Episode 78 - The 3rd Annual Dubbie Awards!

It's nearly the end of awards season in the movie biz, which means dozens of ossified institutions have spent the past several months debating the merits of a handful of preordained films, overlooking meritorious efforts such as Swiss Army Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

We're putting our own twist on this tradition once again, as the third edition of the Dubbie Awards continues our revolution in recognition. In addition to naming our favorite films and performances of 2016, we'll dispense special honors for the year's finest achievements (and failures) in cinematic nostalgia. And, for the first time, we hand out podcast-centric awards, mostly for the purpose of making our own acceptance speeches. Get the play-off music ready...it's time for the Dubbies!

This year's program includes:

• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Film of 2016
• Best Comeback
• Most Unnecessary Throwback
• Future WWWW Candidate
• Most Nostalgic Moment
• Best New Oldie
• Best Performance by a WWWW Guest
• Best Performance by a WWWW Co-Host
• Best WWWW Episode of 2016

Episode 77 - BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM

The rehabilitation of Batman's post-camp image as a lonely, brooding avatar of vigilantism was not just limited to the comics or the cinema. Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski's surprisingly mature animated TV series also contributed to the goal of establishing a grim, gritty, noir-ish universe as the Caped Crusader's natural habit. Their ambition was affirmed by efforts such as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, a theatrically-released feature filled with vengeance, obsession, and yearning for the past that also includes a pretty sweet rumble with the Joker.

Reopening the Wormhole co-host Sam Stovold suits up for this animated detour in our survey of the Batman films. Grab your fedora and hop into your anachronistic Rolls Royce for this melancholy superhero romance - just in time for Valentine's Day!

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Directed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski
Produced by Benjamin Melnicker, Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, and Eric Radomski
Written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves
Based on characters created by Bob Kane
Starring Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Mark Hamill, Hart Bochner, Abe Vigoda, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and Stacy Keach


Check out all current episodes in our Batman series:
Batman
Batman Returns
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Forever
Batman & Robin