Fade to Lack

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

The Weekly Stuff Podcast #193 – E3 2017 Analysis Spectacular! Plus Doctor Who S10E9 & Twin Peaks Part 6

It’s time for another episode of The Weekly Stuff Podcast with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman, a weekly audio show that explores the worlds of film, television, and video games. You can subscribe for free in iTunes by following this link.

In our longest episode to date, we offer our fifth annual E3 in-depth analysis, where we go show-by-show, analyzing every announcement, preview, and detail revealed across the six press conferences at this year’s big gaming show. From Microsoft’s unveiling of the hilariously-named Xbox One X, to amazing trailers for games like Spider-Man and Wolfenstein II, to Nintendo’s day of surprises, we analyze all of it in perhaps excruciating detail. It’s one of our favorite episodes to record every year, and 2017 was no exception. And somehow, we still found time for our weekly reviews of Doctor Who and Twin Peaks, one of which was amazing and one of which was very, very ‘okay.’

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:04:33

News: 0:04:33 – 0:15:50

EA at E3: 0:15:50 – 0:47:55

Microsoft at E3: 0:47:55 – 1:54:11

Bethesda at E3: 1:54:11 – 2:07:20

Ubisoft at E3: 2:07:20 – 2:30:10

Sony at E3: 2:30:10 – 2:51:43

Nintendo at E3: 2:51:43 – 3:28:57

Doctor Who S10E9: 3:28:57 – 3:42:47

Twin Peaks Part 6: 3:42:47 – 4:14:58

Stream The Weekly Stuff Podcast Episode #193

Download 'The Weekly Stuff' Episode #193 as an MP3

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in iTunes!

Follow ‘The Weekly Stuff’ on Tumblr!

Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter!

Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter!

The Weekly Stuff with Jonathan Lack & Sean Chapman is a weekly audio podcast, and if you subscribe in iTunes, episodes will be delivered automatically and for free as soon as they are released. If you visit www.jonathanlack.com, we also have streaming and downloadable versions of new and archival episodes for your listening pleasure.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

The Weekly Stuff Podcast #192 – E3 Preview, Doctor Who S10E8, Twin Peaks Part 5, and more!

In today’s packed show, we gear up for next week’s annual E3 extravaganza, making predictions and analyzing the state of Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and more heading into the big show. We cover a few other pieces of news, including Nintendo’s partial unveiling of their new online service, before diving into our big topics with spoiler-filled reviews of the latest Doctor Who episode, “The Lie of the Land,” and the new hour of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks revival, “Part 5.” Also discussed are Jonathan’s adventures watching Lynch’s insane 1984 Dune adaptation, Sean’s thoughts on a Japanese film classic, and much more!

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:06:15

Stuff: 0:06:15 – 0:43:52

News and E3 Preview: 0:43:52 – 1:42:02

Doctor Who S10E8: 1:42:02 – 2:05:45

Twin Peaks Part 5: 2:05:45 – 2:35:57

Stream The Weekly Stuff Podcast Episode #192

Download 'The Weekly Stuff' Episode #192 as an MP3

Subscribe for free to 'The Weekly Stuff' in iTunes!

Follow ‘The Weekly Stuff’ on Tumblr!

Follow Jonathan Lack on Twitter!

Follow Sean Chapman on Twitter!

Monday, June 5, 2017

“The Leftovers” Series Finale Review – Living in the Liminal Space of Loss

Review: "Wonder Woman" is every bit the cinematic landmark we have asked it to be

Wonder Woman is an outstanding superhero movie, and in a better world, that would be the only sentiment that matters in discussing what a remarkable film it truly is.

Unfortunately, that better world is not the one in which we live, and Wonder Woman arrives in theatres accompanied by a multitude of external expectations and baggage. It is not only the first mega-budget female-driven superhero movie – produced nearly two decades after the genre began entrenching itself as a modern cineplex mainstay – but the largest Hollywood production ever helmed by a woman; assuming it performs well at the box office, it will almost certainly be the highest-grossing feature ever directed by a woman as well. It comes on the heels of the two worst films the superhero genre has ever birthed – the interminable Batman v Superman and the offensively incoherent Suicide Squad – and enters American pop culture at a moment when the worst impulses of humanity, sexism chief among them, are an open and daily horror burning at the heart of our politics and society (fires the film’s aforementioned DC predecessors fanned incessantly). Most superhero blockbusters, no matter how good, are ultimately disposable entertainment, and may live or die as such with little additional pressure; Wonder Woman, on the other hand, is a film our culture needs, its mere production a landmark many decades in the making, its quality critical in opening doors that have too long been shut, in starting conversations that have too long stayed silent.

That Wonder Woman is genuinely exquisite has, on most levels, nothing to do with all these external pressures. It is intelligently written, beautifully acted, and passionately directed, made with a sense of purpose and perspective that far outpaces most entries in its genre. Yet the fact that it is all these things, at this specific moment in time and with the burdens of so many cinematic firsts riding atop its shoulders, only makes the film’s many admirable qualities shine brighter. Like its fundamentally optimistic hero, Wonder Woman emerges into a world beset with problems and strives to rise above them, to inspire and uplift by being the best version of itself it can be; like the secondary characters who witness her heroics, I too am moved by the power and insight with which this film carries itself, am enraptured by the many possibilities suggested by its extraordinary existence.

Continue reading after the jump…

The Weekly Stuff Podcast #191 – Doctor Who S10E7, Fire Emblem Echoes, and Grab Bag Topics

In a slightly less busy week than usual here, we present our usual Doctor Who review in addition to a wide-ranging grab-bag of topics. From Jonathan’s continued thoughts on Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and the end of Supergirl Season 2, to Sean discussing the latest Mobile Suit Gundam anime, to a tribute to the late, great Roger Moore, to mocking the new Spider-Man Homecoming poster, and a brief tribute to Star Wars on its 40^th anniversary, the show lives up to its name this week by tackling a whole lot of stuff. And that’s before our weekly Doctor Who chat, in which we get to break down another entertaining, surprising, fascinating episode of a series working at the top of its game.