Monthly Archives: July 2023

Episode 17: X2: X-Men United

X-Men,

In a world where mainstream superhero movies are less political than films based on fashion dolls, it’s natural to wonder whether the genre has lost its edge. But back in the early 2000s, Fox’s X-Men series struck a blow for freedom, proudly standing up to defend the rights of the most dangerous people on the planet. Whether you can whip up devastating tornadoes, blow up police cars with an unending stream of fire, or suck the life out of everyone you touch — you deserve a place in society, without criticism or complaint.

That’s what we’re talking about this week on the Superheroes Every Day podcast, with the hilarious Stuart Gipp from the retro video games podcast Retronauts talking with me about Fox’s 2003 political thriller, X2: X-Men United! Join us as we discuss evolution, beehives and the importance of caution when you tattoo your own face.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 16: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Knock knock, you about to get shell shocked! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in theaters this summer, and to celebrate, I’ve decided to talk to a TMNT megafan about one of the worst possible iterations of the Turtles saga — Michael Bay’s 2014 toy-store tentpole (teenage mutant) NINJA TURTLES!

I’m joined again by Sloane, illustrator and creator of the Hauntwares clothing line, who loves the Turtles and does not love this movie. This action figure playset comes complete with nonsensical backstory, a ninja clan that drives sport utility vehicles, an utterly unconvincing gal reporter, and a villain that’s been split into two characters at the very last minute of production. Join us as we try to puzzle out what this movie is trying to get across!

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 15: Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad,

Suicide Squad is an epic story of delusion, mania and loss, featuring lunatic characters unleashed on society and sent sprinting in all directions. Naturally, I’m referring to the behind the scenes story of how they made the film, rather than the film itself, which sucks.

The director wanted to make a film that was “methodical, layered, beautiful and sad,” which is fine as a concept but probably shouldn’t involve cartoon characters. One of the stars was a dangerous, feral Method actor who terrorized the cast and crew. The rehearsals involved intrusive personal questions, physical fights, tattoo guns and dead pigs stuffed with bullets.

And then Deadpool came out, and Warner Bros realized that what they really wanted was an anti-hero comedy, so they wrenched it away from the director, reshot a significant fraction of the movie and then edited it together at random.

It’s a mess of a movie that’s fun to talk about, and this week Evan Brady joins me on the podcast to dig into what the hell happened to Suicide Squad.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 14: Venom

Venom,

Pile of bodies, pile of heads! This week’s podcast episode takes us deep into the life of a gruesome serial killer with a passion for riding motorcycles, climbing up to high places and murdering dozens of police officers who are only trying to help. Can a peaceful out-of-work gotcha journalist find happiness sharing a body with a murder demon? More importantly, can this ridiculous story kick-start a whole new cinematic universe?

I’m joined once again by Anthony Strand of Tough Pigs and the Muppet movie podcast Movin’ Right Along, who displays his amazing stupid-voice impersonation skills as we squelch our way through an extremely silly movie.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xGgBTvMV85BRh6JxdE7SL

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Episode 13: X-Men

X-Men,

Every few hundred millennia, apparently, evolution leaps forward, and we enter a new stage of human development. This next stage appears to be the one where thirteen-year-olds suddenly manifest the ability to walk through walls or suck the life force out of their boyfriends, and I suppose that makes them the new rulers of the Earth, somehow.

This week on the podcast, Trevor Bolliger and I take on the original uncanny giant-size mutant masterpiece, X-Men, where we try to make sense of these impossibly dangerous creatures, and their lunatic schemes to turn all of the world’s leaders into sticky Jell-O monsters.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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