This show is no stranger to the MCU, but it's been a hot minute since the Infinity War & Endgame spoilercasts, and even longer since our last dedicated dive into this pop-culture juggernaut. Making her first appearance on the show, John's comrade in fandom Mia helps us catch up with releases beyond Black Widow, both by reflecting on memories of movies past, adjusting to an MCU without T'Challa, and in particular discussing the recent Shang-Chi and what its attention to cultural detail, great casting, and making up for Ben Kingsley's Mandarin mean to Mia as an Asian-American.
Afterward, we take a deep dive into the first three live-action MCU series in the new frontier of Disney+ weekly series. Topics include how these shows take advantage of their longer format, speculating what consequences they may hold for future shows and movies, why Agatha rules and Hayward drools, how timely Falcon and Winter Soldier is, and the as-of-this-writing ongoing desire for an Alligator Loki plushie.
Timestamps:
0:00 Introductions/General MCU talk
17:23 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Spoilers)
53:49 WandaVision (Spoilers)
1:22:50 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Spoilers)
1:45:47 Loki (Spoilers)
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John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Mia's Tumblr: https://patethenovice.tumblr.com/
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated
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John & Dave journey to Eternia to unpack what we would call the latest version of the He-Man franchise (If not for the fact that a totally separate reboot also came out on Netflix soon after this - what a crazy world we live in). From our personal history with the property and showrunner Kevin Smith, to noting some great worldbuilding and character nuance, to the show being the latest in a long line of things splitting fanbases, there's a lot to discuss.
Next episode: Shang-Chi/Marvel Disney+ shows
WE'RE ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/YAqjMUy
John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Dave's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealDaveRoberts
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated
Show email (Send feedback and requests here): sketchwatchplay@gmail.com
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Show homepage: http://sketchwatchplay.blogspot.com
Anime expert, Pro Evolution Soccer (Or eFootball?) player, and all-around friendly European Dave Roberts finally returns to the show for a massive talk with John on all sorts of topics. Initial freeform talks include early days as an anime fan, personal projects in podcasts and on YouTube, and thoughts on potential new Olympic sports. John then gives his initial, spoiler-free thoughts on the finally-localized The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and the unique factors its setting and time period provide, and Dave provides a ton of info and opinions on four recent anime series that have caught his fancy.
Next episode: Masters of the Universe: Revelation
Timestamps:
0:00 Misc. game & anime talk
26:37 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
44:52 Godzilla Singular Point/Fire Force/Demon Slayer/Super Cub
WE'RE ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/YAqjMUy
John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Dave's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealDaveRoberts
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated
Show email (Send feedback and requests here): sketchwatchplay@gmail.com
Show Twitter (Follow for updates, and send feedback and requests): https://twitter.com/sketchwatchplay
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Show homepage: http://sketchwatchplay.blogspot.com
There's no point in acting like listeners aren't familiar with the original Aladdin in some way - it's one of the most iconic Disney films ever made, and remains John's all-time favorite film from the studio. So rather than do a more standard freeform talk about it, we do a more analytical deep dive and dissect it as a piece of animation and filmmaking to nail down just why it works so well. From making the most of all its characters, to a soundtrack with no weak links, to what makes this one of the most expertly paced movies around, we unpack this gem of a movie to see what makes it tick so efficiently to this day, with some brief thoughts on the sequels and remake for good measure.
Next episode: The Great Ace Attorney/Various anime
WE'RE ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/YAqjMUy
John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Patrick's improv group: https://witdc.org/
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated
Show email (Send feedback and requests here): sketchwatchplay@gmail.com
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Show homepage: http://sketchwatchplay.blogspot.com
Were you expecting this episode to come out last month when we first teased recording it? So did we, but the production turned out extremely cursed, so we're thankful this is finally an actual completed podcast that you can really listen to.
John catches up with Patrick to briefly discuss returning to improv in a gradually vaccinated world and the letdown that is Space Jam: A New Legacy before discussing our first mutual movie theater viewing this year in the form of Black Widow, from the stellar supporting cast to the topical themes to the bittersweet nature of its post-Endgame release. We also unpack the many reasons Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart may be one of the best entries in one of our favorite series, from its improved presentation to the endearing new characters.
Next episode: Aladdin (1992)
Timestamps:
0:00 Catching up/Space Jam talk
8:51 Black Widow (Spoilers)
28:53 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Spoilers)
WE'RE ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/YAqjMUy
John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Patrick's improv group: https://witdc.org/
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated
Show email (Send feedback and requests here): sketchwatchplay@gmail.com
Show Twitter (Follow for updates, and send feedback and requests): https://twitter.com/sketchwatchplay
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Show homepage: http://sketchwatchplay.blogspot.com
It's a special day for the podcast, as OG co-host Chris Wade finally makes his first appearance since the Mortal Kombat episode to talk many things near and dear to both his and John's hearts. We open things up with more general talks about recent media we've been consuming, then revisit our passion projects The Will of Monsters and Spacious and talk how work and ideas on both have progressed since our initial discussions in 2017.
After that, we discuss Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and what makes it a loving tribute to both classic cartoons and noir films, why it still impresses technically to this day, and the impact it's had on Chris as his personal favorite film. And for our final segment, we do an overarching talk about what we can both deem a modern classic by talking all things Steven Universe (Except the movie and Future because John couldn't fit it into his time marathoning the show). From its growth after a rocky opening to its bevy of powerful and character-driven plots and moments, hopefully our talks about why we love this show will convince at least one listener to watch it - John certainly slept on it long enough.
Timestamps:
15:11 Personal projects (The Will of Monsters/Spacious)
34:55 Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Spoilers)
1:16:12 Steven Universe (Spoilers)
WE'RE ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/YAqjMUy
John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsmeChrisWade
Chris's film, The Will of Monsters: https://twitter.com/willofmonsters
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated
Show email (Send feedback and requests here): sketchwatchplay@gmail.com
Show Twitter (Follow for updates, and send feedback and requests): https://twitter.com/sketchwatchplayShow Facebook (Follow for updates, and send feedback and requests): https://www.facebook.com/sketchwatchplayShow homepage: http://sketchwatchplay.blogspot.com/
Songs used:
Particle House & Le June - Is This Love
Steven Universe - We Are The Crystal Gems
Steven Universe - Change Your Mind
Animator Ben Reynolds returns to talk with John about two pieces of media that, despite being very different, may be kindred spirits in terms of the positive and inspirational effects they've had on us. John starts things off with his thoughts on Pixar's Soul, how it handles representation and some of the reasons for its somewhat divisive public reception, and why its ultimate message struck him so deeply and why the movie has ended up meaning so much to him personally.
After that, we take a look at one of 2020's big anime underdogs with a discussion about the one-of-a-kind Eizuoken. Topics include what an accurate and personal love letter to the craft of animation it succeeds at being, the memorable cast and worldbuilding, and how it's inspired us as creators. (And Kanamori. No one who watches this show can forget Kanamori.)
Timestamps:
0:00 Catching up with Ben
07:08 Soul review (Spoilers)
42:28 Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken Review (Spoilers)
Show Twitter: https://twitter.com/sketchwatchplay
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Show homepage: http://sketchwatchplay.blogspot.com/
John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Ben's Twitter: https://twitter.com/daiconv
John's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behonart/
John's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Behonkiss