Cosmic Circus Podcasts

Host Brian Kitson and fellow The Cosmic Circus writers Wiktor Reinfuss and John Dotson share some of their favorite horror projects that have come out since the previous Halloween podcast, such as Smile 2, Alan Wake II, MaXXXine, Longlegs and A Quiet Place: Day One! Listen as they discuss what they love about these specific horror projects and what their honorable mentions are, and which horror media didn't make the cut from 2024. Enjoy! Find more reviews from these writers on TheCosmicCircus.com and follow our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus for movie and show reviews from John & Vin!

In this episode, hosts Brian Kitson and Izzy Friedman break down all the excitement and heartbreak from Heartstopper season 3! Listen as they discuss how the series tackles the top of mental illness, explores growing older into an adult world, and how a confrontation with the real world brings about some excellent conversations for both audiences and the characters in the series. The hosts also discuss how their own queer experiences align with those in the series, and how Heartstopper balances the light and dark tones perfectly in this newest outing, and various topics discussed around living as a LGBTQ+ person. You can find all this in more in our first official Across The Queerverse episode!   Ep. 1 Timestamps: Heartstopper Season 3 Review & Discussion of LGBTQ+ Issues [Warning: Spoilers from season 3 are discussed within this podcast] 00:00 - Intro to Across the Queerverse podcast 02:10 - Spoiler alert for Heartstopper season 3 going forward 02:44 - Comparing season 2 vs season 3 of Heartstopper? 05:00 - Dealing with real life problems, mental health, and problems with both friendships and romantic relationships 08:49 - Building friendships and how you define family and build your community around you as a queer person 11:25 - Aromantic & Asexuality, not feeling the need to explain yourself as a queer person and understanding that if someone cares about you they should put in the work and effort to try to understand. The wide array of what being queer means. 18:00 - Characters in Heartstopper season 3 no longer having their friends and support groups around them as much, struggling with that and not being as protected, being politicized. (Elle scenes discussed, Transgender bias and attacks discussed) 24:30 - The world outside not being as forgiving or understanding as their friendship group and dealing with those outside of that group, even family, not understanding mental health struggles. 27:45 - Tori being ace, Darcy (non-binary), talking about responses to feeling such as butterflies and that it might mean something different that some might think 33:05 - Some Like it Hot the Musical discussion about the transgender storyline with Jerry/Daphne, in the musical 34:00 - Clothes as self-expression 35:16 - Nick scenes, not feeling comfortable in your skin, Nick's insecurities, wanting to help Charlie, the idea that you can't cure someone else's mental illness with love. Nick wanting to be there for Charlie, but Nick also really needing to be there for himself too. 42:10 - Exploration of having security and confidence in relationships this season 43:30 - Healing messages in Heartstopper 47:50 - LGBTQ+ adults as role models in the series 51:27 - Is season 3 a comfort show like seasons 1 & 2? 54:45 - Talking more about characters not being comfortable in their own bodies, teenagers, sex, and reality vs the show. 01:01:05 - Heartstopper season 4 01:01:50 - Outro   Across the Queerverse podcast credits and show notes Contributors/Writers Brian Kitson Izzy Friedman Executive Produ...

Vin and Vic discuss Separation Anxiety and Planet of the Symbiotes, two classic Venom stories from the 1990s might hold clues for Venom: The Last Dance. What can these comics tell us about the future of symbiotes in Sony's Spider-Man Universe and the MCU?   Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Personal history and introduction to Venom (comics and cartoon) 03:48 - Venom in the movies prior to Venom: The Last Dance 06:00 - Spider-Man talk, Tom Holland's Spider-Man 07:12 - Rumors about introducing the symbiot in Spider-Man 4 and future Marvel films 09:48 - Tom Hardy's possible future in the MCU / Secret Wars? 12:00 - Venom comics discussion: Separation Anxiety 17:49 - Venom Comics discussion: Planet of the Symbiotes 24:17 - The art of these comics and Vic's favorite panels 28:13 - Wanting deeper dive, and supplemental reading material for this story 29:30 - Eddie & Venom, a story about a toxic relationship 30:24 - Theories and talking about how these comics might connect to Venom: The Last Dance 32:10 - Marvel Studios vs Sony handling Venom's character 33:48 - Other expected or possible characters that may appear in Venom 3. Rumors, theories, and confirmed. 37:00 - Potential Sinister Six lineup for the films 29:45 - Outros #venomcomics #venom3 #venomthelastdance #marvelcomics #spiderman  Vic's written review of these Venom comics https://thecosmiccircus.com/venom-comics-separation-anxiety-planet-of-the-symbiotes/ For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

John & Vin give a midseason check-in for DC's Penguin and Marvel's Agatha All Along (spoiler warning if you haven't seen the shows so far). They also discuss the current state of the MCU, recent trailers for Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, as well as whether or not Blade can really be adapted to the MCU. For the full video review, go to https://youtu.be/nz_Rr3rKVOU?si=AQ2rqCcG6USg62bi&t=1   DC's The Batman spinoff Penguin stars Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti and is currently airing on HBO/MAX. #TheBatman #ThePenguin #SofiaFalcone #HBO Marvel series Agatha All Along is currently playing on Disney+ and stars Kathryne Hahn, Joe Locke and Aubrey Plaza. #MCU #Agatha #MarvelStudios #agathaallalong Timestamps 00:10 - intro 00:17 - Penguin season 1 discussion, history with the Batman universe? 05:40 - Comparing past Penguins to Colin Farrell's Penguin 09:45 - Penguin, Sofia Falcone, and the villain of this story. Breaking Bad Walter White comparisons 11:30 - predictions for the end of the show and who might make it to The Batman 2 16:09 - what is Penguin doing successfully that some past Marvel shows haven't? DC vs Marvel vs Star Wars handling of TV series and films overall. 18:21 - Things we don't like about the Penguin series 19:45 - Penguin episodes have increasingly gotten better 22:05 - comparing crime elements of Penguin to The Sopranos 23:17 - When we get to see more Penguin in the series? More comparisons to Breaking Bad. 25:45 - X-Men '97, talking about the quality of episodes up to mid-season vs end of season for a series. 26:55 - What will happen to Vic? Predictions for the rest of the season. 32:55 - Does the series really look like lower budget than the film? 34:00 - Colin Farrell's prosthetics and performance 37:04 - Agatha All Along discussion 41:18 - Performances have been great in the show 42:20 - Feelings about the current Phase of Marvel shows and films? (Thunderbolts* Captain America: Brave New World 44:30 - The first Blade movie, and bringing Blade to the MCU 47:36 - outros   For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

Smile 2 is now in theaters and Vin and John have lots to say about this scary sequel just in time for Halloween! So much so that this new movie review will be in two parts. This one will have be spoiler free for the sequel (but not the first film) and a second Smile 2 review to be released soon will be a full spoilery discussion. Smile 2 is a new psychological horror film written and directed by Parker Finn and starring Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo. Dylan Gelula, Ray Nicholson. Timestamps 00:18 - Intro 02:24 - John attended the premiere of the first Smile film, general thoughts on the first Smile film vs Smile 2 04:25 - Personal history with the first Smile film 07:09 - Second film is what sequel dreams are made of. Smile 2 discussion. 10:45 - Sharp editing, great visuals and upside-down sequences 12:10 - Criticisms and confusions 16:29 - A great double feature to watch with The Substance or Trap 17: 41 - Parker Finn might be one of the best filmmakers since Wes Craven. Exceptional work building intensity in Smile 2 18:50 - Intelligent characters trying to do the logical thing, but things still go wrong 20:35 - jump scares 21:55 - Coming soon: a full spoiler review of Smile 2. Do you need to watch Smile 1 before you watch Smile 2? 23:15 - Outro   Find the full video review on YouTube at  https://youtu.be/sLlkwM1rn9M?si=JE2cHbmw4EvQUzrx   For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

Superman & Lois returned to The CW this past week with a 2-hour premiere, signaling the beginning of the end of the Arrowverse's reign on the cable network. In this episode of The Cosmic Circle, host Brian Kitson and fellow The Cosmic Circus writers Wiktor Reinfuss and Vin break down all the exciting bits from the two-hour premiere. Was there anything shocking in the episodes they didn't see coming? Where do they think the season will go? And why does Lex Luthor have such a bad wig!?! And what are their hopes for the rest of the final season. All this and more lay ahead in the Superman & Lois final season premiere podcast!     Ep. 63 Timestamps: Superman & Lois final season premiere podcast [Warning: Spoilers discussed for the premiere episodes of season 4 within this podcast] 00:00 - Intro 01:20 - General thoughts on the first episodes of Superman & Lois season 4  06:00 - Another strong emotional season for this beloved series 10:45 - Did you see this Superman storyline coming at the end of the last season? 15:00 - The Super Sons, Jordan and John . Who is ready to step up and be a hero like their dad? 18:00 - Could Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) return to mentor the boys? 21:00 - Lois' grief this season and her seemingly checking out on the boys. 23:00 - Where did Doomsday go? 25:40 - A more "human" approach to superheroes in this series than other shows/films 30:49 - Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz), comparing this iteration to the previous, including Michael Rosenbaum in Smallville 42:26 - Is there another HUGE fight coming for this show? 43:20 - Milton Fine 46:45 - Are they saving the budget for something big at the end of the season? 54:07 - What are your hopes for the rest of Superman & Lois season 4? 01:03:07 - Outros

Season 2 of the epic series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has recently wrapped up, and writers Drew Reed and Uday Kataria have thoughts to share! Listen in to their in-depth discussion about the second season, what they expect to see in Rings of Power season 3 and possibly 4, and take a deep dive into some of the J.R.R. Tolkien lore behind the Prime Video show.   Timestamps 00:00 - Intros 00:28 - Season 2 vs Season 1 thoughts (SPOILER WARNING for both seasons!) 09:00 - Galadriel and Elrond's story this season 11:00 - The challenges of having so many characters stories and working with Tolkien's narrative framework from the novels. The Silmarillion discussion. 15:00 - Learning more about what the orcs are and their lives 17:30 - Annatar 19:00 - Remaking the films vs coming up with new ideas. 22:00 - More depth to Sauron, and comparing his depiction in ROP vs the books vs the Peter Jackson films. Charlie Vickers performance. 30:00 - Is everything too rushed with a compressed timeline? 33:10 - Issues with season 2 40:30 - Tom Bombadil 45:00 - The Harfoots and Gandalf's story, the Blue Wizards.  50:00 - What are we likely to see in The Rings of Power season 3 and 4? 57:00 - Outros   Podcast credits and show notes Contributors/Writers Uday Kataria Drew Reed Executive Producer/Editor Lizzie Hill Recorded on 10/10/2024

John & Vin dive deep into the Joker duology. Are they worth awards buzz or angry backlash? How does the new film compare to the original? Joker (2019) Directed by Todd Phillips Written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, and Zazie Beetz Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Directed by Todd Phillips Written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, and Brendan Gleeson   Timestamps 00:00 - Intros 00:45 - Joker 2019 discussion 06:45 - Joker: Folie à Deux 17:45 - Joaquin Phoenix performances in both films 18:10 - SPOILER WARNING after this point for Joker: Folie à Deux 21:28 - Does the sequel make the first film better? 22:43 - Will there be a Joker 3? If not why set up all those Easter eggs? 25:00 - The message of the films (Ending of the sequel discussion) 27:00 - Will you like the sequel if you liked the first Joker? 32:15 - Outros   For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

John & Vin discuss Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and the career of Tim Burton. Starring Michael Keaton, Wynona Ryder, and Jenna Ortega, and Catherine O'Hara Originally recorded September 7, 2024 Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 01:45 - history with the original Beetlejuice film starring Michael Keaton, Wynona Rider, Gena Davis and Alec Baldwin 10:10 - Discussing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 16:38 - Spoiler warning for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 26:10 - special effects in the films 28:15 - would you want a third film? More misc thoughts on the sequel 34:30 - Outros For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

John & Vin review Terminator Zero! The hit 8-episode Netflix anime series covers the rise of Skynet, leading into the full Terminator movie saga. Written and developed by showrunner Mattson Tomlin Directed by Masashi Kudō Starring (English dub) André Holland, Rosario Dawson, and Timothy Olyphant Originally recorded September 3, 2024 Timestamps 00:10 - intro, our intro to the Terminator franchise and previous Terminator films 09:45 - Terminator Zero is The Matrix Reloaded of Terminator sequels 12:40 - existential questions in the Terminator franchise 17:49 - positives about Terminator Zero 26:00 - negatives about the animated series and comparisons to the previous films 33:08 - connecting Terminator to our current world 34:45 - overall thoughts and ranking for Terminator Zero 36:55 - Recommendations for more movies or shows with robots or time travel 38:55 - Spoiler warning discussion for Terminator Zero 43:30 - Outros For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

John shares his early reaction to Joker: Folie à Deux starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga and directed by Todd Phillips. The film releases Friday October 4, 2024 Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Joker 2 is not interested in playing by the rules or being conventional 03:00 - Fantasy vs reality of Arthur Fleck aka The Joker 05:00 - What #2 does better than the first film 07:08 - Is Joker: Folie à Deux a better film than the first one? 07:45 - Outro   Find the full video review on our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus  For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

John & Vin close out their Fantastic Fest coverage with four great international movies. John also thanks the FF team for their care and support, and reflects on the festival overall. U ARE THE UNIVERSE Written and directed by PAVLO OSTRIKOV Starring Volodymyr Kravchuk GHOST KILLER Directed by Kensuke Sonomura Written by Yugo Sakamoto Starring Akari Takaishi, Mario Kuroba, Masanori Mimoto ELSE Written and directed by Thibault Emin Co-Written with Alice Butaud, Emma Sandona Starring Lika Minamoto, Edith Proust, Matthieu Sampeur DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY Written and Directed by John Hsu Co-Written with Kun-Lin Tsai Starring Bo-lin Chen, Sandrine Pinna, Gingle Wang Timestamps 00:00 - Intros 02:40 - U Are the Universe 10:00 - Ghost Killer 14:05 - Else 19:15 - Dead Talents Society 23:45 - John on working as press at Fantastic Fest 2024 26:55 - Thank you to those co-ordinating and working at Fantastic Fest 2024 29:14 - Outros  Find the video to this podcast on our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

John & Vin break down the fourth and fifth days of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Sebastian Stan double feature (A Different Man and The Apprentice), plus the Heretic! A Different Man Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg Stars Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson The Apprentice Directed by Ali Abbasi Written by Gabriel Sherman Stars Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, with Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan Heretic Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods Stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East. Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 03:35 - A Different Man 13:10 - The Apprentice 26:30 - Heretic 37:25 - Outros For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus For the video version of this podcast visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frb9E6sXdfs  

Vin interviews writer-director Pavlo Ostrikov about his feature film debut U Are The Universe, a spectacular Ukrainian science fiction movie about depression, hope, and love. Tune in for production history, budget challenges, deleted scenes, influences, and more! For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Vin's reaction to seeing U Are The Universe 01:50 - The writer/director's journey to making this film 04:00 - Challenges to making this sci-fi film during the Ukrainian-Russian war. 08:53 - The robot, CGI and sets in the film 13:00 - What movies did he take inspiration from? 16:00 - The love story in U Are The Universe 17:00 - Finding the right actor to lead this film: Volodymyr Kravchuk 22:18 - Favorite behind the scenes moments or bloopers from filming. 26:00 - Film is a strong statement from Ukrainian film 28:48 - What is he working on next? 31:40 - Where to find him on social media, Outro Find the video of this podcast on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiMPIEUg4_0   Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus  

We have another report and reviews from John of films shown at Fantastic Fest this week. Check out his conversation with Vin about it here. More information and time stamps below! Anora Written, directed and edited by Sean Baker Stars Mikey Madison Daniela Forever Written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo Stars Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò Saturday Night Written and directed by Jason Reitman, co-written by Gil Kenan Stars Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J. K. Simmons The Wild Robot Written and directed by Chris Sanders Based on book series by Peter Brown Stars Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames Will & Harper documentary Directed by Josh Greenbaum Starring Will Ferrell and Harper Steele TIMESTAMPS 00:10 - Intros 01:05 - Anora 06:55 - Daniela Forever 09:33 - Saturday Night 17:04 - The Wild Robot 21:16 - Will & Harper ("One of the best documentaries of this year" - John Dotson) 26:15 - U are the Universe 28:30 - Outros Find John's written review of Anora and Saturday Night here: https://thecosmiccircus.com/fantastic-fest-2024-movie-reviews-anora-and-saturday-night/ For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus