MTR Network Main Feed

We’re back with another Marvel Disney+ show. This time Hawkeye takes center stage. The first two episodes dropped on the day before Thanksgiving. So far there are several things we like about this series. First, its good to get some in-depth focus on Clint. While Black Widow only recently got a solo movie, that character got a lot of screen time in other movies. Hawkeye has always been a bit of a mystery. Even with the Blip, we know he became Ronan and went to a really dark place but we never really got a lot of details on that. Looks like this series we may be getting more of that. Not only that but we see Clint dealing with basically PTSD from his time working as an Avenger. He’s losing his hearing, clearly is still messed up from Nat’s death and just wants too spend some time with his family for Christmas. Clint gives off big Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon vibes this whole time.

Then there’s Kate Bishop. She idolizes Hawkeye (The show does a great job showing a flashback from 2012 and the Battle of New York). She’s also dealing with her mother and her shady boyfriend who is CLEARLY Swordsman. Kate clearly has the skills but is also not really ready for the amount of shit she’s gotten herself and Clint into. It’s going to be fun watching both of them being forced to work together.

So far the show feels pretty straight forward but we know we’re going to get a twist. What was the big deal with the watch the thieves were trying to steal? Is Kate’s mom just as shady as her boyfriend/fiancé? What’s the deal with Echo leading the Tracksuit Mafia? Lot of questions to ask and we can wait to see what they have coming for us.

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

Follow us on Twitter:

 

@Dpalm66

@InsanityReport

@TheMTRNetwork

 

Our shirts are now on TeePublic:  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

 

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

Kriss and Dpalm are back to review the latest episodes of Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash. On Legends, we see the trend continuing of the Legends being stuck in history and trying to keep a low profile but not pulling it off. The Legends are doing the thing that's always talked about in time travel. If you go back in time and see injustices happening, do you just sit back and not do anything because you need to "protect the timeline" or do you do the morally correct thing? We also see that evil Gideon has been busy and has created a team of evil robot Legends so that should be fun to deal with.

On the Flash side our suspicious are confirmed. Joe West is dead. We're not the only ones just receiving that news as Barry is shocked to learn that Joe's been dead for 6 months. Of course for Despero this just just more evidence that Barry is going bad. Barry also lost his job because he's under investigation and Star Labs is condemned. To us, this all smells like Thawne. Thawne can't beat Barry one-on-one now and Thawne causing everything around Barry to collapse feels right up his alley.

Timestamps:

* 16:51: The Flash Season 8 Episode 2 Review

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

Follow us on Twitter:

@Dpalm66

@InsanityReport

@TheMTRNetwork

Our shirts are now on TeePublic:  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

Ghostbusters Afterlife is a pleasant surprise. This is a film that had to balance the really difficult task for a film with a cult following of feeding into the nostalgia of long time fans while also bridging the gap to a new generation. While it's not perfect, Ghostbusters Afterlife does a good job of maintaining that balance. There's enough hat tips and callbacks for Ghostbuster fans but the story is also capable of standing on its own. 

Ghostbusters Afterlife works well as both an introduction to Ghostbusters and a continuation of the franchise. That's a feat that's really hard to pull off these days. This film is surprisingly fresh in the story it tells. The trailers and TV spots don't really do this movie justice. From the promos you'd think this film relies solely on nostalgia and that's not true. It's a better nuanced story and balance than the promos suggest.

Overall the cast is solid. The focus is clearly on Mckenna Grace's Phoebe and she does a great job in the role. By centering the film on her character the film is able to bridge the gap between the two audiences it's trying to connect with. The rest of the cast plays their part in support roles. All of them do a great job even if their characters aren't fully fleshed out. While that can be a problem, this film leaves you curious enough to want more and the lack of attention and depth serves more as a teaser for the future and doesn't feel too much like a deficit. 

One of the things that really helps this film is the setting. By moving the story out of New York and into a "middle-of-nowhere" town, Ghostbusters Afterlife feels like it has the room too be it's own story. While there are clearly callbacks and direct ties to the original Ghostbuster films, it helps to not have New York looming in the background like a judgmental parent. 

Ghostbusters Afterlife works across the board for everyone. If you weren't interested in seeing this film, it good enough to checkout. If you are a hardcore fan and worried this film wouldn't live up to your expectations, you have nothing to worry about. If you're looking for a film to check out with the family and are willing to brave theaters, this will satisfy that everyone in the family. All around it's a good solid film. It also earns bonus points for setting up for continuing the franchise in new ways.

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

Follow us on Twitter:

@Phenomblak

@InsanityReport

@TheMTRNetwork

 

Our shirts are now on TeePublic.  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

 

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

 

If you've been here for a while, you'll know that I love talking rasslin with my friends. Times are a changin, and now we're not previewing WWE Big 4 pay per views, we're highlighting AEW streaming events. On the heels of their most successful event All Out 2021, could the crew in Jacksonville step up and deliver on their next biggest stage? Rich and Sam are back to help ascertain the highlights from another fun Saturday in the squared circle.

Guest: Rich (@Rich_Fann) & Sam (@samjfranco)

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

 

Follow us on Twitter:

@Dpalm66

@UDPod

@TheMTRNetwork

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

Check out our Sponsors!

TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews’ to get 33% off & free shipping.

Shop at our Amazon Store to support the site

 

We're back to review the last two episodes of Legends of Tomorrow. But first, a bit of a change in how we're handling Super Tuesday Recap episodes going forward. First, we'll be adding the Mailbag to our weekly reviews. This makes it easier for us to stay up on big news drops (Like the Disney+ Day news that dropped Friday). We'll also read any emails that come in that week. The second big change is that starting next week, our reviews for The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow will happen in one episode. No need to download two separate episodes to hear our reviews now. We feel this will make things more streamlined for everyone moving forward.

So with this episode, we start by talking about episodes 4 & 5 of Season 7 of Legends of Tomorrow. At timestamp 23:01, we start our discussion about the big Disney+ Day news that dropped. Next week we'll have The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and any additional news that drops.

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

Follow us on Twitter:

@Dpalm66

@InsanityReport

@TheMTRNetwork

Our shirts are now on TeePublic:  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

Everyone's favorite annual game is here: Is Georgia Good? But, this year the question has more weight since Georgia might actually be the only good team in college football. Don't fear! I brought in two noted Georgia pessimism experts to help navigate these unfamiliar waters.

Guests: Andrew Hall (@DudeYouCrazy) ; Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd)

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

 

Follow us on Twitter:

@Dpalm66

@UDPod

@TheMTRNetwork

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

Check out our Sponsors!

TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews’ to get 33% off & free shipping.

Shop at our Amazon Store to support the site

 

Legends of Tomorrow's 100th episode was a welcomed surprise of some of the OG Legends. It was great to see Snart, Hunter, Jax, the Professor and yes, even Carter again on the Waverider. As silly as it is, Legends of Tomorrow is such a smartly written show. Much like how Agents of SHIELD did everything with a purpose, Legends does the same thing. By centering Spooner, Astra and Gideon, we get a really good "You're a Legend now" episode. We get one of those every season but every season it still feels fresh and different.

It was also interesting to see Bishop again. Recycling a villain is not new for Legends and this one feels like its going to pay off.

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

Follow us on Twitter:

@Dpalm66

@InsanityReport

@TheMTRNetwork

Our shirts are now on TeePublic:  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

We're back with part 5 of our Into the Hickmanverse series. This time Hickman teams up with Bendis again to dive into the Ultimate universe. But before we do that, we first have to address how we got here. Yes that means retelling the story (if you can call it that) of Ultimatum and how the Ultimate universe was left in shambles. We then cover Bendis' trilogy (Ultimate Enemy, Ultimate Mystery and Ultimate Doom) that casts the Ulimate Universe's Reed Richards as a villain.

 

All of that sets the stage for Hickman to come in and tell his story. But first he gives us a little background on Ultimate Thor and retells the story of Ragnarok. Then Hickman tells the story he was telling in Fantastic Four but this time with another evil Reed Richards. The story of "The Maker". Again, this is all laying the groundwork for what Hickman will be doing next: Avengers. We'll be back soon to tell that in a three-part series soon.

Issues: 

* Pre-Hickman

* Ultimate Enemy 1 -4

* Ultimate Mystery 1- 4

* Ultimate Doom 1 - 4

* Ultimate Comics Thor 1 -4

* Ultimate Comics Fallout 1 - 6

* Ultimate Comics Ultimates 1 - 6

* Ultimate Comics Hawkeye 1 -4

* Ultimate Comics Ultimates 7 - 12

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

Follow us on Twitter:

@Dpalm66

@InsanityReport

@TheMTRNetwork

 

Our shirts are now on TeePublic:  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!

 

One of the things that has made the Marvel Cinematic Universe so successful is how accessible the movies are. Kevin Feige has managed to balance telling comic accurate stories that please existing fans and comic readers while also making the films still make sense to newcomers. It’s one of the most amazing feats of the franchise. And with that they’ve been able to get weirder and bigger and more out there each year. The problem is while Eternals definitely goes big, it also leaves the audience behind a bit. Even the after credit scenes, a staple of Marvel films, are super deep cuts to the lore that are going to leave the average fan wondering “what?” 

 

That’s not to say this is a bad film. No, there is a lot to like about Eternals. Chloé Zhao’s signature is all over this film. Visually, it is absolutely stunning. If there was any concern about Zhao making the journey into shooting big action scenes, Eternals should put that to rest. The action scenes are fantastic and are probably some of the best the MCU has done in a while. 

 

The cast is also fantastic for the most part. Richard Madden’s Ikaris is basically what if Superman wasn’t a boy scout and didn’t have a cape. Lauren Ridloff’s Makkari is probably the best visualization of a speedster that either Marvel or DC has done on screen. But beyond just the use of their powers, the actors themselves are great in the roles Angelina Jolie does a great job as Thena. She’s not the lead in this film and doesn’t overshadow the rest of the cast but still plays her part and role perfectly. 

 

Salma Hayek is the one cast member that could be replaced without feeling like something is lost. She’s not bad but also doesn’t stand out. Some of the biggest problems with the film revolve around her scenes as well as the editing for her scenes seem to be what really drag this film out. The editing of doesn’t Eternals any justice. There are definitely times where audiences will questions why things were cut and placed the way they are. The script struggles to tell its big story without getting lost in it. At times it feels like the film lingers too long in some areas but not enough in others. It's a very weird and frustrating feeling for a film that breaks 2 hours and 30 minutes in runtimes. Eternals could have used the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 treatment, where the story is made a big smaller in order to introduce the characters and waited for a second film to get deeper. Instead the film tries to do a lot in one sitting and the result is too many loose ends. Of course this is the MCU and so those threads will be followed up eventually, but it leaves this film feeling incomplete.

 

The biggest let down in Eternals is the end. This is where it feels like Marvel Studios failed to heed the tail of Icarus (or should I say Ikaris) and flew too close to the sun. As mentioned before, one of the greatest things Marvel Studios has done is craft stories that take the audience along with them. But in Eternals the audience is clearly left behind. There’s so much going on that needs to be explored and just isn’t. The only reason this isn’t a completely catastrophic shortcoming is that we know that Marvel Studios isn’t abandoning the story any time soon so at some point we will get answers. But the result is a film that just feels like it ends just when it was getting good.

 

It's fitting timing with Eternals coming out shortly after WB’s Dune. There are a lot of similarities between the two, especially when it comes to where they fall short. Both are visually pleasing and will work very well for their own niche, super hardcore fanbases. But both seem to have forgotten that adaptations work best when you have something for everyone. Yes, you want fan service but you also need to not go so deep you lose a new audience. 

 

At the end of the day,

So...apparently we're doing robots this season of Legends of Tomorrow. Maybe. Possibly. Who knows? Honestly, it doesn't even matter. This show has a winning overall format and it's sticking to it. As silly as everything is, this show knows when to throw in the serious as well as the social commentary. They don't play around or sit on the fence about J Edgar Hoover and clearly state that he was a terrible man. They even go as far as giving us a rich vs working class debate right in the middle of that episode. This is what makes Legends of Tomorrow not only good but consistently good. They lean on their cast, split them up and dive right in. And they know when to make you care. Not a Spooner and Astra fan? Too bad because you're going to have to be. 

Next episode will be the 100th episode and we know they're going to have something special for us. Can't wait. 

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

 

Follow us on Twitter:

@Dpalm66

@InsanityReport

@TheMTRNetwork

Our shirts are now on TeePublic:  https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network

Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!