

Sources:

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Jared is back for another review this week with Luca Guadagnino's latest film, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor.

Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event -- close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.

Watch the full video version here.

From Nathan and David Zellner, Sasquatch Sunset is a simple story of the human condition; albeit painstakingly basic and, certainly, uneventful. In the misty forests of North America, a family of Sasquatches find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them.

In a dystopian future America, a team of military-embedded journalists races against time to reach Washington, D.C., before rebel factions descend upon the White House. From director Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Nick Offerman, Wagner Moura, Stephen Henderson, Cailee Spaeny, and Jesse Plemons.

On this episode, Jared and Wren discuss the 96th Academy Awards. How many of the winners did you predict correctly? Plus, the biggest Hollywood headlines of the past month: turbulence at Marvel and DC; Jurassic World’s next star; Blumhouse and AMC Halloween fest; and Scream 7 updates.

Watch a section of the video version of this podcast by becoming a YouTube member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNgg9I5m5T39o0hLVPCGKag/join

Producers: Linda M. & Cam C.

Executive Producers: Wren P. & Jared C.

Jared returns for a review of Late Night with the Devil, starring David Dastmalchian and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes. The film's unnerving subtlety grips the viewer tightly and refuses to let go.

In 1977 a live television broadcast goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms.

Jared is back for a review of Rose Glass' sophomore feature, Love Lies Bleeding. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Katy O'Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco, Jena Malone, and Anna Baryshnikov.

On this episode, Jared and Wren discuss the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards set for March. What films and actors were snubbed? Can we even use the word "snub" correctly as a culture?

Plus, the biggest Hollywood headlines of the past month: Celine Song's next film, more password sharing crackdowns, Doug Liman raging at Amazon Studios, and a new Oscar category.

Sources:

Watch a section of the video version of this podcast by becoming a YouTube member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNgg9I5m5T39o0hLVPCGKag/join