Is It A Bird

It's Persepolis!

This is a good one. It's not your standard CBM fare but it was based on a comic and by jove does it tick all the right boxes. We both agreed that it's good as well which is a real rarity for us as you'll have heard over many, many episodes. There's so many layers to it too and I highly recommend that you watch it and see what you'll take from it. There's the story of a woman oppressed, there's the questions it raises over religion vs state, there's the East v West elements - all of it inspiring and all of it engaging.

Plus!

We found ourselves treading over very dangerous ground when reviewing this one. It's hard not to get sucked into global events - especially when some of the nations involved are still at the very forefront of the news. However, we think we managed it, just about. That's not to say that we think we're completely right on any of these issues nor that we aren't willing to be corrected or challenged on an issue. It's literally just our reading on things with the information we have and the experiences that have brought us here. If there's something that you feel we need to know, get in touch.

Also!

We're a little late getting this one to you and we're sorry for the delay. Basically, we're right in the middle of a house move which is proving to be far more complicated than it needs to be. Seriously, I could start a second podcast on how ridiculous the process of moving house is. Too many greedy gits trying to make sure they get a cut of something I reckon. That and bloody house price inflation. Who could have foreseen capitalism backfiring in such a way. Also, as you'll hear in the episode, we had a slight bereavement recently. Nothing slight about it actually, there was a bereavement and we can't change it in the slightest. Just one of those things though and we're all fine and dandy otherwise.

Thanks for your patience. It's really appreciated right now!

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Marjane Satrapi is basically right most of the time about most of the things.

It's Ghost World!

I boldly predicted that there would be a Five Star movie amongst these 2000 movies. Before we watched Ghost World, we hadn't found one yet. Now that we have watched Ghost World, we still haven't found one. It's a shame. I think there's a lot going for this - more than Madge who hated it - but it doesn't quite deliver on the early promise. Oh well. I guess we'll just have to keep watching movies until we find a Five Star Comic Book Movie if such a thing even exists. It's fast becoming our Rosebud.

Plus!

We take a look at the writers and director. Daniel Clowes wrote the original comic and later the screenplay and Terry Zwigoff co-wrote and directed. Zwigoff is best known for this and Crumb which is a documentary which sounds fantastic. I haven't worked out a way to include a documentary season yet but if/when I do, Crumb is going right on it. We'll definitely be sticking Fritz the Cat on a list - both a watchlist and the sort of list that dirty boys end up on because it was the first ever X-Rated animated feature. That's a fun fact, isn't it Ladies and Gentleman. It paved the way for modern adult-animation but we're not talking about that. We're here to talk about a far less interesting movie.

Also!

We discuss the conundrum relating to the main characters. They're always heralded as iconic and representative of the teenage experience. However, their voices are coming out of the head of initially one man and later two. Is it still representative if the creators have no idea what it's really like to be a teenage girl? We also ponder whether you'd get away with such a film these days considering how underrepresented female writers and directors still are in the film industry and certainly were at the time.

Cheers for your ears.

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When a movie is 'cult' it means that nobody wanted to see it.

It's 30 Days of Night!

Our naughties-fest continues with Is It A Bird's first real foray into horror movies/comics. We weren't scared or owt because it's honestly not even that scary. It's one of those ones where it's more about the macabre and violence than trying to leave you sleepless for days on end. To be honest, watching it actually made us so sleepy that we watched it in two parts. '30 Days of Night' actually ended up being more like 'Half a Movie and 8 Hours in a Night'. That isn't to say it's bad though but I can't in good conscious say that it's good either. I actually find it difficult to rate this one because I feel that horror movies are almost a speciality genre and therefore shouldn't necessarily be held up against your average popcorn movies. However, that opinion does seem to fall apart when you consider Alien or IT. Like I said - difficult to rank.

Plus!

We look at how this movie got made! It was a movie script, then a comic made from a rejected movie script and then a movie adaption of a comic made from a rejected movie script. Like the movie, the comic (in my opinion I stress to add) isn't much to write home about. Having said that though we both really admired the hustle. It seems odd to us that more comics aren't made this way. Just because a script is rejected, doesn't mean the idea isn't solid and comics are arguably the perfect outlet for that big idea. We salute you Steve Niles and all writers like you who are just trying to make it.

Also!

We look into how IDW was founded. It would have seemed weird to talk about the creation of 30 Days of Night without also looking into IDW as the two seem to almost go hand in hand. It's great knowing that there are comic book companies beyond the Big Two's market saturation and these days it's easier than ever before to access their output thanks to the internet and apps like Comixology - other apps and buying services are available, that just happens to be the one I use. You could of course steal your comics and download the epub files into a reader but that doesn't seem that great when writers, artists and all involved in the publishing of comics put so much effort in. IDW, Dark Horse, Image and all those on the rungs below them deserve support and if you, like me*, aren't in a position to visit a local comic book shop then online is definitely the way to go.

Thanks for listening!

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*Seriously, I have extraordinary bad luck when it comes to comic book shops. Even when I move to a different city I find that there's probably one and it's in bad shape due to the lack of custom and pre-orders. I may be the angel of death for local comic book shops and I therefore will never move to New York or LA, just in case I take down the entire industry.

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It's Josie and the Pussycats!

It's a cult movie apparently. Not even a typo. People genuinely think this is good in some way. That's churlish. It's not bad really. It's not particularly good but there's a lot of charm to this movie and I can imagine that those who were there at the time watching it, all the way back in 2001, had a real good time. Glory days really. We had no idea what was coming over the course of the next two decades. Arguably, 2001 was where we peaked therefore making Josie and the Pussycats a turning point in human history. Really makes you think, doesn't it.

Plus!

We look at Archie Comics. Being British and saying things like CHEWSDAY all the time, we are completely uninitiated when it comes to Archie and his many comic book spin offs. It's really all-American and apparently never translated into the UK popular culture knowledge bank. That's despite Archie having a massive hit single and Sabrina the Teenage Witch being hugely popular when it was broadcast on ITV (Saturday tea time I think but that could be my memory playing tricks on me. I remember the cat always looked quite good so I'm now too afraid to go  back and have the memory ruined by time). I'll tell you something for nothing though, I'm going to flipping well pick up a run of Archie at some point to see how it suits me. The covers and the art in some of them justify that alone. I'll probably read it while I drink from a bo'ohw'o'wo'er.

Also!

What's your favourite chocolate bar, chocolate biscuit or regular biscuit. We're genuinely interested so email in or whatever if you feel like it. Where do you stand on the Penguin debate? Also genuinely interested in that.

Thanks for downloading listening!

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Why would you be choosing between Betty or Veronica when Sabrina lives down the road?

It's Zack Snyder's Justice League!

And it's the same movie! It's the same movie but with more stuff left in and a ton of stuff slowed right down so you really feel that four hour viewing time. I find that really arrogant by the way. Why can't you just respect the art of editing?

Plus!

The order of this episode is switched a bit so Part 2 is really Part 1 and Part 1 is really Part 2. Thankfully we didn't record any additional parts that have no relevance to the rest of the episode and stick it in at the end. Part 1 but really its Part 2 contains a look at how the Snyder Cut movement got going and then snowballed out of control in the ridiculous manner we've all seen on twitter and being dragged behind planes. It's actually pretty interesting but (and this will upset some of the usual suspects) ever so hypocritical. Can't argue with their success though.

Also!

No Box Office bits because there aren't really numbers to go on yet. No Six Degrees of Madge because its the same movie. If you're desperate go and listen to the Josstice League episode and play along there. Better still, get your whole family around and pick to random movies for them to link. Tell them it's an original concept created by us and then get them to download every episode we've got onto their preferred listening device. That way we'll all be happy.

Thanks for  listening! If you're reading this and we've upset you because we criticised your new favourite movie or your favourite director, contact us via the link below. We'll read out everything. Especially if it's so insulting it's funny.

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Stop pretending it's good. It's still bang average and we don't need to see anymore.

It's Josstice League!

And it sucks! But you already knew that didn't you. This is not a review of Zack Snyder's Justice League because that hasn't been released yet. This is a review of the version that was completed by Joss Whedon with, I don't doubt, no little interference from studio heads. You can say what you like about Joss Whedon - literally, it seems like he deserves it. You can also say what you like about Warner Bros. - again, seems fair enough. And, you can say that the 2017 version of Justice League is one of the worst movies ever made. On that last point however, you'd be wrong. It's not the worst. It's not anything. It just sort of goes without ever making any sort of mark in your brain. There's no point even getting angry about it.

Plus!

We do the obvious and track what happened during the production of this movie. Did Snyder leave or was he pushed/fired? Were Warner Bros. right to do this? Did Zack Snyder ever intend to make a lighter toned, more mass appealing movie or was the studio right to intervene during the production. We may or may not answer these questions. I can't remember right now because it's late as I type this. Ultimately, just make your own mind up and we'll agree with whatever you think probably because why argue about something that doesn't really matter anymore, anyway. 

Also!

We do a bit of musing on the philosophy of creativity and who has the right to take ownership of this. There's an argument either way as to who should have held their tongue and done what the other party wanted in this case. On the one hand you've got Zack Snyder who is clearly not making the movie that Warner Bros. are expecting him to. On the other, you have a number of producers and money men sticking their nose into the production and not letting the director complete his vision. Again, make your own mind up but do tweet us at the link below.

Thanks for downloading and/or listening! I forgot to put the and/or in during the last notes and I can't see the point in editing it now.

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Let's face it: It's still going to be a bad movie..

It's Wonder Woman!

Imagine wanting to watch Captain America: The First Avenger but you hate World War 2 and you're not a fan of world building. If that appeals then this might just be the movie for you. It's a harsh assessment of a movie which is pretty groundbreaking in terms of a female led comic book movies. However, I personally find this a pretty dull affair. On both occasions we have watched this, it's been a struggle to stay awake. I also don't feel like Patty Jenkins is that good with a third act. It's churlish to compare this to MCU movies. It ticks along just fine and the war scenes are pretty alright. The end battle is a tedious CGI fest where she goes Super Saiyan and breaks continuity. Don't even get me started on the ramifications for global history.

Plus!

Alright! Let's address the restrained elephant in the corner. There's a little bit of sex stuff behind the creation of Wonder Woman. It's a great Part Two where we discuss Wonder Woman's creator and his wives but you have to keep an open mind. It's still oddly viewed in a sort of sneering/tittering/male gaze-y way and I really don't think that should be the case. Especially not these days and if you don't agree I suggest you take a look at your own search history and then have a ruddy good think about your own 'interests'.

Also!

You're still thinking of the weird sex stuff aren't you. Try to get your mind out of the gutter and listen out for how well this movie performed against the other DCEU offerings. It does tremendously well at the box office and suffers none of the drop off problems that plagued Wonder Woman's male teammates.

Thanks for downloading listening!

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The Joker but he's Jesus.

It's Suicide Squad!

"What are we? Some kind of Suicide Squad?" Yes Will Smith, you are. You're a long way from Bel-Air now. You're in a mad gang with Donna off Neighbours and the man from that Spartacus show with all the willys in it. You know what else? It's not bad - and I actually mean that. The first time I saw it, I hated it. This time round, actually thought it was half decent. Maybe it's because we watched it off the back of Man of Steel and BvS, maybe because it's aged better than other Comic Book Movies have managed. Who knows. Either way, we give it a pretty favourable review which shocked us both.

Plus!

It bombed. Yup. Same as BvS, it opens well then inexplicably drops off a cliff. More explanation in Part 2 after a lovely Batman: TAS clip. The numbers seem very odd and I can't believe that word of mouth was so powerful that it killed the movie, not with this cast. Yet, here we are.

Also!

It's obviously a mess and there was mucho studio interference throughout the production of this movie. We spend most of Part Two digging into what happened and why there are so many and multiple character introductions. Off the back of this we do the obligatory 'Jared Leto's method madness is madness' chat. I mean, seriously: dead pigs and live rats? There's just no need Jared. Now off you pop back to your mum's make up bag. That Marilyn Manson look won't apply itself.

Thanks for downloading listening!

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We live in a society.

It's Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice!

Set your faces to anger Snyder-Fans because this "film" gets a pasting. Perhaps the speech marks are a little cruel there because there are certainly people in this who "act". I've only gone and done it again haven't I. It's just hard you see because there's very few redeeming aspects of Batman v Superman. The plot doesn't make sense, the reason for conflict is non-existent, the antagonist is completely unthreatening (and may as well not be there) and it is once again, an ugly movie to look at. Other than that, it's barely average.

Plus!

It bombed. Not really, not on the surface but it did. We usually cover your basic box office stats: worldwide takings vs budget. However, BvS is interesting in that it experiences one of the biggest drop offs in blockbuster history. Not only that, it had a pretty ridiculous marketing budget which skews the takings somewhat. It's covered in more detail in Part 2 but from a pure financial point of view, you can see why the production of Justice League was as troubled as it was.

Also!

Look, Zack Snyder has misunderstood comics. We go into a bit of detail on The Death of Superman and Dark Knight Returns (which I continually call Dark Knight Rises because obviously) and look at where the movie diverts from their storytelling. This also brings up characters' motivations and the sequence of events that make the comic book storylines engaging and why the movie version misses the point of them.

Thanks for listening!

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Countdown to March 18th

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It's Man of Steel!

It's also completely rubbish. We weren't really paid by Marvel to give this movie a bad review. We would gladly do it for free. And we did basically. It's actually some of the most fun we've had recording because this whole movie is so utterly ridiculous and crap from start to finish that you can't help but have a bit of a laugh. We apologise to all of Australia though for our impressions of Russel Crowe and the Space Strayans of Space Straya.

Plus!

Kris reads out some reviews of this movie from the die-hards to really emphasise what we're dealing with here. The world 'cult' is uttered but whether that's a fair assessment of all this Zack Snyder fawning is up to you.

Also!

We finally look into comic book that isn't stupid, weird or accidentally funny. Superman Red Son is genuinely a brilliant bit of story telling and possibly the best Elseworlds Superman story produced to date. You should absolutely go out of your way to read it and if Warner Bros. are listening, you should absolutely make a mini-series about it.

Thanks for listening!

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