Shazam

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.

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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 / Leave a comment

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.

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