Laser Focus

This week, Kyle reflects on the year in genre television with Tai Gooden and Ro Rusak. The trio list some of their favorite series, including The Last of Us, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and One Piece, and take stock of some of the shows they totally forgot even came out.

This week, Kyle and Adam Murray attempt to discuss the very lengthy and complicated Alien movie franchise in a concise way. More often they go into sidebars and tangents about the different filmmakers, strengths and weaknesses of the entries, and why Xenomorphs look so damn cool.

2023 is nearing an end, but so too is a cinematic universe. Next month, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will signal the death of the DCEU before the franchise’s rebirth as the DCU. Eric Diaz joins Kyle to discuss the ups and downs of the 10-year, 14-movie experiment, and what about James Gunn’s proposed opening slate has them the most excited going forward.

This week it’s a double dose of Marvel. Returning champion Mikey Walsh is back to talk with Kyle about season 2 of Loki, plus a bit about The Marvels. How well did they explore their respective characters? Are people too harsh on these titles? Are we ready for a whole year with only one MCU movie?

This week Kyle sits down for a chat with Macon Blair, the writer-director of the upcoming horror-comedy,  The Toxic Avenger , a reimagining of the 1984 Troma film. They discuss inspirations, the daunting nature of tackling a cult classic, favorite splatter movies and absurdist comedies, and some secrets about the new film. NOTE: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

Nerdist’s editor-in-chief Amy Ratcliffe returns to chat with Kyle about the latest Star Wars series, Ahsoka, and how well it continues a story begun a long time ago in a cartoon far, far away. How well are the Star Wars shows working in general? Will Thrawn be the focal point the franchise needs? Is Ahsoka Tano our only hope?!

To finish off this October with a Halloween treat, Kyle counts down his top 15 horror movies of all time. It’s a mix of old favorites and more recent finds. You will surely not agree with him, he’s a weirdo. Happy Halloween everyone!

What’s your favorite scary movie? Well for returning champions Alison Mattingly and Tai Gooden, their answer may well be  Scream , or one of its five sequels. Kyle and his guests talk about the franchise’s lasting impact on horror cinema, the strengths and weaknesses of each entry, and have choice words about the most recent films. We’ll be right back…

On this very special episode of Laser Focus, Kyle is joined by director and horror expert Joe Lynch to discuss his favorite erotic thrillers. Joe also discusses filming his latest, the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation  Suitable Flesh , and why he put himself in the movie with a pervy mustache.  Suitable Flesh  is in theaters and on VOD 10/27/2023.

This week, Kyle and returning champ Tai Gooden discuss the prevalence of tropes in horror cinema, where they came from, what they add or subtract from the genre, and their very favorites. Kyle’s will always be the mirror gag.

This week, Kyle talks about some of his favorite family and kids movies from his youth that were absolutely terrifying. Kids today ought to be scared more often. 

Not every person who enjoys the Halloween season likes horror movies, or even being scared. How can that be? Well, with a phenomenon called Cozy Spooky of course! To discuss liking the trappings of Halloween without particularly liking scary stuff, Kyle is joined by Nerdist Editor-in-Chief Amy Ratcliffe, a self-proclaimed wimp. What constitutes Cozy Spooky? Is there a criteria or is it in the eye...

This week, Kyle talks about his love of a series of British anthology horror films from Amicus Productions. Most of them feature the late, great Peter Cushing, and one of them,  Tales from the Crypt , was the first adaptation of the EC Comics classics. 

Happy October, friends! We here at Laser Focus love Halloween, and we love horror movies, and we want you to love them too. In this episode, to give your spooky season a kick, Kyle and Adam Murray each give five recommendations for underseen horror gems to add to your watchlist. They’re very creepy and eerie and so on.  

It’s the spookiest time of year, and the most fun for us! Every week in October, Kyle will bring you a bonus episode of Laser Focus to give some horror recommendations. First up, it’s all Italian! Kyle offers five of his favorite giallo movies and five of his favorite Euro Gothic movies.

This week, Ro Rusak returns to Laser Focus to discuss Avatar: The Last Airbender, and specifically how Zuko’s arc represents one of the best antihero’s journeys in all of fiction. Kyle is lucky to speak on the subject with a literal connoisseur of antiheroism. They also talk about the future of ATLA, its upcoming animated movie, and live-action remake. Will Aang save the world again?!

This week’s Laser Focus heads to the wild, weird, and wonderful world of Mr. David Lynch. Joining Kyle to discuss the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is Nerdist writer and resident Lynch-and-Peaks-Expert Eric Diaz. Look out for creamed corn, blue roses, and David Bowie doing a bad southern accent.  

This week, Laser Focus looks for good car ideas as Kyle and returning champion Mikey Walsh give their top five sketches from each season of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson . We highly recommend you watch the show otherwise this episode will make no sense. Actually, kind of like I Think You Should Leave .

It’s only taken 11 episodes but Kyle finally lets loose and discusses his favorite show, Doctor Who. And who better to talk about all things Time Lord, and where the franchise sits just before its 60th anniversary, than another Doctor Who superfan, Tai Gooden! How well did Jodie Whittaker’s era wrap up, what do we think will happen with David Tennant’s return, and who could possibly look better in...

This week, Kyle is joined by none other than Dan Casey to get into the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What do we like and dislike about the post-Endgame Marvel movie and TV landscape? What do we hope for in the future? And will it ever get back to where it was in 2019?

This week, Kyle is joined by Nerdist video writer-producer-editor-“occasional talent” Adam Murray to discuss the cult animated favorite,  The Venture Bros , and more specifically the exhaustive, hour-long timeline video Adam made about it. Kyle sits and marvels at Adam’s knowledge of the show and his ability to remember specific episodes and lines. Adam’s a true nerd, and perfect for Laser Focus!

We’re big fans of comfort media here on Laser Focus. Those shows, books, games, and movies that always give you the warm fuzzies. Joining Kyle this week to talk about her comfort watch, the 2004 Nicolas Cage adventure flick National Treasure, is none other than returning champion, Nerdist Editor-in-Chief Amy Ratcliffe! Never before has historical theft been this enjoyable.

Buckle up, Bub! This week’s Laser Focus is all about those Merry Mutants, the X-Men. Kyle is once again joined by Eric Diaz to sing the praises of the current roster of X-books from Marvel, as well as why the 1990s X-Men Animated Series is so iconic, and what (and when) they might show up in the MCU. It’s possibly our nerdiest episode yet!

This week, Kyle goes deep into a subject he only knows from 25 years ago. It’s Pokémon, everyone’s favorite monster-catching franchise! Joining him is Nerdist’s Digital Platform Manager and verified Poke-expert, Alison Mattingly, who discusses not only the video games and anime, but also the collectible card game which has consumed her life. Does Kyle have to catch them all or is he all set? Find...

This week, Kyle delves into a fictional universe he left behind ages ago as he and Nerdist’s resident Dead Head Tai Gooden discuss the new AMC spinoff series,  The Walking Dead: Dead City . The six-episode first season (hey! No fair!) brought Maggie and Negan together in New York City to face a new deadly foe, but is the show up to snuff? Is it worth watching for anyone who noped out of the franch...