Michael Thomas

Top 7 Villainous Sidekicks in the X-Men Cinematic Universe

After living through the greatest podcast mini-series in history on the subject of the X-Men cinematic universe and going to great effort to provide a definitive and objectively correct ranking of all the X-Men films, I was left with many thoughts on many important subjects. The issue of representation in cinema and popular culture. Appropriating stories of oppression for the sake of silly superhero stories. Today marks the first of many (or possibly none) ~~listicles~~ essays on such important issues permeating throughout the franchise…who were the best villainous sidekicks in the history of the franchise? Continue reading Top 7 Villainous Sidekicks in the X-Men Cinematic Universe

Ranking the X-Men

In the last seventeen years, the world has seen ten films in the X-Men film universe. Mike and Matt have discussed them all individually and now have ranked them all ~~in order to get some extra hits~~ because that is the logical and honorable thing to do. (This was written by Mike.) Continue reading Ranking the X-Men

Logan Review aka Goodbye, X-Men

Seventeen years ago, X-Men entered the cinema, and the world of film was changed forever. Batman and Superman defined comic book movies for the twenty previous years, but now there was a new kind of superhero film.

The film’s financial and critical success helped pave the way for a more serious tone to be adopted for superhero films (for better and worse) and encourage the industry to go all in on superhero films.

For me though, the arrival of X-Men meant so much more on a personal level. Continue reading Logan Review aka Goodbye, X-Men

The Trump Era Films: Mad Max: Fury Road

With four years of Donald Trump the President of the United States on the horizon, we are all going to have to find some ways to cope. My way is certainly just about the least productive possible. I will be searching for movies that provide some sort of catharsis for myself. It’s self-indulgent to the last degree, but we all need a little something.

Re-watching Fury Road recently for the first time since I saw it in the theater was a fascinating experience. Everything I enjoyed about my first experience seemed even better on a second viewing. Beyond its quality, this film will easily go down as one of the most notable pictures of the 21st century when it’s all said and done. Everything about it was so bold that you can just tell right away that it will stand the test of time. Continue reading The Trump Era Films: Mad Max: Fury Road

The Tape Crusaders: Episode #12 – Mask of the Phantasm & SubZero

Batman: The Animated Series was one of the most beloved Batman stories ever. It only led to two films though. Matt and Mike took a look at both of them for this episode (yes, we’ll watch the actual show soon; we promise).

Continue reading The Tape Crusaders: Episode #12 – Mask of the Phantasm & SubZero

2017 Re-Watch: Batman: Under the Red Hood

2017 will see me revisiting some films that I think need or deserve a fresh take. It will be a series of columns cleverly called, “2017 Re-Watch.”

Without question, Under the Red Hood is one of the most creatively successful Batman films ever. It tops the majority of the live-action Batman films and is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the animated entries.

While there are a number of aspects of the film to like, you really just need to look at the final sequence to understand how this film reached such great heights.

Continue reading 2017 Re-Watch: Batman: Under the Red Hood

The Tape Crusaders: Episode #11 – Under the Red Hood & Return of Joker

~~Deadpool~~ Under the Red Hood and Return of Joker are two of the Batman animated films that truly focus on the Batman and Robin relationship. They’re both very interesting for very different reasons and well worth your time. Listen to Mike and Matt explain why! Continue reading The Tape Crusaders: Episode #11 – Under the Red Hood & Return of Joker

The Trump Era Films: Trackdown – “The End of the World”

What in the ever-loving fuck? Continue reading The Trump Era Films: Trackdown – “The End of the World”

The Tape Crusaders: Episode #10 – The Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight Returns is one of the most infamous and influential Batman stories ever. They adapted it into an animated film. Mike and Matt feel very, very, very differently about this story. They actually have a productive conversation about their differences of opinion though. Weird.

Continue reading The Tape Crusaders: Episode #10 – The Dark Knight Returns

The Tape Crusaders: Episode #9 – Year One & The Killing Joke

Year One and The Killing Joke are two of the most infamous Batman stories of all time. DC Animation made two pretty interesting adaptation about them. Matt and Mike discuss the films, do some cool live comparisons between the books and films, and fun is had by all. Continue reading The Tape Crusaders: Episode #9 – Year One & The Killing Joke