The All Around Podcast

Sony/Microsoft Strategy Paramount Looking to be Bought Warner Brothers Struggling Disney investing in Epic We saw: - Slow Horses - The Holdovers - Reacher - Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Killers of the Flower Moon - Oppenheimer - Barbie - Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Masters of The Air We also played some games - Dead Space Remake, Resident Evil 2 and 3 Remake, Starfield, Jusant

Back after 4 months, we ramble, joke, and talk about a summer filled with blockbusters like - Across the Spider-Verse - Transformers: Rise of the Beats - The Flash - Elemental - Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - Oppenheimer - Barbie

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

We review the surprisingly engaging 'House of the Dragon' and the predictably dull and underwhelming 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'. Enjoy!

'Bullet Train' wins the box office in Summer's lowest grossing weekend Disney beats their earnings projections and will increase prices for Disney+ to $10.99 Hollywood Showrunners and Screenwriters demand Abortion access action from Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon, and more. Kung Fu Panda 4 is coming in 2024 Olivia Newton-John passed away And more!

Enjoy!

- We talk about electric cars! - Marvel is overexposed and announced their bloated Phase 5 and 6 slates - Sony, Comcast, Apple, and Amazon reported their quarterly earnings - Alan Horn rejoins Warner Bros. Discovery in a consulting role - Ben Affleck is reprising Bruce Wayne/Batman in the Aquaman sequel

Alex and Jim start with some Tech Talk before diving into the week's stories - 'Thor: Love and Thunder' drops 68% in its second weekend - ESPN+ raises monthly subscription from $6.99 to $9.99 ahead of college football season - Amazon's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' finally releases its first full trailer - Dave Chappelle gets an Emmy nomination for 'The Closer' And tangents galore... Enjoy!

The MCU is being ruined. I hope you enjoy the episode though

- USC/UCLA is going to the Big 10 Conference - Short Video Game segment - Marvel Studios coming back to Comic-Con - Top Gun: Maverick crosses $1.1 billion and Minions sets a new Independence Day Weekend Record - And more!

Enjoy!

Enjoy

- Our thoughts on the Johnny Depp/Amber Head trial - New Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Cancels Shows, Movies, and Cuts Costs - Kathleen Kennedy discusses lessons learned about Star Wars film and tv productions - we have some thoughts - She-Hulk Trailer - oy vey - The PC reckoning and snap back draws near - Twitter war between the White House and Jeff Bezos

- What We Watched: Top Gun, Under the Banner of Heaven, Road to Perdition, Righteous Gemstones, - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review - Justin Lin leaves 'Fast X' director's chair after reported issues with Vin Diesel - Disney Earnings Analysis - Warner Bros. Discovery layoffs

- Some Gaming Tidbits - Amazon and Apple Quarterly Earnings - CinemaCon News from the Week - Justin Lin leaves 'Fast X' - James Corden Leaving 'The Late Late Show' - Netflix's 'The Gray Man' has a release date

- Netflix loses subscribers for first time in a decade and stock drops over 25% - Netflix (and other streamers) exploring lower-priced ad-supported tier - 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' underperforms, leaves franchise in limbo - CNN+ shuts down after 1 month - HBO Max gains 3M subs since beginning of the year - Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter - 'Thor: Love and Thunder' teaser trailer releases - 'Across the Spider-Verse' delayed to Summer 2023

Alex and Jim discuss: - Record setting pre-sales tickets for 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' - Brie Larson Joins 'Fast 10' (Yes that is real) - Discovery ousts numerous executives at WarnerMedia ahead of merger being completed - Will Smith 10 year Oscar ban - Elon Musk buys 9.2% of Twitter and joins the Board of Directors And much more!

We discuss - Will Smith slapping Chris Rock - Rachel Zegler Joins Apple animated film 'Spellbound' - Jim Carrey Discusses Retiring - Bruce Willis actually retires amid health issues - GoT spin-off 'House of the Dragon' sets premiere date

- We Watched a bunch of stuff including 'Severance', 'WeCrashed', 'Turning Red', 'Winning Time' - Disney CEO Bob Chapek under fire for reaction to Florida bill - Mandalorian Season 3 Adds Christopher Lloyd - Marvel Developing 'Nova' Adaptation - Brad Pitt Action Film 'Bullet Train' Moves to July

Enjoy.

Enjoy.

This is an older episode, but have fun with it.

Alex and Jim gather together shortly after the Cincinnati Bengals clinched an appearance in the Super Bowl to talk film and television. We discuss Apple's latest quarterly earnings call, Jason Momoa's separation and casting in tenth entry of the 'Fast and Furious' film series as well as Disney+'s smart move in ordering a series for 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians'. Also, Peacock continues to lose a ton of money and we wonder just what purpose the streaming service serves.

Jim and Alex discuss the latest in video game industry consolidation as Microsoft announced their intention to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion and Take Two, makers of GTA, Red Dead, BioShock, and NBA 2K announced their purchase of Zynga for $12.7 billion. Netflix has also made the news with their latest price increase and a quarterly earnings call that included a miss in subscriber growth and a more conservative outlook on the future. Other stories include Apple partnering with Skydance for live-action films in addition to their animation slate and Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV Series announces their underwhelming title "The Rings of Power"

You feeling 22? Alex and Jim are in their first episode together in 2022. We talk about what we saw over the holidays as well as the 2 month 'Morbius' delay, Amazon's 'The Boys' getting a Season 3 premiere date, and HBO Max reaching 73.8 million subscribers. We end by looking at our most anticipated films for 2022. Enjoy!

Alex and Jim gather during the hectic Holidays to bring you Grade A level content talking about The Game Awards, the 'Succession' finale, the 'Hawkeye' TV Series, and the first trailer for 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore".

This is a two-week old episode that I forgot to post because the holiday schedule got crazy. For your listening pleasure.

Alex and Jim reconvene after a three week 'vacation' to discuss Disney's underwhelming quarter where they only gained 2.1 million Disney+ subscribers. What can the massive slowdown be attributed to? Alex briefly reviews both 'Eternals' and 'Last Night in Soho'. Game engine maker Unity buys Peter Jacksons VFX company, Weta Digital, possibly to make a splash into Film/TV production. Oh, and Leonardo DiCaprio is looking to play Jim Jones in a biopic.

The dynamic duo of Alex and Jim delve more into the Dave Chappelle controversy surrounding his latest special 'The Closer' while also discussing the recent tragedy on the set of the Alec Baldwin-produced film 'Rust'. Netflix also beat estimates for Q3, Ryan Gosling gets cast as Ken in Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' film alongside Margot Robbie. Hayden Christensen will return as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the 'Ahsoka' series and Katie Couric tries to remain relevant. Enjoy!

Alex and Jim talk about the deluge of DC Film news including trailers/behind-the-scenes looks at 'The Flash', 'The Batman', 'Aquaman 2', and 'Black Adam'. They also discuss the recent non-troversy that Dave Chappelle is currently in. They end things with news that Jennifer Lawrence has signed on to do a comedy and a key role has been casted in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'. Enjoy

Alex gives a spoiler-free review of the final Daniel Craig James Bond film before he and Jim discuss Cillian Murphy's casting as the lead in Christopher Nolan's J. Robert Oppenheimer film, Letitia Wright's anti-vax stance while on set of 'Black Panther II', 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' early glowing reviews, and the first footage from HBO's 'Game of Thrones' spin-off, 'House of Dragons'.

Alex and Jim gather together to pump up the Cincinnati Bearcats defeating Notre Dame and also talk film and TV. As we predicted one week earlier, Apple landed the Jon Watts-directed thriller starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Disney had some good PR as they settled the lawsuit with Scarlett Johansson regarding back-end payments on 'Black Widow'. 'The Book of Boba Fett' gets a release date at the end of 2021 and Warner Bros. 'Wonka' musical adds some British stars including Rowan Atkinson and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman. Enjoy!

Alex and Jim discuss George Clooney and Brad Pitt (and their production companies) joining a Jon Watts-directed thriller as well as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees authorizing a vote to strike which would have huge ramifications on film productions across the country. Also, the Broccoli family that produces the Bond films stated that Amazon plans to continue releasing Bond films theatrically. Disney continues to rake in the big bucks as Free Guy crosses $300 million and Shang-Chi overtakes Black Widow.

Alex and Jim reflect on the life and jokes of the legendary Norm Macdonald before discussing Universal's winning bid for Christopher Nolan's next film about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the A-bomb. Other stories include the continued box office success of 'Shang-Chi', composer Howard Shore possibly returning to Middle-Earth with the Amazon Lord of the Rings TV series, and HBO Max's continued mismanagement. Hope you enjoy!

In a beefier episode with more tangents than one can count, Alex and Jim discuss Disney's decision to have a 45-day theatrical run for its next few films before landing on Disney+. These films include 'Eternals' and 'West Side Story'. Also Christopher Nolan's next film will be about J. Robert Oppenheimer and The Manhattan Project and he was deciding which studio he would work with. The list came down to Universal, Warner Bros., Sony, MGM, and Netflix. After this recording, Nolan chose Universal breaking his 19-year relationship with WB. In other news, 'Shang-Chi' will probably not be released in China because Simu Liu told the truth about China's authoritarian regime. HBO Max is finally going to release in Europe. The first trailer for the star-studded 'Don't Look Up' has dropped. Rosario Dawson has been cast in Disney's 'The Haunted Mansion' and the 'Mad Max: Fury Road" sequel 'Furiosa' has been delayed to 2024. All this and more on The All Around Podcast. Enjoy!

We're back! After a few weeks off, Alex and Jim are back to discuss the performance of 'Shang-Chi' and what it means for blockbusters going forward. Also, Netflix's $200 million action-spy film 'Red Notice' starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot released its first trailer and we break it down. Time's Up loses key spokespeople and the duo discusses the strange and somewhat sad story of Bishop Sycamore. As always, tangents and references are in abundance. Hope you enjoy!

Alex and Jim discuss the effects of the Disney Q3 earnings call which included a spike in the share price, an increase of 13M subs for Disney+, and a 45-day exclusive window for 'Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings'. Other news includes an update on seasons 3 and 4 of 'Atlanta' and Apple's purchase of the latest Jennifer Lawrence-led vehicle. Enjoy!

Alex and Jim review 'The Suicide Squad' as it seems to benefit from being both a competent fun movie and a much better movie than its 2016 predecessor, but is it as good as the 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating says it is? Apple lands the Matthew Vaughn ensemble spy film 'Argylle' seemingly cementing Apple's hunger for quality-over-quantity in their content offerings. We analyze the quarterly earnings for both Sony and ViacomCBS while trying to measure their viability in a streaming world and whether or not they will be acquired. The duo also touches on the re-institution of COVID-19 mask mandates in some areas of the country even though half of the U.S. population has been vaccinated. Oh, and Stranger Things Season 4 and The Lord of the Rings TV show will release in 2022. Enjoy!

We review the overproduced 'Jungle Cruise' and the surprisingly poignant 'Pig' while digging deep into the details of Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney and the ripple effects of treating talent like crap. With rumors of Marvel President Kevin Feige's discontent, Disney CEO Bob Chapek may be in a bit of a sticky situation soon. Stunningly positive reviews have come in for James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad' marking a complete reverse in the review cycle compared to the 2016 film featuring the DC antihero team. Other stories include trailer breakdowns of Sony's 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' and 'Vivo'. Oh and there are tangents. Enjoy!

Yeah, we're back. Alex talks about the meme-filled 'Old' from M. Night Shyamalan while Jim relays his viewing of the disturbing Peacock series 'Dr. Death'. Netflix posts another mixed quarter after missing subscriber growth while video game rumors persist regarding a possible cloud streaming partnership with Sony. Netflix did not confirm those rumors, but they seem to be leaning toward mobile gaming for the first few years of their video game venture. In other news, Maria Taylor has joined NBC and their Olympics coverage. We discuss whether she is worth the money they are probably paying her. A new 'Dune' trailer has released and CNN+ is a streaming service that is happening because why not get depressed on-demand.

One could say it's a slow week, but with Alex and Jim, things are never slow nor dull. Join us as we talk through the ups and downs of the 'Loki' series finale and what it may mean for the MCU going forward. WandaVision director Matt Shakman has signed on to direct the next entry in the Star Trek film series as Paramount tries to get the latest sci-fi installment out of development hell. In other news, turns out that Oscar winner and possible crazy person Nicolas Cage will not be starring as Joe Exotic in the proposed Amazon scripted series as it has been canceled. HBO Max's 'Sex and the City' sequel series casts three more actresses as well ponder whether a GILF series can actually work. Ian McShane is returning as Winston in 'John Wick 4' and Antonio Banderas will be in 'Indiana Jones 5'.

Father and son are back again to review the first MCU film in two years, discuss the trailer for Lin-Manuel Miranda's latest Disney project 'Encanto', and ponder whether Apple can pry NFL Sunday Ticket away from DirecTV. Other topics include a new spy film from Matthew Vaughn called 'Argylle' which will feature an ensemble cast, a release date for the Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot-led Netflix film 'Red Notice'. Somehow, 'The Tomorrow War 2' is in development, and Marvel released the first full trailer for Marvel's 'What If?'

Alex and Jim celebrate Independence Day by discussing The New York Times story about ESPN's Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor and their roles during this year's NBA Finals. Alex reviews Steven Soderbergh's 'No Sudden Move' before the duo comments on their indifference toward Disney+'s 'Loki'. The HBO hit show 'Lovecraft Country' got cancelled and the reason why may have something to do with the critical decline of the last few seasons of 'Game of Thrones'. 'F9' passed $500 million globally but seems to be on track to be the lowest grossing film in the franchise since the series' fourth installment.

Alex and Jim gather together to briefly discuss the stupidity of 'F9', the latest episode of 'Loki', and the underperformance of Comcast's streaming service, Peacock. A Wall Street Journal report detailed that Peacock had only 10 million paid subscribers and had even looked into a partnership with ViacomCBS's Paramount+ in order to boost its market share. Also, just two years after Stephen Spielberg disparaged Netflix's theatrical release model, the 'Jaws' director finds himself partnering with the streaming giant through his production company, Amblin because money talks. Other topics include 'Transformers 7', another Vin Diesel-led action movie, and a new 'Shang-Chi' trailer featuring an old MCU villain.

Alex and Raven review the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise

Alex and Jim gathered together on Father's Day to talk about the 'In the Heights' non-troversy surrounding Afro-Latino representation as well as Rita Moreno's role in the controversy and the effects on the film itself. We also review the latest episode in 'Loki' while Sony Dates 'Bullet Train' for April 8, 2022. Also, since AMC's crappy balance sheet was rectified thanks to r/WallStreetBets, they are in the process of acquiring the Pacific Theatres' Grove & Americana Leases. We also get into people's insecurities and the value of not caring. Hope you enjoy

On this latest episode of The All Around Podcast, we recorded on Zoom and Jim's audio is way better than Alex's so Alex will be investing in some new headphones soon. Not going to include a full description for this episode since it's fairly free-flowing. Hope you enjoy as we go through this audio transition.

Yeah we're back with some minor audio issues, but better than last week. This is a very light show so probably not a lot of explanation to go around in the description. We review some new trailers, the new name Warner Bros. Discovery for the newly merged company, and talk about the shockingly positive reviews for upcoming movies and dissecting whether or not they are a factor of the long-awaited return to theaters. Also, we are looking into new podcast recording software in order to improve our recording sessions so stay tuned for that. Thanks!

After a week off, Alex and Jim return recharged to review the inexplicable 'Cruella' and the uninspiring 'Army of the Dead' before discussing the latest industry consolidation news regarding WarnerMedia's merger with Discovery and Amazon's recent $8.45 billion purchase of MGM. We ponder the return of 'normal' as Memorial Day weekend saw the highest box office returns of the COVID-era with 'A Quiet Place Part II' bringing in $80 million. Aaron Taylor-Johnson gets cast as Spider-Man villain Kraven The Hunter in a solo film. A bevy of new trailers for 'The Tomorrow War', 'Eternals', and 'Jungle Cruise' were also released for our viewing pleasure.

The Mouse House may have some cracks in the foundation. Alex and Jim discuss the recent Variety article about the new Disney CEO, Bob Chapek, and his restructuring at the company. Many of the creatives have been devalued while business executives centered around consumer products and entertainment distribution (NOT production) have been empowered in the creative process. Could this spell doom for the entertainment giant? Probably not, but it's the first time the company has shown signs of weakness in more than a decade. In other news, Dwayne Johnson's 'Jungle Cruise' will be coming to Disney+ the same day as its theatrical release, leading to questions about the film's quality. Regal Cinemas becomes another theater chain to strike new deals with studios like Disney, Universal, and WB regarding theatrical window lengths for the foreseeable future. Kathryn Hahn joins 'Knives Out 2', Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill are on board for 'Enola Holmes 2', and Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington were cast in Joel Coen's 'The Tragedy of Macbeth'. Enjoy!