The Weekly Stuff #158 - Grab Bag! News, Movie Reviews, Remembering Gene Wilder, Titanfall 2 Beta, & No Man's Sky Kerfuffles

In one of the grab-baggiest grab-bag episodes we ever done, we recount two weeks of news and experience, starting with the death of Gene Wilder, a beloved actor who has certainly done plenty to shape both of our perceptions of cinema. Jonathan and Sean each talk about some video games they’ve been playing – including Hitman, Stardew Valley, and The Banner Saga – while Jonathan reviews some recent (and less-recent) movies, including Don’t Breathe, Southside with You, Hell or High Water, and The Nice Guys. For our first big topic, we break down the recent Titanfall 2 beta, which basically took a great foundation from Titanfall 1, threw it out the window, and replaced it with nothing but confusion and boredom. And after recapping some news, we finish the podcast with a second topic, in which we use the recent No Man’s Sky kerfuffles to discuss the media landscape at large. 

TIME CHART: 

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:05:05

Remembering Gene Wilder: 0:05:05 – 0:17:57

Jonathan talks Stardew Valley and Banner Saga: 0:17:57 – 0:34:15

Sean talks Hitman: 0:34:15 – 0:52:45

Jonathan talks movies (Don’t Breathe, Southside with You, Hell or High Water, and The Nice Guys): 0:52:45 – 1:24:19

Sean and Jonathan talk Nioh and Battlefield 1 Betas: 1:24:19 – 1:32:34

Titanfall 2 Beta Discussion: 1:32:34 – 2:27:52

News Round-up: 2:27:52 – 3:02:46

No Man’s Sky Kerfuffles: 3:02:46 – 3:34:52

The Weekly Stuff #157 - Reviewing Persona 3 The Movie #4 – Winter of Rebirth

If you’ve listened to us for any length of time, you’ll know that our favorite video game here at the Weekly Stuff is Persona 3. You’ll also know that, as the four-part anime film adaptation has been coming out in Japan over the past three years, we’ve devoted an entire episode to each new installment – and now, with the fourth and final movie in the series, Winter of Rebirth, finally available on home video, it’s time for our final review. We dive in great depth not only into this final film itself, but also to the series as a whole, and how vastly it has surpassed whatever expectations we initially had. Persona 3 was, is, and shall always be a great game – but this four-part film series has, miraculously, earned a place on the shelf alongside it, something that is a welcome surprise indeed.

The Weekly Stuff #156 – News Round-up, Suicide Squad Review, and Discussing No Man’s Sky (Fixed)

This week starts with Jonathan talking about his unexpected journey with the now 15-year-old Final Fantasy X, and Sean continuing his assassination adventures with Hitman, before we dive into some recent news, such as the passing of Star Wars’ Kenny Baker and the delay (now confirmed) of Final Fantasy XV. Then, for our main topics, we review Suicide Squad – or, at least, Jonathan despairs over the movie while Sean remains glad he was never stupid enough to go watch it – and discuss No Man’s Sky, the game that everybody in the world seems to be talking about, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. 

Time Chart

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:08:45

Jonathan talks Final Fantasy X: 0:08:45 – 0:31:30

Sean talks Hitman: 0:31:30 – 0:40:35

News round-up: 0:40:35 – 1:06:50

Suicide Squad PTSD flashbacks: 1:06:50 – 2:15:30

Discussing No Man’s Sky: 2:15:30 – 3:08:20

The Weekly Stuff #155 – Reviewing Jason Bourne, Talking NX Rumors, DC Shenanigans, and lots more!

This week is a bit of a grab-bag, as our main topic involves our spoiler-filled review of Jason Bourne – a disappointing and frustrating sequel that is nevertheless interesting to talk about – but we have a solid two hours of other assorted conversations before we reach that point. I talk about a few video games I’ve been playing recently – including I am Setsuna, Stardew Valley, and Abzu – while Sean talks about his experiences with the new episodic Hitman; I review the new Harry Potter story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and both of us talk about DC’s disastrous Killing Joke movie and the negative hype surrounding the upcoming Suicide Squad. And finally, we break down the latest reports about Nintendo’s upcoming NX system, and whether this sounds like a good direction for the company to take.

Enjoy!

Time Chart:

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:08:18

Jonathan talks Video Games, including I am Setsuna and Abzu: 0:08:18 – 0:29:08

Sean talks Hitman: 0:29:08 – 0:40:00

Sean talks Stranger Things: 0:40:00 – 0:51:02

Jonathan talks Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: 0:51:02 – 1:05:52

Batman: The Killing Joke Discussion: 1:05:52 – 1:26:17

Suicide Squad Shenanigans: 1:26:17 – 1:47:10

Nintendo NX Reports: 1:47:10 – 2:00:02

Reviewing Jason Bourne: 2:00:02 – 2:45:38

The Weekly Stuff #154 - The Jason Bourne Trilogy Retrospective Spectacular!

With Jason Bourne, the new entry in the beloved action franchise starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass, arriving in theatres this Friday, we thought now the best time to take a look back at the original Jason Bourne trilogy: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. These are some of the best, most innovative, and most influential films of the 2000s, an action trilogy that surpasses just about every other major Hollywood franchise of this era, and which seems even more prescient and ahead-of-its-time now than it did nine years ago, when the last film was released. We discuss each film in depth, diving into the story, characters, technical mastery, and fascinating historical context, in what is easily one of my favorite podcasts we’ve ever recorded.

The Weekly Stuff #153 - Comic-Con News Round-up, Ghostbusters, & Star Trek Beyond Review

In the first of two podcasts this week, we break down a bunch of news out of Comic-Con – including announcements and trailers from Marvel and DC – and Jonathan offers some thoughts on the new Ghostbusters movie (it’s great!) and the new PS4 JRPG, I am Setsuna (it’s also great!). Then, for our main topic, we review this weekend’s major new release, Star Trek Beyond, a strong return to form after the franchise went a little off the rails with Star Trek Into Darkness. 

Enjoy, and come back on Wednesday as we prepare for the release of Jason Bourne with a retrospective of the original Bourne trilogy! 

Time Chart: 

Intro: 0:00:00 – 0:04:15

Jonathan talks Ghostbusters: 0:04:15 – 0:16:21

Sean talks Godzilla: 0:16:21 – 0:20:10

Jonathan talks I am Setsuna: 0:20:10 – 0:34:08

Comic-Con News: 0:34:08 – 1:26:00

Star Trek Beyond: 1:26:00 – 2:02:18

The Weekly Stuff #152 - Reviewing 'Inside,' Talking Pokemon Go, and Celebrating Star Trek's 50th Anniversary

We’re back with a jam-packed episode, as Sean and I offer some thoughts on recent games like Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or games that are just new to us, like Dishonored, while Jonathan recounts his continued adventures re-watching all of Dragon Ball Z. Later, we try to get our heads around the unprecedented phenomenon that is Pokemon Go, and offer a spoiler-filled review and discussion of Playdead’s outstanding indie game Inside. And finally, with a new Star Trek film upon us and the franchise’s 50^th anniversary being marked this year, we offer a Star Trek retrospective, discussing our favorite things about the TV series before counting down all 12 theatrical films from worst to best.