Explore every episode of the podcast Marvel Movie Minute • Captain America: The Winter Soldier
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome to Marvel Movie Minute! | 19 Dec 2024 | 00:04:45 | |
Welcome to Marvel Movie Minute, a movies-by-minutes show breaking down the films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe one minute at a time. It's very nerdy. It's a giant deep dive. And it's a bit insane. Clearly, we're having fun doing it so tune in and enjoy the insanity! | |||
| TA143: Shawarma Palace | 23 Aug 2023 | 00:24:56 | |
Minute One Hundred Forty Three: From The Final Climactic Beats in Alan Silvestri’s Amazing Theme to The Studio Logos... With a Little Stop at Shawarma Palace in Between Mike Gravagno from The Superhero Show Show and Movie of the Year joins us in this episode! In the one-hundred-forty-third and final minute of The Avengers... The credits finally come to an end, but not before we get to talk about the MPAA film numbers. We also ponder when Dolby Atmos started up, and sure enough it was 2012. Not in time for this film unfortunately. What we’re really here for, though, is shawarma. Shawarma Palace. This glorious post-credit sequence shifted the tone of post-credit sequences and allowed later filmmakers to be goofy with them from time to time. We’re fans. We talk about each of the characters and even reveal why Chris Evans is being so still throughout. Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel! Film Sundries
| |||
| TA134: The Special Credits | 10 Aug 2023 | 00:47:55 | |
Minute One Hundred Thirty Four: From A Big A to Iron Man’s Palm Andrew Darowski from Disney Animation Minute Essentials and Joe Darowski from the Protagonist Podcast join us in this episode! In the one-hundred-thirty-fourth minute of The Avengers... We finish pulling out of the broken windows at Stark Tower, finding just the A left in the STARK signage out here. We also get a small WHOOSH right when we pass the A, as if to tell us that it’s something we need to notice. We talk about ideas like this, who decides them, and how they end up in here. We finish our chat about Tony and Pepper and whatever it is they’re doing with their hologram of the building blueprint. Did you notice the quinjet in it? It’s pretty cool. As promised, today is our conversation looking at the alternate ending with Maria Hill closing out her questioning by the World Security Council. It’s a bit awkward and way too long. While it gives us the rest of the bit of Hill that we’ve been enjoying develop since those opening moments and would’ve been great to give that extra bit of character development to Cobie Smulders, it really does feel unnecessary in the end. But maybe that’s because it’s so long and has such clunky dialogue. And we’re done! It’s time for credits. Andrew says his kids call this section the ‘special credits,’ so we’ll adopt that from them. We briefly discuss some of the team here that’s new to the MCU, but largely we talk about the art that comes with these special credits. Why is Cap so dominant throughout, to the point where we’re getting the buckle on the back of his shield and his torn and damaged shoulder of his costume featured? Black Widow’s only featured once? Some of the items are cool to look at, but it’s a strange set of choices they used as the featured elements from our heroes. Not to mention Iron Man takes forever to show up and Hulk doesn’t even appear by the time this minute ends. What gives? It’s all interesting and worth thinking about. Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel! Film Sundries
| |||
| TA044: Thor’s Arrival | 06 Apr 2023 | 00:34:57 | |
Minute Forty Four: From Cap Not Liking It to Cap Not Getting It Nathan Blackwell and Krissy Lenz, from Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast, part of the TruStory FM Entertainment Podcast Network, join us in this episode!
It’s quinjet time! Why is Loki so quiet? And why is Natasha acting like the group mom? We talk a bit about likely direction and mountain range we’re flying over before we dig into the juicy part of this minute – relationship dynamics beween our heroes. Why is Tony acting like such a jerk? What does Steve think of him? And how well does Thor’s arrival play? Tune in!
| |||
| TA043: The Chafing Line Has Been Crossed | 05 Apr 2023 | 00:44:36 | |
Minute Forty Three: From A Demand to Kneel to A Ticking Clock Father David Mowry, chaplain of the movies by minutes community, joins us in this episode!
Cap fights back but we see that he really can’t take down an Asgardian. Still, he does hold his own. It gives Iron Man a chance to make his entrance to AC/DC’s Shoot to Thrill. It’s so Tony and we’re here for it. We find out that he can fight better against the Asgardian as his repulsor blast throws Loki back to the ground. And that’s it for Loki! He gives up fairly easily, but we assume it’s all part of his and Barton’s plan to get Loki onto the helicarrier. There’s a chance to chat a bit about the meeting of Tony and Steve here, and how their relationship will evolve over the franchise. We get another Christ and the Cape, plus we invite Father Mowry to chat a bit about minute 45 so we can discuss a key line from Steve. Tune in!
| |||
| TA042: Street Art in Stuttgart | 04 Apr 2023 | 00:39:51 | |
Minute Forty Two: From A Valuable History Lesson to Knocking Cap to the Ground Father David Mowry, chaplain of the movies by minutes community, joins us in this episode!
We continue our conversation about our lone German man who stands against Loki. His replies to Loki are spot-on perfect. Great writing throughout this scene. Loki’s ego shines through in all the best ways, and Tom Hiddleston plays him to a T with those line deliveries. Captain America, of course, saves the German Old Man from getting killed by Loki. This is certainly something people often gloss over with Loki – he tried to kill a defenseless old man right here. In Germany. Should people be talking about this more with him? Regardless, it gives Steve a chance to quip back at Loki and then gets their fight started. But Loki calls him out as the soldier, a man out of time. Should Steve’s superior intellect pulled that out as something Loki shouldn’t have known? Should he be thinking more of the fact that Loki and Barton may be working on a plan? Oh – we also get the quinjet arriving in time for Natasha to take aim at Loki. Tune in!
| |||
| TA041: Xanatos Gambit | 03 Apr 2023 | 00:42:21 | |
Minute Forty One: From A Staff Pounding to A Lone Voice Father David Mowry, chaplain of the movies by minutes community, joins us in this episode!
Loki makes everyone kneel. In Germany. There’s certainly something that feels important about submission in that particular part of the world to us. But does Loki have any sense of this? Did he have to study Midgardian history at some point? Regardless, he’s got a great speech to the humans here in this courtyard, and we’re here for it. But why don’t any other police show up? Or news vans? It’s weirdly quiet and localized to just this group which makes this part of the film feel... small. Still... great speech. We get to talk about actor Kenneth Tigar who plays the old German man and his great retort to Loki’s speech. Plus, Father David brings a wonderful Christ and the Cape segment to the episode. Tune in!
| |||
| TA040: That’s Not How You Extract an Eyeball! | 31 Mar 2023 | 00:32:14 | |
Minute Forty: From Panic at the Opera to A Demand to Kneel Jay Shepard from MCULocationScout.com and RetroZap.com joins us in this episode!
Loki continues his ocular extraction, and we learn why Clint requested an eyeball earlier. Again, it’s gruesome. Something we’d see in a torture porn movie, though then we’d actually see the process. Still, the fact that the digital scan of the eyeball is still looking around is terrifying stuff. So Barton steals the Iridium, which we learn more about, and Loki finally makes his presence known. He magically puts on his clothes and steps outside, blasting a police car and scaring the public. That car stunt is very exciting to watch. We’re not as much fans of Loki popping around the plaza to herd the people. It feels a bit... lame. Still, it’s a fun minute to discuss. Tune in!
| |||
| TA039: Ocular Extraction | 30 Mar 2023 | 00:28:39 | |
Minute Thirty-Nine: From Guard Down to Ocular Extraction Jay Shepard from MCULocationScout.com and RetroZap.com joins us in this episode!
It’s rare to have a full minute without speaking in these films, but it does happen and this is one of them. We listen to the string quartet play Schubert while we follow action in three locations. It’s fun and works for us. We enjoy talking about Loki, but there’s also a lot to say about the location in which they filmed this. It’s gorgeous. The locations team clearly did some strong work in Cleveland. We also talk about the location where Barton’s breaking in. And, of course, there’s the quinjet on its way to cut them off, if possible.
| |||
| TA 038: Foxing Around the Edges | 29 Mar 2023 | 00:31:26 | |
Minute Thirty-Eight: From Near Mint to A Thwip Jay Shepard from MCULocationScout.com and RetroZap.com joins us in this episode!
We get to talk about foxing in this minute. What the hell is it? And, of course, there’s more of the face trace as Agent Sitwell, making his appearance known with some lines finally, gets a hit. That’s right, they’ve found Loki. In Stuttgart. How the hell did he and his team get to Stuttgart, Germany, so quickly? If it’s a stolen quinjet, where the hell are they parking it? And how quickly can Steve actually get there so he doesn’t miss them?
| |||
| TA 037: It’s a Classic Skarsgård | 28 Mar 2023 | 00:35:00 | |
Minute Thirty-Seven: From Erik Telling His Assistants Where They Can Put It to Coulson Telling Steve About His Vintage Set Jay Shepard from MCULocationScout.com and RetroZap.com joins us in this episode!
Following our last minute’s extended scene, we already have another one. We’re in Loki’s underground lab and there is more between Erik Selvig and Clint Barton, between Erik Selvig and Loki, and between Clint Barton and Loki. It all feels awkward, though. While there are some interesting points brought up in this extended scene – like Barton talking about why he might not have killed Fury and more about Selvig’s connection to the Tesseract – it all plays awkwardly. We definitely prefer the version as it exists in the film, though this one is an interesting exploration of these characters.
That, of course, brings us back to the bridge of the Helicarrier where we get a bit of the conversation about trading cards between Steve and Phil. It’s pretty cute. All in all, there’s certainly no shortage of content to discuss in this minute! Tune in!
| |||
| TA 036: Justice for Hill | 27 Mar 2023 | 00:33:14 | |
Minute Thirty-Six: From A Bet Fulfilled to All the Toys Jay Shepard from MCULocationScout.com and RetroZap.com joins us in this episode!
We’ve got more helicarrier bridge, and it starts off with Steve paying $10 to Nick. Apparently, a flying ship did surprise Steve. We talk about this callback a bit. We also dig in on the use of face trace and how gross it makes us feel about what this secret government organization is up to. Steve is the only one who seems to give any sort of look to what they’re doing, and even that is pretty mild. So is everyone here okay with it? We also see where Natasha disappeared to in our last minute. Bruce and Nick have a chance to chat. We also get to talk about an extended version of this scene which involved more of the tension between Agent Hill and Nick Fury. We’re not sure how it plays, but it certainly would’ve given a better character arc to Hill over the course of the film. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 035: Indoor Clothes | 24 Mar 2023 | 00:36:53 | |
Minute Thirty-Five: From The Bridge Reveal to Vanished Gentlemen Will Freeland, aka SylverDreamer on TwitchTV, and one of the hosts from the Hype Is My Superpower podcast joins us in this episode!
It’s the bridge! And it’s awesome. But where the hell does Natasha disappear to? We get a lot of SHIELD people – now wearing SHIELD logos – working hard on their stations to take off. Agent Hill seems busy and Steve’s amazed. Bruce seems... hesitant to see the guards? Seems like an odd place for him to have his reaction again. But we do see Hill give Fury the note that they’re clear so Fury gives the order to vanish and the ship disappears. The tech is certainly fantastical but cool all the same. Tune in!
| |||
| TA133: Make It Visually Interesting... | 09 Aug 2023 | 00:43:57 | |
Minute One Hundred Thirty Three: From Hill’s Questions for Fury to Repair Work on Tony’s Penthouse. Andrew Darowski from Disney Animation Minute Essentials and Joe Darowski from the Protagonist Podcast join us in this episode! In the one-hundred-thirty-third minute of The Avengers... Fury finishes his power walk, but what’s with all the scuff marks in the hallway there? Were they moving a piano through here? Or does this have to do with his bazooka love? It’s a bit of an awkward cut to Fury’s conversation with Maria Hill from here. Perhaps this is because there’s an alternate ending involving the closure with Maria Hill and her questioning by the World Security Council. We’ll save that for tomorrow’s conversation, but we do discuss the rough edit. We also talk about Fury’s power positions here on the bridge, including his standing on the circular window at the front. We question his thinking because of the structural damage to this ship, but maybe it just makes Fury even more badass? We also get to discuss the SHIELD logo built into the floor and the attempt for the camera to show it to us, even if it is hard to see. From there, we head to Stark Tower where we find Tony and Pepper looking at Stark-techified blueprints of the new Avengers Tower as well as quinjets. It’s fun to see them playing with all of this, but the editing’s all over the place. And where are all the people that should be working on the mess in here? Why do they have those Stark-techified ladders in here? And why do they need ladders anyway? Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel! Film Sundries
| |||
| TA 034: Namor’s Perspective | 23 Mar 2023 | 00:28:51 | |
Minute Thirty-Four: From Confusion for Bruce and Steve to Entry to the Bridge Will Freeland, aka SylverDreamer on TwitchTV, and one of the hosts from the Hype Is My Superpower podcast joins us in this episode!
There’s a submarine joke and a Hulk joke, but wouldn’t it actually be much worse for Bruce to be in a sub rather than an air vehicle? Regardless, this minute allows us to discuss the glory of the helicarrier raising its turbines so it can start its takeoff. It’s a very cool minute to talk about the overall sense of this fantastic ship. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 033: Helicarrier | 22 Mar 2023 | 00:36:04 | |
Minute Thirty-Three: From Agent Romanoff Meeting Captain Rogers to Machinery in Motion Will Freeland, aka SylverDreamer on TwitchTV, and one of the hosts from the Hype Is My Superpower podcast joins us in this episode!
Agent Phil Coulson introduces Natasha Romanoff to Steve Rogers before he has to run off to do something called a ‘face trace.’ That sounds like good, clean governmental fun! Why don’t any of these helicarrier crew members have SHIELD logos on their outfits? We get to chat about the Coulson-fawning and the trading cards. Wouldn’t Steve have known trading cards existed? Perhaps it’s just that he’s surprised anyone collects things like that.
Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
| |||
| TA 032: The Galactic Door Knocker | 21 Mar 2023 | 00:20:52 | |
Minute Thirty-Two: From The Other’s Threat to Arrival on the Helicarrier
The wrap-up of this conversation between The Other and Loki is full of threats and head trauma. How does The Other transfer pain from Sanctuary to Earth? That’s quite a power. Loki does seem worried though. What’s up with The Other’s dental work though? And hey! We get a leviathan randomly creeping through the background here!
| |||
| TA 031: Count Rugen | 20 Mar 2023 | 00:34:18 | |
Minute Thirty-One: From The Meager Might of Earth to The Other's Concession In the thirty-first minute of The Avengers... Why does it feel like this scene was shot so strangely? The positions of Loki and The Other feel odd. Or maybe it’s that way they choose to shoot the scene with the actors rotating around the set, not looking at each other. The script here also feels a bit clumsy. They’re really working to establish this butting of heads between these two characters, but it feels very scripted. What’s the relationship between The Other and Thanos? And Loki? When The Other says Thanos gave Loki ancient knowledge, what does he mean? And how does this location actually work? Oh – and we learn that The Other can move really fast. And wha’ts up with his sixth finger? Tune in!
| |||
| TA 030: He Was Just Coming From Boston | 17 Mar 2023 | 00:32:03 | |
Minute Thirty: From Coulson’s Input to The Other’s Question Matthew Costello, author of Secret Identity Crisis: Comic books and the Unmasking of Cold War America, joins us in this episode! In the thirtieth minute of The Avengers... The relationship between Steve and Agent Coulson is central to our conversation here. How does it play for Steve as the man out of time? It’s interesting how he reads the stars and stripes as old-fashioned. Is that his understanding of the modern era? Phil acts as the audience surrogate here, helping us (and Steve) connect to what’s going on in the world here. We also get to talk about the odd lair Loki’s managed to put together (in just two days!). They’re very busy. How is Loki doing his thing with Sanctuary? Or did they notify him they wanted to chat? Why does The Other seem to be Jawa-sized and we only see his top half? What the heck is going on here? Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel! Film Sundries
| |||
| TA 029: Phil Turns Everything Incredibly Awkward | 16 Mar 2023 | 00:31:53 | |
Minute Twenty-Nine: From 40 Minutes Out to Coulson’s Reassuring Words Jonathan Carlisle from UHF 62nd and The Princess Bride Minute join us in this episode!
It’s so fun watching Agent Coulson chat with Steve. Well, it’s awfully uncomfortable, but Clark Gregg and Chris Evans play the scene perfectly. We talk a bit about the quinjet and how Steve’s catching up on yet another example of that fantastic SHIELD tech we just saw Tony using. How does Gregg’s acting seem as he gets up from the desk? Too much business? Regardless, his move across the quinjet is perfect. It’s another great example of dialogue leading great scenes through complicated exposition. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 028: Captain America and the Cube | 15 Mar 2023 | 00:29:05 | |
Minute Twenty-Eight: From Tony Throwing Holograms Around the Room to Two Pilots in a Quinjet Cockpit Jonathan Carlisle from UHF 62nd and The Princess Bride Minute join us in this episode!
Such fun hologram toys Tony plays with! We look at his fantastic holographic displays and debate what’s actually in the room with them as opposed to what’s on the stage when filming. We do touch on the fact that Tony reaches in and grabs the image of the Tesseract to spin it around and look at it. Why that look? Is there implication that he recognizes it, perhaps from his dad’s writings? Should Tony have known about these things by now though? He painted himself as the world police in Iron Man 2. Presumably, he’d be aware of a big green monster at Culver University or Harlem, as well as a giant robot attack in Puente Antiguo. We also talk about Tony’s fantastic ceiling light, his adorable goodbye with Pepper, the cellist, and the quinjet! Tune in!
| |||
| TA 027: Too Stark for SHIELD | 14 Mar 2023 | 00:29:11 | |
Minute Twenty-Seven: From Phil Saying He Can’t Stay to Pepper Asking What All of This Is Jonathan Carlisle from UHF 62nd and The Princess Bride Minute joins us in this episode!
More wonderful banter between Tony, Pepper, and Phil. Following up on our conversation yesterday with Matthew Costello, these actors feel so perfect in the roles. They absolutely capture the right essence of their lines here and make for a wonderfully memorable scene. We also get to talk about the crazy laptop tech that SHIELD has, which we see in what Agent Coulson gives to Tony. Is Tony working on tech with them or is this their own proprietary thing? It’s slick. We get to dig in a bit into what Tony’s looking at, and we also ponder about when Pepper and Phil have been growing closer. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 026: Life Model Decoys | 13 Mar 2023 | 00:25:26 | |
Minute Twenty-Six: From Credit for Pepper to ‘Phil?’ Matthew Costello, author of Secret Identity Crisis: Comic books and the Unmasking of Cold War America, joins us in this episode!
It’s hard to go wrong with the Tony/Pepper dynamic. That certainly holds true with Robert Downey Jr./Gwyneth Paltrow as well. They clearly are movie stars and carry a real sense of connection on screen. Plus, the writing here stands out as exceptional character material. We talk a lot about them and their relationship, as well as how it’s grown from the first Iron Man film to now. That, of course, allows us to bring Agent Phil Coulson into the conversation as he enters the room. He’s been around since the start as well, and there’s definitely a sense of the relationships growing over time from then to now for all three of them. We talk about all of that, plus life model decoys! Tune in!
| |||
| TA 025: Iron Flesh | 10 Mar 2023 | 00:42:10 | |
Minute Twenty-Five: From More Me to a Tap on the Chest James Anderson and Colin Parker from the Timeline Scavengers podcast join us in this episode!
We have a lot of love for the location shots in midtown Manhattan where we see Grand Central Station and the area around the MetLife building. You can even see cranes, showing that Tony’s still working on redoing this building. The building’s design is very cool and there are some wonderfully detailed shots that only last a few seconds, but they do a great job of laying out this building, which later filmmakers likely weren’t even aware they’d be using as much as they did.
| |||
| TA132: Ride the Blue Beam | 08 Aug 2023 | 00:32:55 | |
Minute One Hundred Thirty Two: From The Tesseract Being Dealt With to Fury’s Dramatic Walk TwitchTV’s MarvelousTay joins us in this episode! In the one-hundred-thirty-second minute of The Avengers... While Fury talks with the World Security Council, we follow our heroes in Central Park as they ship Loki off to Asgard. Where did this handy Tesseract travel tube come from? Did Erik whip that up in his spare time? It’s certainly convenient, and clearly knows how to get Thor and Loki back to Asgard. What’s with the muzzle Loki’s wearing? We ponder the need for something like this as he’s not a villain who says spells or attacks with his mouth. We assume it’s just because it makes him look caught that much more. We watch our heroes go their separate ways (though completely ignoring Erik – so much so we don’t even discuss his departure, or lack thereof, in the episode). Tony and Bruce are scientist best buddies now! And Tony has a sweet ride. Too bad it’s not Acura real... yet. We end our conversation discussing Fury and the WSC. What do we think of their motivations? How about how it ties into the TV show? And what does it say about where the franchise will go from here? Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel! Film Sundries
| |||
| TA 024: Parasitic Architecture | 09 Mar 2023 | 00:26:16 | |
Minute Twenty Four: From Steve’s Exit to Christmas Joining us today, we have Ryan Dalton, author of the Time Shift trilogy and This Last Adventure.
We wrap up our conversation about Steve and Nick Fury, then head underwater to find Tony Stark. The transition from one scene to the next provides a nice contrast in personalities and world views. So what’s Tony doing to that transmission line? Should he be cutting into a line underwater that carries, you know, electricity? Well, it is Tony, after all. What do the people on the ferry think when he bursts out of the water at night like he does? Would they think it’s a missile of some sort? Probably frightening. Tony flies off to the new Stark Tower and we talk about not only his journey to get there – which doesn’t make a lot of sense when mapped out – as well as the fact that Tony’s purchase of the MetLife building is apparently part of the backstory for this location. It’s pretty great. Plus, we get a nod to Christmas! Tune in!
| |||
| TA 023: He’s Still Wearing Cotton | 08 Mar 2023 | 00:33:50 | |
Minute Twenty Three: From Steve’s Inquiry to Nick’s Inquiry Joining us today, we have Ryan Dalton, author of the Time Shift trilogy and This Last Adventure.
Steve Rogers – a man out of time. What has he been doing since we last saw him? It’s been about six months. We talk about that time that leads to this. Does it make sense for Nick to have had other conversations with him between then and now? We chat a bit about the Tesseract and what Steve knows about it. This leads to a bit of a puzzle we have about why Fury only approaches it from the angle of sustainable energy, when Steve’s the only person alive who knows it’s been used in weaponry. Shouldn’t that have been discussed? We talk a bit about the Tesseract paperwork and how the props department cribbed info from NASA’s website. We also love the gag with the punching bags. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 022: Grumpy Old Man | 07 Mar 2023 | 00:28:34 | |
Minute Twenty-Two: From Furiously Beating to Fury Conceding Matthew Costello, author of Secret Identity Crisis: Comic books and the Unmasking of Cold War America, joins us in this episode!
We really dig in on Steve Rogers and his place in 2012. Why is he so angry? What’s it say about his character? And is he just mad that he lost Peggy? Is there more? We explore his character here and in the comics, as well as his relationship with Nick Fury. This scene sets up an interesting dynamic between these characters that we begin exploring. But what has Steve been doing since he was thawed out? Tune in!
| |||
| TA 021: Battle Time With My Buds | 06 Mar 2023 | 00:36:57 | |
Minute Twenty-One: From The Avengers Initiative’s Status to Angry Steve Jonathan Carlisle from UHF 62nd and The Princess Bride Minute joins us in this episode!
We wrap up our conversation about this scene featuring Nick talking to the World Security Council. Why are they designed like some shadow organization? Is it just to give us a sense that Fury also has to answer to someone? And why doesn’t the conversation feel like it resolves? The end of it does provide a great transition to the next scene, but it feels like we’re not getting any answers here.
| |||
| TA 020: Pretty Faces in the Dark | 03 Mar 2023 | 00:37:43 | |
Minute Twenty: From Bruce Talking Natasha Down to Fury Needing a Response Team Joining us, it’s Justin Jaeger from TruStory FM’s entertainment network.
JJ gives us his take on Ruffalo as Bruce/Hulk. We talk a bit about the start of the relationship between Bruce and Natasha and how this scene is our first window into that. But why does Scarlett play this with her eyes seemingly welling with tears? Was that her decision? Or did the director have her do that? What does it say about Natasha and her feelings about Hulk? We do like that there’s a chicken outside that doesn’t seem to care about what’s going on. What the hell sorts of weapons are the troops wielding though?
| |||
| TA 019: Yes, He Does Want You to Swallow It | 02 Mar 2023 | 00:42:37 | |
Minute Nineteen: From What Bruce Tries to Avoid to a Gun in Our Face Joining us today is Robin Burdge from Karate Kid Minute, Fright Night Minute, and Superman & Lois TV Talk.
Natasha pitches Bruce on helping Fury with this global catastrophe. What we love so much about Ruffalo’s hulk is he really feels dangerous. When he talks about trying to avoid that type of thing, we feel he’s probably smart to do so. We have a great time talking about both Ruffalo and Johansson. But whose place is this? Is it a SHIELD safe house? Or did they rent it from some locals? We’re a bit unsure, but it sure seems like someone lives here.
| |||
| TA 018: Hulk Eats Babies | 01 Mar 2023 | 00:29:35 | |
Minute Eighteen: From Young Spy to Global Catastrophe Joining us today, we have Ryan Dalton, author of the Time Shift trilogy and This Last Adventure.
The small bit at the start of this minute about Natasha starting so young is great script economy – we get just a line but it says so much. How does Bruce know what SHIELD is though? It never came up in The Incredible Hulk. And why does Nick Fury ‘trust him’? What has he done that warrants that trust? We deduce that there are likely a lot of small reasons Natasha says that. We talk about the nature of Hulk and how much say he really has in decisions like this that Bruce makes. And we talk about the small touch of Bruce rocking the baby swing. Too on the nose? Maybe, but we still like it. We look at the timeline that got Bruce from Harlem to here as well. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 017: #hulkfished | 28 Feb 2023 | 00:32:08 | |
Minute Seventeen: From A Coughing Child to Bruce Asking Natasha About Her Actress Buddy Joining us today, we have Ryan Dalton, author of the Time Shift trilogy and This Last Adventure.
We dig more into Mark Ruffalo and how we feel about him as Bruce and how the Hulk works for us in this film. We also talk about Natasha and what Scarlett brings to the role. What’s going on in Kolkata though that requires some strange military presence? And why does Bruce think his strange method of ducking will help him not be noticed? Again, the nod to the TV show with him helping the sick is appreciated. What’s up with the three people watching TV outside? Are they SHIELD agents too? And how did Natasha get everything set up so quickly? Tune in!
| |||
| TA 016: The Rubble Mission | 27 Feb 2023 | 00:32:40 | |
Minute Sixteen: From Strike Team Delta’s Abidjan Operation to a Sick Man in Bed Joining us today is Phillip Mottaz, author of the Psychic Barber Mystery series.
Natasha finds out Barton’s not really in danger. Does that change our sense of Coulson’s call and how he pitched it to her? Regardless, her reaction when she realizes she has to get the ‘big guy’ is great. This film really is the only time Hulk felt dangerous, and we like that. And speaking of, we head to Kolkata to find a young girl running through the streets. It’s a great location setup, but why is she so worried? Isn’t she just a wee actress hired by Natasha? She does bring us to Bruce Banner, and we get to chat about Mark Ruffalo taking over the part. There’s a nice sense of the Bill Bixby character to him here as he’s helping sick people. We love finally getting to talk about him in this franchise! Tune in!
| |||
| TA 015: That Singular Stunt Move | 24 Feb 2023 | 00:28:09 | |
Minute Fifteen: From the Moron Giving Her Everything to an Inquiry About Barton Joining us today is Phillip Mottaz, author of the Psychic Barber Mystery series.
We’re getting into the good stuff with the interrogation, particularly as we now learn that Natasha’s the one in charge. Georgi’s comments to her and her look at him says so much. It’s one of the best bits in the film. We also get a thrilling action sequence full of amazing stunts. Hats off to Heidi Moneymaker once again returning to do the stuntwork as Black Widow. That flip in the chair as well as the leaping onto the thug to flip him over – they’re stunning and pulled off perfectly. It helps that we get that 90 degree camera shot of the thug flip. Talk about an effective way to play that! It’s a fantastic scene and gives us plenty to discuss. Tune in!
| |||
| TA131: Meet Chrissy Seaver From Growing Pains | 07 Aug 2023 | 00:48:42 | |
Minute One Hundred Thirty One: From The Final News Montage to The Tesseract Where It Belongs. Bubbawheat from the time loop podcast It's Time to Rewind joins us in this episode! In the one-hundred-thirty-first minute of The Avengers... This minute is full of lots of clips from all the various screens we’re watching, and we try talking about the all in one capacity or another. We’ve got news feeds plus what looks like various YouTube types of videos people have posted, all relating to the celebration of – or skepticism with – the Avengers and their role in the Battle of New York. We talk the IMDb credits for our various speaking actors, and lo and behold one of them is none other than Stan Lee! That’s right – this minute features his cameo. It’s not one of our favorites, but it’s still fun. From there, we shift to Nick Fury and his tense discussion he’s having with the members of the World Security Council. We talk more about this shady organization and wonder why it will largely be dropped from future films. We also get to talk about our heroes rendezvousing at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, wondering why they met here to ship Loki off instead of just staying in Stark Tower where they already were. Regardless, this minute gives us plenty to talk about. Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel! Film Sundries
| |||
| TA 014: Diagetic Sarcasm | 23 Feb 2023 | 00:26:24 | |
Minute Fourteen: From Natasha’s Question to the Middle of an Interrogation Joining us today is Phillip Mottaz, author of the Psychic Barber Mystery series.
We continue our conversation about Georgi Luchkov’s interrogation of Natasha Romanoff... or is it the other way around? This is a great tool the director employs well – shifting gender expectations in scenes like this. Again, though – should we read more into this about the director’s treatment of women? The scene does play well, though, and the shift from serious thriller to comedy with the punctuating phone call works exceptionally well. Plus, Scarlett acts well with a phone to her ear. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 013: Black Widow | 22 Feb 2023 | 00:29:37 | |
Minute Thirteen: From a Backhand to Simply Another Pretty Face Joining us today is Phillip Mottaz, author of the Psychic Barber Mystery series.
It’s time to talk about Natasha! We dig in on her role in the MCU and how we feel she’s been used up to this point, as well as beyond. We touch on the director and the fact that we come into this scene with her getting backhanded. It’s a bit rough. But as a spy scene, we also realize it’s doing what it’s supposed to. We talk about Georgi Luchkov and his history in the comics. It’s not much, but it’s there. And how about this building? Why are they using it? What’s with the random stash of goods? It’s a great scene and character intro. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 012: Level Seven | 21 Feb 2023 | 00:53:56 | |
Minute Twelve: From Fury Firing Furiously to an Old Russian Warehouse Joining us today is Phillip Mottaz, author of the Psychic Barber Mystery series. In the twelfth minute of The Avengers... We chat about Nick Fury and his marksmanship... or seeming lack thereof. We also chat about Maria’s amazing survival and wonder why Fury’s asking her about troops when wasn’t that Coulson’s job? Shouldn’t he be asking her about Phase Two? We talk a bit about the title itself, as well as the font choice. Plus Alan Silvestri’s theme comes up again. From there, we get to go to Russia, albeit very briefly, but enough to discuss some Russian signage. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 011: Collapse Ex Machina | 20 Feb 2023 | 00:39:21 | |
Minute Eleven: From Bubble Bursting to Fury Rising Joining us on the show, we have Declan Craggs from Scream Movie Minute.
The editing here seems a bit more clear as we follow three distinct escapes – Fury in a helicopter, Coulson with a SHIELD transport, and Hill chasing Loki, Selvig & Barton through the tunnel. But as the base collapses and Hill’s buried, should we feel more concern about her as a character? Is this the nature of the dropped opening to the film that we really don’t have a good idea who she is yet? We talk a bit about Coulson and possibly some not-great direction he got for his cutaways as he watches the base collapse behind him. We also talk about Hill’s burial and how it doesn’t make sense that she’d survive. Then there’s Fury and his leaping from the helicopter, which is pretty badass. But should we have known more about who that helicopter pilot was? Regardless, it’s an action-packed end to this minute. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 010: Kinda Like Thor’s Eyebrows | 17 Feb 2023 | 00:36:44 | |
Minute Ten: From Car Wreck to Base Collapse Joining us, it’s Justin Jaeger from TruStory FM’s entertainment network. In the tenth minute of The Avengers... Loki’s thrilled with his mischief, even though he blew up the car of one of the guys he’s controlling. He still has his above-the-line actors so that must mean he’s doing well. But how does Maria Hill get ahead of them? What sort of side tunnel layout do they have in this base? We marvel at Hill’s jeep maneuvering but does it make much sense? And in the scope of action-filled pre-credit sequences, does this give us what we need? As for Fury, he somehow manages to escape some falling pipes but why do they look so... placed? Coulson and his team struggle to get some cases down the steps before bailing, but it’s hard for Andy to stop staring at the smoke ring coming from the overhead lamp. We debate about Clint’s firing at Hill – is he deliberately missing her? He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest shot, right? Why does she spin back around? At least Fury gets to the choppa before the ground gives out. And we end the minute with the base blowing up. Tune in!
| |||
| TA 009: I’m a Little Stinker | 16 Feb 2023 | 00:39:09 | |
Minute Nine: From Loading Dock to Tunnel Destruction Joining us today, it’s filmmaker and TruStory FM regular Tommy Metz III, director of ‘30 Nights of Sex to Save Your Marriage’.
The blocking bothers us a bit here. It feels rushed and doesn’t set up characters well in the space. Maria Hill’s entrance to the loading dock from a side door is almost completely missed, and the SHIELD agent turned by Loki completely disappears until he’s suddenly driving an Acura. And is it weird that it’s not until this minute that we get someone finally addressing Maria Hill by name so we finally know who she is? What a strange way to set her up. As for Loki, why is he acting so weakened here? Is the sceptre and mind stone somehow affecting him? Once we get into the tunnel chase, why does he blow up his agent’s car?
| |||
| TA 008: Bing Bong Blue Eyes | 15 Feb 2023 | 00:39:03 | |
Minute Eight: From A Chat About Ants & Boots to Team Loki Leaving the Runway Joining us on the show, it’s TruStory FM’s favorite son Tommy Metz III! In the eighth minute of The Avengers... This minute is all about the conversation between Loki and Nick Fury. It plays really well, and the two of them have some great lines. Some of them play quite funny, though, if you start thinking about possible comedic retorts. One of our issues arises, though, once Clint Barton, now under Loki’s mind control, starts talking about the swirling energy that’s about to bring the place down. It feels written, like they needed an out to just get everyone moving. But... couldn’t they have just shot Fury and walked out? The ticking time bomb that is this base feels a bit forced. Regardless, shooting Fury was a great surprise. Was there ever any sense that he might be dead?
| |||
| TA 007: Magic NASA Gloves | 14 Feb 2023 | 00:34:34 | |
Minute Seven: From Puppet Clint to Brother of Thor Joining us today, it’s Kathy Campbell, RelayFM’s community manager. In the seventh minute of The Avengers... Why does Loki say Clint is the one with the heart? Is he able to read more into his soul because he’s wielding the soul stone? The exchange between Loki and Nick is quite a bit of fun. We only get a part of it today, but we like what they’re giving us. The best moment, however, may be when Selvig pipes in that he recognizes the name Loki because he’s the brother of Thor. That look on Loki’s face, seeing how even here he can’t get away from that connection to his brother, cracked us up.
| |||
| TA 006: Full Frame Crazy Face | 13 Feb 2023 | 00:51:52 | |
Minute Six: From Agents Approaching to Loki Surveying His Destruction Joining us today, it’s Kathy Campbell, RelayFM’s community manager!
Loki gets truly a top notch villain entry. Did the filmmakers know how Terminator it felt? They had to, right? We enjoy the way Nick Fury comments about the spear, but in today’s world, would he say ‘sir’? Actually, shouldn’t he assume it’s perhaps an alien so maybe not a gender he’s familiar with? Loki goes on the warpath, killing SHIELD agent after SHIELD agent. In fact, he takes on one three times. Sure seems like an agent with heart! Meanwhile, Clint Barton works to protect Fury. Bummer about our NASA Scientist though. RIP.
| |||
| TA 005: The Unintentional Landing Platform | 10 Feb 2023 | 00:22:59 | |
Minute Five: From Doorway Logic to Loki’s Arrival
The Tesseract really starts acting up here. But why? Does the door metaphor make sense? And wouldn’t it make more sense for a mind-controlled Erik to be the one opening it? How does it work with the sceptre? And why does a tool designed to harness energy have a landing platform? Regardless, we love the blue glows and Loki’s arrival, even if it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Tune in!
| |||
| TA130: The Hero Tableau | 04 Aug 2023 | 00:40:25 | |
Minute One Hundred Thirty: From Realizing There’s One More Thing to Shawna Lynde’s Brief Appearance TwitchTV’s MarvelousTay joins us in this episode! In the one-hundred-thirtieth minute of The Avengers... Break time! But not quite. Tony really wants to get to Shawarma Palace, but he’ll have to wait because they have to deal with Loki first. But how does Clint get there? And do Natasha and Erik find a ladder or something to climb down? Is that how she got the scepter in the first place? We find Loki barely moving, but alive. He clearly looks defeated, perhaps so much so that he doesn’t hear the six heroes sneak up on him because when he turns around, they’re practically in his face. We love the fantastic pose here showing our heroes assembling and in the scope of things, it doesn’t matter much that Loki doesn’t hear them coming because it looks so damn cool. We jump to the helicarrier where we’re looking at several monitors, watching the various news feeds that Fury’s looking at. We discuss the newscaster here as well as several actors, along with a number of fun Easter eggs. Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel! Film Sundries
| |||
| TA 004: Stress Test the Tesseract | 09 Feb 2023 | 00:28:12 | |
Minute Four: From The Tesseract Misbehaving to A Chat With the Hawk
Erik treats the Tesseract like it’s alive. Is that weird? But why isn’t he still under Loki’s mind control like we saw at the end of Thor? Or is he? And why is that scientist sticking some weird ear probe into the Tesseract? That doesn’t seem smart. And hey – it’s Hawkeye! Tune in! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
| |||
| TA 003: Techno-Fantastical Mumbo Jumbo | 08 Feb 2023 | 00:27:53 | |
Minute Three: From “How Bad Is It?” to Erik Selvig
It’s all about the walk-and-talk to get Nick Fury and Maria Hill down to the basement of this complex. Does the elevator call out instantly as a secret lair? Where did they film this? What’s the read on Maria’s antagonism with Fury here, and does it make sense? What’s all this talk about Phase 2, and are we supposed to remember it? And hey – it’s Erik! Tune in!
| |||
| TA 002: This Weird Post-Credit/Pre-Credit Scene | 07 Feb 2023 | 00:31:02 | |
Minute Two: From The End of The Other’s Monologue to Fury’s Arrival
We wrap up our chat about the odd intro, and get to finally transition to the desert, Alan Silvestri’s theme, and the frantic energy at the SHIELD compound. What the hell’s going on? Where did they film this? Why is Coulson going the Matrix route? And how long will it take for someone to call Maria Hill out by name? Tune in!
| |||