Talkin' TV

On tonight's #talkintv episode, we discuss the return of one of the breakout shows from 2019, The Morning Show! An American drama streaming television series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell, that premiered on Apple TV+ on November 1, 2019. The series is inspired by Brian Stelter's book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. The first season follows Aniston's Alex Levy, who anchors The Morning Show, a popular breakfast news program broadcast from Manhattan on the UBA network, which has excellent viewership ratings and is perceived to have changed the face of American television. After her on-air partner of 15 years, Mitch Kessler (Carell), is fired amidst a sexual misconduct scandal, Alex fights to retain her job as top news anchor while sparking a rivalry with Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon), a haphazard field reporter whose series of impulsive decisions brings her into a new world of television journalism. It ends up spiraling into a giant conspiracy that involves a decades long cover up of abuse and sexual misconduct, which also drags in executive producer Charlie "Chip" Black (Mark Duplass), while studio executive Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) sees an opportunity for advancement, with plans to take the Morning Show into the 21st Century. Season 2 picks up after Alex & Bradley expose the cover up live on air, and follows the lives of all the UBA workers in the aftermath. Dom & Chris discuss the Season 2 premiere, how it relates to Season 1, how some of the faults of Season 1 may be rectified, and where this show's place in the zeitgeist of streaming is, as Apple has all the money in the world to throw around to a show like this. It's all covered here on the #talkintvpodcast

On tonight's episode of Talkin' Thrones, we've got a major episode here as we discuss the penultimate episode of Season 2, the first MAJOR action set piece episode that takes place entirely in one setting, the first battle of the show that we actually got to see onscreen, it's Blackwater time! This was a game changer back when it aired in 2012, because if truly was the first cinematic onscreen battle in television history with a real budget, real special effects, and one hell of a conclusionary arc for the season. Directed by Neil Marshall, who also went on to direct "The Watchers on the Wall" and the second episode written by series scribe George R. R. Martin, follows Stannis Baratheon's attack on King's Landing via Blackwater bay and Tyrion Lannister's attempts to hold him off. While it may pale in comparison to later spectacle based episodes like the White Walker attack in Hardhome or the Battle of the Bastards, it was still the first true display of this show's power, and it did not disappoint. Dom & Pat recap all the major events that happen in this battle, and in particular have a lot of fun talking about Cersei's suicidal rants, the beginnings of Sansa's growth into a leader, and their focus character, Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, who undergoes a major turning point of his own here. It was a jam packed episode, but you can catch it all here, only on the #talkintvpodcast

On today's episode of the Talkin' TV podcast, we talk about the latest horror outing from James Wan (The Conjuring, Aquaman) and HBO Max, the latest film the debuted simultaneously in theaters and on streaming, this time we've got a little body horror going on with Malignant! Malignant is a 2021 American horror film directed by James Wan from a screenplay by Akela Cooper, based on an original story by Wan, Ingrid Bisu, and Cooper. The film stars Annabelle Wallis as a woman who begins to have visions of people getting murdered, only to realize the events are happening in real life. Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, and Jacqueline McKenzie also star. The film is one of the few truly original movies to come from 2021, a year that has largely been filled with a lot of derivative material, but is it as original as critics are making it out to be? Dom & Chris discuss everything that worked about the movie and the few things that didn't. Then, Dom talks about Paul Schrader's "The Card Counter," also in theaters this weekend. The Card Counter stars Oscar Isaac as William Tell, a man who gets out of prison and starts gambling, but finds he cannot escape the ghosts of his past. Keep tuning in for more episodes of the #talkintvpodcast

On tonight's episode of Talkin' Thrones, we discuss Season 2, Episode 8, entitled The Prince of Winterfell! Alan Taylor is back in the directing chair, which means you know we're moving fast towards the finale! This is another one of those episodes that is HEAVY in plot, as everything is convalescing towards the finale faster than you can imagine! Theon attempts to stifle any word of his conquest getting out, but his sister arrives to set him straight. Jon is brought before the wildlings, and realizes there's only one course of action to stopping them. Sam discovers a hidden package that may provide a clue to the White Walkers. Arya realizes too late that she's lost the only tactical advantage she has, while Robb gives into temptation and loses a big one as well. Finally, Daenerys is determined to get her dragon's back, while Stannis sails on towards Blackwater Bay, making Davos, his loyal second in command, his future hand of the king. Tyrion is quaking in his boots as he prepares for the invasion, but also has to contend with the fact that his sister is actively working against him, before him & Varys foreshadow where they end up in Daenerys' service. It was a jam packed episode, but you can catch it all here, only on the #talkintvpodcast #gameofthrones #gameofthronesseason2 #season2 #theprinceofwinterfell #season2episode8 #season2recap #gameofthronesrecap #georgerrmartin #davidbenioff #dbweiss

On tonight's episode of Talkin' TV, we've got yet another MCU installment with the next film that seeks to introduce Kung Fu to the MCU with Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings! Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay he wrote with Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, from a story by Cretton and Callaham. It stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi alongside Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley, and Tony Leung. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his past after he is drawn into his father's Ten Rings organization. A film based on Shang-Chi entered development in 2001, but work did not begin in earnest until December 2018 when Callaham was hired. Cretton joined in March 2019, with the project fast-tracked as Marvel's first film with an Asian lead. The film's title and primary cast were announced that July, revealing the film's connection to the Ten Rings organization, which previously appeared throughout the MCU, and its leader, Wenwu, portrayed by Leung. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first Marvel Studios film with an Asian director and a predominantly Asian cast. Filming began in February 2020 but was put on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in August before completing in October, with additional shooting occurring in Sydney and San Francisco. Chris and Dom break down the fact that their boy from Kim's Convenience, Simu Liu himself, is now a Marvel superhero, and whether this will break through the mold or just become yet another generic Marvel installment. Tune in tonight, it's all covered here on the #talkintvpodcast

On tonight's episode of Talkin' Thrones, we discuss the 17th episode of this show, an episode that provides a lot of insight into all of the characters that we've been following over the course of the series so far, Season 2, Episode 7 entitled A Man without Honor. We have two primary men in question here that have lost their honor: Theon Greyjoy & Jaime Lannister. Theon is continuing to prove that he sucks at everything after he realizes that Bran & Rickon have escaped, pursues them, and then has two farm boys killed in their place to make it look like he's killed them. Jaime on the other hand, proves to be much to cunning for his own good, killing his own cousin in order to escape while Robb is away from the camp with Talisa, a move that puts Catelyn in an impossible position, as she needs Jaime alive because of the tactical advantage he provides, however the northerners who are slowly losing faith in Robb, are out for blood. This goes for the rest of the storylines as well, as Jon's entire worldview is thrown out of wack by the wildling Ygritte, Arya and Tywin discuss legacy and children, Sansa has quite an unexpected surprise while Tyrion & Cersei discuss Joffrey and Daenerys witnesses one of the most unsurprising twists in all of television history as the warlocks pull off some spoooooooky magic. It's an episode with a lot of great conversations, a lot of great writing, and it's all covered here on the #talkintvpodcast #gameofthrones #gameofthronesseason2 #season2 #amanwithouthonor #season2episode7 #season2recap #gameofthronesrecap #georgerrmartin #davidbenioff #dbweiss

#candyman #candyman2021 #candymanremake #candymanmovie #candymanreview #candymanreaction #candymancandyman #saymyname Dom solo podcasts again as Chris is busy with school work in order to discuss the final movie of the summer series, Nia DaCosta & Jordan Peele's sequel to the iconic 1992 cult classic, Candyman! Plans for another Candyman film initially began in the early 2000s, with original film director Bernard Rose wanting to make a prequel film about Candyman and Helen's love. However, the studio turned it down and the project entered development hell. By 2018, Peele signed on as producer for a new film using his company, Monkeypaw Productions and later, in November that same year, it was confirmed that Peele would produce the film with Universal Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and partnered with Rosenfeld to co-produce the film while DaCosta signed on as director. Principal photography for the film began in August 2019 and wrapped in September 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. In a 2018 interview with Nightmare on Film Street, Todd stated, "I'd rather have him do it, someone with intelligence who's going to be thoughtful and dig into the whole racial makeup of who the Candyman is and why he existed in the first place." The film follows Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a visual artist attempting to make his mark who learns of the Candyman legend and visits Cabrini-Green. He returns full of inspiration, but discovers that he may have brought the legend back to life. The film co-stars Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Colman Domingo, while Vanessa Williams, Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen reprise their roles from the original film. Is this a worthy horror movie sequel or yet another bad attempt to cash in on a popular IP? Tune in to find out! It's all happening here, only on the #talkintvpodcast #yahyaabdulmateen #tonytodd #danielrobital #cabrinigreen #clivebarker #chicago #horrormovies #slashermovies #slasherlegends #iconicslashers #freddykrueger #jasonvorhees #michaelmyers #slashersinfilm

On tonight's episode of #talkinthrones, we discuss Episode 6, entitled the Old Gods & the New! This is the first episode directed by David Nutter, who would go on to direct some of the biggest episodes of the show, including the Rains of Castamere and The Dance of Dragons. This episode, entitled The Old Gods & the New, takes a break from all the primary storylines and set up in order to focus on more of the secondary characters, and how their actions continue to influence the events of the story. It's an episode about the consequences of one's actions, and how different approaches warrant different responses. Theon makes his move on Winterfell, conquering the castle that raised him, forcing Bran to turn over the castle to him, and executing Rodrik Cassel. The only problem: everyone knows that Theon's made a horrific mistake, and he just seems to have no way of getting out of it, completely failing to understand just how terrible his decision he's made is. North of the Wall, Jon has his first encounter with the Wildlings, and starts to learn that what people tell him about their enemies is not always the case. In Harrenhal, Arya's cover is almost blown twice, and is force to make a drastic move and use her second kill to stop valuable information from reaching Tywin Lannister, our focus character for today. In the Westerlands, Robb is cautioned by Catelyn over his growing attraction to Talisa, and hears word of Theon's actions. In King's Landing, the repercussions of Joffrey's actions finally spill over into a massive riot that causes multiple deaths and continues to illustrate Joffrey's incompetence as a leader and a king. Finally, Daenerys is still in Quarth, this time being rejected by the thirteen over her offer to fund her conquest of Westeros, and later on discovers that all of her Dothraki have been murdered and her dragon's taken. All that and more, only on the #talkintvpodcast

Oh man, 101 episodes. How fitting that this one should be called reminiscence. Just when we thought were out. Don't worry people, the summer is almost over (thank god) and hopefully we'll be moving back to some good movies once the fall arrives, because boy has it been one slog of a summer. For today's podcast, in order to wrap up August, we have Reminiscence! Another sci fi film from...the creators of Westworld? Oh no. Reminiscence is a 2021 American neo-noir science fiction thriller film written and directed by Lisa Joy, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandie Newton, Cliff Curtis, Marina de Tavira, and Daniel Wu, and follows a man who uses a machine that can see people's memories to try and find his missing love. Joy also produces alongside her husband and creative partner Jonathan Nolan. The film, which was originally supposed to premiere last year in the fall, was announced as part of the 2021 HBO Max lineup, and after watching it, yeah this is definitely a movie that feels like a direct to streaming film. This film is yet another one of those science fiction films that's trying to be a whole lot smarter than it really is, this time presenting another sci-fi noir with no interesting characters, no real explanations of the cool world in which we find ourselves in, and what's worse, an unoriginal sci-fi storytelling device. Dom & Chris break down everything wrong with this movie and why it's better off as an example of what not to do with these types of science fiction stories, as well as the future of science fiction going forward. It's all covered here on the #talkintvpodcast