A Cinema Sangha Special Presentation! This week we are giving you a free glimpse at one of our other podcasts, The Bad Batch. That's our weekly Star Wars show, and this week we're talking about the new documentary A Disturbance In the Force , about the legendary Star Wars Holiday Special . It's a pretty terrific documentary that gives you a good sense of the context of early Star Wars , of 1970s TV and just how the hell something as truly awful as the Star Wars Holiday Special even came to be. I...
Dec 15, 2023•2 hr 7 min•Season 14Ep. 5
This week it's a look back at the birth of the Marvel Age of Comics, and it's not completely what you might expect. It's weird, silly and not actually the Marvel Universe as we know it. For one thing, the Fantastic Four debut in a fictional city, not New York! Before that we have some news, and some movie talk - Derek has caught up with Napoleon and The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , while I've been playing Baldur's Gate 3 . Find out what we think about these, what we think about...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 30 min•Season 14Ep. 4
Welcome to the debut of Batman... or should we say, The Bat-Man. In Detective Comics #27 Bob Kane and Bill Finger introduced a character who would impact the pop culture of the 20th century in ways nobody could have guessed. Hell, reading this entire comic book it becomes clear nobody would have guessed this stuff would still be around in ten years, let alone 80+ years later. We attempted to read all of Detective Comics #27, but the length and the general crumminess stymied us! Still, reading so...
Dec 05, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 14Ep. 3
This week we're back to reading comics, and we are continuing our origins project. It's Amazing Fantasy #15, the historic first appearance of Peter Parker, the spectacular Spider-Man! You can find this comic on Marvel Unlimited or for free on the Kindle app; what's nice is that Marvel has reprinted the whole comic , which includes a bunch of frankly terrible back-up stories... which we also read and talk about! How does this tale hold up? Did Stan Lee and Steve Ditko get it right the first time?...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 44 min•Season 14Ep. 2
While we wait for What If...? to start, we decided to do more comic book readalongs. But we learned a lesson from Secret Wars II - we can't ask you guys to read 9 comics a week. So our interim activity will be reading first appearances of famous characters, and what more famous a character to start with than Superman himself, first appearing in 1938's Action Comics #1. But first: a whole lot of news! Pedro Pascal! We talk about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (no spoilers)! Monarch: Legacy of Monsters a...
Nov 20, 2023•2 hr 17 min
It's the end of Loki ... and it's the end of Loki? Big series finale here, with major consequences for the God of Mischief. But does the rest of the season support the finale? Is it possible the last episode of a show can be amazing if the ones before are kind of not great? Find out! Also: we talk a little bit about The Marvels , saving the main discussion for our podcast Watch Men. You can get that by subscribing at www.patreon.com/cinemasangha . Just $5 a month! Somehow that is now the cost of...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 59 min•Season 14Ep. 6
Believe it or not this week I'm not complaining. The penultimate episode of Loki season 2 is a lot of fun and has the kind of lovely strangeness that's been missing. It also has the Velvet Underground... and that I complain about, believe it or not. Plus: hot takes on that big Variety piece about Marvel Studios, and which parts sound kind of like BS. Who is throwing Nia DaCosta under the bus here? And what does it mean when FX are "out of focus?" Next week: the season finale! It's probably gonna...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 53 min•Season 14Ep. 5
This week's Loki ends on a major cliffhanger, but is the journey to get there worth it? On this episode we try to figure out what the different characters actually want, and what the stakes of the show are - things you would hope the program made clearer! Before that - a revisit of Infinity War and Endgame leads to discussion about why Phase Four feels so different, excitement-wise, from the first three phases. What's different, and what does the future hold? Plus - we finish reading MCU: The Re...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 44 min•Season 14Ep. 4
What does everybody want in this show? This week we talk about some muddled motivations and some muddled stakes, but do those things mean the episode isn't enjoyable? Not necessarily! Also: we're reading MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios and it's giving me memberberries about the days when I was in the scooping game. Come join the Patreon at www.patreon.com/cinemasangha !
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 14Ep. 3
This week it's a twisterooni, as I am the one nitpicking and Derek is the one defending. However we both agree this episode's cold open was designed to make us feel like we missed a whole episode of the show. Plus there's news! A bunch of trivia questions whose answers just don't feel right! Plus I reveal the dark reason I won't review the new book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (I know one of the authors and he's a really good dude and it would be awkward if I didn't like the book). Thanks fo...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Season 14Ep. 2
After years we get the second season of Loki , and it starts off with a bang. This episode also starts off with a bang as I tell a tale from my old drinking days when I tried to get into a fight with someone involved with the production of this episode. Who? You'll have to listen! Also this week: Derek gets to be the one who laughs at a mispronunciation, we remember how much we love Owen Wilson and we wonder if an event at the end of the episode is going to be resolved as obviously as we think i...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 14Ep. 1
The cosmic conclusion of the nine part Secret Wars II saga is upon us! This week we have only one crossover, an epilogue with the Avengers, and otherwise this whole episode is going to be about baby killing. Yes, you read that right - baby killing is a main component of this final issue of the superhero crossover comic book series. Did you enjoy Secret Wars II as much as we did? Interested in more comic readalongs? Let us know! Join the Patreon to get into the Discord and join the discussion - c...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Season 13Ep. 9
The Beyonder has had enough. This universe, and all of the desire and disconnection he has found here, has driven him to the brink. The only option left to him is to destroy it all so that he can once again be alone. But can Marsha cuck Owen Reese, the Molecule Man, hard enough to save reality? This week's crossovers include some of the best books we've read in this whole little project. In many ways this issue and the best of the crossovers (not so fast, Fantastic Four ) represent the ideal ver...
Sep 27, 2023•2 hr 47 min•Season 13Ep. 8
The Beyonder has a lot to think about, and this issue that's pretty much all he does - sit and think. But this guy has an impact on the world even when he's just parking his kiester on a rock in the South Pacific, and first he gathers a crowd of followers and then a group of villains, sent by Mephisto. This episode we talk about how Puma should be the star of a Sony movie, what Peter Parker line makes Derek feel seen and how a lifetime of comic reading can really alter the way you perceive the w...
Sep 19, 2023•3 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 7
The Beyonder has turned away from his despair, and now he wants to help people. But this bugs Captain America and Mister Fantastic who yet again do nothing about the Beyonder but do continue to threaten him. The Marvel cosmic beings show up in this issue, and something happens that finally gets Molecule Man off the couch. Plus we have a whole bunch of crossover comics, including a Thor / Power Pack crossover and a Micronauts story that is so wild you just have to read it. Next week's homework! S...
Sep 12, 2023•2 hr 39 min•Season 13Ep. 6
This week The Beyonder gets real sad and goes emo with a 13 year old girl, who ends up being a significant recurring character in the X titles! The Avengers pull a Ray Stantz, and Derek wonders if Iman Vellani is scabbing by promoting her new Ms. Marvel comic book. Next week's Secret Wars II is much more crossover heavy than some of our recent issues, and one of the comics you need to read is simply unavailable anywhere. With that in mind I have included a link where you can find the issue. Your...
Sep 04, 2023•2 hr 29 min•Season 13Ep. 5
The Beyonder goes to pound town this issue as he seeks to understand this crazy little thing called love. What is love and desire? And can he make Dazzler love him? This week sees us having a big argument about Dune Part II moving and the Oscars in general, as well as, believe it or not, a big argument about the existential philosophy of an issue of Rom: Spaceknight . Next week the Beyonder gets sad! And we have a handful of crossovers for homework. Your reading for next week: Secret Wars II #5 ...
Aug 28, 2023•3 hr 10 min•Season 13Ep. 4
This week The Beyonder takes over the whole world - but can that satisfy him? We also have a mixed bag of crossover comics; there's Derek's favorite ever issue of The Incredible Hulk and there's an issue of Daredevil that saw Denny O'Neil quit the book. It's a mess, but is it purposefully recalling the temptation of Christ in the desert? Next week: the Beyonder tries to understand love. We have some crossover action again, but be aware: there is one crossover comic that is hard to find. It's not...
Aug 19, 2023•2 hr 4 min•Season 13Ep. 3
When is a crossover not a crossover? When it happens in only one panel of the comic book in question, I'd say. This week we follow the Beyonder to New York City, where he bumbles around and learns to poop. Then we get two fantastic Spider-Man crossover comics and a Fantastic Four issue that is, crossover or not, just kind of bad. Next week: the Beyonder takes over the world! Here's your homework: Secret Wars II #3 Avengers #260 Daredevil #223 The Incredible Hulk #312...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr 57 min•Season 13Ep. 2
This week we're doing a big pivot. Now that Secret Invasion has finished we have decided to not return to X-Men: The Animated Series just yet. Instead we're going to spend the next few weeks reading Secret Wars II and all of the associate crossovers. Yes, it's a trip back to 1985 to talk about the granddaddy of all crossover event series. Secret Wars II is weird and shaggy and an awful lot of fun, even if it isn't exactly one of the great comic book storylines. This week we cover: Secret Wars II...
Aug 05, 2023•2 hr 26 min•Season 13Ep. 1
Well that's a let down. The Secret Invasion series wraps up with a whimper, and it didn't have to be this way. There is stuff that happens in this episode that, had it happened in episode three, would have made this series an all-timer. After this episode the hierarchy of power in the MCU is changed, but will anyone care or ever reference it? Next week we begin a new project here: a weekly read-along of Secret Wars II , the 1985 comic book miniseries and all of the tie-in comics . That's nine we...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 41 min•Season 12Ep. 7
Things start coming to a head this week on Secret Invasion , but they also kind of stop making sense. Lotta plans that aren't very coherent and some weird decisions and just some other things that don't hold up under too much scrutiny. But we also get a pretty good shoot-em-up, so maybe it all evens out. Then again, there is also a cameo that absolutely no one on Earth cared about, which isn't a great sign. Heads up: after Secret Invasion we are not returning to X-Men: The Animated Series . Not ...
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Season 12Ep. 6
It's strike time, baby. Hollywood is shutting down and we spend a little bit of time talking about this, and about Disney's Bob Iger and his big fat mouth. We also have some (limited) news, including intriguing casting on James Gunn's Superman: Legacy . If you don't care about all that good stuff skip to This week's Secret Invasion has good booze and a middling firefight, but once again we get a bunch of scenes where good actors get to go for it. Plus: are supposed to give a single damn about Em...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 41 min•Season 12Ep. 5
Let's get one thing out of the way: my audio isn't great this episode. I tried to adjust it best as possible, but I'm not a podcast engineer. I'm taking steps to make the next episode sound better. On to the show - the third episode of Secret Invasion gives us more spy tropes as well as what feels like an honest to God romance between Nick Fury and Talos. Am I shipping them? I'm shipping them! In the intro we talk about Star Trek for a minute, as well as the low-level news that has been hitting ...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Season 12Ep. 4
Do you like dialogue scenes? Because this episode has some good dialogue scenes, including what could be Nick Fury's best scene and best line. Before we get to the big reveals about the Skrull invasion, we spend a little time talking about blinds (you know, on windows), the Superman: Legacy casting, and we have some truly bad trivia. Then it's time to argue endlessly about whether or not 2000 could have been killed in the explosions we saw last week. If you want to waste no time getting to the b...
Jun 30, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Season 12Ep. 3
We've been away for a bit but we have returned with the latest Disney+ MCU show, Secret Invasion . Loosely based on a comic book event, this show finds an old and decrepit Nick Fury dealing with a Skrull invasion of Earth. But what are we dealing with? Is it a gripping spy drama or kind of a boring slog? Before that we have some news, and we argue vociferously about the state of the studios, we talk about the controversial AI opening of the show and we discuss the latest Marvel Comics event, Ult...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Season 12Ep. 2
If you've noticed this podcast being non-existent for the past few weeks it's because my beautiful, beloved wife was in the hospital and then, on June 9th, passed away. I was there with her as she drew her last breath and I held her and loved her as she left us. Last week we buried her, and I delivered a eulogy. Before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge her, and the loss, and to share with you the words I said that day. This is a sad episo...
Jun 19, 2023•19 min•Season 12Ep. 1
Hey, this podcast hasn't happened in a minute. What's going on? Well, I'll tell you. This episode is just a catch up, where I talk about some of the very heavy updates in my life over the past two weeks - as well as the beautiful and uplifting updates. We also cover some of the more interesting news that we missed over the past couple of weeks, everything from Marvel to DC to Star Wars . It's not Marvelvision, it's not The Bad Batch, it's just sort of an opportunity for us to reconnect with you....
May 17, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 11Ep. 23
This week the trivia questions almost kill me. They're funnier than the jokes on The Bad Batch! We also talk about a whole bunch of news, including some wild Fantastic Four rumors that people are straight making up. Just pulling right from their bholes. All of that goes until 40:03, and then we get to the meat of the X-Men episode, which sees Wolverine getting out of a car in a way no person ever has before. More than that, this episode brings in complicated elements of Marvel Comics continuity ...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 11Ep. 22
This week we argue about the TV show Jury Duty and about Adam Driver. News! Views! The usual stuff that, should you want to skip it, ends at 37:17. The main episode this week is pretty much a repeat of last week - it's the Back to the Future Part II of the X-Men show. But not as good. Plus: Cable passes on his cybernetic arm to his child. We shall return next week with more X action. Thanks for listening!
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 11Ep. 21
