It's here! At last! Were you.... even asking for it? Well, it comes but once a year, at any rate (though in this case it's an Oscar/awards season that technically takes films from March 2021 to December of 2021, so no Judas and the Black Messiah even though that was 2021 February oh hell go listen to our last year podcast for that one, episode... you can figure it out pretty easy, we think). We, Jack and Korey, dissect and look at the films that got nominated for Best Picture of the year - and, as sometimes is the case, Jack saw more than Korey did (not that our beloved Trash Panda doesn't have some strong opinions, whether she finished the movies or not!) - but we are only (only?) talking about SEVEN of the films(!) We will go more in depth about films that we loved, including our picks for best of the year (some overlap to these films, some not) in part two.

For some help, here is a breakdown of what we discussed here if you'd like to jump ahead (with some clips scattered about here and there, and SPOILERS we are sure throughout):

1 - DON'T LOOK UP (6:00)

2 - CODA (19:50)

3 - KING RICHARD - (38:16)

4 - NIGHTMARE ALLEY - (50:18)

5 - THE POWER OF THE DOG - (1:07:00)

6 - BELFAST - (1:22:26)

7 - DUNE (1:35:00 - please check out Episode 168 for a full review of that film)

Mr. Anderson..... (cough cough) ok we've done the impression long enough. So, what's it like to get plugged back in to a franchise? What kind of a series have the Wachowskis given us up to this point, and is this fourth time around (with sister Lana, minus Lily) the one that brings it back to the greatness of the original? What does going back to the well even mean? And why does Jack bring up Free Guy AND Gremlins 2 in a review that really calls to mind (for Korey) Seed of Chucky? oh no, Kansas isn't going bye bye for us yet, folks! We have a lot to say in this chock a block SPOILER FILLED episode (seriously we go into it right away), and you can relax as the Smith impression goes away after the start.... or does it?? We also read a fan's tweet that happened to come as we recorded - so make sure if you have any thoughts visit us @ wagesofcinema on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Organic and/or Mechanical Web-shooter SPOILERS will be springing out this way and that from many parts of the body you don't even know you had at 23:30 minutes in. Good? Cool! Friendly Neighborhood Podcasting continues!

So, how to make sense of a world where characters from the multi-verse(s) of Spider-Man films come into play in one big blow-out Reunion special like No Way Home? Is there any sense to be made, or should we all just come in and coast on the vibes that come with Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe going to their fullest acting selves(and yes Jamie Foxx and Rhys Ifans and Thomas Hayden Church apparently too, though the latter two may not even notice till much later in the film WOOPS is that a spoiler let's move right along SWING TO NEXT POINT)? How about we just recognize that Jack, Trash-Panda Korey, Andrew, and Guest Star Matt of the Matt the Catania blog (link below) have been through a lot of these bad-boy movies and know what they're talking about.... especially Jack who is the only one who knows what Electro was all about in Amazing Spider-Man 2? but lets stop digressing and get to this big brand spanking new review!

Visit Matt at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com

visit us at https://twitter.com/wagesofcinema

and email is [email protected]

Who am I? Actually, that's the wrong personage? Who are WE?! No, sorry, that's too strong, what are we, Venom? No, who we are exactly should be no mystery - have we have secret disguises all this time... maybe we have, mwa-ha-ha... - but for real, we are Jack and Trash Panda Korey, and with the upcoming release of the third Spider-Man movie (and just a nostalgia for 2000's New York pizza prices and cameos that include Joel McHale AND Hal Sparks, in one movie, nache), we decided to revisit all three, count em THREE, of the Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and the one guy who is the Last Living Dinosaur. We do indeed wax poetic about Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, and to an equal extent Rosemary Harris as Aunt May. What you may not expect is what we have to say about Spider-Man 3, which... do we like it more than it's own director?! Stay tuned for this and everything Spidey (and for Jack's imitation of the sounds that come out from those organic web-shooters and, no, we won't be addressing that can of worms, thank you). So... SPOILERS abound as well. visit us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and emails can be sent @ [email protected] (all hate mail can go there, too).

What's bigger than Why are we Here? Who created the Earth and Heavens and those weird Beast Wars characters we take for granted (here called uh looks at notes ah yes Deviants)? And what is up with the Bollywood career of that one actor who looks like his father-grandfather-great-grandfather?

We saw Eternals! This being the full crew - Jack, Andrew, Trash-Panda Korey and "Guest-Star" (Uni-Mind) Matt - we go into everything about this new gigantic piece of pop culture ephemera from a title that was once upon a time not a success for Marvel (or Jack KING Kirby's return to the label). And most important of all... how does Kit Harrington do when he isn't a No Nothing?

You can protect yourself from SPOILERS (48 mins in)

Visit Matt Catania at his website and blog: https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com - we are also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: https://twitter.com/wagesofcinema

whoa. sandworms. you hate em, right? well, here at the Wages of Cinema we just got back from riding a mean mother sandworm and boy are our arms and joints and hips tired and we're here to tell you all about it! Oh, wait, ok ::holds heads:: we had too much spice or something. I (Jack) meant we recorded our thoughts in Denis Villeneuve's DUNE - part one (and fingers crossed they make part two) - and SPICY SPOILERS begin 38 minutes in. Join us, also Andrew from House Birchenough and Korey from House Trash Panda, as we dive deep into all things from costumes to black tar baths to the value of Stellan Skargard. and yes, David Lynch and Star Wars come up (maybe at one point in the same sentence!)

spoilers begin 25 minutes in

How does Marvel do a gigantic Wuxia influenced adaptation of a series that origibly was inspired by Bruce Lee? Well, let's just say Marvel is gonna Marvel, but if you got the star of nearly all of Wong Kar Wai's films (he was in Hero too we neglected to mention in the eoisode), how can you go wrong?

Jack, Korey and Guest Star Matt saw Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

visit Matt at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com

THE WAGES OF CINEMA PODCAST IS A PODCAST!!!!!

But for real, we're so glad you can join us this week for the hot-as-a-OMG-WE'RE-BUNRING-ALIVE takes on the latest (and greatest?) of DCEU movies... or do we even consider them part of this "Extended" universe or is it just... filmmakers making the stuff they want to? Seems that way. And all the better for us where we now have 100+ million blockbusters featuring the likes of Weasel, TDK(what does it stand for? does it matter?) and of course King Shark, Ratcatcher, Peacemaker and a bunch of characters I'm fairly sure you don't know of.... Ok that's not true, our Guest St... sorry, Matt THE CONQUERER Catania (why not Guest Starro Matt Catania? Hey we can get nice things, too!) Anyway, he's here to dish on where many of these new characters come from in DC lore, and unleashes his wisdom like a.... really cool dude.

We also talk for about ten minutes at the start about The Green Knight, the new fantasy epic directed by David Lowry also now in general release. - and spoilers begin at about 24 minutes in so you've been forewarned! SPOILER SHARK IS STILL A SHARK! Ok, we'll stop now.

Matt Catania can be found at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com and we can be found on most social media, Apple Podcasts and [email protected]

In Russia, podcast records you!

Yep, the FULL Wages crew - Andrew, Guest Star Matt (of https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com) and Trash Panda Korey, along with as always Jack - tackle the latest from Marvel, and discuss all Tasks and plot mechanics, and why sometimes a Midquel or a Tenaquel or whatever we are calling this now can be a tricky thing to pull off. RED SPOILERS 30 mins in

The Purge has to come to an end... but did it have to be like this?

Jack and Korey saw the fifth movie in the Purge franchise from Jason Blum, James DeMonaco and Michael Bay, full of violence and grimness and failed immigration policies... How did it go? Listen to find out (spoilers 40 minutes in fyi).