Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 189: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Episode 189

Choose your side, because this week we engage in a Movie Podcast Weekly Civil War during Episode 189. Team Ryan says Captain America: Civil War is “flawless,” and Team Jason says it’s good but not flawless. Which side will you choose?

If you’re new to our show… Movie Podcast Weekly typically features four hosts — Jason, Andy, Karl and Geek Cast Ry — along with frequent guests. We give you our verdicts on at least one new movie release from the current year that’s currently playing in theaters, as well as several mini reviews of whatever we’ve been watching lately. New episodes release every single week!


SHOW NOTES:

I. Introduction
— No Dark Knight trilogy coverage this week (because we want more listener questions)
— A must-listen: Geek Cast Live Podcast’s forthcoming release on May 21, 2016. E-mail your picks to Geek Cast Ry!


[ 0:11:06 ] II. Listener Feedback and MPW Meet-Up Planning
— Listener Feedback highlights: Sal Roma, Jenifer, Mario, Juan
— Planning the MPW Meet-Up 2016: How does the weekend of September 9, 2016 work for everyone?


[ 0:28:08 ] III. Mini Reviews
Karl: Geek Cast Live Podcast, Gary Gulman: It’s About Time – and – In This Economy (streaming on Netflix), The Rock, May 9, 2016 Mercury Transit of the Sun
Jason: Clash of the Titans (1981)
Ryan: Chicago Cubs baseball, Teen Mom
Andy: Sisters, Seinfeld Seasons 1-4, Hotel Transylvania 2


IV. New in Theaters This Past Weekend:
Captain America: Civil War
A Bigger Splash
Elstree 1976
Pele: Birth of a Legend
Dark Horse
Being Charlie


FEATURE REVIEWS HAVE TIME STAMPS:

[ 0:58:08 ] V. Feature Review: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016) [ Non-Spoiler Section ]
Jason = 8.5 ( Theater / Buy it! )
Karl = 9 ( Theater / Buy it! )
Ryan = 10 ( Theater / Buy it! / “Flawless” )

[ 1:22:00 ] FULL SPOILERS: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016) [ FULL SPOILERS ]


VI. Wrap-Up / Plugs / Ending
— Outtake


COMING UP ON MPW NEXT WEEK:
Episode 190 where we’ll be reviewing “Money Monster,” “The Darkness,” “Sing Street” and “The Dark Knight” trilogy. Join us!


Jay's Rainbow

Jay’s Rainbow on Monday, May 9, 2016
And this cell phone photo doesn’t do it justice. It was much more vivid in person.

LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Ryan recommends: Comics Explained: Civil War (Part 1 of, like, 20)

Be sure to listen to HMP Ep. 088: Bottom of the Bargain Bin Blind-Buy Horror Flicks

Recommended Music Video: Tommy Tutone and, if you’re ever bored, read this.

Contact MPW:
E-mail us: MoviePodcastWeekly@gmail.com.
Leave us a voicemail: (801) 382-8789.
Follow MPW on Twitter: @MovieCastWeekly
Leave a comment in the show notes for this episode.

Ry’s BIO
Ry’s flagship show: Geek Cast Live Podcast
DONATE here to facilitate the creation of more Geek content!
Blog: Geek Cast Live
Web site: Geek Harder.com
Facebook
Twitter: @GeekCastRy

Jason recommends supporting: Operation Underground Railroad

Listen to MPW:
Add MPW to your Stitcher playlist: Stitcher.com
MPW on iTunes
MPW’s RSS feed
Right-click to download the MPW 100 Rap

Josh’s links:
Hear Josh named as one of the Top 5 Up-and-Coming Directors on The Film Vault Podcast!
Twitter: @IcarusArts
Josh covers streaming movies on: Movie Stream Cast
Hear Josh on The SciFi Podcast
Hear Josh on Horror Movie Podcast

If you’re a Horror fan, listen to Jason and Josh on HORROR MOVIE PODCAST

We’d like to thank The Dave Eaton Element and Dave himself for the use of his music for our theme song. Buy Dave’s Eaton’s music: BandCamp.com


If you like Movie Podcast Weekly, please subscribe and leave us a review in iTunes. If you want to support the show, we have PayPal buttons in our right-hand sidebar where you can make a one-time donation or you can become a recurring donor for just $2 per month. (Every little bit helps!)

Thanks for listening, and join us again next week for Movie Podcast Weekly.


73 thoughts on “Movie Podcast Weekly Ep. 189: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

  1. I’d submit that the party scene in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stood out even larger as the best scene because the rest of the film was a bloated, cartoonish, paint-by-numbers CGI-mayhem fest that only gets a pass because of the strength of its cast of characters, general audience-approved humorous quips, and a memorable voice performance by James Spader.

    But man, that movie is a chore to sit through and I hope I never have to watch another Avengers movie where the finale consists of our heroes trashing an army of forgettable enemy combatants. Ugh.

    Jay, I’m surprised that you prefer it to the new Captain America movie. All three Captain America movies are, IMO, superior to “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” To each his own I guess…

    • This^

      I was gobsmacked when Jason (and Karl too, I believe) said Ultron was a better movie than Civil War. There’s no comparison between the two, imo. Ultron is a hot mess.

      • I don’t believe I said it was a better film. I just said I like “Ultron” better. Remember, Drama is one of my least preferred genres, so the closer something is to a Drama (in many cases), the less engaged I am.

        But yes, “Civil War” is probably the better film. But I prefer “Age of Ultron.”

        J

      • As Willis (and Dino) would say, Age of Ultron was kind of a hot mess, but it was still somewhat cohesive. It also benefited from some great scenes like the one mentioned above, visuals that at times were mind-blowing (see link below), and an outstanding performance by James Spader. I would rank it below both Civil War and Winter Soldier for sure, but not below Captain America. I’d say it ranks somewhere in the middle in the MCU.

        • I don’t disagree with your assessment of ‘Ultron,’ Juan, but I would put it below the first ‘Captain America’ (which I might like more than most people) for exactly what you said. ‘Ultron’ had it’s moments but it’s still a mess and as many have pointed out way too much world building and not enough focus on the main storyline it was trying to tell.

          And while I liked Spader, I just don’t find the character of Ultron to be a very interesting villain. But to be honest, most Marvel films have had a hard time coming up with memorable villains so Ultron still might rank near the top by default.

          • The best villains in the MCU so far are Iron Man, War Machine, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Black Panther (sort of), and Vision.

            Or Captain America, Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon, depending on your perspective.

          • Well, not all of us have an appreciation for the finer things in life 😉

            Haha it’s cool, man. I thought it was great. It was almost like seeing a Renaissance painting come to life and that in and of itself thrilled me.

          • I agree with the lack of memorable villains to a certain extent. I think Loki is an excellent villain because of how entertaining to watch he is, but he’s not that threatening, so his appearance in the first Avengers movie didn’t feel like that big of an impact. In that sense, I wouldn’t want to see Loki as a main villain anytime soon, but I would love to see more of him.

          • Sorry, bro. I thought that final battle scene was mostly boring until they found the actual Ultron.

            I know you referenced that scene as an example of mind-blowing visuals, but what good are the visuals if the scene is ultimately uninteresting…

    • Didn’t the Scarlet Witch sic the Hulk on a city full of people (Johannesburg) in Age of Ultron? Why isn’t that ever brought up in Civil War?

  2. #bromygod you actually addressed the meet-up, Jay! First of all, thank you so much for finally giving in and give your listenership a chance to meet each other in person and better yet, allow them to punch you! Just kidding! The weekend of Sep. 9 works for me and I hope it works for everyone else.

    As far as questions for your Dark Knight Trilogy review, I don’t have any that spring to mind at the moment, but I was wondering when you plan on recording the episode because ideally, I would like to revisit them to see if I could come up with worthy questions. Speaking of the movies, does anyone know what the difference is between the three different sets listed in Amazon?

  3. Was anyone else surprised at the level of violence in “Captain America: Civil War”? I mean, it wasn’t necessarily too violent, but it definitely felt like the most violent Marvel movie so far. I think it had a much higher death and destruction count than the recent “Batman v Superman.”

    At BvS, I was a bit taken back at Batman killing his foes. While watching Civil War, I realized that the Marvel heroes were killing pretty casually throughout. Falcon shot up and blew up a handful of baddies in the first 10 minutes. And Cap’n throwing his shield at human foes…if we are being technical I am pretty sure those people are dying or at least looking at spending the rest of life in a hospital bed.

    I remember reading some critics response to BvS, and the dark violence didn’t fare well with reviewers. At least some of those reviewers don’t bring up the violence level in Cap’n 3 as they give their thumbs up.

    It reminded me of a post I saw from someone who was defending the way the violence was handled in BvS. Check it out:

    This is from a poster JSM on http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/bret-easton-ellis-names-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-one-of-the-best-2016-films-so-far-a7011041.html.

    “I went into [Batman v Superman] with a devout hatred for Zack Snyder; from 300 to Sucker Punch I have regretted seeing anything he has made, but in this case I must agree that Ellis is spot on.
    Snyder has made the first and perhaps only superhero movie that does not glorify violence to make a profit. Every single blow, even the threat of violence, is shown for what it is, something we want to rise above.
    I came out of the movie almost speechless. Finally an author steps out of the prostitution of the violent world, where we teach kids that murder and death can be a form of humor, and shows us that it is something to be nauseated by.
    And a special admiration to making a fight between two most beatific characters in pop folklore, a thing to regret having to see. Everyone is sitting here rubbing their mental thighs together to see Iron Man and Captain America beat one another to death this week, and it shows where the fantasy of our time has taken us. When the two good guys go and fight to the death, it should not be a happy experience, and the job of a storyteller, is not to give you satisfaction and tell you all is alright. Snyder took a step into extreme danger in the “satisfaction guaranteed” realm of Hollywood… he did not give promised gratification, he gave you a story that you needed to see.

    Thank you Mr. Snyder for showing us that we can see violence in fiction, at a mythic level, and still encounter it as it should be encountered, as a wrong that must be challenged by our heart.
    I had high hopes when I saw a young Clark Kent reading the works [of] Plato in MOS. And I saw what he he was getting at, it is stunning to see the fruition. I hope the fanbase figures it out, and learns that there is a different way to watch violence than as a celebration.
    In light of the news that “Civil War” was made because of BvS; A potential paradigm shifting experience for the genre to make super hero entertainment something of actual social value.

    Pathos, drama, tragedy…. things that are absent in the amazon.com realm of promised gratifiying experience, is what Snyder made the fandom consume…”

    Good stuff to think about. “Captain America: Civil War” took some steps towards what the poster suggests BvS accomplished in terms of its depiction of violence, but it is still just good ole’ popcorn fun. And I’m glad. But I am also glad that DC comics and Warner Brothers are taking things in a different direction. I enjoyed both movies!

  4. Jason Pyles said…

    Mad Max: Fury Road doesn’t have enough dialogue.”

    Captain America: Civil War has too much dialogue.”

    The Village has just the right amount of dialogue.”

    I might be paraphrasing a bit, but not really.

      • Jay, haha. Well done.That was funny.

        I’ve always liked “The Village” Jay.I can back you on that one. And wouldn’t you know it, as I’m typing this I just realized that “The Village” soundtrack is playing on my computer. Great soundtrack. Easily one of James Newton Howard’s best.

        I can also back you on the latest Mad Max movie. Man, I wanted that guy to talk more! I did not however get any dialogue fatigue during Civil War. But if drama isn’t your favorite, then I get it.

  5. I’ll admit that Captain America: Civil War was a movie that I wasn’t terribly excited to see. Maybe I was starting to feel burned out by the MCU, or maybe it was the fact that the last two Marvel movies – Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man – fell short of some of the better entries in the MCU. But, whatever the reason, it just wasn’t a movie that I was all that interested in seeing.

    So, I was blown away by how good a movie Civil War turned out to be, and how much I absolutely loved the film. I won’t go so far as to say it’s a perfect movie, and I’m not even prepared to say it’s my favorite of the Marvel films. But it is definitely in the upper tier of the MCU for me, along with titles like Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy and Winter Soldier.

    Spider-Man was perfect in this movie. The non-stop teen aged chatter and wise-cracking was great, of course, but what I loved most is how it really put his powers into perspective. I wasn’t really a comic book reader as a kid, so my “knowledge” of Spidey’s powers has really come from what’s been shown in movies. And that hasn’t really done his character justice as a “top tier” superhero, imo. Civil War is the first time that we’ve really seen this inexperienced, skinny little kid go toe-to-toe against the most powerful and experienced “enhanced humans” in the world. He was used as Tony Stark’s secret weapon and, at times, was too much for Captain America, the Winter Soldier and others to handle on their own. It was an awesome thing to behold, and I can’t wait to see more of Tom Holland in his upcoming stand-alone film.

    I was totally surprised by the awesomeness of Black Panther. Having stayed away from all trailers and information on the film (as much as possible, at least), I didn’t even know Black Panther was going to be in the film. I was expecting our introduction to the character to come in his stand-alone film in 2018.

    I’m not quite sure about Karl’s issue with Black Panther. I hate to say it, but the show was starting to feel a little like Misogynist Podcast Weekly at that point. Needless to say, I was shocked when Karl said he wasn’t buying the Black Panther. I was completely on board with him – the character, his motivations, his abilities and his suit. I never thought I’d say this, but now I can’t wait until Black Panther (2018).

    Comparing Civil War with Batman v Superman, I will say that the stakes didn’t seem quite as high in Civil War. Also, I do prefer the darker, more serious tone the DCEU seems to be taking compared to the bubble gum tone of the MCU. Still, to me, there’s no denying that Civil War is the better constructed and executed film of the two. And, oh boy, is it a fun ride! I’ll definitely be seeing this in the theater at least once more.

    I still haven’t exposed my oldest son to the MCU because I don’t think he’s quite old enough. But, his favorite thing in the world… period… is Spider-Man, so I can’t wait to show him Civil War. I might have to accelerate his MCU indoctrination.

    • I gotta agree with you wholeheartedly Dino. Your take on the film pretty much matches my own.

      I too avoid trailers when they are for a movie I know I am seeing, and thought I did know Black Panther was in the movie, I was surprised by his level of involvement. He was an interesting character and pretty fun to watch.

      Upper tier of the MCU for sure.

      One day I will have to rank the MCU from worst to best. If I give it zero thought, I’d have to say Iron Man 2 is the worst. Boy, I am glad I have free agency and can choose never to watch that movie ever again.

      • Yeah, Iron Man 2 is probably at the bottom for me, too. I haven’t seen The Dark World yet and can’t really remember The Incredible Hulk all that well, though, so either of those could potentially “beat” it.

        Off the top of your head, what would your MCU upper tier look like?

        • These are my ratings that I posted on the Sci-Fi Podcast when they covered the MCU Phase I & II. It’s been updated to include the latest entry in Phase III:

          1. Iron Man – 10
          2. The Avengers – 10
          3. Guardians of the Galaxy – 10
          4. Captain America: Winter Soldier – 9.5
          5. Thor – 9
          6. Iron Man 3 – 9
          7. Captain America: Civil War – 8.5
          8. Ant-Man – 8.5
          9. Avengers: Age of Ultron – 8.5
          10. Captain America: The First Avenger – 8.5
          11. Thor: The Dark World – 7.5
          12. Iron Man 2 – 7
          13. The Incredible Hulk – 7

          • Here are my rankings/ratings from TSFP:

            1. Guardians of the Galaxy – 9.5/10
            2. Iron Man – 9.5/10
            3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – 9/10
            4. The Avengers – 8.5/10
            5. Ant-Man – 8.5/10
            6. Captain America: The First Avenger – 8/10
            7. Iron Man 3 – 8/10
            8. Avengers: Age of Ultron – 8/10
            9. Thor – 7.5/10
            10. Iron Man 2 – 7/10

            Again, I haven’t seen The Dark World and I’m not rating/ranking The Incredible Hulk because it’s too foggy in my mind. Also, I would probably adjust my rating/ranking of Ant-Man to a 7.5 or 8, and slot it in right around Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron.

            At first blush, Civil War is a 9.5/10 for me, so it slots in somewhere in the top three for me. But I want to let it marinate a little more and get in at least a second viewing.

          • I don’t think you’ll love either of those. My prediction is that they’ll be towards the bottom. And if you never get to see them, I don’t think you’ll be missing much.

    • Do you read or have you read any comics, Dino? There are tons of great comic books of all genres that will probably end up being a show in the future. The horror genre has some great stuff by the way.

  6. Ryan, as a lifelong Cubs fan (30 plus years of watching them and 30 plus years of near depression to go with it, HA!), this season is outstanding. And while this is a movie and not a Sports podcast I will say that this season could make a hell of a movie if it goes according to plan.

    But I’m like you; just enjoying it while it lasts. Because with this team the craziest things always happen eventually.

  7. The guys joked on the show that Disney would be unstoppable if they ended up buying Apple. (or something to that effect)

    Well, ironically, “Apple” owns a larger stake in Disney than any other person or institution. More specifically, Steve Jobs owned (now bequeathed to his widow) more Disney stock than anyone or anything else.

    • Also, their ESPN branch isn’t doing so hot and as it turns out, it accounts for a very large chunk of Disney’s income. As successful as their movie studios are, they still pale in comparison to their sports entertainment branch. Is it really that surprising? I don’t think Disney could buy Apple even if they wanted to. Still, Disney is definitely a powerhouse.

      • Yeah, the point is that nobody can buy Apple, whereas Apple could buy anything they wanted. In fact, with over $205 billion cash in hand, Apple could buy nearly any company in the world – with the exception of about 9 or 10 companies – using just the change that’s in their proverbial pockets.

        For the record, Disney’s total value is currently estimated at just under $183 billion. So, yeah, Apple could buy it and still have a little over $20 billion change left over before even having to dip into credit.

        • As a money-making machine, they’re great. But as innovators, I think they’ve been coasting on Steve Jobs’ legacy for a while now.

  8. Jason – Have you picked back up with your Game of Thrones watch-through? Season 6 (the current season) is really starting to pick up.

  9. It’s possible I could make it there for a meetup on Sept. 9.

    On a related note, did you get my recent email, J? I’m doing some shows in UT in July and was hoping to connect with you guys (well, just you and Karl at that point, it would seem) at some time while I’m in town.

    • Yes, Eric! You probably haven’t heard the end of Ep. 190 yet, but I teased that we’ll be discussing your SLC meet-up e-mail tonight in Ep. 191. ; )
      Thanks,
      J

      • Oh nice. I must have missed that. I’ll be honest, that by the time it gets past the movie reviews and you guys are wrapping things up, I’m often only kind of half-listening. So I probably miss some good stuff there. I would feel bad about that, except that apparently some of the actual hosts have fallen asleep during the show at times. 😀

  10. Clash of the Titans, yes! I loved that and Jason and the Argonauts so much. My favorite movie as a little kid, though, was Mysterious Island, which Harryhausen did the effects for in 1961.

    My father would rent films from the library and project them on the wall in our basement for me and some friends; classics like the original Dracula and Frankenstein and other stuff like that. But Mysterious Island is the one I requested a few times.

    I wonder if there’s some kind of Harryhausen box set… If so, I might have to get that. Thanks for the reminder, though. I’m sure those films wouldn’t hold up as well today, but they’d still have a great nostalgia factor for me.

  11. Now that Karl and “Let’s kick this pig” will be with us in perpetuity, I’m trying to think what clip of Jay should be added to the bumper at the start of the show. My personal pick would probably be “That’s a high rating for me.” It’s not in the same “let it rip” vein as everyone else, but it is perfectly representative of Jay and his long-nursed hatred of the cinema. Also, there’s an ideal cut of him saying it at 1:16:55 in this week’s episode. There wouldn’t even have to be a staged recitation, like with Karl. Anyone else have a favorite “Jay-ism” that should be considered?

    Great show, as always. I enjoyed the guest appearance by Shawn (as voiced by Karl), and I sincerely hope that Andy’s wet carpet emergency turned out to be a minor incident and not a home repair disaster. Andy, give us a follow-up in next week’s episode before you hit the road to Alaska.

    Also, is it really a “spoiler” that Black Panther is in the movie? Or that Karl thinks “Cat Dude’s” costume makes him (Cat Dude, not Karl) look like Catwoman? Seemed like an odd launching point for the spoiler section. 🙂 Also, no disrespect to American cultural history or the Black Panther Party, but I think Marvel should totally change the character’s name to Cat Dude.

    • Jay has a seemingly limitless arsenal of Jay-isms, but for some reason very few are coming to mind at the moment. Off the top of my head, one of my favorite ones is “Oh my goodness!”

      • Jay gets a ton of mileage out of “That’s what she said,” but I feel like his intro signature should be something that is unique to Jay. I’m standing by “That’s a high rating for me.” I can already hear the bumper for next week’s episode in my head:

        “Light it up.”
        “Let’s kick this pig.”
        “Bring it!”
        “That’s a high rating for me.”

        [Dave Eaton music commences]

        “Hi and welcome to Movie Podcast Weekly, Episode 190 … “

        • Ha ha ha. I love this. You guys flatter and entertain me, both.

          Actually, I love that you even noticed: The reason I don’t seem to have an introductory excerpt is because my classic, patented “Hiiiiiiii …” at the beginning of all my shows constitutes my launching remark for every podcast episode. (BillChete brought that to my attention back in the TWHMP days.) It’s kind of my thing.

          But Cody is correct: I do often feel like I need to explain to people when I’ve given an unusually high rating. (With Karl giving 8’s to every movie and its dog, I feel like I need to underscore high ratings.) Luckily, Karl’s high ratings worked to my advantage in this last bet! : )
          J

    • Haha good one, Cody. I must admit that I find myself quite aroused by Mrs. Tina Fey even if she’s being tongue-in-cheek with her sexy pose. More importantly though, I feel embarrassed looking at that image at work, so that should tell you something. I know that’s probably more of a guilt society type of thing. Personally though, I think the image is harmless.

  12. Jason – Some thoughts regarding The Dark Knight trilogy

    One of the strengths of The Dark Knight trilogy is how thematically rich it is within its complete and contained story arc. The villains, another strength of the trilogy, seem to embody many of these themes. In Batman Begins, Scarecrow represents fear, which is one of the main driving forces in the creation of the Batman, while Ra’s Al Ghul represents the conflict between vengeance and justice, a fight Batman struggles with throughout the trilogy. In The Dark Knight, the Joker represents chaos. I don’t think these are just coincidences.

    However, I have a harder time pinning down the major themes of The Dark Knight Rises. I love Nolan’s Bane as a villain – he’s incredibly complex and formidable. I guess in some ways this mirrors the movie’s themes, which I also find to be complex. However, I feel like this pattern of the villain mirroring the film’s major theme possibly ends here.

    Do you think this makes Bane a less effective character as a villain in the trilogy, and do you think this possibly contributes to the film’s murkier thematic meaning?

    • Wow, this wasn’t entirely coherent. The main takeaway, though, is that I think The Dark Knight trilogy presents themes that are rarely, if ever, broached in comic book movies, and the villains of the films are incredibly strong. Typically in comic book movies, the themes of a film are embodied entirely within the superhero. Nolan’s films are unique in that they divide the themes equally between the heroes and villains.

    • I love your thoughts, Dino. I never really associated the villains’ strengths with Batman’s own struggle. I think for Bane it might physical prowess versus Batman’s physical limitations. As formidable a human being as Batman is, even he has his limits. Bane broke him physically and spiritually—something he had to come to terms with for a large portion of the film.

      • Good point about Bane’s physical prowess. He also seems to be a conglomeration of themes presented in the previous two films – the fear and political aspirations of Scarecrow and Ra’s Al Ghul, and the “unstoppable force” of the Joker.

        • Good stuff Dino. I love how at the end of “The Dark Knight Rises” Bruce Wayne has to admit his fears and focus on his longing to survive to successfully get out of the prison.

          Blind Prisoner: “You do not fear death. You think this makes you strong. It makes you weak.”
          Bruce Wayne: “Why?”
          Blind Prisoner: “How can you move faster than possible, fight longer than possible without the most powerful impulse of the spirit: the fear of death.”
          Bruce Wayne: “I do fear death. I fear dying in here, while my city burns, and there’s no one there to save it.”
          Blind Prisoner: “Then make the climb.”
          Bruce Wayne: “How?”
          Blind Prisoner: “As the child did. Without the rope. Then fear will find you again.”

          Bane had thrown him in the pit to torture his soul, and as Bruce climbs out he is redeemed. I love the the symbolism of climbing out of the pit, how closely it mirrors his dad pulling him out of the well when he was a child and first discovered the bat cave.

          Man! Sorry Cap’n, The Dark Knight trilogy is still the best superhero trilogy ever.

          • Vance on May 19, 2016 at 11:54 am said:

            “Sorry Cap’n, The Dark Knight trilogy is still the best superhero trilogy ever.”

            Amen.

    • Wow…Sal. That is impressive. I kind of think you should keep the streak going. It’s like you are giving the middle finger to today’s pop culture.

      • The difficulty I have due to dragging my feet in the sand is that there’s now so many MCU films. If I want to watch Captain America: Civil War, that’s nearly every MCU film to watch first to possibly understand everything. It’s a bit overwhelming due to how many films there are and how often characters pop up in the various movies.

        That was the nice thing about Deadpool. It’s not in the MCU and it was part of the reason why I was compelled to go see it at the theater.

    • Do the Toby Maguire Spider-man movies count? Because if not I think the only one I’ve seen in its entirety is the first Ironman?

  13. Hello MPW,

    Enjoyed listening to the show today….

    As for Civil War loved hearing your feedback on the movie it was good and I give it a 8 and to watch it in the theater. To me the movie moved slow in the beginning and did not really pick up until the airport scene and when spiderman was introduced ! Marvel did very well on introducing him and Black Panther into the MCU maybe DC should take a class on how to do that (Wonder Woman).

    I am going to take the leap and listen to Ryan’s podcast today based on Karl’s review I think I tried before but it had to much profanity in it that it turned me off on it. Now im no snob but it does tend to ruin a good debate when every other word is an obscenity! However when I do curse find other ways to say it like Mother Father, Frak (BSG reference), fudge (a Christmas story) and holy schnikes (Chris Farley) RIP! I know you guys are young so I get it so wish me luck!

    Also I hope all went well with Andy’s Flood in the basement and that it was not all that bad! Andy we need to know is it going to be okay???? Please answer us Andy you may never read this but we would like to know….. LOL 🙂

    Keep up the good work and look forward to your next podcast!

    Mario (Loon) Leon

  14. I always believed Movie Podcast Weekly was the only flawless podcast in the world…why am I being forced to nit pick the perfect podcast…

  15. Hey everyone,

    Just listening to your podcast, and i wanted to contribute some of my thoughts on the batman dark knight trilogy.

    I wouldn’t be so much interested in a per movie review. But it would be great to hear your thoughts on the new Batman, that started out with the dark knight trilogy, and seems to now continue on.

    Batman since the batman begins movie has gone on the more dark and realistic rout. That always makes me think of the bourne movies , in terms of grit, and a sort of basis in reality.

    A thing that was not really seen in super hero movies before,.
    The character batman seems to be more conflicted and damaged in every new movie.

    I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic,.. where do you gus think this will take us. And did you notice this trend.

    That what could result in a batman that is old ( 50’s) and juicing up to be able to fight the bad guys and such. Balancing on the edge what is moral justified, to take care of the villains.

    Personal i think this could be a great way for the character to go. Because it will balance out the all good superman. And the latest batman vs superman looks like it could be the start of this.

    I really hope it is, Because it would be great to finall see the final stages of the super hero’s life, something we seems like, have never seen before.

    although, they might be doing something like it with the final wolverine.

    So, in short, where do you guys hope this goes with batman, looking at the dark knight and dark knight rises. ? (i dont think we can overlook the latest batman movie, in terms of character development )

    • I agree Ivo. The new Batman v Superman did the right thing to have Batman go a bit darker to offset the all-good Superman. It would have been weird if both of them were running around fighting crime with the no-kill rule.

      Regarding how the BvS Batman relates to Nolan’s Batman trilogy, I like to think of it as a totally different take on the character. As dark as Nolan’s Batman was, he rarely took lives or had the intent to kill. And at the end of “The Dark Knight Rises” he got out of the vigilante business. He moved on.

      Snyder’s Batman resides in a different dimension. (Ha ha, maybe the Flash will one day use his powers to find his way to Nolan’s DC world.) Snyder’s Batman never got out of the Bat-business, and look at where it’s taken him! He is a troubled man and has begun killing (and branding) as he goes about dealing ‘justice.’

  16. Saw [b]The Nice Guys[/b] last night. Really fun movie. Who would have thought Crowe and Gosling would make such a great duo? But they have a wonderful dynamic together. And the film is quite funny but in a cool way that feels authentic. I mean, I’ll take funny in any form, but because it has a strong sense of realism, this works pretty well as an engrossing 70’s crime flick, while also being very funny. My only negative is that it slows down and drags just a bit in the middle, but that may be more because we went to the 10 pm showing and I hadn’t slept much the night before. So it might actually be well-paced, but I couldn’t appreciate it as well while fighting to stay awake for a little while. 8.5 (might be a 9 on a more awakened repeat viewing).

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