/Film Weekly

On the May 22, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film senior writer Ben Pearson is joined by /Film managing editor Jacob Hall, weekend editor Brad Oman, and writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to talk about the latest film and TV news, including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Christopher Nolan’s next movie.   Opening banter:   In The News: HT - Everything We Learned From the New ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Photos Chris - How ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Brings Back Leia (and Carrie Fisher) Brad - Rey and Kylo Ren’s Connection Runs Deeper Than We Thought HT - Abrams Went “Renegade,” Says The Film is About the Promise of the Future Brad - New Revelations Help Flesh Out the Trailer Chris - Christopher Nolan’s Mysterious New Movie is Called ‘Tenet’   Other Articles Mentioned: Vanity Fair cover story   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 21, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film senior writer Ben Pearson is joined by /Film weekend Brad Oman and writer Chris Evangelista to talk about the latest film and TV news, including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Falcon and Winter Soldier, PlayStation Productions, a True Lies TV show, and a Ghostbusters prequel set in the 1960s.   Opening banter:   In The News: Chris - ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Trailer: Quentin Tarantino and His Huge Cast Go Back to 1969 Ben - ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ First Reactions: The Film Tarantino Was Born to Make Chris - The ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Story Unfolds Over Three Specific Days Brad - Dan Aykroyd Has Written a ‘Ghostbusters’ Prequel Series Set in 1969 Ben - Sony Launches PlayStation Productions Studio to Adapt Its Video Games Into Films and TV Chris - ‘True Lies’ TV Series Coming to Disney+ From McG Ben - ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Finds a Director, Daniel Bruhl and Emily VanCamp in Talks to Join Cast Chris - ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Series Will Have Bucky Going on Dates, Dealing with Apps, and Other Scary Stuff   Other Articles Mentioned: ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Review: Quentin Tarantino Has Made a Profound, Silly, and Sublime Masterwork [Cannes]   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 20, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor-in-chief Peter Sciretta is joined by managing editor Jacob Hall, senior writer Ben Pearson, and writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to discuss what they’ve been up to at the Water Cooler.   Opening banter: We talk about a reader who suggested a t-shirt idea based on our intros.   At The Water Cooler: What we’ve been Doing:Peter went to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire and bought a lightsaber magic wand, and got to sit in TCL’s private box in the TCL Chinese Theatre for the world premiere of John Wick 3. What we’ve been Reading:Jacob is reading The Amusement Park: 900 Years of Thrills and Spills, and the Dreamers and Schemers Who Built Them by Stephen M. Silverman. Hoai-Tran started reading The Silmarillion, listening to Phil Dragash’s audiobook of The Lord of the Rings, and read the first manga issue of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind which she received along with the Blu-ray for the film’s 35th anniversary. What we’ve been Watching:Peter and Ben watched Aladdin. Jacob and Ben watched the season finale of Barry. Peter and Jacob saw John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.   Peter saw Booksmart, started watching Aaron Franklin’s Masterclass, and watched the season finale of Survivor.   Jacob watched and the first two episodes of Chernobyl. Ben watched The Dead Don’t Die, The Night of the Hunter, The Detective, and Shoplifters. Chris watch the new Black Mirror, and rewatched Speed, which still rules. Hoai-Tran watched Kaili Blues, Dune, and Good Omens.   Ben and Jacob watched the series finale of Game of Thrones.   What we’ve been Eating:Peter fell in love with the Cauliflower Pizza from Lucifer’s Pizza. He highly recommends the Ringburner at medium spice level. Jacob ate some HighKey keto cookies. What we’ve been Playing:Jacob debuted his new Dungeons & Dragons character at a session and is already feeling pretty happy with him.   Other Articles Mentioned: Phil Dragash’s Lord of the Rings audiobook ‘Good Omens’ Review: David Tennant and Michael Sheen Are a Match Made in Heaven ‘Game of Thrones’ Ends With Bloody Deaths, Bittersweet Victories, and a New Ruler   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 17, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film senior writer Ben Pearson is joined by writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to discuss the latest film and tv news, including some possible new Batman casting, a Back to the Future musical, the His Dark Materials trailer, another Stephen King adaptation, and more.   In The News:   HT - Robert Pattinson Will Play the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ [Updated] Chris - 3 Reasons Robert Pattinson is an Inspired Choice to Play Batman Ben - Great Scott! That ‘Back to the Future’ Musical is Finally Happening, Will Open in London Next Year HT - ‘His Dark Materials’ Season 1 Trailer: HBO Brings Us The Long-Awaited Adaptation of the Fantasy Epic Chris - ‘Eyes of the Dragon’ Series Adapted From Stephen King’s Novel in the Works at Hulu HT - Thai Heist Thriller ‘Bad Genius’ is the Latest Criminally Underseen Movie to Get a Hollywood Remake   Other Articles Mentioned: Chris's Pattinson tweet   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 16, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor in chief Peter Sciretta is joined by writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to discuss the latest film and tv news, including Saw, Iron Man, John Carpenter, Ghostbusters, Martin Scorsese, and Evil Dead. In The News: Chris: ‘Saw’ Reboot Coming From Chris Rock (Yes, That Chris Rock) HT: Bruce Campbell Teases More ‘Evil Dead,’ But Without Ash Williams Chris:  John Carpenter Would ‘Love to Make a Little Horror Film’ Again HT: The Real Mandarin Will Show Up At Some Point in the MCU, Kevin Feige Confirms Chris: Martin Scorsese Is Obsessing Over the “Youthification” CGI in ‘The Irishman’ HT: Bill Murray Open to Appearing in Jason Reitman’s New ‘Ghostbusters’ Sequel   In The Mailbag: Kolin from San José writes in: “What are some movies you’re embarrassed you haven’t seen yet?” All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 15, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor in chief Peter Sciretta is joined by managing editor Jacob Hall, weekend editor Brad Oman, senior writer Ben Pearson, and writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to discuss what they’ve been up to at the Water Cooler. At The Water Cooler: What we’ve been Doing:Peter saw Helder Guimaraes’ new magic show Invisible Tango at the Geffen. Peter wants to apologize to the magicians he kind of mentioned last week. And Peter finally received his life-size Infinity Gauntlet replica, and has been learning how YouTube works. Jacob is upgrading his home gym and wants your music recommendations. Hoai-Tran appeared on /Filmcast bonus ep to talk the Avengers: Endgame women moment, and went to the Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. And she met Chris! What we’ve been Reading:Ben read William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade Chris started reading Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It by Mike Monteiro. Hoai-Tran finished Dune. What we’ve been Watching:Peter watched Survivor and nothing of note this week. Ben and Chris both saw John Wick Chapter 3  – Parabellum.   Jacob and Ben watched Game of Thrones. Brad and Jacob saw Detective Pikachu. Jacob, Ben and Chris watched Barry. Ben watched The Matrix, and Jacob rewatched the Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.   Hoai-Tran watched Border, The Hustle, Someone Great, Rilakkamu and Kaoru, Fruits Basket. Brad watched The Front Runner, and started rewatching 30 Rock again. Chris watched Deadwood the Movie, and A Dog’s Journey. Ben watched I Think You Should Leave. Jacob watched The Prodigy, All Hallow’s Eve, and the series finale of Veep. He’s also giving The Handmaid’s Tale season 2 another shot. What we’ve been Eating:Peter tried Fat Burger’s “protein style”. Peter is going to make Jacob brag about his impressive diet progress even if he doesn’t want to. Brad tried Cheddar Cheese Bacon Combos, Swedish Fish Tails, and is enjoying S’Mores Oreos again. What we’ve been Playing:Peter played the Big Trouble In Little China board game, and played Vader: Immortal on the Oculus Quest at Facebook HQ. Ben finished Red Dead Redemption 2   Other Articles Mentioned: Subscribe to Peter’s new vlogging youtube channel Ordinary Adventures HT’s /Filmcast bonus ep to talk the Avengers: Endgame women moment ‘Deadwood: The Movie’ Review: A Fond Farewell to One of TV’s Greatest Shows John Wick Chapter 3 Review: An Action Masterpiece The Only Thing More Brutal Than Last Night’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Was the Final Episode of ‘Veep’ All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 14, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor in chief Peter Sciretta is joined by managing editor Jacob Hall, weekend editor Brad Oman, and writer Chris Evangelista to discuss the latest film and tv news, including Star Wars, Netflix, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, The Twilight Zone, Aladdin, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Opening banter: Water Cooler will return tomorrow, we just have too much news to discuss. In The News: Chris: ‘Star Wars’ Film From ‘Game of Thrones’ Showrunners Confirmed to Follow ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ Brad: A Third Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ Series May Be Released Between Episode 9 and the Next Trilogy Jacob: 28% of Netflix Users Claim They Will Cancel When Disney, Marvel & Star Wars Leave the Service Peter: Exclusive: ‘Honey I Shrunk The Kid’ Reboot ‘Shrunk’ in the Works With Josh Gad to Star Chris: You’ll Be Able to Watch ‘The Twilight Zone’ Reboot in Black and White Soon Jacob: ‘Aladdin’ Clip: Will Smith Puts on a Show-Stopping Performance of ‘Prince Ali’ Brad: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Full Food Menu Includes Creature Meat, Blue Milk & More   Other Articles Mentioned: Daniel Silvermint’s twitter thread on the change in Game of Thrones   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 13, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film senior writer Ben Pearson is joined by managing editor Jacob Hall and Nerdist staff writer Lindsey Romain for this spoiler-filled special edition. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (here is the RSS URL if you need it). Opening banter:Why we’re here and our GoT fandom. Topics: Varys and Tyrion Tyrion and Jaime Daenerys and King’s Landing Arya and The Hound The Hound and The Mountain Jaime and Cersei Other Articles Mentioned: 'Game of Thrones' Delivers Its Most Divisive and Apocalyptic Episode with "The Bells" The Only Thing More Brutal Than Last Night's Episode of 'Game of Thrones' Was the Final Episode of 'Veep' The Case Against Jon Snow, the Stupidest and Most Volatile Man in Westeros All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 10, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor in chief Peter Sciretta is joined by managing editor Jacob Hall, weekend editor Brad Oman, senior writer Ben Pearson and writer Chris Evangelista to answer some long lingering questions in the Mail Bag. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (here is the RSS URL if you need it). Opening Banter: We have a lot of emails to get into today. In The Mailbag: Ben P from Los Angeles writes in: “Hi Chris,  I know you've mentioned in the past that you're open to non-movie-related questions, so maybe you can help me out with this situation.   One of my co-workers is obsessed with giving advice. Someone made him an advice-related theme song once and now he constantly sings it during work meetings. During these meetings, when we're all trying to make very important decisions, my co-worker always jumps in and says things like "I've got some advice for that!" or "Need a little advice? I'm your guy!"  So here's my question: how do I get him to give EVEN MORE ADVICE? He's always right - I just need more! Thanks, Ben Los Angeles, CA” The Advice Corner theme song was created by Love you Wally. Jacob asks Chris for advice about his chair. Jackson writes in “Hey guys, had a question   For those of you that collect movie art or posters, do you frame your prints in UV glass or anything special to preserve it? I just framed some Matt Ferguson Star Wars posters, and plan to buy more art at Celebration. Just curious what you guys recommend to preserve your pieces.   Thanks, love the show.” Peter Freeman from Gainesville, VA writes in “After recently seeing Glass, I began to wonder if there has been a sequel of a movie or franchise that has been made over a decade or more after the last movie in the series that has been any good.  Some examples of not good: Glass, Incredibles 2, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, All the Star Wars Prequels, Ghostbusters, Predators, Wall Street - Money Never sleeps, The Alien Prequels, etc.  I can't think of one, that was considered good. I thought maybe the recent Halloween sequel but that's just under 10 years.   Maybe this is something you could discuss in your next mailbag segment or if there is enough here maybe a post.” Michael O from Nashville TN writes in “Hey guys! I’m a big board game fan, but unfortunately, it’s hard to get my gaming friends together at one time. Sometimes I find myself craving a board game while everyone else is busy. Can you guys recommend any sort of single-player board game experiences?” Mohammed from South Africa writes in “Hi Peter and the /Film Daily team,  My name is Mohammed and I am all the way from South Africa. I've been a daily listener of the podcast for the last couple of months.   I am a huge fan of the whole team and I really love the podcast. My 60km (37 miles) commute to work and back home would be excruciating without you and the team.   I recently just upgraded my home setup with a new 65" 4K QLED from Samsung and a XBOX One X. I am a huge supporter of physical media for a couple of reasons (extra's, box artwork and nostalgia etc.).   I was hoping to get some suggestions from the team for 3 Must Own/Have 4K Blu Rays to add to my existing collection. I have already ordered the following:  Avengers Infinity War John Wick Mad Max Fury Road Blade Runner 2049  What else do you think would be great movies to own as well as to show off my new 4K screen?  PS my current collection already includes standard Blu Ray versions of Lord of the Rings boxset, Godfather Boxet, Oceans Boxset, Matrix Boxset, Star Wars Boxset and about 40 other movies.”   Paul Toms from London writes in “Have been listening and reading your excellent Avengers End Game coverage via podcast and site, I have enjoyed every minute of it.  Following on from your second spoiler discussion podcast I just wanted to address a couple of points around the issues with Captain Marvel and her powers that you were all talking about.   There is an easy solution to her being overpowered (as suggested). As with recent comics and with Carol's long and often confusing history, you introduce a character like Rogue. Someone who can drain her ability. The recent Captain Marvel comics book run has seen this happen, and the two characters have a long and complicated back story. Side note, Rogue now under Disney ownership, a good way to slowly introduce the idea of mutants and then xmen? Just a thought.   The other point about the time it took Carol to turn up to the battle of upstate new york, it only takes her a few minutes once Thanos's army and ship shows up, if she's got to get from the other side of the galaxy I think we can give her 10 minutes.   Keep up the excellent work.” Jim F writes in “Just finished listening to the May 6 edition of Slashfilm Daily, and it strikes me that there is a very different way to view the introduction of the multiverse into the MCU. Yes, it could provide a simple way of introducing the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. But it also provides an easy way to wrap up the Sony/Marvel contract. Instead of just forgetting about Spider-Man or killing him off when the partnership between the two studios ends, they could easily have Peter Parker head off into another dimension.   That dimension, of course, would be the same one that the Venom movies take place in, as well as any of the other rumoured Sony "Spider-Verse" projects. This way, Sony reaps the most benefit from the storytelling within the MCU up until now, with Peter's backstory and character being well-established. It gives him new challenges and experiences, like learning to live without any of his supporting characters, etc. Maybe Mysterio actually tricks Peter into heading into another dimension under the guise of needing his help, but then traps Peter there just to get rid of him.   Of course, I'm not sure what any of this means for the Aunt May spin off movie.” Michael from KC writes in, “Hey Peter and Co.!  Appreciate all the excellent conversations across the /Film family and guests digging into “Avengers: Endgame”. I have thoughts. Apologies for the length.  As we see with both the comics source material and many superhero films from most non-Feige entities, these stories have traditionally been treated as “good enough is good enough”. (Recall a WB hack’s comment that it didn’t matter whether a Batman script was good or not, as global box office will support any Batman flick regardless of quality.)  Whether due to the strict deadlines involved or the original target audience, comic book stories from the past are largely forgettable, paint by numbers, or flat-out bad. That is to say, there’s rarely been an incentive for “superhero” stories to elevate beyond simple tales of good overcoming evil in funny costumes. None of these movies has any real right to be as good as many of them are. And due to their outsized box office representation, the responsibility that these films have both been assigned and actively taken on has roped in themes ranging from racism and gender equality to corporate greed and entitlement. There is the cynical point of view that says they might include those “deep” elements just to have the facade of being more than popcorn fluff, but if those socially aware aspects were the only key to hit movies, everyone would be making billion dollar movies. Maybe there’s something to a superhero candy coating makes the messaging medicine easier to go down? But then, hasn’t that been the format of all of our myths? I understand how the “non-true believers” have had to suffer enough borderline worship of the MCU as quasi-religious works, but lessons disguised as fun engaging stories has always been humanity’s way.  I’ve been super fascinated by how it seems that from a film criticism perspective the MCU defies easy classification, dissection, and critique. I think that in the future, it’s likely we will look back at this run of films as not only genre-defying, but medium-defying beyond the current “it’s just movies as TV episodes” that is a relatable way to approach the MCU. But TV shows usually have tons of extraneous filler, and leave few dots for the viewer to connect. The MCU proudly skips “entire missing movies” like Wanda and Vision’s life between “Civil War” and “Infinity War” or Bruce Banner’s shocking transformation that occurs off-screen during the five year gap of “Endgame”. Similarly, viewers fed a steady diet of comic books will also bump up against the lack of connective tissue that aging actors, contracts, and millions of CGI render hours cannot accommodate. So there’s no simple “in” for an approach grounded in other traditional serialized storytelling: television, comics, or film.  It’s not to say the MCU films are so genius they transcend our rational minds, but I do feel the critic community just doesn’t quite have perspective yet, or perhaps the vocabulary to accurately place this work (say, “The Infinity Saga”) in film history from an academic point of view. I felt this especially with the oft-repeated criticisms of “Infinity War” as too much table setting, and that the end is hollow because in our reality, we the viewer know that the dusted characters can’t stay dead because we read the trades that tell us actor contract and sequel details. These are fair and common ways to analyze a film as a singular work. But the MCU experiment has never been a singular work. Even “Iron Man”(2008) can’t be that because it plays to an audience that knows what the greater Marvel Universe is in pop culture. Even if you ignore the Nick Fury stinger, much of the audience has some knowledge that Iron Man teams up with Cap, The Hulk, etc. When we read a novel and set it down halfway through, we don’t google whether the author has a follow-up in the works with certain characters. Do we cynically cross our arms at the end of “Wrath of Khan” and smirk that Spock can’t really be dead, robotically robbing ourselves of the crushing impact of “I have been...and always shall be...your friend.”? The entire point of dusting half the universe in “Infinity War” is to tell a story about how the characters in the movie react to losing those people. We feel Spock’s death because of Kirk’s reaction, not our own as passive movie watchers. What we the audience know about the filmmaking process is entirely irrelevant to the characters’ state of mind.  Once we step back from a “film by film” consideration, and we see the actual real time these productions have spanned, how many changes the viewer has experienced in the interim, how large a percentage of filmgoers have seen them, and in a niche-ified cultural landscape how many separate generations now have these moments as common touchstones, these start looking less like a series of movies, and more like a bizarre portal to a virtual world that we have access to periodically to check in with “people” that we’ve become convinced are real in way. How else to explain our reaction? The ubiquitously-mentioned early cinema patron leaping out of the way of the oncoming train he was sure was going to burst out of the screen and hit him. We’ve been trained over a century plus to accept most movies as artifice, as neat boxes of storytelling that we can hold in our hand and spin around to inspect its every angle, and that feels comforting. To attempt to consider the MCU and its totality is far less neat, more like considering a universe. Is this Kevin Feige’s grand design made real? Doubtful, as the best/most influential works of culture are frequently happy accidents wrangled by many talented people in the right place at the right time: The Beatles, Star Wars, the Bible. But it doesn’t diminish the end result. Can you call The Beatles a rock band? You can, and you can even analyze each album separately as compared to its contemporaries. But I would argue the real impact The Beatles had is completely separate from any one particular set of songs. One other aspect that I haven’t seen touched upon that much is the subconscious impact that I think the MCU has had on the public perception of masculinity and antiquated macho ideals. No real empirical data here, but after I noticed some cracks appearing with “The Force Awakens” (Han’s grown-man-tear-inducing “Chewie...we’re home.”) we now seem to live in an America where openly weeping in a movie theater not only evades ridicule, but is accepted and even championed as a healthy and cathartic collective experience. As a boy, I was certainly raised in a climate that discouraged any public display of perceived weakness. How common is the experience of a kid being stigmatized for crying? The freedom to be so connected to one’s emotions that tears of joy, shock, grief, and just pure awe arrive unrestrained is freeing, and to me has to be considered a progressive moment for our culture. And I definitely applaud the courage and confidence you guys have in sharing your reactions in an even more public (and often toxic) forum. Some critics peg this as suspended childhood, but consider the emotional damage done to previous generations because fathers weren’t permitted to identify with their sons, and weren’t equipped with the empathy and confidence to believe that becoming your best self means being able to feel everything in a safe environment. Do I want a world where fathers are distant, confused by and ashamed of their children’s feelings, behavior, and tastes? Or do I want a world where fathers are proudly locked in to the beauty of the entire spectrum of emotions and human passion that connects people of all walks of life?  The MCU as radical social change standard-bearer, and transformative parenting catalyst??? Did even Stan Lee himself dare to dream of such a thing?  Thanks for all the good stuff!   Other Articles Mentioned:   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On the May 9, 2019 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor in chief Peter Sciretta is joined by weekend editor Brad Oman, senior writer Ben Pearson and writer Chris Evangelista to discuss the latest film and tv news, including Fast and the Furious, Hellraiser, Star Wars, Lady and the Tramp, Avengers: Endgame and the future of the MCU. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (here is the RSS URL if you need it). In The News: Brad: Universal Drops ‘Fast and Furious’ Producer Neal Moritz from ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ and All Future Sequels Chris: ‘Hellraiser’ Remake Will Be Summoned by David S. Goyer Ben: ‘Star Wars’ is Taking a Three Year Break From the Movies After ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ Sets Future Release Dates Chris: ‘New Mutants’ Release Date Pushed Yet Again, Will Now Open in 2020 Ben (og HT): Disney Post-Fox Film Release Slate Pushes Back ‘Avatar’ Sequels to 2021, ‘Artemis Fowl’ to 2020 Chris: ‘Lady and the Tramp’ Remake Will Have Janelle Monae Revamp that Problematic Siamese Cat Song Brad: The End of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Has Permanently Changed The Hulk Chris: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Didn’t Influence How ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Ended Brad: Marvel Studios Will Announce First Openly Gay Superhero Character Sometime Soon   Other Articles Mentioned: Brad’s plug: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Isn’t Fat-Shaming the Traumatized and Grief-Stricken Thor Ben’s plug: George R.R. Martin on ‘The Lord of the Rings’, Whether Tolkien Would Have Liked His Work, and One Big Regret [Interview] Chris’ plug: ‘It Chapter Two’ Trailer Breakdown: You Know What They Say About Derry…   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word! Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo. Our Sponsors:* Check out Aura.com: https://aura.com/removeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy