Episode 33: May the Nostalgia Be With You

We talk The Force Awakens, nostalgia, CGI, and whether Star Wars is over forever. Has the Force been asleep? How do the new cast perform? Is The Force Awakens' mimicry of A New Hope an homage or simply lazy storytelling? All the answers and more in this episode of The Pilgrim's Podcast.

The Force Awakens: The End of Star Wars As We Know It

I think most people came out of The Force Awakens feeling a mixture of joy and sadness. For me, it was mostly the latter, but for all the wrong reasons. Here's the thing: The Force Awakens is not a terrible movie, but in a way, that makes it all the worse. It's just not a Star Wars movie.

Sure, the trappings are there. A sandy, barren planet (Jakku, rather than Tatooine). A droid bearing a secret map. Gritty practical effects and quirky aliens and vast empty reaches of space. The entire galaxy hinging on the domestic troubles of one family. Harrison Ford. Carrie Fisher. Mark Hamill. But all of these details are in new hands, in a new universe, with a new style. Ross Douthat nailed it when he predicted the movie to be a massive work of calculated fan-service, much like the Marvel franchise.

[Mild SPOILERS regarding basic plot]

Episode 31: Indiana Jones and the Escape From the Retirement Home

We talk about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Nazis, aging action stars, MacGuffins, great villains, and what the movie should actually be called. Featuring the Matriarch, Dennis (a.k.a. Tacitus a.k.a. Samuel Long), Dodgson (a.k.a. Forest Newberry), and (briefly) Sarah Long.

Our special guests

Star Wars Trailer Breakdown - Good and Bad

It was one of the great shocks of my young life to find out Darth Vader's true identity. I followed my dad around, badgering him with questions. How could that be? Anakin is dead! He's not dead? Obi-Wan said he was. He LIED? Why didn't Obi-Wan tell Luke the truth? I thought Obi-Wan was a good guy!

Episode 2: Indiana Jones - If You Like Your Ark...

In Which: we discuss self-reliant heroes, danger in action movies, and why John Williams is the star of every movie he scores. Also: What is a swashbuckler? Is the Ark of the Covenant a weapon of mass destruction? Does this movie end with a Deus ex machina? And could Indiana Jones have been European?

All this and more in the second episode of The Pilgrim's Podcast.

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