‘Masters of the Universe’ can’t find the right tone, but creates a lot of nostalgic fun

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

Middle-aged men who grew up in the 1980s watching the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon series and playing with the Mattel action figures sure seem like the target audience for the live-action Masters of the Universe movie. So I’ll admit I was an easy mark for this one.

Although I still hold a tight grip on the comic books, movies, books and TV shows I loved as a kid, I’m more resistant to nostalgia as I get older. But fellow Gen Xer Travis Knight (Bumblebee, Kubo and the Two Strings) is obviously a fan of the old animated series and knew what notes to hit to trigger those childhood tingles.

Being a fan is not always a good thing for movies like this. Sometimes, filmmakers try to cram too much into one story, attempting to load everything they love about a property in their endeavor — maybe because they think it’ll be the only chance they get. Or perhaps he or she just can’t take off their fan goggles and assume audiences will enjoy the same things they did, rather than take an objective look at what works and what doesn’t, what needs to be subtracted or added.

Knight — with writers Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and Dave Callaham —walks that line pretty well, realizing what was silly about the cartoon and toys — notably character names such as “Fisto,” “Ram Man” and “Mekaneck.” The movie actually comes up with a funny, believable conceit to explain some of the sillier, campier elements of the Masters of the Universe mythology.

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‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ is too stationary, failing to justify its existence as a movie

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

Saying a movie spun out of a TV series should have stayed a TV series feels like an easy, sometimes even lazy, criticism. I thought that might apply to The Mandalorian and Grogu. Yet it’s probably a fair gripe.

The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn’t utilize what made the series special, probably because it’s limited to a two-hour running time rather than eight episodes of TV. It’s also limited by not being allowed to step outside the show’s boundaries into the larger Star Wars mythology. So yes, rather than being made into a movie, this should have been Season 4 of the series. (And hopefully, with more episodes, it would have been better.)

What made The Mandalorian series so enjoyable as a Star Wars fan is that it expanded the universe that we followed in the movies. It made the mythology feel bigger against the backdrop of the war between the Rebellion and the Empire, building on the concepts of the Jedi and the Force. It also added more to ideas that were intriguing yet not crucial to the overall story — characters such as Boba Fett, his origins, and the society in which he existed.

Yet the world of The Mandalorian could only go so far. It runs into a ceiling. We don’t see the main character, Din Djarin, in the newer Star Wars trilogy. (The series is supposed to take place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, which allows for a whole bunch of storytelling possibilities.) Grogu, the adorable “Baby Yoda,” was not a part of the most recent films either.

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Watched ’em, read ’em – Sept. 2025

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If this is your first time reading one of these “Watched/Read” posts here, they’re inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s annual “Seen/Read” list. At the beginning of every year, Soderbergh posts his chronicle of all the media he consumed during the prior year.

I wanted to do something similar, but felt that keeping track each month would keep me more engaged as a writer and make it an easier read. What I had in mind turns out to be similar to “What I’m Doing Now” posts and pages that writers like Cavan Scott (inspired by Martine Ellis and Derek Sivers) have set up.

Yet my professional work doesn’t change much from month to month. What does change is the culture and media I consume. I’ve wondered if I should include podcasts or sporting events in these lists, since they comprise a big part of my media diet. However, I don’t think that would generate much discussion. Or it would be better in a separate post.

Besides action dramas like Alien: Earth and Peacemaker, The Paper seemed like a good change-up to add to TV watching. Following up or spinning off The Office feels like a bad idea and this series wasn’t consistently funny enough to convince me otherwise. But maybe it’ll get better in a second season, as these sorts of comedies (Parks and Recreation, especially) often do.

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Sharing my work experience with ‘Media in Minutes’ podcast

/ Ian Casselberry / 1 Comment

I’ve avoided podcast and radio appearances over the past year or so, largely because it’s just difficult to fit them in with a shift-driven work schedule. And honestly, I don’t get asked that much anymore.

However, when Angela Tuell invited me to chat on her Media in Minutes podcast, I couldn’t refuse. She talks to a variety of journalists covering travel, outdoors, finance, food and sports, in addition to people working in the broadcast fields and leadership roles. I’m flattered to be included among that collection of reporters, editors, broadcasters and producers.

I still think of myself as “new” in media, spending so many years grinding in freelance and contract work. (Those jobs didn’t pay well, but no one should expect to make great money in journalism unless you’re on TV.) Yet that struggle has paid off in recent years with jobs at larger platforms like Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports. It was fun to recount that 20 (!) year journey

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Watched ‘em, read ‘em: August 2025

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

If this is your first time reading one of these posts on the blog, they’re inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s annual “Seen/Read” list. At the beginning of every year, Soderbergh posts his chronicle of all the media he consumed during the prior year.

I wanted to do something similar, but felt that keeping track each month would keep me more engaged as a writer and make it an easier read. Since I spend so much time listening to podcasts, I’ve been wondering if I should include them here. That applies to sports too. Like if I spend six hours on a Saturday or Sunday watching football, well, that’s “watching,” right?

My intention was for August to be all about the “Alien” movies with Alien: Earth premiering on FX. I didn’t follow through on the ambition to watch all of the previous films before the series began. Also, I pumped the brakes when I found out that the story took place before Ridley Scott’s 1979 original.

But I’m a big fan of Noah Hawley’s work on Fargo and Legion, and I have all six of his novels (though I’ve only read A Conspiracy of Tall Men). So between that and my love of the “Alien” movies, I was an easy mark.

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