Episode 99: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

 

We're back with a spoiler-filled discussion of Marvel Studios' 28th film, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Surprisingly, Bob and Karen both liked this movie more than Larry did! But we all enjoyed it. As usual, this film is bursting at the seams with guest appearances and all sorts of craziness. We'll do our best to examine the story and characters and share our thoughts on some of the plot points.

A big part of this movie is Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, and it definitely helps if you've seen Wandavision before you plop your butt down in your seat to catch this film. Wanda's past and her motivations are at the center of the movie. We had a lot of feelings about this and her eventual fate.

This is not to say our titular hero doesn't get his fair share of time in the spotlight. This may be one of Dr. Strange's best outings in the MCU, showing him in a more nuanced light. Of course, we get more than one Dr. Strange, as we are voyaging through the multiverse, and it's enlightening and enjoyable to see how different, and yet how alike, each version of Strange is. 

Traveling through the multiverse is a blast, if a bit condensed. But we do get to meet The Illuminati, a group of superheroes who believe they are the only ones who can make the important decisions that shape the world. It was quite a thrill to see who comprised this group, including some characters we'd never seen on screen before -and one we had, but not in the MCU. The scenes with them, while brief, were terrific.

Director Sam Raimi left his imprint on the film - this is not a bland or faceless production. All the hallmarks of a Raimi film are here, and as many have said, this does often feel like a horror film. There are several jump cuts and some genuinely scary scenes. But there's nothing grisly or gory. 

How will this lead into the remaining MCU films? Hard to say. We know we are getting more of the multiverse. But for now, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stands on its own as a solid Marvel production.

Our Sensor Sweep this time ties right into our film. Commander Larry gladly presents The Book of the Vishanti: A Magical Exploration of the Marvel Universe. Described as  "the ultimate collection of spells, history, and personal accounts recorded by practitioners over centuries, including notes from Doctor Strange himself." This hardbound book can be purchased from your local bookseller or bought online. Who needs to go study with the Ancient One? Just buy this book!

We also have some sad news. After a long battle with cancer, legendary comics artist George Perez has passed away. You can't sum up his career in a sentence or two. He was an incredible artist who did landmark work on titles like New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman, Avengers, and so many more. Beyond his artwork, he was known for being one of the nicest people in comics. His passing is a huge loss. We send our condolences to his loved ones.

That's it for now. Thanks again for tuning in, and for your support for the podcast. And hey, episode 100 is right around the corner! Please share your thoughts, on the movie, or anything else:

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By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!

Episode 53: Hail to the King, Baby

via GIPHY

All right you primitive screwheads...this episode is devoted to our friend Ashley Williams! Yes, we're taking a trip through the Evil Dead films and TV series. When the original Evil Dead movie first came out, it really shook things up. The camera angles and movements, the strange sound effects, the story, and of course, the charismatic Bruce Campbell, all added up to a hit with horror audiences.

The later entries would add more than a little humor to the horror, and that's where it seemed to really take off. Campbell had a gift for playing Ash as a lovable jerk, who was maybe more lucky than good. And he certainly delivered a number of notable one-liners!

Your Planet 8 crew will talk about the origins of the Evil Dead film series, how Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell got the idea for the first film and financed it, and was it connected at all to an older film called Equinox? All this and more!

We all like the third film, Army of Darkness, the best. It's an odd mix of fantasy, horror, and comedy, but it works really well. Ash pulls a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court act, but despite his technological know-how, he still screws up and conjures up an army of deadites, including his own undead counterpart. There were two different endings and we talk about both the theatrical and director's cut versions.

Finally we take a look at the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV show. It only lasted three seasons, but it was well done and really expanded the Evil Dead universe. Will there be more Evil Dead? Perhaps the truth is hidden in the pages of the Necronomicon...

Starting with this episode's Sensor Sweep, Chief Engineer Bob will be throwing the spotlight on different artists who normally appear at the Godzilla and anime shows Bob puts on in the Bay Area, but Covid-19 has shut all that down right now. This time we are featuring artist Nick Shev. You can find his work at https://nickshev.bigcartel.com/. Nick does a lot of Godzilla art, but also aliens, mummies, original Halloween art, and more. He also does black light art -he takes a printed lithograph and hand draws details with a luminous marker. You can get lenticular stickers from him too. Take a look, there's a lot of very cool stuff on his site!

That's all this time, friends and neighbors. Be sure to share your thoughts on Ash and the Evil Dead. Do you enjoy this film/TV series? Can you see it going on without Bruce Campbell as Ash? We want to know! And you know the drill by now...

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Thanks for listening!