Guys Of A Certain Age

It’s one of those bittersweet moments in life.  You’ve got a show you love, that keeps on giving.  Then it comes to an end, but it comes to an end in a way that makes you happy. Three out of three Guys agree: Ted Lasso is must-see Apple TV. Of course, almost every episode of Ted Lasso over the course of its three-season life made fans happy in some form or fashion, whether it was the sports aspect, the rom-com element, or the quotable quotes from…well…almost every character.  With the series finale (or is it?) still looming large in the rearview mirror, The Guys talk story arcs and wonder with the rest of the world what might be next for the now-beloved characters.  

Meanwhile, back in the USA and galaxies far, far away, one actor trades his Boba Fett helmet for another, four other fantastic actors may or may not be slated for a new set of old Marvel quadruplets, and it looks like Strange New Worlds will live long and prosper - at least for a second season.  Come for the geeks, stay for biscuits with the boss.  

With Jay out for the week, Robbie and Art explore the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on visual media in this episode of "Guys of a Certain Age,"

If you run out of news, just check in and see what Disney is up to.  Or listen to this episode, where the Guys chat (not gpt) about all the things going down at the House of Mouse.  New HQ scrapped, but new ESPN streaming in the works.  Loki and Echo to come, but lots of other shows on the chopping block.  

And while the Guys are still waiting for a listener to sponsor a field trip to the Galactic Cruiser experience, it sounds like their opportunity to save the galaxy in 72 hours or less is coming to a close.  Seems like Disney is like Mississippi weather…if you don’t like it, give it a few minutes and it will change.  Jay goes completely off script and gets saucy when Geeks of the Week come around.  

Robbie takes Art’s role as the bringer of obituaries, but this time it’s a Marvel comics character.  And Art spreads rumors about Fantastic Four actor anticipation.  Will there really ever be a movie?  Who knows?  But they know this episode should be downloaded.  Be fantastic and listen.  

Welcome, superhero fans, to Guys of the Galaxy, volume way too many!  Galaxy? Old. Guys? Old.  

Jay even jumps in the wayback machine without the guidance of Popular Science to revisit Dolph Lundgren’s 80’s portrayal of The Punisher.  Art looks to the future (or was it a long time ago in a galaxy far far away?) for Filoni’s Star Wars movie that promises to take an old title and fill it with potentially new characters.  Robbie has his fleet foot in another universe with early reviews of the The Flash movie.

But the main objective of this episode’s ramblings are focused on the recently released Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3.  Now that Jay has seen it, all the Guys give their overall take on the film, and the opinions actually vary.  They talk Rocket’s story arc, Warlock’s role, the length, and most importantly, the soundtrack.  Listen to this one, sing along, and wish Dolph well.  

Mandalorian Season 3 is complete.  Yes, it’s been complete for a while.  The Guys know.  Jay just needed to get caught up.  What’s new?  But for those who are even farther behind, beware…spoilers abound!  

The Guys talk about how this season ranks among the others, where it may be headed with which characters at the forefront, and how it seems to fit in the timeline of Dr. Who (just kidding.)  In possibly bigger news (particularly if you live in the Indian subcontinent, where GOCA listeners probably abound), there is no more live cricket (except Jiminy) on Disney+, and that sent the subscriber numbers way down.  

Then it was on to AppleTV+, where Foundation Season 2 dropped a trailer, but Art and Jay are both behind on that one.  Jay keeps things literary in reporting Tom Hanks’ new novel about superhero comics and the movies they inspire.  Yep, this one has to be read.  For the moment.  Listen, watch, read.  All part of a balanced Guy’s diet.  

Now that the Mandalorian season (series?) is over, Robbie and Art share their thoughts on what's coming next in the Star Wars realm. Will we see Din and Grogu continue their adventures on the big screen? Will Finn join Rey in the next sequel trilogy? And who is the next Big Bad... and does Jay being absent have anything to with that?

Hold on to your vines and tighten your loincloths, listeners - it’s time to talk Tarzan.  

The Guys keep this episode high above the jungle floor by inviting AMC’s “Tarzan expert on-call”, Scott Tracy Griffin, to the show.  Griffin has written two definitive coffee table books (that you wouldn’t want coffee anywhere near) about the art, books, and films of Edgar Rice Burroughs' most famous character.  

From the origin story of finding his first Tarzan paperback at age 9, to an exclusive story about a movie pitch for another Burroughsian character, this episode is thick with Tarzan trivia and feelings about favorites.  Give your best Tarzan yell, beat your chest a little, then settle in for this fascinating interview.  

It was a big week in geek news, with the Star Wars Celebration in jolly old England and the latest name change over at HBO/Discovery/Warner/Whatever announced in Holly-old-Wood.

The Guys get giddy about Star Wars content to come, with Rey and Mando getting new movies, and Ahsoka streaming soon.  Well, “soon” in the world of Disney+ releases.  

And what of Max, the new name for the Discovery-HBO-Magnolia-Etcetera streaming behemoth?  A little something for everybody, it seems, with a commitment to an extensive reboot from the Wizarding World, another pre-sequel (it’s hard to tell which is which these days) from Game of Thrones, and the Penguin waddling into our living rooms.  

Until all that happens, though, The Guys are excited about the Marvels movie trailer, sad about Al Jaffee, and eerily quiet about the dialogue in the latest John Wick movie.  Listen to this one, but don’t Max out.  

Following James Cameron's lead, Art waited almost 10 years to create a sequel to his mildly successful first Jack Quasar comic book. In this episode, Robbie and Art discuss the character's history, the process of creating a comic book on an iPad, and the ongoing trials and tribulations of self-publishing through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing system. 

Robbie really loves it when all the live people come back, and that’s what’s happening soon-ish on Netflix’s announced anime’ version of Scott Pilgrim vs The World.  All the stars, or at least their voices, will come back for this unique twist on the beloved comic-turned-classic movie.  

Jay, on the other hand, is excited not just about John Wick’s latest movie (where we assume lots of live people don’t stay that way very long), but also the spinoff, Ballerina, featuring the actress du jour, Ana de Armas.  They both noted that yet another Marvel mogul was unceremoniously given the door, and by the way, where is Art?  Apparently, it was his extremely significant other’s birthday and his gift had something to do with attic cleanup.  But the remaining Guys talked about him enough - nay, challenged him - that he is expected to return in the near future with a plan for pizza.  

Yes, Jay and Robbie turned to their favorite pastime: eating.  Spring is coming, and with it, gardening and farmer’s markets, and outdoor pizza ovens.  And will April showers bring rainbows of Skittles?  Well, maybe not if you live in California.