Episode 78 - The 3rd Annual Dubbie Awards!

It's nearly the end of awards season in the movie biz, which means dozens of ossified institutions have spent the past several months debating the merits of a handful of preordained films, overlooking meritorious efforts such as Swiss Army Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

We're putting our own twist on this tradition once again, as the third edition of the Dubbie Awards continues our revolution in recognition. In addition to naming our favorite films and performances of 2016, we'll dispense special honors for the year's finest achievements (and failures) in cinematic nostalgia. And, for the first time, we hand out podcast-centric awards, mostly for the purpose of making our own acceptance speeches. Get the play-off music ready...it's time for the Dubbies!

This year's program includes:

• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Film of 2016
• Best Comeback
• Most Unnecessary Throwback
• Future WWWW Candidate
• Most Nostalgic Moment
• Best New Oldie
• Best Performance by a WWWW Guest
• Best Performance by a WWWW Co-Host
• Best WWWW Episode of 2016

Episode 77 - BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM

The rehabilitation of Batman's post-camp image as a lonely, brooding avatar of vigilantism was not just limited to the comics or the cinema. Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski's surprisingly mature animated TV series also contributed to the goal of establishing a grim, gritty, noir-ish universe as the Caped Crusader's natural habit. Their ambition was affirmed by efforts such as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, a theatrically-released feature filled with vengeance, obsession, and yearning for the past that also includes a pretty sweet rumble with the Joker.

Reopening the Wormhole co-host Sam Stovold suits up for this animated detour in our survey of the Batman films. Grab your fedora and hop into your anachronistic Rolls Royce for this melancholy superhero romance - just in time for Valentine's Day!

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Directed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski
Produced by Benjamin Melnicker, Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, and Eric Radomski
Written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves
Based on characters created by Bob Kane
Starring Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Mark Hamill, Hart Bochner, Abe Vigoda, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and Stacy Keach


Check out all current episodes in our Batman series:
Batman
Batman Returns
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin

Episode 76 - MORTAL KOMBAT

Arriving at the tail end of Hollywood's initial mini-boom of video game adaptations, Mortal Kombat tried to kapitalize on a sensationalistic media kraze centered on the popular game's macabre backstory and gratuitous violence. The resulting PG-13 film is, at best, an uneven-yet-sincere attempt to kapture the game's spirit, but its lack of polish didn't stop it from enjoying a residual '90s koolness and kamp appeal--especially as subsequent films based on games failed to significantly raise the bar.

Our MK guru, Kevin Gutierrez, grabs an extra kontroller to join us in a discussion of Mortal Kombat as both movie and game, as we seek an elusive konsensus on what we want out of our video game flicks. Toasty!

Mortal Kombat (1995)
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
Produced by Lawrence Kasanoff
Written by Kevin Droney
Based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias
Starring Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Talisa Soto, Trevor Goddard, and Christopher Lambert

Episode 75 - ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

Following the lead of last year's panel discussion of The Force Awakens, WWWW strikes back with another all-star roundtable devoted to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the latest silver screen tale to emerge from our favorite far, far away galaxy.

We're joined by our ragtag crew of Blythe Borders-Ashe, Daniel Borders-Ashe, and Eric Wheeler to debate the merits of this new frontier in franchise expansion. It's a lively back-and-forth on a surprisingly controversial film, with takes hotter than the sauna at Darth Vader's Mustafar castle. And though we may all be divided on Rogue One's successes and shortcomings, there is something that truly unites us: the Force is with us, and we are one with the Force.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, and Simon Emanuel
Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy
Story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta
Based on characters created by George Lucas
Starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Mads Mikkelsen, Riz Ahmed, Alan Tudyk, and Forest Whitaker

Check out the rest of our series on the Star Wars saga:
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Solo: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Clone Wars
Star Wars Holiday Special
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure

Episode 74 - MEMORABLE MUSIC VIDEOS, VOL. 2

Nowadays you can meme a song into an unexpected hit, but back in the day topping the charts meant kissing the ring of Carson Daly in front of a horde of truant teens and underemployed adults packing Times Square, eager to see their idols visit MTV's famous high-rise fishbowl.  And to please this fickle audience day in and day out, you'd better have brought a hot music video.

Our second installment of the format we introduced nearly one year ago gathers six more promotional clips - this time with a heavy pop/R&B focus - as musician and YouTube personality Matt Palmer contributes his artistic expertise and passionately-held opinions to help us contextualize and question some of the most memorable videos from the music biz's last big unit-moving hurrah.

Music videos featured in this episode:

"Scream" by Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson (1995)
"Honey" by Mariah Carey (1997)
"The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica (1998)
"Unpretty" by TLC (1999)
"The Bum Bum Song (Lonely Swedish)" by Tom Green (1999)
"Thong Song" by Sisqo (2000)


More Music Videos

Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 3: Middle School Mixtape


Check out more of Matt Palmer:

Two Gay Matts on YouTube
Matt Palmer Music

BONUS - STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL

Experiencing the Star Wars Holiday Special is a true test of mental, physical, and emotional endurance, so much so that we couldn't do it alone. We trekked across universes to join our friends on the Deep Space Nine podcast Reopening the Wormhole in shared misery over this infamous piece of bantha poodoo. The end result was a long, hilarious, and insightful conversation that proved infinitely more entertaining than actually watching the damn thing.

So grab a cup of Jawa juice and/or Romulan ale (heck, you might need to double-fist quite a few just to make it through what might be the nadir of either space franchise) and strap in for a bonus crossover episode worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order. Oh, and try to enjoy your Life Day.

Star Wars Holiday Special
Originally aired November 17, 1978 on CBS
Directed by Steve Binder and David Acomba (uncredited)
Written by Pat Proft, Leonard Ripps, Bruce Vilanch, Rod Warren, and Mitzie Welch
Story by George Lucas (uncredited)
Starring Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Art Carney, Bea Arthur, and Harvey Korman, David Prowse and James Earl Jones

Check out the rest of our series on the Star Wars saga:
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Solo: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Clone Wars
Star Wars Holiday Special
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure

Episode 73 - WINTER WONDER-THON 2016

Wintertime
Are you seein'?
On the screen
Goofy's skiing
Hear the kids sing
Coke's the real thing
We're watching our Winter Wonder-Thon

On the podcast we'll discuss "The Snowman"
While Garfield's country Christmas tale is told
We'll revisit Friends 'cause it's a great show, man
As Dinosaurs keep their food nice and cold

Later on
Within these scenes
We will find
Evergreen themes
We've got lots to say
Have a happy holiday
Listening to our Winter Wonder-Thon!

Featured in this episode:

Clips and Shorts
Coca-Cola "Christmas Caravan" commercials (1995, 1996, 1997)
"The Art of Skiing" (1941)

TV Episodes and Specials
The Snowman (aired December 26, 1982)
A Garfield Christmas Special (aired December 21, 1987)
Friends - "The One With the Holiday Armadillo" (aired December 14, 2000)
Dinosaurs - "Refrigerator Day" (aired December 11, 1991)