Popzara Podcast

In my review of set one of the Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium releases (the first of seven planned sets, mind you) I gave a brief history of how Bill Watterson would create one of the most beloved comic strips of all-time, in such a short time, only to become exhausted by its creation and the demands of an industry that wanted more from him. He would only return to the form sporadically for charitable reasons or (with John Kascht) for experimental books like last year's The Mysteries.

It’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Listen as hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans guide you through the best, worst, and everything else making headlines and headway in the world of interactive entertainment. The Biggest Games of April 2024 The biggest games of the month include: Stellar Blade, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, SaGa: Emerald Beyond, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board!, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Sand Land, Megaton Musashi W: Wired, and Phantom Fury. Other notables include: Braid: Anniversary Edition, TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants, Harold Halibut, Biomorph, BioGun, Children of the Sun, Sea of Thieves (PS5), and Grounded (PS, Switch). Circana: Thinking Ahead While Circana (formerly NPD) remains the gaming industry’s best snapshot of what’s moving and shaking up both physical and digital retail shelves across the country, it’s time for us to move on. Going forward, The State of Gaming will no longer report on Circana’s monthly sales estimates – unless there are specific newsworthy (i.e. sales related) items from them. Everything Else But there’s more! Apple will officially allow retro game emulators on the App Store! The Atari 400 Mini is coming (surely, Jeff Minter is excited)! Will there be a PlayStation 5 Pro? Do we even need one? The Fallout TV series is almost here! No DLC for Baldur’s Gate 3, says its developers. Is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire the best videogame movie that’s not based on a videogame? Also stayed tuned for Cory’s semi-regular update on the latest and greatest controllers from around the world (but mostly China, honestly). Selections this month include the Mobapad’s M6 HD Joycons (Switch), PDP’s Victrix Pro BFG Wireless Controller (for PS/Xbox), FLYDIGI’s APEX 4 Wireless Controller (PC, Switch, iOS/Android), as well as his mini-review of Sony’s PlayStation Portal.

On one of our many drives from Los Angeles to Oakland, we took an hour-long detour just to visit a bakery that made these cookies I had once when I was young. Most of the time when I tell people about this, they look at me like I’m crazy (“Do you know how much gas costs these days?”).

It’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Podcast, where our in-house movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans take you on an unscripted journey yakking and chatting about some of their favorite movie moments and cinematic scenes, from past and present, presented without snark and snobbery for your listening pleasure. On this episode our hosts explore two examples of classic and neo noir from entirely different generations of filmmaking (and filmmakers) where the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, with delightful results for those in the audience. First is 1954’s Dial M for Murder, Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of Frederick Knott’s play where the “perfect murder” meets an imperfect world. Featuring an unforgettable performance by Hitchcock-favorite (and future real-life princess) Grace Kelly, the film would become a popular template for generations of thrillers where the fun comes from watching a well-oiled machine go off the rails. Next is 1981’s Body Heat, the directorial debut from Lawrence Kasdan (writer of The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark) starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner (also making her film debut) that pairs classic film noir with erotic thrills in one satisfying, sexy package. It would likewise become the template for countless other erotic thrillers that would dominate the 1980s, made even better by John Barry’s unforgettable score and Richard H. Kline’s dazzling cinematography. What’s the difference between classic noir and neo-noir? Did you know Hitchcock’s film was originally filmed and meant to be viewed in 3D? Did a murderous femme fatale inspire Jessica Rabbit? Can a murder mystery still be a whodunnit when you already know who dunnit?

The directorial debut from writer-comedian Julio Torres, Problemista follows the life of a young El Salvadorian immigrant as he seeks a Visa sponsorship in the US in order to pursue his dream of becoming a toymaker at Hasbro. Alejandro (Julio Torres) is our nervous yet optimistic protagonist who, due to his recent unemployment, only has one month to find a new employer before he’s forced to go back home.

Many words have been written and much breath spent on the modern attention span. To be precise, we're usually talking about the lacking nature of the modern attention span.

They say that if you eat a being's heart, you gain its powers. To test this, I've gone around eating a whole bunch of hearts lately.

Say what you will about the Mushroom Kingdom, what with its incessant plumbing issues and problems with turtle-based crime, but let it never be muttered that the people of the Kingdom don't appreciate the arts! Whether it's painting, music, or dance, you're sure to find an outlet for your creative juices in the Mushroom Kingdom. Even the local leadership plays a role in the artistic world, as we see in Princess Peach: Showtime!, a platformer-brawler-explore-'em-up starring everyone's favorite royalty.

The real failure in Pixar’s Lightyear wasn’t in its story, animation, or even its casting. No, the actual reason was its intent; the idea this was the movie a preteen Andy would have seen as a child that would make him want to rush out and buy Buzz Lightyear toys and such.

Bushido: the code of the samurai! It's a strict system of behavior and etiquette that these noble warriors followed to preserve their honor. Tenets of Bushido included things like keeping samurai out of sunlight, avoiding water and never, ever feeding them after midnight.

Creating high-concept cinema can be an art form but is also an exercise in logic. A wholly unique premise can find its own plot if guided by a creative mind.

In 1984, a team of eccentric scientists armed with proton packs and witty banter took the world by storm. Ghostbusters became a cultural phenomenon, blending laugh-out-loud humor with genuine scares to create a supernatural comedy masterpiece.

Denise Dorrance’s Polar Vortex earns its title from the brutal record-breaking "cold wave" that devastated parts of the Midwestern United States and Canada back in 2019, including the lowest-ever recorded temperature in Iowa, which the events here take place. It tells the story of a woman living abroad who suddenly finds herself in charge of caring for her ailing nonagenarian mother.

Your familiarity with the name Jeff Minter will say a lot about when - and where - you were born, or spent much of your game-playing days in the 1980s. To most Americans (and much of the world), Jeff is probably best known for creating Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar (arguably the best game on a failed platform) or Neon, the stock music virtualizer on the Xbox 360.

As always, I continue to be in awe at how Dreo continues to make hit after hit products after thinking I’ve seen all they can do. Their latest comes just in time for spring and summer weather with the Dreo Polyfan 704S Omni-Directional Oscillating Fan that brings quiet yet powerful air circulation that's perfect for anytime of the year.

Let's go on a journey through time - think back, long, long ago, to the late 2000s to mid 2010s, and you might recall a magical web design framework called Flash. Flash was ubiquitous for quite some time.

Once again I turn back the clock of time to the 80s, where me, my friends, and my cousins were constantly playing Contra on the NES. All of the run ‘n gun action, jumping from platform to platform and over pits of death, and taking on huge bosses kept all of us coming back to play over and over.

The second collaboration (published in English) between horror manga maestro Junji Ito and Hirokatsu Kihara may not be what fans were expecting. Last year’s English-language publication of Mimi’s Tales of Terror (Shin Mimibukuro, or New Earmuffs) was likely the first time Western audiences were able to experience Kihara’s writings, who is probably best-known for helping craft some of Studio Ghibli’s most celebrated films (i.

Netflix's latest fantasy adventure, Damsel, directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later), stars Netflix staple Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things and Enola Holmes) as Elodie, a young woman from a struggling noble family. Initially presented with the opportunity to marry Prince Henry (Nick Robinson) and restore her family's fortune, Elodie eagerly embraces what seems like a fairytale come true.

Ah, to live in the world of a 1990s FPS! You might have problems, but they're all solved with your hyperspace arsenal of weapons and an endless array of health pickups. Thinking? Who needs it? The only ideas anything requires come in very, very large calibers.