Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.
Assembly of Geeks: “Failing X-Men, Reviving Spider-Man & Missing The Goonies” has lots of the usual geeky discussion. They talk about movies that should have ended sooner, they have a review of Kingsmen: The Secret Service, they cover some news topics like Harry Potter Funko items, and the conundrum of Marvel being a comic book company or a movie company. They also tackle the movie The Goonies and whether that type of movie works any more or whether child adventure movies have changed into something else. Lots of interesting topics and fun discussion.
Coffee With Kenobi: Rebels Reactions “Call to Action” episode features Tarkin voice actor Stephen Stanton who adds some excellent behind the scenes insight to the episode as he talks about his character and the show. They also talk some about Star Wars: The Clone Wars and James Luceno’s book Tarkin. Excellent episode and one you’ll definitely want to catch.
Disney Vault Talk: “Top Ten Live Action Films” features Steve, Teresa and Greg as they cover listener feedback then go over their top ten live action Disney films. Their choices cover a lot of time periods, from modern to classics, and they all weigh in with different choices and the reasons behind their picks.
“Sleeping Beauty” features Steve, Teresa and Amy Ratcliffe. I have to admit, I really enjoyed this one. There was some intriguing fun facts, like this film costing twice as much as previous Disney films and it’s poor box office results leading to layoffs, but there’s also just a lot of great discussion of the characters and the film. Amy adds a lot to the conversation, and between the three of them, it’s an excellent review of the film.
Fly Casual: Episode 26 is a news and toys episode. They talk about the release date being moved up rumor, comments from Mark Hamill, the guest lineup for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, and Sling tv and the possibilities for a Star Wars channel. The toy discussion covers the news from Toy Fair such as new LEGO sets, some of the toys Hasbro showed off and why more figures aren’t on the shelves. With heaping helpings of humor mixed in, this one is a fun episode to listen to.
Full of Sith: Episode CIII features audio from two panels at 2015 Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience. The first is with Carrie Fisher. While it’s a short one, Carrie is funny and the audio quality is really good for a panel. Afterwards Mike, Bobby and Bryan share some thoughts on the panel, then kick off the second which features Ray Park. Ray’s goes on a bit longer as he did a full panel with lots of great stories and good audio quality. He talks about being cut in half in The Phantom Menace and how they joke around on set with the different ways he could come back. He also clarifies that he is not on Twitter or Facebook, so don’t fall for those fake accounts, he takes some fan questions, and mentions how Darth Maul got an ear ring. At the end, he did an onstage thing with the kids, and then Bryan, Bobby and Mike do some post show comments. All in all a great episode. I really enjoyed the Ray Park panel audio.
Geek Out Loud: Episode 122 starts with a quick recap on the GOLiverse marathon, Steve talks about the exclusive GOL shirts, reveals his addiction…to Black Series, then gets into some comics talk with listener feedback regarding Superman. There’s more feedback on Padme and the broken heart issue, some MASK and Nutty Professor discussion, guest Dave Jones drops by to talk Star Trek. They get into Star Trek 3 and deep into Star Trek: Into Darkness. Keep in mind that Steve recorded this one pretty late, so near the end they’re on some random topics and it’s a very casual conversation. There are Lando impersonations, and a lot more comics discussion ranging from DC to Marvel. One controversial topic that stood out to me is whether Spider-Man’s rogue gallery is better than Batman’s. As much as I love the colorful designs of the old school Spidey villains, I’d have to side on Batman for this one. It’s hard to beat classic bad guys like Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Mr. Freeze.
Literary Treks: Episode 92 starts with a quick pre-show discussion then heads into an interview with author John Jackson Miller who talks about his latest novel Takedown. The first half is spoiler free, the second half digs deep into the book and includes spoilers. While it doesn’t spoiler everything, it does spoil some of the big mystery points in the story, so if you haven’t read the book yet, you’ll only want to listen to the first half. Overall, a great interview. They touch on a lot of great topics and themes which reveals a lot about the characters and the story. It’s the perfect complement to the story for readers wanting to get some more info on what went into the book and John’s thought process.
RebelForce Radio: Episode 2.27.15 tackles J.J. Abram’s latest comments, they provide some Oscar coverage, talk Star Wars Celebration Anaheim and cover the guests in attendance and feature a couple of really good interviews. The first is with Mark Draven from the Celebration tattoo pavillion who clears up a Kenny Baker mystery and talks about his collection of Star Wars celebrity handprints. The second interview is with Ming Chen from AMC’s Comic Book Men. Ming talks about how he met Kevin Smith and wound up on the show, what the shop is really like, and he talks a lot about his Star Wars fandom. It’s good stuff.
Rock Out Loud: “When Love and Hate Collide” is their Valentines Day episode feature songs that lie on the border of love and hate, which leads to some interesting song choices and lots of fun discussion. They also cover listener feedback and get sidetracked on a couple tangents like Batman Returns. Great episode as always.
Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 67 features countdowns to upcoming Star Wars and Disney events, Star Wars and Disney highlights from the Oscars (which is a bit more in-depth than what RebelForce Radio did), and some character discussion. They get into their top five favorite Disney and Star Wars character turning moments, who would you invite to a dinner party, and their top five Disney and Star Wars villains. Capping the show off are some guests, Joshua Hoh and George Brightigam, who talk about the documentary they’re raising money for Star Trek Wars. Good episode with lots of Star Wars discussion. I’m looking forward to where they go with their top five segment as I think it has some potential. Outside the box scenarios like “who would you invite to dinner party” are rather fun to think about as it’s not the typical versus or best type list.
Star Wars Action News: Episode 442 is part one of their Toy Fair coverage as they cover LEGO and their new sets, Jakks Pacific and their new figures, and Hasbro and their complete lack of new figures. Hasbro revealed some toys, but no new 3-3/4″ or 6″ action figures. As part of the show, you get to hear them actually talk with Hasbro to find out why the lack of figures.
Episode 443 is part two of their Toy Fair coverage as they cover Funko, Kotobukiya, Uncle Milton and Mattel. Interesting to hear that the Kotobukiya female stormtrooper statue is not coming out due to a request from Lucasfilm and a re-evaluation of the statue. Also intriguing to hear that some retailers did have The Force Awakens products ready, but were asked by Lucasfilm not to bring them to Toy Fair. As usual, if you’re looking for Star Wars collectible news, this is the place to get it.
Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.
