About this Episode
That’s right; the Screeners are actually doing an episode 51. We’re as surprised as you are; we were expecting the kind of twist where we never hear from them again. Oh well; there’s always episode 100 for that…
Anyway, in case you missed it, one of the Screeners quietly posted a link on the podcast's Facebook page a little while ago about a proposed new service called The Screening Room. The gist is that a subscriber would pay an initial fee for some equipment that would give them the privilege of watching new movies as they’re being released in theaters—at $50 a pop. Though it may bear an eerie similarity to the name of our beloved podcast, the service might not strike the right chord with all of its hosts. Let us guess: Chad loves this idea. Just loves it.
Next, in anticipation of the general tone of tonight’s main event, the Screeners pause for a rare moment to ask themselves what purpose film criticism itself serves and how we should react when people disagree with us. It’s a stirring call to tolerance and unity—or at least it could be if Josh weren’t such a misanthrope.
Holy Fanboy Backlash, Batman!
Tonight’s main event is...let’s say “divisive”. We don’t know how a comic book movie can be divisive, but everything else seems to be these days, so comic book movies might as well jump on the bandwagon. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice* has gotten terrible reviews that seem have been entirely ignored by the moviegoing public. It made Warner Brothers roughly $166 million in its opening weekend, and given the rancor it’s stirring, some more money will probably be rolling in, even if it’s just the stragglers seeing it out of spite only so they can argue with their friends. (Josh might’ve been in that last category if the others hadn’t made him see it for this episode.)
Since we’ve firmly established the value of anonymous talking heads publishing their opinions for the public to consume, let’s ask the big question: Did the Screeners like it? Are they willing to hold the line against the “professional” critics, or will they give in to peer pressure and their ambitions of being the next big movie podcast? Their integrity hangs in the balance—can they avert disaster?
And when Justice League Part 1 comes out, tune in again: same bat time, same bat RSS feed!
* We'll only write out the full title once, and we’re mad about doing it even that time.