Episode 102: Thor, Phase 4, and a Lot More

 

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is here -Thor: Love and Thunder - and your Planet 8 crew has a lot to say about it. And it ain't necessarily good. Much like the previous Thor film, this newest look at the God of Thunder takes a decidedly goofy slant. It's a little too goofy for our taste.

Beware -there are spoilers ahead! 

Not to say there aren't some interesting or exciting things in the film. There are. But the whole film feels so unbalanced that it's hard to appreciate  Christian Bale's performance as Gorr the God-Butcher, or Natalie Portman's appearance as Jane Foster, aka the Mighty Thor. Both of these characters have serious stories behind them; Gorr is a deeply grieving man, Jane is battling cancer. But they are undercut by the  absurd situations and performances that surround them.

We're not against humor. The Marvel films have always had humor in them. But typically it's been relegated to wise-cracking, not slapstick and utterly ridiculous situations. While some complain that Marvel films are too formulaic and there's no directorial freedom, in this case, it seems like Taika Waititi was given absolute free reign. Surely there's a happy medium, a balance between the serious and the absurd, formula and artistic license.

We move on from Thor to discuss Marvel Phase 4 and where it's going. What's the overarching plan? In Phase 3 we had Thanos and the Infinity Stones, what's the threat now? The multiverses colliding? It's also difficult to get excited when so many of our favorite characters are gone now. 

The conversation  takes us to the Disney Plus Marvel shows, and even some of the DC films. You just never know where it's gonna go with us!

For our Sensor Sweep, all you fans of both tiki and kaiju will want to know about the King Ghidorah tiki mug from Mondo ! This is a mug nearly as big as the three-headed monster himself.  It stands a whopping 8 3/4" high and holds 26 ounces! You can buy it for $65 at Mondoshop.com.

And don't forget Godzillafest is coming up in August! The Planet 8 crew will be at Creatures-Con August 7th, and Bob will be selling passes for Godzillafest for $10 off at our table. Be sure to come see us and the fabulous guests at Creatures-Con in Orinda, California, including author David J. Skal and Sarah Karloff! 

That's all for now. Let us know what you thought of Thor, our review, what's going on with Phase 4, and anything else!

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By the bristling beard of Odin!!

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:

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Thanks for Listening!