Get down and nerdy with this USA TODAY podcast every Friday as hosts Brett Molina, Kelly Lawler and Brian Truitt dissect the geekiest video games, TV shows and movies.
It's a skeleton crew this week as we're all working from home to avoid the Coronavirus. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY's TV critic chats with Bill Keveney, USAToday's TV Reporter out of LA as he review the newest season of "WestWorld".
Our Film Critic Brian Truitt reviews Disney and Pixar's new release "Onward" and ranks it among the many Pixar films. Brian and Tech Reporter Brett Molina discuss their top picks for Pixar and explain why they love or (in Brian's case) loathe them. Make sure you have tissues and prepare yourself for some emotion as this episode might evoke a little nostalgia.
This week the crew reviews some of the hottest movies, TV shows and apps that you may or may not know about. Our hosts get punchy and chat about their favorite things, and make their case for why you should consume a piece of content.
Harrison Ford: we can’t say enough about him. But we try, in this week’s tribute episode. Listen to each crew member gush over their favorite Harrison Ford movie and speculate on the future of his adventure series, "Indiana Jones". Brian and Kelly predict whether Ford will win an Oscar and everyone gets distracted by a pesky owl.
Rob McElhenney phones into the studio to discuss his new show on Apple TV Plus. "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet" debuted February 7th and features what our TV Critic Kelly Lawler describes as an all-star cast. Rob walks us through the process of choosing the right cast members, the hardship of pegging comedy for different audiences and compares the new show to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia".
The crew delivers a spoiler-free review of "Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn". Kelly Lawler and Brian Truitt zero in on accent issues, disappointing villains and underutilized characters. And Brett Molina makes a hysterical comparison of Harley Quinn as Mary Tyler Moore running around Gotham with an egg salad sandwich and "making it after all."
Osgood Perkins visits the studio this week. Perkins gives us spoiler-free insight into his upcoming film “Gretel & Hansel” and discusses the beauty of the horror genre. He also describes what it was like to play 12-year-old Norman Bates and tells us what he really thinks about his father’s acting legacy.
The Oscars are coming and the crew wants you to be prepared. So this week we talk Oscar history including Best Picture nominees past and present, Oscar snubs that were a downright shame and whether the Academy is out of touch. And Brett challenges Brian to make a case for movies he feels should have won the Oscar for Best Picture category in the past.
This week the crew pays homage to the second person to ever pull off a blue, animated genie: Will Smith! Or depending on your generation, the Fresh Prince. With a career that has spanned music, television and film Will Smith has stood out as one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood. Join us as we celebrate his legacy and break down exactly what makes his personality so endearing.
This week Nate Scott, Managing Editor of “For The Win,” joins the Mothership and speaks with Tech Reporter Brett Molina and Film Critic Brian Truitt about what they are most looking forward to in 2020. Nate Scott also discusses his new true crime podcast “The Sneak” and compares the first season, a theatrical bank heist (including multiple inner tubes) to the upcoming second season which focused on a murderer.
Warning: This episode contains spoilers! This week the crew gives their final review of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker". The crew discusses everything from their unadulterated disappointment in the series finale, to the absurd new Jedi rules and powers and what plot lines did or did not work for the film emotionally.
This week TV Critic Kelly Lawler, Film Critic Brian Truitt and Tech Reporter Brett Molina review the ninth and final installation of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker". Our critics discuss their interest in new Star Wars characters, their surprise in old character role reprisals and they rate the trilogy on a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest. And as promised we kept this episode spoiler-free.
This week the crew shares their favorite things from 2019 and the decade. Each host will name four of the best TV shows, films or video games and explain what they love most about each choice!
From the archives: This podcast first aired Aug. 31, 2018. The Mothership crew is tackling a very public divide in the pop culture world: Fans vs. critics. We hear about diverging scores on Rotten Tomatoes, rave reviews for movies that flunk at the box office and filmmakers who claim badly-reviewed films were made "for the fans." So what gives? USA TODAY's Kelly Lawler, Brett Molina and Brian Truitt on why critics and fans are divided.
Best-selling Author Maureen Johnson stops by to talk about her obsession with mysteries and what is best about the genre. She also chats with the crew about writing a movie for Netflix, "Let It Snow."
Spoilers there will be! Movie Critic Brian Truitt coins a new term for the new Disney+ TV series in this episode. TV Critic Kelly Lawler and Tech Reporter Brett Molina weigh in with Brian on the much-discussed "Mando".
In this week's episode the crew explains the negative and positive benefits to all the recently debuted streaming networks. We break down all the details on bundling the best networks for your buck and the rules and regulations for bundling said networks. And our TV Critic Kelly Lawler divulges the big questions, How will these streaming networks effect television programming and it's critics? Or more importantly will streaming services and their content become skewed or polarized?"
This week's episode is for Halloween & horror lovers! Film Critic Brian Truitt talks with Daphne Rubin-Vega about her current podcast "The Horror of Dolores Roach", an urban re-imagining of Sweeney Todd. She shares what it was like to work with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the movie adaptation of "In The Heights". Plus, in celebration of this fright-filled holiday Rubin-Vega discusses her worst fear and other holiday themed topics.
The new movie Star Wars: "The Rise of Skywalker" is fast approaching. In preparation for the end of this epic saga, the crew breaks down the newly released trailer, and speculates what we can expect from the final film that will end 42 years of a journey in a galaxy far far away.
TV Critic Kelly Lawler gives a detailed six episode review of HBO's new series "Watchmen". Tech Reporter Brett Molina joins to discuss whether the series is too violent for television and whether its presentation of certain social and authoritarian relationships are properly represented.
This week the crew chats with Felicia Day about her new book "Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity", her experience on past & present fantasy shows and how the hate language she experienced during GamerGate was just the tip of the iceberg concerning the internet and non-regulated platforms.
USA TODAY's movie critic Brian Truitt asks Australian actor Jai Courtney about his roles in upcoming films like "Semper Fi". The one most like himself? Captain Boomerang in "Suicide Squad".
In homage to the final season of "The Good Place," the crew interviewed long-awaited guest William Jackson Harper who plays the indecisive Chidi. William chats with Brian Truitt & Brett Molina about the lessons he learned from his character Chidi, what fans can expect from the final season of "The Good Place" and his trepidation for being cast in the horror film "Midsommar."
This week Tech Reporter Brett Molina & Film Critic Brian Truitt analyze and revel in all things Brad Pitt, in honor of his new movie "Ad Astra". Brian Truitt discusses how Brad Pitt's movies were relevant way before their time and Brett Molina explains why he relates to the character Pitt portrayed in Ocean's Eleven.
USA TODAY Movie Critic Brian Truitt identifies Oscar contenders at the Toronto International Film Festival and also points out the duds. Stay tuned for an interview with Tatiana Maslany on the next chapter of Black Orphan.
In celebration of Marvel's 80th birthday the crew chats with the great nerd, Adam F. Goldberg. During his interview Adam discusses his excitement about writing for "Marvel Comics 1,000" and his love of the comic "Damage Control." He also talked about how he created his favorite episodes of "The Goldbergs". Movie Critic Brian Truitt bonds with Adam over their references and vast knowledge of nerd culture and how their wives are "slightly" annoyed by it. A bromance might be brewing!
This week the crew chats about pop culture trailers debuted at the D23 Expo and future programming for Disney Plus and Hulu. But most importantly, whether we should be overwhelmed or "just whelmed" by the newly released trailer of "The Mandalorian" a series slated for Disney Plus.
This week's episode is chock-full of laughs. Television Critic Kelly Lawler is back aboard the Mothership. She and our Film Critic Brian Truitt go on fantastic rants detailing why they love or hate specific TV series, movies or video games from this passing summer or the upcoming fall. Tech Reporter Brett Molina is along for the ride and gives specifics into why he didn't choose Overwatch as his summer favorite for the third year in a row.
This week Britney Young a.k.a Carmen Wade steps out of the ring and onto the "Mothership" to chat with the crew about the newly released season three of "Glow", her future career goals and how she learned a hard lesson about fear.
Tech Reporter Brett Molina interviews Film Critic Brian Truitt on the first spin-off of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, "Hobbs & Shaw." During this hilarious interview, Brian goes into detail about a piece of Hobbs' clothing that drove him insane and the giant Dominic-Toretto-shaped hole that needed to be filled.
