Season 2 of the epic series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has recently wrapped up, and writers Drew Reed and Uday Kataria have thoughts to share! Listen in to their in-depth discussion about the second season, what they expect to see in Rings of Power season 3 and possibly 4, and take a deep dive into some of the J.R.R. Tolkien lore behind the Prime Video show.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intros

00:28 - Season 2 vs Season 1 thoughts (SPOILER WARNING for both seasons!)

09:00 - Galadriel and Elrond's story this season

11:00 - The challenges of having so many characters stories and working with Tolkien's narrative framework from the novels. The Silmarillion discussion.

15:00 - Learning more about what the orcs are and their lives

17:30 - Annatar

19:00 - Remaking the films vs coming up with new ideas.

22:00 - More depth to Sauron, and comparing his depiction in ROP vs the books vs the Peter Jackson films. Charlie Vickers performance.

30:00 - Is everything too rushed with a compressed timeline?

33:10 - Issues with season 2

40:30 - Tom Bombadil

45:00 - The Harfoots and Gandalf's story, the Blue Wizards.

50:00 - What are we likely to see in The Rings of Power season 3 and 4?

57:00 - Outros

• Uday Kataria
• Drew Reed

• Lizzie Hill

Recorded on 10/10/2024

John & Vin dive deep into the Joker duology. Are they worth awards buzz or angry backlash? How does the new film compare to the original?

Joker (2019) Directed by Todd Phillips Written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, and Zazie Beetz

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Directed by Todd Phillips Written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, and Brendan Gleeson

Timestamps 00:00 - Intros 00:45 - Joker 2019 discussion 06:45 - Joker: Folie à Deux 17:45 - Joaquin Phoenix performances in both films 18:10 - SPOILER WARNING after this point for Joker: Folie à Deux 21:28 - Does the sequel make the first film better? 22:43 - Will there be a Joker 3? If not why set up all those Easter eggs? 25:00 - The message of the films (Ending of the sequel discussion) 27:00 - Will you like the sequel if you liked the first Joker? 32:15 - Outros

For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com

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John & Vin discuss Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and the career of Tim Burton. Starring Michael Keaton, Wynona Ryder, and Jenna Ortega, and Catherine O'Hara Originally recorded September 7, 2024

Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 01:45 - history with the original Beetlejuice film starring Michael Keaton, Wynona Rider, Gena Davis and Alec Baldwin 10:10 - Discussing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 16:38 - Spoiler warning for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 26:10 - special effects in the films 28:15 - would you want a third film? More misc thoughts on the sequel 34:30 - Outros

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John & Vin review Terminator Zero! The hit 8-episode Netflix anime series covers the rise of Skynet, leading into the full Terminator movie saga. Written and developed by showrunner Mattson Tomlin Directed by Masashi Kudō Starring (English dub) André Holland, Rosario Dawson, and Timothy Olyphant Originally recorded September 3, 2024

Timestamps 00:10 - intro, our intro to the Terminator franchise and previous Terminator films 09:45 - Terminator Zero is The Matrix Reloaded of Terminator sequels 12:40 - existential questions in the Terminator franchise 17:49 - positives about Terminator Zero 26:00 - negatives about the animated series and comparisons to the previous films 33:08 - connecting Terminator to our current world 34:45 - overall thoughts and ranking for Terminator Zero 36:55 - Recommendations for more movies or shows with robots or time travel 38:55 - Spoiler warning discussion for Terminator Zero 43:30 - Outros

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John shares his early reaction to Joker: Folie à Deux starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga and directed by Todd Phillips. The film releases Friday October 4, 2024

Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 02:20 - Joker 2 is not interested in playing by the rules or being conventional 03:00 - Fantasy vs reality of Arthur Fleck aka The Joker 05:00 - What #2 does better than the first film 07:08 - Is Joker: Folie à Deux a better film than the first one? 07:45 - Outro

Find the full video review on our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus

For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com

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John & Vin close out their Fantastic Fest coverage with four great international movies. John also thanks the FF team for their care and support, and reflects on the festival overall.

U ARE THE UNIVERSE Written and directed by PAVLO OSTRIKOV Starring Volodymyr Kravchuk

GHOST KILLER Directed by Kensuke Sonomura Written by Yugo Sakamoto Starring Akari Takaishi, Mario Kuroba, Masanori Mimoto

ELSE Written and directed by Thibault Emin Co-Written with Alice Butaud, Emma Sandona Starring Lika Minamoto, Edith Proust, Matthieu Sampeur

DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY Written and Directed by John Hsu Co-Written with Kun-Lin Tsai Starring Bo-lin Chen, Sandrine Pinna, Gingle Wang

Timestamps 00:00 - Intros 02:40 - U Are the Universe 10:00 - Ghost Killer 14:05 - Else 19:15 - Dead Talents Society 23:45 - John on working as press at Fantastic Fest 2024 26:55 - Thank you to those co-ordinating and working at Fantastic Fest 2024 29:14 - Outros

Find the video to this podcast on our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus

For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com

Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus

John & Vin break down the fourth and fifth days of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Sebastian Stan double feature (A Different Man and The Apprentice), plus the Heretic!

A Different Man Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg Stars Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson

The Apprentice Directed by Ali Abbasi Written by Gabriel Sherman Stars Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, with Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan

Heretic Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods Stars Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East.

Timestamps 00:10 - Intro 03:35 - A Different Man 13:10 - The Apprentice 26:30 - Heretic 37:25 - Outros

For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com

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For the video version of this podcast visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frb9E6sXdfs

Vin interviews writer-director Pavlo Ostrikov about his feature film debut U Are The Universe, a spectacular Ukrainian science fiction movie about depression, hope, and love. Tune in for production history, budget challenges, deleted scenes, influences, and more!

For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com

Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Vin's reaction to seeing U Are The Universe 01:50 - The writer/director's journey to making this film 04:00 - Challenges to making this sci-fi film during the Ukrainian-Russian war. 08:53 - The robot, CGI and sets in the film 13:00 - What movies did he take inspiration from? 16:00 - The love story in U Are The Universe 17:00 - Finding the right actor to lead this film: Volodymyr Kravchuk 22:18 - Favorite behind the scenes moments or bloopers from filming. 26:00 - Film is a strong statement from Ukrainian film 28:48 - What is he working on next? 31:40 - Where to find him on social media, Outro

Find the video of this podcast on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiMPIEUg4_0

Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus