Podcasts in Review

January 18, 2018 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 Podcast: Episode 105 begins with Solo news, Episode IX news, the real story behind Black Diamond–which is hilarious–and then they go over The Art of The Last Jedi book. They highlight some of their favorite things from the book, go over some of the making of details, touch on Master Codebreaker’s original story, share their favorite art, and lament that there isn’t a Caretakers cartoon like Ewoks and Droids. They cap off with some listener feedback. Fun episode.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 1 hour 2 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Jason, and Gabe, Rating: Fun

Blast Points Podcast: Episode 106 begins with Solo LEGO news, the Pikes and the Kessel Run, Mimban stormtrooper and tie to Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and Rogue One, and a little Episode IX news. Their main discussion is the legacy of Jedi failure. From Palpatine’s election in The Phantom Menace without them noticing he was a Sith, to them losing their way in the Clone Wars, their hubris, and then Luke learning the lesson by ending things with his selfless sacrifice on Crait to help others.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 56 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Jason, and Gabe, Rating: Good

Brews and Blasters: Episode 151 begins with Joe’s computer letting him down as the party starts. After they get done talking eggs, they celebrate being pregnant, and they touch on the importance of the number 2187 in Star Wars. They spend some time on the much loved alien Hammerhead, and they do some need’em got’em for new figures they’ve gotten. Fun episode and fun discussion. Also, a congratulations is in order for their big news. May the Force be with them.

Podcast Network: Retrozap, Runtime: 1 hour 7 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Joe, and Chris, Rating: Fun

Bright Tree Radio: Episode 25 they talk about what they’ve been up to, non-Star Wars movies they’ve watched, and then their main discussion – what the Force can do. They cover midichlorian counts, the use of the Force in every movie, it’s use in The Last Jedi, the cave scene, and Force ghosts and their power. Very interesting discussion. Afterwards they have some fun picking who they would want to be their master and their apprentice.

Podcast Network: Bright Tree Radio, Runtime: 1 hour 12 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Sophie, and Phil, Rating: Great

Children of the Force: Episode 94 kicks off with a report from Nick who was able to attend BAFTA premier of The Last Jedi which included a Q&A. Nick’s audio report includes him and his dad sharing their predictions for the move before seeing it, and it features Nick’s question for Mark Hamill. Afterwards Al, Anna and Liam talk with Nick about the movie, which leads to a fun discussion. They wrap up with some news, the StarWars.com synopsis for Solo, and Al does a very long sign off for the show.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 54 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Al, Anna, and Liam, Rating: Great

Comics With Kenobi: Episode 44 features an interview with author and comic writer Delilah S. Dawson. They talk with her about how she got on board with IDW for Star Wars Adventures and Forces of Destiny. They talk about Star Wars Adventures #6, creating the character Laslo, and writing Poe. They talk about Porgs, Rose, and also her non-Star Wars comic. There’s a small issue with the audio as Matt’s volume level is really low, so it’s hard to find a good balance between his volume and Delilah and Jeff’s. Otherwise a great episode.

Podcast Network: Coffee With Kenobi, Runtime: 29 minutes, Audio Quality: Good, Editing: Good, Hosts: Jeff, and Matt, Rating: Good

DorkLair: Episode 21 features special guest Chris Marino as they talk collecting, Star Wars and non-Star Wars, and they review the S.H. Figuarts The Last Jedi Kylo Ren.

Podcast Network: RetroZap, Runtime: 58 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Bill, Rating: Good

Fly Casual: Episode 166 includes their thoughts on The Last Jedi after seeing it a second time, their thoughts on the fan reactions and the behavior of fandom, the box office numbers and the critic reviews. I really liked Cory’s summation that it was the execution of the film that bothered him. They also touch on the Solo re-shoots, and for the toy report, Garrick goes over his top five Star Wars toys of 2017.

Podcast Network: Betterkind Media, Runtime: 1 hour 12 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Corey, Steve, Garrick, and Mike, Rating: Great

ForceCenter: Episode 99 kicks off with Phasma. They talk about the novel, the comics, and the characters role in The Last Jedi. They also cover some of the minor characters from the film. Afterwards they wrap up with listener questions which, as always, leads to some fun discussions.

Podcast Network: ForceCenter, Runtime: 53 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Ken, Joseph, and Jennifer, Rating: Great

Full of Sith: Episode CCLI is hosted by Mike and Holly as they start off discussing toys. They talk about the Forces of Destiny dolls, saving money for toys, and some general collecting. Then they talk about their wishlists for the Solo movie, and they get into a bunch of listener feedback which takes up a good portion of the show and leads to lots of interesting discussions.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Holly, and Mike, Rating: Great

Hyperspace PodBlast: Episode 47 covers how the Force works. They talk about fantasy vs science fiction, whether you could use the Force to teleport, what the Force can and can’t do, Leia in space, Luke projecting himself and C-3PO being able to see him, and Rey and Kylo ForceTiming. Good discussion.

Podcast Network: Hyperspace PodBlast, Runtime: 29 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Bryan, and Shelby, Rating: Good

Jedi Journals: January 2018 kicks off with some The Last Jedi discussion. They cover Free Comic Book Day news, size issues with IDW collections, they go over comics, discuss some art issues, and they talk about the From A Certain Point of View book. They also go over magazine news, the EW ultimate guide to Star Wars, Titan’s The Last Jedi issue, Disney stuff and the VR experience.

Podcast Network: TheForce.net, Runtime: 1 hour 16 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Jay, and Chris, Rating: Good

Kanata’s Castle: Episode 22 features listener questions and feedback on The Last Jedi. They cover news, John Williams’ doing Han Solo theme, dice rumors, then they discuss The Last Jedi. They talk about the relationship between Han, Luke and Leia, and the lessons of failure.

Podcast Network: Retrozap, Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Becca, and Devon, Rating: Good

Magic on a Dollar: Episode 15 features special guest Jennifer Novotny from Divas Dish Diz. They talk Disney trips, a little Disney history on fast passes and MGM Studio. They talk All Star Sports Resort, the monorail door, and they make their predictions for 2018.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 44 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Dave, Rating: Good

Me and My Padawan: Episode 7 opens with their New Year’s resolutions, then they discuss what they noticed after seeing The Last Jedi again. Afterwards they talk about the book series Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space. They talk about the tie-in to Star Wars Rebels, where the series takes place in the timeline, and they touch on what the stories are about without spoiling them. After that, they break from Star Wars to talk about the Percy Jackson books. It’s a fun episode and I like the father/son dynamic. Worth checking out.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 46 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Ryan, and Braden, Rating: Fun

Rebel Force Radio: The Last Jedi: The First Commentary beings with Jimmy talking about his experience blowing up the Death Star this year for New Years, then they do a commentary for The Force Awakens. They go over trivia and backstory elements, and comment on the memorable scenes. I wasn’t able to listen to the episode while watching the movie, but it wasn’t too bad of a listen on its own.

Podcast Network: Rebel Force Radio, Runtime: 2 hours 48 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Jason, and Jimmy, Rating: Good

Rebel Grrrl: Episode 84 features Amanda and Jess as they share their thoughts on The Last Jedi. They do a chronological breakdown going from beginning to end. They talk about Hux, Luke, Leia, Holdo, DJ, Rose, Finn and more. They go over the throne room scene, their thoughts on Snoke, Rey and Kylo, and Luke’s sacrifice, as well as the stable kid scene. Overall a positive discussion and a good one to check out. As usual, there is some F-bombs, so keep that in mind if you listen with your kids.

Podcast Network: Making Star Wars, Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Amanda, Rating: Good

Skytalkers: The Last Jedi: Character Discussion breaks down their episode into three part – connections, expectations and understanding from family, and failure. They talk about the impact of Finn on Rose, the Force bond between Leia and Kylo, as well as the connection between Kylo and Rey, the Skywalker family, Luke and Kylo, Leia giving up on Kylo, Luke and Obi-Wan, Poe’s failures, and where does Rey’s character go from here. Some excellent discussion.

Podcast Network: Star Wars Escape Pods Network, Runtime: 1 hour 32 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Caitlin, and Charlotte, Rating: Great

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 198 discusses Star Tours, the Yoda cup of noodles commercial, Star Wars Day at Sea, the virtual half marathon race, and then they talk with The Toys That Made Us creator Brian Volk-Weiss. Brian talks about choosing which toys to focus on, what was cut, trying to get George Lucas on the show, what else was considered, surprising things he learned and more. Really fun interview. As someone who hasn’t watch the show yet, this interview definitely sparked my interest.

Podcast Network: Retrozap, Runtime: 1 hours 25 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Sarah, and Richard, Rating: Great

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1283 has a Solo production update, Donald Glover comments, and an Episode IX update.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 10 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Allen, Rating: Good

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1287 talks about the ski-speeders and their backstory in The Last Jedi cross-sections book, as well as a reference to Thela, the AT-HH backstory and DJ’s stolen ship.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 13 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Allen, Rating: Good

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1288 covers the Star Wars: The Last Jedi Incredible Cross-sections book.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 13 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Allen, Rating: Good

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1289 discusses the Deadpool 2 release date moving to the week before the release of Solo and what this might or might not mean for Solo.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 12 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Allen, Rating: Good

Star Wars 7×7: Episode 1293 covers some more material from the resource books on The Last Jedi, including some info that helps explain the results of the Holdo maneuver’s effectiveness, and some info on Captain Canady.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 9 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Allen, Rating: Good

Star Wars Report: Episode 313 features Riley, Mark and Bruce as they talk about The Last Jedi space chase, the icing on Leia’s face, how space Leia was the most powerful scene in the movie, their thoughts on Rose, they talk Canto Bight and more. Pretty positive discussion, but there were a few minor audio issues. Otherwise a good episode.

Podcast Network: 2nd Airborne Division, Runtime: 31 minutes, Audio Quality: Good, Editing: Excellent, Host: Riley, Mark, and Bruce, Rating: Good

Starships, Sabers, and Scoundrels: Episode 46 kicks off with news as they talk Star Wars Rebels, Adam and Daisy being off screen for each other during the ForceTime scenes, John Williams doing the Han Solo theme for Solo, Christian Bale being up for the Woody Harrelson role in Solo, and Deep Breath returns for a hilarious bit on The Last Jedi. This one had me laughing out loud. Afterwards they discuss Finn, Rose and DJ’s parts in The Last Jedi. They talk about Finn’s bacta suit, speculate about how long he was out, and they discuss his transition from protecting Rey to fighting for the Resistance. They cover Rose’s part in Cobalt Squadron and her necessity in the film. And they talk about the grayness of DJ. Nice character discussion. They wrap up with listener emails. Great episode.

Podcast Network: Retrozap, Runtime: 1 hour 22 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Dennis, Darth Taxus, and Jay, Rating: Great

Talk Star Wars: Episode 102 has an audiobook update on The Last Jedi, they talk about Luke’s lightsaber, Kylo bringing peace between the First Order and the rest of the galaxy, what they’d like to see in Episode IX, some The Last Jedi discussion, news items, Solo trailer speculation, artwork, LEGO sets, and some Obi-Wan discussion and speculation.

Podcast Network: Star Wars Commonwealth, Runtime: 1 hours 55 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Marc, Rob, Paul, and Steve, Rating: Great

Talk Star Wars Daily: Episode 1.11.18 covers box office numbers and countdowns, Variety confirming that Williams will score Episode IX, the return of The Star Wars Show, Solo’s dice possibly returning, Star Wars Rebels title info and episode descriptions, and Mark Hamill catching a contradiction in the ending of The Force Awakens.

Podcast Network: Star Wars Commonwealth, Runtime: 14 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Marc, Rating: Good

Talk Star Wars Daily: Episode 1.12.18 covers countdowns, Marc goes over the Secrets of the Jedi video with highlights and some thoughts on what they might have done wrong.

Podcast Network: Star Wars Commonwealth, Runtime: 23 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Marc, Rating: Good

Talk Star Wars Daily: Episode 1.15.18 goes over box office updates, the upcoming Hera/Aphra comic, movie release dates changing around Solo, and Rian Johnson on his new trilogy.

Podcast Network: Star Wars Commonwealth, Runtime: 24 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Marc, Rating: Good

Talk Star Wars Daily: Episode 1.16.18 includes a box office and reviews update for The Last Jedi, the attention being given to Hera, Rian Johnson addressing some fan issues with The Last Jedi, Nerdist’s Solo/Obi-Wan theory, a recent Liam Neeson interview, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comments on Solo, and thoughts on the impact of Rey’s parents and the prophecy of the chosen one.

Podcast Network: Star Wars Commonwealth, Runtime: 29 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Host: Marc, Rating: Good

Talk Star Wars Daily: Episode 1.17.18 starts with countdowns and box office numbers, then covers the rumor that The Last Jedi is being pulled from Chinese theaters due to poor performance. There’s some Solo info and speculation on whether there could be multiple stories in the film, and there’s Leland Chee’s comments on Chewbacca.

Podcast Network: Star Wars Commonwealth, Runtime: 25 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Marc, Rating: Good

Tatooine Sons: Episode 7 includes their poll for who should show up in Han Solo, and then they discuss Poe Dameron’s character arc in The Last Jedi which is their main discussion. They touch on the article saying he is the real villain of the movie, they talk about him disobeying orders and performing a mutiny, but also him breaking off the ski speeder attack. Afterwards they talk some about Star Wars Rebels, episode titles, and their predictions. They also talk about some of the things they thought were interesting in The Last Jedi. Tatooine Sons is still a relatively new podcast, but they’ve got potential with excellent audio quality and fun discussions. It’s hosted by David and his two sons, Nate and Samuel, and their podcast comes out weekly.

Podcast Network: N/A, Runtime: 1 hour 2 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: David, Nate, and Samuel, Rating: Good

TechnoRetro Dads: A Barbarian, The Beastmaster, and Bombing Invaders From Space covers the upcoming Goliverse marathon, barbarian jokes, twitch streams, a Batman museum, lunar eclipse, and a there’s a cereal discussion on bottom of the bowl milk. Too Much Scrolling provides some cereal reviews, then they talk Space Invaders, Thundar the Barbarian, and The Beastmaster. Plus listener feedback.

Podcast Network: Retrozap, Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Shazbazzar, and JediShua, Rating: Fun

The Deucecast Movie Show: Episode 311 is a reflicktions episode as they go over the movies they’ve recently watched which includes movies like The Greatest Showman, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Darkest Hour, Pitch Perfect 3, Lady Bird, Bright, a Doobie Brothers documentary, The Circle, The Room, The Disaster Artist, Father Figures, mother!, a Beatles documentary, Wonder, All The Money in the World, Silence, Mudbound, a Pet Cemetery documentary, The Wall, and a pretty good size discussion of The Last Jedi.

Podcast Network: Retrozap, Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Dave, Mikey, and Dr. Earl, Rating: Great

Wookiee Radio: Episode 49 is a news focused episode. They talk about Kevin Kiner wrapping up the music for Star Wars Rebels, released episode names, Solo trailer rumors, Luke’s compass and other trivia for The Last Jedi, the new Star Wars mobile game Rivals, the Secrets of the Empire VR experience, the Forces of Destiny: Hera comic, LEGO Solo sets, and the upcoming books and comics for this month. Again, this episode is very news heavy with lots of reading of the news releases/articles and not a whole lot of discussion. If you haven’t heard much of the news lately, this would be a good episode to listen to to catch up.

Podcast Network: We Be Geeks Network, Runtime: 58 minutes, Audio Quality: Excellent, Editing: Excellent, Hosts: Ken, Derrick, and Mike, Rating: Good