Popzara Podcast

Article: Miasma Chronicles

Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. I'm not really sure which I'd choose, personally, though everybody sure is afraid of that chat robot from AOL Instant Messenger these days.

Article: Liberte

You have to wonder what made some people try certain foods for the first time. Let's consider cow's milk, for instance.

Defying Expectations and Innovation: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

On this melodic episode of the Popzara Podcast our own Cory Galliher and Sebastian Stoddard unite to talk about Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch, the direct sequel to 2017’s Breath of the Wild. Just days after its May 2023 release it’s already become one of the fastest-selling, highest-rated games of all-time – but was the hype justified?

Cory and Sebastian take listeners on a quest of both nostalgia and nuance, reliving their favorite Zelda moments as they explore Link’s latest, and possibly greatest, adventure yet. Listen as they discuss how the game’s trio of new gameplay additions (Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend) continue the series’ penchant for constant innovation, graphics (tech) vs. visuals (art direction), the miracle of launching a AAA game in a near-perfect state these days, epic trailers, thirst-trap Gannon, and so much more.

It’s dangerous to go alone – and thankfully you won’t have to when you listen today. It’s not a secret to everyone anymore!

Movie Time! Pure Imagination: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

It’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Podcast!, where our own movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans take you on an unscripted journey yakking and chatting about some of their favorite movie moments and cinematic scenes, from past and present, presented without snark and snobbery for your listening pleasure.

On this scrumdiddlyumptious episode our hosts unwrap 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the flavory-savory cinematic adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel. Directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder in perhaps his most iconic (and deranged) role, it’s since become one of the most beloved films of all-time.

Our hosts discuss how the right combination of director, star, music, and pathos helped create a timeless classic that’s endured for generations. Also on the lickswishy menu are comparisons to Tim Burton’s inferior 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the recent "revision controversy" of Dahl’s literary work, the film’s surprising number of Nazi allusions, and so much more.

It's one Everlasting Gobstopper that never stops giving its sugary goodness, your golden ticket to pure imagination you don’t want to miss!

Article: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

What kid didn't want to be a Jedi growing up? Me, for one. I wanted to be Han Solo, because I was one of the cool kids.

Article: Dungeon Drafters

Card addition is a real and serious issue. Just look at me: I'm so big on cards that it's taken over my life.

Article: Ravenlok

Fairytales have always been a fantastic subject for video games. Who can forget the Brothers Grimm's tales about the post-apocalyptic wasteland that eventually became the Fallout series? Aesop's fables are what led to Mortal Kombat.

Article: Air (2023)

It’s difficult to tell a true story when everyone already knows how it goes. As a filmmaker, you have to make the audience want to stick with it until the inevitable conclusion.

Article: Peter Pan & Wendy

There’s a certain type of magic that happens when a talented filmmaker collaborates with Disney on a live-action remake of an animated classic. Not the good kind of magic where two proven entities come together to craft something brilliant and special, but the kind of black magic that seems to destroy everything that once felt inspired, innovative, and organic.

Article: Metal Mutation

The motto of the games industry: if anything is worth doing, it's worth doing ten more times. That's where genres come from, after all.

Article: Showgunners

One of the big moral panics of today's zeitgeist appears to be "screens." Not that I'm biased or anything, being someone who makes a living and holds side gigs working primarily on screens, but it always seemed a little bizarre to me to simultaneously push kids toward those vital STEM roles and also push them away from using technology.

Article: Redfall

I'll admit it: it's pretty rare that I'll give a game a negative review. It usually takes severe performance issues, crashing and the like to convince me.

Article: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is the final chapter of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

Article: 80 for Brady (2023)

Occasionally fun, often interesting, and mostly peculiar, 80 for Brady does for old women what Last Vegas does for old men, but with half the stakes and one-third the jokes. Of course, the “old person” comedy has been in and out of cachet ever since George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg wore Groucho glasses in 1979’s Going in Style, although has seen a big resurgence since 2007's The Bucket List (even a Going in Style remake in 2017).

Article: MIYOO Mini Plus Game Console

We're in an interesting world these days when it comes to emulation. On YouTube, along with generally pretending that video games are still toys for children thanks to restrictions on content and the sort of language one uses, you typically also have to pretend emulation doesn't exist.