DRUNK CINEMA 090: "A Christmas Story" Is Up!

 
"Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window."
-- Adult Ralphie Parker, A Christmas Story

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, Xan and I watch A Christmas Story, the 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark, featuring Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker/The Old Man, Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker, and Ian Petrella as Randy Parker!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like the impending Snowpocalypse, being shocked if you're able to avoid A Christmas Story, Bob Clark being the master of Christmas, Rhinestone with Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton, Jean Shepherd's original short story collection In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, Xan meeting Jean Shepherd, Peter Billingsley as Marvel Cinematic Universe character William Ginter Riva, Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, all the kids returning as adults in A Christmas Story Christmas, A Christmas Story being a great movie to have on in the background, the Parker house not being laid out very well, guns being toys for children, Warren G. Harding Elementary School, Flick sticking his tongue on the frozen flagpole for a Triple Dog Dare, neighborhood bullies Scut Farkus and Grover Dill, secret decoder rings for old radio shows. The Old Man getting a major award, that awkward moment when Ralphie says the word "fuck", Xan's theory that most parents hate their children and want to torture them, Ralphie realizing he's decoded a crummy commercial, Randy being worried that The Old Man is going to kill his brother Ralphie, Ralphie and Randy going to see Santa Claus at Higbee's department store, The Old Man getting Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, Ralphie thinking he shot his eye out, A Christmas Story being more relatable than It's a Wonderful Life, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski and Dave Proctor, DJ Nik joining us to watch Aliens even if he doesn't know it yet, and more!

If you'd like to check out our podcast and subscribe to us, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
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Drunk Cinema's Facebook Page

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And in honor of our fifth anniversary, we have a NEW Drunk Cinema t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic by clicking HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great while you're listening to the Drunk Cinema podcast or when you're attending your favorite film festival! Or you can order all sorts of cool Drunk Cinema merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in three weeks as Xan and I are joined by special guest DJ Nik as we watch Aliens, the 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, featuring the return of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, along with Michael Biehn as Dwayne Hicks, Lance Henriksen as Bishop, and Paul Reiser as Carter Burke!

SUPERMAN Sequel MAN OF TOMORROW Casts Lars Eidinger as Brainiac

 
One of Superman's greatest enemies is finally making his debut on the big screen.

Variety is reporting that Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming sequel to Superman (2025), has cast Lars Eidinger as DC Comics supervillain Brainiac. Despite a number of Superman movies over the decades, this will be Brainiac's first appearance in a feature film. Eidinger joins returning actors David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Director James Gunn posted on Instagram, "In our worldwide search for Brainiac in ‘Man of Tomorrow,’ Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars."

Eidinger, 49, is a German actor and rapper who has appeared in the films Jay Kelly, Dumbo (2019), and White Noise. In addition, he's appeared in the 2023 Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See.

Created in 1958 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, Brainiac first appeared in Action Comics (vol.1) #242 as a bald, green-skinned humanoid who arrived on Earth and shrank various cities, including Metropolis, storing them in bottles with the intent of using them to restore the then-unnamed planet he ruled. including the Kryptonian bottle city of Kandor.  In 1964's Superman (vol.1) #167, Brainiac's origin was retconned into making him a machine created by the Computer Tyrants of Colu as a spy for them to invade other worlds, for which he was given a non-computer appearance.  Brainiac's distinctive gridwork of red diodes across his head are also explained.  He was created with visible "electric terminals of his sensory nerves" that he could not function without.  Lex Luthor discovered that the Computers could have given Brainiac 12th-Level intellect, but gave him a 10th-Level, the same as them, so he would not try to dominate them.

In the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Comics continuity, Brainiac's history was completely rewritten.  The post-Crisis version of Brainiac was now a radical Coluan scientist called Vril Dox who, having attempted to overthrow the Computer Tyrants of Colu, was sentenced to death.  In his last moments before disintegration, his consciousness was attracted light years away to Milton Fine, a human sideshow mentalist who worked under the alias "Brainiac".  Needing cranial fluid to maintain his possession of Fine, Dox went on a murder spree.  He discovered that Fine had genuine psychic powers and thus a metahuman, which he frequently wielded against Superman.  During a later skirmish with Superman in Metropolis, Milton Fine's body was irreparably damaged, leaving Brainiac with only a short time to live.  In order to preserve his life, he concocted an elaborate scheme by having an agent of his, a Coluan named Prin Vnok, use a time machine to travel to the End of Time itself and retrieve the creature known as Doomsday.  Doomsday had been left there by Superman and Waverider to ensure that he would never be a threat again, Brainiac planned to use Doomsday as a new host body.  Superman thwarted Brainiac's plot by driving him out of Doomsday's body with the use of a telepathy-blocking "psi-blocker", forcing Brainiac out of Doomsday and leaving him with no other option but to adopt a recently designed robotic body, dubbed Brainiac 2.5, which he could not abandon.

In 2013, Brainiac received another new origin as part of the New 52 DC Comics continuity.  In this version, Brainiac was first seen as the mysterious informant that supplied Lex Luthor with information of Superman and his alien nature.  Clark Kent had a dream of Krypton's final moments in which an artificial intelligence that controlled the planet woke up robots in an attempt to preserve the Kryptonian culture.  Later, while Clark conducted an interview in a robotic factory, the same harvester robots appeared.  Although they managed to defeat Brainiac, the alien sentience had already miniaturized and bottled the city of Metropolis and took it to his ship in space.  Superman traveled to the ship and found many alien bottled cities, Kandor included.  The alien identified himself as a being from the planet Colu, where he was known as C.O.M.P.U.T.O and on Krypton he was called Brainiac 1.0.  He claimed that without Superman and the ship that brought him to Earth, his Kryptonian collection is incomplete. The alien intelligence stated he would disable life support in both the Kandor and Metropolis bottles, and Superman was forced to choose which city to save using indestructible Kryptonian armor found on the ship.  Superman decided on neither, but still wore the armor.  Brainiac sent Metallo to attack Superman, but due to Superman's feelings for Lois Lane, Metallo broke free of Brainiac's control and joined Superman in his attack. Superman then used his rocket from Krypton that had also been miniaturized with Metropolis to attack Brainiac's mind. In doing so, Metropolis was returned to Earth and Superman took possession of Brainiac's ship and made it his new super citadel.

Eidinger will be the third actor to portray Brainiac in live-action, after James Marsters on the WB/CW series Smallville and Blake Ritson on the Syfy series Krypton. Brainiac has also appeared in various animated projects, including The New Adventures of Superman (voiced by Cliff Owens), Challenge of the Super Friends (voiced by Ted Cassidy), Super Friends, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (voiced by Stanley Ralph Ross), Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited, and Legion of Super-Heroes (voiced by Corey Burton), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Richard McGonagle), Justice League Action (voiced by John de Lancie), Superman: Brainiac Attacks (voiced by Lance Henriksen), and Superman: Unbound (voiced by John Noble).

Man of Tomorrow is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 9, 2027.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 360: "Victory of the Daleks" Is Up!

 
"SCAN REVEALS NOTHING! TARDIS SELF-DESTRUCT DEVICE NON-EXISTENT!"
"All right...It's a Jammie Dodger, but I was promised tea!"
-- Dalek Strategist and the Eleventh Doctor, Doctor Who: "Victory of the Daleks"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we discuss "Victory of the Daleks", the third episode from Doctor Who Series Five in 2010, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, and Bill Paterson as Edwin Bracewell!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse escaping the polar vortex, Jesse's thoughts on rewatching "Victory of the Daleks", Winston Churchill's friendship with the Doctor, Ian McNeice as Baron Harkonnen in Frank Herbert's Dune, Steven Moffat being inspired by a visit to the Cabinet War Rooms, the distinct titles for the Paradigm Daleks, polarizing comments made about the Paradigm Daleks relegating them to Doctor Who history, "Victory of the Daleks" being the first time the Daleks appeared in World War II, a deleted scene where the Doctor described his history with Churchill, the Doctor trying to convince Amy and Churchill that the Daleks are evil, the mystery of why Amy doesn't recall the events of "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End", the Daleks' plan to use the Doctor's testimony to prove they're really the Daleks, the Crack in Time story arc, Jesse showing Ian McNeice a caricature of him at a convention, the Churchill film Darkest Hour, Amy taking a different approach to convince Bracewell that he's human to keep him from exploding, Ian McNeice being a great Winston Churchill, Churchill wanting to use the Doctor's TARDIS to defeat the Nazis, Bill Paterson's great performance as Edwin Bracewell, the Paradigm Daleks killing the Ironside Daleks that created them, my take on science fiction, British Spitfires not being built to survive in the vacuum of space or the heat from re-entry, our favorite quotes from the episode, my Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Holly Mac, Sandi from Oregon and Dave Proctor, Jesse bringing people together not tearing them apart, our final episode of 2025, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

We have a NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "Revenge of the Cybermen", the fifth serial from Doctor Who Season 12 in 1975, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan, and Jeremy Wilkin as Professor Kellman!

First SUPERGIRL (2026) Trailer Teases the Woman of Tomorrow and Lobo

 
And just like that, Gen Z is adding Blondie to their playlists.

DC Studios and Warner Bros. have released the first teaser trailer for Supergirl (2026), the upcoming film starring Milly Alcock as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El and directed by Craig Gillespie, based on the 2021-22 DC Comics limited series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow that was written by Tom King with art by Bilquis Evely.

In the film, Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl, celebrates her 23rd birthday by travelling across the galaxy with her dog Krypto. Along the way, she meets the young Ruthye Marye Knoll and encounters a tragedy that leads her on a "murderous quest for revenge".

The two-minute trailer opens with Krypto knocking over a half-empty bottle of liquor, which turns on a record player that starts playing the 1980 song "Call Me" by Blondie. Krypto comes across a copy of the Daily Planet, which has the main headline "Superman Saves Town from Nuclear Reactor Explosion" with another smaller headline below that reads "Supergirl Rescues Cats." Krypto then proceeds to urinate on the newspaper's picture of David Corenswet's Superman from Superman (2025). Kara, apparently waking up from a hangover, remarks, "You managed to get most of it on the paper this time. Good job, buddy."

As "Call Me" kicks in harder, a sort of space bus lands at a bus stop where Kara, wearing a long coat and dark sunglasses, is waiting. "Hi...Kara Zor-El," she says in a voiceover. "Year-wide is clear, and 23 will be the best year yet." As she celebrates her 23rd birthday drinking and dancing in a bar on an alien planet, presumably under a red sun, we learn she's talking to Krypto. She adds, "Let's be honest, babe. It's not a very high bar to clear."

Next, we see a large energy dome come down over a section of a city, which could be the Kryptonian city of Kandor, teasing the upcoming appearance of Brainiac in the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow. We're introduced to Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), who tells Kara, "I didn't know any of you were still alive. What was it like to lose everything in a day?"

Kara replies, "Krypton didn't die in a day. The gods are not that kind."

Later, as Kara and Ruthye find themselves surrounded by dozens of mercenaries aiming their laser-sighted weapons at them, who presumably belong to the film's villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills. Kara remarks, "Okay, this does not look like this is gonna end well...for you guys."

After a few glimpses of action, Ruthye asks Supergirl, "Do others on your planet have powers like you?"

"Uh...no, it's a pretty small group of two," replies Supergirl.

We see Kara using her heat vision to protect Ruthye, followed by Kara petting an injured Krypto with concern. A brief glimpse of Jason Momoa as Lobo is shown, just starting to step into view.

In the teaser trailer's final scene, Ruthye then asks Kara about Superman and as we see Supergirl taking on Krem's mercenaries, she replies, "He sees the good in everyone...and I see the truth."

If you'd like to check out the teaser trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official DC and Warner Bros. accounts on YouTube...

Supergirl (2026) is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 26, 2026.

DRUNK CINEMA 089: "Batman (1966)" Is Up!

 
"Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb."
-- Batman, Batman (1966)

Hello again, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema! This time, Xan and I watch Batman, the 1966 superhero film directed by Leslie H. Martinson, featuring Adam West as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Burt Ward as Robin/Dick Grayson, Lee Meriwether as Catwoman, and Cesar Romero as The Joker!

This time, Xan and I discuss things like Xan recovering from Thanksgiving and Record Store Day, why Xan picked this movie, the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode "Batmantis" featuring Lee Meriwether, Julie Newmar vs. Eartha Kitt as Catwoman, Batman fans having to wait the better part of three decades to undo the damage Batman (1966) and the campy TV series did to the character, camp being very prevalent in the 1960s, Batman (1966) originally being planned as the TV series pilot, kids knowing Adam West only from Family Guy, Xan's encounter with Adam West, Burgess Meredith reprising The Penguin on an episode of The Monkees, Xan's take on The Twilight Zone Season 4, The Venture Bros.' nod to "A Town Called Malice", my getting into Batman because of the TV series, Bat-Shark Repellant, Cesar Romero's mustache not being as noticeable before HD televisions, wondering why the Penguin has an exploding octopus, Burgess Meredith ad-libbing the "Careful, every one of them has a mother" line, a bad case of Bat-Gas, Catwoman being a Cougar, Batman just happening to have a Super-Molecular Dust Separator, my being Bat-trayed, new Drunk Mail from Christine Peruski, our official Drunk Cinema merch, Kolchak the Night Stalker, Xan breaking her Leg Lamp, and more!

If you'd like to check out our podcast and subscribe to us, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Drunk Cinema's Facebook Page

Drunk Cinema's Twitter Account

And in honor of our fifth anniversary, we have a NEW Drunk Cinema t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic by clicking HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great while you're listening to the Drunk Cinema podcast or when you're attending your favorite film festival! Or you can order all sorts of cool Drunk Cinema merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I watch A Christmas Story, the 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark, featuring Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker, and Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 359: "Terminus" Is Up!

 
"Where did the other spacecraft come from?"
"The TARDIS found it. There's a fail-safe. On impending breakup, it seeks out and locks onto the nearest spacecraft."
"You never mentioned it before."
"Well, it never worked before."
-- Tegan Jovanka and the Fifth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Terminus"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we discuss "Terminus", the fourth serial from Doctor Who Season 20 in 1983, featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, Mark Strickson as Vislor Turlough, and the departure of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa!

In this episode, Jesse, and I discuss things like Jesse coming off a big Dallas Cowboys win, big fluffy dog robots, Tubi not having Classic Who episodes on demand anymore, Jesse's thoughts on watching "Terminus" for the first time, saying goodbye to Nyssa, writer Stephen Gallagher writing Romana's departure from the series, Valentine Dyall as the computer Deep Thought in the original Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy mini-series, Liza Goddard as the ex-wife of Colin Baker, Stephen Gallagher taking inspiration from Norse mythology, "Terminus" having a number of technical difficulties during production, Eric Saward pointing out the "Yoni" is the Sanskrit word for "womb", Nyssa dropping her skirt in Part 2 as deliberate fan service, "Terminus" being the last appearance of a four-person TARDIS team until "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" in 2018, one of the Lazar extras causing Janet Fielding to become exposed, my wishing that there was a sense of urgency with the Doctor and Nyssa that was shown in "The Caves of Androzani", wondering how Terminus existed before the universe if it created the universe, Tegan being understandably suspicious of Turlough, Tegan and Turlough crawling around in ducts for most of the story, Turlough almost causing his own destruction by sabotaging the TARDIS for the Black Guardian, the Vanir suddenly being on board once they learn that Nyssa can produce a better version of the hydromel, Bor being grateful that he hadn't died and the afterlife wasn't Terminus, 1950s DC Comics characters the Atomic Knights, why Nyssa left the TARDIS, our favorite quotes from the serial, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Holly Mac and Sandi from Oregon, our next return to the Matt Smith era, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

We have a NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "Victory of the Daleks", the third episode from Doctor Who Series Five in 2010, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, and Bill Paterson as Edwin Bracewell!