Through the Lens

After three years on the air, we say our goodbyes to our listeners and to this podcast. No guests, just a finale with the two of us each discussing a personal favorite, Alex's Kingdom of Heaven and Davis' Children of Men. It would not be the end without a news segment and this one, while limited, features the WGA strike, Dune Part II news and of course the trailer for Gran Turismo. Then, we delve into what makes Kingdom of Heaven a truly underrated epic, how historians reacted to the film's release, and what went wrong with the theatrical cut. As for Children of Men, it is one of the best films of all time, Davis can cry just thinking about it, there are great moments characters and sequences throughout. All will be discussed in the finale of WEGL's premiere movie podcast.

We're still going Pitches. With exams on the horizon and graduation right around the corner, we are talking about a franchise that may have gone too far in a few places, the Pitch Perfect films. Ainsley and Braden join for one last time as we talk about some of the best songs, jokes and moments from a trilogy that maybe should've stuck with just one film.  

For the second year in a row, we are participating in WEGL Day and to celebrate, we are talking about one of Nolan's greatest and most confusing films, Inception. A tasteful amount of news and lollygagging precedes an in-depth look at one of the biggest films in recent memory, from its A-list cast and stunning visual effects, to the emotional story at it's confusing center, we discuss it all right here on WEGL's premiere movie podcast.

• (00:08) - Intro

Street racing experts Emily Calagaz and Sutton Sylvester join the show to help us through the Fast and Furious franchise. What was once a promising solo action flick filled with early 2000s cliches and color grading has since evolved into one of the most bloated and overexposed franchises in recent memory. We are only doing the first five films in the series, but there is still plenty to discuss including the disappearance of Vin Diesel's charisma, his feud with the Rock, where the franchise went wrong, our favorite car crash stories and so much more. 

• (01:42) - Trivia

Another week and another surprise guest joining the show. Anna steps in as our official Lord of the Rings expert for an in-depth look at one of the greatest trilogies of all time. The show opens with news segment with a few great trailers, some first looks and news about a Moana remake and Harry Potter remake before the trio delve into the Fellowship of the Ring. The perfect cast, stunning visuals, shaky direction from Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis deserving an Oscar and more are discussed in the latest episode of Through the Lens.

• (00:00) - Intro

With two surprise guests, we work our way through the peak of DreamWorks animation, when every film became a franchise. Megan makes her triumphant return while Sutton makes his first appearance in another long episode. With analysis of Shrek 2, why the Penguins are the best part of Madagascar Escape 2 Africa, how Kung Fu Panda 2 took Po to the next level, the ways that How to Train Your Dragon 2 expanded the franchise and why Puss in Boots: The Last Wish might be the best in the bunch.
0:00 Start
6:40 Beginning of News

27:09 End of News/Beginning of Shrek 2

48:38 Madagascar Escape to Africa

1:01:36 Kung Fu Panda 2

1:15:08 How to Train Your Dragon 2

1:29:05 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

1:49:52 What have we been watching later

The end of the road continues with another longtime listener joining the show as Anna Ryan steps onto the set to explore some of her favorite movies, the Jurassic Park series. The original blockbuster film, we explore where the first film went right, and why the two sequels missed the mark completely. The greatest year one director has ever experienced, more magic from John Williams, visual effects that have stood the test of time and so much more is discussed in this special episode. 
And no, there will be no watching the Jurassic World series.

Braden and Sydney are back on the set to watch one of the best book-to-film adaptations in recent history, the Hunger Games series. We explore several avenues including the excellent worldbuilding from Suzanne Collins, specifics on why James Newton Howard's score elevates the series, why we are supposed to hate Gale, starting the President Snow fan club and so much more. The in-depth look at four films is preceded by an erratic news segment that jumps between several topics, including another Last of Us discussion. 

Some would say, these movies aren't worth discussing, and Davis might agree with that, but with hosting a podcast comes the great responsibility to talk about the biggest film series of all time, and no matter how difficult it was, we have completed our quest of reviewing every film of the MCU. Jacob Hillman makes his triumphant return as we make our way through over 50 hours of content, every show and movie from the biggest phase yet. 

Longtime listener and first-time caller Josie Jalkh joins the show for a special episode looking at one of the greatest reboots of all-time, the Andy Serkis-led Planet of the Apes trilogy. The stunning visual effects, performance from Serkis, the strength of gorillas, and more is discussed on this final episode before Spring Break.