Cosmic Circus Podcasts

Wicked Part 1 Movie Review & Discussion with John & Vin! | Cosmic Circus Reviews

John & Vin dive deep into Jon M. Chu's Wicked. Does the newest Wizard of Oz installment live up to expectations? How does it build on the legacy of the books, movies, and musicals that have come before?  
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning and Oscar®-nominated powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda. The two forge an unlikely but profound friendship, until their lives take very different paths. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Find the full video of this review on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vwqrO9kVoPk?si=1dX0V1VWwOdpS0Lh
 
 
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

Gladiator II Movie Review with John & Vin (Spoilers!) | Cosmic Circus Reviews

John & Vin continue their discussion of Gladiator II with a spoiler-filled deep dive into the twists and turns of Ridley Scott's new sequel. This next chapter is produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The script was written by David Scarpa, based on a story idea by Peter Craig.
Set years after the original 2000 Oscar-winning film, the sequel features Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus. Returning cast members include Connie Nielsen as Lucilla and Derek Jacobi as Gracchus. New additions to the cast are Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Denzel Washington. Here is the full synopsis: Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Find the video version of this review at https://youtu.be/NMM5X9ahBPU
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

Gladiator II is a Beautifully Made Disappointment (Non-Spoiler Review) | Cosmic Circus Reviews

John and Vin review the long-awaited sequel, Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott. This next chapter is produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The script was written by David Scarpa, based on a story idea by Peter Craig. Set years after the original 2000 Oscar-winning film, the sequel features Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus. Returning cast members include Connie Nielsen as Lucilla and Derek Jacobi as Gracchus. New additions to the cast are Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Denzel Washington. 
Find the full video review on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/-zvZG7a53s8?si=OwhgkKwY_cGAUnSP
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus (now on Bluesky @TheCosmicCircus.com) or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

Paddington in Peru Instant Reaction Movie Review | Cosmic Circus Reviews

Vin breaks down his thoughts on Paddington in Peru and the state of the Paddington franchise. Paddington in Peru is now playing in the UK, Ireland, Poland and some other countries (so check your local listings) and lands in theaters in the United States January 17, 2025
Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EJB1V4XPz-Q?si=pqb70JNrRLxS2du0
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus

’Gladiator 2’ Instant Reaction Movie Review | Cosmic Circus Reviews

Should you watch Gladiator II? Vin gives a quick late night instant reaction to the new Gladiator movie from Ridley Scott. Stay tuned for his full-length discussion next week with John!
#gladiator #gladiator2 #moviereview #newmovie
Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EJB1V4XPz-Q?si=pqb70JNrRLxS2du0
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus

’The Penguin’ Full Season Discussion (Spoilers!) | The Cosmic Circle Podcast

In this episode of The Cosmic Circle, Anthony, Vin and Wiktor (aka "Vic") discuss the full season of HBO's The Penguin in all its spoilery details! So come back later if you haven't watched the whole season yet because it was a great discussion! The three talk about the brutal nature of Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobb and Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone, the show's similarities with The Sopranos, and the shocking twists in the series.
The Penguin series, podcast credits and show notes
Contributors/Writers
Anthony Flagg
Wiktor Reinfuss
Vin
 
Executive Producer/Editor
Lizzie Hill
Recorded on 11/14/2024
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

Smile 2 Movie Review with SPOILERS! | Cosmic Circus Reviews

John and Vin return for Part 2 of their Smile 2 discussion, diving deep into the film's spoilers, sequel potential, and spiritual connections to Wes Craven's Scream.
For part one, the non spoiler review of Smile 2 go here: https://youtu.be/sLlkwM1rn9M?si=wILhZAMFQDX3WT0Y
For a video version of this review, go here: https://youtu.be/8qFcjQXflVU?si=9RQQLFlDLjvjqEU0
 
Originally recorded October 17, 2024
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a Powerful Experience About Connection | Cosmic Circus Reviews

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is now available to watch on Netflix, and John and Vin discuss Benjamin Ree's breathtaking film. The fascinating documentary previously made a splash at Sundance, attracting rave reviews, and was picked up by the streaming service shortly after.
The documentary centers on a Norwegian gamer named Mats Steen, who suffers from a degenerative condition that slowly takes away mobility. To find a life beyond his own growing limitations, gaming became something extraordinary. The result was a remarkable life no one knew about until now.
Find the video version of this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/89yVpiqayCA?si=7zXzDBZhn8-fr-xh&t=3
You can find James' Review of The Remarkable Life of Ibelin here: https://thecosmiccircus.com/ibelin-movie-documentary-review/
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

’Venom: The Last Dance’ and the Future of the Sony Marvel Universe | The Cosmic Circle Podcast

With the recent release of Venom: The Last Dance, there was no denying a need to talk about this one on an episode of The Cosmic Circle. Join host Brian Kitson and fellow writers Uday Kataria and Wiktor Reinfuss as they discuss the highs and lows of this final chapter in the Venom trilogy. Do you think they liked the film? What were their impressions of the CGI? Do they think the story is riddled with holes? Near the end the three discuss what the future holds for the Sony Marvel Spider-Man universe such as with Kraven The Hunter.
 
Find more reviews from these writers on TheCosmicCircus.com and follow our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus for movie and show reviews from John & Vin!

’Agatha All Along’ Series Discussion | Across The Queerverse Podcast

Marvel Studios' Agatha All Along pushed the boundaries of what an MCU series can be, but it also provided some wonderful queer representation that Marvel Studios has been lacking in its projects. From young love to established gayness, there's something for all LGBTQ+ members to enjoy throughout the nine-episode season.
In our newest podcast episode of Across the Queerverse, host Brian Kitson and fellow Cosmic Circus writers Uday Kataria and Cameron Brook break down all the queerness present in Agatha All Along. Listen as they explore Billy's relationship with his boyfriend, the dynamics between Agatha and Rio (Aubrey Plaza), and their hopes for more LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU! Thank you for listening!
Find more reviews from these writers on TheCosmicCircus.com and follow our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus for movie and show reviews from John & Vin!

2024 Our Favorite and Least Favorite Horror Films, Games & More! | The Cosmic Circle (Halloween) Podcast

Host Brian Kitson and fellow The Cosmic Circus writers Wiktor Reinfuss and John Dotson share some of their favorite horror projects that have come out since the previous Halloween podcast, such as Smile 2, Alan Wake II, MaXXXine, Longlegs and A Quiet Place: Day One! Listen as they discuss what they love about these specific horror projects and what their honorable mentions are, and which horror media didn't make the cut from 2024. Enjoy!
Find more reviews from these writers on TheCosmicCircus.com and follow our YouTube channel @TheCosmicCircus for movie and show reviews from John & Vin!

’Heartstopper’ Season 3 & LGBTQ+ Discussion | Across The Queerverse Podcast

In this episode, hosts Brian Kitson and Izzy Friedman break down all the excitement and heartbreak from Heartstopper season 3! Listen as they discuss how the series tackles the top of mental illness, explores growing older into an adult world, and how a confrontation with the real world brings about some excellent conversations for both audiences and the characters in the series. The hosts also discuss how their own queer experiences align with those in the series, and how Heartstopper balances the light and dark tones perfectly in this newest outing, and various topics discussed around living as a LGBTQ+ person. You can find all this in more in our first official Across The Queerverse episode!
 
Ep. 1 Timestamps: Heartstopper Season 3 Review & Discussion of LGBTQ+ Issues
[Warning: Spoilers from season 3 are discussed within this podcast]
00:00 - Intro to Across the Queerverse podcast
02:10 - Spoiler alert for Heartstopper season 3 going forward
02:44 - Comparing season 2 vs season 3 of Heartstopper?
05:00 - Dealing with real life problems, mental health, and problems with both friendships and romantic relationships
08:49 - Building friendships and how you define family and build your community around you as a queer person
11:25 - Aromantic & Asexuality, not feeling the need to explain yourself as a queer person and understanding that if someone cares about you they should put in the work and effort to try to understand. The wide array of what being queer means.
18:00 - Characters in Heartstopper season 3 no longer having their friends and support groups around them as much, struggling with that and not being as protected, being politicized. (Elle scenes discussed, Transgender bias and attacks discussed)
24:30 - The world outside not being as forgiving or understanding as their friendship group and dealing with those outside of that group, even family, not understanding mental health struggles.
27:45 - Tori being ace, Darcy (non-binary), talking about responses to feeling such as butterflies and that it might mean something different that some might think
33:05 - Some Like it Hot the Musical discussion about the transgender storyline with Jerry/Daphne, in the musical
34:00 - Clothes as self-expression
35:16 - Nick scenes, not feeling comfortable in your skin, Nick's insecurities, wanting to help Charlie, the idea that you can't cure someone else's mental illness with love. Nick wanting to be there for Charlie, but Nick also really needing to be there for himself too.
42:10 - Exploration of having security and confidence in relationships this season
43:30 - Healing messages in Heartstopper
47:50 - LGBTQ+ adults as role models in the series
51:27 - Is season 3 a comfort show like seasons 1 & 2?
54:45 - Talking more about characters not being comfortable in their own bodies, teenagers, sex, and reality vs the show.
01:01:05 - Heartstopper season 4
01:01:50 - Outro
 
Across the Queerverse podcast credits and show notes
Contributors/Writers
Brian Kitson
Izzy Friedman
Executive Producer/Editor
Lizzie Hill
Recorded on 10/20/2024
 
For more reviews and articles written by these writers visit https://thecosmiccircus.com 

Venom 3 Comics and the Future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe | Cosmic Circus Comics

Vin and Vic discuss Separation Anxiety and Planet of the Symbiotes, two classic Venom stories from the 1990s might hold clues for Venom: The Last Dance. What can these comics tell us about the future of symbiotes in Sony's Spider-Man Universe and the MCU?
 
Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Personal history and introduction to Venom (comics and cartoon) 03:48 - Venom in the movies prior to Venom: The Last Dance 06:00 - Spider-Man talk, Tom Holland's Spider-Man 07:12 - Rumors about introducing the symbiot in Spider-Man 4 and future Marvel films 09:48 - Tom Hardy's possible future in the MCU / Secret Wars? 12:00 - Venom comics discussion: Separation Anxiety 17:49 - Venom Comics discussion: Planet of the Symbiotes 24:17 - The art of these comics and Vic's favorite panels 28:13 - Wanting deeper dive, and supplemental reading material for this story 29:30 - Eddie & Venom, a story about a toxic relationship 30:24 - Theories and talking about how these comics might connect to Venom: The Last Dance 32:10 - Marvel Studios vs Sony handling Venom's character 33:48 - Other expected or possible characters that may appear in Venom 3. Rumors, theories, and confirmed. 37:00 - Potential Sinister Six lineup for the films 29:45 - Outros
#venomcomics #venom3 #venomthelastdance #marvelcomics #spiderman 
Vic's written review of these Venom comics https://thecosmiccircus.com/venom-comics-separation-anxiety-planet-of-the-symbiotes/
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

Penguin and Agatha All Along Reviews & State of the Franchise (#Marvel #DC) | Cosmic Circus Reviews

John & Vin give a midseason check-in for DC's Penguin and Marvel's Agatha All Along (spoiler warning if you haven't seen the shows so far). They also discuss the current state of the MCU, recent trailers for Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, as well as whether or not Blade can really be adapted to the MCU.
For the full video review, go to https://youtu.be/nz_Rr3rKVOU?si=AQ2rqCcG6USg62bi&t=1
 
DC's The Batman spinoff Penguin stars Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti and is currently airing on HBO/MAX. #TheBatman #ThePenguin #SofiaFalcone #HBO
Marvel series Agatha All Along is currently playing on Disney+ and stars Kathryne Hahn, Joe Locke and Aubrey Plaza. #MCU #Agatha #MarvelStudios #agathaallalong
Timestamps 00:10 - intro 00:17 - Penguin season 1 discussion, history with the Batman universe? 05:40 - Comparing past Penguins to Colin Farrell's Penguin 09:45 - Penguin, Sofia Falcone, and the villain of this story. Breaking Bad Walter White comparisons 11:30 - predictions for the end of the show and who might make it to The Batman 2 16:09 - what is Penguin doing successfully that some past Marvel shows haven't? DC vs Marvel vs Star Wars handling of TV series and films overall. 18:21 - Things we don't like about the Penguin series 19:45 - Penguin episodes have increasingly gotten better 22:05 - comparing crime elements of Penguin to The Sopranos 23:17 - When we get to see more Penguin in the series? More comparisons to Breaking Bad. 25:45 - X-Men '97, talking about the quality of episodes up to mid-season vs end of season for a series. 26:55 - What will happen to Vic? Predictions for the rest of the season. 32:55 - Does the series really look like lower budget than the film? 34:00 - Colin Farrell's prosthetics and performance 37:04 - Agatha All Along discussion 41:18 - Performances have been great in the show 42:20 - Feelings about the current Phase of Marvel shows and films? (Thunderbolts* Captain America: Brave New World 44:30 - The first Blade movie, and bringing Blade to the MCU 47:36 - outros
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
 

Smile 2 Movie Review from John and Vin! | Cosmic Circus Reviews

Smile 2 is now in theaters and Vin and John have lots to say about this scary sequel just in time for Halloween! So much so that this new movie review will be in two parts. This one will have be spoiler free for the sequel (but not the first film) and a second Smile 2 review to be released soon will be a full spoilery discussion.
Smile 2 is a new psychological horror film written and directed by Parker Finn and starring Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo. Dylan Gelula, Ray Nicholson.
Timestamps 00:18 - Intro 02:24 - John attended the premiere of the first Smile film, general thoughts on the first Smile film vs Smile 2 04:25 - Personal history with the first Smile film 07:09 - Second film is what sequel dreams are made of. Smile 2 discussion. 10:45 - Sharp editing, great visuals and upside-down sequences 12:10 - Criticisms and confusions 16:29 - A great double feature to watch with The Substance or Trap 17: 41 - Parker Finn might be one of the best filmmakers since Wes Craven. Exceptional work building intensity in Smile 2 18:50 - Intelligent characters trying to do the logical thing, but things still go wrong 20:35 - jump scares 21:55 - Coming soon: a full spoiler review of Smile 2. Do you need to watch Smile 1 before you watch Smile 2? 23:15 - Outro
 
Find the full video review on YouTube at  https://youtu.be/sLlkwM1rn9M?si=JE2cHbmw4EvQUzrx
 
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus