Sunday, July 22, 2018

Episode 71: Trollhunters Season 3



Episode 71: Trollhunters Season 3
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw

Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw


Trollhunters is finished. And this episode gives our thoughts on the final series, and what we hope to see (sometimes with tongue firmly in cheek) in 3 Below and Wizards

John loves this show. I do to, but it's slight compared to John's love of this series. We have nothing but praise for it, and it's pretty apparent through all 3 episodes of the podcast that we discuss it on that we'd be hard pressed to find (or admit) to any flaws the series might have. This series is fantastic: it forces the characters to make sacrifices, and unlike many shows for children (live action and animated) they have to live with those choices and sacrifices. There's a strong focuses on family, friendship, bullying, bettering yourself and owning your mistakes. It's also a lot of fun, and if you love fantasy -particularly urban fantasy- then you need this series in your life. We of course spoil the hell of the final season in this episode of the podcast, so watch it first before you listen. 

Here's a couple of articles from Collider that have an interview with Marc Guggenheim on the series: The first is non-spoilery, the second is full of spoilers. One thing he does mention in the first part of the interview was the decision to go with Emile Hirsch for the voice of Jim Lake. As many of you may know already, Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the Star Trek reboot, died in a freak accident near the end of 2016. He voiced Jim Lake, the protagonist of this series, and it is in this season where his voice work comes to an end. The primary thought was the Mr. Hirsch, who was apparently close friends with Anton Yelchin, brought the passion for the character, and the desire to see his friends hard work come to a conclusion. Mr. Hirsch does have some controversy regarding past behavior however,  but like Jeffrey Tambor, we're not going to dive into it, as that's not the focus of the show, or the podcast in general. 

Now, just because Trollhunters is finished (and it is) doesn't mean that we don't have anything to look forward to: This article from Polygon discusses 3 Below in a bit more detail. As John and I  hoped, the Creep Slayers (Eli and Steve) from Trollhunters will have a larger role in this next series, and it's supposed to be a bit crazier in scope than Trollhunters

That's all for now. Give us your thoughts on Trollhunters if you've finished the series. And if you want to listen to all the episodes of the podcast we've done on Trollhunters
It's episode 33 and episode 56

And share your thoughts, either comment below: or shoot as a message through email or on Twitter. 


Monday, July 16, 2018

Episode 70: Deadpool 2

Episode 70: Deadpool 2
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw

Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw


What can I say about Deadpool 2 that I haven't already? Well. I liked it. I liked the first one more, but I did enjoy it. I don't love it though. I don't love the character Deadpool. I think it's just too meta for my tastes and because of that the character falls flat. Which in some ways is sad as I love some of the humor of both the on screen and on page character. But something about the constant breaking of the fourth wall, and the awareness the character has for his own fiction doesn't click with me. 

That being said: there's a lot I do enjoy. Cable is great. Domino might be one of my favorite on screen comic characters (she certainly makes the top 5), and Firefist? I hope that young actor goes on to have a successful career, because he's fantastic!

One thing that John and I do bring up is the blatant trolling of theorists during the lead up to the release of the film. John and I like to throw out theories on the podcast because it's fun. Especially when we come up with crazy shit that is completely off the rails (it's better when we get from a different site, but hey it fun to make up your own.) We never take it seriously. We watch the stuff we watch for it's entertainment value first, then reflect on it after the fact. So for Deadpool, and Fox to troll the folks that take their fan theories a little too seriously was refreshing, and hilarious.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Episode 69 Star vs. Season 3




Episode 69: Star vs. Season 3
Produced by Relevant to Our Interests
Hosts: John R. Belliston and Frank Shaw
Scripting by: Frank Shaw and John Belliston
Edited by: Frank Shaw

Graphic Design by: Nathan Newell and Frank Shaw
Intro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw
Outro Music: Morning Activities by F.G. Shaw


Star vs. The Forces of Evil season 3 really shifts focus from the first two seasons, taking and putting the action into the realm of the Mewmans and their allies, wrapping up the plot threads from the first couple of seasons with the first 5 episodes or so, and introducing ideas that appear and revealing secrets that were introduced with the second season as well. The plot reaches its darkest peak by the end of the season, concluding what I would assume is the penultimate season of this series (but maybe not) and setting up for an epic concluding season (but maybe not, this is just speculation). 

If it seems like I said a whole lot of nothing. It's because I did. Sure we spoil the season in the podcast, but go watch it first and come back to hear our take on it. John loves this series, and as it progresses I find myself becoming more and more fond of it as well. There's a certain amount of depth that is surprising for a children's cartoon. 

The two major themes that John brings up this episode are the costs of lies (from the second season) and the cost of honesty (from this season). Sometimes being honest has consequences too, and they aren't always good. This season really portrays that well, and it's definitely worth paying attention to as you watch. 

There are a number of fun "insane fan theories on this episode about Star vs. My personal favorite is that Ludo will be the ultimate hero. We'll see if it bears out, but it's still fun to think about.