Shin Godzilla is the first Toho-produced Godzilla film in twelve years, and it’s been one of our most anticipated films of 2016. Now it’s finally here, and we have lots of thoughts on what is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and unique films we’ve seen this or any other year. We review the film in full spoiler terms in the back half of the show, and before that, Jonathan talks more about the surprisingly delightful Paper Mario: Color Splash and the terrific second-season premiere of the CW’s Supergirl, while Sean continues his journey through the Japanese release of Persona 5 and shares thoughts on the pre-release beta of Dragon Ball: Xenoverse. And after both of us discuss this weekend’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare beta, Jonathan reviews the campaign of Gears of War 4, which is…okay. We elaborate from there. But the main attraction is definitely Shin Godzilla, and if you have a chance to see this film in theatres, you absolutely should.

TIME CHART:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:24

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

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Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

Before we dive into one of the longest-promised topics in the history of this podcast, we follow up on our cliffhanger from last week, as Sean reveals he’s been playing Persona 5 in Japanese, and shares some (spoiler-free) thoughts on a game we are all very excited for. Meanwhile, Jonathan offers his first impressions of the surprisingly wonderful Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U, and Sean and Jonathan go through some recent movie, gaming, and TV news items. And for our main topic, we finally offer an in-depth retrospective of the beloved Godzilla franchise, just in time for the American release of Shin Godzilla, the first new film in the franchise from Toho in 12 years. Sean, a lifelong Godzilla aficionado, counts down all 28 films in the franchise – yes, you read that right, all 28 – as we explore the history of one of cinema’s most enduring icons.

Enjoy!

TIME CHART:

Intro and Sean’s (Spoiler-Free) Persona 5 Thoughts: (0:00:00 – 0:25:08)

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This week’s episode begins with a trip to the past, as Jonathan talks about filling some gaps in his Mario knowledge by playing Super Mario Land and Super Mario World. And then, after some brief news items – including reports on Destiny 2, some Nintendo news, and an update on Stardew Valley – Sean and Jonathan dive into a slew of game reviews, from the incredible new racing game Forza Horizon 3, to the recently released fifth episode of Hitman, and finally the extremely discussion-worthy indie game Virginia.

Enjoy, and join us next week for our long-promised Godzilla retrospective episode!

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

On this week’s show, Jonathan reviews some recent movies in Oliver Stone’s Snowden and Clint Eastwood’s Sully – both excellent, if very different, takes on modern real-world subjects – while Sean dives into gaming’s past to recount his recent experience playing the Dreamcast classic Shenmue in its original Japanese. Jonathan offers his final, complicated thoughts on ReCore for the Xbox One, as well as an initial impression of the new indie game Virginia (more on that next week!). And finally, after going through some stray bits of news, Sean and Jonathan offer impressions on Destiny: Rise of Iron, the latest expansion for the shared-world shooter that just keeps getting better and better.

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

It’s another grab-bag style week as Sean and Jonathan talk about various bits of media – including Kingsglaive, the Final Fantasy XV tie-in movie, and ReCore, the new exclusive for Xbox One – before diving into some news and analyzing Sony’s recent unveiling of the PlayStation 4 Pro. Did their announcement truly clarify the confusion around this mysterious project, and what does this mean for the future of gaming? And for our final topic, we look back to gaming’s past by offering a retrospective of the Nintendo Gamecube, which celebrated its 15th anniversary on September 14th. What are our favorite games and memories from this weird little purple box?

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

In one of the grab-baggiest grab-bag episodes we ever done, we recount two weeks of news and experience, starting with the death of Gene Wilder, a beloved actor who has certainly done plenty to shape both of our perceptions of cinema. Jonathan and Sean each talk about some video games they’ve been playing – including _Hitman, Stardew Valley, _and _The Banner Saga _– while Jonathan reviews some recent (and less-recent) movies, including _Don’t Breathe, Southside with You, Hell or High Water, _and _The Nice Guys. _For our first big topic, we break down the recent _Titanfall 2 _beta, which basically took a great foundation from _Titanfall 1, _threw it out the window, and replaced it with nothing but confusion and boredom. And after recapping some news, we finish the podcast with a second topic, in which we use the recent _No Man’s Sky _kerfuffles to discuss the media landscape at large. 

**TIME CHART: **

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:05

Remembering Gene Wilder: 0:05:05 – 0:17:57

Jonathan talks _Stardew Valley _and _Banner Saga: _0:17:57 – 0:34:15

Sean talks _Hitman: _0:34:15 – 0:52:45

Jonathan talks movies (_Don’t Breathe, Southside with You, Hell or High Water, _and The Nice Guys): 0:52:45 – 1:24:19

Sean and Jonathan talk _Nioh _and _Battlefield 1 _Betas: 1:24:19 – 1:32:34

_Titanfall 2 _Beta Discussion: 1:32:34 – 2:27:52

News Round-up: 2:27:52 – 3:02:46

_No Man’s Sky _Kerfuffles: 3:02:46 – 3:34:52

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

If you’ve listened to us for any length of time, you’ll know that our favorite video game here at the _Weekly Stuff _is _Persona 3. _You’ll also know that, as the four-part anime film adaptation has been coming out in Japan over the past three years, we’ve devoted an entire episode to each new installment – and now, with the fourth and final movie in the series, _Winter of Rebirth, _finally available on home video, it’s time for our final review. We dive in great depth not only into this final film itself, but also to the series as a whole, and how vastly it has surpassed whatever expectations we initially had. _Persona 3 _was, is, and shall always be a great game – but this four-part film series has, miraculously, earned a place on the shelf alongside it, something that is a welcome surprise indeed.

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This week starts with Jonathan talking about his unexpected journey with the now 15-year-old _Final Fantasy X, _and Sean continuing his assassination adventures with _Hitman, _before we dive into some recent news, such as the passing of _Star Wars’ _Kenny Baker and the delay (now confirmed) of _Final Fantasy XV. _Then, for our main topics, we review _Suicide Squad _– or, at least, Jonathan despairs over the movie while Sean remains glad he was never stupid enough to go watch it – and discuss _No Man’s Sky, _the game that everybody in the world seems to be talking about, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. 

Time Chart

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:08:45

Jonathan talks _Final Fantasy X: _0:08:45 – 0:31:30

Sean talks _Hitman: _0:31:30 – 0:40:35

News round-up: 0:40:35_ – _1:06:50

_Suicide Squad _PTSD flashbacks: 1:06:50 – 2:15:30

Discussing No Man’s Sky: 2:15:30 – 3:08:20

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

This week is a bit of a grab-bag, as our main topic involves our spoiler-filled review of Jason Bourne – a disappointing and frustrating sequel that is nevertheless interesting to talk about – but we have a solid two hours of other assorted conversations before we reach that point. I talk about a few video games I’ve been playing recently – including I am Setsuna, Stardew Valley, and Abzu – while Sean talks about his experiences with the new episodic Hitman; I review the new Harry Potter story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and both of us talk about DC’s disastrous Killing Joke movie and the negative hype surrounding the upcoming Suicide Squad. And finally, we break down the latest reports about Nintendo’s upcoming NX system, and whether this sounds like a good direction for the company to take.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:08:18

Jonathan talks Video Games, including I am Setsuna and Abzu: 0:08:18 – 0:29:08

Sean talks Hitman: 0:29:08 – 0:40:00

Sean talks Stranger Things: 0:40:00 – 0:51:02

Jonathan talks Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: 0:51:02 – 1:05:52

Batman: The Killing Joke Discussion: 1:05:52 – 1:26:17

Suicide Squad Shenanigans: 1:26:17 – 1:47:10

Nintendo NX Reports: 1:47:10 – 2:00:02

Reviewing Jason Bourne: 2:00:02 – 2:45:38

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman

With Jason Bourne, the new entry in the beloved action franchise starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass, arriving in theatres this Friday, we thought now the best time to take a look back at the original Jason Bourne trilogy: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. These are some of the best, most innovative, and most influential films of the 2000s, an action trilogy that surpasses just about every other major Hollywood franchise of this era, and which seems even more prescient and ahead-of-its-time now than it did nine years ago, when the last film was released. We discuss each film in depth, diving into the story, characters, technical mastery, and fascinating historical context, in what is easily one of my favorite podcasts we’ve ever recorded.

Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com

Subscribe to JAPANIMATION STATION, our podcast about the wide and wonderful world of anime: https://japanimationstation.com

Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK

Subscribe to our YouTube channels! 

Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation  

Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast

Support the show at Ko-fi ☕️ https://ko-fi.com/weeklystuff

Original Music by Thomas Lack https://www.thomaslack.com/

©2012 - Present Jonathan R. Lack & Sean Chapman