There comes a time in a relationship when things start to get real, this episode Matt and EJ unexpectedly turn off the filters and have a candid conversation about Star Wars Celebration, ‘The Last Jedi,’ and ‘The Fate of the Furious.’
Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 118 of the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast is here.
Do you want to be our SUPER-FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show? Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.
About the Monkeys Fighting Robots Podcast:
A Gen Xer and a Millennial debate the latest topics in pop culture. One guy is a filmmaker and the other is a journalist, but both are nerds. We make your slowest days at work better. Hosts, Matthew Sardo and EJ Moreno.
Never heard of Matt Sardo? For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
Who’s EJ Moreno? Is he a trained physician? No. Is he a former Miss Universe contestant? Possibly. But what we know for sure is he’s a writer, filmmaker, and pop culture enthusiast. Since film school, EJ has written & directed several short films. He’s used his passion of filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.
In Rotation, a listicle for music lovers, and seekers of new and different things to listen to. So, if you’re looking for new music, something different, or maybe music to suit your mood this week, here is the place to get a diverse offering each week.
In Rotation this week,we have a few first projects and side projects of more popular bands. There is a chaotic, Hardcore/Electronica act, a ’90s Emo/Indie Rock band, an ’80s/Darkwave/Electronica band, a soulful ’90s Alternative Rock/Melodic Hardcore/Psychedelic Rock band, and finally a Darkwave/Shoegaze/Electronica duo.
Not sure why there is so much Electronica going on this week, but in any case, let’s get this gloomy electronic musical rollercoaster under way.
Artist: Neon Blonde Album: Chandeliers in Savannah
Unless you know Johnny Whitney’s music, and myriad other bands, then this album might seem odd to you. It is The Blood Brothers goes Electronica sans any of the members except Johnny Whitney, and it would have been unique unto itself, if Whitney did not eventually form and eventually break-up, a band called Jaguar Love.
Jaguar Love is a toned down version of Neon Blonde, but with more members. If you like Hardcore, Electronica, and most anything Johnny Whitney creates, give it a spin.
Artist: Flake Music Album: When you land here, it’s time to return
As the moniker of the label that was on the album when this writer found it in the discount bin stated “Before there was The Shins…,” apparently, there was this band known as Flake Music. If you already love The Shins’ music, or at least the Indie Rock/Pop Rock scene that surrounds it, then your ears are peaked already. It is important to note ,however, that Flake Music’s …music differs somewhat sharply from their future successful act.
Ranging from the 90’s Emo of Mineral to The Get Up Kids, Flake Music carries with it a more distorted,grittier, Emo side to the music, despite the fact that the opening track sounds like The Shins.
There are elements that certainly show you they could eventually become The Shins, like how there is a track entitled “The Shins.” So, it is fair to say that if any of this interests you, or even maybe early Death Cab For Cutie, then you need to own this and take it for a spin.
Artist: Black Marble Album: It’s Immaterial
Black Marble is a relatively new band, but to stumble upon and listen to their album before ever looking into them at all, their music would make you think they are from the decade of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Sad Lovers and Giants, and the other Darkwave, Darkwave/Electronica, or other Post Punk bands that hail from that time period.
Sticking closer to a Shoegaze/Darkwave/Electronica combo they still manage to carve their own niche and sound from a well-worn genre that tends to never be too worn out for those of you that enjoy this kind of stuff.
So, all of you dark souls yearning for that decade and all its gloom, should give this a spin.
Artist: Action Reaction album: 3 is the Magic Number
Lyrically sharp and musically unique, 3 is the Magic Number is an under the radar epic that is only missing their pulse pounding Bang, Bang from an earlier EP.
There is some Alternative Rock and Psychedelia, for some reason The Who comes to mind, and a heavy dose of what Jason Gleason brought to his tenure with Further Seems Forever.
If you like Jason Gleason and his myriad bands, including Sunken Ships and Old Wives, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not let this have at least one spin. At least one.
Artist:
Have a Nice Life Album:
Deathconscienciousness
Have a Nice Life proves that longer band names are apparently okay now, and that there might be shortage of names in general. Echoing, layered, dark, sounds all lie underneath this Shoegaze/Gothic Rock/Electronica band. The vocals, though ambient and dissonant, cut through the dark blend of drums, possibly guttural, distorted, Shoegazing guitars, and keys that is not normally part of a Darkwave, Gothic, or even your standard New Wave band.
However, not unlike the odd Yin and Yang contrast of their band and album name, Have a Nice Life’s music does. There are lyrics in there, but good luck separating the layers and layers and layers of noise and sound to find them.
Still, this is to be expected in Shoegazing. It is hard to nail down a comparison, but if any of the aforementioned genres interest you at all, it is worth one spin.
This concludes this week’s In Rotation music listing, and come back next week for another eclectic helping of the new, the old, and the weird in music. Thank you for taking a short journey into a vast collection of various genres that hopefully will give you something new to listen to this week.
Stay tuned or next week’s In Rotation.
[Images Courtesy Of The Respective Bands In This List]
I normally never watch anime, but the one series I make sure to constantly keep up with is Gundam. There are a few reasons, most notable are that its action is fast paced and its lessons aren’t preachy. Imagination pales in comparison to how they are animated.
With Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans ending, there was little hope for anything else to fill the gaping hole it left. Every Sunday morning was made a bit more colorful with every new episode, but that’s all over now.
In an effort to recapture the feelings of having a show to look forward to, I went on a hunt. The offers were meager as I had already caught up on Gundam: The Origin and Gundam Thunderbolt. What was left? That’s when I heard that the GundamInfo Youtube channel was rereleasing the remastered version of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
Before Zeta, I had watched the compilation movies for the original show and most of the alternate timelines. I had never before seen this particular series because the Universal Century timeline is too dense and scared me. With nothing to watch, I had to take the jump. Now was as good a time as any to see what the hype was about.
Most of my knowledge of the UC timeline comes from the wiki page, some video games, manga and anime. As of this time, I’ve only caught up to episode 12, so bear in mind that these thoughts may not feel complete. You should watch Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 before starting Zeta.
Plot
Like with most Gundam shows, the plot starts with a young protagonist getting their hands on the eponymous prototype mobile suit. They are then thrown in the middle of a war as the main pivot of the story.
Kamille finally gets the traditional Gundam colors around episode 5.
The past
To fully understand Zeta, we need to look back in time. A war between space colonies, led by the Principality of Zeon, and the Earth Federation was the source of conflict in the past. Many people died at the hands of giant robots called mobile suits and other destructive weapons. At one point Zeon even dropped a colony on Earth in an attempt to destroy the federation headquarters. That’s how serious the war was. Australia was destroyed instead. After a year of intense warfare, the conflict was won by the Earthnoids.
Due to the aforementioned colony drop, tensions ran high even after “peace” was achieved. Both sides were angry due to casualties and could never truly forgive each other.
The present
Returning to the present time, new groups emerged from the ashes of the Federation and Zeon.
The Titans who are in charge of hunting down any Zeon remains are the main antagonists for the season’s first half. The interesting part is that they are an offshoot of the Earth Federation, the main protagonists of the first war. This would be like having the Jedi turn around and be the bad guys in a Star Wars movie. Titans’ brutality knows no bounds as they didn’t hesitate to gas an entire colony to quell a protest, killing millions.
The protagonist group is the Anti-Earth Union Group which was created after the gassing incident. They fight to keep the Titans accountable and to eliminate their dictatorship. Interestingly enough, the AEUG is made up of Federation officers dissatisfied with the state of things and Zeon officers posing as Federation forces. The enemy of my enemy is my friend and all that.
The Federation returns as a minor force for the first part, working beneath the Titans. Zeon also returns as a third hidden force as there are mentions of the remains possibly joining one side.
Characters
Protagonists
Kamille Bidan is the main character. He initially comes off as annoying and hot headed, which often lands him in hot water. The entire story can be traced back to him overhearing a Titans’ officer saying his name was a girl’s name. Instead of ignoring it, like a normal rational human being would, he instead chooses to punch him. As the series progresses he does mature from a naïve child into a soldier. His development is aided by the countless number of slaps everyone else gives him.
Kamille is joined by the single most important and interesting character of the Universal Century timeline: Char Aznable. Char the main antagonist of Gundam 0079, returns as Quattro Bajeena. His identity is supposed to be a secret some characters suspect, but we as the viewers 100% know it’s him. His mobile suit color scheme and the way he knows information only Char would, gives him away. He initially fought for Zeon to get revenge on their leaders, the Zabi family, for killing his father. Accomplishing his goals, he needed something else to fight for.
As Quattro he becomes a mentor to Kamille, teaching him about the finer points of war and guiding him away from hatred based decisions. He is one of the best, if not the best, pilot in the UC timeline. Lieutenant Bajeena also has great infiltration skills and is a great shooter. He is a natural born leader with high charisma. When compared to Kamille, he is very relaxed and confident in the choices he makes.
These two are joined by the crew of the Argama ship.
There are other returning characters such as Amuro Ray, Captain Bright Noa and other less important people.
How could you not know the guy in red is Char?
Antagonists
The main antagonist isn’t a character as much as it is an entire organization. Some people might argue Jerid Messa is the main antagonist, but the man is so incompetent he barely registers on the scale. Jerid also happens to be the dude who called Kamille’s name girly.
As such, the Titans as a whole are the main villains.
Art Style
In looking at the art, we have to keep in mind the original came out in 1985.
You’d think the art is outdated and doesn’t hold up right?
Surprisingly the art is really crisp and there aren’t that many recycled frames. The art truly shines when depicting mobile suits. The detail is insane and we can get a really good idea of how the machines work. The animation is choppy in some places but the story grabs your full attention so that it’s not noticeable.
The really enjoyable part is that everything drawn has a purpose.
And so, with a loud thud, the infiltration mission starts now.
Watch it
Based off my viewing of the first 12 episodes, I would definitely recommend you watch this. Be aware that you will definitely need to watch 0079 or the compilation movies to get a better idea of where everyone stands and why the war is happening. I am truly looking forward to every week as new episodes get released.
You can catch the full episodes now on GundamInfo.
Mark Gibbon, known for smaller roles in Man of Steel and Smallville, has been cast as General Zod in the CW’s Supergirl. He is expected to be introduced in the season 2 finale.
Gibbon has appeared in numerous roles on film and TV, including Smallville, Arrow, Stargate: Atlantis, and The X-Files. He also has a voice-acting resume that includes playing the Incredible Hulk, The Thing, and Nick Fury in various Marvel animated films and shows. In Man of Steel, he played an oil rig worker saved by Superman.
Kara and company already have a lot to deal with. There’s Rhea, Mon-El’s murderous mom played by Teri Hatcher. Lillian Luthor and Cadmus are still making life on earth difficult for extraterrestrials. And then there’s President Olivia Marsdin, played by Lynda Carter, an alien with unknown intentions sitting in the Oval Office.
Perhaps Zod’s appearance will somehow fit into one of these story lines. What is more likely, however, is that he will make a brief cameo at the very end of the episode, setting up season 3 of Supergirl.
Zod is one of Superman’s most formidable foes in the comics, movies, and TV shows. He is a radical leader of Krypton’s military forces, who is imprisoned in The Phantom Zone just before the planet’s destruction.
In 1980’s Superman II, General Zod was played by Terrance Stamp and later by Michael Shannon in 2013’s Man of Steel. In 2010, Callum Blue took on the role of the menacing Kryptonian in the 9th season of Smallville.
Supergirl returns Monday, April 24 at 8pm on The CW.
What do you think of the casting of Gibbon as Zod? Let us know in the comments!
Exercising restraint can be hard. Some creators are just more suited for writing to a more adult audience with their work and when they have to scale it back for a younger crowd, not all of the material comes off as entertaining. So a series created by the American Greetings Entertainment, a group known for creating content for younger audiences, and produced in conjunction with Stoopid Buddies Stoodios (the team behind Robot Chicken and SuperMansion) could easily create a show which many would find awkward and cringe-worthy. Worry not dear reader, for instead, this collaboration has created something unique entirely: Quality family programming.
Writing
The story focus on titular character Buddy Thunderstruck, a semi-truck racer in the town of Greasepit who enjoys nothing more than winning, hanging with his best friend/mechanic Darnell, and munching down hot wings. Together, the pair get into hijinks focusing on Buddy’s obsessive need to always be number one while making life difficult for their rivals, Big Tex, Big Tex Jr. and the mystery man (later revealed to be named Belvedere Moneybags).
The show features some very off the wall and random bits of comedy. Story lines include Buddy becoming a repo man, break dancing to get out of jail, racing the pizza delivery service which is faster than him, and becoming a cop with an obsession for justice. The writers are able to produce a large amount of humor despite the show being for a family audience. The series makes frequent references to adult entertainment like The Big Lewboski, CSI: Miami, and Office Space. They also make use some creative wordplay to make nods to more adult terms such as “Son of a buck” and using a beaver dam to mean the explicative instead.
There are plenty of great moments for the younger crowd as well. Physical humor moments such as when Buddy throws a billy club at a car with an expired meter causing it to explode will have kids giggling hysterically. Also, Hoysenberry, the deputy who is an adorable character who is too cute and friendly to be a cop. She is the kind of character you feel for but can’t help but snicker at as they experience misfortune. Also the kind of character who would be perfect as a stuffed animal.
Acting
Family entertainment also has a stigma when it comes to voice acting. Many actors simply phone in their roles and deliver bland performances. Not here though, as the entire cast of Buddy Thunderstruck delivers the perfect amount of energy and style to their characters.
Brian Allen as Buddy is perfect. He seems to be channeling Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights with a hint of Jason Lee from My Name is Earl. Darrel is played by Ted Raimi (Ted Hoffman from the Spiderman Trilogy), who performs a dual role as Darnell and Moneybags. As Darnell he is the perfect best friend who will be there for a person no matter what. As Moneybags he plays the perfect snide villain who just wants to prove how much better he is than everyone else. The entire cast delivers a phenomenal performance and creates characters which are a joy to behold.
Animation
The team created this show with some fantastic stop motion effects. Unlike some of their Robot Chicken sketches, where the figures have their joints exposed or there are moments where you can tell where the clay didn’t seal properly, there are no flaws to be seen here. There isn’t a moment of the show brought down by a bad effect or poorly created character in the cast. Every visual seems to be a great representation of the studio’s work and sells the physical comedy moments employed in the first season.
Conclusion
This show finds the balance between comedy intended for young and older audience and succeeds in being a perfect show for the family. All it needs now is more viewers so there can be a possibility of a second season. If you find yourself needing a show which is binge-worthy than blame it on the thunder and check out Buddy Thunderstruck! Kaboom!
This week’s episode of Attack on Titan played to one of its great abilities by being able to create atmosphere. By surrounding the characters in danger and putting them in impossible situations, the viewer’s pulse skyrockets as it looks like everyone may easily become a meal for the Titans. Previously this has involved waiting for Titans to move into position for counterattacks or riding on horseback at top speed, all to put the cast into situations which leave the audience concerned for their safety. Once again, the original creator of the series found a way to reproduce the same feelings by leaving characters stranded and without a way to get out.
The rookies are stuck in an old castle in the middle of nowhere. They are no weapons of their own, a horde of Titans trying to kill them, and the senior officers with equipment are soon overwhelmed by the odds. A typical day for this anime. There are a few moments of character introspective though mixed in with the suspect as Ymir teases Connie as a way to distract him so he is not worrying about his family and Reiner remembers a companion who saved him from being eaten by the Titans. By the look of it though, both of these characters seem to know more than they are letting on. At least Ymir’s secrets should be expanded upon very soon. Probably will be awhile before it’s revealed what else happened in Reiner’s past.
At the end Ymir reminds Christa of a promise they made before, which thanks to the preview will be revealed in the next episode. Not like it will be hard to get people to come back. This episode ends on an insane cliffhanger which is guaranteed to get the audience to return. Intense action, good character moments, and just the right about of horror so it’s impossible to relax makes this episode pretty satisfactory overall.
Attack on Titan: Season Two is streaming on Crunchyroll.
Tears Are Shed And Shade Is Thrown On This Week’s Untucked
Following a musical tribute to the Kardashians, things get intense on this week’s ‘Untucked: RuPaul’s Drag Race‘. There’s about as much talk of sabotage and conspiracies this week than last election. On the main stage, Nina Bo’Nina Brown feels shafted by her role in the musical, while Alexis Michelle let her feelings known backstage.
Alexis Michelle has shown this “Mommie Dearest”-side to her before but it boiled over this week. Though she was highly praised for her performance in the challenge, the judges didn’t enjoy her runway look. With a different dress, Alexis Michelle felt she could’ve won. Why didn’t the fellow queens step up and say something? That’s the question she posed.
Ranging from Trinity Taylor and Eureka O’Hara, the queens spoke up about not wanting to step on toes or their own self-doubts about their looks. This is one of the more interesting exchanges with Alexis Michelle and the queens. That level of picture perfection she strives for is beginning to slip. Let’s hope next week she can regain her composure because this attitude can send someone home.
“Think about every little dark-skinned brown girl out there that anyone has told they didn’t deserve it, they didn’t belong, that they’re not worth it, and that it was too much for them to want it. You do it for all of them. Not just you. Every single one of them” -Shea Coulee to Nina Bo’Nina Brown
Speaking of toxic attitudes, Nina Bo’Nina Brown broke down again on the runway. She seemed more composed backstage but the aura was different. The queens were talking candidly about her “Debbie Downer” personality and how it can ruin her. Judges RuPaul and Michelle Visage both echoed the sentiment. Unlike Alexis Michelle, this episode of ‘Untucked‘ seemed like the moment of realization of Nina Bo’Nina Brown. After a great pep talk from Shea Couleé, I expect a different Nina going forward.
The biggest story leaving both ‘Untucked‘ and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race‘ is the shocking elimination of Eureka O’Hara. All the way back in episode 2, Eureka O’Hara mentioned injuring her knee but no one expected the extent of the injury. Turns out she tore her ACL and going forward in the competition wasn’t safe. For the first time in the show’s history, someone was sent home for a medical reason but there was another first this episode. Do to the circumstances around Eureka’s exit, RuPaul extended an invitation for her to return for Season 10. It looks like we already know the first cast member of next season!
What do you think of this week’s ‘Untucked’?
Let me know in the comments below!
Don’t forget to check out ‘Untucked: RuPaul’s Drag Race‘, every Saturday morning on WOWPresents Youtube page.
British actor Callum Turner (Green Room, Victor Frankenstein) is in talks to join the wizarding world as Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) brother for the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel.
Theseus Scamander is mentioned in passing in the Fantastic Beasts film. He is Newt’s older brother, and was a hero during World War I. After the war, he became an auror, tasked with tracking down Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
Not much else is known about the Fantastic Beasts four sequels. Jude Law has recently been cast as a young Albus Dumbledore, who is set to take on Depp’s Grindelwald. The two had an epic duel in 1945, which was mentioned in the Harry Potter series. The Fantastic Beasts series will inevitably lead up to that battle.
David Yates, who directed the final four Harry Potter movies and returned for Fantastic Beasts, is set to return for the next movie.
Eddie Redmayne, who will remain as the prime protagonist throughout the series, recently said that the sequels will keep the “Fantastic Beasts and” portion of the title, with the second part changed for the sequels.
The sequel is already scheduled to hit theaters in November 2018, with the third film planned for November 2020. This probably means we’ll see the fourth Fantastic Beasts in 2022 and the fifth and final movie in 2024.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an extension of the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling, set decades before Harry Potter and his adventures in Hogwarts.
What do you think of Callum Turner joining the Wizarding World? Let’s discuss in the comments!
Colossal has the appearance of an odd creature feature but is profound and heartfelt.
Summary
Colossal opens with a scene that appears to be ripped from any number of Japanese monster flicks. We see a little girl in the middle of a park in Seoul, South Korea searching for her lost doll only to be terrorized by a large monster. We quickly jump to 25 years later to see Gloria (Anne Hathaway) stumbling into her boyfriend’s apartment after a long night of drinking. Her boyfriend (Dan Stevens) appears to be at his wit’s end and demands that she leaves. With nowhere to go and without a penny to her name, she departs to New Jersey and heads back to her parents’ vacant home. Moments after arriving in her hometown, Gloria runs into an old classmate of hers named Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). Oscar quickly becomes very focused on her well-being offering her a job and some old furniture for her new home. They start to hit it off and decide to go out drinking one night. Gloria and Oscar end up in a playground nearby which apparently has mystical powers as well. We quickly learn that when they step foot into the playground, an avatar (one of them resembles a robot, the other a “kaiju”) appears in downtown Seoul causing havoc and destruction around. At first, Gloria seems to be having the time of her life, but then she quickly realizes that her actions have severe consequences.
Acting
Anne Hathaway delivers another solid performance as Gloria. While on the surface she comes off as a slacker, in reality, Gloria is ill. She’s using booze and a laissez-faire lifestyle to mask her inner demons, not the least of which is the rage she has bottled up inside. The last good thing she had was her boyfriend, Tim, and when he is gone due to her lifestyle choices, she’s alone.
In many ways, it’s her illness that connects Gloria to Oscar. Jason Sudeikis’s character certainly has his demons to fight. He feels repressed as his life has not amounted to a whole lot. Instead of looking for a way to improve his life, Oscar spends his nights with his good friend Jack Daniels. While Gloria’s rage stems losing everything, Oscar’s stems from not amounting to anything. Even though Oscar certainly has feelings for Gloria, part of him can’t even stand her. Sudeikis embodies all of these things and manages to take his “good guy” image and smash into a cold hearted mix of rage and regret. Seeing this transformation was certainly the highlight of the film for me and the best role of Sudeikis’s acting career.
Writing/Direction
Writer/Director Nacho Vigalondo crafted a narrative that is incredibly balanced between absurdity and poignancy. Every scene that we have of Gloria trying to have some fun with her monstrous avatar includes real moments of reflection. For Gloria and Oscar, reality has always been a difficult thing to navigate. The arc of the story has moments of pure hilarity mixed in with sprinkles of awkwardness. At times you’ll feel uncomfortable, but overall it’s a satisfying story.
What stood out was how Viglondo was able to switch between such an intimate film to one where we are witness to large scale destruction. It would have been an error had he decided to stick with one type of film or the other. Colossal is a movie focused on how people cope with their inner “monsters” but seeing the impact of those demons was indeed crucial.
Overall
Colossal will certainly go down as one of the bigger surprises in 2017. What appeared to be a light-hearted creature feature ended up being about the demons we all face. While this film won’t get much of a run at the box-office while The Fate of the Furious is on the majority of screens; that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. These types of films deserve our support and should be on your radar this weekend.
What do you think of this week’s ‘Untucked’?