Everyone's getting into streaming and Apple is no exception. With so much on offer (Hulu, Netflix, NBC Peacock, Amazon Prime, Quibi, Disney+, HBO Max, etc) there's a glut of interesting content to consume... so how does Apple differentiate themselves in this crowded landscape? We're looking at 'SEE' from Stephen Knight, a showrunner you might know from 'Peaky Blinders' and 'Taboo', as well as the possibly less prestigious 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. Now given free reign to take on post-apocalyptic futurism with 'See', the premise is simple: extract Jason Momoa from whatever set he's been on, tell him he's a blind chieftain and let him go nuts. Released in November of 2019, this series may have been overlooked initially, but now we're taking a less myopic look back at Apple's freshman offering.

Join Dion, Quinny, Jill and Peta as they SEE whether or not this series is one to keep an eye on... or are you better off with it far out of sight?

Swedish artist Simon Stalenhag pinged our cultural radar in about 2013, when he started receiving write-ups on pop-culture sites like The Verge. His captivating pantings of banal Scandanavian regional scenes eerily adulterated by sci-fi technology looked like concept art for a particularly compelling TV series... except they were standalone artworks with no multimedia storyworld behind them. Until Tales From The Loop began to take shape, first with a tabletop game and now with an eight-part anthology series from Amazon Prime. In podcast 162, our team delves into the ambiguous goings-on in and around the Mercer Centre for Experimental Physics, to find out whether this is an enigmatic #Mood we want to be in, or too just damn moody for these dark 2020 pandemic times.

Dion, Jill and Quinny are joined by special guest Stephanie "Hex" Bendixsen to discuss the cultural phenomenon that is the new Netflix documentary series Tiger King. In our newly socially-isolated world, who knew that this terrifying rollercoaster ride of drugs, rednecks, country music, animal exploitation and mullets would become the talking point of half the English-speaking world.

With a live (online) audience, our intrepid reviewers look deep into the cultural abyss that is the life and times of "Joe Exotic"... and we find that not only is the abyss looking straight back into us, but that it smells concerningly of tiger urine and crystal meth...

Thanks for forgiving the occasional audio difficulties in this episode as we confront the challenges of recording a podcast in a live environment, online.

Way back in the dark times… way back in… the '90s, it was a time of great conflict; a time that would become known as The Comic-Book Wars. These battles occurred in a fiscal landscape fraught with peril, as Artists and Creators fought against the tyranny of things like ownership, rights and royalties. From the heart of the conflict there came a terrible schism; a split from the titans of old: Marvel and DC. New, young companies sprouted into being and led the way with their exciting, creator-owned properties. Image Comics took the lion's share of the attention, but just before this wünderkind company appeared, ex-Marvel editor in chief Jim Shooter had started his own company, Valiant Comics. Valiant would not have the same flash and polish as the other companies but against all odds it survived and it's now ripe for multi-media brand integration, and ready to provide numerous vehicles for movie stars looking to get into that sweet franchise cash.

Bloodshot is a nano-technology anti-hero...something that Jill, Quinny and Dion all could use right about now… together they'll find out if this one got all the good plasma, or should it just be donated to the Red Cross instead?

as mentioned in the podcast:

https://youtu.be/DA8YHf-zXsk

Sonic the Hedgehog - Podcast Movie Review

The TPToA team is gathered together via the power of the internet to review the latest foray into cinematic translations of video games. Following in the illustrious footsteps of game adaptations like  Dungeon Siege, Bloodrayne, Assassins Creed and the perennial classic House of the Dead, comes Sonic The Hedgehog: an action/adventure movie whose redesigned main character garnered ALMOST as much online hate as Cats!

Recording in front of a live audience Dion, Quinny, Bec and Jill  find out if this movie is worth going fast enough to catch, or if it may be best to just... jog on...

Based on the global blockbuster videogame franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. In this live-action adventure comedy, Sonic and his new best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to defend the planet from the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his plans for world domination. The family-friendly film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.

https://youtu.be/szby7ZHLnkA

Join Rebecca, Jill and Quinny as they roll for initiative and get ready to review Onward; the new D&D inspired fantasy animation film from Disney/Pixar. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt star as the Lightfoot brothers who must go on a perilous journey to complete  a spell that will allow them to contact their dead father. It sounds a lot heavier than it winds up being.

Is this elven adventuring party perfectly balanced with a fine blend of excellent characters and skills? Or is it a bunch of bards thrown into a ring to fight for survival?

NOTE: Onward we go friends into the brave new world of live streamed podcast recordings! The audio quality on this show may not quite be up to our usual standard, but hopefully the content is!

After growing up in the glow of movie-set lighting, Daniel Radcliffe has crafted a fascinating career post-Potter. With creative ventures into TV, theatre and smaller Indie films, Radcliffe has relished the challenges of diverse (and decidedly odd) film roles in Horns, Jungle and Swiss Army Man. Now, along with Aussie Samara Weaving, we're seeing what he's capable of doing in a dressing gown with guns bolted to his hands. Miles (Radcliffe) is a video game developer who inadvertently becomes the next participant in a real-life death-match that streams online. While Miles may excel at running away from everything, that won't help him outlast Nix (Weaving); a killer at the top of her game.

Join Dion and Peta as they find out if Guns Akimbo has enough High Voltage to Crank out the adrenaline, or will it run out of lead?

In Australia, we seldom see a genre-inflected TV series achieve solid funding and broadcaster support. Maybe it's because The Commons doesn't immediately present itself as a Sci-Fi / Speculative Fiction show that it got its $25 million budget; or maybe it was because the producers and Stan knew that the series had something really important to say.

Dion, Quinny and Fel take a look at this interesting new show that sits on the border of relationship drama and cli-fi (climate fiction), as The Commons explores a future that was still meant to be a few years away, but now is shockingly current...

What could be creepier than a naked man you can't see? Possibly the 2020 version of the H.G. Wells classic story! In this modern take on The Invisible Man, Quinny, Jill and guest reviewer Carina see (or don't see) a high-tech version of the transparent antagonist stalking Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) as she tries to escape her controlling ex-partner and reclaim her life.

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell of 'Saw' fame, this is a chilling psychological thriller that will make you question the next time you're alone, if someone may be watching you from the corner of the room..."

It's a beautiful day here in the #TPToA neighbourhood, where your friends Quinny, Dion, Lady Jill and Miss Fel have met up to discuss A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood. Director Marielle Heller's wholesome and uplifting film explores what happened when cynical features journalist Lloyd Vogel (played by Matthew Rhys but based on real-life Esquire magazine writer Tom Junod) is tasked with the challenge of interviewing the legendary children's TV presenter Mister Fred Rogers (portrayed here by Tom Hanks). Will the jaded investigative reporter dig up dirt on a childhood hero and dash our youthful innocence once again... or will Fred Rogers' magical ability to bring out everyone's inner child win the day?

 

https://youtu.be/-VLEPhfEN2M