superhero movies

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!

Amusement Park Podcast 018: Aquaman Love

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

momoa_smirkOn the latest Amusement Park Podcast, we review Aquaman! Did Jason Momoa sink or swim? We also discuss Mortal Engines‘ disastrous box office, the new MoviePass plans that may pull Chris back in and what we’re enjoying this week.

https://soundcloud.com/casselberry/aquaman-love

Thank you for listening! We’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at amusementparkpod@gmail.com. Also, please give us a review on iTunes and/or a like on our Facebook page to boost our signal. We’d enjoy some feedback!

You can subscribe to the Amusement Park Podcast on virtually every platform available:

Aquaman makes a splash with exotic visuals and Jason Momoa’s charm

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

aquaman_shoulder

If you grew up snickering at Aquaman while watching Super Friends, it might be difficult to imagine that the man talking to fish and riding sea horses would be the one to save the DC cinematic universe. (Personally, I was grateful to Aquaman for his safety tips warning against the hazards of seaweed wrapping around your legs or getting clothing snagged against pan handles. To my frustration, those clips don’t appear to be available on YouTube.)

OK, Aquaman isn’t a pop culture joke anymore. Not when Jason Momoa is cast as the King of the Seven Seas, portraying a charming lunk who could rip your arms off then enjoy a couple of pints afterwards. As Arthur Curry, he’s far more charismatic and compelling than Henry Cavill as Superman or Ben Affleck as Batman. Had Warner Brothers and DC Films tried to properly establish its core characters, rather than impatiently push its Justice League franchise, perhaps that superhero team-up wouldn’t have been such a flop.

Maybe there is no more DC cinematic universe, in terms of an interconnected series of films that all occupy the same storytelling space. But if DC were to call a mulligan and hide Batman v Superman and Justice League in the cupboard, Aquaman (along with last year’s Wonder Woman) is something that the studio could rebuild its superhero franchise around.

Yet Aquaman is perfectly capable of standing on its own, rather than be a piece of a convoluted puzzle. Director James Wan has built an impressive world around his superhero, creating a spectacle that aspires to the heights of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Avatar. However, while its influences are clear, this movie isn’t derivative. Arthur Curry’s journey from reluctant hero to champion might be familiar — a modern-day fable — but Aquaman feels new and exciting, providing visuals that we haven’t seen before.

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