Tower of Babble

As the title implies, we're finally in another galaxy. The "enemy" has arrived on Peridea and with it we get the resplendent return of Grand Admiral Thrawn, and his first appearance in live action. Like an old shoe, Thrawn slips right into the narrative like he's always been there (Most impressive!). We also get our first real look at another character that's been teased since the first episode, but unfortunately the emotions of that scene don't really hold a candle to the effectively bombastic entrance of the blue man. This episode, by it's nature, does a lot of work tying up loose ends, and squashing fan theories, leaving only a small handful of mysteries left to be revealed. The most intriguing of which being whatever it is that Baylon is after. His character continues to be one of, if not the most compelling on the show so far, and with Ahsoka set to make her appearance on Peridea next week, I expect things will heat up even further.

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After the final moments of last week's episode, many fans were left to wonder about the fate of the titular character, now that she found herself back within the "world between worlds". Dave Filoni stepping back into the director's role (as well as the special theatrical screenings), signaled that we may be in store for something BIG. "Part Five: Shadow Warrior" did not disappoint as it reunites Ahsoka with her former Master (who also happens to be dead, but who's counting), Anakin Skywalker, as he attempts to complete her training while she stares down death's door. Fortunately, it's more than just a nostalgia play, as the action is largely motivated by character, allowing for a satisfying "rebirth" of Ahsoka as she faces her demons. Unfortunately however, the back half of the episode lacks much of that early momentum. Although it does neatly setup the final 3 episodes, which remain a mystery, as we've still yet to see the big bad, Thrawn. Things should really heat up next week as we take out first steps into a new Star Wars galaxy (presumably).

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Despite being only a few minutes longer than last week's episode, "Part Four" of 'Ahsoka' manages to feel much grander and expansive. It not only packs a heavy action punch, with plenty of lightsabers, it also manages to expand on a lot of the most interesting character dynamics and plot points as well. Character through action is always appreciated and this episode brings that in spades. That's without even mentioning the bold and surprising turns that Dave Filoni is able to pull off here, leaving the heroes in a very tricky spot heading into episode 5, which by all accounts is supposed to be banger. There's plenty of chatter online about where this episode sits in terms of the pantheon of "The best Star Wars TV", which means it certainly holds it's own against the some of best Star Wars installments we've ever seen. Join Julian and Rachel as they break it all down, scene by scene, and make your own assessment.

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With Julian out in the woods (literally), dialing in remotely with Rachel, and dealing with some technical difficulties (and a few bears), it's a low-tech episode this week. The pair discuss Part 3 of 'Ahsoka', which despite it's surprisingly short runtime, still manages to pickup on the "will she - won't she" story thread with Sabine and the Force. It also features an exciting dog-fighting sequence, which are always very welcome in a Star Wars story. Unfortunately, it doesn't have time for much else, relegating Hera's appearance to a single short scene (which at least had a few surprises of it's own). Next week, we're back in the studio and with it the return of a more "normal" production quality.

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After only a short 4-months since ‘The Mandalorian’ season 3, Small Screen Star Wars returns with more reviews and breakdowns. After having to (fairly) bow out of covering the season finale of Mando, Rachel returns to the podcast chair, alongside Julian, to unpack the two-part series premiere of ‘Ahsoka’. With these episodes coming in at nearly two full hours combined, there’s a lot of lore, character and details to sift through, so buckle up for a comprehensive exploration of every action-packed moment in this overstuffed exploration of the latest Star Wars story! (which just so happens to basically be a semi-sequel to ‘Rebels’)

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As Hollywood continues to flounder in it’s own self-created mess of labour action, Julian and Jeremy return to the mic to discuss the ongoing sorry state of affairs. Fortunately, Barbenheimer is still going strong which gives the guys a bit of a distraction from the absolute disgrace that have been the major movie studios. Oh, plus there’s a some discussion about the new TMNT flick and some tangents about the length of TV seasons. That is all to say, enjoy this very casual, but somewhat frustrated, edition of The Tower of Babble Podcast!

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Julian and Jeremy get together to try to make sense of the current tumultuous state of Hollywood. With the actors joining the writers on strike, the pressure mounts for studios, who are currently going through an almost unprecedented streak of box office failures. It's not looking good out there folks! Which is why it was necessary to revive the "Agree or Disagree" segment of the show to really dive into the complexities of the situation. Meanwhile, DC Studios continues to try to steady the ship by announcing casting news for 'Superman: Legacy'. Surprisingly they've gone further than just announcing who will be playing Clark and Lois, and added character announcements for the likes of Guy Gardner, Hawk Girl and more. Unsurprisingly, this leads to some debate on the merits of James Gunn's recent decision making. On top of that, the guys discuss a grab-bag of movie topics to round out the show. All this and so much more on this week's episode of the Tower of Babble Podcast!

If you enjoy the show please subscribe and leave a nice review on Apple Podcasts, and check out Patreon.com/TowerBabbleCast to become one of our latest patrons.

• DC

  • ‘The Flash’ will cost WBD $200m. Considered the biggest flop in WB history.

  • Ben Affleck’s Batman scene from ‘Aquaman 2’ has been cut from the latest version of the film in an effort to “ensure they don’t promise a movie universe that will not come to fruition” - THR

    • The film has gone through 3 rounds of reshoots and 2 cut Batmen. Test screenings have been mixed. According to THR, the film is now on a positive track after the last round of reshoots, sanctioned by Gunn.

  • Casting news for ‘Superman: Legacy”

    • David Corenswet - Clark

    • Rachel Brosnahan - Lois

    • Anthony Carrigan - Metamorpho

    • Ed Gathegi - Mr Terrific

    • Nathan Fillion - Guy Gardner

    • Isabela Merced - Hawk Girl

• Bob Iger has decided to stay on as CEO at Disney through 2026.

• First look at ‘Deadpool 3’ and the yellow suit for Wolverine.

  • Jennifer Garner will return as Electra.

• Trailers:

  • ‘Napoleon’

  • ‘Kraven the Hunter’

• Zack Snyder’s Star Wars movie pitch was shot down for being R-rated and lacking existing characters.

• Sam Mendes has declined an offer to direct the next James Bond film.

• Idril Elba said he is no longer interested in playing James Bond after racist fans turned him off the idea.

• Chris Nolan is a fan of the ‘Fast and Furious’ series, according to Emily Blunt, who says, “you never hear him shit talk other people’s movies” - THR

• James Cameron says a new ‘Alita’ is in the works.

• Donald Glover will return for the ‘Community’ movie. Filming will begin next summer.

• ‘28 Years Later’ the potential third installment to the ‘28 Days Later’ franchise is back in the news as Alex Garland says he’s finished the script, Danny Boyl is interested in directing, and Cillian Murphy is down to return - Culture Crave

• SAG goes on strike in solidarity with the writers. First time in over 60 years.

• Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network production workers launch unionization effort - THR

• Barbenheimer road trip!

• Is risk aversion due to Wall Street involvement in Hollywood led us to where we are now? A thread: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1679977696498192387.html

• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

• The Bear S2

• Marvel’s Secret Invasion

• Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part 1

Two bonus episodes in a row? What is this Christmas in July?! Well no not really, but Julian did guest spot on the ‘Daily DVR’ podcast again last week (along with a whole plethora of other great guests) to discuss the top 5 best TV shows of year 2023 so far. Unsurprisingly, things like ‘The Last of Us’, ‘Succession’ and ‘The Bear’ make a lot of the respective lists, but there’s still a lot of room for surprises and if all goes as planned you should be able to add a few new shows to your watch list after listening to this. Give Axel and the crew some love and check out their show page here: https://dvrpodcast.com/category/dailydvr/ .

If you enjoy the show please subscribe and leave a nice review on Apple Podcasts, and check out Patreon.com/TowerBabbleCast to become one of our latest patrons.

The ToB Film Club escapes the 90’s but retreats into the past, and depending on how you look at it, how far back into the past may be an open question. Julian and Jeremy delve into the mystical world of Arthurian legend, and examine director John Boorman's interpretation of this timeless tale. Despite the stunning, and surprisingly literal, portrayal of knights in shinning armour, an epic score, and precise cinematography, the film suffers from some dated decisions. Not the least of which being extremely clunky dialogue, accentuated by overly hokey “medieval” accents, some very clumsy action scenes, and a complete disregard for any type of coherent pacing. Despite these drawbacks, a few strong performances and an extremely unique and “cool” visual style (it begs for a 4K re-release) help drive this movie, even as it seemingly tries with all it’s might to disengage the audience at every turn.

Next Month: with 'Mission: Impossible' on the mind with the pending release of 'Dead Reckoning Part 1' we return to one of the most controversial installments in the franchise with John Woo's 'Mission Impossible 2' i.e. 'MI2'.

If you enjoy the show please subscribe and leave a nice review on Apple Podcasts, and check out Patreon.com/TowerBabbleCast to become one of our latest patrons.

In what is a somewhat new format for ToB, Julian starts off this episode solo, and is joined by Jeremy mid-stream. Julian, and then also Jeremy, unpack the absolute mess that has been left in the wake of DC's latest box-office bomb. With so much weight of expectations resting on the shoulders of 'The Flash' (thanks a lot Tom Cruise and Stephen King) it may not be a surprise that it wasn't able to reach those lofty heights, but it doesn't make the situation any rosier for WB executives who backed a chaotic lead, shelved 'Batgirl', and spurned Snyder fans, for this flop. The guys discuss the film itself (was it actually any good?), possible reasons it failed financially, and what it means for the future of the DCU.

If you enjoy the show please subscribe and leave a nice review on Apple Podcasts, and check out Patreon.com/TowerBabbleCast to become one of our latest patrons.