Laser Focus

It's time once again for one of Laser Focus' filmmaker retrospectives. This time, Kyle welcomes Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode cast member Jason Nguyen to discuss the cinema of the great South Korean auteur, Bong Joon-ho. Parasite, Snowpiercer, Okja, and many more amazing films. Kyle and Jason get pretentious as heck!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This week, Kyle welcomes back Clarke Wolfe to discuss the best holiday horror media, either set during specific holidays or just good stuff for the holiday season mood. Clarke also discusses her new IndieGoGo campaign for her film FIENDSGIVING, which will teach backers to make a horror movie during production. Details on Nerdist.com.

This week, Kyle welcomes back Dan "The Man" Casey of Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode to discuss the current and upcoming state of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe. Will Superman beat Fantastic Four? Does it all still feel like homework? And what the hell is even canon anymore?

This week, Kyle welcomes back Eric Diaz to discuss yet another fantastic comic book-based TV program for 2024, HBO’s The Penguin. Why does the show work? What does it make us hope for with Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II, and what other grounded baddies should get a spinoff series?

This week Kyle and returning champ, author Amy Ratcliffe, go into a magical realm to discuss Marvel’s recent Disney+ series, Agatha All Along. From writing to performances, this series really surprised them, but what will it mean going forward in the MCU with the looming threat of Secret Wars?

Kyle wraps up this year’s spooky month of episodes by welcoming a true horror aficionado. Writer, director, producer, actor Clarke Wolfe joins the show to discuss the best examples of horror adaptations, which naturally brings up much talk of Stephen King and Mike Flanagan. Catch Clarke’s new film Tenants on VOD now.

Not all spookies are for screaming. Some are for laughing too. That’s why this penultimate episode of Laser Focus’ 2024 Halloween Month celebration will focus on horror comedies. Mikey Walsh joins Kyle to figure out what even constitutes a horror-comedy and not just a horror movie with some laughs, as well as talk about some of their favorites.

Devils, witches, pagan rituals, animal masks…all the best things in life! Joining Kyle to discuss the thriving subgenre of Folk Horror is returning champion and YouTube essayist extraordinaire, Maggie Mae Fish! They talk about movies like The Blood on Satan’s Claw, The Wicker Man, The VVitch, and why they pack a wallop with audiences.

No Halloween season is complete without the most famous vampire of all time: Dracula. To discuss the Prince of Darkness with Kyle is  House of the Dragon ’s Abigail Thorn, the writer and star of the new short film, Dracula’s Ex-Girlfriend, which is streaming exclusively on Nebula. Turns out Dracula is a pretty bad boyfriend. Who knew?

Happy Nerdoween, friends! It’s our favorite time of year and once again Laser Focus will devote all of October to spookums. To start with, Kyle and Tai discuss the formative ‘90s anthology horror series, Are You Afraid of the Dark? What are the best episodes? What are the scariest monsters? And does it still hold up 35 years later?

This week, Kyle’s flying solo and riding high with his love of The Penguin and wanted to talk about his favorite Batman comics. He couldn’t choose just 5, so he went with a top 7. Do you favorites make the list?

With the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel nearly 40 years in the making, Kyle and returning champion Michael Walsh discuss the phenomenon of Legacy Sequels, what actually constitutes one, and which ones transcend their nostalgia-baiting to be actually good movies.

As an unapologetic Millennial, Kyle grew up watching old Disney cartoons on VHS. That’s why he’s so stoked to talk to his friend, GM of Geek & Sundry’s new show Sagas of Sundry: Goblin Mode, Amy Vorpahl, all about them! They get into all the greats, plus the weird ones from the ‘80s no one remembers. Also get a whole history of Ub Iwerks. 

Kyle’s love of Kamen Rider, the Japanese superhero series that started in 1971, knows no bounds. And no one better to talk about it with him than YouTube’s foremost Kamen Rider authority, Marcosatsu. Together they discuss why the show is so great, and where newcomers should start.

Ahead of the release of season two of Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Kyle welcomes Nerdist Editor-in-Chief Ro Rusak to discuss the first season. Middle-earth, elves, Numenor, men falling from the sky, and Ro’s personal best friend Adar. Tolkien it up! 

It’s time for another plunge into nostalgia! Kyle welcomes Tai Gooden to talk about Animorphs, the ‘90s YA novel series about kids with the power to change into animals to defend the planet from an alien invasion. Additionally, they discuss all things Scholastic and reminisce about the days of book fairs and catalogues. Like a coupla olds.

Whether because it hit you too hard the first time, you’ve seen it a million times, or you’ve just outgrown the filmmaker, we all have movies we love or loved that we just don’t ever need to see again. Kyle welcomes back Michael Walsh to talk about their own lists. Get your angry comments ready now!

Kyle once again welcomes Nerdist writer Eric Diaz to talk about one of the two things they always talk about. In this case, it’s Batman, specifically the new animated series, Batman: Caped Crusader. Is it the triumphant return of Bruce Timm or does it leave people out in a cold Gotham night?

This week, hot off of a wild Comic-Con weekend and record-breaking box office performance, Marvel Studios is back (…for now). Kyle welcomes the great Hector Navarro of Heroes Reforged to discuss Deadpool & Wolverine and what it means for Marvel going forward. Is it a new beginning or a bittersweet end? Or both?

If Kyle loves three things it’s old TV, British TV, and sci-fi TV. And when they’re all together? Hoo boy! Joining him to discuss old British sci-fi TV is none other than podcast pioneer and classic Doctor Who aficionado Steven Schapansky. In addition to Who, they get into Blake’s 7, Sapphire & Steel, The Prisoner, and many more.

At just a little over halfway through the year, Kyle talks you through his 10 favorite movies he has seen so far. From LONGLEGS to FURIOSA, to some things you maybe haven’t heard of, ya boy’s got ya covered. And will never call himself “ya boy” ever again.

This week, Kyle speaks to YouTuber and filmmaker Jessie Earl (aka Jessie Gender) about their new film IDENTITEAZE, only on Nebula, as well as the 25th anniversary of The Matrix. Jessie is a font of knowledge on the subject, and then conversation goes into Star Wars, Star Trek, and the future of franchise science fiction as a whole.

This week, Kyle and returning champion Eric Diaz discuss one of their favorite comics, the once-hailed, once-derided, oft-overlooked Green Lantern. What’re the best and most important runs of the comic? Who were some of the major creators? And will the upcoming HBO series give GL some live-action retribution?

Tai Gooden returns to talk with Kyle about the recently ended Doctor Who season one (aka series 14, aka the first Disney+ one). They go episode by episode to determine the best and worst episodes, whether Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson made a good impression, and just what the hell was that Sutekh thing all about?

The name is Anderson. Kyle Anderson. This week, he discusses the James Bond franchise with friend and filmmaker Matt Warren. They both love the movies and the books, but is it a series that really needs to continue? Is changing it worth the effort or should it go by the wayside? If you’re in Los Angeles, check out Matt’s debut sci-fi/horror flick, Delicate Arch, playing at Dances with Films festiv...