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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Find the video version of this discussion on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus

Vin and Vic break down the Marvel Zombies franchise, covering the core comics (Marvel Zombies 2005, Dead Days, Marvel Zombies 2, Return) and detailing the infection storyline, and creator Robert Kirkman’s influence.

They share personal reactions, comparing zombies to vampires, discuss the What If... adaptation and MCU tie‑in potential (Secret Wars), assess the TV‑MA animated series, and offer bonus reading and crossover recommendations, including the new Marvel Zombies Red Band miniseries.

A video version of this podcast is available on our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus Timestamps 00:00:0 - Intros 00:01:00 - Exploring Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four 00:04:27 - The Council of Reeds 00:07:34 - Modern Meets Classic Villains 00:10:16 - Marvel’s Creative Choices 00:10:47 - Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, and The Coming of Galactus 00:15:20- 60 Years of Fantastic 4 Comics 00:16:18 - The Fantastic 4 in Multimedia 00:27:40- Outros

Vin and John discuss The Old Woman With The Knife, a 2025 South Korean action film about an aging female assassin. They praise the film's visuals, score, performances, and action choreography but note the story's confusing timelines, a late emotional payoff, and an underdeveloped resolution. Overall, they find it stylish and promising, with room for improvement and franchise potential.

John and Vin also discuss their love of action movies like Shaw Bros, Jackie Chan, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the John Wick franchise.

THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE (2025) - Directed by Min Kyu-dong - Screenplay by Kim Dong-wan & Min Kyu-dong - Based on the novel by Gu Byeong-mo - Starring Lee Hye-young and Kim Sung-cheol

Timestamps 00:00 - Intro

00:52 - Details about The Old Woman with the Knife

03:00 - General thoughts on this movie, comparisons to Ballerina and the John Wick films, as well as other influential films discussed

17:00 - More on the comparisons with the John Wick films

21:34 - Spoilers for The Old Woman with the Knife review discussion

26:00 - Final thoughts on the film. Ideas for stars who might be able to be the American version of the "Old Woman" assassin/killer role, like a female John Wick.

28:21 - Outro and some action movie recommendations

For more content and to support The Cosmic Circus and this channel please join our Patreon: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Find the video version of this discussion on youtube @TheCosmicCircus

Cam & Vin share their reactions to the first two episodes of Alien: Earth, focusing on highlights and surprises in the new FX/Hulu series. The two talk about whether or not they'd like to see more than one season of this series, challenges to the series, parallels with Blade Runner, and how Star Wars handles film and show connections vs. how the Alien franchise handles it. Listen in to find out what they think of the series so far and see if it lines up with what you think or not!

Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus

Alien: Earth (2025) S1 E1-2 - Created for television by Noah Hawley - Starring Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Timothy Olyphant

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro 01:25 History with the Alien franchise 03:57 - Intro to Alien: Earth premiere episodes recap 08:55 - Are feelings positive or negative on the new series so far? 10:00 - Blade Runner parallels and similarities 10:45 - Companies in Alien: Earth competing 12:09 - Pacing and other challenges for the series 13:08 - Expanding Ridley Scott's Alien franchise lore in this new FX/Hulu series 14:00 - Questioning the ethics of having children in adult bodies 15:33 - Vin's thirst for blood in the series 16:32 - What new things do you like in the show? 19:50 - Do we want multiple seasons of Alien: Earth? 21:20- Building consistency with films and other media. Star Wars vs. Alien handling of films and shows. 24:25 - Is this a good start to the series? 27:30 - Final thoughts on the premiere episodes of Alien: Earth, and Timothy Olyphant's weird blonde hair. 28:55 - Outro

For more content and to support TheCosmicCircus.com and this channel please join our Patreon: https://patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Vin and Cam revisit Peacemaker's first season with its off-the-wall humor, surprising heart, Vigilante highlights, and a finale that clicks, before sharing early, spoiler-light impressions of the first 5 episodes of Peacemaker season 2. They discuss what effect James Gunn's busy schedule and the new DCU may have had on the hit DC/HBO series, who was a highlight in season 2 and more. Season 2 discussion starts at about the 10-minute mark.

Find the video version of this discussion on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus and you can find and follow our podcast most places you listen, such as Apple, Spotify, Podbean and many more! You can discuss this series and more on our private Discord. To find out how to join, visit The Cosmic Circus' Patreon page here: patreon.com/cosmiccircus

Visit TheCosmicCircus.com for more reviews, interviews, editorials, and opinions on Peacemaker, Superman, DC, Marvel, and much, much more!

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Peacemaker season 1 recap and commentary 05:25 - Highlights of season 1 07:21 - Comparing it to other superhero TV/streaming series such as the Arrowverse 10:00 - Begin Peacemaker season 2 reaction/review from Vin 12:20 - The DCU Multiverse and its effect on Peacemaker season 2 13:58 - Highlights of Peacemaker season 2 14:55 - Is James Gunn too busy with DC right now? 17:25 - Season 1 vs. season 2 18:55 - Outro

In this episode, Vin and Cam review the long-awaited sequel to The Naked Gun. The new film, directed by Akiva Schaffer and starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston and Paul Walter Hauser is currently in theaters.

Join Vin and Cam as they discuss their personal experiences with the franchise, laugh at their favorite gags in the movie, and compare the performances of Liam Neeson and Leslie Nielsen.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - History with the franchise

03:08 - The story... Wait? Is there a story?!

05:58 - A welcome return to the slapstick spoof comedy genre. The Pink Panther comparisons/inspiration.

07:05 - That hilarious opening that had Vin cackling in his seat. Making fun of more recent movies made since the original films. Best jokes.

09:00 - The original vs. the 2025 movies. Leslie Nielsen vs. Liam Neeson.

11:10 - Hoping for more The Naked Gun sequels, more fun satire and spoof comedies, and less poorly written superhero movies.

16:45 - Anything we didn't like about the new movie?

22:38 - Other old franchises we'd like to see make a comeback. Airplane and the disaster spoof movies.

24:55 - Final thoughts

26:02 - Outro

26:55 - Bonus