Another Pass Podcast

Case Aiken and Sam Alicea take a look at movies that they find fascinating but flawed and make suggestions on what could have been done at the time.

Another Pass at Solo: A Star Wars Story 11/10/2024

Another Pass at Solo: A Star Wars Story Case and Sam are joined by Randy Allain from the Media / Lit podcast to ask "Who are your people?" Tune in for this dissection of Solo: A Star Wars Story! Overview In the latest episode of the podcast, hosts Case and Sam welcome guest Randy from Media Lit to delve into "Solo: A Star Wars Story," rating the film as 'fine' but flawed and assigning it a C grade. The discussion highlights Alden Ehrenreich's portrayal of Han Solo, praises Donald Glover’s performance as Lando Calrissian, and critiques the characters' limited screen time, particularly for Lando and L3. The conversation shifts to character dynamics, the film’s pacing, and the handling of complex themes such as slavery, with commentary on visual effects and significant plot elements like the Kessel Run. The hosts explore the film's production history, specifically the impacts of the directorial switch from Lord & Miller to Ron Howard, and suggest improvements for pacing and character development. They propose alternative narrative structures for the heist elements and discuss how to enhance character relationships and thematic portrayals. The episode wraps up with final thoughts on the film's relevance in the Star Wars universe and additional promotional content, including Randy's other projects and plans for future episodes. Notes Introduction and Overview (00:00 - 09:20) Podcast hosts Case and Sam introduce the topic: Solo: A Star Wars Story Guest Randy from Media Lit podcast joins the discussion The movie is described as 'fine' but flawed, given a C grade Criticism of the scene explaining Han Solo's name origin Cast and Characters (09:20 - 18:56) Discussion of Alden Ehrenreich's performance as Han Solo Praise for Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian Criticism of limited screen time for Lando and L3 Analysis of Emilia Clarke's character Kira and her role in the plot Character Dynamics and Plot Elements (18:56 - 27:32) Examination of Han and Chewbacca's meeting and relationship Discussion of Woody Harrelson's character Beckett and his crew Criticism of the movie's pacing and overabundance of plot elements Visual Effects and World-building (27:32 - 37:11) Praise for the design of droid character L3 Discussion of the Kessel Run sequence and its importance to the plot Criticism of the movie's handling of slavery and oppression themes Supporting Characters and Themes (37:11 - 48:41) Analysis of Paul Bettany's character Dryden Vos Discussion of Darth Maul's cameo and its implications Examination of the movie's themes of rebellion and criminal underworld Production History and Directorial Changes (48:41 - 57:10) Discussion of the change in directors from Lord & Miller to Ron Howard Analysis of how the change affected the movie's tone and style Speculation on what a Lord & Miller version might have looked like Critique and Improvement Ideas (57:11 - 01:07:49) Suggestions for improving the movie's pacing and character development Discussion of how to better integrate the heist elements of the plot Ideas for enhancing the relationships between characters Alternative Plot Structures (01:07:49 - 01:20:24) Proposal for a more 'Ocean's Eleven' style approach to the heist plot Suggestions for restructuring Han's backstory and relationship with Kira Ideas for better integrating Lando and other supporting characters Refinement of Improvement Ideas (01:20:25 - 01:30:44) Further discussion on making Han and Kira's relationship more familial Suggestions for improving the portrayal of the criminal underworld Ideas for better integrating themes of corruption and rebellion Conclusion and Podcast Information (01:30:44 - 01:40:33) Final thoughts on the movie and its place in the Star Wars franchise Information about the hosts' and guest's other projects and social media Details about upcoming podcast episodes and related content Action items Unassigned Check out Randy's podcast Media Lit and other work (01:36:05) Listen to Randy's appearance on the Socially Distanced podcast for their 200th episode Avengers draft (01:36:39) Join the Discord for ongoing conversations about the podcast topics (01:38:49) Listen to the Reignite podcast for discussions on Bioware games (01:39:08) Tune in to the next episode about Highlander 2: The Quickening (01:39:49) /episode/index/show/anotherpass/id/33869732

Another Pass at Another Pass at Transformers (2007) 10/31/2024

Another Pass at Another Pass at Transformers (2007) Case and Sam are looking back at the earliest episodes of the show! Check out their thoughts on the thirteenth episode when Case sat down with Ben Milton & Addy Thomas and chatted about Zoolander 2! Overview In a review of Episode 14 of the Another Pass podcast, hosts Case Aiken and Sam Alicea engage in a lively discussion about the original Michael Bay Transformers movie, highlighting its entertainment value while pinpointing areas for improvement, such as the underutilization of Transformers characters like Starscream and a disproportionate focus on human characters, particularly Shia LaBeouf. Originally joined by Tom G, they analyze scenes, praise Optimus Prime's portrayal, and suggest ways to modernize the franchise. The conversation also touches on production insights, including audio editing challenges and the regret over cutting original content. The episode concludes with reflections on actors' career transitions and a preview of future discussions, including the upcoming episode on Age of Ultron, alongside housekeeping notes. Notes Transformers Movie Discussion (00:01 - 09:28) Case Aiken and Sam Al Saya discuss Episode 14 of Another Pass podcast Focus on the original Michael Bay Transformers movie Case expresses his positive opinion of the first movie Sam agrees the movie was fun and good for big screen viewing Movie Analysis (09:29 - 18:34) Tom G joins to discuss how to improve the Transformers movie Both enjoyed the movie but noted areas for improvement Praise for inventive use of Transformers' abilities (e.g., Starscream's dogfight scene) Discussion on updating Transformers for modern technology Criticism of too much focus on human characters, especially Shia LaBeouf Character and Plot Discussion (18:34 - 26:20) Debate on the portrayal of Transformers characters, especially Starscream Suggestion to introduce Transformers earlier in the movie Criticism of underutilized military characters Praise for Optimus Prime's character portrayal in fight scenes ️ Podcast Production Insights (26:20 - 36:04) Case reflects on the episode's production quality and length Discussion on audio editing challenges and improvements over time Regret expressed over cutting content from the original recording Actor Discussion and Franchise Impact (36:04 - 47:22) Analysis of Shia LaBeouf's performance and public perception Discussion on the challenges faced by Disney child stars transitioning to other roles Reflection on how sequels and actor controversies affected perception of the first movie Final Thoughts and Future Episodes (47:22 - 59:02) Agreement that the first Transformers movie was solid despite franchise issues Discussion on upcoming podcast episodes, including Age of Ultron Housekeeping notes on recent and upcoming podcast content /episode/index/show/anotherpass/id/33699252