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Mike Kaye

@captainkaye42

Media critic, Co-founder of Renegadepopculture.com. Co-host of Renegade Animation. Music Nerd. Animation junkie.

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Latest posts by Mike Kaye @captainkaye42

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a woman is asking who run the world ALT: a woman is asking who run the world

I’ve been bedridden pretty much all day, which sucks, but I still wanna take a second to wish some of the most important people in my life a happy International Women’s Day!

09.03.2026 01:12 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A review of Scream 7 (2026) Quick thoughts: You know, both things can be true. On the one hand, it was incredible stupid and disrespectful to discard Melissa Barrera's storyline for speaking out against the Palestinian genocides...

Scream is like pizza, even the worst slice is still exactly what it is. I enjoyed #Scream7 just enough because of how much I love Scream, but it just wasn't good enough to justify all the behind the scenes nonsense that led us here.

08.03.2026 05:15 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A review of The Bride! (2026) Quick thoughts: It must have been by accident, but ever since Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy began their tenure at Warner Bros. Pictures, March has become what I'd like to call the "fuck it, let's thr...

So, I don't do star ratings anymore, but back when I did, #TheBride would have been a classic 4.5/5! I commend the fuck out of writer and director Maggie Gyllenhaal for her unwavering commitment to throwing caution to the wind, which extends to the cast.

07.03.2026 20:38 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A ★★★★★ review of Hoppers (2026) Quick thoughts: Believe it or not, there is a direct pipeline between Ted Turner and Hoppers. For those who might be too young to remember, shortly after Turner launched Cartoon Network, he and Barbar...

I knew I was going to love #Hoppers based on what I've heard from early reactions, but I wasn't prepared for how much I'd fall head over heels for it! With its strong environmental advocacy, it makes me wonder what Ted Turner thought of the movie. See it!

07.03.2026 06:14 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A review of Crime 101 (2026) Quick thoughts: Bart Layton's filmography is interesting, to say the least. He began his career as a documentarian, but has slowly transitioned into writing and directing narrative features. I was fir...

Bart Layton is back after 8 years with his new directorial effort #Crime101! I went into this movie without any real expectations, and came out pleasantly surprised. It has a great cast, led by Chris Hemsworth and one of Halle Berry's best performances.

22.02.2026 21:35 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

And this is why it's openly okay to condemn and ridicule bad animation fans, because when you turn to harassing creators and making them never want to touch their creation again, then you aren't a fan, you are a shitty weird parasocial brat who doesn't deserve to participate in anything.

22.02.2026 02:20 👍 421 🔁 123 💬 0 📌 0

And just to add insult to injury, apparently this has been in development since the mid-2000's.

21.02.2026 20:57 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A review of Psycho Killer (2026) Quick thoughts: On the one hand, I hate that it's 2026 and I still need to explain how Rotten Tomatoes works. However, given how much the website itself has changed over the last 27 years, and not exa...

Don't believe the anti-hype of the film's 0% approval rating on the tomatometer, Psycho Killer is neither good enough to amass a cult following, nor bad enough that the studio needed to hold the review embargo until AFTER it opened to the public.

21.02.2026 20:31 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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A review of Wuthering Heights (2026) Quick thoughts: I did NOT want to see this movie leading up to its release. Not because writer and director Emerald Fennell isn't an incredibly talented filmmaker (she is, contrary to Film Twitter's c...

I am apparently diving head-first into shark-infested waters by sharing this review for #WutheringHeights, a movie that will inevitably piss off everyone for a variety of reasons. Despite my initial kicking and screaming, I did end up enjoying it!

15.02.2026 06:37 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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A review of GOAT (2026) Quick thoughts: There is a disproportionate amount of movies about basketball compared to other sports such as football or baseball, and there's even less that I would actually call "great." I don't k...

Sony Pictures Animation has another hit on their hands with #GOAT! While the story itself follows the sports movie playbook to a tee, everything around it is top shelf, from the voice acting, to the animation, and a phenomenal soundtrack! Recommended!

14.02.2026 21:09 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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A review of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2025) Quick thoughts: Fuck A.I., at least the way it's being used today. Artificial intelligence in and of itself isn't necessarily the problem, it's just a tool at the end of the day. The problem is that s...

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die might just be the most important movie of the year? I know that sounds hyperbolic, but if you're a fan of Gore Verbinksi and have missed his authorial voice on the big screen, then I'd advise you to seek this out ASAP!

13.02.2026 21:57 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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kermit the frog is dancing on a stage in front of a red curtain and saying yeah . ALT: kermit the frog is dancing on a stage in front of a red curtain and saying yeah .

Let me hear your Muppet hot takes, but with some ground rules:

1. No mention of Kermit, because that topic's been beaten to death.

2. Try to keep it positive, if possible.

Now, what do you got for me?

10.02.2026 15:57 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

In this episode, we talk about the last of the Oscar-nominated animated features, and then we dive into the current state of indie animation and we also link a few indie pilots more folks should check out.

09.02.2026 18:17 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Arco and the State of Indie Animation - Renegade Animation #211
Arco and the State of Indie Animation - Renegade Animation #211 YouTube video by Renegade Pop Culture

Enjoy a brand new episode of Renegade Animation! This time, @camseyeview.biz, @crazylemur.bsky.social, and I finally get to talk about Arco, while addressing the current state of Indie Animation! Look in the description for our personal Indie pilot recommendations!

09.02.2026 17:50 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
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a group of muppets playing instruments with the words the electric mayhem ALT: a group of muppets playing instruments with the words the electric mayhem

So here's the thing: The Muppet Show special was great, exactly what Disney needed to do since 2011. But I gotta be honest, The Muppets Mayhem might actually be my favorite Muppet Studios production. It just feels like it was made specifically for me, and it helps that the music is amazing as well!

08.02.2026 05:54 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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a sign for the muppet show has a fancy design around it ALT: a sign for the muppet show has a fancy design around it

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, you're not allowed to hate The Muppets! If it's not your cup of tea, it's not your cup of tea. You don't even have to love every single Muppet production.
We need the Muppets, and we need them to be as ubiquitous as they were in the 70's again!

05.02.2026 16:12 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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a kermit the frog appears on the muppet show logo ALT: a kermit the frog appears on the muppet show logo

I love the Muppets, you love the Muppets, everyone loves the Muppets! I genuinely hope that #TheMuppetShow special emboldens Disney to give them another shot, because it was a fantastic showcase of what made the original series so special. Sabrina Carpenter was a perfect guest!

04.02.2026 14:34 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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two men are walking down a hallway with wonder man written on the wall behind them ALT: two men are walking down a hallway with wonder man written on the wall behind them

Tonight I will finish #WonderMan, picking up at episode 6, which probably has my favorite scene between Simon and Trevor so far! Anyone who's calling this series "boring" just because there's no superhero action is honestly watching this for the wrong reason.

03.02.2026 23:40 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Time to shine a spotlight on some pilots!

02.02.2026 20:58 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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A review of Send Help (2026) Quick thoughts: January comes to a close with a brand new movie from Sam Raimi, his first foray back into horror since 2009's Drag Me to Hell. I've been excited for this one ever since it was first an...

I had an absolute blast with #SendHelp! Sam Raimi puts Misery and Castaway in a blender, while Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien make excellent scene partners. It's violent and bloody, but also incredibly silly, par for the course in a Sam Raimi joint.

01.02.2026 05:53 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I consider it tied with All You Need is Kill.

31.01.2026 03:53 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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2026: Best to Worst Look, it's not a competition. I'll try to see as many movies as I can. You all know how this works.

letterboxd.com/coachkaye42/...

31.01.2026 03:51 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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A review of Iron Lung (2025) Quick Thoughts: It's 2026, time to admit that YouTube is every bit as valid a starting point for this current generation of filmmakers as music videos were for some of the biggest names in the 80's an...

Iron Lung is a solid feature film directorial debut from Markiplier! He impressed me with his dramatic acting chops, and while it does overstay its welcome, it mostly succeeds as a contained thriller. A comfortable recommendation!

31.01.2026 03:49 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1
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a man in a denim jacket stands in front of a brick wall with kepler written on the bottom right ALT: a man in a denim jacket stands in front of a brick wall with kepler written on the bottom right

#WonderMan episode 4 might just be the best episode of television I've seen in a very long time. The story of DeMarr "Doorman" Davis is both funny and tragic, and it explains enough of why the Department of Damage Control is after Simon Williams. Incredible stuff!

30.01.2026 01:53 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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a man sits on a couch with a disney + logo on the bottom ALT: a man sits on a couch with a disney + logo on the bottom

I'm only 3 episodes into #WonderMan, wasn't able to binge the full series tonight. Nevertheless, I'm enjoying the show so far! I don't really care how closely it ties to the rest of the MCU, because what's pulling me in is the acting, and the character writing. It's just good TV!

29.01.2026 02:12 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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All You Need is Kill and Fureru - Renegade Animation #209 | RPC | Renegade Pop Culture - Podcasts on Animation, Movies, and Video games In this episode, Captain Kaye, the Animation Guru, and the Crazy Lemur share their thoughts on All You Need is Kill , and Fureru ! They also pay tribute to director and screenwriter Roger Allers (Ju...

Enjoy a brand new episode of Renegade Animation! This time, @camseyeview.biz, @crazylemur.bsky.social, and I share our thoughts on Fureru, and All You Need is Kill!

25.01.2026 16:57 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
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a cartoon of bugs bunny holding a carrot with the words what 's up doc below him ALT: a cartoon of bugs bunny holding a carrot with the words what 's up doc below him

AMA?

25.01.2026 05:14 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A review of Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (2026) Quick thoughts: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is an old Japanese prose from the Heian Period that tells the tale of a princess from the moon who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing b...

January has been a much better month for animation than last year, and here is another example of that. #CosmicPrincessKaguya is a delightful animated musical fantasy with great original songs that successfully updates an old Japanese prose. See it ASAP!

24.01.2026 04:30 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Fair point. Like I said, my entry into the fandom was the 2002 series, so I’m not quite as familiar with some of the older lore.

22.01.2026 15:13 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I think I share your "mixed" optimism, but having grown up watching the 2002 animated series first, what I like is how much they're taking the mythology seriously, while still having a sense of humor.

The earth stuff we really didn't need though.

22.01.2026 14:53 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0