Monday, August 24, 2015

Audio Podcast: 8th Season Premiere!

Episode 111

Aloha, everybody!

I am proud to present the first episode of our audio podcast!

Although I must insert a caveat here: While the quality of the audio is MUCH better than our test footage, we can do better. I ask you, our audience to be patient as we continue to work through our difficulties.

Additionally, we are unable to post our episodes to iTunes at this time due to newfound technical difficulties. However, you may still listen to the episode here on our website or by downloading it as a free .mp3 file!

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Creator, Executive Producer)

Show Notes
The Otaku 5-0 Show's Audio Podcast: Episode 8.01

Recording Date: August 19, 2015
Running Time: 99 minutes

Panelists
Totoro (Creator, Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Executive Producer)
Panda Mac (Producer)



Click here to download episode.

Format
1. Opening Bit: Bad Joke of the Day (Mr. A)

2. Random Chatter (All)

3. This Week In MMA (Totoro & Panda Mac)

4. Sequels H20 (All)

5. Trekflix - Star Trek As A Netflix Series? (All)

6. Movie Baseball: Pitch A Comic Book Movie (All)

7. Sign-Off

Coming Soon...
Our next podcast episode!
Feedback is always accepted here at The Otaku 5-0 Show!
Please send us an e-mail to us at otaku50podcast@gmail.com
OR...
Post a comment on this blog!

Friday, August 21, 2015

Mr. A's Review of.....The Man From U.N.C.L.E.




The Plot
Napoleon Solo, former soldier turned professional thief turned international CIA operative, is tasked by his handlers to bring in Gaby Teller, the rough and tumble daughter of a missing former Nazi scientist turned American collaborator in hopes of locating her father. Standing in his way and ruining his general good time is top KGB agent and all around Russian Superman Illya Kuryakin.
The two agents would love nothing more than to rip each others throats out, but they have bigger fish to fry. Forced to work together the trio must race against the clock to stop Alexander and Victoria Vinciguerra, wealthy Nazi sympathizers, from forcing Gaby's father into building them a nuclear weapon. 
With tensions running high and lives on the line it's up to our heroes to put their egos aside and man up.



The Review
Oh, Man From U.N.C.L.E., there was such high hopes for you...
Here's the thing, this film wasn't bad, not by any stretch, but it really wasn't that good either. The opening credits imposed over various Cold War news footage set the tone well and the introductions of the main characters and subsequent chase scene through East Berlin were fantastic, even the following scenes involving Napoleon and Illya butting heads were well done. The characters were decently thought out and the actors portraying them (especially Armie Hammer) brought real gusto and knew when to chew scenery and when not to. The settings, costumes, and cinematography were impeccable, the action scenes, shootouts, chases, all that were awesome and even the bits of humor had me rolling in my seat...But that's it.
The story was bland and predictable, spy movie tropes were rampant, and the pacing was dirt. It was good dirt, real high-end stuff, like you knew it would make your tomatoes grow faster, but it's still dirt.
One of my major problems with the film story-wise is that Napoleon (played by Henry Cavill who looks better in a suit and tie than a cape) is pegged to be the main character, but he really doesn't feel like it. Illya has the heart breaking backstory, Illya has the complex emotional issues, and Illya is the one you make a connection with. Had this been an origin film for the intrepid KGB operative I think I would have enjoyed it much more.



The Verdict
With a golden cast and enough retro set pieces to keep your eyes entertained, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is worth a watch...if you're renting. If you're looking for something to watch on a $6 Tuesday or whatever you have in your area then it might even be worth that, but anything more than that you're probably better off saving your money. It might be my fault, I might have hyped myself up too much for this film, but in the days where 007 and Mission: Impossible can crank out a sold film every few years why can't we have a well-crafted throwback film based on a critically-acclaimed property that isn't Get Smart?

5/10




Well that's it for this one. At least it didn't have Tom Cruise in it.
Damn, I think I know what I'm reviewing next.....


Jaa mata,
Mr. A (Executive producer, international man of mystery)


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Audio Podcast: Test Episode

Episode 110

Aloha everybody!

As we are gearing up for a full production run, we would like to present to you a sample episode!

I would like to apologize in advance for the quality of the audio (yes, we know it's a bit on the soft side.)


Show Notes
The Otaku 5-0 Show Audio Podcast: Test Episode

Recording Date: August 12, 2015
Running Time: 44 minutes

Panelists
Mr. A (Executive Producer)
Smylex (Producer)
Panda Mac (Producer)

Format
1. Lead-in (All)

2. Drug Testing, Other Jokes, & Deep Thoughts (All)

3. Re: UFC (All)

4. Re: Dragon Ball Super (All)

5. Re: Beetlejuice 2 (All)

6. Closing Thoughts



Click here to download episode.

Coming Soon...
Our next podcast episode (with better volume this time!)
Feedback is always accepted here at The Otaku 5-0 Show. Please send us an e-mail to us at otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR post a comment on this blog!