Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema

This week on Marvelous!, the second and inarguably superior half of the monocultural fugue state that was Barbenheimer summer: a three hour biopic-cum-courtroom drama that's partly in black and white about the world's most consequential product launch. And it had (almost) as much pull as girl toy IP. In the long awaited return of Christopher Nolan to the podcast, Nicole, Stu, and Cole dissect the figurative box office bomb that is Oppenheimer. Topics include Oppie's autistic rizz, the synthesis between Nolan and American Prometheus, the memetic appeal of Barbenheimer, the woman question, and how we begrudgingly have to thank James Woods for making this happen. And tune in Sunday to the Patreon for a brand new special Marvelous! report on the state of cinema, MCU news, and the angriest Nicole has ever gotten at anything in the history of the podcast. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: Luke P, JetChiclete, GalaxyPeaBrain, squishward, JayJeffrey, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds

Fun fact: not only was the 1987 He-Man movie Masters of the Universe largely responsible for bankrupting the already flailing Israeli cultural institution that was Cannon Films, but it was also directed by an (alleged) serial gay pedophile . Support us on Patreon if you'd like to hear the rest of

"It’s about a fucking doll!" - Amy Taubin This week, the Marvelous! crew sets their sights on the hot pink pop cultural phenomenon that is Barbie, a billion-plus dollar (post-)feminist object/Mattel rebrand strategy grappling with the fraught, symbolic legacy of the world's most famous doll by giving her a kitschy existentialist crisis. We talk about how the film's priorities as an officially licensed commercial product limit its purportedly feminist politics, its 2016-internet conception of masculinity, how camp aesthetics and self-effacing humor disavow the specter of capitalism, and think a little too deeply about the metaphysical relationship between Barbie Land and the real world. Plus, Nicole gives a lesson on post-feminism, commodified Girl Power, and how Barbie signaled a consumerist end to Fourth Wave feminism as a meaningful political project. (This episode is dedicated to the life, memory, and herstory of famed Barbie-critic and CIA asset Gloria Steinem.) "After 'Barbie,' Mattel is Raiding its Entire Toybox" by Alex Barasch "This Barbie Has Melancholy Feminism: Framing Empowerment and Grievable Lives" by Scarlette Nhi Do "#Feminism: The Internet’s Facilitation of the Fourth Wave” by Nicole Veneto Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert Feeling Cynical About Barbie by Broey Deschanel An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, GalaxyPeaBrain, squishward, JayJeffrey, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive episodes, commentary tracks, and more. Like, comment, rate, and review as the algorithm demands.

The flailing DCEU runs at light-speed into a brick wall with this misbegotten penultimate pre-reboot entry. Ugly and unfunny, even the film's sole interesting element - Ezra Miller's weird and hysterical performance - is ultimately abandoned for Batman nostalgia and a failed, flat attempt to launch an (immediately recast) Supergirl. It's a bad, bad movie, but at least we had a lot of fun talking about it. Plus: Cole's pot-history of the character and defense of the CW tv show! An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, GalaxyPeaBrain, squishward, JayJeffrey, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive episodes, commentary tracks, and more. Like, comment, rate, and review as the algorithm demands.

As the DC Extended Universe nears its inevitable reboot, filmmaker Chris Bell (Failed State, Attention Shoppers, The Winds That Scatter) joins the pod to dissect one of its last offerings in the form of Blue Beetle, a comparatively decent entry from a franchise that's still got another very expensive bowel-movement or two waiting for us. We once again debate the merits and limitations of Hollywood progressivism with this rather earnest if not by-the-numbers origin story for the Jaime Reyes incarnation of Blue Beetle, who according to SOME third mics is more popular than Iron Man if you're going by children's' lunchboxes. More importantly, what is a Blue Beetle and what's his relationship to the School of the Americas? Why did it take until the DCEU was about to be scrapped for parts for a Latino-led superhero movie to get released? Do Toyotas speak to an authentic Latino cultural experience? Did mother Susan Sarandon relish the opportunity to play her mortal enemy Hillary Clinton? If you'd like to see Chris' newest film, Failed State, send him an email at christopherjasonbell@gmail.com . And check out Attention Shoppers and The Winds That Scatter on Means TV . Use promo code CHRISBELL to get 10% off an annual subscription. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, GalaxyPeaBrain, squishward, JayJeffrey, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive episodes, commentary tracks, and more. Like, comment, rate, and review as the algorithm demands.

A sample from our latest patrons-exclusive TVChat, wherein Cole and our long time friend and recurring guest Seqarts continue their retrospective on the 2000s superhero-monster-of-the-week-teen-melodrama Smallville. Support us on Patreon if you'd like to hear the rest and other exclusive episodes!

... according to Letterboxd, anyway, but your pals at Marvelous! aren't quite so sanguine. From Phil Lord's tyrannical rule of production to the tedium of infinite Spiders-Men and the so-facile-it-might-be-accidental queer representation — we dig into all the things that keep this (sometimes good) film from achieving the greatness its reputation implies. For this episode we relied especially on the following articles: Spider-Verse Artists Say Working on the Sequel Was ‘Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts’ by Chris Lee Get Real! Relatability on Demand by Matt Purets, Alisha Hines, and Yalda T. Uhls Laborious Aesthetics: Visible and Invisible Labor in the Spider-Verse franchise by Jordan Schonig An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, GalaxyPeaBrain, squishward, JayJeffrey, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, Owen2 and Ronnie Gardocki. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive episodes and other material, like our retrospective on the rest of the Fast and Furious series. Giving us a positive rating and review on your platform of choice. It really does help!

After concluding our long patreon-exclusive retrospective on the series, we arrive at last back in 2023 with Fast X, the bloated, messy, chaotic beginning of the end for the 'Fast Family'. Along the way we discuss Justin Lin's sudden exit, too much bluescreen, Vatican pinball, Jason Momoa as an evil gay guy, sticking Michelle Rodriguez in a concrete room for most of the movie, alternate storylines, Vin Diesel's social media carnival barking, giant ego and allegations -- it all comes to a big, bald head here with the penultimate installment of this strange, misshapen, yet often lovable mutant of a movie series. Note: We relied heavily on the books Fast and Furious Franchising by Dan Hassler-Forest and Welcome to the Family by Barry Hertz to inform our research and discussion of this series. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive episodes and other material, like our retrospective on the rest of the Fast and Furious series. Giving us a positive rating and review on your platform of choice. It really does help!

Cole's back and they've learned the secret of the orient: not being that mad anymore. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive subscriber only episodes.

Fellow Canucks Remember Shuffle join Stu and a hopelessly outnumbered Nicole for a lively and in-depth discussion about Blackberry, and the seething neurotic resentment that comes from living in the Great White North. Subscribe to the Patreon to hear the full episode and more! And while your at it, please support the Shuffle Bois .

Cole was too busy watching actual basketball, so Nicole and Stu are left to fend for themselves in alien territory as we enter the worlds of shoes and sports with the Affleck/Damon brand-biopic. Is it a fleeting microgenre, or are products the new comic books? We discuss what makes the film hollow and irritating, the limits of slipping 'subversive' messages into hyper-corporate movies, the odd way it handles Michael Jordan as a figure, it's success with xillennials, endless 80s nostalgia, and how the film doubles as a pitch for Affleck and Damon's revenue-sharing based studio 'Artists Equity'. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive subscriber only episodes.

Before we (Nicole and Cole) fulfill their contractually obligated second Patreon Raffle pick on Trần Anh Hùng's under-appreciated neo-noir I Come With the Rain , we pay our respect to Stu, who at the time caught the hantavirus from that cruise. Remember when that happened? Support us on Patreon to hear the full episode and much more!

An excerpt from our conversation with Jane Altoids about Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin , adapted from the novel by Scott Heims. Support us on Patreon to hear the full episode and much more!

Boston Hassle film critic, animation enthusiast, and co-host of Hawke Cast Kyle Amato joins Stu, Nicole, and Cole to dissect the second highest grossing toy commercial of 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It's your stock standard low-effort kiddie fodder reskinned for Nintendo IP and jam packed with as many Easter eggs and Top 40 needledops as algorithmically possible. If animation actually wants to be cinema then Illumination should hire actual some real European perverts for a change. Follow Kyle on the Projects Substack and read his reviews for Boston Hassle. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, ultimatetotoro, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive subscriber only episodes.

As of 2025, Warner Brothers officially lost the rights to make a live action feature film adaptation of Akira , ending over 20 years of a development hell for something nobody wanted or asked for. But god, did they try. Nicole takes Stu on a deep dive through each and every painfully misguided iteration of what thankfully will never be. Support us on Patreon to hear the full episode, biweekly bonuses, extra bonus content, and much more!

On the eve of having to review The Super Mario Brothers Movie, the gang decides to find reprieve in what is possibly the greatest technical and craft achievement in the history of animation: Akira . Support us on Patreon to hear the full episode and much more!

A long, long time ago, in a remote, wild and mystical land called Minnesota, a bunch of nerds with polyhedral dice decided to play-act Lord of the Rings using the rules and miniatures from a medieval war game. That game became a product, that product became a brand, and that brand became popular with women, so they made a pretty decent movie out of it. We watched that movie, and had a nice chat about what sets it a step above its IP franchise film peers. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive subscriber only episodes.

At the outset of a nearly 3 hour discussion about mythic cuckoldry and shit looking cool as hell in John Boorman's Excalibur , Cole teaches Nicole and Stu about an even stupider king of ethnonationalist beliefs.

We enter the home stretch of the pre-Gunn DCU with Shazam: Fury of the Gods, a confused and inert mess of glop, nonsense and awful dialogue anchored by the unbearable anti-charisma of future Jesuslop washup Zachary Levi. Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are wasted. Rachel Zegler needs a new agent; Diedrich Bader gets killed and nobody seems to notice; and the barely-explored villain scheme is stolen, inexplicably, from The Simpsons Movie. Needless to say, none of the teasers for future 'Shazam' installments will be paying off. Ever. An extra special thanks to our $10 Executive Producers: JetChiclete, Isaac, squishward, Walt Lewellyn of The Black Casebook , Tropical Doves, jprestonpoole, Lohik, bernventers, and Owen2. If you can, please lend some support to these organizations: Gaza Funds PCRF (Palestinian Children's Relief Fund) MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians) National Networks of Abortion Funds Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota If you enjoy the show please consider: Subscribing to our Patreon , where you can enjoy exclusive subscriber only episodes.

BREAKING NEWS: Nicole Queens out!!!!! Support Marvelous! on Patreon to get the full episode and more!