Hosts Vin and John break down Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 Frankenstein, assessing its faithfulness to Mary Shelley’s novel, standout performances (especially Jacob Elordi), and striking production design.

They praise the costumes, music, and Elordi’s soulful turn, but criticize the film’s slow first hour, digital look, uneven pacing, and an ending that doesn’t fully land.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro 01:15 - Intro to Frankenstein, talking about Mary Shelley's novel and what the story is about, as well as other film versions of this classic tale. 06:00 - Frankenstein (2025) film discussion with mild spoilers 08:40 - Jacob Elordi's performance 09:30 - Comparing the book to the 2025 film 11:35 - Positives and negatives about the film, and "the Netflix effect" 16:20 - The Monster's design, costumes and production design 20:30 - The ending and other overall thoughts 25:00 - Outro

Host Brian Kitson speaks with cast members from the North American touring production of Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern, RJ Christian and Cassidy Sledge! In this exclusive interview, these two discuss what drew them to the show and how it blends the elements we know and love of the tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) into a stage show!

Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern arrives in Detroit at the Fisher Theatre for one day only! So get your tickets for the Saturday, November 1st performances (2 pm and 7:30 pm) from Broadway in Detroit!

Timestamps for Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern Interview:

00:00 - Intro, Cassidy Sledge and RJ Christian on their introduction to Dungeons & Dragons 02:45 - How they are bringing Dungeons & Dragons to the stage with The Twenty-Sided Tavern 06:30 - Playing with the audience as "the 4th player." 09:10 - How they have prepared for a show that requires a lot of improv 11:50 - Talking about guest stars they've had doing the show and making exciting things happen on stage 16:00 - Keeping on your toes during a performance and other skills needed 18:41 - All audiences can enjoy this show, not just D&D fans. 22:50 - Is it more fun to have a successful mission or one that fails during this show? 28:24 - Outro

Vin and Cam return to talk about season 1 of Alien: Earth and its finale as well as the new Marvel Zombies series, weighing bold ideas against messy execution. They discuss hybrid androids, underused xenomorphs, standout creature concepts, and pacing issues that left both shows leaning on potential rather than payoff.

They also break down Marvel Zombies' highlights along with the lowlights and debate the need for Marvel Studios to go to tighter, more emotional storytelling and better season finales for their shows. They finish up with a quick chat about Peacemaker season 2, which they have already reviews in a previous episode of the podcast.

Alien: Earth (2025) - Created by Noah Hawley - Starring Sydney Chandler, Samuel Blenkin, Timothy Olyphant, Babou Ceesay

Marvel Zombies (2025) - Created by Bryan Andrews & Zeb Wells - Starring Iman Vellani, Elizabeth Olsen, Todd Williams, Simu Liu, Awkwafina

Peacemaker Season 2 (2025) - Created by James Gunn - Starring John Cena, Jennifer Holland, Danielle Brooks

Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - Alien: Earth season 1 discussion with spoilers 13:54 - Ranking Alien: Earth with the films 16:10 - Do we want a second season? The state of the Alien franchise right now. 21:10 - Marvel Zombies discussion with spoilers 34:20 - How will Marvel Studios wind up The Multiverse Saga? 39:55 - Should there be a Marvel Zombies season 2? 41:14 - Peacemaker season 2 quick discussion (reviewed in a prior episode) 43:11 - Outro

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