As Art

Nick and John discuss His Dark Materials season 3. If you haven't watched up to Season 3 ep 8, or read book 3 -- spoilers ahead!

Studio Ghibli Porco Rosso is a great example of world-building done right. In the Analysis, we break down Miyazaki's story beats which you can find in most of his studio ghibli films.

Nick and Kyle talk about the newest Spider-man Movie no way home. They come to an agreement on how much they like the movie.

At the age of 44, Miyazaki made his manga Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind come to life through animation! The success of this movie will lead to the creation of the beloved Studio Ghibli. Join us on this epic adventure!

Nick and Kyle Found a New favorite Netflix Original Animated and Live-action Series! Simply put Arcane is Incredible! I know we are Late to this Party that's why we are calling this After the Hype!

The Matrix: Revolutions (2003) was the third and final installment in the Matrix trilogy -- and released only 6-months after Reloaded. Interestingly enough, though -- they were quite different films in subject and scope, with this third installment focusing much more on the 'real world', and with much less time spent in the matrix itself. This last installment, like the previous ones, did introduce some very high-end technology, including some ultra impressive slo-mo flight / fight sequences between Neo and Agent Smith. While not as received nearly as warmly as the first Matrix or the second Reloaded, Nick and John enjoy discussing how amazingly well the effects [as a whole] hold up this many years later.

The Matrix: Reloaded hit theaters in 2003, with a massive amount of hype and marketing behind it. Financially successful in every way, it also successfully expanded & built on the foundation the original film established -- yet a good portion of viewers had complaints. This time around, gone were the real-camera-captured "bullet time" sequences, replaced this time around with dynamic [but perhaps less convincing] digital double fight sequences -- and a generally higher reliance on CG as a whole. On the story and world-building fronts, setting went far beyond the "digital" Matrix...on into the human sanctuary of Zion...and eventually into "funky-town" with The Architect -- an area and conversation that many movie-goers found quite off-putting. Does the Matrix hold up in John and Nick's separate views...and how do the VFX hold up this many years later?!

It might be Nick's favorite Studio Ghibli Film -- and it's also John's first viewing of it! The guys talk Batman (Christian Bale), the Ever-Epic Billy Crystal...and oh-so-many other things in this episode. Steampunk Castle? Check! Anti-hero who gives no F's? Check. Girl who gives ALL kinds of kisses? Check?! Some things didn't make much sense to John, so Nick attempts to educate the poor lad.

Weta is one of the three or four LARGEST Visual Effects studios in the WORLD -- and they just got bought by game engine company Unity for 1.6 billion dollars! While the VFX studio will still exist & has a majority share under Peter Jackson, this does give Unity full access to all their technology, assets, and other technology. With Unreal Engine already established in the Virtual Production sector (Mandalorian, etc), is this a power-play to try and gain ground in this developing sector? Nick and John have fun guessing where this one will develop!