WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Hasbro/Paramount release "Transformers One " or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Transformers One is an animated feature based on Hasbro's Transformers Toy Line. It is set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers and depicts the origins and early relationship of Optimus Prime and Megatron. It is not specific to any movie or TV series continuity, but rather the franchise as a whole. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. The story depicts Orion Pax and his miner friend D-16. Through a series of events both characters evolve into the Autobot and Decepticon leaders.

Anthony Brucale hosts a Transformers fan site and hosts a popular Transformers podcast. His work can be found at TFU.info and includes articles and podcasts. In this episode, Brucale joins the review of this release, and compares it to previous Transformers stories. He also discusses the film's place in the timeline of the franchise.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Netflix release "The Umbrella Academy (Season 4) " or do not mind hearing key plot points.

The Umbrella Academy is based on a Dark Horse comic book of the same name. The premise of the comic and show revolves around 43 women spontaneously giving birth to a child without showing any signs of pregnancy before labor. Sir Reginald Hargreaves adopts seven of the children who have special powers. He trains them and names them the Umbrella Academy and they are put to work fighting crime. After Season 3, they split up, lose their powers, and begin separate non-crime fighting lives. An event known as the Cleanse forces the group to band together for Season 4.

Noted reporter, critic, and podcaster Swara Salih rejoins the show to discuss Season 4. In this episode, they review the storyline behind Season 4 and how it ties up the plot points for the series finale. Salih also addresses the difference between the excitement brought forth from the first three seasons, and how this shorter season differs.

If you are a fan of the superhero genre (and if you are listening to this podcast you might be), you have most likely seen Tiffany Smith either acting or hosting a genre-centric show. She was a host of DC Universe's "DC Daily," The CW's Fan Talk: The Flash and Fan Feast, AMC's Geeking Out (alongside Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg), Fandango's Movie 3-Some, and IGN's Live at San Diego Comic-Con coverage for Disney XD. As an actor, she's been in countless shows and movies including The CW's Supernatural, The CW's Jane The Virgin, Netflix's Masters of the Universe – Revelation/Revolution, and much more. She appeared in Marc Bernardin's short film Splinter, and is set to star in the follow-up feature film “Deepest, Darkest.”

She is also the voice director and star of a dramatic podcast entitled “Curious Matter Anthology,” which can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-matter-anthology/id1483545385.

That link for Deepest Darkest can be found here: http://kck.st/3YZVeaO.

Marc Bernardin is the co-host of a popular podcast with filmmaker Kevin Smith entitled “Fatman Beyond.” He spent 13 years as a journalist for Entertainment Weekly and worked for other publications before and after. He then boldly transitioned from covering the entertainment industry to being part of it. He is now a TV/film/comic book writer who has written on shows such as Castle Rock, Treadstone, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, and many more. In 2023, he released his first short film, Splinter. His appearance on the Hall of Justice coincides with a new fundraising project to raise money to make a feature-length film entitled “Deepest, Darkest,” which takes place in the “Splinter-Universe.”

In this episode, Bernardin explains the evolution of his entertainment career, and how he got connected with Smith to do their podcast. He also discussed some key topics in the superhero genre including superhero fatigue, criticizing story, and when political issues intercede with superhero content.

Bernardin has launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for Deepest, Darkest. That link can be found here: http://kck.st/3YZVeaO.

Acclaimed television and film writer Ken Levine has had a successful writing career that consisted of Cheers, Frasier, M*A*S*H, Everybody Loves Raymond, and countless others. He is also an accomplished Major League baseball announcer. He shared an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy award in 1983 for his work on Cheers. He recently stopped producing his own podcast, Hollywood and Levine, and his own blog.

In this episode, Levine talks about getting his start in a golden age of television. He discussed at length his work on Cheers and Frasier. Furthermore, he comments on the transition from network television to streaming services and how smaller episode totals are a challenge for writers.

As for his baseball experience, that conversation will be continued on a future episode of a podcast called Sports with Friends.

This is a new adaptation of the classic 1986 comic book, so while the plot points of this film are openly discussed, it can hardly be called SPOILERS.

Watchmen Chapter 1 is DC's newest full-length animated film, kicking off a two-part adaptation of the acclaimed 1986 Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons comic book. The movie was directed by Brandon Vietti, who joined this episode to discuss Watchmen Chapter 1. Vietti is a longtime DC animator known for his work on Young Justice, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Batman: Under the Red Hood.

In this episode, Vietti discusses the process for adapting the storyline. He also discusses the other media adaptations, including a 2008 Motion Comic, the 2009 live-action Zack Snyder film, and the 2019 HBO Watchmen sequel/spin-off series. For Watchmen, Vietti had to walk a difficult line, staying faithful to the comic while making the story work in an animated format.

Watchmen Chapter 1 is out on digital and will be released on Blu-Ray/DVD.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 WBD/DC Universe release "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part 3" or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part 3 is the newest WBD/DC Universe release and the first of a trilogy that concludes the “Tomorrowverse” cluster of films. That continuity began in 2020 with Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Crisis is based on the 1985-1986 epic crossover from DC Comics. It is not to be confused with the Crisis crossover in the “Arrowverse” that aired on the CW.

All three films were written by Jim Krieg, who joined the show. He's agreed to review all three parts here on the podcast. In this episode, Krieg talks about the conclusion of the epic trilogy. He also talked about the cameos and the differences in the conclusion from the original source material. He also talks about the future of DC animation regarding the new DC Studios.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Marvel Studios' release “Deadpool & Wolverine” or do not mind hearing key plot points.

Deadpool & Wolverine is the 3rd installment in the Deadpool franchise. It is the first Deadpool movie to take place after Disney bought 20th Century Fox. Technically it is the first Deadpool movie to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine after playing the character in eight previous X-Men-centric films.

This is a spoiler-heavy podcast. The film's plot is rather simple (Deadpool and Wolverine have to save the world). However, what version of Wolverine this is and what universe this takes place in are all secrets revealed in the film. There are countless cameos, and the podcast covers most if not all of them.

Comedian and podcaster Eddie Pence rejoins the show to review Deadpool & Wolverine. In this episode, they discuss the hilarity of the film. Pence also comments on recent news of Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Dr. Doom, and the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Amazon Prime release “The Boys, Season Four” or do not mind hearing key plot points.

This season continues the battle of individuals vs. superheroes in the Boys Universe. This year picks up after the first three seasons and the spinoffs, including last year's “Gen V.” Homelander, Starlight, and The Deep welcome in new heroes and antagonists.

Veteran Hall of Justice podcaster and longtime sportscaster Marshall Harris rejoins the show.

The theme of the review deals with the political issues brought up by the writing, and how different it was from past seasons. Still, they go through many character arcs, with agreements and disagreements.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Disney+/Lucasfilm release "Star Wars: The Acolyte” or do not mind hearing key plot points.

The Acolyte takes place 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. It involves a mystery about some Jedi who were killed. Meet new characters Sol, Osha, Mae, Yord, Vernestra, and others. Their investigation leads to a new sinister plot with new dark enemies.

How this series ties into the Star Wars timeline is perhaps its biggest question mark.

In this episode, Star Wars insider JC Reifenberg returns to discuss the many questions that this series reveals as opposed to very few answers. They discuss storytelling choices that add to the mystery. They also discuss the future of this series and its timeline.