Popzara Podcast

Article: Seagate 1TB Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S

Data will always be a demanding concern for console gamers, and what often seems like an afterthought for manufacturers. Current-generation Xbox Series X|S owners know the struggle all too well as both models opt for a more ‘curated’ approach that keeps their architecture proficient, reliable, and protected for optimization.

Article: Cocaine Bear (2023)

During this year’s Oscars ceremony, Elizabeth Banks did a skit with a person in a bear costume, pointing to the bear as proof for how bad her movie, Cocaine Bear, would have looked if she hadn’t opted for a computer-generated version of the titular animal instead. I immediately recalled the obscure 1988 comedy State Park (featuring Ted Nugent!), which featured an unintentionally creepy, and definitely fake, grizzly bear.

Article: Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire

I love games that have a premise that’s both really silly and also really unique. I think a good example of this is 2022’s breakout hit Trombone Champ, a truly unique take on the rhythm genre with an instrument you typically don’t see in rhythm games with a healthy helping of baboons scattered throughout to give it extra personality.

Article: Tchia

There’s something to be said about games that show their heart on their sleeve. It isn’t always about hyper realistic graphics or incredibly intricate, groundbreaking gameplay.

Article: Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)

It’s always refreshing to watch a movie that knows it’s never going to be nominated for a single Oscar or earn any clout as a genre revolutionary, and yet executes its story well, in refreshing ways, and entertains us for a couple hours in the process. Few filmmakers have been able to consistently excel at making these types of movies.

Article: Resident Evil 4 (2023)

The more things change, the more they stay the same - or, well, sometimes they just change. That's the case with Capcom's Resident Evil games, which took a wild swerve in a more action-oriented direction with the release of Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube back in 2005.

Article: Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

We're looking at yet another remaster today - wait, what? We're not? Yes, original titles do still come out every so often. Even long-running, fan-favorite franchises need to spread their wings from time to time.

Article: Twistwood Tales (2023)

Created by Scottish cartoonist AC Macdonald, Twistwood Tales feels like a webcomic from a bygone era, one that relished breaking free from the typical 4-panel restraints (and content limitations) of newspaper funnies to create something entirely new with the medium, to challenge the perceptions of what a “comic strip” could truly be. After debuting back in 2019 it quickly became an immediate sensation, especially on Twitter and Instagram.

Article: Diablo IV Beta Impressions

While I didn’t really get into the Diablo franchise until Diablo III, I’ve been a huge fan of it since then and can’t get enough of it. So it goes without saying that I had to play the early beta and open beta of the latest entry, Diablo IV, which has its good and not so good elements I’ll go into.

Article: Kill Me Baby: Complete Collection

I love coming across off-the-wall, crazy anime shows where insane stuff is happening all around the main character but they’re too naive, innocent, and just plain goofy to notice it. Enter Sentai’s Kill Me Baby: Complete Collection that’s all about this and then some for loads of laughs and action that will keep you and your eyes rolling.

Article: Watamote: No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!: Complete Collection

There’s plenty of fun, slice-of-life anime shows out there, which you can find plenty of in my anime reviews. But what about some that have some twisted laughs with this genre? There’s a few of those too, with the latest one headed my way titled Watamote: No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!: Complete Collection (try saying that three times fast).

Article: Revisions: Complete Collection

I remember hearing about Revisions on Netflix some time ago and always wanted to check it out as I tend to view most of their anime. Now Sentai has released it on Blu-ray for those without the service or so-so internet with the Revisions: Complete Collection set.

Article: Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

The sequel to 2019’s Shazam!, Shazam! Fury of the Gods continues to set itself as a lighter, more upbeat superhero adventure than the darker tone set by Zach Snyder’s now discontinued DC universe. The story continues two years after the defeat of Thaddeus Sivana, following Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his superhero foster siblings as they take on a trio of new villains set on destroying our world.

Filmmakers Austin Bragg and Meredith Bragg Talk Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game

Our guests on this table-tilting episode of the Popzara Podcast are filmmakers Austin Bragg and Meredith Bragg, i.e. The Bragg Brothers, the writing/directing duo of Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, their new film that tells the (mostly) true story of how Roger Sharpe would key part in helping overturn archaic gambling laws that made the game illegal.

The guys chat everything from what it was like working with an apprehensive legend, how 2023 could be the year videogame/amusement movies become respectable, how meta narrative is an amazing storytelling mechanic, comparisons to classics like Pirates of Silicon Valley and American Splendor, epic '70s mustaches, inspirational similarities between Roger Sharpe and Rocky, and so much more.

Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game is available now on streaming services everywhere. Even if you don't know a flipper from a bumper, drop a quarter on your favorite podcast, pull that plunger and listen today!

Article: Metroid Prime Remastered

Why make new games when you can re-release old ones? That's the question, isn't it? The results can - and often do - vary somewhat, and I'm happy to report that, by and large, we usually see better than worse for most of the efforts these days. Even the maligned Chrono Cross: Radical Dreamers Collection has seen a significant upgrade lately, solving its myriad framerate issues.