Extended Cut

Topics Discussed In This Episode: How well the movie captures the feel of 1980s suburban America The experience of watching it with adult eyes Whimsy, magic, and nostalgia The underrated soundtrack The Cyndi Lauper of it all How quickly and easily we get to know the 4 main characters The Sloth/Chunk relationship is the film’s beating heart Has Chunk secretly been the movie’s MVP this whole time? A...

News from Star Wars Celebration: * Updates on The Mandalorian and Grogu. * Starfighter , a newly announced film from Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling. * Maul: Shadow Lord , because we just cannot quit Darth Maul. * Ahsoka: S2 is shooting. Hopefully they’ll remember the main character is a dynamic personality, and not a stoic monk with head tails. * Pouring out a cold one for everything we didn’t get an...

In this episode: Dissecting the overall not-great vibes. Was it better when there was less Star Wars? Kathleen Kennedy, misogyny, and the awkwardness of discussing her tenure. The market-driven approach to Star Wars is failing. The allure and inherent danger of a Darth Vader series. Can Star Wars survive without nostalgia-driven content? The upcoming slate of films that may someday be released, ma...

I’ve been wanting to get back to podcasting semi-regularly for some time now. Then the Avengers: Doomsday casting dropped yesterday and I had to talk about it. So I recorded myself talking to myself for your enjoyment. I’m planning on doing another pod soon about the state of Star Wars, which is an ongoing concern. The announced cast for Doomsday : Chris Hemsworth as Thor Vanessa Kirby as Sue Stor...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: Is this the greatest villain origin story ever? Oswald’s journey from sympathetic anti-hero to villain we still kinda like. The difference between Oswald and Tony Soprano. Are monsters born or made? (Or is it sometimes both?) Family, culpability, and shared madness. Who had the most tragic end? Hopes and predictions for how this show will fit into the evolving Bat...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: Why does Hollywood keep selling us the same stories? Creativity vs authenticity. How photography informs Sheila’s writing. The role of curiosity in creativity. Deciding what to work on / how we spend our lives. Does writing about pop culture matter? When are comparisons good and when are they bad? The role of play and joy in creativity. Our writing processes and h...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: The battle for Victor’s soul. The tragedy of Sofia Falcone and her dark rebirth. Reconsidering Oswald in light of the Sofia-centric episode. My deliciously divided loyalties. Get full access to Extended Cut at www.extended-cut.com/subscribe

Topics Discussed In This Episode: Giving gravitas and pathos to one of the silliest villains ever created. Comparisons to Gotham, the Fox TV show that covered the same ground. The many ways this show gets us to root for Oswald Cobb, who’s clearly a bad guy. Oswald’s superpower. The brilliance of Colin Farrell’s performance. Victor and Oswald’s relationship, and how it may be what turns Oswald into...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: Why do we play fantasy football? How fantasy football is played Our first fantasy experience Preventing fantasy football from ruining your life The origin story of our 20-year-old league The components of a good league Why the draft is the best time of the year, and draft tips Some picks we love and regret from this year’s draft Get full access to Extended Cut at...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: The contrived circumstances that led to the movie and its real-life inspirations Daniel LaRusso’s mom was sus The summer movie feels Daniel LaRusso: kind of a punk Mr. Miyagi is channeling Yoda The role of surrogate fathers Johnny Lawrence: greatest 80s bully? The tournament is an unassailable sports movie moment Breaking down the Cobra Kais The climactic Daniel v...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: - How Top Gun made an impression on an impressionable youth - The incredible soundtrack (minus “Take My Breathe Away”) - How Top Gun is a High School Sports Movie - Why Top Gun is a love story (and not in the way you think) - This is the sweatiest movie of all-time - Maverick’s problematic elements - The Tom Cruise of it - Favorite call signs - How Top Gun treats...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: - Our Star Wars origin stories - Better movie: A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back - The opening crawl - Why is it so difficult for Hollywood to create good sci-fi and fantasy? - Why Tatooine is the best Star Wars planet - The Western elements of Star Wars - The Special Edition and Han Solo - Celebrating Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin - Why the trench run i...

Topics Discussed In This Episode: - The relationship between storytelling and lore - The tension between story and gameplay - Storytelling via gameplay - Emergent gameplay - The surprising absence of narrative in classic games - Roleplaying games and player agency - Adaptations: What separates good ones from bad ones Games Discussed In This Episode: - Final Fantasy I, VI, and VII - The Legend of Z...

I thoroughly enjoyed replaying this masterpiece (yeah I said it) for the original Nintendo. The gameplay is simple yet addictive, the music and sound design is iconic, and the dungeons are varied and fun. As for the story? Funny thing, that. There isn’t really a story to speak of. A creepy old man lures you into his dank cave to give you a flimsy sword and sends you out into the world with the equ...

In This Episode: - Is Hacks the best show about comedians? - Why Deborah Vance (Jean Smart, straight fire) is one of the most complicated characters ever created. - Exploring the relationship/mentorship at the heart of the show. - How Hacks celebrates the act of creativity, lays bare the cost of the creative life, and uses its two protagonists to depict the journey. - The most painful scenes to wa...

In This Episode: Flavors of Tecmo Bowl Why Tecmo Super Bowl for the NES is the ultimate edition Idiosyncrasies of Tecmo Bowl Playing Tecmo Super Bowl in 2024 Memories of playing in the 90s Best teams and players Is Tecmo Super Bowl the greatest sports video game ever? Is Tecmo Super Bowl the best game on the NES? Get full access to Extended Cut at www.extended-cut.com/subscribe

In This Episode Breaking down the crawl This galaxy is resting on the shoulder of only two Jedi The majesty of the opening sequence Favorite battles from the live action Clone Wars Anakin is a disaster, Padme is plot furniture Palpatine living his best life The Republic was a surveillance state? Everybody was Jedi fighting! A brief postmortem on the Prequels Link City The Mando-Verse Has Given New...

In This Episode Putting the war in Star Wars How Rogue One stitches into the existing narrative Thoughts on returning characters How Disney-era Star Wars delivered on the promise of classic characters Why tragedy works in Rogue One and fails in the Prequels Rogue One , Andor , and gray heroes Favorite moments A postmortem on the short-lived anthology series The tension between personal storytellin...

In This Episode Where does Temple of Doom rate in the Indiana Jones franchise? How this movie led to the establishment of the PG-13 / UK 12 rating system Is Temple of Doom a divorce movie? Opinions on the opening song & dance Mola Ram and cultural landmines Kate Capshaw as Willie Scott Which Indy film has the best Harrison Ford performance? Favorite sequences from the film Link City Indiana Jones...

In this episode My hopes and dreams of the Clone Wars vs the actuality of them Breaking down the opening crawl What are the galactic politics, exactly? The blind arrogance of the Jedi The troubling relationships at the heart of Episode II The assassination subplot Moments I dig Why this is the worst George Lucas Star Wars movie Get full access to Extended Cut at www.extended-cut.com/subscribe

In This Episode What do you think happened to spoon boy? Remembering the ‘What is the Matrix?’ ad campaign Working at Blockbuster Video in 1999 What is The Matrix ? (The film) Exploring the mysteries of the Matrix Why this movie is J.J. Abrams’ wet dream Philosophy and The Matrix How The Matrix nailed the chosen “One” narrative The two problems with the movie Link Potpourri Dune is the Only 'Chose...

In This Episode The story behind the “Duel of the Fates” theme. My 5 favorite lightsaber fights. ( Number 4 will shock you! I’m dead serious. I expect to lose some subscribers over it. And possibly some friends. ) The dark times: The post Return of the Jedi years. A new hope: The Phantom Menace was the most anticipated movie of all-time. May 19, 1999: Seeing The Phantom Menace the first time. My f...

In This Episode The top 10 MCU films according to Rotten Tomatoes Does The Winter Soldier have the MCU’s best cold open? Breaking down Steve’s notebook 4 reasons this is the best MCU film Hailing Hydra The top 10 MCU films according to me 1 Plus a brief cameo by my cat and my neighbor’s lawnmower Marvel Link Potpourri How the Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes Bromance Defined the MCU (paid post) Not Eve...

All the Fanfare is an irreverent celebration of pop culture. Covering movies, TV, and video games. Publishing long form articles, quick reads, and a podcast. This Episode Covers * Where does D&D fall on the scale of nerdy activities? * A super brief and probably slightly inaccurate history of D&D. * How the Game Is Played. * What a Dungeon Master does (hint: it doesn’t involve whips or gimp suits)...

I finally watched the first season of The Wire and now I understand all the fuss. Sharing my thoughts and observations. What's in this episode: - Guessing the favorite TV shows of recent US Presidents. - Familiar faces who got their start on The Wire . - How and why the very first scene haunted me the entire season. - My favorite characters and scenes. - Hopes for season 2. - Audio footnotes. Get...