Guys Of A Certain Age

Blue Beetle, a long-awaited addition to the DC superhero movie archive, finally made it to the big screen last year.  And once it made it to MAX for streaming, two of The Guys did get around to watching it.  

In this episode, Art and Jay chat about the ups and downs of this lesser-known hero’s theater debut: did it live up to the budget?  did Susan and George live up to their reputations as actors?  will the character live to see another day in the DCU?  Listen to this one and see if you agree.  But first!  

In Geeks of the Week, Art shares sad news about the passing of a lesser-known guitar hero, Jay talks about the upcoming series announced about a lesser-known spider hero, and the podcast broadcasts the first installment of Jay’s Regrettable Segment, featuring a much lesser-known (but ideal for a comeback) comic crime-fighter from the 40’s.  And it’s not who the convenience store was named after.  

As The Guys headed into 2024, they got wind of a few major world (or perhaps galaxy-wide) events due to take place this year that any true Trekkie would already be expecting.  

True or not, that got them to wondering what other films, tv shows or books released decades ago but set in the “future” of current times may have accidentally made some accurate predictions?  Will Ireland reunite?  Does the term “sanctuary city” have another meaning entirely?  The speculations of past sci-fi writers (and The Guys) know no bounds.  

In Geeks of the Week, there is a news of one who thunderbolted in and out of a role with super speed, a mouse who’s out of the house, and a famous battle scene done Clone Wars style.  

Just like The Guys carefully plan out each episode, they also like to plan out the video content they hope to watch over the next year.  Or it could be just a random binge-fest.  Or maybe on a whim, they’ll get together on discount night at their local theater and go see a three-hour flick about sand.  Or is it spice?  

Either way, in this episode they talk about what movies and television content they’re looking forward to seeing in 2024, unless the whole season is bumped to 2025, in which case Art and Jay spend their 2024 screen time getting caught up on Dr. Who and Robbie will watch all the musicals.  

But if Robbie and Art’s Geek of the Week turns out to be true (it’s a big one, so they shared it), there may be one less streaming service we have to pay for to watch everything.  Jay looks backward to look forward, with a recommendation on an audiobook that actually explains Ragnarok.  

If The Guys version of the yearly movie awards are the GOSCARS, does that make the TV awards the GEMMYS?  Sounds more like a condition young children have when they want something that doesn’t belong to them, but that’s another podcast for another day.  

This episode focuses on what The Guys thought made for the best binging in 2023.  And let’s just note that all three of them more or less chose the same show as the number one.  It’s a strange world, indeed.  

Jay and Art keep their Geeks of the Week in the DC universe, with news of Superman:Legacy casting and a new Batman holiday special.  Robbie’s news involves a new movie from a former Marvel actress who finds herself in the middle of a civil war, and it’s not Captain America’s.  

Welcome to the 2023 GOSCARS!  It’s the most informal awards show on the interwebs, when The Guys try to remember everything they’ve seen this year on big screens and small that can be called a movie.  And that’s no small feat, given the fact that remembering is hard.  

But thanks to the aforementioned interwebs, memories are recalled, and the top movies of 2023 are more or less ranked.  And believe it or not, only a few superhero movies made the cut.

 In Geeks of the Week, Jay wonders “what IF?” but not in a Marvel way, Robbie spoils the Christmas gift he bought Jay at auction, and Art leads in mourning the loss of another actor with a link to geekdom.  Listen to see if your favorite movie (Barbie) is on the list.  

In this episode, Robbie and Art pay tribute to Norman Lear, the legendary producer who created All in the Family, Good Times, the Jeffersons, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and many other shows that changed television forever. 

Aside from the night The Guys recorded an episode immediately after a superhero movie, this may be the quickest turnaround yet.  Yes, The Marvels movie has been out a few weeks, and it took that long for them to find a time to go see it together, but it only took a few days to get to the studio to talk about it.  And it’s a shame, because it’s the highest rating for a comic-based flick The Guys have ever given!  

They could have turned around the box office disaster with these 30-plus minutes of lavish praise for a movie panned by lesser critics.  Okay, suffice it to say they liked The Marvels.  Nick Fury is back as Nick Fury, the flirkins get their moment (if “memory" serves), and there is backstory, action, and fan service packed strategically into basically a 90 minute movie.  

Meanwhile, Geeks of the Week are all about throwbacks: Jay looks at the history of Marvel at Macy’s, Art turns to the BBC for a bit of Bond, and Robbie announces a sequel to one of the greatest mockumentaries of all time.  Listen to this one and marvel.  

As always, The Guys are on the cutting edge of geek culture news, this time bringing you their take on Loki, Season 2, which aired its finale weeks ago.  But hey, they’re busy dudes and for some reason they can’t keep Robbie out of Vegas.  

Finally, though, they give Loki the attention he deserves, and also initiate a new ratings system.  Listen carefully to hear how many Guys this series rates!  Lots of spoilers in this episode by the way, but also lots of thoughtful commentary on their favorite actors and a bit of a disagreement on how the ending played out.  

Geeks of the Week are all discombobulated: Jay has the obit this time (RIP the life-sized pinball machine), Robbie tells how to get fashionable when on Hoth, and Art discovers we’ve been mispronunciating lots of celebrity names.  Apologies to all those celebrities who listen to this podcast and may have heard their names being butchered.  Stop, Loki, and listen to this episode.  

"Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" is usually the case, but not in this episode, as Robbie and Art share some of their memories (or vague recollections) of times spent in the Entertainment Capital of the World. After almost taking up residency this past year, Robbie also shares tips and pointers on staying in Vegas. 

It’s the podcast episode you can’t refuse, and one that The Guys didn’t have to negotiate with a crime family to produce.  Speaking of crime family vibes, Robbie was in Vegas this week looking for one secret formula. Or something of the sort: he said it had to stay in Vegas.  That left Art and Jay to reach into the Wayback Machine and talk about another streaming series Jay finally finished.  

This week it’s The Offer, the Paramount + story of the making of The Godfather .  The movie, that is - not the actual Godfather.  It’s a fascinating story of how the movie was made, how it was almost ruined, and how it might not have ever been made at all.  (Just a typical week in the Guys of a Certain Age production cycle.)  Jay also finished Tom Hanks’ novel about the making of a motion picture masterpiece (which is pretty much the title), which was an interesting companion reader to the series.  

Robbie did drop in for Geeks of the Week, where news was shared about the Fantastic Four, Thunderbolts, and another action hero: Jack Reacher.  If you have to choose between listening to this episode or the cannoli, why not both?