No Time For Heroics

It's the superhero movie of the century (until the next one!) and Anthony and Andrew and dusting off the mics to tackle Marvel's The Avengers's: Infinity War!

Can anything stop the Grimace (from winning a best actor Oscar?) Would this all be better as a high-end tv show on some kind of exclusive Marvel app? How does E.T. smell? How awesome is that Hawkeye was jettisoned from this movie!?

Spoilers galore! But it's been out for like a month now, so y'know. We're back, moving to an intermittent schedule, for Infinity War!

We've not been around for a while. Here's why! We talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the good, the bad, and the fan reaction that killed Andrew's interest in having a fan reaction.

And as such, we take a crack at it too. Is Last Jedi an deep cut into Star Wars lore that elevates the series? Is it a victim of conservative conspiracy? Or is it just an okay movie with some structural problems?

Holy centennial, Birdman! I mean, holy centennial. Birdman! For our 100th episode, we take on the only superhero movie ever to win Best Picture, 2014's Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue Ignorance).

Is there anything objectively more important about "high-art" theatre compared to "low-art" blockbusters? What is the relationship between love and truth? Is Michael Keaton actually just a real superhero pretending to be an actor this whole time?

Join us for our 100th episode special edition two-fisted, power-packed, knock down, drag out, cosmic collection of critical theory engaging with the metatext of the film as both mimesis and self-justified cultural artifact. With a Birdman in it.

Just by way of a trigger warning, we have a pretty frank discussion of rape in movies for a bit here. Which is basically what this dark, dark movie was about, so you probably knew that going in, but just to be aware.

It's Halloween, and we finally get to do the halloweeniest request we've ever got, and do the 1994iest superhero movie of all, The Crow!

How does this movie avoid the Hellboy pit with judicious use of a creepy sister? Is the crow The Crow, or is it the guy? Why is Devil's Night getting so commercial? ISN'T THERE ANY ONE... WHO KNOWS WHAT DEVIL'S NIGHT IS ALL ABOUT?

Also, how many Critters make up a Ghoulie? We'll find out today?

Awesome! Bodacious! Podcastic! We watched the most underrated comic book movie of all time, 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Is April actually a terrible reporter? Why the hell are they throwing their bloodied, comatose brother head first into a half-filled bathtub? How does Splinter both teach his family mindfulness and love, and then WEAPONIZE this to crush their enemies?

BONUS! Andrew reveals possibly the most embarrassing secret of his childhood. Classic pod!

WHO ARE/IS MIGHTY ORBOTS!? Andrew has no idea, he's never heard of this. But one of our listeners requested it, so we're diving into this extremely frenetic, bizarre, but immaculately rendered 80s cartoon.

Does putting on a change of clothes actually transform you into their purpose? What are the grammatical logistics behind plural names used for singular beings? Is this cartoon just a secret backdoor Scientology tract?

PLUS! Is this even a superhero thing, and if so are we opening a door to basically every 80s cartoon ever? We'll find out today!

We're rocking it old (pre)school and talking about a celebrated trio of Sesame Street superheroes!

Does the vigilantism of Super Grover do more harm to the fabric of society than good? Is Captain Vegetable secretly in the pocket of Big Veg? Does Teeny Little Super Guy have a secret superpower in his killer soundtrack? Why the hell doesn't Anthony like Pigs in Space!?

Captain Vegetable has suggested a more streamlined test to see if someone is a superhero: will they eat a carrot? Man, this has seriously streamlined our process going forward.

By listener request, this week we take on the neo-pulp serial/cg proof of concept picture Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!

Is this a backdoor Crimson Skies movie? What does this movie have in common with Nancy comic strips in terms of using archetypal symbols to communicate? Why is Jude Law so immaculately, tortuously handsome? If Hollywood accepts cool pitches like this on their face, will we be able to get a producer on our new Sky-Captain-Inspired blaxploitation flick 'Grainy and Brown"?

All this, and some crash-course knowledge bombs about Ancient Hebrew and plate tectonics! Watch how fast this goes off the rails as we get deeply distracted talking about Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!

Enough of these dreary, grimdark Supermen! Let's go back to the carefree days of 1975 to a sprightly supermusical, featuring singing gangsters, colour(less) sets, and... Superman committing suicide?

How close is Perry White's musical newsroom to Andrew's actual newroom? (pretty close) Why doesn't anyone like Robert Altman's Popeye? Is this musical setting Superman up as an opposing force to "the American way"? What the hell is the difference between tights and leggings?

Does the phenomenological study of Superman as a concept make for compelling podcasting? We'll find out today, in the musical brought to you by the guys that wrote the second draft for the Christopher Reeve Superman! PS: That's not that draft they went with.

Well, you should just call us a bunch of little Brian Setzer Orchestras cause it looks like we're bringing back swing! Eh, that was a pretty belaboured metaphor. But not as belaboured as whatever's going on in the much-loathed Sam Raimi-headed goulash of a movie: Spider-Man 3.

How much of Sandman's sand can you replace and have him still be Sandman? Why the hell do we have an alien conveniently crashing right next to the only superhero in New York instead of using the previously established astronaut to go and get it? What is the secret of notable polymath James Franco? Are Manhattan subway tracks really built like the Temple of Doom minecarts? What does everyone in New York assume that this new evil dude who's showed up is also Spider-man, but Venom isn't?

There might be a good movie hidden under here! No really, like deep under here. And you've got to change a bunch. Also some light recasting. Look, we're trying to be on the bright side here, okay?