Through the Lens

After three years on the air, we say our goodbyes to our listeners and to this podcast. No guests, just a finale with the two of us each discussing a personal favorite, Alex's Kingdom of Heaven and Davis' Children of Men. It would not be the end without a news segment and this one, while limited, features the WGA strike, Dune Part II news and of course the trailer for Gran Turismo. Then, we delve into what makes Kingdom of Heaven a truly underrated epic, how historians reacted to the film's release, and what went wrong with the theatrical cut. As for Children of Men, it is one of the best films of all time, Davis can cry just thinking about it, there are great moments characters and sequences throughout. All will be discussed in the finale of WEGL's premiere movie podcast.

We're still going Pitches. With exams on the horizon and graduation right around the corner, we are talking about a franchise that may have gone too far in a few places, the Pitch Perfect films. Ainsley and Braden join for one last time as we talk about some of the best songs, jokes and moments from a trilogy that maybe should've stuck with just one film.  

For the second year in a row, we are participating in WEGL Day and to celebrate, we are talking about one of Nolan's greatest and most confusing films, Inception. A tasteful amount of news and lollygagging precedes an in-depth look at one of the biggest films in recent memory, from its A-list cast and stunning visual effects, to the emotional story at it's confusing center, we discuss it all right here on WEGL's premiere movie podcast. (00:08) - Intro (06:09) - Trivia (07:50) - The News Begins (08:21) - The Last of Us getting multiple seasons (12:11) - Fast X Trailer (13:59) - Twilight series in the works? (15:08) - Amazon AI audio (16:23) - WGA Strike (18:06) - Inception (25:59) - JP Calls in (29:45) - Leonardo DiCaprio helps script (38:52) - Plot Holes of Inception (46:11) - Trivia before We Go (46:35) - What have we been watching (47:38) - Intro

Street racing experts Emily Calagaz and Sutton Sylvester join the show to help us through the Fast and Furious franchise. What was once a promising solo action flick filled with early 2000s cliches and color grading has since evolved into one of the most bloated and overexposed franchises in recent memory. We are only doing the first five films in the series, but there is still plenty to discuss including the disappearance of Vin Diesel's charisma, his feud with the Rock, where the franchise went wrong, our favorite car crash stories and so much more.  (01:42) - Trivia (02:14) - News Summary (02:36) - Disney Star Wars News: Ashoka and Dave Filoni getting a blank check (10:17) - The Marvels teaser (19:41) - HBO Max is now just…..max (26:04) - The Fast and the Furious (40:02) - 2 Fast 2 Furious (54:37) - Tokyo Drift (01:04:22) - Fast and Furious (01:11:15) - Car Crash Story detour (01:19:11) - Fast and Furious again (01:30:26) - Fast Five (01:50:39) - What have we been watching and the wrap up

Another week and another surprise guest joining the show. Anna steps in as our official Lord of the Rings expert for an in-depth look at one of the greatest trilogies of all time. The show opens with news segment with a few great trailers, some first looks and news about a Moana remake and Harry Potter remake before the trio delve into the Fellowship of the Ring. The perfect cast, stunning visuals, shaky direction from Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis deserving an Oscar and more are discussed in the latest episode of Through the Lens. (00:00) - Intro (04:32) - News Summary (06:13) - News Begins (35:23) - LOTR Fellowship Discussion Begins (01:00:44) - Ratings for Fellowship (01:01:14) - Two Towers Discussion begins (01:19:25) - Ratings for Two Towers (01:19:51) - Return of the King (01:46:40) - What have we been watching

With two surprise guests, we work our way through the peak of DreamWorks animation, when every film became a franchise. Megan makes her triumphant return while Sutton makes his first appearance in another long episode. With analysis of Shrek 2, why the Penguins are the best part of Madagascar Escape 2 Africa, how Kung Fu Panda 2 took Po to the next level, the ways that How to Train Your Dragon 2 expanded the franchise and why Puss in Boots: The Last Wish might be the best in the bunch.0:00 Start6:40 Beginning of News27:09 End of News/Beginning of Shrek 248:38 Madagascar Escape to Africa1:01:36 Kung Fu Panda 21:15:08 How to Train Your Dragon 21:29:05 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish1:49:52 What have we been watching later

The end of the road continues with another longtime listener joining the show as Anna Ryan steps onto the set to explore some of her favorite movies, the Jurassic Park series. The original blockbuster film, we explore where the first film went right, and why the two sequels missed the mark completely. The greatest year one director has ever experienced, more magic from John Williams, visual effects that have stood the test of time and so much more is discussed in this special episode. And no, there will be no watching the Jurassic World series.

Braden and Sydney are back on the set to watch one of the best book-to-film adaptations in recent history, the Hunger Games series. We explore several avenues including the excellent worldbuilding from Suzanne Collins, specifics on why James Newton Howard's score elevates the series, why we are supposed to hate Gale, starting the President Snow fan club and so much more. The in-depth look at four films is preceded by an erratic news segment that jumps between several topics, including another Last of Us discussion. 

Some would say, these movies aren't worth discussing, and Davis might agree with that, but with hosting a podcast comes the great responsibility to talk about the biggest film series of all time, and no matter how difficult it was, we have completed our quest of reviewing every film of the MCU. Jacob Hillman makes his triumphant return as we make our way through over 50 hours of content, every show and movie from the biggest phase yet. 

Longtime listener and first-time caller Josie Jalkh joins the show for a special episode looking at one of the greatest reboots of all-time, the Andy Serkis-led Planet of the Apes trilogy. The stunning visual effects, performance from Serkis, the strength of gorillas, and more is discussed on this final episode before Spring Break.

70 episodes down, and only a few more to go. On this episode, we venture into the great unknown, one of the most popular settings in film, space, and how films exploring the setting have changed and evolved since 1968. No guests today as we delve into 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apollo 13, First Man, Moon, The Martian and Ad Astra. We talk about how each film explores a different aspect of space travel and how it affects the characters within the stories, as well as looking at how 2001 set the standard. 

It's the end of the world as we know it, but that will not stop WEGL's premiere movie podcast. On this newest episode, resuming our normal schedule, we tackle two disaster movies released in the same year, Deep Impact and Armageddon. The similarities, the differences, wondering what they were doing with a gun in space, how the missiles failed and so much more. Braden is back on the show as her plan for TTL domination continues while the maker of bucket hats and stickers alike, Megan DeVoe, joins the show for the first time ever. 

Two more guests step onto the set for the third episode in 7 days as we discuss two of writer Aaron Sorkin's very best, The Social Network and Steve Jobs. Cameron and Ainsley join the show for an in-depth look at how those films mirror each other, what sets them apart, the performances and more in another episode of WEGL's premiere movie podcast.

Returning guests Cameron and Sydney join the show once again as we tackle the successful start to Greta Gerwig's career as a solo-director with Lady Bird and Little Women. The two films offer a glimpse into Gerwig's own upbringing(Lady Bird) as well as the gender norms and stereotypes that women faced long ago and even today and we discuss it all in this very long but detailed episode. Our news includes debates on DC's future, how nothing is sacred with a White Men Can't Jump reboot in the works and if the Flash will really be an an all-time great.

The much-anticipated debut of Findlay Maier as we kick off the first of three episodes in 7 days. WIth Findlay on the set, it is time to cover the Knives Out series, including the strengths of the first film, weaknesses of the second, the brilliant acting and what comes next for Rian Johnson. Opening with a news segment that features discussions of Virgin River and coming-of-age films, the episode is bookended by a retelling of Ben Shaprio's hard-hitting review of Glass Onion, an Oscar debate and more.

Adrian Rushing steps onto the set for the king of the box office, the Avatar films directed by James Cameron. The latest episode begins news segment filled with in-depth breakdowns of the Last of Us show, what has gone wrong with movie posters and a return to the world of Star Wars. Adrian brings his expert analysis on the film series as we discuss why they are so successful, the technical brilliance of the visual effects, how the Way of the Water proved us wrong and what comes next for the iconic series.

Dread it, run from it, the MCU episodes arrive all the same. After one month off we are back in the studio with special guest Braden Haynes to break down the MCU. A classic open from Davis, an abridged news segment, breakdowns of all 11 films in Marvels' Phase 3 and more in this special episode.

An episode many years in the making with two guest joining the show, we tackle two of the best movies of the last decade, Whiplash and La La Land. A packed news segment full of trailers and Davis' favorite subject, sequels, is followed by an in-depth look at two great films from director Damien Chazelle. The performance of a lifetime from J.K. Simmons, what led to these films being made, the "controversial" ending of La La Land and much more on the last show of 2022.

It all ends here...only for a few weeks of course. In one of the final episodes before winter break, we welcome station manager of Eagle Eye TV Braden Haynes into the studio for Part 2 of our series on the Harry Potter films. What went right with Deathly Hallows Part 2, what went wrong with the Half-Blood Prince and everything in between on this 2 hour episode!!! News filled with trailers, mindless sequels that bore us along side the sequels tat we are excited for and most importantly Cocaine Bear, all is discussed on this episode.

Welcome to the Wizarding World as we break down one of the most popular film series of all time with special guest Sydney Babb. A depressing news segment filled with remakes and reboots but some wholesome Brendan Fraser news precedes the dive into the world of Harry Potter. We calmly ask if Harry really did put his name in the Goblet of Fire and Davis questions the rules of the magical world in this jam packed episode.

After some delays, and Alex getting the flu, we are back on set to wrap up Spooky Season 3™ with the Jordan Peele trilogy. No guests this week in a packed show filled with stories from a Davis fever dream, a call from Grandma Davis, so many sad sequels and questionable choices from the Russos. The trilogy is full of details, themes and brilliant characters as we discuss it all, looking at Get Out's impact and why Nope might be the year's surprise.

3 times the laughs, 3 times the podcast and 3 times the Davis. As Spooky Season 3™ is nearly over, we saved some of the best for last as we review the Alien films. 1-3 and that random sequel at the end, the Alien series has a lot to unpack and we do our best during this podcast as we cover the significance of the first film, how the sequel changed the series, and where everything went wrong after that.

Our journey through a third spooky season on Through the Lens takes us to Ancient Egypt as we watched the Mummy and The Mummy Returns, before jumping suddenly to Chine for "The Mummy": Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Jack Hart joins the studio once again for a light news segment covering mostly NFTs and the Creed films before we jump right into the action-adventure trilogy that defined many people's childhoods.

Logan Hurston joins us on the set for the scariest episode of spooky season three, Phase 2 of the MCU. A news segment filled with remakes, reboots and other things that make Davis sad, the episode is jammed with debates discussions and more about what went right with Phase 2, like Winter Soldier, and what went wrong. The show is capped off with a ministry of truth segment that you will not want to miss.

And that story here is today, movies where the bad guys win here on Through The Lens. So buckle up and get ready to deride, ridicule and hate these endings but first, you'll have to deride, ridicule and hate something else, the news. We dissect three classic in The Usual Suspects, Primal Fear and Gone Girl while Davis spends most of the news segment angry over the Last of Us trailer.

This week Maddie Powers steps onto the set to discuss Davis' favorite heist movie and heist trilogy of all time, the Ocean's Trilogy. We have a lighter news segment than usual, with mostly things we don't want to see or don't want to happen. Then we dive into the cast, comedy and creativity of Steve Soderbergh's Ocean's Trilogy.

For one time only, we are not only the hosts of a movie podcast but also investigative reporters looking to unravel the absurd take by Oliver Stone on the JFK assassination in the appropriately titled JFK film from 1991. The film follows district attorney Jim Garrison on his quest to prove JFK's murder was really a conspiracy and we decide to pick apart Garrison's own ideas as well as Stone's "creative choices" in this mess of a film. We also go over the major announcements from D23 as well as the reaction to the Little Mermaid trailer.

We're gonna steal the Declaration of Independence. *eyebrow raise* BUT FIRST, we have to study the two greatest, and possibly only, American history heist films starring the one and only Nic Cage, the National Treasure films. Laughter is contagious on this episode with an absurd news segment covering the Don't Worry Darling debacle, Brendan Fraser and more Venice Film Festival news.

So it begins. We are finally tackling one of the biggest, longest and most successful franchises in the history of Hollywood, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Florence Pugh news, John Carpenter's career and Brendan Fraser's comeback are just a few of the big things discussed during the news segment before we take on the first six films of the MCU, from the first Iron Man to the first Avengers film.

Time Stamps Below Season 3 of Through the Lens has begun and Cameron Kasprzak visits the set to watch the most talked about movie of the summer, Everything Everywhere All At Once. The news segment is massive once again as the trio discusses everything from the premiere of House of the Dragon to the trailer for The Last of Us series and the importance of physical media. For one of the first times in the show's history, everyone agrees. Everything Everywhere All At Once is one of the best movies of all time, and the show divulges into what makes the films so different from anything seen before it and how the genre mashup is executed so perfectly. 0:00 start 0:37: Davis Intro 2:50 Trivia 3:33: House of Dragon News 6:45 Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power 10:02 the Boys and Evil Superman storylines 13:30 Obi Wan Kenobi Documentary 18:35 Showrunner for Andor and Star Wars Debate 26:20: The Last of Us debacle 32: 18 The Bleep 36:24 Spider Man: No Way Home: The More Fun Stuff Version 43:48 oceans 11 prequel 46:00 Warner Bros-Discovery Out of Money, Buy Physical Media 50:45 Everything Everywhere All at Once 1:35:20 Ministry Of Truth for the MCU: Harriet Edition 1:38:30 What have we been reading?

(Time Stamps Below) Alex and Davis return to the studio for a special summer edition of Through The Lens, and this time they are tackling the cultural phenomenon of Stranger Things. Tune in to hear Alex and David discuss some of the biggest movies of the summer, including Elvis and Thor: Love and Thunder, before they break down Stranger Things 4. What did they like from season 4, what did they wish was different, where can the show go from here and more all on this special 50th episode of WEGL's No. 1 movie podcast. 00:00 The Start 2:50 Trivia Question and Bottle Shock 5:10: What have we been watching/recap of the summer 6:08 Elvis Tangent 15:35 What has Alex been watching/reading? 19:20 The News Segment begins with James Caan's passing 20:25 James Cameron attacks his critics 26:55 Riverdale Update 28:40 MCU/Thor Discussion 45:30 Stranger things 01:44:45: Emmy Nominations

WEGL is celebrating its 51st anniversary and Through the Lens is joining the party for the season final of WEGL's premiere movie podcast. Station Manager Grayson Moyer steps onto the set as the team jumps in a time machine and goes back to April of 1971 to discuss the original Shaft. They look back at the 43rd Oscars, other pop culture news and how Shaft changed the filming industry. The Blaxploitation genre, director Gordan Parks' creative decisions and more on this latest episode.

Alex and Davis welcome host of the Woodstock Hour AND WEGL Program Director JP Williams onto the set to discuss No Country for Old Men and Wind River, two quintessential films of the Neo-Western genre. In the world of news, Gilbert Gottfried passed away at age 67, the trailer for Stranger Things season 4 was released and Adam Sandler and the Safdie Brothers are collaborating again. Would you see Spider-Man No Way Home 292 times? Why? The trio breaks down the key elements of the Neo-Western as well as how No Country for Old Men and Wind River fit the genre and how the casts and cinematography of each film stands out. All of this and more on the latest episode of Through the Lens.

After much anticipation, we are finally talking about the film that is "sweeping" the nation: Morbius. We open the show with a big time news segment, as Davis questions why so many franchises are still going on, as well as the Academy's 10 year suspension of Will Smith. Then we get into Morbius, the film that has been delayed for years and go into what led to the delays, how the film fits into Sony's plans and the interesting post credit scenes. We'll talk about Jared Leto's method acting, the deception from the trailers, horrible dialogue and confusing action sequences all on this brand new episode of Through the Lens.

On this new episode will be talking about the classic movie trilogy made by Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd, that being Back to the Future. Friend of the show and time traveling fan Jack Hart joins the show as we discuss a wide range of movie news from Bruce Willis' diagnosis to the Kenobi series Top Gun and more. After the news, the trio breaks down the Back to the Future trilogy, including what makes the first film so iconic, the small details that some fans might've missed and how the third film compares to the original.

On this episode, Will Root joins the show as we get busy livin or get busy dyin and watch some tricks performed by Mr. Jingles. You could call it the Frank Darabont episode, the prison episode, the Stephen King adaptation episode or what have you, but today we will be talking about The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. But before we get into the two classics, we talk about Will Smith's actions at the Oscars, the awards show overall, a new deleted scene from The Batman and a trailer for A24's latest thriller, Men.

Today on Through the Lens we will ask “WHERE ARE THEY” in reference to the many batman movies that have come about. We will look to rehydrate your interest in the many adaptations, from the Adam West Batman of the 60s, to the infamously horrible Batman and Robin to the most recent The Batman. We will find out who is “VENGEANCE,” who is allowed to use the Bat credit card and who will be delegated to not being able to move their neck in a costume right here on Through the Lens.

On this episode of Through the Lens Alex and Davis discuss and give their reviews on the newest Batman movie, The Batman. The Batman stars Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, and Paul Dano and is the newest film from Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves. Whatg makes this film different from the other Batman films we've seen before? Find out on this episode of Through the Lens.

Alex and Davis here and welcome to Through the Lens: Jackass Edition. The duo are back in the studio to cover the absurd, ridiculous and crude Jackass film series, from the first movie in 2002 to the fourth and seemingly final installment, Jackass Forever. They opened the show with the longest news segment in the shows history, covering everything from John Williams' return to trailers for Elvis and Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers. They then jump right into the Jackass series, covering why these films were so successful, what makes them different from other imitations and some of their favorite, and least favorite stunts.

Alex and Davis welcomed Jack Hart back into the studio for a special episode on the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. The trio opened the show with a packed news segment due to a number of trailers premiering during the Super Bowl including Jordan Peele's Nope, the new Lord of the Rings TV series and Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. They then talk about the first three films in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, including what made the first film so unique, how the music stands out and how Jack Sparrow changes after the first film.

Alex and Davis celebrate their 40th episode of Through the Lens with a Valentine's Day special that features three "classic" Rom-Coms: The Wedding Planner, Love Actually and About Time. It was another light news week with a rumors of a Madame Web film in the works, the next A24 film "After Yang" releasing a trailer and the Kenobi tv series getting a premiere date on Disney+. They then jump right into the rom-com genre, critiquing The Wedding Planner at every turn, discussing if Love Actually truly deserves its place in pop culture and how About Time is more than just a rom-com.

This week, Alex and Davis tackle the X-Men timeline, trying to follow it from the first X-Men film all the way to Dark Phoenix. They open the show with some of the biggest news from the week, including the controversial trailer for the Halo tv series, Sam Raimi's thoughts on No Way Home and what The Rock's next video game film will be. The news is followed with an in-depth run through of the X-Men timeline, with every contradiction, confusing scene and plot twist highlighted.

Alex and Davis are back in the studio to talk about the third series of Spider-Man films, the Tom Holland-led Home Trilogy. They open the show with a packed news segment that features info on the trailer for Moon Knight, a discussion of the length and rating of Robert Pattison's The Batman and the announcement trailer for the new Lord of the Rings T.V. show on Amazon. The news segment is followed by nearly an hour of reviewing and discussing the MCU's take on Spider-Man, including the flaws of Homecoming, the comedy in Far From Home, as well as the theater experience of No Way Home and where Spider-Man goes from here. Check out the show's Instagram page @through_the_lens_wegl.

Alex and Davis close out the fall semester with special guest Chris DiBias returning to the show for a war movies discussion, as the trio each rank their Top-10 favorite war films of all time. They open with a light news segment, including discussions about the new Spider-Man Across the Multiverse trailer, the new trailer for Matrix:Resurrections and Kevin Feige's comments on Daredevil possibly joining the MCU. The rankings segment features a variety of war movies, with films such as Saving Private Ryan, The Outpost, We Were Soldiers and Apocalypse Now making an appearance. The show ends with a debate over whether war movies are inherently pro-war and what exactly the message of these films might be.

Alex and Davis are back after Thanksgiving break to celebrate the holiday season with a Christmas episode as Davis watched Die Hard for the first time. The show begins with one of the longest news segments ever as they discuss the new No Way Home trailer, teaser trailers for Halo, the Book of Boba Fett and Elvis, as well as the cast and trailer film Don't Look Up. Then they dive right into reviewing Die Hard, including Alan Rickman's performance as Hans Gruber, what makes this film different from the "dumb action movies" that Davis has not liked in the past and a little bit about Die Hard 2. They wrap up the show with a Christmas movie discussion and whether Die Hard and Die Hard 2 fit into the genre.

This week Alex and Davis reviewed the Amazing Spider-Man series as they prepare for the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home. They opened the show with a packed weekly news segment, including the trailers for She-Hulk and Moon Knight as well as Ridley Scott's thoughts on superhero films and Tom Holland denying more No Way Home rumors. They then jump right into the Amazing Spider-Man films, starting with some background on how these films were made following the cancellation of Sam Raimi's fourth Spider-Man film, how these films compare to the Raimi trilogy and why the series ending after the second film.

Alex and Davis welcome friend of the show Josh Wilber back in the studio to discuss Interstellar, one of the hosts' all-time favorite films. This week there is a lot of news to talk about with the trio going through some casting news for Oppenheimer, trailers for Morbius and Power of the Dog and Chris Pratt taking over as the voice of Garfield. The Interstellar review begins shortly after with a discussion of the science behind some of the film, such as the black hole, whether this is Hans Zimmer's best score yet, where this ranks among Nolan's other films and what Josh thinks of the film after seeing it for the first time.

Alex and Davis welcome friend of the show Josh Wilber into the studio to discuss the recent space epic from Denis Villeneuve, Dune, as well as the original 1984 film from David Lynch and how the book by Frank Herbert compares to both. With two movies to discuss, the news segment to open the show is very light with brief discussions about the trailers for Lightyear and the Book of Boba Fett as well as the potential John Wick spinoff starring Ana De Armas. After wrapping up the weekly news the trio dives right into Dune(1984) and the discussion takes a mostly negative turn as they find little that they enjoy from the film, including a few absurd style choices that were not present in the original novel and horrible exposition to open the film. The review of Dune(2021) is more positive, focusing on the film's A-list cast, stunning visual effects and well executed exposition. They wrap up the show with a discussion of potential casting choices for Dune Part 2, set to release in 2023.

Alex and Davis wrap up scary movie season in this episode as they, with the help of Cheetah Print host Chris Dibias, review John Carpenter's Halloween and the Thing. Alex and Davis open the show on their own as they discuss a host of movie trailers including a look at the Uncharted film, Aaron Sorkin's Being the Ricardos and Ambulance. They move onto Halloween, Carpenter's first horro film, and discuss how the film has influenced the slasher genre and what makes it different from modern day horror films. Once they finish Halloween, Chris Dibias joins the show to discuss the Thing, how it was a remake, who was in fact "The Thing" and the prequel released in 2011.

Alex and Davis are back with another Scooby Doo themed episode, but this time they tackle the four classic Scooby Doo animated films that were produced from 1998-2001. They open the show with a lot of news and trailers from DC Fandome, including the Batman trailer and a sneak peek at The Flash. Then they go through the four Scooby Doo films, Zombie Island, Witch's Ghost, Alien Invaders and Cyber Chase, breaking down what makes these films stand out from traditionally Scooby Doo shows and how each film is different.

Alex and Davis welcome friend of the show Chris Dibias into the studio this week to discuss director Ari Aster's two horror films, Hereditary and Midsommar. The show opens with another light news segment, including the Scream 5 release date being announcing, a "That 70s' Show" sequel and Chris' opinion on Dune. They then break down both Hereditary and Midsommar, discussing some of the films' biggest plot points, plot twists, possible theories and how the two films are different.