In a world where opinions are facts, and friendships can be lost when differing points of view collide, what happens when two lifelong brothers disagree? Especially when it comes to one of the biggest debates of all time: what's better, DC Comics or Marvel? You'll find out on this, the latest podcast... From The Basement!  This week, Jason and Shawn dissect Zack Snyder's Justice League, the much touted and talked about director's cut of Warner Bros. 2017 film. That version was completed by Joss Whedon after Snyder's daughter died, and the movie was skewered by critics and fans alike. Now we've got Snyder's complete vision -- all four hours of it -- and DC fan Shawn, and Marvel fan Jason, square off on the film. Who liked it? Did either of them hate it? Stick with us! Stick with us you shall, as the Dynamic Duo also talk the latest Marvel Studios series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the Bigfoot flick Monstrous, and the horror/comedy Blood Fest. Plus Sha...

  There was a time when comic were "just for kids".  As time went by, and those early comic kids grew up to write their own comics, the stories, themes, and artwork became more mature- and suitable for adults as well as children in many cases. One such comic is, " V For Vendetta ". Britain has become a police state.  "Deviant" behaviour is punishable by death.  Satire is punishable by death.  Being out at night is punishable by death. Amidst the population's fear and resignation, a lone masked stranger rises up against the Government... and reminds the British that a "Government should be afraid of the people... not the other way around... " If you're a comic collector, you'll probably have this on your "Must Have" list of comics.  Written by Alan Moore, with artwork by David Lloyd, the story is mature, and well crafted.  It projects a believable- albeit horrid future that is quite relevant given some of the things that have...

I have always felt that great literature wasn't limited to simply prose style books.  Rather, I feel that the world of graphic novels, and comic mini-series can provide great additions to the literary field. One such mini-series is Jeff Lemire's eight issue series, "Trillium". The year is 1921, and William Pike- a veteran of The Great War, is on an expedition to a lost Inca temple in the dark jungles of Peru... The year is 3797, and Nika Temsmith- a botanist, is on a research mission seeking a mysterious flower in the dark expanses of space... The year is 1921, and Pike is seeking to save his sanity by finding meaning and purpose in Life again... The year is 3797, and Temsmithh is seeking to save humanity from an all consuming virus... The two will discover that time and space are meaningless... but that Love can save more than one person... " Trillium " is one of those amazing sci-fi stories that you'd find in a wrinkled covered antholo...

If you were a comic-book nerd like me in the 80s -- and I sure was -- the death of Jason Todd's Robin was a huge deal. Like, really huge. It was the first time the public decided the fate of a character, and we did so by phoning a hotline. The question was simple: Does Jason Todd survive an attack by the Joker? In the end, 72 votes determined his fate, and A Death in the Family became the stuff of pop-culture legend. But what if the vote swung the other way? How would Batman #428 have played out? Well, you can have a look at what that first page would have looked like had Jason Todd survived. Check it: It's a bit jarring to see a smiling, happy Batman. But hey, even Batman deserves to be happy once in a while. I'm most struck by how close the vote was, with 5,343 votes tallied to kill Jason Todd, and 5, 271 to save him. There you go, an alternate look at comic-book history some 32 years after the fact. Source: io9

How much exposition do you need in a movie? This is the question I asked myself while rewatching Constantine. It's an interesting time capsule to the mid 2000s, having aged well in some areas, and not so well in others. One area that stuck out was how it adapted its source material. You might not know it, but Johnny Constantine comes from the comic Hellblazer. You might not know it, but this film seems to think you do. A lot happens in this movie that goes over-explained, or not explained at all. So much occult stuff gets glazed over, it feels like you're getting half the story. This isn't to say there isn't stuff to enjoy here. There definitely is. I like the way it plays with the lore of angels and demons, making a world that's similar to ours, but different at the same time. The characters/actors aren't too bad either. They serve the story well enough. All in all, Constantine is a middle-of-the-road 2000s flick. It's a Good, and I'd recommen...

" Joker ". Joaquin Phoenix. Do I really need to say more? Arthur Fleck is an aspiring comedian and party clown.  After an assault, a coworker gives him a gun.  Soon, Arthur begins a journey of transformation that will take him from meek and mild nobody to a bold and icon symbol of the chaos of Life... and of Death... As a potential origin story for the DC's The Joker, this one is really quite good, and a bit more plausible than most given.  It is intense, even in it's quieter moments.  While it does take some license with how it deals with mental illness, it still feels suitable to the context of the characters and world they inhabit.  The slow deconstruction of Arthur's mental state, and the rebuilding of it into some else is a sight to see, and an almost horrifying one at that.  Simply a tightly written, and emotional story over all. Other than Arthur, there really aren't that many characters.  It's almost as if, when he's not necessaril...

There's only one wide release hitting theatres this weekend, and not a lot new on the TV front, so where does that leave Jason and Shawn when they hit the mighty Radio NL 610 AM Kamloops later tonight? In the realm of low-budget sci-fi horror, that's where! The Basement Boys dig into Neil Rowe's upcoming flick Alien Outbreak, a timely release given all the press the Coronavirus is getting. Is the movie, which hails form England, worth your On Demand or DVD dollar? Stick with us! And stick around, as Jason and Shawn do indeed bring you the weekend rundown. The latest comic-book-to-screen adaptation Birds of Prey does hit theatres today, and the reviews are positive for this R-rated movie. Yes, this one isn't for the kiddies. Jason and Shawn also catch up with further episodes of On the Trail of UFOs, Netflix's Ragnarok and more. So tune in at 6:05 this eve via the AM dial, or the player to your right. We'll get your weekend off to a corking good start!

My first thought after watching Joker -- other than it's one of the best movies of the year -- is it didn't need to be a Joker movie at all. The story of Arthur Fleck, who is brilliantly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is so compelling and well told it could've stood on its own. There's no need to tie it into The Clown Prince of Crime. But I get it. A movie called Arthur Fleck, no matter how good, wouldn't make more than $300 million at the box office. Call it Joker, and success is assured. What we get is a real-world take on the classic Batman villain. This is a Joker who doesn't need to fall into a vat of chemicals to turn to evil. Here we get an already mentally ill man who can't catch a break. The harder, and crueler, his life gets, the more he descends into madness. Phoenix and director Todd Phillips take us on a hell of ride. This is disturbing and powerful stuff that in no way glorifies the character, or what he does. If anything, it provides a ...

Wonder Woman was pretty much the first successful instalment for the DCEU. I'm not talking from a strictly commercial standpoint, but as a film people genuinely loved. And yes, it made a ton of dough, so no surprise we'd get a sequel. Anticipation has been pretty hot for Wonder Woman 1984, which brings the Amazon into... well... the 80s, and pits her against arch rival The Cheetah. The first trailer dropped minutes ago at CCXP in Brazil, and we decided to share it with you. Now watch: Looks great! No sense of story yet, but that's fine. Given the quality of the first, I'm sure this will at least be as good. Wonder Woman 1984 lands June 5, 2020. Source: Warner Bros. 

Superhero movies have become a huge part of the movie industry over the past eleven years.  Horror has also gained a bit more "respectability" within the movie industry as well.  It was only natural- and a matter of time before someone put the two together... An alien spacecraft crash lands on a small farm.  The Beyers find within it a survivor... a baby.  As the boy reaches his teen years, he starts to exhibit strange powers, and the Beyers begin to wonder: Will this child from the stars become Earth's savior...? I can't say enough positive things about 2019's " Brightburn " by James Gunn, Kenneth Huang, and David Yarovesky.  The idea of a "dark" Superman story has been done often enough before by DC Comics in their Elseworlds comics, but this movie takes it to a new level, and makes it much more visceral and fascinating to watch.  The progression of the story is natural and quite believable- pulling you along willingly.  The pacing i...

Actually, there is no joke this weekend, so the jokes on you, Constant Reader. Once again there is only one major movie coming out, and it's released amidst some controversy, and much praise, among movie critics. Joker, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic comic-book villain, comes from The Hangover director Todd Phillips. But this is no laughing matter, as some parent groups fear the film will insight real-life violence. Meanwhile, critics are praising it as a major cinematic achievement. Suffice to say, Joker is poised to open big! And we're gonna talk more about it when Jason joins Howie Reimer on the Radio NL 610 AM Morning News today at 8:40 a.m. Jason brings another interview with him. This week he spoke with Laura Slade Wiggins, star of the upcoming Along Came the Devil II. You'll get a few minutes with Laura this morning as she discusses the film and her role in it, then the full interview when From The Basement's extended cut podcast drops later to...

I admit I was skeptical when a Birds of Prey movie was announced. Not that I have anything against the characters or the concept, but it seemed like this was being made only because of how popular Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was in the otherwise dreadful Suicide Squad movie. Now that I've seen the first trailer, I will humbly eat some crow. This looks great! Witness, and judge for yourselves: We've come a long way from that early 2000s TV series, that's for sure! Joining Robbie for this ride is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress and Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary. Ewan McGregor is the villainous Black Mask. Cathy Yan directs. I'm actually kinda excited for this one. The DC films are more miss than hit, but hopefully Yan and company have crafted a winner. Birds of Prey hits Feb. 7, 2020. Source: Warner Bros.

Some movies try to capture lightning in a bottle. Some movies bring the lightning... After being assigned to a group foster home, Billy Batson finds himself transported to a magical place a dying wizard grants him his powers- turning him into the super hero, Shazam! But while Billy learns about his powers- and what it means to be a family, someone else is seeking the power that Billy possesses...

The DC Cinematic Universe is a beautiful mess. By beautiful I mean it's almost impossible to image of more poorly executed comic-to-screen transition of classic characters. By mess I mean no one in charge seems to know what the duck they're doing. For every Wonder Woman, there's a Batman Vs. Superman. For every Aquaman, a Suicide Squad. The films that turn out the best are the ones The Powers That Be didn't give a duck about.

It's not a busy weekend at the movies, but it's certainly a big one... one that promises to chill audiences to the core. What movie could possibly be so fiendish as to strive to do such a thing? NL news director Shane Woodford joins Jason and Shawn this morning, and they'll let you know on the mighty Radio NL 610 AM Morning Show!

This weekend, moviegoers will say good bye to an honoured "friend," one who has entertained them through at least 10 feature films. We're sure there will be tears, and a few moments of sadness in cinemas the next few days. Except for Jason and Shawn, who haven't seen even one of Tyler Perry's Madea movies. It's nothing personal; it's just not their thing.

I profess my only real exposure to DC's Teen Titans is via the comedic kids' cartoon Teen Titans Go!, and that's because my seven year old loves it. OK, I find it pretty amusing too. As Starfire would say, it's the good. So I'm not among the group of fans who have complained DC's new Titans series, which recently debuted on their streaming service, and just made the jump to Netflix, isn't an accurate representation of the characters. Those naysayers say it's too dark, too violent, too whatever.

I'm not a fan of animated films. Gotta get that off my chest right away. Shawn sure is, and Mike S is our Animated Addict. That's their thing, not mine. Shawn even tried to get me to watch the animated DC films, saying they're the cat's ass (my words, not his). I could care less. But when your six-year-old son wants to go see Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, as the Teen Titans Go! TV series is one of his all-time favourites, you take him. It's part of being a dad.

It's summer, which means it's holiday time for many people, Shawn and Radio NL 610 AM Morning Show co-host Howie Reimer among them. So where does that leave The Basement's weekly segment? In the capable hands of Jason and Morning Show co-host Shane Woodford of course!

With the recent release of the "Aquaman" and "Shazam!" movie trailers, I started thinking about a few of my favorite DC Comics characters that I felt deserve to be on the big screen. Without further ado, here they are in alphabetical order: