The Wages of Cinema

I mean... It's one thing to have a Merc with the Mouth, or a, uh, very well put-together Canadian professional drunkard who has some wicked cool claws (and/or Whiskey D*** of the Claws, ask your doctor if that is a problem, we digress), or, in this case, BOTH! It's another to have the Wages of Cinema re-assemble and talk with depth and enthusiasm (and with SPOILERS! ::Wolverine claws Snik-Snik 10 Minutes in by the way::) for you lovely listeners! Yeah, we didn't think it was necessary to close a Podcast out on ::Checks notes:: The Marvels? Jesus! (Wait, no, that's Marvel-Jesus, thank you) So, we thought it right to return to expound on all things Deadpool, Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, Dogpool, that one cameo, and that other cameo, and that one cameo that didn't happen (Guest Star Matthew Catania, who you can find at his blog https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com has some thoughts on *that* one too), and how Marvel can kind of have its cake and eat it (with a dollop of Flop-Sweat). Jack, Andrew, Guest-Star Matt and Trash-Panda Korey are here to talk about the *first R-Rated Walt Disney Studios Release in film history* (double Jesus): DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE! (clips fair use)

So, another Marvel movie, by Marvel, called The Marvels! like a turkey we go Marvel-Marvel all over your eardrums! We went to the latest Ip collision of Captain Marvel, characters from Wandavision and Ms Marvel, and... other things. There are things to like about it... we think(?) Point is, you got to tap your bracelets together and transport yourself into Jack, Trash-Panda Korey and Guest Star Matt to talk all about this latest film with actors and CGI and sets sometimes! We get into Spoilers at about 8 minutes or so in so be warned and stuff! and last but not least, visit Matt for more of his in depth super Comic-booky thoughts at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com

TITLE FIGHT! Wait, no, that's another weekend... Or, is it? To be fair and sure, the hype around this supposed "double" feature, which is kind of cracked given that one (albeit PG-13) Family comedy-fantasy is something that is for everyone, while the other is a... made for grown-ups, highly cerebral, politically provocative and visually and intellectually audacious spectacle... but isn't that also what's at heart with Ken and his Patriarchy of Horses? Hmm? Seriously, Jack and Korey did go to see these two films, not so you don't have to but so you can go right away and see them! Matter of fact, it may be best if you see Greta Gerwig's BARBIE starring Margot Robie, Ryan Gosling and Alan (he's just Alan, okay, he's Michael Cera), and Christopher Nolan's OPPENHEIMER Starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, and the most eye-popping way Nola could work in "I am become death, destroyer of worlds" (un)imaginable before listening to this episode if possible as we go into SPOILERS right away. But if you want to listen to just one or the other discussion in large part, we've included some time-stamps. Digressions include: the time Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies were a double feature; what it means to be "Muppety," and Korey explains Neo-Realism in politics (which is *fascinating*) Is the Wages of Cinema Kenough? Let's see.... PREAMBLE TALK: 1 Minute to 12:10 in BARBIE: 12:17 OPPENHEIMER: 43:46 --- Visit us at Instagram, Twitter and Facebook -- email is wagesofcinema@gmail.com (Song is Ryan Gosling's performance of "Push" used for Fair Use as an example of his.... Kennness)

::WHOOSH THERE ARE SPOILERS 38 MINUTES IN (and a bit of Kevin Smith telling a Superman story) SO GOTTA GO NOW!! WHOOSH! Heard me go WHOOSH, that's my speeding-past sound! WHOOSH AGAIN!:: Jack, Andrew and Matt saw The Flash. Did we see it so you don't have to? Or, in this timeline, did we have fun? Are there now two Jacks, one who praises the film and one who criticizes it with a morose boredom? Or are there now two Andrews, one who is Andrew, and one who is still.... Andrew! Ahh! And then there's Matt... Matt already contains multitudes (and even Mattitudes), so we don't have to bifurcate or trifurcate or any-cate him here, he's the Guest Star and has many insights per usual! (Did you wonder about Reverse Flash, for example... yeah, we had to be educated on him a bit). Point is, the new FLASH is out, with Ezra Miller (do they bring, uh, 'it' or are they obnoxious - or sincere! or both! We're in a Schrodinger's Bat-Cave looking at this stuff, you know), and Michael Keaton returning after over thirty years (and a Birdman) to put on the cape and cowl. Did we mention also the FAN SERVICE! It's there, if you know where to look for it... ::Chortle:: Ok, enough jokes, time for us to get into the proper timeline for our review! And visit Matt at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com for more Guest Star Blog Thoughts! (Also featuring clips from the 1967 Flash Cartoon, and the 2023 trailer, Fair Use)

(SPIDERSPOILERS 12 MINS IN) How about those Canon Events, huh? Time to dig in to another chapter in the saga of that kid from Brooklyn who is the one and only Spider-Man, Miles Morales... in his Spider-Verse. But what about that Gwen Stacy, what's she been up to? I don't mean how some of you think of Gwen Stacy, I mean the Verse where she's Spider-Gwen.... Or, wait, what about the verse where there's Miguel OHara (aka "Spider-Man 2099"), who has the controls to what makes the whole Spider-Verse tic? (Minor Spoiler, he thinks that name, and what he actually calls it, are both stupid)... as for Peter Parker and his son, uh oh... This is continuing on the momentum of Into the Spider-Verse, one of the more innovative films of the last two decades of any medium or genre, so do Lord and Miller and the trio of directors (including Kemp Powers) bring the goods again? Is it animated like you're wandering into four of five museums? Will you see a Spider-Horse? listen to Spider-Jack, Trash Panda Korey, and Spider Guest Matt expound on all things Spider! (and visit Matt at his blog https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com)

Have we been gone a *long* time? Sometimes it feels that way. As long as the Guardians? They were in a.... couple of things last year, apparently! Were we? We'd.... have to double check our files for that. Point is, the Guardians of the Galaxy, those lovable rapscallions Star Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax, Mantis, that guy with the arrow, and the Partridge in the Pear Tree, they're all here! And James Gunn is back at it again with his spectacular direction, Marvel Studios's knack for special effects, Animal Torture! Wait.... yeah, we read that correctly (SPOILERS BEGIN 15:30 IN BUT REALLY ARE THROUGHOUT, DON'T LISTEN IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILER RACCOONS BITING OFF YOUR FACE! ... perhaps we went too extreme, but did James Gunn? Listen to the podcast to find out). We are joined by Andrew and Death Star Matt, who you can find at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com - Hope you enjoy, this was fun to talk about and to dive in on everything Guardians-related (did Jack also make a needless On the Border comparison? What can you say, On the Border is great... we digress).

SUSPIRIAAA-AAAA-AAAAA.... And some of you are saying "wait, didn't you guys *do* a Suspiria episode?" And by some of you, yes, we mean you, Timmy. But really, that was so long ago (our "Cinema Immersion Tank" series, which we will link below in the description), some of you weren't born yet! Okay, some of you were, but did you know what it meant then to be under the spell of a coven of witches out to make their dastardly plans come true through... a Dance studio and major Dance department putting on a show with elaborate avant-garde choreography all to entice an admiring but unsuspecting member into the podcast fold? Maybe we've said too much.... ::INSERT LOUD ITALIAN GOBLIN AND/OR THOM YORKE MUSIC HERE:: "Bagel" Jack and Trash-Panda Korey talk about both the Dario Argento and Luca Guadagnino directed features from 1977 and 2018 respectively, what works and doesn't work about both, and why Jack thought of both Texas Chain Saw Massacre and American Horror Story in both cases. SPOILERS ABOUND so be warned ahead of time. The only thing scarier than the final 12 minutes of this podcast, are the previous uh... uh... math is hard, help! --------------- Andrew's review: https://soundcloud.com/wagesofcinema/episode-642-cinema-immersion-tank-20-suspiria?in=wagesofcinema/sets/cinema-immersion-tank&si=c963de0a435b491cbda232b844c363cf&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing -------- visit us at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, email is wagesofcinema@gmail.com - trailers used for fair use.

What is this.... A CENTER FOR PODCASTS!?! Jack, Trash-Panda Korey, Andrew and Matt the Conqueror saw the thirty... third! Or is it thirty-first? Who keeps count? In another multiverse, there are 3 movies! Or 333! Anyway, we saw the latest movie from those worker ants at Marvel (The Queen is always Michelle Pfeiffer, sorry Kevin Feige), which finds Scott Lang, his daughter Cassie, the Van Dynes and Pyms getting sucked into a realm where they meet all kinds of strange creatures, Bill Murray, and the 2nd appearance by Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror. He seems like a nice guy, just look at.... those scars designed like tear drops... uh oh. Visit us at wagesofcinema@gmail.com and visit Matt at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com for more thoughts on the movie and other pop culture Matt-er-ephemera!

And now for the.... well, you gotta listen to hear one of Jack's all time major blunders (which he kept in the final recording, for the record!) Here are the top 10 films of the year for Jack and Korey (featuring time-stamps if you'd like to jump to a particular part of the talk); there ARE SPOILERS FOR SALE! SPOILERS FOR SALE! Okay we'll stop now.... JACK: 10) FIRE OF LOVE (6 mins in) 9) THE NORTHMAN (10:10) 8) Guillermo del Toro's PINOCCHIO 7) GLASS ONION (1 min 12 seconds in, first film discussed) 6) MARCELL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (36:36) 5) THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (1:34:02, last film discussed) 4) TAR (51:56) 3) ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODHSED (1:11:19) 2) THE FABELMANS (1:21:01) 1) EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (1:17:03, also check out our full review, episode 175) KOREY: 10) GLASS ONION 9) THE NORTHMAN 8) PEARL (19:20) 7) THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING (29:30) 6) ARMAGEDDON TIME (43:05) 5) MARCELL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON 4) THE FABELMANS 3) RRR (1:02:01) 2) EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE 1) THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN ----let us know your top 10! wagesofcinema@gmail.com; instagram, facebook, twitter....

Whoa! This past year went by pretty fast, eh? Seems like it went the speed of a Lydia Tar musical concerto - or a Pete Mitchell flight (who's he? Look it up, it's easy to do)- or an Elvis wiggle - or an Evelyn dildo hot-dog finger fight! Or... okay, we didn't go with the obvious of women talking so fast (which they don't really don't do, that's not our problem with that movie, or do we have one...) Point is, we finally come to look at the nominees for Best Picture of the year for the upcoming 95th Academy Awards! This is part 1 where we break down the various nominated actors, writers, producers, and why RRR didn't get a nomination in foreign film (nooootu!) You can also hear Jack and Korey break down WOMEN TALKING and Jack just got back from ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT 2022 (and boy are his arms... okay we can't even make a joke about amputation, can we?) ---Stay tuned for part 2 where we break down our top 10 films of the last year 2022! wagesofcinema@gmail.com (this episode contains mild spoilers for some of the films, and there's clips from the trailer of Women Talking, music cues from All Quiet, a clip of Austin Butler's speech from Elvis, and a clip from the Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams live reading of the nominees - plus the public domain Duke Ellington "Jubilee Stomp" musical bumper for our show)

There was a time, if you'll gather round our podcast fire, when you had movie studios looking for anything with Vampires, and as for comic books... well, I guess Men in Black was an exception (we forgot to mention that in the episode so I'm mentioning it here, correction huzzah), but that's actually a good example of what we mean when saying comic books were neither hated or a priority for studios. They were... there, and easy to ignore. Why adapt a comic book when there were (gasp) original properties that could be pitched to executives for possible pick up! Maybe someone would find the next Tarantino, or even the next Usual Suspects! shrug. The point is, Vampires were a big deal in the late 90s, on the heels of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with the Vampire and (on TV) Buffy. Luckily for us all, or maybe for some of us, David S Goyer stepped up to the plate and made a pitch from a comic character (via Marvel who around that time were verging on bankruptcy and only one property, Howard the Duck, was released by a major studio to that time) who fought and killed Vampires with special ass kicking skills. From what we've read, originally the comic character was white in the 70s. For the film, action star Wesley Snipes was hired and his take was to be stoic... very very very stoic. So, that could work, right? Jack and Trash-Panda Korey take on not one, or two, but *three* movies with Snipes as the titular BLADE from 1998 to 2004. Did we like them? Mostly! to varying extents! films discussed: BLADE (Directed by Stephen Norrington) (1998) BLADE II (Directed by Guillermo del Toro) (2002) BLADE: TRINITY (Directed by David s Goyer) (2004) oh and SPOILERS THROUGHOUT

I know what you're thinking: How do those Wages fellers put out so many of those podcast episodes? You must be looking at us like that thumbnail of M'Baku you see on here just puzzled as to how we can record and put out so many.... Okay okay we get it, you've missed us! Or... maybe you didn't realize we went away. We get that, too. Maybe more so. Where the hell was I... Oh yeah, podcasting, how does that work? We have been away for a spell, but we are happy to be back and talking - and the 'We' here isn't in reference to that other dingbat Marvel character (Venom, remember him? Oh, right, he's Sony only, I digress), it's to the fact that all four primary Wages co-hosts and guests (Jack, Trash-Panda Korey, Andrew and Guest Star Matt) are assembled to discuss this 392th Marvel Cinematic Universe product, once again co-written and directed by returning champ Ryan Coogler, and... wait, who died in the past two years? Wow, how will they deal with that? Funny you ask, Sportsfans, and yes, we do touch on the *New* Black Panther (in the SPOILER section of course, 22 minutes in to the episode if you want to know where to stop or jump to). You can visit Matt at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com - you can find us... wherever they still put out Podcasts (Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Pod, maybe Amazon Music, how about the old Ham Radio?) Sit back and listen as we unpack 162 minutes of Feather Serpent goodness (or is it good? Let's listen....) (email us at wagesofcinema@gmail.com)

(spoilers 12 minutes in) (Korg): Gather around, kids. Once upon a time, there were four industrious, thoughtful, not unwell or poorly fragrant people who had thoughts on movies, and they shared them in forceful but polite conversation with one another on a strange, easy-to-use application called a (checks notes) Podcast! The four were Jack, a big, gentle man with a loud laugh, cinema knowledge and (sometimes) bad jokes and puns (notice how he tries to make a reference to Dr Jane Foster and the hammer here to a now retired CW show and you'll get the idea); Andrew, who can break down a plot and why it does or doesn't work better than anyone on the planet; Trash-Panda Korey (hey, that moniker sounds like someone I met and had adventures with a few times, but anyway), who will tell you in no uncertain terms what she thought of a movie up front (good night, everybody!); and, in this case, Miljonir Guest Star Matt (of https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com) who knows practically all there is about the source material of the comics. Together, they make quite the team, and here, for this Thor Love and Thunder review, they uh... wait, I lost my train of thought. Oh, right, they take it apart and see what does (and doesn't) work about this *29th* Marvel Cinematic Universe movie film! Now, forgive me if I rambled, I am still just a head...

Is Elvis the King of Rock and Roll? He disputed that (maybe, probably, when he was sober) himself I suppose. He was also so many things to so many people - and in the case of the two movies we have to talk about here in this new VERSUS episode of the Wages of Cinema, where we watch the slightly obscure John Carpenter (!) directed ELVIS starring Kurt Russell and Season Hubley (as Priscilla) and the new Baz Lurhmann directed biopic of the same name starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks (as Colonel Tom Parker, who was neither a Colonel nor a Tom nor a Parker), it still may be unsettled. What isn't unsettled for us is the lack of the Fool's Gold Sandwich! And apparently Elvis had a pet monkey named Scatter?? We didn't even get to that in the episode! Maybe The real Fool's Gold are the friends we met along the way.... Oh, and did you know Elvis played a character as an actor once called.... John Carpenter? Wild world... Anyway, here is the review, spoilers abound for both films so don't listen if you don't want to know what happened to Elvis, oh, wait... But seriously, watch the movies first. Maybe, if you want. Movies are good, thank you, very much (Jack does the Elvis lip, which he could do since he was a tiny child, but we digress). wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Because we at the esteemed Wages of Cinema podcast are all about having the most timely and topical of uh topics, we just watched the new FIRESTARTER (cue up Prodigy song maybe you remember if you're under 30- but not older than 54), the new movie that is burning up the box office charts! And by burning up, we mean that they burned up their entire budget worth of money because they're not making that back! Now, you may have some questions, like, firstly, 'Jack, why are you making me read this, I have better things to do like water my grass or tend to my wallpaper,' and I get that. You may be wondering why or how or when there was even a *new* Firestarter movie. Say what, now? Wasn't there already the 1984 adaptation of Stephen King's best-seller starring Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen and Academy Award Winner (TM) George C. Scott as a Native American man named John Rainbird? And wait, what? And what about the Firestarter sequel? Rest assured, we didn't get to that one in this episode. So, here it is almost a week after it's initial release, a look/autopsy of the burnt corpse that is the new FIRESTARTER currently in theaters as well as a comparison with the 84 film, with hosts Jack and Trash-Panda Korey (spoilers abound, but most important.... Jack only read 30 pages of the book. Will he act like he knows more than he's talking about? We don't sic the Rainbird on the case to find out, but.... okay here it is). wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Is it Animal, Mineral or Vegetable? Is it a Sam Raimi film or a Marvel production? As it is in this universe or another universe or the other one where the fingers typing this are actually sentient poodles, it's a combination of the two. The question of course comes as this: does Marvel Studios, the most successful company currently working within the Hollywood studio system, let a filmmaker who previously made a rival (but sort of friendly rival) studio so successful with their own franchise of Spider-Man movies and kicking into gear the Blockbuster era we still reckon with today? Does a commercial artist who when let loose can make ferociously entertaining phantasmagorias get to play here? And what about when [REDACTED] did that to [MAJORLY REDACTED]? Maybe we just want a passably good time at the movies.... or maybe (swishes hands around) it can be more?!?! We - Jack, Andrew, Guest-Star Matt and Trash-Panda Korey - saw Sam Raimi/Kevin Feige/Michael Waldron/Danny Elfman/Cumberbatch's DOCTOR STRANGE TOO. There are MILD SPOILERS FROM THE BEGINNING (or rather Jack let something slip that is arguably a spoiler), while MAJOR SPOILERS Begin 35 minutes in. Visit Matt Catania at https://www.mattthecatania.wordpress.com - also visit us at Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram et al. Wagesofcinema@gmail.com

You see a group of Podcasters, but I see a story.... of recording a podcast. But maybe in another universe we are playing Bridge or in another one we are all fighting on a hockey rink or our very own Guest Star Matt has become Emperor and makes decrees with his Cat Advisor, or maybe there's another where Jack and Korey are.... I don't even want to go there! Anyway, Everything, Everywhere All At Once is a spectacle, a science fiction mind-(bleep), a story keeping a relationship together and understanding (for a mother) what having a daughter can truly mean sometimes, and the Daniels show once again they make films like no one else. join Jack, Trash Panda Korey, Andrew and Matt (is he a Guest Star in this particular universe) as we dissect what it is about this movie that makes it...so MUCH of a movie. (spoilers come 28 minutes in) (visit Matt on his blog at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com)

Riddle us this, listeners: What is a thing that flies around and never comes down? It's.... ah, screw it, we were never good at riddles anyway. But what we are pretty good at at the Wages of Cinema is breaking down a franchise that has been retrofitting and reformatting and re-suiting (and re-taping as it turns out) a story and characters and world that's been going since 1939! What does Bob Kane have to say about how deeply dankly dark his creation has become? Or.... nah, screw that, too, how about Bill Finger? He may be the one seeking vengeance in the afterlife! But we digress.... This is the first episode in a while that is just Jack and Andrew going on, at length, about a new movie (someone may be hiding in the shadows here, or is he/she THE shadows? mwahaha). SPOILERS be at 33 minutes in, featuring a little clip from a classic animated series between Ed and Bats. Also, Jack reads a recently discovered review left for us on Apple Podcasts (thanks so much!) and you should, too, if you'd care to! You can even mail us a note as long as it's not in a bunch of indecipherable code. We have only so many butlers who can do that stuff. wagesofcinema@gmail.com

MAMBO! LISTO! GO! As Poe Dameron might say... *Somehow*, the Wages of Cinema ranking of the best of the year/Oscar nominations talk... has returned(!) Jack and Korey knew this would be one of the longer episodes, but certainly THIS long? Where's the eggplant emoji when you need it? But when you have such a wonderful crop of films, from all across the world and over so many genres, from Japanese contemplative Chekhov character drama to epic Spielberg-Kushner musical to Nicolas Cage making us (i.e. Korey) cry, to everything Bradley Cooper and Tom Waits did in Licorice Pizza, when looking at the best of the best of 2021 it was quite a year! So, strap in, make sure your speakers are loud (or if you're going to sleep, pretty soft cause sometimes we can get loud without any help from volume adjusting, woops), and settle in for a discussion of the rest (re: other 3) best picture nominees and Jack and Korey's top 10 films of the year ranking! here's timecodes if you want to skip: 1) DRIVE MY CAR (1:00) 2) PARALLEL MOTHERS (14:00) 3) THE SOUVENIR PART 2 (15:18) 4) SPENCER (19:54) 5) SHIVA BABY (31:21) 6) THE LAST DUEL (with a cameo from HOUSE OF GUCCI) (35:00) 7) RED ROCKET (44:40) 8) THE GREEN KNIGHT (53:13) 9) PIG (58:10) 10) THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (1:12:05) 11) LICORICE PIZZA (1:25:01) 12) WEST SIDE STORY 2021 (1:42:50) wagesofcinema@gmail.com

It's here! At last! Were you.... even asking for it? Well, it comes but once a year, at any rate (though in this case it's an Oscar/awards season that technically takes films from March 2021 to December of 2021, so no Judas and the Black Messiah even though that was 2021 February oh hell go listen to our last year podcast for that one, episode... you can figure it out pretty easy, we think). We, Jack and Korey, dissect and look at the films that got nominated for Best Picture of the year - and, as sometimes is the case, Jack saw more than Korey did (not that our beloved Trash Panda doesn't have some strong opinions, whether she finished the movies or not!) - but we are only (only?) talking about SEVEN of the films(!) We will go more in depth about films that we loved, including our picks for best of the year (some overlap to these films, some not) in part two. For some help, here is a breakdown of what we discussed here if you'd like to jump ahead (with some clips scattered about here and there, and SPOILERS we are sure throughout): 1 - DON'T LOOK UP (6:00) 2 - CODA (19:50) 3 - KING RICHARD - (38:16) 4 - NIGHTMARE ALLEY - (50:18) 5 - THE POWER OF THE DOG - (1:07:00) 6 - BELFAST - (1:22:26) 7 - DUNE (1:35:00 - please check out Episode 168 for a full review of that film) wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Mr. Anderson..... (cough cough) ok we've done the impression long enough. So, what's it like to get plugged back in to a franchise? What kind of a series have the Wachowskis given us up to this point, and is this fourth time around (with sister Lana, minus Lily) the one that brings it back to the greatness of the original? What does going back to the well even mean? And why does Jack bring up Free Guy AND Gremlins 2 in a review that really calls to mind (for Korey) Seed of Chucky? oh no, Kansas isn't going bye bye for us yet, folks! We have a lot to say in this chock a block SPOILER FILLED episode (seriously we go into it right away), and you can relax as the Smith impression goes away after the start.... or does it?? We also read a fan's tweet that happened to come as we recorded - so make sure if you have any thoughts visit us @ wagesofcinema on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Organic and/or Mechanical Web-shooter SPOILERS will be springing out this way and that from many parts of the body you don't even know you had at 23:30 minutes in. Good? Cool! Friendly Neighborhood Podcasting continues! So, how to make sense of a world where characters from the multi-verse(s) of Spider-Man films come into play in one big blow-out Reunion special like No Way Home? Is there any sense to be made, or should we all just come in and coast on the vibes that come with Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe going to their fullest acting selves(and yes Jamie Foxx and Rhys Ifans and Thomas Hayden Church apparently too, though the latter two may not even notice till much later in the film WOOPS is that a spoiler let's move right along SWING TO NEXT POINT)? How about we just recognize that Jack, Trash-Panda Korey, Andrew, and Guest Star Matt of the Matt the Catania blog (link below) have been through a lot of these bad-boy movies and know what they're talking about.... especially Jack who is the only one who knows what Electro was all about in Amazing Spider-Man 2? but lets stop digressing and get to this big brand spanking new review! Visit Matt at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com visit us at https://twitter.com/wagesofcinema and email is wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Who am I? Actually, that's the wrong personage? Who are WE?! No, sorry, that's too strong, what are we, Venom? No, who we are exactly should be no mystery - have we have secret disguises all this time... maybe we have, mwa-ha-ha... - but for real, we are Jack and Trash Panda Korey, and with the upcoming release of the third Spider-Man movie (and just a nostalgia for 2000's New York pizza prices and cameos that include Joel McHale AND Hal Sparks, in one movie, nache), we decided to revisit all three, count em THREE, of the Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and the one guy who is the Last Living Dinosaur. We do indeed wax poetic about Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, and to an equal extent Rosemary Harris as Aunt May. What you may not expect is what we have to say about Spider-Man 3, which... do we like it more than it's own director?! Stay tuned for this and everything Spidey (and for Jack's imitation of the sounds that come out from those organic web-shooters and, no, we won't be addressing that can of worms, thank you). So... SPOILERS abound as well. visit us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and emails can be sent @ wagesofcinema@gmail.com (all hate mail can go there, too).

What's bigger than Why are we Here? Who created the Earth and Heavens and those weird Beast Wars characters we take for granted (here called uh looks at notes ah yes Deviants)? And what is up with the Bollywood career of that one actor who looks like his father-grandfather-great-grandfather? We saw Eternals! This being the full crew - Jack, Andrew, Trash-Panda Korey and "Guest-Star" (Uni-Mind) Matt - we go into everything about this new gigantic piece of pop culture ephemera from a title that was once upon a time not a success for Marvel (or Jack KING Kirby's return to the label). And most important of all... how does Kit Harrington do when he isn't a No Nothing? You can protect yourself from SPOILERS (48 mins in) Visit Matt Catania at his website and blog: https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com - we are also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: https://twitter.com/wagesofcinema

whoa. sandworms. you hate em, right? well, here at the Wages of Cinema we just got back from riding a mean mother sandworm and boy are our arms and joints and hips tired and we're here to tell you all about it! Oh, wait, ok ::holds heads:: we had too much spice or something. I (Jack) meant we recorded our thoughts in Denis Villeneuve's DUNE - part one (and fingers crossed they make part two) - and SPICY SPOILERS begin 38 minutes in. Join us, also Andrew from House Birchenough and Korey from House Trash Panda, as we dive deep into all things from costumes to black tar baths to the value of Stellan Skargard. and yes, David Lynch and Star Wars come up (maybe at one point in the same sentence!) wagesofcinema@gmail.com

spoilers begin 25 minutes in How does Marvel do a gigantic Wuxia influenced adaptation of a series that origibly was inspired by Bruce Lee? Well, let's just say Marvel is gonna Marvel, but if you got the star of nearly all of Wong Kar Wai's films (he was in Hero too we neglected to mention in the eoisode), how can you go wrong? Jack, Korey and Guest Star Matt saw Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings visit Matt at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com

THE WAGES OF CINEMA PODCAST IS A PODCAST!!!!! But for real, we're so glad you can join us this week for the hot-as-a-OMG-WE'RE-BUNRING-ALIVE takes on the latest (and greatest?) of DCEU movies... or do we even consider them part of this "Extended" universe or is it just... filmmakers making the stuff they want to? Seems that way. And all the better for us where we now have 100+ million blockbusters featuring the likes of Weasel, TDK(what does it stand for? does it matter?) and of course King Shark, Ratcatcher, Peacemaker and a bunch of characters I'm fairly sure you don't know of.... Ok that's not true, our Guest St... sorry, Matt THE CONQUERER Catania (why not Guest Starro Matt Catania? Hey we can get nice things, too!) Anyway, he's here to dish on where many of these new characters come from in DC lore, and unleashes his wisdom like a.... really cool dude. We also talk for about ten minutes at the start about The Green Knight, the new fantasy epic directed by David Lowry also now in general release. - and spoilers begin at about 24 minutes in so you've been forewarned! SPOILER SHARK IS STILL A SHARK! Ok, we'll stop now. Matt Catania can be found at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com and we can be found on most social media, Apple Podcasts and wagesofcinema@gmail.com

In Russia, podcast records you! Yep, the FULL Wages crew - Andrew, Guest Star Matt (of https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com) and Trash Panda Korey, along with as always Jack - tackle the latest from Marvel, and discuss all Tasks and plot mechanics, and why sometimes a Midquel or a Tenaquel or whatever we are calling this now can be a tricky thing to pull off. RED SPOILERS 30 mins in

The Purge has to come to an end... but did it have to be like this? Jack and Korey saw the fifth movie in the Purge franchise from Jason Blum, James DeMonaco and Michael Bay, full of violence and grimness and failed immigration policies... How did it go? Listen to find out (spoilers 40 minutes in fyi).

Live from Hackensack, New Jersey (no extra missile here, Luthor, take that!) comes the Wages of Cinema!! LOOK! Up in the sky: it's a bird, it's a plane, no it's... discourse!! Jack and Korey watch the first five Superman movies! Yep, even Supergirl. (We start off for about the first ten to fifteen minutes talking about what led up to us doing this gigantic episode- and why Superman Returns is decidedly *not* part of the discussion). SPOILERS are more powerful than a locomotive, but we got em here anyway, so be warned! Hope you are all as charmed by our discussion as we all were by Christopher Reeve (Mark Pillow as Nuclear Man... not so much). Also a major shout out is given at the jump to Guest Star Matt Catania (of https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com) who inspired this episode in part. And apologies in advance for some background noise, but it's hotter than that Krypton-Energizer sun out there so we needed the AC. Dun Dun-dun-dun-dun, DUNDUNDUN! Movies discussed: SUPERMAN (1978) (Richard Donner) SUPERMAN II (1980) (Richard Lester and Richard Donner) SUPERMAN III (1983) (Richard Lester) SUPERGIRL (1984) (Jeannot Swarzc) SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987) email is wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Think of all the good the Wages of Cinema does.... muahaha! Nah but seriously, we talk at great length about these ridiculous pieces of modern exploitation pulp (yet with kernels of true facts all around).

ROOOAAAAR! SCRREEEOOONK! This is all to say this movie's about Capitalism, folks! Our first major release-review of 2021 and we have returning guests Andrew and Guest-Star Matt as we take apart and try to figure out what is is that makes this big bag of emotions known as Kong and the less-emotional but no less motivated Godzilla go after one another. Is there even reasoning to their bashing each other's heads in? And what about the human characters? Just how useless are they in the scheme of things? Are there other major classic monsters in the mix? Or new terrains that astonish the eye? And how may the ghost of Ricardo Montalban be involved (and no that's not a joke, at least according to Jack). Incidentally, there may be some verbal fisticuffs thrown in this episode, despite the fact that everyone is.... well, we won't spoil anything about the review (though SPOILERS come at about the 35 minute mark). Email us at wagesofcinema@gmail.com and visit us as well as Matt on social media on Twitter and Facebook (and Matt's blog at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com)

Well... they can't all be Oscar nominees, right, folks? We watched six - count your gold pieces there, SIX - Leprechaun movies (we neglected to mention we saw one of these *on St Patrick's Day" because of course we had to - of the Leprechaun series of movies starring Warwick Davis! what did we think? With one of our co-hosts with the alias "Trash-Panda," It's difficult to say for sure. I mean, is one of them being in SPACE the deal clincher? or that not one but TWO are "in Tha Hood" (emphasis on 'a' instead of The)? hey, just maybe Jack enjoyed these as well... Tune in to find out as we go chronological on a franchise that... known and loved, we don't know, we're just made people and all... LEPRECHAUN (1993) LEPRECHAUN 2 (1994) LEPRECHAUN 3 (1995) LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE (1996) LEPRECHAUN 5: IN THA HOOD (2000) LEPRECHAUN 6: BACK 2 THA HOOD (2003) wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Psst hey everyone, did you know there were movies released last year? Madness, we know, but even more wild a thing: the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (those lovable scamps known as the AMPAS) are not backing away from the same thing they've done for almost a hundred years and counting, giving cinema and the people who star and craft it all recognition through nominations and in particular for "Best Picture." How do we at the Wages of Cinema fit in? turns out we (and by we, we mostly mean Jack but Trash-Panda Korey as well) have seen all eight nominated films, and here spend a good lot of time reviewing and discussing them in depth (the exception being MANK, which was discussed in an episode in full December 4th of 2020). Some spoilers but we mostly tried to review these spoiler free. here is the ranking from least to favorite and thus our order in discussion: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO SEVEN MANK PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN THE FATHER MINARI SOUND OF METAL JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH NOMADLAND here's our full talk about MANK: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/zvdXh - want to share your thoughts on the nominees? wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Tonight on this special Saint Stephen's Day podcast (or is it Boxing Day, one of those), Jack, Trash-Panda Korey, and joining for the first time as a group since Rise of Skywalker (shudder - the movie, not the episode, that's great and you should listen to it), Guest Star Matt and Andrew discuss the latest from Warners and the DCEU (no, we don't get into HBO Max and the theatrical experience differences, that's for another time), as Diana is now in 1984 for some reason (yes, we do try to figure out why and what for) and is in a story that may seem familiar to anyone who has seen Wes Craven's Wishmaster, or Wish Upon, or that one segment of the Simpsons where they get the Monkey's Paw. Point is, the wishes are running rampant in this story, and there may be an excess amount of time spent on high heels and trying on 80's clothing. SPOILERS died in your arms tonight at 30 minutes in! Join us as we talk the highs, the lows, and the uh Geo-Politics of Wonder Woman 1984. Also make sure to visit Matt the Catania at https://www.mattthecatania.wordpress.com for all your blog-reading needs (and he will very forthwith make a longer dissection of this film, with helpful links!) also visit is at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - email is wagesofcinema@gmail.com. The cartoon clip is from the 70's.

Is it at all possible to come to the suspenseful and gothic heights of what Alfred Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick achieved with their (Best Picture winning) achievement in 1940? Ben Wheatley, the idiosyncratic and very off-kilter genre director behind such films as Free Fire, A Field in England and Kill List, decided to aim as high as he could with his first Netflix production, and the results.... Well, let's just say Manderley could still use a paint job.... No, seriously, can we be at all kind? With a cast like Armie Hammer and Kristen Scott Thomas? Surely they'll come to bat and hit some grand slams against the Master of Suspense? In other words, we watched Rebecca, starring Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, George Sanders and Judith Anderson, and Rebecca starring Lily James and ::squints:: Sam Riley, and this is our first "Versus" episode in quite a while. Oh, and Spoilers abound for both films so be warned. email us at wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Everybody's always talking about Mank! Mann- Mank- Mank!! Actually, not really, but in this latest episode, Jack and Korey watch the new film from director David Fincher (and his late father, writer Jack) about the man who had a hand in crafting what many call the greatest American film ever made (as the poster said more simply of Citizen Kane: "It's Terrific!" and that's truth in advertising right there). Starring Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried and Tywin Lannister in an aptly cast role (and... yep that is Bill Nye as Upton Sinclair, also, what), we look at old Hollywood, the politics of California in the 30s, and what it means to record audio in such a way that... well, we don't want to give away too much yet. oh, and as a little treat for us, we answer a listener question! It comes at about the 1 hour mark. Make sure to send emails as this nice chap did to wagesofcinema at gmail dot com.

What started as a pulp author doing a tawdry riff on the Ripped-from-the-Headlines saga of Wisconsin mass murderer Ed Gein somehow turned into - via one of the superlative True Entertainers of his century in the medium, Alfred Hitchcock - a series! (though mostly after he died, funny that, but anyway). This is a story all about how Norman Bates got twisted upside down, we'd like for you to take a little moment and sit right there and hear a story about... the Bates Motel, and Detective Arbogast, and that guy Dennis Franz plays in Psycho II, and so on. And how about Olivia Hussey's breasts?! But we're getting ahead of ourselves. It's not only the 60th anniversary of the seminal horror thriller, the one that made a generation afraid to go into their showers ever again (citation needed), or to speak frankly to their mothers and/or behoove them to take them down to the fruit cellar, it's the 30th anniversary of Psycho IV: The Beginning, which... well, we'll certainly get to that (and "Trash Panda" Korey talks about the Bates Motel in the last ten minutes or so of the episode). Come with us, take room 1, and listen to our retrospective review of the PSYCHO movies! (Except for the remake, we don't acknowledge that here, oh wait...) oh and SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! 1) PSYCHO (1960) (from 2 mins in to 45 min) 2) PSYCHO II (1983) (46 min) 3) PSYCHO III (1986) (1 hr 6 min) 4) PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING (1990) (1 hr 19 min) All clips from the film for fair use, as well as Busta Rhymes song "Gimme Some More". Score by Bernard Herrmnann and Jerry Goldsmith. wagesofcinema@gmail.com

The question isn't "Oh, this Hulu 'Into the Dark' series from Blumhouse? That's vaguely familiar based on the targeted ads I get on my Instagram. What's it about?" The question is "What ISN'T it about?" We mean, just in the crop of films we talk about today on this SPOOKTACULAR SAVINGS episode (and rightfully posted on Tuesday... the 13th!) - We're talking sinister religious purity rituals; dastardly cloning experiments; a maniacal security guard with a look of "love" and an elevator key; a dog who has seen a few prior owners go mysteriously to jail; an insidious government program with an All-American Simulacra; and the INTERNET ITSELF CAN CREATE MONSTERS! Mwaha... ha? We watched six of these films (or, Jack saw six, but Korey saw a seventh) - only a sampler of the (looks at list Jesus Christ) couple of dozen that have been produced, which may or may not be more like a Black Mirror inspired TV series slapped together by the people at Jason Blum's production company. How does it fit into the brand that crafted Get Out, Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Happy Death Day, and... Nothing else?! You'll have to listen to find out (and yeah, spoilers abound). If you watch any of the films and have thoughts, let us know at wagesofcinema at Gmail, or Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook.

(Please note, there were some issues with the audio recording for this episode, in part due to the air conditioner but also the placement of the mics too close to it, our apologies in advance for dip in quality, we hope you still enjoy) Finally, the movie uh... some of us were asking for(?) (One of them, Special Guest Star Matt returning for the first time since before the pandemic hit, now has been sated) A whole new start to the X-Men franchise that... ended just before it could really get to the beginning process, The New Mutants has for audiences a brand spanking new cast, and only scant (err, one) presence of any characters that we've seen or heard of before in the previous X-Men world. And this time, horror is brought into the series, not to mention the setting being an institution for the wayward teens (re: dangerous to homicidal levels, woops) who can't quite be ready for the X-Men or Xavier school, so this will have to do... but what about those demons that keep cropping up once the new girl, Danielle, has been brought into the fold? Uh oh, once again, only this time the threats are dark, sinister, and there's nowhere to run for this group of hormonal, intense youngsters. So, is it any good? Find out here! Once again, you can visit Matt at https://mattthecatani.wordpress.com for his full, in-depth reviews (and believe us, he will go spelunking into the New Mutants even more there), and wagesofcinema@gmail.com for any questions, comments, compliments, input and/or advice. The Clip is from the X-Men Evolution TV show, used under fair use.

::NOLAN BLAAAAAMMMM:: Spoilers at... they abound. Cutting to the chase (as the car goes backwards in inverse time loops), Jack saw Tenet, the 11th feature film from Christopher Nolan, and Korey did not. Why that is has much to do with Covid 19 ... but it also may have to do with the movie itself. why that is? is that why? backwards and forwards we go again. And meanwhile, the question remains: why "The Protagonist"? Did he just forget to name him, or is it part of the time melding story fabric that is this movie? or maybe it's... Our conversation also digresses into Russell Crowe at the drive-in, what made Dark Knight Rises so memorable, and Jack breaks out his Nolan impression. wagesofcinema@gmail.com

What is an auteur? How do you define Cinematic "Style"? Is it a major problem to be excessive when making films? What about if one is "pushing the envelope" and going too far? Can a filmmaker be accused rightly of hating women in his movies? Brian De Palma has been a controversial figure for a long time, but more-so in the 1970's and 1980's - unfortunately for the world, he hasn't made a film in Hollywood in 20 years and has only had scattered success since his heyday peaked with Mission: Impossible. But when all is said and done with his career, he'll most likely be remembered, for better or worse (and we at the Wages of Cinema hope for the better) as a master craftsman of a particular brand of highly charged, often satirical and quite violent and sexual and psychologically perverse thrillers, and we decided as Quarantines continue throughout much of America and all you lovely listeners may be looking for something to listen to and to watch, we would do a DEEP dive into the work of one Brian De Palma. Spoilers abound, of course, so you've been warned. In order, here are the films we largely discuss here (with roughly the time-code so you can jump ahead if you'd like - some trailers and/or clips are featured for all): SISTERS (1973) at 24 mins in; PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974) 40 mins; DRESSED TO KILL (1980) 54 mins; BODY DOUBLE (1984) 1:24 mins; RAISING CAIN (1992) 1:41 mins; SNAKE EYES (1998) 1:56 mins; FEMME FATALE (2002) 2:10; The conversation goes off on some tangents here and there (I.e. Paradise vs Rocky Horror), Blow Out and Passion come up a little (Blow Out was discussed at length in a prior episode in 2016 however), and we try to break down what it was about his work that made it so talked about and whether or not De Palma was or still is an "artist" in cinema. Oh, and yes, the Boss does come up eventually (he did direct "Dancing in the Dark" you know...) wagesofcinema@gmail.com (PS: Our apologies, we had some technical issues with the recording at points so if you hear background noise it was from a nearby air-conditioner... and an ice cream truck at one point, see if you can spot it)

Episode 150: Josephine Decker's SHIRLEY & Spike Lee's DA 5 BLOODS by Jack Gattanella

Episode 149: The Quarantine Cinema by Jack Gattanella

(and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn... sorry, couldn't fit the full title in the description) What to make of this now? A follow-up (not quite sequel? Spin-off? It's its own sexy fiery motherf-er of a beast) to SUICIDE SQUAD where Harley Quinn has broken up (FOR GOOD!) from the Joker finds her in a plot involving a diamond that everybody wants, including one villain nicknamed "Black Mask," and a supporting cast that is very much... well, not 'men go to hell' but more like 'men, don't be trash, don't be like these friggin' dopes'. And the women? Oh the women are here to kick your asses up and down the block! And.... well, why not listen to us tell you about what to expect from this new DC Comic Book movie (and it is *very* comic booky, for better or worse), and led by a true star in Margot Robie...oh and SPOILERS 40 minutes in (no music breaks for this one, recorded raw). FEATURING GUEST STAR MATT CATANIA (who else?) https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com - also find him on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/MatttheCatania - send all of your delightful comments to wagesofcinema@gmail.com

(THIS IS A RE-UPLOAD - the episode was previously featured in May of 2017, but for some reason became no longer available in the United States. This is the same episode with very minor tweaks to music) 70's rock soundtrack = check Very weird but highly colorful filmmaking and creatures and designs = oh yes a check Dave Bautista having the time of his life as Drax? = check the cutest piece of tree bark in a major motion picture = double check Kurt Russell with a flowing mane of hair and charisma to burn? = triple check another Marvel home run = well... you need to listen to this to find out, no? On this special-GUEST packed episode of the Wages of Cinema - featuring Matthew Catania of mattthecatania.wordpress.com and Korey (aka the 'Squeer-Cheerleader of Groot') - we look at the latest from writer/director James Gunn and whether or not he is able to follow on the promise shown in the first GotG; will it have more of Rocket being a prickly "fox"? What will Starlord find out about his father? Can sisters who happen to be descendants of Thanos get along? What is up with the thing on Michael Rooker's head (and why is he such an underrated national treasure)? These questions will be answered and more in this first blockbuster of the Summer 2017 season. Oh, and SPOILERS at 35 minutes in = checkarino Make sure to check out more episodes this season as Jack and Andrew go to see many more movies! facebook.com/wagesofcinema facebook.com/mattthecatania twitter.com/MatttheCatania twitter.com/wagesofcinema

And now for part the second, wherein the two parties of the Wages of Cinema share the same fifth, third, second and first entries, but number four for Jack and Korey is different. The running theme of these movies? What does one do with that fragile thing called LIFE? email - wagesofcinema@gmail.com

Sometimes the end of a decade brings a whole lot of amazing/great/groundbreaking films (see 1969, 1979 or 1999 for more on that). 2019 may... not be quite that. But there were enough major works of artistic achievement that struck us at the Wages of Cinema as worth discussing, and it turned out to be such a fecund topic that we went for TWO PARTS! Of course, there may be some spoilers abound so proceed with some caution. To assist you all wanting to keep score, here are the films discussed in this part; stay tuned for part 2 to hear numbers Five to the Number ONE film (and honorable mentions): For Korey: 10. Knives Out - 9. Booksmart - 8. Toy Story 4 - 7. Avengers Endgame - 6. Little Women... For Jack: 10. Pain and Glory - 9. Avengers Endgame - 8. Ad Astra - 7. Knives Out - 6. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (Clips used from those films listed, and an ad for 'Heaven Scent' from OUaTiH soundtrack)

Have your fill from Christmas dinner? Or from latkes at Hannukah? Or your meal at Kwanza? How about that giant Bantha from your Life Day celebratory feast? We have just the ticket for you with one of our most MASSIVE episodes (in length and hopefully in scope of conversation). We break down our rankings of all 11 Star Wars movies (technically there is a twelfth, but only Jack saw that, and we don't get into the side Ewok movies or dare we even bring up the Holiday Special, shrug). We know, Star Wars has been talked ad nauseum online... but WE haven't talked about it yet enough, though, and if anything the latest/final installment of the Skywalker Cycle has made us go back and revisit ALL of the films over a span of a week to see how they fit together. So strap yourself in as we go into hyperdrive (unless it needs to be fixed, see if the motivator is working right), do a little Yub-Nub dance, and say "I am one with the force, the force is with me" for our countdown of least-good to most-good films in this Lucas-cum-Disney franchise. Oh, and there are SPOILERS throughout, so be warned. email? wagesofcinema@gmail.com - visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Please note: SPOILERS start at 39 minutes (well, really at 40, but at 39 we feature a clip from a vintage 1983 Return of the Jedi toy commercial, so maybe tune in to that, but we digress). So... we come to the end. Not THE end, but the end of this cycle, the finale of this series, the 'End Game' if you will... actually, come to think of it, it may not be the best idea to bring that up. But wait, you say: does this mean The Rise of Skywalker, the ninth movie in the office "Episode" series of George Lucas's once auteurist vision and now Disney "IP" is not up to snuff? How can we say that? R2 should give us a shock for that, right! Well.... Maybe listen and if you've seen the movie, let us know if you agree (but please don't hurt us, we have families, and pets, and maybe a droid or two) as we take a very deep dive into the JJ Abrams return to the franchise, the return of the characters we've come to know and love (sometimes), and see what C-3PO's farewell concert tour is like. Featuring Jack, "Wifely Duties" Korey, Andrew (yey Andrew!), and last but not least Special Guest (sorry DEATH STAR) Matthew Catania of the Matt the Catania blog (link below). Thanks for listening, and don't forget to check out the special Playlist on Soundcloud that features every episode over the past five years where we've discussed the series and various films and making-of books, too). Email: wagesofcinema@gmail.com Matthew Catania can be found at: https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com - clips include the trailer for the film, the 1983 toy commercial, and a piece from Red Letter Media's "No One's Ever Really Gone" parody.

We saw Cats, so you don't have to. Now and Forever at the Wages Garden Theater. Please note, there is no exact spoiler warning (how could we possibly do that now), but we do talk about the film in some depth almost from the jump. Also, we somehow got the illustrious Guest Star Matthew Catania involved, presumably because the title is in his name, but also because he wanted to see it. And.... Meow.