Cinematic Universe

It's the most! Wonderful time! Of the yeeeeear! Yes, as you surely can't be unaware, it was the San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, which has meant the usual NEWSPLOSION of stuff for us to cover in our annual bonus roundup episode. It's not a short one, unsurprisingly, but we cover the trailers for Shazam!, Aquaman, Titans and Glass among a bunch of other chatter - and yes, we do address the James Gunn shaped elephant that barged its way into the room just as the convention was getting underway. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While we're still not at all bitter about it coming out in the UK so much after the US had already memed the heck out of Violet blowing water out of her nose, we've finally got Incredibles 2, so we can finally cover it. Joe and Seb are joined by writer Gary Bainbridge to discuss the film, because James is a robot who doesn't like fun. Can Brad Bird and Pixar's belated sequel possibly live up to the legacy of its near-peerless original? Well... Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With James sidelined due to unexpected dental trauma, Joe and Seb are again joined by our supersub Rhys Williamson to take a run at not-all-that-much movie and TV news, a bit of analysis of our expectations of the DC Universe service, and then a discussion around the recent Batman #50. And although football may or may not be coming home, yes, we're still annoyed about America getting Ant-Man and the Wasp so far ahead of us. You'd better not spoiler it, you lot. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the wake of our Men In Black podcast, there were literally some listeners who got in touch and said they'd like to hear Joe and Caroline talk about the other major Will Smith blockbuster of the era in a bit more detail. So, that's exactly what they've done! No, it's not a comic book movie (although there was a Marvel comic of it!) and no, it's not on our regular schedule (but how could we not release it on 4th July itself?) but hopefully you'll enjoy this bonus natter anyway! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe and Seb are joined by special guest and renowned Tweetnoter Andrew Ellard to look back at a movie that plenty of people loved at the time, but which maybe hasn't dated all that well. Or has it? We also chat about Sony's double-whammy of a Jared Leto Morbius movie and a "Could It Actually Be Quite Good?" Silk movie; and what we think about Doctor Strange 2 now that that's been confirmed. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Special guest David Hartrick returns to talk about another 1990s DC classic arc - this time, it's the Batman saga Knightfall (also incorporating Knightquest and Knightsend)! Bane, Azbats, Zsasz, controversial opinions about the merits of Jim Aparo - it's all here. This episode was originally published on our Patreon Exclusive/Early Access feed back in October 2017. We're making it available on the public feed now due to a gap in our production schedule! If you'd like to hear more episodes like this - both as early access and also as permanent backer exclusives - then head on over to patreon.com/cinematicuniverse and back us at the $2 level or above! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe and James are joined by The AV Club's Caroline Siede to discuss the one comic book movie of 1997 that was an unqualified success. Probably because people didn't know it was a comic book movie. It's Barry Sonnenfeld's witty, Will-Smith-stratosphere-launching, Men in Black! The gang also dive deep into the Wonder Woman 1984 news, with TAKES on whether or not the apparent return of Steve Trevor is a good thing. And it's a DC-heavy news segment generally, with some chat about Aquaman, Green Lantern Corps and the company's recent executive reshufflings. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe and Seb are joined by Rhys Williamson to take a run at some of the most recent news - including that gorgeous Into the Spider-Verse trailer, the prospect of a new Jared Leto Joker movie, the new Ant-Man and the Wasp character posters, and an avalanche of Avengers 4 clickbait. And continuing the theme from last week, there's a musical element to the Pitch! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A pod's gotta do what a pod's gotta do Joe, Seb and James have a treat here for you The only doom that's looming is us singing you to death So we'll give you a second to catch your breath No, don't worry. We're not singing. At all. We promise. But we have gone pretty darned deep on Joss Whedon's 2008 online musical miniseries Dr Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog, with yet another discussion about fridging as well as an exploration of toxic masculinity that seems even more worryingly apt than it did ten years ago. And while we don't sing ourselves, for those of you who've never heard the songs we're talking about (or even if you just want to hear them again) we have included a whole bunch of clips, so in a sense it is still a musical episode. Enjoy! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is James referring to in the title of this minisode? Well, you'll have to listen a good way in to find out, because flipping heck, this one pushes the definition of the term "minisode" to its limits. We had a lot to talk about, from Mysterio to Shazam to Doom Patrol to Batwoman to Watchmen to The Eternals. Have you figured out which one made us so angry yet? Clue: it's not Mysterio. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The first Deadpool movie was a surprise in just about every sense - from the fact that it was actually pretty good, to the fact that it went on to be phenomenally successful. So does the sequel stand any chance whatsoever of also springing any surprises? Spoilers: actually, yeah. Join Joe, Seb and James for our run through the latest chapter in a series that takes the piss out of comic book movies so much yet might actually be the most comic booky movie series ever to exist. As usual with a new release, we give our spoiler-free reactions for a quarter of an hour or so before then doing a much deeper dive into the nitty gritty. And while there's no news section this week, we have also taken the time for a brief word about Superman star Margot Kidder, who sadly passed away last week at the age of 69. 00:00 - Intro / Margot Kidder tribute 10:58 - Spoiler-Free Discussion 27:46 - Spoiler-Filled Discussion 131:19 - Recommendations / The Pitch Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse. &nbs

Releasing a little later than expected due to some unforeseen life things getting in the way, here's Joe and James with a minisode chat that mostly acts as a follow-up to our Infinity War episode after both had a chance to see the film a second time. Because, what, our three hour main episode on the film wasn't enough? Well, no, actually, it wasn't. But we do get to covering some other stuff as well, including the latest trailers for Venom and Ant-Man and the Wasp. It should go without saying, but once again there are COMPLETE AND TOTAL SPOILERS for Infinity War in this ep. In case you somehow still haven't seen it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last month, Joe did something pretty amazing: he watched every single MCU movie (prior to Infinity War) over a single weekend, without any breaks inbetween. And as well as raising a ton of cash for Parkinson's UK, he spent the weekend livetweeting and recording short mini pod segments for Soundcloud after each film. So if you didn't catch any of that while it was going on, we've stitched every one of those little bits together - along with a freshly-recorded intro and outro with Seb and James along for the ride! Note that this podcast is technically the first time you'll hear Joe talk directly about Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, since we haven't got as far as covering those on main episodes yet; and you'll also get to hear what happens when a man has to watch Thor: The Dark World in the small hours of a Sunday morning. If you enjoyed this experience then please check out Joe's Justgiving page and consider adding to the fundraising total: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joe-cunningham-mcu

It's our Infinity War episode. If we have to say any more than that, you've probably got the wrong podcast. Be warned, though: this podcast is SPOILER FILLED from the outset. There's no news discussion, and there's no spoiler-free reaction section. We are straight in there from the word go, because... well, how could you NOT be? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recorded prior to Joe's epic weekend charity MCU marathon, this week's minisode sees him and James taking a run at the latest news - from the final Deadpool 2 trailer to the latest on Gotham City Sirens/Suicide Squad 2/Birds of Prey. Plus! Who will be the first to suggest Johnny Storm for last week's "How would you put Ryan Reynolds in the MCU" pitch segment? And, stay tuned right until the end when James suddenly out of nowhere drops an AMAZING Infinity War/Captain America theory. Four days to go, people... Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In brightest day In blackest night Bad movies can't escape our sight And though Joe worships Reynolds' light We can't deny: Green Lantern's shite! Yes, we've managed to find the Ryan Reynolds movie that even Joe can't love, and a DC Comics movie that Seb even thinks might be worse than Man of Steel. But is Green Lantern an interesting failure, or just a complete and total failure? Well, we've managed to spin it out into a two-and-a-half hour episode, so presumably there was something of note to talk about. Plus! We pull a bit of a downer on the Incredibles 2 trailer, assess Batgirl's chances of ever existing and explain who the heck The Boys are. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A few weeks ago, the latest trailer for Infinity War dropped - and Joe got so excited, he couldn't wait until our next episode, so stayed up far too late (and far too long) talking to pod-chum Rhys Williamson about it. We initially put it out as a Patreon exclusive, but now that we're only a week-and-a-bit out from the film's release, we thought we'd let the rest of you hear it as well, if you're so inclined! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There wasn't a lot of news in the last week, but have we let that stop us? We have not. Join us for a shorter-than-usual (but still longer-than-they-used-to-be) minisode, as Joe, Seb and James waffle on about Flashpoint (no longer), Zack Snyder's own social network, the first photo of Kiernan Shipka's Sabrina, possible villains for Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, Astro City and The Continuing Absence of Hawkeye. Plus, James and Seb respond admirably to last week's request to pitch something as intentionally bad as possible, although maybe not in the way Joe expected. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 1996, Jack Sholder and Eric Blakeney made a Generation X pilot for Fox. In 2018, James Hunt decided that we should cover it on the podcast. It's hard to know who you should be more annoyed at, really. Either way, join us for a light-hearted and friendly discussion that takes in Matt Frewer's impression of Jim Carrey's impression of Matt Frewer, the most baffling piece of product placement in movie history, and lessons from the Lea Thompson School of Irish Accents. And this week's news section is also linked quite nicely to the main part of the episode, as we look at a present day teen X-franchise-related screw-up with the latest developments on New Mutants. We also say hello to some familiar names in Captain Marvel's casting news, and wonder if Donald Glover has burned all his Marvel bridges. AND we've got a new edition of Comics Corner, as we react to the return of the Fantastic Four! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out i

Joe, Seb and James look at the Deadpool 2 trailer, and get suddenly quite excited when they realise who Rob Delaney is probably playing. And a seemingly innocuous bit of Daredevil S3 casting news gets us speculating about a possible adaptation of one of his best ever comics stories. There's also some chat about the Justice League: Mortal picture leaks, and we get around to going a bit deeper on how that Shazam costume is looking and what it might all mean. Are we actually... quite excited about an upcoming DC movie? Is this because our Disney cheques kept bouncing? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/cinematicuniverse.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.