TJ and Chad are joined this week by special guests Mike Fissel and Clark Douglas to talk about ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. But first, a Peter Pan origin story? Apparently so. No one on this podcast is quite sure they needed this, but whatever. And of course, your hosts must talk about A.V. Club’s 15 worse films of 2013. It seems everyone has something on this list to quibble with. But no one can agree on what that one film on this list is that shouldn’t be there. And of course be sure to find out all about the thoughts and opinions behind ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’. Is this just big-boy fan fiction or is there something more here? And what’s with Tauriel? Who’s she and why was a non-cannon character added to the cast? Is this film worth seeing, is it better than the first film? So many questions, and your intrepid hosts set out to find answers!

Though only just returned from the edge of the death, TJ does not fail to bring you this week’s fun movie goodness! For starters, the upcoming ‘Star Trek’ film has 2 new writers. The more the merrier! TJ made a mistake with his box office analysis earlier in the week in regards to ‘Frozen’ for which he apologizes. AFI has announced their top 10 movies and TV shows. Joe Cornish is not directing the next ‘Star Trek’ film. Paramount is working on ‘Jack Reacher 2’. ‘World War Z’ Sequel has an announced director. Joe stepped in on ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ this week for TJ to talk with Chad about ‘Frozen’ and you probably won’t want to miss that episode. ‘Agents of SHIELD’s’ ratings fell again this week, which is quite the bummer! And of course, find out what to see this weekend.

Join Chad and TJ to discuss the sad event of Paul Walker’s death. Neither Chad nor TJ are really ‘Fast and Furious’ fans, and TJ has only seen one of the films he was in so they don’t feel quite up to the task. But it’s a sad event and needs talking about. And in what they are sure is a very difficult decision, Universal has halted production on ‘Fast and Furious 7’. Prayers go out for family and friends. And with no good way to transition out of that sad news, Chad and TJ do find some way to move to the next topic: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ has been announced for May of 2016. It seems a little odd given that ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ is not even out in theaters yet. But TJ at least is excited because Bryan Singer is back at the helm and as far as he’s concerned, Singer can make as many ‘X-Men’ films as he wants to! Obviously all this leads to talk of the ‘X-Men’ universe in general. They also discuss the general state of films for 2015 and 2016. And the primary review this week is ‘The Book Thief’ which is in many ways delightful, but you’ll also want to have your tissues on hand when you go to see this one. There’s just not enough good things to say about this film, but TJ and Chad do try valiantly. Also, find out how this film is in a way like ‘Anne of Green Gables’ — no really!

TJ missed a week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so buckle up while he tries to keep things from getting entirely too long. First up, ‘The Wovlerine’ sequel will be based on an existing comic book arc. Since that was also the case with the previous film, and it was a really good film, that seems like a fine idea to TJ. TJ, Chad, and Mike Fissel recorded episode 70 of The MovieByte Podcast talking about ‘Catching Fire’ which was really good and none of them really had anything too bad to say about it. TJ also released a ByteSized Video Review about the film. Also find out why Francis Lawrence is crucial to ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise. In the sad news this week, Paul Walker of ‘Fast and Furious’ fame died at the age of 40 in a fiery car crash. In light of that news, Universal has halted production on ‘Fast and Furious 7’ which he was in and issued one of the more tear jerking press releases in recent memory. TJ’s not a fan of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise but his thoughts and heart goes out to those close to him. ‘Pirates 5’ is reportedly looking at Keith Richards returning, and at casting Christoph Waltz as the villain. Why are they making this again since ‘Pirate 4’ was so awful? JJ Abrams says hiding Khan’s identity from the world was a mistake and that he should of put it out there and allowed people to acclimate to the idea. As painful as it is to say this, TJ thinks he’s right. Ben Affleck inserted 9 minutes of additional footage in to the ‘Argo’ extended edition Blu-ray. TJ is really looking forward to seeing that. ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ has been announced. Even though ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ hasn’t even made it out of the gate yet, TJ’s exited for it and looking forward to it as long as Bryan Singer is involved. Of course don’t forget to listen in as TJ runs down your options for what to see this weekend!

TJ fills you in on ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ from director Francis Lawrence. It is TJ’s opinion that this film improves upon the first in every possible way, even if it’s not without it’s flaws. The film is very emotional and heavy as you might expect at the mid-point of a story such as this one, but Francis Lawrence deftly brings this one safely in for a great landing — one that will of course having coming back to the theaters for ‘Mocking Jay’.

Join TJ, Chad, and Mike Fissel to discuss a few of the latest TV shows their watching. Then dive into a review of ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’. Of course there’s some analysis and general thoughts about the first film and how Garry Ross the director handled that film and what it’s strengths and weaknesses are. And of course, how this film blows that one away.

TJ and Chad really wanted to see and talk about ‘The Book Thief’ but they got bit by the limited release stuff and couldn’t find it playing anywhere. So instead in this episode they talk about how stupid the MPAA is for fighting a losing battle against piracy. They also spend a bit discussing the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ film and the fact that Samuel L. Jackson says that Mark Hamill hasn’t been contact about playing a part yet. But they’re not despairing for the film yet. And this week’s main topic of review is ‘A Few Good Men’ from 1992. This may seem a bit out of the blue, but it’s a favorite of TJ’s and a great film. Chad had never seen the film before so be sure to tune in and get his take!