Kevin Schaefer and Evan Garcia jump straight into two big takes: they rave about Coyote vs. Acme as a surprisingly sharp, emotionally honest live‑action/animation hybrid and dig into Lanterns as a moody, adult‑leaning Green Lantern mystery that’s more True Detective than cape parade. They break down Coyote vs. Acme’s origins (yes, inspired by that New Yorker gag piece), how the film survived a studio write‑off to become a smart legal underdog story packed with classic Looney Tunes gags, and why the movie’s use of professional voice talent and honest storytelling is a blueprint Hollywood should steal. On Lanterns they map out the show’s stripped‑down, detective‑thriller approach to Hal Jordan, note the series’ bravura performances and complicated themes (race, community, and what duty looks like), and flag the storytelling beats that leave questions about Hal’s choices—and promise answers in the remaining episodes. They warn listeners that spoilers fly freely during the deep dives, but still sprinkle in lighter stuff: a lightning round about comics, Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul re‑watches, and some podcast recs. Evan pitches the Disney Dish podcast for theme‑park nerds, while Kevin tells folks to read Tom King’s Mr. Miracle if they want a dark, humane comic that resonates with the show’s vibe. Witty banter, insider nerd riffs, and heartfelt takes keep the conversation breezy—think smart pop‑culture analysis with a cup of coffee and a wink.

Kevin kicks things off with his trademark laid-back hype and Evan settles in like the chill co-host who actually read the receipts — together they geek out over two big-ticket items: the recently rescued theatrical romp Coyote vs. Acme and the moody HBO/DC series Lanterns. He walks listeners through the show’s playful structure: a lightning-round of personal picks (comics, Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul rewatch energy, and nostalgia-fueled TV recs), then a deep-dive double feature where they go spoiler-heavy. The vibe is casual but sharp; Kevin teases the audience like a buddy at the pub and Evan drops memories of late-night Cartoon Network mornings — both bringing that warm, slightly snarky banter the podcast leans on. When the convo turns to Coyote vs. Acme, they explain the basic premise clearly — a downbeat small-town lawyer named Kevin (Will Forte) accidentally takes on Wile E. Coyote’s suit against the mega-corporation ACME for decades of cartoonish carnage — and why that setup matters.

They unpack the film’s wild production backstory (studio cancellation, another company swooping in to save it), praise the writing for blending legal-thriller beats with sincere emotional arcs, and call out standout moments: a tearful courtroom beat between Coyote and Roadrunner, slick human/cartoon animation integration, and surprisingly thoughtful themes about persistence and late-stage capitalism. Humor lands in that relaxed, witty register — they lampoon the industry, praise professional voice actors over celebrity casting, and marvel at John Cena playing a gleeful a-hole. The summary wraps up noting the hosts’ enthusiasm — they recommend the film to families and nerds alike while keeping it real about the movie’s messy-but-ambitious writer-room DNA.

Takeaways:

• They agreed Coyote vs. Acme is a surprisingly smart live-action/animation hybrid, mixing legal-thriller beats with rom-com heart and delivering genuine emotional payoffs alongside classic cartoon gags.
• Evan points out the film uses Looney Tunes tropes—impossible physics, packing huge gags into tiny spaces—not just for nostalgia but to deepen character arcs and teach basic storytelling principles.
• Kevin and Evan praised how another studio swooped in to save the movie after a corporate write‑off, celebrating that the film’s anti‑megacorporation message landed loudly and vindicated taking creative risks.
• They noted the movie low‑key throws shade at late‑stage capitalism and corporate indifference, giving kids belly laughs while adults get the thematic meat and a mild philosophical gut‑punch.
• On Lanterns, he explained the show is basically a true‑detective cop thriller dressed in Green Lantern mythos, intentionally adult‑focused and morally knotty, so families should check content before co‑watching.
• They debated Hal Jordan’s darker portrayal—Kyle Chandler’s gruff take raises legit questions about motive and morality—calling for flashbacks or context to explain why he’d risk teammates’ lives.
• Evan loved episode three as a masterclass in empathy about the Black experience, while Kevin recommended the HBO companion podcast; together they show how narrative framing shapes audience understanding.
• Practical recs: they suggest diving into Tom King’s comics like Mr. Miracle for deeper themes, plus checking Disney/park and Lantern companion podcasts to beef up background and nerd cred.

.

Be sure to check out our merch, find extra content, and become an official member of Systematic Geekology on our website:

https://systematic-geekology-shop.fourthwall.com/

.

Check out all of our "What's New(s)" series:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/5abf15a7-d441-4638-8a4a-66ccf85e3343

.

Listen to our other DC episodes:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/8c9da262-e657-44a7-b14a-9649933f5347

.

Listen to all of our film review episodes:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/6a01e00d-cfd7-4041-a7a4-1fd32c545050

.

Check out other episodes with Kevin:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/84fd7d06-cf1f-48e5-b358-09a01c5a6bc9

.

Check out other episodes with Evan:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/db75189a-04f3-4129-9a5d-ade41cf863b5

Mentioned in this episode:

Check out our Fourthwall site for quite literally everything to do with our show!

All SG merch, extra content, our youtube page, SG memberships, tips / donations, etc. can all be found at this one convenient spot!

SG on Fourthwall

Systematic Geekology

Our show focuses around our favorite fandoms that we discuss from a Christian perspective. We do not try to put Jesus into all our favorite stories, but rather we try to ask the questions the IPs are asking, then addressing those questions from our perspective. We are not all ordained, but we are the Priests to the Geeks, in the sense that we try to serve as mediators between the cultures around our favorite fandoms and our faith communities.

Donate to our Show / Check Out Free Extras

Check out our show on Fourthwall to donate to the podcast or get free extra content!

SG on Fourthwall

The Anazao Podcast Network

Be sure to check out the network website to see other podcasts trying to engage honestly with Scripture, Theology, Pop Culture, Martial Arts, Science, and more!

Anazao Podcast Network

Become a member of Systematic Geekology on our Website!

Check out the link to become a member of Systematic Geekology! All member get exclusive extras and shout outs on the show! Some of the paid tiers of membership get store discounts, free merch, and more!

SG on Fourthwall

Character would you want representing you if you were on trial?

Hello.

This is systematic geekology.

We are the Priest of the geeks.

And we are here for another what's News episode where we talk about all the latest things in geek culture.

It's Friday night.

We're here to geek out.

I am one of your hosts, Kevin Schaefer, here with my fellow geekologist, Evan Garcia.

Evan, how are you tonight?

What is up, geeks?

I'm having a blast this week, getting ready to jump into some the good old classic philosophy and what is it, classic cartoons.

So, yeah, I must say, if you want to talk philosophy and Looney Tunes and dc, you are in the right place.

Because tonight, you know, we have all kinds of things going on in geek culture, but we're going to focus on first.

We're after topics.

We're going to do a review of the Coyote vs. Acme, which Evan and I are very excited to talk about.

It came out a few weeks ago, but we haven't gotten a chance to do an episode on it yet.

So.

Yeah, yeah, it's been a minute.

And so we're going to talk about that.

And then we are also talking about the first five episodes of Lanterns, the HBO series.

For both of these, we are going to get in spoilers.

So if you haven't seen either the movie or the lantern show and you want to check those out first, feel free to do so and come back.

But we are going to get into spoilers here.

We'll talk about other stuff as well, but those are kind of our main topics tonight, so.

And if you are listening, whether you're on Spotify, Apple podcasts, you're here on YouTube.

Hey, we want to welcome you all.

If this is your first time, that's especially great.

I hope you enjoy us.

Hope you don't give us a negative rating.

But hey, even if you do, yeah, you know, anything helps if you are like, these guys suck, you know, just like, hey, at least something over.

At least.

Yes, exactly.

At least take some time to rate and review the show, give us your honest feedback because we do appreciate it.

Even if it's just a, you know, rant.

Even if it's our mom.

Laughable.

We are.

Yes.

I mean, like, I, I kind of doubt my mom is going to be.

My mom's in Amsterdam right now on vacation.

I, I kind of doubt she's going to be watching me talk about Green Lantern and Cairo.

Exactly.

But you never know.

But whoever you are, wherever you are, hey, we appreciate you.

You know, if you like the show.

Hey, give us a thumbs up.

It really does help.

And if you want to become a supporter, you can click on the links in the description wherever you're listening or watching and you can find out how to get cool merchandise and really good ways to support the show.

That really helps us.

And I want to thank one of our financial supporters, James Barrett.

Thank you so much for your support of the show.

It really means a lot and we hope you will, everyone else will take some time and consider giving us some of that moolah because you know, we are just a humble independent podcast and every little penny, every little contribution helps us.

Awesome.

Well, Evan, before we get into our main topics tonight, we always start off what's news episodes with a lightning round where we talk about some of the other things we're geeking out on.

So Evan, we'll start with you.

What's something on your lightning round pick tonight?

I, I am getting back into comics and I was going to ask you and some of the other guys like Will and Josh, like, what are some good books to jump into right now?

So I've been wanting to do that and I've been, I haven't been, I've been passively listening to things and one thing that I just have found that one of the hosts on the Disney Dish podcast that I follow for, for, for Disney Parks news and stuff, he also does a MCU and a, and a Marvel podcast and he talks about all the news there and he brings his same like a 30 years experience of theme park journalism.

He, he brings it over to, to the mcu.

So I thought, I thought that was a good surprise.

It was a good, was a good find.

It's called Marvel US Disney and with Jim Hill and I forgot the co host.

But yeah, to check it out if you guys are into that kind of stuff.

I mean, you know, I like never follow anything Marvel dc.

So I don't know why would you,.

I don't know why you would recommend that to me, but no, I'll definitely check that out on one.

But I'm curious, what comics have you discovered since getting back into the medium?

I want to get back into Star wars legacy.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

And my kid, I told him to pick me one, just a random one.

And he, and he, and he picked this one.

I don't even know what this is.

So it looks good.

And I have a, I have this.

Can you tell me what a run this is for Daredevil?

Because I want to get like the whole series.

Who's the writer I can't see from.

There, the writers are Zdarsky, Garcia Wilson.

The Chip Sadarsky run is, like, phenomenal.

Right.

So you get.

I mean, they've got them in big collections.

That's what I want.

So, you know, in some ways, I would even recommend going back and reading the Charles Soul run before, because the one is excellent.

But they're.

They're very.

The really good thing about the Daredevil comics, like, Modern Wise is like a.

There's not really a bad run in recent.

Sure.

But, like.

But they're pretty connected, and they also have, like.

What I like is it's all following one story, but each writer kind of brings their own unique flavor to it.

So, like.

So Charles Soule brings legal background to it.

Yeah.

Saul is great.

And I mean, because he was a paralegal for a long time, he brings the legal background to his writing there.

And then Zdarsky brings a lot of the religious themes to it, so he really zeros in on Matt Murdock's Catholicism.

But those really good.

So the Saul run was first.

Before that, it was Mark Waid, which is great, too.

But I would say the Solon Zdarsky ones in particular are pretty linked, but you can get both of them in hardcovers and trades.

That's what I want on the Marvel.

App, because I like to.

I'm trying to do a social media cleanse, so I just need to sit down with a good book and chill.

Yeah.

So, bro, I'm with you there.

It's just getting so exhausting being on.

Like, it is, like, to an extent, I have to.

Like, to an extent, I have to stay on for work and, like, connectivity.

But beyond that, I'm just, like.

This is just sucking my time and.

Energy, especially the way that I tend to be online.

It's kind of.

Yeah, I should have.

I should have taken this break a long time ago.

Yeah, bro, that's a great.

I mean, hey, comics is a great substitute.

Yeah.

You know, I mean, I did it.

About 10 years ago when.

When I did my last kind of break.

Yeah.

I mean, just say goodbye to your bank account, but other than that, you know, you're good.

All right.

All right.

But excellent picks there.

Cool.

Yeah.

Yeah, that.

That's a good one for me.

I've actually.

So I guess I think I brought it up with Christian on a recent episode that I did a complete rewatch of Breaking Bad this year, and then now I'm on to Better Call Saul, and I'm, you know, plowing through it because I Mean, I love it, but, like, it was.

It started.

I mean, I watched Breaking Bad like, years ago in college and then seen episodes in there.

And I actually, I've never gone all the way through Better Call Saul.

I had watched like, some of the earlier seasons, and for whatever reason, I just like, you know, like, didn't get back into it.

And now I'm absolutely hooked.

But.

But yeah, it kind of started because earlier in the year, a friend was over and had never seen Breaking Bad and so started watching the early episodes together and then.

And then he got hooked.

And then that just got me back into it.

And I was like, how many seasons is that again?

The Breaking Bad is five seasons, and then Better Call Saul is six.

But I'm already on season four of Better Call Sa.

It's just been a.

Like, you know, I'll be like, I'll do another episode.

I'll do another episode.

It's just, you know, I mean, but I mean, just phenomenal show.

And I think what I mean, because it will, especially toward the end of Breaking Bad, it get as amazing as it is, it becomes very draining.

I mean, it's kind of the intention.

It gets so dark and depressing.

Right.

But what I like about Better Call Saul is not that it's any less dramatic, but it also brings a delightful dark comedy and loudy to it.

And like, every time Bob Odenkirk is on screen, it's like, I love the supporting cast, so it really blends the dark noir and the black comedy really well.

So it's not all doom and gloom.

I mean, it's still, you know, where it's headed and, you know, it's like, gotta, you know, be heartbreaking, but at the same time, it's wildly entertaining.

So, yeah, so I'm loving it.

But, yeah, so that's been my, like, going back and.

And especially since Vince Gilligan just won another Emmy for Pluribus and Ray Seehorn won as well.

I'm really happy there because I loved Pluribus.

Sounds like it'll still be some time before we get to season two.

Wait a minute.

Hey, I, you know, Pluribus.

Are you talking about that video game?

No, this is the Apple TV series that came out last year.

It's the same but complete.

Completely separate from the video game.

But like, it's a Vince Gilligan created show where Racy Horn, who played Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, she's the lead in it.

And it's basically the premise is that this worldwide virus happens and bunch of people Die.

But the ones that are left are, like, overly happy in this artificial, manipulative way.

Except for this one woman.

Like, she's like, not.

It's like she's not infected.

And so she's just like, you're all crazy.

And she's trying to figure out a way to end it, but.

And she manages to find a few other people like her, but they become complicit because they're like, hey, everything's fine.

Like, they basically surrendered to the apocalypse.

Sorry, I'm.

I know I'm going way off topic here, but it's also a great show you should watch.

All right.

Yeah, yeah.

So that's.

But even Skelligan won a writing award, an Emmy for it, and then Racy Horn won Best Actress in a Drama, so I was very happy about that.

But.

Yeah, so doing a deep dive into the Vince Gilligan universe here, and I'm loving it, but.

Yeah.

What else has he done?

The name sounds familiar.

Well, I was at Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, okay.

Well.

And then otherwise.

Well, I mean, everything.

I mean.

Well, I mean, Breaking Bad, Brother Call Saul and El Camino, I mean, that took up like, 15 years of his life.

Sure.

Before.

Before that, he did.

He actually did co write that you never.

That Will Smith movie, Hancock.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, he co wrote that.

And then he was an act.

He was an X Files writer before he created Breaking Bad.

But.

But between Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and.

All of those were going, wow.

Yeah.

So, yeah, Pluribus was a. Yeah, Pluribus premiered last year, and that was his first show not in the Breaking Bad universe.

You know, I credit.

And I've heard some other people do it, too.

I credit Breaking Bad as the show that brought us into the.

To our streaming age that we are in now.

Oh, 100%, because.

Because, sure, the show was popular, but when AMC put it on to Netflix, it exploded.

It exploded.

So, yeah.

And that was how it was for me.

I mean, I say it when I binged it in college on Netflix, and then I did watch the final season as it aired.

But other than.

Oh, I was exactly into that.

But yeah.

Yeah.

So, yeah.

Crazy.

Awesome.

Well, well, great lighting, graphics, and.

Yeah.

Let's get on to our main topic.

So, first one, I'm very excited to talk about Coyote versus Acme.

This is the recent not Warner Brothers flick because Warner Brothers screwed up and tried to cancel this movie and bury it.

But thankfully, another Studio came in and picked it up, but Cardiff, me.

I mean, what do we say?

Best movie of the year and just leave it at that?

Next.

Yeah, yeah, next.

No, but.

Oh, but I really did love this movie.

Before we get into the movie itself, Evan, what's kind of your background with Looney Tunes characters in that universe?

Oh, that.

Some of my earliest memories are waking up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and turning on Cartoon Network when I'm like, five or six years old, and here's a coyote chasing a roadrunner.

You know, it's like this stuff is.

Is ingrained in my.

In my psyche and.

Yeah, just the whole.

The whole slew of characters, you know, so on the.

The reruns, technically, because there was already like 20, 30 years of it before it got to me.

So.

Yeah, that's how I. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It was somewhere.

Me.

I mean, all the.

Oh, yeah.

I mean, the Cartoon Network.

Because, I mean, when we were kids, it was like the three big were.

Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network.

Yeah.

I kind of watched, like, different things on each one.

I mean, I wasn't, like, 100% loyal to one network, and those were like, you know, my trilogy of cartoons and live action, you know, all of the stuff.

Yeah, my trinity.

My holy trinity.

Exactly.

As a kid.

And so.

So, yeah, no, I mean, Looney Tunes reruns and then Scooby Doo and all that.

So, yeah, I mean, it granted it before going into this movie.

It had been a minute since I had delved into those cartoons, all that.

So I was like, you know, coming back with not a cyclopedic knowledge or anything.

In the same way.

I know DC and Marvel, but still, I mean, I remembered a lot of the shorts and stuff growing up.

There was just that feeling and that style of animation that was really formative to so many.

And Tiny Toons.

The.

Yes, the.

I think they had a.

A Star wars special that.

I think it's either that or Star Tours at Disney is my first.

Is my first ever Star wars content, so.

Really?

Okay.

Yeah.

So I saw it before I even knew what Star wars was.

I was like, huh, interesting.

And then.

And then when I saw Star Wars, I'm like, oh, this is what it was.

Parody.

This is what the parody was.

Parodying.

Yeah.

I was like, no way.

Okay, see, that's interesting because, like.

Well, and that's also.

I imagine there are probably more people with that experience today more than ever.

Like, I've seen a parody.

It's Star wars or.

Yeah.

Or something else that they've seen all the parodies before.

They've actually seen the original source of material.

You know, I mean, so that's interesting.

But.

Yeah.

So Coyote versus Acme.

Well, yeah, so I mentioned a little background.

This was.

They'd been in development for a long time.

It was.

The initial concept was inspired by a satirical New Yorker article from the late 90s.

And then James Gunn, originally based on a true story, went through.

Right, right.

Oh, I love that.

Oh, that's why the.

The tagline there was perfect.

But, yeah, James Gunn had pitched it originally, went through different writers and drafts, and then.

Yeah.

And then it was being developed finally and.

And made by Warner Brothers.

And it got all the way through.

And then, lo and behold, Warner Brothers, you know, during a major merger, wrote it off as a tax write off.

The Lake of Time canceled the movie.

Yes.

And, you know, I'll leave it to listeners and viewers to determine why a major corporation would try to cancel a movie that is about taking down a major corporation.

But, you know, it was pretty obvious.

Yes, yes.

But at the same time, it kind of bit right back in their face.

Because then.

Actually, Evan, while I'm talking, do you mind looking up the name of the studio that ended up buying this?

Because I'm blanking on that.

Catch up.

That's right.

Yeah.

I got to Entertainment, came in, bought it, and saved it.

And, you know, I mean, it was a miracle that someone came in, swooped it, and taped it.

I thought it would.

Yeah, I thought at most it would get, you know, just a.

A niche streaming release, but this got a full theatrical release.

And I.

When I heard that, not only that, I was like, yes, it's just like, you know, suck it, Zaslav.

But, you know, like, like, but.

But also, you know, God's theatrical.

And not only that, but it's done so well critically and commercially.

It has.

Yeah.

And that's.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I.

When I saw it, there was a good amount of families there in the theater.

I heard a lot of buzz about it.

Yes, it was.

It was really cool to see.

So that's the background.

Evan, do you want to give just a brief synopsis of what the movie is about?

Sure.

So it's like you said, it's kind of based on a.

A real article and a downbeat lawyer, a very small town, small stakes lawyer, is taking on some cases, and he mistakenly takes on a case from Coyote, and it's a case against the acne products that have failed him throughout the years and caused him damage from.

From trying to Catch the Roadrunner.

So he's trying to file case against them and he goes to.

I forgot his first name, but his last name was Avery, I think.

And he.

Yeah.

And then hilarity ensues from there and he reluctantly takes the case and then he learns and he grows from it and.

And then poof.

John Cena's a jackass.

And yeah, I think John Cena loves playing jerk characters like he is, especially because he has, he has a reputation as being like the nicest guy in real life.

And so I think he loves playing villains.

Seeing him doing the press for this and how he toes the party line on like, hey, yeah, I get what the company tried to do with this, but I'm glad it's coming out.

And he is so professional and I have some mad respect for the dude.

Yeah, no, absolutely.

Yeah, yeah.

And I, I wasn't Will Forte's character named Kevin.

It might be.

Yeah, it was, it was, it was Kevin.

His last name was.

Was.

Was Avery, though.

And I was waiting for that to be a text.

Avery reference.

Yeah, but I didn't hear it or I didn't see anything, but I don't know.

So.

Yeah, yeah, but that was.

Yeah, yeah.

And then I'm just getting this like, just so before I talk.

So, yeah, directed by Dave Green and then screenplay was by Sam.

Sammy Burch.

Yeah, I just want to get the creative team here before start talking.

But yeah, no, I mean, the writers on there.

No, no, you're good, you're good.

There was actually there were several.

Because it went through several Jazz.

But.

But Sammy Birch was the final.

While I wrote the final screenplay.

But so I came out of this movie and I was like, that was the best legal thriller I've seen in a while.

And then, and then I had friends texting me who saw it like the next day.

They're like, I don't know about you, but that was the best rom com I've seen in a while.

I'm like, that's fair too.

It kind of it because it does an unexpected, really emotional and, you know, tear jerking storyline between of all characters Coyote and Roadrunner.

And then also the relationship between Coyote and Will Forte's character, Avery.

There's just like this amalgamation of things.

And yeah, there's so many things I love about this movie, but I think, you know, we've seen obviously other live action animation hybrids with the Looney Tunes.

So who Framed Roger Rabbit being the most famous.

And then, you know, Space Jam was very iconic for our generation.

But I think this One like, I mean, Space Jam will always hold a nostalgic, you know, place for me.

But I would venture to say if I watched it now, it wouldn't be that good, other than, like, you know, have some fun memories.

The sequel wasn't good?

No, the sequel looked terrible.

I never even saw it like that.

Look, that looked awful.

But this one, though, it never sacrifices anything like it.

It always prioritizes telling a good story.

It's never, you know, just like, oh, how many nostalgic callbacks can we cram in here?

Or, you know, fungate.

Like, it respects its audience.

Like, so this was the biggest thing, too, is I texted a friend who, like, he took his whole family to it, and his daughter is like, six.

And I was like, how did she respond to.

Because I was really curious what kids thought of this movie.

Because, you know, again, like, I love that, but I'm like, this is a legal thriller.

There's, like, you know, there's a scene where some of the Looney Tunes characters are in an asylum.

Like, I mean, there's all.

There's a lot going on here.

And I'm like, how is this?

Like, how did it come across?

Kids and he said his daughter loved it.

Like, they, like, it was both funny and, you know, it's not dumbed down for kids, but it's, you know, digestible also.

But that's the thing.

The script was just so smart, so well executed, and, you know, it did a great job with the, you know, Looney Tunes gags that you expect.

And also making them funny, too.

Like, they were really funny moments that weren't, you know, cheap or anything.

But it never loses sight of its emotional storytelling.

And that's a lot to say for, again, a Looney Tunes live action animation hybrid.

But this was probably one of the best written movies I've seen this year.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So, you know, I mean, I'm thinking, like, some of my favorite.

Well, okay, so looking at Will Forte's character, you know, Kevin, like Evan was saying, is this just, you know, downbeat lawyer?

He's the epitome of.

He doesn't want to succeed or climb the corporate ladder.

He takes these very easy cases because, you know, there's allusions to, you know, he had a past as some big shot but had continually failed.

Now he's just given up.

And John Cena's character is the opposite, is the, you know, VP at this major law firm, which Foghorn from Looney Tunes Universe is his boss, which I found hilarious.

But, you know, John Cena's character and Will Forte's had gone to law school together, but now they're rivals.

But Will Forte comes in with no ambition.

And of all clients, Coyote is the one who, you know, gets him out of his slump and, you know, gets him on a case that changes him forever.

He also has his niece there working at the firm, and it turns into this just great legal thriller, underdog story.

And also, again, all the elements of the relationships.

And.

And I mean, this is another thing about Coyote is such a complex character here because, like, you know, for someone who never speak word.

Yeah.

Without speaking.

Like he.

With limited science.

Yes, yes.

Because, like, okay, he starts out thinking like, okay, he wants to take down the ACME Corporation for all the damages to him over the years.

But.

But then he has this vendetta against Roadrunner and he's willing to manipulate Kevin in order to sabotage Roadrunner and everyone else.

And, you know, he's a bit of an anarchist, but, you know, but he's also.

We find he's willing to change.

And the.

Again, the moment where Roadrunner says in the courtroom, again, spoiler.

But toward the end where he says, like, oh, I always liked you as you're my friend and everything, and like.

And Coyote just burst into tears.

I'm like, that got me as a.

Like an adult man sitting in the theater.

I was like, I was not expecting that we were friends to be an emotional.

Yeah.

It was just such a brilliant piece of writing where it wasn't, you know, forced or anything.

It came across so organically.

It was good.

Yeah.

But it.

This was just.

I mean, there were so many different layers to the story.

The animation is spectacular.

Of course, we have to talk about that.

I love how.

I mean, again, like, who Framed Around Traffic is like the classic, you know, in this kind of thing.

But this one, I feel, like, bridged the classic Looney Tunes style of animation with a modern sensibility to it.

And it was vibrant.

It was eclectic.

I was really engaged with all of the more action sequences and the comedic takes and.

And.

And the humans felt like.

It never felt out of place for the humans to be that right alongside all of the cartoon characters.

It just worked so well and it was so fluid.

It was.

Reminded me of the classic even.

Even Mary Poppins.

It's just like.

It just felt so natural.

Natural.

And, Evan, did you have any favorite scenes or moments?

Like, either or more dramatic?

It's been minutes as I've seen it, but sure.

But I kind of.

The part where.

What was it the part where, like, he.

Where Where Coyote crams everything into that.

A file box and then he sneaks it into that just kind of stuck with me.

It just like that.

Like, just.

It was such a beautiful way to take a typical cartoony Looney Tunes trope of, like, great things just kind of fitting into something very small and.

And kind of being the crux of the whole film.

I thought that was perfect.

So, yeah, I like to.

When.

So when.

When Coyote does get, well, I would say reluctantly, he basically kind of, like, manipulates Wilfort's character into taking the case.

And now, like, Kevin is just, like, begrudgingly is stuck with them.

And when he takes him to the motel that he lives at, that the, like, really.

Down by the motel when he's trying to check him in and the receptionist is saying, oh, we don't allow pets here.

Like, I love that scene.

Yes.

And then he becomes a lawyer.

Like, he.

He steps up and defends a coyote, and a coyote's like, oh, okay.

I mean, you know, like, I was talking about Better Call Saul earlier.

That literally reminded me of Better Call Saul.

There you go.

Like, this was a Jimmy McGill type scenario where he's having to, like, utilize his lawyer skills and his charisma to work his way through and get himself out of his situation.

So I. I loved.

And.

And again, the.

The animation and the way it was directed there was great, but that was one of my favorites.

Yeah.

And that.

New Mexico.

A motel and.

Yes.

Yeah, I'm gonna say that Vince Gilligan and Bob Godenkirk had some kind of secret advisory role in this movie.

I don't know.

Or.

Or at least they were.

They inspired it.

Yeah.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, hey, the script went through multiple drafts, so who's to say they didn't have a hand in it?

But that was kind of.

And that was kind of of a knock on it for me.

It's like I could tell there were some.

I could tell that there was too many cooks in the kitchen.

I was just like, but that's fair.

But I was able to, like, I was able to look past it because I wanted it.

I wanted it to be the film that I wanted to support.

So.

But yes, I did notice that kind of.

I could strongly.

I could tell where.

Where, Where.

Where it turned into Act 3 and Act 2.

I was like, oh, okay.

This is a little clunky, but sure, yeah.

I mean, I was never bored in the movie, but I agree there was a lot of moving parts, and it seemed like it.

Different writers had pitched different ideas.

They're like, let's see how we can make it all work and cram it all in here.

And, I mean, that's fine.

I mean, again, I still think it was a really smart, clever script.

And there was never a point where I felt like, you know, oh, this was too much or excessive.

But I do.

I do think that you could tell that this was a writer's room kind of movie.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Like, I mean, usually too Many Cooks in the Kitchen has a complete, you know, range of styles, and it's just a, you know, a mess.

But here it still came across.

I mean, there was a clear arc and.

And I think that was what.

As much as there was going on, the focus remained on both Coyote and Kevin changing throughout the movie.

So, like, Kevin goes from this, like, downbeat, given up, like, you know, living in a lousy motel lawyer to, you know, he's gained.

I mean.

I mean, he loses the case at the end, but he still.

He was willing to sacrifice it all to try and, like, you know, actually puts it, he was willing to fail instead of retreat.

And that was like, the big push point for him.

And then for Coyote, he learned, you know, he goes from this willing to manipulate anyone around him to get to his end goals to, oh, realizing that I'm not alone either.

Like, I have people who actually care about me, and I, you know, can.

Can help others too.

It was a problem.

And it's not that, like, either of those arcs are anything revolutionary, but their way they were handled was brilliant.

Mm.

Yeah, sure.

And the whole.

And kind of like, what the.

What the poster is alluding to here, the whole.

The whole Sisyphus idea of it all, that was.

I was not expecting that.

And that whole thing about, like, hey, like, sure, your life can go in circles, but it's your perspective.

Like, one must imagine Coyote and a roadrunner friends.

So, so, sure, you.

You might be spinning in circles, but.

But you should think of your goal upward and kind of focus your priorities as a positive way.

So I was just like, wow, I was not expecting that to come out of this at all.

So, no, there were so many moments where I'm like.

And again, the.

The.

The Looney Tunes in the asylum scene, I was like, okay, this is a kids movie throwing this out in there.

That's when I got me in the theater.

I was just laughing.

I was like, you know, but.

But again, it was.

The whole movie pointed to the evils of late stage capitalism and megacorporations.

And I'm like, hey, if this is the way, let's send this message to kids.

Like, megacorporations suck and go fight for the little guy.

Yeah, exactly.

It did not pull punches whatsoever.

No, no.

It did not hide that fact.

So I have a question for you.

What did you think about the inclusion or the lack of inclusion of the main characters?

Kind of like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Dog and stuff like that?

I was okay with it, honestly.

I mean, there were, like, cameos, but, like, I think it would have been forced if they had tried to, like.

I mean, we were talking about, like.

Yeah, there would have been too many things like that, I think.

Could have been, like, you know, a writer really pushing for them to have some, like, big arc and big kind of thing, you know, I mean, and I think this was not their movie, and that's okay.

You know, like, I mean, you don't need to force Superman and Batman to every D.C. story, and you don't need to force Iron man and Spider man and.

And the Avengers and everyone else into every Marvel story.

Like, same goes here.

So this was very much like Coyote and Kevin's movie and Coyote Roadrunner and then the actual preparation of the villain.

So I think it worked better to have cameos and nods, but to focus on other characters and not get distracted from the main narrative.

So I was.

I was like.

I do commend them for, like, not forcing anything there.

While it's always fun to see, you know, the big, heavy headers when they're not.

This is a good lesson for other storytellers out there of, like, you don't have to force a character in just for nostalgia sake or, you know, to give for fan service.

Like, you know, you do whatever is in service of the story.

So I. I thought it had just enough references throughout to the larger Looney Tunes universe.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And then the ending was great, too.

Like, what?

I mean, like, well, the beginning of the.

The whole.

The professor story and all of that.

Like, you know, the professor story.

And then what are the.

The.

The scientists, like, at the beginning that, like, they had gone missing, Like.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yep, yep.

Okay.

Like, him getting reunited.

Yeah.

Again, you see other characters throughout, but no, I. I liked that it was.

Yeah.

Not just a big, you know, Looney Tunes ensemble.

It felt very much in this universe, but it didn't waste time with, you know, unnecessary side quests and stuff like that.

Yeah.

So I enjoyed it, but.

Yeah, but one thing that.

That I did, and I took the time to look at the voice actors Here.

Oh, yeah.

If.

If you've ever done any voices, you probably worked on this film and everybody was on pretty much.

It was.

Yep.

The huge names and everything.

So that was pretty cool to see that.

And that's the other thing too is like, I really love when animated movies use actual voice actors for it because I get.

The trend I get sick of is when they have just celebrities headlining, you know, an animated movie when they're not professional voice actors.

Like, I mean, like I said, well, when we were watching the trailer.

It's all Disney's fault there.

Yes.

Oh, it is 100%.

Like, I mean, because, like, there was a trailer for like this sci fi animated movie.

Maybe it's from DreamWorks or what, I can't remember.

But.

But it was with Timothee Chalamet and Selena Gomez.

And I'm like, no diss to either of them, but neither of them are voice actors.

My thing with that is, okay, kids are not going to anime movie because Timothee Chalamet and Selena Gomez are in it.

Same with Chris Pratt as Mario.

They're going to see Mario.

They're going to see.

I know this is a total side rant, but it's this Trend I am 100% sick of.

So another thing I praise this movie for Train is higher.

Actual voice actors to headline these movies.

Because the.

The kids are going to go regardless.

They're not going for the names and same way, I mean, the parents are not going for the name because they don't care about that.

Like they're taking their kids to see a movie.

You know, I just.

Yeah, again, side rap.

But needs to be said because, you know, do more.

Literally everything about this movie is something every Hollywood studio can learn from when they're developing more kids movies.

Write smarter scripts because kids are not dumb.

Hire voice actors, hire good animation talent and just focus on telling good stories and don't dumb it out.

So end of sermon.

But that's my, you know, my message for today.

That's ironic that you say that because.

Because my son, he is eight and like I said on a previous episode, like, we took him to the Odyssey and he loved it.

Like, he wants us engaged with the whole film for three hours.

This one, he fell asleep the first 10 minutes.

Okay, okay.

Well, your son's boy, he's graduated from some of that.

But, like, it was a long day, I guess.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Did your daughter see it?

No.

She is in that stage where she doesn't want to get out of the house.

Gotcha.

Gotcha.

That makes sense.

Yeah.

But yeah, I mean, when it comes to streaming, I want to show my niece and nephews because I'd be curious what their thoughts are.

But, yeah, awesome.

He is hyped to see more classic Looney Tunes, so, yeah, sure, sure.

He got him into it, so it's.

A good starting point.

Nice.

Nice.

Yeah.

Sweet.

Well, great discussion here.

And now let's get on to our next topic.

So DC Studios and hbo.

Max's Lanterns again, we're recording after the first five episodes have premiered, so we still got three episodes to go this season.

But we are going to get into spoilers for the episode so far.

Evan, are you caught up on episodes right now?

I am, I am.

I've seen.

Excellent, excellent.

I've seen episode three and the last one twice, so.

Okay, perfect.

Perfect.

Yeah.

Great.

So what?

We haven't really just.

I can't remember though, last time, I think the pilot had just dropped and we discussed that a little bit.

But what are your overall impressions of the series so far?

I am in love with it and I love the fact that it's a delivering on what it said that it was going to be.

It's.

It's a true detective cop thriller with Green Lantern at its core.

And it is.

It's a delivering in spades.

It's.

It is.

The writing, the directing is phenomenal and.

But I also kind of understand the gripe that I think it was on a previous episode.

I think it was Andy saying that it kind of stinks because a kid can't watch this one.

And I was like, yeah, he's.

Yeah, he is right.

It's like, even if it's a smart kid, there are some highly inappropriate content here.

So.

So, yeah, so.

But I love it.

And I love it for the fact that that episode four, it gave it.

It gave the.

The Disney theme park community a huge shout out by.

By mentioning the.

The topic of the weenies.

And I could not believe it.

I was like, they went there.

Like, the writers know what's up.

I was like, they are my people.

They are my people.

I was like, nice.

So if you watch or listen to.

I'm loving it.

Yeah.

If you watch or listen to the companion podcast that's on hbo, they taught.

The writers talked about that too.

It was a great.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah, I love that.

Yeah, I saw that.

It's awesome.

This.

This.

This podcast is fantastic.

It really is.

I have to give it a shout out.

Straw hat Goofy.

Yeah.

Yes.

I have to give it a shot because, like, that podcast What I love about it, because when it, when a podcast is produced by the same network that is producing the show, it could easily turn into a PR fest.

And it's not at all like.

What I love is the, the host of that Green.

Yes, the juju Green.

The host.

He's.

He's fantastic and he asks really intelligent questions to each guest.

So he's had on cast members, writers, directors, and it's a really insightful conversation.

Each episode I like.

I've looked forward to the podcast each week as much as I have the show.

That's fairly, that's what I love.

But so definitely a shout out there, but.

But not for me.

I'm so, I'm really loving the show.

You know, I mean, I shared my thoughts on the overall like, you know, in previous episodes of like, I knew always it was going to be a true detective show because that's what they had pitched it as originally.

So like, I already knew all about that.

So I was not alarmed when they dropped the first teaser and there was like not really any Green Lantern mythos in that, you know, teaser.

I was like, guys, this is kind of what they said it was going to be.

And then, you know, they revealed more as they drop more teasers and you know, I really enjoyed the first episode, really enjoyed it throughout.

And I would say, you know, and I will.

And we talked about it on that about like, it's not that.

So like, I'm okay with this being an adult oriented series, but I do hope that DC Studios does provide a mixture of adult content and kids a little bit more.

Yeah, I do want them to do either a show, pretty good show, either live action or animated that I could watch with my niece and nephews because so far the offerings have not been, you know, kid friendly and that's okay.

But I do, I do want to see some, some range there.

But this series, no, I mean, I've been loving the mystery.

The cast is phenomenal.

It's extremely well written, I would say so if I have any criticisms.

Mainly relates to like, I thought a lot about this week's episode because as exhilarating as it was, it got me thinking about a couple things.

So, you know, the.

I, I do not mind the true detective atmosphere and execution of this series at all, but there.

And it's fine to not make a traditional superhero show.

We have enough of those.

That said, there's still.

There were moments throughout the first five episodes where I'm like, okay, if I was writing this or if I had any, like, you know, feedback.

I would do this little, just to like, scratch that itch for a little more superhero stuff mainly if I.

What I would have liked to see so far is in the cold opens.

I wish they had done some flashbacks with Hal because at this point we've only seen Hal as this kind of like, you know, kind of grumpy curmudgeon who does not want to give his ring to anyone else.

He's very cocky and how in the comics is cocky?

I think Kyle Chandler brings a different sensibility to him here and he brings his own unique characterization.

But I've seen a very cocky Hal in a very reckless one in the comics plenty of times before.

But I think going back to what they could have done to balance the true detective grounded aesthetic with some of the more superhero shenanigans, I, I would have just liked maybe at least one episode that started off with a 10 to 15 minute, even just 10, 5, 10 minutes or whatever.

Like a cold open where you get to see Hal in his prime.

Because I think that would have been.

Episode is coming up.

Scratch the itch.

And I, I, I knew that maybe we've still got three episodes to go.

So.

And I, I mean, I'm kind of thinking it we, because we don't know from the content of the series, we don't know a ton about how like we.

So that's why, you know, this again is just based on the first five episodes, but also looking at this week's episode specifically.

So we got to see a lot more Green Lantern stuff here.

This was, you know, everything was leading up to this with the Manhunter, it was Zoe and then Anton's and his force coming to a collision in the Nebraska town.

And also Hal and John being there.

But there were a couple things here.

So we get some big, great action set pieces.

But also.

So a big core tenet of Green Lantern is like you can do anything with the ring and you can make all this cool stuff.

And we haven't seen a ton of that.

And I was expecting more of that here.

Even though Hal is not the most creative, like when he typically just does shields and stuff, there still was an opportunity to do like make some cool, I mean, make a tank or make a, I don't know, like, I mean, more than just like force fields and stuff.

There was an opportunity to do more visual, more things interesting from a visual lens in this episode that I Think was a little bit of a waste of opportunity.

Um, but the other thing.

So in this episode, there's a couple things to consider.

Okay, so how.

And John.

Well, first off, at the beginning.

Okay, I get that, you know, there.

How Is willing to leave John behind.

He's not letting him have the ring, but leaving him to burn there in the car.

That was a bit of a stretch for me.

And again, to your point, I do hope we're going to learn more about Hal in the next few episodes to justify, like, why he would.

Because I don't see him.

I mean, unless I.

There's a context missing and we need to know more.

I don't see him as the kind of guy yet who would be willing to just like, diss his partner and like nearly kill him because he would have been killed if the.

If Zoe hadn't saved him.

That was a big issue for me.

And then also that Hal and John choose to have what is essentially their big dick measuring contest and beat the crap out of each other.

Right.

And do it in the hotel room.

Not in a calm moment at all as innocent lives are being taken and the whole town is falling apart.

Did they really need to have this, you know, punching each other fast now, you know, and it just seems like for two characters who I get, they're human and the tension between them has been boiling from day one.

But I would, I, I again, I need more context for Hal, especially to see that he would be willing to put aside his duty in this moment.

Now granted, Hal has done infinitely worse things in the comics because I just.

So as the show's been coming out, I've been going through some of the old ones and I just read the Emerald Twilight series for the first time, which.

This is the series where base just for context.

So Coast City is destroyed in the aftermath of Cyborg Superman.

This was in the 90s when after death of Superman.

And so Cyborg Superman goes on the stage and so Hal.

Hal is devastated and he pleads with the Guardians to help him rebuild.

And the Guardians say no because the Guardians are kind of dicks.

And.

And he.

Hal loses it completely.

And.

But not only goes off the Guardians, he goes after the entire Green Lantern Green Lantern corpse and he kills some of his closest friends and.

And then this leads to him being replaced by Kyle Rayner.

So it's a.

It's a while it was the 90s, it was wild.

And that led to him becoming Parallax.

I'm not saying he's to that level now.

That was, you Know, the most extreme he had ever been.

But in the show, again, I'm just not as convinced, just based on these first five episodes that he would be willing to, you know, risk John's life to keep the ring and then for them to fight while innocent lives are being lost.

But again, that.

These are the main questions I have going into the final episodes.

What's your take on how from episode three and how he's portrayed?

I mean, yeah, like, you know, I did really love that episode because I think it gave a great insight into John's story.

But.

Yeah, but.

But, yeah, I mean, the fact that he, like, kind of like, could it stand John from day one and he was not open to the idea of an apprentice.

Like, and, you know, the people were going to, like, he said to him, you know, you're going to take the ring off my.

Over my dead body.

You know, like, I mean, so, I mean, oh, the arrogance there is very readily apparent, but I still need to know a little more why he is that gung ho about it and why.

I mean, like, it's one thing to not, you know, take be like a Batman and, you know, just like, oh, I'm not a team player.

I'm not going to, like, let anyone take my job.

That, you know, that's understandable.

But to, you know, be willing to kill him and also, you know, fight him while they're in mission mode, that was more where I'm like, okay, I hope we get a little more context and exploration of this in the coming episodes.

Yeah, yeah.

So still, I mean, still a great episode, but that was the only thing I've been thinking about.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And we have three episodes, so.

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, and again, the performances, Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre are phenomenal.

Aaron Pierre, like, I mean, I rewatched Rebel Ridge recently, which I know is one of Andy's favorite movies.

Great movie there.

And.

Yeah.

So, I mean, I love the conversation between them.

But, yeah, now I'm really.

Now that the Nebraska.

The Russell arc is over, at least in this timeline.

I. Yeah, I'm really curious where the final episodes go and what we're going to see here.

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure we will see a House Entered episode for sure.

And we will see him and him and a Sinestro together.

I. I'm pretty sure we will see that context and see what happened there.

No, I agree.

I'm just like, I.

At this point, I'm like, give it to me now.

I'm ready for it.

But, oh, the other Thing I was gonna ask you about.

So what did you think about?

Because, like, I saw some commentary on this, and I, like, don't know how to feel where, like, okay, like, Zoe comes in.

Is the man under.

I mean, she takes the form of this.

This woman, and they have a conversation about race in the last episode.

And I'm like.

And I mean, this is just a review I read earlier, but.

But there.

But there is a review I heard earlier that was like, is the message here being said that, like, oh, you know, outsiders can come in and ruin the idyllic lives of, like, this small town?

I don't know.

I mean, there's quite.

I'm not saying it's that, but there's a lot of, like, themes raised, and I don't really know exactly what the show is trying to say, and I was curious what your thoughts were there.

Yeah, this show is saying a lot about minorities.

I can see that.

Like, episode three was a masterclass in empathy for the black experience.

Now, whether people accept that or not, that's on their problem.

But that's what that episode was.

That was a showcase of what the black people have to live through.

But then a couple episodes later, like you said, it shows the Manhunter as a immigrant parallel and coming and kind of.

Kind of.

Kind of faking the town and.

And basically taking advantage of a town and.

And basically ruining it.

So it's just like, yeah, what are we saying here?

It is just interesting, though.

Yeah.

Because.

Because she is a woman of color and of.

Of Indian descent.

Maybe so.

And they say that.

That it is the best way to infiltrate a town is to.

Is to become the one with the least power.

So I thought that was super interesting, to say the least.

No, I mean, these are.

That's what I love about the show, though, is it does raise so many questions.

It's incredibly well written.

And, yeah, there, like, there are times where.

Yeah.

I'm still not sure exactly what it's trying to say or how I feel about this, but I like that it's still lingering in my mind, and I.

And that there's still three episodes to go where I can really make a full assessment.

But, yeah, that's kind of where I'm at right now is, like, still loving it, still going, but I'm like, I have these questions that I hope will get answered and.

And, you know, kind of make my.

I have the same questions, but I like to remember that this is a.

This is a David Lindelof, a thing.

He doesn't necessarily give the answers that you may want when the show's over.

So.

And I mean, I don't think it's.

Going to be a very clean cut now I have yet to see.

I gotta check that out.

The Watchman series is incredible.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's it.

But no one, it's three big cooks of like Damon Lindelof, Tom King and Chris Mundy, like, so they all bring those senses.

That's.

But that's where Lindelof and King, I think both do that a lot where they.

Sometimes they ask more questions and provide answers and.

Yeah.

And I mean, sometimes that can lead to really great storytelling.

But yeah.

So overall, I mean, I'm still really loving the show.

Cool.

Really excited to see where it goes from here.

But.

But awesome.

So, yeah.

So I. I know we are coming up at the end of the hour, but Evan, before we go, do you have a recommendation for viewers and listeners out there?

Either of something we discussed tonight or something totally different?

Sure.

I say if.

If the weenie talk from Lanterns kind of peak your.

Your order interest.

Check out the Disney Dish podcast.

They are the two of the Al Hos have been doing theme park news and a commentary for about 40 years now.

And they are.

They are a good place to start if you want to get into the theme park and the Disney community with a podcast.

Excellent choice, I think for me since we just talked about Tom King and you're getting back into comics, one you definitely have to read is his Mr.

Miracle series that he did with Mitch Garrett.

And this one actually really delves into mental health.

It's one of the best comics he's ever made and he's actually developing it as an animated series for DC Studios.

That's I think coming out next year.

But Mr.

Miracle by Tom King and Mitch Garage.

Absolutely phenomenal series.

Awesome.

Well, Evan, this has been fantastic.

I always love doing what's news episodes with you.

I know we could go on forever, but.

But we do have to go geek it on more stuff so we can make more episodes.

So.

Hey, thank you all for joining us tonight.

Yes, exactly.

Thank you all for joining us tonight.

Again, click on the link in the description if you want to find out ways to support us and rate and review us.

It really helps.

And remember, we are all a chosen people.

A kum of priests.

Peace out, y'.

All.