Life, the Cineverse, and Everything

• Introduce Daniel Hashimoto.
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • Chernobyl (HBO) / Godzilla
• Main Topic: VFX Work
  • Started “Action Movie Kid” channel on YouTube 5 years ago.
    • Almost 1m subscribers on YouTube. “Action Movie Kid Vol 1” has 86m views.
    • “Action Movie Dad” channel goes into BTS of how the videos are created.
    • Favorite videos: Portal, Get in the Boat (Pirate Ship)
  • How did you get started in VFX?
    • Dreamworks
    • Escape Pod/ Toys ‘R’ Us
  • Done work for Samsung, Fox’s ‘The Gifted’, CBS ‘This Morning’. Now work with Red Giant.
    • Do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on?
  • What are your aspirations in the industry?
    • Where will you take ‘Action Movie Kid’?
  • Shipbreakers book on Amazon
  • Action Movie Kid book on Amazon
  • Action Movie Kid on YouTube | Action Movie Dad on YouTube
• Sign off.

Nick is on his own as he discusses Disney's live-action version of 'Aladdin'. It's not too long.

Jason and I, in an additional segment, lament over video games that were turned into movies. Was it a mistake? Only time will tell.

• Introduce Jason.
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • Dead to Me (Netflix) / Escape Room / Robin Hood / Lego Movie 2 / Snowpiercer /
• Main Topic: Avengers Endgame
  • 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. $350m domestic, $1.2b worldwide opening weekend. Fastest to $1b (previously held by Infinity War w/ $640m opening weekend)
  • Culmination of 22 movies over 11 years ending the “Infinity Saga”. Next Marvel films will not have phases (‘Spider-Man Far From Home’ 5 July ends Phase 3).
  • Written by Chris Markus & Stephen McFeely – Infinity War, Winter Soldier, Thor 2
  • Completes character arcs:
    • Tony – from selfishness to selflessness
    • Cap – a life of service to a life of his own
  • Endgame sort of a “What If” film: showing Fat Thor, murdering Hawkeye, depressed Black Widow, Professor Hulk, Cap marrying Peggy, etc.
  • Best moments:
    • Captain America in 2012 (America’s Ass, Hail Hydra)
    • Black Widow sacrifice on Voromir / Tony Stark sacrifice
    • Avengers Compound battle (Act 3)
  • Girl power moment?
  • Time Travel: Laid out that changing past events would not alter their present, and they would return to the same timeline which they left. The Ancient One even goes into this further to explain that an alternate timeline would offshoot from their timeline due to changing things.
    • Tony Stark creates time travel easily (without knowledge of the Quantum Realm).
    • Steve Rogers stays in the past, but then appears at the point where he left.
  • Criticisms:
    • Overrated? Pandering? Fan service?
    • Fat Thor.
  • Misdirection in marketing?
  • What happens now?
    • Loki, Falcon & Winter Soldier, WandaVision D+ shows; ‘Black Widow’ movie
  • What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in the next few months?
    • The Hustle (10 May) / John Wick 3 (17 May) / Aladdin (24 May)
  • Sign off.

• Introduction.
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • Glass / Us / Shazam! / Star Trek Discovery (S2) / Scriptnotes Podcast
• Introduce Alex Lehmann.
• NEWS:
  • WGA v ATA conclusion
• Main Topic:
  • How did you get started Directing?
    • “Asperger’s Are Us”
    • Camera Operator, Cinematographer, Editor
  • “On Tour with Asperger’s Are Us” (Apr 30 – May 2)
    • How did this doc come about?
  • Previous work –
    • “Paddleton”
  • At what point will you consider yourself “made”?
  • What are some of your favorite films/ inspiration?
    • Jaws, Total Recall, Die Hard, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Cohen Bros, Edgar Wright
• What are you looking forward to seeing in the next few months?
  • Avengers Endgame / The Long Shot (May 3) / Aladdin (May 24) / Rocketman (May 31)
• Sign off.

Review of the highly anticipated Marvel Studios film, 'Avengers: Endgame'.

LA Times Article

• Introduce Jasmine.
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • The Twilight Zone (CBS) / Pet Sematary (1989) / Dumbo
• NEWS:
  • Netflix plans to buy historic Egyptian theater on Hollywood Blvd / Batman movies returning to theaters in May / Adam Sandler to host SNL for the first time on May 4 / A Dreamer’s Production
• Main Topic:
  • Our aspirations in Hollywood
  • Every working writer in Hollywood belongs to a union called the WGA – the WGA allows for Agents to negotiate salaries on the behalf of their members, but there are imposed minimums for those payments. (WGA Website / ATA Literature)
  • A year ago, according to the current AMBA, the WGA informed the Agencies that they wanted to renegotiate their agreement and notably, impose a “Code of Conduct” that will eliminate packaging fees and call for the dissolution of Agency-owned production companies (Endeavor Content owned by WME, etc.) to make their clients the focus of an agent’s attention.
  • WGA Explains Packaging Video
  • “Where agents once focused on the percentage they got as job finders for their writer, actor, and director clients, those at big outfits like WME, UTA, and CAA—which represent much of the industry’s A-list—now frequently play a bigger part in the overall deal-making process. That sometimes includes producing projects and packaging, which happens when agents combine multiple clients, such as a writer, actor, and/or director, and sell them to a studio as a—you guessed it—package. In such deals, which are how most scripted TV shows come to market now, agents forego the traditional 10 percent commission on the writers’ fees, instead of being paid directly by the studios. In return, they stand to reap more from the packaging fees they get from studios (parts of which are taken directly out of the project’s budget) than from commissions for getting a writer client work.” (Vanity Fair)
  • Mar 22 – a letter was published anonymously, outlining some glaring errors of the ATA and a Statement of Support was published by the WGA by 778 writers agreeing to fire their agents if no deal can be reached: Tina Fey, Alfonso Cuaron, James L. Brooks, Aaron Sorkin, Shonda Rhimes, Seth MacFarlane, Joss Whedon, Mike Schur, Colin Trevorrow, Mindy Kaling
    • Not signed: J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, Dick Wolfe, Chuck Lorre, Marc Cherry, The Duffer Bros, Dan Fogelman…
  • Talks were supposed to expire at midnight on Sat, Apr 6th but were extended to April 12th at midnight instead.
• What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in the next few months?
  • Avengers Endgame (Apr 26) / Rocketman (May 31)
• Sign off.

Nick talks 'WREXIT' and some more with Jared that got cut from our last episode for time!

• Introduce Jared.
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • Jared: I Tonya, Baahubali, Lagaan, Incident in a Ghost Land, Isle of Dogs
  • Nick: Nate Bargatze (Netflix) / Bram Stoker’s Dracula / Shrill (Hulu) / WonderCon
• NEWS:
  • Shooting at a Mosque in Christchurch, NZ (15 Mar) /// Batman is 80 years old (Mar 30, 1939)  ///  Apple TV+ trailer
• Main Topic: Disney Acquires 20th Century Fox
  • The Walt Disney Company bought 21st Century Fox in a $71.3 Billion-dollar deal @ 12:02 am on 20 Mar 2019. Biggest media consolidation in Hollywood history.
  • History of the merger according to Wikipedia, Comcast almost outbid them ($65B on 13Jun18).
  • In June 2018, the DOJ approved the anti-trust approval case, so the deal was all but done.
  • Controversy: Disney-Fox now controls about 37% of domestic box-office share power.
    • Disney released 10 films in 2018 – Netflix released 93.
  • Disney shuts down Fox 2000 which makes mid-level movies (1 of 4 film production companies owned by Fox) – Fight Club, The Fault in Our Stars, Life of Pi, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hidden Figures, Walk the Line, Bridge of Spies, The Hate U Give, Love Simon
  • What Disney owns now –
    • 20th Century Fox Movies: Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars (Ep 4), Home Alone, Night at the Museum, Cast Away, The Martian, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Simpsons, Alien, Predator, Fight Club, Dragon Ball, Kingsman, There’s Something About Mary, Independence Day, 28 Days Later, Fantastic Voyage, The Sound of Music, M*A*S*H, Big, Rocky Horror Picture Show…
    • 20th Century Fox TV – The Simpsons, King of the Hill, In Living Color, The X-Files, The Mick, 24, Fresh Off the Boat, The Last Man on Earth, American Horror Story
    • Controlling stake in HULU – already owned 30%, bought Fox’s 30% totaling 60%
      • What does this mean for Disney+ ?
    • What does this mean for the future of Hollywood?
    • Should we be afraid of this? What does it signify?
  • Fox Corp / News Corp still exists, which owns Fox News, Fox TV and Fox Sports.
• What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in the next few months?
  • Twilight Zone (CBS, Apr 1)
  • Pet Sematary, Shazam! (Apr 5) / Hellboy (Apr 12) / Avengers Endgame (Apr 26)
  • Cannes Film Festival (May 25) / John Wick Ch 3 (May 17) / Aladdin (May 24)
• ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ thoughts?
• ‘100 Bullets’
• Sign off.

Nick talks with Jason and his wife, Megan, about the Netflix Marvel shows, and their rankings of MCU movies!

• Introduce Jason and Megan.
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • Netflix Marvel Shows / Brooklyn Nine Nine (NBC) / The Upside
  • Superstore (NBC) / Working Moms (Netflix)
  • The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) / Paddleton (Netflix) / Free Solo
• NEWS:
  • March is Women’s History month / March 8 is International Women’s Day
  • WB CEO says “No more DC Extended Universe movies, only stand alone films”.
  • The Simpsons pulls “Stark Raving Dad” in light of MJ Documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’.
  • James Guns’ ‘Suicide Squad 2’ ramping up w/ new characters. (Idris Elba = Deadshot)
• Main Topic: Captain Marvel
  • A long-awaited female led Marvel superhero film directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (a couple feature films, episodes of Room 104, The Affair & Billions). In development since 2013.
  • Captain Marvel created in 1967 (who was a man, portrayed by Annette Bening) with Carol Danvers picking up the mantle in 2012 (previously Ms. Marvel).
  • First impressions of the film? What did you like/ not like? Ranking of MCU movies?
    • 2 hr 4 min run time
    • Stan Lee Marvel Studios Intro/ Cameo
    • Depictions of females/ males
    • Story/ Plot development
  • Issues with story:
    • Uniform / Flerken (Cat) / Fury loses an eye
  • Reviews & Box Office: Rotten Tomatoes / Box Office Mojo
  • Where do we go from here? Black Widow? Ms. Marvel?
• What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in the next few months?
  • Stuber (12 July 2019) / Framing John DeLorean (7 Jun) / Good Omens (31 May) / Shazam! (5 Apr)
• Sign off.

Life, The Cineverse and Everything
Mar 1st  / Episode 27

• Introduce Kelly Pendygraft.
  • SAG Actress in LA, worked on many commercials, TV and movies.
  • Originally from Louisville? Our mutual friend: Kay.
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • 91st Oscars / ‘First Man’ / ‘Roma’ / 'Cold War'
• Interview:
  • Been in many commercials:
    • Star Wars - Duracell
    • Homegoods
  • Honda
    • Volkswagen
    • KFC (Jason Alexander)
  • Parks and Rec, M.Y.L.F. (also directed), ‘Oxalis’ (SPOILERS Discussed), ‘Magic Bullet’ (Vimeo)
  • Do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on? If so, which one?
  • Worked with Ashley Judd, Chris Pratt, Rodney Dangerfield- Who is your favorite person you’ve worked with?
  • Director, Producer, Actor – Which do you prefer?

What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in the next few months?

• ‘Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men’ (Mar 12)
• Rise Website
• Sign off.

This is a special episode recorded for Rode's "My Rode Cast" competition where Nick talks about the controversies around the 91st Annual Academy Awards and whether or not they're still relevant. Spoiler: They're not :(

Life, The Cineverse and Everything
Feb 15th  / Episode 26: The REMAKE!

• Introduce Megan.
• Valentines Day recommendations: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, 500 Days of Summer
• Have you seen anything good recently?
  • Lego Movie 2 / Velvet Buzzsaw / The Kominsky Method / Bird Box / V For Vendetta / The Titan / Crashing (HBO) / Star Trek Discovery / Sorry to Bother You / Geostorm /

• NEWS:
  • ‘Aladdin’ Genie Reveal in TV spot / Epix starting streaming service w/ MGM properties (Disney+, Apple, AT&T/ Warner Media, DC Universe) / Hulu’s Animated Marvel Universe / Captain Marvel’s epic 90’s website / TOP MOVIES AT BO: Lego Movie 2, What Men Want, Cold Pursuit, The Upside, Glass

• Main Topic: The Hollywood Remake
  • Remakes are not new: Ocean’s 11 (1960/2001), Psycho (1960/1998), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968/1999), Scarface (1932/1983), The Italian Job (1969/2003).
  • It all starts with an IP – Intellectual Property that a studio owns.
  • I’m categorizing into 3 different categories: Re-Interpretation, To Improve Upon the Original, Cash Grab.
    • Re-Interpretation (best kind, a.k.a. ‘Reboot’): Superhero - Batman (1989)/ Batman Begins (2005), The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Dracula (6 times), The Mummy (1932/1999/2017)
    • Improve Upon Original: Foreign films - 12 Angry Men (1957/1997), 3:10 to Yuma (1957/2007), The Birdcage (1996)/ La Cage a Folles (1978), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008/1951), The Departed (2006)/ Internal Affairs (2002)
    • Cash Grab (converting an already good movie into another version): Animated/ Horror - 101 Dalmatians (1961/1996), Beauty and the Beast (2017/1991)
  • Good Remakes: Star Trek (2009), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), War of the Worlds (2005), The Departed (2006), Man of Steel (2013)
  • Bad Remakes: Total Recall (2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Ghostbusters (2016), The Karate Kid (2010), King Kong (2005)
  • Remakes Currently in development – Aladdin (2019), Lion King (2019), Shaft (2019), Charlie’s Angels (2019), The Hustle (2019), The Batman (2021), Fantastic Voyage, The Howling, Inspector Gadget, The Invisible Man, Little Shop of Horrors, Masters of the Universe, Mulan
  • Remakes we would like to see: Quantum Leap, Futurama, MIB/Independence Day?
•  What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in the next few months?
• • How to Train Your Dragon 3 (Feb 22), Captain Marvel/ Dumbo (Mar 8/9)
  • Roma (Nflix), Flighting With My Family, Glass
• Sign off. (Bye!)

Nick is joined by his legally obligated spouse to talk about their new venture as big-shot Hollywood creative types*

*We are not actually, in any way, "big" or any other sized- shots.

More interviews with my wife Megan, Jason, Jake and Daniel!

Interviews with Jared, Alex, Katy and Brian talking about our best and worst of 2018!

Nick's plan of contacting previous guest hosts gets beaugarted by Wes Singleton, who has some valid concerns on the state of Hollywood, so this episode becomes about that. More with previous guest hosts talking the best/worst of 2018 for extras next week!

Nick and Megan are in balmy Hawaii, getting ready for Christmas so we talk some good and bad Christmas movies. Check out our list of Christmas movies to watch, and let us know if you agree or disagree with any on our list:

Bad Moms 2
Office Christmas Party
Home Alone
Love Actually
It's a Wonderful Life
A Christmas Story
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Elf
Miracle on 34th Street
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Scrooged
Jingle All the Way
Frosty the Snowman (1969) / Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)
A Christmas Carol
Die Hard
Gremlins
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang / Iron Man 3
Batman Returns
Trading Places
Edward Scissorhands
The Nightmare Before Christmas