BFG Podcast #314: Lanterns, Coyotes, Acme Discussions
Neal and Rob unpack private equity and falling anvils; Neal and Nick pick over HBO’s new superhero series
Every so often, we witness a great screen performance that generations to come will remember. That’s happened this week with the arrival of Coyote Vs. Acme, the long-shelved Looney Tunes-live action hybrid. Wile E. Coyote plays his signature role–himself–in the long-awaited movie, which Warner Brothers tried to deny us, taking a tax writeoff instead. Host Neal Pollack and guest Rob Kutner unpack the meaning of that private-equity move, and parse the utter hilarity of Coyote Vs. Acme, unleashing a Rube Goldberg-like segment that will hit you on the head like a hammer.
But first, Nick Tangborn joins Neal to talk about Lanterns, which Sam Porteous wrote about on BFG. Admittedly, Neal and Nick talked about Lanterns before the HBO Max/DC Universe show dropped its controversial race-tinged episode three, which didn’t bother Neal because of the race tinging, but rather because of the unnecessary non-linear narrative structure. Not everything has to be a puzzlebox, and certainly not everything about a cosmic struggle for the powers of a magical intergalactic ring has to be a puzzlebox. Still, there’s plenty in Lanterns to keep comic-book fans happy. Lovers of linear narratives should apply elsewhere.
Enjoy the show!