Hot Shyamalan Nights: The Batman Legacy - Free For All #5

The latest episode of RPC’s Free For All general discussion show finds Kristal, Josh, Jacob, and Keona chatting about a fan-edited cut of the movie Shazam, replete with less humor, a more Snyder-esque color palette, and retooled visual effects and music. We also talk about a Last of Us 2 outrage petition, M. Night Shyamalan’s filmography, our favorite actors, Matt Reeves’ Batman flick, and the upcoming Avengers video game! Plus, an epic Josh rant about Youtube star Shane Dawson! It’s a packed show, so let’s get to it!

Also on deck is an argument over the merits, or lack thereof, of Frozen 2, which gets almost as much hate as Shrek once did on this podcast. In other news, Steven Spielberg’s Adventures of Tintin gets even more love from Jacob, Josh, and Kristal, while I remain ambivalent. However, one thing I cannot be apathetic about is the brilliance of John Williams’ music when compared to that of Hans Zimmer. Don’t get me wrong; they’re both great composers, but Williams is a master of his craft and a legend among us. Early Zimmer scores are great, but his modern work doesn’t hold a candle to Williams, in my opinion.

But enough of that movie score jazz, let’s talk about Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming Avengers video game, about which Josh is feeling optimistic, but I’m not completely sold. It looks decent in terms of gameplay, but I’m not loving the muted color scheme and overall “realistic” aesthetic. These are superheroes, after all; they should be over the top! I think they’re attempting to match the MCU’s palette and visual style rather than the comics, and while that makes sense from a marketing standpoint, I wish they’d gone with a more exaggerated or stylized look for the characters. Oh, well, MODOK’s the villain, so I guess… that’s a thing. Can Deadpool show up and kill everyone? ‘Cause I might like that.

Moving on, Jacob brings the discussion back down to earth by telling us about his two favorite actors (one deceased, one alive): Christopher Lee, who was quite possibly the most impressive human being of all time, and Willem Dafoe, who is a truly amazing actor. Kristal followed up with her two faves: Gene Wilder, one of the greatest comedic talents of all time, and prolific voice actor Rob Paulsen. Josh then discussed his actors of choice, the great Robin Williams and, surprisingly, Ryan Gosling. Finally, I name Bruce Lee and Al Pacino, because of their intensity and screen presence. We also talked about Michael Keaton, who’s another one of my all-time favorite actors.

Joel Schumacher and the cast of Batman & Robin. Arnold looks very happy.

We then discussed the legacy of director Joel Schumacher, who sadly passed away recently. While he had (unfairly) garnered the reputation of the man who “ruined” the Batman film franchise after directing Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, Schumacher was actually a talented and skilled filmmaker. He cut his teeth on heavier dramas like Falling Down, The Client, and A Time to Kill, and actually apologized to the fans who were disappointed by Batman & Robin. I didn’t like all of Schumacher’s films, but I respected him, and would have liked to have seen his rumored third film in the Bat-franchise, Batman Unchained (also referred to as Batman Triumphant). Rest in peace, Mr. Schumacher.

The conversation then shifts over to Matt Reeves’ upcoming Batman movie, which I’m a bit not sold on, but everyone else is feeling positive about it, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. (How is it I’m the odd man out on my own podcast so much of the time, anyway? Maybe I have bad taste.) Anyway, the cast is looking eclectic and intriguing, especially for a Batman film. I just can’t shake the feeling that we’ve seen it all before. Hopefully Reeves proves me wrong and delivers the best Bat-film we’ve ever Bat-watched in a Bat-theater. With Bat-popcorn. And Bat-hot dogs. And Bat-soda. Okay, I’ll stop.

Shane Dawson’s magnum opus.

Finally, Josh takes us home with his rant on Youtuber Shane Dawson’s recent fall from grace. I don’t know much about this guy, but some of his alleged behavior has been reprehensible. All I can say is that I’m not surprised. Someone in the public eye courted controversy; big stinkin’ shock. I’m a little bit older than my co-hosts, which means I mostly missed out on the first generation of the Youtube influencer/stardom thing, but I wouldn’t be thrown for a loop if most of the people on the platform and those like it turned out to be spoiled and bratty. Not saying all of them are, and if someone achieves success through those avenues, good on ‘em! What I am saying is that brand-building in this day and age is based more than ever on a persona rather than the actual person behind it. It’s inherently dishonest a lot of the time, and the deeper people search for the person behind the brand, the more they’ll probably discover things they never wanted to know.

Well, that’s it for this episode of RPC’s Free For All! Please let us know how we’re doing by leaving a comment! Follow us on Spotify and Apple! And stay tuned for more right here, on Renegade Pop Culture! Be safe, everyone!