The Reel World Podcast

Somehow, Mike & Matt have returned to Gotham because DC decided to make the first new Batman cartoon in over a decade. They discuss the tone of the show, the big creative swings, the villains, Batman himself, the possible future of the series and of course the career of John Vernon.

(Pretend you're hearing this joke for the first time) After dusting off X-Cellent Adventures to review Deadpool & Wolverine, Mike & Matt just couldn't quite put it back to bed yet without cleaning up some unfinished X-Men business. That's right, it's the third season of Legion! We summarise the events so far, discuss THAT episode, the ending, David's journey, the shrunken cast, Noah Hawley's career and the X-Men franchise in general.

Hey remember when we brought our regular podcasting to a close 6 months ago by returning to the original X-Men movie? Well Disney decided to mine nostalgia for engagement too so we felt compelled to review their work. Wolverine is back! Deadpool is in the MCU now! Cameos galore! A tribute to the Fox Marvel continuity! And yes, FULL SPOILERS on all of it. (When Matt recommended 'Ultimate X-Force' he OF COURSE meant 'Uncanny X-Force', but you all knew that already!)

The Detroit Pistons: Catch the Fever! Nearly 8 years ago Mike & Matt dropped their first ever podcast reviewing X-Men. Since then Reel World podcasting grew and added more shows and hosts, but it's now finally time to bring things to an end... of sorts. We wouldn't think of a more appropriate finale than to have the original hosts re-reviewing their first movie, and looking at how dramatically different superhero movies (and just blockbuster movies in general) have changed over the years.

BoJack's turned his life around and has finally found happiness and we're sure that won't immediately implode causing him to lose everything and everyone near and dear to him. No way! We debate if 'The View from Halfway Down' deserves its litany of plaudits, discuss how well they 'landed the plane' and wonder what the show might have looked like if they'd gotten two full seasons as originally planned. Plus a whole portion on the Community movie, obviously!

They released it in two parts, so we're talkin' about it in two parts. Deal with it! BoJack is in rehab, Diane is in Chicago, Mr Peanutbutter is in hot water of his own making and Princess Carolyn is really not doing so well juggling work and her new child. Plus Todd's complicated family dynamic is at least revealed. Is the part one/part two thing ever called for? Would this have been better as two longer seasons or one truncated one? Was it even time to end the show at all? Let's find out!

Cancelled Too Soon concludes with a show that was renewed for a final season that never was. What ended up being the last season of the show saw the GLOW television show transformed into the GLOW Vegas residency show. Jerome and Kevin talk about the continued balancing act of a large cast, the uneven nature of the season, parallel age gapped relationship stories, what they believe is the best episode of the entire series, and once again give the cast their well-earned flowers. They then discuss the show's untimely cancellation, what was to come in Season 4, and some postmortem comments from the cast and crew.

Bojack has landed the lead role in WhatTimeIsItRightNow.Com's prestige TV drama, Philbert, but it turns out a chaotic production and prescription pain pills aren't good for a drug addict with an extensive history of Terrible Deeds. Elsewhere, Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter respond to their break-up in very different ways, Princess Carolyn is desperately trying to adopt a child and keep her agency afloat, and Todd has created a delightful monstrosity.

BoJack has a daughter?!? Ruh-roh! Unpacking some secret Horseman family history definitely won't unleash new levels of trauma on our cast! Probably... Maybe.... Hmm.... Meanwhile Mr. Peanutbutter is running for Governor of California, Diane is struggling with her thoughts (and prayers), Princess Carolyn has some big family and career decisions to make, and Todd has some bold ideas for better business. As always, Ben tries to recall the plot of every episode from memory, the hosts pick their two favourite episodes for a deep dive, we break down the new characters joining the show, and take a stab at the always tricky tongue twisters!

All aboard the Oscar Train, because against all odds BoJack is in the running for Best Actor! We meet his ruthless publicist, Ana Spanakopita, Todd's ex-girlfriend, Emily, Princess Carolyn's new boyfriend, Ralph, and the enigmatic Cuddlywhiskers. Some minor disagreement when comparing Seasons 2 and 3, but as always we select our two favourite episodes, Ben tries to remember all the plots without any notes and we take a stab at the litany of tongue-twisters.

BoJack's book is a hit, and so is this podcast! Okay one of those things is true. BoJack films his dream movie, Mr. Peanutbutter has a new hit show, Diane takes down a beloved public figure, Princess Carolyn starts her own agency and Todd wins big in copyright court. We break down the new recurring characters and surprisingly big name cameos, Ben tries to remember the plot of every episode, we each pick a favourite episode, and of course try to tackle some tongue twisters.

For years Ben & Matt's podcasting White Whale has been BoJack Horseman and now it's finally time to get stuck in as they introduce the show in general and break down Season One. We meet our core cast, establish some regular segments, discuss how long it takes to get into the debut season and get into our favourite episode… which may be a surprise pick.

erome and Brian hop on the DC Carousel to discuss the following movies briefly: Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Flash, and Blue Beetle

It's finally time for the Cancelled Too Soon series to come to an end. What better way to do so then for Jerome and Kevin to discuss the very topic that started their podcasting relationship - professional wrestling? Today's episode marks the first part of the Cancelled Too Soon finale, discussing Season 1 of Netflix's GLOW. First, there's talks of what the hosts knew about the actual GLOW wrestling promotion before watching the show and how women's wrestling was viewed in the 1980s. Then they talk about the 2012 documentary about GLOW and how that birthed the Netflix series. Talks of the show itself centers mostly around the characters and how successful the show was at balancing the ensemble cast. Sprinkled amongst the discussion are talks of bad wigs and costuming, wrestling venues and fans, and comparison to actual wrestlers.

Harley Quinn has been a solid show for three different streaming services. Jerome and Brian decide to explore one of the most important episodes of the series as the creators explore the core moment of Bruce Wayne's life, the murder of his parents. While it has become borderline self-parody at this point, this show decides to take it seriously.

Jerome and Brian take out their vengeance on all of the DC movies this decade by reviewing one of the two good ones (the other will be discussed briefly in two weeks). Is this indeed the fifth Batman worthy enough for the Pantheon? Also, why has 1995 been so influential on this character?

Jerome swore they would never discuss this movie in full, but with the end of the Superhero Pantheon in sight, consider this a gift to Brian. Can this movie overcome all odds and make it into the Pantheon? Has Jerome joined the Snyderverse?

On the day of their interview with James Roberts, Matt discovered he'd been sitting on a goldmine of juicy secrets concerning original plans for Lost Light. With James' blessing, we're breaking them down now. From minor tidbits to major revelations, we pull back the curtain a little on what might have been had Lost Light not been cut short. Plus some of our own speculation of course. If this whets your appetite, make sure to pick up the final volumes of James' notebooks in 2024, which will go into even greater detail. And that's it! Podcast over. Thank you for joining us for our Transformers journey. If you'd like to keep listening to our podcasts hijinks, make sure to subscribe to Untitled BoJack Horseman Project, available everywhere you get podcasts NOW. Outro Music: 'This Is Why We Fight' (The Decemberists Cover) - Saskia Parks

It's the grand finale of Creature Feature month and what better way to end than with a Godzilla movie! Jerome is not the biggest Godzilla fan and Brian could probably teach a class on it. Many people have talked about Shin Godzilla since it came out in 2016 and is very different than the tone of the Monsterverse. The editing is fantastic and the dialogue sounds like an Aaron Sorkin movie. This is really a Godzilla movie!?

Jerome and Kevin sat down to record their longest episode in quite some time, but it's an important one as they discuss Netflix's Mindhunter, a show where David Fincher is featured prominently as a director and creative force. They go over both seasons over nearly three hours and cover the good and the bad. They also determine whether the show truly was Canceled Too Soon.

After dissecting his books for 14 weeks, Ben & Matt had the privilege of sitting down with James Roberts to discuss all things More Than Meets The Eye/Lost Light. From the origins of his Transformers fandom (and how it differs from Ben & Matt's!), to his influences when building the cast, to incredibly specific questions about Mnemosurgery and Empurata, we tried to cover as much ground as possible in an hour. Don't worry, we made sure to ask 'Why do you hate Beast Wars, James?!?' Outro Music: 'This Is Why We Fight' (The Decemberists Cover) - Saskia Parks

It's time for a Creature that neither Brian or Jerome had seen. We talked about Stephen Sommers earlier in the year when discussing The Mummy, but before that he directed a lesser known monster movie that has a killer cast. Shades of Jaws, mixed with Predator with a little hint of Tremors, and you get Deep Rising. Does the 1998 CGI hold up? Well, at least the script does.

Just because the crew of the Lost Light appear to be dead, doesn't mean this is the end! Death? Sparkeaters? Infinites? An Evil Alliance of Past Foes? A Planet-Sized Transformer? Unknowable Ancient Beings Trying to Eat the Universe? Pfft. How about a challenge next time?!? It's also NOT the end of this podcast, as next week we will be joined by James Roberts himself to answer some of our burning questions.

Brian has seen this movie probably 50 times. Jerome has not. Did Jerome miss out on an underrated cult classic from 1990 or is Brian completely out to lunch and loves a movie that is total trash? At the time Kevin Bacon regretted taking the role despite the fun he had making it, however the cult status of the film has led him to change his view and now sees it as his favorite movie that he's made. Will Brian and Jerome agree? This may make or break Creature Feature month.

Last month, it was all about who drew penises on cars. This month, it's about identifying the turd burglar. Jerome and Kevin explore the second season of American Vandal, an ambitious eight episodes with a lot on its mind. Find out whether this is something truly different or a crappier version of season one.

The movie part of our journey is finally at an end as we discuss the awkward fit of the Maximals into what is clearly a soft Transformers reboot... or should that be the awkward fit of the Transformers into what is clearly a Beast Wars movie? Plus mileage on Pete Davidson as Mirage, some sad Peter Cullen truths, the return of blah human protagonists, and the future of a Hasbro Cinematic Universe.

Brian has been trying to get Jerome to watch Creature Feature movies for years now. He almost got a whole month dedicated to Godzilla but they both settled on Creature Feature month instead. However, Brian has picked some movies that somewhat go beyond the B-Movie tone and are a little something more than the usual "monster movie". First up is Alligator from 1980 which stars Robert Forster of all people. It plays more like a cop drama and that's probably why it stands out all these years later. You'll soon find out why Quintin Tarantino cast Forster in Jackie Brown because of this movie.

New Name! New Issue 1! Same old loveable crew! We discuss why Rodimus is purple now, whacky adventures in a parallel universe, IDW's controversial history with gender in Transformers, the nature of grief and a much-lauded mutiny.

Jerome and Brian have decided to bring back here at the end of August to discuss a personal favorite, 2021's Spider-man: No Way Home. They go through the usual categories and what this movie meant for the actors, the MCU, and society at-large given the box office in a COVID world. Find out whether they finally take advantage of their power and take some responsibility to put a live Spider-man movie into the Superhero Pantheon.

For ten weeks we have suffered, but at long last it's time for an Actually Good movie! We could tell you about our discussion of Travis Knight's rap career, the much-lauded opening, John Cena's character shift, our mildly heated 80s nostalgia debate and how much they get out of no-name villains... But really, The Thing Is... He's Just A Lil Guy.

In the month of August, Jerome and Brian are going to be ranking some of their favorite franchises. This week, Jerome and Brian have accepted their mission to rank the Mission Impossible movies. Brian's Rankings: 1. Mission Impossible: Fallout 2. Mission Impossible III 3. Mission Impossible 4. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol 5. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning 6. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation 7. Mission Impossible II Jerome's Rankings: 1. Mission Impossible: Fallout 2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol 3. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation 4. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning 5. Mission Impossible III 6. Mission Impossible 7. Mission Impossible II

The end is in sight as we discuss the final issues of More Than Meets The Eye ahead of its revamp. Don't let that knowledge take the drama out of the crew's impending death though! Love Triangles, Big Returns, Long Term Continuity and Cute Animals with Dark Pasts... truly this episode has it all!

In the month of August, Jerome and Brian are going to be ranking some of their favorite franchises. This week, it's time to engage and make it so with Star Trek, the movies! Brian's Rankings: 1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 2: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 3. Star Trek (2009) 4. Star Trek: First Contact 5. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 6. Star Trek Into Darkness 7. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 8. Star Trek Beyond 9. Star Trek: The Motion Picture 10. Star Trek: Generations 11. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 12. Star Trek: Insurrection 13. Star Trek: Nemesis Jerome's Rankings: 1. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 3. Star Trek: First Contact 4. Star Trek (2009) 5. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock 6. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country 7. Star Trek Beyond 8. Star Trek Generations 9. Star Trek: Insurrection 10. Star Trek Into Darkness 11. Star Trek: The Motion Picture 12. Star Trek: Nemesis 13. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

It took 9 weeks, but Ben & Matt finally disagree about the quality of a movie. For Mat, The Last Knight is one of the worst things he has ever seen in his entire life and potentially permanently altered his brain chemistry. Ben contends that while it's bad, it's not only not the worst Transformers movie, but not even the second worst! They discuss Cogman, 'Hot Rod' (it ain't right what they done to our boy), sozzled Merlin, poor Gemma Chan, awkwardly smushing two ideas together (again!) and generally become delirious. Outro music: 'This Is Why We Fight' (The Decemberists Cover) - Saskia Parks Homework Next Week: More Than Meets The Eye Issues 45-55 (Vol. 9 & 10) Two Weeks: Bumblebee

In the month of August, Jerome and Brian are going to be ranking some of their favorite franchises. This week, it's Rocky and Creed! Brian's Rankings: 1. Rocky 2. Creed 3. Creed III 4. Creed II 5. Rocky Balboa 6. Rocky IV 7. Rocky III 8. Rocky II 9. Rocky V Jerome's Rankings: 1. Creed 2. Rocky 3. Creed III 4. Rocky Balboa 5. Creed II 6. Rocky III 7. Rocky IV 8. Rocky II 9. Rocky V

In which we discuss The Ethics of Withholding Medical Treatment from Monsters, The Ethics of Killing Baby Robot Hitler, The Ethics of Charisma Parasites, The Ethics of Dated Sitcoms, and the Ethics of War As Expressed Through Flowers Plus Ben tries to break Matt by mentioning too many characters from books we aren't reading. If you're reading/watching along with us, then next week is The Last Knight and in two weeks we're finishing up MTMTE with Issues 45-55.

In the month of August, Jerome and Brian are going to be ranking movies in some of their favorite franchises.This week, it's Die Hard! Brian's Rankings 1. Die Hard 2. Die Hard with a Vengeance 3. Live Free or Die Hard 4. Die Hard 2: Die Harder 5. A Good Day to Die Hard Jerome's Rankings 1. Die Hard 2. Die Hard 2: Die Harder 3. Live Free or Die Hard 4. Die Hard with a Vengeance 5. A Good Day to Die Hard

Time to dust off one of our favourite debates on this podcast network: Is it worse to be Boring or Bad? Michael Bay submits his evidence to the latest hearing, Age of Extinction, which literally has another movie tacked onto the back of it. Hard to believe a movie could be Bad OR Boring when it features Dinobots, Bounty Hunters and Stanley Tucci, but here we are!

It's the last week of Brendan Fraser Month and what better way to close it out then with a borderline classic, The Mummy from 1999. Both Jerome and Brian are very enthusiastic about the film, despite its goofy plot and 90's CGI. What happens when you mix Indiana Jones with Universal Horror? You get this.

Be not afraid of the huge number of issues covered in this episode, as a big chunk of it belongs to Dark Cybertron, the mostly irrelevant crossover event we break down in under 10 minutes. On either side of that we discuss Huge Secrets about Magnus & Skids, Pharma's horrifying antics, a mockery of a trial, the Lost Light's new crew members, and the curious case of a vanishing starship. Next Week: Age of Extinction Two Weeks: MTMTE Issues 34-44 Outro Music: 'This Is Why We Fight' (The Decemberists Cover) - Saskia Parks

Jerome and Brian are back with another 90's Brendan Fraser flick that also features Universal Monsters in a non-Universal film. Funny how that works. The film is Gods and Monsters from 1998 which had awards acclaim at the time. It's a fictionalized account of the final days of famous director James Whale. Was it a 'whale' of a time? Let's find out.

Jerome and Kevin are back this month as they will be spending the rest of the year looking at a number of Netflix shows that were cancelled too soon. This month is the first month of American Vandal. They will discuss who really drew the dicks and how much that mattered in the first place.

In which we discuss Shockwave's cool pet drill, the height of 3D filmmaking, the courting of major name supporting actors, gay panic with Dr Ken, juggling villains, and the ups and downs of The Battle of Chicago (Yes, Matt said 'Episode 4' at the start by accident. Sorry!) Next Week: Issues 17-33 of MTMTE (you can skip Dark Cybertron) Two Weeks: Age of Extinction Outro Music: 'This Is Why We Fight' (The Decemberists Cover - Saskia Parks

It's a movie that Brian has watched dozens of times and Jerome has never seen. And not only does it star Brendan Fraser, but Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Chris Farley, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards and Ernie Hudson, just to name a few. It's Airheads from 1994! Does this movie strike a 'chord' with Jerome the same way it does with Brian? Let's find out.

We continue our adventures aboard the Lost Light with some Big Name Cameos, history lessons, dramatic countdowns (and ups), an ill-advised night on the town and the monster in the basement finally gets loose. Next week: Dark of the Moon Two weeks: Issues 17-33 (Dark Cybertron entirely optional!) Outro music - 'This is Why We Fight' - Saskia Parks (The Decemberists Cover)

Brian and Jerome are celebrating another Oscar winner from this year's awards and it's Brendan Fraser. More specifically, his films from the 90's. We start with a breakout performance in a goofy, teen movie that millions of people remember from their childhood. It's Enicno Man from 1992. Does the movie hold up? Nope, but that's okay. It's still fun to look back on.

In which we discuss the 2008 writers strike's impact on one of the worst major movies ever released, going Full-Bay, giant robot balls and of course a Magic Sock Full of Matrix Dust. Next week: MTMTE 2012 Annual & Issues 9-16 Two weeks: Dark of the Moon

Jerome and Brian end their look at Harrison Ford's filmography with a discussion of his only horror movie to date. They discuss the greatness of Michelle Pfeiffer and why this movie is a great illustration of gaslighting.

Jerome and Kevin are back to discuss the final season of HBO's second most important 2023 show that's ending, Barry. They discuss Bill Hader's directing, two stand-out performances among the supporting cast, and whether the story was finished well.

It's our first episode covering the acclaimed IDW Transformers series, More Than Meets the Eye, by James Roberts. We discuss the core cast, pacing difficulties, horror monsters, Star Trek away missions, the Worst Decepticons in the World and what Ben believes to be the book's greatest triumph. For more info visit twitter.com/MALTMTE Outro music: 'This Is Why We Fight' (The Decemberists Cover) - Saskia Parks

Jerome and Brian only wish they had as shocking of an ending as the Harrison Ford movie they're discussing this week. It's Presumed Innocent, and what a supporting cast. Find out whether Harrison Ford's hair is maybe just a little too short and whether this turned out to be a miscast or not.