Down To Watch

Raul and Dan set off on a quest a while back to knock out a slew of Essential-80's cinema and now are back at it with this 1984 classic!  With space and sci-fi, aliens and flying crafts of all shapes and sizes, The Last Starfighter is right in line in most ways with what the 70's and 80's depictions of the genre would become and continue to be...creating films for kids about other kids slightly older then themselves so they could be put in the shoes of a hero they look up to.  But, there is much to discuss and admire about several unique aspects of the film, and also the cringier/dated stuff too.  The guys cover it all so pop in a quarter and nuzzle up to the joystick, because its not just a game, its also a test! 

This week on Down to Watch, the Disney machine has taken over! Dan and Raul are happy to welcome Jonnie back to the show, and it's a good thing too because Disney+ is full up on his favorite franchises. The House of Mouse continues to solidify the strength of it's streaming platform with the two tentpole live action brands passing the baton in mid-summer. We slide out of the Star Wars universe with the end of the Obi Wan series that sheds light on his time babysitting Luke between trilogies just in time to start Ms Marvel, a YA coming-of-age MCU TV series about a young Muslim American becoming a super hero lady.  A couple of shows hoping for individual success as well as furthering their story canon, but do they do or do not? Our trio of pod characters has their answers!

Suns out, shows on! Down to Watch coins a new summer catch phrase to welcome the new July TV refreshments. Dan and Raul are keeping safe from the sun by checking out what the major streamers have cooking up on the grill: Prime is bringing a troupe of Paper girl's and Chris Pratt (no surprise there), Apple might save the day with some tasty looking Black Bird, and Netflix is serving up the end of Stranger Things S4 and some more Resident Evil (but there's always leftovers). There's plenty more to bite into on this sunny BBQ edition of DtW, so go dive in!

This week on DtW we're tackling sinister 70s crime and superhero shenanigans with the first two ep's of Dark Winds, and the first three ep's of The Boys season 3! Dan and Raul are talking about the third go round with Butcher, Homelander and the rest as the current season of the Amazon Prime hit series sees the gore levels rising and plenty of allegories to the current state of the world. All of these messages are draped in sex and violence as the characters sink further into a world lousy with misbehaving "Supes". 

But before that, the guys are talking about Dark Winds, a new AMC+ series that seems to marry the "justice on the range" genre with spooky native happenings and occult-involvings. The series trailer drew comparisons to the David Lynch classic Twin Peaks, but does the final product closer to mid-tier cable shows? We know, and we wanna tell you, but you gotta listen!

Dan and Raul go back in time, to a distant planet far, far away that is many years in the future to hunt down a Hollywood classic where apes are like man in every way!  Oh wait, its earth, which are hosts did know (how could you not if you are in any way a lover of American pop culture), but hadn't seen the film in its entirety.  Amazingly advanced ape costuming and shooting a ton on location were some high points, but the guys didn't gloss over the harder to swallow aspects of the stagnantly dull story.  Get on your closest space ship and travel with the DTW crew to see if this classic film journey was worth it or in need of a rewrite!

The old guard of streaming, Netflix and (FX on) Hulu, have each presented a big summer show to entice subscribers, so Down to Watch has something to say about these nerds and punks! Dan and Raul have seen a few episodes of Pistol, the Danny Boyle helmed biopic series about the Sex Pistols, as well a ton of the first volume of the fourth season of Stranger Things. 

Boyle clearly has the talent to tell the story of Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious and the punk scene, but did the man known for swings like Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire and 28 Days Later land on the right tone for youthful anarchy translated to today's audiences? Then, the Netflix stalwart 80s style juggernaut comes back to many fan's delight, but are the DtW hosts among them? You don't need upside-down brain powers to find out, just listen to the pod!

Summer is starting and Down to Watch is ready to tell you about all the shows that will fill the longer days and warmer weather! Dan and Raul go over last month's TV progress reports with their usual respective grades and some thoughts about how those shows are faring, but then it's right into the new stuff. 

June is no longer the barren television wasteland it once was, and the major streamers have plenty of new shows to preview. The conversation includes a handful of returning shows covered by DTW in the past such as The Boys, Westworld, Only Murders in the Building and Physical, as well as the freshman seasons of a bunch of new offerings. The MCU has a Ms. Marvel to present to younger audiences, Maya Rudolph got her hands on some Loot, Iron Chefs will attempt to reach Legend status, Bridges moves from The Dude to The Old Man, Dark Winds might be Twin Peaks on a reservation... and plenty more included on this summer school cheat sheet. Come listen, we got the answer key!

Dan and Raul welcome back Jonnie to discuss all things Marvel, but first a few new pieces of business were to be handled including a quick discussion on season one of Winning Time (HBO).  Dan and Jonnie for the most part really dig the show and look forward to season two.  

The new trailer for She-Hulk was mentioned as well, but the guys are suspect on what genre exactly this show will be aiming to delve into with it seeming like it should be a "case a week" for this lawyer-lady-hulk to handle some legal business, but then where does the comic book specifics get involved?...we will have to wait until August 2022 to see!  

Moon Knight just completed its 6 episode run, so listen as the guys mention the series success in being a huge step forward in its inclusion of characters and cultures as the MCU hasn't included much in its run of TV shows and movies thus far, but seems to be striving to be more diverse and come from a more worldly point of view.  The pyramids and tombs stuff gets to be a bit much in the middle part of the series, so the good and the bad are all included here.

Lastly, Dr Strange 2 is broken down with major Sam Raimi (the director of the film) love coming from big fans in Dan and Raul, and Jonnie really oohs and aahs over the brutal intensity of scorned-villain-mother, Scarlet Witch, played ferociously by the great Elizabeth Olsen.  But, the guys had issues with some of the not-so-mad Multiversal aspects that left much to be desired based on the uncanny reality bending of the first film, so tuck in and get ready for a longer than usual pod, but DTW promises in this universe it will be worth your time!

Russian Doll is back on Netflix for all the sweet birthday babies! This week, Down to Watch revisits the story of Natasha Lyonne and friend breaking reality and doing stuff that was already done. Both Dan and Raul enjoyed the first season plenty, with strong performances and a twisty, neat take on a Groundhog's Day-like voyage of personal discovery. Now after a lengthy production delay, Netflix has finished the next part of Nadia and Alan's journey, but does it live up to the expectations held by fans of the first season or is this a rehash of a show about rehashes? Listen to find out, then listen to find out! Then do it again!

The future looks so bright with all these shiny new shows! Down to Watch is back again with another look at the upcoming month of May in what is primarily a streaming landscape nowadays. Dan and Raul scoured the trades and tv schedules to deliver info on premieres about L.A. icons of celebrity, laser swords and sex pistols, true crimes and metaphoric monsters, meltdowns, Mike Myers and more! Plenty of returning shows and thoughts on the newest batch of upcoming programming make this an episode and a half at the regular price, but who knows how long that deal's gonna last...