Episode 79: Marvel Two in One -Black Widow and Loki!

Finally, the Black Widow movie has been released! It's been delayed over a year, but now it's out in the theater (as well as on Disney Plus), and your intrepid crew has made the journey back to the theater to check it out. In this SPOILER-FILLED review, we'll share our thoughts on the film and how it works with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a bonus, we also discuss the Disney Plus series  Loki, which takes the villain/anti-hero through an adventure that has major implications for the rest of the MCU.

Black Widow takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Infinity War, and provides a glimpse into Natasha's life before she became an Avenger. On the run from Thunderbolt Ross, Natasha winds up returning home after her long lost "Sister" contacts her, and she learns that the Red Room program that turned her into an assassin is still operating.

The Planet 8 crew discusses what we liked about the film, the performances, the little bits of connective tissue to other MCU films, and so much more. This film introduces some major characters, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, aka the "other" Black Widow, David Harbour as the Red Guardian and the villain Taskmaster, whose identity is rather controversial. If nothing else, it was a great spotlight for Scarlett Johansson and a good send off for the character.

The Loki TV show was a mixed bag for the Planet 8 crew. Certainly Tom Hiddleston did a wonderful job in providing us with a Loki of real substance who goes through extensive character growth. The story itself was complex and with the timestream fractured, should feed directly into Spider-Man: No Way Home and Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. What other Marvel properties might we see come out of this? Phase 4 looks to be full of surprises!

Our Sensor Sweep brings us some great shows coming to the Bay Area. In August, there will be two Godzillafest shows at the  Balboa Theater in San Francisco.  On August 20-22, it will be King Kong Crashes Godzillafest, with a number of King Kong kaiju films as well as many Godzilla films, and special guest Linda Miller from King Kong Escapes. Then on August 27-29, it's Legendary Godzillafest, featuring many Legendary Godzilla films, with special guest TJ Storm, motion capture artist who played Godzilla. Both weekends will have vendors with tons of goodies. And there will even be a show t-shirt. Go to Bay Area Film Events to get all the info about tickets, what movies are going to be shown, and more!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on Black Widow and Loki! Did you go to the theater to see Black Widow? Was it your first time back in the theater? Let us know how you felt about the movie and your experience. As always, leave a comment here or hit us up at our other locales:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
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Dosvedanya!

Episode 26: One Year Later: We're in the Endgame Now

It's been one whole year since the Planet 8 crew started on our mission to explore the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and we began our first episode with a look at a little film called Avengers: Infinity War. For our one year anniversary, we come full circle, as we share our thoughts on the conclusion to the Avengers saga, Avengers: Endgame!  Be warned, this is a SPOILER FILLED episode, so if you are one of the handful of people who still haven't seen Endgame, don't blame us if  you hear something you didn't want to know!!

Like Infinity War, Endgame is a huge, sprawling epic -and clocks in at a massive, bladder-busting three hours! But no fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should miss this film, as it is truly the end of an era. Join with Larry, Bob, and Karen as they discuss not only Endgame, but their feelings on the MCU as a whole, as we wrap our minds around the amazing feat of 22 films from Marvel Studios in 11 years!

Each of the original six Avengers get their moments, and we discuss all of them (some more than others) and what we liked, and some things we might have liked to see go differently. One's thing for certain: we've had years to get to know these heroes, and like most of you, we've become very attached to them! Don't be shocked if you hear us get a little choked up...yeah, we're a bunch of softies!

After you've listened to us ramble on about Endgame, be sure to tell us what you thought. What were your high points? Anything you thought was out of step? And where does the MCU go now?

No Sensor Sweep this time around friends -as we were recording this episode, we found out about the passing of Peter Mayhew, better known to all of us as Chewbacca. Mr. Mayhew made such an impact on all of us first for imbuing the lovable Wookiee with such a recognizable personality, but then later, through his charming presence at conventions, and through his social media feeds. He was the epitome of a Gentle Giant - a sweet, funny, kind man. We will miss him greatly.

And that's a wrap on year one! Thanks to all of you who listen to, comment on, and support Planet 8! We truly appreciate your interest in the show, and hope to keep expanding and improving as we move into year two! Please feel free to comment here, or you can reach us at our other locations:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!