Regular Joes Podcast

Last week the Regular Joes (all the Regular Joes) travelled from up and down the east coast to gather in Providence RI, for the Rhode Island Comic-Con, AKA the biggest con in the littlest state. After spending a day and a half, roaming the sales floor and checking out the show’s guests, the Joes took their traditional Sofa in the lobby of the Omni Providence, to share their experience with you. Who they saw, what they picked up, and why Barry actually bought comics at a comic con. They had a few celebrity guests stop in along the way, including Michelle Ang, Omega from Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and Dr. Britt Burke DMD (AEW) a pro wrestler, and …. yes, a dentist. It’s always a good time at the Omni. Thanks for listening!

As impossible as it might seem, until quite recently, Barry had never seen An American Werewolf in London. This week, the Regular Joe’s, joined by Tom Spina of Regal Robot, take a look at the 1981 John Landis horror/dark comedy cult classic. Tom shares his first-hand experience with one of the screen used props, and recounts his own meeting with John Landis. Groundbreaking in many ways, the film earned Rick Baker the first ever Academy award for best makeup. In addition to an unforgettable transformation sequence, American Werewolf also has early 80s era Jenny Agutter, and that’s never a bad thing. More than 40 years later, the film remains scary and makes for a good Halloween rewatch. There’s also the usual random topics, and a round of What’s in the Box. Thanks for listening and happy Halloween.

As the Regular Joe’s annual outing to the Rhode Island Comic Con draws near it’s time for the Joe’s review of the guest list for the convention. While normal folks may be contemplating which celebrity guests they are most interested in getting autographs from, the hosts have their own, sometimes humorous, and other times awkward, way of articulating their own preferences. Yes, it’s time again for Sign, Smell or Pass, where the Joes ID who they want to get autographs from, or who they just want to get in close proximity to. Really, it’s not as creepy as it sounds. There’s also updates from Dave and Barry‘s recent excursions and the usual Random Topics. Thanks for listening!

Remember that TV show, the one with that guy, that woman, and the (fill in plot device here.) Remember how great it was, and then it was just gone? This week the Regular Joe’s pay tribute to the one hit wonders. Single-Season TV shows, that captured our interest, but never really sprouted roots. Most faded into obscurity. Some like Firefly and Battlestar Galactica gained cult status. While others have survived only in the collective consciousness, or on cable rerun channels. The Joes run down several of their favorite short run shows going back to the 70s. And, along the way, realize that, while many of these shows never found an audience, they clearly made a lasting impression. There’s also the usual Random Topics! Thanks for listening!

This week the Regular Joe’s sit down with Adam Ezekiel, costume designer and maker, who operates the website, nostromocrew.com. Adam’s niche, and passion, is crafting meticulously accurate replicas of the patches, insignia and crew uniforms from the film Alien (1979). He explains how he got started, and the incredible effort he put into recreating the screen used wardrobe. Also, his interesting connections to Allen Romulus, the most recent entry in the Alien franchise. Adam’s work is truly amazing. Among his customers are Adam Savage, Dave and Tod … who placed an order while they recorded. And there’s also the usual Random Topics! Thanks for listening!

This week, the Regular Joe’s joined by Irregular Joe’s, Derryl DePriest and Brian Mix, revisit the Marvel Cinematic Universe Catalog from a different perspective, or perhaps a few different perspectives. Ultimately the question becomes which, Marvel films do you find compelling enough to rewatch, whether you stumble upon them while randomly channel surfing, spot them while scrolling the channel menu, queue up a streaming channel, or if you’re really old-school, loading physical media. Along the way, it becomes clear that there’s apparently no one way to watch TV. Some find other’s methods unusual, still others are downright perplexed why anyone would ever watch a reformatted, edited, commercial interrupted, fragment of a film they own. There’s also the usual Random Topics, and a round of What’s in the Box which includes a Holy Grail Barry has been seeking for a very long time. Thanks for listening!

This week a pair of C list characters from DC and Marvel debut new limited run series on Max and Disney+. Agatha all along is a spin off of WandaVision (2021) and a reimagining of Witch Agatha Harkness, a supporting character in Marvel comics going back to 1970. The Penguin aka Oswald Cobblepot, (here renamed Oswald Cobb) has been a Batman adversary since 1941. More recent outings have morphed him from an umbrella and fowl obsessed novelty villain into a grotesque, twisted and sinister character. This most recent incarnation from The Batman (2022) casts an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as a low-level mobster on the rise in a recently broken Gotham City. One episode in, which of these two offerings do the Regular Joe’s find the most engaging? The Joe’s also take a first look at an extended teaser/trailer for Thunderbolts* and cover the usual Random Topics.  Thanks for listening!

Back in the day, when large console TVs dominated American living rooms, the harsh reality of back to school was blunted by the fact that September also heralded the premiere of the new Fall TV shows. That era is long behind us. ABC, CBS and NBC no longer hold sway over our viewing habits, as cable and streaming options offer seeming infinite choices of content year round. So, are there still upcoming things this fall worth watching? The Regular Joes dig in, with some optimism, a fair bit of skepticism, and a dose of, “we’ll wait and see.” There’s also the usual random topics, and a virtual cornucopia of other segments some not revisited for several years. Thanks for listening!

This week Barry, Brian, Dave and Tod take a look at two films nearly old enough to collect Social Security. Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) is an often mentioned childhood favorite of Dave’s which claims to be “Scientifically Authentic.” Which might be credible had the film been made in 1864. On the plus side, it has Adam West (briefly) and a monkey in a space suit, so how bad can it be? An automated distress beacon draws an unsuspecting ship to a barren planet. The crew find a derelict spacecraft once piloted by gigantic beings. And ultimately fall prey to creatures seeking host bodies. Several plot elements of Brian’s suggestion, Planet of The Vampires (1965) will seem familiar. The low budget Italian film, directed by the legendary Mario Bava, is surprisingly entertaining despite, SPOILER having no actual vampires. There’s also the usual Random Topics, and a round of What’s in the Box. Thanks for listening!

This week the Regular Joes gathered for their annual summer barbecue. It’s rare that the hosts are in one place at one time, and it’s even less often that their spouses are all together as well. This time around, in an exercise that at least one of the hosts thought might “end badly,” the Joe’s asked questions of their wives. Some of the answers are surprising, some not so much.  It's the no What’s in the Box, no Random Topics, all Wives edition of the Regular Joes Podcast.  As always, Thanks for Listening!

An Aliens franchise film is not typically the sort of thing the goes unnoticed. Nevertheless Aliens: Romulus snuck up on the Joes like a Xenomorph in a tight crawl space. Unless you have been living on a distant mining colony you have likely heard Romulus is both doing well at the box office and has found favor with viewers and critics alike. Something the last four films largely failed to do. The Joes dig into the, often familiar, elements that make Alien Romulus both a good sequel and good onboarding film for those new to the franchise. Note: there will be SPOILERS. They also catch up on Random Topics and do a quick round of What’s in the Box. Thanks for listening!

This week Brian Mix stops by to catch up on his recent barnstorming tour across the country. The who, what, where and when of the events and conventions he hit leave the other Joes seriously jealous of Brian’s “retirement.” Barry and Dave also attended a con , yes just one. But, based on their report, TerrificCon sounds … well, terrific. If you doubt this we need only say two words, “Cobie Smulders.” And of could, there’s also a pretty extensive run down of Random topics. Thanks for listening!

This week the Regular Joes let Tod talk about Batman the Caped Crusader, the animated series he has been waiting for since 1995 (when Fox dumbed down Batman the Animated series). Does this simultaneously updated and retro take on The Dark Knight hold up to Paul Dini’s original series? Could Anything? You will likely need to watch more than one episode to find out. Next up the Talk D 23 the DisneyPalooza of Theme Park, MCU, Star Wars and every thing else Disney announcements. And then they talk about House of Dragons, for a minute or so. There’s also 2/3 of a round of What’s in the Box and the usual Random topics. Thanks for listening!

There are people who say the era of Summer blockbusters is behind us. There are also people who say audiences are done with superhero films, and that Marvel Studios has lost its way. Then Deadpool & Wolverine happened, and the three-quel for Marvel’s most annoying, talkative and violent (yes, this includes the Punisher) character, breaks all the rules and has fun doing it. Despite two years of teasers and countless trailers there were still several surprises for the Regular Joes. And they break down the high points, and the … slightly lesser high-points. If you’re one of those folks who likes when the Joes disagree, you may be disappointed with this episode. There will be SPOILERS. They also catch up on Random Topics from the week they were off, do a quick round of What’s in the Box … and we discover “Dave’s Willow.” Thanks for listening!

The last few weeks have been rough on Barry. Few people have as deep and abiding love for Star Wars as he does. But, sometimes love hurts. While other, so-called Star Wars fans, wanted nothing more than to tear down The Acolyte, Barry did his best to remain optimistic. And with the courage and valor of a Jedi (at least what we used to expect from a Jedi) he maintained hope til the very end. This week the Regular Joes, plus Jedi Master Brian Mix, perform a postmortem on The Acolyte. What were its strengths, and where did it come up short? The question remains, how do you have all the tools for greatness and put together something that looks like this? Hopefully lessons were learned. And now we turn our hopes to Skeleton Crew and Andor season 2. Thanks for listening!

Do you have an empty wall or perhaps shelf in your home or office that needs just the right object to help tie the room together? Might we suggest the original art from the Key Largo movie poster? Or perhaps a screen used Star Wars Y-Wing model? You are in luck as the Regular Joes will be happy to serve as your interior design consultants. You do have extra cash, right? Because this shopping trip is not gonna be cheap. This week, the Regular Joe’s preview Heritage Auctions upcoming (July 25 - 26) Hollywood Signature Auction, featuring items from old Hollywood to the Marvel Studios Era. There really is something for everyone … to at least covet. Additionally, though they try to avoid it, a bit of talk of Star Wars: The Acolyte slips in. And of course there’s also the usual Random Topics. Thanks for listening!

This week the Regular Joes , plus the Irregular Joes got together to hang out for Tod’s birthday.  They had a vague idea of a few topics they were going to talk about, but in true RJ style never actually got there. Instead they got to catch up on Derryl and Brian’s recent adventures and cover an even wider than usual scope of Random Topics and an organic (some might say meandering) round of What’s in the Box. Thanks for listening!

This week the Regular Joes wrap up Dark Matter on Apple TV+. Covering the, at times perplexing, conclusion. Come on people, this is Quantum Physics. How much do you really want us to dumb it down for you? They also catch up on The Acolyte, The Disney+ Star Wars series which has garnered mostly good critic reviews, while fan reviews remain in the basement … or possibly sub-basement. The Joes weigh in on episode 5, considered by many to be the high point of the series so far … unless of course you are a Jedi red shirt, then not so much. To date two of the Joes are softening on the show a bit, while the third remains unmoved. And, of course, there’s also the usual Random Topics. Thanks for listening!

If recent episodes have left you thinking the Regular Joe’s are now just grumpy old men who don’t like anything, this week they mix things up a bit. It has taken six months, but now everyone has watched Godzilla Minus One. The story of a giant monster that attacks Japan. Sorry, if that was a SPOILER. Here’s another one, it’s freaking awesome! Just when you thought the multiverse had become a tired, clichéd, trope, the Apple TV+ adaptation of the Blake Crouch novel Dark Matter will make you rethink that position, as well as what you thought was going on in the show. There’s also the usual Random Topics and a round of What’s on my Workbench. Thanks for listening!

After some well needed vacation, and some business travel, the Regular Joe’s are all back. This week they talk about the new Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte. Unless you’ve been really tuned out (if you have, good for you) It’s likely you’ve heard this show has set all time records with Star Wars fans … but not in the good way. The Joe’s talk about what they’ve seen so far, how they feel about it, and try to get a handle on why there’s so much dislike for this particular show. Is it too woke, or is it just bad? Is it possible it manages to do both well enough to alienate a huge swath of Star Wars fans? Can thousands of dudes living in their mom’s basement really be wrong? If you’re not particularly into The Acolyte, the Joe’s also talk about a few other things they’re watching now. They also cover the usual Random Topics and squeeze in a  round of What’s in the Box. Thanks for listening!