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  • SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

    SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
    2025/05/22
    It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.
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    3 時間 4 分
  • SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

    SSSW - Andor S2 Finale
    2025/05/15
    After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.
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    2 時間 36 分
  • SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

    SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9
    2025/05/09
    When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.
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    2 時間 58 分
  • SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

    SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6
    2025/05/02

    Show Notes

    'Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith' 20th Anniversary Poster from Matt Ferguson

    Andor Season 2's Ghorman Language Sounds Familiar For A Reason

    Andor Season 2 Finally Explains Why Saw Gerrera Needs His Breathing Device In Rogue One
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    2 時間 31 分
  • SSSW - Andor S2 Premiere

    SSSW - Andor S2 Premiere
    2025/04/24
    It's been a long time since Cassian Andor and his band of Rebel compatriots has graced our TV screens. A long hiatus, no doubt, but when you look into WHY this second season took so long the reason becomes clear - they were dotting every "i" and crossing every "t" (along with dealing with the writers and actors strikes, growing and harvesting ancient grains, hand stitching wedding dresses, the list goes on...) to make sure that this isn't just good Star Wars, but indeed the maybe the BEST Star Wars (I'm partially convinced that it may be the best we may ever get actually). Season 2 roars to life in it's first of four, 3-episode drops (essentially a movie a week for a month), not wasting any time picking up with our characters a year after the events of season 1. The sheer scale, scope, and commitment to its heavy themes is laudable, but when combined with the masterful set design, costuming, writing, and acting, you can't help but to stare, mouth agape, at this singular piece bold storytelling, that will likely go down as Tony Gilroy's largest contribution to popular culture, and deservedly so. Join Julian and Rachel as they unpack it all. It's going to be one hell of a ride!
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    2 時間 23 分
  • Bonus Episode - ToB Film Club - Constantine (2005) + Special Announcement

    Bonus Episode - ToB Film Club - Constantine (2005) + Special Announcement
    2025/04/03
    Hard to believe that 'Constantine' came out 20 years ago. That being said, as the movie tells us, time stops when you're dead, so what IS 20 years anyway? And as long as we're asking questions, the biggest one related to this movie is "why was it a flop?". Julian and Jeremy try to answer that very question, as well as unpack this extremely dense film that makes no effort to hold the audience's hand. And despite some rocky elements, 'Constantine' holds up as a surprisingly comic accurate rendition of the titular character, even if we weren't aware of it when it first released. Keanu, despite missing some of the obvious character flourishes like the blond hair and a British accent, is still able to capture the essence of the character: an extremely talented magician/occultist, with tortured soul (literally), who's a bit of a dick, and loves a good smoke. All in all, it's a pretty fun ride, and an example of movies that just aren't really made anymore (despite rumours of a sequel) from a different era of Hollywood and comic book movie making. Special Announcement: After a lot of discussion and contemplation, Jeremy Kozier has made the decision to step back from the show. Though the door is open for him to return at any time, and he may yet still appear on an occasional basis, there is is no official timeline on when or if he will return full time. While we understand this may come as a shock to some listeners, Jeremy expresses his appreciation for the support we've received over the years and values the countless hours of conversation we've enjoyed over that time. I, Julian want to thank him for his dedication and passion. Despite not always seeing eye to eye, it's that difference in opinion that made for quality podcasting and his presence on the show will be missed dearly. This news comes during a period of change here at Tower of Babble, as previously announced, we look to implement new ideas and rejuvenate a show that has been on the air for well over a decade. The work continues on the relaunch of the Tower of Babble Podcast, and I appreciate the patience from our listeners and fans as this process continues. I remain extremely excited about the potential of the future of the show and in the interim the occasional bonus episode will still be hitting the feed and content from our sister show, Small Screen Star Wars will continue unabated. Thank you, Jeremy and thank you to everyone who has listened to us argue far too often over the years. Your willingness to listen truly means a lot to us.
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    1 時間 3 分
  • Bonus Episode - Marvel, DC, and Severance - Daily DVR

    Bonus Episode - Marvel, DC, and Severance - Daily DVR
    2025/03/17

    Julian, once again joined Axel, from the Daily DVR Podcast to discuss a grab-bag of topics, including 'Captain America: Brave New World' and it's milk toast approach to politics, 'Daredevil: Born Again' and how Marvel is comparatively seemingly more willing to actually have a political point of view (so far) with the series, DC and their James Gunn plans, and the latest with 'Severance' (note that this was recorded prior to S2E8). Find more from Daily DVR here: https://dvrpodcast.com/category/dailydvr/
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    1 時間 18 分
  • Bonus Episode - Lanterns Check-In + Oscars Recap

    Bonus Episode - Lanterns Check-In + Oscars Recap
    2025/03/06
    With the news that ‘Lanterns’ has officially begun shooting, coming with the official first look at our new Hal Jordan and John Stewart, Jeremy couldn’t wait to dive into a conversation all about Green Lantern and the many twists and turns that lead us to this moment. DC Studios is certainly busy, putting together a slate of movies and shows to launch the new DC Universe. While the first looks have been met with mixed reception, this one being no different, time will still tell how successful this new era will be. Especially with ‘Superman’ not yet in theatres. At the very least, it’s nice to see the production ramping up, meaning we’re THAT much closer to seeing the emerald knights on screen again. Plus, Julian looks back at the recent Academy Awards ceremony, and the extremely unlikable best actor acceptance speech.
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    38 分