Podcasts in Review

August 24, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars | Leave a comment

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Blast Points: Episode 87 starts off with the Kenobi news and ponders whether we could be looking at a dramatic Obi-Wan film with no central villain given the director that’s being considered. They also get into The Last Jedi stuff, George Lucas, and then their main discussion which is the Star Wars Tales comics. They talk about the artists and writers, how the stories played loose with canon, and their favorite stories.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 1 hour 1 minute, Rating: Fun episode

Bombad Radio: Episode 285 features guest Jake Sloan as they tackle two subjects. First off, Disney pulling out of Netflix to start their own streaming services and what that might entail. Secondly, the 501st Legion. Jake talks about being Vader, the different suit variations, trying to keep cool, and other 501st approved costumes. Lot of great info and insight on the 501st, Vader and costuming.
Porg Count: 1, Runtime: 1 hour 14 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Brews and Blasters: Episode 131 covers a new case assortment featuring Fenn Rau, their plans to see John Williams, M.A.S.K., Force Friday and a rundown on all the figures and which ones they’re after. From Rathtars to vehicles and multipacks, the discussion helps give listeners an idea of what will be out there. The cap it off with some listener emails and Oppo awards.
Porg Count: 8, Runtime: 1 hour 14 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Coffee With Kenobi: Episode 81 features guests Mark Newbold (Jedi News) and Mike Rondeau (The Cantina Cast) as they address Rian Johnson’s comments on avoid The Last Jedi material until the movie comes out, the line between spoilers and information, news, Ewoks and cannibalism, dress making, books they’re looking forward to, the synopsis for Phasma, largest LEGO set ever coming to Star Wars, Rogue One falling out of focus, and some porg fun.
Porg Count: 62, Runtime: 1 hour 17 minutes, Rating: Great episode

Comic Book Noob: The Defenders preps fans for the upcoming Marvel TV show by talking about the comic characters they’re based on. They talk about who the Defenders are, who has been the team, their place in the Marvel universe, the character of the Elf with a gun, and their reading recommendations.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 31 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Essential Bombad Radio: Episode 22 covers a variety of tv, movie and game news as they talk about Yugio on Judge Judy, Game of Thrones episodes being leaked, Marvel’s Defenders and whether you need to watch any other shows to jump into this one, Good Omen, the ruining of Captain America, The Fighting American, Netflix buying rights to Mike Millar’s comics, Walking Dead lawsuit, Planet of the Apes video game, stunt accidents, Logan Lucky, the Kenobi movie news and the new composer for Han Solo.
Porg Count: 20, Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Fauxthentic History: Mysteries of the Force discusses the nature of the Force and those who weld it. They give an overview of the Jedi Order, the Sith, the schism between the two, and they touch on other Force sects and groups and their connections to the Force. At just 25 minutes and given the broad subject, they don’t really get into any kind of depth on any one facet of the Force which kind of limits the enjoyability of the episode since most of the info they do cover is stuff most well versed Star Wars fans will already know.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 25 minutes, Rating: Okay episode

Fly Casual: Episode 150 features guest Sancho Panda again filling in admirably for Garrick. They review Darth Vader #4, with a very nice review summary from Sancho, as well as Doctor Aphra #11, Rogue One #5, and Cassian & K-2SO #1. They also talk rumors and newsy stuff like Chewbacca and his porg sidekick, leaks and takedowns, the lack of a master plan for Luke, whether The Last Jedi could be too much like Empire Strikes Back and other TLJ worries, and why we need to know who Snoke is. Good discussions and some good laughs.
Porg Count: 26, Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes, Rating: Great episode

Full of Sith: Episode CCXXIX starts off with a conversation between Bryan and 501st Legion founder Albin Johnson as they talk about Star Wars, fandom, the 501st and Rancho Obi-Wan. Afterwards Mike and Holly talk about the EW articles on The Last Jedi and run through their thoughts on the characters and the turtle nuns.
Porg Count: 14, Runtime: 1 hour 15 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Full of Sith: Episode CCXXX they talk about the Kenobi movie news a little, then venture off into a more widely focused Obi-Wan discussion as they go over the allure of Kenobi, their favorite iteration of the character, their favorite Kenobi moments, his defining moment, and his reputation as a liar.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 58 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Grand Moff Talkin’: Episode 15 covers a little Shakespeare in the park before they get into their news/joke segment. Then they discuss criticism when it comes to Star Wars, whether the Star Wars movies are becoming less special, and more as they get into their thoughts on where Star Wars is today. Overall it’s some good discussions with some joking around linking it all together.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 1 hour 23 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Hyperspace PodBlast: Episode 26 focuses on the creatures of Star Wars as they talk about their prominence in the films, the sentience of Bor Gullet, their favorite creatures, the pergils, the porgs, space wolves and more.
Porg Count: 5, Runtime: 23 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Less Than 12 Parsecs: Bonus Episode 7 is just an update on where things are right now with the podcast and where Tim is in his life. Short story, more episodes are coming, just not as many and not as often. So no real Star Wars discussion, nothing essential, one you can skip if you’re inclined to do so.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 13 minutes, Rating: Skippable

Rebel Force Radio: Episode 8.11.2017 covers the EW coverage of The Last Jedi plus a Cantonica parody. They talk about George Lucas and the mythos of one big story, the plan B that was Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, and whether Snoke could be Rey’s father. They talk about Luke, Anthony Breznican’s radio show and comments on the end scene of The Force Awakens., as well as the chosen one prophecy, the caretakers, why R2 powered up, Finn wanting to run, the Poe/Leia relationship, Netflix and Andy Serkis on the worst Snoke theory.
Porg Count: 7, Runtime: 1 hours 11 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Skytalkers: This Galactic Life: Special Edition: The Last Jedi Reveal not only coins the term smorgishporg, but they also cover the EW articles on The Last Jedi. In part one they focus on Luke, his guilt, and his investment in Kylo. In part two they talk about Rey, her parentage, and thoughts on a dark side Rey. In part three they move onto Kylo and Rian Johnson’s comments on the character.
Porg Count: 5, Runtime: 51 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1138 hits a remarkable number for a podcast and it’s probably the first time any Star Wars podcast has done so. To commemorate, Allen goes through all the references to the special number in all of the Star Wars films.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 10 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1140 covers the EW article on Luke and Rey and attempts to get into Luke’s head to figure out his perspective.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 8 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1141 covers the Obi-Wan Kenobi movie news and who all reported it. Nice coverage.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 10 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1144 features a quick chat with Steele Saunders on his favorite Star Wars memory.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 9 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Step In Time: Pete’s Dragon features guest Anthony Fox (MousePire Podcast) who joins Richard and Sarah as they discuss the original version of Pete’s Dragon with all its weird quirks. From thinly veiled violence to questionable song lyrics, they cover why this one is a bit of an odd duck for a kid’s movie.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Tarkin’s Top Shelf: Episode 19 they talk about the Entertainment Weekly The Last Jedi articles and images, book news, and for their main topic, they tackle Christie Golden’s Star Wars Battlefront II tie-in novel Inferno Squad. It’s a full on spoiler discussion as they talk about the father/daughter relationship with the Versio’s, the plot points and character conflicts, as well as the themes that pop up in the book. Great book discussion.
Porg Count: 13, Runtime: 56 minutes, Rating: Great episode

Talk Star Wars: Episode 83 is hosted by Marc and Rob as they speculate about the lines “What girl?” and “the Jedi must end” and what they might mean for the significance of Rey. They also talk about their Force Friday plans, their favorite theme from the films, their favorite Ahsoka moment, how Anakin could have turned out if Qui Gonn didn’t die, Rey’s lightsaber crystal, movies ideas, speculation on The Last Jedi title, what the Look and Find book for The Last Jedi revealed, Hasbro reveals, Ron Howard’s latest tweet and the Kenobi news.
Porg Count: 1, Runtime: 2 hours 22 minutes, Rating: Great episode

The Deucecast Movie Show: Episode 290 features guest Dr. Earl as they talk about the movies they’ve seen recently. This leads to a wide discussion of old and new films as well as some documentaries. From the original Mad Max, to Plastic Galaxy, A Face in the Crowd, Becoming Bond, I Saw the Light, Goodnight and Good Luck, Valerian: The City of a Thousand Worlds, Mr. Mom, Kentucky Fried Movie, What We Do in the Shadows, Flatliners, Dunkirk, The Dark Tower, Sing, Passengers, The Duel and their top ten movies of the year. Lots of great movie discussion.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 1 hour 27 minutes, Rating: Great episode

The Resistance Broadcast: Episode 78 goes over their poll results for George Lucas, then they cover the EW The Last Jedi news, they talk about the cover, Luke, the conflict between Rey and Luke, Finn still wanting to runaway, Snoke puppet and CGI, the praetorian guard, Leia and Poe, Vice Admiral Holdo, DJ, Canto Bight speeder, as well as other news like Netflix, a Donald Glover interview, and Rian Johnson’s response to them on the title of The Last Jedi. This was my first time tuning into this podcast. It’s hosted by four guys with good audio quality and they kept a good discussion going from one topic to the next. Worth checking out.
Porg Count: 26, Runtime: 1 hour 5 minutes, Rating: Good episode

The Sandcrawler: Episode 31 features guest Brian Stillman as they talk to him about his documentary Plastic Galaxy, the origin of the Jawa sock and the vinyl cape, why a vintage Kenner Tarkin figure was never made, thoughts on collecting, space and his next project. Good conversation.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes, Rating: Good episode

The Sandcrawler: Episode 33 goes over recent acquisitions, a B-Wing trade, Disney Store finds, display case plans, then they talk about what they collect and focusing their collections. Afterwards its Force Friday plans, the P-word, Force Friday fears, the war between Dengar and Jake Stevens, going to see John Williams and thoughts on a Sandcrawler after dark show (I’d listen). It’s the usual toy discussion and fun all centered around Star Wars.
Porg Count: 0 (Porg Free), Runtime: 1 hour 7 minutes, Rating: Good episode

The Skyhoppers Podcast: Episode LVI covers Star Wars aliens. They talk about the use of aliens in Rogue One and The Last Jedi, the desire to see more familiar alien species, alien favorites like Ackbar, Twi’leks, Borsk Fey’lya, Duros, Maul, Thrawn, Barabels, Trandoshans, Noghri and more. Plus they talk a little about Fantasy Flight Games.
Porg Count: 4, Runtime: 1 hour 7 minutes, Rating: Good episode

Toy Run: Episode 74 covers toy finds, news, Force Friday and preparations. They talk about the lack of stores talking about Force Friday, provide a con report, touch on the BB-8 playset and discuss Adywan’s Empire Strikes Back Revisited. They also talk about Finn toy news, Luke and Thrawn’s numbering, Reaction carry cases, the interactive porg, the Galactic Heroes playset, plans for a Force Friday show, and more. Tons of toy news and overall an excellent show for collectors.
Porg Count: 5, Runtime: 1 hour 1 minute, Rating: Good episode