Pop Break Today

It’s Podwork Angels: The Rush Hour, a podcast dedicated to the Canadian rock band Rush! Justin Mancini of TheCineMaverick.com & Cinema Joes is joined by fellow Cinema Joes podcast host Noah Franc of FrancNoir, as well as Luke Martin, host of Talking the Coda, as they delve into the discography of Canada’s favorite sons, from 1974 to 2012.

In this episode, Justin, Luke, and Noah ford the river, and southward journey on...to discuss Caress of Steel, the so-called black sheep of the Rush discography. From guillotines to midway hawkers to prisons of the night, the power trio’s third album will test the mettle of even the most hardcore Rush fan. Some differing opinions on these songs, so listen with interest. And as always, the hosts recommend more artists for your listening pleasure.

Host Picks:

Limelight (A Song We Think Is Underrated, or Just Really Like)

Justin – The Fountain of Lamneth

Luke – Bastille Day

Noah – The Necromancer

Handle with Kid Gloves (A Song We Don’t Like So Much)

Justin – Lakeside Park

Luke – The Necromancer

Noah – I Think I’m Going Bald

Words of the Profits (A Favorite Lyric)

Justin – Bastille Day

Luke – The Fountain of Lamneth

Noah – The Fountain of Lamneth

Magic Music That Makes Our Morning Mood (A Favorite Musical Moment)

Justin – The Necromancer

Luke – The Fountain of Lamneth

Noah – The Necromancer

Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:

Justin – Death

Luke – Bjork

Noah – Paul Simon

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for the latest movie retrospective. For May they’re talking about Spider-Man, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. Joining the brothers is special guest Al Mannarino, Managing Editor of The Pop Break.

Spider-Man is a superhero movie directed by Sam Raimi, based on the comic book character of the same name. It opened in theaters on May 3, 2002.

The film stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. Peter starts out as a normal high schooler from Queens, but his life changes when a spider’s bite gives him superpowers. After the murder of his uncle Ben Parker (Cliff Robertson), Peter begins fighting crime as Spider-Man. Opposing Spider-Man is the villainous Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe).

Other characters include Peter’s love interest Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), his best friend Harry (James Franco), Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), and his boss J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons).

Spider-Man garnered praise from critics and moviegoers and grossed $821 million. It was nominated for Sound and Visual Effects at the Oscars and spawned two sequels.

For another superhero podcast, you can listen to Josh and Aaron talk about the old Adam West Batman.

Spider-Man is streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Hello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts Pop Break Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus and Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin take another step on their ten month journey to rewatch the ENTIRE Marvel Studios-produced Marvel Cinematic Universe, typically focusing on three or four films from the first four phases of the MCU per episode, reminiscing about their first watches, reflecting on their latest viewings, and considering the wider multiverse ahead!

The reason this podcast came into existence is that our Editor-in-Chief has never finished the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So Alex is guiding him on his journey to actually finish the MCU over the next 10 months.

This week we are putting our lives in the hands of three separate ragtag groups of heroic misfits as we celebrate large ensembles and unlikely heroes by discussing 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man are available to stream on Disney+.

Ever since Marshall Craig was taken from us on December 18, 2020, his mother Carla Craig has worked tirelessly with his friends and loved ones to ensure his memory lives on. So far, this has led to his massive book collection being donated to the library at his Alumni, The California University Of Pennsylvania, a bench installed at a park where he loved to see the sunset, and the beginnings of a charity called Marshall’s Revolution.

This is a year long miniseries designed by The Pop Break Staff Writer Sam Niles to progress his memory by having some discussions about movies in Marshall’s collection. Marshall has an incredible collection and could talk for hours about film, so some of his friends got together and made a podcast to invite guests with both a passion and knowledge for film to discuss selections from his collection once a month.

This month on Marshall’s Movies, we have Saher to discuss our THIRD Miyazaki movie. There’s been an interesting progression among the three movies we’ve discussed from the master filmmaker, and we’re grateful to have a mind like Saher to discuss the varied and nuanced themes of the film and Miyazaki in general.

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for their latest movie podcast. This month they’re talking about Singin’ in the Rain for its 70th anniversary.

Singin’ in the Rain is a musical directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. It opened in theaters on April 11, 1952. It follows Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), a silent movie star trying to survive the transition into talkies.

Complicating matters is Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), Lockwood’s screen partner. Fortunately, stepping up to dub over Lamont’s unsuitable voice is Hollywood up-and-comer Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), who Lockwood falls for. Assisting Don and Kathy is Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), Lockwood’s best friend and collaborator.

Despite its small presence at the Oscars and modest success at the box office, today many critics hail Singin’ in the Rain as the greatest movie musical ever made.

Aaron and Josh chat about the movie’s plot, performances, and musical numbers. They also discuss how streaming has made watching classic movies like Singin’ in the Rain easier.

You can listen to Aaron and Josh’s last podcast, where they talk about The Hunger Games with contributor Megan LaBruna.

Singin’ in the Rain is streaming on HBO Max.

It’s Podwork Angels: The Rush Hour, a podcast dedicated to the Canadian rock band Rush! Justin Mancini of TheCineMaverick.com & Cinema Joes is joined by fellow Cinema Joes podcast host Noah Franc of FrancNoir, as well as Luke Martin, host of Talking the Coda, as they delve into the discography of Canada’s favorite sons, from 1974 to 2012.

In this episode, Justin, Luke, and Noah ride across the Styx to discuss Rush’s sophomore effort, Fly by Night. Channeling the bluesy rockers of their debut while exploring increasingly progressive territory, the album marked a new epoch in the band’s career: the arrival of Neil Peart behind the drum kit. The hosts discuss the art of cymbal chokes, reflect on America’s faded promise (both in the mid-70s and today), and debate the fine line between relaxing and boring when it comes to Tolkien-inspired reveries. And as always, they recommend more artists for your listening pleasure!

Host Picks:

Limelight (A Song We Think Is Underrated, or Just Really Like)

Justin – Beneath, Between and Behind

Luke – Beneath, Between and Behind

Noah – Beneath, Between and Behind

Handle with Kid Gloves (A Song We Don’t Like So Much)

Justin – In the End

Luke – Rivendell

Noah – Making Memories

Words of the Profits (A Favorite Lyric)

Justin – Rivendell

Luke – Anthem

Noah – Beneath, Between and Behind

Magic Music That Makes Our Morning Mood (A Favorite Musical Moment)

Justin – By-Tor and the Snow Dog

Luke – Fly by Night

Noah – Anthem

Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:

Justin – Sarah McLachlan

Luke – Erykah Badu

Noah – Simon & Garfunkel

Hello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts Pop Break Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus and Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin take another step on their ten month journey to rewatch the ENTIRE Marvel Studios-produced Marvel Cinematic Universe, typically focusing on three or four films from the first four phases of the MCU per episode, reminiscing about their first watches, reflecting on their latest viewings, and considering the wider multiverse ahead!

The reason this podcast came into existence is that our Editor-in-Chief has never finished the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So Alex is guiding him on his journey to actually finish the MCU over the next 10 months.

This week Alex & Bill bask in that sweet Avengers afterglow by embarking on their first episode of Phase II, with stops at Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, & Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Is the latter the best Marvel movie yet? Is Dark World the worst? They’ll get into it all and much more.

Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are available to stream on Disney+.

Ever since Marshall Craig was taken from us on December 18, 2020, his mother Carla Craig has worked tirelessly with his friends and loved ones to ensure his memory lives on. So far, this has led to his massive book collection being donated to the library at his Alumni, The California University Of Pennsylvania, a bench installed at a park where he loved to see the sunset, and the beginnings of a charity called Marshall’s Revolution.

This is a year long miniseries designed by The Pop Break Staff Writer Sam Niles to progress his memory by having some discussions about movies in Marshall’s collection. Marshall has an incredible collection and could talk for hours about film, so some of his friends got together and made a podcast to invite guests with both a passion and knowledge for film to discuss selections from his collection once a month.

This month on Marshall's Movies, we have our friend Seth on to discuss Phantom Thread. We've wanted Seth on the podcast for a while, and I chose this movie for Seth's episode because Paul Thomas Anderson is a director that means a lot to Seth and I. Marshall wasn't always a fan of PTA, being a source of disagreement between us at first, but eventually, Marshall did develop that appreciation for Anderson, and Phantom Thread is the kind of darkly comic period piece that feels like a perfect testament to Marshall's unique taste and sense of humor.

Josh and Aaron Sarnecky are here for their March movie podcast. This time they’re talking about The Hunger Games for its 10th anniversary. Joining the brothers is special guest Megan LaBruna, contributor for The Pop Break.

The Hunger Games is a science fiction film directed by Gary Ross. It is based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. It opened in theaters on March 23, 2012.

The movie follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a 16-year-old living in the dystopia of Panem. When her sister is selected to fight in a gladiatorial deathmatch called the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Joining Katniss as Tribute is her acquaintance Peeta Mallark (Josh Hutcherson).

Other characters include District 12 mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), the evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland), Hunger Games commentator Caeser Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), and Katniss’ ally Rue (Amandla Stenberg).

The Hunger Games grossed $694 million on a $78 million dollar budget and garnered a positive reception from both critics and moviegoers. The film spawned three sequels, based on the subsequent books in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy.

Aaron, Josh, and Megan talk about their previous exposure to The Hunger Games before going into the plot and characters. The trio then discuss the similarities to other films and the legacy of the franchise.

For a podcast on something more wholesome, you can listen to Josh and Aaron talk about the Pokémon anime. Megan is co-host of the Screen Mavericks Podcast, available on Spotify.

The Hunger Games is streaming on Hulu.

It’s Podwork Angels: The Rush Hour, a podcast dedicated to the Canadian rock band Rush! Justin Mancini of TheCineMaverick.com & Cinema Joes is joined by fellow Cinema Joes podcast host Noah Franc of FrancNoir, as well as Luke Martin, host of Talking the Coda, as they delve into the discography of Canada’s favorite sons, from 1974 to 2012.

In the first official episode of the season, Justin, Luke, and Noah take a look at Rush’s debut self-titled album from 1974. They talk epic blues songs, Geddy Lee’s powers of seduction (or lack thereof), and of course the drudgery of being a working man. And they defy all odds by managing to mention bands they’ve been listening to apart from Genesis or Rush.

Host Picks:

Limelight (A Song We Think Is Underrated, or Just Really Like)

Justin – Here Again

Luke – What You’re Doing

Noah – Finding My Way

Handle with Kid Gloves (A Song We Don’t Like So Much)

Justin – In the Mood

Luke – Need Some Love

Noah – N/A

Words of the Profits (A Favorite Lyric)

Justin – Here Again

Luke – Working Man

Noah – Working Man

Magic Music That Makes Our Morning Mood (A Favorite Musical Moment)

Justin – Working Man

Luke – Working Man

Noah – Working Man

Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:

Justin – Spock’s Beard

Luke – Radiohead

Noah – Emerson, Lake & Palmer