Suvudu Universe

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review.

Assembly of Geeks: “The Evil Spielberg Pic & The San Diego Comic-Con Preview” episode starts off pretty fast with a lengthy audio clip from one of the Guardians of the Galaxy trailers. Everyone is pretty excited for this one. They also cover a picture of Steven Spielberg that made the rounds on Facebook and garnered some ridiculous comments, plus they talk about the stuff that will be happening at SDCC. Yeah, it being post-SDCC now, I hit this one a little late, but it’s still worth a listen. Beyond SDCC, they touch on a new Heroes tv show and Kevin Smith’s reaction to the Episode VII set.

“The New Thor, Captain America & Turtle That Are Also Ninjas” episode covers the usual recent geeky news. This one in particular discusses Marvel’s move to a female Thor in the comics, a new Captain America, who is voicing the Inquisitor in Star Wars Rebels, Once Upon a Time and Agent Carter updates, and other headlines. The main part of the show features guest Ryan Hurley for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles discussion. I haven’t been following the movie closely, so it was kind of humorous to hear all the rumors and announcements that have come and out and been contradicted. If you plan on seeing the movie, this is a great episode to get caught up on without having any of the movie spoiled.

Coffee with Kenobi: Book Chat with Jeffrey Brown covers his latest books Goodnight Darth Vader and Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan, as well as his previous Star Wars books and a little on what he’s working on next (Jedi Academy Book 3 and The Force Darth Vader). Jeffrey talks about his creative process, working with the editors on the books, and where he draws his inspiration from. It’s a really good interview and something Jeffrey Brown fans won’t want to miss.

Disney Vault Talk: The Dumbo Episode may start out with listener feedback, but Steve and Teresa cover all the aspects of the movie in the main discussion. They have history, fun facts and lots of commentary on one of Disney’s shortest animated films. Plus there’s also some news on casting for The Jungle Book, and premiere dates for the news seasons of Once Upon A Time, and Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. News aside, the main draw here is the Dumbo discussion. This is a movie I haven’t seen since I was a kid, and after hearing their discussion, I’m drawn to wanting to watch the film again, this time with an adult’s perspective. One thing I’m learning from Disney Vault Talk is that old Disney films certainly hit hard with the nostalgia factor. There’s something about wanting to revisit those movies of your childhood.

Fangirls Going Rogue: Episode #9 features several guests. First up is Ashley Eckstein who stops by to talk about the Her Universe fashion show, new and upcoming products like the Ewok hoodie and more. Then Consetta Parker comes on to talk about balancing fandom and careers, as well some other topics like Harrison Ford’s injury, Rancho Obi-Wan, and bullying. Nice episode with good topics and discussion. The Ashley Eckstein portion does hit hard on clothing, so some listeners may want to skip that part.

Full of Sith: Episode LXXIII is their Shadows of the Empire show. This one might be kind of hit and miss for fans. If you’re a big fan of the book, you might want to skip this one as Bryan really tears into it. I haven’t read the book in a long time, and I only read it once, but I still had a hard time listening to the episode due to my general love for the EU books. Now if you’re not a fan of the book, you’ll probably enjoy this one. Most of the discussion is focused on the novel, with some discussion on the comic and the video game. Of the three hosts, Mike was the most positive and pretty much formed all the parts in the show that I enjoyed, though Bobby did a good job of being critical without being a basher. Again, it’s hit and miss depending on what kind of Star Wars fan you are.

Episode LXXIV features guest Chris Taylor, the author of How Star Wars Conquered the Universe. They cover a lot of topics, from Chris’ book to just general Star Wars discussion, and it’s a fun listen. Good one to add to your playlist.

Geek Out Loud: Episode 95 zeroes in on Transformers and includes special guest Teresa Delgado. Steve and Teresa reminisce on the old Transformers cartoon and animated movie, their favorite Transformers and toys, and their thoughts on the Michael Bay movies. They also delve full on into Transformers: Age of Extinction with lots of spoilers. Last, but not least, they talk about upcoming Transformers cartoons. Might only regret is that Steve didn’t talk more about the comics as that’s one area of the franchise I’d like to explore more but don’t know much about. Still a very good episode and one Tranformers fans will want to listen to.

RebelForce Radio: Episode 7.18.2014 covers all the news and plays a long sound byte from Kevin Smith recounting his experience on set of Star Wars Episode VII. Afterwards, they have Stephen Stanton on to talk about his new show The 7D, the recent documentary he worked on Life Itself, as well as his work on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. From “Sunny Day in the Void” to the characters he voiced in season six, they cover a lot of material. The Stephen Stanton portion is definitely worth listening to.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 38 starts out with guests JediShua and Shazbaz­zar (Techno Retro Dads) as they and the hosts discuss the possibility of Star Wars Land at Disney. They debate over practical rides versus simulator rides and brainstorm ideas like Deathstar escape, Jabba’s palace experience, speeder bike racing, and Han Solo meet and greets. Afterwards the show plays some highlights from the Star Wars 10th anniversary convention with audio of George Lucas at a Q&A back in 1987. One clip that really caught my interest was George mentioning a third Ewoks film which they didn’t do. Later on, the episode wraps up with some countdowns. All around, good show, and worth a listen with plenty of Star Wars discussion.

Episode 39 kicks off with a discussion of the fanfilm “Star Wars Uncut”, then dives into their film score conversation with David Collins (Star Wars Oxygen). They talk about film scores such as Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Forest Gump, Batman and more. They go over orchestral scores versus typical songs, instruments they’ve played, and eventually they get into Star Wars. They touch on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the stand alone films, and then end things with a music challenge. With a fun guest and good discussion, this episode is definitely worth checking out.

Episode 40 has Haunted Mansion trivia, special guest Bubba Alvarez, announcements for Disney’s 60th anniversary, Star Tours fun facts, and their “Ask Tink” segment. Lots of Disney talk in this episode and some nice discussion of the anniversaries and what happens at those events. I also enjoyed the Haunted Mansion trivia. Kind of cool and creepy that there are real human bones in one of the displays. Interesting episode to check out.

Star Wars Report: Episode 136 has nice coverage of Kevin Smith’s comments on Star Wars Episode VII including audio. I have to agree with Riley, Kevin Smith is a good storyteller. Beyond that, they talk about some general Star Wars topics regarding being a fan, being too critical, anticipation, and striking a balance. Definitely some good topics to explore and worthy of a follow-up episode.

Episode 137 features special guest Bobby Roberts as they talk Star Wars, Force for Change, news and even play some Twitter trivia with Bobby. Fun episode and worth checking out.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.