Cinema Excelsior is an exploration of films based on Marvel Comics. We analyze the good, the bad, and the really, really bad movies that make up the Marvel canon and try to understand what makes each one succeed or fail as adaptation, as production, and as art.
Sorry about the delay, but we're still alive for now!
He's not your slightly older brother's slighter older brother's Spider-Man.
So this episode was actually recorded late last year, before all of... this... happened. I apologize for the late posting, as well as the general slow pace of updates here. Between the folks involved with this show, we've been dealing both with some joyous life events and with some personal tragedies lately, and our attention simply hasn't been here. Don't worry, though, we've still got episodes in the can and recording dates on the calendar, even if the output has slowed a bit. Thank you for your support. Excelsior!
More duck puns.
A belated holiday treat!
Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Somehow, we recorded an episode longer than the movie.
We'll watch Howard The Duck a hundred more times before we watch Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer again.
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Tony Stark built a killer robot and things didn't go as planned.
Yes, that's right! Although we began Cinema Excelsior with a discussion of "Howard the Duck", only two of our five regular panelists were actually a part of that landmark episode. As a holiday present to you, dear listener, we have re-viewed the film and subjected it to a full five-panelist dissection. Have our thoughts changed since our initial viewing four years ago? Listen to find out!
A priest beat up Valerian, John Adams, and Ray Charles to impress his girlfriend. It doesn't work.
The villainous Miguel remains missing in action.
Step into the Mission to Mars room and go on a journey with everyone's contractually-mandated favorite X-Man as he travels to Tokyo for a good old-fashioned samurai story. Would this have been better as an Ozu-style family drama? You be the judge!
Christmas cheer presented by Shane Black, presented by the Cinema Excelsior Crew. Bring your warmest suit of armor!
It's not your slightly older brother's Spider-Man! I tell ya, it's the tightest two hours and six-and-a-quarter minutes in all of podcasting!
Show notes cancelled on account of a wedding.
In which we introduce the General Theory of Neal McDonough.
Even those of you who said, "You know what those X-Men movies need? Gambit and the Blob!" won't be happy with this film. Featuring Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Lillian DeRitter, and Derek Long, and starring a raccoon puppet as Daniel Watson-Jones. This episode Fleegmans well with time.
Our last two Punisher films left us pleasantly surprised. This one, not so much.
Same Hulk time, same Hulk channel. Marvel gives it another go with Edward Norton's passion project, "The Incredible Hulk." Hold on tight or you, like the plot, may end up on the cutting room floor!
It's finally here! The Cinema Excelsior team dives boldly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper with 2008's Iron Man. Also, please enjoy the pre-show Pokemon quiz. Special thanks to Brian Stuckey for pledging to support Stoutbot Industries on Patreon!
Never before have you seen one man put so much faith in the secondary creator of "Twin Peaks."
On one hand, it's not as bad as you think. On the other hand, it's not as good as the Roger Corman film.
Man-Thing is a classic character, like Dracula or Charlie Chaplin. He can be shoehorned into any possible scenario. So we did that. You're welcome.
Is he man or thing? Is he Swamp Thing? We don't know. We can never understand! We're not from AROUND here!With Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Derek Long, and Daniel Watson-Jones.
Well, we couldn't skip it. Elektra is notable for being the only Marvel film with a singular female protagonist, and for nothing else. Nonetheless, the Cinema Excelsior crew gives it as thorough a dissection as we're able, and illuminate the SHOCKING SECRETS it holds. With Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Lillian DeRitter, Laura Felschow, and Daniel Watson-Jones.
All right, let's get this over with. The Cinema Excelsior crew finishes its teardown of Blade: Trinity with a stirring discussion of the worst X-Files episodes ever made. Featuring Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Derek Long, and Daniel Watson-Jones.
HANNIBAL KIIIIING! Our takedown of Blade Trinity continues! This week, we fall out of love with Ryan Reynolds all over again.
Get it? Because there's three of them. Blade: Trinity is the final film (to date) in the Blade series. Does everyone's favorite Daywalker go out with a bang, or is this franchise getting a little long in the tooth? (God, I hate myself for that pun.) With Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Derek Long, and Daniel Watson-Jones.
Closing time! We wrap up our discussion of Spider-Man 2 with a breakdown of the cyclical nature of depth and complexity in the comics medium and try to figure out what we've learned.
Our roundtable returns for part 3 of our Spider-Man 2 discussion! Featuring Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Derek Long, Patrick Regan, and Daniel Watson-Jones.
Join the Cinema Excelsior crew for the second part of our analysis of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. Featuring Nick Bestor, Stefan Claypool, Derek Long, Patrick Regan, and Daniel Watson-Jones.
The Cinema Excelsior team takes another glimpse into the secret life of Peter Parker in part one of our Spider-Man 2 analysis. Still viewed fondly as a modern classic, Sam Raimi's 2004 film was perfectly tuned to appeal to the tastes of the moment upon its release. How does it hold up a decade later? Well, about that...
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