Vin and John discuss The Old Woman With The Knife, a 2025 South Korean action film about an aging female assassin. They praise the film's visuals, score, performances, and action choreography but note the story's confusing timelines, a late emotional payoff, and an underdeveloped resolution. Overall, they find it stylish and promising, with room for improvement and franchise potential.

John and Vin also discuss their love of action movies like Shaw Bros, Jackie Chan, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the John Wick franchise.

THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE (2025) - Directed by Min Kyu-dong - Screenplay by Kim Dong-wan & Min Kyu-dong - Based on the novel by Gu Byeong-mo - Starring Lee Hye-young and Kim Sung-cheol

Timestamps 00:00 - Intro

00:52 - Details about The Old Woman with the Knife

03:00 - General thoughts on this movie, comparisons to Ballerina and the John Wick films, as well as other influential films discussed

17:00 - More on the comparisons with the John Wick films

21:34 - Spoilers for The Old Woman with the Knife review discussion

26:00 - Final thoughts on the film. Ideas for stars who might be able to be the American version of the "Old Woman" assassin/killer role, like a female John Wick.

28:21 - Outro and some action movie recommendations

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Find the video version of this discussion on youtube @TheCosmicCircus

Cam & Vin share their reactions to the first two episodes of Alien: Earth, focusing on highlights and surprises in the new FX/Hulu series. The two talk about whether or not they'd like to see more than one season of this series, challenges to the series, parallels with Blade Runner, and how Star Wars handles film and show connections vs. how the Alien franchise handles it. Listen in to find out what they think of the series so far and see if it lines up with what you think or not!

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus

Alien: Earth (2025) S1 E1-2 

Timestamps 

00:00 - Intro

Vin and Cam revisit Peacemaker's first season with its off-the-wall humor, surprising heart, Vigilante highlights, and a finale that clicks, before sharing early, spoiler-light impressions of the first 5 episodes of Peacemaker season 2. They discuss what effect James Gunn's busy schedule and the new DCU may have had on the hit DC/HBO series, who was a highlight in season 2 and more. Season 2 discussion starts at about the 10-minute mark.

Find the video version of this discussion on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus and you can find and follow our podcast most places you listen, such as Apple, Spotify, Podbean and many more!

Visit TheCosmicCircus.com for more reviews, interviews, editorials, and opinions on Peacemaker, Superman, DC, Marvel, and much, much more!

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

In this episode, Vin and Cam review the long-awaited sequel to The Naked Gun. The new film, directed by Akiva Schaffer and starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston and Paul Walter Hauser is currently in theaters. 

Join Vin and Cam as they discuss their personal experiences with the franchise, laugh at their favorite gags in the movie, and compare the performances of Liam Neeson and Leslie Nielsen. 

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - History with the franchise

03:08 - The story... Wait? Is there a story?!

05:58 - A welcome return to the slapstick spoof comedy genre. The Pink Panther comparisons/inspiration.

07:05 - That hilarious opening that had Vin cackling in his seat. Making fun of more recent movies made since the original films. Best jokes.

09:00 - The original vs. the 2025 movies. Leslie Nielsen vs. Liam Neeson. 

11:10 - Hoping for more The Naked Gun sequels, more fun satire and spoof comedies, and less poorly written superhero movies.

16:45 - Anything we didn't like about the new movie?

22:38 - Other old franchises we'd like to see make a comeback. Airplane and the disaster spoof movies. 

24:55 - Final thoughts

26:02 - Outro

26:55 - Bonus

In this new episode of The Cosmic Circle, Uday and Wiktor have a spoilery chat about the latest Marvel Studios film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, along with some discussion of what it might mean for Avengers: Doomsday. They compare this new Fantastic Four to previous live-action incarnations, including the comics, who their favorite character was in the film, and where they had issues with the story. They compare First Steps to DC's Superman (2025) and discuss how each film hit them this summer. In addition, they talk about cuts and changes to the movie, the implications of Franklin Richards powers for Avengers: Doomsday, along with *that* post-credit scene. 

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was directed by Matt Shakman, and stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, and Ralph Ineson. Now in theaters. 

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - Is this the best live-action Fantastic Four movie to date?

02:00 - Feelings about the 60s aesthetic of the film

05:30 - Favorite characters in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

08:33 - Superman (2025) and First Steps comparisons

11:30 - The POV of a CBM lover who is not a comics fan. 

13:00 - Cuts and changes to the movie, reasons being possibly linked to Avengers: Doomsday 

14:40 - Is Franklin the most powerful being in the multiverse now? Discussing his place in the story and going forward

18:20 - MCU movies under 2 hours

19:30 - Shalla-Bal aka The Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) 

25:49 - Galactus

28:35 - New F4 suits vs. MCU suits

29:39 - Doctor Doom and Doomsday

35:00 - Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) in the movie

39:00 - Ben Grimm, aka The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)

40:15 - Was that post-credit scene a last-minute add-on?

42:40 - Discussing leaked images from Avengers: Doomsday, and do Franklin's powers erase the stakes for dangers in Doomsday? Is he too powerful?

46:50 - Johnny Storm's powers (Joseph Quinn), Reed's powers (Pedro Pascal). Differences from the comics.

49:00 - The balance of a more serious story that is still fairly comic-booky.

49:50 - The need for more Galactus to be featured

53:53 - Reed's plan to defeat Galactus/save Earth

55:45 - More on Ralph Ineson as Galactus

59:35 - Final thoughts and how we're feeling about Avengers: Doomsday now

01:05:49 - Why Uday says Michael Waldron needs to stay away from Wanda/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)

01:06:00 - Outros

For more content and to support The Cosmic Circus and this channel please join our Patreon: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Vin and Cam discuss The Fantastic Four: First Steps! What did the boys think of the new F4 movie? Is it worth checking out in 3D IMAX? How does it compare to their expectations, and what could come next for the MCU? Tune in to find out!

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

Timestamps:

oo:oo - Intro

For more content and to support The Cosmic Circus and this channel please join our Patreon: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Host Uday discusses with Brian, Vic, and John the new SUPERMAN film starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult (with spoilers!)... The four also talk about James Gunn's handling of the DC univese so far, and hopes and concerns for the future of the DCU. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider supporting us by joining our Patreon and Discord here: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Timestamps 

01:00 - Was Superman (2025) a successful start to the DCU?

07:19 - Is this movie "messy"?

15:00 - The lack of an origin story at the beginning of the film and its  effect on viewers being mixed

20:20 - James Gunn on origin stories

21:50 - Is the film easier to follow after seeing it a second time?

23:07 - Is this Superman film strong enough to build a franchise off of? Comparing to other depictions of Superman

24:45 - Debate about James Gunn being writer/director and in charge of everything there. Should he have more of a check and balance?

26:30 - Discussing the box office and deciding what constitutes a success

29:30 - More on James Gunn and the possible need for more checks and balances

36:25 - Batman v Superman comparisons. Snyder vs Gunn 

40:45 - Is it good or bad for James Gunn to be trying to build a competitor to the MCU with the DCU while also wrapped up in his own projects? Could he wind up spread too thin here?

53:00 - Marvel vs DC and further thoughts on the future of the DCU

01:01:55 - Romance in the MCU vs Superman

01:04:10 - Favorite characters and performances in Superman

01:10:20 - Krypto and the intro of Supergirl at the end

01:14:04 - Outros

Join Vin and Vic as they delve into the world of The Fantastic Four in the lead-up to the release of the new Marvel Studios film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. In this podcast, they discuss some of the iconic comic runs for Marvel's First Family and their influence on the upcoming MCU film.

Featured recommendations:

- Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman

- Fantastic Four by #48-50 Jack Kirby & Stan Lee

Other recommendations:

- Fantastic Four by Jack Kirby & Stan Lee

- Fantastic Four by John Byrne

- Fantastic Four by Walt Simonson

- Fantastic Four by Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo

- Fantastic Four by Ryan North

Timestamps

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus. For more content and to support The Cosmic Circus and this channel please join our Patreon: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Join Vin and Cam as they dive into the dynamic world of Superman (2025), written and directed by James Gunn. With a fresh perspective, this episode explores the film's engaging storyline featuring a modern-day battle between Superman and Lex Luthor, enriched by Gunn's unique perspective.

Delve into the charm of this new Superman, played by David Corenswet and the fascinating parallels with the 1978 classic film starring Christopher Reeve. Vin and Cam also share their thoughts on their favorite Superman adaptations and discuss the movie's standout moments and characters, like Nicholas Hoult's portrayal of Lex Luthor.

Lastly, they discuss their hopes for the characters and how they might be explored in future DCU projects.  

Find the video of this podcast on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus. If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider supporting us by joining our Patreon and Discord here: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Timestamps

00:00 - Intros

02:10 - Favorite Superman adaptations prior to Superman (2025)

04:20 - General thoughts on James Gunn's Superman (SPOILERS)

07:57 - Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult)

09:07 - Does this movie have "too much" going on?

11:15 - Clark's parents

11:55 - Is this movie "too cheesy?"

14:00 - Favorite side character in this movie

16:04 - What do you want to see next from the characters in Superman?

17:40 - Not enough focus on Superman as the main character?

18:45 - A week in the life of Superman structure, deleted scenes and extras

20:22 - If James Gunn ever does Batman and Superman...

21:44 - Seeing bits of James Gunn in the characters

23:45 - Outros

Podcast host and writer Brian Kitson is joined by writers Ayla Ruby and Uday Kataria to discuss Marvel Studios' newest series Ironheart starring Dominique Thorne, Lyric Ross, Anthony Ramos, Alden Ehrenreich, and Sacha Baron Cohen. The three discuss Riri's motivations and character journey in the series, as well as how magic and technology are blended. Characters like The Hood, Mephisto, Natalie, Zelma, Zeke and more are discussed, as well as how the series might fit in the wider MCU narrative.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider supporting us by joining our Patreon and Discord here: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Timestamps

00:00 - Intros

00:55 - General thoughts on Ironheart. Parallels with Marvel/Disney's handling of the Echo series. 

06:55 - Continuing Riri's story from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

12:20 - Riri's motivations, grief, and questionable decisions in Ironheart

18:20 - Ironheart's place in the MCU timeline and larger narrative.

20:00 - Mephisto and Riri messing with Death. Shouldn't Aubrey Plaza's Death be angry? Will this be followed up on later?

25:20 - The Hood and Strange Academy

29:00 - Blending technology with magic in the show

34:00 - The Hood's motivations vs Riri's. 

37:00 - Riri's attitude towards Tony Stark/Iron Man

39:25 - Where was the rest of the MCU?

40:45 - Zelma, Zeke and other characters

47:25 - Where will the Ironheart storyline go from here?

56:50 - The color of magic in Ironheart, chaos magic?

58:00 - Need for Jac Schaeffer to return to write again

01:00:15 - Outros