The Bat-Jar Podcast

We are one week away from the conclusion of the cinematic storyline which began 11 years and 21 movies ago with the imminent release of "Avengers: Endgame". Before we see the movie, AJ and Pixel take some time to speculate on the plot, character developments, potential deaths, and future stories which could be contained within the 3 hour and 2 minute film. Music and audio from "Avengers: Infinity...

This week we go through a round of Trailer Trash with special guest Minty Python, looking over new trailers for Joker, The Lion King, The Addams Family, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Then we take an unfortunate trip to the world of the new movie "Hellboy". How does it compare to the original films from the previous decade? Why does it fail as a film? How disappointing is the final result?...

This week, the guys are approached by a wizard offering them amazing powers, should they be worthy. Oh wait, that's actually the plot of the new film they are talking about this week, "Shazam!". How did the original Captain Marvel stay obscure for so long? Why have most people never heard of him? How does this more comedic film fit into the DC Film universe? Is Zachary Levi convincing in the role?...

This week we are joined by Disney expert Ms. Dis to explore the magical realm of the Disney Princess franchise. How does one become a Disney princess? Who qualifies and who doesn't? Why is there a discrepancy between the theme park rules and the toy line rules? The song "When You Wish Upon A Star" is the property of Leigh Harline, Ned Washington, and The Walt Disney Company. Music and audio from "...

In what will most likely go down in history as the most family friendly episode of our podcast ever, Average Joe is joined by Professor F to discuss the family friendly DC movie "Shazam!" and its early scores from critics. Is it going to be a hit? Then we travel to Griffin Rock for a child-friendly version of the Transformers universe with "Transformers: Rescue Bots". How do two grown men talk abo...

This week, Average Joe is joined by returning guest Dee Dee to visit the Scottish Highlands for an unusual branch of nerd culture adventure to speak about the novel and television franchise "Outlander". What is it about this book series that makes it so interesting? How does it blend historical fiction, romance, and science fiction? in what ways is the series similar to shows like The Walking Dead...

This week AJ is joined by One Shot as we go faster, higher, stronger with the first MCU movie to star a female superhero, Marvel Studios "Captain Marvel". How does this movie fit into the MCU? Is it a response to Wonder Woman? What is Carol Danvers' complicated comic book origin? Why is the movie considered to be controversial? How many times can we say the word "marvel" in one episode? To avoid S...

Today we discuss the movie that took James Cameron 20 years to make, "Alita: Battle Angel". Does the film break to trend of bad anime to live action adaptations? How distracting are Alita's big eyes? Was the movie worth the wait? How do the weapons function? To avoid SPOILERS for "Alita: Battle Angel", please skip over 49:31-1:10:44 of the episode. Music and audio from "Alita: Battle Angel" is the...

The unorthodox superhero film no one expected but everyone got really excited for has been out for a month and the guys will need Ben The Movie Buff's help to take on The Beast, Mister Glass, and M. Night Shyamalan himself. Does the film live up to the hype? How many twists are in the movie? How many glass puns are in this episode? To avoid SPOILERS for "Glass (2019)", please skip over 30:11-54:23...

In preparation for the upcoming 91st Annual Academy Awards, the guys are joined by Ben The Movie Buff to discuss the nominees for this year's Oscars with a catch- they will only talk about categories where films from nerd culture are nominated. Will this be a short conversation? Fast Forward and Rewind sound effects used in this episode were created by TeenEditingSpace. Check out his channel on Yo...

Today's episode is brought to you by childhood imagination, playing together, and construction toys. We reconnect with the master builder inside ourselves as we reflect on the first LEGO movie, the legacy it has created, and the sequel which just premiered in movie theatres. Does it live up to the standard set by the first film? To avoid SPOILERS for "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" please skip...

Our long awaited look back at the many comic book movies is finally here! How do these various films rank against the official Bat-Jar system? Who comes out on top? Music and audio from "Avengers: Infinity War", "Ant-Man & The Wasp" and "Black Panther" are the property of Ludwig Goransson, Alan Silvestri, Christophe Beck, Kevin Feige, and Marvel Studios. Music and audio from "Teen Titans Go! To Th...

Momma Poppins floats down into the Bat-Jar today to discuss the sequel to the Disney classic that inspired her codename, "Mary Poppins Returns". Why did it take 50 years to make a sequel to the iconic "Mary Poppins?" How does the original film relate to the big budget superhero movies of today? Does the sequel live up to the expectations of super-fans like Momma Poppins? How is Average Joe able to...

Before you go out to the movies this weekend to see the new film "Glass", revisit the original film that began the shared universe between M. Night Shyamalan's different films, "Unbreakable". Why did this film receive a lukewarm response when it was released in 2000? Why has it developed a cult following in the years since? What does Shyamalan have to say about comic books? There are general spoil...

We continue our journey of catching up on movies released in 2018 by driving down to 1987's California for a look at the Transformers spinoff film, "Bumblebee". With Disney buying 20 Century Fox, a new rumour has emerged confirming that all Marvel films in development at Fox will be cancelled going forward. Is this a good idea of not? After the major disappointment that was "Transformers: The Last...

Swim along with us as we ride into 2019 by looking at the final comic book film released in 2018, DC's "Aquaman". How did this aquatic hero get his start in the comics? Why was he the punchline of so many jokes for so long? Does this movie save his reputation? How much does this borrow from Thor and Black Panther? The guys look into the history of Jason Mamoa's casting and the choices that led to...

Grab your web shooters as Pixel Patch and Average Joe join the many versions of the Spider-Man character present in the new film, "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" for an adventure across the multiverse. Is this movie as great as the critics are saying? Which version of Spider-Man was the best? Is this kind of story too "comic booky" for mainstream cinema? To avoid SPOILERS for "Spider-Man: Into...

Average Joe is joined by special guest Minty Python to break down the trailer for Avengers 4 and discuss Christmas franchises. What constitutes a "Christmas franchise"? Which ones are the best? How many times can AJ get triggered in one episode?  Music and audio from "Avengers: Endgame" is the property of Alan Silvestri, Kevin Feige, and Marvel Studios. Music and audio from "The Santa Clause" is t...

Arguably one of the ways to determine a movie's popularity is it's box office performance. Something about the movie got people to go and see it in the theatre. With that logic in mind, we take a look at the highest grossing Christmas movies of all time to determine who is the king of the Christmas box office! Music and audio from "Marvel's Iron Man 3" is the property of Brian Tyler, Kevin Feige,...

Hop on the closest wifi connection as we travel into the worldwide web to discuss the exploits of Wreck-It Ralph and Venelope in the new film "Ralph Breaks The Internet". Speaking of Disney, a trailer for one of their upcoming releases got over 220 million views in one day. Which film caused this much commotion and how do AJ and Pixel feel about it? Then we really get into discussing the sequel to...

This week we take a few moments to reflect on the passing of comic book legend, Stan Lee. We share how we first discovered his work and reflect on his legacy (and some of our favourite cameos). In preparation for the release of it's sequel, we go into the closest power bar to explore the worlds of "Wreck-It Ralph". How is it that Average Joe has never seen this movie? How many Easter Eggs has Pixe...

Pixel Patch and Average Joe get ready for the holidays by looking back at the various entries in Dr. Seuss' "Grinch" franchise. How has the story been adapted from magazine article to storybook to animated special to live action film to feature length animated film? Which version of the story best fleshes out the Grinch's character? Which version of the story has the best version of Whoville and C...

Asian Jon says farewell: This week we say goodbye to our friend in his final appearance alongside returning guest Pixel Patch and new special guest Beefporkribs to discuss the media franchise "One Piece".  922 chapters of manga and 860 episodes of anime amount to over 20 years of adventures in one of the most popular media franchises of all time. What makes the franchise so popular? Why hasn't Asi...

It's all about crossovers this week as we discuss the upcoming LEGO Star Wars crossover series titled "All Stars" and the Justice League of America. How did the Justice League come to exist? How many members do they have? Who currently stars in the comic book series? What makes this team interesting? How have they impacted nerd culture as we know it? Music and audio from "Challenge of the Super Fr...

This week Asian Jon and Average Joe are visited by everyone's favourite wisecracking superhero who wears red, Deadpool! We mourn the loss of Iron Fist and Luke Cage on Netflix- what does this mean for future Marvel streaming shows? But who cares about that when there is Deadpool to talk about! How did he get into comics? When did he develop his charming persona? What has his track record been like...