This episode we welcome our learned friend Andrew Friedenthal to discuss the upcoming Justice League movie and the greater DC Universe. Andrew wrote his dissertation on superhero comics and cultural memory and he really brings the knowledge. Come get some of this nerd cred!
Discussion includes:
- Why was Wonder Woman so much better than the DC movies that came before?
- They made Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) into a scary butterface in Wonder Woman. That’s not the point but it is unfortunate.
- Male gaze + sexy vs. beautiful + necessary relationship between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine (?)
- Will Justice League be as good as Wonder Woman? Will Joss Whedon’s late-in-the-process rewrites make a noticeable difference?
- Ben Affleck as Batman: he just mumbles everything into his underbite.
- Why is Man of Steel so…bad? Well, it’s bloated and slow and boring, first of all.
- Batman V Superman hints at the DC Universe’s cosmic potential.
- Superhero TV gives us exciting moments of characterization and humor that the movies have yet to fully capture.
- #notmyflash isn’t really a thing. But Grant Gustin should have at least been auditioned! At least!
- The complicated reasoning that led to Steppenwolf, the anticlimactic uncle of Darkseid (played by Ciaran Hinds), becoming the primary villain in the movie.
- Can Aquaman be cool? Really? Maybe if he wins an arm-wrestling match against Superman at the bottom of the ocean. Maybe.
- You can’t really hear it but we talk briefly about L.L. Cool J. That should be noted.
- Do you understand the New 52? DC Rebirth? Flashpoint? They’re all connected in a very confusing way. Bask as Andrew explains all.
- Upcoming DC movies, subject to change: Aquaman (2018), Shazam (2019), Woman Woman II (2019), Cyborg (2020) and Green Lantern Corps. (2020).
- Get excited for Willem Dafoe. He plays Nuidis Vulko (Aquaman’s buddy) and is 100% a lion disguised as a man.
- Would you want to see an R-rated Joker movie? What about this a movie about this guy?
- How is Suicide Squad like the second season of American Horror Story?
- Amanda Waller is a legit villain in Suicide Squad (she was played by Pam Grier in Smallville and Angela Bassett in Green Lantern).
- And a super-powered games corner!
Plugs:
Follow Andrew’s theatre criticism blog and buy his book Retcon Game: Retroactive Continuity and the Hyperlinking of America.
If you’re in the mood for some weird witchy stuff, check out Mic’s favorite comic: The Invisibles.
Relax with Girls (which is over now!) and Community if you’ve read too many comic books and your eyes hurt.
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