The Mothership

Happy Friday! And boy does the crew have a show for you. This week is a double feature, with special interviews from HBO's "Watchmen" and the upcoming film "Bill and Ted face the Music". Director Steph Green talks about "Watchmen," helming the Emmy-nominated episode “Little Fear of Lightning,” and how she wanted to portray the origin of key character Looking Glass. And William Sadler comes aboard to discuss reprising his role as Death in "Bill & Ted Face Music," and his method for fleshing out his favorite characters. 

This week Film Critic Brian Truitt and Tech Reporter Brett Molina chat DC FanDome and what fans can expect to see from the Comic-Con-esque, virtual experience streaming August 22nd. Brett discusses his dismay over comments about the upcoming film "The Batman," and Brian goes over details of what may or may not be teased during the FanDome stream. Our hosts also talk about current issues involving stans, how their behavior became acceptable and what can be done to discourage it.

Disney announced it will release the live-action version of "Mulan" through it's streaming platform Disney Plus on September 4th. But there is a catch—a $30.00 purchase fee to be exact. This week, Film Critic Brian Truitt & Tech Reporter Brett Molina discuss whether this release is worth the price tag on top of regular subscription costs and how the outcome might affect future film releases as movie theaters start to reopen during the pandemic.

We missed a few episodes here & there. But we’re back, and not with a bang but a rumor. Emmy Raver-Lampman comes aboard the Mothership and chats with the crew about “Umbrella Academy” and the heavy, universal themes it handles in season two. Emmy also describes what an honor it was to be part of the original cast of “Hamilton” on Broadway and dotes on her pandemic garden.

This week we beg the question: Is it actually good or is it quarantine good? Join us as our Technology Reporter Brett Molina and TV Critic Kelly Lawler examine whether they are actually enjoying the television series they are watching or are they settling to fill endless hours of quarantine. And Film Critic Brian Truitt discusses how the constant availability of streaming paired with social distancing may have lowered the standards to truly judge films.

Sheila Vand chats with the crew about her role in the horror film, "Rental" and how she uses her work in the horror genre to confront and conquer her worst fears. Sheila gushes to our Film Critic Brian Truitt about her character, Zarah Ferami on TNT's "Snowpiercer" and talks with Brett Molina about her Corona anxiety and her plans to continue working in film post-social distancing. 

This week the fireworks fly as the crew shares their favorite ways to geek out over the fourth of July! Brett likes the oldie but goodie film, "Independence Day", Brian offers other not so on the nose ideas for entertainment. And Kelly tells listeners how to view fireworks and social distance on this peculiar Independence Day.

Film Critic Brian Truitt chats with Timothy Dalton about his role as The Chief in HBO's "Doom Patrol" and what fans can look forward to in its second season. Brian names the first movie he saw in a theater and Dalton reflects on how the film was received by American audiences who didn't understand camp at the time.

This week pop culture and current events collide as our hosts speak with NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans about the current racial movement taking place in our country and how TV shows about cops and the justice system pass along derogatory and discriminative messages regarding race, specifically African-Americans. Deggans also discusses the desire among white Americans to fight systemic racism and suggests they "find one thing that may support white supremacy or passes along racist ideas and tackle it" whether it's a family member, a television show, or systemic problems in the workplace.

Henry Rollins comes aboard the Mothership and chats about his new horror-fantasy film, "Dreamland" which premiers on streaming platforms today. Rollins explains how Corona has affected his life, discusses his deep and multifaceted career as a musician, actor and author and gushes about his love of collecting records and crawling record stores.