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PODCAST

Close Up

Thought Plane Media

We get Close Up on a variety of entertainment-- including film, television, and comics. For substantive reviews, history, trivia, lists, and debates.

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

51:03

The Witcher S4 Is Simplified But Good | What's New? |...

Close Up ·

2025/11/20

Justin and Joe review The Witcher S4.00:00 Overview03:41 Comparisons to S305:42 Themes09:26 Villains17:10 Ciri and The Rats22:27 The Action27:42 Lower Production Values34:24 Stunt Performers36:19 Some of the Writing41:00 Liam Hemsworth44:52 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin Church#thewitcher #netflixseries #liamhemsworth #closeup #filmdiscussion

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37:34

First Impressions of The Witcher S4 | What's New? |...

Close Up ·

2025/11/12

Justin and Joe review the first few episodes of The Witcher S4, and complain about Netflix's marketing strategies.00:00 Hemsworth vs Cavill06:34 Improved Writing12:32 Action13:57 No Marketing21:58 Decline of Fantasy TV26:45 The Rats31:13 The Streaming Wars35:55 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin Church#thewitcher #netflixseries #liamhemsworth #closeup

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54:35

Tron: Ares Is Better Than Its Predecessors | Review |...

Close Up ·

2025/11/07

Justin and Joe review Tron: Ares!00:00 Overview04:12 Jared Leto07:24 The Action17:55 Production Design19:46 Where Is Tron24:16 Box Office Woes25:46 Some Subtle Details27:08 NIN Soundtrack28:48 The Screenplay42:56 The 3-D47:26 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin Church#tron #tronares #jaredleto #tronlegacy #closeup #reviews

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35:00

Spirited Away Is More Horrific Than It Seems | Review

Close Up ·

2025/10/29

Joe watches his first ever Studio Ghibli film!00:00 Pacing and Length05:07 Anime in Our Childhoods08:00 Excellent Animation Craft12:28 Dark Themes and Horror18:32 Character Development21:28 Colour Theory25:51 Stray Thoughts32:46 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin Church#studioghibli #animereview #spiritedaway #closeup #reviews

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44:59

Neon Genesis Is Uncommonly Fascinating | Justin Explains

Close Up ·

2025/10/24

Justin explains the basics of Neon Genesis: Evangelion to Joe!00:00 Controversies + Overview08:06 Emotional Grounding12:46 What is the Titular Neon Genesis15:26 The Rebuild Movies25:00 The Meta Narrative31:03 The Average Instalment33:56 Other Themes39:53 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin Church#neongenesis #animereview #explains #closeup #reviews

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40:12

Frieren is a Remarkable and Uplifting Story | Close...

Close Up ·

2025/10/16

Joe watched his first anime! Frieren was an exceptional experience, with fine artistic crafting in all regards.00:00 Introduction02:40 Animation07:49 Frieren's Memories12:47 Themes24:16 Frieren's Flaws27:41 Tone and Storytelling33:16 Speculation on the Future34:12 The Score37:29 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin Church #frieren #animereview #manga

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53:33

Justin Explains Demon Slayer's Wondrous World | Close...

Close Up ·

2025/10/10

Justin explains Demon Slayer to somebody who doesn't watch anime!00:00 Introduction01:51 Overall Concept06:38 The Complex Demons09:08 Demon Slaying11:14 Movies17:45 The Road To Its Ending20:27 The Demon Slayer Corps22:19 Writing and Action26:56 Supporting Cast30:43 Allegories35:37 Animation37:50 Infinity Castle Movie Review52:37 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art

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37:54

The Summer Hikaru Died Has Powerful Emotional Depth |...

Close Up ·

2025/10/04

Justin kicks off "Anime October" with his review of "The Summer Hikaru Died", while Joe picks his brain with questions.00:00 Introduction01:31 Overall Story Thoughts10:11 Themes and Storytelling18:05 Ending and Payoff20:50 Pacing22:16 Lore26:44 Emotional Maturity29:09 Animation31:46 Violence33:14 Voice Acting35:58 Wrap-upWEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin

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53:33

It's Hard to Separate Good Media From Loathsome...

Close Up ·

2025/09/25

Have you ever liked a piece of media where the creator turned out to be a jerk? Did you care? Justin and Joe explore the complexities of supporting bad but talented people.00:00 Intro02:23 The Copium Method09:17 Art Separated From the Creator13:30 Proportional Involvement22:17 There Are More Skeletons in Closets26:50 Criticism and Idealism Can Be Separated42:03 How do WE Feel?WEBSITE: thoughtplane.caJUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin

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104:03

The Best Spiderman Movie Moments | Close Up Episode 150

Close Up ·

2025/09/18

We celebrate Spider-Man with a count-down of our favourite cinematic Spidey moments!00:00 Intro 01:51 I Don't Feel So Good04:43 Peter Tingle07:29 Car Ride With the Vulture17:14 Spider-Man In Color21:04 Cranes of NYC Combine24:24 An Amazing First Rescue26:38 A Sinister Presence32:06 An Attempt at Vengeance35:36 Emo Peter Parker41:34 Spectacular Spider-Man45:16 Depowered Trial By Fire48:31 Peter Loses His Cool50:48 Leap of Faith55:27 I Had a Father01:07:07 The Death of Gwen Stacy01:14:31 My Gift My

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72:41

Wednesday S2 is Surprising and Strange | Close Up...

Close Up ·

2025/09/11

Wednesday S2 maintains an enjoyable tone, and characters, but has more twists and turns than it can properly set up. 00:00 Introduction01:11 Initial Thoughts05:17 Too many Characters11:17 Twisty17:32 Villains + Red Herrings24:25 Acting33:44 The Evil Family39:03 Parent/ Child Relationships46:00 Conspiracy Theories52:24 Technical Stuff57:41 Wednesday Addams01:03:40 Future SeasonsWEBSITE: https://www.thoughtplane.ca/JUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and

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62:10

Justin and Joe Face an Unusual Existential Crisis |...

Close Up ·

2025/09/04

Joe and Justin realize that their time on this Earth to consume and create is finite.00:00 The Crisis06:36 Too Much Media Exists11:58 Not Enough Time17:02 Loads of Competition22:38 Lack of Time to Create26:12 Planet of the Beavers32:45 Retribution Isle34:59 Testing Different Mediums42:49 Consuming More Than We Create46:55 Working Hard For Little Reward51:52 Every Piece of Art is a Copy56:57 Wrap-upWEBSITE: https://www.thoughtplane.ca/JUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA

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39:37

Joe Explains the Stupid Yet Pioneering Naked Gun...

Close Up ·

2025/08/27

Joe explains The Naked Gun franchise to Justin-- who's never watched the films. Includes some non-spoiler thoughts on The Naked Gun (4)00:00 Introduction02:10 What is The Naked Gun?08:17 The Comedy12:25 The Writing18:51 The Naked Gun 4 Mini-Review22:10 Themes of Police Over-reach24:54 Question Period30:01 Technical Things + Rankings36:46 Wrap-upWEBSITE: https://www.thoughtplane.ca/JUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph

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51:26

The Sandman S2 Is Spectacular, But Far Too Late |...

Close Up ·

2025/08/21

The Sandman S2 arrives multiple years late to the party. But it's still welcome, to the few of us who care.00:00 Introduction03:01 The Cancellation05:55 Overview10:19 Mysteries of the Endless13:16 Acting, Writing, Themes36:47 The Final Episode40:15 Visual Effects and Colour47:21 Wrap-upWEBSITE: https://www.thoughtplane.ca/JUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin ChurchEdited by Joseph MorinClose Up cover art by Justin Church#sandman

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53:37

What Happened to the Mainstream Coming of Age Film |...

Close Up ·

2025/08/13

Coming of Age films were a huge genre till last decade. Now they're just low-budget slop on Netflix. What happened? *Sorry for the audio glitch at 34:00. Was a recording issue. 00:00 Some history 06:51 Changing Hollywood Film Industry 13:23 The Teenage Experience 30:00 Social Arrested Development 51:58 Wrap-up WEBSITE: https://www.thoughtplane.ca/ JUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/ Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin Church Edited by Joseph Morin Close Up cover art by Justin

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62:37

Why Big Media Is Cancelling All Your Favourite Stuff...

Close Up ·

2025/08/06

Hollywood is cancelling your favourite shows and movies left and right. What's their problem, and how will it continue to impact you? 01:38 Wheel of Time Cancellation 03:17 TV Seasons Are Too Far Apart 06:00 Faulty Viewing Metrics 09:07 Destroys Audience Trust 13:50 Peter Jackson 18:25 The MCU 23:29 Streamers 26:45 The Creators 35:10 The Gap Between Seasons 39:45 Expectations 50:34 Solutions 57:35 Wrap-up WEBSITE: https://www.thoughtplane.ca/ JUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA

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55:38

The Fantastic 4 Is Good But Not Great | Close Up...

Close Up ·

2025/07/31

The Fantastic 4: First Steps is getting a lot of hype right now. We liked it... but found the screenplay flawed. 00:00 State of the Fantastic 4 IP 03:18 The Worldbuilding 11:31 Doomsday Theories 16:29 Structure and Dialogue 24:59 Visuals and Filmmaking 30:18 Production Design 37:22 High Stakes 42:04 The Score 43:18 The Family Dynamic 49:41 Stray Thoughts 53:42 Wrap-up WEBSITE: https://www.thoughtplane.ca/ JUSTIN'S SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/jchurchtpm/ Recorded by Joseph Morin and Justin

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72:17

Justin Explains the Competitive World of Squid Game +...

Close Up ·

2025/07/23

Justin and Joe review the latest Superman reboot, by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn! This character is Joe's favorite superhero of all time, so did it live up to his lofty expectations?2:40 Justin's Introduction + Premise 10:11 The Games + Themes 15:27 Antagonists 19:53 Did it Deserve 3 Seasons? 22:35 Are the Games Senseless Violence? 27:23 Core Themes 32:07 Season 3 SPOILER Review 37:03 The Show's Mixed Ending 56:24 Season 3 More Generally 01:02:52 Potential For Season 4 01:10:16

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85:25

Superman is a Hopeful Start to the New DCU | Close Up...

Close Up ·

2025/07/17

Justin and Joe review the latest Superman reboot, by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn! This character is Joe's favorite superhero of all time, so did it live up to his lofty expectations?00:28 DC's History with Crossovers03:34 DC vs Marvel Tones06:15 Overview + David Corenswet16:50 Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane21:10 Nicholas Hoult as Lex luthor25:12 The Justice Gang33:22 The Action + Ultraman42:31 Screenplay01:01:53 Plans for Supergirl01:06:30 Superman Review Wrap-up01:08:50 Box

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71:28

How Toxic Fandoms Undermine The Enjoyment of All |...

Close Up ·

2025/07/12

The state of online fandom is decidednly toxic. Joe and Justin break down the ways in which this toxicity manifests and outline steps to improve the well-being of everybody who considers themselves a "fan". 04:35 A History of Passionate Nerds 11:55 IP Is Inter-generational 18:12 Lack of Understanding Franchise Themes 30:52 Lack of Critical Awareness 42:36 Commodification of Hate 47:28 A Path to Bettering Fandom: Stage 1 53:10 Bettering Fandom Stage 2 01:02:03 Bettering Fandom Stage 3 01:07:33

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163 results

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