Podcast

Men in Black: International (2019)

June 13, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

Jim and I have seen the latest installment in the long running Men in Black franchise, Men in Black: International. And it’s okay. It’s fun and entertaining, largely because Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth are fun and entertaining people who have an easy chemistry. The plot is twisty, but not very smart, and the whole thing just struggles to find the big red “hyperspace” button that would get it into orbit where it belongs. But if all you’re looking for is a bit of 90s nostalgia in a forgettable summer flick package, Men in Black: International will do.

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I Am Mother, Black Mirror, Good Omens Wrap

June 7, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

Jim, A.Ron, and Cecily talk about the latest things that have flashed before their eyes.  This week’s topics include the new sci-fi thriller from Netflix, I Am Mother, as well as the belated season five of Black Mirror, before wrapping up the stellar first season of Good Omens and briefly discussing our lack of coverage for The Handmaid’s Tale.

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Dark Phoenix (2019)

June 6, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

Jim and I went to see the latest X-Men flick, Dark Phoenix. It’s not as bad as it’s Rotten Tomatoes rating would imply, but it’s certainly not good. And it’s unfortunately because once again a classic X-Men plotline is burnt (refried, in this case) and all-time great Magneto and Professor X performances by Fassbender and MacElvoy are wasted on a script with muddled characters and paper thin villains. Long time fans of the X-Men will enjoy some great stand alone moments with their favorite characters, and the core chemistry of Xavier / Magneto / Mystique work to get the film’s emotional heart a brief jump. But ultimately the film folds underneath the weight of apathy and ugly FX  work.

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Chernobyl – Episode 5 – Vichnaya Pamyat

June 5, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

The final episode of HBO’s Chernobyl, “Vichnaya Pamyat” derives it’s title from the traditional prayer said at the end of an Eastern Orthadox funeral; “memory eternal”. Our hope is that everyone who has watched this and will watch this in the years to come takes to heart this encomium, that we need to remember the cost of lies, the cost of taking our eye off our institutions and systems we setup to keep us safe and prosperous, because if you fail to do so the cost only becomes more dear. Thanks for watching along with us, we’ve loved having you all along for the experience.

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Deadwood: The Movie (2019)

June 3, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

Jim and I have come to Deadwood at long last, to behold it in movie form. We’ve seen differing amounts, but we have a lot of esteem for David Milch’s western epic, and we thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent this week at the old camp. We talk about our experiences with the show, how Justified informs our thoughts on Deadwood and vice versa, Milch’s thoughts on mortality, and how amazingly the movie gave equal closure and tribute to it’s legion of incredible characters.

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Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

May 30, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

Jim and I are both long-time fans of Godzilla, and we’re here to report that this here is a really great Godzilla… trapped in a really, really dumb film. Godzilla: King of the Monsters has never looked better, has never been more bad@ss, has never been a meaner lizard, the problem is the homo sapiens that keep interrupting the truly amazing kaiju action we’re getting here. If you can find a dumber lot of heroes and villains in a major motion picture, we’d like to see them. Worse, there are zero stakes because apparently it’s not possible for these morons to die unless they’re faceless extras or it’s the dramatically appropriate time for them to die, but again this film doesn’t understand drama or tension, so that doesn’t really work, either. This would be a really fun film to rip on and root for the monsters on a lazy Saturday with your best friends, but it ain’t worth the time going out to see it. We’ll hope for better next week with the X-Men as we get a first look at Dark Phoenix!

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Chernobyl – Episode 4 – The Happiness of All Mankind

May 29, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

Hello, comrades! It’s time once again to descend into the man-made hell of Chernobyl, now with 100% more puppy-murder! The deep irony of the episode’s title, “The Happiness of All Mankind”, underscores the misery of the people who were forced to evacuate, the soul and body destroying heroism of the soldiers and engineers doing the work that…

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Series Wrap Up

May 28, 2019 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Podcast

We come here to say goodbye to Game of Thrones. While we’re still going to get to play around in this universe courtesy HBO’s numerous prequels, sequels, and spin-offs planned, and of course George’s assurances that he’s still writing, we’re not going to get any more of this particular take on the story. How do we feel about this? Does The Last Watch documentary change those feelings? We discuss these and more before getting the final words from feedback. We’ll see you all for “Fire & Blood” and the prequels!

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806 – The Iron Throne – SpoiLore Edition

May 24, 2019 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Podcast

In our penultimate podcast for HBO’s Game of Thrones, we invite Gods of Thrones co-author Anthony Le Donne back to the studio to discuss how the book might resolve in ways that are consistent, but perhaps more satisfying, than some found the show’s resolution. Then we’re off to feedback, where we talk about Martin’s progress on Winds, our thoughts on Bran the Broken, where things line up with Dany’s prophecies in the final analysis, and much more on “The Iron Throne”. See you next week as we sign off and transform the podcast into a Thrones prequels feed!

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Aladdin (2019)

May 23, 2019 Bald Move Pulp

If you’re wishing for a three-way review of Disney’s latest live-action adaptation, Aladdin, then listener you’re in luck. Wish granted. Cecily, Jim, and I went to see it tonight with appropriately low expectations, but were very pleasantly surprised at how much fun and energy the movie provided. Better, the script smartly adapted the original, improving it’s pacing while also adding depth to Jafar’s intrigue and Jasmine’s character, making it smarter and more relatable to modern audiences. The Tomatometer is kinda brutal for Al and friends right now (59% as of this writing), so take our review with a grain of salt. And we’re still skeptical of the long term viability of these live-action adaptations, but we feel like this movie is proof that they aren’t necessarily doomed to be pointless wastes of time.

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