"Lanterns"

Turning our August into an unofficial superheroes month on the podcast, this week we review the new Damon Lindelof-led entry in the DC Universe: Lanterns on HBO. We talk comics, the vision of James Gunn's cinematic world-building, and the star-studded cast of this sneaky superhero series. After a shaky and disappointing Supergirl in theaters, can Lanterns right the ship of DC adaptations? Or is James Gunn's new universe burning up before it even takes off?

Two years after its surprising first season, X-Men '97 returns to Disney Plus as the series dives straight into what was teased in the 2024 finale: Apocalypse. Can the show follow up its lean, gangbusters debut season with something just as worthwhile? Or will the loss of creator and writer Beau DeMayo spell trouble for this lore-heavy animated series? We discuss the eleventh hour changes, a show without its steward, and what we thought of X-Men '97's turbulent storylines.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is officially the biggest movie of all time, but does that mean it can shake the doldrums of comic book fatigue and a floundering Marvel Cinematic Universe? Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) aims to bring intimate character drama and street-level fisticuffs back to the Spider-Man franchise for its wildly anticipated fourth entry. Is it successful as a punch in the arm? Tune in and find out.

We're back in the land of prestige television with our review of the third season of HBO's House of the Dragon. Just two short episodes before the finale, we check in with Westeros and our differing opinions on this divisive series. Haters, apologist, and ones right down the middle, we discuss the penultimate season's strange structure, its epic bloodletting, and continued palace intrigue. Will it stick the landing? Only time will tell.

One of our longest episodes ever in which we review the movie of the summer: Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. We discuss the filmmaker's ongoing battle with his inner clinician, an updated ranking of the filmography, and the odd right-wing backlash facing the movie. Nolan continues from 2023's Oppenheimer his reflection of our own cracked modernity and its broad gesture towards the death of civility, but does The Odyssey maintain its predecessor's craft and evocative core? Tune in and find out.

Kenji Tanigaki's The Furious took TIFF by storm last year, and now, it's finally here. This week, we review this martial arts extravaganza and discuss its comparisons — justly or unjustly — to The Raid and The Raid 2. However, one thing is for sure: The Furious is one of the best action movies of the last decade, coming close to just reinventing the entire visual language of the action movies we love.

This week we are reviewing Apple TV's summer sensation, Widow's Bay, a horror comedy set in a "cursed" New England hamlet. Starring Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, Kate O'Flynn, Dale Dickey, and Kevin Carroll, the series blends dry workplace humor with Stephen King-esque frights. With sea hags, crawlspace clowns, and a desperate mayor's office, Widow's Bay finds its unique brand propelling itself into the number one show on Apple TV. We discuss its bracing first season, its incredible performances, and its unlikely provenance from the mind of a former Parks & Recreation writer.

This week, we herald the return of Steven Spielberg and one more foray into the alien sci-fi genre with Disclosure Day. Those expecting blockbuster thrills might be a little thrown to instead receive a talky, late-style plea for empathy and the transformative power of truth. The question, however, is if it's too late. We discuss Spielberg, his recent oeuvre, and the million things he has on his mind with Disclosure Day.

This week, we review this summer's OTHER horror movie phenomenon: 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons' Backrooms. Based off a viral 2022 YouTube series depicting the exploration of the titular liminal space, Backrooms adapts the creepypasta into full-blown Hollywood spectacle. As the great YouTuber-to-filmmaker war of 2026 draws to a close, we crown a victor in the arena of Obsession vs. Backrooms.

This week, we review Boots Riley's sophomore feature, I Love Boosters, an absurdist comedy skewering capitalist rot at the center of the fashion industry. An enthusiastic reflection of Riley's own politics, I Love Boosters features an infectious display of surrealist humor, eye-popping visuals, and labor-of-love practical effects; but is it enough to cover its everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach? We discuss the movie, go on a Star Wars tangent, and give an update on our Summer Box Office Wager.