Play It Again, Kyla

Listen as host Kyla and first-time Star Wars viewer Gavin discuss The Phantom Menace! What do we make of the common criticisms of this film? What's the experience of watching this film for the first time in 2020 like? Was Gavin shocked and/or impressed by any aspects of the story? And just how much will Gavin roast Kyla for her Natalie Portman/Padme stanning? Tune in to find out!

Join host Kyla in the first installment of our new format of special episodes! In this new episode format, Kyla gives her top ten all-time favorite examples of a given film-related category. In this episode, Kyla discusses her favorite actors, directors, pairings of actors across multiple films and film soundtracks. Going forward, this type of episode will mark major episode milestones. Let us know categories you would like to hear discussed in future episodes!

Listen as host Kyla and special guest Ryan discuss the greatest live-action adaptation of the modern cinematic era! How does Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed manage to be such a perfect amalgamation of everything 90s? How does this movie strike the perfect balance of being so bad it's good? And is this the greatest piece of ensemble casting in the past twenty years? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guests Hagan and Davis seek to figure out which side was right in 2016's Captain America: Civil War! Was Cap right to be wary of government intervention and control? Was Tony right to want to assume some responsibility for the horrors the Avengers had wrought? And did all of the political issues fly out the window when it became clear what had happened to Tony's parents? Tune in to find out!

Don't forget to vote on whose team of Avengers you think is best! 

Listen as host Kyla, special returning guest Hagan and first-time guest Ananya discuss James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy! What makes this film stand out in the larger MCU canon? How does this film manage to overcome many of the issues of Phase 2? And what's the best song on the soundtrack? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guest Davis discuss Captain America: The Winter Soldier! Why is this so many people's favorite Marvel movie? What do we make of the political statements this film is making? Does this film disprove any of Martin Scorsese's claims about Marvel? Tune in to find out!

Link to Scorsese's NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guest Davis discuss Thor: The Dark World! Why do so many people consider this the worst Marvel film? Does it deserve the bad rap? What would Patty Jenkins's version of this film look like? And how do Thor and Jane stack up in our official MCU couple rankings? Tune in to find out!

Join host Kyla and special returning guest Hagan as they discuss The Avengers! Which character has the best intro in this film? Which actor is most inextricably linked with their character? Are Martin Scorsese's criticisms of Marvel unfounded or is there something to them? And is the narrative experiment of the MCU helping or hurting the cinematic landscape? Tune in to hear our answers!  

Gwyneth Paltrow realizing she was in Spider-Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YamanjCqtQ

Martin Scorsese's NYT's article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html

New Yorker piece Kyla quoted: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-narrative-experiment-that-is-the-marvel-cinematic-universe

Listen as host Kyla and special guest Davis discuss Captain America: The First Avenger! Why are the Captain America movies so genre-defying? Are they more enjoyable because they don't merely hit the standard superhero movie beats? And is Peggy Carter the most important supporting character in the MCU? Tune in to find out!

Listen as host Kyla and special returning guest Hagan discuss Kenneth Branagh's Thor! Does this film benefit from its placement within the larger Marvel saga? How fully is Branagh's creative vision realized? And can Hagan keep Kyla in check when it comes to Natalie Portman's performance? Tune in to find out!