Sketch Watch Play

It's been a good couple of years since Felipe was on the show, but he's finally back with a vengeance as we tackle 2 distinct topics.  First, Felipe enlightens John with insight on the skateboarding boom of the 2000s and the wild ride it's been for longtime pro Chad Muska in particular, as told in an entertaining documentary that you can legally watch for free on Vice's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/3JFihjEWU3c

After that, the meat of the episode is a deep dive into not a game series, not a game genre, but a particular game console that crossed the 20-year mark this decade: Sony's legendary PlayStation 2.  A formative system for many series and genres, a huge leap for 3D console gaming, and of course a trusty DVD player during that boom, this system means a lot to us even today in various ways.  Topics include notable platformer games, John's take on why this period was the peak of AAA gaming creativity, and Felipe's enduring love of the DualShock 2 as a fighting game controller.

Timestamps:
7:54 From Homeless to Pro-Skater: Chad Muska
37:07 PlayStation 2 Retrospective

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Mia brings her nerd A-game to school John on a trilogy we both love, but one that for her isn't just a movie, but a lifestyle.  Fresh off Fellowship hitting its 20th anniversary (And Two Towers as well a month after this episode publishes), we look back at Peter Jackson's now-legendary adaptation of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy.  From Viggo Mortensen injuries to Hugo Weaving rapping in Elvish, we take a long look at all three films and additional material, including the earlier animated adaptations, Jackson's bonkers early films and his subsequent The Hobbit trilogy, brief talk regarding the recent Rings of Power, the alternate universe where The Beatles played the hobbits, and Sexy Shelob.

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John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated

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Mia returns to the show for an opening portion where we talk games new and older!  John discusses his obsession with Cyberpunk 2077 as well as its gradual change to being seen in a more positive light through updates, the next-gen versions, and the tie-in anime Edgerunners.  Mia then does a deep dive into her obsession with modding the living daylights out of Skyrim, Bethesda's tendency to leave bug fixes to the modders, and how she can't imagine a world without Inigio.  All hail Inigo.

Next part: Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Timestamps:
8:34 Cyberpunk 2077 (Spoilers for the prologue)
34:42 Skyrim & Skyrim mods

WE'RE ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/YAqjMUy

John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Mia's Tumblr: https://patethenovice.tumblr.com/
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated

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John & Chris catch up to talk cartoons old and new!  We start with more talk on Arcane, both to get Chris's observations, and also since the original review was recorded before the proverbial Netflix dam burst.  Oh, and Chris reveals a cool personal connection to the League of Legends franchise that you'll just have to hear for yourself.

For the meat of the episode, we do another retro anime deep dive, but this time with a film that holds some nostalgic significance to both of us, the 1987 cult classic anthology Robot Carnival.  We give some historical context to how the project came to be, talk the different themes and approaches each segment brings, and even both have personal reassessments on the most artsy short.  The best part for you listeners?  Unlike the old days where the film was tough to find, it's legally available on YouTube for free, so go check it out first if you haven't seen it before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id1eRjO4p_0

(Also this episode was a nightmare to edit because Chris's audio initially came out really quiet so I had to a lot of manual volume adjusting and I was taking care of the family parrot while we recorded and he's super noisy so you'll constantly hear bird screeches in the background but there isn't really much I can do about that so okay enjoy the episode thanks)

Timestamps:
6:48 Arcane (Spoilers)
30:58 Robot Carnival (Spoilers)

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John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated

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John and Ben do a deep dive into the League of Legends Netflix adaptation that has received widespread praise.  And if you ask us, that's entirely deserved, because Arcane is one of those shows that just does everything right.  From the unique and incredible animation, to the mature and well-written stories and worldbuilding, to the plot points that left us with our jaws on the floor, Arcane sets a benchmark for video game adaptations and animation as a whole.  Spoilers abound, so please watch the show before listening to this.

Next episode: Robot Carnival (1987)

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Fellow animator and friend of the show Ben Reynolds comes back on to talk with John about cartoons - and keeping in tradition with previous appearances, we're talking niche anime, with a big emphasis on retro.  We talk the cool but brief 80s OVA Dragon's Heaven, from its unique art style and bizarre opening to the wild world of anime in the heyday of VHS, and then venture into the recently fansubbed 2003 reboot of the iconic Astro Boy, discussing its amazing visuals, surprisingly thoughtful writing, and the numerous reasons why it came and went in the States compared to other countries.

Next time: Arcane

Timestamps:
0:00 Introductions
8:57 Listener email
14:49 Dragon's Heaven (Spoilers)
29:47 Astro Boy 2003 Subbed (Minor spoilers)

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Ben's Twitter: https://twitter.com/daiconv

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Dave Roberts returns for a massive episode covering all sorts of media.  We kick off by talking about stuff like Jackass Forever and the state of Bruce Willis's career, John talks revisiting OG Final Fantasy VII with an HD coat of paint via mods, and Dave discusses the Dexter revival miniseries, what it does well, and how he would have gone about certain plot beats differently.

For the main topic, John prompts a deep dive into one of his favorite by-chance obscure movie discoveries ever, that being the 1989 French thriller Dial Code Santa Claus, also known as Deadly Games in its American release. So what if it's not Christmas any more?  Horror is evergreen.  (Plus here in DC we're on probably our last snowstorm of the season on the day this comes out.)  Topics include the great less-is-more approach with the villain, the inner workings of a grenade, a lot of general gushing from John about the writing and filmmaking, and  a sobering reminder that Meet the Spartans is a movie that actually came out.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introductions/General movie talk
13:10 Final Fantasy VII
46:53 Dexter: New Blood (Spoilers)
1:08:11 Dial Code Santa Claus (Spoilers)

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Dave's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealDaveRoberts
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated

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We may be late to the party on this one, but there's no way we're skipping a discussion on this movie.  Patrick goes over his personal history with the Spider-Man property, and a deep, spoiler-filled talk of the cultural phenomenon that is the third MCU Spidey film ensues between him and John. From a flip-flopping Sandman to cracking each other's backs to what we can take away from the ending, we cover it all.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.  John and Patrick have started a separate podcast called Chance of Fleurys, which features more casual conversations on our current pop culture consumption in shorter episodes.  Follow https://twitter.com/COFleurys for updates, and download the show today on most of the same platforms as Sketch Watch Play!

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This show is no stranger to the MCU, but it's been a hot minute since the Infinity War & Endgame spoilercasts, and even longer since our last dedicated dive into this pop-culture juggernaut. Making her first appearance on the show, John's comrade in fandom Mia helps us catch up with releases beyond Black Widow, both by reflecting on memories of movies past, adjusting to an MCU without T'Challa, and in particular discussing the recent Shang-Chi and what its attention to cultural detail, great casting, and making up for Ben Kingsley's Mandarin mean to Mia as an Asian-American.

Afterward, we take a deep dive into the first three live-action MCU series in the new frontier of Disney+ weekly series. Topics include how these shows take advantage of their longer format, speculating what consequences they may hold for future shows and movies, why Agatha rules and Hayward drools, how timely Falcon and Winter Soldier is, and the as-of-this-writing ongoing desire for an Alligator Loki plushie.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introductions/General MCU talk
17:23 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Spoilers)
53:49 WandaVision (Spoilers)
1:22:50 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Spoilers)
1:45:47 Loki (Spoilers)

WE'RE ON DISCORD: https://discord.gg/YAqjMUy

John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Mia's Tumblr: https://patethenovice.tumblr.com/
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated

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John & Dave journey to Eternia to unpack what we would call the latest version of the He-Man franchise (If not for the fact that a totally separate reboot also came out on Netflix soon after this - what a crazy world we live in).  From our personal history with the property and showrunner Kevin Smith, to noting some great worldbuilding and character nuance, to the show being the latest in a long line of things splitting fanbases, there's a lot to discuss.

Next episode: Shang-Chi/Marvel Disney+ shows

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John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehonArt
Dave's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealDaveRoberts
John's Reanimated collab for WarioWare Gold's cutscenes: https://twitter.com/WarioReAnimated

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