The Reel World

Whatever Will Happen to the Tape Crusaders?

It’s almost time for the main event, folks. Yes, The Reel World Podcast’s coverage of Batman: The Animated Series is fast approaching! Those of you who do get in touch with us (which you should absolutely feel free to do by commenting here or heading over to The Facebook or The Twitter) have been clamouring (suck it, America) for us to do BTAS since we announced we were moving on to Batman in the first place, and for good reason.

But there’s a LOT of episodes and we don’t have the time to hit them all, so instead we’re taking 15 of the very best episodes and using them to inform our discussion. So if you want to play along at home and get yourselves ready too, here’s our list! Continue reading Whatever Will Happen to the Tape Crusaders?

The Tape Crusaders: Episode #13 – Justice League: The New Frontier

New Frontier.jpeg

Mike & Matt’s loooooooong journey through the pantheon of Batman on-screen is finally drawing to a close, but before we reach our final destination it’s time for a quick stop in a corner of the Batverse that we haven’t really covered so far: The Justice League. Rather than squeeze another 8 episodes out of Tape Crusaders, Mike let Matt pick his favourite of the bunch and that was The New Frontier. Continue reading The Tape Crusaders: Episode #13 – Justice League: The New Frontier

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”

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.

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

2017 First Watch: The Killing Joke

2017 will see me watching some films that I have never seen before and then writing about them. It will be a series of columns cleverly called, “2017 First Watch.

The Killing Joke was an infamous comic written by Alan Moore. The book has gone down as both a hugely influential and impact Batman story while also developing a poor reputation for the objectification of the Barbara Gordon character in the course of telling the Batman vs. Joker story. Continue reading 2017 First Watch: The Killing Joke

2017 Re-Watch: Batman: Year One

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.

Batman: Year One was an animated adaptation of the fantastic Frank Miller book of the same name. The story is still deservedly thought of as a classic, and it would probably be considered the definitive Batman origins story (and was a major influence on the beloved Christopher Nolan film, Batman Begins). Continue reading 2017 Re-Watch: Batman: Year One