Popzara Podcast
508 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsThe Popzara Podcast, the official podcast from Popzara.com.
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Episodes
Article: Salt and Sacrifice
November 13, 2023 07:00 - 6 minutes - 2.3 MBIf you take two things I like and mash them together, chances are you'll get something I like even more. This tends to apply more to video games than foods, though.
Article: Alan Wake 2
November 13, 2023 07:00 - 4 minutes - 1.64 MBAs someone who writes both as a side gig and a day job, let me be the first to inform all non-writers that there's different kinds of writing. No, not every journalist or technical writer has the urge to write the "next great American novel.
Article: Air Twister
November 13, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.18 MBAh, for the good old days, back when the games industry was good! Remember when you had to go out to seedy arcades full of drunks and creeps, where you'd pay a quarter every time you wanted to play games designed to make you lose often and pay more quarters? It's way better than today, where you can get an unheard-of amount of gaming fun for free. Well, if you want to taste the aged flavor of times long past once again, Yu Suzuki's brainchild Air Twister is here to make it happen for you aft...
Article: The Killer (2023)
November 13, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.15 MBDavid Fincher, famous for his suspenseful, psychologically deep, and visually striking movies like Se7en, Gone Girl, and The Social Network, tries something very different in The Killer. This recent release moves away from his usual action-packed thrillers and goes for a more thoughtful style.
Article: Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life (2023)
November 10, 2023 07:00 - 9 minutes - 3.33 MBOne of the most ironic things about most “self-help” books is how often the people writing them aren’t very good at anything except writing self-help books. The genre has long been a safe haven for frauds and charlatans dispatching cliche after tired cliche.
Article: Jusant
November 09, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.09 MBWhen it comes to gaming, it helps a lot to keep your expectations in check. Turns out that when you don't expect everything to change your life, many more games are able to meet the bar you're setting for yourself! Don't Nod's chill climber Jusant is a great example of this sort of thing - I went in expecting some swashbuckling mountain-climbing adventure, but it may have helped to be ready for a more chill experience.
Article: Be Quiet! Straight Power 12 850W Modular Power Supply
November 08, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.22 MBIf you’ve been on Amazon or Newegg then you've probably come across a brand called Be Quiet!, a German brand that makes PC components made for efficiency and low noise before ostentatiousness. Their Straight Power 12 850W Modular Power Supply is one of their flagships that doesn’t skimp on power or discreetness for powerhouse machines.
Article: Be Quiet! SHADOW BASE 800 FX PC Case
November 08, 2023 07:00 - 4 minutes - 1.57 MBIf you’ve been on Amazon or Newegg then you've probably come across a brand called Be Quiet!, a German manufactrer that makes PC components made for efficiency and low noise before ostentatiousness. Their SHADOW BASE 800 FX PC Case is one of their flagships that’s dedicated to maximum airflow, and it has plenty of space for almost anything you can think of.
Article: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (2022)
November 04, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.09 MBAfter watching so much action and comedy anime, it’s good to cleanse the palate every now and then with something different, such as slice-of-life titles and the like. Our friends at Sentai were kind enough to send over a screener for their latest theatrical release titled The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes.
Article: Turtle Beach React-R Wired Controller (2023 Edition)
November 03, 2023 07:00 - 1 minute - 668 KBWhen I first reviewed Turtle Beach’s Recon wired controller back in 2021, I immediately fell in love it as it felt just right in my hands which are fairly large, and all of the sweet bells and whistles it featured just made it even better. Leave it to them to design another controller even better with the Turtle Beach React-R Wired Controller last year that streamlined the Recon while still being a joy to use.
Article: Hellboy: Web of Wyrd
November 02, 2023 07:00 - 2 minutes - 1010 KBWhile I haven’t gone through a lot of the famed Mike Mignola comics, I’ve come to love Hellboy as most people have, from Ron Perlman’s take on the character from the awesome mid-2000s films and later animated movies (while I did like some parts of it, we don’t talk about the recent David Harbour one). Fans have been craving a decent video game of the demon hero for some time now, and thankfully we got Hellboy: Web of Wyrd.
Article: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023)
October 31, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.16 MBWilliam Friedkin’s final film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, feels just a little thin. Despite what we know is in his bag of directing tricks from his previous films, this one lacked a dramatic vision and alienates the audience with its desire to be completely objective.
The State of Gaming October 2023: Spider-Man 2, Mario Wonder, AC Mirage, Alan Wake 2, Detective Pikachu, Sonic Superstars, Five Nights at Freddy’s, PS5 Slim, and Circana
October 30, 2023 17:56 - 38 minutes - 26.1 MBIt’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our 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 the month include: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Alan Wake 2, Lords of the Fallen, Detective Pikachu Returns, Forza Motorsport, Sonic ...
Article: The Exchange: After The Firm (2023)
October 29, 2023 07:00 - 5 minutes - 1.98 MB1993 was a big year for the movies with blockbusters like Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, Sleepless in Seattle, and Mrs. Doubtfire among many others now considered stone cold classics.
Movie Time! Halloween Schlocktober (2023): Troll, Street Trash, Leprechaun 4, and Eric’s Revenge
October 27, 2023 13:00 - 2 hours - 85.2 MBIt’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Podcast Halloween Schlocktober!, our yearly dose of creepy movie mayhem! Our harrowing hosts Ethan “Bloodlust” Brehm and Nate “Entrails” Evans are your personal guides for this shocking smorgasbord of four shlocky horrors scraped direct from cinema’s bottom-barrel that prove you don’t need blockbuster budgets to have a good time. Also: listen for a special intro from none other than horror legend Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead and one of the films listed below). Happy...
Article: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
October 27, 2023 07:00 - 4 minutes - 1.45 MBIt's-a me, Mario! I tried announcing that on the street one day, but mostly had garbage and tomatoes thrown at me, and I think I also got mugged. I guess not everyone has the panache and flair to pull off being the world's most famous plumber, especially now that he's become a major movie star.
Article: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
October 27, 2023 07:00 - 4 minutes - 1.57 MBSpider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can! I guess the song's referring to the cool things spiders can do, like crawling on walls and biting people, not, y'know, getting crushed by a wad of toilet paper and flushed when they show up in the bathroom. There's no variant in the Spider-Verse where even the most fanatical fan wants that to happen - and it certainly wouldn't make a great comic book or movie.
Article: Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
October 27, 2023 07:00 - 4 minutes - 1.68 MBIn the ever-evolving landscape of cinema, where careers often burn brightly but briefly, few directors can lay claim to one spanning five decades, and even fewer can match the enduring brilliance of Martin Scorsese. With a filmography that includes classics like "Taxi Driver", "Goodfellas", and "The Departed" he has been, and still remains, a master storyteller with a keen eye for detail and deep understanding of human nature.
Article: Mimi’s Tales of Terror (2023)
October 25, 2023 07:00 - 8 minutes - 2.76 MBJust in time for Halloween comes Mimi's Tales of Terror, nine frightful tales illustrated by the manga maestro himself, Junji Ito, and adapted from the original Japanese urban tales collected by Hirokatsu Kihara and Ichiro Nakayama's Shin Mimibukuro (New Earmuffs), a book that’s impossible for Japanese fans to find, let alone English readers. A version of Ito’s adaptation was originally published back in 2002 as Mimi no Kaidan Kanzenban (Mimi’s Ghost Stories), though like Kihara and Nakayama...
Article: You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
October 21, 2023 07:00 - 6 minutes - 2.24 MBThis generation’s teen movie trend, which started out as a niche indie subgenre circa 2018, has slowly been shifting towards the mainstream in the past couple of years. In a way, these films harken back to the ‘90s when the focus was on younger, more pre-pubescent leads, as opposed to the older high school or college subjects of the ‘80s and ‘00s.
Article: Elon Musk (2023)
October 19, 2023 04:57 - 9 minutes - 3.25 MBNo stranger to crafting biographies about creative people many consider among the world’s most innovative and influential, Walter Issacson (Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vinci) now turns his attention to Elon Musk, a man many feel is both admirable and deplorable, a Gen Xer more likely to find inspiration from Mel Brooks and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy than the Great Books of the Western World. Whether you consider Elon Musk (the man) a hero or villain could depend largely on your perso...
The State of Gaming September 2023: Starfield, Mortal Kombat 1, Lies of P, Disgaea 7, Cocoon, Netflix Gaming Anime, iPhone 15 Gaming, Chris Kohler Talks Karateka, and Circana
October 02, 2023 14:35 - 41 minutes - 29 MBIt’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our 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 the month include: Starfield, Mortal Kombat 1, Chants of Sennaar, Lies of P, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Payday 3, and Disgaea 7. On the software charts Madden NFL 24 touch...
Historian Chris Kohler Talks The Making of Karateka and Preserving Games History
September 22, 2023 12:42 - 1 hour - 50.4 MBOur guest on this episode of the Popzara Podcast is a veteran of the gaming industry who knows a few things about remembering (and collecting) classic games, Digital Eclipse’s editorial director Chris Kohler, whose career as a journalist, historian, presenter, and, naturally, an actual game player, make him uniquely qualified to talk about The Making of Karateka, the first title in his company’s planned Gold Master Series of “interactive documentaries”. Last year’s Atari 50: The Anniversary...
Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi Talk Funny Things, Peanuts, and Cartooning the Life of Charles Schulz
September 08, 2023 13:53 - 55 minutes - 38.8 MBJoining our resident blockhead Nathan Evans on this episode of the Popzara Podcast are the writing/cartooning duo of Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi to talk about their new book Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz, a unique look at the life of the cartoonist that uses comic strips to illustrate his Midwestern roots to creating the world’s most beloved comic strip, Peanuts. 2022 was the centennial of Charles Schulz (1922 – 2000) birthday, and what better way to cel...
The State of Gaming August 2023: Baldur’s Gate 3, Armored Core 6, Immortals of Aveum, Atlus Fallen, Sea of Stars, Quake 2, Gran Turismo Movie, PlayStation Portal and Circana
September 07, 2023 22:38 - 43 minutes - 30.7 MBIt’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our 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 the month include: Baldur’s Gate 3, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, Immortals of Aveum, Atlas Fallen, Blasphemous 2, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles, Sea...
Filmmaker James Flower Talks The Final Game of Death and Honoring Bruce Lee’s Legacy
August 28, 2023 23:49 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBFor Bruce Lee fans 2023 marks two anniversaries; both his untimely death and the release of Enter the Dragon, which would have catapulted him to worldwide superstar status had he lived to enjoy it. But Lee had been working on another project prior to his passing, surviving only in video fragments and notes. The version of “The Game of Death” released in 1978 exhibited little, if any, of Lee’s original vision. Joining our own grandmaster Nathan Evans and returning champion Kevin (YouTube’s S...
The State of Gaming July 2023: Remnant 2, Exoprimal, Pikmin 4, Legend of Heroes, Atelier Marie, Double Dragon Gaiden, Ratchet & Clank, Twisted Metal, and Circana
August 07, 2023 17:03 - 35 minutes - 25 MBIt’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our 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 the month include: Exoprimal, Remnant 2, Pikmin 4, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg, Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals, Double Dra...
Movie Time! The Last Starfighter and Cloak & Dagger: The 1984 Videogame Dream Team
July 10, 2023 13:36 - 2 hours - 83.8 MBIt’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Podcast!, where our own 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 deck for this episode are two classics from 1984 (perhaps the greatest year ever for pop cinema) that use videogames as a framing device that take our heroes into larger worlds they could have ...
The State of Gaming June 2023: Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy 16, Diablo 4, Ghost Trick, Asus Rog Ally, Xbox vs FTC, Super Mario Wonder, BlizzCon, and Circana
July 02, 2023 20:38 - 34 minutes - 24.2 MBIt’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our 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 the month include: Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo 4, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Aliens: Dark Descent, Sonic Origins Plus, ...
Article: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
July 01, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.12 MBI have to be honest and admit that I wasn’t looking forward to another Indiana Jones film, as Harrison Ford isn’t getting any younger, and it feels like we’re in an age where movies are all about remakes, reboots, and digging up old franchises to make money off nostalgia. But after seeing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, I can say I had a good time watching Mr.
Article: John Mulaney: Baby J (2023)
July 01, 2023 07:00 - 5 minutes - 1.93 MBToday, it often seems like stand-up comedy is only quantified by how quotable it is. You watch a 60-minute set waiting for the funniest bits so you and your friends can repeat them to each other ad nauseam over the next few months - maybe even years.
Article: Maggie Moore(s) (2023)
July 01, 2023 07:00 - 5 minutes - 1.79 MBUnlike most troubled movie detectives, Jon Hamm’s Chief Jordan Sanders isn’t listless, or jaded, or even all that troubled. Aside from his wife passing away a year ago, Sanders is relatively content, if not clear-headed.
Article: Final Fantasy XVI
July 01, 2023 07:00 - 7 minutes - 2.7 MBLong-running franchises form a sort of cultural backdrop that inspires other media over the course of years. What would the entertainment landscape look like without Star Wars, for instance? That said, what happens when a property gets long enough in the tooth it becomes a little intimidating for folks who haven't kept up with it? When you tell someone who isn't a long-time Final Fantasy fan that we're up to Final Fantasy XVI, for example, there's a pretty good chance they'll wonder if they ...
Article: AEW: Fight Forever
June 30, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.31 MBOne of my favorite times from my teens was watching wrestling back in the late 90s with my best buds, especially the crazy rivalry between then WWF before becoming WWE, and the infamous WCW which sadly slumped in the early 2000s and was bought by WWE. Nearly twenty years later in 2019, AEW (All Elite Wrestling) came out of nowhere and rose to become a new challenger to WWE that features previous WWE and WCW superstars to give them a nice run for the money.
Article: Retroid Pocket Flip
June 30, 2023 07:00 - 7 minutes - 2.42 MBWelcome to the future! We don't have flying cars, teleportation devices or replicators, but what we do have is a vast variety of tech toys to distract us from the ever-deteriorating state of society. That ought to be good enough for anyone, right? But what if part of that magical future means looking back at the past? And by past I mean retro gaming.
Article: Asteroid City (2023)
June 29, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.04 MBIt seems fitting that Asteroid City is Wes Anderson's first film that he directed since the beginning of the pandemic (The French Dispatch was filmed prior). In many ways, he’s crafted a movie about grief and trying to find meaning in a world that often feels chaotic and unpredictable.
Article: Yomi 2
June 29, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.21 MBI'm a big fan of fighting games, which should come as no surprise if you're familiar with my past work. There's a meditative aspect to learning and improving that's hard to find in too many other forms in gaming; Dark Souls-like adventures can offer something similar, but there's something special about battling other players on the same level.
Article: Lonely Castle in the Mirror (2023)
June 29, 2023 07:00 - 7 minutes - 2.59 MBHave you ever watched a movie you wanted to like so bad, but couldn’t? It happens more than you’d think. Sometimes, a movie has all of the elements necessary to be “good” or “likable” - nice art and direction, cinematography, acting, story, etc.
Article: No Hard Feelings (2023)
June 27, 2023 07:00 - 6 minutes - 2.32 MBLong before superhero blockbusters ruled the cinematic roost there were comedies. All types of comedies.
Article: Elemental (2023)
June 25, 2023 07:00 - 6 minutes - 2.16 MBElemental isn’t just the 27th feature film from Pixar Animation Studios, but the second (in a post-pandemic world) to enjoy a theatrical release since 2020’s Onward was quickly pulled and dumped onto Disney’s then brand-new Disney+ streaming service. And it was there their next three features (Soul, Luca, Turning Red) would launch, though last year’s Lightyear saw a return to theaters with the kinda-sorta Toy Story spinoff, only to be met with a collective meh.
Article: Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!
June 24, 2023 07:00 - 2 minutes - 820 KBBubbles are a surprisingly essential part of human life. Just ask all those teens who were eating Tide pods back in the day.
Article: Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo
June 24, 2023 07:00 - 5 minutes - 1.76 MBWhen it comes to visual novels, especially those of the otome variety, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. They’re such a mixed bag, but I actually find that to be part of the fun; sometimes, you get something that’s eighty cliches in a trenchcoat, others, you’re gifted a story that makes you scratch your head because it feels so off the rails, and every once in a while, you get one that manages to have it all.
Article: Monster Menu: The Scavenger’s Cookbook
June 24, 2023 07:00 - 5 minutes - 1.77 MBI’m someone who bakes when they procrastinate. Brownies, cookies, pies - you name it, I’ve probably stress-baked it while avoiding research papers or sending emails.
Article: Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K Webcam
June 22, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.16 MBI can’t get enough of Creative and their latest releases as they tend to be just the kind of tech I’m looking for while also being some of the best at what they do. Their latest product to come my way is the Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K Webcam that’s a solid choice for any live streamers or those looking to step up their presentation on video conference calls.
Article: Flamin’ Hot (2023)
June 22, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.27 MBAs a general rule, I tend to avoid spicy foods. But ever since I was young, I haven’t been able to resist grabbing a handful of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos whenever someone has a bag lying around.
Article: The Flash (2023)
June 18, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.36 MBWith the DC film universe going through some major shake-ups and changes over the past year, The Flash was always one of the films that I couldn’t wait to see but was unsure on how it would fare after these changes or would ever be released at that. Thankfully despite the changes as well as Ezra Miller’s string of troubles, this movie turned out to be a surprisingly fun and action-packed treat that DC fans will want to speed to theaters to see.
Article: Sonic the Hedgehog Mini Waffle Maker
June 15, 2023 07:00 - 2 minutes - 750 KBIt’s been a bit since the last time I’ve used a waffle maker to make waffles, as most times I just make pancakes on the stove. But when I got the offer to review a waffle maker, and a Sonic the Hedgehog-themed one at that, I couldn’t pass it up.
Article: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
June 13, 2023 07:00 - 3 minutes - 1.23 MBIf you’ve read my previous reviews of the live-action Transformers films (my review of the recent steelbook set can help out), you’ll note how the franchise started off strong with its exciting blend of action, drama, and humor, only to devolve into a lifeless product churned out as the next "summer blockbuster" event, with diminishing results. After the success of 2018's Bumblebee it seems Paramount Pictures has taken a step back and rethought how best to bring back the fun and sense of adv...
Article: Diablo IV
June 09, 2023 07:00 - 5 minutes - 1.78 MBSaying it's been quite the season for stellar game releases might be the understatement of the century. We've got a spicy new Zelda, a spicy new Street Fighter, so much spice you might think we're at Chipotle.
Article: Landlord’s Super
June 08, 2023 07:00 - 4 minutes - 1.46 MBBritain in the 80s was, apparently, a pretty dark and dreary place, full of rain, unusual accents and questionably-constructed homes. That's what I'm taking away from Landlord's Super, and what it tells me is that Britain hasn't changed all that much.