The Podcass 004: Hellboy and Lighten Up, Francis

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

We review the Hellboy reboot on the latest Podcass. Can it possibly be as good or better than Guillermo Del Toro’s original two films? Is it more than just a placeholder until Avengers: Endgame takes over the movie landscape?

Before that, however, I need to cool out a little bit. I’ve been wound way too tight lately, and maybe that’s what got me sick.

Please subscribe to The Podcass! We’re on all of the popular podcast platforms, including:

Giving us a rating or review on iTunes and a like on our Facebook page would provide a great signal boost. Taking the time to help out is very much appreciated.

You can also leave feedback at thepodcass@gmail.com and find the show on Twitter and Instagram. Hope to hear from you! Thanks for listening!

Unfortunately, the new ‘Hellboy’ is noise and gore signifying nothing

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

There’s a scene about midway through Hellboy in which a giant sword goes through a monster’s head, virtually splitting it in half, unleashing a reservoir of blood, and showing some of the soft tissue underneath the skull. While taking in that moment, I thought to myself, “I think that’s what watching this movie feels like.”

I was rooting for the 2019 reboot of Hellboy. It was going to be too easy to dismiss this movie and say Guillermo Del Toro and Ron Perlman did it better — twice — without even seeing this new version. But the wave of early reviews seemed to confirm what so many feared when this project was announced. Was there really any point to reviving Hellboy if there wasn’t anything new to offer?

Don’t misunderstand me: I don’t have a problem with remakes and reboots, even if they’re being made too often now. (Saying “Hollywood is out of ideas” is an opinion that’s run out of ideas.) Popular characters and franchises are always going to be mined for new movies and TV shows if a newer angle can be taken. And if new digital effects and moviemaking techniques can tell those stories better than their previous versions, it might just be worth doing.

Continue reading →

Overzealous Recycling 013: Lighten up, Francis

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

I’ve been wound really tight through most of the past week. This probably won’t surprise those who know me well. I tend to be a seether, to swallow irritation and annoyance until the kettle finally boils and shrieks to let that heat out.

— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —

It’s not one of my better character traits; I know that. I constantly need to do a better job of addressing things in the moment or shortly thereafter, rather than letting them build up. I feel like I’m better than I used to be, but when I do finally air my grievances, it can come across as a surprise to the recipient. I didn’t let on that I was feeling that way.

I always think I’m letting displeasure be known, but it probably gets lost under my default surly setting. So there I go, like Anger in Inside Out or Yosemite Sam with guns a-blazin’, if you’ll indulge a much older reference.

Continue reading →

The Podcass 003: Shazam! and some Uncle Ian stuff

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

After finally getting this show on track, a cold knocked me down for a few days. And I’d managed to avoid catching a cold all winter long. Dang it.

But The Podcass is back on track! First, Uncle Ian explains how he’s now driving a minivan school bus for his beloved nieces and we review the new superhero movie sensation, Shazam!

We’re now on iTunes! (Or are we all calling it Apple Podcasts now…?) Very excited to get past that velvet rope and be in the same market square as all the other podcasts out there. It’s a big, wide open space, however, so if you could help boost our signal with a rating or review, that would help tremendously.

Giving us a like on our Facebook page would also be a great boost. The support we’ve gotten so far from friends and followers has been fantastic.

Please subscribe to The Podcass! We’re on all of the popular podcast platforms, including:

You can also leave feedback at thepodcass@gmail.com and find the show on Twitter and Instagram. Hope to hear from you! Thanks for listening!

‘Shazam!’ stands out by embracing what makes the superhero fun

/ Ian Casselberry / 2 Comments

With one magic word, Shazam! keeps the fun train rolling for the DC cinematic universe. DC was already on the right track with the success of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, but taking a chance with a B-list (maybe even C-list) character who had a chance to reach a younger audience might have derailed that momentum.

Some fans and critics might feel like DC’s big-screen product won’t be fully established until the big names like Batman and Superman have been restored, and the cinematic universe is on a path to getting the band together in another Justice League film. But Marvel seized the superhero movie pedestal with lesser characters and by creating a slow build that stoked anticipation for a big payoff.

Another reason that Marvel has succeeded while so many other studios and franchises have failed in trying to build a cinematic universe is its realization that many different types of stories and genres could be featured within a superhero universe. Movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man resonated with audiences because they were comedies as much as blockbuster spectacles. Humor has always been the honeypot for these movies.

Continue reading →