Hogwarts Legacy is finally releasing this week, and only IGN has bothered to review it. How controversial, how brave of them. But that means we can read through their review and draw our own conclusions about the game...without any intention of playing it. This is not a game journalism podcast. Elsewhere, the Avatar sequels are shaping up to be a s…

Nothing can bother us this week, not on Goldeneye week! Intense online mud-slinging against Forspoken, the new RPG from Square Enix, makes for a debate on the state of comedic quips in movies and games. Oscar buzz is in the air around Everthing Everywhere All At Once and Top Gun: Maverick, and the star of NBC's "Chuck" becomes a problem for WB. Mar…

The holidays are long gone, and the big corporations are ready to lay off huge portions of their workers. First Microsoft hacks away at 343 Industries, prompting a less than reassuring statement from the studio. Amazon somehow finds a way to keep killing the already basically dead Comixology, which we didn't think was still possible. Some new movie…

It's a week of strained relationships between media companies and their audiences, with Wizards of the Coast dropping the dice under the table while trying to install a few legal trapdoors with a new Open Gaming License, Ubisoft cancelling games left and right while delaying Skull and Bones yet again...anybody ever heard of a long-delayed disaster …

The first episode of 2023 brings some confusion about what kind of show we're running here. But first, a preview of upcoming video games and movies, along with a comic book that delves into the consequences of the January 6 insurrection. Greg Berlanti is starting the new year with a lucrative overall deal with Warner Television, while AMC and other…

On a special bonus episode, Kyle joins his dear old friend Gus at the local library to stack up literal Media Sandwiches that would make Dagwood proud. While Kyle focuses on filling in Gus's Criterion movie blind spots and introducing him to Greg Rucka's comic book originals, Gus provides some required reading for an Intro to Manga and Anime for hi…

Epic Games breaks the record for largest fine or penalty ever assessed by the FTC thanks to their predatory microtransaction mechanics on Fortnite, hashtag great job, crapburgers. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer and Barbie will release on the same day in summer of 2023, what a double-feature! Avatar: The Way of Water doesn't hit its projected opening weeken…

A genuinely pleasant surprise in the video game world helps take the stink off the continuing adventures of Microsoft and their fight to acquire Activision-Blizzard, while rumors swirl over James Gunn's massive shake-up of the DC movies. Mark Millar asks the question "what if you had to convince Willy Wonka you deserved superpowers?" And while some…

This foul year 2022 is almost at an end, and the entertainment industry is revving up their marketing pushes for their 2023 content! First off, EA and Respawn have little baby leak on Steam for Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. Then a trio of big summer blockbuster movies dropped trailers all on the same day: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Transfor…

What is it with all these big entertainment companies posting their Ls all over the place this last week? First Microsoft and Sony compete to see which of them has more reason to complain about their exclusive titles, then Disney exchanges one Bob for another Bob in an effort to prevent more Strange World levels of box office failure. Netflix leave…

Appropriately, the Thanksgiving week is rife with old guys you know and love, all of whom are going on new adventures soon. Sam Fisher is putting on the goggles for a remake of the original Splinter Cell, Indiana Jones is apparently going to punch some space Nazis on the Moon, and John Carpenter is getting more video game money because an Escape Fr…

How do you heal a broken heart? Well, for starters, you welcome back to the show Chris Pranger! After some necessary talk about the pop culture icons we lost this last week, Chris gives an extensive run-down on Pokemon Scarlet/Violet that releases this week, while Kyle provides some thoughts on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Also, Guillermo del To…

It's release week for God of War: Ragnarok, and Embracer Group kills off a quality mobile gaming studio. David Zaslav gets confused as to what a movie franchise is, but he's not confused about which money (and hate) machine he wants to tie WB to for the forseeable future. The holiday season is upon us, in the form of crappy sequels to questionable …

Welcome to the spookiest episode of Media Sandwich ever! It's got everything a modern haunted house has...the reanimated corpse of the Call of Duty franchise, Elon Musk's insidious alien plot to take over the world (of social media), James Gunn and Peter Safran investigating the DC haunted manor, Mike Flanagan's attempted séance to communicate with…

The word is out on Gotham Knights, and the word is...eh. Meanwhile, Silent Hill 2 gets a big next-gen remake, the Star Wars franchise flirts with the idea of maybe making feature films again sometime in the future, Amblin makes moves towards a sequel no one asked for, a comic book creator insists Matt Reeves stole his Riddler story and left behind …

It's a big week for easily avoidable flubs by big media companies. First off, Comcast abruptly pulls the lever on the trolley equation that is G4TV (yes, they brought it back, only a year ago), the video game industry treats voice actors like garbage, and Netflix offers an enticing new price tier that sounds like absolute trash. It's not all bad ne…

Post-surgery blues glue Kyle to the couch so he can provide updates on some previously discussed headlines, as well as some interesting news out of New York Comic-Con and some recent movie trailers both delightful (Violent Night) and baffling (Super Mario Brothers). Then a brief meditation on the true crime genre and how it sometimes trivializes re…

A top-tier esports company steps right in it and loses an important partnership with Riot Games, meanwhile hotshot horror directors surprise execs on a special Zoom call, Star Trek has some major news about the Kelvin timeline going forward, a new comic book strikes Kyle's fancy, and the Super Bowl has a halftime performer locked in, which is what …

Happy video game news arrives in the form of this last week's Nintendo Direct, and not so happy news in the form of one of the most massive data leaks in the video game industry's recent history. Meanwhile, Columbia Pictures/Sony Entertainment is doing the release date shuffle on some of their biggest films in the next two years, Harvey Weinstein t…

It's a two-man sandwich this week, with the return of Chris Pranger! The guys try their very best to touch on every single item announced at Disney's D23 event, along with some spooky special screenings coming to Regal Cinemas, a legendary comic book artist's recent passion project, and Anna Kendrick's first time behind the camera to chronicle a ga…

The long Labor Day weekend results in some of Kyle's saltiest commentary yet. After a brief sidebar about the Steam Deck, we get some good news/bad news situations for Halo: Infinite and Splatoon 3, followed by a very Shia LaBeouf filled briefing on the Venice Film Festival. A hefty case against J.K. Rowling's newest stack of toilet paper scribblin…

Rumors about EA being absorbed by even bigger business fish are less substantial than the rumors of Big Chungus becoming playable in WB's Multiversus. Meanwhile, Matt Shakman beams away from Star Trek 4 to helm another Marvel project, DC Comics trips over a bag of tamales while trying to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and Kyle pauses his love a…

This week on the podcast, the reviews are in on the Saint's Row reboot game (a thing that apparently exists), Ezra Miller's reign of terror comes to a conclusion, David Zaslav is a very old man who likes very old things, several milestone anniversaries are coming up for the comic book world, and is Rian Johnson finally making Kyle's dreams come tru…

From deep inside a subterranean bunker where he's perfecting his Pepe Silvia bulletin board, Kyle dishes on the latest in entertainment headlines. On the cutting board this week: delay announcements for Hogwarts Legacy, a movie reboot of a fun 1980s TV show, the steady decline of a once-proud comic book publisher, and hot off the panini presses tod…

One big, infuriating headline (you know the one) threatens to engulf the entire show while Kyle touches on Pokemon Presents, Gotham Knights, the Tomb Raider movies, a beloved actor's television debut, and a whole lot of nonsense caused by the corporate desire to feed failing platforms smaller, more successful ones in order to absorb their nutrients…

It...is...alive! The Media Sandwich podcast returns with a more pop culture news orientation as Kyle skims the headlines for a quick look at all the entertainment coming your way in the near future. Topics include: Grand Theft Auto 6, DC's Death of Superman 30th Anniversary issue, Phases 5 and 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and all the upcomin…

The guys have a spoiler-filled conversation about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, after some serious talk about what is and isn't canon in Space Jam. Dan is able to play Half-Life: Alyx! The Sonic the Hedgehog movie gets a quick review, and then lots of Star Wars talk from the point-of-view of Chris's small children who just saw the Saga for the…

Recently thawed out from their stint frozen during the winter storms, the Sandwich Heads are all buzzing from Marvel's WandaVision and all the possible directions the MCU can go. Fantastic Four? Mephisto? Black Panther 2? There are so many possibilities! And speaking of possibilities, has Dan unlocked an accidental perpetual power loop in his house…

Chris and Kyle tell a bit about playing pirates in high school theater, in a time when Linkin' Park was playing on the radio and suddenly pirates were kinda, sorta a thing for a while? Weird energy, that 2004 had. Listen in your browser or subscribe to the show in your pod-catcher!--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/me…

This is so gonna be our year. You, us, everybody. We swear. Chris, Dan, and Kyle return to your ears with some mixed reactions to Wonder Woman 1984 and Pixar's Soul. But first...is Kyle living in a van down by the river? Also, Chris gives a review of indie game Thimbleweed Park and everyone is reminded to play Hades, one of the brief shining bits o…

Just in time for his birthday this week, Chris receives an unwelcome message of encouragement from advertisers and chooses to spend nine minutes explaining his most recently viewed arc of "One Piece." Dan and Kyle can barely contain their confusion. Happy birthday, Chris! Listen in your browser to this value menu episode of the podcast, or simply s…

After a medley of retail purchase tales from Chris, Dan, and Kyle, the new co-op feature of Untitled Goose Game gets a great review from Chris's kids. The new Xbox Series X machine looks great, but what games does it have? Does it have Banjo-Kazooie, or what? Dad-pride kicks in when all three watch Star Wars with their children, which provokes Kyle…

The sandwich boys survived the fires and are now trying to survive distance-learning with their kids. Chris gives the rundown on the next generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Kyle laments the loss of his laptop. "Harley Quinn" is a confirmed Darn Good Choice (and thankfully got a Season 3, despite our predictions). Which anti-superhero misf…

On this teeny bumper episode, the gang acknowledges a new dark era of hair care, and the merits of of drinking alcoholic craft ciders instead of beer. Are we slowly losing our minds, or is it just the Doc Brown hairstyles and grizzly beards? Listen here or find all the Media Sandwich morsels in the main show feed!--- Support this podcast: https://p…

Chris talks about his forays into the world of jigsaw puzzles. Kyle finishes his re-watch of Community. Dan gives an impassioned review of some sugary cereals. Somehow, all of this leads into a discussion of the much beloved anime series One Piece, and why American live-action adaptations of anime never, ever work. Listen in your browser or subscri…

On the foodiest episode of the podcast yet, Chris and Dan and Kyle take the advice of Twitter friends and talk about cheeseburgers and cereal. And...and...and booze. Also, who else is rewatching "Community" since it dropped on Netflix? What video game or movie would you want to experience through fresh eyes again? When the world feels like it's bur…

Feast upon the cut morsels of a Media Sandwich bumper episode! Featuring lots of talk about decades-old sitcom episodes, and then Chris dropping some knowledge about Disney's Frozen II soundtrack decisions. Consider this a little toothpick-size sample, and come back for the whole hoagie.Listen here, or just subscribe to that main show feed!--- Supp…

Chris and Kyle play a classic game of "Whatchoo been watchin' and playin', dude?" and talk about their preferences for murder-free crime documentaries, chilled out television shows, and charming indie games on the Switch. Also, Kyle finally embarks on watching "The Wire" and Chris gives a breakdown of Animal Crossing! TV discussions: Nailed It! McM…

On a completely aimless tangent, Chris and Kyle discuss the best use of the F-word in their opinions, how real world politics has completely kneecapped political satire, and what's going on with the Muppets? This is one of our bite-size bumper episodes, but if you want the whole combo platter, subscribe to the show! Listen here or find us on Apple …

In the midst of isolation, Chris and Kyle welcome Dan to the show to discuss all the movies, video games, and television to keep you busy until you can stop working from home in your bathrobe. "Harley Quinn" on the DC Universe app gets some praise, as well as Syfy's "The Magicians" and Disney's new, fan-oriented "Ducktales" reboot. Along the way, C…

Take a mere two minutes and listen to two old men talk about social media sites the way confused aliens might. This Side Order is a bumper episode, look forward to new full-length episodes of Media Sandwich coming down the pike, along with some other audio projects! Listen here or subscribe via podcast app.--- Support this podcast: https://podcaste…

On a big ol' super-sized Sandwich, Chris and Kyle discuss the upcoming cataclysmic nerd events on the horizon. Spoilers right from the top on all the following subjects: First, Kyle hijacks the opening of the show to talk Star Wars Celebration's many reveals, including the title and teaser trailer for Episode IX and all the popular theories regardi…

Here's a late valentine for you, Sandwich-Heads! Apologies for some dodgy audio quality, but Chris and Kyle wanted to get on some of these big news items. First, we follow up on some Super Smash Bros predictions before talking EA's surprise launch of Apex Legends. The boys give a short review of Respawn's new battle royale darling, and some much de…

Chris and Kyle kick off the podcast's brand new year with some Oscar preview chatter, and an ongoing development in Sony's slow-mo car crash handling of the Ghostbusters property. Also, is the Big Lebowski returning only to sell us crappy beer during the Super Bowl? Speaking of weird Super Bowl stunts, Netflix is playing price wars with themselves,…

Chris and Kyle marvel at the Avengers: Endgame teaser after gaping in shock at the teaser posters for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie coming soon. After Kyle gives a final verdict on Red Dead Redemption II and the onslaught of pay-to-win multiplayer housed therein, Chris takes everyone on a journey through his first (of many, many) weeks of Super Smas…

Kyle and Chris catch up on some of the news, including Fallout 76 presale gifts, Red Dead Online, movie trailers for Detective Pikachu and Captain Marvel, and some quick opinions on Pokémon and anticipation of Super Smash Bros Ultimate on the Switch. Listen here or subscribe via iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or any third party podcast app.--- Supp…

Chris talks about his experience at Portland Retro Gaming Expo, including his panel on Localization. More game news, including the Red Dead Redemption 2 "crunch time" discussion, a quick reminder that Star Wars Battlefront II ain't great, and right up front...an enthusiastic endorsement of Spider-Man PS4. Also discussed are Jon Favreau's "Mandalori…